Ming Dynasty 1566

Chapter 125

A few giant candle lanterns were hung under the eaves outside the door of the duty room, illuminating the four eunuchs sitting on chairs at the door from above their heads.Chen Hong sat on the upper right chair in the middle, and his face was still red and swollen so that others could not see clearly; the second Bingbi eunuch sat on the lower left chair in the middle, and the third and fourth Bingbi eunuchs sat in the same order. On the chairs on both sides, like Chen Hong, their faces were blurred.

The faces of more than [-] people standing in the yard were all illuminated by the lanterns.

A dozen heads of the Criminal Division stood on the left side of the yard, a dozen heads of the Zhenfu Division stood on the right side of the yard, and Zhu Qi and Qi Dazhu stood in the first row here.

These are the people who are at the third level of Jianguan University.In addition to kneeling on the emperor with two legs, this is the one kneeling on one leg.When everyone arrived, more than [-] people knelt down with their right legs and put their left fists on the ground: "My subordinates refer to Eunuch Chen, Eunuch Huang, Eunuch Shi, and Eunuch Meng!"

Only Chen Hong knew the decree. At dusk, he gave an order to call everyone. The three eunuchs Huang, Shi and Meng who were sitting on the chairs did not know why, so they all looked at him at this moment.

Chen Hong stood up slowly: "There is a will, kneel down that leg for me too!"

It turned out to be a decree!With a swipe of the floor, the twenty or so people who were kneeling on one leg immediately fell down on both knees.

Huang, Shi, and Meng were also startled, stood up quickly, and knelt down to Chen Hong in front of their chairs.

Standing alone, Chen Hong already looked tall, but now that the palace hat on his head was covered with layers of white silk, he looked even taller.

"Department of punishment, department of eunuchs, you slaves have all listened!" Thinking that tomorrow he might get the seal of the supervisor of ceremonies, and it was time to establish his prestige, so Chen Hong's voice was particularly shrill when delivering the decree, " There have been rules since Emperor Cheng Zuwen set up the Criminal Division and the Zhenfu Division. These two divisions are directly in charge of the chief eunuch Bingbi. Some slaves even bypassed Chen Hong and reported directly to Lu Fang! When will I tell you? The rules changed? Or the rules changed by Lu Fang for you? I regard you as brothers and sisters, but I have no choice but to regard me as a fake! What's more, I know that those who slander me are not only not angry with your father's generosity, but also do everything for them Excuse me! I raised you slaves for nothing! Let Chen Hong repeat the law of the ancestors to you and others, and punish the above-mentioned offenders first, as a warning."

After Chen Hong announced the decree, he deliberately stopped there, and the courtyard was dark and quiet.

Anyone who can kneel here has the ability to feel the reactions of others without using their eyes.At this time, everyone's sixth sense could see that Chen Hong was looking at the two people on the right: one was Zhu Qi, and the other was Qi Dazhu.

"Bring it in!" Chen Hong didn't move Zhu Qi or Qi Dazhu first, but shouted out of the courtyard.

The two eunuchs of the Improving Division, one from behind, grabbed a man's wrists and pushed in - under the lantern, it could be seen that the man had received Hai Mu's money to buy food and drinks for her in front of Hai Rui's gate. The middle-aged Jin Yiwei!

The two sentencing eunuchs pressed him to kneel in front of Chen Hong.

Chen Hong: "Whose subordinate is this slave? Identify yourself!"

The head of the punishment department on the left and the head of the Zhenfu department on the right raised their heads to look at the middle-aged Jin Yiwei who was escorting him.

"I admit it myself!" Chen Hong shouted again.

"Wait!" Huang Jin, who was kneeling in front of the chair, yelled.

Chen Hong was startled.

Huang Jin raised his head and looked at Chen Hong at this moment: "Excuse me, Eunuch Chen, have you finished reading the decree?"

Just waiting for Huang Jin to argue with himself today, at this time, asking such a question is naturally a challenge to himself, but Chen Hong refuses to answer.

"Have you finished reading?" Huang Jin raised his voice.

"What if the reading is finished? So what if the reading is not finished?" Today is not the past, and Chen Hong's rhetorical question has revealed a murderous look.

That Huang Jin stood up abruptly: "Are we still made to kneel after the reading? Are we kneeling now, the emperor, or you! You don't follow the rules yourself, but ask others to follow the rules. Get up, stand up!"

"Who dares!" Chen Hong's voice sounded like an owl screaming at night.

Except for Huang Jin standing there, none of the others dared to stand up, including the other two eunuchs Bingbi, who were surnamed Meng and Shi.

The owl's cry slowly disappeared in the air, and the courtyard became even more dark and silent.

"Shangyu!" Chen Hongbo suddenly announced the decree again at this time, but his voice was deliberately low, but his gaze was slanted towards Huang Jin.

It was Huang Jin's turn to be stunned for a moment, holding his breath in his throat but had to kneel down again in a daze.

Jiajing's verbal edicts have always been clouded, and the original intention was to make those officials think about their fears, but they had no choice but to mention the Criminal Division and the Zhenfu Division. Explaining with his own words, Chen Hong just used this power to carry his own words, and imitated Jiajing's tone to beat people with thunder: "It's really 'There must be fragrant grass within ten steps!'"

Chen Hong purposely made the word "Fang" longer and spoke more emphatically, but stopped after saying this sentence, letting everyone figure it out.Everyone was shocked, especially Huang Jin.He understood that the thunder had struck at the ancestor!
Chen Hong continued to imitate: "The 24 yamen in the palace are full of fragrant grasses, and now even the Zhenfusi is full of fragrant grasses. Jin Yiwei, you slaves, first look at the clothes you are wearing, which one is not full of flowers? But I don’t know how high or low, so I want to add grass to it! I don’t have more than eight sets of regular clothes for four seasons, and the officials below the third rank in the court don’t dress better than you. When did I treat you badly? I’ve practiced too much, and my elbows are outward Abducted! A small head of the household department started my article under your noses, and there are two thirteen Taibao who speak for him! Which two are they? Stand up for yourself!"

Zhu Qi and Qi Dazhu stood up almost at the same time, walked to the stone road in the middle, faced Chen Hong and knelt in front of the middle-aged Jin Yiwei.

"So it's the Seventh Master and the Thirteenth Master." Chen Hong's tone pretended to be very friendly, "Hello, Seventh Master, and Thirteenth Master!"

"Eunuch Chen!" Zhu Qi straightened up his body like a mountain, "Whichever one of the subordinates commits a crime, they will be punished." After speaking, he tore off his clothes and took them off and put them on the ground. Out of the body.

Qi Dazhu immediately took off his clothes and put them on the ground, also naked.

Chen Hong's eyes quickly covered the big insiders in the yard, knowing that they should be put away, his voice softened all of a sudden: "Just now Eunuch Huang asked me if I had finished reading the emperor's will, and now I tell you that the holy will is all Passed on. Those who should kneel should kneel, others have chairs, please sit in chairs, and those who don’t have chairs should sit in the yard.”

Huang Jin led the other two eunuchs, Bingbi, to stand up.Especially Huang Jin, this time he climbed up very hard. After the two eunuchs sat down, he sat down slowly on his own chair, and after sitting down, he bowed his head and remained silent.

The leaders of the Criminal Justice Division on the left and the Zhenfu Division on the right sat down cross-legged in the yard.

Only Zhu Qi, Qi Dazhu, and the middle-aged Jin Yiwei were kneeling on the stone road in the middle.

"Liu Er." Chen Hong called the middle-aged Jin Yiwei.

The middle-aged Jin Yiwei was still wearing clothes, and raised his head: "Go back to Eunuch Chen, the servant is here."

Chen Hong: "Have you been in the Zhenfu Division for almost 20 years? I never thought that an old man like you would go shopping at the scapegoat's house as an errand. Touch your chest and count, the emperor will feed your family How can I get rid of you if you spit out the stuff you have? You are so heartless, right?"

"Eunuch Chen!" Qi Dazhu raised his head abruptly, "Liu Er is my subordinate, the head of the household department, Hai Rui, once saved my life, I asked them to take care of it, and I should be responsible for all the crimes. Please, Eunuch Chen, don't pursue Liu Er."

"Hero!" Chen Hong immediately boasted, "You know how to repay him, you really stumped me. Qi Ye, you are his master, how do you deal with it?"

Zhu Qi had no choice but to answer: "If Lord Long Live didn't say to cut off our heads, according to the family law, Liu Er should have a [-] court rod, Qi Dazhu should have a [-] court rod, and I should have a [-] rod!"

"Then let's act according to the family law." Chen Hong looked at the heads of the Criminal Division in the front row on the left. Grandpa calmed down. Do you understand?"

All the candles in front of the altar were lit, and all the lanterns that should be lit in the monastery were also lit, and it was brightly lit.

Jiajing didn't know when he put on the robe embroidered with "Tao Te Ching" again, knelt down on the worship mat of the altar, bowed three times, knelt there, fingered the law, and muttered words in his mouth.

Lu Fang knelt beside his futon, lying tightly on her stomach, motionless.

After Jiajing finished chanting the mantra, he stood up, walked to the imperial case, picked up a cinnabar pen, dipped the cinnabar box full of cinnabar, and then quickly drew on a piece of yellow paper—a strangely shaped talisman was drawn!

Jiajing put down his pen, looked at the Taoist talisman, and was silent for a while.

The cinnabar on the talisman dried quickly, and Jiajing held it up with both hands: "Lu Fang."

"Slave, slave is here." Lu Fang was still lying on her stomach, her voice choked up.

Jiajing: "I've been with you for most of your life, and carrying this will keep you safe for the rest of your life."

"Slave..." Lu Fang choked up after saying these two words, and it took her a long time to swallow the tears, "I have been able to serve my master for the past forty years... this slave is content..."

"Take it." Jiajing stopped looking at him, walked to the dragon bed in the curtain, and lay down on his side.

Lu Fang turned around, faced Jiajing's lying back and kowtowed three times, then stood up, walked slowly to the imperial case, held the Taoist talisman in both hands, and walked out the door of the Vihara with her head down.

Jiajing was lying face to face on the bed, his eyes were open, and tears were dripping from the corners of his eyes.Suddenly he heard a voice in the hall outside the jingshe.

It was Lu Fang's voice: "Eunuch Chen, Master Long Live, I entrust you with everything. I kowtow to you."

Jiajing turned over and sat up.

Immediately, Chen Hong's voice came from outside: "Kill the slave! Serving the master is the slave's bounden duty, the ancestors must not shorten the slave's life!"

Then came the sound of two people bowing their heads.

Then there was silence.Obviously Lu Fang has already walked out of the palace gate.

Jiajing stood up, walked slowly to the futon and sat down cross-legged.

Chen Hong's figure appeared at the door of the jingshe: "Qizou Master Long Live, those servants of the Zhenfu Division have punished them, and now they come to plead guilty to Master Long Live."

Jiajing: "Come in, come in."

"Go in." Chen Hong led in front, the first was Zhu Qi who was topless, the second was Qi Dazhu who was topless, and the last was Liu Er who was topless.

Chen Hong kowtowed to Jiajing and stood up beside him.

Zhu Qi led Qi Dazhu and Liu Er to kneel down with difficulty, put his hands on the ground and kowtowed, then put his hands on the ground again, turned around on his knees, and turned his back to Jiajing.

The backs of the three people were all bloody!
"Oh!" Jiajing sighed for a long time, "'It's the fault of not raising the father, and the laziness of the teacher'. I have also experienced it!"

Chen Hong fell to his knees with a thud: "Master Long Live said so, this servant will receive the court staff by himself."

Jiajing: "It's time for you to think about your mistakes. I told you to say hello to them, but I didn't tell you to beat them like this."

Chen Hong immediately raised his hand and slapped his still red and swollen face loudly, and continued to slap again.

"That's all." Jiajing stopped him.

Chen Hong fell down.

Jiajing: "Zhu Xi said that there is a reason for everything. How did the old thirteen come to me as an errand? It's all because Hai Rui saved him back then. If he doesn't even recognize Hai Rui today, he won't be here in the future." You won’t recognize me. This is a reason. Thirteen.”

Qi Dazhu lay down with his back facing him: "The servant is here."

Jiajing: "Go to that Hai Rui's house, the life-saving benefactor, you should go and have a look."

Qi Dazhu lying there: "Yes..."

Jiajing: "I checked with my celestial eye. The Li Shizhen who treated King Yu is now at Hai Rui's house. Go and let Li Shizhen heal your injury. There is good medicine for your master and Liu Er also ask for some."

"Yes..." Qi Dazhu replied holding back his tears.

Jiajing turned to Chen Hong and said, "A small head of the household department doesn't even have a needle in his hand. Why do you send so many brocade-clothed guards at his door? Call them all back."

"The slave obeys the order."

Chen Hong answered, but fell silent in his heart.

In the friendship of the ancients, it is important to be able to accompany the other party all day long without getting tired when the other party is in adversity.Li Shizhen checked Hai's wife's pulse and prescribed a prescription, and then went to buy medicine for her and came back, which made Hai Rui suffer. At this time, she was sitting here with Hai's mother, Hai Rui, talking.

All three of them are here, and the medicine pot is boiling on a small white charcoal stove in this room, gurgling and steaming.

"Back some charcoal fire." Li Shizhen said to Hai Rui.

"Yes." Hai Rui stood up and walked to the small stove, picked up the tongs and picked out some charcoal.

Mother Hai looked at Li Shizhen: "Mr. Li, although the house is narrow, you can't leave with those people standing outside the door at this time. Just make a floor bed in the study and sleep with Ru Xian."

Li Shizhen smiled: "I don't want to sleep with him, I can't sleep well because of his snoring. Those people outside the door can't stop me, I'll just sit for a while and leave."

Hai Rui came back: "Mother, you are tired too, go to rest first, and my son will talk with Mr. Li later. Send him away when the medicine is ready."

Haimu stood up, followed by Li Shizhen, but someone knocked on the door.

All three looked at each other, and then looked at the courtyard door.

"Mother is going to rest first, and my son is going to see it." Hai Rui walked out of the house and asked, "Who? Is it a business matter or a private matter?"

In the main room on the north side with the open door, Li Shizhen and Haimu are also watching here.

Qi Dazhu's voice came from outside the door: "Engong, it's me. Dazhu is here to visit Mrs. Tai, Madam and Engong."

Hai Rui was silent for a moment: "I have already said during the day, the past is over, there is no need for you to come and see us. It's late at night, Mrs. Tai and Mrs. Madam are both asleep, you can go." Then he turned around and was about to leave .

"Engong!" Qi Dazhu's voice outside the door was a little excited, "I came to see Engong by order!"

Hai Rui stopped abruptly, his eyes flashed.

Haimu in the north room said: "Open the door, let people in!"

Hai Rui walked back to the door, pushed the latch and opened the courtyard door.

A light from a lantern came in, and a member of Jin Yiwei stood by the door with a lantern on, and Qi's wife stood at the door with Qi Dazhu on his arm.

Seeing Hai Rui's eyes, Qi's wife was also very excited: "You helped yourself."

Qi Dazhu stretched out one hand to support the door frame, and his wife knelt down to Hai Rui outside the door: "Da Zhu's wife kowtowed to her benefactor!" After saying that, she kowtowed.

Hai Rui was very polite to her: "Get up quickly. Please come in." When he said that, his eyes had already focused on Qi Dazhu who was struggling to help him standing there.

Qi's wife stood up and went to help Qi Dazhu again.

"Injured?" Hai Rui looked at Qi Dazhu.

Qi Dazhu forced a smile: "Flesh injuries, benefactor, don't worry."

Hai Rui: "Help him in."

Qi's wife supported Qi Dazhu across the threshold and entered the courtyard gate.

The Jin Yiwei holding the lantern was waiting outside the door.

Hai Rui closed the door: "Go slowly. Come with me."

The three of them walked slowly towards the main house to the north.

The four people who were on duty in the cabinet during the night or during the day were urgently summoned.

The four knew that there must have been a big change. Although they were in the study room, each of them was more nervous than when they were on duty in the cabinet during the day. They stood in front of their respective chairs without sitting down, and all looked at Xu Jie who was sitting in the middle.

Xu Jie's face was dignified, but his tone was still calm: "Sit down, please sit down first."

Li Chunfang was on his right, Gao Gong was on his left, Zhao Zhenji sat next to Li Chunfang, and Xu Fan sat next to Gao Gong.

The stack of tickets was still placed on Xu Jie's lap, and he slowly looked at the four of them: "The decree just received, the emperor ordered us to bring these tickets to Yuxi Palace tomorrow for approval."

Gao Gong immediately answered, "The emperor approved these proposals?"

Xu Jie sighed lightly: "Okay, what do you want us to do in Yuxi Palace?"

All four were silent again.

Xu Jie: "I'll tell you one more piece of news. Eunuch Lu Fang Lu has been dispatched to Nanjing to guard the mausoleum of Emperor Taizu Gao!"

The four of them were startled, and stared at Xu Jie with wide eyes, almost in disbelief.

Xu Jie: "Chen Hong and Eunuch Chen have taken over the position of the eunuch in charge of the supervisor of ceremonies, and it is up to him to approve all the reds tomorrow."

All four of them were silent there.

Xu Jie: "No more hesitation. Tonight we will recalculate the bill and allocate 150 million from other items to the Ministry of Industry. Immediately input materials and immediately repair those palaces and those two Taoist temples!"

(End of this chapter)