It is said that a few days before the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Henan Political Department cracked a major case that shocked the imperial court. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 ｉｎfo

A month ago, the Yellow River flowed through the Central Plains section due to heavy rains for several days, and several river embankments burst, and there were as many as two or three from Luoyang to Kaifeng alone. For a time, the river overflowed, and countless farmland and houses were washed away. Such a serious flood has rarely occurred for decades, and the political envoy of Henan Province and his subordinate river governors will be convicted of dereliction of duty on the basis of this matter alone. How do you know that according to the investigation, a piece of paper was sent to the Criminal Department as soon as possible, accusing the political envoy of the government for many years of private accumulation of people's wealth, deducting the river defense and levying silver, and embezzling nearly one million taels of silver. Henan has been a disaster-ridden place of the Yellow River since ancient times, and once the river is negligent, the flood is out of control. The Criminal Department did not dare to slack off, and hurriedly played the Holy Lord, and suddenly Long Yan was furious, and ordered Wang Wen, the secretary of the Ministry of Officials, to go to Henan to investigate the matter. In less than a month, more than 857,000 taels of stolen silver had been seized, and the confessions of the two political envoys were true, so the imperial court sent troops to escort the two back to Beijing and hand them over to the Criminal Department to wait for their fate.

It is not uncommon for feudal officials to be corrupt and pervert the law, but most of them hide their property in secret places, and it is so easy to find out, which inevitably makes people who have been in officialdom feel strange. Several officials suggested that the criminal department Shangshu retry the case. Who knows, the next day, there will be an edict in the palace to send the two to prison. Late on the night before the trial was due on the sixth day of September, two political envoys committed suicide in prison. The jailer said he was asleep and didn't see it. The coroner saw that both of them had cracked skulls and the walls were covered with blood, so he determined that it was indeed a suicide, so the Henan case was closed. However, the Yellow River has not yet been repaired, there is a famine in Jiangxi, and the coastal pirates are rampant again.

In the early morning of the eighth day of the first lunar month, after the fifth watch, hundreds of officials waited inside and outside the court room to go to court. The emperor's royal body is not safe, and he has been out of court for two days, and he heard the chief eunuch Cao Gonggong say that the emperor admires the moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival, and he feels a little cold, and it seems that there is little chance of coming to the court today. All the officials had entered the noon gate one after another, and the corridor outside the room was full of people. The Henan case has become a topic of conversation among officials in recent days. The political envoy committed suicide by touching the wall in the Imperial Prison, and many people understood that it was Jinyiwei who did it, but no one dared to speculate at will in the public. It happened that Fan Ying was on duty on this day, so he stood aside and listened quietly, as a thousand households of Beizhen Fusi, of course he understood what was going on. If the two political envoys had already had suicidal thoughts, why did they stay until now? But who gave the instructions to fake the scene? He looked at Zhu Xiang, the commander not far away, this person was still loyal and would not do such a thing. I thought of my former boss Menda, and if it was him, it would still be possible. In the Jinyi Guard Yamen, the only one who can give orders without command is Cao Jixiang, the Gonggong of the Dongchang Factory. Cao Jixiang has several cronies in the Beizhen Mansion Division. When I think of Gonggong Cao and his cronies, Fan Ying is not a taste. Beizhen Fusi Qianhu is nominally under the direct jurisdiction of the Shengshang, but the Shengshang's dictations are all conveyed by Gonggong Cao, and between coming and going, I don't know how much news has been concealed by Gonggong Cao. Dongchang's behavior is known to the world, and a Jinyi guard like him can only carry the black pot in vain. Most of the officials in the court were afraid of him, and only Wuqing Marquis Shiheng was friendly with him.

At this time, someone outside the corridor greeted each other, and Fan Ying looked back to see that it was Wang Wen, the secretary of the ministry. Fan Ying suddenly had a flash of thought, and stepped forward to greet Lord Wang: "Lord Wang's trip to Henan has been hard work, and the lower officials did not congratulate him as soon as possible, so I really don't want to go." Lord Wang smiled and said, "Lord Fan doesn't have to be so polite. Fan Ying respectfully invited Lord Wang into the side hall, and when she saw that there was no one on the left and right, she whispered: "Lord Wang, please ask for advice, about the Henan case, what is your attitude when you think that the two political envoys who committed suicide confessed to the embezzlement of money?" Lord Wang lingered two steps and said, "Confess." Fan Ying frowned slightly, and then asked, "Is it easy to find the hidden stolen silver?" Wang Wendao: "Since they have all confessed, I'm not afraid that I won't find them." After that, he looked at Fan Ying's face and said, "Presumably Fan Qianhu knows more about this matter than I do, so I don't need to say it anymore." He turned around and went to the other hall to find Yu Bing.

Yu Qianzheng and Jiang Shangshu of the Ministry of Industry sat opposite each other and drank tea, and when they saw Wang Wen coming, they immediately looked at the tea. Yu Shangshu and Jiang Shangshu each worry about official affairs. Due to the lack of money and grain, the river workers worked tirelessly for days, and the rain continued, the construction of the breach has been delayed. Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Fujian are in serious trouble, and they are in urgent need of munitions, and not only are all the river transportation used to transport gunpowder and food, but also a part of the official silver for disaster relief is also allocated to the military, and the number of victims is increasing day by day, and there are many thieves. The stolen silver seized this time was indeed of great use. Some of the cabinet ministers felt that the eventful season was coming to an end, and Li Qi, the head of the household department, and several old men of the Zongren Mansion discussed the branch of the year-end reward.

After a while, it was already five or three o'clock, and I still didn't hear the drumming bell, and it seemed that the emperor was still sick. At this time, Gonggong Cao walked into the hall of the court room without anyone in his hand, looked around, and said unhurriedly: "The dragon body is not safe, and the dynasty will be stopped today." "I'm leaving. Jiang Shangshu hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Gonggong Cao, slow down, I have a rush here, and I bother you to hand it over to the saint." He took out the fold from the cuff and handed it to Grandpa Cao. Cao Jixiang unfolded it and nodded: "Lord Jiang is relieved, there is nothing wrong with the saint, and I will inherit it for you." Tuck the fold into his sleeve, ignore others, just smile with Marquis Shi and go out. After saying goodbye to each other, the officials returned to the yamen one after another.

Shi Heng and Fan Ying walked out of the imperial city together, and when there was no one around, Shi Heng asked softly: "Is the suicide caused by Dongchang?" Fan Ying said: "I haven't checked it out either." However, it seems that in order to control the Yellow River, the imperial court will also send people to Henan, I don't know who is assigned. ”

Jiang Shangshu's recital was to ask the emperor to send the imperial history of the river to Henan to supervise the repair of the river defense. As soon as the emperor fell ill, he didn't know how long the matter would drag on, and Jiang Shangshu was anxious. But it happened that the oracle came down the next day.

Early in the morning of the 10th, Guo Xi, a close confidant of Gonggong Cao, the eunuch of the celebrants, walked into the compound of the Ministry of Industry in a hurry, and Jiang Shangshu hurriedly went out of the hall to greet him. Gonggong Guo held the holy oracle in his hand, and with more than a dozen entourages behind him, he walked into the main hall in a big way, and said, "Is Lord Wailangqiu, the member of the water superintendent?" Jiang Shangshu was stunned for a moment, and then hurriedly ordered left and right: "Why don't you go and call Master Qiu out quickly." A servant immediately grabbed his robe and ran in.

Qiu Yinming was working with several principals to sort out the letters sent by officials from various places. The old man was holding a glass lens, reading the letter and taking notes from time to time. Suddenly, someone rushed in and said in a loud voice: "Gonggong Guo came by order to see Lord Qiu." Everyone raised their heads, and more than a dozen eyes looked at Qiu Yinming with a surprised face. The little official said again: "Looking at Gonggong Guo's face, Lord Qiu seems to be going to have good luck." Qiu Yinming didn't have time to hesitate, hurriedly straightened the black yarn, walked quickly to the main hall, and saw that Jiang Shangshu was also there, so he stood to the side. At this time, Gonggong Guo stood up from the chair and said to him with a smile: "Master Qiu, I have heard of the name for a long time, and when I saw it today, I really have outstanding talents." Guo's father-in-law's voice was sharp and hoarse, making people's pores tight, Qiu Yinming bowed his head and saluted: "Don't dare to be, my father-in-law is coming, and the lower officials are far away." ”

Guo Gonggong said with a smile: "The last time Tanggu coastal defense was repaired so beautifully, the saint intends to promote rookies. After that, he unfolded the golden scroll and said loudly: "Qiu Yinming, a member of the Ministry of Industry and Water Supervision Division, receives the order!" "Everyone knelt down and listened.

"On the order of heaven, the emperor said: The floods in Henan today have damaged the fields and destroyed the forests, and the hidden dangers of the displaced people cannot be taken lightly. If this goes on for a long time, the labor and money will hurt the country. He now ordered the Ministry of Industry to supervise the water division of the Wailang Qiu Yinming as the imperial history of the river and the capital, and went to Kaifeng Mansion to rectify the river defense and appease the victims on the same day. Chin this. ”

Qiu Yinming thanked him, took the oracle and stood up. He really didn't understand how the emperor could single-handedly hit himself. This is not an easy task. Guo Gong said indifferently: "Master Qiu, hurry up and set off." "Take the retinue and go away. Qiu Yinming was speechless, and hurriedly said goodbye to Master Jiang and went home. Now there is a discussion in the Ministry of Industry, and most of them don't know whose idea it is, some people say it's Cao Gonggong, some people say it's Yu Shangshu, and some people say it's Jiang Shangshu. If this Qiu Yinming can really cure the floods in Henan, he will have a bright future. It has never been easy to send Henan to the Yellow River, and the repeated violations of the Yellow River are a major heart disease of the imperial court.

It is said that Qiu Yinming walked to the door of the house and saw Fan Ying's big red horse outside the door, so he knew that he was inside. Sure enough, as soon as he stepped into the threshold, Steward Chai trotted out all the way, and said from afar: "My lord, Lord Fan is waiting for you in the study." Qiu Yinming nodded and said, "I'm going to Kaifeng Mansion tomorrow, you go and help me get some clothes." Chai Ban was curious: "My lord, ...... this time?" Qiu Yinming said: "Govern the Yellow River." It's probably going to be a while. After saying that, he walked straight to the study.

Pushing open the door, I saw Fan Ying sitting on a chair at the window drinking tea. When Fan Ying saw him come in, she got up and smiled: "Chengxian, just come back." I heard last night that you were accused of being the Imperial Historian, so I came to you early in the morning. The two of them were seated, and Qiu Yinming said: "I do imperial history, and it must have become a new thing in the court." Presumably, Brother Zhengnan knows some of the reasons for this. Fan Ying said: "It seems that you still don't know the true face of today's imperial court." Qiu Yinming shook his head and said, "Brother smiled, I really don't have this opportunity yet." Fan Ying smiled: "You are about to rise to the top." Know who recommended you? Without waiting for Qiu Yinming to speak, Fan Ying continued: "Father-in-law Cao. ”

Fan Ying said with a serious face: "Now the hundred officials of the imperial court, all who understand the stakes, whether true or false, must find a backer, that is Marquis Shi and Gonggong Cao." Although Gonggong Cao is a eunuch, the governor of the capital camp still controls the Dongchang, who is not afraid of him? Only Marquis Shi has the power of the army, and he can stand shoulder to shoulder with him. Although Yu Shangshu has won the trust of the saints, he is extremely high, and few people are good friends with him. ”

Hearing him say this, Qiu Yinming also understood that the emperor was weak, and the power of life and death in the court must fall into the hands of Shi and Cao, so he said: "Then, my brother is on the side of Marquis Shi." ”

Fan Ying was noncommittal, and only said: "Gonggong Cao is insidious, and no one knows what he is thinking. When it comes to sincerity, I only admire adults. At that time, the Emperor Taishang was captured by the Warat people, and he also attacked the Beijing division first, thanks to the great efforts of the Lord Yu to fight the main battle, the use of people in a good way, and the unity of the army and the people, in order to break the enemy. I also participated in the defense of the capital division, and I saw with my own eyes that Lord Yu was loyal to his duties and ordered all the generals to work together to defend the city. The people of the capital know that he is the first good official who is upright and honest today, and serves the country and the people. Seeing Qiu Yinming's thoughtful appearance, Fan Ying said again: "But the court is not a river and lake, let you serve the country wholeheartedly, if you offend the powerful, even if you are a first-class person, if you are not careful, you will end up with no place to be buried." A person's life and death are trivial, but family members and friends have to suffer innocently. ”

Qiu Yinming nodded and said, "I understand what you mean." Gonggong Cao recommended me to be the imperial history, presumably to test me, but I don't know what the mystery is. ”

Fan Ying said: "I know about the suicide of the political envoy of Henan." I'm sure Grandpa Cao has something to do with this case. You go to Kaifeng Mansion here, in case you find anything, if it involves Gonggong Cao, don't act rashly. I will send someone to investigate secretly, but there will definitely be a spy from Dongchang around you, and I don't know who it is. Anyway, remember my words, with your current status, you must not offend Gonggong Cao. ”

Qiu Yinming said: "My brother explains the way of survival of the imperial court well, I don't know when I will learn so much." ”

"You're a smart man," Fan Ying said with a smile, "It won't be long." After that, he covered the tea bowl and got up and said, "It's not too early, I should go to the yamen." If you leave early tomorrow morning, I won't be here to deliver it. Take care. ”

"Thank you brother for your advice, I won't send it." Qiu Yinming opened the door and watched Fan Ying go out.

In the evening, Qiu Yinming visited Dongfang's house. When the three ancestors and grandchildren heard that he was named as the imperial history of the river, they congratulated him very happily, but he felt a little unnatural. Dongfang Yan is the same as him, but now he is the only one who has been promoted again and again. However, Dongfang Yan is a broad-minded person and never cares about these. Qiu Yin was secretly pleased.

Early the next morning, there was a lot of noise outside the door, and Steward Chai ran in excitedly and said, "My lord, it turns out that you are a Qincha this time!" Qiu Yinming said: "I will ask you to take care of it at home." Remember to always prepare feed for your horse. ”

There are already dozens of people waiting outside the door, the neighbors are crowded on the side of the road to watch the excitement, the sign of "quiet, avoid" is painted brightly, there are cavalry guards on both sides of the carriage, and the cyan banner of "governing the river and the imperial history" is eye-catching. An entourage deputy stepped forward and said, "My lord, please get in the car." Qiu Yinming turned his face and looked around at the accompanying people and horses, and said, "The journey is tiring, and there are many people." He turned and got into the carriage. After sitting down, I only heard the gong sound, and the people and horses went on the road in a mighty way.

The carriage passed through the downtown of the capital, and the sound of the people on the side of the road echoed in my ears, and the sound of the gong "clang-clang-clang-" sounded, and I couldn't hear what the people were saying. After walking for a long time, the surroundings quieted down, he lifted the window, and saw that he had left Guang'anmen and was almost at Lugou Bridge. The autumn wind hits people, and the golden grass and trees make people feel refreshed and happy. I haven't been out of the city to walk my horses for a few days. But what should be on mind is business. It has been more than half a year since he received the imperial grain in the capital, and the scene of the people seemed to be getting lighter and weaker, and he suddenly felt a little uneasy, and ordered to put away the gong and go south quickly.