In the palace, the current emperor likes to manage the government in the palace of nourishing the heart, and on this day, it is still brightly lit in the middle of the night.

The little eunuchs and palace people on duty tried their best to keep their anger down and walk and talk.

Although they have a low status and do not understand the government, they are the people closest to the supreme position in this world.

An inaudible snort from the superiors, a casual look, can let them know in advance whether it is a sunny day or a storm.

In the hall, Emperor Zhengming sat in the middle, looking through the dossier while listening to Xu Han and Xiao Yu report the harvest of this trip.

The second assistant and several other cabinet elders and cabinet ministers knelt on the ground together, also listening to Xu Han's report.

Even Xu Ge Lao, who was ordered by the emperor to recuperate in the palace, also knelt among the courtiers at this moment.

When he first went down to the south of the Yangtze River, there were two other Qincha on the surface, and now those two Qincha are still supervising the construction of dikes and other water conservancy projects in Huaiyang.

"Alright." Listening to this, Emperor Zhengming raised his hand.

Xu Han stopped reporting and waited for the holy will.

Emperor Zhengming pinched his eyebrows, as if he didn't see the ministers kneeling down, and said to Xu Han with a little tiredness,

"Since the evidence is conclusive, Aiqing wrote a chapter and handed it over."

Xu Han said respectfully, "Yes." ”

Emperor Zhengming glanced at Xu Han twice, thinking that his courtiers had just gone out once, and his parents had left when he returned.

Fortunately, he was already an adult and joined the court, and he said with a little sympathy, "It's getting late, Aiqing has worked hard all the way, and he hasn't returned to the house yet, right?" ”

"You don't have to pay attention to what happened in your house, you are you, the house is the house, you can just do a good job."

Xu Han bowed down and bowed,

"Thank you for your care, and the minister will retire first?"

Without waiting for Emperor Zhengming to let him go, a minister kneeling at the bottom said loudly,

"Your Majesty, the minister has something to ask Xu Tongzhi, I don't know if to talk about it or not?"

Before Xu Han came, these ministers had already knelt here, and when she finished reporting her trip to Jiangnan, she didn't see His Majesty asking them to get up.

This will make Xu Han easily leaving, so he is naturally a little unhappy.

What's more, they will kneel here, which is also related to Xu Han.

Jiangnan's case, as soon as Xu Han's case file was sent back, the entire capital was shaken.

From the Jiangnan embankment to the official bank, the six cabinet ministries were not spared from being implicated.

In those days, how many high-ranking families in Beijing smashed how many tea cups, but fattened the hawkers who specialized in collecting old things, these broken porcelain, many of them are precious things, and they can be of many uses.

From this point, it is enough to see how uncalm the mood of many officials is.

There is no one in this world who can really cover the sky with one hand, and if there is, it is only the emperor.

But even the emperor has a lot of helplessness and reluctance, and the situation above the court is complicated, and there is a lot involved in Jiangnan alone.

Emperor Zhengming has been in power for more than 20 years, and he has long wanted to do something, so he can only plan and plan, because he will move his whole body.

Finally, he took advantage of this Jiangnan embankment and decided to investigate to the end, not to mention cutting off the entire carrion, at least let the people of Jiangnan breathe a sigh of relief.

At this time, Xu Han entered the emperor's sight, as a chess piece, Xu Han's identity is too easy to use.

The declining king with a different surname is not favored by the head of the family, even if he gets the king, he can't get the inheritance of the palace, and if he wants to firmly occupy the throne, he can only cling to the emperor.

Going to Jin Wuwei was just a whim, but Xu Han did a surprisingly good job, which made the emperor deeply pleased.

unintentionally inserted willows and willows, and the trip to Jiangnan ordered Xu Han and gave a secret decree.

If you can find out the incident in Jiangnan, then everyone will be happy, if you can't find out and attract the siege of the courtiers, it is just that she is not capable enough.

The minister said that he wanted to ask Xu Han, and the emperor picked up the tea cup on the kang table and sucked a few sips, and after a while, he said slowly,

"Nine out of ten of the world's taxes come from Jiangnan, which shows how important Jiangnan is."

"You are all important ministers of the country, I trust you, and I will hand over Jiangnan to you important ministers, how do you repay my trust?"

This sentence was sneering, and it was waved heavily on the courtier's face like a big-eared scraper.

He didn't even refute the minister's words, so what should be said or not? Do you know if you want to ask?

Emperor Zhengming's words were recalled in the room, he put the teacup on the small table heavily, lifted his eyelids, and continued,

"This time, if I hadn't asked Xu Aiqing to escort the minister to Jiangnan, and I happened to encounter the interception and killing of the water bandits and went to Wu County, how could I find out these evil deeds in the Jiangnan officialdom?"

"If it is not found out this time, is it that the Sixth Cabinet Department is ready to continue to let these moths stay in Jiangnan, so that they can suck the blood of the people in Jiangnan and suck the blood of me?"

"Is it that in a few years, these moths will feed you courtiers with this blood, and they will still be able to mix it with excellent reviews? Can you also take the opportunity to rank above the court and decide the future of the Eastern Yuan Dynasty? ”

Since the emperor Yu Guifei entered the palace, he has rarely been so angry, he has always been mild-mannered, and his mood is not good, even if there is anything, it is just a low reprimand, these years, the courtiers have been accustomed to such an emperor.

I never thought that I would speak so violently today.

At this time, the four treasures of the study room and the hot tea cup on the desk were all brushed off the ground.

The ministers were panicked in their hearts, and no one dared to talk to them anymore, especially the courtier who was going to ask Xu Han just now, Zhao Shangshu of the Criminal Department, Zhao Xianya's father, the former in-law of the Huo family, and Huo Han's uncle!

Xu Ge Lao was introduced into the palace by the eunuchs in the palace, and the emperor had not said a word to him, so he let him kneel with everyone.

Fortunately, the ministers knelt together, otherwise, half of his world's fame would have been wasted.

The hot tea cup flipped in front of him, and the remnants of tea splashed on his clothes, leaving a little trace.

Xu Ge Lao closed his eyes and kowtowed on the ground and said, "As the first assistant of the cabinet, the minister is to blame for this matter. ”

His head was knocked on the residual tea, and there was a stain, and he didn't bother to wipe it.

He has only been in charge of Shoufu for a few years, and before he became Shousuke, although he entered the cabinet, he was not very qualified.

Later, it was because of the Huo family's affairs that His Majesty asked him to take on the burden of Shoufu.

He also played the drums in his heart, but the opportunity was rare.

The Xu family's background is not good, and he didn't have a bun until his generation, so what kind of life is more advanced and attractive, he already has the answer in his heart.

So, he gritted his teeth and climbed up.

It's just that it was His Majesty who asked him to be the first assistant, and the king's heart is unpredictable, and he may fall into the dust today.

Xu Ge Lao's heart has never been tighter, which makes him more nervous than the Huo family's affairs at the beginning.

His Majesty's face was unclear, and his index finger kept tapping on the kang table, and he said for a long time,

"Xu Aiqing, how should this matter be resolved?"

Xu Ge Lao looked up in surprise, he didn't expect the emperor to question him like this.

He also thought that under the anger, the emperor would let him resign from the position of first assistant, and it would be better to say goodbye to his hometown.

Unexpectedly, the emperor even asked him how to execute, he barely suppressed the excitement in his heart, and thought briefly for a while,

"Your Majesty trusts the ministers wholeheartedly, and today's big mistake is a dereliction of duty by the ministers, but people's hearts are unpredictable, and they looked good at the beginning, but they are far away, and they may have changed."

"However, the affairs in Jiangnan should indeed be investigated, especially this time the trouble is particularly unusual, Lord Xu can find out this, and his mind must be good."

Xu Ge's old voice was slow, and he took out the momentum of Shousuke,

"From the minister's point of view, the laws and discipline of the country must not be trampled on, and since these people are suspicious, at least their conduct is enough to be spurned and will never be of great use."

"Since this is the case, we should thoroughly investigate to the end and return Jiangnan officialdom to a clear mind."

His words are crisp and clear, and he can be attacked and defended.

This simply surprised Xu Han, she even had to doubt her own judgment, could it be that Xu Ge Lao was not contaminated in this matter at all?

Emperor Zhengming smiled, it seemed that Xu Ge Lao's answer made him very satisfied.

He raised his hand and said,

"I took a look at Xu Aiqing's excerpts, hundreds of officials of all sizes in Jiangnan were involved, as well as water bandit gangs and bandit leaders."

"Among these people, there are those who turn themselves in, and there are those who refuse to admit it, and the means of disposal should be discussed separately."

"I'll leave this matter to Lord Xu."

After that, it was time to let the crowd disperse.

Zhao Shangshu, who had asked the question before, stepped forward again and arched his hand,

"Your Majesty, the minister has a few words to ask Lord Xu, please allow me."

The emperor stood in front of the imperial case, his eyes narrowed slightly, and said, "Since the good lord wants to say so, then I will give you a chance." ”

After Zhao Shangshu got permission, he looked quite distressed, and said to Xu Han,

"Lord Xu's eagerness to succeed, we all understand, after all, it is the first time to carry the emperor's grace and do things for His Majesty, it is inevitable that it will be overkill, and the means are too radical."

"It is said that when he was in the Yamen of the Huaiyang Prefect's Mansion, he used very many methods, and even the daughter of the Ma Prefect was not spared, and even the Ma Prefect was tortured by Lord Xu, and he almost went insane......"

Xu Han sneered in his heart, from the moment he was arrested, no one tortured Governor Ma, as for his injury, it was just that he wanted to commit suicide and was kicked away by Xiao Wei.

There is no torture, how can there be a saying that torture is a trick, she thinks she is a humble gentleman, but she is still considered a wicked person.

It can only be said that this person is too deeply involved, and there are other things that have not been dug up, and I am afraid that he will also be one of the broken wrists.

As long as the prefect Ma is not involved, the people behind him will naturally be safe and sound, and as for other small fish and shrimp, they are not enough to worry about.

Without waiting for Xu Han to speak, Xiao Wei immediately said,

"Lord Zhao, although there is a file for Your Majesty before returning to Beijing?"

"Those prisoners have been taken to the prison after getting off the dock, and the file has made it clear that the prefect of Ma committed suicide in fear of crime, and was kicked away by this son."

"I don't know where did you learn that Lord Xu had moved Xing to the Ma Governor's Mansion?"

"In this case, can this prince think that the adult snooped on the traces of the Qin Cha, or that the adult is the person behind the Ma Governor's Mansion?"

Xiao Wei smiled and looked at Zhao Shangshu with a clear face, as if he was really the person behind Ma Zhifu.

The other ministers constricted their pupils and looked over.

Originally, from the moment Xu Han stepped into the capital with the prisoners, he was already doomed to death.

Regardless of whether the emperor will protect him or not, the officials involved in this matter will push Xu Han to death.

But this premise is that there is no other person to protect her, but now Xiao Wei has to speak before Xu Han, and takes the responsibility on himself, it is obvious that Xiao Wei is involved in this matter, and even wants to protect Xu Han.

This makes it difficult for the courtiers, Xiao Wei is not someone else, and the eldest princess of Shuyang behind him makes them unable to parry.

Not to mention that there is Concubine Yu, even Your Majesty, his thoughts, the courtiers can't figure it out.

Although it is secretly rumored that Xiao Wei is a proud son who is outcast, His Majesty has never admitted it, not to mention that there is the eldest princess of Shuyang.

Isn't this a clear way to make the Xiao family's head green? Although it is the lord of the world who smears the green on the head of the Xiao family.

Xiao Xiao lowered his eyelids, his face was expressionless, but he hated to kill these courtiers who wanted to frame Xu Han one by one.

"You are the ministers of the imperial court, loyal to the monarch and serving the country, selfless, don't say that there is no punishment for the prefect of Ma, even if the punishment is moved, it is just for the needs of the trial."

"Lord Zhao, I heard that the interrogation methods of the Criminal Department are about to catch up with Jinyiwei, is it true that your lord interrogates every prisoner like a gentle drizzle?

So, who are those interrogation methods used for? Could it be that an adult came up with it and used it on himself? ”

Xiao Wei's expression of 'so you are like this' made Zhao Shangshu's face distort and his face was purple and swollen.

He did know about the injury of Ma Zhifu's suicide attempt from unknown channels, and he wanted to use this to make a fuss.

As long as Xiao Wei doesn't participate in the integration, or doesn't take the initiative, Xu Han will not be able to prove his innocence.

Even the other two messengers only found out about the events of that night.

He looked at Xiao Wei with heavy eyes, and he almost hated Xiao Wei to death in his heart, Xiao Wei looked back at him with a sincere face.

Suddenly, Xiao Wei smiled slightly, although his smile was cold, it still made several ministers stunned.

"I heard that Zhao Shangshu is upright, after the defeat of the Huo family, he once wrote a letter to accuse the Huo family of good deeds that led to the defeat, and he was a righteous murderer."

"When I saw it today, it really lived up to its name."

Although Xiao Wei's words were complimentary, and his tone was also very soft, for some reason, several onlookers felt a little cold in their hearts, but Zhao Shangshu himself was a little proud when he heard it.

He was able to be a scholar, that is, he made a decision on the affairs of the Huo family back then, and cleared himself up, and then ignored Huo Shiniang, the only living person, and cleared up the relationship.

"I heard that the three-entry house in the chestnut alley in the west of the city is the private property of the adult's brother-in-law?"

As soon as Xiao Wei's words fell, Zhao Shangshu's face changed abruptly.

The other ministers looked at each other, but Xu Ge's eyes narrowed slightly.

Xiao Wei looked at Zhao Shangshu's gaze like he was looking at a disgusting rat in a stinky ditch,

"I heard that there are three large shops on Zhengyang Street, and the store brings more than 100,000 taels of goods, how much is Shangshu's money a year?"

"How long have you saved up so much silver?"

"Anything else, I don't know what Lord Shangshu wants to hear?"

"If you don't want to be a disgrace to your majesty's courtiers, you should automatically hand over the money and wait for it to be delivered."

As soon as these words came out, the people present couldn't help but look at Zhao Shangshu with a shocked face.

Zhao Shangshu's face turned pale, and his eyes were full of horror when he looked at Xiao Wei, "You...... You ......"

Xiao Wei didn't want to look at him again, but turned to Emperor Zhengming and arched his hand,

"Your Majesty, Lord Xu has been robbed and killed since the first day he went down to the south of the Yangtze River, and even almost died at the hands of the water bandits, these things, Xu Xiuyan, the son of the old mansion of Xu Ge, can testify."

"Also, the evidence collection of Governor Ma and others, and the ministers were also present, it can be said that Lord Xu is dedicated to the people, and when he went down to Jiangnan, he should let these adults who don't have a backache when they talk and have a golden nobleness to feel it."

He paused, a mocking smile on his lips, "However, maybe these adults will go down and it will be a different situation." ”

The officials in Jiangnan are probably going to sing and dance, have good wine and food, and are entertained by silver beauties.

Instead of cold swords facing each other.

He lifted his robe, knelt on the ground, and said in a firm voice,

"The minister begs Your Majesty to thoroughly investigate the property of the hundred officials in Beijing! The officials in Jiangnan have been able to cover the sky with one hand for so many years, who said that they didn't feed the courtiers to their heart's content, so they were unscrupulous and deceived His Majesty to this day. ”

"Poor Your Majesty trusts them, but they fool Your Majesty so much, suffering the people, and fattening themselves."

Zhao Shangshu fainted in a hurry, and naturally he didn't hear Xiao Wei say that he would thoroughly investigate the officials' property to prove his innocence.

No minister is willing to really come to such a show, no matter how big or small the official is, there is more or less some private filial piety, and there is no fish when the water is clear.

However, no one dares to refute what Xiao Wei said, doesn't refuting it prove that he is weak-hearted? Otherwise, why refute?

What's more, few people in the Manchu Dynasty dared to offend Xiao Wei at will.

Jinyiwei supervises hundreds of officials, and they don't want to be targeted by Jinyiwei.

In the end, it didn't end well.

Xiao Wei wanted to deal with Zhao Shangshu very early, and such incriminating evidence had been in his hands for a while, but at that time, he was just a gentleman, he didn't care about anything, he didn't understand anything, how could he know these private things?

But now it's different, he found Eleven Niang, and at the same time, Zhao Shangshu actually bullied Xu Han's head, how could he never know that the person in front of him who was questioned by him would be his former niece.

Emperor Zhengming, who was at the top, was not angry because of Xiao Wei's rudeness, but said helplessly,

"Thoroughly investigate the family property of hundreds of officials, you can tell the truth, there must be a limit to nonsense, are you asking me to treat my courtiers as thieves and prisoners?"

Although it was a scolding of Xiao Wei, the ministers heard a different meaning in the emperor's words.

If Xiao Wei saw that it was good at this time, he would accept it, and maybe the matter would pass as before, but he didn't know what was going on today, and he didn't answer Emperor Zhengming's words, but made a gesture, pointing to the horse commander who had never spoken, but only occasionally looked at Xu Han with an unclear gaze,

"Master Ma, the prefect of Huaiyang, the prefect of Ma, is your younger brother, guess what happened to me and Lord Xu when I entered Beijing today......

Everyone had been summoned to the palace to wait before Xu Han and them entered Beijing, and they had been discussing matters since they entered the palace, so the things outside were naturally unclear.

So they all looked at Xiao Wei, not knowing what he wanted to say.

"Our carriage was hit by someone, but luckily the brother who drove the car was good at his skills and was able to avoid injury......"

Then he told everything Ma had done, and then asked,

"Master Ma, did Ling Yan do what she did at your behest?"