Chapter 848: Conspiracy, Contingency

The official road from Tongzhou to Jingshi has always been the busiest official road in the entire Ming Dynasty, and there is no one, after all, the Tonghui River, a waterway that once went directly to the capital of the Yuan Dynasty, has been silted up for many years. If Caoyun is the artery of the Ming Dynasty, this is the node where the artery is next to the heart. It's just that the people who set off from Tongzhou to the capital on this day were helplessly blocked, and no matter how anxious they were, they couldn't get to the front.

A group of people were a governor who came back from Jiaolu and hundreds of sharp soldiers under his command, and some of the Jiao people who were "gifted" to the Beijing division in the cold weather were escorted by more than 100 people from the border guards; The other group of people transported grain from Tongji Cang to Jingshilu Rice Cang. Officials were often inferior to the governors, and merchants did not dare to confront the serious errands of transporting grain, so they could only obediently fall behind.

Although it is now the Chengping year, the person who eats the autumn wind will never be forbidden. As usual, after an official road is repaired, it is natural to set up an inspection department to check passers-by, but over time, this inspection department and local ruffians, hooligans and even bandits and so on are often in collusion, specializing in scraping oil and water from passers-by and businessmen. Although such a situation is not uncommon at the foot of the Son of Heaven, the official road from Tongzhou to Jingshi is not exempt from vulgarity. The people's hearts are insufficient, and sometimes they even make up their minds about the official rations, so they send troops to escort them.

Tongzhou is less than eighty miles from Beijing, as long as you hurry up, you can naturally reach it before dark. The Ma Qianhu who was in charge of escorting the border guards was afraid of any trouble on the road, so he planned to walk with the Governor Fang Zheng and his party. However, what made him particularly happy was that the other side knew that they were delivering food, so Fang Zheng passed the word and let them go ahead.

For a while, the long winding dragon on the official road stretched for a mile or two, and there was a longer and longer posture. However, this slow posture was shattered by a rush of horses' hooves.

At this moment, there was movement behind him, and Ma Qianhu suddenly looked back, and after a while, he saw a relative running up panting. Hearing this subordinate say that the brocade guard was coming, and he was drinking to order the people in front of him to make way, his face was condensed.

"Lord Qianhu, do we want to let it?"

"Of course!"

What Ma Qianhu is most afraid of is to let Jinyiwei catch the reason, where can he take care of any delay in time. In his mind, there was still Governor Fang Zheng with such a large number of men, women and children behind, could it be that these people could be blocked outside the capital at the city gate for the night? Besides, walking next to that group of people, Tongjicang must be planning to use Fang Zheng to cover something. So, as soon as he shouted, a large number of mules and horses neighed around him, and the carts that had occupied the road leaned towards the side of the road where the snow had not yet melted, intending to make way for a small road.

The idea was good, but there was a mistake in the busyness, they had many mule carts, and there were many guards behind them, so this toss caused chaos, and the last two carts were stuck in the drainage ditch on the side of the road, and two bags of grain fell.

"Rice bucket, how to do things!"

The angry Ma Qianhu turned his horse's head and galloped over, lifted the horsewhip and threw a few whips at the two coachmen who had dropped the grain bag, and then shouted: "Hurry up and pack up your things carefully, and put your hands and feet lightly, if you break a bag, Lao Tzu will peel your skin!" What are you doing here, quick, I didn't see that the uncle of the brocade guard behind me is coming up! ”

This Jingshi is qualified to be called the uncle, that is, Jinyiwei. Therefore, the two coachmen knew that this Ma Qianhu was afraid of brocade clothes and hygiene, and the whips on his face and shoulders were all hot and painful, but they could only swallow their anger and go down to work in the ditch. However, the road was slippery on a snowy day, and things were heavy, so I was busy for a while and there was no progress at all.

This is a wall in front, and the back is naturally a little anxious. Immediately, two guards came up to take a look, and when they learned the situation, they reported it to the governor Fang Zheng, and immediately three or five more guards jumped into the ditch to help. Seeing that everyone else had done it, Ma Qianhu was still a little grateful, but thinking of the granary ambassador's instructions, coupled with the scolding of the brocade guards behind him, he was frightened again for a while, and immediately did not dare to point fingers there, so he hurriedly dismounted, and instructed the sergeants under his command to also step forward.

All in all, when a pot of porridge was busy for a while, after an imperceptible cracking sound, a mule cart suddenly turned into the ditch with a mule cart full of more than a dozen bags of grain, and there were many exclamations for a while. When Ma Qianhu lined up the crowd and stepped forward, he saw that several large pockets had been broken, and all the white rice in them was scattered all over the ground, and one of the sacks even revealed what was hidden inside. Before he could think about it, his head exploded, when he suddenly heard a shout that tore open his throat.

"Why is there cotton armor in the grain bag!"

For a while, the crowd that had been noisy just now suddenly quieted down. The guards of the Governor's Mansion who came to help scattered at once, some went back to report to Fang Zheng, some pressed their hands directly on the hilt of the knife, and some jumped into the ditch at once, picked up the knife and stabbed the other grain bags. Most of them are white-flowered rice, but there are also two with cotton armor hidden inside. Seeing this scene, Ma Qianhu wanted to take a few steps back, and then ran away, but his legs couldn't move as if they had taken root.

"Get out of the way, get out of the way!"

Just when his mind was blank and he didn't know what to do, a burst of scolding suddenly sounded behind him. He stiffly turned his neck to look, and found that a group of more than a dozen people dressed in black coats came from behind, led by a big red brocade robe, and on his chest was a unicorn complement. He was most familiar with this military attache uniform, and with just that glance, he knew that these brocade guards were by no means as simple as the commander of the palm print and a few bosses said, so his body gradually trembled.

Fang Ling took people out of the capital in person today, and went straight to the Zhangjiawan Inspection Department through Tongzhou, which was very noisy. Who knew that a few shops in the town on the side of the wharf were just petty goods selling illicit salt, he was silent, but the group of brocade guards under him were a little depressed, so on the way back, this group of people was naturally unhappy, and they encountered a blockage on the road. A group of people simply shouted and drove the crowd forward, until they found that it was the Governor Fang Zheng and his party in front of them, and then slowed down.

However, Fang Ling had just greeted Fang Zhengma in person, and he heard the shouting in front of him, and as soon as the word cotton armor entered his ears, he didn't care about greeting again, and hurriedly led people forward.

Several Jinyi guards are veterans of Beizhen Fusigan's detective prison, and after dismounting, they lined up and jumped into the ditch, and pulled out three cotton armors from the grain bag. Fang Ling just swept it and weighed it, and his face was covered with frost.

After the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the system of military robes was established, and the sergeants of the guard were wearing jackets, but there were two kinds of jackets, one was worn during the exercises on weekdays, in addition to lining cotton, that is, it was warm and thicker, but the other was worn in wartime, with copper nails on the top, lined with iron sheets, etc., which can protect arrows, firearms, knives and guns to a certain extent. Now there is such a forbidden thing in the official food that is transported to the capital division, and the reason for this is unknown.

"Adult ......"

Seeing that Fang Ling's face was gloomy and terrifying, a few Jinyi lieutenants on the side didn't know what was going on, and they had already stepped forward to surround Ma Qianhu. As for the sergeants under his command, there was no one to take care of them for a while, so few people noticed that the two men who looked like ordinary sergeants quietly slipped to the side. However, the two of them squeezed out of the crowd, and before they could peel off their military robes and slip away, they saw that there were already more than a dozen expressionless people on the way to the handle.

"Take it all!"

Fang Zheng, who was sitting on the horse, shouted loudly, and when he saw that his subordinates were in harmony, he immediately rushed forward and captured the two unprepared guys at once, the corners of his mouth rose up, his right hand pulled a few beards on his chin, and without looking back, he commanded the head of the guard behind him, feeling a little regretful.

I thought I had to take on some responsibility and stab this file on the road, but now it seems that there is no need to worry, but it's a pity that Jinyiwei's gang arrived in time, and half of the total score was credited. However, thanks to Zhang Yue's reminder, it doesn't matter if the first credit goes to Jinyiwei, he helped solve such a case as soon as he returned to Beijing.

Although the sharp soldiers brought by Fang Zheng back to Beijing this time are not called a division of a hundred battles, after all, they have fought on the battlefield, plus the family members raised by his family are personally with him, and the veterans who are dedicated to escorting and other things are the opponents, and the border guards who are closely escorting him were also frightened by a few sharp reprimands. At first, some people dared to resist, but when they saw their companions beaten by the back of the knife and their faces were covered with blood and crying for their fathers and mothers, no one dared to be lucky, and they knelt on the ground one by one. Fang Ling, who was originally worried that the bullet would not be able to suppress it, saw Fang Zheng helping, and finally let go of the old man's heart.

In the morning, he rushed back and forth from Beijing to Tongzhou, and Zhang Yue never left the house in the whole afternoon - there were many people who were qualified to be promoted to the rank of squire in the military department, but because the emperor had not replied to the candidate for a long time, he could only grit his teeth and carry it on his shoulders now. Fortunately, he has a deep foundation in the military department and has reliable subordinates, so he can occasionally take a break these days, and he can still walk away this morning. In the evening, a soap official made an announcement outside, and then Hu Qi hurriedly entered the door, and when he looked up from the pile of documents, he still rubbed his temples, and picked up a towel soaked in snow water from the side and put it on his eyes, and then listened carefully to the report.

"Commander Fang has already entered the palace?"

"Yes, the six yamen have all received the news, and they are all in an uproar. Commander Fang did a really good job this time, he made a fuss in the Zhangjiawan Inspection Division, but the people from the East Factory rushed to Tongji Warehouse in the afternoon, not only took the granary ambassador, but the ambassador jumped over the wall in a hurry, and set fire to the deputy envoy before, but fortunately, the two of them ate dogs, and copied a lot of important things up and down. ”

"Okay, you go back to Yangzhou Hutong immediately."

Zhang Yue knew that he couldn't hide the matter of going out of the city to Tongzhou this morning, and the official of the Ministry of Rites would inevitably report it to him after learning about the previous situation, but Fang Zheng, the governor who had been in the army for decades, would not be so honest as to say his reminder, and this matter could be covered up. Besides, the person was met by Hu Qi at the city gate, and then reported to the Jinyi Guard, which Chongwenmen has someone who can testify, and there is still a Jinyi captain in Yangzhou Hutong who stays behind.

All in all, Jin Yiwei has meritorious, Fang Zheng has meritorious, and the spy department of the Ministry of War has meritorious, and things have nothing to do with him.

Three o'clock in the evening, that is, three o'clock in the first watch, is the time of the night ban, because the first five cities of the soldiers and horses have all been informed, this night's inventory is naturally more strict. The Tianjie Square facing the Daming Gate is densely packed with Yamen, and it is three steps, one post, five steps and one sentry, and even the East and West Chang'an Avenue and Jiangmi Lane are full of heavily armed Yulin Wei sergeants. At this moment, a carriage without any ornaments passed smoothly from East Chang'an Avenue and stopped at the gate of the Yamen of the Ministry of War.

The person who got out of the carriage was wearing a bright red hooded cloak, and looked up at the plaque of the yamen of the military department.

"Our family is the master of ceremonies, Fan Hong." Fan Hong was stunned for a moment when he saw the soap, then quickly took two steps back and kowtowed, then waved his hand and said, "No need to be polite, you go and invite Master Zhang to come out to the front hall of the Yamen of the Ministry of War." ”

Not to mention that Fan Hong is the eunuch of the ceremonial eunuch, just take the fact that he is the first eunuch to use in front of the Empress Dowager Zhang, and the soap li did not dare to offend, but the person who came said loudly asked Zhang Yue to come out to see him, and the soap li was a little hesitant. Seeing him hesitate, Fan Hong couldn't help but be a little amused, and immediately reprimanded: "Emperor Taizu has a system, and the officials of the six yamen are not allowed to enter the six official offices. Go and don't make a mistake! ”

Since the eunuchs in the Yongle period became more and more powerful, the old rules and regulations have gradually been forgotten, so the soap Li couldn't help but wonder when he heard this, and kowtowed again before inviting Fan Hong inside, and hurriedly asked another person to go in to report. Fan Hong sat down in the front hall, pondering while drinking tea, thinking of the angry expression on Empress Dowager Zhang's face at that moment, he couldn't help but have some palpitations.

Although this time it was not as fatal as the last time, the matter was more serious. Jin Ying was ordered to sit in Beijing with Zhu Yong, the Duke of Chengguo, and had already sent Xing Anbo to lead troops to suppress the border guards; Although there are heavy troops stationed in the capital, the Empress Dowager Zhang is still not at ease. Think about it, there was such a group of impostor officers cleared out before, and now there is this kind of thing again, God knows if there is anyone who is unreliable.

So, when he saw Zhang Yue enter the house, he put down the teacup and stood up. After the two salutes, he saw that all the idle people and others had retreated, so he said bluntly: "The queen mother has ordered someone to report today's events for 800 miles urgently, please ask the emperor to return quickly, and let our family invite Lord Zhang into the palace." ”

Seeing Zhang Yue's surprise, he nodded immediately, and Fan Hong asked in a low voice: "The Queen Mother said that in the past few days, whether it is the Five Cities Soldiers and Horses Division or the Beijing Camp and Beijing Guard, the military department must be stamped with the seal of the Ministry of War. Although the six yamen have sent additional troops to protect it, they must beware of accidents, and Lord Zhang has entered the palace to live in the past few days, so it is safer. The Queen Mother has already transferred all the guards and troops of the Imperial Horse Supervisor into the Imperial City. There are also these two troop transfer documents in the palace and other seals of Lord Zhang. ”