In the Nanjing Huke case, Lu Xun impeached Gao Hongtu for embezzling public funds, and Li Shaochong, the imperial historian of the right capital, formally accepted the case and instructed Gao Hongtu, the person involved in the case, to go to the hospital to explain the situation.

Since the Nanjing Metropolitan Procuratorate does not have a left imperial history, the right imperial history is the de facto supreme official, but because the Beijing Imperial Procuratorate is in charge of the thirteen imperial histories, the Nanjing Imperial Court is usually just a fictitious one. However, the current situation is dark and unclear, and the Metropolitan Procuratorate will not jump out rashly, and it will never be without a purpose.

"Li Chong ......" Gao Hongtu unconsciously read his name, this person is the imperial history of the right capital of the Metropolitan Procuratorate. However, this person wants to keep a low profile in Nanjing officialdom, and he jumped out impatiently this time, who was instructed by him?

A person is about to come out, who else can there be besides Li Xin? Gao Hongtu instinctively wanted to reject Li Shaochong's official document, because as the secretary of the Nanjing Military Department, he was not subject to the control of the Nanjing Metropolitan Procuratorate, so he had no obligation to explain the situation to the Metropolitan Procuratorate.

"Senior brother, what is Li Chong going to do?"

Jiang Yueguang immediately deduced from his expression that it must be Li Chong and his people who were looking for trouble with Gao Hongtu. The matter has come to this point, and Gao Hongtu did not shy away from Jiang Yueguang, so he handed him the official document in his hand.

"Brother Jiang looks at himself, the official document of the Metropolitan Procuratorate."

Jiang Yueguang glanced up and down a few times, and sure enough, it was not bad with his guess. But it is too ridiculous to rectify Gao Hongtu with corruption, the Ming Dynasty has reached the year of Chongzhen, and it is not the era of peeling the skin of daylilies during the Taizu period, unless he disobeys the current emperor, which official will be convicted of embezzling a few taels of silver?

"This must be the revenge of Li Xin's friends who are changing the law!"

Jiang Yueguang sneered, the other party's means were first revealed, but he didn't care about the appearance.

"This should have been expected, you and I cut off his salary, now we have to think about countermeasures."

Gao Hongtu's voice was a little frustrated, of course, he was even complaining in his heart that Jiang Yueguang's stupid suggestion had pushed him into the pit.

"What do you care about him? In the official canon of the Ming Dynasty, did it not say that a Shangshu was responsible for the Metropolitan Procuratorate? The imperial historians are just a group of people who have heard about things, and they just ignore it! ”

Jiang Yueguang found that Gao Hongtu's expression was disapproving, so he asked, "Could it be that Brother Gao really wants to explain the situation?" I wonder how much property my brother has available for confiscation? If you don't think about yourself, you don't think about your wife and children? ”

One sentence hit Gao Hongtu's weakness, he really couldn't give up this heart, but now he has the mind to be soft, and then looked at Jiang Yueguang's eyes, a trace of resentment flashed.

However, Jiang Yueguang didn't notice it, but told Gao Hongtu not to care, let the Metropolitan Procuratorate make trouble, and they still have the courage to come to the door to use force against Shangshu? After saying a few words, there was an awkward silence in the hall, and even Jiang Yueguang noticed that it was boring, so he had to get up and leave.

After Jiang Yueguang left, the first thing Gao Hongtu did was to ask the family to take his name card and ask Mi Yan of the Three Guards to meet outside the Jubao Gate. But the family couldn't even enter the barracks door, and was kicked out by the soldiers standing guard. As soon as the other party saw that it was the name of Gao Hongtu, the secretary of the Ministry of War, he directly beat the family out.

The news of the food shortage in the past few days is known to everyone in the Three Guards, and the initiator is naturally the Shangshu of Gao Hongtu.

Gao Hongtu listened to the cry of the family, and there was a chill in his heart, looking at the handful of snot, a handful of tears and a swollen nose, he could only soothe him with kind words, and rewarded him with ten taels of silver as a reward, and then sent it out.

Obviously, Mi Yan no longer intends to communicate with him, can he just kill him now? Of course, Gao Hongtu was unwilling, so he personally went to visit Zheng Sanjun, the head of the household department in Nanjing, but to his great surprise, Zheng Sanjun, who had always been quite good friends with him, also avoided seeing him under the pretext of occasionally feeling cold.

At this point, Gao Hongtu completely understood that the rope stuck in his neck by the other party had no room to relax. After returning home, he scolded Jiang Yueguang for the first time, which fool Jiang Yueguang, after pit him, let him carry the black pot and stand by, scolding himself for being blinded by lard, why did he stand on Jiang Yueguang's side in a daze?

After scolding for a long time, Gao Hongtu sat weakly on the Taishi chair, after all, it was not the news that Lu Xiangsheng defeated the fifth battalion of the left in Huaibei. made him think that the imperial court was just around the corner to restore control of Jiangnan. But now that I think about it, I am indeed blinded by lard. How can there be a reason in the world that can be recollected by water? If you think that if you restore the north-south traffic of the Grand Canal, the imperial court will be able to drive the forces of the Zhenyu Marquis out of the south of the Yangtze River, then what is the difference between it and carving a boat to seek a sword?

Gao Hongtu understood that even if he regretted his intestines, it would be useless, he could obviously rely on the big tree of Zhenhou Hou, but he chose a dead end.

For several days, Gao Hongtu closed his door, and the tolerance of the Metropolitan Procuratorate did not come to urge. But there is a news in the Goolan market that has become more and more intense. I don't know that since that newspaper, it has been rumored that Gao Hong, the secretary of the Nanjing Military Department, has embezzled nearly one million public funds. It was immediately like cold water dripping into boiling oil, stirring up an uproar.

It is said that there are not many people who are struggling on the poverty line, and there are not a few officials who are struggling to make ends meet. I heard that Gao Hongtu alone embezzled millions of public funds, who can not be angry?

For a time, there were countless people in the Goolan wine shop who claimed that Gao Hong's ambition could be killed, and the literati who had been holding back for a whole winter seemed to have finally found an antidote to their boring life, and they wrote articles in newspapers large and small, denouncing Gao Hongtu, a corrupt official and corrupt official.

Gaofu, the family members sent the newspapers bought on the street into the old man's study as usual every day, and then avoided it, and the old man's temper was really bad these days, and there were already a few people who were not long-sighted and were punished for saying the wrong thing.

And many servants who are not born of a family, after hearing the rumors in the market these days, have all resigned, and they all say that gentlemen do not erect dangerous walls, let alone these lowly servants?

"Do you remember everything your father just explained?"

Gao Hongtu still maintained his father's majesty in front of his eldest son, and the eldest son of the Gao family was sweaty and nodded frequently, "My son has written it down, I don't dare to remember a word!" ”

"Very well, these properties are my father's savings for decades, and now they have all become the source of trouble, so scatter as much as you can, and don't keep a penny. Fortunately, your brothers are very competitive, and they all have fame, although they have no money, it is better than breaking their families and scattering them a thousand times! ”

Speaking of this, Gao Hongtu's words revealed infinite sadness, just before the tenth day, how could he have expected that he would end up like this. The town marquis allowed the newspaper to run the private office, and the government cannot control public opinion, once there is a little wind and grass, the slightest thing will quickly expand and ferment, and the unstoppable spread among the people.

And now, he has become the first important minister to be pulled down by public opinion.

"Li Xin, Li Xin, good means!" Using such high-sounding means to attack political opponents, how can a mere horse thief be able to gain insight? There are not many people in the world who despise this thief, and he is not the first and will not be the last.

Up to now, Gao Hongtu is still unconvinced, if he is like Hai Gangfeng, he can fight against him to the death, but his ass is not clean, what can he argue? However, how many people in the Ming court have no public weapons for private use?

From the first assistant Zhou Yanru, to Zheng Sanjun, Wei Guogong, and even the officials in the yamen, which one has clean hands? I don't know how many people are worse than him, aren't they good now?

"The party is the same and the party is different, in the final analysis, isn't it the party that fights the same? Are you Li Xin cleaner than me? If the weapons were not used for private purposes, how could the Three Guards control half of the grain trade in Jiangnan in half a year? ”

After his son left the study, Gao Hongtu could no longer control himself and became a little out of shape. But in the end, he still collapsed on the Taishi's chair, it's over, it's over. The people said that he could be killed, and the scholars said that he could be killed, and no one in the officialdom would be willing to protect him. If you dig deeper, you can embezzle millions, even if you peel the skin of daylilies, it is not an exaggeration, but his children and grandchildren are innocent, and they are uneasy, but they are helpless.

Gao Hongtu sent his eldest son to scatter all the family wealth, but he was just doing his best and obeying the destiny of heaven.

In the political hall, Gao Hongtu had not attended for many days under the pretext of illness, and the room was full of important ministers sitting together, and the atmosphere was solemn and depressing. Although Gao Hongtu was accused of embezzlement of public funds and had nothing to do with himself, people felt more or less sad that the rabbit had died. At the same time, some people are glad that they didn't jump out to go against the Zhenyu Marquis before the situation became clear, otherwise this time it would really be possible to die without a place to be buried.

Based on the current situation that the common people and scholars all say that Gao Hongtu can be killed, even if there is no need for the Hou Hou to come forward to exert pressure, Gao Hongtu has no reason to live. And among the important ministers here, who has a clean ass? If someone wants to target them, who can escape this terrible end?

"We can't let the uncontrolled spread of non-governmental newspapers be, rumors are terrifying, and once they are used with ulterior motives, the consequences are unimaginable."

"That's right! Newspapers must be taken over by the government......"

The important ministers are all righteous and strict, but in the end, they are afraid that one day these uncontrolled non-governmental newspapers will point the finger at themselves, isn't this the government subject to the people? Since three generations, he has always been a herdsman of the government, and how could he have heard of such a ridiculous thing as the people blackmailing the government with their handles?

"This matter must be agreed upon after the return of the marquis, the top priority now is how to deal with Gao Hongtu's embezzlement of public funds, now that public opinion is boiling, we can no longer pretend to be deaf and dumb, otherwise there will be trouble, who here can bear this responsibility......"

As soon as Zheng Sanjun's words came out, there was a sudden silence in the political hall.