In addition to Meng Jin and Meng Qingyun, only Mrs. Bai, Bai Rongcheng, Bai Rongxin, and Xu were left in the house.

Meng Jin said: "Today from Yuliang Wharf all the way, along the road heard a lot of discussions about Lu Wangfu, it seems that Lu Wangfu has been heard in the streets?" ”

Everyone naturally nodded yes, and told all the recent rumors about King Lu's mansion.

Meng Jin said: "Although there is some oil and vinegar, it is not far away. ”

"Since the official family ascended the throne, it has been difficult to have an heir, and it took a prince to get a prince after the year of establishment, and he died before the full moon, and now it is the year of knowing the destiny of heaven, and there is only a daughter of Princess Shouyang. Therefore, since the 50th birthday of the official family, the government and the opposition have tried their best to persuade the official family to choose the best from the children of the clan, so as not to vacate the storage position and make the hundred officials and the people uneasy. ”

These are things that everyone in the government and the opposition knows, and they have been going on for about ten years. Over the years, the harem concubines have never been able to give birth to a dragon son. Whether it is the courtiers or ordinary people, they have already acquiesced that it should be impossible for the official family to have any more sons, and the prince can only be selected from the clan.

"Over the years, the various royal clans have hollowed out their minds to recommend their sons to the official family, how attractive the position of the prince is, under the competition of all parties, all the courtiers and officials, either active or passive, have to be involved in this struggle, so that over the years, the party struggle has intensified. The case of fraud in the spring of this year was entirely the result of the scourge of party strife. ”

Meng Jin said sadly: "In fact, the preparations made by the Lu Wangfu for the crown prince began as early as ten years ago. ”

"In order to win the support of officials, the Lu Wangfu has bribed and corrupted officials in Laizhou, Mizhou, Yizhou and other places for many years, and bribed central officials with money, fields, and beautiful women; At the same time, he secretly raised a private army, equipped with high-quality horses, armor, and weapons, in case he could see the poor in the future. ”

All of this requires a lot of financial and material support. Therefore, over the past few years, the Lu Wangfu has embezzled people's land and property, encircled rich businessmen, and abused power for profit. ”

"The officials have long been aware of this, but the officialdom of Mizhou, Laizhou, and Yizhou has been colluded, and the snakes and rats are all covering up for the Lu Palace.

"Therefore, three years ago, when I ended my worries and entered Beijing to elect officials, the official family secretly summoned me and entrusted me with an important task, ordering me to secretly investigate the crimes of Lu Wangfu as the governor of Laizhou, monitor its movements, and guard against its wolf ambitions."

Everyone was amazed.

Bai Rongcheng suddenly realized: "No wonder. At the beginning, we all said that my brother-in-law was born in the second class Jinshi, and he had been a secretary and a provincial school secretary for three years, and he was blessed with the practical experience of the local magistrate, so he should have been a Beijing official all the way, but he was sent to Laizhou again. At that time, we still speculated that it was the high-ranking officials in the center who had been eviled? It turned out to be an official arrangement. ”

Meng Jin nodded: "Exactly. ”

Everyone sighed and praised that the official family had laid the groundwork a few years earlier, and he really deserved to be the son of heaven and far-sighted.

Meng Jin continued: "I have been in office in Laizhou for more than two years, and I have already obtained a lot of evidence that the Lu Wangfu encroached on people's land, secretly hoarded money, grain and grass, and raised private troops. However, officials in Laizhou, Mizhou, Yizhou and other places exchanged voices and tones, like a monolith, and I have always been monitored by the people they have planted. ”

"In this way, we waited until this year, when a rebellion broke out in Yizhou."

"Because of the corruption of the Lu Wangfu and the Yizhou government for many years, the Yizhou area is full of displaced people, starvation, and the people really have no way to live, so civil unrest broke out. If there is civil unrest, the imperial court must quell the chaos, and the Yizhou government must be held accountable. ”

"The Lu Wangfu simply planted the dead in the chaos of the people, inciting emotions, organizing the chaos to attack the county seat, massacring officials, on the surface it was the exiles to make a rebellion, but in fact the killing were innocent officials who did not participate in the corruption of the ink, in order to eliminate political enemies and criminal evidence, and to prevent a thorough investigation and accountability after the court quelled the chaos."

"Oh my God!" Old Madam Bai and Xu both exclaimed, "I heard that in addition to the officials, those riotous people also killed a lot of people." ”

Meng Jin was angry and lamented: "Since the displaced people have become a chaotic army, it is natural that banditry will break out, how can there be a reason not to burn, kill and plunder." For their own selfish desires, the people behind the scenes used the people as dogs, stirring up Yizhou to the point of decay and becoming a human Shura field. ”

Everyone was shocked and heartbroken, and they all shook their heads and sighed.

Meng Jin calmed down for a moment before he said: "It just so happened that at this time, a letter came from home, saying that Jiahui was seriously ill, and I immediately resigned. ”

"Who knew that as soon as I left Laizhou, I received an obituary, and Jiahui really left......"

At this, his expression was gloomy, his eyes were red, and he sniffed vigorously to avoid tears.

Old Madam Bai and Xu also bowed their heads and wiped their tears.

Meng Qingyun also had a sad face. Although she has never met her mother, she has left her a life-free wealth, and with the descriptions of the people around her, her mother should also love her very much, which is naturally a pity.

Bai Rongcheng sighed and said, "I can only blame Jiahui Fubo." ”

Everyone was sad for a while, but Bai Rongxin thought about it the most, wiped the corners of his eyes, and said loudly: "That's it, don't cry, although Jiahui is gone, there is still a brother-in-law, and there is also a Yuan Niang, our two families are still blood relatives with broken bones and tendons." ”

Meng Jin cleaned up his mood and said, "When I received the news of Jiahui's death that day, I was indeed in a trance, so much so that I was held hostage by the rebels. But after thinking about it, I'm afraid it was also caused by the deliberate guidance of my servant Hu Yi. ”

Old Madam Bai hurriedly said: "Although we all know that this Hu Yigun was instructed by your lady in the long house, but we can't figure it out, you are her husband's own brother, what kind of hatred does she have, she wants to kill her relatives?" ”

Meng Jin sneered: "Fame and fortune are moving. For some people, parents and brothers are not worth wealth and status! ”

"My brother Meng Pei threw himself into the door of the Qin Wangfu early, waving the flag and shouting for the Qin Wangfu, and was willing to be an eagle dog and a lackey. I was probably thinking that when Qin Wangfu Liulang became the stepson of the official family and ascended the throne as the emperor in the future, he would be a dragon hero, rich and powerful, and naturally enjoy it inexhaustibly. ”

"How much manpower and financial resources has been spent by the Lu Wangfu in order to compete for the crown, how can the Qin Wangfu be alone. But unlike the Lu Palace, the Qin Palaces relied on the 'offerings' of officials and wealthy merchants. My brother didn't care about mundane things, but only asked for them from his family, and my sister-in-law transported hundreds of thousands of taels of gold and silver to the Qin Palace's mansion every year, and she was already overwhelmed. The private property of the long house is thin, how can it afford such a huge expense, and when there is no way out, evil thoughts are naturally born. ”

"When Jiahui entered the door back then, ten miles of red makeup and millions of dowries, in the end, it was still eye-catching."