At this moment, Xu Hongji, the Duke of Wei, was really panicked. As a national prince and one of the top magnates of the Ming Dynasty, Xu Hongji naturally knows what Jinyiwei means. Whenever the brocade guards come to the door, there is nothing good.

"You guys, what the hell have you done? Why did Jin Yiwei go to Liuyuan to arrest people? Tell the next generation! Xu Hongji said angrily.

Don't look at the Lingering Garden is the property of the Duke of Wei, but Xu Hongji rarely goes over, because he is a little old, and even the position of Admiral Caojiang has been handed over, and he is basically in the stage of recuperation, and he doesn't like to participate in many activities, and many things in the Duke of Wei are also handled by the prince Xu Jiujue.

"Father!" Xu Jiujue hurriedly came and saluted Xu Hongji.

"What's going on in the Lingering Garden, why did a brocade guard come to arrest someone?" Xu Hongji asked.

"Father, I was just asking about this matter, and I have already figured it out, Jinyiwei came to arrest that Zhang Pu, and it has nothing to do with our Wei State Mansion." Xu Jiujue comforted his old father.

"It's okay? Our domestic servants have been killed by Jinyiwei several times, do you dare to say that it doesn't matter? Xu Hongji said angrily.

"Maybe those dog minions are arrogant and indulgent on weekdays, and they don't want people to search our property, but I didn't expect that Jinyi Wei to kill people without saying a word, it's really too much!" Xu Jiujue shook his head and said.

"Excessive?" Xu Hongji was angry, picked up the teacup on the desk and smashed it towards Xu Jiujue, Xu Jiujue tilted his head, and the teacup smashed on the ground and fell into pieces.

"Daddy!" Xu Jiujue exclaimed in shock.

"You bastard, do you want to cut off the foundation of the Wei Mansion for more than two hundred years? Who is Jin Yiwei? How dare you let a servant intercept it? Xu Hongji's chest rose and fell in anger.

"Dad, it's not me, I don't!" Xu Jiujue hurriedly shouted.

"Without your instructions, would those house slaves dare to intercept the Jinyi Guard?" Xu Hongji said angrily.

"Dad, it's really not me! At that time, I was in Chunfeng Building, and I hurried back when I heard the news. Xu Jiujue was very aggrieved. At that time, he was fighting with Qin Huai's famous prostitute Xiao Fengxian, where did he have time to stay in the garden?

"Isn't it Zhang Pu you took in? It's not that you lent the Lingering Garden to Zhang Pu, what kind of cultural club did they open! Xu Hongji said angrily.

"Dad, isn't it always like this in our Wei State Mansion? It was you who said that you wanted to socialize more with celebrities and celebrities to enhance the prestige of the Wei Mansion, why do you blame me for everything? Xu Jiujue felt very aggrieved.

"I let you associate with celebrities, but I didn't let you associate with traitors, cough cough cough cough ......" Xu Hongji coughed violently in anger.

"Father!" Xu Jiujue was shocked, walked quickly to Xu Hongji's side, and stroked his chest with his hand.

"Father, don't be angry, it's all my fault, but the most important thing now is to come up with a way."

Xu Hongji finally eased up, leaned back on the chair weakly, and asked slowly, "What are your plans?" ”

Xu Jiujue said: "At present, the army of Jiangxi Jingnan Army is pressing, Hong Chengchou should not have time to deal with us, it is better to take advantage of the time when the army is attacking the city, we will secretly gather manpower for internal response, and help Yuan Chonghuan to conquer Nanjing City, when the new emperor ascends the throne, our Wei Mansion is a hero who dedicated the city, and it will inevitably be reused." ”

Xu Hongji stared at his son coldly: "So you think Yuan Chonghuan can succeed?" ”

Xu Jiujue said: "Of course." Yuan Chonghuan has more than 200,000 people, and there are only 20,000 or 30,000 soldiers and horses in Nanjing. What's more, the hearts of the people in Nanjing City are shaken, whether it is the officials of the six ministries or the gentry and celebrities, they are very disappointed in the emperor, and they all want to change someone to be the emperor, but they don't dare to say it. And now is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! ”

Xu Hongji sighed, he didn't think like this, a double duke, Beijing's Dingguo Mansion and Nanjing's Wei Mansion are both Zhongshan King Xu Da's lineage, and after the Beijing Dingguo Mansion was raided and removed, Xu Hongji was terrified, for fear that the Wei Mansion would fall into the same fate. So if there is a change of emperor, Xu Hongji is the first to raise his hands in agreement.

But the problem is that the power in the hands of the current emperor Zhu Youzhen is too strong, who can compete with the 100,000 battle-hardened Praetorian Guards? Jiangxi's 200,000 anti-thieves, Zhu Yousong, the prison country, can he be Zhu Youzhen's opponent?

"Have you ever thought about what if Yuan Chonghuan and Zhu Yousong can't win? Our Wei Mansion will fall into a place of no return! Xu Hongji sighed.

The best way at the moment is to remain neutral, stay out of the matter, and let them kill them, which may be the only way out for the Wei Duke's mansion. However, the matter of staying in the garden forced the Wei Mansion to the front of the stage, forcing the Wei Mansion to stay out of the matter, which is why Xu Hongji was so angry.

"Go to the Governor's Yamen for my father and explain it to Governor Hong." Xu Hongji sighed, until now he still had the idea of being able to leave and right the source.

Who knew that before he could go out, suddenly the housekeeper came to report that Huang Li, a person from Quanzhou, had come to visit.

"Huang Li?" Xu Hongji looked at Xu Jiujue, "Do you know this person?" ”

Xu Jiujue shook his head: "I haven't heard of it." ”

"Sue

sue this person, it is inconvenient for the father-in-law to meet people today, let him leave a famous thorn, and the father-in-law will meet him when he is free. Xu Hongji commanded. If it was any other time, he would not hesitate to take the time to meet with a lifter, but now, he is not in any mood.

The housekeeper went down and quickly walked back: "Grandpa, that person named Huang Li said that there is a way to solve your current predicament, master." ”

"Huh?" Xu Hongji frowned, a little surprised.

"Father, let's see each other otherwise." Xu Jiujue said softly.

"Okay, let him in." Xu Hongji commanded.

"Quanzhou Huang Li meets his grandfather!" Huang Li walked into the living room proudly and bowed to Xu Hongji.

"Give me a seat, watch the tea." Xu Hongji said casually.

"Grandpa Xie."

"Whose person are you? Who does it represent to see my father? Xu Hongji asked himself.

"The lower official is from Jiangxi, and he is the household servant appointed by His Royal Highness the Prison State, and he has come to meet your grandfather on the order of Lord Yuan, the secretary of the Soldier Department of the Cabinet University." Huang Li did not hide it, and directly explained his identity.

"It's actually a rebellion of the Fu Domain, aren't you afraid that this duke will catch you and send you to the Governor's Palace?" Xu Hongji made a color road.

"Grandpa can give the lower official to Hong Chengchou, but before that, please listen to me." Huang Liyi was not afraid.

"Chongzhen has no way, and regards the world as a dog. Dozens of nobles in Beijing were slaughtered by raiders, and your grandfather and your family of Dingguo Mansion were also raided and removed, grandfather, do you feel sad that the rabbit died and the fox died? ”

Xu Hongji shook his head: "The Dingguo Mansion is involved in the rebellion, and it is natural that His Majesty will raid his house, and my Wei Mansion has always been loyal to His Majesty, so naturally there is no need to worry." ”

Huang Li smiled: "Grandpa, why do you have to say it insincerely? You should know that His Majesty confiscated many nobles, not because of any rebellion, but because he thought that the existence of nobles no longer had any meaning, and would only cost the country's money. On the contrary, getting rid of many nobles will not only save a lot of money every year, but also copy a lot of wealth, which is the real reason why Chongzhen attacked the nobles.

Our majesty, among the emperors of the Ming Dynasty, is the most greedy for money, and he can ignore family affection for the sake of silver. Fuwangfu was innocent at the beginning, and it could be slandered as rebellion, and His Majesty Chongzhen sent a large army to Luoyang to pacify Fuwangfu. Grandpa, the Wei Mansion has been in Nanjing for more than 200 years, and most of the industries outside Nanjing belong to the Wei Mansion.

Lao Fu Wang is the uncle of the current emperor, and the emperor can attack him, let alone you?

Now His Majesty Chongzhen is in Zhenjiang, only a hundred miles away from Nanjing. If His Majesty arrives in Nanjing, do you think Grandpa, will he be tempted by the property and land of the Wei Mansion? ”

"Nonsense!" The more Xu Hongji listened, the more shocked he became, but he still scolded himself, "Your Majesty is the lord of the Ming Dynasty, and the whole world is his, how can he covet the property of his subjects?" ”

Huang Li smiled casually: "Will you know it in your heart, grandfather." Now His Majesty is in Zhenjiang, and has sent troops to directly occupy Suzhou, Changzhou, Songjiang and other prefectures, and is carrying out the release of slaves in the entire four prefectures of Jiangdong. In the four provinces of Jiangdong, all the fields of the gentry have been confiscated, and the workshop properties of the gentry have been confiscated, which is what is happening. Facts speak louder than words, Jiangdong is so close to Nanjing, I don't believe that you don't know the current situation in Jiangdong. ”

Xu Hongji was silent, how could he not know what Huang Li said. Originally, he was still holding a fluke mentality, thinking that the emperor would not do anything to Xungui, and thinking that he could be left and right, no matter who came, he could maintain the status of the Duke of Wei, but now it seems that he is a little naïve.

"Grandpa, I'm sure that if Your Majesty continues to be the emperor, even if the Duke of Wei is not removed from the family, the land and property owned by him will have to be handed over, and if the Duke is willing to see the Duke of Wei for more than 200 years cease to exist, then he can tie it up and give it to Hong Chengchou." Huang Li said coldly. He had already seen Xu Hongji's vacillation.

Give Huang Li to Hong Chengchou to show his determination to the emperor? Xu Hongji hesitated in his heart. Even if he makes it clear that he is finally the emperor, will he be able to keep the Wei Mansion in the future? The property of the Duke of Wei is so huge, is the emperor really not moved?

"Actually, even if my grandfather sends me to Hong Chengchou, I'm afraid it won't help. In order to resist the Jingnan army, Hong Chengchou may casually promise to his uncle. But once he waits until he holds Nanjing, and when the Praetorian Guards pacify Jiangxi, the emperor will inevitably attack his uncle, as long as he finds a random crime, you know that this is not difficult. Huang Li said with a smile.

yes, it's not hard. Isn't Jinyiwei raiding the Lingering Garden? Only harboring the rebellious criminal Zhang Pu can raid the Wei State Mansion. If the emperor wants to dispose of a nobleman, is it not simple to make excuses?

"What do you want me to do?" Xu Hongji said hoarsely. At this moment, he finally made up his mind.

"It's simple. After a while, the uncle went to the governor's mansion, pleaded guilty to Hong Chengchou and expressed his willingness to support Hong Chengchou to defend the city. At present, the situation is dangerous, 200,000 enemy troops are about to come to the city, Hong Chengchou will be happy with your dedication, uncle, maybe he will be entrusted with a heavy task, uncle, you can take the opportunity

Participate in the defense of the city. And when Lord Yuan leads the troops to attack the city, you only need to open the city gate from the inside and welcome the Jingnan army into the city. Huang Li said.

Where is it simple, this is forcing yourself to go to the front of the stage completely! Xu Hongji was speechless, and subconsciously wanted to refuse, he just wanted to secretly express his support for Yuan Chonghuan, so that once Yuan Chonghuan could not capture Nanjing, there would be a way to turn things around, but he didn't want to come to the stage.

"Uncle, things have come to this point, it's not necessary to have two ends of the first rat, left and right, otherwise both sides will regard you as enemies!" Seeing Xu Hongji's hesitation, Huang Li warned.

"Well, I'll do as you say." Xu Hongji sighed.

.......

"My lord meets the Governor." Xu Hongji trembled and saluted Hong Chengchou.

"Oh, old man, are you going to torture the lower officials?" Hong Chengchou hurriedly returned the salute and personally helped Xu Hongji to sit down.

"My father is asking Lord Hong for his guilt. The management of this company was not strict, and he even let the criminals enter the Lingering Garden. Xu Hongji said ashamedly.

"The official also knows about the matter of staying in the garden, but it is the Jinyi Guard, and the official can't interfere, so I ask my grandfather to forgive me." Hong Chengchou said.

"No, no, no, Governor Hong, you misunderstood what my father meant, and my father is not here to stay in the garden." Xu Hongji hurriedly said, "Right now, the Jiangxi rebels are about to come to the city, and everything else should be put aside." This duke came to the governor's palace to ask the lord how to defend against the enemy. ”

"Oh? What does the old man have to say? Hong Chengchou said.

"I heard that the number of rebels reached 200,000, and the 24 guards in Nanjing were negligent in training, although there were more than 100,000 soldiers on the army register, but the actual number was probably only 20,000 or 30,000, which was really outnumbered. In the eyes of this father, he should recruit young people in the city to help defend the city. Xu Hongji said.

"Grandpa said yes, but I don't have enough money and food." Hong Chengchou sighed.

"Don't worry, Lord Hong. When this national disaster occurred, all the nobles, gentry, wealthy merchants, and common people in the city had the responsibility to defend themselves against the enemy. My Wei Mansion has been in Nanjing for more than 200 years, and I am deeply favored by the country, so I should be the first to stand up! Lord Hong, I am willing to donate 200,000 taels of silver and 50,000 stones of grain to help you defend the city! Xu Hongji said angrily.

"The old man really understands the righteousness!" Hong Chengchou stood up excitedly, "With the help of my husband, why worry about Nanjing City not being able to defend it?" ”

"It should be, it should be. As a noble of the Ming Dynasty, the world is favored by the country, and it should be so. By the way, there are nearly 1,000 slaves in my house, including 100 elite families, and my father will hand them all over to the adults to dispatch, and the adults can drive them to defend the city. Xu Hongji said with a smile.

"Okay, good, grandpa has a heart." Hong Chengchou said with a smile.

The atmosphere was very harmonious, and after talking for a while, Hong Chengchou said that after repelling the thieves, he would personally set up a banquet to have a good conversation, and Xu Hongji also left with interest.

"Dong Weng, will this Wei Guogong really do his best to help you defend the city? I feel a little strange. Staff member Zhao Yin said.

"Whether it's strange or not, at least he took the initiative to donate a lot of money and food, which saved us a lot of effort. With him taking the lead, the other nobles in Nanjing City had to follow, so that the money and food for defending the city did not have to worry. Hong Chengchou said with a smile.