On the second day after Wu Zhongluan returned from the palace, he publicly played in front of hundreds of civil and military officials, claiming that he was not in good health and could no longer serve as the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, and begged his bones to return to his hometown.

Su Yan agreed to his request, saying that he had worked hard in Wu Zhongluan, and allowed him to return to his hometown, confer the crown prince and concubine, and let him return to his hometown, and the post of secretary of the Ministry of Rites was supplemented by Dong Xuan, the left attendant of the Ministry of Rites.

Wu Zhongluan's act of returning to his hometown immediately caused a shock in the Manchu Dynasty, and the officials belonging to the Zhoushan faction looked at him in surprise, not expecting that he would resign and return to his hometown at such a critical moment, Ruan Jin was even more angry, and secretly scolded the traitor in his heart.

The day after Wu Zhongluan's resignation, his nephew took the initiative to surrender to Jiangning Mansion, saying that he was blinded by lard with a handful of snot and tears, relying on his uncle to be the secretary of the Ministry of Rites of the court, and accepted Ruan Mei's bribe.

Lian Chengbi didn't believe his words, even if he didn't know the inside story, he was still keenly aware that it was definitely not simple behind it.

How could Wu Zhongluan just resign, his nephew took the initiative to come out, I am afraid that if it wasn't for Wu Zhongluan and the emperor to reach some consensus, this nephew came out to apologize for him.

Wu House.

"I want to see your lord, report to this official quickly!"

As soon as he arrived, Ruan Jin rushed directly to Wu Zhongluan's mansion non-stop, knocked on the closed door, and scolded the little guy who came out to check.

"Grandpa Guo, my lord is unwell and has no guests, please go back." The little guy said with a crying face.

"Fart!" Ruan Jin scolded: "Lao Tzu just saw him at the court meeting, where is there a sick look, quickly report to Lao Tzu, otherwise Lao Tzu will smash your broken door!"

"Grandpa Guo......" The little guy only felt in a dilemma, Ruan Jin's temperament was notoriously impatient, if he really provoked him, he would definitely be unhappy.

He was about to say something, but a voice suddenly sounded behind him: "Liao Guogong is not on duty in the yamen at this time, but he is shouting in my mansion, I'm afraid it's a little inappropriate."

The little guy turned his head to look, and when he saw that it was Wu Longyu, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief, and before he could speak, Wu Longyu waved his hand at him and motioned him to retreat, and the little guy hurriedly retreated as if he had been amnestied, and Ruan Jin said unceremoniously: "Isn't Lord Wu still staying at home, how can you say that this official is the official? Don't talk nonsense, I want to see Wu Butang."

"Liao Guogong, my father resigned and returned to his hometown because he was ill, and Xiaguan was a son, so he naturally wanted to stay and help, and besides, Xiaguan had already taken leave from the Mahu Department." Wu Longyu's tone was indifferent, and he was not affected by Ruan Jin: "Duke Liao, although my father can't see you, he has a sentence that he will tell you."

"What?" As soon as he heard that Wu Zhongluan had something to convey to him, Ruan Jin's mood suddenly calmed down a lot and asked.

"The situation is a foregone conclusion, instead of being trapped and fighting, falling deeper and deeper, it is better to turn back as soon as possible, and you can also exchange for the grace of the Son of Heaven and live for a long life."

After Wu Longyu finished speaking, regardless of whether Ruan Jin listened or not, he bowed and said, "My father still needs the help of the lower officials, please forgive the lower officials for their inconsiderate hospitality, and the Duke of Liao Guo please go back."

As he spoke, he turned around and walked into the mansion, and the little guy glanced at Ruan Jin hesitantly, but slowly closed the door of the mansion.

Ruan Jin stood still and did not move, and after a while, a wry smile appeared on his face, and he turned back to the palanquin, and his subordinates hurriedly greeted him and said, "Grandpa Guo, do you want to go back to the house?"

"Let's go home." Nguyen said, and after a few seconds, he added, "Go and find me a few thorns."

"Grandpa Guo, why is that?" The subordinates were puzzled.

"Don't ask, just prepare for me." Ruan Jin waved his hand and got into the sedan chair, and the man pondered for a second or two before coming back to his senses, he tore his throat and shouted, "Get up the sedan chair." Immediately, the sedan chair was lifted and headed towards the Liaoguo Mansion.

……

On the other side, under the sorting out of the Jiangning Mansion, the pleadings of the cases that were suppressed by Ruan Mei were finally reorganized, and Lian Chengbi did not dare to slack off, and hurriedly brought these pleadings into the palace to ask to see the emperor.

Just when the sedan chair he was riding in arrived outside the palace gate

, Lian Chengbi suddenly heard a noise outside, he stretched out his hand and lifted the corner of the curtain of the sedan chair, and the entourage who was walking on the side hurriedly came over, Lian Chengbi didn't look out, and asked, "What's going on in front, why is it so noisy, the front is the palace gate."

When the attendant heard this, he hurriedly asked the sedan chair to stop, and went to the front to check the situation himself, and after a while he ran back with a look of disbelief.

Lian Chengbi saw his appearance and was about to ask a question, but the entourage said first: "My lord, it's really strange, it seems that the Duke of Liao Guo is showing his breasts in front of him, kneeling in front of the noon gate with a few thorns on his back, and those noisy people are the people who are watching, they say that the Duke of Liao seems to have come all the way from the mansion, and these people are curious to follow."

"Guilty of petitioning?"

Lian Chengbi immediately thought of this allusion, he opened the door curtain, walked down by himself, stepped on the hard bluestone floor, looked at the people watching in front of him, and frowned slightly.

"In front of the palace gate, the people gathered here to see what kind of system they had gathered, and quickly ordered the officials of Jiangning Mansion to come and drive them away." He commanded to his cronies beside him.

The cronie hurriedly responded and turned to leave, while Lian Chengbi stepped forward on foot, and the onlookers saw that he was dressed in official uniforms and avoided making way for him, so Lian Chengbi and his entourage quickly passed through the crowd and walked to the front.

He saw that Ruan Jin was kneeling in front of the noon gate, and several Jinwu Wei forbidden soldiers in red military uniforms were surrounding him as if they were persuading something, and Lian Chengbi looked at it again, one of them seemed to be Ruan Jin's son, Ruan Jun, the commander of Jinwu's avant-garde.

"Father, what are you doing here? There are so many people watching outside, hurry up!"

In front of the noon gate, Ruan Jun pulled Ruan Jin with an anxious face, trying to pull him up and leave here, but although Ruan Jin had been away from the battlefield for many years, he was still full of determination, he was like a wild bull in place, no matter how Ruan Jun pulled him, he didn't move.

He just said angrily, "Don't pay attention to me, for my father I am worthy of the trust of the Son of Heaven, today I want to learn from the incorruptibility of the pre-Qin, and I will bear the guilt here."

"Father, you will only increase the laughing stock of outsiders, you get up first, follow me into the palace to face the saint, what can you say when you see Your Majesty?"

Ruan Jin stopped talking, still kneeling in place, making Ruan Jun anxious like an ant on a hot pot.

Just when he was at a loss, a team of people walked out of the palace quickly, surrounded Ruan Jin and the others in the middle, and the eunuch in the middle walked directly to Ruan Jin, who was kneeling, cleared his throat, and said crisply: "Holy Commandment, Xuanliao Guogong Ruan enters the palace to meet him."

After the words fell, he glanced at the thorns on Ruan Jin's back, the small thorns on it scraped Ruan Jin's back full of blood marks, he felt shocked after just looking at it, but Ruan Jin didn't seem to feel anything, after he finished speaking, Ruan Jin shouted Long live, refused Ruan Jun's support, and got up with difficulty.

Although Ruan Jin didn't need the support of others, considering that he was already an old man who had passed the age of knowing the destiny of heaven, and because of his exploits on the battlefield, the soldiers of the forbidden army still supported him into the palace.

Watching them enter the palace, even Chengbi remembered what he was going to do, he took his entourage back to the sedan chair, and in the sound of "getting up the sedan chair", the sedan chair was lifted and slowly walked towards the imperial city.

Soon, Ruan Jin was taken to the imperial study, Su Yan was sitting on his throne to deal with government affairs, the crown prince Su Weize stood aside to serve, and the eunuch entered the room first, and then Ruan Jin was allowed to enter.

Of course, before he entered the imperial study, the thorn on his back was put away, although this kind of thing is not fatal, but for the safety of the Son of Heaven, it is still to be taken away.

After Ruan Jin entered the imperial study, Su Weize, who was serving beside Su Yan, couldn't help but show a fleeting look of astonishment on his face, Ruan Jin's figure was not blessed because of his pampering over the years, his body was full of strong muscles, but on that bronzed skin, he could still see the obvious wounds left by the war, shocking, worthy of being a battlefield warrior.

After Ruan entered the room, he knelt on the ground without saying a word, and said in his mouth: "Sinner Ruan Jin, long live my emperor, long live the crown prince."

"Sinner? What a crime Ruan Qing has?" Su Yan's face was not shocked, and he asked knowingly.

Ruan Jin felt bitter in his heart when he heard this, and 1510 took the initiative to explain his crimes: "There are two crimes of the minister, one is to connive at the minister's brother Ruan Mei to embezzle and accept bribes, oppress the good, and deceive the superiors and subordinates, and the other is not strong-willed, and he colluded with Ruan Mei, and accepted bribes worth more than 340,000 taels of silver.

"You Ruan brothers are doing really well." Su Yan said coldly.

"The minister is guilty and willing to be punished by His Majesty, but the minister's eldest son Ruan Jun has nothing to do with this matter, he has no knowledge of it, and the minister implores Your Majesty not to affect Ruan Jun because of the minister's crime." Ruan Jin grabbed the ground with his head and cried bitterly.

Su Yan didn't answer, he looked at Su Weize, who was a little stunned on the side, and said, "Prince, I have entrusted this matter to you, and you can decide how to deal with it."

When the prince heard this, he was stunned for a moment, but quickly reacted again, he looked at the Duke of Liao who was kneeling on the ground and weeping bitterly, thought for a moment, and said softly with some hesitation: "Father, the son thinks that the Duke of Liao has fought for the country for many years, and he is the first soldier to pacify the Manchu Dynasty, not afraid of life and death, this person has worked hard and has high achievements, and can be dealt with as appropriate."

After speaking, he paused, and then said in a low voice: "Besides, his son Ruan Jun was conscientious and loyal to his duties when he served as the commander of the Jinwu avant-garde, and he was also a fierce general on the battlefield, and his sons really needed such second-generation noble allegiance, and it would be a good thing if they could be beaten with this matter to make his Ruan father and son more dedicated."

Su Yan listened to his words and glanced at him with some surprise, he didn't expect his eldest son to think of this layer.

Indeed, the crown prince's foundation among the nobles is a little shallow, and if he can get the loyalty and support of the Nguyen father and son, it will also be conducive to his future development after ascending the throne.

Thinking of this, Su Yan nodded slightly, although he agreed, he still said, "I have left this matter to you to deal with, you can decide for yourself."

Hearing him say this, the prince didn't understand his father's thoughts, he had a bottom in his heart, so he looked up at Ruan Jin who was kneeling on the ground, because the voice of their father and son talking was deliberately suppressed, so Ruan Jin couldn't hear what they were saying at all.

The prince cleared his throat, he just wanted to speak, but Su Yan's voice swallowed his words back, Su Yan said coldly: "Liao Guogong, this case has been ordered by the three law divisions to be tried, and today's words will be handed over to the three law divisions for investigation, thinking that in the past, for the sake of fighting for the country and working hard, I will not arrest you, and you don't need to take care of the affairs of the military department, let me go home, and you will not go out without my will."

"Your Majesty......"

Ruan Jin trembled all over, his heart was sad, he thought that he could change to a light handle if he turned himself in before, but he didn't expect the emperor's attitude to be so tough.

After Ruan Jin left, the prince looked at Su Yan puzzled, and before he could ask, Su Yan snorted lightly and said, "The prince wants to ask why I am so tough all of a sudden?"

The prince nodded, puzzled.

"Haven't you heard of blackface and redface?" Su Yan poked the prince's head a little helplessly, and said, "If you give him a light handle like this, he may not remember your goodness, I should have a black face, so that Ruan Jin thinks that there is no turning point in this matter, you will issue an order to admonish him in a few days, and then punish him, and tell him that the reason why he can pass so easily is the result of your persuasion several times, then Ruan's father and son will definitely be grateful to you."

When the prince heard this, he immediately understood what his father meant, and he hurriedly saluted and said, "My father taught me today, and my son wrote it down."

Seeing this, Su Yan smiled lightly and nodded.

At this moment, Xiao Huangmen suddenly came to report to Jiangning Governor Lian Chengbi to ask for a meeting, the smile on Su Yan's face retracted, and Xuan Lian Chengbi came to see him.

Soon, Liancheng Bixin walked inside, he saluted Su Yan and the prince successively, and then said, "Your Majesty, the minister has entered the palace this time, and there is something important to report."

As he spoke, he took out the paper file from his sleeve and handed it to the attendant, and then sent it to the imperial case by the attendant, Su Yan did not check it, but asked the prince to check it on his behalf, and after the prince checked it, the expression on his face became extremely serious, and he gritted his teeth and said, "How unreasonable."

Then, in the face of Su Yan's gaze, the prince took the initiative to say, "Father, this Jiading Boyang Chengzu and Changding Boma

Tai, Pingguo Gong Zhou Hezhi and others connived at the children of the clan in their hometowns and the evil slaves in the house to bully men and women, and took advantage of the robbery, causing many people's wives to be separated and their families ruined.

As early as June last year, some Zhejiang people had already gone to Beijing to sue Ma Tai's clansmen for forcibly kidnapping people's daughters as concubines, and also beat her husband to death and sank into the Qiantang River, but because Ruan Mei deliberately suppressed it, the matter had to be stopped."

"It's a way to get to the sky." Su Yan snorted coldly and said, "Prince, what do you think you should do?"

"Erchen believes that the people went to Beijing to complain, and the local officials must be the corpses who bully the weak and fear the hard, and they should be ordered to investigate the matter thoroughly according to the prosecutor's office, openly try it in the locality, and return justice to the local people, and the officials involved should also be dealt with strictly. The prince said solemnly.

"Yes, just do as the prince says."