Early the next morning, the county government of Shouning County gathered countless people to see the excitement.

Last night, when the soldiers posted the notice, these people would still be skeptical, they couldn't believe that those high-flying and domineering gentry landlords would one day end up like this, but when they saw the figures kneeling in the county office, the last trace of doubt in their hearts was also dispelled.

After Li Jie and Zhang Er, the chief bookkeepers of Shouning County, stated the things committed by this group of gentry one by one in the court.

Hu Zongxian, wearing an official uniform, sat upright in the county government hall, and said loudly: "Raising private soldiers, plotting to kill court officials, cooperating with widows, annexing people's land, disregarding people's lives, and bribing officials, can you deny these crimes?" ”

"Wronged! Pray that the Governor will spare our lives, and we will give us all our possessions!" ”

"Your Excellency the Governor, there is still an eighty-year-old mother to support! I'm gone, what will she do! ”

"Lord Governor, I haven't done any of these things, they forced me to do them, I don't know it!"

After listening to Hu Zongxian's statement of the crimes, this group of gentry suddenly panicked, this pile of piles is a sure capital crime, not to mention anything else, just take it out and say it, it will inevitably end up with a full end of beheading.

"Humph, noise! Escort them to this official, cut them all, and bring their families with them! The official let your family reunite below, so that it will not violate filial piety. Hu Zongxian was a little impatient when he heard this, and then with a wave of his hand, he asked his soldiers to make a move and escorted them down.

Soon, these gentry landlords and their families were all escorted to the vegetable market in Shouning County, and the people all applauded with their hands and knives.

……

After disposing of the group of gentry and their families, Hu Zongxian summoned Master Li and said in a deep voice: "This Shouning County is still managed by you for the time being, and the imperial court will soon send a new magistrate over!" ”

"Obey the orders of the Governor!" When Li Jie heard what Hu Zongxian said, he hurriedly bowed and saluted, his face full of respect.

After all the affairs were explained, the army immediately marched towards Zhangzhou Mansion.

……

Beijing, Yanfu.

Yan Song put down the scroll in his hand, and turned to his son Yan Shifan and asked, "Has the army set off?" ”

Yan Shifan, who was on the side, saw his father asking, and hurriedly put down the things he was busy with, and responded: "Father, Hu Zongxian set off two days ago and was divided into three armies!" The other two roads are Yu Dayou and Tan Lun, which go straight to the Zhangzhou Mansion occupied by the Japanese invaders. ”

"What is Father worried about?" Yan Shifan saw that his father was a little worried, and couldn't help asking.

"I'm thinking, if it were just to suppress the Japanese invaders, it would be far less than enough troops, and at most only 4,000 people would be able to wipe out all the Japanese invaders entrenched in Fujian! And now it has sent an army of nearly 10,000 people, not only that, but also sent Qi Jiguang, Yu Dayou, Tan Lun and other generals. ”

"Father is right, if it is just to exterminate the Japanese Kou, Your Majesty does not have to take such painstaking efforts at all, and even beat Xu Jie hard in front of everyone, asking him not to make small moves behind his back." Yan Shifan couldn't help but think about it after listening to his father Yan Song's conjecture.

What does it all have to do with that? Hu Zongxian, Zhejiang, kill the smuggling family......" Yan Song frowned tightly and thought for a long time.

After Yan Song connected all the clues he had recently obtained, he slapped his thigh suddenly, his eyes flashed with fine light, and he said in a deep voice: "I know, Your Majesty is going to use the excuse of suppressing the widows to clean up all the disobedient gentry landlords near the coast!" ”

"Ah, what!" After listening to his father Yan Song's words, Yan Shifan's face was full of incredulity.

"By the way, has Your Majesty sent Jinyi Wei to Zhejiang recently?" Yan Song then asked in a deep voice.

"According to the father-in-law in the palace, it seems that His Majesty has recently sent a large number of brocade guards to Zhejiang, as if they are transporting something." Yan Shifan pinched his chin and recalled.

"That's right, Hu Zongxian previously dispatched troops to kill all those smuggling families, but did not mention the confiscated property, presumably the amount is huge, and it was not counted for a while! At present, His Majesty sent Jinyi Wei to transport this huge wealth back to Beijing. ”

"Hey, Your Majesty is really a brilliant person, this kind of power and conspiracy is really beyond our reach, and no one has been able to see Your Majesty's true thoughts before!" After hearing this, Yan Shifan couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

……

The Forbidden City, the Palace of Nourishing the Heart.

Jiajing put on his robe under the service of the eunuch, and after he finished dressing, Lu Fang walked in quickly and said softly: "Your Majesty, the Jinyi guard has escorted the silver back to Beijing through the Grand Canal, you see?" ”

"Do you want to ask me about this kind of thing? Just send it directly to the treasury! Jiajing glanced at Lu Fang and said lightly.

"It's the slave who didn't think it through, and I ask Your Majesty to forgive me." Lu Fang said that, and hurriedly bowed and saluted.

"Are there any interesting things in the capital lately? Staying in this Forbidden City day by day, I am also a little tired. After Jiajing finished speaking, he raised his eyebrows and asked Lu Fang.

"Your Majesty, the slave maid recently heard an interesting story from the outside, and heard that someone was on the outskirts of the capital and dug up the keel!"

"What's so strange about digging up the keel." Jiajing glanced at Lu Fang and spoke.

"Your Majesty, it's not the kind of dragon bone engraved with words, but a real dragon bone, I heard that the bone is exactly the same as depicted in myths and legends!"

"What? How could such a thing happen! After Jiajing listened to Lu Fang's words, he was surprised.

"Your Majesty, the slave doesn't know whether it's true or not, it is said that after the man dug up the keel, he went around selling and wanted to sell it for a good price, but he was regarded as a charlatan and was seriously injured."

"Send someone to take a look, buy the keel back, I'm quite curious, what the keel looks like when it is dug out of the ground."

"Yes." Lu Fang said, bowing and saluting.

"In addition, there have been a few Taoist priests in the capital recently, who are said to be extremely accurate in divination, able to tell people's futures, judge people's life and death, and call for wind and rain."

Jiajing lost interest after hearing this, and couldn't help but think: "Calling for wind and rain, I will too, and I can also summon thunder from the sky!" ”

"Well, that's it, let's go with me to the cabinet." After Jiajing finished speaking, he didn't look at Lu Fang, and strode towards the cabinet.

Seeing this, Lu Fang hurriedly walked a few steps briskly, keeping up with the emperor's pace step by step.

……

"Your Majesty has arrived!"

Outside the cabinet, a shrill voice came.

After Jiajing took Lu Fang into the cabinet, he sat in his place.

"Ministers, see Your Majesty, long live my emperor, long live, long live!" All the ministers bowed and bowed.

"Get up!" Jiajing glanced at everyone and said lightly.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Everyone got up and sat down in their seats.

"Your Majesty, two days ago, Hu Zongxian's army had attacked in three ways, directly into the Zhangzhou Mansion occupied by the Japanese invaders, and it must soon be able to exterminate the Japanese invaders entrenched in Fujian! Our army has sent warships to cut off all the retreat routes of the Japanese pirates. Zhang Juzheng took the lead and reported.

"Well, your military department has done a good job, you must cut off the back road of this group of pirates, and eliminate them one by one!" Jiajing nodded and said in a deep voice.

"Your Majesty, Taichang Shaoqing Li Chunfang has already come out with the test questions of this imperial examination, and please take a look at it!" Yan Song immediately stepped out of the queue and held the test questions of the imperial examination high above his head, Lu Fang saw this, hurriedly stepped forward, took the test questions, and handed them to the emperor.

Jiajing just looked at it twice and then stopped reading it, without him, the above topic is too obscure: "Sincerity, the foundation of heavenly virtue and the source of sacredness, scholars are the head of the four people, scholars are pure and pure, the relationship between the customs of the world, in order to govern more than win people, and the first to talk must precede practical ......"

(End of chapter)