Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and after traveling day and night, Hai Rui finally arrived in Jinan, Shandong.

Early in the morning, Cao Feng, the governor of Shandong, led local officials of all sizes to greet him, for fear of any neglect.

Not only that, but the streets were also full of patrolling soldiers, and ordinary people were ordered to stay at home and not to go out into the streets at will.

Although they had been waiting for a long time, there was not the slightest impatience on the faces of many officials present.

After all, this Hai Rui sent by the imperial court right now is holding their black gauze hats in his hands.

For the sake of secrecy, Cao Feng let his staff let out the wind, saying that the purpose of Hai Rui's visit to Shandong this time was to thoroughly investigate the corruption of local officials.

After all, with the background of the Hai Jui Inspectorate, the whole thing is completely reasonable.

As soon as the news came out, officials large and small throughout Shandong suddenly panicked, and they had no time to care about anything else, so they began to ask people around about the origin of this Hai Rui.

After those officials heard about Hai Rui's brilliant achievements through various channels, they immediately panicked, after all, this is the ultimate ruthless person who dares not to give face to Yan Dang and Qingliu at the same time!

After Cao Feng released this smoke bomb, the development of events did not surprise him, and those officials were no longer entangled in the real purpose of Hai Rui's trip to Shandong.

After all, in any case, such a thing as a thorough investigation of corruption would rather be credible than credible.

If you are unfortunate enough to become that inverted egg, it will be too late to regret it, even if you have the means to reach the sky, it will not help.

Just as Cao Feng was still thinking about what attitude he should take to face Hai Rui next, Liu Zhengzhong, the political envoy of Shandong on the side, was restless.

I saw that he raised his head from time to time and observed the expression on Cao Feng's face, his face was full of hesitation.

After a while, he seemed to have made up his mind, plucked up his courage, came to Cao Feng's face, and said in a low voice.

"Your Excellency, do you know what this Hai Jui is all about?"

When Cao Feng heard this, he immediately came back to his senses, took in the expression on Liu Zhengzhong's face, sighed, and explained unhurriedly.

"Alas, this matter is not very clear to the official, it is said that someone handed the impeachment note to the inspectorate, and after His Majesty read the impeachment note, he was very angry, and immediately sent this Hai Rui to investigate the matter thoroughly!"

After Liu Zhengzhong got the news from Cao Feng, his face was full of horror, and he immediately lost his voice.

"Ah, what, who the hell ......"

It's just that Liu Zhengzhong's words haven't finished yet, only to see a guard hurriedly run in front of Cao Feng and whisper a few words.

After listening to the guard's report, Cao Feng nodded, and then turned around and announced to the officials around him.

"Everyone cheer up, the Lord Du Yushi sent by the imperial court will be here soon!"

Cao Feng's words fell, and after a while, he saw a carriage, escorted by a large number of guards, gradually approaching the direction where everyone was.

Soon, the carriage stopped not far from the crowd, and Hai Rui, supported by the guards, got out of the carriage.

Seeing this, Cao Feng on the side hurriedly stepped forward, arched his hand, bowed down and said, "Cao Feng, the governor of Xiaguan Shandong, has seen my lord!" ”

After Cao Feng, the officials behind him also bowed down and said, "I've seen my lord!" ”

When Hai Rui heard this, a slight smile appeared on his face, and he responded: "This official is on the order of His Majesty this time, and rushed to Shandong to investigate the case. ”

As soon as Hai Rui's words fell, Cao Feng responded without thinking: "Where, since the lord came on the orders of His Majesty, the lower officials should fully cooperate!" ”

After the greetings, Cao Feng began to introduce the surrounding officials to Hai Rui one by one.

"My lord, this is Liu Zhengzhong, the political envoy of Shandong!"

Liu Zhengzhong saw Hai Rui's gaze fall on him, and immediately lowered his head in fear, and responded: "The lower official has seen the adult!" ”

Hearing this, Hai Rui nodded imperceptibly, and quickly took his eyes off Liu Zhengzhong's body.

After Liu Zhengzhong, the political envoy of Shandong, Cao Feng introduced Chen Wanyuan, the envoy of Shandong, and Zhang Yuan, the commander of the capital, to Hai Rui.

Among them, Hai Rui's gaze stayed on Zhang Yuan's body for the longest time.

After that, I saw Cao Feng come back to his senses and make a gesture to Hai Rui.

Immediately, I saw Hai Rui and Cao Feng walking at the front of the team, followed by the entire Shandong, large and small officials.

Hai Rui didn't say too much greetings, and immediately went straight to the topic: "Presumably, Lord Cao should know very well in his heart, what is the purpose of this official's trip?" ”

When Cao Feng heard this, he didn't hesitate at all, and immediately responded: "Don't worry, your lordship, Xia Guan has made preparations before this. Please also ask the adults to go to the government with the lower officials! ”

"Hmm."

After that, I saw Hai Rui and Cao Feng take the sedan chair that had been prepared long ago and march in the direction where the government was located.

……

As soon as the two entered the mansion, Cao Feng stopped, immediately turned around, and reported to Hai Ruiyu.

"My lord, please come with the lower officials, the files related to the White Lotus Sect are all prepared in the study!"

"Hmm."

When Hai Rui heard this, he answered incomprehensibly, and then under the leadership of Cao Feng, he came to the study in the mansion.

After entering the study, Cao Feng pointed to the file on the bookcase, which was almost more than one person high, and reported to Hai Ruiyu.

"My lord, all the files related to the White Lotus Sect are here!"

"There's Lord Laocao!"

After Hai Rui finished speaking, he immediately came to the bookcase, picked up a file, and began to look through it.

The contents of the dossier include the general scope of the activities of the local White Lotus Sect and the many crimes committed by it.

After reading the contents, Hai Rui put the file in his hand back in its place and immediately asked Cao Feng.

"This official has just arrived, and he really doesn't know much about the situation of the local White Lotus Sect, and I hope that the adults will give him advice."

"Where, where, my lord's words are serious!"

After this, I saw that Cao Feng restrained the sincere and frightened look on his face, and began to narrate to Hai Rui the specific situation of the local White Lotus Sect.

"My lord, don't you know, this place in Shandong has always had a tradition of believing in the White Lotus Sect, and it has been like this since the Hongwu and Yongle periods!"

"It is precisely because of this that no matter how strict the regulations promulgated by the government are, it will not be able to stop those ordinary people from believing in the White Lotus Sect!"

"But if you believe in the White Lotus Sect, can you please it?"

"Those ordinary people who believe in the White Lotus Sect, the final outcome is that they are all cheated out of their family property, and then they are ruthlessly abandoned after being squeezed out of the last bit of use value!"

"What's more, those innocent people were even instigated by those damned White Lotus Sectists to fight against the government and even rebel!"

Cao Feng's eyes were full of gloom when he said this, and after a pause, he continued.

"At present, the White Lotus Sect is becoming more and more rampant in Shandong, their nests are mainly in Yidu, Putai and other places, and its followers are conservatively estimated that there are thousands of people, not to mention anything else, even there are many ordinary people in Jinan Mansion who secretly believe in the White Lotus Sect!"

"Since most of their followers are ordinary people, generally speaking, the White Lotus Sect holds an assembly at night, and at dawn, it disperses."

"In addition, the White Lotus disciples in Yidu, Putai and other places, in the name of Tang Sai'er, are preaching everywhere, and they claim that they are Tang Sai'er's disciples, and they are here to save the people from fire and water!"

After listening to Cao Feng's introduction, combined with the contents recorded in the files about the White Lotus Sect that he had seen earlier, he had a general understanding of the current situation.

Especially when Cao Feng mentioned that those White Lotus Sectists were preaching everywhere in the name of Tang Sai'er, Hai Rui's brows furrowed, and his face was full of solemnity.

After this, I saw Hai Rui turn his gaze to Cao Feng, and couldn't suppress the curiosity in his heart, and asked instead: "Since there is a tradition of believing in the White Lotus Sect in the local area, haven't the previous governors thought of taking any measures?" ”

After listening to Hai Rui's doubts, Cao Feng sighed helplessly and immediately responded.

"Alas, how can it not, but the measures they have taken have not worked, and those people still go their own way, and do not listen to the advice of the government at all!"

When Cao Feng said this, as if he suddenly remembered something, he turned to Hai Rui and said.

"By the way, my lord, before this, Xia Guan was lucky enough to capture a few White Lotus Sect disciples, you may be able to learn something from their mouths?"

When Hai Rui heard this, his face was also full of curiosity: "Oh, White Lotus Sectist? ”

Seeing that Hai Rui was interested in this, Cao Feng immediately summoned his subordinates and commanded: "You guys, hurry up and bring the few White Lotus Sect disciples you caught earlier to this official!" ”

As soon as Cao Feng's words fell, the subordinates responded in unison.

"Yes, Governor!"

After a while, I saw the guards of the mansion, and they escorted all the White Lotus Sectists in Cao Feng's mouth.

When those people were escorted up, the coarse linen clothes they were wearing had already become tattered, and not only that, but there were also large and small scars all over their bodies, and there were bruises in their eye sockets that had not dissipated for a long time.

As soon as those people were escorted to Hai Rui and Cao Feng, they couldn't help crying: "My lord, I am wronged!" ”

"Yes, we are not White Lotus Cultists at all, we are just farming in the suburbs, and those officials at that time arrested us in prison without saying a word, and then ......"

It's just that before those people finished speaking, they were coldly interrupted by Cao Feng: "Hmph, you dare to be stubborn when you are dying, why don't you hurry up and tell all the news you know about the White Lotus Sect!" ”

"In this way, it is better to save some pain of flesh and skin, otherwise, I will not blame the official for being ruthless!"

Cao Feng's words fell, and the officials who were waiting on the side saw this situation, and they couldn't help but have an angry look on their faces, and they were about to step forward to teach them a lesson, but before they could do anything, they were stopped by Hai Rui's words.

"Wait!"

When the officials saw Hai Rui speak, they had to retreat to the side stupidly.

I saw Hai Rui come to these people, lean down, and asked.

"What you just said, is it true?"

Seeing that someone was willing to stand up for himself, the faces of those people suddenly showed expressions of the rest of their lives, and they immediately kept kowtowing on the ground, and kept saying: "Adult, what the little one just said is true, we all rely on farming for a living!" ”

"Three days ago, a team of officials came out of nowhere, and without saying a word, they labeled us as a White Lotus Sect, and after that, we were all imprisoned in the official prison, where we were tortured!"

"Please also ask the adults to make decisions for us, we are really not White Lotus Cultists!"

Hai Rui observed from the expressions and demeanors of these people, and he had already believed in the words of several people.

After this, Hai Rui came back to his senses, and immediately instructed the people who were kneeling on the ground: "In that case, stretch out your hands and see!" ”

In the face of Hai Rui's request, those people naturally did not dare to disobey, and immediately ordered to spread their palms, and waited anxiously for the final decision.

After carefully observing their palms, Hai Rui turned his gaze to Cao Feng on the side and spoke.

"Master Cao, come and take a look, these people's hands are extremely rough, and they look like they are caused by long-term farming."

"What's more, there are still remnants of dirt between their fingers, combined with their previous statements, this official feels that they are indeed innocent!"

Seeing Hai Rui's words, Cao Feng's attitude couldn't help but soften, he sneered, and then said: "Since the adults think they are innocent, then the lower officials will let them go!" ”

Seeing this, Hai Rui glanced at Cao Feng and said unhurriedly: "Lord Cao might as well call the officials who were in charge of this matter at the beginning, and after a confrontation, the truth will naturally be revealed!" ”

After all, this is a "killing good and risking merit"! ”

After Hai Rui finished speaking, he deliberately lengthened his tone, and the meaning contained in his words was self-evident.

Cao Feng naturally understood the meaning contained in Hai Rui's words, and saw that he summoned the previous subordinate who was in charge of this matter and gave instructions.

"Immediately call all the officials who were in charge of this matter to this official, and this official has something to confirm with them!"

When the subordinate saw this, he suddenly let out a 'groan' in his heart, and immediately did not dare to make any stops, so he conveyed Cao Feng's order.

Soon, those officials who were in charge of this matter at the beginning were shocked to the point of turning pale with fright when they learned of this order.

"It's over, it's all over, the governor knows about it, what should we do?"

"Alas, now, I can only take one step at a time!"

With this in mind, the officials had no choice but to come to the government, but soon, in the face of the hard facts, they had to admit that they had framed innocent people.

After learning the ins and outs of the matter, Cao Feng was furious, and immediately ordered his subordinates to take down these officials on the spot and put them in prison to wait for their fate!

After dealing with those official errands, the matter was temporarily over, and I saw Cao Feng turn his eyes to Hai Rui, his face full of gratitude.

"Thank you for your mention, if it weren't for your eyes, the lower officials might have wronged a good person!"

When Hai Rui heard this, he didn't seem to care about it, but he waved his hand, withdrew his gaze from Cao Feng's body, and said slowly: "It's okay, since this matter has passed, let's discuss how to deal with these White Lotus Sects!" ”

"Yes, sir!" (End of chapter)