As night fell, Xu Jie's mansion in the capital.

Recently, Xu Jie can be described as proud, since the last time he missed the position of the first assistant to the cabinet.

Now, he is the closest he has come to the first assistant of the cabinet.

In Xu Jie's view, the position of the first assistant to the cabinet is already within reach.

If it weren't for the scruples of the influence, Xu Jie would have been eager to immediately ask the emperor to remove Yan Song from the position of chief assistant to the cabinet.

After Zhang Juzheng's admonition, Xu Jie also understood, the more at this time, the more he had to calm down.

In short, he can't leave the emperor with the impression that he is too obsessed with power.

At the same time, Xu Jie also wanted to come up with a score to prove to the emperor that he was capable of taking over the burden of the first assistant of the cabinet.

When the envoy sent by the Chahar Ministry arrived, it was Xu Jie's chance to prove himself.

After dealing with this matter, nearly a month has passed since Yan Song, the first assistant of the cabinet, reported his illness at home.

At that time, Xu Jie could justifiably ask the emperor to remove Yan Song from his post on the grounds that Yan Song, the first assistant of the cabinet, was suffering from "stupidity" and could not sort out government affairs.

After he takes power, he can ruthlessly liquidate the Yan Party and expel this group of moths that have brought disaster to the country and the people from the DPRK one by one, and then truly realize his ambitions.

Thinking of this, Xu Jie's face showed a look of determination, and he unconsciously clenched his fists.

"Elder Xu Ge, what do you think?"

Wang Ting, the right attendant of the household department on the side, saw that Xu Jie had not responded for a long time, so he immediately plucked up his courage and cautiously asked.

Wang Ting's voice brought Xu Jie back to reality, and after a moment of silence, he commanded unhurriedly.

"Tell them that there is no need to be anxious, the most important thing to do now is to collect evidence of the crime of the Yan Party."

"Remove this group of moths who are greedy for ink, flattering and bullying, and only know how to oppress the people, from the court!"

When Xu Jie's words fell, Wang Ting on the side couldn't help but fall into silence.

After all, he came this time mainly because he was entrusted by many colleagues to come to comfort Xu Jie, let him go up as soon as possible, and ask the emperor to remove Yan Song from his position.

Only when Xu Jie sat in the position of the first assistant of the cabinet could they go further.

Seeing Xu Jie's resolute attitude, Wang Ting was embarrassed to persuade him again.

After glancing at Wang Ting, Xu Jie withdrew his gaze and said slowly: "Don't worry, you have been with me for so many years, and I won't treat you badly." ”

When Xu Jie's words fell, Wang Ting was stunned for a moment, and then reacted, looking ecstatic.

Then, I saw a grateful look on Wang Ting's face, leaned down, and said respectfully: "Thank you Xu Ge for your support!" ”

Xu Jie took in the expression on Wang Ting's face, and after picking up the teacup and taking a sip, he said unhurriedly: "Okay, tell them what I just said!" ”

"The more you get to this point, the more you have to calm down, you know?"

"Yes, Elder Xu Ge, the lower officials will definitely bring your words truthfully!"

After Wang Ting finished speaking, after bowing to Xu Jie, he walked out of the room.

……

After Wang Ting left, he saw Xu Jie retract his gaze, shook his head imperceptibly, and secretly sighed: "Alas, people's hearts are impetuous! ”

At this moment, I heard a slight knock on the door, and then, the butler's voice sounded outside the door: "Master, the eldest young master sent someone to send you a letter!" ”

After learning the news from the housekeeper's mouth, Xu Jie's face couldn't help but show a little curiosity: "Oh, what is Xu Fan writing to me at this time?" ”

Thinking of this, Xu Jie suppressed all the chaotic thoughts in his heart, waved his hand, and commanded: "Well, come in!" ”

As the words fell, there was only a 'squeak', the door to the room was pushed open, and the butler stepped in.

After entering the room, the housekeeper subconsciously looked in the direction where Xu Jie was, leaned down, and said respectfully: "Master, here is the handwritten letter sent to you by the eldest young master!" ”

After the butler finished speaking, he carefully took out the envelope from his sleeve and handed it to Xu Jie.

After taking the envelope from the butler's hand, he saw Xu Jie withdraw his gaze, nodded, and commanded.

"Well, you go down first, it's none of your business."

"Yes, sir!"

Seeing that the task of his trip was successfully completed, the housekeeper couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, arched his hand to Xu Jie, and then left the room.

When leaving, the housekeeper also closed the door of the room.

After the housekeeper left, Xu Jiefang opened the envelope and browsed the contents on it.

"Father, I've been in good health lately, and my child has written to you in a hurry, and I hope that my father will not blame you."

"Not long ago, there was a riot in the Songjiang Prefecture Shouyu Senhu, and the child was worried that this matter might affect you, so after finding out the reason, he immediately wrote a letter to you, informing you of the reason, the cause of the whole thing, the prefect of Songjiang Wang Jian and the clan ......"

After reading all the contents of the letter, Xu Jie's face was gloomy and about to drip water.

Even though Xu Jie had already guessed about this matter before this, he couldn't help but be shocked when he really saw the letter written by his eldest son Xu Fan.

At this time, Xu Jie only felt a nameless fire rising from his heart.

Xu Jie never thought that the people in the clan would be so short-sighted, and dare to provoke a mutiny for the benefit of only 200,000 taels of silver.

Then, I saw Xu Jie slam the table and scolded angrily: "These greedy and short-sighted fools are really mud that can't support the wall!" ”

In Xu Jie's opinion, it is now at a critical moment, and there is no room for the slightest mistake, but at this time, such a ridiculous thing happened.

If the imperial court follows this matter, let alone whether it can go further, it will be a blessing not to be implicated in this matter.

After venting his emotions, Xu Jie gradually calmed down, and the immediate priority was to cover up this matter as soon as possible.

At the same time, as soon as possible, he will be in the position of the first assistant of the cabinet, so that no one will dare to mention this matter.

After making up his mind, I saw Xu Jie sitting behind the bookcase, spreading out the pen and paper, and writing a reply with a brush full of ink.

"The Father already knows what is said in the letter, and you must ...... it as soon as possible."

……

Just when the capital is shrouded in an atmosphere of mountain rain coming and the wind is full of buildings, Zhejiang's side is also not reckless.

After learning that Yan Song was suffering from "dementia" and said that he was sick at home for more than half a month, Zheng Michang and He Maocai were in a panic.

For Zheng Michang and He Maocai, there is only one cloud on their heads, and that is the Yan family.

Right now, Yan Song is suffering from "dementia" and says that he is sick at home, which means that the sky has fallen for the two of them!

The next foreseeable situation is that once Xu Jie succeeds as the first assistant of the cabinet, then the two of them will definitely not be able to escape the liquidation.

Let's not talk about how deeply they are bound to the interests of the Yan family, and whether the Yan family has their handle in their hands.

Zheng Michang and He Mao are local officials, and the relationship is far less convenient than that of Beijing officials, and when the news from the capital reaches Zhejiang, often seven or eight days have passed.

By that time, the daylilies were all cold.

Zhejiang, Hangzhou, in the Department of Political Envoys.

At this time, Zheng Michang described as withered, his eyes were bloodshot, and the whole person looked quite haggard, and he had not had a good rest for several days.

As soon as he closes his eyes, Zheng Michang's mind will unconsciously emerge that after Xu Jie takes power, his own fate.

At this time, because he was too tired, he saw Zheng Michang lying on the bookcase and falling asleep.

When Zheng Michang regained consciousness, he found that he was escorted to the execution ground along with his wife and children.

The official who was beheaded, Zheng Michang couldn't see his face clearly.

However, among the applauding people in the audience, he saw Shen Yishi, Yun Niang, Ma Ningyuan, the Wen family who sold illicit salt in Hangzhou, and Yuan Yongyu, the head of the Yuan family in Jiaxing.

Seeing that the time had come, the official in charge of the beheading recited Zheng Michang's many crimes in front of the people in the audience.

Zheng Michang couldn't hear the indictment read by the official, and he didn't care about it.

At this time, there was only one thought in Zheng Michang's mind: "What's the matter, didn't Shen Yishi and Yun Niang die by self-immolation, how could they appear here in a good manner, and why is Ma Ningyuan also here?" ”

Just when Zheng Michang was still wondering about such a question, I don't know when, Yuan Yongyu, the head of the Yuan family in Jiaxing, had already come to him.

At this time, Yuan Yongyu's face was hideous, and there were traces of silk threads on his neck, like a demon crawling out of hell, staring at Zheng Michang viciously and sneering.

"Lord Zheng, when you led someone to raid my Yuan family, did you ever think that you would end up like this one day?"

"It's really a cycle of heavenly reason, retribution is not happy, come down and accompany me!"

After Yuan Yongyu finished speaking, his mouth opened at an incredible angle, as if he wanted to swallow Zheng Michang's whole person alive.

Seeing this, Zheng Michang was afraid, but his body couldn't move, and he could only watch Yuan Yongyu's blood basin mouth getting closer and closer to him.

At the same time, in Zheng Michang's perspective, the previous Shen Yishi and Yun Niang gradually revealed their figures.

The two charred corpses, emitting a strong stench of burning, walked slowly in the direction of Zheng Michang, and they kept muttering something in their mouths.

At this time, Zheng Michang was already frightened, and just as he wanted to shout for help, the big knife in the executioner's hand had already fallen.

Zheng Michang only felt a chill on his neck, as if something had fallen to the ground, and the world that his eyes could see was also sideways, and when Zheng Michang just wanted to open his mouth to say something, his eyes suddenly went black and fell into endless darkness.

……

"My lord? My lord? ”

After hearing this call, I saw Zheng Michang open his eyes suddenly, and the first time he opened his eyes, Zheng Michang couldn't wait to touch his neck.

After confirming that everything was fine, Zheng Michang breathed a sigh of relief, and secretly sighed: "It's okay, the head is still there!" ”

And Zheng Michang's behavior shocked the subordinates on the side, who would have thought that the first thing the head official did when he woke up was to touch his neck.

However, due to his identity, he is not able to show anything.

After this, Zheng Michang finally noticed his subordinates not far away, and after clearing his throat, he asked, "Is there something wrong?" ”

When the subordinate heard Zheng Michang's words, he didn't dare to slack off in the slightest, and immediately leaned down and said respectfully: "Your Excellency, according to the inspection, the Lord asked to see him outside, saying that he had something important to discuss!" ”

After learning the news from his subordinates, he saw Zheng Michang wave his hand quite casually, and then ordered: "Well, the official knows, let him come over!" ”

"Yes, sir!"

The subordinate responded, and quickly walked away.

"In other words, how could this official dream of these dead people, could it be that this is a revelation from heaven to this official?"

"No, this official has had a similar dream before, so I think it's because I'm too worried."

Thinking of this, Zheng Michang's face was full of worry that could not be concealed, and he saw him support his chin with one hand and muttered to himself silently.

"Alas, Elder Yan Ge, your body was still tough last year, why can't you do it all of a sudden."

"If you have any three longs and two shorts, what should you do if you let the lower officials!"

When Zheng Michang was still thinking about how to deal with it next, under the guidance of the previous subordinate, He Mao stepped into the room.

At this time, He Maocai's state was also very similar to Zheng Michang's, his eyes were full of bloodshots, and his whole person was swollen compared to before.

Seeing He Maocai's arrival, Zheng Michang hurriedly got up from the seat, looked in the direction where He Maocai was, and asked eagerly: "Lao He, how did you check the things that asked you to check before?" ”

Facing Zheng Michang's gaze, I saw He Maocai shaking his head imperceptibly and giving a response: "Lao Zheng, before I came, I had already asked those famous doctors, and they all asserted that as long as they suffered from "dementia", there was basically no possibility of improvement! ”

When He Maocai's words fell, Zheng Michang seemed to have lost the strength of his whole body, and the whole person sat on the chair weakly, lowered his head, and muttered to himself: "It's over, it's all over now!" ”

Seeing this, He Mao didn't say a word, and sat down on the vacant seat beside him.

After a while, a Xu official soon stepped forward and brought a bowl of hot tea for each of them, but at this moment, Zheng Michang and He Maocai had no intention of tasting tea.

Zheng Michang and He Maocai know very well in their hearts that everything they are doing now is just looking for psychological comfort for themselves.

Yan Song, as the first assistant of the cabinet, if he really got sick, he would definitely have the imperial doctor from the Tai Hospital to diagnose and treat him.

Most of the doctors who can enter the hospital are from medical families, have rich experience, superb medical skills, and have an extremely deep understanding of various incurable diseases.

If even they can't do anything, then it means that the situation has really reached the point of no return.

……

Time passed slowly, I don't know how long it was, I saw Zheng Michang lick his somewhat chapped lips, laughed miserably, looked in the direction where He Maocai was, and said slowly.

"Lao He, to be honest, recently, I have often dreamed of dead people, and Shen Yishi, Yun Niang, and Ma Ning, who have long since died, have appeared in my dreams more than once."

"Didn't you say before, sooner or later we will end up like this, and now it seems that the time has come!"

"We don't have the backer of the Yan family, and sooner or later we will usher in liquidation, so let's explain the aftermath as soon as possible, so as not to be too late."

When Zheng Michang said this, his face was full of gloom.

When Zheng Michang's words fell, He Mao on the side did not speak for a long time.

After a long time, I saw him come back to his senses, sighed helplessly, and then said: "Lao Zheng, why shouldn't I, I haven't been able to sleep all night lately, as long as I close my eyes, the scene of the destruction of the family will appear in my mind." ”

"I, He Maocai, have been an official for so many years, from a small magistrate, all the way to the position of the inspector, I have seen a lot of family ruin, but when it is really my turn, I still can't accept it!"

"For a long time, I've been wondering if the outcome would have been different if I hadn't received that money in the first place."

When He Maocai said this, his face was full of inexplicable looks.

Zheng Michang took in the expression on He Maocai's face, sneered, and said mockingly: "Old He, don't be naïve, you think you have a choice, but in fact, you don't have a choice at all!" ”

"In the officialdom, you have to be the same as the light, you want to be different, be a clean official, you can, but you also have to take responsibility for your own actions, what awaits you is endless exclusion and suppression!"

"If you don't collect money, can you go all the way to the position of the inspector, can you have the status you have today?"

"We're just on the wrong team, just be willing to gamble and lose, now that the thing has been done, then we have to admit it!"

After Zheng Michang's resounding words fell, He Maocai seemed to be touched, and then, I saw that he had regained his previous look, nodded, and said in response.

"Well, Lao Zheng, you're right, what's the point of dwelling on these things now?"

"It's better to explain the future as soon as possible, choose a piece of feng shui treasure land for yourself, and protect future generations."

After He Mao finished speaking, he was about to say goodbye and leave, but before he could take a few steps, he was stopped by Zheng Michang.

"Lao He, wait, it's not here yet, why don't we try our luck at the governor's side?"

"Anyway, we can be regarded as doing the governor a great favor, and the governor came to take up his post with His Majesty's will this time."

After listening to Zheng Michang's proposal, He Maocai couldn't help but feel a little moved.

After all, who wants to die as long as they can live?

When He Maocai heard this, after pondering for a while, he withdrew his gaze from Zheng Michang's body, nodded, and said in a deep voice: "Well, it makes sense, let's go to the governor's side to try our luck!" ”

After making up their minds, Zheng Michang and He Maocai did not hesitate at all, and immediately took a sedan chair and went to the governor's mansion.

……

Doge's Palace, in the study.

At this time, Zhao Zhenji was sitting behind the bookcase, methodically handling the notes sent by the officials.

Not long ago, Zhao Zhenji received a letter from his eldest son, Zhao Dingzhu.

In the letter, in addition to his daily greetings, Zhao Dingzhu also wrote down the major events that have happened in the capital in recent times into the letter to remind Zhao Zhenji to pay more attention.

Through this letter from his eldest son Zhao Dingzhu, Zhao Zhenji naturally also learned about Yan Song's "dementia" and the loss of power of the Yan family.

After processing an official document, I saw Zhao Zhenji put down the brush in his hand and looked at the scenery outside the window.

At this time, Zhao Zhenji no longer had the mind to continue to deal with the official documents, he recalled the situation described in the letter by his eldest son Zhao Dingzhu before, and secretly sighed.

"Alas, it's really unpredictable, Yan Ge is old and smart, and in the end he will suffer from "stupidity"! ”

"When the official left the capital, Yan Ge's body was obviously still tough, why did he become like this in the blink of an eye?"

"It seems that there will be big changes in the DPRK and China next!"

Thinking of this, Zhao Zhenji picked up the teacup on the side and took a sip, his face full of inexplicable looks.

In Zhao Zhenji's view, after Yan Song stepped down from the position of the first assistant of the cabinet, the person who replaced him was Xu Jie, the second assistant of the cabinet.

It is foreseeable that when Xu Jie's coming to power, he will inevitably carry out a merciless liquidation of the Yan Party.

However, Zhao Zhenji didn't care much about this, because the fire couldn't burn him.

His current identity is the governor of Zhejiang and the governor of Zhejiang, and he is a veritable feudal official, except for the emperor, no one dares to touch him.

Not only that, but the current Hai Rui is the right capital of the Inspectorate, and with this relationship, no one dares to beat his small report in private.

It can be said that Zhao Zhenji's position is extremely stable, and it is precisely because of this that he can sit firmly in Diaoyutai and watch the clouds rise and fall.

"Anyway, after Xu Jie comes to power, Tan Lun, the governor of Fujian, will also be promoted!"

Just as Zhao Zhenji was still thinking about this matter, he heard a slight knock on the door.

Seeing this, Zhao Zhenji suppressed all the chaotic thoughts in his heart, and after bowing his head slightly, he immediately ordered: "Come in!" ”

When Zhao Zhenji's words fell, only a 'squeak' was heard, and the door of the room was pushed open.

Then, I saw a guard walk in.

After entering the study, the guard did not hesitate at all, immediately leaned down, looked in the direction where Zhao Zhenji was, and said respectfully.

"Your Excellency, the Envoy and the Envoy are out asking to see you!"

"Well, the official knows, let them wait in the hall, and the official will come over later."

When Zhao Zhenji heard this, the expression on his face did not change in the slightest, waved his hand, and commanded.

"Yes, sir!"

Hearing this, the guard arched his hand to Zhao Zhenji, and then left the study quickly.

After the guard left, I saw an inexplicable look on Zhao Zhenji's face, and his fingers tapped the bookcase in front of him very rhythmically, making a 'da-da' sound.

At this time, Zhao Zhenji frowned, as if he was weighing the pros and cons.

"Zheng Michang, He Maocai, Ah ......" (end of this chapter)