In the Ming Dynasty Palace, Emperor Chongping just stood behind the imperial court and summoned the eunuch to summon Jia Heng to the court.
At this moment, Jia Heng stepped in, bowed, and then heard Emperor Chongping say: "Jia Qing, you have been in a hurry to see me this early in the morning, but what's the urgent matter?"
Emperor Chongping took the tea from Dai Quan and asked in a deep voice.
"Your Majesty, after interrogating Liu You, the chief secretary of the Military and Horse Department of the Five Cities, through the night, I have found out the case of the exam candidate who was beaten and maimed by the Sanhe Gang. However, the matter involved a serious matter, and I am scared and don't know how to investigate. Please also ask Your Majesty, please give me instructions." Jia Heng said, cupping his hands.
When Jia Heng spoke, Emperor Chongping was also surprised because his voice was slightly hoarse and his fatigue could not be concealed.
He had promoted him to the rank of Jin Yiwei Qianhu, and purged the Jin Yiwei who had clandestine connections. He was about to order Dai Quan to send someone to secretly investigate the matter today, but he didn't expect that the young man in front of him found some clues in a short period of time.
Jia Heng said: "Your Majesty, I have found out that Fan Yi was beaten and maimed. It was found that Liu You, the chief of the Wucheng Army and Horse Department, ordered the Sanhe Gang to do it out of personal enmity. However, the reason why Liu You acted so boldly was that he later There are others, last night there were even members of the Sanhe Gang and people from the Wucheng Army and Horses Division who were cooperating inside and outside, intending to kill Liu You to silence him!"
"Attack the government office and kill people and silence them?" Emperor Chongping's face suddenly became gloomy and scary, and he shouted: "How brave!"
Emperor Chongping raised his eyes and was startled to see that the young man's eyes were bloodshot, but his eyes were still bright and sharp, and his heart moved.
"So fast? What did Ziyu find out?" Emperor Chongping looked solemn and placed the tea cup on the imperial table aside. His eyes fell on Jia Heng's face that was hesitant to speak, and there was a hint of speculation in his heart.
In fact, last night he had already asked the Jinyiwei Baihu named Zuo Qulang, and he already had some knowledge about the Jianghu gangs in Dongcheng. Among them, the Sanhe Gang, the largest, was the most powerful, with powerful hands and eyes, and had bribed some Jinyiwei colleagues. It seemed that he had also cooperated with Jingzhong The powerful people are deeply implicated, but Qu Lang doesn't know who they are implicated in and how deeply they are implicated.
Emperor Chongping looked livid and said, "Dai Quan, bring me the confession."
Dai Quan took the wooden box containing the confession from Jia Heng, opened it and inspected it, and found that there was nothing unusual. Then he took out a thick stack of books containing the confession and handed it to Emperor Chongping.
Emperor Chongping took the paper with the confession and started reading it.
Jia Heng said in a deep voice: "According to Liu You's confession, the Sanhe Gang was involved in unloading grain and..."
"With what?" Seeing Jia Heng hesitate to speak, Emperor Chongping looked gloomy and said, "I said the day before yesterday that no matter who is involved, they will be investigated to the end and punished severely! Don't have any worries!"
Jia Heng said: "The Sanhe Gang seems to have a close relationship with His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi, who is watching the government at the Ministry of Household Affairs. According to Liu You's account, almost 60% of the profits made by the Sanhe Gang's industrial shops were sent to the Prince of Qi's palace. For a while, I I don’t know whether his words are true or not, but I offer them with my mouth as an offering.”
How could Emperor Chongping's mind not outline the whole situation in his mind.
Liu You colluded with the King of Qi, but when his affair was exposed, the King of Qi sent a member of the Sanhe Gang to the Wucheng Bingma Division to kill him and silence him!
"Reverse, reverse!"
The Daming Palace fell into silence for a while, and the golden rays of autumn morning passed through the windows and fell on the curtains, fumed tripods, bookshelves, and vases in the palace.
But the sound of "swishing" turning pages became more and more rapid, like the prelude of a brewing storm.
Not only Liu You's confession, but also the confession of those who were killed by the Sanhe Gang.
"Check it out in detail? Fifty percent of the chief registrants of the Army and Horses Division know it, and so do hundreds of households in Jinyiwei. I am the only one who doesn't know!"
Even though yesterday I had vaguely guessed from the few words of Qu Lang, a hundred households in Jinyi, that there were sects, vassals, and nobles who were interested in him, but now I saw that the Sanhe Gang had 20,000 to 30,000 people, making at least 500,000 to 600,000 taels of silver a year. Emperor Chongping was still aroused by this number, and his heart was filled with anger.
Based on Emperor Chongping's knowledge, he believed that five to six hundred thousand taels of silver was just a lot more!
Emperor Chongping slammed the confession in his hand to the ground, roared like thunder, and shouted angrily: "At least five or six hundred thousand taels a year? The Sanhe Gang has 20,000 to 30,000 people... What is he going to do?! I'm not dead yet!"
All the maids and eunuchs around him knelt down one after another. Even Dai Quan knelt down with a "pop" and his body trembled.
Jia Heng looked indifferent and cupped his hands and said: "Please calm down, Your Majesty. I think this matter needs to be verified in detail..."
Hit on the shoulder, Dai Quan groaned, knelt on the ground, kowtowed, and cried in a low voice: "Your Majesty, I really don't know, I don't care about that part of the East City..."
Jia Heng's heart trembled when he saw this scene.
The emperor's wrath was actually somewhat beyond his imagination.
Now that King Qi has money and people, if he still has the one from Chonghua Palace... what is he going to do?
Emperor Chongping did not dare to think further, and suddenly looked at Dai Quan coldly, almost wanting to devour him, "You little slave, King Qi has been colluding with the Sanhe Gang for several years, and your internal guards , do you want to eat dry food?"
The more he spoke, the angrier he became. He grabbed the paperweight beside his hand and threw it at Dai Quan.
Jia Heng pondered for a moment, then raised his hands and said, "Your Majesty, do you want to continue investigating this matter?"
For many things, it doesn't matter what you find out, but whether the superiors are willing to investigate. This determination cannot be made.
"Don't worry, you and Xu Lu will investigate thoroughly. The Sanhe Gang must be uprooted. As for the loss of tax money in Dongshi, we must also investigate!" Emperor Chongping's face was gloomy, suppressing the burning anger in his chest.
According to the theory of estrangement and indifference, the emperor would at most lose his temper after learning about it, but this look with his dragon scales removed obviously contained some royal secrets that he didn't know.
Thinking further, the key becomes vaguely clear.
"This should be the anger of an emperor after he suddenly discovered that he had been deceived, and this should be the anger of... feeling that the imperial power was threatened! It has been almost eight years since the King of Qi sent Wang Hubu to observe the government, eight years , Neichang and Jinyiwei seem to have never reported it..."
Dai Quan felt frightened and walked away as ordered.
When Jia Heng heard this, his heart sank. No matter what, the King of Qi probably hated him.
But there is nothing you can do about it. As long as you want to do something, you need to offend someone. If he helps cover it up, once the emperor finds out about it, what he will get is not jealousy, but death.
Some people can’t even make waves!
He has ruled the world for fourteen years and has been in charge for six years. No one can shake his throne regardless of the people's wishes!
Just as Jia Heng was responding, he saw Emperor Chongping suddenly facing Dai Quan on the side and saying in a deep voice: "You little slave, call King Qi into the palace. I have something to ask him!"
Is this the difference between inside and outside?
Judging from the emperor's intention, it seems that he still has no intention of dethroning King Qi as a commoner, and even has plans to suppress it?
It was clear that Long Yan was furious just now...
"It's just that when King Qi enters the palace, he will definitely explain that he needs to be vaccinated in advance." Jia Heng thought about this, hesitated, and said: "Your Majesty, is there a possibility that it is the loading and unloading of grain and water transportation? , can’t get away from these people for even a moment, so His Highness King Qi has no choice but to cooperate with them?”
When Emperor Chongping heard this, he snorted coldly and said: "Du Jitong, the governor of water transportation, led the grain guards to escort the grain. When will these gang members be used? It's just the King of Qi who is audacious and does things without authorization. Ziyu, don't worry. In this matter, he acted so boldly. If you knew about it in advance and corrected his mistakes, you really had to wait... in broad daylight, when things were agitated, it would not be so simple."
Jia Heng's expression was silent, and his heart felt somewhat cold.
The purpose of mobilizing the troops from the Beijing Camp was not only to prevent the Sanhe Gang from taking desperate risks, but also to prepare for the case where the grain could not be unloaded in time, so that the Beijing Camp could take over the matter temporarily.
"Which one of the troops in the Beijing camp do you want to mobilize?" Emperor Chongping said with a twinkling look.
Jia Heng understood the idea and said in a deep voice: "Please transfer Guo Yong to the Niu Jizong tribe!"
"Of course, this is also human nature. As long as you don't commit any heinous crimes, there are still eight arguments to be made, Kuang Prince's dignity! Moreover, the country is troubled nowadays. Not to mention that the King of Qi has been deposed, but he is colluding with gangs as a prince. If the matter of power is exposed to the world, it will have an impact on the emperor's sanctity to some extent." Jia Heng's mind was spinning, and he had somewhat grasped the emperor's psychological bottom line.
The Sanhe Gang must be eliminated, and the King of Qi's affairs must be suppressed.
Jia Heng said: "Your Majesty, I have one more thing that I would like to report to Your Majesty. Now that the Sanhe Clan has a large number of people, I am afraid that the soldiers of the Five Cities will not be able to cope with it. Please mobilize the troops in the capital camp to prepare for the emergency. But Banditry in Jingping East City!"
Emperor Chongping nodded, looking at Jia Heng with a gentler look.
Jia Heng thought for a while and said: "Your Majesty, if there is nothing else, I will retire first and continue to review the case with Mr. Xu."
However, even if he and Xu Lu were to review the case, depending on the emperor's implication, it would be difficult to make everyone aware of King Qi's involvement in the case.
Emperor Chongping paused slightly and said in a deep voice: "I will give you the Emperor's Sword, and you can dispatch the troops in the capital camp. But don't do it now. In two days, Niu Jizong will be impeached and suspended from office. He will shut himself up and think about his mistakes. Guo Yongying If there is no master at that time, then you can mobilize the troops into the capital to quell the banditry."
Taking advantage of Niu Jizong's inability to manage the army and the fact that King Qi was being used, he wanted to get back the power of a battalion of troops first.
When Jia Heng heard this, he cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty. I didn't originally want to mobilize the soldiers of the capital camp now. But when a group of clowns show their ugliness and their evil is revealed to the world, I will impose the ax on you!"
For example, just now Emperor Chongping Long Yan was so angry that he wished he could kill King Qi alive, but the thunderbolt hung on for life without falling, only a thorn buried in his heart.
"So, if you want to bring down King Qi, just relying on this one thing is not enough. You need to look at it again."
However, at this moment, Emperor Chongping said: "Ziyu, don't leave in a hurry, wait until you see King Qi."
"It wouldn't work if I didn't come to see the emperor in the first place and let Xu Lu and others charge into the battle... At that time, the emperor was caught off guard, and instead he had a bad feeling towards me. Once he had a bad feeling, his suspicious temperament would be amplified."
Jia Heng thought about the pros and cons.
This is the tricky part as he said before. The key is not to be close to each other. You can't kill it all at once, you can only chip it slowly.
Emperor Chongping said in a cold voice: "You are trying to correct his fault. If he is narrow-minded and harbors resentment, then he can act like a prince! Since he is involved with the Sanhe Gang, he probably knows the inner workings of the Sanhe Gang and is cooperating with him."
I heard Dai Quan report from outside: "Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the King of Qi is waiting outside."
Emperor Chongping said coldly: "Xuan!"
Jia Heng's heart was slightly shaken and he raised his head to look at Emperor Chongping.
Why did the emperor ask him to stay? To express the hatred of King Lazi?
No, King Qi already had a grudge against him, so there was only one purpose, to show affection and comfort. Even if King Qi wanted to touch him, he had to be careful.
"This...where did the father say these things? I don't know this." King Qi heard that Emperor Chongping called him by his name in anger. His expression changed drastically. He raised his head to defend himself and scanned the people beside him with his small eyes. Jia Heng felt a cold feeling in his heart.
The people sent to the Sanhe Gang to kill them yesterday returned without success. He heard the news early in the morning, and it was Jia Heng who stopped him!
I don’t think so, before I even find this guy to settle the score, this guy is already slandering my father!
Not long after, I saw a young man in his mid-twenties, wearing a prince's python robe, with fair skin and a fat body, entering the side hall under the guidance of the inner prisoner.
"I have seen my father. Long live my father. Long live my father." King Qi paid homage and said loudly.
However, Emperor Chongping did not order King Qi to stand up, and shouted coldly: "Send people into the Five Cities Army and Horse Division to attack and kill the imperial officials, Chen Cheng, who gave you the courage!"
Emperor Chongping shouted: "Liu You, do you recognize him?"
"My son and I don't know each other," King Qi said urgently.
"You dare to quibble!" Emperor Chongping shouted, throwing the confession in his hand at King Qi's face, and shouted: "Liu You's confession is crystal clear, pretend I don't know it!"
Jia Heng was keenly aware of this passing gaze and the malice deep in it. Looking at the fat King Qi, five words flashed in his mind for no reason.
The king of Qi is a common man.
If he confesses obediently as soon as he comes in, and asks Emperor Chongping to forgive him, he will be wary of this person.
Emperor Chongping suddenly slapped the imperial case and shouted: "I don't want to hear what you are saying. Now the Sanhe Gang is entrenched in Dongcheng, with tens of thousands of people. What do you want to do if you take it for your own use?"
The King of Qi called Qu and said: "Father, thirty or forty thousand people? Father, where can I conjure up thirty or forty thousand people? They are all just struggling to make ends meet, carrying grain on docks and ferries to eat... …”
Jia Heng frowned when he saw this scene. It must be said that King Qi was really a bit shameless and generous.
King Qi's face changed slightly. He took the confession and his chubby face flushed with anxiety. He said: "Father, this is him making false accusations against my son, my son..."
"That's enough!" Emperor Chongping shouted coldly, interrupted King Qi's defense, and sneered: "Collude with gangsters, bribe court officials, and send gangsters to attack government offices. These evil things you have done are more than enough to destroy you alone. !”
When the King of Qi heard this, he was shocked and lowered his head. Suddenly, what seemed to Jia Heng to be a somewhat clumsy performance, he cried loudly: "Father, I was confused for a moment. I just arrived at the household department, and all my subordinates were... He didn’t have the manpower to order him, and he was constantly being teased by the civil servants at the Ministry of Household Affairs. He couldn’t do errands, he was often laughed at, and he was just a waste waiting to be eaten! Until he met the people in the Sanhe Gang, he still knew it. Enyi, only then did he win over people to work around him. They have helped transport grain into the capital in recent years and have contributed a lot. As for the fact that they beat and maimed the candidates who were taking the exams, they did not know about it! They also sent gangsters to attack the government offices, which is so heartbreaking and crazy. Even if I borrow a hundred courages from you, I would not dare to do so. There must be some villain who maliciously slanders me, and Liu You is trying to grab me..."
No matter how clumsy the performance is, he is inexplicably confident and wants to hit a high note that will be extinguished by the whole world.
"People are ugly and don't know it. What evil has the emperor done to give birth to such a son? Otherwise..." Jia Heng thought disrespectfully in his heart, but for a moment, his eyes became a little deeper, "Is this just Is this King Qi's way of protecting himself, pretending to be stupid?" A flash of suspicion flashed through Jia Heng's mind, but after careful consideration, he felt that there were many possibilities.
"Otherwise it can't be explained. Emperor Chongping didn't know until today that King Qi has been hiding in Dongcheng for so long! He looks stupid, but is actually treacherous." Jia Heng looked deeply and thought, "If you pretend to be crazy, you are really the son of the emperor! "
