Shandong, Jinan Prefecture, Licheng County.
Several days have passed since the last time Hai Rui asked Xue Jing, the magistrate of Licheng County, to assist him in arresting the local White Lotus cult members.
In the past few days, the government used all possible punishments to finally get those White Lotus cultists to speak.
At this moment, in the Licheng County Government Office, Hai Rui looked at the confessions given by the White Lotus Sect members in his hand with a solemn look on his face.
"I really didn't expect that the White Lotus Sect here would have such a deep foundation, and even many rich and powerful people are involved!"
"Here, look, here is the specific list!"
After Hai Rui finished speaking, he handed the confession in his hand to Xue Jing who was standing beside him.
Hearing Hai Rui's comments, Xue Jing's face showed a hint of shame, because as the parent official of Licheng County, he failed to fulfill his responsibilities, causing the White Lotus Sect to spread and poison the people.
After that, Xue Jing took the confession from Hai Rui respectfully and began to read it.
But soon, Xue Jing spoke tremblingly as if he had been greatly frightened.
"This...this, how could this happen? How could the Zeng family be involved in it!"
Hai Rui was very puzzled by Xue Jing's reaction and immediately asked.
"Why, do you think this Zeng family has a big background?"
Facing Hai Rui's inquiry, Xue Jing did not dare to hide anything and immediately told everything he knew.
"You don't know, sir. In addition to the Confucius family, there are six other families in Shandong, namely, the Meng, Zeng, Yan, Bu, Min, and Ran families. The ancestors of these seven families can be traced back separately. In the Spring and Autumn Period, Confucius, Meng Ke, Zeng Shen, Yan Hui and others!"
When Xue Jing said this, he couldn't hide his inner shock. After a pause, he added.
"These seven people are called the Four Saints and Three Sages, and the genealogy of these seven families is also the same. The genealogy they arranged is also called the Tongtian family tree. In short, these seven families are in the court The forces are intertwined and have great influence!"
"In Shandong, I don't know how many governors of Shandong have been replaced, but these seven families are still standing. Sir, you must be careful!"
Hai Rui knew that Xue Jing was advising him to take it easy and try not to provoke the families above him.
After a while, Hai Rui came back to his senses, chuckled, and spoke unhurriedly.
"Having the right way is the foundation of a gentleman, and he will be killed in five generations. Even though their ancestors are called the Four Saints and Three Wise Men, if it has been passed down to their generation, there may not be much of the virtue of a gentleman left!"
"What's more, when Shenzhou fell in the past, I never saw that these families you mentioned before had contributed anything to the country!"
"In my opinion, they are just insects relying on the glory of their ancestors to ride on the heads of the people and dominate them!"
After hearing what Hai Rui said, Xue Jing seemed to be greatly shocked. After a long while, he cautiously responded.
"My lord... what you said makes sense!"
Hai Rui saw the expression on Xue Jing's face, shook his head imperceptibly, and asked.
"Master Xue, can I borrow the study room in the Yamen?"
When Xue Jing heard this, an ominous premonition suddenly flashed through his heart, and he said to himself: "Could it be that the Censor of the City, who was sent by the imperial court to investigate the case, is going to go up against those families?"
Soon, Xue Jing suppressed all the chaotic thoughts in his heart, bowed to the ground, and spoke to Hai Rui.
"Sir, please follow me here!"
After Xue Jing finished speaking, he stood up from his seat and led the way.
When Hai Rui and his personal bodyguard Xiao Er saw this, they did not doubt his presence and followed Xue Jing's footsteps.
After passing through several corridors, Xue Jing, who was leading the way, stopped, turned around, and introduced to Hai Rui.
"Sir, this is the yamen's study!"
"Well, thank you, Mr. Xue!"
Hai Rui looked at the nearby Yamen study room, nodded, and expressed his gratitude to Xue Jing.
When Xue Jing heard this, a flattered expression suddenly appeared on his face, and he declined continuously.
"No, sir, I'm serious. The study room in the county government office in Xiaguan is not as grand as that in the capital. I hope you won't dislike it!"
After that, Hai Rui immediately stepped into the county government study room without much hesitation.
The furnishings in the study room are very simple. Apart from a few necessary pieces of furniture, the most attractive thing is the desks filled with all kinds of books. What surprised Hai Rui the most is that the books on the desks Those books all have signs of being turned.
Hai Rui stepped forward, picked up a book, glanced at it for a few times, and then put it back in its place.
Based on his many years of experience, Hai Rui could judge that the owner of these books must be a very studious person, because the books piled on the desk cover a very wide range.
"Well, it seems that the owner of this study is probably Xue Jing, the magistrate of Licheng County. This Xue Jing is quite a useful person!"
The reason why Hai Rui was so sure was because there were many markings on the book he just picked up, and the handwriting of those markings was consistent with what Hai Rui had observed in the past few days, Licheng County Magistrate Xue The handwriting of Jing is very similar!
"After this matter is over, let's formally recommend this Xue Jing to the imperial court!"
Hai Rui thought so and quickly ground the ink.
After that, Hai Rui spread out the letter paper, and after thinking about it for a long time, he picked up the brush and dipped it in ink before writing.
"Your Majesty, I am currently in Licheng County, Jinan Prefecture, Shandong Province."
"In order to explore the traces of the White Lotus Cult, Wei Chen came all the way to the vicinity of Licheng County. With the assistance of Xue Jing, the magistrate of Licheng County, he captured several White Lotus Cults. After interrogation, Wei Chen learned that a group of people in Shandong In the land, there are many wealthy gentry and wealthy households, all of whom have unclear relationships with the White Lotus Sect!"
"Not only that, it also involves the famous Zeng family in the local area. The ancestors of this Zeng family are extremely prominent and can even be traced back to Zeng Shen in the Spring and Autumn Period!"
"Wei Chen feels that the White Lotus Sect's rampage in Shandong may be related to the following families, namely, the Kong family, the Meng family, the Zeng family, the Yan family..."
After the last word came out, Hai Rui put the brush in his hand back to its original position. After browsing through the contents of the letter and confirming that there were no errors or omissions, Hai Rui felt relieved.
To be on the safe side, Hai Rui wrote down all the seven families that Xue Jing mentioned earlier.
"Hmph, I will never allow you, a bunch of insects, to ride on the heads of the common people and dominate!"
After the ink on the letter paper was dry, Hai Rui put it into the envelope and walked out of the county government office.
As soon as Hai Rui walked out of the study, his personal bodyguard Xiao Er came up to him, bowed his hands and said respectfully.
"grown ups!"
"Um."
Upon seeing this, Hai Rui responded in a subtle way. Seeing that only Xiao Er was left around, he immediately calmed down and asked him.
"By the way, where is Master Xue?"
Facing Hai Rui's inquiry, Xiao Er did not dare to hide anything and answered respectfully.
"Replying to my lord, Sir Xue just said that there were some matters within the county government that he needed to deal with, so he left first!"
"Well, I know!"
After Hai Rui finished speaking, he took out the envelope that he had prepared and gave serious instructions to Xiao Er.
"Send someone to deliver this letter to His Majesty as soon as possible, and it must not pass through anyone else's hands. Do you understand?"
When Xiao Er saw that Hai Rui attached so much importance to him, he immediately looked serious and assured Hai Rui.
"Don't worry, sir, I will definitely live up to your trust!"
…
Two days passed in the blink of an eye. During these two days, Jiajing's life was no different from before. In addition to daily practice, in his spare time, he also made a special trip to Ganlu Palace to visit the Imperial Concubine Shen. .
As time went by, Imperial Concubine Shen's belly had bulged significantly. At this moment, her whole body exuded a maternal brilliance. In addition, she also became more careful.
Unfamiliar food will not be touched. Not only that, the incense candles in the room are also replaced by his personal maid. On weekdays, they only move around in the small courtyard of the Manna Palace.
Forbidden City, Qianqing Palace.
At this moment, Jiajing, as usual, looked at the memorials delivered by the Supervisor of Ceremonies piled on the desk.
At this moment, there was only a slight sound of footsteps, and the eunuch who led the way came in and said respectfully.
"Your Majesty, Hai Rui sent someone to deliver a letter to you!"
When Jiajing heard this, he immediately put down the half-read memorial in his hand, a look of curiosity appeared on his face, and he said to himself.
"Oh, this Hai Rui actually wants to write to me. Could it be that the situation in Shandong is serious enough that I need to step in?"
After that, Jiajing changed the topic and gave instructions.
"I know, let him come in!"
"As you command, Your Majesty!"
After receiving the specific instructions, the guiding eunuch immediately turned around and left.
Looking at the back of the eunuch leading the eunuch away, Jiajing turned to Lu Fang and asked.
"Lu Fang, why do you think Hai Rui wrote to me this time?"
After Jiajing finished speaking, Lu Fang, who was beside him, thought about it for a moment and then gave his guess.
"Your Majesty, I think that Hai Rui may have encountered something that cannot be solved, so I just sent a letter to ask for your help!"
Jiajing also quite agreed with Lu Fang's statement, nodded and said slowly.
"Well, I think so too. Otherwise, why would the White Lotus Sect in Shandong be so rampant? There must be something fishy in it!"
While Jiajing and Lu Fang were chatting, the guard sent by Hai Rui to deliver a message to Jiajing stepped into the Qianqing Palace with an uneasy mood.
After entering the Qianqing Palace, he followed the instructions of the eunuch who was responsible for teaching etiquette, and knelt down on the ground with a plop, looking firm and resolute, and said loudly.
"I bow to your majesty, long live my emperor!"
Hearing this, Jiajing looked the visitor up and down, then withdrew his gaze and turned to give instructions.
"Well, get up!"
After Jiajing finished speaking, the visitor stood up from the ground and carefully took out the letter Hai Rui had asked him to deliver. He held it high above his head and said in a deep voice.
"Your Majesty, this is the left deputy capital censor Hai Rui. I entrust you to personally deliver your letter to your Majesty!"
"Well, I know!"
Immediately, Lu Fang, who had been waiting beside Jiajing, stepped forward, took the letter from the stranger's hand, and handed it to Jiajing.
After Jiajing took the letter from Lu Fang's hand, he nodded and gave the order.
"Well, I have received the letter. You can go down and rest!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
When the visitor saw that his mission for this trip had been successfully completed, his tense nerves quickly relaxed. Immediately, a look of gratitude appeared on his face, and he saluted Jiajing respectfully.
After that, under the guidance of the eunuch, the visitor left Qianqing Palace and went to a special room to rest.
After that, Jiajing opened the letter in his hand and began to browse the contents, only to see what was written above.
"Your Majesty, I am currently in Licheng County, Jinan Prefecture, Shandong Province."
"In order to explore the traces of the White Lotus Cult, Wei Chen came all the way to the vicinity of Licheng County. With the assistance of Xue Jing, the magistrate of Licheng County, he captured several White Lotus Cults. After interrogation, Wei Chen learned that a group of people in Shandong In the land, there are many wealthy gentry and wealthy households, all of whom have unclear relationships with the White Lotus Sect!"
"Not only that, it also involves the famous Zeng family in the local area. The ancestors of this Zeng family are extremely prominent and can even be traced back to Zeng Shen in the Spring and Autumn Period!"
"Wei Chen feels that the White Lotus Sect's rampage in Shandong may be related to the following families, namely, the Kong family, the Meng family, the Zeng family, the Yan family..."
After Jiajing finished browsing the above content, he immediately put the letter aside, chuckled, and said to himself.
"Haha, I really didn't expect that this Hai Rui would actually go and investigate the White Lotus Sect himself!"
Lu Fang, who was on the side, heard Jiajing's words and couldn't help but become curious about the content of the letter. She saw that she only asked Jiajing after carefully considering her words.
"If that's the case, did Hai Rui find any traces from it?"
When Jiajing heard this, he glanced at Lu Fang, and then handed the letter to Lu Fang casually: "Here, take a look at it yourself!"
Seeing this, Lu Fang took the letter from Jiajing's hands with great respect. After he glanced through the contents, his face suddenly turned pale as if he had been greatly frightened.
Immediately, Lu Fang came back to her senses and asked Jiajing tremblingly: "Your Majesty, what should be done with the rich and powerful people who are suspected to be related to the White Lotus Sect?"
After Jiajing heard this, he immediately turned around and looked at Lu Fang, with an unusually calm expression on his face.
"Lu Fang, have you ever heard of the saying that a gentleman's virtue will last five generations?"
(End of chapter)
