Even though they had left the Qianqing Palace, Yan Song and Xu Jie still had lingering fears.
First of all, the clan and nobles wanted to open the back door and enter the official career through methods other than the imperial examination. Secondly, His Majesty actually planned to let Hu Zongxian join the cabinet and named Zhao Zhenji to take his place.
These were things that Yan Song and Xu Jie had not expected before.
"Oh, it's been such a troubled time lately!"
Yan Song thought so, suddenly stopped, turned around, glanced at the Qianqing Palace behind him in a rather vague way, and said to himself.
After that, neither Yan Song nor Xu Jie had any intention to communicate, so they remained silent and returned to the cabinet.
As soon as the two returned to the cabinet, others noticed something was wrong with the expressions on their faces. In the end, Gao Gong mustered up the courage to stand up and asked the two.
"Mr. Yan Ge, Mr. Xu Ge, what happened?"
When Yan Song and Xu Jie heard this, they had no intention of hiding anything and immediately told the whole story.
"Ahem, here's the thing. Previously, the British Duke Zhang Rong found His Majesty..."
After the two narrations, the remaining people finally had a general understanding of the ins and outs of the matter.
Yan Shifan couldn't help but exclaimed: "In addition to the imperial examinations, specifically organizing examinations for the clan and nobles is simply nonsense. It has never happened in the past dynasties..."
However, before Yan Shifan finished speaking, he was coldly interrupted by Yan Song: "Shut up!"
Seeing Yan Song speak in person, Yan Shifan had no choice but to step aside angrily and lower his head.
On the other hand, Zhang Juzheng was obviously more interested in the news that Jiajing wanted Hu Zongxian to join the cabinet than the unreasonable demands made by the clan and nobles.
"His Majesty chose to transfer Hu Zongxian to Beijing after the local mulberry seedlings in Zhejiang matured. It seems that he had planned it for a long time, and the person who succeeded Hu Zongxian also became the candidate recommended by Zhao Zhenji, Yan Song and Xu Jie of the Supervisory Council. His Majesty was the only one recommended. Not adopted!”
"It seems that Your Majesty should have realized that someone in the court wants to take this opportunity to purchase raw silk at a low price from the people who plant mulberry seedlings!"
"Otherwise, Zhao Zhenji would not be sent to take over Hu Zongxian's position!"
Thinking of this, Zhang Juzheng couldn't help but feel a look of relief on his face, and then he sighed secretly.
"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"
Just when Zhang Juzheng was about to follow this train of thought and continue thinking, Yan Song's old and feeble voice sounded in everyone's ears.
"Now that things have happened, everyone should think carefully about how to deal with His Majesty when the time comes!"
After Yan Song finished speaking, everyone present fell into silence.
"Yes, apart from the imperial examinations, it is simply unheard of to organize examinations specifically for the clan and nobles!"
"What's more, no matter what your Majesty does, you can't ignore the voices of the millions of clans and nobles in the Ming Dynasty!"
"Now, I have to think of a way to get the best of both worlds, which can take care of the interests of the clan and nobles without causing too much opposition in the court!"
Continuing to think along this line of thinking, everyone soon discovered that there is no best-in-both-worlds solution to this matter. No matter what, there will always be one party whose interests will be harmed!
At this moment, Yan Shifan, who had been silent since being reprimanded by Yan Song, stood up and made a suggestion to everyone.
"I think the idea proposed by His Majesty earlier is quite feasible. As long as the clans and nobles who have not entered the official career through the imperial examination have to set up an insurmountable barrier on their heads, it will not be possible for them to take on the responsibilities Restrictions on official positions!”
"There are no restrictions on those clans and nobles who take part in the imperial examination and successfully obtain rankings!"
"In this way, we can not only take care of the interests of the clan and nobles, but also reduce the opposition as much as possible!"
"Therefore, we only need to gradually improve this aspect. In addition..."
…
While Yan Shifan was still explaining his ideas to everyone, Jinan Prefecture, Shandong.
After several days of traveling under the stars and nights, Hai Rui finally returned from Licheng County with his bodyguards and the Jin Yiwei who came to assist him in investigating the case, and successfully met Cao Feng, the governor of Shandong.
At this moment, inside the government office, in the hall used to entertain guests.
Cao Feng, the governor of Shandong, sat at the top. Also sitting in the hall were Hai Rui and Guan Rui, a member of the Jin Yiwei Baihu who came to assist Hai Rui in investigating the case.
Hai Rui's personal bodyguard, Xiao Er, stood upright next to Hai Rui like a statue.
Although Cao Feng looked very calm, his heart was already in turmoil, and he could not calm down for a long time. His eyes kept glancing at Guan Rui, the Jin Yiwei Baihu, who was standing aside, and thought to himself.
"His Majesty actually sent the Royal Guards to assist Hai Rui in investigating the case. This shows how much His Majesty takes this matter seriously!"
Thinking of this, Cao Feng looked away and warned himself in his heart.
"Cao Feng, Cao Feng, next you must do your best to assist Hai Rui and completely suppress the White Lotus Sect here, otherwise, your Wushamao will not be safe!"
After that, Cao Feng suppressed the chaotic thoughts in his heart, looked at Hai Rui, and asked respectfully.
"My lord, not long ago, I went to Licheng County to investigate the traces of the White Lotus Sect. What did I gain?"
When Hai Rui heard this, he nodded slightly and immediately spoke.
"I'd like to remind you, Governor, that when I went to Licheng County not long ago to investigate the traces of the White Lotus Sect there, I did gain something!"
"Master Governor, you might as well take a look!"
After Hai Rui finished speaking, Xiao Er, who had been waiting beside Hai Rui, understood instantly. He then carefully took out the confessions of the White Lotus cultists from his arms and handed them to Cao Feng's hands.
Seeing this, Cao Feng took the confession from Xiao Er and began to browse the contents on his own.
But soon, Cao Feng's pupils suddenly shrank, and his face was filled with an incredible expression.
The reason is very simple. The confessions of those White Lotus sect members involve the Zeng family, which is inextricably related to the Kong family in Qufu.
Although Cao Feng had vaguely guessed before that the rampage of the White Lotus Sect in Shandong was related to the wealthy gentry, he couldn't help but be extremely shocked when he actually learned that the Zeng family was also involved.
At this moment, he looked at the confession in his hand with a look of panic on his face.
After a long time, Cao Feng gradually came back to his senses and murmured to himself: "Even the Zeng family was involved!"
If this confession were delivered to Cao Feng on ordinary days, Cao Feng would definitely pretend that he didn't see it, and would try his best to silence all those who knew about it.
After all, these seven families, represented by the Kong family, have always been in the same spirit, all prospering and losing!
He is a wealthy county magistrate, and he is an iron-clad master. There is no point in going up against those powerful families because of this incident!
But now, the situation is different. This confession was handed to me by Hai Rui, the left deputy capital censor sent by the imperial court to investigate the White Lotus Sect. What's more, beside Hai Rui, there was also someone sent by His Majesty himself. Jinyi Weixiang assisted.
In just a few breaths, Cao Feng understood what he should do next. Then, he put aside the confession in his hand and tentatively asked Hai Rui.
"My lord, what you mean is..."
Hai Rui saw the expression on Cao Feng's face and immediately spoke unhurriedly.
"Before coming, His Majesty gave me the power to directly mobilize the soldiers of the guard!"
"My intention is to directly mobilize the guardsmen to suppress the wealthy gentry and wealthy households mentioned in the confessions, and then obtain information about the White Lotus Sect from their mouths!"
"My Lord Governor, what do you think of this proposal?"
Hai Rui's voice was not loud, but in Cao Feng's view, it was full of irrefutable meaning.
"It seems that we are serious about it!"
Cao Feng thought this, and immediately came to his senses, stood up from his seat, and assured Hai Rui.
"Yes, sir, I will give you my full assistance!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Cao Feng summoned his staff, whispered a few words in his ear, and then the staff took the order and left.
Not long after, Zhang Yuan, the commanding general, hurried into the government office. When he saw Cao Feng, Hai Rui, and a man in Feiyu uniform with an indifferent expression sitting in the hall, he couldn't help but feel a thump in his heart. , he knew very well that there was going to be an earthquake in Shandong next!
Despite this, Zhang Yuan still suppressed the shock in his heart. After saluting everyone, he turned his eyes to Cao Feng who was sitting at the top and asked.
"May I ask, what orders does the governor have to his subordinates?"
When Cao Feng, who was sitting at the top, heard this, he immediately winked at the subordinates on the side. Therefore, someone soon stepped forward and handed the previous confession from the White Lotus Sect into Zhang Yuan's hands.
Zhang Yuan took the confession in confusion. When he finished browsing the contents, his face was full of horror, and he immediately lost his voice.
"This, this, this..., why is Zeng Qing from the Zeng family on this list?"
Seeing this, Hai Rui nodded and immediately explained.
"Master Zhang, here is the confession I obtained from the White Lotus Sect members not long ago. The list above is the rich and powerful people who have connections with the White Lotus Sect!"
Hearing this, Zhang Yuan's face became even more horrified. Immediately, he put down the confession in his hand, turned his gaze to Hai Rui, and explained carefully.
"Master Du Yushi, this list involves the Zeng family. This Zeng Qing is from a branch of the Southern Sect of the Zeng family!"
"Oh, keep talking!"
When Hai Rui heard Zhang Yuan's words, he couldn't help but become interested and asked immediately.
Then, after Zhang Yuan's narration, Hai Rui finally understood the general idea.
There are several generations within the Zeng family. When naming, you must strictly follow the generation, otherwise it will not be included in the genealogy. When people in the Zeng family meet on weekdays, they always ask each other which character and generation they belong to.
And this Zeng Qing belongs to a branch of the Southern Sect of the Zeng family!
After that, Hai Rui came back to his senses, looked at Zhang Yuan with cold eyes, and spoke unhurriedly.
"So what if this Zeng Qing is a member of the Southern Sect of the Zeng family? Since he has colluded with the White Lotus Sect, I will definitely arrest him!"
When Hai Rui said this, he continued to add without waiting for Zhang Yuan to respond.
"This officer is following His Majesty's orders to come to Shandong to thoroughly investigate the White Lotus Sect. Not only that, Your Majesty also gave me the power to mobilize the guards at will!"
"Or do you want to disobey me?"
As soon as Hai Rui finished speaking, Zhang Yuan knelt down on the ground with a plop and said respectfully.
"Sir, you misunderstood. I just feel that this matter needs to be cautious. After all, the Zeng family is inextricably linked to the Kong family in Qufu. If we offend them, we will have to..."
At this moment, Guan Rui, the Jin Yiwei Baihu on the side, also spoke in time.
"Master Zhang, Your Majesty has sent our Jin Yiwei here this time to assist Master Du Yushi in investigating this case. We also hope that this will be convenient for you. Otherwise, it will be difficult for us to do business!"
Zhang Yuan, who was kneeling on the ground, turned pale when he heard this. He shivered for a long time and did not say a complete sentence. Perhaps because he was too scared, large beads of sweat rolled down Zhang Yuan's forehead.
At this moment, he only had one thought in his mind, and that was: "His Majesty actually sent a royal guard to assist Hai Rui in investigating the case!"
Soon, Zhang Yuan quickly figured out everything behind this. Immediately, as if he had made up his mind, he turned his gaze to Hai Rui and said in a deep voice.
"As ordered, my lord, I will go through fire and water, even if I die!"
Seeing this, a warm smile suddenly appeared on Hai Rui's face. He slowly stood up from his seat, came to Zhang Yuan in person, lifted him up from the ground, and said.
"Lord, Mr. Zhang is serious. I will still be able to rely on you in the future!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Yuan quickly lowered his head, cupped his hands, and responded humbly.
"I don't dare to do this, I will depend on your master's orders from now on!"
At this moment, Cao Feng, who was sitting at the top, also stood up and changed the topic.
"Now that things have happened, let's think about how to deal with the rich and powerful people on the list!"
"Um."
Cao Feng's idea was recognized by everyone present, and immediately everyone began to discuss countermeasures.
After looking around, Hai Rui came up with his own idea.
"I feel that we must use thunderous means to control the wealthy gentry and wealthy households on this list, otherwise, things will change later!"
After hearing what Hai Rui said, Cao Feng immediately expressed his agreement: "Yes, we must act as soon as possible, otherwise, I'm afraid there is a risk of the news being leaked!"
When Cao Feng said this, he changed the subject and continued.
"It's just that the other people on the list are easier to deal with, but this Zeng Qing..."
At this moment, the staff member who had been silent in the dark stood up and quickly added.
"In two days, the Zeng family will go to the Zongsheng Temple in Jiaxiang County to worship their ancestors. Zeng Qing will also go there by then. We might as well take advantage of this opportunity and seize him. In this way, It also saves you a lot of effort.”
As soon as the staff member finished speaking, Hai Rui agreed: "Well, let's do it like this, but before that, we need to control all the rich and powerful people on the list!"
Seeing that Hai Rui had already made up his mind, everyone immediately responded in unison.
"Yes, Lord Censor!"
(End of chapter)
