Just as Yan Song and Xu Jie were discussing the increasingly turbulent public opinion in the capital, they heard a rush of footsteps outside the cabinet.
Not long after, a nervous-looking subordinate quickly entered the cabinet.
After the subordinate official entered the cabinet, he subconsciously looked in the direction of Yan Song and Xu Jie, lowered his head, and reported respectfully.
"Mr. Geng Ge, something serious has happened. There are officials outside who are clamoring to meet His Majesty!"
"What!"
When Yan Song heard this, his face was filled with unconcealable horror, and he sat upright suddenly.
Xu Jie on the side looked like he had expected this. The rest of the people were still immersed in this explosive news and had not yet recovered.
After all, everyone still has fresh memories of the fight that happened near the Zhengyang Gate of the Forbidden City not long ago.
"If these officials are allowed to disturb His Majesty's Qing Dynasty, the consequences will be disastrous!"
Yan Song thought so and suddenly came back to his senses. At this time, he could not care about anything else. He only saw him looking at the subordinate official and giving instructions in a deep voice.
"We must stop them no matter what, even if we mobilize the imperial army, do you understand?"
"Yes, Mr. Yan Ge!"
After the subordinate responded, he quickly left without any hesitation.
After the subordinate official left the cabinet, Yan Song slumped back on his chair weakly and rubbed his temples.
At this time, the atmosphere in the cabinet also became depressed.
Then, Gao Gong looked cautiously in the direction of Yan Song and asked.
"Yan... Mr. Yan Ge, what should we do next, what if the time comes..."
"Well, let's take it one step at a time. In short, we must first understand why those officials are clamoring to meet His Majesty!"
Hearing this, Yan Song glanced at Gao Gong and responded unhurriedly.
In fact, Yan Song could roughly guess what those officials wanted.
Driven by thoughtful people, the impeachment memorial against Ma Ningyuan was suppressed by the Supervisory Council, which has caused a stir in the capital.
The whole thing even has a tendency to involve Hu Zongxian!
There are rumors that it was because officials at the Supervisory Council were afraid of Hu Zongxian's power that they did not dare to deal with the matter and left the impeachment memorial unpublished.
In Yan Song's view, the reason why those public officials chose to stand up at this time was simply to make a name for themselves and establish themselves as a person who could ask for orders from the people.
Afterwards, Yan Song suppressed all the chaotic thoughts in his heart, glanced at Xu Jie calmly, and said to himself: "Humph, you, Xu Jie, were probably the instigator of this whole thing!"
…
The commotion caused by the officials could not escape Jiajing's eyes.
At this moment, inside Qianqing Palace.
Lu Fangzheng stood respectfully beside Jiajing, describing to him the news he had received.
Hearing this, Jiajing raised his eyebrows, looked at Lu Fang on the side, and confirmed to him: "Lü Fang, you mean that group of officials, mainly because of the incident that has made a fuss in the capital recently. ?”
When Lu Fang heard this, she immediately responded without thinking.
"Yes, Your Majesty, for some reason, the rumor that the memorial regarding the impeachment of Hangzhou Magistrate Ma Ningyuan was suppressed by the Supervisory Office has been spreading in the capital recently!"
"Some people even say that it is because the officials of the Inspectorate are afraid of Hu Zongxian's power, so they dare not deal with this matter. After all, Ma Ningyuan is Hu Zongxian's student!"
After Jiajing learned the news from Lu Fang, the expression on his face suddenly turned cold. Then, he slammed the table and said in a deep voice.
"These bastards!"
When Lu Fang saw Jiajing getting angry, she immediately knelt on the ground with a thump and carefully spoke words of comfort.
"Your Majesty, please calm down and don't get so angry over this matter!"
"Lu Fang, go to the cabinet in person and call Yan Song and the others over to me. I have something to ask them."
Then, Jiajing changed the subject, looked away from Lu Fang, and gave instructions.
"As you command, Your Majesty, I will go right away!"
When Lu Fang heard Jiajing's words, she immediately looked stern and responded in a deep voice.
After that, Lu Fang did not stay in the Qianqing Palace for too long. After bowing to Jiajing, he left the Qianqing Palace and headed towards the direction of the cabinet.
…
At this moment, in the cabinet.
Shortly after the subordinate official left the cabinet, Yan Song and others also learned about the demands of the group of officials through various channels.
"Hmph, things are exactly as I expected. They are really a group of people who are deceiving the world and stealing their reputation!"
Yan Song thought so, a look of surprise appeared on his face.
At this moment, a subordinate official walked in quickly, faced everyone, and reported respectfully.
"Sir, Mr. Lu, Mr. Lu is outside asking for an audience!"
After Yan Song and others learned the news from the subordinates, they did not show much surprise on their faces.
After all, the commotion caused by the officials was quite big. His Majesty summoned everyone here to ask about the reason behind it.
"Yan Song, just wait, your end will soon be approaching, I want to see how you will overcome this hurdle next!"
Xu Jie thought so, then came back to his senses, looked at the subordinate official, and gave the order.
"Well, I understand, please invite Eunuch Lu in!"
"Yes, Mr. Xu Ge!"
Shortly after the subordinate official left, Lu Fang entered the cabinet with silent steps.
As soon as Lu Fang entered the cabinet, everyone stood up from their seats and saluted him respectfully: "I have met Eunuch Lu!"
Hearing this, Lu Fang waved her hands to indicate that everyone did not have to do this. Then, Lu Fang looked around, turned her gaze away, and turned to speak.
"Our family came here this time in compliance with His Majesty's order. Please come and visit our family!"
After Lu Fang said these words, she went to lead the way. Seeing this, Yan Song and others quickly followed Lu Fang's pace.
When he was about to leave the cabinet, Lu Fang, who was leading the way, suddenly stopped, turned around, and gave an unusually serious warning.
"Everyone must be careful when meeting His Majesty later. Don't offend His Majesty!"
After everyone listened to Lu Fang's reminder, they couldn't help but feel a thump in their hearts, because Lu Fang rarely showed such a serious expression on weekdays.
After everyone looked at each other for a long time, they finally came to their senses, leaned down, and expressed their gratitude to Lu Fang in unison.
"Thank you, Eunuch Lu, for the tip!"
"Um."
Lu Fang heard the words and responded in a subtle way. At this moment, the expression on his face did not change at all, as if nothing before had happened.
"It can be seen from Eunuch Lu's previous words that His Majesty takes this matter very seriously. Is it because Hu Zongxian is involved?"
Yan Song raised his head and looked at the back of Lu Fang who was leading the way, thinking this.
…
Afterwards, Yan Song and others, led by Lu Fang, entered the Qianqing Palace.
After entering Qianqing Palace, everyone prostrated themselves on the ground and said in unison.
"I bow to your Majesty, long live my emperor!"
"Well, everyone, get up!"
When Jiajing heard this, he glanced at Yan Song and others and ordered in a cold voice.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
After everyone responded, they stood up from the ground one after another. At this moment, the expressions on their faces were unusually anxious, because it could be seen from the tone of Jiajing's words that His Majesty was not in a good mood.
Then, Jiajing looked in the direction of Yan Song, raised his eyebrows, and spoke slowly.
"Yan Song, you are the chief minister of the cabinet. Do you have anything to say about the current situation?"
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, I have ordered people to stop those officials. In addition... in addition..."
After Yan Song noticed Jiajing's gaze on him, a look of fear appeared on his face and he hesitated.
When Jiajing heard Yan Song's words, his expression became even more impatient. He looked away from Yan Song and continued to ask.
"Oh, what else?"
Hearing this, Yan Song seemed to have made up his mind. His heart froze, he looked in the direction of Jiajing and said in a deep voice.
"In addition, Wei Chen feels that there must be someone with ulterior motives behind this matter that is currently making a fuss in the capital!"
When Yan Song said this, he immediately took out a stack of case files from his sleeve, raised them high above his head, and said in a deep voice.
"Your Majesty, here are some situations that Wei Chen has investigated. Your Majesty, please check!"
Lu Fangjie, who was waiting beside Jiajing, saw this situation and immediately stepped forward, took the pile of case files, and handed them to Jiajing's hands respectfully.
"His Majesty!"
"Um."
After Jiajing responded, he took the case file from Lu Fang's hand and began to browse it carefully.
Not long after, Jiajing put down the case file in his hand, looked in the direction of Yan Song, raised his eyebrows, and confirmed to him.
"Yan Song, what you gave me are all criminal records about the villagers of Wangjia Village. Do you mean to say that those villagers are all unruly people?"
Yan Song faced Jiajing's scrutinizing gaze without any fear and continued speaking eloquently.
"Yes, Your Majesty, those villagers in Wangjia Village are all unruly people. They have committed crimes repeatedly in recent years and disobeyed the government's discipline. The local government is quite troubled by them!"
"Besides, according to the information found by Wei Chen, it was because during spring planting, the villagers of Wangjia Village planted seedlings without permission, regardless of the government's ban, and had a conflict with the people sent by the government!"
"After Ma Ningyuan, the prefect of Hangzhou, learned the news, in order to prevent the situation from deteriorating, he mobilized the soldiers of the guard station and went to Wangjiacun."
"After Ma Ningyuan led the officers and soldiers to the scene, an argument broke out between the two sides, so the villagers of Wangjiacun brandished weapons such as sickles and hoes and had a head-on conflict with the officers and soldiers. In the process, many people were injured."
"Later, the villagers insisted on going their own way. In order to protect the planted seedlings, they blocked the only way for the officers and soldiers to pass by without authorization, trying to resist the imperial policy in this way. In the process, a sixty-year-old The old man was unfortunately knocked down by a horse and lost his life!"
Yan Shifan on the side was not unfamiliar with Yan Song's rhetoric, because this was exactly the case that Zhang Runde himself narrated not long ago.
When Yan Song said this, he paused for a moment and spoke with unusual determination.
"Changing rice into mulberry is a national policy. In the final analysis, those unscrupulous people gathered spontaneously and openly resisted the imperial policy. This is just an accident!"
"And some people are using this matter to slander the imperial court. What are their intentions?"
When Yan Song said this, he glanced at Xu Jie calmly, and the meaning was self-evident.
When Xu Jie on the side heard this, he was immediately furious. He sneered, looked in the direction of Yan Song, and said in a deep voice.
"What a surprise. Mr. Yan Ge is really arrogant. I wonder if you have any common people in your heart?"
"The good-looking common people, with just a few words from you, turned into unruly people who gathered together and openly resisted the imperial government's policies!"
Xu Jie seemed quite indignant about this. He looked away from Yan Song, looked in the direction of Jiajing, and said in a deep voice.
"Humph, he, Ma Ningyuan, is just a small prefect of Hangzhou. Who gave him the power to mobilize the guards without authorization?"
"Also, Mr. Yan Ge also mentioned before that after Ma Ningyuan led the officers and soldiers to the scene, a verbal dispute broke out between the two sides. The people only had sickles and hoes in their hands, so how could they dare to compete with the officers and soldiers?"
When Xu Jie said this, he looked around and continued.
"We are all officials, and I must have seen many ordinary people on weekdays. Ordinary ordinary people will be trembling when they see us officials. How can they have the courage to argue with officials?"
"I can see clearly that it was Ma Ningyuan who made rude remarks and aroused public resentment. In the end, the official responsible for recording the case used words to push the responsibility that should have belonged to Ma Ningyuan onto the innocent people. It is true that officials protect each other. !”
After Xu Jie finished his emotion, he looked in the direction of Yan Song again and made a decisive move.
"Besides, as a parent official, Ma Ningyuan just doesn't think about how to appease the people. He actually leads the troops to suppress the unarmed people. That's a living life!"
"In my opinion, this is clearly someone who deliberately smeared the villagers and wanted to pour dirty water on the heads of the villagers to achieve their own ulterior motives!"
Yan Song on the side suddenly became furious when he heard this. He glanced at Xu behind the steps and said in a deep voice.
"Huh, that's just a strong argument. Mr. Xu Ge, no matter how much you argue, you can't change the fact that those unruly people were at fault in the first place and blatantly opposed the imperial policy!"
Faced with Yan Song's aggressive momentum, Xu Jie did not give in at all. Then, after organizing the words in his mind, Xu Jie spoke loudly.
"Hmph, it's really ridiculous. Changing rice to mulberry is indeed a national policy, but to implement the national policy, there must be a step-by-step process. Since the people have already planted the seedlings, then Ma Ningyuan has no reason to send troops to trample the seedlings and People died for this!"
When Yan Song heard what Xu Jie said, he snorted coldly and argued with reason.
"If everyone thinks like Mr. Xu Ge, then how should the work of the imperial court be carried out and how should relevant policies be implemented? Today there is a Wangjia Village, and tomorrow there will be Lijia Village and Zhangjia Village. Such unhealthy practices will not be tolerated. It cannot last longer and must be terminated!”
Just as the two sides were at war with each other, Gao Gong, who had been silent from the beginning, stood up and pleaded with Jiajing.
"Your Majesty, Wei Chen feels that continuing to argue like this will not help. We should send officials to Zhejiang to investigate the case. We will make a decision after the truth of the case is found out!"
After hearing the suggestion put forward by Gao Gong, Jiajing did not respond immediately, as if he was weighing the pros and cons.
Then, Jiajing came back to his senses, glanced at Yan Song and Xu Jie respectively, and asked.
"What do you two think?"
When Yan Song and Xu Jie saw Jiajing speaking, they immediately put away their earlier aggressive and argumentative attitude. After looking at each other, they looked in the direction of Jiajing and said respectfully.
"Your Majesty, I have no objection to this proposal!"
"Your Majesty, I also think that officials should be dispatched to investigate this case to calm the increasingly turbulent public opinion in the capital!"
Jiajing saw that neither Yan Song nor Xu Jie had any opinions on this matter, so he raised his eyebrows and followed up with instructions.
"Well, since you all agree with this suggestion, let's do it this way. Do you have a suitable candidate?"
Hearing Jiajing's words, Xu Jie's face flashed with a hint of imperceptible joy. He lowered his head and said respectfully: "Your Majesty, I would like to recommend Wang Ting, the right minister of the Ministry of Revenue, to investigate the case! "
When Jiajing heard this, he just glanced at Xu Jie quite indifferently and nodded in agreement.
"Well, I'm sure!"
After that, Jiajing turned to Yan Song and asked.
"Yan Song, what about you? Do you have any suitable candidates to recommend to me?"
After hearing what Jiajing said, Yan Song thought about it for a long time, with an inexplicable look on his face. Then he saw him bend down and say respectfully.
"Your Majesty, I would like to recommend Yan Maoqing to go to Zhejiang to investigate this case!"
After learning that Yan Song planned to recommend Yan Maoqing to Zhejiang to investigate the case, Jiajing couldn't help but have a look of surprise on his face.
Not only Jiajing was surprised by Yan Song's decision, but even Yan Shifan on the side looked dumbfounded.
"Hmph, Yan Song, you are really stupid, you actually want to send Yan Maoqing to Zhejiang!"
Xu Jie thought so, his face full of joy. After all, Yan Maoqing was indispensable for the plan to progress so smoothly.
Then, Jiajing came back to his senses, raised his eyebrows, and confirmed to Yan Song.
"Yan Song, do you really want to recommend Yan Maoqing to Zhejiang to investigate this case?"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Facing Jiajing's slightly scrutinizing gaze, Yan Song nodded firmly and said in a deep voice.
Hearing this, Jiajing nodded casually, glanced at Yan Song meaningfully, and then said: "Since you insist on recommending Yan Maoqing to Zhejiang to investigate the case, then I will grant your wish!"
"Thank you so much, Your Majesty!"
When Yan Song heard what Jiajing said, a look of gratitude suddenly appeared on his face, he lowered his head and responded respectfully.
Later, Zhang Juzheng, who was silent on the side, stood up and suggested to Jiajing: "Your Majesty, I think that in order to ensure justice, officials from the Supervisory Office should be sent to Zhejiang to investigate the case with them. yes!"
As soon as Zhang Juzheng finished speaking, Jiajing raised his eyebrows and responded without thinking: "Well, this is a good suggestion, I'm sure!"
After that, Jiajing glanced at Yan Song and Xu Jie respectively and said slowly.
"What do you two think?"
When Yan Song and Xu Jie heard this, bitter smiles suddenly appeared on their faces, and they said in unison: "Your Majesty, I have no objections to this!"
Seeing that the matter had been settled, Jiajing waved his hand and issued an order to expel the guests.
"Okay, now that the matter has been settled, you can leave!"
"As ordered, Your Majesty, I will retire now!"
After everyone heard this, they immediately knelt on the ground and said in unison.
After Yan Song and others left Qianqing Palace one after another, Jiajing turned around, looked at Lu Fang beside him, and followed up with instructions.
"Lu Fang, send someone to the Inspectorate immediately and call Hai Rui over to me!"
"As you command, Your Majesty, I will send someone over right now!"
When Lu Fang heard Jiajing's words, she immediately looked stern and responded in a deep voice.
…
Forbidden City, Inspectorate.
Although the increasingly turbulent public opinion in the capital has pushed the Inspectorate to the forefront.
But the scene inside the Inspectorate was much the same as before, as if nothing had happened.
In the duty room, Hai Rui was processing official documents sent by his subordinates. At this moment, there was a knock on the door.
Seeing this, Hai Rui had no choice but to put down the brush in his hand, raised his head, and gave instructions.
"Come in!"
After the words fell, there was only a "squeak", the door of the room was pushed open, and a panic-looking subordinate came in, reporting the report as if walking on thin ice.
"Sir... Your Majesty, there is a father-in-law waiting outside, saying that he is following His Majesty's order!"
"Oh, I know, let him in!"
After hearing the news from his subordinates, Hai Rui didn't show any panic on his face. He just waved his hand and gave instructions.
"Yes, sir!"
When the subordinate official saw Hai Rui's confident look, most of the panic on his face disappeared.
Then, under the guidance of the subordinate, an old eunuch walked quietly into the duty room where Hai Rui was.
When Hai Rui saw the old eunuch arriving, he immediately stood up from his seat and saluted him respectfully.
"I've met my father-in-law!"
When the old eunuch heard this, he responded in a subtle way. After looking Hai Rui up and down, he spoke.
"You must be Mr. Hai Rui, the censor of Youdu. Our family came here this time in compliance with His Majesty's order. Please come with us for a visit!"
"Yes, father-in-law!"
After Hai Rui responded, he followed the old eunuch's footsteps and headed towards the direction of Qianqing Palace.
Along the way, Hai Rui did not have any communication with the old eunuch. When the two of them walked to a place not far from the Qianqing Palace, they saw a figure appearing not far away. It was Lu Fang.
When the old eunuch saw this situation, he immediately leaned down and saluted Lu Fang with unusual respect: "I have met Eunuch Lu!"
When Lu Fang heard this, she just glanced at the old eunuch casually and then looked away. Then, Lu Fang waved her hand and gave instructions.
"Well, it's none of your business, go down!"
"Yes, Eunuch Lu!"
After the old eunuch left, Lu Fang turned around, looked at Hai Rui, and asked.
"Hai Rui, let me ask you, what is going on?"
Hai Rui seemed to have expected this. He sighed helplessly and said slowly.
"Eunuch Lu, to be honest, I feel that someone wants to use this case to stir up trouble and achieve their own ulterior motives!"
"Oh, stir up the storm?"
When Lu Fang heard what Hai Rui said, she seemed to have a clear understanding. Immediately, she looked away from Hai Rui, nodded, and said softly.
"When you see His Majesty later, you just need to express your thoughts exactly as they are!"
"Thank you, Eunuch Lu, for your advice!"
When Hai Rui heard this, a look of gratitude appeared on his face at the right moment, he cupped his hands to Lu Fang and said this.
Then, under Lu Fang's guidance, Hai Rui looked at the Qianqing Palace so close in front of him and couldn't help but take a deep breath.
After calming down, Hai Rui stepped onto the stairs of Qianqing Palace resolutely.
(End of chapter)
