Zhejiang, Zhejiang Governor's Mansion.
At this moment, in the study room, Zhao Zhenji was methodically processing the official documents sent by the officials of the Governor's Mansion.
In his opinion, with Yan Maoqing's secret assistance, Ma Ningyuan's case should soon be reduced to a major matter, a minor matter to nothing, and gradually covered up.
Even for the sake of Hu Zongxian, these people who were sent by the court to investigate the case had to restrain themselves.
Zhao Zhenji's intuition told him that Ma Ningyuan must have received instructions from his superiors. Otherwise, he, a small prefect of Hangzhou, would never dare to act like this.
"Well, now it seems that this Yan Maoqing was probably sent by Yan Song and others to wipe his butt!"
Just as Zhao Zhenji was feeling so emotional, he heard a rush of footsteps coming from outside the door.
Not long after, a guard quickly entered the study and reported respectfully: "Your Majesty the Governor, there is a man coming outside who claims to be Zhang Juzheng, Zhangge's old man. He says he has a letter that he wants to deliver to you in person!"
After Zhao Zhenji learned the news from the guard, he couldn't help but have a look of confusion on his face. He lowered his head and murmured to himself: "Oh, Zhang Juzheng, why did he send people to Zhejiang?"
Zhao Zhenji was naturally no stranger to Zhang Juzheng. When he was still serving as a supervisory censor in the capital, he often went to the cabinet.
But that was all because of official business. Privately, Zhao Zhenji and Zhang Juzheng had no personal relationship.
After that, Zhao Zhenji suppressed all the chaotic thoughts in his heart, looked at the guard, and ordered in a deep voice: "Bring that person to the study immediately!"
When the guard heard this, he immediately looked stern and responded in a deep voice: "Yes, Lord Governor!"
After the guard left, Zhao Zhenji supported his chin with one hand and began to think about Zhang Juzheng's intention of sending people to Zhejiang.
"It's really strange. I don't have much friendship with Zhang Juzheng on weekdays. Why would he send people all the way to Zhejiang?"
While Zhao Zhenji was still racking his brains to think about the purpose of Zhang Juzheng sending people to Zhejiang, the previous guard had already brought them to the study of the Governor's Mansion.
"Sir Governor, we have already arrived!"
"Well, I know, please go down!"
Hearing this, Zhao Zhenji suddenly came back to his senses, waved his hand quite casually, and gave the order.
After receiving Zhao Zhenji's instructions, the guard quickly turned around and left without any hesitation.
After that, Zhao Zhenji nodded slightly to the visitor and asked, "Did Zhang Juzheng and Zhang Ge send you here?"
After hearing this, the visitor did not dare to hide anything. He carefully took out the envelope from his arms and responded respectfully: "Yes, Lord Governor, my master said that I must hand the letter into your hands personally!"
Hearing this, Zhao Zhenji looked away, then took the letter from the stranger's hand and said, "Well, I have received the letter. You can go down and rest first!"
Seeing that his mission for this trip was successfully completed, the visitor couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief. Then, he left the room under the guidance of the guards of the Governor's Mansion, and was then taken to a special room to rest.
After the visitors left, Zhao Zhenji was the only one left in the study room of the Governor's Mansion.
Afterwards, Zhao Zhenji returned to the desk, sat down, opened the envelope, and began to read the contents word for word.
The further he read, the tighter Zhao Zhenji's brows became. Zhang Juzheng mentioned in the letter that someone in the DPRK planned to use Ma Ningyuan's case to make a big connection and plunge Zhejiang into a leaderless situation.
Although Zhang Juzheng didn't say it explicitly, Zhao Zhenji already knew who was planning all this!
Yan Dang and Qingliu have been fighting for so many years, and the conversion of rice to mulberry was promoted by Yan Dang. Only Xu Jie, the leader of Qingliu, has the ability to do this.
When Zhao Zhenji tried to put himself into Xu Jie's perspective, he realized how cruel this plan was.
Firstly, Ma Ningyuan's case can be used to bring down several key members of the Yan Party, thereby reducing the strength of the Yan Party and combating their arrogance. Secondly, they can take advantage of this opportunity to purchase raw silk from the people at low prices. Make huge profits.
After all, the success of the conversion of rice to mulberry promoted by the Yan Party in Zhejiang was absolutely unacceptable to Qingliu such as Xu Jie.
With this success, His Majesty will inevitably rely more on Yan Song and others in the future.
And this is exactly what Xu Jie and other young people don't want to see. Their goal is to eradicate the strict Party, a cancer that harms the country and the people, and then replace it!
I don't know how long time passed, but Zhao Zhenji put the letter in his hand aside. At this moment, he only felt creepy and a slight chill down his spine.
Zhao Zhenji could already roughly predict how many deeds the Yan Party did behind the scenes to promote the conversion of rice to mulberry.
A case like Ma Ningyuan's is just one of many cases. There are many similar cases that have not been uncovered.
And those people who planted mulberry seedlings, after starving, freezing, and going through hardships, were about to see the results, but they ushered in a Qingliu group headed by Xu Jie, who wanted to buy the mulberry seedlings at a low price. Raw silk, and then make huge profits.
Later, Zhao Zhenji came back to his senses and said with emotion: "What a bunch of veritable insects. You are fighting with knives on them, but in the end, these knives all fell on the people of Ming Dynasty!"
After finishing his emotion, Zhao Zhenji quickly realized that according to Zhang Juzheng's letter, Zheng Michang and He Maocai would inevitably be implicated in Ma Ningyuan's case.
After all, Zheng Michang and He Mao were members of the strict party. These two men had served in Zhejiang for many years and had already established deep roots. They must be dealt with before they could better purchase raw silk at low prices from the hands of the people.
Thinking of this, Zhao Zhenji couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. He suddenly stood up from his seat and said silently to himself: "I know that this matter is not that simple!"
After that, Zhao Zhenji called the guards and said in a deep voice: "Immediately send someone to inquire about the situation of the Chief Envoy and the Inspector!"
"As you command, Lord Governor!"
Just as the guard was about to take the order and leave, a subordinate official hurried in, lowered his head, and reported respectfully.
"Reporting to the Governor, there are people outside asking to see you. They say they are under the orders of Mr. Wang and Mr. Yan who were sent by the imperial court to investigate the case!"
"Hmph, it really means Cao Cao and Cao Cao are here!"
When Zhao Zhenji heard this, a gloomy look flashed across his face, and he said to himself.
Then, Zhao Zhenji waved his hand quite casually, and then ordered: "Ask him to wait in the meeting hall, I will be there immediately!"
"Yes, Lord Governor!"
After hearing this, the subordinate official bowed to Zhao Zhenji and left quickly.
After the subordinate official left, Zhao Zhenji was seen walking towards the meeting hall of the Governor's Mansion with his hands behind his back.
…
When Zhao Zhenji came to the meeting hall of the Governor's Mansion, he saw a man dressed as a guard coming up to him, leaning down and saying respectfully.
"Little... little one has met the governor!"
Hearing this, Zhao Zhenji glanced at the guard. After pouring himself a cup of hot tea, he asked: "Tell me, Yan Maoqing and the others sent you here. What's the matter?"
After the guard noticed Zhao Zhenji's gaze on him, he couldn't help but feel panicked and hesitated: "Report... to the governor, according to... according to the investigation, the incident between Mr. Zheng, Mr. He and Ma Ningyuan The case is implicated..."
Before the guard finished speaking, he saw Zhao Zhenji raise his eyebrows and interrupted: "So, how did Yan Maoqing and the others deal with the two of them?"
The guard naturally heard the displeasure in Zhao Zhenji's words, but he still answered bravely: "In order to avoid suspicion, he is... temporarily suspended from duty. After the truth of the case is found out, he will be reinstated!"
After the guard finished speaking, he trembled and knelt on the ground as if walking on thin ice, waiting for Zhao Zhenji's response.
But to the guard's expectation, Zhao Zhenji looked extremely calm after learning the news. He just waved his hand and gave instructions.
"Well, I know, you can leave!"
"Yes, yes, sir!"
When the guard heard this, he couldn't help being stunned for a moment, with an expression of surviving a disaster on his face, and he responded repeatedly.
After the guard left the meeting hall, Zhao Zhenji's eyes were filled with cold light, he lowered his head and muttered silently to himself.
"Yan Maoqing and Wang Ting really don't take me, Zhao Zhenji, seriously. After all, I am also the governor-general of Zhejiang Province and the governor of Zhejiang Province, and a high-ranking official of the imperial court!"
In Zhao Zhenji's view, the actions of Yan Maoqing and Wang Ting were like two hard slaps on his face.
After all, no matter how you say it, Zheng Michang and He Maocai are also his subordinates.
Now, a chief envoy and an official who were sent by the imperial court to investigate the case were suspended from their posts for unfounded reasons.
If this spreads out, where will Zhao Zhenji lose his face, and how will he gain a foothold in the officialdom in the future?
Despite this, Zhao Zhenji still did not let his anger go to his head. He kept thinking about the trump cards that he could use at the moment.
"Yan Maoqing and Wang Ting said they came to Zhejiang to investigate the case under His Majesty's order. As the governor of Zhejiang, I have the obligation to cooperate with them in the investigation!"
"In addition, I have just been transferred to Zhejiang not long ago. Many people are not familiar with it, and there are only a few people who can use it. I think Yan Maoqing and Wang Ting must have seen this and dared to be so unscrupulous!"
Zhao Zhenji soon discovered that if he used official methods, he would not be able to break the situation.
Because even if he could present the memorial directly to the emperor, it would take at least half a month to do it.
And in this half-month period, the raw silk in the hands of ordinary people may have been purchased by those merchants at extremely low prices!
Zhao Zhenji thought of this, picked up the teacup on the side, took a sip, and said silently to himself.
"Hmph, it's a pity that you all missed one step. That is, I have the right granted by His Majesty to kill first and report later!"
After seeing that using conventional means was not advisable, Zhao Zhenji planned to overturn the table!
Although he has just been transferred to Zhejiang and has very few available people at the moment, don't forget that Zhao Zhenji is now the governor of Zhejiang and the governor of Zhejiang, so he can mobilize soldiers at will.
In the face of absolute power, all conspiracies and tricks seem so ridiculous!
"You damn insects, let's see how I deal with you next!"
After Zhao Zhenji finished speaking, he couldn't help but clenched his fists, then raised his head and drank the remaining tea in the cup.
…
In the study, Zhao Zhenji handed the envelope in his hand to his confidant and said in a deep voice: "This letter must be delivered to General Qi, do you understand?"
Seeing this situation, the confidant did not dare to show any slightness. He took the envelope from Zhao Zhenji's hand with great solemnity and gave his assurance.
"Yes, sir, I will definitely deliver the letter to General Qi!"
"Without further ado, let's set off immediately!"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Zhenji withdrew his gaze from the confidant and followed up with instructions.
"Yes, sir, I will leave now!"
When the confidant heard this, he didn't hesitate at all. After bowing his hand to Zhao Zhenji, he left quickly.
Shortly after this, Zhao Zhenji received a report from officials in the Governor's Mansion, saying that Yan Maoqing and Wang Ting were outside seeking an audience.
After Zhao Zhenji learned the news, he couldn't help showing a trace of ridicule on his face: "Humph, are you here to apologize to me?"
"Forget it, let me see what tricks you can do!"
After Zhao Zhenji finished speaking, he turned around, looked at the official of the Governor's Mansion who came to report, and ordered: "Let them wait in the meeting hall, I will go there immediately!"
When the governor-general heard this, he immediately bowed to the ground and respectfully said, "Yes, Lord Governor!"
In the meeting hall of the Governor's Mansion, at this moment, Yan Maoqing and Wang Ting were sitting on chairs on both sides, sipping tea from their cups.
But at this time, Yan Maoqing was far from as calm as he appeared on the surface.
After all, the person we have to face next is Zhao Zhenji, who once served as the supervisory censor!
When Zhao Zhenji was in the capital, he was notoriously difficult to deal with. In addition, he was very good at seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages. With his extremely keen sense of smell, he avoided many frame-ups, so that he had a "non-stick" attitude in the court. Pot" title.
Yan Maoqing knew very well that temporarily suspending Zheng Michang and He Maocai in the name of investigating the case had seriously damaged Zhao Zhenji's authority as the governor of Zhejiang!
Therefore, as the governor of Zhejiang, Zhao Zhenji had to stand up and seek justice for Zheng Michang and He Maocai no matter what!
Otherwise, people's hearts will be scattered. How can he continue to be the governor of Zhejiang in the future?
Because of this, Yan Maoqing finally decided to give a specific deadline after long discussions with Wang Ting.
When the time comes, no matter what the situation is at that time, Zheng Michang and He Maocai will be reinstated. Anyway, the ultimate goal is to make money, and dealing with them is just incidental.
In this way, Zhao Zhenji had an explanation for his subordinates, and they could also take advantage of this gap to purchase a large amount of raw silk from the people.
In this way, at least everyone can make peace with each other on the outside, and there is no need to completely break up and make it a life-and-death situation.
While Yan Maoqing was still racking his brains, he heard a burst of footsteps. Not long after, he saw Zhao Zhenji walking into the meeting hall of the Governor's Mansion.
When Yan Maoqing and Wang Ting saw Zhao Zhenji arriving, after looking at each other, they quickly stood up from their seats, leaned down, and saluted him respectfully: "I have met the governor!"
When Zhao Zhenji heard this, he did not respond in a hurry. Instead, he glanced at Yan Maoqing and Wang Ting coldly, and said mockingly: "What are Master Yan and Master Wang doing? You two came to Zhejiang to investigate the case on His Majesty's orders." , I cannot afford to wait for you!"
Yan Maoqing and Wang Ting naturally heard the dissatisfaction in Zhao Zhenji's words, but they could also understand Zhao Zhenji's current mood. No one in this matter would give them a good look.
Afterwards, Yan Maoqing sneered twice, trying to ease the embarrassing situation: "Sir Governor, you misunderstood. We are not targeting anyone. You can rest assured that when the truth is found out, we will tell Mr. Zheng what happened." Your Excellency has been reinstated!"
Zhao Zhenji's face looked a little better after hearing Yan Maoqing's words.
Afterwards, he sat down on the main seat minding his own business, sighed helplessly, and said slowly.
"Actually, it's not that I don't understand the difficulties you two are facing. It's just that as soon as you came up, you suspended all the chief envoys and inspectors in Zhejiang. If I don't do something, I won't be able to explain it to you!"
When Zhao Zhenji said this, he paused for a moment and continued: "If it's just for a day or two, that's it. If this time gets longer, I'm afraid there will be trouble!"
Seeing that Zhao Zhenji had already said this, Yan Maoqing gritted his teeth, put on a risk-taking attitude, looked in the direction of Zhao Zhenji, and suggested.
"How about this. Your Majesty the Governor, give us half a month to investigate Ma Ningyuan's case. When the time is up, Mr. Zheng and Mr. He will be reinstated. What do you think?"
As soon as Yan Maoqing finished speaking, Wang Ting stood up and responded: "Yes, Lord Governor, this is the best solution. If we can't find anything, we can't explain it to our superiors. ah!"
When Zhao Zhenji heard this, he couldn't help but frown, as if he was weighing the pros and cons.
After a long time, Zhao Zhenji came back to his senses, glanced at Yan Maoqing and Wang Ting respectively, and said in a deep voice: "Ten days!"
"I will only give you ten days. If you still can't find out by then, then I will report your actions to the court truthfully and leave it to His Majesty to make a decision!"
When Wang Ting saw that Zhao Zhenji was not giving any face, a trace of resentment flashed across his face. Just as he was about to stand up and say something, he was stopped by Yan Maoqing's eyes.
Then, Yan Maoqing looked in the direction of Zhao Zhenji and asked, "Sir Governor, ten days are really too stressful. Can you give me a few more days?"
Hearing this, Zhao Zhenji glanced at Yan Maoqing, shook his head, and responded without thinking: "In any case, I will only give you ten days!"
"If you are not convinced, feel free to report to the court or impeach me to the Supervisory Council!"
As soon as Zhao Zhenji finished speaking, Yan Maoqing and Wang Ting on the side couldn't help but have dark lines on their faces.
Who doesn't know that Shi Hairui, the censor of the right capital of the Procuratorate, is your Zhao Zhenji's man. If he submits the impeachment memorial to the Procuratorate, isn't he throwing himself into a trap?
Also, you, Zhao Zhenji, are now a feudal official. Who dares to impeach you casually?
Seeing that there was no room for negotiation, Yan Maoqing and Wang Ting had no choice but to pinch their noses and admit the fact.
After all, ten days were enough to purchase raw silk from the people.
After that, Yan Maoqing and Wang Ting did not stay in the meeting hall of the Governor's Mansion for too long. After bowing to Zhao Zhenji, they left one after another.
After Yan Maoqing and Wang Ting left, Zhao Zhenji looked away, with an inexplicable look on his face, and said to himself.
"Can you hide the calculation in your heart from me?"
"It doesn't matter if the people from the Weaving Bureau and the court are backing you. Just wait, I will take care of you sooner or later!"
…
"Old...Master, here is a letter sent to you by the old trustee of Yan Ge!"
The housekeeper mustered up the courage, knocked on Zheng Michang's door, and said cautiously.
Not long ago, after Zheng Michang returned home, he had a gloomy look on his face, as if he was choosing others to devour. No one dared to approach Zheng Michang rashly at this time.
After Zheng Michang's mood gradually calmed down, the housekeeper knocked on Zheng Michang's door with the letter.
Seeing that Zheng Midhang didn't respond for a long time, the housekeeper shook his head helplessly. Just when he was about to leave, he heard Zheng Midhang's voice.
"Come in!"
"Yes, sir!"
After that, the housekeeper opened the door and walked in cautiously while trying not to make a sound.
As soon as the housekeeper entered the room, he noticed a scrutinizing gaze falling on him.
After noticing this gaze, a look of panic suddenly appeared on the butler's face. He quickly took out the envelope, lowered his head, and said respectfully: "Master!"
Hearing this, Zheng Michang nodded slightly. After looking the housekeeper up and down, he asked, "When was this letter sent?"
When the housekeeper heard what Zheng Michang said, he didn't dare to hide it at all. After recalling it for a moment, he respectfully responded: "Sir, this letter was delivered to my house not long after you left!"
Hearing this, Zheng Michang nodded slightly to the butler, indicating that he agreed with his statement. Then, Zheng Michang took the envelope from the butler's hand and said in a deep voice: "Okay, you don't have anything to do here. Get down!"
When the butler heard this, he felt as if he had received a general amnesty. He lowered his head, bowed to Zheng Michang and said, "Yes, sir, I will leave now!"
After the butler finished speaking, he quickly left without stopping in the room. However, when the butler left, he also closed the door to the room.
After the housekeeper left, Zheng Michang was the only one left in the room. Then, he opened the envelope and began to browse the contents. (End of chapter)
