With a sap, Ke Zifan and Yan Song were knocked unconscious. Damn it, it turns out that Xiao Feng has been around for a long time, and the trap is here!
Everyone was chasing after him, chasing Zhan Feiyun for his crime, but he had already secretly laid out the chess piece of atonement!
deny? Don't be ridiculous, Zhan Feiyun did not hesitate to break into the imperial prison in order to detoxify the Xiao Mansion. Do you dare to say that he did not have any credit for this? No fool would agree!
Ke Zifan said carefully: "But Zhan Feiyun's crime should be more serious than Niu San's! Even if he makes atonement for his crime, he still can't fully atone for it!"
Xiao Feng shook his head: "They are both capital crimes, and they are all beheadings, but they cannot reach the level of beheading the whole family. Of course, if Zhan Feiyun resists the order and kidnaps Niu San, then he might really have to be executed.
But everyone had already recognized it just now. Niu San took the initiative and Zhan Feiyun did not kidnap him. So both of them are guilty of beheading, what's the difference?
Could it be that the beheading of Niu San who raped and killed a good family woman was lighter than the beheading of Zhan Feiyun who forced his way into the imperial edict? Or is Zhan Feiyun going to be beheaded twice? "
Ke Zifan stopped talking. Miao Jiang would not give up Niu San, because Niu San was nominally the godson of the big chieftain, but in fact he was the illegitimate son of the big chieftain and a Chinese woman. This job was not very dry, but had a certain moisture.
Zhan Feiyun was just a headhunter from the Criminal Department. Even if it was to attack Xiao Feng, it was really not worth the expense of Niu San. So he could only give up.
Yan Song's eyes widened in surprise. He couldn't understand why Zhan Feiyun, who was already dead, was suddenly released together with Niu San.
I always feel that something is wrong, but Xiao Feng's logic is correct. It's the same capital crime and the same meritorious service. If you let Niu San go without Zhan Feiyun, how should you explain it?
Zhao Wenhua stepped forward: "Mr. Xiao, the person who was poisoned was just a female family member of your Xiao family, not a relative of the emperor.
It seems that this merit cannot be put on the table. How can it absolve Zhan Feiyun of the crime of breaking into the imperial edict? "
Xiao Feng looked at Ke Zifan and spread his hands: "It's over, Brother Ke, it's not that I don't want to help Niu San.
It was our Lord Zhao who questioned me, saying that my contribution to saving the people of the Xiao family was not great enough to deserve the death penalty. "
Ke Zifan glared at Zhao Wenhua, and Zhao Wenhua became anxious: "I'm not saying that Niu San can't do it, I'm saying that Zhan Feiyun can't do it, because, because, this, this..."
Xiao Feng looked at Zhao Wenhua with a smile: "Who discovered the poisoning first? Zhan Feiyun or Niu San?"
"Well... Zhan Feiyun and Niu San are in prison."
"Who went to find Niu San in the prison?"
"...Zhan Feiyun."
"Who can bring the old Taoist out of his worldview? Niu San or Zhan Feiyun?"
"No, I didn't mean that was Lu..."
"Ahem." Yan Song coughed twice. Zhao Wenhua looked up and saw Lu Bing standing next to Jiajing looking at him coldly.
"This can only be Zhan Feiyun." Nonsense, can Niu San enter the world? Does he have such an identity?
"Then tell me, why is it that Niu San's contribution is merit, but Zhan Feiyun's merit is not merit?"
No one said anything, they were going around and around, as if this was really what happened! Anyway, these two people are going to die together and live together now!
Ke Zifan took a deep breath: "Master Xiao, the matter is already clear, let's do it like this."
All the officials breathed a sigh of relief, and Jiajing nodded with satisfaction. Unexpectedly, Miao Jiang was coming so fiercely, but with a few words from his junior brother, all the conditions were dismissed. Very good, very good.
Ke Zifan looked at Xiao Feng with a smile on his lips. Since the start of the second half was also unfavorable, don't blame me for making a harsh move in advance.
Ke Zifan took out an old and yellowed book and held it high. Everyone was puzzled and stretched their necks to look. Xiao Feng was the closest and saw the six characters on the cover at a glance.
Khitan Xiao family tree.
At this time, all the officials had seen it, but they didn't understand what it meant and talked among themselves. Only the few people with the quickest reactions slowly turned their eyes to Xiao Feng.
Jiajing was the furthest away and looked at Huang Jin with inquiring eyes. Huang Jin took a few steps forward, felt a little in his heart, slowly walked back to Jiajing, and whispered.
Jiajing's eyes suddenly opened, and then slowly closed again.
"Master Xiao, does anyone in the Ming Dynasty know that you are a Khitan? Does anyone know that you and Xiao Qin, the holy envoy of the White Lotus Sect, are brothers?"
Everyone exclaimed again. Some people had already guessed that this person brought out the family tree, most likely for Xiao Feng, but they never expected that Xiao Feng would have such a relationship with the Holy Envoy of the White Lotus Sect.
Jiajing shuddered and opened his eyes again, and did not close them this time.
He can accept that Xiao Feng is a Khitan. Taoism has never said that Khitan people cannot practice Taoism or become immortals.
Although the Khitan once established the Liao Dynasty and fought with the Han people in the Northern Song Dynasty, that was a long time ago after all.
Now that the Khitans have been exterminated, there is actually no threat, far less threatening than the Mongols and Jurchens in front of them.
But since he and Xiao Qin are clan brothers, the impact of this incident is too great. Not just for Jiajing, but for everyone. Yan Song was in a daze for a moment.
But Yan Song came back to his senses immediately, turned around and looked at Lu Bing sternly. Lu Bing frowned slightly, but still waved his hand, and several imperial guards took a step across to block Jiajing.
Several other guards quietly surrounded Ke Zifan and Xiao Qin, waiting for an order to strike first.
The genealogy was presented, and Lu Bing flipped through it first to check if there were any poisons. When he turned to the last few pages, he saw a line.
Xiao Kuye gave birth to a son, Xiao Luo, and Xiao Qi. Xiao Luo had a son, Xiao Kong, Xiao Kong had a son, Xiao Si, and Xiao Si had a son, Xiao Qin.
Xiao Qi gave birth to a son, Xiao Zheng. Xiao Zheng went to Shanxi and gave birth to a son, Xiao Wannian, who was later lost. Xiao Wannian was still young and it is unknown whether he would have grown up.
The paper is yellowed and the ink is dull. It was indeed written many years ago and cannot be forged. Lu Bing silently handed the genealogy to Jiajing.
Xiao Feng suddenly laughed: "Xiao Qin has such a big trick in his hand and has been refusing to let it out. It must not be because he feels sorry for me. I guess he didn't have any evidence before, right?"
Ke Zifan nodded: "The genealogy in his hand does not record your branch. The genealogy he only obtained recently records your father's name."
Xiao Feng pondered for a moment: "Xiao Qin recently entered the Miao Territory. If he had obtained the genealogy before, he would not have revealed it until today. So this genealogy should have been obtained in the Miao Territory.
There is a genealogy of the Xiao family in Miaojiang. Xiao Qin asked you to use the genealogy against me. What is the relationship between the Xiao family and Miaojiang? "
Ke Zifan said with a smile: "People say that Mr. Xiao has the Dharma in his body and knows everything. Why do you need me to say it? Or, guess what?"
Xiao Feng nodded and pointed at one of the four court reporters: "Lend him your pen and ink and let him write a word."
Ke Zifan wrote the word "Xiao" and said with a smile: "As soon as I came from Xiao, I asked Xiao, I want to test, what is the relationship between my Miao Jiang and the Xiao family."
Xiao Feng looked at Ke Zifan for a moment: "You know the calligraphy rules of "Cangjie Heavenly Book" very well. Did Xiao Qin tell you?"
Ke Zifan smiled and said nothing, Xiao Feng stopped talking nonsense, picked up the word, and after a while, chanted it softly.
"The word 'Xiao' is above '艹' and below 'su', which refers to the relationship between the Xiao family and Miao territory. The character 'Miao' is above '艹' and below 'tian'. They have the same beginning but different tails. It can be seen that the Xiao family and Miao Xinjiang ancestors share the same origin and are related by kinship.
However, 'su' means to kill depression, and 'tian' means to grow and nurture. Although they have the same origin, their endings are different. The Xiao family is gradually declining, but the Miao family is rising.
Since the Miao Kingdom has risen but the Xiao family has declined, then it is not the Xiao family that has risen in the Miao Kingdom. If the Xiao family is not from the same origin, then it is not the father's family, but the mother's family. An ancestor of the Xiao family had a daughter who married into Miao territory.
The character 'Su' has '迿' in the middle and 'Pian' on both sides. The original meaning of the word '迿' is a pen, and it also means writing. Xiao Qin devoted himself to regaining the Liao Dynasty and left a name in history. It was this character '迿'.
However, 'Yu' is divided into two parts, which means splitting the pen and breaking the book. God's will does not allow it, so there is no way to force it.
The decline of the Xiao family and the rise of the Miao border means that 'Yu' is not as good as 'Tian'. If Xiao Qin wants to continue the Xiao family's bloodline, she should return to the countryside and avoid delusions.
As a cousin of the Xiao family, you should also advise the chieftain to guard the "field" and prosper the "miao". If you are deceived by Xiao Qin and have the desire to leave a name for history, then "field" will become "su" , the heaven and earth are so cold that no grass can grow. "
Xiao Feng's voice was not loud, but his internal energy was strong at this time. Everyone in the hall could hear clearly. Jiajing slowly closed his eyes, raised a smile at the corner of his mouth, and spoke lightly.
"Lu Bing, if Xiao Feng really has bad intentions towards me, in two years, hundreds of days and nights, how many times would I have had Huang Jin by my side, would there be any need to go to the main hall?
Yan Song may not know the inside story, are you stupid enough? You don’t even trust your own people and make outsiders laugh! "
Lu Bingxin said, what the hell is this? Yan Songbi Hua obviously wanted to protect you, but if I didn't show any signs of it, you would have said I was disloyal.
Now it seems that you have foresight again. Just now when Ke Zifan said that Xiao Qin and Xiao Feng were brothers, no one trembled.
Of course, Lu Bing could only curse and hurriedly waved the guards to disperse, standing where they should.
"I am stupid, long live the lesson."
Ke Zifan frowned. He didn't expect that the trump card in Xiao Qin's mouth was so vulnerable. Or is it that although Jiajing is generous in words, he is actually jealous in his heart?
"Brother Xiao, what you said is right. A hundred years ago, when the Liao Dynasty was destroyed, the women of the Xiao family moved to the Miao border. Because of their high status, they often married chieftains.
Moreover, there are many ethnic groups in the Miao Territory, and it is not just the Miao people. Many tribes regard their mother clan as their priority. Although the Xiao family has no name in the Miao Territory, its influence is indeed considerable.
My mother also has the blood of the Xiao family, so you can call me cousin. It's just that you said that what Xiao Qin was planning was bound to fail. Do you have any evidence? "
As soon as these words came out, the whole court was shocked. Damn, how arrogant are you? In front of the emperor, you still dare to ask your cousin why the rebellion will definitely fail? Is this a question that can be asked?
Besides, didn't Mr. Xiao give you a calligraphy test just now? What Mr. Xiao said during the test is what the gods said. Do you dare not believe what the gods say?
Suddenly, all the ministers were scolding, and even Yan Song had to join in the scolding, but he was very puzzled. Didn't his son say that Ke Zifan was a genius, so he could do such a ruthless thing?
Jiajing was also angry, but his mind was deep and his joy and anger were inexpressible. He just opened his eyes and took a look, but saw Xiao Feng put one hand behind his back and shook it towards him.
Jiajing calmed down and shook his head gently at Lu Bing. He also knew in his heart that Miao Jiang's visit to negotiate this time was actually a test. Blindly strong suppression has no effect.
Even if Ke Zifan and Niu San were killed, it would be of no practical use. It will only bring Miao Jiang and the White Lotus Sect and other rebel forces closer together.
It's rare that the other party wants to argue with each other, so let the junior brother argue with you.
Since ancient times, the most important thing in using troops is to attack the heart. Anyway, since I met my junior brother, no one has ever tried to take advantage of him.
After Xiao Feng stabilized Jiajing, he waited for the scoldings of the officials to subside before speaking calmly.
"Brother Ke, I know that you came here this time to see how the imperial court treats the Miao Territory, so as to decide how the Miao Territory treats the imperial court.
At this time, Xiao Qin was in the Miao border, gathering Mongolians, Tibetans and Miao people together, and maybe pirates, Japanese pirates and Jurchens.
He thought he had strong soldiers and horses and could form a siege against the Ming Dynasty, right? "
Ke Zifan was noncommittal: "If it's true as you said, doesn't he have a chance to succeed?"
Xiao Feng shook his head: "No. The success of rebellion has always been inseparable from several conditions, namely the right time, the right location, and the right people.
At the right time, there will be a major natural disaster and famine, and the people will have no food to eat. They will be like dry firewood everywhere. If someone lights a fire at this time, it will surely start a wildfire.
Although the Ming Dynasty has not been prosperous in recent years, it is wise and wise, and the household department is effective, knowing that food is the most important thing for the people.
When planning for relief, although there are areas affected by the disaster, there are no areas where we need to fight back. Am I right? "
Ke Zifan remained silent. In fact, it would be nonsense to say that there were no natural disasters or famines in the Jiajing Dynasty, but the timing of Xiao Feng's time travel was very subtle.
In ancient times, natural disasters occurred every year and were distributed in different regions. Judging from records, natural disasters in the Ming Dynasty were more frequent than in other dynasties. Jiajing Dynasty was no exception.
The description of the degree of famine is generally divided into four levels in history books.
The first level is hunger in a certain place.
This means that the common people do not have enough to eat and are all shaking with hunger, but there are not many cases of people starving to death, and it is still under the rule of law.
The second level is a great famine in a certain place.
It means that the people do not have enough to eat, many people starve to death, and the population decreases a lot. Still in a civilized state
At the third level, there is a great famine in a certain place and people eat each other.
It means that the people have no food to eat, and incidents of cannibalism have occurred, which is a completely barbaric state.
At the fourth level, there is a great famine in a certain place. People eat each other, exchange sons for food, and fathers and sons eat each other. Ten rooms are empty, there is no one for hundreds of miles, and the smell is rotten for thousands of miles.
Meaning...this is no longer human society, or even a barbaric state, but a state of extinction.
During the Jiajing Dynasty, famine reached the third level or above three times. One of them was in the third year of Jiajing, and the other two were in the 31st and 36th year of Jiajing respectively.
In the third year of Jiajing's reign, Jiajing was still an ambitious and energetic king. He would definitely try his best to stabilize the country he just took over.
The next two times, before they arrived, Xiao Feng came first. He will definitely try his best to prevent this kind of tragedy from happening again.
Ke Zifan said nothing, but Jiajing and Pan Huang were extremely satisfied. Xiao Feng praised them! Natural disasters have always been inevitable, but we have wise kings and wise ministers!
Therefore, Jiajing thought about changing rice to mulberry, and his junior brother said that he would postpone it for a while and wait and see, which indeed made sense.
"The second is the geographical advantage. Xiao Qin feels that he has allies in the southeast, northwest and northwest, but he doesn't know that these alliances are extremely fragile and can be broken by the Ming Dynasty."
Ke Zifan said coldly: "I'm afraid it's not as easy as Mr. Xiao said. Is it an exaggeration that Xiao Qin can break it with just a finger after years of hard work?"
Xiao Feng smiled: "Xiao Qin and Anda Khan have been in alliance for many years. What's the result? Anda Khan submitted a petition to profess his vassalship and requested for canonization. Datong traded with each other and flourished.
Xiao Qin and the Japanese pirates formed an alliance, but they acted together several times. What was the result? The Japanese pirates suffered heavy casualties, the White Lotus Sect's branch altar was wiped out, and even the old nest was taken away.
Xiao Qin's alliance with the pirates only convinced a second-rate guy like Xu Hai. Wang Zhi had already expressed his loyalty to the court when I went south this time.
Not only would he not be an enemy of the Ming Dynasty, he would also assist the court in clearing out other pirates. You don’t think Xu Hai will be Wang Zhi’s opponent, do you?
Xiao Qin and Miao Jiang are connected by blood and are enemies, but until now, not a single soldier from Miao Jiang has ever left Miao Jiang to help Xiao Qin.
Why? Because the chieftain knew that within the Miao territory, a hundred thousand mountains could be used as iron walls. Beyond the mountains, how could the Miao territory resist the imperial soldiers?
Therefore, Miaojiang is at best a place where Xiao Qin can survive and cannot support his rebellious ambitions. Xiao Qin also knows this very well.
As for the Tibetan areas, from ancient times to the present, only the Central Plains have gone to conquer the Tibetan areas. When did the Tibetan areas conquer the Central Plains? Since the Tibetan area is the land of Buddhism, how could it be possible to hit an egg against a stone for a mere Xiao Qin?
After all, allies need benefits. When the White Lotus Sect was at its peak, it was unable to provide benefits that would make these people excited. Now that they are like a lost dog, what benefits can they provide? "
Ke Zifan was silent for a long time, then raised his head and said, "I've said that the time and place are favorable, but what about human harmony? Since we're talking about this today, I hope you can speak frankly.
Your Excellency, please tell me with your conscience, can the current imperial court take advantage of Renhe? Are everyone in the court united? Can local officials win the support of the people? Are the people really loyal to the imperial court? "
Xiao Feng smiled faintly: "Corrupt officials, city foxes and community rats, will never be killed. Whether a court wins the hearts of the people does not depend on whether there are corrupt officials and treacherous ministers, but on the court's attitude towards corrupt officials and treacherous ministers.
Long live the wise people of today, who are close to virtuous ministers and far away from villains. They reward the good and punish the evil. They enter the world according to the way, practice the way in the world, follow the way of heaven, and take the destiny of the country as their mind.
In this way, even if there are treacherous ministers and corrupt officials in the court, they can only hide themselves temporarily by wearing the skin of loyal ministers and upright officials. They will be in panic all day long, waiting for the day when they will be exposed and severely punished. "
Ke Zifan mocked: "What if a traitor and a corrupt official pretends to be a good official and no one knows about it for the rest of his life?"
Xiao Feng smiled calmly: "The Duke of Zhou was afraid of rumors, but Wang Mang was humble and did not usurp the throne. Xiangshi died at the beginning, who knows the truth of his life?
Bai Juyi understands the truth, but you don't? People are judged by their coffins, and those who pretend to be loyal ministers and upright officials all their lives are loyal ministers and upright officials.
People are not afraid of pretending, but they are afraid of not being able to pretend anymore. Mr. Yan, don’t you think so? "
Xiao Feng's sudden question made Yan Song's heart skip a beat, and he immediately said angrily: "How could I know that?"
Some people died, but not completely...
