In the inner hall of Shi Kefa's mansion, Zhu Yuanzhang sat upright with a solemn expression, while Shi Kefa bowed and spoke with panic on his face.
After Zhu Yuanzhang finished speaking, he was silent for a while and then said: "You mean that the two of them were just impulsive and had no intention of murdering each other?"
Shi Kefa nodded and said: "Your Majesty, the situation at that time was indeed like this."
Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at Shi Kefa and said solemnly: "How could there be ambushes if you don't have the intention to murder? Moreover, there are bloodstains in your courtyard. This should not be caused by the beating of three or two soldiers, right?"
Shi Kefa's body trembled slightly, and he didn't know how to explain it for a moment.
In fact, Gao Jie and Xie Bi did make a move in his house before, and Xie Bi once had the upper hand and almost killed Gao Jie.
But then there was a sudden sound of arrows in the city, and after they discovered that soldiers and horses of unknown origin appeared in the city, they immediately shook hands and made peace.
When they arrived at the scene of the incident and saw that the person coming was Zhu Yuanzhang, they were almost stunned.
Especially Gao Jie and Xie Bi, their bodies were shaking non-stop at that time.
Zhu Yuanzhang was not too surprised to see them. After ordering Li Chengdong to chase down the rebels, he asked Shi Kefa to take him to the mansion to see.
Shi Kefa thought that he had arrived in a hurry and some of the corpses in the mansion had not been cleaned up yet. If Zhu Yuanzhang knew that Xie Bi and Gao Jie were fighting each other, and with the other's murderous temper, he would probably kill Xie and Gao immediately.
In that case, even if their soldiers do not rebel, the attack on Jinan will not be feasible. If the rebels take the opportunity to counterattack, Shandong will immediately be in chaos.
But if he finds a reason to cover up the matter and commits the crime of deceiving the emperor, he may be exposed in the future and his reputation will be ruined.
Just when he was hesitating, Xie Sheng on the side signaled him to agree.
Shi Kefa suddenly remembered that Xie Sheng and Xing had whispered together before leaving. Thinking that they were already prepared, he hurriedly stood up to lead the way, but he was still hesitant in his heart.
On the way back home, Xie Sheng begged him several times, asking him to put the overall situation of Shandong first, and tried his best to ensure that nothing like this would ever happen in the future.
Although Shi Kefa also tended to conceal the matter, he did not express his position.
However, when he returned to the mansion, he found that not only the bodies of the soldiers were gone, but even some damaged doors and windows had been repaired.
Some places that cannot be repaired have also been decorated, so if you don't pay attention, you won't be able to tell.
He saw that Xie Sheng and Xing were able to handle these matters in such a short period of time. They must have been prepared beforehand, and the evidence had been destroyed at this moment.
Even if he tells the truth now, he may not be able to cure their sins, but will only offend them, which will be detrimental to the overall situation.
He originally advocated being an official in a harmonious manner, but seeing that Zhu Yuanzhang had not shown any unusual behavior before, and probably did not notice the fight between the two sides, he concealed the matter when he told the story.
Unexpectedly, Zhu Yuanzhang had already discovered it, and he felt panicked in his heart.
After Shi Kefa forcibly calmed down, he bowed and said: "Your Majesty, they did have some conflicts before, but only a dozen people took action, and it was also due to impulse."
"And Xie Sheng and Gao Jie have already reprimanded their subordinates and promised that there will never be anything like this in the future..."
When Zhu Yuanzhang saw that Shi Kefa was unwilling to expose the matter, knowing that he still could not change his habit of being a peacemaker, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help feeling a little angry.
But after all, he was the Minister of War, and the two thousand men Li Ruolian used to defend the city gate were also his soldiers.
In addition, Xie Bi disappeared after returning home, and the Xing family behind the scenes has not yet shown up. If Shi Kefa is reprimanded at this moment, he may be forced to side with Xie Sheng, which is not good for the overall situation.
So he patiently listened to Shi Kefa's story and pondered for a while. After Shi Kefa became a little uneasy, he said, "In your opinion, how should this matter be handled?"
Shi Kefa saw that although Zhu Yuanzhang's expression had softened, there seemed to be dissatisfaction in his words. Thinking of the previous rumors, Shi Kefa couldn't help but feel a little guilty.
He thought for a while and then whispered: "Your Majesty, I feel that this matter is all caused by Jinan, so we might as well let them attack Jinan and make meritorious deeds!"
Zhu Yuanzhang sneered: "Where does the crime come from?"
Shi Kefa was stunned when he heard this and looked at Zhu Yuanzhang with some embarrassment.
At this time, Li Wu came in and reported that Li Chengdong was outside asking for a meeting.
After Zhu Yuanzhang signaled for Li Chengdong to come in, he said to Shi Kefa: "Shi Qing, go and summon Gao Jie and Xie Sheng to the front hall. We will handle the matter personally in a moment."
"By the way, let Mr. Xie and Mr. Xing come over too!"
Shi Kefa was still thinking about how to deal with it, but when he saw that Zhu Yuanzhang had spoken, he bowed in agreement and then withdrew with a melancholy look on his face.
However, when he was leaving, he happened to see Li Chengdong, covered in blood, walking in. He couldn't help but frown, and a look of disdain flashed in his eyes.
Although Li Chengdong was a martial artist, he also noticed Shi Kefa's dissatisfaction, and instinctively snorted coldly, then quickly stepped forward and saluted Zhu Yuanzhang.
After Zhu Yuanzhang signaled him to stand up, he asked him about arresting Zuo Xianmei.
When Li Chengdong saw that Zhu Yuanzhang was not dissatisfied because he was stained with blood, he felt secretly happy and pretended to be unwilling to tell the story.
It turns out that although Zuo Xianmei was defeated and fled, she had already laid an ambush.
Although the number is small, the methods are very vicious.
When Li Chengdong was chasing, he hit Zuo Xianmei several times, and as a result, a good brother who had been following him for more than ten years died.
Fortunately, Zuo Xianmei had few people, and Li Chengdong was very familiar with the city's terrain. After more than half an hour of siege, Zuo Xianmei was trapped in a large house.
Just when he was about to order an attack, a boy suddenly opened the door and asked why they surrounded the courtyard for no reason.
Li Chengdong couldn't help but feel a little strange when he saw the boy's calm expression.
However, the soldiers under him were already angry. Seeing that the young boy was more arrogant than them, they were ready to step forward and teach the young boy a lesson.
Unexpectedly, another maid came out at this time and warned them with a smug look, saying that Zuo Xianmei, the daughter of Ning Nanbo, was a guest in their house and not to offend their distinguished guests.
When Li Chengdong heard this, he thought that he had not caught Zuo Xianmei on the spot, and there was no evidence to prove that she was involved in the matter. If she were to be captured by force, it might cause trouble.
So he asked his soldiers to surround the opponent's mansion, and then hurried over to report.
After Zhu Yuanzhang heard his story, he sneered and said: "It doesn't matter, you invite her in the name of Shi Kefa. If she doesn't comply, you... declare her to come according to our will!"
Zhu Yuanzhang originally wanted to bring her here directly, but he changed his mind when he realized that Zuo Xianmei was very thoughtful and wanted to avoid causing trouble.
Li Chengdong bowed in agreement and hurried out.
After about two cups of tea, Shi Kefa came again to report that Xie Sheng and others were waiting in the front hall.
After Zhu Yuanzhang indicated that he knew, he asked him to retreat, and then asked Li Wu to send someone to observe secretly.
Soon, Li Chengdong came to report that when he invited Zuo Xianmei in the name of Shi Kefa, the other party refused on the grounds that Zuo Liangyu had a lot of troops and was worried that meeting important ministers in private might attract criticism.
Although Li Chengdong persuaded her several times, she refused to comply.
In desperation, Li Chengdong had to claim that he was summoned by His Majesty, and Zuo Xianmei came with the order.
After Zhu Yuanzhang sneered, he asked Li Chengdong to bring Zuo Xianmei in.
At this moment, Zuo Xianmei was dressed as a Jiangnan woman, showing off her feminine enchantment and charm.
Especially those peach blossom eyes, like a curve of affectionate spring water, seeming to be able to drown all the pride in the world.
After Zuo Xianmei saw Zhu Yuanzhang, she hurriedly knelt down and saluted, saying "Your Majesty".
However, after she finished her ceremony, she never heard Zhu Yuanzhang ask her to stand up or ask, so she couldn't help but feel a little panicked.
Although she had calculated everything, she was still frightened by Zhu Yuanzhang's wisdom in the previous battle.
So she calculated it carefully again, and only relaxed a little after confirming that there were no mistakes or omissions.
"We want to make a deal with you, tell us your terms!"
Zuo Xianmei's expression had just slowed down when she heard Zhu Yuanzhang's cold voice.
Because this matter was beyond her expectation, she was stunned for a moment.
Some people died, but not completely...
