Chapter 012: Punishing Thousands of Households
Starting from Tianjin, Chen Cao traveled slowly all the way. After arriving in Dezhou, he changed to a waterway official ship and sailed southward under the banner of Jinyiwei. It was smooth sailing. Even if he occasionally encountered an official ship, those with lower official status would take the initiative to get out of the way. After entering the waterway, after all, Jin Yiwei is not a good person, maybe he went to the capital to investigate the case. Chen Cao also really experienced the feeling of a fox pretending to be a tiger.
The canal is very fast. It reaches the Yangtze River through the waterway, disembarks at the mouth of Longjiang River, and rides into Nanjing in just two hours. The whole journey takes less than seven days.
When Chen Cao returned to Nanjing, the first thing he did was to go to the Nanzhen Fu Division to go through the entry procedures and hand over official documents. The first stop was the Experience Division, where he met Yang Yong, who was an acquaintance.
Yang Yong was also surprised. The unknown Yinfeng General Banner a few months ago had now returned from Liaodong and became the head of the Nanzhen Fusi. His official rank was higher than that of Yang Yong, but Yang Yong had experienced the experience of the Si. , belonging to the middle-cadre level, the two of them can be regarded as equals.
"Chen Qianhu has been away for a few months, and when he comes back, he is already the head of Nanzhen Fusi. Congratulations." Yang Yong said with a smile and cupped his hands towards Chen Cao.
Chen Cao also smiled and raised his hand to Yang Yong in return: "Yang experienced the award. If Yang had not been present that day, I am afraid that Chen would have been framed by those villains."
Yang Yong took advantage of Chen Cao's mention of old friendship, and waved his hand quickly: "You're welcome, you and I are both colleagues in the guard. Besides, I, the Jin Yiwei, are not the ones who can get along with those scholars, so naturally I have to speak for my own people."
After flattering each other, Chen Cao went straight out of the Experience Department and went to the central hall to see the governor Xu Xianchun. Xu Xianchun also learned the news in advance and was already waiting for Chen Cao in the central hall.
"Chen Cao, who holds a humble position, has met the governor."
Xu Xianchun was drinking tea. When he saw Chen Cao entering the hall, he put down his tea cup, nodded and said: "Chen Cao, you have done a great job for our Nanzhen Fu Division. Your Majesty, the commander, has specially issued an order to take good care of me." As for you, well, from now on you have to do a good job in being in charge of the Criminal Division, as this is the only yamen in Nanzhen Fu Division that has any luck."
Chen Cao felt that what Xu Xianchun said was too obvious, but as a newcomer, it was not easy for him to act recklessly, so he smiled and said: "You can save money by taking a humble position, you can save money..."
Xu Xianchun nodded with satisfaction when he saw Chen Cao being so righteous, and then said seriously: "It's good to know. Liu Lei's matter was personally ordered by His Majesty. Even I don't dare to reach out. I'll leave the rest to you." .”
The yamen of Nanzhen Fusi is on the left side of Fengtian Gate in the imperial city, next to important yamen such as the Nanjing Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Household Affairs. On the right side is the Nanjing Fifth Army Governor's Mansion. Those who take this path are basically high-ranking officials. expensive.
Because Chen Cao was promoted to the official of Qianhu, he was still the most important person in charge of punishing Qianhu. His office was in Zhenfusi Yamen, and the first thing Chen Cao did now was to deal with Liu Lei.
Nanzhen Fusi does not have imperial edicts, but it does have Weizhong Prison. Basically, the torture masters of Beizhen Fusi came from Nanzhen Fusi's prison.
Liu Lei was so obese that his body was trembling, his face was pale, and his limbs were weak. In addition to being frightened, he might have diabetes himself.
"Chen Qianhu, Mr. Chen, my subordinates are ignorant of Mount Tai. Everything is a small mistake. Please be kind to Mr. Chen and spare my life..." Liu Lei cried and begged for mercy.
Chen Cao's head hurt when he heard this, then he shook his head, pointed at the torture instruments on the desk, looked at Zhao Xin and said: "According to the rules, let him go through it first. You must not let him die. We will try him again tomorrow."
When Liu Lei heard this, he shouted: "Spare my life, sir, sir..."
Returning home is the first priority. Chen Cao left for Liaodong in November and didn’t come back until mid-February. Three months had passed and he didn’t say he missed it very much. He just wanted to watch his cheap little girl and himself finally earn money. That silver.
As soon as Chen Cao entered the house, Chen Qing ran close to him and said with a sinister look: "Brother, I didn't expect you to have such romantic affairs. It seems that the rumors in Nanjing are not false."
'What the hell? Chen Cao looked at Chen Qing with a blank look on his face. Just as he was about to step forward and give her a blow, he saw someone walking out of the hospital. Who could it be if it wasn't Li Fengchun?
"Sir is back." Li Fengchun blushed slightly and said embarrassedly.
Only then did Chen Cao remember that in Tianjin, Luo Sigong asked him to take Li Fengchun home. Looking at the little girl next to him, Chen Cao nodded and said, "Well..."
The answer was simple, but it made Li Fengchun feel comfortable in his heart, so he followed Chen Cao to the central hall and poured Chen Cao a cup of tea with his own hands: "Half a month ago, someone from Jinyiwei came to the shipyard and gave his mother some instructions. After receiving the official documents from the company, I brought the slave family to the master’s home.”
"I have kept all the things you gave me. I thought I would come back to deal with your redemption after the matter in Liaodong is over. It's okay. The Jiaofang Division has issued the official document, and the matter will be much simpler. However," Chen Cao said He put down the tea cup, turned to look at Li Fengchun, and said with some pity: "You have entered my Chen family and can only be a concubine. Are you prepared?"
Li Fengchun's eyes turned red. There were many rules in the Ming Dynasty. When a person with a good family background like her married into another family, if she was lucky, she would be a concubine. If she was unlucky, she would be a concubine. She was not even as good as a concubine. Li Fengchun was the same. She was betting that a literary master like Chen Cao would be a sincere person, but now it seems that she was right. She quickly knelt down in front of Chen Cao and cried: "No, I thank you, master." A big favor.”
"Hey..." Chen Cao sighed and said, "In the future, you and I will be sharing the same bed. Why are you kneeling to me? Get up..."
"Yew Chung..." As soon as he finished speaking, Song Che quickly walked into the lobby. Looking at the scene in front of him, he felt quite embarrassed: "Did I come at the wrong time?"
Chen Cao waved his hand, looked at Li Fengchun and said: "From now on, you will be a member of my Chen family. Go and chat with my grandmother first, then go down."
Li Fengchun stood up and saluted Chen Cao, then turned around and bowed his knee to Song Che. Song Che clenched his fists and saluted Li Fengchun, and then said: "Yao Zhong, the fact that you killed three Tatar generals in the Liaodong Formation has already been reported in Nanjing City." The word has spread, you kid can do it.”
Chen Cao immediately returned to his usual cheerful look and said with a smile: "It's not that expressive. I've heard about it, but I was also in danger. I was almost hacked to death by the Tatars."
Song Che lowered his head and whispered: "I'm afraid you don't know that the fact that you killed Liu Zuo and imprisoned Liu Lei before the battle has been spread in Nanjing. You must know who Liu Lei is better than me..."
Chen Cao had a lot of things to do now, and suddenly he thought of something very important, so he looked at Song Che seriously and said: "Shi Xiu, you are in the Five Cities Military and Horse Division, you have to help me with some help."
Song Che said with a proud look on his face: "You and I don't have to talk about this, just say it..."
After seeing off Song Che, before turning around, Li Xiang's carriage was seen entering the alley at the entrance, and the driver was an old acquaintance, Zhou Decai. "Hey, Shopkeeper Zhou," Chen Cao said with a smile on his face. He looked at Zhou Decai's face carefully and smiled even happier when he found that there was no scar left. "How are you? How are you doing lately?"
Zhou Decai also had a smile on his face, and he raised his hand to Chen Cao attentively: "Mr. Chen Qi, oh no, hello, Master Chen, hello, Master Chen..."
Li Xiang's maid Xiaochun opened the curtain and smiled apologetically at Chen Cao. Chen Cao disagreed, and then Li Xiang walked out of the carriage: "Chen Cao..."
Looking at Li Xiang's beautiful face, Chen Cao's heart skipped a beat and he clapped his hands quickly: "It's bad..."
Before leaving Shenyang, Chen Cao had promised Li Waner that he would propose marriage to his father Li Rubai when he arrived in the capital, but now that he had been back for so long, he had forgotten about this matter. Thinking of Li Waner raising a sword to kill him, Chen Cao couldn't help but beat him. A shiver.
Li Xiangjin saw this in his eyes and asked with concern: "What's wrong with you? Do you want to call a doctor to diagnose and treat you?"
Chen Cao came back to his senses, smiled awkwardly, thinking about how he could not get along with the person named Li, and then said: "No, by the way, does Miss Li have something important?"
Li Xiang leaned over and saluted: "Your Majesty has ascended the throne and summoned my father to serve in the capital. I will leave for the capital soon. In addition to telling you before I leave, I also want to ask you something."
Li Maohui was promoted?
Recalling the previous 'Hongmen Banquet', Chen Cao cupped his hands and said, "Miss Li, please teach me."
"You promised my father personally that night." Li Xiang lowered his head as he spoke, his face slightly red.
Propose marriage...
Chen Cao thought about what he said that night, and then felt a headache. Li Waner also said that he wanted to propose marriage. What should he do now? But thinking that Li Waner was far away in the capital, Chen Cao felt relieved: "Well, now I have been promoted. , Logically speaking, I can barely match the girl, so how about I go to Beijing to propose marriage to Mr. Li someday?"
After hearing this, Li Xiang nodded without saying a word. When he turned around last time, Zhou Decai handed over to Chen Cao and drove away.
...
In addition to Chen Cao's office at the Zhenfu Si Yamen, his office for the Qianhu Office is located in Xuanwu Lane by the Qinhuai River. Except for going to the Yamen once every five days, he spends the rest of his time there. Inside Qianhusuo in Xuanwu Lane.
In the signing room in the middle hall, Chen Cao's direct descendants Zhao Xin and Gao Chong and three other small banner officials, Liao Yaowen, Han Shizhong, and Xu Kaixian, were all kneeling in the hall. Chen Cao was conferring officers on them.
"When Liu Lei's incident happened, after his position became vacant, our Thousand Household Office transferred a hundred households to take over. As for the remaining positions of the hundred households, the commander personally promised to let me handle it myself." He said and looked at it. He glanced at the five people kneeling below: "Zhao trusts Baihu, Gao Chong tests Baihu. As for the three of you, Liao Yaowen and Han Shizhong were promoted to chief flag officers, and Xu Kaixian was transferred to my side as Qian Shu. Do you have any objections?"
"I am willing to die for your lord." The five people said in unison. They all knew in their hearts that with the position of Jinyiwei, if they were as good as they were, they would be small flag officers until they died and would not be promoted at all. But now Chen Cao is rising, and all boats are rising. If they could be transferred here, they would have been won over by Xu Xianchun or Luo Sigong, and no one would complain.
"Okay, everyone, get up..." Chen Cao said, and then ordered: "From now on, we will share the blessings, and I will be responsible for the difficulties."
"How can it be done?" Zhao Xin spent the longest time with Chen Cao and talked the most: "Sir, you are our boss now. What do you call us? What kind of favor?"
"The grace of knowing and meeting someone..." Gao Chong added.
"Yes, that's what I mean. If there is any trouble in the future, don't worry, sir. I will definitely take care of it for you. Even if it doesn't work, I, Xin Zhao, will take the blame."
Everyone laughed, Chen Cao nodded noncommittally, and then said: "I will handle Liu Lei's matters personally. There are still important things for you to handle at the moment. Please listen carefully..."
...
"Sir, there is a famous post..." Xu Kaixian was Chen Cao's official secretary. He also had a part-time job to replace Zhao Xin's position and became Chen Cao's personal bodyguard.
Chen Cao took the name card and opened it. The first thing that caught his eye was the words 'Nanjing Right Guard Commander'. Then he turned to the second page and saw Zhang Tiande's detailed resume.
No need to think too much, Zhang Tiande must have put in a good word for Liu Lei this time. Chen Cao closed the name card and said in an unusually pretentious manner: "I know, take my driving card and return it to the person they are waiting for."
"Driving... driving post?" Xu Kaixian thought there was something wrong with his ears, so he said cautiously: "Sir, my Jin Yiwei's driving post is used when catching prisoners. Are you really giving it to me?"
"Oh..." Chen Cao felt very embarrassed, and then said: "Forget it, then give them my name card and say that I will come to them when the time comes."
Zhang Tiande didn't want to find Chen Cao, but his fierce wife Zhang Liu couldn't stop him at all. He had no choice but to hand Chen Cao a name card, thinking that he, a third-rank commander, would hand a name card to a fifth-rank thousand household. , and suddenly felt that he could not lose face, let alone the son of his former brother.
In the main hall of the Zhang family, Chen Cao was drinking tea and waiting for Zhang Tiande. He didn't blame Zhang Tiande for showing off to him. He agreed to come to Zhang's house just to give Zhang Tiande a face and show off. Anyway, Liu Lei's business is His Majesty's. Jinkouyu said that he would definitely die.
"Oh... I've kept you waiting for so long, Yaozhong..." After Zhang Tiande entered the main hall, he quickly stepped forward and patted Chen Cao on the shoulder like an elder: "I'm really sorry for you, Yaozhong, Wei Li's matter Too many, I can't get away. When I think of Yaozhong waiting for too long, no, he hurried back before the matter was settled. Yaozhong, sit down quickly. Housekeeper, change tea for Yaozhong and bring the good Yunnan Pu'er. "
Xu Kaixian, who was standing behind Chen Cao, said with a sneer on his face: "I came late on purpose to treat you. It's not like I have anything to ask you."
Zhang Tiande was stunned for a moment, but when he saw that Chen Cao was smiling and did not stop him, he understood a little bit. Then he pretended that he had not heard and pulled Chen Cao towards the central hall.
Changing places, Zhang Tiande pulled Chen Cao to sit down on the right hand seat, and then sat on the main seat in the middle hall.
"Yio Chung, after your father died in the war, my uncle was really sorry for not going to your house to mourn. I'm sorry..."
Chen Cao felt that Zhang Tiande was a bit fake, and he didn't want to expose it for the sake of his cheap father. He just nodded with a smile, and then said: "Things are different and people are different."
Zhang Tiande felt a little embarrassed when he heard what Chen Cao said, but now that the words have come to this point, he still has to do what his wife asked for: "Yiushong, you are different now. As an uncle, I will treat you today." Come on, there is something unspeakable."
Chen Cao nodded: "Yes, I know, your wife is quite impatient."
Zhang Tiande's face turned red, and then he said with a sneer: "I won't hide it from Yaozhong, Liu Lei is my brother-in-law, and something has happened to him now. As a brother-in-law, I really can't help myself."
What Chen Cao didn't know was that Zhang Liu had been sitting behind the screen in the middle hall, listening to their conversation since they entered the middle hall.
Chen Cao smiled and nodded and said: "Uncle Zhang's words make sense. Hey, if my wife had not been so anxious about the marriage certificate between me and Shuhua, I think things would not have come to this."
Zhang Tiande and Mrs. Zhang Liu behind the screen both looked embarrassed and ugly, but Mrs. Zhang Liu, who was obviously smarter than Zhang Tiande, immediately picked up on the clues.
Co-authoring this is most likely Chen Cao's deliberate revenge.
"Does YCIS think there is any room for change in this matter?" Zhang Tiande asked cautiously.
Chen Cao shook his head: "Liu Lei escaped before the battle and intended to confuse the morale of the army. Uncle, you know that this crime in the army alone can kill him. What's more, he is still a Jin Yiwei and is responsible for supervising the battle before the battle. He knows the law and breaks the law. , the Holy One attaches great importance to Liu Lei at this time and will undoubtedly die."
Zhang Tiande had known this result for a long time, so he was not surprised. Only Mrs. Zhang Liu behind the screen shouted in surprise. Chen Cao turned his head and stared behind the screen, then looked at Zhang Tiande and said with a smile: "Uncle, it turns out He also likes to hide people behind screens, I thought only literati had this habit."
Thinking of this, Chen Cao knew that Zhang Liu was probably behind the screen. She was embarrassed to see her, so she said coldly: "Uncle Zhang also knows the military law of the Ming Dynasty. If a situation like Liu Lei falls into the hands of my Jin Yiwei, it will basically There is no good result. It is up to me, the Jin Yiwei, to decide how big the hat should be on him. Fortunately, my nephew has lived up to his command. His Majesty and the commander have trusted me to handle Liu Lei's matter on my own. Thinking about it, my nephew cannot let down your majesty and you all. The trust of adults.”
Zhang Tiande's eyes lit up, and he actually heard something fishy in Chen Cao's words. He then turned to stare at the many slaves standing beside him and said, "You all can get off."
Then he looked at Chen Cao and asked cautiously: "Yozhong, is there room for compromise?"
Chen Cao was overjoyed, and then he realized what Xu Xianchun had said to him before, 'The only lucrative position in Nanzhen Fusi. "
Xu Kaixian is also a veteran of Nanzhen Fusi. After Chen Cao asked this question, he immediately said seriously: "My lord, after review by me in charge of the Criminal Division and the testimony of many brothers in the Wei at that time, Liu Lei's charges of escaping from battle and cholera in the army are true. , according to the law, he was dismissed from his post and beheaded, the remaining male family members were exiled for three thousand miles, and the female family members were demoted to a lowly status and put into the Jiaofangsi as slaves."
hiss...
Zhang Tiande took a deep breath, and Mrs. Zhang Liu behind the screen almost couldn't sit still and was about to get up. If the housekeeper beside him hadn't received Zhang Tiande's order earlier and asked the maid to hold Ms. Zhang tightly, she would have definitely stood up at this moment. He rushed out to question Chen Cao.
"Yew Chung, has this matter not reached this level yet?" Zhang Tiande then asked.
Chen Cao nodded and said: "Indeed, your Majesty was furious about this matter. He made it very clear in the edict that Liu Lei must die. Even I cannot change this, but others..."
Zhang Tiande: "..."
From the beginning to the end of the conversation, for a total of two hours, the two sides conducted a series of bargaining, and finally saved Liu Lei's family, but Zhang Tiande paid a price of 80,000 taels of silver, which made Zhang Tiande feel heartbroken, and this money was very valuable to him. For the wife Zhang Liu, this is not a problem at all. The only child in their Liu family is Liu Lei, and Liu Lei has only one son since his marriage, who is only four years old. In order to preserve the lifeblood of the family lineage, the Liu family will naturally spend a mere 80,000 yuan. Two silver coins.
This can be regarded as Chen Cao's first successful business since he took office. With 80,000 taels of silver notes, Chen Cao slowly left the Zhang family, and then took Xu Kaixian to a restaurant for dinner, taking so much money from others. Naturally, I feel embarrassed to stay at other people's houses for a meal. Although this is understandable, but if you think about it carefully, once the Zhang Liu family gets evil, not to mention ambush the axe, but just poisoning yourself in the food and wine, this business is not enough. It's almost over.
Finally, I told the servants that my discipline was lax, and then I compensated the Chen family for some money. Alas...
The amount of eighty thousand taels of silver was not small, and Chen Cao could not swallow it by himself. Not to mention that Xu Xianchun had mentioned it from the beginning, and the things he was doing would definitely not be enough for Xu Xianchun’s eyes and ears in the Qianhu Office, so Chen Cao calmly The price was revised to 50,000 taels. Xu Kai gave 40,000 taels to Xu Xianchun first, and then the remaining 10,000 taels were distributed among the Qianhu Houses. Everyone shared the money. As for the remaining 30,000 taels, they naturally fell into the trap. Chen Cao's pocket cannot be filled with all this money, and he will have to reserve a share for the commander Luo Sigong when he enters the capital in the future.
Liu Lei's death was also imminent, because he was a member of the military, and the convict was handled by Jin Yiwei himself, so after Xu Xianchun received the 40,000 taels of silver note submitted by Xu Kaixian, he signed and stamped the official document very easily, and then sent someone to Sent to Tianjin, and after confirmation there, it will be Liu Lei's death date. The matter of beheading and execution is a matter of the Department of Prisons and Prisons. After careful calculation, Liu Lei will be alive for at most half a month.
After drinking and going home, it was late. Xin Zhao and Song Che came to the door. In the main hall, Chen Cao did not shy away from Song Che. He looked directly at Xin Zhao. After Zhao Xin confirmed it, he said: "Sir, my subordinates have been conducting inquiries in the past few days. Many people, after summarizing the information, copied it, please take a look."
Chen Cao took the paper and asked Song Che, "Shi Xiu, how is the matter I asked you about?"
Song Che nodded and said: "After Shouning Marquis deposed his title and died, the Zhang family moved back to their ancestral home in Shandong from Nanjing. After Wanli restored the title to the Zhang family, Zhang Yanzong led his family back to his old home in Nanjing. However, there was something wrong. Zhang Yanzong When he was in Shandong, he was famous, and his mentor at that time was Mr. Ye Xianggao, the current chief minister of the cabinet."
Song Che paused and said: "After Zhang Yanzong succeeded Jin Yiwei Tongzhi, he was more restrained in doing things, but I found some old cases from the Wucheng Army and Horse Division." Then he handed the file in his hand to Chen Cao and said, "Zhang Yanzong My nephew Zhang Xiaolin was once questioned by the Wucheng Military and Horse Division about a human life case. Coincidentally, the victim of this case withdrew the case against Zhang Xiaolin in the end, and Zhang Xiaolin paid some settlement expenses."
"Is it that simple?" Chen Cao didn't think so, otherwise Song Che wouldn't have been able to tell himself these irrelevant things.
Song Che shook his head: "There is a brothel called Ji Xinfang on Confucius Temple Street in Qinhuai River. It is the property of Zhang Xiaolin. However, I inquired carefully and found that its actual owner is Zhang Yanzong, and the person who receives it is Xinfang. , basically all the people named in Nanjing City. The victim of this case is the prostitute from Jixinfang.
This prostitute was quite famous and was finally bought. However, it was rumored that she was taken as a concubine by an official. The subsequent news was that this prostitute’s family had to report the case to Yingtian Mansion. Of course, the son of the owner of the family was also heard to be from the Zhang family. people, and they are doing sea trade. "
"Sea trade?" Chen Cao frowned. It seemed that Luo Sigong had a certain purpose in letting himself wade into this muddy water: "The things seem to have nothing to do with each other, but there are too many things in it. Shi Xiu, your help is so great." Okay, I’ll treat you to a drink next time.”
"Hey, if we don't say these kind words, I'll keep an eye on you later."
