Chapter 016 The strong wind rises
Jiangning County has the Yangtze River flowing through it. There are countless Zhuangzi in the surrounding area, most of which are wealthy people. The Zhang family is no exception. Looking at the Zhang Mansion in front of him, Chen Cao was filled with emotion. He never thought that he would become like Di Renjie in the Ming Dynasty. characters.
It was in the evening, and there was still some setting sun that could clearly illuminate the small pebbles on the ground. Liao Yaowen stepped forward and kicked open the Zhang family's door with great force. Chen Cao stood outside the door with his hands behind his back, a look of arrogance on his face.
"Who is so stupid that you dare to come here to cause trouble..." A servant of the Zhang family walked to the door angrily: "You bastard..."
Before he finished speaking, Liao Yaowen had already pulled out the Xiuchundao, gently placed it on the servant's neck, and said in a cold voice: "Call your master out, and tell Jin Yiwei that he has something to do with him."
"Yes...yes...yes..." The servant stuttered a bit. It was not that there was a knife on his neck, but the address of Liao Yaowen's self-reported home.
Although the people at the bottom of the Ming Dynasty are afraid of the Jin Yiwei, these wealthy landlords have no sympathy for the Jin Yiwei. The Jin Yiwei usually handles major cases. As long as they are not involved in rebellion, they are not afraid at all even if the Jin Yiwei comes to their door.
However, this servant's performance was a bit too exaggerated.
"Xin Zhao," Chen Cao said without turning around: "Were you threatening the last time you came to their house?"
Zhao Xin smiled and touched his head: "They refused to open the door, but they fired a few arrows inside and injured a few people..."
Zhao Xin thought that Chen Cao was going to get angry, but he didn't know that Chen Cao said: "Well, next time we encounter this situation, we will show our driving orders. If you don't obey, kill one first to establish your authority."
Xin Zhao's eyes lit up: "Okay..."
"Zhang Youcai, a common man, has met the adults."
The visitor was about fifty years old, and he was Zhang Liang's father, Zhang Youcai, the master of the Zhang family.
Chen Cao raised his feet and walked inside, regardless of Zhang Youcai kneeling on the ground: "Show us your driving license, enter the house to arrest people, and restrain Zhang Youcai first."
"yes..."
Before Zhang Youcai could shout, Zhao Xin quickly stepped forward and punched Zhang Youcai in the abdomen. The poor old man was dozens of years old. He was hit by Zhao Xin, a strong man, and he fainted from the pain. However, Zhao Xin ordered someone to hold him up. Go inside.
The Jin Yiwei with Xiuchun Dao appeared in the Zhang family, and the Zhang family was in a panic again, but they were officials after all, so they were all caught in the lobby of the Zhang family in half a tea time, and they knelt in the hall according to their status.
"Your Majesty, my family has always been law-abiding and has never done anything bad. Why is this? Why?" Zhang Youcai burst into tears when he woke up.
Chen Cao didn't care about this, he stared at the more than 20 people in the hall with a cold face, and then asked: "Where is your wife Zhang Chen?"
Zhang Youcai heard that Chen Cao asked where his wife was as soon as he arrived, and he stopped crying immediately. He felt as if something had hit him in his heart, and he was trembling and speechless.
"You bastard, Master Qianhu asked you, but you actually avoided answering. If someone comes, give him ten blows with the killing stick to see if he is honest or not." Xu Kaixian stood aside and shouted angrily.
Ten strikes with the killing stick would only take Zhang Youcai's body and bones, and five strikes would probably make him fall over. These words were naturally meant to scare Zhang Youcai, but they didn't know that they were meant to scare him. At that moment, the female relatives in the hall cried out for mercy and cried bitterly.
"My lord, this is under the rule of Yingtian Mansion. My family has not committed any crimes. Even if you are Jin Yiwei, you still have to come up with names to prove what the Zhang family has committed so that we can be convinced. Otherwise, today, I will definitely report this matter to the Yamen of the Governor of Yingtian."
"Oh..." Chen Cao sat up straight, looked at the person he was talking to and said, "Who are you? You speak well, a scholar?"
"Your Majesty, I am aware that I am Zhang Ke. I was elected in the forty-sixth year of Wanli. Now I am waiting for the autumn at home. I have a great reputation and I can see that an official does not kneel. However, today I am forced to stand here and face you, an officer from a thousand households." Kneel down. After this incident, I will definitely go to the Nanjing Xuezheng Yamen and ask if we, the sons of saints, can be persecuted at will by you Jin Yiwei."
Looking at Zhang Key's righteous words, Chen Cao felt that such a person who could sacrifice his life for the country must be glorious and great. But now, on this occasion, it was a bit unexpected: "Xin Zhao, what's going on with their family?"
Zhao Xin lowered his head and whispered: "The three sons of the Zhang family, the eldest son Zhang Ke, the second son Zhang Hong, and the third son Zhang Liang, all three of them have achieved fame, and only Zhang Ke is the judge."
"Who is Zhang Hong?" Chen Cao asked loudly, regardless of Zhang Ke's words.
No one in the hall answered, but Chen Cao thought of something, and then asked: "I want to ask you for the last time, where are Zhang Chen and Zhang Hong?"
Still no one answered, Chen Cao breathed out, raised his hand and said: "Come here, take all the Zhang family except Zhang Ke and take them back to the Zhenfu Prison. No matter whether the men or women are tortured or served, let's see if they can recruit them."
"yes..."
Just as Jinyiwei was about to take action, Zhang Ke shouted: "How dare you? What on earth did my Zhang family commit? If you don't reveal a name, tomorrow I will go to Nanjing to summon the same year to block your Jinyiwei Yamen."
Chen Cao stood up and said in a cold voice: "Zhang Ke, I respect that it is not easy for you to study, but don't be arrogant. You naturally know what your Zhang family has done. I, the Jin Yiwei, are the emperor's personal soldiers, and everything I do is for the imperial court. Really If you want to pursue it, it won't be possible even if you are a small scholar, even if you are the number one scholar."
As soon as Chen Cao finished speaking, Zhang Youcai and Zhang Ke looked at each other at the same time, with a look of fear in their eyes. Chen Cao was deceiving them, and they naturally didn't know Chen Cao's plan.
Chen Cao saw all these subtle details and couldn't help but smile in his heart. Then he searched the crowd for a long time, pointed at a woman kneeling next to Zhang Ke and said, "Capture her and torture her first."
The woman raised her head and saw that she was pointing at herself. She was so frightened that she cried out. Zhang Ke also shouted angrily. When Gao Chong grabbed her arm, the woman couldn't help but shouted: "Second uncle and third uncle." Madam, they went to the capital to complain."
Zhang Youcai's body collapsed to the ground. When Zhang Ke heard this, he cursed: "Bitch..." After saying this, he slapped the woman, and the woman fell to the ground covering her face and crying.
It seemed that the punishment was still effective. Chen Cao asked Gao Chong to pull the woman over, and then gave Zhao Xin a wink. Zhao Xin walked up to Zhang Ke and slapped him in front of Zhang Ke. The force was so strong that Zhang Ke was stunned. One of them was knocked out, and he spit out a mouthful of blood. He kept yelling.
"It has been proven that the Zhang family is involved in the case of Zhang Hong and Zhang Chen. They will all be escorted back to the Zhenfu Prison for retrial at a later date." Chen Cao said coldly.
Zhang Youcai, who was already listless, hugged Chen Cao's thigh and cried: "Sir, have mercy on me, have mercy on me... The grassroots are willing to explain everything, and please forgive us for the sake of the grassroots family who are also victims." One family..."
call...
Chen Cao breathed a long sigh of relief, and even Zhao Xin on the side showed a happy expression. Yes, Chen Cao was just guessing from the beginning, and there was no real evidence. The reason why he came all night was to get there first while there was still time. Let's start with the Zhang family. After all, the only ones who are familiar with the case are the Zhang family and Gu Linsheng, who may be the mastermind behind the case. Gu Linsheng, Chen Cao doesn't dare to do anything to him now, but as a common member of the Zhang family, he can do whatever he wants.
Therefore, Chen Cao has been betting on his luck since entering the door until now. Thinking about it, his luck is still very good.
"I want to ask you, did your second son Zhang Hong go to the capital with Zhang Chen to complain?"
Zhang Youcai nodded, and then said: "Sir, please calm down. The common people do not agree with this matter at all. The death of my third son is really his own fault. However, someone came to my house a month ago and said that there was enough evidence to prove that Yingtian Mansion was shielding Song Che. As a result, he was sentenced to exile. The grassroots thought that he was my son after all, so they agreed to let the second son accompany the wife to the capital. They had received news earlier that they were already on their way back to Nanjing, and now they were caught by the adults. Let’s go.”
"I will ask you again, who is the person who asked you to file a complaint?" Chen Cao asked again.
Zhang Youcai shook his head: "The common people really don't know. They only know that the person coming has some background and is accompanied by the local inspection department. I think he must be an official in Nanjing City."
Chen Cao was thoughtful, and then asked: "Why do you say that your son brought it upon himself?"
Zhang Youcai was stunned for a moment before he felt that he had said the wrong thing, but now that Chen Cao had asked, he had to bite the bullet and said: "He has been spoiled since he was a child. All three of my sons are famous. I want him to go to the Imperial College." You can get a good family background by studying. However, when he came back that night, Zhang Qi told the common people that my son was provoked. Don’t I know my son clearly? He must have provoked me first, otherwise he would not fight against others. "
"Did Zhang Qi tell a lie?"
Zhang Youcai added: "The Cao Min asked him carefully and planned to deal with him the next day. Who knew that the boy ran away that night without a trace. When the Cao Min asked people to look for him the next day, Zhang Qi's family was gone."
Sure enough...
Chen Cao was silent in his heart that Zhang Qi was the key figure in the case. Then Chen Cao asked Xu Kai to record Zhang Youcai's words and sign a confession before ordering someone to release the Zhang family.
Before leaving, Chen Cao looked at Zhang Youcai and said coldly: "Zhang Youcai, I kindly advise you that this case has been heard by Datian. His Majesty Long Yan is furious. If your Zhang family wants to be safe, you must The head of the family should think carefully about it. I have a clear law. Those who make false accusations will be punished. If the other party is an official, the crime will be increased by one degree. You can take care of yourself..."
"Thank you for your kindness..." Zhang Youcai knelt down and saluted Chen Cao, then bowed down.
It was getting late, and even if he reached Nanjing city, he could not get in. So Chen Cao took his people to the inn to rest, and then sent people back to Nanjing to inform Han Shizhong and ordered him to come to Jiangning early in the morning.
"Xin Zhao, I remember you once said that you asked Qingpi to threaten you. Is there any news?" Chen Cao put down his bowl and chopsticks and pondered.
Zhao Xin stood up and left the inn. Half an hour later, he caught a local Qingpi. The Qingpi walked in and saw a Qianhu official in red robes. He was so frightened that he peed his pants and knelt on the ground to give Chen Cao kowtow.
"Okay..." Chen Cao felt a little annoyed and stared at Qingpi and said, "Tell me."
Qingpi raised his head and said in a trembling voice: "Greetings, sir, little Wu Qing is from Jiangning County and is the leader of a local gang."
"Ruffians are just scoundrels. If you dare to show off in front of adults, I will definitely kill you." Xin Zhao angrily scolded.
Wu Qing was so frightened that he kowtowed again, and then said: "Your Majesty, I was ordered by Master Zhao to inquire about the whereabouts of Zhang Qi's family. The family left in a hurry, and I still found no news after searching for a long time. However, When I was young, I once heard Zhang Shishi accidentally talk about in a gambling house that their family had an aunt who lived in Shangyuan County. If they had no way to lead them, they probably went to Shangyuan County to visit relatives."
"Sir," Zhao Xin cupped his hands and said, "My subordinates once inquired about the houses in Jiangning County, but they did not issue a road guide to Zhang Qi's family."
"Well..." Chen Cao touched his nose and shook his head as if he was reading: "I will go to Shangyuan County early tomorrow morning. You can go to the county government office immediately to inquire about the family members of Zhang Qi's ancestors, and then All the officials and subordinates will be arrested, and those who do not answer will be tortured, and you can do whatever you want."
Zhao Xin frowned, seemingly understanding what Chen Cao meant, clasping his fists and leaving the inn without saying a word.
...
Shangyuan County is governed by the same city as Jiangning. The north of the Qinhuai River is Jiangning and the south is Shangyuan. It has many villages and towns under its jurisdiction. In the early Ming Dynasty, Shangyuan County was attached to Guo Nanjing City. In the middle period, it was divided into the same county as Jiangning.
Although Luyin existed in name only in the late Ming Dynasty, it always restricted the poor people. For Zhang Qi, who was a slave, Luyin was indispensable. Although Shangyuan and Jiangning were in the same county, there were many towns after crossing the river. There are more than ten checkpoints set up by the Inspection Department alone. Without this kind of road guide, it would be impossible for Zhang Qi to cross the river safely to Shangyuan County.
Chen Cao slept for about two hours. Zhao Xin took the light and entered the inn to wake up Chen Cao, and then reported the news one by one. The gate of Nanjing opened early, and Gao Chong only traveled more than ten miles from Jiangning to Nanjing. It took no more than a stick of incense to call Han Shizhong and then returned to Jiangning.
"Sir," Han Shizhong had already learned about Chen Cao's current situation from Gao Chong on the way. Moreover, after the Song Che case was settled, he had been investigating what Chen Cao had given him. Finally, he lived up to his high expectations: "Sir, I am After inquiring, I heard that Zhang Qi’s family appeared in Shangyuan County and then left. After many searches, we finally found their traces.”
"Well..." Chen Cao didn't look up and just poured tea into the cup.
"It's in Chunhua Town, northeast of Jiangning." Han Shizhong added.
Zhao Xin also said: "Sir, what Lao Han said is correct. After his subordinates tortured him, the clerk in the household admitted that he had given Zhang Qi's family a road sign for the purpose of going to the Yuan Dynasty."
"Zhang Qi is just a slave. He went around in a circle so smartly and then returned to Jiangning. It seems that someone really arranged for him behind the scenes." Chen Cao drank his morning tea and then stood up: "All the household officials in Jiangning have been detained. Back to Xuanwu Lane, the others will go to Chunhua Town together, I want to see how clever this seven is."
Forty miles north of Chunhua Town is Zhongshan. At the foot of Zhongshan is the Xiaoling Guard Station, which is within the jurisdiction of Nanjing City. The town is very large, with more than 30,000 residents. There are two inspection departments responsible for Chunhua Town. of security.
In the gambling house in the north of the town, Zhang Shisi is gambling heavily. Today he has lost thirty taels of silver. From the perspective of his background, this money will not only allow him to marry a wife and have children, but also allow him to live a prosperous life for seven or eight years. , but he lost all his money in less than an hour.
"Fourteen, your money is gone. If you don't have enough, go home and withdraw it quickly, otherwise you will lose your place." The banker said jokingly. Although Zhang Shishi was from a bad background, he has money. As long as you If you have money, even beggars will treat you like your ancestors.
"What the hell, I lost thirty taels today, are you still afraid that I don't have the money to give you?" Zhang Shishi was obviously blushing at the loss and couldn't help shouting: "Hurry up and lend me the money. I'll pay you back after I've turned over the book." you."
The banker looked at Zhang Shishi with contempt and said: "You lost so much today, do you still have money at home? Don't sell your mother-in-law."
Hahaha... The banker's words made all the gamblers burst into laughter.
"It's a joke," Zhang Shishi blushed and said angrily, "Mr. Gu, the Young Minister of Nanjing Taipu Temple, is my master. I have a lot of money. Don't look down on me."
Officials are good people. Seeing that Zhang Shishi was generous and moved out senior officials from Nanjing, the banker believed it a little, so he lent Zhang Shishi ten taels of silver and asked him to continue gambling.
"Hurry up and tell the commander-in-chief that we have found Zhang Shishi..." A gambler walked out of the gambling house and whispered to a man on the street.
After Zhang Qi's family returned from his sister's home in Shangyuan County, they were arranged to live in Chunhua Town. It was close to Xiaoling Guard and the public security was good. Zhang Qi received 500 taels of silver after the incident, and then moved to Chunhua Town. He left his family and lived the life of an invisible rich man.
However, a slave status is a slave status. Even though he was so rich, Zhang Qi still bought a small farmyard on the edge of Chunhua Town, opened two acres of land, and lived a poor life.
Life is always unsatisfactory, but Zhang Qi, who has always been honest, has a gambling son, Zhang Shishi. If not for this, he would not have helped others sell his master, the young master.
Zhang Qi's old wife was planting vegetables on her own land in front of the house. Chen Cao and his party had already arrived, and they were brought in by people from the local inspection department.
"Sir, the people living here are people from the county. It seems that their surname is Zhang." The sergeant of the Inspection Department said as he cupped his hands towards Chen Cao.
Zhang Qi's family is from Jiangning County. They don't need road guidance. If you want to check Zhang Qi, an outsider, you can go to the inspection department and ask. Chen Cao stood in front of the woman and looked at an old man sitting in the yard. It looked like sleeping.
Xin Zhao stepped forward and said coldly: "Zhang Qi, something happened to you, please come with us."
Zhang Qi's old wife trembled all over and suddenly fell to the ground and fainted. Zhang Qi suddenly stood up in the yard and saw people in robes of various colors standing in front of the door holding knives. He knew that something had happened. Ba Lu didn't dare to make any resistance. He lay limply on the recliner, waiting for someone to catch him.
"Where is your son?" Zhao Xin stepped forward and looked at Zhang Qi coldly.
Zhang Qi shook his head: "Sir, I don't know."
Not long after, a Tiqi quickly walked into the yard and whispered in Zhao Xin's ear. Zhao Xin nodded and held his hand towards Chen Cao: "Sir, Zhang Shisi has been found."
When Chen Cao turned to look at Zhang Qi again, he found that his face was paler than before.
...
In Nanjing City, Gu Linsheng and Zhao Cheng were having a drink. They seemed to be in a good mood, and they chanted poems to each other from time to time.
"Brother Zhao, let me tell you, the matter is very simple. If the estimate is correct, Mr. Zhang will arrive within three days. By then, Chen Cao will undoubtedly die. I am going to protect her sister and brother. As for Li Fengchun, I will leave it to him. Brother Zhao, please, you have a soft spot for her anyway."
"Hahaha..."
...
Chen Cao was making intensive arrangements to return to Nanjing, without even returning home. Two days later, Zhang Wenda's boat arrived at the mouth of Longjiang River. After landing, the group did not arrive in Nanjing until the city gate was closed in the evening.
The officials who greeted him included Xu Hongji, Duke of Wei, Nanjing garrison, and officials from the six yamen in Nanjing. Zhang Wenda was the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs in the capital. He held a high position and appointed all the officials in the world. These officials who were retiring in Nanjing had to be promoted again if they wanted to be promoted. Relying on Zhang Wenda, the official minister, to handle affairs.
The next day, Nanzhen Fusi issued an order to suspend all duties of Chen Cao, who was in charge of the punishment of Qianhu, and wait for the criminal to return to his home. From time to time, Yingtianfutong sentenced Huang Chengxian to prison for questioning, and the commander of the North City Army and Horses Division ordered Liu Ping to await his punishment; in the afternoon, Nanjing Imperial College More than 200 prison students took to the streets to support the late prison student Zhang Liang. Imperial College Professor Lu Wen personally wrote a line on the banner, which read, "Officials protect each other and care about human life."
On the third day, due to the appearance of the Imperial College and the demonstration of more than 200 imperial students, a total of 950 scholars from Shangyuan and Jiangning counties demonstrated at the gate of Fusi Yamen in Nanzhen. The momentum was so great that the various yamen in Nanjing felt helpless. Under pressure, especially the Jin Yiwei guarding Nanzhen Fusi, this group of scholars could not be beaten or scolded. They had no tyranny at all on weekdays. One of them even held a shield in his hand to prevent others from hiding. Rotten eggs and smelly socks were flying everywhere. As long as they did not cross the yellow line, the Jin Yiwei did not dare to do anything to them.
Qin Weimin, who was studying politics in Nanjing, was very angry. In front of him were Zhang Wenda, the official secretary of the capital, and Zhou Jiamo, the Nanjing official minister of rites. I can’t stop you, the official.”
"Hmph..." A middle-aged green-robed official standing on the left side of Zhang Wenda sneered, and then said: "I, Gao Hongtu, the censor of the Imperial Procuratorate, would like to remind Mr. Qin that those supervisors are not included. That's all, Lu Wen, a professor, didn't teach you well, but instead added fuel to the fire. If this matter is not handled well, I will definitely give you a copy in front of His Majesty after I return to Beijing."
Qin Weimin was sweating profusely and kept wiping away. Although the official position of the censor in front of him was only the seventh rank, he was a small official as big as a sesame seed and a mung bean and had great power. Li Rubai was forced to death by these officials. Thinking of this , Qin Weimin swallowed his saliva and said: "My lords, I think it is best to retry Zhang Liang's case as soon as possible, so as to give these people an excuse."
"Sir, something bad has happened..." A yamen officer on duty quickly walked into the lobby, cupped his hands towards Zhang Wenda who was sitting in the center and said: "Sir, the demonstrating scholars and the supervisors of the Imperial College want to rush into the south. The Zhenfu Division fought fiercely with the Jinyi Guards on duty, and Wei Guogong has dispatched soldiers from the Five Cities Soldiers and Horses Division to suppress them."
Zhang Wenda suddenly stood up, and there was a conflict. No matter which side suffered casualties, the matter would be serious this time: "Quickly take my seal and tell Wei Guogong, don't hurt innocent people."
