Liu and Xie were actually doomed to failure from the beginning. Yan Xiaoqi's betrayal only accelerated their defeat.
The emperor sided with the Eight Tigers. If the civil servant group wants to win, the only way to win is to imitate Xu Youzhen and Shi Heng and launch a righteous version of the coup to seize the door.
Political fights in the court are no different from gangster fights. Going out to hang out depends on three things - ruthlessness, loyalty, and having many brothers.
If you are not ruthless enough, it will be useless no matter how many brothers you have.
Compared with the group of junior civil servants sixteen years later, Liu and Xie were simply honest people.
After Chang Feng interrogated Yan Xiaoqi, he came to Emperor Zhengde and reported the results of the interrogation to Emperor Zhengde.
Emperor Zhengde took a breath after hearing this: "Except for Zhang Yong, the seven Liu Jin people actually committed 830 illegal things? One person did more than a hundred? Is this a frame-up?"
Chang Feng smiled awkwardly: "I'm afraid. Most of it is true."
The Eight Tigers were actually no cleaner than the civilian clique. The biggest difference between the two is that the Eight Tigers listened to Emperor Zhengde.
Emperor Zhengde was a young emperor with a lively mind. The little abacus in my heart is crackling: Let’s raise a New Year pig! First support the Eight Tigers and fatten them up. After getting fat, kill and eat meat. If I attack the Tatars in the north, I will have enough military expenses to seal the wolf and stay in Xu. You can also earn a wise and wise reputation and get rid of the good reputation of treacherous officials.
This idea seems a bit clever. It's a pity that if the emperor plays such clever tricks, he is destined to never become a truly wise king. To hold on to death is to the level of a third-rate time-travel author from later generations.
Emperor Hongwu may have been murderous. But from the time he ascended the throne to his death, he always adhered to the belief that "no evil will be tolerated."
Therefore, Emperor Hongwu was a wise king.
The civil servants were corrupted one after another, and I, Zhu Yuanzhang, killed one after another, killing a whole group of people in one go. Maybe I, Zhu Yuanzhang, can't win, but at least I have been working hard all my life to make this dynasty more clear.
I've tried my best.
Zhu Yuanzhang is worthy of the four words "Emperor Hongwu".
Emperor Zhengde broke the silence in the Leopard Room: "If only one of the Eight Tigers and Liu and Xie can survive, I hope to keep the Eight Tigers."
Chang Feng cupped his hands and said, "I obey your order."
Chang Feng left Bao Fang, returned to his mansion, and summoned Qian Ning and others to discuss matters.
Chang Feng said: "Immediately keep an eye on Fourth Young Master Xie. Within twelve hours, I want Fourth Young Master Xie to appear at the Foreign Office of Jinyiwei."
Waisi is what later generations call the "safe house".
Qian Ning said: "Are you arresting him openly on the charge of assassinating the salt case criminal? Or are you kidnapping him secretly?"
Chang Feng said: "Apprehending the Fourth Young Master in a grand manner will alert the enemy. The civil servants may 'get rid of the tiger' in advance. It's still the old method of our Jin Yiwei, kidnapping."
Assassination, kidnapping, framing, eavesdropping, and memory restoration are the five traditional arts of Jin Yiwei.
The shady spy agencies are all of the same origin. The CIA, Mossad, and MI6 of later generations are also best at these five major arts.
The only difference is that later spy agencies relied on technological equipment to eavesdrop. Jinyiwei relied on human ears to eavesdrop.
Big guy Shi Wenyi is a timid person. He said: "It seems that I kidnapped the young master of the Cabinet member's family"
Chang Feng stared at Shi Wenyi. He thought to himself: Shi Wenyi is still too honest. No progress has been made in so many years.
Chang Feng asked Shi Wenyi: "What is the official position of Mr. Xie?"
Shi Wenyi replied: "From the experience of the fifth-grade Zuojun Commandery."
Chang Feng asked again: "What is this official position for?"
Shi Wenyi replied again: "Dian Cashier Na Wenyi."
Chang Feng gave a solution: "The cabinet is suppressing the military pay in Liaodong for ten days. The Qiu Ba group in Liaodong sent people to Beijing to collect pay."
"They didn't dare to go to the cabinet or the Ministry of War to make trouble. They went to the left army governor's house, which had no real power, to make trouble."
"Xie Si is the son of a cabinet minister, and he has experience in the governor's office. If the Qiu Ba from Liaodong were bold enough to kidnap Xie Si to vent their anger, wouldn't it be reasonable?"
Shi Wenyi gave a thumbs up: "High, really high!"
Qian Ning said: "Master Chang, I'm going to find some sets of mandarin duck war jackets from the border army and let our robes pretend to be the border army."
Chang Feng took a sip of tea: "Remember, I can't teach you for a lifetime. One day you will have to be on your own. You must learn to draw inferences from one example."
Shi Wenyi nodded in agreement.
Qian Ning felt a little disappointed: I have become the commander of the Royal Guards, am I not alone? Alas, with Chang Shuai here, I can only be the second shopkeeper in this life.
Everyone dispersed, it was almost evening. Chang Feng had been busy all day and had not even eaten lunch. He was already starving.
Madam Ninth walked in.
Chang Feng asked: "What do you want to eat tonight?"
Madam Ninth replied: "Beef buns."
The Ming Dynasty strictly prohibited the killing and eating of cattle. This is written in the "Ming Dynasty Code": "Slaughtering cattle without permission and a horse stick of one hundred, and knowingly selling cattle will be punished. Both the slaughterer and the eater will be punished."
However, during the Qin, Han, Tang, Song, Yuan and Ming dynasties, laws were used to restrain the poor. The powerful can always find 10,000 ways to exploit loopholes in the law, and no one will hold them accountable if they do.
There is a butcher shop in Beicheng that specializes in supplying beef to the powerful. The big boss is Qian Neng, and recently two uncles of the Zhang family also bought shares.
Sick cows and cows that have died of old age can be slaughtered. It is not illegal for me to kill sick or dead cows and sell their meat.
Chang Feng said: "Let's go to the dining room."
Chang Ponu and You Jingwu have not returned to Beijing yet. Li Ping'er returned to her parents' home to raise her baby.
Of the originally large family, only Chang Feng, Liu Xiaoyan, Ninth Madam, and Yan Jiao were left, and it seemed a lot more deserted.
Chang Feng picked up a steaming beef bun and took a bite, his mouth full of oil: "It smells good, it smells really good."
Liu Xiaoyan peeled two cloves of garlic for Chang Feng.
The aristocratic families of the Ming Dynasty did not eat garlic. Chang Feng is addicted to garlic. After all, he comes from a poor family. There is no garlic in the buns, so the flavor is reduced by half.
Chang Feng asked Yan Jiao while eating, "Has there been any letter from your elder brother recently? Is his illness getting better?"
Yan Jiao replied: "To return to my father-in-law. My eldest brother just received a letter from Fenyi, Jiangxi Province the day before yesterday. He said that things are getting better."
Chang Feng said: "Jiang Bin gave me two pairs of bear bile a few days ago. Bear bile has the effects of clearing heat, detoxifying, calming the liver and improving eyesight. I'll ask someone to send them to Fenyi."
Jiang Bin now regards Chang Feng as his backer. Every now and then, he would send expensive specialties from Jiubian to Chang Mansion.
Yan Jiao said: "My daughter-in-law thanked my father-in-law on behalf of my eldest brother."
Liu Xiaoyan said: "Oh, by the way, today I went to visit Ping'er at my in-laws' mansion. When I passed by my in-laws' study, I saw many officials in casual clothes lining up to see her."
Chang Feng asked: "Oh? Since they are wearing civilian clothes, how do you know they are officials?"
Liu Xiaoyan replied: "I have been the wife of Mr. Chang of Jinyiwei for twenty years, and I have seen many people in the officialdom. I can smell their official smell just by my nose."
Chang Feng smiled and said: "You can keep up with Hu Zi twenty years ago."
Joking is joking. Liu Xiaoyan's words attracted Chang Feng's attention.
He secretly thought: Li Dongyang must have smelled the decisive battle between Liu and Xie and the Eight Tigers. He bet that the Eight Tigers would win. Therefore, before the decisive battle, he was busy winning over a group of civil servants. Waiting for the defeat of Liu and Xie, he could lead a whole team to succeed him as chief minister and become the prime minister of the Ming Dynasty.
The next morning, Chang Feng was about to go to the morning court.
Qian Ning, Shi Wenyi and others were already waiting at the door of the house.
Qian Ning said: "Master Chang Shuai, something is not good. Xie Gen is missing. We can't find any trace of him at all."
Chang Feng frowned: "What?"
Mr. Xie is the clue to find the tiger crime box. If the clues are interrupted, things will be difficult to handle.
Chang Feng told his servant: "Go to the imperial censor outside the imperial gate and ask for a sick leave for me. Just say that I caught a cold."
Officials of the Ming Dynasty had to punch in and take roll call in the morning, just like later generations when they went to work. The person responsible for punching in and calling the names was the Supervisory Censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate.
Then Chang Feng threw the wat board to another servant and ordered everyone: "Come into my house to discuss matters."
Everyone entered the Changfu hall and sat down.
Chang Feng asked: "Why did Xie Gen disappear?"
Qian Ning replied: "Our insider in the Zuo Army Governor's Mansion said that Xie Gen has not been to the Yamen on errands for seven days."
"There is also news from the hidden pile in Xie's mansion. I haven't seen Xie Gen in the mansion for seven days."
Shi Wenyi thought he was smart: "Could he really be kidnapped by the group of Qiu Ba sent by Liaodong to Beijing?"
Chang Feng waved his hand: "No. If Xie Gen was kidnapped, Xie Qian would have ordered the Superintendent to turn the capital upside down. The Superintendent has been calm these days."
"If I guess correctly, Xie Gen should be secretly guarding the tiger crime box."
"According to what Yan Xiaoqi said. The so-called six tiger crime boxes should be six secret places. More than 800 incriminating documents, testimonies and more than 200 witnesses are stored there."
"Our eyes and ears are everywhere in the capital. I guess the tiger crime box is not in the capital. It is in the suburbs of Beijing."
"Immediately let the eyes and ears of Daxing, Wanping, Changping, Liangxiang, Fangshan and other counties investigate."
Qian Ning raised his hand and said, "Yes."
Chang Feng added: "The matter is urgent. We cannot rely solely on the eyes and ears of the counties in the suburbs of Beijing to get information."
"We have to think of a way to make Xie Gen show up honestly."
When Liu Xiaoyan came in to deliver tea, she overheard what Chang Feng said.
Liu Xiaoyan said: "I have a way."
Chang Feng was stunned and glanced at Liu Xiaoyan: "Do you have any idea?"
Liu Xiaoyan said: "The Fourth Young Master Xie fell in love with a thin man named Haitang from Tanchun Pavilion. He paid a sky-high price of 10,000 taels to redeem her. He settled her in the West Xiaojing Hutong in Beicheng as a foreign residence. It is said that Haitang is pregnant. .It’s been three months.”
The circle of ladies in the capital is actually no different from the alliance of aunties in the village. They know everything.
Liu Xiaoyan added: "Fourth Young Master Xie loves this girl Haitang very much. If she suffers from any sudden illness, I think Fourth Young Master Xie will definitely show up."
Chang Feng blurted out: "Three months pregnant? If she miscarried, I wouldn't believe Xie Gen didn't show up."
Liu Xiaoyan's expression changed when she heard this: "Amitabha, you must not do such a thing that hurts your morality! Don't forget, your daughter-in-law is also pregnant!"
Chang Feng said: "Women should not interfere in matters that concern men in the court. Get out."
Liu Xiaoyan was a little worried: "Give your descendants some virtue!"
Chang Feng shouted: "Get out!"
Liu Xiaoyan had no choice but to leave the hall.
Qian Ning said: "I'll make arrangements right away. Isn't it just a matter of putting some abortion pills in a thin horse's food?"
Shi Wenyi agreed: "That's right. When Xie Qian fails, the Xie family will probably be slaughtered by the eight father-in-laws! That scoundrel will die sooner or later. A stillbirth is the same as death."
Chang Feng said: "Let's think about this matter carefully. Killing a fetus in the belly is indeed too harmful to one's moral integrity."
At noon the next day, Xixiaojing Hutong in the north of the city.
Fifteen-year-old Shou Ma Haitang had just woken up. Three months pregnant, she was extremely satisfied.
Originally, her origin determined that she would never be able to walk into the Xie family openly and become the Xie family's aunt in this life.
Even if Fourth Young Master Xie loved her, he could not give her a status.
However, the child in her belly gave her hope. The Fourth Young Master Xie only has three daughters. It would be very different if she gave birth to a son.
Perhaps her husband Xie Qian would relent and allow Fourth Young Master Xie to give her the title of concubine.
Haitang changed her clothes and touched her belly.
A woman is three months pregnant and does not show her belly.
But Haitang seemed to feel the new life being born in her belly. She said to herself: "You must live up to your expectations, you are a boy."
Xie Gen arranged for Haitang to have a maid named Ying'er. This Ying'er looks about twelve or thirteen years old, with thick hands and feet.
Ying'er walked into the bedroom and asked Haitang: "Miss, are you getting up? Lunch has been prepared. Can I bring it in for you?"
Haitang nodded slightly.
Not long after, Ying'er placed the food on the Eight Immortals table in Haitang's bedroom.
Steamed sea bass, stir-fried beef, tofu and chicken soup, stir-fried wild rice, and Jiangnan tribute rice are all delicious and delicious. Begonia feasted happily. She eats more for the sake of the child in her belly.
After finishing the meal, Haitang was ready to go out and visit the rouge and gouache shop. Come and pass the time. Secondly, the doctor told her to move around more, which would be good for the child.
As soon as she walked out of the bedroom, she heard Ying'er shouting: "Oh my god, there is a big rat in the yard! It's so big!"
After saying that, Ying'er rushed towards Haitang and bumped into Haitang.
Although Ying'er is two years younger than Haitang, she is a full head taller than her. He directly knocked Haitang down and pinned him down.
Haitang was hit so hard that stars flashed out of her eyes. After a long time, Ying'er pulled her up and said, "Girl, I deserve to die. I saw the mouse was frightened and hit you without my eyesight."
Haitang scolded: "When the Fourth Young Master comes back, I will let him skin you."
Ying'er said repeatedly: "Girl, please spare me."
Suddenly, Ying'er's eyes widened, and then she shouted loudly: "Ah! This is terrible! Girl, you're red! Did you slip the tire?"
Haitang looked down and saw a bright red patch on her embroidered pants.
She suddenly felt like the sky was falling apart. If she had a miscarriage, her hope of entering the Xie family would be dashed.
In fact, the blood on the embroidered pants was not her fetal blood.
Just now, Ying'er took advantage of Haitang being pressed under her and squeezed open a fish bladder filled with chicken blood.
The blood was just chicken blood.
Haitang's voice trembled as she said, "Quick, go and call a doctor."
Ying'er knelt on the ground and kept kowtowing: "Girl, I was wrong. I deserve death."
Haitang scolded: "What's the use of talking about this now? Go call the doctor!"
Haitang was only fifteen and pregnant for the first time. She didn't understand anything and couldn't tell whether the embroidered pants were chicken blood or fetal blood.
In despair, she sat blankly on the threshold, her eyebrows furrowed and her tears falling to the ground.
Not long after, Ying'er led a doctor to Haitang.
The doctor's name is Yang Henian. He is a famous gynecologist in Beicheng. Fourth Young Master Xie spent a lot of money to have Yang Henian on call to help Haitang have her baby.
Yang Henian saw Haitang on the threshold: "Miss Haitang, it's really unlucky that your mother opened the door for me, it's so unlucky! I'm only three months pregnant, why are you so popular?"
Haitang wiped her tears, pointed at Ying'er, and cursed fiercely: "It's not this little bitch! She knocked me upside down."
After a while, Haitang looked at Yang Henian as if looking at a life-saving straw: "Mr. Yang, please save my child."
Yang Henian told Ying'er: "Hurry and help Miss Haitang into the room. I'll check her pulse."
(End of chapter)
