Pull out the censor's teeth.
Zhao Yihui was shocked. How could anyone in the world dare to be so arrogant as to pull out the censor's teeth?
What a joke!
Even the emperor cannot easily punish the censor. This is an official. Punishing the censor is equivalent to closing the way of speech. If even Yanguan didn't dare to speak loudly, then this country would be in darkness!
Even Dukes and Counts would not dare to offend Yanguan easily, let alone say shocking things like pulling out teeth!
"Tell me, who are you?"
Gu Zhengchen asked again.
Zhao Yihui picked up the bowl of soup, took a big sip, and said in a deep voice: "Are you really a man from Quanzhou County?"
"Who dares to talk nonsense about the title?"
Gu Zhengchen said calmly.
Zhao Yihui laughed out loud: "It seems that you have also offended a big shot, a big shot who wants your life. Last year, you were granted the title of male from Quanzhou County. You are still alive this year. You are quite capable."
Gu Zhengchen frowned: "What do you mean?"
Zhao Yihui broke off a little bit of the black cornstarch and threw it into the soup: "Are you from Quanzhou?"
"no."
"Then you have never thought about why the imperial court would give you the title of male from Quanzhou County instead of other places? There are more than a thousand counties in Mingzhou, so where should you choose?"
Gu Zhengchen stared deeply in thought.
County Prince is a title, but why is Quanzhou crowned on his head?
At present, this is Zhongshu's suggestion. As for why Zhongshu chose Quanzhou, no one has told him, not even Zhu Biao.
Zhao Yihui glanced at Gu Zhengchen and lowered his head to deal with the steamed buns in the bowl: "I don't know what other people think. I only know one thing. If you go to Quanzhou, you will definitely die!"
The five soldiers were horrified.
Gu Zhengchen frowned, then relaxed: "Why are you so sure?"
Zhao Yihui smiled coldly and said: "Because I am the prefect of the Quanzhou Shipping Department and an official who has committed a capital crime! Just because I don't want to be complicit and collude with those people! So, I must die!" "
"The prerequisite for Quanzhou Shipping Division?"
Gu Zhengchen stood up, his heart suddenly sinking.
Zhao Yihui still wanted to speak, but Gu Zhengchen waved his hand: "Stop talking, let me think!"
Gu Zhengchen kept pacing in the cell, his expression becoming very serious.
A man from Quanzhou County met the prefect of Quanzhou City in a dungeon. Is this a coincidence?
Gu Zhengchen doesn't really believe in such coincidences. Things in the political arena rarely happen by chance. Most of them are arranged and set!
Why did Lao Zhu send himself to the dungeon?
Gu Zhengchen can be sure that Lao Zhu will never kill him until the Far Fire Bureau builds advanced firearms that can restrain the cavalry. He is an emperor who makes clear choices. He has a scale in his heart about what is important and what is not.
The important thing is that he will not kill, even if that person has offended him or angered him, such as the current censor Han Yike, or Jie Jin who has not yet appeared. He had not offended Lao Zhu, he was sitting upright and his hands were clean. With only a few words from the censor and other officials, there was no need to lock him in the dungeon.
But unfortunately, he entered the dungeon!
Could it be said that Lao Zhu was deliberately pushing the boat along, taking advantage of the trend and arranging himself here?
So what is his purpose?
Gu Zhengchen stopped and turned his attention to Quanzhou City Shipping Secretary Preliminary. His face was extremely ugly and he asked: "When I met you, I had a feeling that I must go to Quanzhou."
Zhao Yihui sneered: "Are you going to Quanzhou? No, this is a dungeon. You can only go to Jiuquan, not Quanzhou far away."
Gu Zhengchen walked towards Zhao Yihui and asked sternly: "Who are you, what crime have you committed, and who are the people you say are complicit?"
Zhao Yihui raised his head, looked at Gu Zhengchen, and shook his head helplessly: "So what if I tell you, can you still believe me? My hands are stained with murderous blood, and no one believes that I am innocent! I am waiting in this dungeon. In the past year and six months, the officials of the Ministry of Justice have changed several times, but no one believes that I am innocent! Last year's autumn showdown, I was not hooked by His Majesty, and this year's autumn showdown, I am afraid that I will catch up. I just don't know, Are you and I traveling together?”
Gu Zhengchen did not dislike the stench of Zhao Yihui's body, and sat directly next to him, leaning against the wall: "If you want to go to the execution ground, you don't have to wait for me to go with you. I won't die here. Tell me, do you know? What?"
"My name is Zhao Yihui, from Kaifeng. In August of the fifth year of Hongwu, I took over the post of Quanzhou Shipping Secretary. I was responsible for receiving envoys from Ryukyu and Occupy, and was responsible for arranging envoys to conduct simple trade, dispatching personnel, and protecting them. Enter Jinling..."
Zhao Yihui recalled.
Gu Zhengchen listened carefully.
Zhao Yihui lamented: "There is a lot of oil and water in the tribute trade. Whether it is the court's policy of giving or receiving favors, the goods carried by the envoys and their entourage, or even the ships escorting the envoys out to sea, there are various ways to make money. The Department of Ships and Ships is very prosperous, but in the report to the court every year, it suffers a huge deficit!"
Gu Zhengchen nodded slightly.
The Shipping Department was a key node in foreign trade, similar to the customs of later generations. Although trade with merchants from overseas countries had not developed since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, tribute trade was in full swing and continued year after year.
Due to the lack of trade by merchants, many overseas products were available in the Ming Dynasty and were valuable. For example, spices could be bought for salary. Regardless of whether they are ridiculous or not, at least it shows that spices are valuable and are certified by the government as valuable goods...
Just because it is valuable, it is basically the same as football:
There is countless corruption and billions in debt.
The deficit belongs to the court, and the hole belongs to the court, but the money goes into his own pocket, and it is a lot of money. With this money, the officials of the Shipping Department can also eat sea cucumbers every day.
Even if the tribute trade is small, the Shipping Department should not be in debt. Even if it does not collect taxes, it can make a large profit by buying the envoy's spices, becoming a second-hand dealer, and reselling them to merchants.
"The problem of the Municipal Shipping Department is very serious. I checked the accounts and found that the accounts are handled very delicately. The losses are incurred every year, and the losses increase every year. That's all. The Municipal Shipping Department actually supported a group of ships and used them to escort the envoys' ships. In the name of business, he is actually doing business! Such a blatant violation of the imperial ban, conducting overseas trade, smuggling for profit, but not even a penny entered the accounts of the Shipping Department!"
"I want to find out who is behind this, who allowed the ship to return to the sea without authorization, and who is dividing up the huge profits! Haha, the water here is too deep, bottomless! I just can't As soon as I made some moves, I was warned, someone became a lobbyist, someone sent me gold and silver, someone handed me a knife!"
Gu Zhengchen was lost in thought when he saw that Zhao Yihui was silent and asked, "What happened next?"
Zhao Yihui said bitterly: "Later, when I boarded the ship for inspection, I picked up a bloody knife, and then I saw the officials who were killed on the ship..."
Gu Zhengchen's lips moved slightly: "Needless to say, an official must have happened to show up and saw this scene. So, you killed someone."
Zhao Yihui closed his eyes and his hands trembled slightly: "The evidence is conclusive. No matter how much I say, it is just a desperate struggle and malicious frame-up. It will not be accepted."
The person did not kill by himself, but he was responsible for the crime.
"You didn't complain?"
Wu Rong spoke.
Zhao Yihui opened his eyes just a slit and said to Wu Rong: "Just try to complain here. Who will care about you?"
Gu Zhengchen rubbed his brows and said in a deep voice: "Let me think about it, who is the official who saw you committing the crime? The official of Quanzhou Prefecture?"
"no."
"Is he the general judge of the Quanzhou prefect?"
"no."
"Could it be Tongzhi?"
Gu Zhengchen looked at Zhao Yihui, who was shaking his head, and his face turned ugly: "Prefect?!"
Zhao Yihui sighed deeply: "Not only the prefect Chang Xing, but also the Quanzhou Guard commander Zhou Yuan and the supervising censor Yan Dui!"
"Yan Duo?"
Wu Rong opened his mouth wide and looked at Gu Zhengchen.
Zhao Yihui stared: "Do you know Yan Rui?"
Gu Zhengchen shrugged: "It seems that it is not unfair to pull out his teeth."
Zhao Yihui was shocked: "You really pulled out Yan Bu's teeth. He is the supervisory censor, supervising on behalf of the emperor. You..."
Gu Zhengchen smiled and said: "I am reduced to the dungeon, and I am afraid that the hatred of this tooth is also involved. Yushitai hates me to the core, especially Chen Ning. He has repeatedly tried to kill me, but his branding iron wants to burn me. It’s not easy.”
Zhao Yihui found that he couldn't see through the person in front of him at all. He was young, but he had already received a title. The other person was in prison, but he was surprisingly safe. He seemed to be wise, but he was so arrogant that even the censor dared to beat.
Gu Zhengchen had a headache.
The direction of things is somewhat clear. If this is a coincidence, it is purely due to overthinking.
If this is not a coincidence but Lao Zhu's arrangement, it means that there is a big problem in Quanzhou Mansion, and these problems may threaten the court's direct control over Quanzhou Mansion.
In other words, Quanzhou Prefecture is likely to have intricate roots and become a local force. They are attached to the imperial court and do things to suck the imperial court's blood. The imperial court sends ordinary officials there to either become their people or their dead.
Lao Zhu, my matter in Jurong is not over yet. The Yuanhuo Bureau is at a critical moment. At this time, you can’t choose who to go to Quanzhou Prefecture. For example, Han Yike, this guy is not afraid of death and has a tough life. There is no need to choose me to go. …
"somebody is coming!"
Wu Rong heard the movement and quickly put the shackles on Zhao Yihui.
It didn't take long.
Two figures appeared outside the prison, and with a gloomy laugh, the black clothes and hats were lifted up, revealing the face of a villain.
"Chen Ning?!"
Gu Zhengchen stared, but he didn't expect that he would appear here in person!
Chen Ning grinned ferociously and looked at Gu Zhengchen: "The crimes you have committed are enough for the court to skin you and cramp you. Gu Zhengchen, you really don't know how to be an official. If you have a next life, you must remember that being an official Those who need to follow the trend like me!"
Gu Zhengchen shook his head slightly and said bluntly: "Doctor Chen Yushi, is it really appropriate to say that you are a wallflower? Tell me, what are you doing here? You are not just chatting with me, right?"
Chen Ning burst out laughing: "His Majesty's decree is that tomorrow the Ministry of Punishment and the Yushitai will hold a trial. Gu Zhengchen, your end has come!"
