Chapter 204

"Shall we go to the criminal's home and take a look?"

"Yes."

"Then should we bring a few soldiers?"

Hai Rui shook his head and clasped his hands, saying,

"I, Hai, rely on a clear conscience; why would I need soldiers to accompany me?"

Wang Bengu said no more.

He immediately followed Hai Rui back to the guardhouse and found the ledger seized just last night.

In less than half an hour, they had arrived at the homes of several commoners outside Yu Hang who had secretly conspired with Wang Zhi.

Hai Rui and Wang Bengu entered the village.

After a little inquiry, they found the household they wished to visit in this village.

It was, however, easy to find.

Among the rows of thatched huts, locating a half-built house of green bricks and tiles was a simple matter.

Seeing this scene, Wang Bengu and Hai Rui immediately furrowed their brows.

With a heavy expression, Hai Rui stepped forward.

Looking at the old woman in the courtyard, he bowed and said,

"Old lady, may you spare us a bowl of water to drink?"

The old woman had been staring blankly at her own green-brick, tiled house.

Hearing Hai Rui's voice, she finally came to her senses.

"Ah? Just wait a moment; I will go get it for you."

Before long, the old woman walked out slowly, carrying two large bowls of clear water.

"Come, there is nothing else in the house, but water is certainly plentiful enough."

Hai Rui lifted the enamel bowl and drained the water in one gulp.

Then, wiping his mouth, he looked at the green-brick, tiled house in the courtyard with surprise and asked,

"Old lady, what is the matter with this courtyard? Why was the construction stopped halfway?"

The old woman let out a long sigh and said helplessly,

"Don't mention it... Alas."

Hai Rui looked at the old woman with a puzzled expression, his heart filled with countless doubts.

"Old lady, what exactly is going on?"

The old woman, as if she had not spoken to anyone in a long time, looked at Hai Rui and sighed helplessly, saying,

"Seeing that you two are literate, do you know about Wang Zhi, who was beheaded in Fucheng a few days ago?"

Hai Rui and Wang Bengu exchanged a glance, then replied with feigned hesitation,

"We know. Old lady, does your house have something to do with Wang Zhi?"

"I heard he was a Japanese pirate."

The old woman raised her head, looked at the half-built house before her, and sighed,

"He was a Japanese pirate, but what could we do? You can see it yourselves; the village has only these few mu of land; the children must find a way to survive!"

The old woman let out a long sigh, sat down helplessly on a chair, and said mournfully,

"To be honest, but there is no longer any need to hide it; my son was under Wang Zhi."

"Originally, Wang Zhi had promised them that once they went ashore this time, their crimes would be pardoned, allowing them to return home and live in peace."

"That was when he gave me silver, so I could hire people to build these two tiled rooms."

"Who would have thought that this my lord Wang would simply execute Wang Zhi like that."

"My son does not know where he has run off to; without the silver for the tiled house, construction could not continue."

"We just want to live our lives in peace!"

According to the accounts, this old woman had three sons, all of whom were secretly supplying Wang Zhi.

Seeing the old woman's plight, Hai Rui raised his head and looked around.

Meanwhile, Wang Bengu looked at the old woman in disbelief and said,

"But, but Wang Zhi led Japanese pirates to invade multiple times; were not the casualties also the common people of Liangzhe?"

Hearing this, the old woman immediately spoke angrily,

"What do you mean by 'killing people'?"

"Was it not after the court sent that so-called censor Zhu Wan to patrol the seas that the Japanese pirates started causing trouble?"

"At the beginning, those who sailed the seas hardly had the courage to kill anyone."

"They were just doing some trade to make a living."

"When the court forbade them from making a living this way, and with no land at home, they had to find a way to survive!"

The old woman's words left Wang Bengu stunned in place.

From Zheng He's voyages to the Western Oceans up to the reign of Jiajing and Zhu Wan's sea patrol, local gazetteers across the southeast recorded Japanese pirate raids a total of twenty-six times.

After Zhu Wan's sea patrol,

the number of Japanese pirates in the southeast skyrocketed, and the frequency of raids surged by over six hundred and twenty times!

And Zhu Wan's sea patrol,

marked the beginning of the game between Jiajing and the great families of the southeast.

"The pirates began with Wan" had already become the consensus among the people of the southeast.

Hearing the old woman's words.

Wang Da stood frozen in place.

Only at this moment.

Did Wang Bengu vaguely realize that perhaps he had done wrong by executing Wang Zhi.

Regardless.

Wang Bengu was now wavering.

He did not know whether what he had done was right or wrong.

But the sage texts he had studied since childhood told him that his actions had harmed the common people.

He was a sinner!

Hai Rui and Wang Bengu bid farewell to the old woman.

They then visited several people accused of "colluding with Japanese pirates" in the outskirts of Yu Hang.

That night.

When Wang Bengu and Hai Rui returned to Hu Zongxian's Zongduya Sect.

Wang Bengu's emotions were already on the verge of collapse.

What he had done.

Was it truly right?

"My Lord Hai, you, I, this... when this official beheaded Wang Zhi, I did not know matters were like this!"

"I have sinned against the people of the two Zhejiang provinces!"

Looking at Wang Bengu, Hai Rui could not help but sigh deeply and say.

"Since matters have come to this, the most urgent thing for you and me now is to stop making things worse by perpetuating this error."

"We must immediately submit a memorial to Your Majesty; lifting the maritime ban is the only way to break the deadlock and treat the symptoms!"

Wang Bengu stamped his foot fiercely.

"If it was wrong, then it was wrong. I shall now petition the Son of Heaven for forgiveness. My Lord Hai, are you willing to co-sign the memorial with me, Wang?"

Hearing this, Hai Rui burst out laughing.

"What does Hai have to fear!"

"Pity there is no wine here; otherwise, Hai would certainly share a large cup with My Lord Wang!"

At that very moment, Hu Zongxian happened to walk into the Zongduya Sect, looking at Hai Rui and Wang Bengu with confusion as he asked.

"Oh? You two Imperial Commissioners are in such high spirits, planning to drink heartily; I assume the case has yielded significant results?"

Hai Rui nodded slightly and said.

"My Lord Hu Butang, the two of us have already found the crux of this case."

Hu Zongxian looked at Hai Rui with feigned surprise and asked.