Chapter 187: Hai Rui

At the end of the eighth lunar month, the northern land was already a vast expanse of golden wheat fields.

The scorching sun burned, and the earth was cracked, as hard as iron blocks. A gust of hot wind swept by, sending dust flying.

Mixed within it were the faint, raw scent of soil and the smell of dried livestock manure.

The sky was cloudless, and the azure vault tilted its venomous sunlight down at will.

In the wheat fields beneath the dome, farmers with dark skin and naked torsos sweated, shouting work chants as they busied themselves in the fields.

Women brought tea and meals, while children ran wild through the fields.

Sounds of play and laughter echoed across the wilderness.

On a dirt road thirty li outside Qufu, a dilapidated donkey cart moved slowly.

An elderly man with graying hair, a lean build, a beard, and a dignified expression sat upright in the back of the donkey cart.

He closed his eyes to rest his mind.

In front, the servant driving the cart cracked the whip in his hand, looking back from time to time to remind him: "Master, this sun is truly venomous. Why don't we find a place nearby to rest a while before moving on?"

"That will do." The old man nodded.

The servant driving the cart pulled the donkey cart to a simple melon shed by the side of the road.

Seeing that the travelers were covered in the dust of their journey, the owner of the melon shed hurriedly invited the two to sit in the cool shed, took out a watermelon, sliced it, and brought it before them.

At the same time, he fanned himself with a cattail fan and asked with a smile: "In this sweltering heat, where are you two headed?"

"My master and I are going to Qufu County." The coachman smiled at the owner, then picked up a piece of watermelon and handed it to the lean old man, "Master, please taste this piece of watermelon first."

The old man took it and brought it to his mouth to eat.

The melon shed owner on the side was also a man of wide experience.

He saw that although the master and servant were dressed plainly, the servant strictly observed etiquette, and the master had a dignified, extraordinary air.

Thus, his attitude became increasingly respectful.

Grinning, the melon shed owner praised: "I see this old gentleman has an extraordinary air and must be a man of great learning. Today, I have truly met a noble person here."

The servant looked proud and was about to speak.

The lean old man beside him stopped him with a shout, then pointed at the golden wheat fields outside the shed and sighed: "The harvest is good this year. The commoners here should be able to have a prosperous year."

"Old gentleman, you are from out of town, aren't you?" The melon shed owner shook his head and asked with a smile.

"So what if we are from out of town?" the servant on the side asked back.

"Then that is no surprise." The melon shed owner smiled, stood up, walked outside the cool shed, and pointed from left to right, "From there to there, this large piece of land all belongs to the Kong Family."

As he spoke, he pointed to a dirt slope and said: "Look, only that piece on the hillside belongs to us common folk."

"Then what do these commoners do?" the old man asked.

"They are all tenant farmers of the Kong Family, relying on helping the Kong Family with chores during the busy farming season to make a living." Seeing the old man pressing for answers, the melon shed owner pursed his lips and blurted out, "Now, more than half of the land in Qufu belongs to the Kong Family."

The servant's mouth twitched, and he turned his head to look at the old man.

At this moment, the old man's face was as gloomy as water, and it seemed as if flames were surging in his eyes.

The old man was none other than Hai Rui, who had just received his transfer order.

It was said that when the transfer order from Zhang Juzheng arrived, it was accompanied by a letter denouncing the Kong Family for their extortion and oppression of the people.

Hai Rui thought of how little time he had left, and furthermore, he hated evil with a passion.

He could not stand such things at all. So, without a second thought, he set off from Nanjing immediately after receiving the order. Originally, he was supposed to go to Beijing to resume his post first, but since he had to pass through Shandong, he decided to come to Qufu first to investigate the situation.

Upon entering Qufu.

He saw wheat fields like waves and heard the sound of reading like a tide.

At first, he was truly awed by the prosperity and scholarly atmosphere of Qufu, secretly sighing: What a land of Confucius! But now, after hearing what the melon shed owner said.

Hai Rui felt his chest filled with rage, wishing he could rush to the Kong residence right now to demand an explanation.

"The Kong Family occupies so much land; does the imperial court not care?" Suppressing his emotions, Hai Rui asked cautiously.

"Hahaha, care? With what would they care?" The melon shed owner turned his body to look at Hai Rui, as if he had heard some funny joke, "The Qufu County Magistrate is a clansman of the Kong Family, and further up, most of the officials in Shandong also have old ties with the Kong Family."

"This matter cannot be managed."

Hai Rui then thought of another powerful family.

The Songjiang Xu Family also owned quite a bit of land, but because they had the protection of the Grand Secretary, no one dared to provoke the Xu Family. Thinking of this, Hai Rui suddenly felt a sense of powerlessness.

In this world, it was ultimately the world of the powerful.

But soon he pulled himself together again; the world was too big, and he could not manage it all.

But as long as he encountered it, he would definitely manage it! The sky suddenly darkened, and a refreshing summer breeze mixed with the scent of wheat blew past. Hai Rui steeled his spirit, ordered the coachman to leave some silver, and set off on the road again.

Qufu County.

Inside the office of the County Government Office, a middle-aged man wearing an official robe stood respectfully in the main hall. In the seat of honor sat an old man of about fifty, broad-shouldered and fat, with a fair complexion.

That was the contemporary Duke Yansheng, Kong Shangxian.

As for that official, he was the Qufu County Magistrate, Kong Lin.

Do not think that Kong Lin was the "father and mother official" in the eyes of the Qufu commoners; in front of this Duke Yansheng, he was not even worth five pounds including his bones.

At this time, he was fawning, bowing as he reported matters one by one to Kong Shangxian: "Uncle, there has been little rain this year, and the wheat is growing delightfully. Plus the maritime trade business, this year our family will take in at least two hundred thousand taels of silver."

Kong Shangxian nodded slightly and emphasized: "When you do things, be quick. Matters in Qufu should be resolved within Qufu itself; do not let those commoners run to Beijing."

"Uncle, rest assured. I have already sent people to guard all the borders of Qufu. Without a travel permit, they cannot leave Qufu." Kong Lin smiled, a trace of venom suddenly appearing in his triangular eyes, "Besides, even if they reached Beijing, so what?"

"At most, they would just beat a few of your servants to death."

Even if the matter were exposed, it would just be the corruption of the servants below; what did it have to do with leaders like them? This was also why Kong Lin was so fearless and did not bother to hide his greed.

Kong Shangxian, however, did not look at it as he did.

First, Hai Rui was appointed as the Right Vice Minister of Justice, and second, the Grand Secretary was reforming the Imperial Examination.

These two matters seemed different, but Kong Shangxian vaguely felt that there was some connection between them.

He was not without eyes and ears in the capital, but recently, even these eyes and ears could not grasp the intentions of the Senior Grand Secretary.

This made Kong Shangxian increasingly nervous.

He had a distinct feeling that the storm was about to break, yet he did not know from where this crisis would come.

After much deliberation, his white eyebrows knitted into a tight knot, and he reminded Kong Lin in a stiff tone, "Be careful; this Senior Grand Secretary's methods are formidable, and every move he makes is a lethal strike."

"Uncle is right to lecture me, Uncle is right to lecture me." Kong Lin nodded repeatedly in agreement, though he was dismissive in his heart.

(End of this chapter)