Chapter 1039: Both Solving Historical Legacy Issues and Continuing to Move Forward

In the first month of the twenty-second year of Wanli, the spring wind did not cross, and the cold wind remained.

Great Ming Emperor Zhu Yijun saw the memorial of Wang Jiaping and Wan Wenqing in the Tonghe Palace Imperial Study. Wang Jiaping's plan to build the Western Trade Alliance with black gold as the core commodity was completely submitted to the Emperor.

Generally speaking, it was a three-step approach.

The first step was to increase trade with the West, collect hydrology and geography, and complete the mapping of the entire West.

The Great Ming's map of the Pacific was already very clear, but the mapping of the West was still very blurry.

This was thanks to the rewards for sea charts set by the first Songjiang Viceroy Wang Daokun and Yingtian Viceroy Song Yangshan. The rewards for sea charts, needle charts, and star-pulling ocean-crossing charts had been going on for seventeen years since the fifth year of Wanli.

Each sea chart would receive a reward of 100 to 10,000 silver, and each island reef marked would receive a reward of 10,000 to 100,000 silver. If this island reef had fresh water, the reward would increase by 30,000 silver.

Coupled with the Great Ming's establishment of official drum towers for timekeeping, astronomical observatories for observing stars, etc., the Great Ming's mapping of the Pacific had become very precise.

However, the Great Ming's mapping of the West was still based on the sea charts, needle charts, and star-pulling ocean-crossing charts drawn by Zheng He in those years, which had seriously lagged behind the times and were not precise enough to be used for sea chart navigation.

Because there was no silver, Great Ming merchants rarely went to the West to pioneer.

Rewarding sea charts, establishing official drum towers and astronomical observatories in various viceroyalties and barbarian states, determining longitude and latitude, etc., perfected the Great Ming's understanding of Western hydrology and geography.

Only in this way could stable, safe, and valuable shipping routes be determined.

The second step was to re-establish the Hormuz Official Factory, the Mashiji Official Factory, the Calicut Official Factory, the Rongdimian Battalion Commander Office, the Aden Sea Guard, and the Dong'an, Xi'an, and Zhong'an three guards, etc., according to the Yongle old system, and send the Nanyang Navy to station there to protect the safety, free navigation, and free trade of Great Ming merchant ships.

Hormuz was in the Persian Gulf and was an important strait controlling the entry and exit of the Persian Gulf. Zheng He went to the West seven times, and the fourth, fifth, and seventh times all arrived at Hormuz, and established an official factory in Hormuz. Starting from Hormuz, he sent fleets to the Red Sea and East Africa.

For example, the Rongdimian Battalion Commander Office was in the Red Sea, located at the port of Berenice in Egypt, opposite the city of Arabia. Until the ninth year of Zhengtong, the Great Ming imperial court was appointing Rongdimian Battalion Commanders, and the "Collected Statutes" detailed that in the ninth year of Zhengtong, the imperial court entertained the Niluhan Governor from afar.

For example, the Calicut Official Factory was not far from Goa City in the Goa Viceroyalty. It was not until the Great Ming stopped going to the West that this place was gradually abandoned and finally replaced by the Portuguese.

These official factories, battalion commander offices, and sea guard offices were established in extremely clever places, which could project the Great Ming's naval power, expand the Great Ming's influence, and ensure that these overseas barbarian states and viceroyalties would not have disloyal hearts.

This whole set of systems almost copied the Yongle old system.

The third step was to establish viceroyalties directly under the Great Ming, such as the Jifu Viceroyalty, such as the Kingdom of Ceylon.

Ceylon had already submitted to the feet of the Goa Viceroyalty. Around the second year of Wanli, the King of Ceylon, who had been waiting for the Great Ming to come to the West again, launched a final attack, sending troops to Colombo, trying to drive away the Portuguese, but finally failed. The King was captured, and Ceylon converted to Catholicism.

The Great Ming ultimately wanted to establish a complete sphere of influence directly under the Great Ming's jurisdiction in the West, and continuously expand its influence to ensure free navigation and free trade.

Similar to the Great Ming establishing the Jinshan Kingdom in Jinshan City to deter the three viceroyalties in the Eastern Pacific, making them submit to the Great Ming's will.

Barbarians were like this, they couldn't understand human speech, and they would only be honest for a period of time after being beaten, and they would have to be beaten again after a period of time.

Wang Jiaping's plan was quite complete, proving that Guangzhou had been planning for many years, and it was by no means a temporary impulse. Even without the success of the Global Trade Alliance, they would still do so.

The Guangzhou Long-Distance Trade Firm was not weaker than the Songjiang Long-Distance Trade Firm at all. Guangzhou Prefecture also needed an opportunity to prove itself.

Zhu Yijun gave a vermilion comment to this memorial. If it could really be done, it would undoubtedly be icing on the cake for the Great Ming, and another shining achievement of the Wanli Reform.

The Great Ming had previously expanded the navy and increased the establishment of the Nanyang Navy. The Nanyang Navy had more than 60,000 soldiers. Such a large-scale navy needed a very sufficient reason to maintain it. Protecting the safety of the sea frontiers was a sufficient reason, but protecting the free navigation and trade of Great Ming merchant ships, this visible profit, could convince more people.

Of course, in Wang Jiaping's plan, there was also the Annam Kingdom, a relatively awkward historical legacy issue.

The Annam Kingdom was nominally a Great Ming territory, but its disloyal heart was obvious. The Great Ming had not had enough motivation to clean it up, but now that the Western Trade Alliance was about to be formed, it could not be kept.

Over the years, the exemption of customs duties for imported grain, not asking about the source of barbarian slaves, etc., these benevolent policies of Zhang Juzheng had caused great internal pressure in Annam now.

But completely different from the imperial court's expectation, the desperate commoners of Annam did not rise up to overthrow the rule of the four major families, but were lingering on their last breath.

This was the imperial court of the Great Ming measuring others by itself.

These four major families internally exploited grain and population, transporting them to the Great Ming's merchant ships. What they did was already causing heaven's anger and people's resentment, and had reached the point of being unrighteous. However, the rebellion in Annam was still sporadic and did not pose a substantial threat to the rule of the four major families.

This collective consensus of "punishing the unrighteous" was not so easy to establish. The Central Plains had also gone through thousands of years before it completely had such a consensus.

Annam, as a secondary civilization of China, had not established such a consensus. Its political struggle was still in the scope of aristocratic struggle. Each family was an in-law, and each family took turns sitting on the throne.

The endurance of these commoners in the Annam Kingdom exceeded the Great Ming's cognition. Exploited to this point, the Annam commoners actually stretched their necks to be slaughtered and waited for death obediently.

Understanding the situation in the Annam Kingdom, the plan given by Wang Jiaping was also simple: punish the disloyal.

Last time, the Guangzhou government collected all the IOUs from the commoners and asked the four major families of Annam to pay the debt. The four major families were dissatisfied in every way, but finally gathered the silver, leaving the Guangzhou government with no reason to get angry.

This time, the Viceroy of Liangguang, Liu Jiwen, and the Prefect of Guangzhou, Wan Wenqing, ordered the four major families to come to Guangzhou for a meeting.

This was a very reasonable request. Since the nineteenth year of Jiajing, the Annam Kingdom had been downgraded from a tributary state to the Annam Metropolitan Commandery, which was a nominal territory. There were thirteen pacification commissions, as well as official positions such as pacification, vice-prefect, deputy envoy, and assistant envoy, but they were under the management of the Annam Metropolitan Commandery.

Whether the four forces of Annam—South Mo, Later Le, Champa, and Longping—the Mo clan, Le clan, Zheng clan, and Ruan clan, dared to come to Guangzhou for a meeting depended on their courage.

The reason given by the Great Ming was very sufficient.

The Great Ming expressed serious concern about the chaos of the four parties and the continuous escalation of the situation. As the suzerain state, it had the heart of heaven and the virtue of loving life, and knew the root of benevolence from the holy will, strongly opposing the further escalation of the conflict, summoning the masters of all parties to regulate the contradictions of all parties, and promoting the restoration of stability and peace in the region, and jointly building a stable Nanyang.

The suzerain state mediating the contradictions and conflicts of tributary states and territories was the great righteousness. Otherwise, it was the dereliction of duty of the suzerain state.

If the four major families refused to come, they would be punished as disloyal like the Bozhou incident. If they were willing to come, but didn't give the Great Ming face, and continued to fight after talking, then the Great Ming would have sufficient reasons for strong intervention.

If the four major families attended the meeting and accepted the results of the mediation, the Great Ming would demand Da Nang as an important port for the Western Trade Alliance to ensure the stability of the Western Trade Alliance's operation.

To pioneer the West, Annam was a problem that had to be solved, just like the Great Ming's pioneering of Nanyang and the Pacific, it had to solve the Philippine Viceroyalty.

"I can't say for sure. Whether the officials in Guangzhou want to engage in this Western Trade Alliance or want to solve the historical burden of Annam." Zhu Yijun handed the vermilion-commented memorial to Li Yougong, a bit unable to judge the purpose of Wang Jiaping, Liu Jiwen, and Wan Wenqing.

Whether the Western Trade Alliance was the dish of vinegar, or Annam was the dish of vinegar.

"Maybe they want it all." Li Yougong gave his own view. If they could use the dumpling of the Western Trade Alliance to solve the Annam problem, Wang Jiaping's entry into the cabinet would be a nail in the coffin, and no one could stop it.

This historical legacy issue was like a thorn stuck in the throat of the Great Ming Dynasty, like a fishbone in the throat. If it wasn't solved, it was hard to say whether the Wanli Reform had really revived.

After all, in the difficult conditions of the Yongle years, it was done. Now that the Wanli Reform was at its peak, it couldn't be done, so the Wanli Reform had regrets and defects.

"Summon him to the Western Study tomorrow." Zhu Yijun thought for a while and decided to ask clearly in person.

"I obey the decree." Li Yougong bowed and took the order.

Tomorrow was the eighth day of the first lunar month, and the eight-day holiday for the New Year would not officially end until the sixteenth day of the first lunar month. The Emperor was working overtime voluntarily again.

The next morning, Wang Jiaping brought Wan Wenqing to the Western Study. Wan Wenqing was visibly nervous. Wang Jiaping looked at his nose and heart, looking calm and composed. He was thinking about how to answer when memorializing, so that the Emperor could be at ease and support his actions.

Wang Jiaping wanted to enter the cabinet. There were 172 prefects in the Great Ming, and there were not many officials above that. Once he reached above the prefect, he only pursued power and leaving a name in history. He had already climbed to this step, and he was really unwilling to not move forward.

"Proclaim Minister of Rites Wang Jiaping and Prefect of Guangzhou Wan Wenqing to see me." A pair of small eunuchs came to the Western Flower Hall and read the imperial decree.

Wang Jiaping opened his eyes, stood up, and after the Embroidered Uniform Guards checked that they were not carrying any dangerous items, the two went to the Imperial Study for an audience.

"I pay respects to Your Majesty, long live Your Majesty." The two ministers bowed.

"No need for courtesy, sit." Zhu Yijun looked at Wang Jiaping with a smile and asked, "Has Wang Qing seen Fan Wuqi recently?"

"I have not seen him." Although Wang Jiaping didn't know why the Emperor asked this, he still answered the question truthfully.

Fan Wuqi was Fan Yingqi, a figure who was once very popular in the Jin Party. Because of opium smoking and shielding the occupation of official fields in Baoding Prefecture, he was dismissed. If there was no opium, Fan Yingqi would have been re-employed.

When Wang Jiaping was the Viceroy of Liangguang, he didn't avoid suspicion after returning to the capital and went to the Jiekuyuan to see Fan Yingqi. After that, he never saw him again.

"He remarried the year before last, the junior sister who saved him." Zhu Yijun continued, "Recently he invented a torture instrument."

Zhu Yijun didn't let people bring the physical object of the torture instrument, but gave Wang Jiaping a drawing. After Wang Jiaping saw it, his face was very complex and said, "How did he become like this?"

Fan Wuqi turned all his dissatisfaction and unwillingness into a sincere pursuit of medicine, designing a scary torture instrument, the Iron San Niangzi.

A two-page open-faced human-shaped iron frame, tying the criminal inside, closing the two pages, and then inserting nails one by one, piercing the criminal's body. This iron frame was designed with a full 360 nail holes. According to the research on specimens, this nail hole would not cause any fatal injury.

Being stabbed 360 times, all were minor injuries.

This torture instrument called the Iron San Niangzi also had very exquisite mechanisms, which could be adjusted up, down, left, and right according to the height and fatness of the person, ensuring wide applicability to ensure the safety of the criminal.

This torture instrument was translated by Li Yashi into a very romantic name: "Deadly Embrace."

The purpose of this torture instrument was to completely break the criminal's psychological defense. If there was any problem, they would confess like beans, fearing that after confessing, it would come again.

"He just pondered that since the Great Ming people didn't enter the Jiekuyuan after the ninth year of Wanli, many years had passed, and some people had forgotten fear. This thing is a deterrent wherever it is placed." Zhu Yijun shook his head and said, "He has been tinkering with this thing for three years, and he has never used it once. As long as they see it, they basically confess."

"This is another book he wrote, 'Muscle Illustration'." Zhu Yijun took out another thick medical classic.

Fan Wuqi was not just tinkering with these torturous things. He also made contributions to medicine. He would naturally engage in dissection at the Jiekuyuan. With Galileo's help, the two wrote the details of the dissection theory, "Muscle Illustration."

Galileo studied medicine and was full of enthusiasm for medicine. After arriving in the Great Ming, although he also studied astronomy and made outstanding contributions, he still liked medicine in his bones.

Such a detailed muscle explanation, coupled with exquisite illustrations, could correct some past military training and perfect the Great Ming army's physical training and military training.

Qi Jiguang said it was good after reading it, and even modified a new version of sword techniques, spear techniques, and stick techniques, making the force faster and fiercer.

To facilitate the Emperor's viewing, the great physicians made an "Illustration of Recognizing a Muscle a Day" to explain to the Emperor.

For example, when the Emperor was ten years old, his shoulders hurt as soon as he trained. At that time, everyone thought it was Luo Sigong who was not thinking, and his hands were heavy during sparring. The Jiekuyuan had developed for twenty years before solving the mystery of the past.

When he was ten years old, the Emperor's posture was very poor. Besides being fat, he also had rounded shoulders and a hunched back, leading to a small subacromial space, limited movement of the supraspinatus muscle, tendons, and other tissues, and pain caused by activity friction, which, if serious, even led to rotator cuff tears.

At that time, the Embroidered Uniform Guard Zhu Xixiao taught the Emperor martial arts. The means of solving it were very rough, which was to forcibly open the shoulders to solve it.

Every time the great physician Chen Shigong thought of that scene, he couldn't bear to look directly at it, and he didn't know whether to say Zhu Xixiao's courage was too big, or the Emperor's mouth was too hard. Forcibly opening the shoulders was too painful, not inferior to opening the crotch.

At that time, the Emperor opened his crotch and shoulders, and asked Zhu Xixiao if he had eaten.

Now only a few movements were needed to improve rounded shoulders and hunched back, adjust posture, and before exercise, a few stretching movements could release the space under the shoulder, complete physical training, and open shoulders at the same time.

Doing those few movements for a long time could completely improve the posture, instead of forcibly opening it directly. These were all research results of the Jiekuyuan. The suffering the Emperor ate back then was indeed a bit too much.

Zhu Yijun didn't care. It was his own choice, and it was also the road he came from.

"Floating in the world, or taking it from one's embrace, realizing words in a room; or because of the entrustment, letting go of the body outside; he can be considered to have found his own Dao." Wang Jiaping was full of emotion. In those years, the two of them worshipped under Ge Shouli's gate, but as they walked, Fan Wuqi walked away.

"I summoned you here, still for the Western Trade Alliance matter." Zhu Yijun talked about state affairs after narrating the past. The Western Trade Alliance concerned the rhythm and pace of the Great Ming's opening of the sea, which was a major matter and had to be handled with caution.

Wang Jiaping talked eloquently, told the Emperor all his inner thoughts, and explained his three-step strategy in detail.

Like Wang Chonggu's New Sun Canal, Wang Jiaping believed that opening a canal from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean could completely save time for going to the West, plunder the silver of the West to the Great Ming faster, and restore the Rongdimian Battalion Commander Office. Wang Jiaping had this purpose.

However, these were all things after the three steps were completed, and I don't know when they would be completed.

Sure enough, as Li Yougong said, Wang Jiaping's idea was to want it all, both solving historical legacy issues and continuing to move forward.

The Great Ming was a Celestial Empire. If it didn't want it all, wouldn't it fail the national strength increased by the Wanli Reform?

"I heard that recently, Wan Aiqing doesn't even go to the brothel he likes most?" Zhu Yijun asked about the policy, looked at Wan Wenqing and teased. Wan Wenqing went to Guangzhou Prefecture to be a supervisor official, aiming to taste the beauties of all nations. This little hobby, Zhu Yijun knew.

"The teacher repeatedly reminded me not to go, so I never went again." Wan Wenqing answered hurriedly. Who hadn't been young? Wu Weizhong, who had the same hobby and went south to Guangzhou with him, had already been imprisoned.

Resources and beauty, perhaps when they just achieved class leap and became official-selected officials, were the most enthusiastic pursuits, but after a long time, with the promotion of official rank, from the bottom of the officialdom to the top, becoming the true ruling class, his pursuit changed.

Living a lifetime, one always had to leave something behind, worthy of walking this human world.

"Very good." Zhu Yijun waved his hand, and Li Yougong immediately understood, and brought up the rewards the Emperor had prepared long ago. This overtime during the New Year holiday naturally required some extra rewards.

"I thank Your Majesty for your great grace." Wang Jiaping and Wan Wenqing stood up to thank the grace, and then withdrew. The Emperor took out the rewards, which meant ending the audience.

Wan Wenqing walked out of the Tonghe Palace until he whispered, "Teacher, isn't the Emperor very easy to get along with? Why are there rumors that he is capricious?"

Before the audience, he was somewhat terrified, but when he saw the Emperor, he felt that the Emperor was still as gentle as in those years, and didn't even say a harsh word, always listening carefully, and asking when he didn't understand.

"That's not it. You are a loyal official, so the Emperor is easy to get along with. If you were a treacherous official, try again? Didn't you see the end of Wu Weizhong?" Wang Jiaping pondered for a while and shook his head, "Becoming the Emperor's enemy is a sad thing. Just focus on doing things."

"What did the Emperor reward?" Wan Wenqing looked at the Emperor's reward. A piece of national cellar, fifty silver coins, and some medicinal materials for nourishment, Jiekuyuan's great medicine, such as quinine, old brine, but only a small jar, he didn't recognize it.

"Black wolfberry, for soaking in water." Wang Jiaping opened it and looked, and said with a smile, "Good stuff, sent from Qinghai."

The tribute sent by Li Chengliang to the capital, it is said that there is a longevity village in the local area, which can live to a hundred years old, and what they eat is wild black wolfberry. Li Chengliang was half-believing and half-doubting about this. At his age, he had no taboos, drank it after soaking, felt good, and sent it to the capital as a tribute.

This thing had been a tribute since the Tang Dynasty and was a top-grade medicinal diet, but after Tianshun, the Great Ming completely lost the seven guards of Guansi, and this tribute was cut off. Now Li Chengliang found it again.

The imperial court was on holiday, which did not mean the Emperor was on holiday. Zhu Yijun only rested for an hour more these days, and the rest of the time he still had to process official documents and drill troops.

Before the New Year, a shocking case appeared in the capital.

The wealthy household Liu, who moved into the capital, bought a house in the Xicheng. During the decoration, he smashed open the wall and found a secret room in the wall, which contained 5,000 taels of gold and 200,000 taels of silver.

In panic, Liu reported to the Shuntian Prefecture government office. The Shuntian Prefecture government office followed the vine and found the owner of the house.

The Anti-Corruption Division immediately followed the clues and launched an anti-corruption operation, but this case was an old case, not something that happened during the Wanli years.

This house was originally Lu Fengyi's house. Lu Fengyi was the supervising secretary who, under Xu Jie's instruction, impeached Hu Zongshan with ten major crimes, causing Hu Zongshan to die in the heavenly prison.

After the second year of Wanli, as Hu Zongshan was rehabilitated, Lu Fengyi couldn't bear the rumors in the imperial court, so he chose to resign. The Great Ming Emperor saw that he was willing to be decent, so he approved his resignation memorial.

In the seventh year of Wanli, Lu Fengyi let his family handle the property in the capital and sold this house to a wealthy household who moved into the capital. This wealthy household didn't smash the wall during decoration, so he didn't find the secret room.

In the twenty-first year of Wanli, this house was listed for sale again, and the secret room was discovered.

Liu's motive for reporting to the government was very simple. With so much gold and silver, as long as he took it out to spend, it would definitely attract the attention of the Tax Audit Institute.

The Tax Audit Institute's tax-auditing Embroidered Uniform Guards raised many running dogs, specifically watching these wealthy households. Once someone suddenly spent money that didn't match their industry, it would trigger the Tax Audit Institute's tax audit process.

The Tax Audit Institute had developed for so many years, and any silver had to be taxed, which had become a subconscious behavior of the powerful and wealthy.

Because the Tax Audit Institute really possessed its own independent armed forces, it was the product of the struggle between paying taxes and not paying taxes. The evil of this government office was countless.

Liu didn't dare to spend a cent of silver, so he directly reported to the government and threw away the hot potato.

Lu Fengyi was arrested last winter and handed over to the Northern Town Faction government office on the first day of the first lunar month. The Northern Town Faction interrogated him continuously during the New Year, and only then figured out the cause and effect.

This money was not Lu Fengyi's money, nor was it his teacher Xu Jie's money, but the Great Ming imperial court's money.

The Songjiang Prefecture tax was first paid into the Xu residence, and then entered the capital with empty vouchers, taking gold from the Prime Minister's residence, and then paying into the treasury.

In those years, Xu Jie was powerful, and the Songjiang Prefecture tax was not given to the imperial court, but to Xu Jie. Of course, Xu Jie wouldn't put the place where he took gold in his own house. No matter what, he had to turn off the lights.

The Songjiang Prefecture tax turnover place was put in a house in the Xicheng, which was Lu Fengyi's house.

The 5,000 taels of gold and 200,000 taels of silver in the secret room were the remaining part of the tax turnover that had not been paid into the treasury in those years.

Lu Fengyi confessed that he had used 50,000 taels of silver and 5,000 taels of gold to operate in the capital, and like Dai Fengxiang, bribed many officials to jointly submit a memorial to impeach Hai Rui and settle the lawsuit for Xu Jie.

"Why didn't Lu Fengyi take the silver away?" Zhu Yijun asked strangely.

Li Yougong looked at the case file and shook his head, "The silver was Xu Jie's. If Xu Jie didn't die, Lu Fengyi didn't dare to move; if Xu Jie died, Lu Fengyi dared not move even more."

If Xu Jie didn't die, Lu Fengyi moved his teacher's silver, I'm afraid he wouldn't see the sun of the next day.

Xu Jie was killed by the Emperor. The Emperor didn't cover up this fact. Lu Fengyi took the silver again. Once exposed, it would be a disaster of killing. So this silver could only be piled up in the secret room.

Generally speaking, if someone found a secret room, they wouldn't report it, but would keep it in their own hands. After a long time, this silver would have a new owner, and it would have nothing to do with Lu Fengyi. Lu Fengyi could also be considered to have retreated completely.

Never expected that the person who found the secret room actually chose to report it.

Every drink and peck is determined by heaven. Lu Fengyi, who had been let go by the imperial court and was ready to enjoy his old age, finally fell on the silver.

This case involved a person, another student of Xu Jie, Wang Yie, the Vice Minister of Revenue who still held an important position in the imperial court. Wang Yie was a walker in the Western Study, a candidate for the cabinet, a heavy minister, and a great minister.

According to Lu Fengyi's confession, at least 100,000 silver in it was Wang Yie's.

"Just honestly confess your own problems, why bite people indiscriminately!" Zhu Yijun looked at the last part of the case file and slapped the table. Lu Fengyi bit like this, Wang Yie had to go to the Northern Town Faction government office no matter what.

This was a huge blow to Wang Yie's reputation. Whether he had done it or not, the ministers and officials in the court would inevitably assume he had done it. It would be as difficult as ascending to heaven for Wang Yie to want to be promoted again.

Zhu Yijun slapped the table again and said, "How can this be considered Wang Yie's silver? Xu Jie opened a voucher and asked Wang Yie to take the silver. Wang Yie refused to be with him and didn't take it. Was it Wang Yie's silver?"

This 100,000 taels of silver was clearly stated after Wang Yie and Lu Fengyi confronted each other. It was given by Xu Jie, and Wang Yie never wanted it from beginning to end.

Several years had passed since the incident, and Wang Yie had forgotten it completely.

The most troublesome part of this matter was why Xu Jie wanted to give Wang Yie such a large sum of silver. Wang Yie insisted that he couldn't remember, refused to say, and Lu Fengyi was an innocent treacherous official. He really didn't know, only knew that he wanted Wang Yie to take the silver, but Wang Yie didn't come.

"Prepare the carriage, I will go and ask myself!" Zhu Yijun decided to ask Wang Yie himself what was going on, why he refused to say it to the death. ===== CHAPTER 1040 =====

The most troublesome part of this matter lay in why Xu Jie would give Wang Yie such a large sum of silver; Wang Yie insisted that he could not remember and refused to speak, while Lu Fengyi was an innocent sycophant who truly did not know, only knowing that he was to ask Wang Yie to take the silver, but Wang Yie did not come.

"Prepare the carriage, I shall go and ask him myself!" Zhu Yijun decided to ask Wang Yie personally what exactly the matter was that he was so stubbornly refusing to disclose.