Chapter 668: The Arrow Shot in Youth Hits the Center of the Eyebrows

The 'Great Pronouncements' (Da Gao) are the ancestral instructions left by Zhu Zhu Yuanzhang to the Old Zhu family. When the emperor is confused and doesn't know what to do, opening the 'Great Pronouncements' can help find ways to deal with thorny problems.

The 'Great Pronouncements' record many reasons why Zhu Zhu Yuanzhang did what he did at the time. However, under the clamor of public opinion, the 'Great Pronouncements' gradually fell asleep. Some Ming emperors didn't even open the 'Great Pronouncements' to take a look. Sometimes, to avoid triggering some kind of stress reaction from court officials, they even had to avoid mentioning them.

The 'Great Pronouncements' are divided into four volumes: the first is the 'Imperial Great Pronouncements', the second is the sequel, the third is the third compilation, and the fourth is the 'Great Pronouncements for Military Officials' issued for all military Southern Yamen. During the Emperor Hongwu era, Zhu Zhu Yuanzhang required teachers and students in schools at all levels and common people to read the 'Great Pronouncements'.

But with Zhu Zhu Yuanzhang's passing, the 'Great Pronouncements' were shelved and eventually shaped into Zhu Zhu Yuanzhang using the 'Great Pronouncements' to shape his personal autocracy for the sake of his own authority as emperor, thereby achieving the political goal of governing by power.

This wind of public opinion typically calls the 'Great Pronouncements' the 'Strict Orders' to avoid the risks of discussion, further shaping them into a flood beast, and comprehensively negating the clear punishments and auxiliary education, the non-punitive justice, the extra-legal punishments, and the use of heavy codes to rectify officialdom, regardless of the situation of the time, the politics, economy, and military confrontation of the time.

But if you truly open the 'Great Pronouncements' and study them carefully, you will find Zhu Zhu Yuanzhang's own helplessness.

For example, in the 18th article of the sequel, Zhu Zhu Yuanzhang stipulated in 'Commoners Arresting Local Officials': In the twelve Provincial Administration Commissions and prefectures, departments, and counties, I have prohibited officials and Southern Yamen runners from going to the countryside to disturb the people. Village elders who discover minor officials who are harming the people and arbitrarily increasing taxes can bind them and send them to the capital for punishment.

But soon Zhu Zhu Yuanzhang discovered the drawbacks of this article, which was that after the grassroots officials lost their law enforcement power, the common people immediately refused to perform corvée labor. For the common people, they couldn't distinguish between normal corvée labor and apportionment, so they arrested all the officials who went to the countryside according to the law.

So much so that Zhu Zhu Yuanzhang himself sighed: "I prohibit the greed of officials for the convenience of the people's livelihood, but the stubborn people take advantage of the prohibition to insult and neglect the officials; and when the people are prohibited from insulting and neglecting the officials, the officials become noble, but the officials' greed rises again. Benevolence and righteousness are unknown. Alas! It is difficult to govern."

Not allowing officials to disturb the people because of greed, but the stubborn people took the opportunity to insult and neglect the officials. Prohibiting the people from insulting and neglecting the officials made the officials noble, but once the officials had power, their greed rose again. Neither officials nor people know what benevolence and righteousness are.

In October of the 18th year of Emperor Hongwu, when compiling the third volume of the 'Great Pronouncements', Zhu Zhu Yuanzhang himself also admitted the drawbacks of the 'Great Pronouncements'. In the opening, he said: "My talent is sparse and my virtue is thin, and the way of control is exhausted."

The national law of the Ming Dynasty is the Ming Code. This point is the consensus of Zhu Zhu Yijun and the officials. Zhu Zhu Yijun has never bypassed the Ministry of Justice and the Censorate to deal with officials without following the process, respecting the Ming Code and insisting on governing by law rather than by virtue. But this does not mean that Zhu Zhu Yijun has given up the power to exercise extra-legal punishment as an emperor. Therefore, the 'Great Pronouncements' should still be read and used for reference.

The Ming Emperor's honor guard began to travel south again. Qian Zhiyi, the Magistrate of Xuzhou, breathed a heavy sigh of relief. He neglected the Emperor and did not arrange a grand welcome ceremony or arrange for crying at the carriage to satisfy His Majesty the Emperor's sense of justice, but the Emperor seemed too lazy to pay attention to him, which made him feel relieved. The mainstream wind of public opinion in the Southern Southern Yamen was still to stop offering, which meant that one could not flatter the Emperor, so Qian Zhiyi was so negligent.

The Ming Emperor did not hold him accountable, but he did hold his predecessor, the Assistant Censor-in-Chief of the Southern Southern Yamen, Chen Chen Wuyin, accountable.

Qian Zhiyi was somewhat envious that Chen Chen Wuyin had taken a large sum of money from the treasury into his own pocket while taking advantage of the New Deal and the coal and steel monopoly. When Qian Zhiyi arrived, the treasury was so poor that even mice could run in it, and the coal kilns and iron smelting plants purchased at great cost were still controlled by those merchants from Suzhou, Hangzhou, and Songjiang. He didn't see a single cent of return, and this large sum of money was embezzled by Chen Chen Wuyin.

Qian Zhiyi was somewhat gloating. This Chen Chen Wuyin finally fell into bad luck.

Perhaps people are all like this. If they can't get it, they will feel resentment. If others are unlucky, they will be happy, and even scold a few words that they deserve it, but they don't learn any lessons.

Hence Hai Rui walked faster than the Ming Emperor Zhu Zhu Yijun. He set off in advance to Yingtian Prefecture and sent his attendants to the Yingtian Prefecture Assembly Hall to report: Left Censor-in-Chief Hence Hai Rui is on the Emperor's order to specifically handle the major corruption case of Chen Chen Wuyin.

Li Le, the Provincial Governor of Yingtian, heard the news and immediately rushed to the Xiashu Town post station to meet Hence Hai Rui, who was organizing the case files.

Hence Hai Rui did not go to his post alone. He brought two plain-clothed censors to help him organize the case files. Plain-clothed censors, each of them was a bone-straight official, very similar to Hence Hai Rui himself, and very clean, only wearing plain clothes.

The style of plain-clothed censors and the Ming Dynasty's censors in handling cases was completely different. Plain-clothed censors handle cases without prior notice, without saying hello to anyone, without listening to anyone's report, without needing anyone to accompany them, and after receiving the official horse token, they rush directly to the scene, mainly being heartless. Of course, this heartlessness is also criticized for being too sharp in doing things.

"I have seen the Chief Censor Hai." Li Le was somewhat uneasy, because he heard that His Majesty was very angry in Xuzhou, which led to Hence Hai Rui's early departure to the south.

Hence Hai Rui put down the case files. He looked at Li Le and said: "I know your intention. The Southern Southern Yamen is far inferior to Shandong. His Majesty is very angry, but it is not your fault. His Majesty gave you a chance. Whatever you want to do, do it boldly. Don't worry about anything happening. Anyway, His Majesty will arrive at the Southern Southern Yamen in at most one month."

"How much trouble can you cause that His Majesty and the Beijing Camp cannot handle?"

"But His Majesty is still somewhat disappointed in you, saying that you have been an official in the local area for so long, but you have become more smooth, not as sharp as you were originally."

People will change. Back then, Li Le opened the eyes of the Ming Dynasty's public officials, and with one hand of crossing the river in secret, he arranged Wang Wang Chonggu, who had done bad things for half his life, very clearly. But now, it seems that he has been smoothed out and no longer has the sharpness of the beginning.

The Emperor expressed disappointment in Li Le, his fellow student. It seems that in the long official career, Li Le has become more and more like a traditional bureaucrat.

"Your servant has made no achievements in the Southern Southern Yamen for these years, and I am ashamed." Li Le bowed to the north and sighed heavily. He didn't do well, and he didn't dare to ask his teacher what His Majesty meant, so he knew Hence Hai Rui was a bone-straight official, so he ran to ask Hence Hai Rui.

Hence Hai Rui put down the case files, looked at Li Le, and said in a tone of teaching: "If you feel tired, take a rest. If you are afraid, submit a memorial to resign. Everything Zhang Zhang Juzheng taught you, you have forgotten cleanly. This is being a person. You are not afraid of being stupid, and you are not afraid of being refined. You are afraid of being hesitant and double-minded. You want to do it but don't dare to do it. In the end, you will achieve nothing. This is not perseverance, but weakness."

A gentleman cannot be without perseverance. Obviously, in Hence Hai Rui's eyes, Li Le had been sitting in his position and not doing his job for these years.

"Chief Censor Hai knows the situation of the Southern Southern Yamen very well." Li Le's face showed some pain, but he still defended himself for two sentences. It wasn't that he didn't want to do it, and it wasn't that he was hesitant, but he was truly powerless.

Hence Hai Rui had been the Provincial Governor of Yingtian. Hence Hai Rui knew the situation of this auxiliary capital very well. Back then, when Hence Hai Rui was the Provincial Governor of Yingtian, he handled the Xu Xu Jie corruption case, and finally ended up being promoted and resigning.

With this situation in the Southern Southern Yamen, if the Emperor doesn't come to handle it personally, even if Zhang Zhang Juzheng, the Grand Secretary, arrives, what can he do?

Hence Hai Rui heard this and nodded very affirmatively: "That is true. I do know the situation of the Southern Southern Yamen. These lowly scholars don't know how to do things, but they can definitely ruin things. They are good at internal fighting, and they use all their skills on internal fighting and the women on the banks of the Qinhuai River. A group of lowly scholars are not even as good as corrupt officials."

When Hence Hai Rui began to take charge of anti-corruption, he came into contact with many corrupt officials and found that some of these corrupt officials were doing things, and they had to be in the same boat, because if you are not corrupt, you cannot let your colleagues give you convenience. Whatever you want to do, you can't do it. And a considerable number of corrupt officials, even if they take away a part, can still handle things, and can handle them properly, which is truly amazing.

This phenomenon is very magical. Hence Hai Rui calls it being slick and a paper-paster.

So in the process of Hence Hai Rui's anti-corruption and catching the greedy, he gradually learned to analyze specific things specifically. Some people are greedy, but their ability is very strong, and they can truly do things. As long as they don't trigger red lines like rebellion or treason, they will be spared. Some are not only greedy but also achieve nothing, and even bite back indiscriminately and refuse to repent, so they will be severely punished.

But these officials of the Southern Southern Yamen who are good at internal fighting, in Hence Hai Rui's view, are not even as good as corrupt officials.

"Chief Censor Hai, I have a matter that I cannot decide, and I don't have enough confidence in doing things." Li Le thought for a long time before deciding to ask Hence Hai Rui for advice. He indeed had many ideas he wanted to do, but he didn't put them into practice. It wasn't that he was afraid of not being able to do it, and it wasn't that he was afraid of those ghosts in the door, he was just worried that doing it would be doing evil instead.

Hence Hai Rui looked at Li Le, stood up, thought for a while, and said: "This place of ours is called Xiashu Town."

"On the first day of the sixth month of the fourth year of Jianwen, the Yan army crossed the river at Puzikou. The General of Pacifying Yan of the Crown Prince's Mansion, Sheng Yong, resisted to the death. The Yan army's crossing of the river failed. At that time, the Emperor Emperor Chengzu Wen intended to negotiate peace and return to the north. Just at this time, the Prince of Han led troops to reinforce, defeated Sheng Yong, forced the surrender of the Crown Prince's Mansion's Navy Commander Chen Du, and the Yan army successfully crossed the river."

"On the ninth day of the sixth month, the Prince of Han, Zhu Zhu Gaoxu, led troops to arrive at our feet, Xiashu Town."

"At that time, the Jianwen monarch sent Princess Princess Qingyang to negotiate with the Yan army. It was in this place of ours. Emperor Emperor Chengzu Wen said that there was no name for splitting the land, and he only wanted the treacherous officials. The Jianwen monarch knew very well that clearing the monarch's side was not just clearing the side of the monarch, but also the monarch himself. The peace talks failed."

"On the ninth day of the sixth lunar month, the Prince of Han, Zhu Zhu Gaoxu, led his troops to arrive beneath our feet, at Xiashu Town."

"On the thirteenth day of the sixth month, Li Wang Jinglong opened the Jinchuan Gate and surrendered. The Yan army entered the city."

Hence Hai Rui explained a piece of history of Xiashu Town. The Crown Prince's Mansion and the Jianwen monarch were the titles for Zhu Zhu Yunwen's lineage when the Emperor Hongwu Dynasty's Veritable Records were compiled during the Yongle era. Correspondingly, the Yan Prince's Mansion was the

"On the thirteenth day of the sixth lunar month, Li Wang Jinglong opened the Jinchuan Gate to surrender, and the Yan army entered the city."

Hence Hai Rui explained a segment of the history of Xiashu Town; the Crown Prince's Mansion and the "Jianwen Lord" were terms used for Zhu Zhu Yunwen's lineage when the Veritable Records of the Emperor Hongwu reign were compiled during the Yongle reign. Correspondingly, the Prince of Yan's Mansion was the Yan Mansion, and the Yan army was the Yan army.

Princess Princess Qingyang was not Zhu Zhu Yuanzhang's daughter, but Zhu Zhongwu's daughter—that is, Zhu Di's cousin. She grew up with Zhu Di and was extremely good to him.

On the first day of the sixth lunar month, after the Yan army was defeated by Sheng Yong, the Yan army's most capable fighter, Zhu Di, had already begun to harbor thoughts of retreat. Having reached this point, he believed he lacked the strength to advance further. The endless, stretching walls of the capital, Yingtian, were simply too magnificent. As long as Zhu Zhu Yunwen was a normal person, Zhu Di could only come here for a tour and would eventually have to negotiate peace.

Even the most radical Prince of Han, Zhu Zhu Gaoxu, felt that peace negotiations were possible, because the negotiations took place in Xiashu Town, where Zhu Zhu Gaoxu was garrisoned.

But Zhu Zhu Yunwen simply refused to hand over the treacherous officials listed by Zhu Di. Even if it meant splitting the land and ruling separately across the river, he refused to hand them over. Zhu Di did not agree; he only said that splitting the land had no justification, and he only wanted the treacherous officials.

Li Le frowned deeply. He said he lacked confidence, but Hence Hai Rui seemed to be rambling, talking about the old affairs of the Jianwen reign. After thinking it over repeatedly, he shook his head and said, "I ask the Chief Censor Hai to clarify."

Since he was asking for advice, he would ask if he didn't understand.

Hence Hai Rui let out a turbid breath and said, "When the Jingnan Campaign reached the city walls, even the Yan army dared not claim certain victory. At that time, the Yan army indeed lacked logistical supplies. After crossing the river, they were somewhat powerless to continue fighting. Even the Prince of Han had the intention to retreat. You know how well the Nanjing city walls were built; it was not easy to attack."

"If only the Jianwen Lord had listened to these base scholars one less time, he would not have lost the world. After the ninth day of the sixth lunar month, allowing the troops to plunder eventually led to the loss of popular support."

The capital of Great Ming was not easy to attack, and the walls of Nanjing were the lifeblood of Zhu Zhu Yuanzhang. With the outer and inner cities, if only Zhu Zhu Yunwen had not listened to the nonsense of these base scholars, but instead listened to a single word from his generals, held firm, and waited quietly for the relief army to arrive, Nanjing would never have been lost. By allowing the troops to plunder, all popular support was lost, and only then did Zhu Di enter Nanjing without spending a single soldier or arrow.

Hence Hai Rui said straightforwardly, "Therefore, before you do things, if you lack confidence, the solution is actually very simple: ask yourself, in doing this, how is the popular support? You don't need to consider the thoughts of your immediate superiors or your teachers. Just ask if you can face the majority of the common people. If you can, do it; if you can't, don't. That is all. If you can face the common people, His Majesty will not let you fight alone."

"Just like the abolition of the base slave status and the old affairs of the Lu Chuan Suo Qi."

Li Le's problem was likely the doubt deep in the heart of every Great Ming bureaucrat: wanting to do things, yet not daring to do them, fearing that they might cause trouble or make a mess that couldn't be cleaned up. But Hence Hai Rui gave Li Le a concrete way to solve it: ask the common people; the common people know everything.

"Has Chen Chen Wuyin been captured?" Hence Hai Rui asked if the culprit for this case had been brought to justice.

Li Le hurriedly said, "The Southern Southern Yamen's Embroidered Uniform Guard Commander, Luo Luo Bingliang, has already brought him to justice."

"Hmm, that's good. Just follow his trail and investigate." Hence Hai Rui picked through the items on the table, took out a case file, handed it to Li Le, and let Li Le see why His Majesty dealt with Chen Chen Wuyin but let Qian Zhiyi go.

The kiln workers at the Xuzhou coal mine were very miserable. The Xuzhou coal mine was nominally state-run, but in reality, it was still controlled by merchants.

The labor compensation for the kiln workers at the Xuzhou coal mine was only one-third that of the kiln workers at the Xishan Coal Bureau, yet the work they did was much more than that of the Xishan Coal Bureau kiln workers.

The Xishan Coal Bureau kiln workers were paid according to their labor. Each person carried 2,500 jin of coal per day; if they carried more, they were not allowed to go down the mine. As for carrying less, the wage was calculated based on the amount of coal carried. The reason for setting such a standard was that an excellent, skilled kiln worker could carry 3,571 jin of coal in a whole day without resting. By setting the assessment at 70% of that worker's capacity, the 2,500 jin line could be successfully completed by anyone who was not excessively lazy.

They didn't want them to do more, either. Wang Wang Chonggu considered the maximization of human resource utilization. Wang Wang Chonggu had conducted experiments: with a balance of work and rest, one could carry 2,500 jin every day continuously, but carrying over 3,000 jin a day could not be sustained. On a monthly scale, the 2,500 jin standard actually allowed them to carry more. Humans are living creatures; they get tired.

But the kiln workers at the Xuzhou mine did not have such a standard. Each person had to carry 4,000 jin of coal per day, and they were not allowed to rest until they finished. Most kiln workers could not finish, and at this point, money would be deducted. Nominally, the labor compensation for kiln workers in both places was the same, but for the Xuzhou kiln workers, the final labor compensation was only one-third that of the Xishan Coal Bureau kiln workers.

It complied with the court's regulations on labor compensation, but very cleverly lowered the labor compensation of the kiln workers. This was the wisdom of the Great Ming bureaucrats and merchants. Looking at the whole thing, not a single person violated the law.

Therefore, Chen Chen Wuyin was personally named by the Emperor for investigation, while Qian Zhiyi did not offer tribute to the Emperor, but he did not make things difficult for the poor laborers. Perhaps even Qian Zhiyi himself didn't know why he had luckily escaped disaster. He dismantled the Xuzhou city walls and managed things in every possible way, but he also paid wages on time and in full, and for the sake of his own reputation, he even rewarded them with wine and meat twice.

Even if it was just for show, Qian Zhiyi had made a gesture, but Chen Chen Wuyin was simply treating the Emperor and the common people like fools.

"This person is very clever; his ability to exploit loopholes and find gaps is immense." Li Le's mouth twitched twice. From beginning to end in this case, not a single person violated the law. This was the most terrifying part, because the system had a problem.

Such a huge oversight occurred at the Xuzhou coal mine, yet no one had to be held responsible for it. Everything everyone did was legal. It was a monstrously strange thing.

"The Southern Censorate has sent a visiting card." A plain-robed Censor presented the card.

"Invite him in." Hence Hai Rui said with a smile, "Prefect Li, go behind the screen and wait a moment. You see, these methods of theirs are all old tricks. How they dealt with me back then, they are going to do it all over again now."

Hence Hai Rui had experienced it once before; revisiting an old place brought a sense of familiarity. After so many years, these base scholars were still the same, without a bit of progress. They were still using those same old methods, which was truly laughable.

"Chief Censor Hai, what great majesty! You haven't even arrived at the Southern Southern Yamen, and you've already seized my people!" The voice arrived before the person; this was an angry questioning of accountability.

The person who arrived was none other than the Southern Southern Yamen's Censor-in-Chief, Yuan Yuan Hongyu, a native of Wu County, Suzhou Prefecture, in the Southern Zhili. He was the Jieyuan of the twenty-fifth year of Emperor Jiajing, with an exceptionally upright temperament, incorruptible, and once famous throughout the world for impeaching Yan Song. With a single magnificent essay, he cursed Yan Song as worthless, was loathed by Yan Song, and was demoted out of the capital.

Hence Hai Rui stood up to welcome him, paid his respects at the door, and bowed, saying, "It has been many years since we parted. I hope Chief Censor Yuan has been well."

This was Hence Hai Rui's benefactor. Back then, it was Yuan Yuan Hongyu who promoted Hence Hai Rui. When Hence Hai Rui was an instructor at the Nanping Prefecture School, he was squeezed out by his colleagues. Yuan Yuan Hongyu argued strongly on his behalf before his superiors, and only then was Hence Hai Rui able to obtain a fair evaluation and be promoted to Magistrate of Chunan County. Later, Yuan Yuan Hongyu became the Minister of the Court of Imperial Stud and recommended Hence Hai Rui many times, which allowed Hence Hai Rui to enter the capital as an official and become a Director in the Yunnan Bureau of the Ministry of Revenue.

As soon as he arrived in the capital, Hence Hai Rui pulled off a huge stunt that shocked the world: a "Memorial on Peace and Order" smashed right into the face of the Emperor Jiajing Emperor, directly breaking the Daoist master's defenses.

"Now Chief Censor Hai is no longer an instructor at the Nanping Prefecture School, but a famous 'Divine Sword' in the court. Your majesty in fighting corruption and catching the greedy is truly great. If you still remember the past, then release Chen Chen Wuyin." Seeing Hence Hai Rui's courtesy, Yuan Yuan Hongyu did not put on the airs of a senior and likewise paid his respects.

Hence Hai Rui led Yuan Yuan Hongyu to sit down before saying with extreme sincerity, "Did Chief Censor Yuan promote Hence Hai Rui back then just so that Hence Hai Rui would do a favor today?"

"Of course not!" Yuan Yuan Hongyu flicked his sleeves forcefully. He discovered that Hence Hai Rui had become a bit more slick; this was much harder to deal with than the Hence Hai Rui who was like a blockhead back then. These words were extremely comprehensive.

Yuan Yuan Hongyu played a card of moral kidnapping, using the grace of his past promotion to coerce him. Hence Hai Rui returned a card of moral kidnapping, likewise using the grace of that promotion to coerce him.

Hence Hai Rui's words were already very direct: regarding the case of Chen Chen Wuyin, he would not retreat a single step. Even if he didn't recognize him as a benefactor, this case would still be pursued.

"Chief Censor Hai, one cannot be so rigid in doing things, unable to tolerate a single grain of sand in one's eyes. As the old saying goes, 'clear water has no fish.' Living a lifetime, isn't it about being 'rarely confused'?" Yuan Yuan Hongyu immediately changed his strategy and chose another way of responding: preaching.

Hence Hai Rui immediately said, "Chief Censor Yuan, am I really unable to tolerate a single grain of sand in my eyes? That Wang Wang Chonggu, what a treacherous official and thief! He is a great corrupt official, yet I still watch Wang Wang Chonggu in court and never impeach him. Doesn't this count as 'rarely confused'? I am already very confused."

"Wang Wang Chonggu, what a great corrupt official."

Yuan Yuan Hongyu played the card of a mentor, preaching with the grace he had shown Hence Hai Rui, while Hence Hai Rui, with the attitude of a disciple, asked Yuan Yuan Hongyu if he wasn't "confused" enough. With such a glaringly treacherous and corrupt official as Wang Wang Chonggu in court, Hence Hai Rui had never taken action.

Yuan Yuan Hongyu froze for a moment. How had this Hence Hai Rui become as slippery as those scholars? He talked about the city gate tower, and Hence Hai Rui talked about an old man; they were completely talking past each other.

"Chief Censor Yuan, why save Chen Chen Wuyin? The 'clear wind covering the generation,' Yuan Yuan Hongyu, was the role model of my life. Back then, Chief Censor Yuan said to me, 'We must sharpen our integrity and encourage our conduct, directly taking Boyi as our model to save the world.' I have kept this in my heart and have never dared to forget it for half a day. Has Chief Censor Yuan forgotten?"

"Chief Censor Yuan, do you not know that Chen Chen Wuyin is a corrupt official?" Hence Hai Rui immediately changed the subject and chose to question him!

In most people's hearts, there is a role model. For example, in Ge Ge Shouli's heart, it was Gao Gong; in Hence Hai Rui's heart, it was this "clear wind covering the generation," Yuan Yuan Hongyu. One must know that when Yan Song's power tilted the court and no one dared to speak of his faults, Yuan Yuan Hongyu stood up to impeach him.

Yuan Yuan Hongyu's mouth twitched slightly. Hence Hai Rui had returned a boomerang to him. Yuan Yuan Hongyu's expression became extremely strange; the arrow shot in his youth had hit him right between the eyebrows, striking the man he was now.

Hence Hai Rui had been the Chief Censor in the Great Ming capital for twelve years. He hadn't learned anything else, but he had learned how to use boomerangs just by watching, and he had mastered it extremely skillfully.

"Or is it that these officials in the Southern Southern Yamen are even more terrifying than Yan Song and his Yan Party back then, forcing Chief Censor Yuan to come to a junior like me to plead for mercy?" Hence Hai Rui played a "chain kill" and then threw another boomerang, pursuing the attack.

Yuan Yuan Hongyu was somewhat annoyed and shouted, "Hence Hai Rui!"

"Chief Censor Yuan! Is Chen Chen Wuyin a corrupt official or not? If he isn't, I will have someone release him right now!" Hence Hai Rui refused to retreat a single step and immediately asked loudly. This was the core of the problem: was Chen Chen Wuyin a corrupt official or not?

Naturally, he was. Chen Chen Wuyin had done it, and many people in the Jiangnan officialdom had done it. Chen Chen Wuyin was the vortex of the struggle. If Chen Chen Wuyin were investigated by Hence Hai Rui, the entire Jiangnan officialdom would be shaken, so Yuan Yuan Hongyu had to come.

"Sigh, forget it, forget it." Yuan Yuan Hongyu sat in his chair, somewhat dejected, and said helplessly, "I was also entrusted by someone; I had to come. I have done my best. You now have full-grown wings, and I am just your old superior."

Yuan Yuan Hongyu seemed to surrender, but he played a "dodge" card against Hence Hai Rui's "chain kill." He avoided talking about whether Chen Chen Wuyin was a corrupt official, and instead played the emotional card of an old man, saying that Hence Hai Rui was ungrateful and didn't know how to repay the grace of his past promotion.

"Entrusted by whom? I will speak to him myself." Hence Hai Rui frowned and likewise played a "dodge" card, avoiding the grace of that past promotion, and asked Yuan Yuan Hongyu about the person pushing from behind. Chen Chen Wuyin was a small fish; there were many big fish behind him, and he was here to catch the big fish.

"Let's not talk about that anymore. Since Chief Censor Hai refuses, I shouldn't stay long. Before I leave, I will give Chief Censor Hai one last reminder: 'The rigid are easily broken, the flexible often survive.'" Yuan Yuan Hongyu was silent for a long time, finally chose to leave, and even took on the demeanor of a mentor, preaching a bit.

"Respectfully sending off Chief Censor Yuan." Hence Hai Rui stood up to see Yuan Yuan Hongyu off, his expression solemn.

"Did Yuan Yuan Hongyu also take silver from these people like Chen Chen Wuyin? Isn't he very incorruptible?" Li Le walked out from behind the screen, looking at Yuan Yuan Hongyu's departing back with a deep frown.

"That's not the case. The officialdom isn't just about interest collusion; there are also human relationships. It's likely that someone begged him, and he had no choice but to come." Hence Hai Rui shook his head and said, "When Chief Censor Yuan told me at the end that 'the rigid are easily broken,' it wasn't preaching, but a reminder that someone wants to take action."

"Ah? Are they crazy!" Li Le widened his eyes in shock and said blankly, "Are they not afraid of the blade in His Majesty's hand?"

"I am that blade." Hence Hai Rui said with a smile, "It's fine. I actually want to see how they can break me under the protection of the Embroidered Uniform Guard!"

Hence Hai Rui was indeed too rigid and could easily be broken, but who told the Emperor to assign Hence Hai Rui a Thousand-Household of the Judicial Guard, leading four hundred Embroidered Uniform Guards, specifically to protect Hence Hai Rui's personal safety?

This Great Ming Divine Sword, of course, had to be paired with a good scabbard to be used with peace of mind.

The sword-bearer, the Great Ming Emperor, was very clear about the rarity of the Divine Sword.