Chapter 673: Truly Monsters and Freaks, Ugly States Exposed

"The ministers obey the decree." Inspector Luo Bingliang Bingliang and Zhao Mengyou bowed and took the order. They were to bring Dai Fengxiang's whole family here. Those who should be beheaded would be beheaded, and those who should be exiled would be exiled. This was the retribution Dai Fengxiang deserved.

It was just that this retribution came a bit late.

According to His Majesty's standards, delayed justice was never justice, but a remedy. There was no justice in the case of Hence Hai Rui's wife and concubine back then; everything now was just a remedy.

Inspector Luo Bingliang Bingliang and Zhao Mengyou couldn't quite understand. Hence Hai Rui had been Left Censor for twelve years. In these twelve years, Hence Hai Rui, as the "Divine Sword of the Great Ming," had not struck back at his past enemies. A piece of human scum like Dai Fengxiang should have been cleared long ago. But Hence Hai Rui returned to the Southern Yamen and only investigated corruption.

Dai Fengxiang and Shu Hua, these two people, corrupted a total of 140,000 silver. 140,000 silver is a lot, but Hence Hai Rui did not retaliate against them.

Hence Hai Rui is an upright and honest official. If he engaged in retaliation, he wouldn't be him. As long as these scums didn't jump out to block the new policy, no matter how much Hence Hai Rui hated them in his heart, he could only let them breathe fresh air.

The Great Ming Emperor's violence regarding political assassination was somewhat unreasonable, but the Great Ming court officials thought it was very reasonable.

This had to do with the Emperor's growth experience. After all, when he was ten years old, Wang Jinglong broke into the Qianqing Palace, and he went to the Wenhua Hall for court discussion with a bump on his head.

His Majesty's violence toward political assassination was obvious to all, not only reflected in protecting himself but also in protecting his ministers.

For example, the "He He Yi Zhong" evil spirits assassinated Grand Secretary Zhang Juzheng in the Western Hills, and Wang Xijue's daughter was the saintess of this evil spirit; for example, the assassination of the Great Ming Second Grand Secretary, the final result of the handling was the same as Zhang Siwei's, becoming a roomful.

Every time the Emperor was so violent, he was telling the world that the Great Ming's political struggle absolutely did not accept any form of assassination.

The Emperor's violent behavior also received unanimous recognition from the court officials, because if they could assassinate other ministers today, the blade might be inserted into their own hearts tomorrow.

The bottom line of political struggle could not be broken like this, otherwise, politics would completely turn into "party imprisonment," party imprisonment for the sake of fighting.

Party imprisonment is a sign of the country's demise.

Zhao Mengyou and others went to arrest people. The guards swaggered through the streets, scaring the scholar-officials of Nanjing into closing their doors tightly, fearing that disaster would fall on them. The scholar-officials of the Northern Yamen had long been accustomed to the guards' barbarism and knew that the guards would absolutely not wrong a good person, and of course, would not let go of a bad person. But the scholar-officials of Nanjing clearly hadn't experienced such a formation.

It was the commoners who gathered to watch the fun, because the commoners knew very clearly that they were not the targets of the guards. Dealing with commoners didn't require the guards to move out.

The arrest process went very smoothly, and the interrogation process also went very smoothly.

"Something is not quite right. Have we ever handled such a smooth case?" Zhao Mengyou furrowed his brows and discovered that things were not simple.

Inspector Luo Bingliang Bingliang was originally rejoicing that such a thorny case had been solved so quickly, finally throwing away the hot potato. But following Zhao Mengyou's reminder, Inspector Luo Bingliang Bingliang suddenly broke out in a cold sweat.

"Did we miss any place?" Chen Mo stood up and walked back and forth, suddenly opening his mouth: "The clue of the account book of Shan Wen, the owner of the raw medicine shop, did it come too timely?"

Chen Mo found the suspicious point of the case. The account book with the record of withdrawing Qianji poison, the news that Shan Wen went to the Qingchun Tower for a banquet—this was the breakthrough of the entire case. But for the guards, it appeared in a logical order when they needed it most.

For the guards, a case that is too smooth is a suspicious point.

Since there are suspicious points, they must continue to investigate.

Zhu Yijun let Feng Bao send away Hence Hai Rui and Li Le. The two came to pay respects to the Emperor and discuss the specific policies of splitting the Southern Yamen, not to ask for the Emperor's help. This made the Emperor somewhat disappointed. He mainly wanted to escort these capable officials, but he found that him not causing trouble was the greatest help.

Since he couldn't help with specific government affairs, he could only kill a few people to help the scene.

"Your Majesty, Nanjing Minister of the Court of Judicial Review Shu Hua has come to the Nanhu Villa again." Feng Bao reminded the Emperor, who was reading the memorial, that the annoying guy was here again.

This time Shu Hua came himself. Without the officials of the Southern Yamen, Shu Hua ran to the temporary palace, the Nanhu Villa, to kowtow. It was mainly because Dai Fengxiang's whole family was directly arrested, which scared Shu Hua severely.

"Clarifying the law and assisting in education" was to achieve the effect of intimidation. Shu Hua's "sliding kneel" was the effect of intimidation.

"I actually don't want to see him, a black-hearted guy. Announce him." Zhu Yijun waved his hands and announced this treacherous official. As an emperor, receiving court officials is an obligation, although no one can urge him to fulfill the Emperor's obligations.

This is also one of the reasons why Xu Guangqi thinks the "contradiction theory" is a rebel statement. According to the contradiction theory, if there is a right, there is an obligation.

Then as an emperor, is he also under the framework of the contradiction theory, enjoying rights while also fulfilling obligations?

"The minister pays respects to Your Majesty. May Your Majesty live ten thousand years. The minister is old and dim-sighted, failing to see that Dai Fengxiang was such a wild and rebellious person. The minister is guilty." As soon as Shu Hua entered the door, he kowtowed, looking extremely submissive, without the slightest bit of the arrogance of bringing the Southern Yamen officials to the Emperor's temporary palace to write in blood and kneel for the carriage before.

"Is that so? When you brought people to give me a 'downward strike,' you didn't look like this. I had just gotten off the ship, and before I could recover from the exhaustion of the journey, you brought people to rush to my temporary palace, telling me that this Southern Yamen is the Southern Yamen of you officials, not my Southern Yamen. What a great prestige!" Zhu Yijun looked at Shu

The tone was calm, but the moment the Ming Emperor met him, he slapped a heavy label on him: feudal autocracy. This act of presenting a blood-written petition at the palace gate was nothing short of forcing the Emperor's hand!

Had it been any other emperor, even Emperor Renzong or Emperor Xiaozong, they would have unleashed their thunderous wrath.

"Your subject would never dare, never dare! It was all because that Grand Censor Hai was using his power to take revenge. I was truly worried that Grand Censor Hai would continue to hunt me down, which is why I resorted to this desperate measure. I beg Your Majesty for leniency." Shu Hua was startled; this young Emperor did not seem easy to fool! He had even investigated the people behind the blood-written petition at the palace gate.

Shu Hua had also prepared his excuse: he was afraid, afraid that Hence Hai Rui would continue his revenge, which is why he came to kowtow to the Emperor to tell him that Hence Hai Rui was also a court official and could not act recklessly. Although this logic was far-fetched, it was passable.

Moreover, Shu Hua set aside the facts and did not dwell on the blood-written petition, focusing instead on his motive.

Zhu Yijun sneered, shook his head, and said, "You treat Hence Hai Rui as if he were one of you parasites for twelve years. If Grand Censor Hai really wanted to use his position for revenge, would you still be alive today? That's enough. Draft a memorial and request to retire."

"Grand Censor Hai gave you a shred of dignity by only investigating the illicit funds. This is him letting you retire on your own. You have a stain on your record, yet you still want to remain in office? There is no such good thing in the world. Since you wanted to gamble, you should be willing to accept the loss."

Up to this point, Shu Hua's actions were within the scope of political struggle. Since Shu Hua and his cohorts had taken action against Hence Hai Rui and failed to topple him, they should have found a dignified way to step down themselves. Not leaving now would be impolite.

"I would rather be a stubborn horse clinging to its post than envy those riding in carriages; your subject is guilty." Shu Hua, a fellow reeking of the stench of a base Confucian scholar, was still dodging the issue. His statement of being guilty was simply a refusal to leave.

His words came from Lu You's 'Inscribed on the Wall,' expressing indifference toward worldly fame. It meant: I would rather be like an inferior horse holding its post than envy those high-ranking officials and nobles riding in magnificent carriages.

"You have the nerve to say that? You and Dai Fengxiang embezzled 140,000 taels of silver and had close economic ties. You tell me you 'would rather be a stubborn horse'? If Lu You knew his poem was being used by you like this, he would probably hate himself for ever writing it. You are truly a monster, a freak, showing nothing but ugliness." Zhu Yijun smiled. These words were perfectly suited for Hence Hai Rui to say, but coming from Shu Hua's mouth, they seemed somewhat ridiculous.

The Ming Emperor was scolding someone, and he was scolding them very harshly.

"Your subject quoted it inappropriately. Your subject is guilty." Shu Hua kowtowed again. He discovered that His Majesty was also a scholar; he understood everything Shu Hua said and meant, and he saw through Shu Hua's intentions clearly. Yet, Shu Hua continued to quibble, refusing to retire.

Zhu Yijun shook his head and said, "You don't know you're wrong; you know you're about to die. Dai Fengxiang's entire household has been arrested, and you're afraid. You and Dai Fengxiang were so close, same rank and same school; you're afraid I'll implicate you, which is why you came to kowtow."

"I told you to retire and you refused, so go squat in the celestial prison with Dai Fengxiang."

"Guards!"

"Your subject begs to return home to his ancestral land!" Shu Hua was shocked. This Emperor was cut from the same cloth as Zhang Juzheng—he turned on people at the drop of a hat! In truth, he knew himself that he had been offered a way out and refused it. His Majesty and Hence Hai Rui had given him enough face. He was just greedy for power and unwilling to leave. If he were really 'a stubborn horse clinging to its post' and indifferent to fame and wealth, how could he have been caught by Hence Hai Rui for corruption?

"Hmm." Zhu Yijun waved his hand, signaling that Shu Hua could kneel and withdraw.

Zhu Yijun watched Shu Hua's retreating back and asked Feng Bao, "Do you think there's a problem?"

"Yes, the person who assassinated Hence Hai Rui with the Qianji poison must be him." Feng Bao said decisively, "When he was answering the Emperor, he was too guilty. He seemed to be holding his ground, but in fact, he came here to retire. Looking at it this way, it's like when Yang Bo retired—a strategic retreat to protect himself."

"But Yang Bo is Yang Bo, and he is not."

Yang Bo had truly made a strategic retreat. At that time, when the Jin faction and the Chu faction were fighting to that extent, Yang Bo still pushed through the Examination Law before choosing to leave. For that one act of pushing through the Examination Law, Zhu Yijun had always remembered Yang Bo's merits.

When Yang Bo was about to leave, he even handed over the All-Jin Guild Hall to Ge Shouli instead of Zhang Siwei, leaving a path of survival for the Jin faction.

But Shu Hua? He just came to the Emperor to kowtow, highlighting that his departure was because the Emperor demanded it. Even at a time like this, he was still seeking fame. Therefore, Feng Bao was certain that he must have been involved in the assassination of Hence Hai Rui.

Not punishing the same offense twice is also the bottom line of political struggle.

"Have the Embroidered Uniform Guards take him." Zhu Yijun thought for a moment and then gave up on thinking. He chose to let power be a little willful. If he felt this person was problematic, he would arrest him. As for whether there was a problem, he would investigate.

"This..." Feng Bao was stunned. His Majesty was being a bit unconventional. The Minister of the Dali Temple was a third-rank official. To arrest a third-rank court official, there should at least be a warrant from the Ministry of Justice, but His Majesty didn't even give a warrant and wanted to arrest the person directly.

Zhu Yijun's eyes were cold as he said, "The bottom line of political struggle was broken by them first. They don't follow the rules, yet they want me to follow the rules? That makes no sense."

"Arrest him."

"Your subject obeys the decree!" Feng Bao was quite excited. He took the hand-written order and scurried off to find the Commander to make the arrest. Having been with His Majesty for a long time, Feng Bao was also a lover of fun; he enjoyed watching the chaos.

If the officials of the Southern Yamen dared to push their luck, they had to be taught a lesson!

The reason Zhu Yijun wanted to summon Shu Hua was to see this person with his own eyes and resolve a doubt in his heart: was Dai Fengxiang a scapegoat pushed out to take the blame? Dai Fengxiang played the role of clearing old accounts and balancing the books. Once all the charges were pinned on Dai Fengxiang, Shu Hua and the hundred officials of Nanjing would be cleared of this matter and could continue to act as Ming court officials from then on.

And after seeing Shu Hua, the Ming Emperor was convinced that Dai Fengxiang was indeed the one being used to balance the books. His wife and children might die, but Dai Fengxiang still had a mistress, and the mistress's offspring would be well-treated, while Dai Fengxiang's family would definitely profit handsomely.

The reason Zhu Yijun was certain was that Shu Hua was a hypocritical person.

The Embroidered Uniform Guards arresting Shu Hua for no reason immediately caused an uproar! This awakened the fear of the hundred officials of the Southern Yamen of being dominated by the Embroidered Uniform Guards.

And regarding this matter, the hundred officials of the Northern Yamen who were in the entourage actually said nothing; not a single person came out to stop it. Those who provoke first deserve to die. The bottom line of political struggle was not broken by the Emperor; the hundred officials of the Southern Yamen made the first move, so they couldn't blame the Emperor for using violence. How could the accompanying Northern Yamen officials stop it?

Li Le had judged at the time that the Southern Yamen bureaucrats would not take action, and that was based on this consideration.

Wang Chonggu sent people to search everywhere for Zhang Juzheng and Qi Jiguang. After searching for a long time, they finally found the two of them at a small villa under Lion Mountain. This place was less than two miles away from the Longjiang Shipyard—a pool of clear water, three fishermen, and dozens of guards.

There was also a young man on the scene; Xu Guangqi stood respectfully by their side.

"You two are truly able to sit still. His Majesty directly arrested Shu Hua, and all the civil and military officials are looking for you two to be their backbone. Yet you two are fine, running here to sit firmly on the fishing platform." Wang Chonggu said, exasperated.

Zhang Juzheng hung the bait, cast the fishing line, and asked happily, "What did Vice Minister Wang do?"

"Didn't I rush to send a warrant to the Guard Command? It can't be that His Majesty doesn't follow the rules." Wang Chonggu sat down and said irritably.

Anyone in this world can fail to follow the rules, except for His Majesty. Even if His Majesty doesn't follow the rules, the officials must find a way to make things look like they follow the rules.

This looks a bit complicated, but politics has always been such a compromise.

"Hahaha, didn't Vice Minister Wang also not stop it? Why expect me and the Grand Secretary to stop His Majesty?" Qi Jiguang laughed directly. He shook his head and said, "With the Grand Secretary and me here, His Majesty can't let go of his hands and feet."

"If he isn't willful and doesn't act recklessly, is he still an emperor?" Zhang Juzheng sighed and said, "His Majesty is very reasonable. It was these ambitious parasites in the Southern Yamen who made the first move."

"Sometimes, His Majesty is too much of a gentleman. This is my fault."

Zhang Juzheng's requirements for the Emperor were extremely strict. Over the years, His Majesty had increasingly shown the demeanor of a wise and holy ruler, but being a wise and holy ruler was sometimes a burden. Being too much of a gentleman meant suffering at the hands of villains. To deal with villains, one must use the methods of villains.

"Makes sense." Wang Chonggu thought for a moment, sat by the pond, had someone bring a fishing rod, and joined the two of them in fishing. He also wanted to avoid trouble, saving himself from being sought out and having to waste his breath. One should play dumb when it's time to play dumb; that is what a private secretary does.

"Is there a problem with Yuan Hongyu, the Grand Censor of the Southern Terrace?" Wang Chonggu was clearly not in the mood to fish and suddenly asked out of the blue in the spring breeze.

Zhang Juzheng pondered for a moment and said, "There shouldn't be."

A person's name is like a tree's shadow; Yuan Hongyu's reputation for integrity is unmatched, and that is not fake. As long as an official is an honest official, generally there are no major problems. Yuan Hongyu did go to Hence Hai Rui to plead for mercy, but he didn't make excessive demands; it was more like a human favor. In this officialdom, not everything is black or white.

"I asked someone to inquire. The reason Yuan Hongyu wanted to plead with Hence Hai Rui was actually because his grandson had taken a master. This master made the request. People live in relationships, and no one can avoid them." Zhang Juzheng added his judgment.

As long as a person lives in this world, they cannot be without relationships. If they don't have connections with others, some favors cannot be pushed away.

Yuan Hongyu's grandson was a bit slow, and Yuan Hongyu couldn't teach him, so he had to find a famous teacher. It took a long time to find one, so he couldn't refuse the favor.

"Being an honest official is truly not easy." Wang Chonggu said sincerely.

The three high-ranking officials present—Zhang Juzheng accepted bribes from military generals, Qi Jiguang offered bribes, and the 2,000 taels of silver in filial piety sent every year had been going on for many years, and Wang Chonggu was the leader of the Jin faction, a certified 'great corrupt official' by Hence Hai Rui. Regardless of the purpose, silver taken is silver taken; it is corruption. None of them were honest officials.

"His Majesty is still very reasonable. He just arrested the person without pinning any charges on Shu Hua, just investigating whether he had any problems, and didn't arrest his family along with him. Just for the fact that Shu Hua led the hundred officials to the temporary palace to present a blood-written petition, he should have died!" Qi Jiguang cast his fishing rod and said very clearly that the intensity of His Majesty's actions was not enough.

According to Qi Jiguang's view, this Shu Hua was a rebel, and the charge of treason would be just right. Daring to run to the temporary palace to present a blood-written petition was forcing the Emperor's hand!

"That's true." Wang Chonggu also agreed.

The Grand Secretary, the Vice Minister, and the Grand General of the Great Ming hid at Longtan under Lion Mountain to start fishing. The hundred officials were also leaderless and could only let the Emperor act recklessly.

On the 14th day of the 4th month of the 13th year of Wanli, at the Southern Guard Command, Battalion Commander Chen Mo of the Criminal Investigation Department flipped through the files. The investigation into Shu Hua had been going on for ten days and finally had huge progress.

Shu Hua twisted his body uncomfortably. This was his first time being interrogated. He looked at Chen Mo, who was responsible for interrogating him, and said sternly, "Where there is a saint, there are thieves; where there are pillars of the state, there are parasites; where there is integrity, there is corruption. If I am turned from innocent to guilty, I cannot escape, and neither can you!"

"Today you can force a confession out of me, tomorrow you can fabricate charges against you!"

"Stop." Chen Mo waved his hand and said, "You are a proper Jinshi, and a third-rank official who hasn't retired yet. Can you clear your head? The Embroidered Uniform Guards are not omnipotent. Why would I use torture on you?"

"If I don't say it, you bureaucrats have no respect for His Majesty. Why did His Majesty have to arrest you before you retired? Isn't it to let you wear this official uniform so you wouldn't be harassed by the Embroidered Uniform Guards? If you were really a commoner, could you still be waiting in prison with such good food and drink?"

"Only caring about yourself, selfish and self-interested."

Before interrogating the case, Chen Mo scolded Shu Hua. The reason His Majesty had to arrest people before they retired was to leave them this layer of skin for self-protection.

"Ah?" Shu Hua was stunned.

"If His Majesty really wanted to convict you and fabricate charges, he would have stripped you of your official status and revoked your merits long ago." Chen Mo sighed. In the words of the Great Debate in the capital, this Shu Hua was clearly alienated by power to the point of not being human, completely disregarding the rules of the world and doing whatever he wanted.

"Besides, His Majesty still needs to fabricate charges against you? You know best what you have done yourself." Chen Mo picked up a piece of paper from the table and said, "Look, what is this?"

"You!" Shu Hua's face changed drastically!

"I found your correspondence with Dai Fengxiang." Chen Mo raised his eyebrows slightly and said with a smile, "Didn't expect that, did you? Hidden so deep, yet I still found it."

"There are 74 letters of your correspondence here. You were involved in the death of Grand Censor Hai's wife and concubines in the 3rd year of Longqing, and you were also involved in this assassination of Grand Censor Hai with Qianji poison."

Shu Hua slapped the table and stood up, furious, saying, "Stop slandering me! Forging evidence, calling a deer a horse!"

"Don't, don't. I'm just a rough man; I can't write such neat characters." Chen Mo put away the written evidence and took out several pieces of physical evidence, showing them while saying, "Our Embroidered Uniform Guard office handles cases based on evidence. We are His Majesty's Embroidered Uniform Guards!"

"If you want witnesses, I have them too. For example, the three mistresses you kept in Xiangluan Lane were dragged out by our Embroidered Uniform Guards. Everyone knows that when the Embroidered Uniform Guards handle cases, mistresses become a breakthrough point. But why can't you guys help yourselves? You thought you could hide by using the alias 'Squire Wang'?"

As hounds, their eyes must be sharp enough, and their sense of smell must be sensitive enough.

Chen Mo discovered these letters starting from the account book of the herbal medicine shop owner Dan Wen. The paper of the account book came from the Anshun Paper Mill in Xiangluan Lane. This paper mill was a century-old brand that had existed since the Hongwu reign. The paper was white, translucent, and exquisitely textured. The raw materials were sawtooth oak, paper mulberry, and green bamboo. Because the craftsmanship was unique, it was highly sought after, and because the output was not high, only wealthy families could afford to use it.

Chen Mo discovered that Dan Wen of the herbal medicine shop bought paper from the Anshun Paper Mill, Dai Fengxiang also bought paper from the Anshun Paper Mill, and Shu Hua also bought paper from the Anshun Paper Mill.

Starting from the paper from the Anshun Mill, Chen Mo finally found a breakthrough point and found Dai Fengxiang's mistress and the letters kept by the mistress.

"Alright, I know you're not convinced, but it doesn't matter. You can appeal to the King of Hell when you get to the underworld." Chen Mo had no intention of continuing the interrogation. He didn't need Shu Hua's confession. If the Embroidered Uniform Guards needed a confession to handle a case, what was His Majesty raising them for?

"Oh, by the way, don't think about committing suicide. The place arranged for you has no possibility of suicide." After Chen Mo finished speaking, he walked out step by step. As he walked, he silently counted.

"Battalion Commander Chen, I confess, I confess! This matter was not done by me alone! I confess!" Shu Hua suddenly shouted loudly.

Chen Mo had just counted to ten. Seeing that Chen Mo was really about to leave, Shu Hua immediately chose to perform meritorious service.

There was no other way. If Chen Mo really left, whatever Shu Hua wanted to say, His Majesty wouldn't be able to hear it. Shu Hua really didn't want to enter the Dissection Institute. Even being beheaded and displayed would be better than becoming a room full of 'Shu Huas'.

'A room full of'—this unit of measurement possessed terrifying power in the Great Ming. Dying without a whole corpse was already a miserable end, and now he would be sliced into pieces to become a specimen for future generations to study the 'Dissection Theory', which Shu Hua simply could not accept.

"The mastermind of this matter is Dai Fengxiang, not me." This time, Shu Hua really started to confess honestly, point by point.

Dai Fengxiang was a third-rank Jinshi. During the Jiajing reign, a third-rank Jinshi could not enter the capital to become an official no matter what; at most, he would be a prefect. Officialdom is full of obstacles, and every step is a chasm. Shu Hua did not have this concern; he was a second-rank Jinshi, and his ceiling was higher.

At that time, Xu Jie was troubled by Hence Hai Rui. In order to curry favor with Xu Jie, Dai Fengxiang found Dan Wen to teach Hence Hai Rui a lesson.

Dai Fengxiang wanted to do it but didn't dare, so he found Shu Hua. Shu Hua didn't dare at first, but Hence Hai Rui was pushing for the 'Clear Measurement and Return to Fields' and the 'Single Whip Law', offending more and more officials, so Shu Hua tacitly agreed to Dai Fengxiang's actions.

But Dan Wen refused, asking for a high price—100,000 taels of silver. Later, Dai Fengxiang, Shu Hua, and others started looking for money everywhere. At this time, a total of seven officials who hated Hence Hai Rui to the bone took out the silver with Dai Fengxiang and Shu Hua to get rid of Hence Hai Rui's wife and concubines.

And this time, Dan Wen asked for 500,000 taels of silver.

"Dan Wen received a deposit of 250,000 taels of silver, yet he found a vegetable farmer to assassinate him? Is he really looking down on our Embroidered Uniform Guards?" Chen Mo was a bit puzzled and asked a private question. Dan Wen had done so many dirty things for so many years, yet he found a vegetable farmer to fool them. Did he really think the Embroidered Uniform Guards were all eating for free? He should have found a death-sworn warrior like the one who assassinated Wang Chonggu.

Shu Hua sighed and said, "Dan Wen asked for 500,000 taels of silver, actually because he didn't want to do it. He knew that if Hence Hai Rui died, he would definitely die too, so he found a vegetable farmer to fool them."

With different perspectives, Chen Mo had thought for a long time about the problem he couldn't figure out, but Shu Hua hit the nail on the head. Dan Wen hadn't thought about succeeding at all; he was just preparing to drag these masters down with him to die, which is why he found a vegetable farmer to fool them.

"Evil deeds will eventually lead to one's own destruction." Chen Mo nodded and said, "Why did Dai Fengxiang's mistress keep your letters?"

"We agreed that he would come out to take the blame and shoulder everything. We would take care of his mistress and son. The mistress gave birth to two sons for him. His legal wife couldn't give birth to children, but she was from a prominent family, so Dai Fengxiang couldn't take a concubine. The mistress gave birth to children for him, so these letters were kept by his mistress." Shu Hua explained the issue of the letters.

Dai Fengxiang had topped the imperial examination back then, riding a horse in fine clothes, and married a wife from a family of different status, which was considered marrying above his station. But this wife couldn't give birth to a son, and Dai Fengxiang couldn't take a concubine, so he had no choice.

"I see." Chen Mo closed the file.

"I'm really not the mastermind; Dai Fengxiang is!" Shu Hua's hands started to tremble. He thought he was watertight, but he didn't expect to be investigated by the Embroidered Uniform Guards.

Chen Mo took the file and reported it to His Majesty.

"Set up a large execution hall in front of the Xianmen and Dagongfang gates and prepare for a public trial!" Zhu Yijun finished reading the file and made such arrangements.

The public trial was something Prince Lu had come up with. The Ming Emperor felt it was very useful and decided to use it. It was his own brother, so it was reasonable and justified. At worst, he would reward Prince Lu with a few beauties from the ten thousand nations.