Chapter 104: A banquet that is not a good banquet; searching for scars and finding cracks

Vermilion rafters and embroidered tiles lean against the setting sun; the sounds of Chu songs and swallow dances are heard.

The detached palace and separate villas rise to the sky; the jade steps and gold paving shine in the moonlight.

The Prince of Chu's mansion is, after all, built in imitation of the Forbidden City, with a grand scale and a magnificent momentum.

The halls are progressive, decorated with gold; the corridors are arranged, decorated with green and black; especially when the lanterns are lit, the night view is extremely beautiful.

Unfortunately, Zhu Changwen, following behind Wu Jinghe, has no mind to look around, only burying his head and lowering his presence.

But Wu Jinghe having someone follow behind naturally means he has something to say.

"Last April, I went to Changsha with the Earl of Huairou, Shi Guangzu, to enfeoff his father as a Prince."

The current Prince of Ji, Zhu Yiluan, is a younger brother succeeding an elder brother, inheriting the Ji fief, and is of the same generation as His Majesty.

Wu Jinghe walks in front, his voice entering Zhu Changwen's ears, making the latter even more nervous.

"At that time, the late Emperor gave his father eight words, saying 'Be respectful and cautious in handling affairs, and strictly observe rituals and laws'..."

Wu Jinghe turns his head, looks at Zhu Changwen, and his tone turns cold: "It seems you haven't learned a thing."

He doesn't say what matter, seemingly referring to Zhu Changwen's shouting at the city gate just now, and seemingly referring to something else.

Zhu Changwen's eyelids jump, calculating the meaning of Wu Jinghe's words, while his face is piled with a perfunctory smile: "Great-Uncle is right to teach me, I will reflect, I will reflect."

He changes his address to a relative.

Although it is a relationship beyond the five degrees of mourning, he can't help his thick skin—last year, when he sent a congratulatory memorial to the Emperor, he could call him Uncle Emperor His Majesty.

The officials of the Prince of Chu's mansion lead the way in front, taking the two one after another through the Imperial Garden.

Wu Jinghe shakes his head, his tone neither salty nor bland: "The imperial clan leaves the city, only after asking."

"You ran from Changsha to Wuchang, have you ever requested permission from the authorities?"

According to the system, clan members of various fiefs must report when going out, and cannot leave their fiefs without permission; even sweeping graves to pay respects to ancestors every year must be reported to the Ministry of Rites first.

Zhu Changwen running to Wuchang now is obviously against the rules.

Although this is the case, Zhu Changwen is still stunned for a moment before reacting.

Oh, so he is violating the ban by leaving the city!

This is not to blame him for not reacting; in ordinary times, no one really takes this ban to heart!

Never mind leaving the fief, sneaking into the capital is like eating and drinking.

In the seventh month of the sixth year of Jiajing, the Prince of Jingjiang's mansion had a Lieutenant of the State, who twice violated the regulations by leaving the city and sneaking to Nanjing.

In the thirty-seventh year of Jiajing, the Prince of Leping's mansion of the Han fief had a General of the State, "who left his father to travel at the end of the third month, and no one knew where he went."

As early as the Tianshun period, there was even the incident of Zhu Panye, the Prince of Linchuan of the Ning fief, "who left the city without permission and entered people's homes to demand property."

Even recently, at the beginning of the year, there were several people from the Prince of Ninghua's mansion, the Prince of Fangshan's mansion, and the Qin fief's generals and lieutenants, who sneaked into the capital to petition and request salary grain, which is to demand the money owed by the imperial court.

Although the Emperor "ordered each to be returned to their idle residences for detention," the various clan fiefs ran to the capital to petition again the following month.

Violating the ban to leave the city can be said to be commonplace.

It is only because Wu Jinghe pointed it out to his face that Zhu Changwen realizes it is inappropriate.

Unspoken rules are unspoken rules, that is because no one pursues them.

Now that the Clan Elder is asking about this matter with a stern tone to his face, Zhu Changwen is immediately choked up.

He follows behind Wu Jinghe, somewhat at a loss.

The two pass by the Goldfish Pond; at this time, they can gradually hear the singing girls raised by the Prince of Chu's mansion singing in the mansion, and faint singing comes through.

It only sounds increasingly irritable in Zhu Changwen's ears.

He follows Wu Jinghe step by step, thinking for a long time before carefully saying: "Great-Uncle, there is a reason for this!"

"Since the Longqing period until now, the clan salary quota is insufficient, and the authorities have repeatedly borrowed from it, already owing my Ji fief over 66,500 *shi*."

"Relatives are forbidden from engaging in the four trades, and the clan salary is insufficient, so it is truly miserable; now that there is a great flood in Huguang, many relatives' houses are broken and leaking, with no way to repair them, and they really can't hold on anymore."

"My father, having no choice, ordered me to come and find the authorities to urge them to pay."

"The three provincial offices of Huguang are all in Wuchang, and I was also forced to do so; in an emergency, one must act according to the situation."

The best way to defend oneself is to turn around and accuse the other party.

The imperial court owes salary silver, and they won't let people come to ask for it? If one digs deep, at worst he will go back and be grounded; can the imperial court pay back the money?

Moreover, what Zhu Changwen said is also the truth.

Local authorities owing clan salaries is already a convention.

Major clan fiefs all have warehouses; the Guangshi Warehouse of the Prince of Ji's mansion hasn't seen salary rice enter the warehouse for several years.

The clan fiefs that went to the capital to collect debts last time, saying "from the fortieth year of Jiajing to the first year of Wanli, not a single cent of salary grain was given," were not empty words.

Even though as early as the fifth year of Longqing, the late Emperor promised to appease them—"Clan salaries have been owed for a long time; the authorities are ordered to urge payment in many ways, and give one or two quarters every year to provide for support."

But the local area still turned a deaf ear.

If it weren't for this, why would their Prince of Ji's mansion have to rely on their own skills to find food?

Wu Jinghe walks in front with his hands behind his back, unhurriedly.

He knows that the imperial court is in the wrong on this matter, so he doesn't dwell on it, but instead questions again: "Then you should go to the Provincial Administration Commissioner's office, why come here for a banquet?"

Zhu Changwen gives a bitter smile: "Great-Uncle, you wrong me! How is this a banquet!"

"Now that there are changes in the three provincial offices, they have no time to pay attention to me for a while."

"At the end of my rope, I begged the Prince of Chu's mansion, hoping they would be generous and help the relatives a little."

"That is why the Prince of Dong'an invited me to the banquet on the way, to discuss this matter as soon as possible..."

Zhu Changwen follows behind, bowing and cupping his hands repeatedly, and occasionally wiping tears from the corners of his eyes.

Unfortunately, Wu Jinghe doesn't look at him selling misery, and doesn't even listen to the words behind.

He immediately grasps the key information.

Prince of Dong'an... Zhu Xianhuai.

He naturally knows this person; he is the cousin of the previous Prince of Chu, and now a Commandery Prince, and also one of the leading figures of the Chu fief.

Wu Jinghe frowns.

The Emperor sent him to Huguang, not to accompany him to investigate the case.

That Majesty gave him repeated instructions to reform the clan fiefs, and it is not based on whether these clan fiefs are involved in the case.

Or rather, even if they are not involved, he must take this opportunity to get things done—even if they are innocent, they must "possibly" be guilty.

But in any case, he must at least figure out what the situation of the Huguang clan fiefs is now.

The Chu, Min, Jing, Ji, Xiang, and Liao principalities are entrenched in Huguang, and have historically taken the Chu mansion as their head.

Now that he has just arrived in Huguang, he specifically invited him to go—of course, it was specifically to invite him; if it were to see Hai Rui, he should have come to the door in person.

One has to carefully ponder what the Chu mansion's intentions are.

Wu Jinghe went around in circles to ask who the junior behind him was who invited him; he wasn't doing it without a purpose.

Although the affairs of the Prince's mansion can be handled by the Empress Dowager as a display, the specific management of the Prince's mansion affairs still needs to be done by the clan.

The previous generation of the Chu Prince's mansion experienced a major case of killing the Prince and usurping the throne, and the current Chu Prince died unexpectedly in his prime, so the position of Prince of the Chu principality is still vacant.

Therefore, the imperial court ordered the younger brother of the previous Chu Prince to temporarily manage the affairs of the Chu principality.

When the people from the Chu Prince's mansion went to invite Wu Jinghe, Wu Jinghe specifically asked if it was this "acting manager" who invited him.

As a result, that Chief Clerk stammered, saying it was requested by the Empress Dowager; clearly, there was another story.

Now that he asked about the Prince of Dong'an from Zhu Changwen's mouth, Wu Jinghe felt even more surprised—the one managing the affairs of the Chu principality is not the Prince of Dong'an!

Wu Jinghe fell into deep thought.

Seeing that this great-uncle-in-law no longer spoke, Zhu Changwen only felt he had muddled through, and naturally would not take the initiative to speak again.

The two walked silently along with the officials of the Chu Prince's mansion.

Palaces and pavilions were arranged in sequence between the night and the lights.

Not long after, they arrived at a large hall on the central axis of the Chu mansion, with the three characters "Zhonghe Hall" written on the door, which was also built according to the Huangji Hall of the Forbidden City.

Maidservants, eunuchs, and guards were arranged in two rows on the left and right, no worse than the pomp of the imperial palace.

As soon as Wu Jinghe walked outside the hall, a group of people immediately surrounded him.

"Jinghe is worthy of being a martial artist; after decades of not seeing you, you still have such techniques for maintaining your youthful appearance."

A woman dressed in the attire of an Empress Dowager, with a face around fifty, led the crowd to welcome him.

She was smiling and chatting, quite intending to take on the posture of an elder.

This was the original consort of the previous Chu Prince, the biological mother of the Chu Prince who passed away the year before last, and now the Empress Dowager of the Chu principality, Lady Wu.

There was a reason for her having some airs in her speech.

After all, before Emperor Shizong was adopted into the succession, he was a clan member of Huguang and was also under the care of the Chu principality—when the Xing Prince's mansion failed to collect their salary, it was the Chu principality that came forward to help them out.

With this layer of relationship, the Chu principality also interacted more with Emperor Shizong.

After Emperor Shizong married off his daughter, Wu Jinghe also followed the Princess back to their old home in Anlu, Huguang, for a trip.

Wu Jinghe and the Chu principality could be considered to have had dealings long ago.

Coupled with the fact that the Empress Dowager was a generation older than Shizong, outsiders did not find it strange that she took on the posture of an elder at this time.

Wu Jinghe knew well that there is no such thing as a good banquet, and the identity of a junior is not something he should accept at this time.

He did not take the bait, but smiled and said: "This old man is already sixty years old, old and decrepit; how can I be worthy of any techniques for maintaining a youthful appearance."

"This time, I am patrolling on behalf of His Majesty; being able to return in one piece is already a stroke of heaven's luck."

His words pointed out his age and brought out his identity as an imperial envoy; he had no intention of acting as a junior at all.

He even pointed out that this trip was dangerous, and he had no intention of climbing the social ladder; it could be said he gave no face.

This made Empress Dowager Wu feel a bit awkward.

She greeted the people around her and skipped the previous topic.

"Prince Consort."

"Imperial Envoy."

"General of the Red Helmet."

Each had their own way of addressing him; the former Chu Prince's consort Lady Wang, the sons of the Chu Prince, the Prince of Dong'an, and others all offered their greetings.

Wu Jinghe swept a glance at the slightly plump Prince of Dong'an without changing his expression, lost in thought.

After everyone had offered their greetings, Wu Jinghe asked curiously: "Why haven't I seen the Prince of Wugang?"

The Prince of Wugang is the Commandery Prince who is currently managing the Chu principality; he didn't expect he wouldn't even show his face.

The Empress Dowager and the Prince of Dong'an looked at each other, and the latter came forward to smooth things over: "General, with the continuous heavy rain recently, my cousin's leg pain is very severe, and it is inconvenient for him to walk; he has been resting at the mansion for several days."

Wu Jinghe is a General of the Red Helmet of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, a general with real power leading 1,500 people in the capital; this form of address is not more distant than an imperial envoy, nor does it appear to be taking on the airs of an elder.

The Prince Consort's gaze wandered back and forth between the Empress Dowager and the Prince of Dong'an, his expression solemn, and he did not say a word.

It wasn't until both of them began to feel slightly nervous that he suddenly smiled: "Yes, it seems everyone has this problem when they get older."

"It's just that, besides leg pain, I also have some headaches, and I don't know when it will end."

He bit the words "headache" with a heavy tone and shook his head with emotion.

The Empress Dowager took over the conversation with some difficulty: "Jinghe is a martial arts champion by origin, and has practiced in the West Garden following the Temple of Shizong; how can our bodies compare to yours?"

Although she was easing the atmosphere, when the Empress Dowager finished speaking, she still couldn't help but look at Wu Jinghe, whose hair and beard were all black and whose face looked like a middle-aged man, showing an envious expression.

The plump Prince of Dong'an chimed in: "The General of the Red Helmet has received the grace of the Temple of Shizong and entered the Dao through martial arts; if the Empress Dowager wants to learn, you might as well sincerely worship the Flying Origin True Lord."

After easing the atmosphere, he gestured to the side of the hall and reminded: "The juniors from the Min and Xiang mansions are already waiting in the hall to start the banquet; let's go in."

The Empress Dowager also immediately reacted and invited Wu Jinghe to the banquet.

Tsk... this is the second time Shizong has been brought up, Wu Jinghe silently noted it in his heart.

Naturally, there was no reaction on the surface; he still smiled and followed the trend, extending his palm to invite the host to walk in front.

He was a martial arts champion by origin and could easily tear tigers and leopards apart; although he was older now, he also brought several personal guards and was not worried about safety issues.

Several people yielded to each other and stepped into the hall in a harmonious atmosphere.

Zhu Changwen, who was ignored the whole time, gnashed his teeth and stood still.

Seeing that no one really came to invite him, he snorted coldly and followed behind in a huff.

……

Some people drink alone by the river, some people are publicly invited to eat and drink.

Naturally, there are also people who are diligent and conscientious, sitting alone in the main hall of the Provincial Governor's Prefectural Yamen, working seriously.

Hai Rui silently organized the testimonies of the River Patrol Commander Chen Xiao and the Military Defense Assistant Ji Ruzhi, and rubbed his eyebrows with some fatigue.

After the hardships of travel, followed by continuous interrogations, it would be a lie to say he wasn't tired.

It was just that his mind was immersed in it, so he could slightly ignore it.

Hai Rui pondered what these two had just said.

River Patrol Commander Chen Xiao should have led troops to patrol the border that day, and Linxiang County was naturally within the scope.

But how else could one say it is one link after another?

Chen Xiao was invited away by a group of wealthy merchants that day, saying they were transporting a batch of goods and hoped he could look after the transport.

Between accepting silver to do private work and the day-after-day boring patrol of the border, Chen Xiao chose the former without hesitation.

Of course, the route naturally coincided with being in the opposite direction of Linxiang County.

Equally coincidentally, after the incident, the so-called wealthy merchants also evaporated into thin air.

And Ji Ruzhi was even simpler; clearing out water bandits was his duty.

The Provincial Governor's Prefectural Yamen issuing an order for him to draw troops from Tang Bin's personal guards was also, in his view, the most reasonable thing—moreover, he was just following orders.

The matter stopped at this step; it could be said to be flawless, just too coincidental.

Except for the flaw deliberately exposed to the Investigating Hai Yushi Shu Ao—the Prince of Yueyang's mansion.

But it was precisely this flaw that made everything coincidental, and everything could be pushed onto the heads of the dead.

The matter was closed.

Chen Rui and the others also saw this point and wanted to stop here and conclude the case.

The work was done cleanly, Hai Rui couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

Fortunately, this is not a criminal case; the people below have methods to resist investigation, but they cannot withstand the person on the Golden Throne, who does not need evidence—if nothing can be found, at most, find a reason to kill a few every year; anyway, he has just ascended the throne, and the good days are still ahead.

Just as he was thinking, a voice sounded, pulling back Hai Rui's attention.

"Hai Yushi Hai, you have been working hard for half a day, eat something."

Hai Rui turned his head and saw the eunuch Sun Long walking over with a tray.

Sun Long placed several dishes of food on the table one by one: "Lotus root and pork rib soup, steamed cured meat; these are all local Huguang snacks. His Majesty specifically instructed me to tell you to take care of your health; after the hardships of travel, you have spent your heart and spirit, so it is just right to nourish your stomach."

After speaking, he took down another portion of Xiaogan rice wine and placed it to the side.

Hai Rui looked at Sun Long a few more times and secretly shook his head.

Previously, he had dealings with Li Jin, Zhang Hong, Wei Chao, and others, but this was the first time he had encountered such a flattering eunuch.

Don't spoil the Emperor, Hai Rui thought wildly, took the food, and said thank you.

He took a look; it was indeed just home-cooked food.

Hai Rui's mind was wandering, but it didn't delay him from picking up the bowl and chopsticks and starting to eat.

Just as he brought the bowl to his mouth and blew on it lightly, he suddenly remembered something.

Hai Rui opened his mouth to request: "Eunuch Sun, please trouble yourself to invite Governor Zhao as well."

Sun Long lowered his eyebrows and eyes, didn't ask much, responded, and retreated.

Not long after.

The haggard-looking Governor Zhao Xian stepped into the public hall from the side.

Seeing Hai Rui holding a case file in one hand and a bowl of soup in the other, he couldn't help but be startled.

He hesitated and called out: "Hai Yushi Hai..."

Hai Rui raised his head, saw Zhao Xian had come, and stood up to welcome him: "Governor Zhao, you haven't eaten dinner yet, have you? Come, let's eat together."

Zhao Xian looked at Hai Rui in surprise; he thought that calling him here was to stay up all night to interrogate him.

He didn't expect him to be so kind.

His mind immediately became active, weighing Hai Rui's attitude.

Hai Rui moved over a chair, placed it opposite his desk, and gestured for Zhao Xian to sit.

The two sat down together.

Only then did Hai Rui have time to speak, saying with some pain: "I heard that the Dongtinghu embankment burst yesterday; does Governor Zhao know?"

Zhao Xian nodded silently; although he had avoided suspicion these past few days and no longer asked about these matters, the news was not blocked.

However, he was the Governor, and his appointment was as Vice Minister of the Ministry of War and Right Assistant Hai Yushi-in-Chief, so he did not ask about specific government affairs, and could only know about it.

Hai Rui continued: "River Patrol Commander Chen Xiao and Military Defense Assistant Ji Ruzhi are one thing, but this Qiu Qiao cannot wait until the case is concluded; he must be killed now!"

Qiu Qiao is the Dongting Garrison Commander; having such an incident happen, he cannot shirk the blame.

Disaster relief and embankment repair can be discussed later, but soothing the people is urgent.

Zhao Xian suddenly realized that this was to borrow a head to appease public anger.

No wonder he called him here.

The Yuezhou Prefecture has one Dongting Garrison Commander, one Yuezhou Guard Commander, and 5,174 soldiers; of course, this is the quota.

The former is a civil official, specifically in charge of Dongtinghu, a fifth-rank official, on the same level as the Yuezhou Prefect.

The imperial envoy can kill him, but Hai Rui's meaning clearly does not lie here.

The subtext is still that he, Zhao Xian, should kill him, hoping he can help the imperial envoy stabilize the situation in Huguang.

He understood the subtext instantly, but did not answer immediately.

Instead, he asked: "Didn't His Majesty tell me to go to the capital to await punishment?"

It is hard to say whether the Emperor was protecting a high official or was truly furious, ordering him to go to the capital that day.

But whether it was to avoid suspicion or an imperial decree, he should not be lingering in Huguang.

Hai Rui drank a mouthful of rice wine, picked up the fermented rice that had leaked onto the table with his chopsticks, and put it into his mouth.

After swallowing, he smiled: "Hasn't the decree been announced yet?"

"His Majesty ordered me to act as I see fit, and I have nothing to avoid; Governor Zhao, let's just ring the bell as long as we are monks for a day."

When he first arrived in Huguang, he knocked off the official hats of Chen Rui and the others to establish his authority.

Subsequently promoting Xu Xuemo and now protecting Zhao Xian is to stabilize the situation.

Just like the Emperor's mantra—doing things requires paying attention to methods.

Zhao Xian pondered for a moment, suddenly sat up straight, and said seriously: "Regarding Zhang Chucheng's matter, I truly did not know about it beforehand, and I absolutely had no calculations to let it go in secret!"

As soon as the words fell, the public hall became quiet.

Hai Rui put down his bowl and chopsticks and also sat upright: "Whose seal was used in the Governor's Prefectural Yamen?"

Zhao Xian showed bitterness: "The Governor's Prefectural Yamen is not permanently established; officials are mostly drawn from the three provincial offices, and with many people and mixed eyes, there are really too many suspicious people."

Hai Rui was noncommittal and pursued: "How did Zhu Yingyan die?"

Zhao Xian laughed at himself: "I killed him, or, his feet left the ground half a person high, and he jumped up and hanged himself to death."

This is the result given by the three provincial yamen.

Hanged himself to death with empty space under his feet.

Or Governor Zhao Xian instigated him to escape, Zhu Yingyan refused, and was poisoned by Zhao Xian.

Hai Rui ignored his self-mockery and nodded thoughtfully.

After a while, he picked up the bowl again and said: "I will find out."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xian immediately let out a sigh of relief.

He was afraid that the imperial envoy would be eager for merit and count him into the credit, and after using him to stabilize the Huguang situation, he would kill the donkey after the millstone was used.

But now that he had Hai Rui's promise, he finally felt grounded—he was willing to believe Hai Rui's promise.

He didn't bother him anymore, stood up and said: "Tomorrow I will rush to Yuezhou, kill the Dongtinghu Garrison Commander Qiu Qiao, to sacrifice to heaven's anger and vent the people's anger."

Seeing him agree, Hai Rui also relaxed his expression: "Let Counselor Feng Shiyu go together; regarding the repair of the embankments, in an emergency, follow the rules of expediency, and directly use the confiscated bribe money."

"There is no need to bring soldiers; the Yuezhou Guard will soon change defense with the Capital Battalion, and Regional Commander Liu Zhen will handle this matter and will also bring troops to Yuezhou; the Governor can go with him."

Zhao Xian nodded and turned to leave.

Suddenly Hai Rui called Zhao Xian again: "Governor Zhao, the Governor's Prefectural Yamen previously suppressed the tribal chiefs, and many tribal chiefs have submitted."

"Are there any who are slightly friendly and trade with us?"

Zhao Xian was stunned: "Tribal chiefs?"

Tribal chiefs are the Shizhou and Yongshun minority tribes.

Why ask about this suddenly?

Hai Rui nodded, meaningfully: "Privately casting weapons and armor, there must be a destination."

(End of chapter)