Chapter 59
It has to be said that the power of idols is infinite. Within a few days, these stimulated imperial censors devoted themselves to the anti-corruption campaign with unprecedented enthusiasm.
As soon as they got excited, all the officials in the court were in trouble. No sooner had Liu Yuanwailang happily taken in his concubine Fang than the next day an imperial censor came to his house and insisted on asking the new concubine all sorts of questions: "Did you do this willingly? Were you forced?" This made Liu Yuanwailang's face turn green.
He Shaoqing's family was happily expanding their house. Just as they received the approval from the Ministry of Works, they received an investigation order from the Censorate, insisting on checking whether they had occupied any extra land from the common people.
The one who suffered the most was Wang Shisi, who was used to bullying the local people. This time, he was directly implicated three times and lost his official hat in an instant.
There was also Captain Tang, who got drunk and acted crazy on the street. He was impeached the next day and lost half a year's salary.
This trend quickly spread from the court to the streets.
The Zhang and Li families in the south of the city had been arguing over a wall for more than ten years. Now, the censor himself came to act as a peacemaker, measuring the land and drawing the boundary on the spot with a ruler.
The case of Mr. Liu's son's wrongful death ten years ago had been ignored, but now someone finally accepted the lawsuit.
The most outrageous thing is the Jiang family's incident. A vicious servant in the king's uncle's house beat someone to death, and the victim filed a complaint for three years but no one paid any attention.
The past few days, the imperial censors have been coming to the Jiang family like a revolving lantern, questioning them in detail. The emperor's uncle was so frightened that he sent someone to apologize overnight, giving money and gifts, and finally had the evil servant beaten to death in the street, and the matter was finally settled.
The Minister of Public Security, Peng Xi, sat at his desk, his brow furrowed in a knot. A subordinate stood nearby, mumbling bitterly and occasionally wiping his eyes.
"Sir, you have to make a decision! Now all the civil and military officials avoid us, the people of the Silver Office, and the common people submit hundreds of petitions every month."
"A few days ago, when court was dismissed, the censors from the Inspectorate actually took the initiative to greet us and wanted to leave together. How can this be tolerated?"
"How can we, the people below, do our work? Isn't this blocking the road?"
Liu Sicheng finished speaking with a sigh, picked up the teacup and took a sip. The tea was already cold and tasted so bitter that he frowned.
Peng Xi also complained upon hearing this, and sighed heavily, "What can I do? Who among you dares not accept the petition Song Qianzhao handed over? And who among you dares not send it up?"
"You all saw it the other day. It was all about offending people, and it involved some big shots."
"I had no choice but to suppress the report, but because it was Song Qianzhao who handled it, I suppressed it for only a day. I don't know where the Inspectorate got the news and actually came to investigate."
"I've already forwarded the complaint to the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Inspectorate. Let them investigate! But this isn't a solution. If you can't avoid it, you can't avoid it. If we don't think of a solution, our Yintai Division will soon become a branch of the Inspectorate!"
As soon as Peng Xi finished speaking, the hall fell silent. The Sicheng and Sizhi of the Yintai Division all lowered their heads at the same time, looking like eggplants that had been hit by frost in autumn, with their heads drooping and their heads drooping.
This was truly a disaster sent from heaven! Song Qianzhao had the emperor's favor and the people's support; the old men at the Silver Palace couldn't touch him or get rid of him. No matter how angry they were, they had to swallow their anger.
Everyone looked at each other, shook their heads and sighed, obviously having no idea what to do.
Just as everyone was silent, a voice came out: "My Lords, I have an idea. Why don't you write a memorial saying that Song Sizhi cares about the people and should be rewarded? Wouldn't it be better to promote him to a position where he doesn't handle civil lawsuits?"
This really woke everyone up.
Suddenly, a seated official, the Left Secretary, slapped his thigh with a resounding "Pa!" that startled his colleagues nearby. He abruptly stood up, his beard bristling with excitement, and declared in a resounding voice, "Lord Wang, this is a brilliant idea. The hereditary military position I'm responsible for is quite complex, but I could separate some of the less important matters and create a new, unnecessary position to handle them."
"Okay! I will report this matter to the court tomorrow. It would be best if Song Qianzhao can stay at home and cultivate his character." The wrinkles on Peng Xi's face opened up with a smile, and his spirits were lifted.
Song Qianzhao had been inexplicably promoted to the fifth-rank position of Left Assistant of the Xuanfu Envoy's Office. This was a leisurely position. On the third, sixth, and ninth day of each month, he would report to the Yintai Office, where his main responsibility was to monitor the movements of the various garrison commanders.
If a commander retired or passed away suddenly, she would select a few suitable candidates from the list of children of meritorious officials, seal the names with yellow paper, and submit it to the Ministry of War. The officials in the Ministry of War would then select a few more, and ultimately His Majesty would make the final decision.
This kind of job only happens a few times a year. Every time it happens, it's just that there are more people at the door giving gifts and asking for connections.
As a result, Song Qianzhao was completely free. At first, she was quite uncomfortable with it.
But gradually, she began to taste the joy of leisure - sleeping until noon every day, slowly brewing a pot of Mingqian Longjing tea, reading some books under the sycamore tree in the yard, and she felt particularly comfortable.
One day, Song Qianzhao was dozing off in a chair when he was suddenly awakened by the sound of hurried footsteps. He saw the doorman running over with a strange look on his face: "Young Master, there's a...strange person outside."
Song Qianzhao rubbed his sleepy eyes and asked casually, "How is it so strange?"
"He's a monk."
Song Qianzhao raised his eyebrows and asked in surprise: "Monk? Are you here to beg for alms?"
"I thought so too. I wanted to give him some vegetarian food and ask him to leave, but he refused to leave."
"If it's not alms, then it's money?"
The doorman looked embarrassed. "I originally thought so, but he refused to accept the money. He said... he had something very important to discuss with you and he absolutely had to see you."
The concierge suddenly thought of something and said, "That monk is quite peculiar. He even has a monkey with him."
Monk, monkey!
When Song Qianzhao heard this, an image of Monkey King holding an iron rod and wearing a tiger-skin skirt emerged in his mind, and he couldn't help but smile.
"A monk with a monkey is quite interesting!"
I've been idle at home for many days and I'm really bored. Since there are guests coming to visit, why not meet them?
"Bring him in." Song Qianzhao had a playful smile on his face, "I want to see what the big deal is."
After a moment, a round-faced, big-eared monk in a gray robe walked in. He clasped his hands together and bowed slightly, saying in a deep voice, "Blessings benefactor! I am sorry to bother you."
A gray-haired monkey stood on the old monk's shoulder and imitated him, clumsily putting its two front paws together. Its bright black eyes rolled around, staring straight at Song Qianzhao.
Song Qianzhao felt a little uncomfortable being stared at. She avoided the monkey's gaze and turned to the old monk and asked, "Master, do you know me?"
The monk smiled and said, "Meeting is fate. Lord Song is famous far and wide. I have long admired your great name, so we have been friends for a long time."
Song Qianzhao laughed inwardly: "Spiritual friendship, isn't it just strangers?"
She didn't show it on her face, but a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes. She hesitated for a moment, "What's your name, Master?"
"Poor monk Wuzhen."
The monk had a peaceful smile on his face and his voice was gentle and soothing.
Song Qianzhao got straight to the point and asked, "Master, what do you want to see me about?"
"As soon as I arrived in the capital, I saw a purple light emanating from somewhere. This is the aura of the emperor."
"The imperial palace is in the capital, and the true dragon emperor is within the palace walls. Everyone knows this, so why do you need to tell me?" Song Qianzhao raised his eyebrows.
Wu Zhen shook his head, "It's not the imperial palace."
"Oh?" Song Qianzhao became interested and asked, "If it's not the imperial palace, then where is it?"
Wuzhen looked at Song Qianzhao and smiled without saying anything.
Song Qianzhao's face darkened and he immediately sent someone to drive him out.
"The donor has dragon eyes and phoenix neck, the appearance of an emperor."
Song Qianzhao's eyes darkened and he said angrily, "How dare you!"
Wu Zhen laughed heartily and said, "Master Song, please don't be angry. I am only telling you the truth. What's wrong with that?"
Song Qianzhao's face was as gloomy as water. "Master, we have no grudges against each other, why are you trying to harm me?"
Wu Zhen raised his lips. "Master Song, have you ever heard of the late Duke of Wei, Xu Ming?" He gently twirled the rosary in his hand. "He was also a monk, but he was the mastermind of the treason. Half of the credit for the late emperor's ascension to the throne was due to him."
"Interestingly, the reason for his rebellion was not because of a need for livelihood, nor because of a grudge against the king, nor because of greed for wealth and fame."
The monk stared at Song Qianzhao, a hint of fanaticism flashing in his eyes: "It's just that I feel that this strategy has nowhere to be used, which is a pity." He sighed softly, but there was a bit of madness in that sigh, "This poor monk... is also the same."
Song Qianzhao understood that this person was actually a fan of Xu Ming and also wanted to try his hand at conquering the world.
Song Qianzhao's face was grim. "Do you know that I can arrest you right now?"
"Master Song wouldn't do that," the monk said with a determined smile. "If this gets out, there's no guarantee that others won't take it as a lie. Even if you had a thousand mouths, you wouldn't be able to explain it."
Song Qianzhao shook his head and said, "It won't be spread out."
"Master Song, are you planning to put me in jail? If you do, the news might leak out."
The monk smiled, his tone was light, but his eyes were cold and his words were full of threats.
Song Qianzhao sneered: “No, I mean, beat you to death on the spot!”
7 Sui Feng stood quietly behind the monk, his eyes like torches, his muscles tensed, like a fully drawn bow, ready to shoot out at Song Qianzhao's signal.
The monk suddenly grinned and shot out like an arrow from a bow. Suifeng's pupils shrank slightly, and in an instant he had caught up. Song Qianzhao couldn't help but raise an eyebrow - this monk's agility was so amazing.
Since the prince went into seclusion, he was afraid that she had no one to use, so he sent Suifeng here to be at her disposal.
Suifeng's Qinggong skills, already at their peak, were now on par with the monk. The two leaped and dove between the eaves, chasing each other, always maintaining a close distance.
Seeing the two figures disappear before his eyes, Song Qianzhao suddenly felt something was wrong - shouldn't a thin person be as light as a swallow and move like the wind? How could this fat monk be so agile?
This doesn't conform to Newton's classical physics!
About half an incense stick of time passed before Suifeng came running back panting, looking annoyed. "Sir, that monk's Qinggong skills were amazing... He disappeared in a flash, we lost him!"
Song Qianzhao raised his eyebrows when he heard this, showing a bit of surprise: "Oh? Faster than you?"
Seeing Suifeng still breathing heavily, she couldn't help but smile. She poured him a cup of tea and pushed it over to him: "Sit down first and catch your breath first."
"Not really. We were pretty much on par with each other. But that fat monk slipped into Renzhaofang and vanished in a flash, like he could slip through the air!"
As he spoke, he lifted his sleeve and sloppily wiped his face, a streak of sweat instantly appearing on his forehead. He then grabbed the large tea bowl on the table, tilted his head back, and gulped down several mouthfuls. Tea leaked from the corners of his mouth, and several droplets of water hung on his beard. His throat moved rapidly several times before he set the empty bowl back on the table with a thud and breathed a sigh of relief.
Song Qianzhao frowned: "Suddenly disappeared?"
"Yes! He disappeared as soon as he turned the corner. I feel that there is no way that monk could just disappear out of thin air. He must have slipped into some house and is hiding there."
"Renzhaofang?" Song Qianzhao pondered, "Let's find out who lives in which courtyards and where they came from."
"Yes! I'll do it right away!"
Suifeng took the order and left. Song Qianzhao began to think, when suddenly a big monk appeared, pointed at his nose and asked him to rebel.
She was just a low-ranking official, powerless and insignificant. If she wanted to rebel, she should have sought a vassal king to join her.
How dare you, a lowly official like you, dream of rebellion? This is simply ridiculous.
The more I thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed. If the monk was a lunatic, then there must be some shady plot hidden behind this.
But this matter cannot be revealed, nor can it be asked. If someone says to others, "Someone invited me to rebel," I am afraid it would be like asking death!
The next morning, Suifeng entered the study, damp with dew. His sleeves were stained with mud, and his eyes were dark, evidently from a sleepless night. He placed a stack of papers filled with names on the desk and said in a hoarse voice, "Sir, this is the list we found."
Song Qianzhao took it and looked at it carefully, his fingertips moving slowly across the paper.
Most of the people living in this area were middle-level officials of the court and some prominent figures. Suifeng identified twelve suspicious houses based on the area where the monk disappeared.
But it is just a suspicion. It is not known whether the monk has accomplices or has found a place to hide somewhere.
"Sir," Suifeng said, clasping his fists, "I have already begun the investigation. However, to avoid alerting the enemy, I must proceed with extreme caution. I'm afraid it will take some time to get to the bottom of this matter."
Song Qianzhao nodded, "There's no rush for this matter. Just investigate secretly and remember not to let the news leak out."
Suifeng said seriously, "I understand."
After saying that, he bowed neatly, turned around and left the study.
After all, it involved a major case of treason, so Song Qianzhao didn't dare to be too arrogant.
A few days passed, and Song Qianzhao did not wait for Suifeng, but instead waited for a group of uninvited guests.
Early that morning, Song Qianzhao was reading a book in his study when he suddenly heard the sound of hurried horse hooves coming from the front yard.
She had just put down the scroll in her hand when the doorman came hurriedly to report: "Young Master, the commander of the Jinyiwei, Lord Liu, has brought people to the mansion."
Song Qianzhao straightened his clothes and walked into the front hall when he saw the commander of the Jinyiwei, Liu Mingan, standing in the courtyard with a team of guards. Liu Mingan was wearing a black official uniform, with a Jinyiwei token hanging around his waist, and his face was solemn.
"Commander Liu suddenly visited us. I wonder what brings you here?" Song Qianzhao bowed and spoke in a steady tone, but his eyes unconsciously swept across the Jinyiwei standing solemnly in the courtyard, and his heart skipped a beat.
Liu Ming'an clasped his fists and saluted, his tone steady, "In compliance with His Majesty's order, Sir Song, please cooperate with the investigation."
"Investigating what?" Song Qianzhao was surprised.
Liu Mingan looked directly at Song Qianzhao, "The Duke of Ying is suspected of treason!"
"What did you say?" Song Qianzhao's body trembled slightly. "Duke Ying is plotting a rebellion?"
"That's right," Liu Ming'an took out a document from his bosom. "This matter is somewhat related to Lord Song. Therefore, Your Majesty asked Lord Song to come over. It would be better to clarify the right and wrong of this matter in person."
Song Qianzhao raised his eyebrows, took the document and took a look, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes: "This matter actually involves me?"
"That's right."
Song Qianzhao thought to herself: He wasn't familiar with Duke Yingguo's Fan Sheng, but he had some contact with his son Fan Zhiyu. Even if the Fan family really had ulterior motives, what did it have to do with her?
There must be some conspiracy here!
"Master Liu, could you please tell me the details of this case?"
Liu Ming'an shook his head and said, "I am following orders. I only received instructions for your cooperation in the investigation. I don't know anything else."
Song Qianzhao continued to ask: "Is Jinyiwei responsible for this case?"
"That's right," Liu Ming'an nodded slightly, looking directly at Song Qianzhao. "This is a major case involving two dukes, so His Majesty has issued an order to hand it over to the three courts for trial, with the Imperial Guard assisting in the investigation."
"Two Dukes?" Song Qianzhao's pupils shrank slightly when he heard this, and his voice unconsciously rose. "Who are they?"
Liu Ming'an's expression remained unchanged as he spoke word by word, "Fan Sheng, Duke of Ying, and Fan Yu, Duke of Jing."
It turned out that the two adults of the Fan family were involved in the case. Song Qianzhao immediately smelled a hint of conspiracy.
Duke Fan Yu of Jing was stationed in Nanjing, in charge of the Five Military Commandery of the Southern Capital; Duke Fan Sheng of Ying was newly appointed commander-in-chief of the three major camps in the capital, in charge of the Central Military Commandery of the Northern Capital.
These two dukes control the military forces of the two most critical cities and are of the same blood. If they join forces to rebel, the consequences will be unimaginable.
But what does this have to do with our family?
Song Qianzhao still couldn't figure it out, so forget it, just give it a go.
Just as Song Qianzhao was about to leave with them, a calm and majestic voice suddenly rang out from the corridor: "Wait a minute!"
But seeing Song Jian approaching quickly, the old man still wearing his purple robe and jade belt, it was obvious that he had just left the court and rushed back upon hearing the news. He glanced at everyone, "You want to take people directly from my house without informing me. Isn't this too rude?"
"Old Minister, please understand. The situation is urgent. Your grandson is involved in a serious case of treason..."
Before Liu Ming'an could finish, Song Jian angrily shouted, "What nonsense!"
Seeing this, Song Qianzhao stepped forward and gently supported his grandfather's arm, saying gently, "Grandfather, don't worry. I'm just going to cooperate with the investigation and clarify the case. You always taught me that the turbid will remain turbid, and the clear will remain clear. Please rest assured, I know what to do."
Song Jian stared at Song Qianzhao for a moment. Seeing his calm, composed expression, he remembered that this child was always alert and composed, and his heart eased a little. After a moment's hesitation, he finally nodded slightly. "In that case, you can go. I will wait for your news."
Song Qianzhao saluted his grandfather, turned to the Jinyiwei and said, "Let's go."
After saying that, she left with the group calmly.
Song Jian stood where he was, watching Song Qianzhao's back disappear behind the screen wall. Although a trace of solemnity still clung to his brow, the worry and anxiety he had felt before were gone. He twirled his beard in silence, thinking to himself: With this boy's abilities, perhaps we can handle this.
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