Confucius Mansion.
Kong Yinzhi sat on a chair in the lobby of the county government office, his face full of anger.
The huge Confucius Mansion and the dignified Duke Yansheng were actually robbed!
Not only did he lose gold and silver, but he also lost face.
Humiliation! Shame!
After sitting for a while, Kong Yinzhi asked the servant beside him, "How is Hongyi?"
"Reporting to Lord Yansheng, County Magistrate Kong...has a broken hand bone. Even if he survives, he will not be able to write in the future."
Kong Yinzhi clenched his fists, and the anger in his heart increased a little.
"Where is the garrison commander He Shun?" Kong Yinzhi asked.
"Inspecting the city defenses."
Kong Yinzhi said angrily: "Tell him to come here immediately and give me an explanation!"
"I wonder what Duke Yansheng wants to explain?" He Shun walked into the lobby of the county government office and suddenly appeared in front of Kong Yinzhi.
Kong Yinzhi was stunned and looked at the officers outside the county government office.
According to the rules, they should inform in advance.
The officers outside the door lowered their heads and pretended to know nothing. It was not that they did not see He Shun, but they simply did not want to tell Kong Yinzhi.
Before surrendering, Kong Yinzhi and Kong Hongyi's actions made them thoroughly understand what hypocrisy is.
"What explanation?" Kong Yinzhi stood up and sneered, "Those bandits have no siege equipment. It is a serious crime for you to surrender without a fight! Not only did the descendants of the Kong family suffer this catastrophe, but the Yanshenggong Mansion also suffered heavy losses."
"Are you just going to let it go like this? You have no responsibility?"
He Shun raised the corners of his mouth slightly, and put on a condescending attitude, "I am the garrison commander of Qufu, a fifth-rank official of the imperial court. I only need to be responsible to the governor of Shandong, the governor-general, the Ministry of War, the cabinet, and your majesty."
"You are just a small lord of Yansheng, what qualifications do you have to teach me a lesson?"
"The lives of tens of thousands of people in Qufu rest on my shoulders. I surrendered, but I saved the safety of the people in the city!"
"Even if there is a responsibility, it is not your turn to decide!"
"You...you you you!" Kong Yinzhi thought he could vent his anger on He Shun, but he didn't expect the other party to suddenly become a tough guy.
He Shun sneered again, and without waiting for Kong Yinzhi to refute, he turned and left.
Outside the door.
The gatekeeper walked quickly to He Shun and asked in a low voice, "Master He, we brothers want to follow you."
He Shun was startled, thought for a moment and said, "The court asked each city to increase the number of garrisons, and I do have a vacancy here. But the court is in arrears with military pay, and the food and pay issued is barely enough to make ends meet, and it is not enough to support a family."
"It's okay. We brothers are all single. If one person is full, the whole family will not be hungry."
He Shun smiled and said, "Okay, you can come over anytime."
The two officers bowed deeply to He Shun, took off their uniforms in the street, and followed He Shun away.
Kong Yinzhi saw all of this. He was so angry that he fell on his chair and was furious: "Ah!!! This is too much, this is too much!"
"Come here, bring me paper and pen! I need to write an official document to the Yanzhou Prefecture, the Ministry of War, and the Cabinet to expose He Shun's ugly face."
"No! I will submit a memorial to His Majesty to impeach He Shun. Your Majesty will definitely chop off his head to put an end to this matter."
"Yes, I will write you to death!" Kong Yinzhi continued to be furious and helpless as he looked in the direction where He Shun left.
After writing the official documents and the memorial, Kong Yinzhi's anger dissipated a lot.
He returned to the inner hall and sat opposite his wife, Mrs. Hou.
Since the mid-Ming Dynasty, the Yanshenggong Mansion has been very keen on political marriages.
The 61st wife of the Duke of Yansheng, Li, was the second daughter of Li Xian. Li Xian was a remarkable figure who served five dynasties and was a trusted minister of Emperor Yingzong of the Ming Dynasty. The History of the Ming Dynasty states: "Since the Three Yangs, there has been no emperor as wise as him."
The wife of the 62nd Duke of Yansheng was the daughter of Li Dongyang, the chief minister of the cabinet.
The wife of the 63rd Duke of Yansheng was the daughter of Zhang Yanling, Marquis of Jianchang, who was the younger brother of Empress Zhang of Emperor Xiaozong.
The wife of the 64th Duke of Yansheng was named Yan. She was the daughter of Yan Shifan, then Vice Minister of Works, and the granddaughter of Yan Song, then Chief Minister of the Cabinet.
The wife of the 64th Duke of Yansheng was this Hou.
Hou was the granddaughter of Hou Ning, the councillor of Henan Provincial Government. Although she was not rich, she came from a scholarly family.
"Master, it's all over, don't be angry!" Hou poured Kong Yinzhi a cup of hot tea and stood beside him, massaging his shoulders.
Kong Yinzhi clenched his right fist and pounded it hard on the table: "Humph, how can I not be angry when I don't even know who the murderer is!"
"Ah?" Hou was a little surprised. "I heard from the servants that the murderer called himself Shunjun, which is what the court calls bandits."
"It's not that simple!" Kong Yinzhi shook his head and said, "When they forced He Shun to surrender, they called themselves the Bordered White Banner of the Qing Dynasty, and after entering the city, they changed their name to Shun Army."
"People who do this kind of thing are not fools. They will never reveal their true identity unless they have no other choice."
"There's something fishy about this!"
Hou thought for a moment and asked cautiously, "Master, do you think it is possible that the government troops did this? They first pretended to be Jiannu to force the defenders to surrender, and then pretended to be bandits to plunder after entering the city."
Kong Yinzhi glared at him fiercely: "You have long hair but little knowledge! Can you think before you speak?"
"These cavalrymen are well-equipped and well-disciplined. They are the elite among the elite. The elite troops in Shandong have long been transferred to the capital. Even if the government troops are willing, they are powerless to do such a thing."
"Who could it be?" Hou was also confused.
A quarter of an hour later.
Kong Yinzhi gathered everyone in the mansion together and began to speak, "The Kong Mansion suffered such a disaster today. As the Duke of Yansheng, I must seek justice for you and the Kong Mansion!"
"Yes, seek justice!"
"Please ask the court to send troops to arrest them all and execute them on the spot!"
"Lord Yanshenggong must make the decision for us!"
"Silence!" Kong Yinzhi stretched out his hand to ask everyone to be quiet. "Who do you think the murderer is?"
"It's the Jiannu. In the letter of persuasion for surrender, they called themselves the Bordered White Banner of the Qing Dynasty!" someone shouted.
"No, they are bandits. They entered the city and called themselves the Dashun Army. They came to borrow money and food."
"It's the Jiannu!"
"It's bandits!"
The two groups were arguing fiercely.
"Can I say a few words?" The steward of Duke Yansheng's Mansion stood up.
"Speak." Kong Yinzhi nodded.
"I think it's the Jiannu! I observed them carefully when they were moving money and grain in the palace. Because the weather was too hot, some people took off their helmets, and they had pigtails on their heads!"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone shut up.
The rat-tail braid is a hairstyle unique to the Jiannu.
It is also one of the most obvious differences between the Jiannu and the people in the Central Plains.
Kong Yinzhi narrowed his eyes and collected this information, imprinting it in his mind.
At this moment, a servant ran in in a panic and shouted to Kong Yinzhi: "Your Excellency Yanshenggong, the garrison has sent news that tens of thousands of Jiannu troops are approaching the city."
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