July 7,

As the number one city in the world today and the capital of the Ming Dynasty, it was once Jinling and is now Nanjing.

The already extremely prosperous streets now seemed extremely bloated.

On normal days, the streets are filled with the stinky sweat of peddlers, but today, a faint fragrance can be smelled everywhere on the streets.

There were also the sounds of sweethearts.

The sounds of women chatting and laughing, men showing off, and servants' flattery were all pleasing to the ears.

This is a different capital.

A beautiful lady is a gentleman's dream.

It's not just women who dress up, men too.

Even a poor scholar would at least wear clean and decent clothes so that he could hold his head high.

The academy is also closed on this day.

Even if you are a teacher, you cannot miss such a festival.

Zhu Gaochi had already started walking towards the palace before dawn.

In the palace, Zhu Ying had already rinsed his mouth and washed his face, and began to read the memorials.

It has to be said that the toothbrush Zhu Ying uses to rinse her mouth now is also a homemade one.

This toothbrush, which was originally to be invented by Ming Xiaozong Zhu Youtang a hundred years later, is now being used by Zhu Ying.

Making a toothbrush is not difficult at all and is naturally much easier.

Even Zhu Yuanzhang started using a toothbrush when rinsing his mouth in the morning.

Zhu Yuanzhang had already gone to prepare for the morning court, so Zhu Ying did not need to attend it yet. However, when the time came, he would be called up by the eunuch Guo Zhong.

"Your Highness, these are the tax memorials on early rice sent by various places. His Majesty asked you to take a look at them first."

Guo Zhong respectfully handed over more than ten memorials.

The Ming Dynasty also had early rice.

Generally, the seeds are sown in mid-to-late March, and harvesting can begin in late June or early July.

After the harvest in July, the late rice is planted immediately and must be completed before the beginning of autumn, commonly known as the double harvest.

Early rice is mainly produced in the southern region, and is concentrated in the four provinces of Hunan, Guangxi, Jiangxi and Guangdong.

Zhu Ying nodded and took the memorial, which contained a rough estimate of the early rice.

Although the entire Ming Dynasty suffered a lot of disasters, the situation in the early Ming Dynasty was still much better than in the late Ming Dynasty.

This wave of early rice harvest is extremely important. With one batch coming, the Ming Dynasty’s treasury will suddenly become much richer.

The salaries of most officials can also start to be paid on time.

Although Henan Province suffered severe damage, the southern region is still relatively good. Once grain arrives, the situation in the entire Ming Dynasty will become very good.

And we can also harvest a wave of late rice in November.

Just as Zhu Ying was checking the memorial, the eunuch Guo Zhong came in again to report:

"Your Highness, the Song pacification envoy requests to see you."

Zhu Ying paused, a strange look flashed in his eyes, and said, "Let him come in quickly."

Soon, Song Zhong appeared in front of Zhu Ying again after more than half a month.

"What's the matter? Have you found out any information?" Zhu Ying, who was usually calm and composed, actually seemed a little anxious at this moment.

"Reporting to Your Highness, I have lived up to your trust and finally found out some news about Mr. Li." Song Zhong's face now looked haggard and exhausted.

Obviously, Song Zhong was not in the capital during this period, but went out to carry out a secret mission arranged by Zhu Ying.

This is normal.

Jiang Lin was the commander-in-chief of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, equivalent to Zhu Yuanzhang's personal bodyguard.

Zhu Yuanzhang would naturally arrange one for his eldest grandson Zhu Ying, and this person was Song Zhong.

Song Zhong and Guo Zhong, like Jiang Lin and Liu He, will be Zhu Ying's right-hand men in the future.

Of course, in addition to these, Zhu Ying also has his own forces, but for now, they are more important in the dark, rather than like Song Zhong and Guo Zhong.

Song Zhong, who was originally a personal bodyguard, was assigned a task by Zhu Ying when the identities of Zhu Ying and Zhu Yuanzhang became clear at the beginning.

This task is about Mr. Li.

Mr. Li, whose full name is Li Xing, is also an ordinary traveling merchant.

When Zhu Ying was stranded in the Western Regions and was in dire straits, he was able to survive thanks to Li Xing's help.

A drop of water should be repaid with a spring.

But when Zhu Ying gradually became angry, he could not find Li Xingren anymore.

Apart from knowing that Li Xing was from the Ming Dynasty and had a slight northern accent, I knew nothing else.

In recent years, especially after Zhu Ying's Qunying Chamber of Commerce began to expand gradually, Zhu Ying never gave up the opportunity to look for Li Xing.

But at that time, the borders were in chaos and the situation in the Ming Dynasty was not necessarily stable. Even the household registration was unknown. How could it be possible to find it with just a name?

Even if it is the Sky Eye in later generations, it does not mean that you can find anyone you want, let alone in today's Ming Dynasty.

But Zhu Ying never gave up the search.

After Song Zhong followed Zhu Ying, the first thing Zhu Ying gave Song Zhong was to dig three feet into the ground to find this person. Zhu Ying made this matter clear to Song Zhong, and it could be considered a test.

If there is any gain, even just a clue, it will be considered that Song Zhong has passed the test.

From that day on, Song Zhong left the capital and embarked on a journey to find someone.

It must be said that the Jinyiwei had the household registration in hand after all, especially when they knew that Zhu Ying had met Li Xing before.

Although it is the Western Regions, if you want to go there, you can't avoid several border cities.

Nowadays, traveling merchants need to obtain a travel permit no matter where they go, and these are recorded in the city.

Li Xing's household registration was quickly found by Song Zhong.

"Where is Mr. Li now?" Zhu Ying asked directly.

If the adoptive father was Zhu Ying's first benefactor when he came to Ming Dynasty, then Li Xing was Zhu Ying's second benefactor.

Zhu Ying, who was competing with wild dogs for food, would have had no way of surviving without Li Xing's help.

This is a life-saving favor.

And at that time, Li Xing was actually a clay Buddha crossing the river.

Finally, Zhu Ying had no choice but to separate from Li Xing, but Zhu Ying never blamed Mr. Li in her heart. She wanted him to recuperate for some time and heal his injuries.

It was already a great favor. At that time, Li Xing himself could hardly get enough to eat a full meal.

But when Zhu Ying asked Mr. Li for his future contact information, Li Xing shook his head, gave half of the remaining dry food in his arms to Zhu Ying, and then left.

Zhu Ying never dared to forget that scene.

"Your Highness, Mr. Li's place, or..." Song Zhong seemed a little hesitant when he heard this.

"Speak!" Zhu Ying frowned and shouted.

Song Zhong's behavior made Zhu Ying feel uneasy.

Song Zhong did not dare to hesitate too much and quickly told the information he had found in detail.

It turned out that Li Xing was from a small village in the northwest region. He wandered around due to famine and could only be considered a traveling merchant. He also studied in a private school for two years.

Zhu Ying nodded when he heard this, knowing that Song Zhong was right.

Mr. Li can be called "Sir", which means he knows quite a few words.

However, the following news made Zhu Ying frown.

The village where Mr. Li lived was attacked by bandits the second year after he returned. There were almost no survivors in the entire village.

From this time on, there was no more news about Li Xing, and the nearest county town no longer processed Li Xing's travel permit.

Obviously, this means that Li Xing must have died as a result.

"Where is the banditry coming from? Have you found out?" Zhu Ying asked in a deep voice, his teeth chattering.

"Reporting to Your Highness, after my investigation, I found that there are basically no bandits gathering within a hundred miles around Mr. Li. As for the massacre of the village, it is very likely that it was not the bandits who did it, but the soldiers."

Song Zhong replied and directly stated his guess.

Nowadays, the people who would do something like massacring an entire village are either bandits or soldiers. These are the only two types of people most likely to do this.

Ordinary bandits would not do such a heartless thing except to rob some food.

The reason why you, Song Zhong, directly said that they were military bandits and ruled out the possibility of robbers is because robbers are generally very famous.

There are usually records available for checking in areas where famous bandits have passed through, and even some of the crimes they have committed will be reported immediately.

But Song Zhong did not find any relevant information near the village where Li Xing was.

The most likely possibility is that they were soldiers and bandits.

The soldiers and bandits do not refer to bandits in the true sense, but to the real soldiers of the Ming Dynasty.

The marching of ancient armies was not as strict as that of later generations. Soldiers passed by like combs, and bandits passed by like rakes. Robbing like robbers was the normal behavior of most armies.

The harm caused to the people by officers and soldiers is actually more serious than that caused by bandits.

This is why they are called soldiers and bandits.

Moreover, the officers and soldiers had strong combat effectiveness, so it was normal for them to make direct demands. Sometimes when conflicts and disputes occurred, it was not uncommon for them to directly massacre the entire village.

How could ordinary villagers have the ability to fight against soldiers?

"Since you can be sure that it was soldiers and bandits, you have found relevant information. Which army did it? Don't tell me. You came back directly after finding this."

Zhu Ying asked directly, if Song Zhong backed down after investigating here, it would be very disappointing for him.

Song Zhong immediately replied: "I naturally know the importance of this matter. After realizing that it might be soldiers and bandits, I immediately went to nearby cities to investigate the records of the army's passage that year."

"After a detailed investigation, I did find out about the troops and even the generals who passed by. However, this matter..."

At the end, Song Zhong's tone was a little hesitant.

"Just what?" Zhu Ying asked directly.

Song Zhong gritted his teeth and said, "It's just that this general has a close relationship with the Duke of Liang."

Zhu Ying asked, "Is he the adopted son of Duke Liang?"

Song Zhong shook his head slightly, took out a booklet, handed it over respectfully, and said, "Your Highness, please take a look."

Zhu Ying had seen it and read the contents of the booklet carefully.

This booklet contains the life story of that general.

The official position was not high, just a thousand households, but the relationship between this thousand households and Lan Yu was indeed extraordinary.

Lan Yu had three wives, Mu, Kong and Hu. In addition to his eldest son Lan Naoer and second son Lan Taiping, he had two younger sons. Mrs. Mu gave birth to a son named Lan Chun, and Mrs. Kong gave birth to a son named Lan Bin.

And this captain was Mrs. Kong’s younger brother.

The Kong family's origins are not small. Their surname comes from the Kong family, which has a long history.

The Kong family, which has existed for a thousand years, may be the number one family in the Ming Dynasty today, although nowadays, the Kong family does not have a very good reputation.

The Kong family was able to survive during the Yuan Dynasty, apparently because they had surrendered to the Mongols.

This is naturally very embarrassing in the eyes of many Han people.

Moreover, the Kong family itself was also falling apart at that time.

After Zhu Yuanzhang established the Ming Dynasty, out of respect for Confucius, he did not do anything to the Kong family. After conferring the title of Duke of Yansheng on the Kong family, he also gave the Kong family eight generation names: Gong, Yan, Cheng, Hong, Wen, Zhen, Shang, and Yin, for use in naming.

Later, in the first year of Hongwu, Kong Xixue, the 56th generation, and Kong Ne, the 57th generation, were successively conferred the title of Duke of Yansheng. In this way, the characters "希" and "言" were added to make ten characters.

Although the current Kong family cannot compare to the past, it is still pretty good. After all, they are a family of saints and have a high reputation in the medical world. No matter how they do, they will not be bad.

After reading it, Zhu Ying said coldly to Song Zhong: "No matter what his relationship is, issue an imperial decree immediately and bring this man to the capital. I want to interrogate him personally."

Hearing the suppressed anger in Zhu Ying's voice, Song Zhong did not dare to hesitate and immediately bowed and said, "I obey your order."

Zhu Ying's eyes revealed a murderous look.

The reason why even a Jinyiwei pacification envoy like Song Zhong hesitated and had to conduct a detailed identity investigation was not only because of the Duke of Liang, but also because of his relationship with the Kong family.

After all, the reputation of the Kong family cannot be ignored in the entire literary circle.

During Song Zhong's investigation, he discovered that the reason why this general named Kong Xing was able to manage more than a thousand households was not because of his relationship with the Duke of Liang.

It was entirely arranged by the Kong family.