The most difficult problem Di Yusen is currently facing is the review of military nobles.

People's words are insignificant and no one cares about them.

Now that Lan Yu has taken action, the situation is naturally very different.

With Lan Yu's support, Di Yusen began a comprehensive investigation the next day, checking one by one to find useful clues.

This method is a bit stupid, but it is also the most effective one. When all clues are cut off, this is the only way.

In order to clear himself of any connection with the murder of the garrison commander and the assassination attempt on the emperor, Lan Yu simply followed Di Yusen to investigate the case.

He knew that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and His Majesty would definitely believe him, but they just couldn't resist the rumors.

The rumor was so convincing that I even seemed to believe it. If it continued to be spread, even if His Majesty did not believe it, he would still use me as a scapegoat, which would be very frustrating.

In front of the government office of a certain military noble, Di Yusen went to knock on the door. The servant behind the door came out and saw that it was Di Yusen. He said impatiently: "My master is not at home. He has gone out. Please come back later."

Di Yusen had no choice but to look at Lan Yu behind him. Lan Yu then took a step forward and asked, "Is he really not here?"

The servant turned around and saw that he recognized the Duke of Liang. He bowed his straight back and said respectfully, "Yes, yes, the master is at home. Please come in and have some tea, Duke Liang."

The Duke of Liang came forward in person, and no civil or military noble of the Ming Dynasty would dare to disrespect him.

You must know that the previous beating of the Minister of Personnel Zhan Hui is still vivid in our memory. He went against the Duke of Liang's wishes, so he had to be severely beaten.

Besides, this family of nobles once followed Lan Yu in the Northern Expedition.

Things like this began to happen in various government offices in the capital, so it naturally became very easy for Di Yusen to inquire about them.

It was at this time that an imperial edict was issued secretly.

It spread to a place in the south of the Yangtze River.

It was an edict issued personally by Zhu Yuanzhang, to exterminate the three clans of Yihou Zijian.

Although Zhu Yuanzhang killed many people, the punishment of killing nine generations of a clan was actually quite rare. The common method was to exterminate three generations of a clan.

Whether it was the Ming Dynasty or previous dynasties, matters like the extermination of three clans were considered confidential secrets, and it was rare for a verdict to be made before killing someone.

People are not fools. When they know they are going to be implicated, will they just go and die?

Of course that is impossible.

Therefore, when the government was executing the policy of exterminating three clans, they would usually first secretly dispatch personnel to round up all the people and then arrest them based on their household registration.

During the arrest process, if anyone refused to cooperate, they would be killed on the spot. It was death anyway.

Somewhere in Jiangnan, Houjia Village.

Villages named after surnames were a very common phenomenon throughout the Ming Dynasty.

The same is true of Houjia Village, where Hou Zijian was born.

All the people living here are members of the Hou family. In a village like this, the laws of the Ming Dynasty cannot control it, and the rules of the clan are the most important.

At dusk that day, the villagers of Houjia Village returned home after a busy day.

After dinner, it’s time to go to bed when it gets dark.

Without receiving any news, as soon as dusk fell, the entire Houjia Village was besieged by more than 3,000 soldiers from the garrison.

All the villagers were so frightened that they hid in their homes. Only the clan leader, elders, and some young and strong people in the village stood up.

Of course, the clan leader had to come forward to handle this matter. The elderly clan elder, supported by his clan members, came out tremblingly and asked the Wuguan officer who led the team, "Sir, I wonder what's the matter that brought so many people here."

"We are from a poor and remote area, and we don't have much money or food. If the official doesn't mind, I will at least find some to present to him."

The leading military officer sneered: "Who cares about your money?"

After that, he said in a loud voice: "Your Majesty has issued a secret decree that Hou Zijian of the Hou family has conspired with others to assassinate him, committing the crime of treason, and his entire clan will be exterminated as a warning to others."

After hearing this, the chief felt as if all the bones in his body had been pulled out, and he was about to fall down. Fortunately, he was supported by a tribesman nearby.

However, these words made all the Hou family members who heard them suddenly tremble with fear.

The leading military officer said, "I have brought the household registration. Perhaps the clan leader can compare it with your family tree to avoid arresting the wrong person."

Upon hearing this, the patriarch's lips trembled for a long time, but he still didn't say anything.

He was thinking about making excuses, but Qianhu Hou Zijian, who in this village didn't know him? In previous years, he would buy a lot of goods when he came back from the New Year, and he was very proud. But he didn't expect that today...

"Evil obstacles, evil obstacles..."

The patriarch cursed weakly.

The leading military officer saw this and waved his hand, saying, "Arrest people according to the list. Hiding them privately will be punished as well."

As the order was given, except for a few people guarding the village entrance, other soldiers continued to pour in, arresting almost everyone they saw. There was no list at all.

Especially the young and strong ones, they would catch them as soon as they saw them.

After the three tribes were exterminated, is there any way for Houjia Village to survive?

The clan leader looked at all this in despair. All he could hear were cries and shouts of cursing at Hou Zijian.

As a captain of a thousand households, Hou Zijian had already taken his wife and children away. Now the entire family has been executed, and the Houjia Village is also implicated.

Half an hour passed, and more and more people were arrested. At this time, the clan leader was holding a black package, which he had just asked his clan members to take.

"Sir, this is a small gift from the village. I am sorry to bother you. I will treat you to tea."

"The old man just took a look and found that those who have been arrested are all Hou Zijian's relatives. The others are gone."

Hearing the clan leader's words, the leading garrison officer took the heavy package. He opened a corner and saw that it was full of banknotes and silver coins, as well as some gold and silver jewelry.

The military officer was quite satisfied with this, so he said, "Okay, the people on this list have basically been arrested, brothers can go back now."

Then he said to the elders, "Come and see you off at 15:30 tomorrow afternoon."

The clan leader knelt on the ground and said loudly: "Thank you for your grace, sir."

The military officer looked at the captured people and saw that there were about two hundred of them, which was enough to complete the mission.

Although collective punishment seems scary, when it is implemented at the local level, most people, except for immediate family members, are able to escape.

And if the person is not there or has run away, generally no one will pursue the matter.

But you have to change your name.

It is impossible to say that there will be any identification. In the era without photographs, household registration is everything. If the household registration is deleted, it is equivalent to death. As long as the number of people matches, it is fine.

This is also why in many historical dynasties, people who were originally exterminated would have descendants who would seek revenge.

Being able to get the news in advance, the possibility of escape is very high, but if too many people escape, it will be difficult for the government to explain, so they will go to sea to capture the clerks.

As long as it’s similar, it’s similar.

In the capital, everything about Hou Zijian was quickly mobilized.

In fact, it was not just Hou Zijian who was executed.

Including the thousand-household unit where Hou Zijian was stationed, all of them were destroyed.

This is the big part.

Because after the soldiers of the garrison were eliminated, no military households were left alive, and naturally most of those who accompanied the assassination were from the Qianhu Suo.

There must be many who ran away early, but it doesn’t matter anymore.

Zhu Ying listened to the old man's decree, but it was impossible to cancel such a punishment as imprisonment nowadays, especially when it involved the royal family.

Eliminating the problem at its roots is the key.

If you are not ruthless, you cannot be an emperor.

Hou Zijian’s affair can be said to be a trivial matter. As long as it is exposed, it will be nothing in today’s Ming Dynasty.

We still have to find out who is behind the scenes.

Soon, secret investigators received secret orders and began to investigate secretly.

The only ones who can be of some use at the moment are the Jinyiwei.

There is no doubt that Jiang Li was under the greatest pressure.

After all, he is now the head of the Jinyiwei.

This time, Zhu Ying did not hide the news of the assassination, but published it directly in the Beijing Gazette.

For a time, the situation in the government and the country was changing rapidly.

When the people of the capital learned about this big thing, it immediately caused a huge public opinion storm.

Of course, this turmoil is mainly aimed at denouncing the assassin.

"We have finally caught up with the good times and are living a good life. Who is this bastard who actually wanted to do something like assassinating His Majesty? He deserves to die."

"If I find out who did this, I will definitely arrest him and hand him over to the authorities."

"Hey, that sounds nice, but it's for the reward. The official newspaper says that if you can provide useful clues, you will be rewarded with 100 strings of cash. If you can find information about the murderer, you will be rewarded with 1,000 strings of cash."

"If we can catch the real culprit behind this, we will be rewarded with a fortune. Oh my god, if we catch the murderer, we will become rich immediately."

"Don't even think about it. Just report any clues you have. But I have to tell you guys, don't report it carelessly. If it turns out to be fake news, you'll be punished by the Shawei Gang."

After all, the topic was still about the bounty reported in the court bulletin.

The reason why Zhu Ying published the news of the old man's assassination in the official gazette was to put pressure on the person behind the scenes.

It's a little divisive tactic.

Who knows, someone might be jealous of the bounty and provide information to the government.

Driven by interests, it's hard to say.

However, after more than ten days, there was no discovery.

Di Yusen was still investigating, but Lan Yu no longer followed.

He really couldn't understand how a scholar like Di Yusen could have such good patience. He did the same thing every day, went out early and came back late, pondered every day, but didn't get any results.

After following for three days, the news that Duke Liang was helping Di Yusen investigate the case spread among all the nobles in the capital. Lan Yu simply became too lazy to go and sent his own personal guards to accompany him.

Ever since Zhu Yunwen witnessed the planning brilliance of his elder brother and grandfather the Emperor, he has become even more interested in studying.

Now Zhu Yunwen no longer only reads Confucian classics, but also starts to read other doctrines and classics.

This is also what Zhu Ying taught him. As a future vassal king, he should not be bound by the opinions of one family.

It has never been said which one is better. The most important thing is the law.

Only when the laws are strict can the people be stable, otherwise there will only be chaos.

Zhu Yunhuan and Zhu Mingyue felt a little uneasy.

Because when the emperor was assassinated, they were still shopping. It was almost dark when the Jinyiwei came to tell them that the emperor and elder brother Zhu Yunwen had been assassinated.

The carriage had already returned to the palace.

The two kids originally thought they would be punished, but they didn't expect that the eldest brother not only didn't punish or scold them, but instead asked them if they had fun.

This touched the two children deeply, but also made them feel guilty.

"Don't be silly. The only people they want to assassinate are Grandpa and me. It's a rare opportunity for you to go out, so just have fun. Grandpa Huang and I weren't injured, so it doesn't matter much."

"Don't think too much, it's okay."

After Zhu Ying's repeated comfort, the two children finally came out of their guilt.

That's true. This matter really has little to do with the two kids, but it has a lot to do with Ye Yueqing.

Even with a big belly, Ye Yueqing still asked Zhu Ying to let her control the intelligence of the Qun Ying Chamber of Commerce.

"No, this is too tiring. The key is to take good care of the baby."

Zhu Ying's first reaction was naturally to refuse, but Ye Yueqing was obviously stubborn and tried every means to get involved.

Ye Yueqing is quite good at screening intelligence.

Zhu Ying couldn't bear it any longer, and finally had to agree to let Ye Yueqing take out one hour every day to screen the intelligence.

After continuously reviewing the intelligence files, Ye Yueqing quickly came up with an idea.

"Hou Zijian claimed that he was seeking revenge for Jiang Xiahou, but why did he do it at this time? From what I've seen, the real culprit behind this may know Jiang Xiahou, but he must not be very familiar with him."

"I have a feeling that what His Highness said before is correct. The real culprit behind this is probably related to Hu Weiyong. I think we should focus on Hu Weiyong."

"Assassination, treason, and sowing discord between the garrison officers and the imperial court. I think this person may not necessarily be a military man, but a scholar, or a scholar who is familiar with military men."

"It can also be someone who likes reading more among the warriors."

As soon as Ye Yueqing put forward this idea, Zhu Ying immediately agreed.

After Hou Zijian was exposed, the direction of the current case quickly shifted to people who had a good relationship with Jiang Xiahou.

Because Marquis Jiangxia was from Huaixi, these people from the Huaixi noble group became a focus.

But given the current situation, it is difficult to even identify the suspect, let alone any clues.

Ye Yueqing's words woke people up from their dream.

Whoever said that the one who made such meticulous arrangements must be a military man.

Even if he is a warrior, he must be a warrior who is good at strategies.

Although there are many civil and military officials in the capital, after such a screening, the scope suddenly becomes very small. In addition, it is naturally much easier to find those who are related to Hu Weiyong.

Zhu Ying immediately sent someone to tell Di Yusen and Jiang Li the news.