Jinyiwei Yamen.

Three days later, Song Zhong returned from the gates of hell. Upon hearing the news that he had woken up, Zhu Ying rushed over in person.

Zhu Ying really wanted to know who in the Ming Dynasty today dared to attack the Jinyiwei so crazily outside the city of Nanjing.

As the representative of the imperial power, the Jinyiwei had a very special status. They almost had the power to execute first and report later.

Not to mention ordinary officials, even the army could not resist the scrutiny of the Jinyiwei. To a large extent, the Jinyiwei could act on behalf of the emperor.

Attacking the Jinyiwei is tantamount to rebellion.

"It's good that you made it through. You've suffered a lot this time. I didn't expect someone would be so bold."

"Heal your wounds. We will need you a lot more in the future."

Seeing Song Zhong wake up, Zhu Ying did not rush to ask about the case, but comforted him first.

Hearing the Crown Prince's caring words, Song Zhong felt that everything was worth it.

"Thank you for your concern, Grand Master. I have only done my duty and I do not deserve your kindness."

"This time... this time when I went to various provinces, I found that the most serious issue of meddling with new recruits was in Shanxi, and the source was also in Shanxi."

"In Shanxi, buying and selling new soldiers has become a common practice. Almost everyone knows about it, and local officials and nobles are in collusion with each other."

"They took advantage of the fact that the Ministry of Public Security has no jurisdiction over the military and set a price for admission. As long as you pay enough money, you can go to an excellent military academy."

"Many people wanted to file a complaint, but the local government offices refused to accept it. Since it had little impact on people's lives, most of them were left unresolved. So the case spread from Shanxi to other places."

"I followed the clues and finally found out that the people behind this were... the adopted sons of Duke Liang."

"There are dozens of people from Nanjing, Jiangnan, Shanxi, and the Nine Borders who participated. I originally had a list of names in my hand, but unfortunately I lost it during the escape."

Song Zhong's face was gloomy. The list was made when he was being chased in Chaohu Lake. He had no choice but to jump into the lake to escape. The list fell into the water and he couldn't take care of it.

Zhu Ying laughed angrily: "Since ancient times, soldiers have been bandits, and the people have regarded soldiers as bandits. This palace has tried its best to improve this situation. We will no longer recruit criminals as soldiers. We will focus on training and assessment to build the military spirit of our Ming Dynasty and the honor of our soldiers."

"Military academies are opened in various places only to better train soldiers and officers to strengthen our Ming Dynasty."

"These people are truly omnipresent. They even dared to interfere with my army and seek personal gain. This is simply an unforgivable crime."

"It doesn't matter if the list is gone. As long as we know who is behind this, that's enough."

"I spared Lan Yu's adopted sons once, but I cannot spare them again now."

"I will issue an order to arrest all of Lan Yu's adopted sons and bring them all to the capital. Anyone who dares to disobey my order will be punished without a doubt."

"Song Zhong, I order you to preside over this trial. When your injuries are better, thoroughly investigate these daring criminals."

"We need to let them know who controls the Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Ying's tone was very cold. What he hated most was others interfering with military power, because this was the foundation of the Ming Dynasty and the emperor.

After so many years and so much effort, we built a military academy to train soldiers, but now someone wants to destroy it.

No one involved should be let off.

Song Zhong hesitated slightly after hearing this, and whispered, "Your Highness, but... Duke Liang's side..."

He didn't dare say more.

Now the reputation of the Duke of Liang is at its peak in the Ming Dynasty, and it is as if we have returned to the time of the Battle of Buir Lake.

In India, commanding nearly a million soldiers and far away from the Ming Dynasty, it sounds very terrifying.

If this incident led to Lan Yu gathering his own troops and occupying India as the king, thus causing civil unrest in the Ming Dynasty, it would not be a good thing.

No one knows whether Lan Yu was involved behind the scenes.

"It doesn't matter, just do what you have to do."

"Don't worry too much about the Duke of Liang's affairs. I will handle it myself."

Zhu Ying said calmly.

He didn't know whether Lan Yu was involved, but he had a feeling that he probably wasn't.

As for whether arresting Lan Yu's adopted son would give Lan Yu a wrong signal, that was up to him.

Now Song Zhong, the pacification envoy of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, has been hunted outside the city of Nanjing. What's the difference between this and slapping the face of the imperial power? If Lan Yu can't get over it, then let him get over it.

Song Zhong was relieved when he heard the crown prince's answer.

After meeting Song Zhong, Zhu Ying went straight to the Qianqing Palace to meet the old man.

He always has to inform the old man about this matter.

Of course, the result is obvious.

After listening to Zhu Ying, Zhu Yuanzhang said coldly, "They should have been killed long ago. These beasts are ungrateful to the emperor's grace."

"Don't let anyone involved go. Since Song Zhong is seriously injured, Jiang Li, you should take care of this matter first."

Although Song Zhong has found out so far that only some of Lan Yu's adopted sons were the masterminds, it can be imagined that a large number of nobles must have been involved, even including many founding heroes.

In fact, most of the people who followed Zhu to conquer the world had the mentality of nouveau riche, and their cultural education and other aspects were quite weak.

Moreover, they are used to killing people, and some have even eaten humans. Their mentality has changed a lot from what it was before, or it can be said to be somewhat distorted and indifferent.

As long as there is money to be made, they will use their power to get involved and have no fear at all.

This is also why many nobles, knowing that this is illegal, still enjoy doing it without any scruples.

really.

After receiving the order, Jiang Lin first arrested more than ten of Lan Yu's adopted sons in the capital.

After the interrogation, a large number of people were indeed implicated.

In the sky prison.

Jiang Li had a cold face and felt a little depressed.

"Are you sure that the King of Qin and the King of Jin were both involved in this matter?"

"This cannot afford the slightest mistake. If it were someone else, it would be fine, but the King of Qin and the King of Jin are such great men. They once owned a large number of silver mines in Japan and have no shortage of money. Why would they get involved in such a mess?"

"You have to interrogate thoroughly and have solid evidence. If there is even the slightest doubt, you must not be careless."

The Jinyiwei who reported the incident wanted to die at this moment.

Why was his luck so bad that when he was interrogating the suspect, he revealed the two princes.

"Your Excellency, I have inquired carefully and there are indeed some suspicious points. They have only contacted the steward of the prince's family and have never seen the two princes."

"This kind of thing should be done by the stewards below, hiding it from the prince."

After a slight hesitation, the Royal Guard spoke.

This made Jiang Li very difficult.

According to the regulations, they must arrest and interrogate the steward who was betrayed, but the thought of going to the two royal palaces to arrest him makes their scalp tingle.

If the matter is reported to His Majesty or the Crown Prince, there is a greater possibility that someone will be arrested. However, if he is really slandered, Jiang Lin will be labeled as incompetent.

As the emperor's personal bodyguard, Jiang Lin saw clearly that now both His Majesty and the Crown Prince wanted to arrange the princes to Dongsheng Shenzhou, far away from the Ming Dynasty.

This would not only maintain the vassal kings, but also reduce a lot of trouble for the Ming Dynasty.

At this critical juncture, reporting such matters involving military power could easily cause great misunderstandings and impacts.

Especially when the crown prince is about to ascend the throne and the throne is about to be passed on.

Jiang Li still wants to have a stable retirement.

After hesitating for a while, Jiang Li ordered: "Continue the interrogation. We must get the details clearly. Also, send some people to keep an eye on these stewards. When they leave the palace, arrest them secretly."

"Remember, don't let anyone know."

The Embroidered Uniform Guard is the emperor's sword. No matter whether it is the Crown Prince or His Majesty, he cannot ignore this matter just because it involves the prince.

Because the content of the interrogation had to be archived, the Tongzhi and Qianshi of the Jinyiwei were responsible for this aspect. Their powers were different, so even Jiang Lin, as the commander-in-chief, could not tamper with the content of the interrogation.

Secretly arresting the steward of the palace seems to be very risky, but if we can get evidence, whether the prince was involved or not, at least there will be an explanation.

The commotion made by the Jinyiwei when they arrested people was not a big deal, but in the eyes of those who were paying attention, it was a bit of a storm, because they knew what they had done.

A restaurant in the capital.

Two stewards of the palace gathered in the private room.

They are the targets that the Jinyiwei want to arrest.

"Brother Chen, what should we do? Zhang...they have all been arrested. If I'm not mistaken, something must have gone wrong."

"Those people are not reliable. They are in the Heavenly Prison and will definitely confess us. This is a serious crime involving treason. They are too bold to even chase after the Imperial Guards."

"Or, let's run away quickly while there's still time. The farther the better, go overseas, where no one knows us."

"The money we have now is enough to live a good life for the rest of our lives."

Hearing this, the manager called Brother Chen just smiled coldly.

"Escape? Where can we escape to?"

"As stewards of the palace, we will be discovered as soon as we leave. It is impossible for us to escape too far."

"If we run away, what will happen to our wives and children at home? Will we only care about ourselves?"

"Let me ask you, Brother Li, whether the money has been entered into the palace's account."

Manager Li nodded and said, "Of course it was entered into the palace's account, but what good is it to put the blame on the prince?"

Manager Chen said, "Why is it useless? The Jinyiwei cannot have any hard evidence in their hands now, so they cannot come to the palace to arrest us. The Prince of Jin once said while drinking in the palace that after the crown prince ascends the throne, he will take everyone in the palace to Dongsheng Shenzhou."

"As long as we go there, it won't be a big deal. So the most important thing now is for us to pretend that we know nothing and not leave the palace. Those Jinyiwei will definitely not be able to do anything to us."

"Once the storm has passed, everything will be fine."

"Even if they find some clues, they will be recorded in the palace's accounts. Now the princes are leaving. Could it be that His Majesty and the Crown Prince will cause trouble for such a small matter?"

After listening to this, Manager Li agreed with it deeply.

They are just small characters here. Perhaps it is a serious crime for ordinary people, but when it involves the prince, it is nothing.

As long as the Royal Guards are cautious and don't investigate too deeply, there's a chance they can get away with it safely.

Manager Chen snorted coldly and continued, "If you want to cover up a small matter, the best way is to make a big thing happen."

"Don't forget who they are. A few days ago, I heard the prince talk about the Duke of Liang. He commands a million soldiers in Tianzhu, which makes the court wary."

"It is said that the court has agreed to allow Duke Liang to return to the capital. But if, at this moment, Duke Liang suddenly gets news that his adopted sons are being arrested and interrogated."

"The Duke of Liang doesn't know what happened here, and the Royal Guards can't tell everyone about it."

"If you were the Duke of Liang, what would you think if you heard this news on your way back to Beijing?"

Upon hearing this, Manager Li's eyes lit up.

"What a good plan, Brother Chen. If I were the Duke of Liang, I would definitely think that the court wanted to deal with me, and I would definitely not dare to return to the capital."

"As long as the Duke of Liang does not return to the capital, it will be a huge problem for the court. By then, the court will not be able to take care of us."

"There's no time to lose, Brother Chen, let's get started."

Manager Li stroked his beard and chuckled, looking like he had everything under control.

"Then there is no need for Brother Li to urge me. I have already spread the news when I came here. I think the Duke of Liang will definitely get the news."

"What we need to do now is to remain unchanged in the face of all changes. Stay in the mansion and don't go out. Give the Jinyiwei a chance."

"Once the incident involving Duke Liang breaks out, the Royal Guards will naturally have no time to care about us."

Being able to become a steward of the palace, he is naturally smart.

The King of Qin and the King of Jin paid little attention to the servants in their own mansions and had no discipline.

For example, in the case of the Prince of Qin, he used to work together with Concubine Deng to commit atrocities and do whatever he wanted, and these stewards could basically be considered accomplices.

It is understandable that such actions are taken in the name of the royal palace.

The Imperial Guards began to investigate secretly, looking for an opportunity to arrest the two stewards secretly, but it was obvious that the two stewards did not give them a chance and stayed in the palace every day and never went out.

Even when Jiang Li secretly sent someone to contact them, they were politely refused.

However, it was precisely this that made Jiang Li realize that there must be something wrong with these two managers, otherwise they would not be so cautious.

It would be fine if it was just one person, but if it was both of them, it wouldn't be a coincidence.

However, Jiang Lin really had no choice. They only had witnesses now, which was not enough to determine whether the two princes were involved and how much they were involved.

This involves internal affairs of the royal family. If not handled properly, it may bring disaster upon oneself.

But some other noble officials were not so lucky.

Nobles were constantly being taken to the Tianlao, and the incident regarding the new recruits also caused a huge uproar among the high-ranking officials in the capital.

The other side.

Lan Yu, who was staying in Siam for a short time, received news from the capital that his former adopted sons were being arrested.