Chapter 574 573 Night Visit to the Imperial Envoy

Chapter 574 573 Night Visit to the Imperial Envoy

"You are confused."

In the duty room of the cabinet, Xu Jie was angrily and said to Dong Fen: "At that time, His Majesty ordered Yan Shifan to be escorted to Beijing for interrogation. Why did you dare to collect the Yan family's belongings?

Even if you couldn’t see the direction of the wind clearly before, what about next?

No one in the civil and military circles of the dynasty knew about the affairs of the Yan family and those people involved. You actually received Yang and Fan afterwards. I really thought that His Majesty would treat the Yan family with high regard like last time.

You didn't know how to make up for your mistakes afterwards, and you didn't actually return those things. I really thought that if the Yan family fell down, you could feel at ease with those things. You should know that the incoming and outgoing of property like this has an account that can be checked. Wait until the Yan family has completed the inventory. Your good days are coming to an end. "

Xu Jie was indeed willing to accept Dong Fen and join him, but he didn't expect him to be so ignorant that he dared to get involved with the Yan family.

Although Dong Fen did not get the opportunity to speak for Yan Shifan during the trial of Yan Shifan's case, the handle was dropped.

As he said before, if the Yan family passed the test smoothly, those things would be collected and no one would care, but the situation is different now.

Yushi Chengshoujie was ordered to go south to inspect the Yan family's property. In addition to gold and silver treasures, house deeds and land deeds, account books and letters were all important evidence. Chengshoujie would never let go of such an opportunity to make meritorious deeds.

"Mr. Ge, should I send the things back now?"

Dong Fen said reluctantly.

Zhang Juzheng had already passed the news from Wei Guangde to Xu Jie. Of course Xu Jie knew about Wei Guangde's impeachment memorial and had always refrained from taking action. Once he did, he would definitely hit a critical point, making it impossible for people to stand up at all.

For this reason, he had to summon Dong Fen to inquire about the details and see if he had made any major mistakes. If possible, he would try his best to remedy them.

After thinking about it, the most sensitive thing in the court at this time was the affairs of the Yan family. According to the news coming out of the palace, Emperor Jiajing was not allowed to hear any news about the Yan family during this period, otherwise he would lose his temper.

I don't know if it's true or not, but Emperor Jiajing still had some affection for Yan Song in the past, but since Yan Shifan was convicted, although he issued an order to exempt Yan Song and other disciples from the death penalty and only punish the culprits, he showed no mercy at all.

This is an obvious manifestation of sending the censor directly from the capital to investigate the case. They are worried that the Yan family will collude with local officials and hide their assets.

It's all going to be handed over anyway, so why not give most of it to those officials and keep some for yourself?

The imperial court directly sent people to inspect, and naturally many people were included in the entourage. There were so many people, so even if Cheng Shoujie was greedy for money, he would not dare to be too presumptuous.

Cheng Shoujie himself should know that there are countless pairs of eyes around him staring at him, and those people can also tell the news directly to heaven.

Hearing Dong Fen's bad idea, Xu Jie secretly gave him a cross in his heart. This man's intelligence was spent on studying and socializing. He could flatter others, but his ability to do things was not good.

Is it useful to return things at this time?

"Instead of giving it back, it's better to give it directly to Wei Guangde so that he can be proud of you when he impeaches you and not write the matter into the memorial."

Xu Jie shook his head and said.

In the eyes of Beijing officials, Wei Guangde had a deep image of being generous and righteous, and he was also very greedy for money. Otherwise, why would he go to do business with those merchants?

But no matter what, he is a die-hard supporter of King Yu, but no one will make a fuss about this matter.

At most, someone might say a few words to you, but you won't lose your official position because of it.

In fact, all the nobles in the court were involved in various businesses. Wei Guangde's family background seemed to be similar, but his hierarchy was at the lowest level.

Thinking this way, everyone can barely accept it.

What's more, Wei Guangde responded to requests at critical moments, and many low-level officials were better than him.

Just when Dong Fen nodded reluctantly and was about to agree to come down and give it a try, Xu Jie said again: "It's not good to send it as it is. It's better to add some more."

For officials who like money, the best way is to throw money at them. As long as they can keep their official positions, more money will come into their pockets sooner or later.

Although Dong Fen was heartbroken about the money, he still knew how to handle it, so he nodded and agreed.

"If Wei Guangde doesn't accept it, you still have to beg him to accept it."

At this time, Xu Jie said again.

Hearing this, Dong Fen almost became angry.

He has to worry about people not wanting to take money when he goes to the pole to give money, and he still demands it from his subordinates. How can he lose the dignity of being a dignified minister?

However, for Wei Guangde, whether it was the Hanlin Academy, Zhan Shifu, or the Ducha Yuan, it seemed that they were beyond their reach and could not control Wei Guangde. He just listened to King Yu.

But if he could get in touch with King Yu, why would he do this?

However, for Dong Fen, as long as he can keep his official position and his face is worth a few dollars, that thing is not as good as an official position.

If you have power, others will respect you. If you have no power, you will be nothing. Others will regard you as a rich man.

After coming out of the cabinet, Dong Fen sent someone to notify his housekeeper and send a message to Wei Mansion.

This is also an established rule, that is, if you come to your door, you cannot come directly. You must send a message first. If the other party is willing to meet, he will definitely reply to the message, and the two parties will agree on a time to meet.

If you come directly to the door, others may not accept you, and your face will be stepped on.

As for whether Wei Guangde would give him the favor of the Minister, considering Dong Fen's current situation, we know that Wei Guangde may not give it to him.

Compared with a few years ago, the current Prince Yu's Mansion is already different from what it used to be, and it's even worse now.

It might give him some dignity outside, but that might not be the case when he's at someone else's house.

When Wei Guangde returned home that night, he naturally saw the post sent by Dong Fen. Zhang Ji was waiting below for his reply.

It is definitely not up to him, the butler, to decide whether to reply or not.

It is not normal for a dignified minister to send greeting cards to his family.

Before contacting Wei Guangde, he asked him to pay attention to the Dong family. No matter how stupid Zhang Ji was, he could guess something.

Turning over and over in his hand to weigh the thin piece of paper, Wei Guangde found that it was not what he expected.

After what he said to Zhang Juzheng two days ago, Wei Guangde knew that such a thing must have happened.

When Dong Fen comes to visit, he will not come empty-handed. He will definitely prepare heavy gifts in the hope of impressing himself.

But this thing is too hot to handle. After all, it may offend King Yu.

If King Yu is dissatisfied with him, it cannot be compensated by a little gold and silver.

Forget it, instead of hesitating, just refuse.

If you really want to know what others want to give you, then you will be heartbroken for a long time.

Wei Guangde secretly thought it was a pity, but he also knew that he could not see Dong Fen or collect those things.

"I understand, that's it, there's no need to reply to the Dong family for these two days."

Wei Guangde just said lightly, then he finished it, took out a note and spread it on the desk, dipped his pen in the inkstone, and then wrote a note.

After finishing writing, he waited for a while to let the ink dry a little, and then said to Zhang Ji, who was standing by his side: "Arrange for someone to send it to Mr. Ouyang. Use your brains and don't be followed."

Wei Guangde reminded Zhang Ji that he would naturally know what to do.

If you specially send someone to deliver a note, the probability of being targeted is very high. You have to think of some way when sending someone out. Finally, send out a few more people at once and mix them together. Only then can the message be delivered without anyone noticing. go out.

However, from this, Zhang Ji also knew that his family might have some problems with Dong Shangshu, perhaps because of Prince Yu's palace.

The news that spread in officialdom also spread among the people. The version Zhang Ji heard was that Master Dong and Prince Yu had a grudge in a certain flower house over the competition for the oiran.

Well, it is very charming as gossip, and people in the market also like to hear this. It would be better if King Yu and Dong Shangshu fight for the oiran, which would be even more exciting.

However, Zhang Ji just laughed it off, thinking it was just gossip and not worthy of belief.

King Yu loved to go to those places. Not to mention, Zhang Ji actually heard about it from Wei Guangde, and King Yu even invited them out as a host.

Just competing for the oiran, the second generation in the capital can do it well, how can the old men go back to do such a shameful thing.

The next day, this note arrived in Ouyang Yijing's hands. Wei Guangde urged him to submit it as soon as possible, and he understood that someone should be trying to protect his life.

Wei Guangde knew that he would ignore Dong Fen's posts, but if Xu Jie posted an invitation, he wouldn't be able to openly betray him.

The only solution was to file an impeachment report as soon as possible. Naturally, they could only urge Ouyang Yijing to take action.

Early the next morning, Ouyang Yijing of the Criminal Division went directly to the General Affairs Office and handed over the impeachment memorial.

The memorial had already been written and polished for many days, and it was time to send it out.

At this time, Cheng Shoujie's imperial guard of honor had also arrived in Jiujiang Prefecture, Jiangxi Province. When the fleet arrived in Zhenjiang, he sent a team to Suzhou. According to Lin Run's report, the Yan family's assets were the largest near Suzhou outside of Jiangxi. Naturally, we have to send someone to take stock.

When the fleet docked, Jiangxi Chief Envoy Si Shenzheng and Jiujiang Magistrate were already here to greet them. Also accompanying them were the Jiujiang Guard Commander and others.

"Sir, please come ashore and rest for a day before leaving. Running around for days is hard work. There are still other adults who have worked hard when we arrived at Yuanzhou Mansion."

The prefect of Jiujiang said as he welcomed Cheng Shoujie who was getting on and off the boat.

You know, the prefect of Jiujiang is a fourth-rank official, but Cheng Shoujie is no more than the censor of Jiangxi Province, a seventh-rank official.

However, regardless of whether he is an imperial envoy of the emperor or not, even if he is just a patrol censor, the prefect cannot offend him.

According to the original itinerary, the fleet was to cross Jiujiang, enter Poyang Lake, enter the Ganjiang Waterway, and go directly to Yuanzhou Mansion.

However, when the ship arrived in Jiujiang, someone came forward to greet them and said that Jiujiang Prefecture had prepared wine and food for them and their party.

They boarded the ship from the capital and traveled south non-stop. It should be said that the ship did not dock, and they were exhausted after half a month. After consulting the people accompanying them, they decided to rest for a day in Jiujiang before continuing on their way.

Life on the ship is not as pleasant as imagined. Going south along the Grand Canal to enjoy the beautiful scenery is just a joke.

Staying in the small cabin, all the officials have long been exhausted.

After the prefect of Jiujiang met with Cheng Shoujie, they introduced Jiangxi Chief Envoy Si Shenzheng, Jiujiang Guard Commander, Dehua County Magistrate and others one by one, and then the group entered Jiujiang City on horseback and in a sedan chair.

In the evening, after the dinner prepared by Jiujiang officials, Cheng Shoujie was supported by two maids and returned to the temporary residence.

This house was the house of a wealthy businessman in Jiujiang Prefecture. It was temporarily borrowed by the government to entertain Cheng Shoujie and his party. This was also very common in this era.

At this time, in addition to buying land and hoarding gold and silver, wealthy businessmen also made money by purchasing luxury houses.

Regardless of whether you can live in it yourself or not, as long as it is within the scope of your business, you will definitely build a magnificent mansion as a backup, and lending it to noble people is also a good choice.

Today, the government wanted to use this mansion to entertain imperial envoys, and the wealthy businessman readily agreed.

Cheng Shoujie also drank to his heart's content at today's banquet. Although he seemed drunk, only he knew that he had just reached his limit.

However, looking at the two delicate maids next to him and smelling their faint body fragrance, Cheng Shoujie decided to just keep pretending.

We have to board the ship and set off tomorrow morning. As the saying goes, a good night is too short, so we have to hurry up.

Just when he was about to enter the house, a message from a servant came from outside the door: "Sir Cheng, there are thousands of Wei Meng from the Jiujiang Guard Rear Army outside, asking to see you."

"Qianhu?"

Standing in front of the door, Cheng Shoujie felt very unhappy.

Even though Qianhu was of higher rank than him, it was important to understand that he was a military commander, while Cheng Shoujie was a civil servant.

Just as he was about to say no, he suddenly remembered that this was in Jiujiang. What was the surname of Qianhu that the servant mentioned just now?

"Just now, what did Tongzhen say that Qianhu was called?"

Cheng Shoujie still looked drunk, but he just asked.

"Sir, this is Wei Meng Wei Qianhu."

The delicate voice of a maid next to her rang in her ears.

"Wei Meng, surnamed Wei"

Cheng Shoujie had just finished reading this when another maid next to him said softly: "Wei Qianhu is a famous person in our Jiujiang Prefecture. His son and your Excellency are also officials in the same dynasty. Maybe we know each other."

"Wei Guangde?"

Cheng Shoujie read out the name at once.

"Yes, that's Master Wei Guangde. Do you know him?"

The maid hurriedly said softly.

"Invite him in quickly."

Without answering the maid's question, Cheng Shoujie had already given instructions loudly.

At the previous banquet, he was busy dealing with the enthusiastic Jiujiang officials. Cheng Shoujie remembered seeing someone who said he was Wei Guangde's uncle, but at that time he was just drinking and forgot to ask questions.

"Get me some water to wash my face."

In the current state, Cheng Shoujie felt that it was rude to meet guests, so he ordered again.

"yes."

Soon, a basin of hot water was delivered, and the maid quickly wrung out the towel and handed it to Cheng Shouzhe.

"Wei Guangde is also our imperial censor, but he is a Fujian Taoist censor and an official in the palace, so he and I are colleagues."

Cheng Shoujie said at this moment.

Soon, Wei Meng was ushered into the main hall, followed by four sergeants carrying two boxes.

Cheng Shoujie took two symbolic steps to welcome him. After finishing his polite words, it was time to serve the main course.

"Wei Qianhu, I wonder why you came to visit so late?"

When Cheng Shoujie saw the box, he actually had a clear idea in his heart, but just accept the gift from the Wei family, okay?

There was no one else in the room at this time. Wei Meng stood up and said: "I received a letter from my traitorous son a few days ago, so I came here to bother you. I have prepared some small gifts to send you. Please take care of me."

"It's easy to talk about."

When he was in the capital, Wei Guangde was vague about some things he said, but he secretly hoped that he would take care of his house.

Not knowing what was going on, Cheng Shoujie could only agree vaguely.

"To be honest, sir, my family has an incompetent foreign affairs housekeeper who worked with Yan Mansion before."

As Wei Meng told the "truth", Cheng Shoujie also showed anger on his face.