Chapter 574 573 Night Visit to the Imperial Envoy

"You are confused."

In the duty room of the cabinet, Xu Jie was angry at Qi Buzi 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 in the court 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 hold the Yan family in high esteem like he did 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 would be able to take care of those things with peace of mind. Please note 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.

Censor Cheng Shoujie 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. Cheng Shoujie 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 to see if he had made any major mistakes. If possible, he would do 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 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 punished the culprit, he showed no mercy.

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 check, 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 this matter in 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 what was good and what was bad, 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 up a pole to give money, and he still demands it from his subordinates, so where is the dignity of being a dignified minister?

However, for Wei Guangde, no matter 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 being the Minister, thinking about 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 note sent by Dong Fen, and Zhang Ji was waiting for his reply.

Whether to reply or not was definitely not something he, a housekeeper, could decide.

It was not normal for a dignified Shangshu to send a visiting card to his family.

Before contacting again, Wei Guangde asked him to pay attention to the Dong family. Zhang Ji, no matter how dumb, could guess something.

He weighed the thin paper over and over in his hand, which was actually not beyond Wei Guangde's expectation.

After talking to Zhang Juzheng two days ago, Wei Guangde knew that this must happen.

Dong Fen would not come empty-handed when he came to visit. He would definitely prepare a heavy gift in the hope of impressing him.

However, it would be hot to accept this thing, after all, it might offend Prince Yu.

If Prince Yu was dissatisfied with himself, it would not be compensated by a little gold and silver.

Forget it, it is better to refuse decisively than to hesitate.

If I really know what others want to give and then do that, I may feel heartbroken for a long time.

Wei Guangde thought it was a pity, but he also knew that he couldn't see Dong Fen and couldn't accept those things.

"I know, so let's do it. Don't reply to the Dong family in the next two days."

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

After writing, he waited for a while, let the ink dry slightly, and then said to Zhang Ji who was standing on the side: "Arrange someone to send it to Lord Ouyang, use your brain, don't let others follow you."

Wei Guangde reminded Zhang Ji, and Zhang Ji naturally understood what to do.

If you send someone to deliver the note, the probability of being targeted is very high. When sending people out, you have to think of some ways. Finally, send more people out at once and mix them together, so that it is possible to pass the message out without anyone noticing.

However, from this, Zhang Ji also knew that his family might have some conflicts with Minister Dong, perhaps because of the Prince Yu's Mansion.

The news spread in the officialdom, and naturally also spread among the people. The version Zhang Ji heard was that Lord Dong and Prince Yu had a grudge in a brothel for competing for the courtesan.

Well, it was very gossipy, and the people in the streets and alleys loved to hear this. It would be even more exciting if Prince Yu and Minister Dong fought for the courtesan.

However, Zhang Ji just laughed it off, thinking it was just gossip and unreliable.

Prince Yu loved to go to those places. Not to mention, Zhang Ji really heard about it from Wei Guangde, and Prince Yu even invited them out.

It was just a matter of competing for the courtesan, and the second generation in the capital could do it, but the masters would never go back to do such a shameful thing.

The next day, this note was in Ouyang Yijing's hands. Wei Guangde urged him to report as soon as possible, and he understood that someone must want to protect him.

Wei Guangde knew that he would ignore Dong Fen's post, but if Xu Jie sent a post to invite him, he would not openly tear his face.

The only solution was to submit an impeachment as soon as possible, so naturally Ouyang Yijing could only be urged to take action.

Early the next morning, Ouyang Yijing, the criminal department official, went directly to the Tongzhengshisi and submitted the impeachment memorial.

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

At this time, Cheng Shoujie's imperial envoy had already arrived at Jiujiang Prefecture, Jiangxi. When the fleet arrived in Zhenjiang, he sent a team of people to Suzhou. According to Lin Run's report, the Yan family's assets were the largest in Suzhou, except for Jiangxi, so naturally people had to be sent to count.

When the fleet docked, the Jiangxi Provincial Administration Councillor, Jiujiang Prefect, etc. were already there to welcome them, and the Jiujiang Guard Commander and others were also there to welcome them.

"Please go ashore and rest for a day before leaving. It's hard to travel for days. You'll have to work hard in Yuanzhou Prefecture."

Jiujiang Prefect said to Cheng Shoujie who was getting on and off the boat.

You know, Jiujiang Prefect is a fourth-rank official, and Cheng Shoujie is only a seventh-rank official in Jiangxi Province.

However, no matter whether he was the emperor's envoy or not, even if he was just a patrol inspector, he was not someone the prefect could offend.

According to the itinerary, the fleet was to pass Jiujiang, enter Poyang Lake, and enter the Ganjiang River to go directly to Yuanzhou Prefecture.

However, when the ship arrived in Jiujiang, a reception boat came forward and said that Jiujiang Prefecture had prepared wine and food for them.

They boarded the ship from the capital and went south all the way without stopping. It should be said that the ship did not dock, and they were exhausted after half a month. After consulting the accompanying personnel, they decided to rest in Jiujiang for a day before continuing their journey.

Life on the ship was not as comfortable as imagined. What about going south along the Grand Canal to enjoy the beautiful scenery was just a joke.

Staying in the small cabin, the officials had been suffocated for a long time.

After the Jiujiang prefect met with Cheng Shoujie, he introduced the Jiangxi Provincial Administration Councillor, Jiujiang Guard Commander, Dehua County Magistrate and others one by one, and the group of people rode horses and sedan chairs into Jiujiang City.

At night, after finishing the dinner prepared by Jiujiang officials, Cheng Shoujie was supported by two maids to return 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, which was also very common in this era.

At this time, the rich merchants made money by buying land and storing gold and silver, and buying mansions was also one of them.

Regardless of whether they live in it or not, as long as it is within their business scope, they will definitely build a magnificent mansion for backup, and it is also a good choice to lend it to nobles.

Today, the government wants to borrow this mansion to entertain the imperial envoy, and the rich businessman has no objection and agreed very readily.

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

Just as Cheng Shoujie read this, 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 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 greet the guests. 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.