Chapter 128: Lies to the hilt, leading the way for the king

Huguang Provincial Government, Wuchang Prefecture.

After entering August, the weather was not so hot anymore, and the affairs in Huguang also entered the final stage of characterization.

Among the various princes, the Prince of Dong'an of the Chu vassal state was the first to be arrested.

However, the subsequent investigation by the imperial envoy into the clues of his involvement in the case was the most difficult.

Unlike other young men in other clans, Zhu Xianzhen does things cleanly.

Not to mention that he was wearing several layers of gloves inside and outside, the main thing is that he was ruthless enough.

Zhu Yingyan of Yueyang Palace, Zhu Yingyu of Yong'an Palace, and Zhu Changling, the prince of Jing, either died suddenly or disappeared.

Even Zhu Yingchui, the King of Tongshan of the Chu vassal state, died at the turn of summer and autumn. I wonder how much this incident has to do with him.

Not only was there no direct evidence linking the Prince of Dong'an to the Zhang Chucheng incident, but he also completely denied all charges of supporting miners and stealing mineral deposits.

It is evident that an old man who refuses to die is a thief.

But fortunately, God will not let down those who work hard.

As the investigation progressed, the situation gradually became clearer.

And the exemplary cooperation between officials and the people that followed - perhaps it was because a prince and six dukes were executed openly, the royal family was frightened and uneasy by the power of the imperial envoy, or perhaps it was because the people of Huguang did not want to see the imperial envoy stay any longer, so they lent a helping hand.

In short, a bunch of physical evidence and clues, both obvious and covert, were gradually placed on the desk in the lobby of the Huguang Governor's Office.

With all the efforts made in unison, the King of Dong'an was finally convicted.

In addition, due to the lack of experience of the case handlers, they did not instruct the parties to "explain their own problems properly and not make random accusations." The people involved in the case explained everything they knew, and inadvertently involved some extra things.

……

"I thought that the Chu clan's case of regicide and usurpation of the throne 28 years ago was horrifying enough, but I didn't expect that this drama of usurping the throne is just as shocking." Liang Menglong exclaimed in amazement.

Governor Liang was very busy with local stability and had no time to investigate the case. Now that the imperial envoys had finished their investigation, he had time to inquire about it.

He was flipping through the files at the moment, feeling as if he was reading a storybook, and was enjoying it very much.

"The King of Chu reigned for 21 years without leaving any offspring. But within just six months after his death in August of the fifth year of Longqing, five posthumous children were born one after another!"

"No one in Huguang reported this strange sight to the public."

At the beginning, Princess Liu of Jiangchuan of Min Fan also wanted to play the same trick of occupying the magpie's nest. She lied that the child from her mother's family was of Zhu's bloodline. It caused a lot of uproar at the time, but it was exposed in just a few days.

Now the same thing happened to Chu Fan, and he accomplished it quietly.

All I can say is that it is worthy of being a founding vassal state that has been operating for 200 years and has deep roots.

Councillor Feng Shiyu said something fair to his colleagues in Huguang: "You can't say that. After all, the officials here have heard more or less about how Emperor Xianzong dealt with it."

At that time, the affair of Princess Liu of Jiangchuan was exposed, and the officials of the prince's palace followed the censor who heard the news and called for her to be killed. As a result, Emperor Xianzong only asked them to reflect on themselves and demoted the "meddling" official.

Since we have learned from the previous experience, it is better for everyone to mind their own business. What if the King of Chu really had a last burst of energy before his death, and his energy and quality of life also recovered?
Liang Menglong took a sip of tea and became more and more interested the more he read. "It is said that Guo Lun, the eunuch in the palace, said that although Zhu Huakui, the eldest son of the King of Chu, is the posthumous son of the palace maid Hu, he is actually the bloodline of the King of Dong'an and the Princess's family."

"The second son, Zhu Huabi, is the grandson of Concubine Wu's younger brother."

"No wonder the Queen Mother and the Princess spared no effort to support Prince Dong'an. It turns out they share the same pot!"

He didn't know about other things, but he had heard something about the fact that Wu Jinghe was called by Chu Fan to mediate as soon as he arrived in Huguang.

Now there were only Liang Menglong and Feng Shiyu in the hall. The latter couldn't pretend not to hear Shangguan's mumbling.

Feng Shiyu responded casually: "Alas, these royal family members do not study the classics and therefore disregard human ethics."

"The Queen Mother was the biological mother of the late King of Chu, and the Princess was the legal wife of the late King of Chu. After the death of the King of Chu, the two of them actually teamed up to taint the bloodline of their own sons and husbands. This is simply unbearable to watch!"

Although a stepmother is not a biological mother, as long as one keeps the Confucian classics in mind, one should be aware that a stepmother is closer to the child than the biological mother.

All these dirty things are caused by not studying the classics and not cultivating moral values!

Liang Menglong was indifferent to Feng Shiyu's official rhetoric. Instead, after reading the file, he rubbed his chin with an unsatisfied look: "Huazhi, do you think the third son Zhu Hua'ai and the fourth son Zhu Hua'an are the descendants of the King of Chu?"

He did not mention Wu Zi, because Wu Zi had died last month - he died of convulsions, and died together with Tongshan King Zhu Yingchui.

Feng Shiyu hesitated for a moment, then shook his head: "It's hard to say."

The main reason is that there is no reliable means to check, and the blood test to identify kinship only works in storybooks.

Even if we take a step back... isn't the Prince of Dong'an also of Chu's bloodline? The son of the Prince of Dong'an and the son of the Prince of Chu are hard to confuse, no matter their appearance or blood.

Of course, there is another very important point - it is said that the King of Chu is homosexual.

In this case, it is really difficult to say the origins of these sons.

Liang Menglong put the file aside and said with emotion: "No one would have thought that Zhang Chucheng and Tang Bin would be murdered by the King of Dong'an just because they were involved in this matter. It's really unpredictable."

Otherwise, why do people say that censors are hated by gods and ghosts?

Although Zhang Chucheng was ordered to investigate the mining tax case, as a secretary, he had the authority and responsibility to report on matters.

That is to say, even if he heard some rumors in the market, he could report it directly to the emperor.

But he is also an official with some sense of responsibility.

After all, Huguang is Zhang Chucheng's hometown. He probably doesn't want to offend the Chu Palace without any evidence and bring disaster to the whole village.

Zhang Chucheng then set off to visit the Dowager Concubine's parents' home and the Princess's parents' home to investigate.

Perhaps he alarmed the enemy, for when Zhang Chucheng finally arrived in Linxiang County, the hometown of Hu, the nominal mother of several posthumous children, he was killed by King Dong'an.

Liang Menglong has been a local governor for many years and he feels quite emotional about this.

If it's for the sake of national affairs, it would be fine if we were counterattacked.

But if you accidentally lose your life for such a dirty thing, it is really not worth it.

When Feng Shiyu heard Liang Menglong mention Zhang Chucheng, his expression became a little sad.

The two were silent for a while.

Liang Menglong looked outside and spoke again, "The Central Government's order will arrive this morning. Why haven't those people come to the hall to wait for the order?"

The imperial edict from the capital was heard hundreds of miles away last night, and it will definitely arrive this morning.

Now that everyone's work is done, it's time to listen to the emperor's orders and return to Beijing as soon as possible.

How come they had been waiting for so long and had even finished reading the files, but they were still the only two waiting here?

Hearing this, Feng Shiyu shook his head and said, "It seems that Governor Xu and Imperial Censor Hai will not be able to return in time."

On the first day of August, a severe earthquake struck Jingzhou Prefecture, causing countless casualties and damage to fields, houses, dams, and other places.

Just as the imperial envoy had finished investigating the case, Hai Rui immediately set off for Jingzhou Prefecture to supervise the allocation of funds for disaster relief, preside over the rescue of civilians, and rebuild residential dams.

But at that time, both the geographical aftershocks and the aftershocks of the situation in Huguang had not completely disappeared.

People in Huguang were afraid that something unexpected might happen to this man who was about to leave, so the governor Xu Xuemo followed the will of the people and took the officials and guards with him.

Although Jingzhou Prefecture is not far away, it takes time to transmit the message back and forth, so I am afraid it will be too late to receive the order.

Liang Menglong nodded: "Of course I know about this. Let's not talk about others. If Prince Consort Wu doesn't come for a while, should we send someone to urge him?"

"And what is Li Jieshizhong doing?"

That Prince Consort Wu takes a healthy sleep every day and won't wake up until dawn.

Liang Menglong was really afraid that this person would oversleep and miss the opportunity to receive the imperial order.

Just as Feng Shiyu was about to speak, Li Zaiting's voice came from outside the hall: "I went to look for Prince Consort Wu. He is not feeling well. Let him recuperate for a while."

The two people in the hall were both stunned.

This... Some time ago, when Zhu Xizhong was executing a group of princes and dukes and was deeply involved in impeachment, he first began to "feel ill" and then passed away suddenly.

Should Wu Jinghe also follow suit?
The two of them were thinking.

Li Zaiting looked at Liang Menglong and said with a smile: "Liang Butang, when I came here, I heard a commotion outside the palace. It seems that the imperial edict is about to arrive."

"I'm afraid the minister will have to go outside the palace to welcome him."

As for an angel, the local officials will definitely welcome it.

But Li Zaiting was also an angel, so he did not need to be greeted at the door. He only needed to wait in the hall to hear the emperor's orders.

Liang Menglong was very familiar with this kind of thing. He stood up and first instructed his attendants to arrange the ceremony and the incense table. Then he bowed and strode towards the gate of the yamen.

Feng Shiyu was about to follow closely.

Li Zaiting suddenly called him: "Huazhi!"

Feng Shiyu paused, turned around and looked at Li Zaiting with a questioning look.

Li Zaiting sat down leisurely, then extended his hand to signal Feng Shiyu to sit down as well, and said casually: "We are back from the King of Dong'an."

Feng Shiyu hesitated for a moment, but still sat down and asked curiously, "Ying Feng, do you have anything to teach me?"

Only then did he realize that Li Zaiting clearly wanted to talk to him alone, which was why he sent Liang Menglong away.

I just don't know what's the point of this juncture. Li Zaiting seemed thirsty, and took a big sip of tea like a cow chewing a peony, then put down the teacup and said, "It's not that I have something to teach you, but the imperial edict is coming soon, and the final judgment is just around the corner, and I'm a little worried."

Feng Shiyu was puzzled: "Worried? Why do you say that?"

Li Zaiting lowered his head, fiddling with the lid of the tea bowl, and said with a frown, "Huazhi, don't you think this package of things went too smoothly, and the signs that someone was fanning the flames are too obvious?"

Feng Shiyu thought about what Li Zaiting said, then shook his head and said, "When the time comes, heaven and earth will work together. With your majesty's grace and blessing, it is reasonable that things will go smoothly."

"Besides, forgive me for being blunt, these royal family members have little ability, how long can they hide and resist? Ying Feng is overthinking."

Li Zaiting didn't seem to hear it and tapped the teacup lightly with his fingers.

He said slowly, "Prince Wu said that before they even put any effort into it, the third son of Jing Fan knelt down. His surrender was inexplicable. If not for this, the situation in Huguang would not have been resolved so quickly."

"That's enough. The Prince of Dong'an would rather die than confess despite being tortured. That's because he was confident that he had done a clean job."

"I and the Imperial Censor Hai are ready to conduct a long and slow investigation."

"As a result, the prince of Wugang provided clues again and again, and then the eunuchs of the Chu Palace, Guo Lun and others, took turns to expose the truth. Even the matter of the posthumous child of the King of Chu was personally testified by people from Hu's family who came to Wuchang."

Li Zaiting looked at Feng Shiyu with a serious expression, and said in a deep voice: "Huazhi, tell me, have we been tricked by someone?"

Feng Shiyu listened quietly to Li Zaiting's words, with a puzzled look on his face.

He asked in return: "Even if they are the enemies of the King of Dong'an, if they want to take advantage of us, that's not a bad idea, right?"

"After all, it was Prince Dong'an who did Zhang Liqing's thing, so we don't need to make things more complicated..."

Li Zaiting suddenly interrupted Feng Shiyu.

Without warning, he said, "Really? Zhang Liqing was about to return to the capital, but after arriving in Wuchang Prefecture, he suddenly turned back to look for Tang Bin and investigate the matter of the King of Chu's posthumous child?"

"I heard something from the rumor, I heard something from the rumor, where did he get the rumor from!?"

Feng Shiyu was shocked.

Following Li Zaiting's meaning, he speculated, "Ying Feng suspected that someone was against Prince Dong'an and deliberately revealed this to Zhang Liqing to make him a knife!?"

Li Zaiting nodded, but didn't investigate further.

Putting aside the previous topic, Li Zaiting looked at Feng Shiyu sincerely again: "Huazhi had seen Zhang Liqing at that time, why didn't you tell me?"

Feng Shiyu paused and looked at Li Zaiting in confusion: "Where did Ying Feng come up with this fabrication?"

Li Zaiting said, "It was Zheng Yunqin who said that Zhang Chucheng gave you a visiting card."

"I had nothing to do during this period, so I went to various restaurants with Zhu Shitai and happened to find out."

Feng Shiyu was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled and waved his hand: "Ying Feng, why are you so suspicious and making things up?"

Seeing this, Li Zaiting shook his head in disappointment, took out a file from his sleeve and handed it over: "Do you think I'm lying to you?"

Feng Shiyu smiled but said nothing, not even reaching out to take it.

He just looked at his classmates worriedly.

Li Zaiting suddenly threw the tea lid into the tea, making a crisp sound and splashing the tea everywhere.

He stared straight at Feng Shiyu and sighed, "Last year, there was a disturbance in the court involving the Nanzhili Township Party. Huazhi's party friend Hu Qi was killed, and Huazhi's fellow villager Shen Yikuan and others were exiled. Huazhi was also exiled."

"Feng Huazhi, are you resentful that His Majesty is waiting for me?"

Feng Shiyu's expression suddenly froze, and he couldn't help but suppress his smile.

The two fell into silence for a long time.

……

Chu vassal state, Wugang royal palace.

It was lunch time, but the frugal and simple Wugang King Zhu Xianhuai didn't seem to have a good appetite today, so he only asked the eunuch to send a bowl of tofu pudding and a portion of ice cubes to his study as lunch.

After all, so many major events have happened in the Chu vassal state, and King Wugang still cannot hide away.

After Prince Dong'an was captured, with the support of the imperial envoy, the affairs of the Chu vassal state were once again taken over by Prince Wugang.

Naturally, many governments have opinions.

But when Prince Dong'an went in, several princes of Chu were caught up in the trend of "substituting a cat for a prince", and Prince Tongshan Zhu Yingchui, who was capable of competing, happened to die.

King Wugang had no choice but to take charge of the clan affairs of the Chu Mansion.

I have been so busy that I have been staying in the study all day today. I am really exhausted.

"Father, father!" Zhu Yingqi, the prince of Wugang, was shouting at the door, disturbing the peace.

Zhu Yingqi banged on the door. If he was not forbidden to enter the study, he would have pushed the door open and walked in.

"Father, the angel announcing the decree has arrived! Go to the governor's office to receive the decree!"

"I heard from the capital that you are likely to be in charge of the government! We have a lot to do!"

Even though the Chu vassal state was caught in turmoil, rumors were circulating every day about the abolition of the state and the weakening of the vassal states.

But the family property is there, and someone has to take care of it.

The Chu clan has accumulated over 200 years of wealth, tens of thousands of royal family slaves, and millions of assets. The position of head of the government is not just an empty title!

Besides... now that the identities of several Chu princes are in doubt, it means that the ancestral property of the Chu clan will be managed by the Wugang Palace in the future!

What a wonderful thing!

Just as Zhu Yingqi was thinking, the door of the study opened.

King Wugang appeared at the door of the study, looking energetic and skillful, still wearing simple clothes.

He frowned and looked at his son: "Is it my will?"

Zhu Yingqi chuckled and said, "Father, the Prince of Dong'an is definitely not going to be able to take over. Who else can take up the responsibility of the Chu clan, or even the entire Huguang clan, except you?"

"Now that the imperial envoy is about to leave, there are some things to deal with, and no one else can cooperate except you. Who else can I give the decree to if not you?"

King Wugang sighed, "Alas, I was planning to enjoy my retirement, but now so many troubles have come to me. King Dong'an has really made me suffer."

Zhu Yingqi winked and said, "Dad! Don't dawdle, the angel is still waiting at the governor's office!"

His father was of this kind, and he was in no mood to talk nonsense here.

Isn't it for today that we expose King Dong'an?
King Wugang nodded helplessly: "Well, go and arrange the sedan chair and wait for me outside the palace. I will pack up and come back."

Zhu Yingqi responded and rushed there.

King Wugang closed the door of the study again, stood at the door for a while, then turned back to the desk to tidy up the documents and files he had just reviewed.

Tidying up the room can naturally relieve excitement. At the last hurdle, you always have to adjust your mentality to face it.

It took him a long time to finish tidying up and he slowly sat back in his chair.

King Wugang took a sip of the tofu pudding and muttered to himself, "What a pity! I was originally planning to take over the throne of the King of Chu, but I didn't expect the new emperor to act in this way."

The direct lineage of Chu Fan's generation, including several posthumous children, is already in doubt.

The two people of the previous generation, namely the old King of Chu who died young, and his only elder brother who was the mastermind behind the murder of the king and usurpation of the throne, had long been beheaded by Sejong.

In other words, there is no direct descendant of the Chu clan who can inherit the throne of King Chu.

The most recent blood relations are naturally the previous generation - King Dong'an and King Wugang!

In other words, as long as today's matter is settled, the throne of King of Chu will definitely belong to King Wugang!

Even if the emperor wanted to reduce the power of the princes, he was still the rightful person to be in charge of government affairs, and he could even continue to pass down the lineage of King Wugang in the future!

The Chu clan's two hundred years of assets were about to be taken into their possession, so how could they not feel the slightest bit of excitement?

King Wugang was adjusting his mood.

A voice came from under the table: "Uncle Wang, you promised to help me..."

Prince Wugang lowered his head to look at Princess Wang who was kneeling under the table. He had almost forgotten about this because he was interrupted by his son just now.

He smiled, skillfully picked up an ice cube from the bowl and dish beside him, put it into the princess' mouth, and comforted her: "Don't worry, princess, what the King of Dong'an did naturally has nothing to do with you."

King Wugang leaned back comfortably, pressed the princess's head, took a deep breath, and said comfortably: "This king will manage the Chu Mansion well in the future."

Chu Fan’s land, property, and women will all be left for him to enjoy from now on!

He pressed Princess Gong's head hard, and after he received the imperial edict, he would come back and teach this young man a lesson!

This is the joy of life!
　I had reflux today and felt uncomfortable all night. I just finished writing it now. There is really no other way.
　　Note 1: On the first day of August in the first year of the Wanli reign, an earthquake occurred in Jingzhou Prefecture, Huguang, which lasted until Bingyin.

　　Note 2: The case of the fake King of Chu in history did happen, but it only involved the eldest and second sons. At first, the King of Chu reported four crimes to Hua Yue, a member of the royal family. Hua Yue went to Beijing to report to the King of Chu that Hua Kui and his brother, Xuanhua Wang Huabi, were both surnamed Wang, not the sons of Gong. Hua Kui was the brother of Gong Wang's wife, and Wang Ruyan's son was brought to the palace when he was a few months old; Hua Bi was a member of Wang's wife's family, and Wang Yu, a family member of Wang Ruqi, was brought to the palace when he was a few years old. The twists and turns in the story all came from his wife, Gongren Wang. Wang Ruyan's daughter also knew it best. Both of them were fake kings, and it is not appropriate to usurp the title of the country. Please investigate and punish them.

　　The report was submitted to the Ministry of Personnel, who requested that the governor of Huguang investigate the case. At this time, the governor Zhao Kehuai and the inspector Ying Chaoqing, together with other officials, conducted a detailed investigation and found no evidence to support the claim. The report submitted by us was not only witnessed by the sun and the sun, but also believed by the people of Chu to be true. However, Wang insisted on his theory. The words of Zhang Weixin, Wang Yingshou's mother in Luozhen, Wang Ruzeng, Huang Jia, and Li Zirong seemed to be sufficient to verify each other. Guo Lun's engraving and the letter, as well as Liu Hua's face-to-face accusation that Cui's words about the year and the residence of Prince Gong at that time were contradictory. Xiao said that they were called at dawn on February 16th, the fifth year of Longqing, and that He Gongren took the wet nurse after giving birth, and the county princesses and county princesses all said that they didn't know whether it was true or not. If they think it is false, there must be real evidence to stop them from believing it. More than 70 people were convicted of various crimes and tortured, but they would rather die than confess. We gathered many officials to investigate for two days, but we couldn't reach a consensus. I have stated the facts truthfully and humbly request that you send an official to question me again.

　　Note 3: Historically, Zhu Huakui was born in February of the fifth year of Longqing, but here it is postponed to the second half of the year.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)