My father is Jiajing

In Nanjing city, it is scorching hot in summer, and the temperature is several degrees higher than that in the capital!
But compared to the stuffy and restless atmosphere in the capital, Nanjing seems to have a few more breezes and coolness.

The reason for this is that Nanjing city is located in the south, with occasional cool showers, summer breezes blowing from the Yangtze River, and the natural temperature regulation brought by the wide surface of the Yangtze River.

This means that although Nanjing is hot, it is not as hot as one of the four furnaces in later times.

After all, at this moment in Nanjing there are no tall buildings, nor are there buildings filled with steel and concrete that absorb heat quickly and dissipate heat slowly.

Therefore, the temperature in Nanjing is generally better than that in the capital city in the north.

Hai Rui stood on the dock of the Yangtze River, looking at the ships passing by on the surface of the river, his brows furrowed.

During this period of time, Hai Rui has been investigating the Dong family case. Although he had made a lot of mental preparations before the investigation, knowing that this would be a case involving a wide range of people, it was during the actual investigation process that Hai Rui truly experienced what it meant to be shocking and what it meant to be daring!
The crimes committed by the Dong family and other related Jiangnan families that Hai Rui had discovered in his investigations in Jiangnan were truly a group of crimes of such a large scale and involving so many people that Hai Rui had never seen before.

This case is even more shocking than the ones Hai Rui encountered when he was an inspector in Shanxi and Shaanxi!
"Zhongcheng, this is the Dong family account book compiled by the Ministry of Revenue, waiting for your review."

Behind Hai Rui stood Zhao De, the head of Nanjing's Ministry of Revenue. He was holding a thick stack of sorted accounting materials and spoke respectfully to Hai Rui, with a barely perceptible hint of nervousness in his voice.

Hai Rui turned around and looked at Zhao De. He was the assistant sent by Yan Maoqing to assist in investigating the Dong family case. He was specifically responsible for organizing the accounting information found in the Dong family fire scene.

Now that all the information has been sorted out, Zhao De presented it to him.

Hai Rui nodded slightly, then turned to look at Zhao De, a long-lost smile on his face, "Thank you for your hard work, Chief Zhao."

Zhao De was flattered and quickly replied: "This is my duty."

Hai Rui nodded, took the account and began to look through it carefully. After looking at it for a while.

Hai Rui suddenly asked, "Manager Zhao, the number of sandalwood that the Dong family purchased from Guangdong in March last year does not match the records of the Guangdong Maritime Customs. There are thirty ships missing. What's going on?"

Zhao De was standing aside and was also startled by this question. He wiped his forehead and sweated nervously, and said nervously: "Zhongcheng, this... maybe the record is wrong."

"Is the record wrong?"

Hai Rui frowned slightly and looked at Zhao De with sharp eyes.

At the same time, he closed his heavy account book and continued seriously, "For several years in a row, there have been 30 to 40 ships 'delayed' every year? Director Zhao, do you think that when I, Hai Rui, handle cases, I really don't check the relevant files?"

Zhao De's legs went limp, and he almost fell to his knees in fear. He said excitedly, "Minister, please understand. I am just..."

"No need to explain. Go back and explain to Yan Bu Tang. He recommended you to assist me in handling the case. I cannot punish you. Go find Yan Bu Tang."

Hai Rui was too lazy to waste time talking to Zhao De. Zhao De had been in Jiangnan for many years and was already a little confused.

At the beginning, when Yan Maoqing sent him to Hai Rui, Hai Rui was unwilling to use him.

But due to the situation and personal connections, as well as a series of subsequent investigation plans, Hai Rui had to use him.

Now, Zhao De really showed his true colors and was caught by Hai Rui.

Obviously, Zhao De underestimated Hai Rui's methods and the seriousness with which Hai Rui investigated the case.

You should know that when investigating the Dong family case, Hai Rui obtained part of the accounts of the Guangdong Maritime Customs through official letters, and also investigated all the legal businesses of the Dong family.

As a result, when Zhao De was collating these materials, he pretended to be clever and tried to confuse Hai Rui. He really overestimated his own abilities!
At the same time, this incident also shows that there are actually not many truly trustworthy and useful people in the officialdom of Jiangnan.

On the other hand, Zhang Juzheng, who was originally responsible for investigating the Dong family's smuggling case, is now measuring all the land related to the Dong family together with the Ministry of Households under the banner of taking inventory of the Dong family's property involved in the case.

This amount is huge, like disturbing a hornet's nest.

The gentry and wealthy families in Jiangnan were all excited.

They were like the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, each using their own magical powers to try to stop this.

The biggest reason why they reacted so strongly was that the area of ​​land that Zhang Juzheng wanted to measure was too vast.

This is equivalent to touching upon the interests of these people.

So, they couldn't help it.

Just when these people were excitedly trying to stop Zhang Juzheng from measuring the land, Zhang Juzheng had already walked together with Hai Rui and discussed the Dong family's case.

Hai Rui and Zhang Juzheng came to Qixia Temple outside Nanjing City at the same time. In the Ming Dynasty when transportation was not yet developed, this place was secluded, elegant and seldom visited.

Now Hai Rui and Zhang Juzheng chose to meet here, in fact, to avoid being seen and have a good communication.

The two walked on the bamboo path behind the temple and walked together for a while.

Zhang Juzheng carefully looked around again, and after making sure that no one was there, he said, "I found that there is also a problem with the Dong family's land deed. The land under their name is tens of thousands of acres more than the records we have found so far, and the origin of these lands is unknown. It is hard to explain the origin."

After hearing this, Hai Rui's eyes suddenly gleamed, and he said to Zhang Juzheng: "I have found that the Dong family has concealed at least one million taels of silver in smuggling taxes through the Guangdong Maritime Customs, not counting the Shuangyu Island account records provided by Wang Zhi and the accounts reported by Xu Fan."

When Zhang Juzheng heard Hai Rui's words, he couldn't help but gasp!
This account is really too big!
He never imagined that the Dong family alone could smuggle out such a huge amount of wealth. If this were to be exposed throughout the entire Jiangnan region, God knows how big the number would be!
Just as the two were about to continue their conversation, the sound of dead branches breaking suddenly came from deep in the bamboo forest.

Zhang Juzheng reacted very quickly. He stepped forward and protected Hai Rui behind him, and shouted, "Who?"

The bamboo forest was silent, with no sound except the rustling of wind through the bamboo leaves.

"Maybe it's just a wild animal."

Hai Rui frowned and said this, but both of them knew at this moment that they might have been targeted and Qixia Temple was no longer safe.

So, Zhang Juzheng and Hai Rui ended their conversation at the same time, and they parted ways. Zhang Juzheng continued to lead people to measure the land, while Hai Rui returned to the city.

After returning to the city, Hai Rui was not idle. He immediately ordered the closure of several large businesses related to the Dong family.

However, as soon as the order was given, a doctor named Xu Jie from the Nanjing Ministry of Revenue hurried over to stop it.

"Hai Zhongcheng, this is absolutely not allowed!"

Xu Jie was nearly fifty years old, with a fake smile on his round face, and he was running out of breath. Hai Rui looked at Xu Jie who suddenly appeared, and there was no trace of surprise in his eyes.

After Xu Jie took a breath, he continued, "Mr. Hai, these businesses are all related to the private trade in Nanjing and even the entire Jiangnan region. If we seal them off hastily, it may cause a stir in Jiangnan!"

Hai Rui looked at Xu Jie calmly, "When did Doctor Xu become so kind-hearted that he even started to speak up for the merchants?"

Xu Jie's expression remained unchanged. "Zhongcheng is wise. The court is no longer as contemptuous of merchants as before, especially in the capital. A special district has been set up to take charge of the merchants' trade in the capital. I heard that Zhongcheng once worked in the special district. Now that he is in Nanjing, why do you think I am speaking for the merchants?"

Hai Rui chuckled, "Doctor Xu is right. When will you prepare the tax items from the Ministry of Revenue that I want to retrieve? Do you want me to go to the Ministry of Revenue again and let your Yanbutang personally explain it to you?"

Xu Jie was not afraid of the threat from Hai Rui. Although Hai Rui was a powerful figure in Nanjing, it did not mean that he could always do something if he said he could do it.

Moreover, the situation in Nanjing was more complicated than Hai Rui understood.

The Ministry of Revenue was particularly complicated. Even Yan Maoqing, the current Nanjing Ministry of Revenue Minister, could not necessarily control the other officials and clerks in the Nanjing Ministry of Revenue.

Although these people are not of high rank and do not hold prominent positions, they all hold actual power.

Therefore, sometimes the instructions from Hai Rui or Yan Maoqing himself may not be of much use.

Xu Jie didn't care about Hai Rui's threats at all. He continued, "If the Minister is free, please come to the Ministry of Revenue. I am doing everything according to the rules. Besides, those tax items are still being sorted out. I am also anxious!"

Hai Rui snorted, ignored Xu Jie, and ordered the closure to continue!
Seeing that Hai Rui didn't give him face, Xu Jie immediately became angry.

Xu Jie accused: "Mr. Hai is doing this, is he trying to plunge Jiangnan into chaos?"

Hai Rui said calmly, "If there is any chaos, I will be responsible for it. Doctor Xu, don't worry. If you continue to stop me from investigating the case, don't blame me for being ruthless in enforcing the law."

Xu Jie was so angry that he yelled a few times, but finally he left in anger. He really didn't dare to go on. If he was really caught by Hai Rui, it would be troublesome.

While Hai Rui was taking tough measures, Zhang Juzheng's investigation was also encountering resistance.

When he sent people to request to review the land registration books in the vicinity of Nanjing, the clerks in Yingtian Prefecture and its surrounding counties either said the books were lost or made the excuse that they needed documents from higher-level government offices.

These people were all stubborn and were not afraid of even Zhang Juzheng, the minister.

It was as if they were the masters here.

"Taiyue, this case cannot be investigated."

At night, Xu Fan came. He secretly visited Zhang Juzheng and said nervously, "The Jiangnan aristocratic families are intertwined and one move can affect the whole body. If you and Hai Zhongcheng continue to investigate like this, there may be cases that are not solved clearly, and Jiangnan will be in chaos first. You and Hai Zhongcheng should focus on the Dong family first and don't involve too many people, otherwise, it will be really difficult to deal with."

Zhang Juzheng looked at the nervous Xu Fan and said calmly, "Mr. Lu, thank you for your concern. But I am investigating the case under the order of the Emperor. How can I retreat because of fear of temporary difficulties?"

Xu Fan sighed, "Taiyue may not know that the Jiangnan gentry have already started to write a petition, accusing you and Huan Zhongcheng of exceeding your authority and disrupting the local area. Gao Gong, the elder, is also under great pressure."

Zhang Juzheng looked at Xu Fan's sincere eyes and replied, "I will consider this matter. Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Lu. Have you had any correspondence with the elder during this period?"

Xu Fan certainly couldn't admit it. He sighed and said, "My father hasn't written to me yet, and I don't know what's going on in Beijing."

Zhang Juzheng also sighed and said, "It's not easy for the elder minister!"

After the two of them exchanged a few boring words, Zhang Juzheng sent the guests away.

After seeing off the guests, Zhang Juzheng stood in front of the window and pondered for a long time.

He had long expected that the investigation would affect vested interests, but he did not expect the counterattack to come so quickly and so fiercely.

What worried him even more was Xu Jie's attitude.

Although Zhang Juzheng and Xu Jie had a falling out in the eyes of the world, Xu Jie was after all his teacher whom he trusted and respected for many years. Now the investigation was increasingly focused on Xu Jie, and Zhang Juzheng was really worried that Xu Jie's fate would be worse than Yan Song's.

The next morning, the atmosphere in Nanjing suddenly became tense.

There was a lot of discussion on the streets, saying that the major families in Jiangnan were going to unite in protest.

Sure enough, just at noon, hundreds of gentry representatives gathered in front of the Southern Zhili Governor's Office. They were dressed in Confucian robes, holding petitions, and shouting loudly that they wanted to see Gao Gong.

"Severely punish the cruel official Hai Rui!"

"Zhang Juzheng exceeded his authority in handling the case, which is intolerable!"

"Give me back the Qingming Festival in Jiangnan!"

These slogans were heard one after another, attracting passers-by to stop and watch.

Some people even carried several coffins, claiming that they were innocent people who were forced to death by Hai Rui's tax inspection. The crowd was outraged for a while!
Inside the Governor's Mansion, Gao Gong frowned, with veins visible on his forehead.

He never expected that these Jiangnan gentry would be so despicable as to even carry out dead people!

"Lord, there are more and more people gathering outside."

The servant of the Governor's Mansion reported cautiously, "Gentry representatives from Suzhou, Songjiang, Changzhou and other places have also come. They are now sitting quietly in front of the mansion, saying that if they don't get a reply, they will continue to guard it."

When Gao Gong heard this, he slammed the table in anger and said, "Ridiculous! Hai Gangfeng and Zhang Taiyue were both ordered to investigate the case. Are they going to disobey the order?"

The servant sighed and whispered: "Lord, the people of Jiangnan are gradually getting angry. If we don't deal with it in time, it may cause a civil uprising."

"Civil uprising?"

Gao Gong sneered and said, "It seems to me that someone is inciting it!"

"Someone go call Hai Gangfeng and Zhang Taiyue over here. I want to see how big a hornet's nest they have stirred up!"

Although Gao Gong was willing to help Hai Rui, Zhang Juzheng continued to support him from behind the scenes.

But the current situation really made Gao Gong feel frightened.

After all, he was the cabinet minister of Nanjing and the governor-general of Southern Zhili, the highest person in charge of Nanjing and even the Jiangnan region.

If a civil uprising really broke out in Nanjing, who knows how many people would attack him.
Therefore, Gao Gong must first meet with Hai Rui and Zhang Juzheng to see what they are up to.
When Hai Rui and Zhang Juzheng arrived at the Governor's Mansion, the protests outside the Governor's Mansion reached a climax.

Some people even started throwing stones, rotten eggs and vegetable leaves into the palace.

Obviously this is to make things bigger!
When Gao Gong saw the two, he asked them, "What did you two find out? Why are the Jiangnan nobles so excited?"

Hai Rui said calmly, "My Lord, I have discovered that Dong Fen colluded with officials in Nanjing to smuggle goods on a large scale. The amount of tax evasion is so huge that millions of taels of silver may not be enough to cover it. I have also discovered that many prominent families in Jiangnan are involved, forming a huge interest group."

Zhang Juzheng added, "Lord, my investigation shows that the gentry in Jiangnan generally conceals and evades taxes on their land, and the area involved may be as high as millions of acres."

After Gao Gong heard this, his expression changed from gloomy to bright.

He had long known about the seriousness of the Jiangnan problem, but he did not expect it to be so serious!

At the same time, Gao Gong was also well aware of the consequences of provoking these local tyrants.

Gao Gong pondered for a long time, and then he sighed: "Do you know that if those people outside really make trouble, Nanjing City will fall into chaos? By then, neither you nor I will be able to escape unscathed."

Hai Rui said sternly, "Sir, it is precisely because the problem is serious that we need to investigate it thoroughly. If we retreat because we are afraid of the powerful, where is the dignity of the court? Where is the law?"

Hai Rui is as tough as ever, he is not afraid of big trouble!
Moreover, now that the person has been offended, if you give in, the consequences will only be more serious!

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