My father is Jiajing

Chicken and Duck Alley in the south of Nanjing.

This is the courtyard that Hai Rui rented for his mother and his family in Nanjing.

Hai Rui, who had hurried back from Suzhou, braved the heat and ran into the alley in a hurry under the scorching sun.

Hai Rui was extremely upset at this moment and was very worried about his mother's health.

"Master, slow down. Slow down."

Hai An chased after Hai Rui breathlessly, calling out to Hai Rui excitedly, fearing that Hai Rui might accidentally trip and bump into something.

But at this moment, how could Hai Rui care about these things?
The only thing he wanted was to see his mother immediately and check on her physical condition.

As Hai Rui ran, his mind kept flashing back to the hard work his mother went through in raising him. His eyes became blurred with tears.

Hai Rui was extremely worried.

He was afraid that his mother would worry too much about him and something bad would happen to her.

Seeing that he couldn't stop Hai Rui, Hai An could only use his old bones to continue chasing him.

When they were passing through Jiya Lane, the people in the lane saw Hai Rui and hid in the corners, pointing and talking. Some even spat in Hai Rui's direction.

"Corrupt officials!"

"hypocrite!"

"WTF?"

"They're all the same!"

These words were like needles piercing Hai Rui's ears.

As Hai Rui ran back home, he couldn't help but clench his fists and dig his nails deep into his palms.

But even so, Hai Rui did not resent those who did not know the truth, because he knew that some things did not need to be understood by everyone, he just needed to have a clear conscience!

Hai Rui finally ran to the house where his mother and family lived.

Hai Rui excitedly pushed open the door and ran straight to the east wing where his mother lived.

At this moment, his mother's room was also filled with the smell of medicine, and his wife and concubines were serving her inside.

Hai Rui saw his mother half-leaning on the bed, her face pale and lifeless, with a cooling wet towel on her forehead.

Hai Rui couldn't help but kneel down in front of the door!

"Mother!"

Hai Rui's eyes were red, and he couldn't stop crying. "It's all because of my unfilial behavior that I made my mother worry!"

When Mother Hai heard Hai Rui's voice, she finally regained some vitality. She slowly opened her eyes and looked at her son kneeling in front of the door with complicated eyes.

At this moment, the mother sea felt heartbroken.

She worked hard all her life to raise Hai Rui, taught him the principles of life, and asked him to be an upright person and an honest official.

But now she heard the news that her son was forcing civilians to death and seizing their women.

For the jellyfish, this is like the sky falling.

So, under this blow, the sea mother fell ill all of a sudden.

She really couldn't accept that her son had become like this.

Mother Hai looked at Hai Rui with a broken heart. She tried to stand up. She used all her strength to ask Hai Rui, "Have you forgotten the principles that your mother taught you for many years? It is better to take the straight path than to take the crooked path. Have you forgotten all this?"

Hai Rui felt extremely upset when he heard his mother's voice.

He kowtowed heavily on the ground, but did not stand up. He just rested his forehead on the cold blue brick and replied painfully, "Mother, please understand! I did not do any of the things that are being said outside. They are all false accusations by the traitors! They are afraid that I will continue to investigate the case and that I will bring the case back to them. I swear to heaven that I have never done anything that is against heaven and morality!"

After listening to Hai Rui's explanation, hope finally shone in Hai Mu's eyes.

She still trusts her son.

Hai Mu tried to get up again, and Hai Rui's wife and concubines immediately reached out to support her and give her strength.

Mother Hai stood in front of Hai Rui with difficulty and asked in a trembling voice, "Then why is it that the whole city is saying that you forced the people to death and even took their wives?"

Hai Rui straightened up, looked at his mother with tears in his eyes, and said seriously, "Mother, I am investigating a major case that may involve the entire Jiangnan officialdom. The people and facts involved in this case are really too complicated."

"They are deeply rooted in Jiangnan and have great power. My son has only just touched their interests a little bit, and they have resorted to such despicable means to slander him! Moreover, my son has been running around in the government and the local areas. How could he have the opportunity to do such a beastly thing?"

Upon hearing this, the sea mother's expression eased a little, and most of the burden in her heart was relieved.

She understood that Hai Rui would not discuss official matters in such detail at home unless it was absolutely necessary.

Mother Hai looked at Hai Rui and asked hopefully, "Is that true?"

Hai Rui immediately replied, "It is true!"

Then Hai Rui swore to heaven:
"God, if I have lied to you, I will be struck by lightning and never be reborn!"

As Hai Rui's oath was being listened to, Hai's mother couldn't stop her tears from flowing.

As a mother, how could she force her son to swear such a cruel oath?

Hai's mother walked up to Hai Rui excitedly, tears streaming down her face, and reached out to touch Hai Rui's cheek.

"I believe you. I know my son will never change. He will never change. He will never change!"

Hai Rui excitedly held his mother's skinny old hand, tears streaming down his face. He couldn't help but blame himself, "It's all my fault. I have brought shame upon myself along with my son."

Seeing Hai Rui like this, Hai's mother comforted him, "Silly boy, your mother just feels sorry for you. You have spoken up for the people and have been upright as an official, yet you have been stigmatized like this. This world is really..."

Hai Rui quickly wiped his tears and said to his mother, "Mother, the world will only get better and better! The current prince is wise and trustworthy. He entrusted such an important task to his son, which shows that he values ​​his son's ability!"

"As the saying goes: The clear will be clear, the turbid will be turbid. My son has a clear conscience, so why should he be afraid of these rumors! Mother must believe in her son and take care of herself. Don't worry about her son and hurt your health."

Mother Hai listened to Hai Rui's words, then stared at her son's resolute face. Finally, she nodded slowly and said, "Good, good! This is a good son for me!"

Then the mother of the sea taught: "You must remember, no matter how difficult it is now, in the years to come, you must stick to your original intention. Report the emperor's grace and bring peace to the people. This is your duty, do you understand?"

Hai Rui listened to his mother's teachings, and kowtowed to her excitedly. Then he said firmly, "Son, I will remember your teachings!"

When Hai's mother saw Hai Rui like this, she finally put her mind at ease.

The whole person felt indescribably relaxed, and because of this relaxation, he couldn't help coughing twice.

When Hai Rui heard his mother cough, he was also startled.

He quickly stood up and walked forward to pat his mother on the back.

When the mother stopped coughing, she said to her son who cared about her, "Go and do what you should do. I'm fine!"

But Hai Rui was still worried.
"But mother's health is bad." Mother Hai pushed Hai Rui who was supporting her, and stood firmly, smiling and waving her hands, "It's just an old illness, it won't be a problem. Besides, compared with mother's minor illness, the grievances of the people are more important. Go quickly, don't delay the important matter!"

Hai's mother urged Hai Rui to leave, as she didn't want Hai Rui to delay his work because of her.

Hai Rui was so moved that he knelt down again and kowtowed three times respectfully to his mother.

"Thank you, mother. I'll take my leave now. Mother, you must rest and recuperate. I'll come back to see you later when I finish my work."

Mother Hai looked at Hai Rui with satisfaction, and waved her hand, indicating that Hai Rui should go back to work earlier.

Hai Rui left his mother's sight, looking back every few steps.

After walking out of the courtyard, all the warmth on Hai Rui's face disappeared!

Instead, there is unspeakable determination and perseverance!

He said to Hai An beside him in a deep voice: "Let's go back to Suzhou!"

"Master, you want."

Hai Rui took a deep breath in disbelief and looked at Hai Rui now!

Hai Rui looked at Hai An with a sharp gaze, "Interrogate the Qian family!"

"They think spreading some rumors can make me back down? Wishful thinking!"

Hai Rui's eyes were extremely determined at this moment. This time he was really angry!
That night, Hai Rui rushed back to Suzhou and went to the Suzhou prison.

The environment in Suzhou Prison was similar to that of prisons in other places. They were all exactly the same, cold and damp. The air was filled with the smell of mold and despair, as if the heat outside would never invade this place.

Hai Rui strode along the dim prison corridor with a gloomy face, and the jailer who followed him held a lantern and led the way carefully in front of him.

In the innermost cell, Qian An, the Qian family's housekeeper, curled up in the corner.

This middle-aged man who once called the shots in Suzhou Prefecture now sits in prison with a haggard and uneasy look on his face. He has long lost his former prestige.

The sound of the cell door opening made him tremble all over.

When Qian An saw that the person coming was Hai Rui, his face turned even paler.

"Qian An."

Hai Rui's voice echoed in the cell, "Do you know why I am interrogating you at this time?"

"Big Master"

Qian An knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly, "I really don't know! I'm just a housekeeper."

Qian An was very frightened, but still refused to say anything.

Hai Rui sneered, "Really? Then would you like me to help you recall it?"

After saying this, Hai Rui stretched out his hand, and his accompanying clerk immediately handed a account book to Hai Rui.

Hai Rui accurately turned to the page that contained information about Qian An.

"Qian An, a native of Wuzhong, in the 35th year of Jiajing, Japanese pirates were causing chaos. You spread rumors that the Japanese pirates were going to attack Suzhou, causing the people to be frightened. You confiscated 36,000 acres of farmland from the people of Zhangjing, Taiping, and Guangfu at a price 70% lower than the market price. Guangfu's Li Erwa refused to comply, so you brought the Qian family's evil servants to their house and beat them with sticks."

"In the 38th year of Jiajing, a wealthy Suzhou family named Liu died suddenly. His 5,000 acres of land and 6 shops were all deposited in your name, but you had no connection with Liu. And there was the 41st year of Jiajing."

When Hai Rui read out the records related to Qian An one by one, Qian An couldn't help but sweat on his forehead.

Although it seemed that there was no direct evidence to prove anything, Hai Rui had read them out now, which showed that the cause and effect behind these things had already been grasped by Hai Rui.

As long as Hai Rui wanted, he could send Qian An to the guillotine in a matter of minutes.

So at this moment, Qian An felt an unprecedented fear~!

Qian An's voice trembled, "This, this, these are all..."

Hai Rui snorted coldly and interrupted Qian An, "What? Did they do this voluntarily?"

Qian An's body trembled again. When he looked up and saw Hai Rui's eyes again, the panic in his heart could no longer be hidden.

Hai Rui struck while the iron was hot and said, "Each of these cases is a major case that could cost the lives of your entire clan. Don't think that if you die, you can get away with it and save your family. I can tell you right now that if you don't confess honestly, not only will you die, but your family will also be implicated. Make your choice now."

Qian An was panicked and his mind was in turmoil.

He said nervously: "This is what the master asked me to do"

"Master? What master? What's your name?"

Hai Rui certainly didn't want a vague guide, he wanted a specific name.

Qian An looked at Hai Rui in panic again. His brain seemed to have short-circuited and he couldn't help but say Qian Deshun's name.

After hearing the name, Hai Rui reminded the recorder beside him, "Record it!"

When Qian An heard this, he panicked again.

"Master, you can't do this. My master is a close friend of Lord Xu. These lands and shops are not all ours! There are also the Xu family and the weaving bureau!"

Qian An thought that these words could scare Hai Rui away and make him give up.

The result was still the same sentence: "It's on the record!"

Qian An couldn't help but become even more panicked. He never expected that Hai Rui would dare to involve the Prime Minister of the dynasty and the Weaving Bureau representing the palace.

This obviously exceeded Qian An's understanding.

You must know that before this, anyone who dared to investigate these matters, no matter how powerful the imperial envoy was, as long as they reported the Weaving Bureau, these people would be afraid to take action and retreat.

But now Hai Rui actually let it be recorded.

Isn’t he afraid of offending the palace and being doomed?

Of course Hai Rui was also afraid of these things.

But Hai Rui knew that if he was afraid, he would be unworthy of his mother's teachings and Prince Yu's trust.

When Prince Yu arranged for him, Gao Gong and others to come to Nanjing to investigate the Dong Fen case, everything had actually been prepared.

So in Hai Rui's heart, he thought that Prince Yu was not afraid of being implicated in the palace. In fact, Prince Yu just wanted to take this opportunity to eliminate the chronic illness and catch all the invisible termites in Jiangnan and the palace.

Therefore, even if Hai Rui was afraid at this time, he had to do it!

If he doesn't do it, he will not only feel guilty, but he will also feel that he has become a corrupt official without bottom line and principles.

This was also a result Hai Rui could not accept!
Therefore, Hai Rui had to be tough at this time and sort out all the people and things involved so that people all over the world could see it clearly!
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