My father is Jiajing

After questioning Qian An, Hai Rui stopped asking questions. For a moment, the quiet interrogation room seemed to be filled with invisible pressure, which made Qian An so nervous that he was on the verge of suffocation.

Hai Rui's fingers tapped lightly on a yellowed account book. This was the only sound in the interrogation room. To Qian An, this sound was more like a huge hammer hitting his chest!

Qian An recognized the account book under Hai Rui's fingers.

Although this account book is written in code, the contents recorded in it are true.

Once Hai Rui finds someone to crack the secret code in this account book, all the shameful transactions of the Qian family in recent decades recorded in it will be exposed.

So, at this time, Qian An had no other choice.

Although he is also a member of the Qian family, his ancestors and the main branch of the Qian family had separated hundreds of years ago. The reason why he can now become the steward of the Qian family is not just because of his surname Qian, but mainly because he is smart enough to help the master of the Qian family.

That's why he stood out from all the servants of the Qian family and became the steward of the Qian family.

Moreover, a few years ago, Qian Deshun had paid him a lot of money, wanting to burn his indenture contract and accept him into the family tree of the Qian family.

However, Qian An has been trying hard to help Qian Deshun, but Qian Deshun seems to have forgotten his promise.

Now it seems that the Qian family’s biggest secrets are already in Hai Rui’s hands.

Qian An was of course aware that if someone told the secret before him, he would be of no value at all.

What's more important is that although his surname is Qian, he is not a member of the current Qian family. If the imperial court really wants to kill people and implicate others, he would be at most an accomplice and would not be implicated to death.

But if he fails to seize the opportunity and make amends for his crime, God knows how serious the crime of this accomplice will be!
After a fierce ideological struggle, Qian An suddenly looked up, looked at Hai Rui and said excitedly, "Big and small, I confess everything!"

After hearing Qian An's words, Hai Rui also looked at Qian An again, "What do you want to do?"

Qian An said excitedly: "I want to learn the secret of the account book in your hands!"

After hearing these words, Hai Rui couldn't help but feel excited.

Although this account book is written in a secret language, it can be deciphered with some time.

But now time is running out. If someone can directly translate the secret code in this account book, it will greatly improve the efficiency of handling the case and catch all the Jiangnan gentry involved off guard, leaving them with no time and space to transfer the evidence.

Hai Rui nodded calmly, "Very good, you are the second person to confess. Provide the information you confess now, and I will help you verify its authenticity. If the information you confessed is too different from that of the previous person, and you cannot justify yourself, you should know the consequences."

Hai Rui also used psychological warfare tactics, so he had to be cautious.

Otherwise, if Qian An provided him with false information, it would be a joke.

When Qian An heard Hai Rui's words, he immediately became excited, and was thinking hard in his heart, which bastard was trying to snatch his chance to redeem himself with meritorious service?

Qian An did not dare to delay, and immediately wrote down the secret codes in the account book one by one under the supervision of a clerk beside him.

He then wrote a long confession and letter of repentance, as well as all the secrets of the Qian family that he knew.

When Qian An finished writing, the clerk immediately asked Qian An to check it again. After confirming that it was correct, he asked Qian An to sign and seal it.

After doing all this, the clerk carefully handed Qian An's confession to Hai Rui, saying, "Zhongcheng, please take a look."

Hai Rui took the stack of confession papers with some ink still wet on them, and his eyes fell on the first page.

Although under such great psychological pressure, Qian An's handwriting seemed a little crooked, as if his fingers were twisted by fear, and every word seemed to be trembling.

But every word was written very carefully and there was no blurry spots.

Hai Rui read the contents of the letter, and saw how the Qian family colluded with the Dong family and other wealthy families in Jiangnan to forcibly buy the land of the people at a price less than 30% of the market price, and how those farmers who refused to sell their land were framed and even killed and their property was taken away.

Hai Rui couldn't help but take a breath!
These people are truly lawless and disregard the law and human nature!
It has reached the point of being insane and completely devoid of conscience!

"What a great Qian family! What a scholarly family that has been famous for hundreds of years!"

Hai Rui's eyes flashed with the light of a star that hates evil!
He placed Qian An's confession on the table, side by side with the account book.

The candlelight flickered in his eyes, casting a cold glow!

"Such beastly behavior has been allowed to run rampant in broad daylight for many years. I really don't know who owns Jiangnan!"

After reading this, Hai Rui became even angrier!

He really didn't expect that these Jiangnan families who seemed so righteous on weekdays could be so despicable!

It was almost dawn when I came out of the prison.

But now there is no chance of dawn coming again.

Because it started to drizzle outside again.

The raindrops hit the bluestone slabs on the ground, making crisp sounds.

Hai Rui was not afraid of wind and rain; he walked quickly in the rain.

When he reached an intersection, Hai Rui once again glanced in the direction of the Qian Family Courtyard in the distance. It was now completely dark there, with only a few lonely lights flickering in the rain, like dying fireflies, already at the point of dying.

"Master, it's late, you should rest."

Hai An followed behind Hai Rui and reminded him softly.

Hai Rui shook his head slightly and looked at the dark clouds in the sky. "When the sun rises, I will file a petition to the court to merge the Dong Fen case with the Qian family case! When the time comes, none of these parasites will be able to escape!"

Hai Rui turned around again and looked at the empty streets of Suzhou with sharp eyes. He knew that he was fighting for justice for these people.

So even though these people don't understand him now, Hai Rui still won't get discouraged!
Hai An couldn't help but gasp when he heard Hai Rui's words. "Master, this could mean making enemies with the entire Jiangnan region! Their power is so intertwined that even the prince and His Majesty wouldn't dare to act rashly."

"so what?"

Hai Rui interrupted Hai An directly. His voice was not loud but every word was as strong as iron. "A gentleman has his own way of doing things and his own way of not doing things! Jiangnan is a land of plenty that everyone admires. It is also an important tax collection area for the imperial court and a prosperous place with a flourishing cultural heritage. But now there is a bunch of pests like this. If I pretend not to see them, how can I face the prince and His Majesty in the future? How can I face the innocent people who have been harmed?"

The rain is getting heavier!

Hai Rui's words were like a sharp sword, splitting the humid night in the south of the Yangtze River and bringing the dawn of hope to the south of the Yangtze River!
Xu Family Villa in Suzhou.

Xu Fan, who had been waiting for news at home, saw the teacup in his hand drop to the ground with a "bang". The fine Jingdezhen blue and white porcelain instantly broke into several pieces, and the tea splashed all over his brocade boots.

"What did you say? Hai Rui got the Qian family's account book?"

Xu Fan's voice suddenly rose, and his face turned pale in an instant. He looked at the person in front of him in disbelief. Qian Delu, the housekeeper of the second master of the Qian family, knelt on the ground, kowtowed and said excitedly: "To answer your words, it is absolutely true! I heard that the eldest master confessed first, and then the second master also confessed."

Qian Delu's information has some errors, but what he said is generally correct.

This was also what Hai Rui did on purpose, in order to disrupt their positions so that he could defeat them one by one!

After listening to Qian Delu's words, Xu Fan felt dizzy and he struggled to hold on to the mahogany coffee table beside him to avoid falling.

The color of his face was all wrong.

That's no ordinary account book!
The account book contains things that the Xu family had not yet admitted when they reported the Dong family.

If this gets out to the world, God knows how much trouble it will cause!
"Master, what should we do now?"

Xu Youcai, Xu Fan's trusted follower, came up to him and asked nervously.

He whispered again, "Master, we can't let Hai Rui investigate any further. If he continues to follow the clues, all of your sacrifices will be in vain."

Xu Youcai's words were like a steel needle piercing Xu Fan's heart, making Xu Fan feel breathless!

Xu Fan waved his hand to interrupt him, "Prepare the sedan chair! No, prepare the horse! I want to go to Wuxi immediately!"

Xu Youcai said nervously: "Now? It's raining heavily outside, sir."

"Even if it means stabbing you, you have to go!"

Xu Fan almost shouted this, veins popping out on his forehead, and said excitedly: "If it's one step later, the Xu family will be finished!"

A quarter of an hour later.

Xu Fan, wearing a straw raincoat, set out in the rain with a few trusted servants.

They sped along the official road between Suzhou and Wuxi, heading north from Taiping Town towards Wuxi City.

The rain flowed down the edge of the hat and wet the inner collar of Xu Fan's clothes.

But at this moment he was unaware of it, his mind was filled with that fatal account book!
He couldn't let this matter continue to ferment.

He had to find Zhang Juzheng, let him know the pros and cons, and stop the already "lawless" Hai Rui from continuing the investigation.

Wuxi Prefecture Government Office.

At this moment, Zhang Juzheng had just put down the secret report in his hand and sighed softly.

The sound of rain outside the window gradually stopped, and a ray of sunlight shone through the curtains and finally fell on his hand.

Zhang Juzheng has been holding back a lot of anger these past two days with no place to vent!

Thinking back to the day before yesterday, if the guards around him had not been alert, he might have been a stinking corpse now.

"Minister, Master Xu Fan from the Xu family is here. He is outside asking for an audience and said he has something urgent to discuss!"

A clerk stood in the yard outside Zhang Juzheng's room, reporting in a low voice.

Zhang Juzheng in the room snorted lightly, and the corners of his mouth slightly raised, revealing an elusive smile, and said to the clerk outside the house: "Tell him to wait in the side hall and tell him that I am changing clothes."

After Zhang Juzheng gave instructions to the clerk outside who reported the news, he slowly and methodically straightened his clothes and looked at himself in the bronze mirror for a moment. After making sure that every part of himself was impeccable and perfect, Zhang Juzheng's eyes in the mirror gradually became sharper.

Then Zhang Juzheng put away his sharp eyes and returned to his normal state.

Zhang Juzheng walked to the door, pushed it open, and took a look at the scenery outside.

Then he went towards the side hall he had just mentioned.

In the side hall, Xu Fan was pacing back and forth like an ant on hot pan, without any calmness at all.

When he heard footsteps approaching outside, he suddenly turned around and saw Zhang Juzheng coming over!

Xu Fan almost ran forward excitedly, "Taiyue! Save me!"

Zhang Juzheng looked at Xu Fan, who looked so panicked, and showed a concerned expression. He looked at Xu Fan and asked, "What happened? Why is Lu Qing so panicked?"

Xu Fan didn't care about being polite. He nervously grabbed Zhang Juzheng's sleeve and said in a trembling voice, "Something big has happened! That lunatic Hai Rui got the Qian family's account book and is even going to file a petition to merge the Dong Fen case with the Qian family case! This is clearly an attempt to turn Jiangnan upside down!"

Zhang Juzheng looked at Xu Fan in surprise and asked, "How did you know about this, Lord Lu?"

Xu Fan was slightly startled, then he said, "Taiyue, don't ask about these details. The most urgent task now is to stop Hai Rui! We can't let him go on like this. Otherwise, Jiangnan will be in chaos, and the whole country will be in chaos! Father, who is in the capital, cannot escape the blame!"

Zhang Juzheng frowned as he listened to Xu Fan's words, and then changed the subject.

"Lu Qing, sit down and have some tea first, don't be anxious!"

Zhang Juzheng asked Xu Fan to sit on a chair beside him. He also sat on the main seat in the side hall. He picked up a cup of tea and took a sip, appearing very calm and composed.

This also made Xu Fan feel a little relieved.

But soon, Xu Fan's anxiety could not be stopped again.

"Taiyue, do you know what Hai Rui found out? He found the account books of the Qian family! The Qian family is a super family that has been entrenched in Jiangnan for hundreds of years. Although the imperial examinations have not been popular in recent years, the incense and favors accumulated over the past few hundred years are inestimable!"

"Especially the 'tributes' that the Qian family has given to other families over the years, as well as the inside story of buying land at a low price, and even some of the details in the Dong case. If Hai Rui were to expose them, Jiangnan would be in chaos, which would be extremely disadvantageous to the court!"

After listening to Xu Fan's words, Zhang Juzheng put down the teacup in his hand.

When the porcelain teacup hit the wooden tabletop, making a crisp sound, Zhang Juzheng also spoke.

Zhang Juzheng said, "Mr. Lu, you and I have known each other for many years. Today I will speak frankly - Hai Rui's actions were carried out in accordance with the imperial order. Whether Jiangnan is in chaos or not, it cannot change the court's determination!"

"Whether one Dong family dies or another Qian family dies, they are just numbers. These families rely on the wealth and connections accumulated by their ancestors to be rich but unkind in Jiangnan, and have already aroused the wrath of heaven. Therefore, I still want to advise Lu Qing not to get too close to them, there is no benefit!"

Xu Fan was shocked when he heard this. He never expected Zhang Juzheng to say these words to him.

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Ask for monthly ticket~~(End of this chapter)