Without money, what is the point of being a traitor?

Chapter 346: Ghosts of History

Liu Zhishu was a doctor in the Ministry of Justice. His political ideas basically represented the thoughts of the middle-level case handlers in the Ministry of Justice.

In other words, the current tone of the investigation is to suspect that someone had set up the trap in advance and then sent Liang Ci to be killed.

Apart from those in the cabinet, the only people who could accomplish this task might be the officials or assistant ministers in the Ministry of Justice, who might not be clean either.

Pei Yuanze thought of more.

What does it mean if the conclusion of the case leans towards Xuanfu?
Xuanfu was the base where Zhu Houzhao wanted to establish the second central government. In recent years, Zhu Houzhao had been making plans in Xuanfu.

The Tongzhengsi case a few days ago has made Zhu Houzhao suspect that the Tongzhengshi was deliberately concealing the matter and flattering the cabinet. If Xuanfu also has an unclear relationship with the cabinet, wouldn't Zhu Houzhao be even more panicked?
Given Zhu Houzhao's compromising personality, would he adjust his pace and reopen the battlefield?
This is definitely not what Pei Yuan wants.

Even if Pei Yuan wanted to be a thief who stole the country, he still had some idea of ​​his own capabilities.

With his ability and personal charm, it would be impossible for him to successfully rally the military and intimidate the northern barbarians like Zhu Houzhao did.

If the north continues to be in turmoil, after Zhu Houzhao dies, he may have to accept a mess that is even more difficult to deal with than the one faced by Emperor Daojun.

How is this possible? !
My Great General of the Northern Expedition, I can handle it on my own!
So, Pei Yuan said solemnly, "It's impossible to be Xuanfu."

Seeing Liu Zhishu's puzzled look, Pei Yuan, who had not yet sorted out his thoughts, could only bite the bullet and say, "To be honest, I have some clues that prove this matter has nothing to do with Xuanfu. This matter may have a lot to do with Luojiao."

Pei Yuan finished speaking and sighed inwardly.

Let Chen Toutie take the blame for Cheng Leixiang, and we won’t cause any trouble to the society.

Afraid that Liu Zhishu would not believe him, Pei Yuan added, "Perhaps the cults are fighting each other and framing each other."

Liu Zhishu looked at Pei Yuan as if he was a fool and asked, "If there were no people who knew the inner workings of the court colluding in this matter, how could they, a bunch of evil cult members, accurately grasp Liang Ci's behavior?"

Pei Yuan's forehead was slightly sweaty, and he stuttered as he spoke, "Perhaps, there are people in the court who know the inside story and are colluding with them."

Seeing that Captain Pei was somewhat embarrassed by his questioning, Liu Zhishu immediately spoke with more confidence.

"Moreover, according to the memorial submitted by Grand Secretary Liang Chu to the emperor, although Luojiao is powerful, it is mainly spreading in Shandong and along the banks of the Grand Canal."

"If the Luo Cult goes north to cause chaos, the three Tianjin guards who control the throat to the north will not be unaware of it."

"Unless the three guards of Tianjin are also involved."

Pei Yuan wiped his sweat and stammered, "This, the three guards of Tianjin..."

Liu Zhishu said casually, "The three guards of Tianjin are headed by Tianjin Guard. The left and right guards are relatively weak, and they have always followed the lead of Tianjin Guard. But the former commander of Tianjin Guard offended the eunuch Zhang Rui because of the matter of the imperial farm."

"Do you know who Zhang Rui is?"

"This person is now a popular candidate for the East Factory Supervisor."

"So after the former Tianjin garrison commander was arrested, the Shandong Provincial Surveillance Office also went to investigate without hesitation and found many cases of corruption."

"The people in Tianjin are now demoralized and in disarray. They have been thoroughly investigated by Zhang Rui and the Shandong Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, and are now clean."

Liu Zhishu made a conclusion while chatting and laughing, "Anyone in the world can collude with Luojiao, but it is impossible in Tianjin."

Upon hearing this, Pei Yuan let out a long sigh and nodded repeatedly, convinced.

Given Liu Zhishu's abilities, it would be a waste of his talent to send him to be the prefect of Hangzhou.

He should be the Minister of Justice!
Just as Pei Yuan was planning a bright future for Liu Zhishu, Liu Zhishu seemed unsatisfied and continued to talk about politics.

"If the Naro sect wants to go north and accomplish great things, it must have collusion with people in the court and the permission of Tianjin. It must also have a strong army with amazing combat power, and then use the canal to go all the way north, and then ride fast horses to the outskirts of Beijing to block Liang Ci's way."

Liu Zhishu sneered and said, "That's impossible."

Pei Yuan felt that this plan sounded familiar. After thinking about it carefully, wasn’t this a “bad ending” in his future plan?

Once the step of armed seizure of power is reached, if the northern border is unstable and the country is in turmoil, then there will be no difference between him, Pei Qianhu, and Li Zicheng.

So Pei Yuan has been trying his best to avoid this outcome.

But this idea was so naked and was said out loud by someone unintentionally, which really frightened Pei Yuan.

Pei Yuan looked at Liu Zhishu and saw that he was over forty years old and had a weathered look on his face.

My heart softened immediately. Never mind. He has worked hard for half his life. I should let him go to Hangzhou and enjoy himself.

I, Pei Qianhu, will take care of all the ups and downs in the court for you.

Pei Yuan chatted with Liu Zhishu for a while, focusing on introducing the beautiful scenery of lakes and mountains in the south of the Yangtze River.

Liu Zhishu was confused. You are a captain of the Jinyiwei, and I can talk to you about the case, but what do you know about these poetic and picturesque things?
Pei Yuanlin said to Liu Zhishu, "Brother Liu, if you have the opportunity to be transferred abroad, you might consider Suzhou and Hangzhou. We have some old friends there, and they will definitely not let you suffer the wrath of those powerful and evil gentry."

Liu Zhishu was a Beijing official working in one of the six ministries. Being sent to a distant place was often considered a demotion, but it would be a different story if he were to be a prefect in Suzhou or Hangzhou.

The Jinyiwei have always been unruly. If you establish a favor with them now, it may be useful in the future.

Liu Zhishu took note of this and left with a smile.

Before leaving, he reminded Pei Yuan, "Such a big case must be tried slowly and carefully. The capital is so small, and with two of us being fifth-rank officials, we might accidentally try someone above us, and he might even make more mistakes."

Pei Yuan sent Liu Zhishu away and also decided who to send.

That means the irrelevant idlers are not idle.

The last time Yun Buxian went to the Liang family to arrest Liang Ci'an, he acted in time and made a great contribution. He also made great efforts in the emergency transfer of those Xuzhou soldiers and was promoted to the position of general flag by Pei Yuan.

Yun Buxian had been sent out by Pei Yuan these days and was not aware of this major event.

From his perspective, perhaps he could detect some clues, allowing Pei Yuan to make up for it in time.

When Yun Buxian happily accepted the task and went out to handle a major case, Pei Yuan also received a summons from Zhu Houzhao.

This time it was a formal audience with the emperor, so Pei Yuan quickly changed into his official robes and clothes.

It’s a pity that there is no flying fish suit to support the scene, it always feels like something is missing.

At this time, Pei Yuan was a little envious of Tan Tai Fang Tu and Si Kong Sui, the two old guys who had Fei Yu suits.

Then Pei Yuan suddenly had an idea and asked the eunuch who was delivering the imperial edict, "The emperor may want to ask me for some confidential information. Can I take two of my men with me?"

The eunuch laughed and said, "Captain Pei, your words are superfluous. You Jinyiwei are supposed to serve the emperor. Who would bother with you about this?"

Pei Yuan quickly sent someone to notify Tan Tai Fang Tu and Si Kong Sui, asking them to accompany him to meet the Emperor.

Pei Yuan also specifically asked someone to remind them to dress more formally and preferably change into their Feiyu suits.

The two old men didn't understand why, but they were still very happy to see the emperor. So they put on their flying fish suits and hurried over.

Pei Yuan immediately took the two followers and followed the eunuch into the palace.

As they walked along the road, Sikong Sui, who was following Pei Yuan, felt something was amiss. He whispered to Tan Tai Fang Tu, "Captain Pei is wearing a plain official uniform, but the two of us are wearing flying fish uniforms. Isn't that a bit presumptuous?"

Tan Tai Fang Tu didn't think too much about it and said casually, "The qualification to wear the Feiyu suit was granted by Emperor Chenghua. We didn't steal or rob it, so what's wrong with wearing it?"

Although Sikong Sui felt that it was inappropriate, he couldn't say anything since they were already on their way to the palace.

When you arrive at the palace gate, you have to change your waist badge.

Tan Tai Fang Tu and Si Kong Sui both changed their waist badges to ivory badges that allowed them to walk around in the palace. The badges did not have names on them, but indicated their identity as Jin Yi Wei and a number.

When entering and exiting the palace, one needs to show an ivory waist badge to prove that one has entered through formal procedures.

Pei Yuan showed his badge to the captain guarding the gate in a very low-key manner, "I have one myself, no need to change it."

After the incident with the evil man Li Zilong, Emperor Chenghua granted the captain of the Suppressing Evil Unit to directly hold an ivory waist badge in order to facilitate the Suppressing Evil Unit to rush to the palace in time.

When the captain guarding the gate saw that it was an ivory waist badge with a name on it, he immediately thought of the few people who had this badge and hurriedly welcomed him in.

After passing through several palace gates, Pei Yuan was guessing the destination when he saw Gu Dayong, who looked radiant, waiting for him with a smile not far away.

Pei Yuan looked at Gu Dayong and felt quite emotional.

Appeared!
This is the NPC who can change history by himself.

Pei Yuan's changes to the details of the Ming Dynasty finally triggered a butterfly effect and led to greater historical changes.

History is no longer a toy for time travelers to play with.

The Western Factory jumped out on its own before Pei Yuan's plan could be implemented.

Then, can the Inner Factory, which supervises the East Factory and the West Factory, be far away?
If these historical ghosts are beginning to revive, does it mean that when the influence of the time travelers is integrated into this era, this era is also changing itself?

This Ming Dynasty is more uncontrollable and more interesting.

Pei Yuan took a few quick steps and said to Gu Dayong, "I, Pei Yuan, congratulate Eunuch Gu for restoring the West Factory."

Gu Dayong laughed out loud, "What's there to be happy about? Lord Liang lost his son in his old age, and our family shed many tears for him."

Pei Yuan saw that Gu Dayong looked quite complacent at the moment, and couldn't help but sigh.

Gu Dayong's face froze, and his joy immediately became incoherent.

Gu Dayong's long-term trust in Pei Yuan has made him feel inexplicably dependent on him. He asked apprehensively, "Why? Pei Yuan, do you think there is something wrong with our family?"

Pei Yuan gently said to Gu Dayong, "Even the existing East Factory cannot be protected, let alone a newly restored West Factory?"

"Eunuch Gu, you just laughed too loudly."

Gu Dayong's 1.80-meter-tall aura immediately disappeared. He asked in a panic, "That's right, Pei Yuan, what do you think our family should do now?"

After Gu Dayong finished speaking, he quickly waved his hand to disperse the young eunuchs who were following him.

Even the trusted eunuch Wu Qing was driven away.

Tan Tai Fang Tu and Si Kong Sui also tactfully stepped away, and the eunuch who had led the way earlier simply bowed and handed over his task.

Pei Yuan asked Gu Dayong, "Has the framework of Eunuch Gu's West Factory been set up now?"

Gu Dayong felt a little embarrassed when he heard this, "Not yet."

Then he explained in a low voice, "We think that the Sanhe Post case involves a lot of things. If we let the Western Factory get involved too early, I'm afraid it will not end well. It's better to rebuild slowly. Anyway, we have to start all over again now. We have to find everything now, and no one can say anything."

Pei Yuan thought to himself, he is indeed an NPC who can seize the opportunity and jump out to change history.

There is still some cleverness.

Pei Yuan reminded, "Eunuch Gu has a good idea. The re-establishment of the West Factory will inevitably lead to chaos and disorder."

"But as far as I know, the court has agreed to the need for the Western Factory, but it has not said that the Western Factory must use the original factory supervisor. If the pace on your side continues to be slow, then those old people of Hongzhi in the inner palace who have long coveted it will not take the initiative to jump out and snatch your Western Factory."

"For example, Zhang Rui and Zhang Xiong, the two who have never been able to take over the East Factory smoothly?"

Gu Dayong shuddered and couldn't help but sigh, "If it weren't for you, Pei Yuan, our family would have been in great trouble."

After Gu Dayong restored the Western Factory, he did not contact Pei Yuan immediately.

This time Pei Yuan entered the palace and waited to meet him halfway, because he wanted to let Pei Yuan, a small captain, recognize the big and small kings after restoring the power of the supervisor of the Western Factory.

Unexpectedly, Pei Yuan only said a few words and Gu Dayong panicked again.

Gu Dayong has already started to regret it now.

If I had known this earlier, I should have communicated with Pei Yuan as soon as possible and asked him for advice.

Gu Dayong asked hurriedly, "Now that the matter has come to this, is there any way to make amends?"

Pei Yuan calmly said to Gu Dayong, "Do you remember the story of Chong'er and Shen Sheng that I told you?"

Gu Dayong was puzzled when he heard this, "Are you saying that our family is going to leave Beijing?"

Pei Yuan said, "Yes, you must leave Beijing with me as soon as possible, otherwise I am afraid you will not be able to keep your current position of power."

Gu Dayong was extremely conflicted, but he finally chose to trust Pei Yuan's judgment, "Well, well, this is not up to us, right?"

Pei Yuan heaved a sigh of relief when he heard Gu Dayong's agreement.

Wouldn't it be more convenient to cover up everything if we move this great god, the God of West Factory, to Shandong?

Pei Yuan asked Gu Dayong directly, "What does the emperor want from me this time?"

Gu Dayong revealed the truth directly, "It's about Luo Sect."

Pei Yuan said, "I will use this as an excuse to get you to accompany me to Shandong on a business trip. If I am right, I am afraid that in less than half a year, the situation in the palace will change."

Pei Yuan hinted, "Think about it, now that Zhang Yong has fallen out of favor, Lu Ting is coming back to threaten you with the credit for suppressing the rebellion. Which of you seven tigers can still fight? Leaving early is the way to protect yourself."

Gu Dayong said anxiously, "But I haven't even gathered all the eunuchs in charge, let alone the imperial guards."

Pei Yuan's mind flashed after hearing this, so he replied, "These are easy to talk about, but you have to leave me a thousand households in charge of punishment."

(End of this chapter)