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

Chapter 347 Very Smooth
After hearing this, Gu Dayong thought to himself, what on earth is the position of Chief of Criminal Justice?

It's an administrative position, not a leadership position, so what is there to fight for?

Besides, the Thousand Households in Charge of Punishment were all dispatched by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and they were not on the same track as these eunuchs.

The eunuchs' work in the Western Factory was not their main job, but they were assigned with titles such as supervisor, manager, clerk, and head of the team.

For example, the standard job of the eunuch in charge of the Eastern Depot is to be the writer of the Imperial Household Department.

The standard job of the eunuch in charge of the Western Factory is to be in charge of the seal of the Imperial Stables.

Gu Dayong led the army into battle as the seal-keeper of the Imperial Stables, but was dismissed in disgrace. Now, of course, he does not dare to ask Lu Ting, the new seal-keeper eunuch who had made great contributions in the war, to ask for his resignation.

So he could only manage the Western Factory in an unjustifiable manner as the "Chief Supervisor and Seal Holder".

So, since there is no threat to each other, Gu Dayong doesn't really care who does the work.

Gu Dayong agreed immediately and readily.

In order to prevent Gu Dayong from thinking too much afterwards, Pei Yuan explained in a low voice, "We are going to Shandong next. There are many things involving Luojiao, which require close cooperation between the West Factory and Qianhu Office. This is no longer a matter between the two of us. Mutual trust is the key."

Pei Yuan paused, giving Gu Da some time to digest what he had said, and then he said, "So I plan to arrange for General Song to be the Chief of the Criminal Division. What do you think?"

Gu Dayong naturally knew what the relationship was between Song Zongqi and Pei Yuan.

They traveled together from Xuzhou to the capital, and Gu Dayong was not blind, so how could he not see the trick?

So, Gu Dayong quickly said, "There is no need to do this. Our family naturally trusts Qianhu."

"General Song has been following you through thick and thin, and we have seen it all. If you hold her hostage here, I'm afraid it will be difficult to explain to her."

"Besides, given our relationship, we don't need to do this."

Pei Yuan: “?”

So, is this how you understand it?

Feeling emotional in his heart, Pei Yuan's words were extremely sincere, "Just think of it as a little tacit understanding between me and Eunuch Gu."

Gu Dayong was very pleased to hear this and asked, "Are the Tiqi also from your Qianhu?"

Pei Yuan said, "General Song originally worked in the underworld, so he can recruit some like-minded people. Now that the West Factory is just a start-up, it is enough to just set up the framework. If it really becomes powerful, it will not only attract people to covet it, but also cause trouble when investigating the Luo Cult later."

Gu Dayong understood the meaning.

He knew very well what was going on with the Luo Sect.

After all, this matter is still his responsibility.

If Pei Yuan hadn't helped him rebuild the Western Factory and build momentum, he wouldn't have pushed Luo Jiao to the forefront.

Now the emperor and the grand councilors have believed it to be true. The situation is too dire to back out, and they have no choice but to go on with the show.

Thinking of this, Gu Dayong felt a little guilty and his expression became more gentle.

This young man has suffered so much.

Pei Yuan asked again, "Those eunuchs in charge, I wonder what Eunuch Gu thinks."

Gu Dayong had nothing to hide. "Wu Qing is my confidant, so he can be included. As for the others..."

Gu Dayong thought for a while and said with a sigh, "When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter."

Pei Yuan thought about it for a while and asked Gu Dayong, "Eunuch Gu, what do you think of Qiu Ju? Let him be your deputy?"

"Qiu Ju?" Gu Dayong was surprised.

Qiu Ju is currently the Chief Secretary of the Imperial Household Department and the Supervisor of the Eastern Depot. How could he be his deputy?

Pei Yuan explained, "Now the news that the emperor wants to replace the supervisor of the East Factory has spread everywhere. Recently, a doctor from the Ministry of Justice came to me to ask about the incident at Sanhe Post Station. He said that Zhang Rui is a strong candidate for the current supervisor of the East Factory."

"Instead of sitting there anxiously, Qiu Ju might as well follow you and be your deputy. As the supervisor of the East Factory, he has many useful people under him. If you two work together, it will be easier to deal with the impact of Hongzhi's old people. By then, maybe Wei Bin, Luo Xiang and others will also follow Eunuch Gu's lead."

Gu Dayong hesitated when he heard this and said, "Qiu Ju, Qiu Ju..."

He mentioned Qiu Ju twice but didn't say anything else.

Pei Yuan roughly understood what he meant, so he said, "Eunuch Gu, don't worry that Qiu Ju will replace you. Now you all prosper together and suffer together. As long as Qiu Ju is not stupid, he will not plot against you."

"Besides, after a few days, I'm afraid the pressure you will have to bear will be enormous. By then, Qiu Ju will be hoping that you can stand in front and support the stage."

Pei Yuan added, "Besides, Qiu Ju's coming to the West Factory will also be good for you."

"If Qiu Ju voluntarily gave up the East Factory, even if the emperor had long wanted to do so, he would certainly have sympathy in his heart and would definitely not let Qiu Ju stay in the West Factory unsafely. Under such circumstances, those old people of Hongzhi would not dare to do anything too extreme."

"Perhaps Qiu Ju's sacrifice in the East Factory has helped Eunuch Gu's West Factory."

"I hope Eunuch Gu will think carefully about the pros and cons of this."

Gu Dayong also began to understand things a little.

This is a step forward by retreating!
Qiu Ju brought his trusted aides to the West Factory to save its life, and then the West Factory went to Shandong to handle cases to avoid the limelight.

Staying in Shandong allows you to attack or defend, and you also have real power in your hands to avoid being marginalized. Isn't this better than going to Nanjing to retire?

Gu Dayong immediately said, "Qiu Huiju agreed."

Pei Yuan breathed a sigh of relief. "Then I'll meet the emperor later... By the way, what does the emperor think of Luojiao?"

Gu Dayong said, "Of course we have to wipe them out as soon as possible. Besides, we finally restored the Western Factory, and the emperor needs the Western Factory to make some moves."

Pei Yuan complained calmly, "If I had known that the Maitreya Sect was going to assassinate Liang Ci'an in the suburbs of Beijing, I should have brought up the Maitreya Sect's matter at the beginning."

Gu Dayong chuckled and shook his head, "Don't get involved with Maitreya. Now it depends on who will be blamed for this."

Pei Yuan didn't say much, but looked at Gu Dayong inquiringly.

Gu Dayong was embarrassed to hide his secrets in front of Pei Yuan, so he said, "Liang Chu doesn't admit it. He insists that there is something else going on."

"Yesterday I went to Wenyuan Pavilion to summon him. There was no one else in the room at that time. He also hinted to me alone to investigate Yang Yiqing."

Pei Yuan was a little confused, "What does this have to do with Yang Yiqing?"

Gu Dayong replied, "Now that Liang Chu has the vengeance of having his son killed, many people in the cabinet and the six ministries are afraid of becoming the target of his anger and dare not confront him."

"This also led to Liang Chu being essentially isolated."

"The emperor supports Liang Chu, while the court officials are inclined towards Yang Tinghe. There will always be a time when these two tigers will fight. When the time comes, no matter who wins or loses, Yang Yiqing will definitely join the cabinet."

"Liang Chu is old and suspicious. His son just died, which was a big blow to him. Now he is suspicious of more and more people. The emperor is happy to see this happen." Gu Dayong said to Pei Yuan, "Don't keep the emperor waiting for too long. If you have anything to say, wait until I get off duty and leave the palace before talking."

Pei Yuan nodded when he heard this.

Gu Dayong added, "I'll go look for Qiu Ju. He's a wise man."

After Gu Dayong left, a young eunuch came up to greet Pei Yuan with a flattering smile.

"The emperor is waiting for Qianhu."

Pei Yuan signaled Tan Tai Fang Tu and Si Kong Sui to follow him. The young eunuch asked in confusion, "Who are these two?"

Pei Yuan replied, "I am also a Jinyiwei. I have only been in office for a short time, so I am not sure about some things."

The young eunuch hesitated and said, "Then we have to report to the emperor later before we can bring them to see him."

Pei Yuan knew that the young eunuch was being polite to him because of what happened to Gu Dayong just now, so he immediately said in a friendly manner, "Just make the arrangements, eunuch."

Pei Yuan and his three companions followed the young eunuch to the outside of a palace.

Pei Yuan looked at the soldiers on duty, who were waiting there in an orderly manner, while the young eunuch went in to report.

The soldiers on duty in the palace were rather mixed, with a total of twenty-six personal guards.

Originally, these twenty-six personal guards were neither under the management of the Five Military Commissioners' Office nor the Ministry of War, but were the emperor's absolute private soldiers.

Later, the elite part of these twenty-six guards suffered heavy losses in the Battle of Tumu, and the remaining part had their command quickly taken away by the Ministry of War after the Battle of Tumu.

As a result, these troops became a strange team that was not under the management of the Five Military Commanderies but under the management of the Ministry of War.

Only the Jinyiwei were not directly captured because of their role positioning, which was somewhat different from these pure soldiers. However, the commander of the Jinyiwei, Ma Shun, was killed on the spot.

It's just so silky.

Pei Yuan waited for a while, and the young eunuch came out and said with a smile, "His Majesty has summoned you, wait for the three of you to come."

Pei Yuan immediately brought Tan Tai Fang Tu and Si Kong Sui, followed by the young eunuch, into the palace.

Pei Yuan was bold and looked around quickly.

Zhu Houzhao was seen flipping through a thick memorial, accompanied by two Hanlin officials. There were also several eunuchs in the hall, as well as Qian Ning, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, whom Pei Yuan had met once.

Qian Ning noticed Pei Yuan looking around and immediately glared at him fiercely, but he did not say anything.

Pei Yuan quickly bowed his head and saluted, "I, Pei Yuan, the captain of the Imperial Guards, and my captains, Tan Tai Fang Tu and Si Kong Sui, greet your majesty."

Tan Tai Fang Tu and Si Kong Sui also followed suit.

Zhu Houzhao glanced at Pei Yuan after hearing the noise, and then immediately moved his gaze to Tantai Fangtu and Sikong Sui. He then said with some doubt, "The one wearing the flying fish costume, raise your head."

Upon hearing this, Tan Tai Fang Tu and Si Kong Sui both looked up at the emperor.

Zhu Houzhao was puzzled for a while, then he remembered something and nodded, "Everyone get up."

Pei Yuan and the other three stood up to express their gratitude.

When the three men stood up, Zhu Houzhao's gaze swept over them again and fell on Pei Yuan's green official robe with a bear pattern patch.

Zhu Houzhao immediately realized something and couldn't help but sneered, "You haven't done anything well, and you still want to ask me for the Feiyu suit. What a wishful thinking."

Pei Yuan's face flushed and he pretended to be embarrassed.

Seeing Pei Yuan's awkwardness, Zhu Houzhao suddenly felt better and asked, "Have you made any progress in what I asked you to do?"

Pei Yuan nodded and immediately said, "I already have some ideas and am now seeking confirmation."

"Oh?" Zhu Houzhao didn't have much hope at first, but he was overjoyed when he heard it. "Tell me about it quickly."

Pei Yuan said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty wants a convincing result. If it's just some doubts, I'm afraid it won't help Your Majesty, and it will only cause more trouble. I have been in charge of this matter for too short a time, and it will take some time."

Zhu Houzhao was suddenly a little disappointed.

But what Pei Yuan said was very right. What he cared about was not the truth, but whether he could break free from the shackles and gain control of the military.

Zhu Houzhao had been working on this matter since Liu Jin's death, but there was no result after more than a year. Pei Yuan had only taken over for a short time, so it was not realistic to expect success all at once.

Zhu Houzhao remembered the reason he was called here, and immediately frowned and asked him, "Since you are in charge of the northern defense of Qianhu Suo, do you know about the Maitreya Sect?"

Pei Yuan replied in a deep voice, "I know."

Ever since he decided to use the Maitreya religion to stir up trouble, Pei Yuan knew that this day would be inevitable.

Throughout the Ming Dynasty, the Suppression of Evils Office was the only office dedicated to tracking down evil cults. Now that someone was killing people in the suburbs of Beijing in the name of Maitreya Sect, how could Zhu Houzhao not intervene?

Seeing that Pei Yuan did not make excuses, Zhu Houzhao frowned and looked at Pei Yuan, "Since you knew, why didn't you take any action and just sit there and watch the Maitreya Sect grow bigger?"

Pei Yuan was silent for a while, then answered calmly, "I used to work in the Northern Pacification Office, and later was seconded to the Evil Suppression Office to handle a case in Nanzhi."

"While on the way, we happened to encounter the Bazhou bandits wreaking havoc everywhere, and many people left their homes and fled southwards."

"I discovered many Maitreya followers along the way. The White Lotus followers were brazenly holding temples and recruiting followers from officials and wealthy businessmen who had fallen on hard times. Many terrified people joined various sects, half under coercion and half out of luck."

"I have traveled south for more than a month. I have seen dozens of different religious sects, hundreds of different religious assemblies, thousands of followers who deceived people, and countless displaced people..."

"I am a humble official and cannot manage it."

Pei Yuan's words were so sincere that they were almost shameless, but they left Zhu Houzhao speechless.

Now that the situation is so turbulent everywhere, many people who have nothing are trying their best to grab anything they can.

How much can Pei Yuan, a deputy commander with few subordinates, do?
This was a burden that the imperial court should shoulder and a problem that he, the emperor, should solve. How could Zhu Houzhao have the nerve to blame Pei Yuan?

Zhu Houzhao flipped through the memorials on the table, hiding his emotions, and asked after a while, "Many ministers think that there are some doubts about the Sanheyi case, and that the Maitreya religion is not capable of doing it. There may be another culprit behind the scenes. What do you think?"

Pei Yuan thought about the things he had talked about with Liu Zhishu and knew that now was not the time for Luo Jiao to step forward and claim responsibility.

Moreover, in order to ensure that Zhu Houzhao would remain firm in his military policy, Pei Yuan also had to try his best to prevent people from directing attention to Xuanfu.

Then we can only muddy the water first.

Pei Yuan said in a deep voice, "As the deputy commander of the evil suppression unit, I only care whether it is a cult or not. I don't care about other things. As for the Sanheyi case, I think we can combine the views of both sides."

"Is it possible that this incident was done by Maitreya, and there is another culprit behind the Maitreya."

(End of this chapter)