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

Chapter 348 Other People's Zifang

After hearing Pei Yuan's words, Zhu Houzhao understood.

The Sanheyi case is likely to become a messy debt that cannot be resolved.

He sighed and said subconsciously, "Forget it."

Pei Yuan, who was standing nearby, was overjoyed when he heard this, but he suppressed his emotions and tried hard to hold back his excitement.

Now the people who are sensitive to the case are only willing to do some superficial work and dare not get involved. If even the people above are discouraged, I am afraid that this matter will probably be pushed to Maitreya in the end, and then nothing will be done.

That would be great.

No matter how careful Pei Yuan was, there was no way he could be sure of a foolproof case in Sanheyi.

The best outcome would be to let the matter go unresolved, or even let it become an unsolved case for eternity.

Perhaps Pei Yuan's sincerity just now was really heartbreaking, and Zhu Houzhao seemed very depressed.

Through Pei Yuan's description just now, he could already clearly realize what was happening among the people.

The foundation of the entire Ming Dynasty is undergoing systemic collapse. It is really unreasonable to blame a small thousand-householder for these things.

A feeling of confusion and powerlessness filled Zhu Houzhao, making him lose interest in continuing to cause trouble.

Zhu Houzhao flipped through the memorials for a while, and finally found some ideas. He asked, "By the way, how is your investigation going on with the Luojiao matter?"

Pei Yuan replied, "I have already arranged manpower to start this matter, and some detailed arrangements have also been submitted to the emperor."

Zhu Houzhao frowned, "You submitted a memorial?"

Pei Xiaoren immediately began to slander, "I have submitted this report for some time."

Zhu Houzhao was calm when he heard this, and just ordered, "Go to the cabinet and ask."

The eunuch who was serving on the side immediately hurried to Wenyuan Pavilion.

After a long while, Zhu Houzhao, who was still waiting, said to the two Hanlin officials beside him, "When I learned about Maitreya, it had already led thousands of people to plunder counties and prefectures in Shanxi, and slaughtered hundreds of people in the suburbs of Beijing."

"When I learned about the Luo Sect, it had already spread all over Shandong and was developing rampantly along the canal."

"The world is corrupted little by little."

The two Hanlin officials were speechless, and Captain Pei nodded repeatedly.

Fortunately, the incident of Maitreya Sect had caused such a big stir this time that Fei Hong, who was on duty in the cabinet, heard that the emperor wanted to inquire about the affairs of Luo Sect, and hurriedly asked someone to take away the previously suppressed memorial.

Zhu Houzhao received Pei Yuan's memorial, but seeing that there was no cabinet opinion, he simply did not read the content.

Ask Pei Yuan directly.

These days, Pei Yuan has carefully constructed the organizational form of Luojiao in his mind, and the doctrine has been almost compiled. Then he told in detail some of the things he had "investigated".

Zhu Houzhao listened to Pei Yuan's detailed explanation and said with satisfaction, "I didn't expect that you have achieved such results in such a short time. If all the ministers are as dedicated as Pei Qing, there is no need to worry about the world not being peaceful."

Captain Pei bowed and said modestly, "I am very humble and I am only trying my best."

Zhu Houzhao asked, "How do you plan to deal with the Luojiao matter?"

Pei Yuan said immediately, "Although the Luo Sect is spreading rapidly, it is still secretive and has not shown any signs of resistance. If we attack it with the force of thunder and lightning, those foolish men and women will be shocked and scatter like birds and beasts."

"If we delay for too long, and give those evildoers of the Luo Sect a chance to flourish, I'm afraid the damage they will cause will be no less severe than the civil unrest in Bazhou."

Zhu Houzhao thought it made sense, but the objective conditions were not so optimistic.

He frowned and said, "Most of the troops of Shandong Dusi are under Lu Ting's command and have already pursued the Bazhou bandits into Henan. Now the only troops capable of fighting are a few guards of Shandong Beiwo Dusi."

"But the people of Beiwodusi have the responsibility to defend the coast, and they are particularly important to the navy. Even if we can withdraw some of them, I'm afraid they won't be able to be used."

"Besides, Shandong has just been ravaged twice by the Bazhou bandits. The people are having a hard time making a living, and the government treasury is empty. We can't provide any food, wages or supplies."

"How easy is it to use the power of thunder?"

Pei Yuan heard this and said quickly, "The Luo Cult has a shallow foundation, and many fools are just deceived by it. As long as the court creates momentum to prevent it from taking advantage of the situation to gather a crowd, I will conduct a secret investigation and follow the map. Under the premise of stabilizing Shandong, I can completely dig out the core members of the Luo Cult."

"For this reason, I intend to go to Shandong in person to ensure that the Luo Sect is eradicated."

Zhu Houzhao's brows relaxed slightly after hearing this, and then he said decisively, "I will issue an order later to have the Shandong Provincial Administration Commissioner conduct a strict investigation of Luojiao in the jurisdiction to deter those scoundrels."

Pei Yuan reminded, "We must also be careful of officials colluding with evil people and deliberately evading and concealing the truth."

Zhu Houzhao thought of the procrastination tactics that the cabinet often used against him, and he began to nod unconsciously, and then asked, "How about I send an imperial censor over?"

At this point, he interrupted himself and said, "I remember the position of Governor of Shandong is still vacant, so why not appoint a governor to oversee this matter."

Pei Yuan's heart beat faster when he heard this. He had wanted to take this opportunity to bring up the matter of the Western Factory, but he didn't expect that Zhu Houzhao remembered the vacant position of Governor of Shandong at this time.

I don’t know if Xiao Jing had asked someone to give him some advice in advance.

Then Zhu Houzhao asked, "Who do you think would be the best person to be the governor of Shandong?"

After Zhu Houzhao finished speaking, he suddenly smiled and said, "By the way, I asked you this question last time."

Pei Yuan’s last answer was that since he took over the position, he had only heard of and met a few high-ranking officials.

Among the civil officials, apart from important figures like Liang Chu, there were only two ministers of war in the north and south, Lu Wan and Wang Chang.

It is naturally impossible for Lu Wan to take charge of the army now, so Zhu Houzhao subconsciously considered Wang Chang.

Zhu Houzhao muttered to himself, "Wang Chang worked in the Ministry of War before, and had a lot of dealings with the garrisons. He also has rich experience in military coordination. A few days ago, I heard that he also fought against the Bazhou army and forced them to return north. If the Luojiao is too powerful to be controlled and causes trouble, he will be nearby to deal with it, so that they won't lose their composure right away."

Pei Yuan listened, trying hard to suppress the smile on his face.

It's enough for the younger brothers to have a place to stay. A good big brother doesn't have much desire for his own future, nor does he care about rank or position. Some empty promises like "wearing sword and shoes when entering the palace, and not bowing when entering the court" are enough.

Unexpectedly, Zhu Houzhao only said a few words and then there was no follow-up.

At this moment, Gu Dayong and Qiu Ju entered the hall.

When Zhu Houzhao saw Gu Dayong come in, he looked at him inquiringly.

Gu Dayong knelt down quickly and said, "I came here to report something to Qiu Ju."

Zhu Houzhao's eyes fell on Qiu Ju, who knelt down and pleaded, "I heard that Your Majesty re-established the West Factory, wanting to clean up the inside and outside and eliminate evil spirits, and I was very excited. But now that the West Factory has been re-established, there are many things to be done. I have been in the East Factory for a long time, but to no avail. Therefore, I am willing to entrust the heavy responsibility of supervising the East Factory to someone else. I am willing to go to the West Factory and work for Your Majesty with Gu Dayong with one heart and one mind."

When Zhu Houzhao heard that Qiu Ju was willing to resign from his post as the governor of the East Factory and join the West Factory, he was surprised at first, then suddenly realized and felt a little pity. Although he had decided to change the cage because of the incompetence of the "Seven Tigers", the "Seven Tigers" themselves had done nothing wrong, and they had served him for many years and were loyal to him.

Although I am considering the greater cause, suddenly depriving them of their power will definitely cause them to suffer a lot.

It would be better to fulfill Qiu Ju's wish and let him retire in the West Factory.

Anyway, the West Factory was the extra money made after the Sanheyi Incident, and it was enough for him to have the East Factory at his disposal.

Zhu Houzhao then said, "Approved. Qiu Ju will be transferred to the post of eunuch in charge of the seal of the Sishejian, and assist in the management of the Western Factory."

Qiu Ju felt mixed emotions and kowtowed in a daze to express his gratitude.

Gu Dayong felt relieved when he saw that Qiu Ju was only an assistant manager.

Following Pei Yuan's instructions, she took the initiative to ask Zhu Houzhao for instructions, "With Qiu Ju's help, I will definitely be able to restore the situation as soon as possible. But I don't know where I should focus next, should I investigate the case of Sanheyi first, or supervise the Luojiao's affairs first."

Zhu Houzhao no longer had much hope of finding out the truth about the Sanhe Posthouse incident.

Then he said, "Let's check Luojiao first."

Upon hearing this, Gu Dayong took the initiative to say, "I have been supervising the army for more than a year, mainly fighting in Shandong and Hebei, and I am very familiar with the folk customs there. I am willing to go to Shandong in person and settle this matter as soon as possible, so that I can repay your majesty's great kindness."

Zhu Houzhao felt warmed at the sight of the Jinyiwei and Xichang people working enthusiastically and making contributions.

Sure enough, these are our own people!
Zhu Houzhao did take the Luojiao issue seriously. First, the White Lotus Rebellion started in Shandong. Second, if Shandong rebelled, it would directly affect the grain transport.

Zhu Houzhao immediately said, "This matter will be fully handled by you and Pei Yuan."

After thinking for a while, he continued his previous thoughts, "I will promote Wang Chang to the position of Right Censor-in-Chief and transfer him to the post of Governor of Shandong. The three of you must work together to completely suppress the Luo Cult."

Pei Yuan, Gu Dayong and Qiu Ju bowed down again hurriedly and expressed their determination.

Zhu Houzhao even looked at Pei Yuan deliberately and said, "When you finish this matter, I will give you a Feiyu suit."

Pei Yuan was delighted to hear this, "I will definitely live up to your trust."

After Zhu Houzhao finished explaining everything, he told them to leave and get ready.

Pei Yuan just wanted to have a small meeting with Gu Dayong and Qiu Ju, so he signaled them with his eyes and slowly walked out.

As soon as he left the palace, he saw a young eunuch leading another energetic civil servant towards him. Pei Yuan subconsciously wanted to take a look at the civil servant's patch to see his rank.

I felt a flash of red light before my eyes, and my wild sense of smell quickly locked onto the civil servant.

A faint blush also appeared under the civil servant's feet, and it felt like a new BOSS had been spawned.

Pei Yuan subconsciously asked the eunuch who accompanied him, "Who is he?"

The young eunuch was also in the palace just now. He knew that this thousand households could not be treated with common sense, so he smiled flatteringly and said, "I heard that this is an official transferred from Nanjing to take charge of the Censorate. His name is Li Shishi."

Pei Yuan suddenly realized that it was him.

No wonder, no wonder!

Even though this old man is nearly seventy years old, he is still full of ambition and vigor!

Moreover, this old man and Prince Ning were in-laws, so their relationship was very solid. A few years later, when Prince Ning rebelled, Li Shishi was a figure at the level of a chief strategist.

To quote King Ning himself, "This is my Zifang!"

Pei Yuan had heard last time that Li Shishi was coming to take charge of the Censorate.

What made Pei Yuan feel a little strange was that why did he feel that this "my Zifang" who wanted to rebel was comparable to his own little beauty in terms of judging the wildness of the sense?

This passive skill can’t be inaccurate.

Just as Pei Yuan was looking at Li Shishi, Li Shishi's eyes also fell on Pei Yuan.

Then he saw a heroic young military officer standing in front of the palace gate, staring at him.

This young man is handsome and tall, and he is full of a cheerful temperament that makes people feel like spring breeze.

Li Shishi seemed to see his younger self and was impressed. He didn't care about being rude and took a few steps forward, asking gently, "Who are you? Are you also a military officer in the palace?"

Pei Yuan was a little surprised to see Li Shishi running up to him and trying to get close to him.

Immediately, he remembered his somewhat useless passive skill.

——Special state: I would rather betray the world than be betrayed by the world. (You now have a unique sense of wildness and can detect the ambitious people around you. Due to your high appreciation for each other, it will be easy for you to enhance your friendship.)
Highly appreciate...

So, am I the type who shines in Li Shishi's eyes now?
Pei Yuan felt that there seemed to be a lot of room for utilization of Li Shishi.

It was just that the current environment was not right, and Pei Yuan had no idea for a moment, so he just responded, "I am Pei Yuan, the captain of the Evil Suppression Thousand Households. I am currently stationed at the Zhihua Temple, and I am not a military officer in the palace."

"Oh, so that's how it is." Li Shishi responded, and also realized his previous misconduct, and said as if to cover up, "I thought you were on duty here."

After saying this, he smiled at Pei Yuan and silently memorized Pei Yuan's identity and station in his heart.

Pei Yuan watched Li Shishi enter the hall, and just in time saw Gu Dayong and Qiu Ju coming out.

When they got outside the hall, the three of them no longer had so many concerns.

Anyway, they were jointly tasked with tracking down the Luo Cult, so even if they met in private, no one could say anything.

But just having this conversation here is really attracting some attention.

Pei Yuan asked the two, "Is there a place where we can talk?"

Gu Dayong subconsciously glanced towards the harem. It was quiet there and could avoid being seen.

It was Qiu Ju, the former supervisor of the East Factory, who had some awareness and reminded the two, "If you have anything to say, wait until you leave the palace. Besides, I have to make arrangements now while I can still have a say over the East Factory."

Pei Yuan thought about it and realized that it was true.

Pei Yuan had just suggested to Gu Dayong that Qiu Ju should join the Western Factory. The decision was made very suddenly, and Qiu Ju had to gather some resources and manpower before the news spread.

If the brothers Zhang Rui and Zhang Xiong knew about this, they would probably not give Qiu Ju the chance to do anything before leaving.

Pei Yuan thought for a moment and said, "It just so happens that I was planning to take a concubine these days, but I just haven't had the time. I'm about to go to Shandong, and I don't know when I'll be back, so why not get it done in these few days? When the time comes, how about inviting the two eunuchs to come and watch the ceremony?"

(End of this chapter)