Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 95 Rebel
On the official road, dozens of riders galloped past, their hooves rumbling and raising a cloud of dust.

In front of the cavalry were two men in blue shirts, and behind them were dozens of cavalrymen in scarlet uniforms.

These cavalrymen were all brocade-clad cavalrymen transferred from the Southern Pacification Division. They were all burly and had swords on their waists. When the passers-by saw the cavalry, they all looked terrified and retreated to the side.

"Minister Zhu, we have been galloping for half a day and our horses are running out of steam. Should we rest for 25 minutes before continuing on our journey?" Liu Xiangke asked Zhu Zhijian beside him.
"Okay, Censor Liu, please take care of it."

Zhu Zhijian nodded absentmindedly.
Liu Xiangke didn't care. He said something to Deng Mingwu beside him, and then the horse team turned off the official road and rested by the forest.

At the edge of the forest, the cavalrymen let their horses loose and fed them with beans.

On the 27th, Ding Kuichu's incident happened. On the morning of the 28th, Zhu Zhijian and his group left the city and rushed to Guangzhou.
It was already noon on the 29th. After speeding for more than 100 miles in one day, everyone looked exhausted.
Zhu Zhijian sat on a rock by the forest, took a sip from his water bag, and then sat there alone in silence.

The autumn scenery is just right now, with no clouds in sight and the blue sky stretching out into the distance.

But Zhu Zhijian had no intention of appreciating the beautiful scenery, and his face was gloomy.

The closer he got to Guangzhou, the more irritated he became. Along the way, he vaguely recalled what happened that night, and he had some guesses in his mind.

Gui Jianguo was so eager to reorganize the imperial guards, and the action was so strict that it didn't seem like a sudden emergency response.

Like most people in the court, he had already determined that the so-called Ding Kuichu rebellion was most likely planned by Gui Jianguo.
The purpose is to seize all the military power in the court before the Qing army arrives!
Even so, he still couldn't calm down. Although he was 80% sure that this matter was false, what if...

He and Ding Kuichu were too closely tied together. Ding Kuichu had four assistant ministers in two ministries. Except for one who was sold to Wang Huacheng, the other three were all appointed by Ding Kuichu himself. He was one of them and the left assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue, actually in charge of the Ministry of Revenue.

If Ding Kuichu really plotted to establish the King of Tang privately and was involved in such a matter, he would not only lose his official position, but also his life.
"No, even if Ding Kuichu really rebels, I still have a chance."

"I, Zhu Zhijian, will never fall here!"

Zhu Zhijian's eyes flashed with a hint of sternness. He still had a chance. In order to correct the people's hearts in the court, His Highness specially sent him, Ding Kuichu's confidant, as the chief envoy of this investigation.
If he really found the whereabouts of the King of Tang in Guangzhou this time, he must stand up immediately and strike back at Ding Kuichu as a confidant.

It would be best if he could get the job of dealing with Ding Kuichu, which would be his last chance of survival!
What was Ding Kuichu doing behind their backs to support him? It would be fine if you supported him, but even their confidants didn't know about it.

Since Ding Kuichu is unkind, Zhu Zhijian can also be unjust.
A hint of determination flashed across Zhu Zhijian's face. He glanced at the people who were resting by the forest and spoke in a cold voice.

"The morning is urgent, let's continue on our way"

Zhu Zhijian jumped on his horse and rode away without caring whether he had rested for 25 minutes or not.

The cavalrymen were stunned for a moment, and had no choice but to mount their horses and continue to rush towards Guangzhou City.

In the afternoon, Zhu Zhijian and his companions finally entered Guangzhou City. After verifying their identity tokens, they were quickly led to the lobby of the Guangzhou government office.
In the back hall of the government office, Chen Bangyan walked into the hall wearing a scarlet official robe.

As soon as Chen Bangyan entered the hall, he saw Zhu Zhijian and Liu Xiangke sitting on both sides.

This time, Zhu Lang naturally did not forget this loyal minister who was far away in Guangzhou.
After Su Guansheng's recommendation and Zhu Lang's approval, Chen Bangyan had jumped two levels and was promoted to the fourth-rank Guangzhou prefect, and was now eligible to wear the scarlet robe.

"Guangzhou Governor Chen Bangyan met two angels"

"I am Zhu Zhijian, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. This is Liu Xiangke, the Imperial Censor of the Supervisory Office. I have come to Guangzhou on the orders of the Regent to investigate the case." Zhu Zhijian also bowed to Chen Bangyan.

"It was originally Minister Zhu and Imperial Censor Liu
After hearing the two people's introduction, Chen Bangyan also bowed in return, but his face was a little surprised.

Liu Xiangke's words were understandable, after all, he was from the Supervisory Office, but how did a Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue sneak in? Could it be that the Ministry of Revenue of the imperial court has been idle to this extent?
Although Chen Bangyan was surprised, he showed no expression on his face. After sitting down on the left side below Zhu Zhijian, he asked:

"I don't know why you two are here this time. Since it is an order from the court, I will definitely cooperate."

Zhu Zhijian was about to speak, but his mind changed, and then he looked at Liu Xiangke opposite him and said
"Let Censor Liu speak on this matter." Liu Xiangke glanced at Zhu Zhijian opposite him, and without hesitation, his face became serious, and he spoke directly.
"On the 27th, the court found out that Dongge Grand Secretary Ding Kuichu was planning to secretly welcome the King of Tang and commit treason. Because there was insufficient evidence, the court was undecided."

"According to the seized letter, the King of Tang will cross the sea and arrive in Guangzhou in the near future. All the ministers in the court are unaware of this letter."

"In order to verify the authenticity, the court specially sent two of us to verify the whereabouts of the Tang King," Liu Xiangke said in a deep voice.

"What"

Upon hearing this, Chen Bangyan immediately stood up from the table with a look of shock on his face.

Liu Xiangke and Zhu Zhijian looked at Chen Bangyan, who was horrified, but their faces were calm. When they heard about Ding Kuichu's rebellion, their reactions were similar.
The two of them did not say anything, but just picked up their tea cups, ready to let Chen Bangyan digest the news first, and then discuss the matter of searching for the whereabouts of the Tang King.
But the next moment, Chen Bangyan's words made them jump up in shock.
"The day before yesterday, the servants in the government reported that several people named Tang Wangfu Guards went to the government office to report."

"Those people said that the King of Tang had already arrived in Guangzhou and that the government was short of money, so they asked the government office to borrow money and food first. The government office had not yet had time to verify the identities of these people," Chen Bangyan said with shock on his face.

"What!"

Zhu Zhijian and Liu Xiangke, who were originally sitting at the table, suddenly changed their expressions and stood up from the table with horrified expressions.

"How can it be……"

The teacup in Zhu Zhijian's hand fell to the ground with a bang, but he didn't care about that at this time. His face was dull and he muttered to himself.

He had already determined along the way that this matter was very likely to be false, but when he heard what Chen Bangyan said, his heart trembled.

The King of Tang has arrived in Guangzhou

This means that Ding Kuichu actually intended to secretly welcome the King of Tang to the throne. He actually planned to rebel!
What else is there to verify? They just learned in Zhaoqing that the King of Tang was coming, and in the blink of an eye, a King of Tang appeared here. How could this be fake?
Zhu Zhijian and the other man looked horrified, but Chen Bangyan didn't care about their reactions and kept asking

"Did you two conceal your whereabouts when you entered the government office?" Chen Bangyan stared at the two people nervously.
"The court affairs are urgent. We rushed to the government office as soon as we entered the city. What happened?"

Seeing Chen Bangyan's anxious expression, Liu Xiangke also spoke subconsciously

"not good"

"Before I met you two, a servant in the government office just reported to me that someone claiming to be from the Tang Palace came to the government office again to urge for food and money."

"If you two had not concealed your whereabouts, I'm afraid that the Tang King's servants would have discovered your whereabouts."

Chen Bangyan looked unhappy and said
Liu Xiangke's expression changed drastically when he heard this. He didn't know what he was thinking of, and suddenly glared at Zhu Zhijian opposite him.

It was Zhu Zhijian who urged them all the way to Guangzhou City.

Now it seems that this Zhu thief wanted to deliberately reveal his whereabouts and scare the Tang King away!
If they fail to catch the King of Tang this time, they will be left with no evidence. Without the King of Tang, how can they deal with Ding Kuichu, the Prime Minister, with just a few letters?

This Zhu thief is so bold that he is still stubborn and wants to resist stubbornly. These traitors!
Liu Xiangke's face was grim, and he stopped looking at Zhu Zhijian and immediately shouted:

"Prefect Chen, quickly send troops to surround the Tang King's residence. Don't let the Tang King escape."

"Yes, yes, quickly surround the Tang Palace!"

Zhu Zhijian also seemed to have just woken up from a dream and kept agreeing with him.

As the three hurriedly walked out of the hall, the government office suddenly became chaotic. A moment later, dozens of brocade-clad riders and dozens of yamen runners rushed out of the mansion and rushed towards the Tang Palace.
(End of this chapter)