Ming Jiajing: Starting from Immortality

Chapter 43 Yan Song was imprisoned, Lu Fang was imprisoned!
"Eight hundred miles urgent!"

"Go and report to the Emperor!"

The rider in brocade clothes rushed straight to the forbidden gate of the Western Garden and, using his last bit of strength, threw the imperial gold medal to the commander of the imperial guards.

The imperial guards immediately made way to allow the horses of the riders in brocade robes to pass through the forbidden gate unhindered.

Ok Hee Palace.

Upon hearing someone riding a horse in the Forbidden City, the eunuch Chen Hong, who was on duty today as the chief clerk of the Imperial Household Department and the commander-in-chief of the Eastern Depot, hurried out of the temple. Just as he was about to get angry, he saw the imperial gold medal displayed by the rider in brocade clothes and immediately swallowed back his curse.

Arriving at the final destination, the rider in brocade clothes had no more strength left. After reining in the horse, he fell heavily from the horse's back. There was a crisp sound of broken bones, but the rider didn't care at all. He used his other intact hand to untie the letter tube at his waist, and his consciousness was almost gone. "Zhe...Zhejiang...8...800 miles...urgent, go and report it quickly..."

After running 2,500 miles for three days and nights, the cavalryman in brocade clothes could no longer hold on and fainted on the ground.

Chen Hong quickly took the letter tube, pulled out the urgent report, waved his hand and asked the two eunuchs on duty at the palace gate to carry the brocade-robed rider to treat him, ran into the monastery, knelt down at a distance, and just in front of Zhu Houcong's futon, holding up the urgent report with both hands: "Your Majesty, Zhejiang Jinyiwei is delivering this urgently, 800 miles away!"

Zhu Houcong, with a head full of white hair, suddenly opened his eyes and guessed that the sudden decline in public opinion in the system a few days ago was related to this urgent report and Zhejiang.

Zhu Houcong took the urgent report, tore open the seal, pulled out the thick stack of papers inside and looked at it carefully.

The five big words "Xin'an River Flood Diversion" instantly pierced his eyes - "Shen Yu, the captain of the Zhejiang Thousand Households of the Jinyiwei, respectfully reported: Zhejiang has been hit by heavy rain for several days, and the Xin'an River has closed its dams ahead of schedule, causing the water level to rise sharply. However, the nine counties on the levee were flooded, and in order to prevent the nine counties on the Xin'an River from becoming a swamp, Hu Zongxian, the then Governor-General of Zhejiang and Governor of Zhejiang, ordered the levee to be blown up, floodwaters to be diverted into the mountains, and floodwaters to be diverted to Chun'an, using the land of one county to save the land of eight counties."

Read it word by word.

Zhu Houcong's face turned ashen, then pale, his eyes revealed a fierce look of pain, and his hand holding the stack of urgent reports was shaking violently!
"Rebellion!" Zhu Houcong finally screamed!
At the imperial meeting, the cabinet proposed to replace rice with mulberry trees in Zhejiang, but he solved it by replacing the fields of Yan Song, Yan Shifan and his son, and Xu Jie's family in Songjiang Prefecture.

In order to win the 700,000-piece silk business from Western merchants, Lu Fang of Prince Yu's palace wanted to plant more mulberry trees in rice fields in Zhejiang, but he rejected it.

Unexpectedly, Zhejiang still suffered from floods. The Xin'an River, which cost two million taels of silver to build last year, broke through nine places.

Xin'an River suffers from floods every year. What we need to solve is not the floods, but the official problems!

Yan Song, Yan Shifan, Xu Jie, Lu Fang, Zhejiang officials, and the eunuchs in the Zhejiang Weaving Bureau and the Maritime Customs should be killed!

Chen Hong jumped up in fear and knelt in front of Zhu Houcong again. He looked at his trembling body with trembling eyes and cried out in tears: "Your Highness! Your Highness! What's wrong with you?"

Zhu Houcong yelled like crazy: "Catch them, catch them, don't let them run away!"

Chen Hong was a little dazed: "Your Majesty, who are you going to arrest?"

Zhu Houcong roared again: "Yan Song, Yan Shifan, Xu Jie, and Lu Fang, go investigate the flood in Xin'an River and find out the culprit..."

The cabinet, the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Revenue, the Imperial Household Department, the people to be arrested covered half of the court. Chen Hong saw that Zhu Houcong was unusual and couldn't even speak clearly: "Your Majesty, who should we start with? Who should we arrest first?"

Zhu Houcong stared at him: "Investigate them all! Arrest them all!"

"I obey your command!" Chen Hong didn't dare to look up to meet the dragon's eyes, and knelt down to answer.

……

Lu Fang's private residence.

Torches were flickering, it was already midnight.

All the people who came were eunuchs from the Imperial Palace's Criminal Department.

None of the Jinyiwei from the Northern Pacification Office came, as they were ordered to arrest the Yan father and son and Xu Jie.

Pairs of feet in spiked boots were like iron hooves, stepping in densely from the open door of Lu Fang's private residence. The small courtyard was shaking with the footsteps of those feet!
After entering the courtyard, Chen Hong led a group of eunuchs to the north main house. Chen Hong ran to the door of the north house and suddenly stopped.

The group of eunuchs following him also suddenly stopped in their tracks.

After all, he was the emperor's childhood companion and the ancestor of countless eunuchs in the inner court over the past forty years.

Even though he had received an imperial decree, and even though Chen Hong had coveted the position of eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department for many years, he could not help but hesitate at this point.

When it comes to forming gangs, the eunuchs in the palace are the worst in the world. The only exception is the Silijian, because Lu Fang has been in charge of the seal for many years, and everyone from the eunuchs who hold pens to the lowest eunuchs who run errands only recognize him, so they dare not and cannot form gangs.

Although Meng Chong and Shi Yi had a close relationship, they did not establish an offensive and defensive alliance.

This is the power that Lu Fang has accumulated over forty years and his ability to control the Imperial Household Department and the entire inner court.

If it were an outer court, such an official could be called a prime minister with great power over the whole country.

In the inner court, Lu Fang could also be called the "inner minister".

The authority of eunuchs exists.

The eunuchs of the Ministry of Justice, who were always ruthless, did not dare to offend the authority, and even Chen Hong felt uneasy.

The reason is very simple, that is, I don’t know whether Lu Fang has the opportunity to start over.

It is said that there are unexpected changes in the weather, but after all, the wet ground can indicate rain, and the moon halo can indicate the peak, so there are clues to follow.

But the current emperor is so unpredictable. It's not just rain when there's no moisture and wind when there's no haze. It's simply thunder in a drought and hail. Serving the emperor is like feeding a tiger or a wolf. Chen Hong was so cold both physically and mentally that he stood there frozen.

The door of the main room was unexpectedly opened from the inside. A chair was placed in front of a square table, on which sat Lu Fang. The person standing at the door was Huang Jin, the eunuch in charge of writing in the Imperial Household Department!

Lu Fang looked at Chen Hong and stood up: "Did His Majesty send you to take me?"

"Yes." Chen Hong said silently.

"Let's do it." Lu Fang took the initiative to stretch out his hands.

Huang Jin became anxious when he saw this, "Godfather..."

"Eunuch Lu has served His Majesty for many years, so there is no need to lock him up." Chen Hong smiled hypocritically, seeming to be very kind, but the words "he is no longer calling him godfather" revealed a lot of things.

Lu Fang smiled and pointed out to him: "It's better to lock it, so you can feel at ease."

"Locked!" Chen Hong shouted in a low voice.

Two eunuchs carrying shackles and handcuffs ran in.

Lu Fang stood there motionless.

The circular iron chain first went around Lu Fang's neck, then it tightened, and a copper lock was fastened around his neck with a click!

At the lower end of the chain were handcuffs, which quickly handcuffed Lu Fang's hands and were locked with a click!

Another eunuch in charge of criminal justice squatted down and first put a ring-shaped shackle on Lu Fang's left foot, and then put another ring-shaped shackle on Lu Fang's right foot. The iron chains between the two shackles were less than five inches apart, and they were locked with a big lock with a click.

(End of this chapter)