Ming Jiajing: Starting from Immortality

Chapter 61 If you want to destroy someone, you must make him crazy!
Shuntian Mansion.

There is no moon tonight, only the sky full of stars above the courtyard.

When the Morning Star was the only lonely star shining in the sky, a streak of white had already appeared faintly in the eastern sky.

The head eunuch on duty in the Imperial Household Department led a number of other eunuchs on duty and stood in two rows with their hands full. Chen Hong arrived soon.

There are rumors in the palace that the ancestor Lu Fang may not come back, and Chen Hong, the chief eunuch of the Silijian and the supervisor of the Dongchang, will be the next eunuch to hold the seal of the Silijian.

Countless eunuchs could only complain secretly in their hearts, but they always had to put on an expression of fear and trepidation on their faces.

There was a sound of hurried footsteps, and two lanterns led the sedan chair in from the courtyard gate.

"Greetings to our Second Ancestor!" All the eunuchs bowed.

The sedan stopped, and without waiting for the people outside to lift the curtain, Chen Hong lifted the curtain himself and got out of the sedan.

Disgust surged from his heart to his eyes, and Chen Hong looked fiercely at this group of ignorant servants.

"Push the sedan chair! Push the sedan chair!" The head eunuch on duty in the Imperial Household Department shouted in panic, trembling with fear.

The two eunuchs carrying the sedan chair at the back quickly raised the poles, and the poles in front fell to the ground, with Chen Hong still standing inside.

Chen Hong looked at the eunuch on duty and said in a gentle tone, "What did you call me outside the sedan just now?"

The eunuch on duty was stunned for a moment, and replied timidly: "In reply to the Second Ancestor, this servant..."

"What ancestors?"

No matter how gentle his tone was, it couldn't conceal Chen Hong's fierceness. "I didn't understand. Call me again."

The eunuch on duty was even more nervous. He stole a glance at Chen Hong, not sure whether he was angry or not, so he gritted his teeth and said, "Replying to the Second Ancestor..."

Chen Hong stopped smiling and his gentle voice disappeared. He exuded a coldness all over his body. He looked at the eunuch on duty and at the other eunuchs. "Second ancestor? Then who is your first ancestor? Tell me about it."

The head eunuch on duty and the other eunuchs finally woke up and fell to their knees.

As the ancestor Lu Fang was imprisoned for a longer time, Chen Hong began to make trouble. Not only was he satisfied with dominating the eunuchs in the palace, he even wanted to change the eunuchs' names.

But until now, His Majesty has not yet removed the ancestor from his position as the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department. If Chen Hong is called the ancestor, if Lu Fang returns to the inner court one day, no one who is kneeling will have a good ending, no matter how good Lu Fang's temper is.

But if they pretend not to understand what Chen Hong said and don't call Chen Hong "ancestor", they will be in trouble.

The head eunuch on duty felt like his brain was about to run dry, his throat was extremely dry, and even his tongue was tied up. He said, "Report, report to the ancestors."

He didn't dare to use "two" and couldn't use "one". Fortunately, the head eunuch on duty had some quick wit and simply didn't add any title and just called him "ancestor".

Chen Hong was not used to being called "Ancestor". He was used to people calling him "Second Ancestor" and he was also used to calling people "Godfather". The sudden "Ancestor" made him feel a little refreshed, but somehow, he didn't feel completely refreshed. He felt neither satisfied nor unhappy.

Chen Hong thought about it and reluctantly accepted the title, "Yeah."

After stepping out of the sedan chair, Chen Hong looked up at the sky. The morning star gradually dimmed, and the white streak in the eastern sky became wider, like a fish belly.

Chen Hong, however, hated eating fish the most. His anger suddenly rose again and he cursed, "Can't you see it's daybreak? Why are you still lighting the lights? Do you think the Emperor has endless money and you can just waste it?"

The eunuchs in the Imperial Household Department were used to Chen Hong's mood swings. The head eunuch on duty didn't argue after hearing the scolding. Instead, he shouted to the other eunuchs, "Turn off the lights! Turn off all the lanterns!"

The sound of blowing out lanterns suddenly arose, and all the lanterns were blown out.

At this early morning, the sky and earth seemed to be not bright, the lights were too bright, but when the lights were turned off, it was hazy again. Chen Hong cursed again: "You bastards will suffer!"

After cursing, Chen Hong calmed down, got on the sedan chair and headed towards Yuxi Palace.

With his back to the increasingly bright dawn, Chen Hong pondered the intelligence he had obtained from Zhejiang.

The Jinyiwei's turnaround made the Eastern Depot both shocked and anxious, and they were eager to prove themselves in front of the emperor.

However, the existence of secret fronts such as intelligence and informants is far more difficult than recruiting soldiers for the army, and it cannot be achieved overnight.

After regaining the power to supervise the Eastern Depot, Chen Hong did not hesitate to spend his own money to recruit informants and bandits in some important prefectures and counties of the Ming Dynasty, such as Shuntian, Yingtian, and Hangzhou, to obtain clues.

Just a few days ago, the East Factory received secret intelligence in Hangzhou Prefecture and Chun'an County, which said that Hai Rui, the new magistrate of Chun'an County who was appointed by the Emperor and bestowed with the Emperor's Sword, was actually in cahoots with the Zhejiang officials.

After Hai Rui arrived in Zhejiang, he did not even conduct the most basic investigation into the Xin'an River flood, and he did not even go up to the Xin'an River embankment.

After reporting to Hangzhou Prefecture and returning to Chun'an, Hai Rui rolled up his trouser legs and devoted himself to working with the people of Chun'an County to dredge the silt, comb the ridges of the fields, and plant mulberry seedlings.

From the perspective of the Chun'an County Magistrate alone, Hai Rui was an absolutely good official. However, the Emperor's sword was not meant for Hai Rui to chop wood or cut trees.

Moreover, Hai Rui changed the planting of mulberry seedlings in Chun'an and used silk as the county's crop, which also affected the silk business of the Jiangnan Weaving Bureau to a certain extent.

It is reasonable for Chen Hong to report to His Majesty immediately after receiving the tip-off. However, what made Chen Hong hesitate was that given the ability of the Imperial Guard, they should have known about Hai Rui's situation, but why didn't they meet with Lu Bing to report to His Majesty.

What made Chen Hong even more puzzled was that this intelligence was obtained too easily. As soon as the money arrived in Zhejiang, the informant and the intelligence were delivered to his door.

How strange! How strange! How strange!

Chen Hong simply stopped thinking about the thing he couldn't figure out and reported the clue to the Emperor. As for how the situation in the court would change in the future, he would just deal with it as it happened.

Ok Hee Palace.

Zhu Houcong looked at this "East Factory intelligence" which clearly had the style of the Jinyiwei, and did not express much.

The original proposal by Yan Song's cabinet to replace rice with mulberry in Jiangnan had obviously been changed beyond recognition.

First, as the emperor, he changed the 500,000 acres of land donated by the Yan family and the Xu family of Songjiang Prefecture, thus making the idea of ​​the Yan and Xu families to annex the land of the people in the south of the Yangtze River in the form of national policy go down the drain.

Secondly, Hai Rui took advantage of the flood in Xin'an River to convert the county's rice fields into mulberry fields as the people of Chun'an County had no shortage of food.

As a result, nearly one million acres of mulberry fields were added to Jiangnan, and the Ming Dynasty did not need to add any more mulberry fields before Western trade was fully opened up.

Changing crops from rice to mulberry trees benefited him as the emperor and the people of Chun'an County, but it did not benefit the Yan father and son and the Xu family of Songjiang Prefecture.

Hai Rui was willing to sacrifice his reputation and flatter the Zhejiang officialdom, simply because he wanted to help the people of Chun'an County put the real benefits of growing mulberry trees into their pockets first.

Zhu Houcong shook his head and sighed.

Hai Rui did not love the emperor himself, nor did he love the Zhu family. He loved the Ming Dynasty.

Hai Rui did not fail to investigate the Xin'an River flood, but he simply gave priority to the people of Chun'an County.

Furthermore, Hai Rui did this deliberately, which also relaxed the vigilance of corrupt officials in Zhejiang officialdom, and paralyzed the people in Beijing.

The Jinyiwei intelligence reports were received day and night, and they reported that Yan Maoqing, a former member of Yan's party, had visited Yan Song, Yan Shifan, and Xu Jie in prison. The secret conversations helped the three men stay calm in prison. The situation outside the prison gradually became clear, and people outside the prison were also taking action.

In the court, there were rumors that the Xin'an River flood was a natural disaster and that the emperor had made a mistake in imprisoning the country's pillars.

The people in prison want to get out, and the people outside are desperately trying to get them out. It's really a two-way race. If you want to destroy them, you must drive them crazy.

Little did they know that the Jinyiwei had already been secretly keeping an eye on anyone who made any move.

However, Hu Zongxian, who had never been seen since he was imprisoned, did not like to drink or eat, and had become increasingly haggard in recent days.

Zhu Houcong specially ordered the imperial physician to examine Hu Zongxian, but it was a heart disease that could not be cured by medicine.

For such a minister, filial piety comes before loyalty, but Hu Zongxian did not have a father or mother like Haimu to teach him the principle of "putting the world first". Zhu Houcong had no choice but to let him go.

The emperor is in meditation.

Chen Hong was extremely disappointed. He thought that this intelligence could prove himself to the emperor and prove the ability of the Eastern Depot, but he didn't expect that the emperor said nothing.

However, Chen Hong did not gain nothing. After reading the intelligence report, the Emperor did not express any opinion. Does this mean that the Emperor is no longer concerned about the Xin'an River flood?

Chen Hong's heart suddenly skipped a beat. If the Xin'an River flood was ultimately determined to be a natural disaster, then Lord Yan, Minister Xu, and Little Lord Yan might not be far from being released from prison.

With an idea in mind, Chen Hong took action. He asked the eunuch to inform Huang Jin to come to Yuxi Palace to serve the emperor, while he went to the Northern Pacification Prison alone.

This is the best opportunity to show goodwill to Yan Song, Yan Shifan, Xu Jie, and even to the outer court.

This was to make up for the crime committed by the East Factory some time ago, which was to kill Wang Xijue, the president of the Hanlin Academy, and to dismiss dozens of Hanlin scholars from their positions and strip them of their honors.

Giving timely assistance is far better than adding icing on the cake.

After Chen Hong left.

Huang Jin arrived at Yuxi Palace, intending to stand solemnly outside the temple and wait for His Majesty to finish his meditation, but unexpectedly, the sound of bronze chimes rang out inside the temple.

His Majesty is not in meditation!
Huang Jin subconsciously looked in the direction where Chen Hong left, and a chill ran down his spine.

……

In prison.

Yan Song sat on the scattered straw with his eyes closed to rest.

Yan Shifan stood there, looking closely at Chen Hong who was moving low tables and small tiger stools and constantly adding things to the cell. "How can this be allowed?"

Yan Song was old and involved in a serious case, so after the Jinyiwei put him in the imperial prison, they removed his handcuffs and shackles, and put Yan Shifan in the same cell, allowing his son to take care of his old father.

Chen Hong was still moving things around and called two young eunuchs to make arrangements. After a short while, the cell had changed drastically.

There was a bed, with a brocade quilt and a jade pillow on it; there was a desk, on which were placed Hu brushes, Hui ink, Xuan paper, and Duan inkstones; there was a low table, on which were placed delicacies, fine wine, tea, and snacks.

Washing rack, basin, clean water, bronze mirror, wooden comb, hairpin, etc. for dressing.

Everything except women.

The big red lanterns are hung high.

It had been more than a hundred years since the imperial prison had been so bright.

Chen Hong diligently helped Yan Song to sit at the top seat, and asked Yan Shifan to sit on Yan Song's left, and he sat down opposite Yan Shifan.

Chen Hong picked up the wine glass, saluted Yan Song, drank it all in one gulp and said, "No matter what, I am a generation younger than you. When you return to the cabinet, I will serve you."

Yan Song sat there looking at him and said nothing.

Instead, Yan Shifan was a little excited when he heard the music and understood the meaning. "Eunuch Chen, what's going on in Yuxi Palace?"

Chen Hong looked up at him with a smile, took out the copy of the intelligence report from Jiangnan from his sleeve, and handed it over: "The emperor has used the old man for decades and trusts him. Hai Rui, who was sent to Chun'an, was an imperial envoy and held the emperor's sword, but he didn't care about Xin'an River. It is very likely that he did so with the emperor's instructions.

As the saying goes, "clothes are better when new, and people are better when old." The emperor must have let go of the matter of Xin'an River.

Yan Shifan opened the "East Factory Intelligence Report" and learned from Chen Hong that the emperor must have read it and did not express his opinion. He was overjoyed and said, "Great! Great!"

Chen Hong sat up straight, and smiled at Yan Shifan again: "It will be really good when everyone returns to their respective positions."

Yan Shifan was so happy that he drank several glasses of wine and also toasted Chen Hong who came to deliver the news.

After going through so many things and spending so many days in this dark prison, Yan Shifan became much less arrogant and realized the benefits of being on good terms with the eunuchs in the Imperial Household Department.

Chen Hong had been deliberately trying to make friends with Yan Shifan, and the more he saw each other, the closer he felt to him. After three rounds of wine and five dishes, if it weren't for the wrong occasion, he would have become sworn brothers.

Yan Song never touched his wine glass, and even seemed to have little interest in the delicacies and snacks on the low table. He just sat there drinking tea.

Outside the cell.

The jailer's reminder sounded, no matter how outrageous one is, there should be a limit. After all, this is an imperial prison, not a brothel beside the Qinhuai River. It's time to leave.

Before last year, if the jailer dared to urge him, Chen Hong could overturn the Northern Pacification Office. But times have changed, and Chen Hong knew it was time to go. He looked at Yan Song with sincerity, "Sir, the next step is just a formality. By then, the cabinet will still be your cabinet. The emperor has handed over the Imperial Household Department to our family, so we won't do those empty things.

We work for the same emperor, and we must be loyal to the emperor and trust each other. I trust you from the bottom of my heart. When you leave, the eunuchs and I will follow your lead."

Two young eunuchs came to the cell door holding lanterns, shone them on Chen Hong, and a beam of light shot away.

The cell was quiet again, and Yan Shifan, who had drunk a little too much, was about to lie down on the made bed.

"Yan Shifan!"

Yan Song clapped his skinny old hand on the low table in front of him and suddenly said, "Let me ask you, what exactly happened to the Xin'an River dike being destroyed and the fields being flooded?"

Just like an old tiger showing its might, the ferocious power was overwhelming, and Yan Shifan sobered up immediately.

He was awake, but did not dare to say anything. His eyes were still staring at the bed.

Yan Song wanted to speak, but he felt that he couldn't breathe, so he stopped there and slowly closed his eyes.

Yan Song did not take to heart what Yan Maoqing and Chen Hong said when they came to the imperial prison.

He held the cabinet center for twenty years.

Perhaps no one in this world knows the emperor better than him, or rather, no one knows the existence of the emperor better than him.

That is the most vicious tiger and wolf in the world.

Once a tiger or wolf sets its mind on killing, it will never give up.

The figures of Yang Tinghe, Xia Yan, Yang Jisheng, Shen Lian and others appeared in Yan Song's mind.

Your Majesty, you are never a person who would admit defeat!
Zhejiang is in danger!
(End of this chapter)