Ming: I am fake, walking on thin ice

Chapter 134 Can I still reach the other side?

Yangzhou, Shen Mansion.

The governor Ren Chang'an came in from the back door and quietly visited Shen Yihuan. Ren Chang'an, with a solemn expression, saw Shen Yihuan playing the piano in the pavilion, dressed in a white dress, with a chic demeanor.

"Fourth Master, it's already this late, and you still have the time to play the piano?" Ren Changan stepped forward.

Shen Yihuan stopped and laughed loudly: "The more critical the moment, the more calm you must be. Haha, Master Ren, you don't have to go in through the back door. There are so many Jinyiwei around my Shen Mansion that they will definitely find you."

Ren Changan sat down and spread his hands: "Some things are not as heavy as a pound. Even if they are weighed, they still cannot be stopped. Our matter has not been weighed yet. If we win this matter in the end, the Jinyiwei around us will be just decorations. However, everyone has to pretend to do it. If I walk in through your door at this time, it will break the balance."

Shen Yihan nodded in agreement.

Since Chang'an could be the governor of a province, he naturally had the ability and was very clear about the workings of officialdom.

"Master Ren, are you here to tell me something, right?" Shen Yi asked with a smile.

Ren Changan pondered for a while, then raised his eyes and said, "There is no need to hide anything from each other. First of all, we in the Jiangnan officialdom will definitely do our best to protect you, the Fourth Master. Whether it is the Neishi Yamen, the Mongolian soldiers, or the Jinyiwei, if there is any movement, we will notify you in advance."

Shen Yihuan believed this. Although the Jiangnan officials could not control those soldiers, they could still get the news of the action in advance. Moreover, not only the Jiangnan officials, but also the officials in Beijing would help. Even the Jinyiwei would have someone to spread the news.

"It's not easy for your majesty to move us." Ren Changan snorted, "That's most of the Jiangnan officialdom. If it goes wrong, it may even lead to turmoil in the court."

A cold light flashed in Shen Yihuan's eyes: "So, Lord Ren is worried about Shen?"

Ren Changan raised his eyes and looked directly at Shen Yihuan, sighing softly: "Fourth Master, we have known each other for so many years, you should know what kind of person I am. I said I would protect you, and I will protect you. However, you have the list of bribes to Jiangnan officials, the account transactions, and the records of officials. If these are confiscated, we will all be finished."

Shen Yihan understood what Ren Changan meant and smiled slightly: "Don't worry, even if Shen dies, he will take these away and it will never affect you."

Ren Changan just stared at Shen Yihan for a long while, then nodded: "Okay, I believe you, Fourth Master."

He originally came to take these things, or to destroy them. But now it seems that Shen Yihuan will not hand them over.

"Fourth Master, the situation is tense these days, you must be prepared at all times." Ren Changan stood up, "If there is any movement, I will send someone to notify you in advance."

"Thank you." Shen Yihan waved his hand.

He looked at Ren Changan going away, murderous intent in his eyes, and snorted coldly: "Do you still need to tell me the news about Mr. Shen?"

……

After nightfall, Shen Yihan was still playing the piano in the backyard.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of horse hooves, and he was shocked. At this time, the housekeeper hurriedly ran up to report: "Master, it's bad, there are a lot of soldiers outside, surrounding the mansion."

Shen Yihuan couldn't believe it: "How is it possible? Where did the soldiers come from? Shi Heng led his troops to Zhejiang, and the Mongolian soldiers went to Anhui. Where did the soldiers in Yangzhou come from? Was it the Jinyiwei? Impossible, then Ding Xiu was sent to the county."

The housekeeper was in a panic: "Master, these are not Jinyiwei, they are all wearing armor and have surrounded the mansion."

"Why is there no news at all?" Shen Yihan still couldn't believe it.

"Master, please think about what to do quickly." The butler reminded.

Shen Yihuan seemed to suddenly come to his senses and shouted, "Quick, burn the account books in the secret room in the east room, burn them all."

At this time, a group of soldiers rushed in, and the young general in the lead shouted: "No one is allowed to move, otherwise, they will be killed on the spot."

The young general walked straight to Shen Yihuan, clasped his fists and smiled: "Is this Shopkeeper Shen?"

"Who are you? Why are you surrounding Mr. Shen's residence?" Shen Yihan pretended to be calm.

"I'm Zhang Lun, on my way to the southeast to fight against the Japanese pirates. I passed by Yangzhou and did some work on my way here under the order of the emperor." The young general spread his hands and smiled.

Shen Yihan understood.

It turns out they are not local people. No wonder there is no news at all. That fake emperor is very cunning.

"Why are you arresting Shen?" Shen Yihan shouted harshly.

He has always enjoyed prestige in the local area. Even if he was arrested, he would pretend to be innocent and even refute the people who arrested him on the spot and spread these things.

But Zhang Lun didn't give him a chance and raised the knife in his hand: "Why? Because I have a knife in my hand. Come on, take him down."

Then, Zhang Lun left without giving Shen Yihuan a chance to curse. He came to the east room and saw the rows of boxes, which were filled with account books and rosters.

He took out a few books and looked at them, a cold light flashed in his eyes: "These are all deadly things."

……

The next day.

In the governor's office, Ren Chang'an woke up in the morning and heard the news that Shen Yihan had been arrested. In an instant, he felt like the sky was falling.

"Who arrested him? The Nei Si Yamen, the Governor's Yamen, and the Jinyiwei didn't move." He couldn't believe it.

"I have found out clearly that it was the new anti-Japanese lieutenant general Zhang Lun. He went to the southeast to fight against the Japanese pirates and passed by Yangzhou. He was ordered to handle the case." The subordinate reported.

a bolt from the blue!

Ren Changan was so frightened that his face turned pale and he fell into a chair. He quickly ordered, "Quick, bring a large brazier to the yard."

What he had to do now was to burn all the letters and account books he had exchanged with Shen Yihuan. The arrest of Shen Yihuan would definitely shock the entire Jiangnan officialdom.

At this moment, the Governor's Office.

Xu Youzhen, the governor, was also confused: "What? Shen Yihuan was arrested? Who arrested him? How come I don't know?"

Li Bing replied: "It was the new anti-Japanese lieutenant general Zhang Lun. He led his troops through Yangzhou and arrested Shen Yihuan on orders."

The officials of the governor's office were all shocked. They had no prior knowledge of this matter. The court, is this a deliberate cover-up? Don't you trust the governor's office?

"Sir, the anti-Japanese lieutenant general Zhang Lun is here to see you." A guard came to report.

"Please come in!" Xu Youzhen waved his hand.

After a while, Zhang Lun strode up and clasped his fists towards everyone: "Excuse me, everyone. When I get to Yangzhou next time, I will give you a big one."

"What's going on?" Li Bing stepped forward and asked anxiously.

He, Zhang Lun, Yang Guifang, and Ding Xiu were all under Yu Qian's tutelage before, and were known as the "Four Young Masters of the Yu Clan". They had a very good relationship, so he asked directly.

"I'm doing my job according to your orders." Zhang Lun smiled. "It's not that His Majesty doesn't trust you. It's that His Majesty doesn't trust the Jiangnan officialdom. There are too many people in your governor's office. So, leave this matter to me. Now that the people have been arrested, my mission is completed. All the people and evidence will be handed over to the governor's office."

As he spoke, he waved his hand violently, and a group of soldiers brought Shen Yihan up. Another group of soldiers came up with boxes of various sizes, filling up the hall of the governor's office.

"I sealed the box last night. No one, including me, has seen it." Zhang Lun spread his hands. "I'll hand it over to you. I have to hurry on my way. Goodbye."

Xu Youzhen stepped forward quickly: "I'll take you there."

He walked side by side with Zhang Lun and asked in a low voice, "Does your Majesty have any instructions?"

"Follow the plan!" Zhang Lun also whispered, "I have copied down everything in the box, you can do whatever you want."

Xu Youzhen let out a long sigh and bowed with his fists clasped.

Zhang Lun just smiled and walked away.

……

"Everyone says Jiangnan is beautiful, but visitors should grow old there. The spring water is bluer than the sky, and I sleep on a painted boat listening to the rain."

Zhu Qizhen stood at the bow, looking at the scenery on both sides of the river, in a good mood. From Fengyang to Yangzhou, he chose to take a boat, of course not the dragon boat he took on his first trip, but the large boat prepared by the Fengyang government was also elegant and grand.

The queen mother, wearing a light green long dress, stood beside him, her skirt swaying gently in the wind, fresh and refined. Her hair was as black as ink, gently tied up with an exquisite jade hairpin, and a few strands of black hair inadvertently fell on her shoulders, adding a bit of tenderness and gracefulness.

"I should go out more often. I've been bored in the palace all these years. I regret it now."

She had a delicate face, picturesque eyebrows and eyes, a pair of dark eyes looking at the mountains and rivers in the distance, and a faint but meaningful smile hung on the corners of her mouth, as if hiding thousands of words. The sunlight shone on her body through the veil-like mist, making her skin look whiter than snow and her temperament extraordinary.

She holds a fan with landscape patterns in her hand, and shakes it occasionally, which makes her look even more graceful. There is gurgling water around her, hazy mountain shadows in the distance, and occasional fishermen's songs.

Zhu Qizhen secretly praised in his heart, it was really beautiful, so beautiful that it moved the heart. "Isn't it? Queen Mother, you are in a good mood, and you look younger." Zhu Qizhen said without hesitation.

"Don't think that I don't know your intention in taking me around." The Queen Mother glared at him, "I cooperate with you in order to promote the new policy."

Zhu Qizhen spread his hands helplessly: "Can we make a promise? Don't mention... don't mention those unhappy things during this time of traveling?"

He knew in his heart that the Queen Mother meant that he took her on a tour to show the world that he was the true Son of Heaven.

"Okay." The Queen Mother's eyes dropped slightly.

"It is said that the fish in this river are very delicious." Zhu Qizhen said with a smile, "How about we enjoy the sunset while eating fish tonight and have a few drinks?"

The Queen Mother's dark eyes lit up instantly: "Okay."

Zhu Qizhen smiled and said, "We agreed to have a few drinks. Don't drink too much. If you get drunk and go crazy, I can't stand it."

The Queen Mother's mature and beautiful face turned red instantly.

……

At dusk, the setting sun poured down like molten gold, dyeing the surface of the river a brilliant orange-red.

The river surface was sparkling, as if covered with countless golden scales, and as the boat sailed, layers of delicate ripples were created. The mountains in the distance became soft and blurred under the setting sun. At the foot of the mountain, a few wisps of smoke rose up and merged with the clouds in the sky.

The Queen Mother, standing at the bow, was mesmerized by the gorgeous scenery before her. Zhu Qizhen shouted several times: "It's time to eat fish, come quickly."

The Queen Mother finally reacted and walked to the table and sat down, her beautiful eyes shining: "Eating delicious food and appreciating beautiful scenery, life is nothing more than this."

She was secretly happy in her heart, it would be good to leave some good memories on this journey. Otherwise, all that would be left in the future would be painful entanglements.

"Wow, this fish is so fragrant and tender." Zhu Qizhen exclaimed.

The Queen Mother took her time and elegantly picked up a piece of fish. She opened her cherry-like mouth and chewed slowly, her beautiful eyes shining. "It's delicious, even better than the one in the imperial kitchen."

The setting sun fell on them, casting a layer of warm glow.

Zhu Qizhen raised his glass: "Come, have a drink."

files!
The two clinked glasses and the atmosphere was harmonious.

"When I was young, I also traveled around the world." The Queen Mother looked sad.

"Oh? Tell me about your story as a female knight." Zhu Qizhen became interested.

The Queen Mother seemed to talk more and more, and began to talk about her youth. She talked nonstop, and before she knew it, the moon was already high in the courtyard.

……

Yangzhou, Governor's Office.

On this day, officials from the two provinces were summoned. Because today, Shen Yihuan would be tried publicly. The hundreds of officials from the two provinces were all nervous. Most of them had dealings with Shen Yihuan.

But they had to come. They couldn't just flee because of the crime. Not to mention that they couldn't escape, even if they did, where could they escape to? Besides, the three governors were all here, so they all took a gamble.

Four or five hundred people stood in the courtyard of the governor's office, waiting for the arrival of Governor Xu Youzhen. Not long after, Xu Youzhen and his party arrived, and everyone bowed in unison: "Greetings, Your Excellency the Governor."

Xu Youzhen glanced over and sneered. When he first took office, he also met officials from the three provinces in Jiangnan in this courtyard. These people at that time were arrogant. Led by Ren Changan, they just left without giving him, the governor, any face.

Now, they were all respectful. Xu Youzhen smiled coldly: "Everyone, I won't waste any more time. Come, bring Shen Yihuan up."

Soon, soldiers brought Shen Yihuan up. The former richest man in Jiangnan was now shackled and wearing prison clothes. He no longer had the demeanor of a rich man, but his eyes were still sharp.

"Kneel down!" Xu Youzhen shouted in a deep voice.

"Excuse me, sir, have you convicted Shen? If not, I can stand for trial." Shen Yihan said loudly, without any fear.

Xu Youzhen sneered: "According to the interrogation regulations of the Ming Dynasty Law, those above the third rank must sit for trial, and those below the third rank must stand for trial. You have no meritorious service, so what do you think you are? Kneel down!"

Veins popped up on Shen Yihuan's forehead, but he still knelt down.

……

At this moment, in the side hall of the Governor's Office.

Zhu Qizhen stood by the window, observing everything in the yard, and chuckled: "This Shen Yihuan is quite interesting, he is calm and unhurried."

The Queen Mother standing beside him frowned slightly: "Have you thought about what to do? Do you really want to deal with all the officials in the three provinces of Jiangnan? Then Jiangnan will be in chaos. How can we implement the new policy?"

"Then what do you think I should do?" Zhu Qizhen spread his hands.

The Queen Mother frowned.

This is really difficult to deal with. If we don't punish them, it will not only benefit the corrupt officials, but also let them see the attitude of the court, which will make them more fearless in the future.

Punishment? If hundreds of people were dealt with at once, the entire Jiangnan officialdom would be in chaos. Not to mention the implementation of new policies, nothing could be done. The court had no other choice but to fill so many positions at once.

"You want the horse to run, but you don't want it to eat grass." Zhu Qizhen chuckled, "These bastards have already eaten enough. I need them to finish the job."

The Queen Mother saw that he was confident and knew that he had made up his mind, so she stopped asking. She raised her lips slightly and said, "You are talking about the possibility of making a fortune. Is it the property of Shen Yihuan?"

Zhu Qizhen nodded, took out a letter and handed it to her, saying happily: "We've made a fortune this time!"

The Queen Mother took it and glanced at it quickly, and was shocked: "So much? Five million taels of silver? This does not include jewelry and antiques? There are also weaving workshops and cloth workshops under his name."

"I'm rich now!" Zhu Qizhen smiled. "There's a saying, 'When the people are squandering, I'll plunder the people; when there's an uprising, I'll plunder the merchants.' Plundering the merchants, making money so quickly will make me develop bad habits."

The Queen Mother glanced at him.

Zhu Qizhen raised his eyebrows and said, "Of these five million taels, I will transfer one million taels to the inner treasury, and the rest I will use to repair the Yellow River. Alas, this amount of money is far from enough to repair the Yellow River."

As he spoke, he looked greedily at the officials in the yard.

……

In the courtyard, Xu Youzhen had already announced Shen Yihuan's crimes. Shen Yihuan denied everything except bribery. The officials in Jiangnan were all stunned when they heard that he admitted to bribery.

"Carry it up!" Xu Youzhen shouted.

The soldiers carried all the boxes of account books up and piled them up in the yard. Xu Youzhen stood up and said in a deep voice, "These are all Shen Yihuan's account books over the years. Any of you who have had dealings with him are all in here."

Some of them almost fainted after hearing this.

"What a great Shen Yihuan, he has been calling the shots in Jiangnan these years." Xu Youzhen laughed sarcastically, "You, the officials of the Ming Dynasty, who have taken his things, listen to him. He is just a commoner, but he treats officials as children and regards the law as dirt. Good, very good!"

Shen Yihuan laughed after hearing this: "Master Xu, you can't kill me with these, right?"

"Really?" Xu Youzhen sneered, "Do you think that's all? Come here, bring a witness!"

The soldiers came up with a group of people, including ordinary people, merchants, and even servants of the Shen Mansion and relatives of the Shen family. When Shen Yihuan saw these people, his face changed drastically.

"You seized the people's land, killed people to silence them, and seized the businessmen's assets." Xu Youzhen chuckled, "Shen Yihan, do you think these things you did will not be exposed? You underestimated the Jinyiwei, didn't you? Any of these crimes is enough to kill you. Just wait to die. You will be tried today, but the focus is not on you. You will die without a doubt."

……

In the side hall, Zhu Qizhen saw this, stretched out his hand, and said, "It's my turn to come out."

The Queen Mother was extremely curious at this time. What was the Emperor going to do?
Zhu Qizhen led Yang Guifang, Li Bing and others out of the side hall and toward the courtyard. He stepped over the threshold, and the sun was setting, which was very dazzling.

He looked up at the sun in the sky and sighed in his heart: Can I still make it to the other side?

After a while, he took firm steps and walked towards the yard.

"Your Majesty has arrived~"

After the announcement, Xu Youzhen was the first to kneel down and pay homage: "Your Majesty, I respectfully welcome you. Long live Your Majesty."

(End of this chapter)