Chapter 242: Unclear old age


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  Chapter 242: His later years are unknown.
  Zhu Qi is a hereditary member of the Jinyi Guard Qianhu. He is favored by Lu Bing, the commander of the Jinyiwei, and is one of the Eight Tigers of the Jinyiwei.

  The Jinyiwei of the Jiajing Dynasty, because of Lu Bing's existence, surpassed Dongchang in status and was the well-deserved number one secret service agency.

  The reason is naturally very simple. Lu Bing was not only Emperor Jiajing's pet. When the Renyin Palace changed, Lu Bing was the first to rush to the rescue after hearing the news. These contributions alone were enough to make Lu Bing the most important person around Emperor Jiajing. A trusted minister.

  In the job of a spy, the competition is not about who has higher abilities or seniority, but who is more trusted by the emperor.

  Obviously, with the presence of Lu Bing in Jinyiwei, Dongchang, who was once famous for a while, could only lie down and be the younger brother.

  This time Jin Yiwei Dongchang was sent to raid the house, with Jinyiwei as the main one and Dongchang as the assistant.

  Zhu Qi handled the matter properly and gained Lu Bing's trust, so he got the job.

  Zhu Qi led Tiqi into the city, and Lu Dayoucai woke up from the boat on the Qinhuai River.

  As the Minister of Household Affairs in charge of water transportation, Lu Da would "work" on the Qinhuai River six out of ten days, so that he could experience the hard work of "water workers rocking oars".

  Naturally, this time, the Yuezhou people paid the bill. Over the years in Nanjing, Lu Dayou, like his mentor, loved to support his fellow villagers, but he always felt that the bad wife at home was fierce, and the Hunan girls were still not as gentle as the beauties from Jiangnan.

  Before he woke up from his hangover, Lu Dayou heard his subordinates reporting that a Jinyi guard had gone to the Hubu Yamen.

  Hearing this news, Lu Da was shocked. How could it come so quickly?
  Lu Dayou naturally didn't expect that these Jinyi guards were here to arrest him, and thought that his impeachment had an effect. The emperor sent Jinyi guards to capture Fang Wanghai, and first came to the Nanjing Ministry of Revenue to understand the situation.

  There was an excited person in Lu Da. He immediately asked someone to prepare a sedan chair and headed to the Hubu Yamen in Nanjing in a hurry.

  Hubu Yamen in Nanjing is not far from the Qinhuai River. This street was still called Hubu Street in later generations. When Lu Dayou hurriedly walked into Hubu Yamen, he saw a tall and tall Jin Yiwei with a beautiful beard and beard sitting in the guest room. On the chair, his old superior, the Minister of Revenue, Fang Blunt, sat in the front seat with a livid face to keep him company.   When Lu Dayou came in and saw Lu Dayou's official robes and robes of the third grade

  , Zhu Qi stood up and said, "Are you Lu Dayou, the warehouse minister of the Nanjing Ministry of Household Affairs?"

The imperial envoy, Lu Dayou did not dare to neglect and said immediately: "It's the official."

  "Here comes! Take him away!"

  Zhu Qi was too lazy to talk nonsense and waved directly. Two Tiqi stepped forward and clamped down on Lu Dayou.

  Lu Dayou had already been drained of wine and sex. He could not resist the capture of the Jin Yiwei, and he knelt on the ground all of a sudden.

  He said in disbelief: "Your Majesty the Imperial Envoy! I am Lu Dayou!"

  Zhu Qi said coldly: "I am destined to arrest Lu Dayou. You have been reported for embezzling grain from Chang Pingcang. When we are in front of His Majesty, the evidence is conclusive! We are here to recover the dirty money!"

  Lu Dayou's mind was buzzing, and he instinctively shouted: "I'm wronged! Someone must have framed me! Master, save me!"

  Fang Duo was stunned. He was sitting on the main seat without any movement.

  Lu Dayou said hysterically: "Is it Fang Wanghai? He killed the people and practiced rural bravery privately for evil purposes! It was him who took revenge on me!"

  Zhu Qi had arrested many ministers.

  For example, Yang Jisheng, who was executed together with Zhang Jing last year, was a well-known minister who dared to criticize current affairs and confront Yan Song.

  When he was caught, Yang Jisheng committed the crime calmly, and when he was on the execution ground, he died generously.

  Even his boss, the commander of the Jin Yiwei, Lu Bing, admired Yang Jisheng.

  Another example is Li Mo, the official minister who was arrested this year. When he was arrested, this old minister was also magnanimous and not afraid of his own royal guards at all.

  Zhu Qi still admires these scholars.

  But there are people like this in mainland China, and Zhu Qi has always despised them.

  On the way, Zhu Qi had collected enough intelligence. He even went to Yangzhou City, where the war was going on, and basically found out everything.

  What Lu Dayou did was not secretive, and there were many people who needed to be dealt with to clear out the Chang Ping warehouse.

  These people have no backbone at all, and they were all recruited without any torture.

  Just after entering the Nanjing Household Department, Zhu Qi had already shown all the evidence of Lu Dayou's crimes to Fang Blun.

  The evidence is conclusive. When death was imminent, Lu Dayou actually bit others.

  Really abominable!
  "Come here, gagged him! Send him to the prison of the Criminal Department for custody, and wait for this Qianhu to be interrogated slowly!"

  Tiqi gagged Lu Dayou and dragged him directly out of the living room.

  "Master Fang, the Pingren Division is on the way. Your Majesty has promised you to serve."

  Fang Blun seemed to have had his soul sucked out. He had been an official for decades, and almost all the Yuezhou Township Party members he supported were dragged down by Lu Dayou. Get into the water.

  From officials to businessmen, this case of embezzlement of grain was so serious that the participants even died or shed their skin.

  The imperial court allowed him to become an official because he was a veteran official for many years and wanted to save the imperial court's face. But how could Fang Rui have the dignity to return to his hometown?
  Moreover, usually when an important minister like Fang Rui, who is at the level of the Six Ministers, returns home, he will add titles such as Three Lords and Three Protectors to show his favor. However, Fang Rui has no titles at all. This already shows the attitude of the court.

  Zhu Qi didn't bother to chat with Fang Rui anymore. It was not found out that Fang Rui was behind the scenes. If it was finally found that Fang Rui was deeply involved in the case, he would probably be arrested even if he returned home safely and became an official.

  Zhu Qifeng hurriedly took the list and started arresting people, not only Lu Dayou's party members, but also Yuezhou businessmen in Nanjing City. Suddenly, the entire Nanjing Criminal Department jail was filled with people with Yuezhou accents.

  Zhu Qi understood that his top priority was not to interrogate and convict, but to make money for the emperor!
  You have to be fast, don't let these guys transfer the money!
  Zhu Qi was busy searching his house here, while the eunuch from Dongchang arrived at Huguan.

  This year, the eunuchs in the palace were suppressed again by the Jin Yiwei. Lu Bing conducted a secret investigation at the beginning of the year and thoroughly investigated the malpractice in the palace, all the way to a eunuch named Bingbi, the Supervisor of Ceremonies.

  Li Bin, the eunuch in charge of rites, and Ma Guang, the eunuch of Dongchang, were responsible for committing theft, accepting bribes and exceeding the regulations. Li Bin and his accomplices were sent to prison by Emperor Jiajing and eventually executed.

  After this case, even the chief eunuch in charge of rituals was afraid of Lu Bing. Naturally, the three serving eunuchs in Dongchang did not dare to compete with Zhu Qi for credit.

  But the credit cannot be disputed. The three eunuchs extorted money along the way and made a lot of money.

  When they arrived at Xuguan, the leading child eunuch was well-informed and knew that Lord Fang was valued by the emperor. He originally wanted to tell Fang Wanghai the news in advance and get a reward, but he did not expect to receive a warm reception from Su Ze.

  The child eunuch was also the godson of the great eunuch Li Fang. After reminiscing about old times, Su Ze immediately activated his skill, presented exquisite Yun brocade, and entertained the three of them with delicious food and drinks.

  Talking about Eunuch Tao, who was a shipping manager in Fujian, he quickly distanced himself from Eunuch Tong. After the banquet, Eunuch Tong wanted to behead his chicken with Su Ze and become brothers.

  Not only did he tell all the purpose of his party, he also promised to make Lu Dayou suffer and help Fang Shilang vent his anger!
  After they dispersed, Su Ze pulled Eunuch Tong and said,
  "Eunuch Tong, it's not easy for you to do well on this mission." "Isn't that right? Who is Zhu Qi? One of the Eight Tigers of the Jinyi Guard! He is very ruthless in his work. He is as hot as a tiger, and all the cases he handles are ironclad, and even the Zajia family can't get involved." After traveling

  thousands of miles south, Zhu Qi got the final credit, and it was Zhu Qi who ransacked the house, so Eunuch Tong was naturally unwilling to accept it.

  Su Ze said: "If you ask me, Eunuch Tong, some of the party members in mainland China are definitely doomed, but buying and selling grain is such a big thing, I am afraid that not Yuezhou merchants can swallow it all." Eunuch Tong asked with his eyes bright

  . : "What does Mr. Xie Yuang mean?"

  "The imperial court's banknote customs law was originally intended to facilitate merchants and pay taxes. However, there are always some lawless people who resist and evade taxes. Some of them are also related to the fraud cases in Lu Dayou. Help them sell stolen goods."

  "What a shame!" the child eunuch said, "full of righteous indignation."

  Su Ze said with a smile: "Actually, our Anti-Japanese and Anti-Smuggling Corps already has the list of these illegal businessmen, but some of them are local gentry, and some have key connections in the court, so we haven't been able to take action." Tong

  Eunuch He immediately said: "That's unreasonable! I also know Mr. Fang's difficulties. You scholars are soft-spoken and always have some scruples. If you want me to say these things, we eunuchs have to do it!" "How can I trouble my father-in-law? Let's do this, by the way

  . Our Anti-Japanese and Anti-Smuggling Corps dispatched, 'invited' these businessmen to the Yamen, and then asked Eunuch Tong to help with the interrogation, and asked them to pay back the taxes, so that the matter can be settled, how about not implicating too many people?" Eunuch Tong was naturally surprised after hearing this

  . Satisfied, Su Ze said again:
  "I can't let all my father-in-law's work go in vain. I will ask my father-in-law to escort the recovered stolen money to Beijing. This is also the credit of the father-in-law. The rest will be distributed by the father-in-law." Go up

  ! It’s so good!

  The child eunuch looked at Su Ze, and it turned out that scholars are really good.

  If Su Ze's brain entered the palace, he would be able to compete for a eunuch with a pen. Fortunately, he and he were not rivals on the track.

  In the next few days, the whole Jiangnan was in turmoil due to Lu Dayou's case.

  Zhu Qi's work efficiency was indeed high. Two days later, Lu Dayou made a full confession and handed over all the people involved in the case.

  Zhu Qi deleted Yan Shifan's name from the confession and reported it to the emperor with a secret. Then he began to interrogate other accomplices based on the confession, and led people to search their homes.

  The Nanjing Hubu Yamen lost one-third of its people, and almost all the Yuezhou merchants who came to do business because Fang Rui was the Hubu Shangshu in Nanjing were arrested by the Jinyiwei.

  The trend in Nanjing's official circles has changed. People who once praised Fang Bu started to curse, saying that he allowed the township party to be lax and lax in his subordinates. Others said that he was the mastermind behind this scandal, but the court did not care about the face of his veteran officials. Catch him.

  Fang Wanghai's reputation immediately rose. People who had previously criticized Fang Wanghai praised him for his loyalty to the country and selfless law enforcement.

  Immediately afterwards, in the name of a thorough investigation of the fraud case in Dongchang, the Anti-Japanese and Anti-Smuggling Corps also began to arrest people.

  For a long time, cotton merchants led by the Xu family of Huating in Songjiang Prefecture have been constantly evading banknote duties.

  The Xu family even blatantly resisted the tax.

  Eunuch Tong is selfless and will arrest you for interrogation regardless of whether you are a member of Mr. Xu Ge's family.

  The businessmen all looked at Xu Kun, the second son of the Xu family.

  But Mr. Xu's attitude was very soft and his attitude was very low. When he personally went to the Customs and Excise Department to pay the customs duties owed by the Xu family, the merchants in Songjiang Prefecture all surrendered.

  Xu Kun was also depressed. He received a letter from his father in advance, telling him to be careful during this period and not to get involved in Lu Dayou's case.

  Although Xu Kun is domineering, he is also the son of the elder Ge, and he still has political acumen.

  The Xu family is in Jiangnan. If he is involved in Lu Dayou's case, it will also affect his father's status.

  The Xu family's property relies on the protection of Mr. Xu Ge, and Xu Kun understands his position.

  After receiving the documents from the Banknote Customs Department and Dongchang, Xu Kun immediately paid the tax on banknotes without any struggle.

  It is said that Mr. Xu smashed several antique vases when he returned home.

  Eunuch Tong has achieved great results. Zhu Qi was busy in Nanjing for half a month trying cases, ransacking homes, and recovering stolen goods, and only recovered a total of 320,000 silver.

  This is not because Zhu Qi is incompetent, but that some money is always squandered, and some people fight to the death to leave money to their families.

  This is after taking into account the results of Lu Dayou's rich job and property raids. Lu Dayou has made a lot of money over the years, but the expenses are also not small.

  Fang Rui organized a gathering of fellow villagers and built the Yuezhou Guild Hall, and Lu Dayou paid for it. In addition, he lived a luxurious life, but in fact his family did not have much money left.

  These 30,000 taels were real money, and only 20,000 taels were actually given to the emperor.

  Even if Zhu Qi is not greedy, he cannot break the rules.

  The subordinates who are accompanying you should express your condolences, otherwise no one will come out to accompany you on errands next time.

  The superiors need to take care of it, or else they can give you Zhu Qi this good job next time?
  This share ratio is already that of Commander Lu, who is loyal to the country, and the emperors of Yandang and Eunuchang get even less.

  In contrast, Eunuch Tong has achieved remarkable results.

  The three father-in-laws just drank tea, ate fruits and listened to the opera in Huguan. They also stamped a few official documents with the seal of Dongchang. In the end, they paid fifty thousand taels of customs duties!

  This money is still paid! Just report it directly to the emperor!

  I don't know how much money the three father-in-laws took privately, and how much money they brought back to the powerful men in the palace.

  Zhu Qi was almost envious of Ma.

  After the case was investigated, Fang Blun finally left Nanjing with his luggage and his family.

  When he left Nanjing, his servant bought a copy of "Warning Words".

  The newspaper published the full text of the case and the results of the trial, and also listed the names of party members who had colluded with Lu Dayou.

  After taking charge of the Ministry of Household Affairs in Nanjing, Minister Fang Wanghai authorized the "Jingshi Tongyan" to be published in order to "upright scholars and warn the world."

  Although Fang Blun's name was not on the list, Fang Shangshu almost vomited blood. The reputation he had worked so hard to maintain all his life was ruined. This article can be said to have nailed him to the pillar of shame in history.

  Fang Rui's old age is unknown, so he hid his face and left Nanjing. Nanjing's household department was trembling with fear to welcome its new talker.

  (End of chapter)
 

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