Volume 3: Dragon and Snake Movement Chapter 364: Prince breaks the law, guilty as commoner
The sudden arrival of the envoy from the capital was unexpected but reasonable to Lao Xianyu, but it could also be said to be a bucket of cold water poured on his fiery heart. He had not yet put enough effort into Zhang Shou, and had not had time to find out the attitudes of the many martial arts sects in Cangzhou, and had not even had time to catch up on all the knowledge points about farming from the young monk Guan Tao!
What if someone discovers this flaw?
He saw with his own eyes that the carriage from the capital stopped directly in front of the lobby of the Changlu County Government Office. Immediately afterwards, the man covered from head to toe in a black cloak was personally received by Zhu Tingfang. Soon after, even Zhu Ying was "driven" out of the lobby in a depressed mood. Only then did Zhang Shou and Zhu Er rush over.
He wanted to find out more about the situation, but this young lady was not as easy to deceive as Zhu Er. Not only could he not get any information out of her, but he was also teased. When he wanted to get closer, the guards were all around the lobby, so he had no chance to spy. Most importantly, when he turned around in disappointment and planned to think of a solution, he found...
He didn't know when Liu started following him, but he was following him about seven or eight steps behind. He couldn't escape even if he wanted to, let alone do anything else.
Fortunately, Lao Xianyu, who was like an ant on a hot pot in his heart but remained calm on the surface, soon stopped worrying. Because Ah Liu, who had been hanging behind him, suddenly heard something and climbed over the wall. But before he could think of anything, the man climbed back over the wall, looked at him, and then said lightly: "The imperial envoy wants to see you."
Although he always prided himself on being bold and careful, he couldn't help but feel nervous when he heard these five simple words.
He had not seen many officials - the one who funded them to go to sea to find someone was full of official authority in his every move, and later people like Changlu County Magistrate Xu Cheng and others, they also had a high official air even from a distance. In comparison, Zhu Tingfang, the seemingly cold and majestic General Mingwei, seemed more approachable.
Because Zhu Tingfang at least wouldn't make people feel that he looked down on you and thought he could kill a bug like you with a press of his little finger. Moreover, Zhu Tingfang's arrogance and murderous aura were all directed at criminals, while he was gentle to ordinary people... Of course, Zhang Shou was even more different. When he stood in front of him, he just thought that he was a boy next door and never felt that the other party had any official authority.
People like Zhu Er, Zhu Ying and Zhang Chen all have their own pride, but they would not show off in front of someone like him.
As he was thinking, Old Salted Fish had unknowingly followed Ah Liu to the outside of the lobby. When he crossed the threshold, he was still a little nervous, but when he saw the old man surrounded by people like a moon surrounded by stars, he felt his heart, which had risen to his throat, suddenly fell back to where it was.
However, when the other party spoke, he quickly became nervous again.
"Do you recognize me?" Ge Yong asked abruptly and directly. Moreover, without waiting for Lao Xianyu to explain, he said with a smile, "You don't have to rack your brains to think of how to fool me. I have lived for most of my life and my eyesight is very good. I can tell from your expression that you recognized me."
"Yes, I did meet Grand Tutor Ge before." Seeing that he couldn't hide it, Old Salty Fish simply admitted it, "But because it has been so long, I only saw you from a distance once, so I'm not really sure. It's only because I saw that General Zhu and Dr. Zhang had very different attitudes towards you that I dared to guess and figured it out. After all, few people can be as free and unrestrained as you when they grow old."
"It's no use saying good things about me. Old man, I am the imperial envoy after all."
Ge Yong smiled and said slowly: "You don't have to call me a villain all the time. You sound respectful, but in fact you are wary and distant. Zhang Shou has probably told me everything about you..."
Hearing this, Lao Xianyu almost jumped up in shock. Would Zhang Shou really say something like the overseas barbarians so bluntly? There are also Zhu Tingfang and the Zhu brothers here!
If the former wasn't so deep-minded and the latter so heartless, why would he ask Zhu Ying to keep it a secret for him?
Ge Yong seemed not to have seen through the old salty fish's forced calm expression. He leaned on the armrest and stood up. "Well, I don't care how you recognized me. Since you and Xian Yunhe in the palace are uncle and nephew, then come with me. Zhang Shou, take Ah Liu with you. Zhu Dalang and Zhu Erlang, you stay and watch over Xiao Yingying. Don't let her run around again."
When Lao Xianyu nervously followed Ge Yong and Zhang Shou out of the county government office and got on Ge Yong's carriage, he was stunned for a moment. He had found an opportunity to lift the curtain and peek at Zhu Ying's carriage that had taken her to Canghai Lower Courtyard. He thought it was small but complete and extravagant. But now that he was on this carriage, he realized that he had not seen much before.
The floor was covered with snow-white carpets, the walls were inlaid with crystal lamps, the seats were all made of rosewood, which was soft to the touch, and three or four large brocade-covered pillows were scattered among them. On the three-layer drawer cabinet next to it, there was a small silver incense burner, which exuded a refreshing fragrance. It can be said that even if a poor man studied hard for a lifetime, he could not expect such a rich life.
But the next moment, Zhang Shou's words pulled him back from his reverie: "Is this the carriage that the emperor lent out to you out of sympathy for your long journey? Can we count this as taking advantage of you, the teacher, and riding in the emperor's carriage for once?"
"Of course not. If you really ride in the emperor's carriage, it would be an act of usurpation. Not only you, but also my head would be chopped off!"
Ge Yong tutted in annoyance, then said lightly: "The emperor has always liked to go out incognito. Since the queen mother can't stop him, she has to get him a seemingly inconspicuous carriage as a backup. There is a thin steel plate in the middle of the compartment wall, which can block ordinary muskets and hidden arrows. However, the emperor has never sat in it twice, so it's a relief for you and me."
"The emperor has said several times that he would give me a car, but I said no. Why would an old man like me need a car like this? I am a native of the capital anyway. If it is not a business trip like this, why would I travel a long way at such an old age?"
Knowing that Ge Yong was a very important figure, Lao Xianyu was only slightly surprised to hear that this was actually the emperor's carriage in disguise. But when he heard that Ge Yong had refused the emperor's gift of a carriage, he could not help but stand in awe.
"Master Ge is truly humble..."
"Humility is a fart? I'm not a saint, of course I have selfish motives. But I don't have the money to support this carriage with my salary and family assets. Did you see the tall horse pulling the carriage? This carriage is too heavy, so we need to have at least two such tall horses ready for rotation at all times. For long journeys, we need four horses to rotate, which only rich people like Zhang Shou's future father-in-law can afford!"
Ge Yong said, "Zhang Shou, tell us now what you didn't have time to say in front of Zhu Dalang and Zhu Erlang. Ah Liu is driving the car, and Zhu Hong and Zhu Yi, who you appointed, are following the car. The others are hanging behind, so no one should be able to eavesdrop."
Although Ge Yong did not like to show off, he was accompanied by a hundred personal soldiers when he came to Cangzhou. Therefore, even if there was no gong to clear the way, the flag of the Grand Master was hung high in front, and pedestrians on the street naturally made way for it.
Zhang Shou heard a lot of noise on the road outside and knew that it would be difficult to eavesdrop in such an environment, so he whispered that Lao Xianyu had been to a continent where a Ming ship was in distress and sank, and brought back a group of foreigners.
Of course, he just told the story that Lao Xianyu had told him, and mentioned that Lao Xianyu had given him some fragments of a stone tablet with text that looked like Taizu's manuscripts. As for his own guess, he didn't say a word.
After hearing the last part, Ge Yong looked at Lao Xianyu thoughtfully and asked, "How long have you been there?"
"I'm a villain..." Seeing Ge Yong glaring at him, Lao Xianyu hurriedly changed his words and said, "I stayed there for about two months."
"Two months?" Ge Yong thought about it carefully, and then said in a deep voice, "You knew about it but didn't report it, and you also hid the foreigners overseas. If this matter is really investigated, it will be enough to make you lose your head. Think about it carefully, how long did your ship take to get there, what was its course, what did the dying old seafarer say to you, and what are the local customs and people like there."
Before Lao Xianyu could think it through, he stretched out his hand to stop him and said, "Don't tell me right away. I'll have to write a detailed memorial later... If you can't write it, let Zhang Shou do it for you. In short, this matter must be reported to the emperor, but I will make a judgment on whether to let other people in the court know. Before that, you, Zhang Shou, and other insiders, all keep your mouths shut."
"Teacher, don't worry. Yingying has already told Zhu Hong and Zhu Yi, so I will keep it a secret." Zhang Shou said with a smile, "After all, the story of Taizu dreaming of Emperor Tian is deeply rooted in people's hearts. It is possible that the existence of the globe has been leaked out, and someone set sail and eventually found the continent to the east of the sea, but in the end couldn't come back because the ship sank. This is also possible."
"If it were just that, it would be fine." Ge Yong sighed, but said nothing more.
How could Lao Xianyu dislike Ge Yong's cautious attitude? He even wished that he could be more careful and cautious, so he nodded repeatedly.
However, when he found that Ge Yong seemed very tired, he deliberately changed the topic that he had deliberately started half-heartedly, and asked in a low voice: "Grandmaster Ge, I wonder how the court plans to deal with my nephew Yunhe?"
This time, Ge Yong did not answer directly, but asked: "Do you know what punishment the eldest prince suffered when Zhu Tingfang sent so many saltpeter heads back to the capital?"
How would I know... I wish that the damn prince who ruined the reputation of our ancestors would just die!
Old Salty Fish thought so in his heart, but he dared not say it out loud. He quickly smiled and said, "Of course I don't know. I think the emperor will always make a fair judgment."
"Haha, I'm afraid you're thinking that the emperor will definitely favor his own son, and will raise him high and let him go lightly, right? Let me tell you, the eldest prince was greedy and harmed the people, provoking a civil uprising, and then he didn't know how to remedy the situation, and he simply blamed the Changlu County Magistrate Xu Cheng and those wealthy families. The emperor was angry at his greed and irresponsibility, so he threw him into the Zongzheng Temple."
At this point, seeing that Lao Xianyu's face was full of regret, while Zhang Shou's mouth corners slightly curved, Ge Yong knew that the former did not understand the twists and turns of the royal family. He did not feel sorry that the eldest prince had suffered such a severe punishment, but probably felt that the punishment was too light. The latter, based on the emperor's temper, roughly guessed that the result was not that simple.
He was too lazy to hide anything for the disgraced eldest prince, and said bluntly: "According to the emperor's wishes, the eldest prince should be expelled from the clan and sent to hell. But the chief minister Jiang Ge Lao insisted that the royal family should not lose face, while the second minister Kong Daxueshi said that there was a precedent during the reign of Emperor Taizong. The two quarreled to the point of turning the world upside down and almost came to blows. In a rage, the emperor threw the eldest prince into the Zongzheng Temple."
Although as the Grand Master, it was fine for him to call everyone in the cabinet by their names, Ge Yong did not take advantage of his seniority and still did not call them by their names. But as the two cabinet elders almost got into a fight, he did not avoid it in front of an outsider like Lao Xianyu, but instead added a few more words when the other party lowered his head to hide his expression.
"Before, Zheng Huai'en, the son of Prince Sihe, broke the law and was sent to Shuntian Prefecture. Although he was caned and expelled from the clan, it was much lighter than being sent to the Zongzheng Temple. No criminal clan member who entered the Zongzheng Temple has ever come out. Having a clan member is the same as not having one. What's more, the Zongzheng Temple is the place where criminal clan members are detained. No matter who it is, they will be beaten with a hundred sticks as soon as they enter."
The term "beating with a stick" has a deeper impression on the common people than the officials, so Lao Xianyu could not help but be stunned for a moment, then he could not help but look up and said, "This time General Zhu ordered the officers not to beat people to death or maim them. Mr. Jiang and others just got their lives back, but how can a pampered prince like the eldest prince withstand a hundred sticks? He should always show mercy."
"That's because you don't know the system of our dynasty. Without solid evidence, the criminal royal family will not be sent to the Zongzheng Temple. Once they are sent to the Zongzheng Temple, it means they will never be able to get out of this situation. Who would show mercy at this time? It is certain that they will not be beaten to death or disabled, but this hundred sticks... I heard that the eldest prince fainted several times while being beaten, and each time he was woken up by the splashing water and continued to be beaten."
At this point, Ge Yong saw that Old Salty Fish's face was gradually turning pale, and Zhang Shou's face was also solemn, so he said calmly: "You should understand that after severely punishing the eldest prince, the emperor will naturally not be lenient with the rioters who occupied the palace and held the eldest prince hostage. Even if the eldest prince once denied in front of others that he was held hostage, aren't all the court officials blind?"
Zhang Shou could fully understand the emperor's intentions. Just like when Zhang Chen pretended to be the second prince's confidant, he had to go to the emperor to plead guilty and was scolded. Even if the emperor admitted that his son was a useless bastard, dragged him back and gave him a good lesson, or even locked him up in a small dark room and deprived him of his inheritance rights, it did not mean that he would really show leniency to the guy who held his son hostage and beat him into a pig's head.
As expected, Ge Yong narrowed his eyes slightly and said in a deep voice: "The result of the initial discussion in the court was that the eight leaders were beheaded, and the remaining hundreds of people were all exiled to Liaodong as soldiers."
