In the gloomy Kyoto, it has been rainy for four or five consecutive days since the torrential downpour in the middle of the first lunar month.

The 108th Street in Kyoto has been closed. The first month of the year is supposed to be a time for visiting relatives and friends, but people in Kyoto can only stay at home, hoping that the haze hanging over Kyoto will dissipate as soon as possible, and the fight between the big shots can be resolved as soon as possible.

To solve the problem, don't involve the common people, although they know very well that in the battles between big shots, it is the little people who shed the most blood and sacrifice.

Some older people seem to have gone back to those days more than ten years ago.

At that time, the streets and alleys of Kyoto were filled with cadres from the Ministry of Punishment. Amid the wails and cries, countless people were taken to the prison of the Ministry of Punishment. Within a few days, they would be taken to the food market and their heads would be chopped off neatly.

Many people still remember that during that period, the air of Kyoto was always filled with the smell of blood, which lasted for more than half a year.

Everything seems to be back to that horrible time.

The officials of the Ministry of Punishment were once again dispatched, and the families of countless officials in Kyoto were dragged to prison. Those who were better informed knew that Kyoto was about to usher in another bloody purge.

What surprised people was that it was the Xiahou family who rebelled this time.

Everyone in the world knows that the current saint comes from the Xiahou family.

People take it for granted that as long as the current saint sits in that position, the Xiahou family will be as stable as Mount Tai, and no one in the world can shake their status. Many people have even speculated for a long time that there is no prince under the current saint. After abdicating,

Will he choose an heir from the Xiahou family to inherit the throne?

This idea is not only discussed privately by many people in the market, but also by many officials in the DPRK and China.

After the Jiangnan Rebellion, Princess Sheyue's status plummeted, and more officials preferred saints who might allow someone from the Xiahou family to inherit the throne. For this reason, more officials in the court turned to the Xiahou family.

But who would have thought that just half a year after the Jiangnan Incident, the Xiahou family would brazenly rebel. Under His Majesty's heroic majesty, the rebels did not even last a day, and the kingdom immediately collapsed, and the Xiahou family also collapsed.

The scene from more than ten years ago happened again.

Everyone knows that the current saint has never shown mercy to those who disobey her. Even the Li family has been bloody purged. This time, the purge of rebels is no less ferocious than it was more than ten years ago.

.

The punishment department once again showed its ferocious fangs.

Lu Junzhong, the Secretary of the Ministry of Punishment, was able to rise through the ranks and become a role that officials in various departments and yamen talked about because he was at the forefront and became a vicious dog that the saint would bite wherever he pointed.

The Ministry of Punishment has become quite quiet in recent years.

After all, His Majesty the Emperor wishes not only to frighten the civil and military officials of the court, but also to keep the dog on a leash, but also to make the ministers return to their hearts.

When Qin Xiao was working at Dali Temple, a huge conflict broke out between the Ministry of Punishment and Dali Temple. They once fought with fists and kicks on the street, like street gangsters. Although it became a topic of ridicule, it also made the two yamen incompatible.

However, after that incident, the officials also felt that the once arrogant arrogance of the Punishment Department had been severely suppressed, and some even felt that the Punishment Department might never return to its original glory.

But things are unpredictable.

Now the Ministry of Punishment has taken advantage of this Xiahou family rebellion to make a comeback.

The Ministry of Punishment was taking action, but the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty were as silent as a cicada.

Many officials were thankful that they were not involved that day.

Naturally, the first people to be purged this time were those who directly participated in the rebellion that day. A large number of generals of the Wu-Gui Army were arrested. Many generals of the Shence Army, led by Zhuang Zhaoyang, were also arrested and imprisoned. Those who were waving flags and shouting under the city with the Prime Minister that day.

Naturally, among the many officials, none of them could escape.

In addition, the two most severely affected areas were naturally the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War.

This time, officials from these two major yamen were the ones who cheered the most for the Prime Minister. The Ministry of Punishment also immediately targeted these two major yamen, and a large number of officials and their family members were arrested and imprisoned.

Although most of the officials in the court were not directly involved, and they were lucky at first, everyone's hearts soon sank, especially those yamen that had some quarrels with the Ministry of Punishment, such as Dali Temple, and everything in the yamen was bleak.

Lu Jun's character of being loyal and unyielding was known to everyone in the court.

After the saint ascended the throne, the officials who directly opposed the saint's succession naturally did not end well, and officials who were not directly involved were also dragged into the water by the Ministry of Punishment in large numbers. To the Ministry of Punishment, it does not matter whether you participated in the rebellion or not. What is important is that

Does the Ministry of Justice want to make you look good?

There are no other yamen, but Dali Temple is where the yamen officials, after the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of War, are the most anxious.

In the rainy weather, the Xingbu Yamen heard extremely miserable sounds day and night for several days in a row. Passing near the Xingbu Yamen, those shrill sounds that seemed to come from hell only made people's hair stand on end.

Lu Junzhong enjoys such a voice.

At this moment, Lu Butang was in high spirits again.

He admired his previous choice.

When the Prime Minister summoned officials from the DPRK and China to discuss matters, Lu Junzhong weighed in and did not participate. In this kind of rebellion, the Ministry of Punishment remained silent with unusual patience. Looking back now, Lu Junzhong is thankful that his back

I was also breaking into a cold sweat.

At that time, if he had just been a little softer and gone to the Prime Minister's Office, he would have definitely not ended well. He would definitely be the one being interrogated now, and his position would definitely be replaced by someone else.

There is never a shortage of cruel officials in this world. How many people want to replace him deep down? Lu Junzhong knows it very well, but he clearly understands that if he wants to sit firmly in this position, he can only have someone above him.

A piece of cloud, that piece of cloud is in the palace, no matter when and where, as long as you are loyal to the palace wholeheartedly, your position cannot be shaken.

"Deng Taichu, the left minister of the Ministry of War, confessed that although Liang Quan, the young minister of Taipu Temple, did not appear in the city that day, he participated in the rebellion." An official in black from the Ministry of Punishment held a document in his hand and respectfully reported to Lu Junzhong: "Liang Quan

Quan promised Deng Taichu that Taipu Temple had five or six hundred high-quality war horses at a racecourse in the suburbs. He could provide them at any time whenever Xiahou Yuanzhen needed them. In other words, Liang Quan was prepared to provide war horses to the rebels.

I've sent someone to summon Liang Quan for questioning."

Lu Junzhong stroked his beard under his chin and nodded slightly, looking proud.

A few years ago, Taipu Temple got a dozen horses from the Western Regions from somewhere. Lu Junzhong fell in love with two of them at a glance. He didn't want to speak directly, so he invited Liang Quan to have a meal, implying that Liang Quan would use those two horses.

A BMW from the Western Regions was given to him in the name of dispatching it to the Ministry of Punishment.

Who knew that Liang Quan claimed that the two horses had been spotted by others, but they did not fall into Lu Junzhong's hands in the end.

Although Lu Junzhong didn't do anything wrong, he had already recorded this grudge in his heart.

This time I had the opportunity, and while I was purging the rebel party, I also took out a portion of my secret book and pulled them in one by one according to the names recorded in the secret book.

"Providing war horses to the rebels is an unforgivable crime." Lu Junzhong picked up the tea cup and said slowly: "Such vicious people must be thoroughly investigated. Ziben, please personally handle Liang Quan's case. Don't let me down.

"

The official naturally understood what Lord Bu Tang meant and hurriedly said: "Don't worry, Bu Tang, my subordinates will definitely handle this case without leakage." Then he came closer and whispered: "The cousin of Bai Zhengxin, the right minister of the Ministry of Revenue, yesterday

I came over late to visit the prisoner, and my subordinate asked me a few questions. He wanted to see the minister."

"Meet me?" Lu Junzhong smiled indifferently and said leisurely: "How much money is he prepared to spend on his life?"

"He said that as long as the Bai family can be spared, the Bai family is willing to give one hundred thousand taels of mercury for tea." The official whispered: "My subordinate has not agreed directly. I wonder if the department is willing to meet?"

"One hundred thousand taels?" Lu Junzhong stroked his beard and said with a smile: "It's quite a lot. Working as an errand in the Ministry of Household Affairs is a lot of money. If I remember correctly, Bai Zhengxin was promoted to the Ministry of Household Affairs by Xiahou Yuanzhen four years ago.

Minister, in just a few years, the Bai family has secretly purchased so many properties, it is the envy of others."

The official said hurriedly: "Butang, do you mean to meet me?"

"If we really meet him, we won't need to wear our official uniforms." Lu Junzhong's face darkened and he sneered: "Zi Ben, you have been with me for many years. It seems that you still have a lot of things that you haven't learned.

Xuexue Dongshan. If Bai Zhengxin were from another yamen, it would be easy to say that he was the Minister of Hubu. After the Zhao family of Duke Cheng was cut off, Hubu had been in the hands of Xiahou Yuanzhen. The entire Hubu yamen, every one

Everyone smells like Xiahou's family. A few days ago, Bai Zhengxin ran to the city with Xiahou Yuanzhen, waving flags and shouting. If such a person can be let go, everyone will know that we have done something wrong. When the time comes, the palace will investigate and investigate.

Do we still want to live?"

The official's body trembled and he said with shame, "It's my subordinate who is stupid."

"No one from the Bai family can be spared." Lu Junzhong said: "I have told you before that no one from the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War is involved, and no one can be merciful."

"My subordinate understands." There was a fierce look in the official's eyes, "My subordinate will personally investigate and deal with the Bai family, and I will make sure that no one is left alive."

Lu Junzhong looked outside the door and then waved to the official. The official came over and Lu Junzhong said: "The Bai family wants to use money to save people. You use the excuse of summons to send Bai Zhengxin's cousin over.

Tell him to bring the silver first. One hundred thousand taels will not come out. I have calculated that the Bai family will try their best to squeeze out two hundred thousand taels. When collecting the money, be careful not to leave any traces. As soon as you get the money, you will immediately get it.

Let that man be punished severely...!" There was a fierce look in his eyes, and he said leisurely: "There are many people in the Punishment Department Yamen who cannot bear the punishment, and he is not the only one."

The official understood what he was saying, and before he could say anything, he heard a voice coming from outside: "Bu Tang, I'm asking for an audience!" But it was the voice of Zhu Dongshan, the Minister of Punishment.

"You go ahead." Lu Junzhong waved his hand and signaled the official to step back. Then he called Zhu Dongshan in and asked straight to the point: "What's the situation over there?"

"We have asked Zuo Zuo to examine the body carefully." Zhu Dongshan came up and said with cupped hands: "They said that they searched the entire military camp and could not find Zuo Xuanji's head, but the body was indeed Zuo Xuanji's clothes. On New Year's Eve, Zuo Xuanji
Chapter completed!