The official turned around and went back to sleep.
There are still many people who can't sleep.
The residence of Shi Miyuan, the prime minister and envoy to the Privy Council, was located to the west of Lin'an City.
For such a domineering person in political power, his family's land area is not very large. Although he is a master of making money, he always shows his frugality.
At this time, in the hall of the Prime Minister's Mansion, Xia Zhen, who had already treated his injuries and was holding a long lamp, was still kneeling on the ground.
There was a slightly fat old man sitting in the seat, half leaning on the Taishi chair, yawning from time to time, and holding a piece of silk with writing on it in his hand. This man was Shi Miyuan.
On Shi Miyuan's right hand side, one of his think tanks, Xue Ji, who was also a member of the famous "Four Woods and Three Fierce Men", was sitting with a frown on his face.
There are two people sitting with their hands hanging down. It is Zhao Rushu, the Minister of the Ministry of Justice mentioned above, the eighth grandson of Zhao Guangyi, Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty, and the other is Mo Ze, the minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs.
On the left side of Shi Miyuan, there is another person sitting. This person is wearing a black scarf and has a tall build. His gray hair shows that he is half a hundred years old.
"Let's talk about it. What do you think of tonight's events?"
Seeing that everyone was silent, Shi Miyuan asked.
"Enxiang, in my opinion, this matter can be big or small."
Xue Ji, who was sitting on the right, spoke first.
"Oh, Huizhi, why is it a big method, and how is it a small method?"
Shi Miyuan was very happy. Whenever he encountered difficulties, his subordinates never let him down.
"Just think about it, Enxiang. Overall tonight, there are two things."
"One is an assassin who broke into the palace at night, injured the guard, and left a letter with a flying knife. The other is a Jiaxing case, involving Mr. Zhao and Mr. Mo of the Criminal Department, as well as the descendants of the Huyan family."
"Based on my understanding of the official family, I asked Commander Xia to bring this matter back to Enxiang before the morning court, just to 'knock the mountain and shake the tiger'."
"Master Xue, why are you 'knocking on the mountain to shake the tiger'?"
Zhao Rushu, the Minister of Punishment, who was sitting with his hands hanging down, asked a question.
Shi Miyuan's subordinates are not all monolithic. The Minister of Punishment usually dislikes Xue Ji, who always looks sanctimonious.
"Nowadays, in the imperial court, there are many officials who 'only know that there is a prime minister but do not know that there is a king'."
"The official's health has never been good. Although it seems to have improved in the past few months, who can be sure that it is not a return to health?"
"Tonight, it happened that an assassin entered the palace. Commander Xia is responsible for guarding him. Commander Xia is also a favored person. It seems that Commander Xia's position may not be preserved this time."
The others couldn't help but nod when they heard Xue Ji's lucid analysis.
"The analysis made by the meeting is reasonable, but the sentence just now, 'I only know that there is a phase but not a king', it is better to say less in the future, haha——"
"What Enxiang taught me is that as for the case written on this silk cloth, it is actually a trivial matter. Since the officials let these two people go on the spot, then this is the end."
"It not only reflects the official's arbitrariness, but also refutes Enxiang's intention, and even slaps Mr. Mo in the face."
"If everything ends here, then this is a small matter, and tomorrow morning will just be a process."
"If En Xiang is in the position of Commander Xia, or if Lord Mo is still unyielding towards Hu Yan's family, maybe this matter can lead to a big conflict."
I have to say that Xue Ji was not able to see it with his own eyes, so he was able to analyze it to this point just based on the current situation afterwards. It was indeed a mistake.
"Xia Zhen, tell me about that assassin tonight. You were defeated in a head-to-head confrontation? Your martial arts, when it comes to martial arts, can barely be considered a top-notch expert, right?"
Xia Zhen is an important chess piece placed by Shi Miyuan in the "Imperial City Division". Of course, his martial arts skills are not too weak, but he is not the strongest either.
The strongest person is of course used to protect himself, not sent to the palace.
"En Xiang, this person has his face covered from beginning to end, but judging from his figure, he should be a young man. He wields a ghost-headed sword. His swordsmanship is mediocre, but he is extremely powerful and extremely fast."
"Young man who wields a knife? What do you think, sir?"
Shi Miyuan turned slightly sideways and said to the masked old man on his left.
"There are many people who use the Ghost Head Sword in the world, but none of them can be called a master. I'm afraid the other party is doing this intentionally to conceal their identity."
"Young man? Commander Xia, who has superior martial arts skills to a first-class level. Looking at the entire world, there are not many such young men. And I seem to only know one, but he is still one of my own."
It seems that this is also an unanswerable question.
"Where are you two? How do you plan to respond tomorrow morning?"
In the whole matter, Shi Miyuan actually had nothing wrong with him.
Although he also wrote a note and asked Mo Ze to bring it to the Ministry of Punishment, he himself was the prime minister of the dynasty, and it was his responsibility to supervise various ministries.
Not to mention that he asked a minister of household affairs to send a note, even if he asked the doorman to send it, the effectiveness and nature of the representation would be the same.
Zhao Rushu, Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishment, didn’t have much of a problem, not even dereliction of duty.
If we really want to pursue the crime of dereliction of duty, we can only continue to investigate and find the person specifically responsible for receiving and reviewing the case files.
As for Zhao Rushu, as the Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishment and the highest chief executive of the Ministry of Punishment, it is impossible for him to bear punishment for the responsibilities of a specific position. At best, he is considered to be a weak supervisor.
Moser is a slightly troublesome person, a bit of a power seeker, but he is also just a note-delivery person.
He could bear the name of lax discipline, but it would not be a crime. After all, his nephew was dead, and it was up to him whether he could swallow this breath.
"Eun Xiang, when the official mentions a certain family tomorrow, he will go out of work and feel that he has failed to supervise it well. He will punish himself with a salary."
Zhao Rushu, the Minister of Punishment, expressed his stance first.
A murder case was ignored by the Ministry of Justice for more than half a year, and he could not explain it anywhere.
More importantly, he was afraid that if he got to the bottom of this matter, his criminal department would be in trouble.
Even he himself doesn't know how many similar cases are pending.
"Hey, okay. Enxiang, Mo will no longer pursue the Huyan family."
Mo Ze could be considered as knocking out his teeth and swallowing them. However, after this incident, Mo Ze still felt a layer of estrangement in his heart.
Let him see that if it may endanger Shi Xiang, he can only sacrifice his own interests.
The morning meeting the next day was indeed a process.
In a peaceful atmosphere, everyone was doing "criticism and self-criticism" cordially.
Xia Zhen was dismissed from the post of "Ti Dian Imperial City Secretary" and went home to recuperate first. After he recovered from his injury, he would be assigned another position. The remaining post of "Ti Dian Imperial City Secretary" was temporarily held by the old eunuch.
The tribes under his command were handed over to Lu Chengfeng, another "Tipian Imperial City Secretary", to undergo strict screening and decide whether to stay or go.
Zhao Rushu, Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishment, fined him half a year's salary and ordered him to reorganize the Ministry of Punishment. After half a year, he will conduct a thorough investigation of the entire Criminal Ministry's cases.
Mo Ze, the Minister of Household Affairs, failed to teach his nephew the right way and ordered him to wander around the countryside and bring disaster to others. He thought that his nephew was dead, so he was not held accountable for his past crimes. He ordered him to stay in seclusion for a month and think about his life.
The prefect Qian of Jiaxing had his corpse eaten in his place, and he was ordered to take office in advance. The post of prefect left was replaced by Liu Kezhuang, a native of Putian.
This appointment puzzled all the officials in the court.
In fact, Guan Jia himself didn't understand either, but when he asked Guo Mo, Guo Mo casually mentioned Liu Kezhuang's name.
Guo Mo knew Liu Kezhuang for three reasons.
One is that he is a poet, and he is the largest poet in the Jianghu School.
Jianghu poets often express their admiration for seclusion and disdain for official career. They also often criticize the shortcomings of the times, ridicule the government, and express their wishes not to associate with those in power.
The other is that this man had a rough life, having worked at both the grassroots and high levels, serving in two dynasties, and living until he was eighty-three years old.
The most important point is that this man was deeply influenced by Xin Qiji. He was also a patriotic poet. He advocated resisting the Jin Dynasty throughout his life. He was one of the few literati with lofty ideals to resist the Jin Dynasty.
Since it was his son's choice, and Liu Kezhuang is now in his thirties, he can be considered young and powerful.
I have previously held the posts of Jing'an Director, Huai'an County Lieutenant, Fuzhou Right Manager Cao, Zhenzhou Recorder, and joined the army, along the Yangtze River to make and approve dispatches, and to manage and approve dispatches, etc. I have extensive experience in military and political affairs, and I have rich practical experience.
And he was also a celebrity in the literary world for a while.
The official didn't think much and just wrote Liu Kezhuang's name on it.
As soon as it was announced in the morning, all parties were caught off guard.
Fortunately, in the eyes of various factions, Liu Kezhuang was just a scholar and could not affect the overall situation.
As for Jiaxing, the economy was pretty good and everything else was insignificant. In addition, the original prefect Qian didn't take sides, so no one came out to oppose it.
The last one is that the mother and son of the Huyan family were acquitted. In order to appreciate their ancestors' merits and prevent Zhongliang's successors from suffering, they were given a thousand taels of silver, a hundred pieces of brocade, and a hundred acres of fertile land.
The male Ding Huyande was awarded the position of "Deputy Lieutenant of Guarding the Palace and Jinyong". Although he was the last military officer, he had a real salary.
He even gave the "Zhangba Snake Spear" collected in the palace and used by Hu Yanqing, the "Loyal and Xiao King", to Hu Yande.
Now there was another uproar among the civil and military officials in the court. What happened to the officials today?
Why give such a big reward to a descendant of a declining military general family?
If you can't guess clearly, don't guess. It won't affect other people's interests anyway.
But there seemed to be something more in the eyes of the then Prime Minister Shi Miyuan.
He didn't care who was promoted, demoted, or rewarded. He was thinking about the officialdom. How could there be such a change?
Originally, I had always been hiding in the palace, looking like I was getting by, and never cared about political affairs. Why am I giving out orders so frequently now?
In fact, Shi Miyuan had been alerted about the last "martial arts exercise", but he thought it was just a "martial arts exercise" and the overall situation was still under his control.
But judging from what happened this time, it seems that I am also in a passive position.
I lost a "TiDian Imperial City Secretary", and the person who replaced him was a Jianghu man named Lu Chengfeng, who seemed to have been a water bandit by Taihu Lake in the past.
The magistrate of Jiaxing was lost, and a bold and unrestrained poet with a small reputation was replaced.
He also named the lowest-ranking military officer, "Deputy Lieutenant Shougou Jinyong", and gave it to the declining Huyan family, who was still a ten-year-old child.
Is all this accidental, or is it inextricably linked?
Although Shi Miyuan had some doubts, he finally agreed happily and ordered You Si to use the seal to spread the world.
At this time, Liu Kezhuang was serving as a staff member to Hu Shu, the economic envoy of Guangxi, and was appointed as the official dispatcher of the economic affairs department. He sang and sang with each other, and his poems were enough to be compiled into a collection.
He suddenly received an imperial edict asking him to go to Jiaxing to serve as the prefect, but he was confused at that time.
He is just a literary man who has served as some grassroots officials and has never been attached to any big shots in the government. Why would pie fall from the sky?
That's right, for Liu Kezhuang in front of him, being the head of a government is definitely a huge pie.
"Kezhuang, don't think so much. Since the imperial court has issued an imperial edict, I won't keep you here."
"Brother Yu will give you a banquet today to congratulate you and wish brother Xian a bright future. Master Angel will also have a glass of water and wine with you, and then set off with Master Liu, right?"
As he said this, he took out a five hundred tael silver note from his pocket and stuffed it into the hand of the messenger.
"Lord Angel and the two guards have been working hard all the way. Let's take a good rest tonight. It won't be too late to set off again tomorrow morning."
Hu Shu knew that Liu Kezhuang was a pure scholar and had great character. He was worried that Liu Kezhuang would not be able to deal with the worldly affairs, so he paid five hundred taels for his friend.
He doesn't know that it doesn't mean much if he can't get the money out.
It is true that the messenger is from the Ministry of Rites, but his true identity is from the "Imperial City Division", and the two escorts were personally arranged by Lu Chengfeng.
Did he know that this Liu Kezhuang was named by Guo Mo himself, and there must be no mistake.
The two guards had someone to entertain them. Hu Shu, Liu Kezhuang and the messenger set up a banquet in Hu Shu's official office.
The road in the world is difficult, money is used as a horse, and worry is about to destroy the city, wine is used as an army.
After three rounds of wine and five flavors of food, the three of them no longer felt as restrained as when they first met.
"Lord Angel, I know that it is inconvenient for me to inquire, but I am a good brother and a pure scholar. I don't know what the rules are behind this?"
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Hu Zhen laughed and filled another cup for the messenger.
Since the messenger was from the "Imperial City Division", he had naturally been given instructions before coming. How could he reveal where the drinker had come from so easily?
"Master Hu, I'm just an errand boy. I don't know what's going on in the court. Well, this wine is good. Drink, drink."
Seeing that the messenger was not easily fooled, Hu Shu felt that there must be something going on here.
He gave Liu Kezhuang a wink, he said, everyone is a smart person, not a nerd.
The bold and unrestrained poet is naturally a good drinker. The two of them took turns to fight, and the messenger was "unable to resist".
“Hiccup—” the messenger burped.
"Two... Sirs, you can't drink any more of this wine. If you drink any more, it will delay... and delay things."
"How much do you drink now? Lord Angel, you have a lot of wine, and Liu hasn't even toasted you properly yet."
"In the court, Liu's eyes darkened. From now on, he may have to rely on Lord Angel to have another drink."
Liu Kezhuang seems to have a greater drinking capacity, and he has been promoted to an official position. He is also a noble person, cynical and unappreciated for his talents. The problem is that he "encountered" him this time.
"Look...look at Mr. Liu, you are so humble. You are still considered a nobody in the court? Then...then how can others live...how energetic."
The messenger took the wine offered by Liu Kezhuang and drank it all in one gulp.
Liu Kezhuang hurriedly continued to fill up.
"Lord Angel, how do you say this? I really can't understand it."
"Haha, since Liu... Mr. Liu doesn't... don't want to say it, a certain family will... just say it for you."
"You are from His Majesty Prince Yan. He...his old man recommended you. But...you can't say it was me who said..."
Before the official words of delivering the decree were finished, the person fell under the table.
"Lord Angel, Lord Angel——"
"Come here, please help Lord Angel down to rest. He will be well taken care of."
Hu Shu shouted outside, and a servant came in and helped the messenger out. Only Hu and Liu were left in the room.
"My dear brother, just now the messenger said that you were recommended by His Highness King Yan? What's going on?"
Hu Shu looked confused, and Liu Kezhuang was even more confused.
"Hey, how did I know? His Royal Highness the King of Yan is said to be the adopted son adopted by the officials from among the people. Everyone speculates that in order to cope with the Mongolian alliance to fight against the Jin Dynasty, the officials granted the title of 'King of Yan'.
"
"This person is even more like a dragon that never sees its end. He was given the name 'Zhao Hao' by the officials. He was also given the gold medal of 'I am here in person' and can mobilize all the soldiers and horses in the Song Dynasty."
"It's just that in the past few months, no one seems to have seen this person. Some people even speculate that this is just a plan made out of thin air by the officials. There is no such person at all."
"Okay, dear brother, there is no need to worry too much. Whether or not there is such a person does not matter to me now. The key is the position of the prefect, which is real."
"We will tell you what we will encounter in the future. Brother Fool is really happy for Brother Xian. He can govern a country and benefit the people, living up to what Brother Xian has learned."
...
Imperial edicts and proclamations sent to Jiaxing will arrive earlier.
Master Qian didn't expect that even though he was careful, he still couldn't escape.
Hu Yanfeng, mother and son, were overjoyed from the sky.
Do you think Emperor Ning Zong really showed his kindness and wanted to be kind to Zhongliang?
After Zhongliang, there were many people who "called Yang Gaozheng". After so many years of development, Emperor Ningzong never rewarded anyone.
Guo Mo vaguely mentioned in his description that the Sixth Master wanted Hu Yande to become his disciple.
He is one of his own, so he cannot reward his son openly, and the same goes for his disciples.
The emperor's father's idea is so simple, his approach is so arrogant, and he can still receive a wave of praise for "being kind to Zhongliang", why not do it?
Quan Jin, the "Hidden Hero in the Bustling City", got the news one step ahead and rode his horse in person, asking his servant to set up a carriage and went to Jiahe County to pick him up.
When he arrived, the people from Lin'an had already finished announcing the order, and Hu Yanfeng's mother and son had already come out of the prison.
The cell boss was very good at doing things. He bought the two of them a new set of clothes and new shoes from a clothing store, and they only came out of the cell after washing up.
"Ms. Huyan, Mr. Huyan...oh...you should call me sir now. I just can't remember the military attache's name."
"The misfortune has finally come to an end for the two of you. From now on, the young master should rise to the top and regain his glory as a general."
Hu Yande was young and could not speak, so he just followed his mother.
Hu Yanfeng had a good impression of this prison chief. Although it was because of his blond hair, his mother and son still received favor from him.
The magistrate of Jiahe County personally came to the cell to invite him. He was very considerate and there were many people watching.
Fortunately, Quan Jinfa arrived and protected the two of them. He thanked the messenger and the magistrate, and gave each a hundred taels of silver. Everyone was very happy.
Hu Yanfeng and her son never returned to their original home. The two-room adobe house had been unoccupied for more than half a year, and it was probably uninhabitable for a long time.
Following Quan Jinfa directly to the "Yuanyang Villa", he took the thousand taels of silver, the hundred pieces of brocade, the title deed to the hundred acres of fertile land, and the "eight-foot-long snake spear" as a reward from the court.
Quan Jinfa had already asked his servants in advance to clear out the entire third-floor courtyard for their mother and son to live in.
"Brother Quan, thank you so much this time."
"I know this is not a great favor from the emperor. Without you, De'er and I don't know what would have happened."
As soon as they entered the courtyard, Hu Yanfeng pulled her son and bowed to Quan Jin.
"Feng'er, De'er, please get up quickly——"
"How could I be so capable? The fact that you, mother and son, were able to turn disaster into good fortune and bathe in the emperor's favor is all thanks to a noble man."
"Noble person? Brother Quan, I wonder who can help me?"
"Hahaha--"
"The Hidden Hero in the Bustling City" laughed loudly, but there was a little sparkle in his eyes...