"Do you still remember Grandpa Taizu's admonition?"
"Servants should not forget this at all times. In the seventeenth year of Hongwu, Taizu ordered people to cast a three-foot iron sign that said, "Ministers are not allowed to interfere in political affairs, and offenders will be beheaded." It was hung high in the palace gate. When Chengzu moved the capital, he This sign was brought to Beijing and placed next to the Qianqing Palace on guard by the eunuch."
"Just remember it. When I was trapped in the Five Cities Soldiers and Horses Division, you risked your life to report the news, and I also remember it in my heart. But I can't be selfish. Rescue is to rescue, and greed for ink is greed for ink. They are not the same thing. This matter If it’s true, don’t blame me for being ruthless!”
Cao Huachun kowtowed and said: "Long live my lord, if this matter really happened to me, how can I be worthy of your reward and love? Without your words, I would have died of shame a long time ago. But this matter is really strange to me. Mr. Wen lives in Shou Kui, like those remonstrating officials, hurriedly entered the performance based on only some rumors, which was very contrary to the norm. It seemed that the matter had a lot to do with him. The servant asked for an order to investigate thoroughly, and one of them asked the long live Lord If you explain clearly, you can also clean yourself up."
Chongzhen thought for a moment, then nodded and said: "Okay, I'll give you a chance, but this matter is of great importance, so don't disturb me everywhere. Get up!"
.........
Cao Huachun returned to Dongchang, discussed with Wang Zhixin, the eunuch under his command, and assigned stall bosses and fans to pretend to be various merchants, doctors, and magicians. They searched around the Wen Mansion, monitored and tracked all the people entering and leaving the Wen Mansion, and then went to the Chief of Ceremonies to see the palm print in person. The eunuch Wang Dehua asked for orders to go to the inner library to retrieve the red-criticized manuscripts of Zhang Hanru, and he copied the manuscript and brought it back. Although Wang Dehua was dissatisfied with Cao Huachun, this matter was related to the internal conflict between the outer court and the inner court, so he had to adopt the attitude of the inner court. Come here, otherwise, I'm afraid someone will gossip.
The manuscript was full of words and listed the six major crimes and fifty-eight articles. He read each clause in detail and did not know how to defend himself. Cao Huachun racked his brains and read the manuscript repeatedly. He was so tired that he felt dizzy and kept using wet towels to apply it. He wiped the sweat from his face. At sunset, a report came from the stall: "Two people were carried directly into the Wen Mansion in a sedan chair."
"Who is that person in the sedan?" Cao Huachun immediately became more energetic.
"The curtains of the sedan chair are tightly covered, so you can't see clearly, but the accent of the people who were asked when you came in is undoubtedly Wu dialect."
"Let's go!" Cao Huachun changed into casual clothes, hurried out of the house, took a few stalls in casual clothes and went straight to Wen Tiren's mansion.
Shidaren Hutong, where the Wen Mansion is located, got its name from the title conferred by the powerful official Shi Heng. During the Tianshun period, General Shi Heng, the loyal Duke, supported the restoration of Yingzong during the Tianshun period and supported the restoration of the Yingzong, and was awarded this mansion. The house is located in the north of the alley, occupying almost half of the alley. After Wen Tiren became the chief minister, he bought Shi Heng's old house, repaired it and renovated it, and turned it into a mansion.
Cao Huachunming was eating tea at tea stalls in the alley with a few stalls, then walked alone into a small braised pork and BBQ restaurant diagonally across the street, ordered a bowl of hot braised pork BBQ, and covered most of it with a wide-brimmed hat. He looked around the opposite side while eating. In the twilight, the tall elm and locust trees in Wen Mansion crowded the sky above the courtyard with their lush growth, and the leaves shone with golden afterglow from time to time. It was almost the time of the evening, Wen Mansion The left corner door creaked open, and two green cloth sedans came out and left quickly toward the southwest.
Without waiting for Cao Huachun's signal, the two stall holders had quickly followed, following behind the sedan. Cao Huachun paid the bill and left the shop, then chased after him. For more than half an hour, the two sedans passed through Qianmen Street, turned to an alley, and got on the sedan. The two people came down and sent the sedan back. One took the lantern, the other held a bundle of things, and walked into the alley one after another.
The alley was dark and extremely deep. Cao Huachun carefully followed the shadows of the alley, and through the dim light of the lantern, he discovered that the alley was only one foot wide, with twists and turns, including dead and living bends, straight bends, and diagonal bends. There are many twists and turns, like a maze. It is very quiet without the hustle and bustle of Qianmen Street.
The two stopped in front of a slightly higher gatehouse. The man holding the lantern stepped forward and patted the door twice. The black door opened a crack, poked his head out, and greeted: "The master is back. The young master was talking just now." Woolen cloth!"
"Well!" The man burped a few times, handed the things in his arms to the house slave who came out, and greeted: "Hanru, go to the study first, I think the little dog is still thinking about me."
The two men went in carrying lanterns, and the slaves closed the door tightly. Cao Huachun waved his hand, and the stalls and fans jumped into the courtyard and quietly opened the courtyard door. Cao Huachun walked in softly. It is a small courtyard, with three main rooms on the north and two wing rooms on the east and west. There are so many flowers and trees in the courtyard that you can't tell what flowers and plants they are at the moment. You can only smell the sweet fragrance of roses.
Cao Huachun looked at the lights and shadows in the west wing. There happened to be a grape rack under the flower window. It was growing with luxuriant branches and leaves. He ducked under the grape trellis and heard someone talking and laughing. He was about to go to the window to listen carefully when he suddenly heard footsteps. He heard the sound and hurriedly hid his body, but saw the slave coming to make tea, entered the house, came out a moment later, and went back the way he came.
Cao Huachun waited for a long time, and there was no one around. Then he got out from under the grape trellis and approached the flower window. He only heard one person say: "Brother Lu Qian, you are so thoughtful that you found such a secluded place."
"This Jiuwan Hutong has 13 twists and turns. The wide part is more than one foot, and the narrow part can only accommodate one person. Ordinary people are impatient to walk. It is a good place to get quiet in the bustle, and it is more convenient to talk and do things. .”
Cao Huachun gently broke the window paper and saw three people sitting in the room, two middle-aged scribes in their forties and a young man in his early twenties. A stall owner whispered in his ear: "Master Governor, that tall, fat and long beard The young man’s name is Chen Luqian, the thin man with a slight beard is called Zhang Hanru, and the young man is Chen Luqian’s only son.”
I heard the young man say with envy: "What a noble person Mr. Wen Ge is, he is so courteous to a corporal, and allows his father and uncle to eat at his house. It is a pity that this young man cannot meet him with such honor!"
"My dear nephew, not only did we have a meal, Mr. Wen Ge also brought out the imperial wine given by the emperor for us to drink! The imperial wine was so delicious. I have traveled far and wide and had countless wines, but this was the first time I drank such good wine. "
Chen Luqian said: "Have you put away that piece of Gebu?"
"Put it away. I've seen it until May and June. I'll find a good tailor tomorrow to make robes for my father and uncle to wear."
Zhang Hanru pinched his sparse beard and said with a smile: "My dear nephew, thanks to your thoughtfulness, my uncle also gets some credit. It's just that I can't bear to wear such fine Gebu when it's made into a robe! You must store it carefully. I can boast about it when I return to my hometown in the future."
The three of them served tea and Chen Luqian said: "Qian Qianyi really has some connections. He actually bribed Zhu Guobi, an honorable minister and protector of the country, to impeach Mr. Wen Ge for bullying the emperor and harming the country."
"Although Zhu Guobi is a founding minister, his words have some weight, but it is just such an exaggeration. It is empty talk and has no real evidence. The emperor will not be tempted. In these years, have there been few people participating in the impeachment? Who can get it? Ni Yuanlu, Huang Jingfang, Chen Zizhuang, Liu Zongzhou...even the cabinet ministers Wen Zhenmeng and He Wuzou were demoted or reduced in rank because they offended Mr. Wen Ge. Brother Lu Qian, you can rest assured and wait for this great fortune. ! Once Qian Qianyi beheads Xishi, Mr. Wen Ge will not treat us badly. How many taels of silver is your hometown house worth?" Zhang Hanru said with a smile.
"The house is not worth much, but I can't swallow this bad breath. I prepared a gift and asked the old thief to speak for us. He promised well. But when the county government came to the county government, he sold me and spoke for others instead, which led to the lawsuit. I lost. Do you think you are annoyed or not?"
"Dad, now we use Mr. Wen Ge's power to send him to the prison of the Ministry of Punishment. This can be regarded as removing the thorn in Mr. Wen Ge's side. We kill two birds with one stone. What else are you thinking about that house? The capital is much better than his hometown in Changshu. "
"Yes, yes...that makes sense. Let's stay in the capital. There is a big tree like Mr. Wen Ge, so we can enjoy the shade anyway."
"There are many interesting places in the capital. How can we do this without seeing something?" Cao Huachun pushed open the door and entered. The three of them stood up in shock and said with a change of color: "You, who are you? How can you break into a house without permission?"
Cao Huachun sneered and said: "There is no need to say who we are, you will naturally know when we get to the place."
"Where?"
"Beizhen Fusi Prison or Dongchang Prison, you choose whatever you want."
Jinyiwei and Dongchang are famous enough to be frightening, not to mention Beizhen Fusi Prison and Dongchang torture chamber, which used cruel punishments. Although the emperor of this dynasty ascended the throne, Dongchang and Jinyiwei are not as good as before, but the skinny camels are bigger than horses. The torture was not abolished. The three of them were so frightened that they were trembling and their faces were pale. When they saw clearly that the person who came was dressed in Confucian robes, like a down-and-out scribe, and did not look evil at all, they immediately felt relieved. Zhang Hanru said in a sullen voice: "This brother Tai is in the Confucian Academy, but he thought he was wasting his time in the exams, living in the capital, and couldn't live a good life, so he came up with this trick and broke into a private house to blackmail you. If you ask nicely, I won't say that out of consideration for my colleagues, I will give you a few pieces. Money comes to the rescue, but you are so rude, we have no choice but to send you to the court for punishment."
"Hahaha... You can frame Qian Muzhai, but you can't frame us! I will definitely accompany you to whichever Yamen you want to go to, but you have to go to Dongchang first."
After all, Chen Luqian was more prudent. He heard that Dongchang's fanzi often disguised themselves and penetrated into every corner. Dui smiled and said: "Brother, if you have something to say, the three of us are doing things under the orders of Mr. Wen Ge. Please..."
"What are you doing? I was about to take you back to ask for clarification." Cao Huachun waved outside, and Fanzi rushed in from the stall outside the door, surrounded the three of them, and without allowing any further explanation, he cut his hands behind his back and put them into his big pocket. Cao Huachun took the rest of the manuscripts and searched the house carefully, and unexpectedly found the draft of the announcement. There were dots of circles on it, and the six words "pay Cao, capture Chen, and Wen" were vaguely visible. The word "capture Chen" was obliterated, and the word "harmony" was changed to the word "attack", which was written by Wen Tiren himself.
Seeing this, Cao Huachun couldn't help laughing. When Zhou Yanru was the chief minister four years ago, he supported Wen Tiren's defeat of Zhou Dynasty. For this reason, his relationship with Gao Qiqian was extremely tense. However, in the four years since Wen Tiren came to power, the country's power has become more and more powerful. It was difficult, the bandits burned down the Fengyang ancestral mausoleum, the emperor had long wanted to change the chief minister, and he had not completely eradicated Fushe in Suzhou. The emperor was criticized for being incompetent, so Cao Huachun was concerned about public affairs and private affairs. You have to think about yourself. If you can actively revert to Wen Tiren, the emperor will definitely change his mind. After all, the emperor knows your loyalty, otherwise he would not show the impeachment to you. However, after reversing Wen Tiren, Qianyi couldn't take advantage of the money. Donglin was not a good bird when he resumed his job. He had to find a way to kill two birds with one stone. Don't let Donglin think that if Wen Tiren was defeated, Zhou Yanru would be able to resume his official position.