Although the search in Pujiang City has not been relaxed, everyone knows that that person is definitely not in the hands of the Mingjiao... All eyes are focused on Zhengzhai Town.
In addition to Zhou Xin, Zheng Fantai and Hu also rushed to the town. Naturally, there was also the imperial guard Qianhu Zhu Jiuye who followed the imperial envoy. However, the four officials were still like tigers gnawing at Zheng Zhaizhen, who was protecting Taizu's body.
A hedgehog has nowhere to eat.
At a time when nothing could be done, the news that Tang Yunhuo attacked the Red Turban Army and forced the Mingjiao to surrender reached the military camp. Zhu Jiuye's eyes lit up and he said: "Let's also follow the prescription and use fire to force the Zheng family out of their turtle shells."
"
The three civil servants looked at each other, this method was really cruel. But Zheng Fantai shook his head and said: "No, no, no, there is Taizu's imperial book in the Zheng family ancestral hall. What if it burns down?"
"That is also the fault of the Zheng family. Who caused them to cause the fire and failed to rescue Taizu Yushu?" Zhu Jiuye said harshly: "With this crime, we can all arrest them." He looked at Hu Wei and said:
"Master Hu, what do you think?"
"This is a way to break the situation..." Hu Yan said slowly: "It really doesn't work, so this is the only way."
Hearing what he said, both Zhou Xin and Zheng Fantai changed their expressions. Hu Wei changed the subject and said, "But this trick doesn't have to be used to achieve the effect."
"How can it be useful if it's not needed?" Zhu Jiu said in a dull voice.
"Master Hu means to intimidate," Zheng Fantai said clearly, "Let me go to Zhengzhai Town for a while."
Hu Tong originally planned to go there by himself, but after thinking about it, it was difficult for him to introduce himself to the imperial envoy who was looking for Zhang Xiu. It was more legitimate for the governor of the province to come forward.
Zhu Jiu looked at Zheng Fantai and said, "Zheng Fangbo and the Zheng family are not related, right?"
"Jiu Ye is joking." Zheng Fantai shook his head and said with a bitter smile: "Will the imperial court allow a Zhejiang native to be the chief envoy of Zhejiang?" He paused and said, "Xiaguan's ancestral home is Henan, and he cannot reach the top of the Jiangnan family."
"That's the first one in Henan." Zhu Jiu also felt that it was a bit rude to ask, so he compensated: "It's much better than the first one in Jiangnan."
Zheng Fantai smiled and did not answer. The plan was decided, and he was ready to enter the town accompanied by only a small group of personal guards.
When he came to the trench that was already two feet deep, the Jinyi guards stopped his sedan. His guard captain said angrily: "Your family Qianhu didn't notify you, is Fantai going to go in?"
"It's precisely because we were notified." The Jinyiwei Baihu said with a straight face, "That's why we are here waiting for Uncle Fang."
The captain of the guard was about to get angry, but Uncle Zheng in the sedan stopped him and said: "Stop arguing, it's hard to disobey orders, so we just do as they are told."
"Uncle Fang understands the righteousness." Jinyiwei Baihu then smiled and said: "There is an order from the summit. We, Jinyiwei, are responsible for Uncle Fang's safety. Please wait here for your guards."
"We can protect Uncle Fang," the guard captain said angrily.
"The superiors don't trust you, why do you have to say it so clearly?" said Baihu, rolling his eyes.
"Okay." Zheng Fantai nodded and said to the guard captain: "You guys wait here."
"Yes." The guard captain replied in a muffled voice.
"Please ask Uncle Fang to change the sedan chair." Baihu said again, and saw four Jinyi guards carrying a sedan chair. Zheng Fantai sat in as instructed, and was surrounded by Jinyi guards and entered Zhengzhai Town. As for his
The guards had to wait outside, and only two personal followers followed in...
Entering the town through the tall nine-way archway, they saw that the doors of every house were closed and the streets were dead silent. However, everyone clearly felt that behind every door, there was a pair or even several pairs of eyes peering at them.
People are extremely uncomfortable.
The team walked until they reached the Zheng family ancestral hall before someone came out to greet them. They heard that the governor of a province was coming in person. The Zheng family was not panicked. They just responded lightly and asked Zheng Fantai to wait in the living room, and then went straight to find the head of the family.
.
Zheng Fantai looked at the four big characters "filial piety, benevolence and justice" on the white wall of Zheng's house. He couldn't help but be lost in thought. He didn't notice anyone coming to the living room. Zheng Yan called out "Uncle Fang" softly, and he came back to his senses.
, looked at Zheng Yandao: "Are you Zheng Ziyan?"
"It's the grassroots." Zheng Yan saluted and said, "My father is seriously ill and can't get up. I ordered the grassroots to complain to Uncle Fang."
"It doesn't matter." Zheng Fantai said calmly: "I will tell you the same thing."
"The common people are all ears," Zheng Yan said respectfully.
"Let me tell you one thing first. Uncle Tang has regained Pujiang County," Zheng Fantai said solemnly: "Some of the confessions made by the top Mingjiao leaders who surrendered are very detrimental to the Zheng family.
"What confession?" Zheng Yan frowned.
"Don't pretend to be stupid." Zheng Fantai said solemnly: "Why did the Mingjiao start an uprising in Pujiang? You should know better than me."
"The common people really don't know." Zheng Yan shook his head.
"Since you don't know anything, I don't need to waste words with you." Zheng Fantai frowned and said, "Take me to see your father."
"My father is seriously ill..." Zheng Yan wondered.
"Can you still speak?" Zheng Fantai asked coldly.
"able……"
"That's okay." Zheng Fantai stood up and said, "Take me in."
"Yes." Zheng Yan had no choice but to follow the order and led Zheng Fantai to the back. Zheng Fantai's two entourages followed closely behind. When people went to visit patients in the inner room, there was no reason for the Jinyi guards to follow, so they also
Not interested in following, he waited in the outer courtyard for Uncle Zheng Fang to come out.
More than half an hour later, Zheng Fantai came out, still followed by his two attendants. Sitting in the sedan, he said to Zheng Yan who was sent out: "I only give you one day to wait, you and your son can take care of yourself."
"Yes..." Zheng Yan responded with a solemn expression.
"Get up the sedan chair!" Zheng Fantai's chief attendant sang loudly, and the Jin Yiwei lifted up the sedan chair and left Zhengzhai Town.
Returning to the ditch at the entrance of the town, Zheng Fantai's captain of the bodyguard came up to him and asked with concern: "Sir, are you okay?"
"It's okay." Zheng Fantai shook his head and said to the hundreds of Jinyi guards: "Thank you for your protection, sir."
"It's just a humble errand." The hundred households smiled sheepishly and said, "It's time for me to return to my hometown. The safety of my lord is still the responsibility of your guards.
"Please." Zheng Fantai nodded, and the Jin Yiwei withdrew, and his personal guards escorted him back to the camp.
After returning to the Central Army, Zheng Fantai went to the commander's tent to see the three adults.
In the handsome tent, Hu Tong and Zhou Xin were playing chess, while Zhu Jiu sat aside, closing his eyes and concentrating.
Hearing the noise, he opened his eyes, looked at Zheng Fantai and said, "How is it?" Hu Tong and Zhou Xin also put down the chess pieces in their hands and stood up to greet them.
Zheng Fantai sat down and said slowly: "The Zheng family said that they know what we suspect, but that person is indeed not in their hands."
"Be tough," Zhu Jiuhen said.
"Listen to Uncle Fang first." Hu Wei handed Zheng Fantai a cup of tea.
Zheng Fantai took it, put it on the table and said: "The Zheng family said that although they are innocent, since they have become suspicious of the emperor, they can only obey the orders of the court." After a pause, he said: "I will tell you.
They, the Zheng family, have no place to stand in the Ming Dynasty, but God has the virtue of a good life, the emperor will be merciful and let you have a way to live... Tomorrow, we will open the Ming Dynasty as a family."
"What did they say?"
"They wanted to go to Beijing to plead their case, but I told them that it was impossible for the emperor to see them, and there was no second solution to the matter. Unless the Zheng family wanted to be burned alive in the town, they had to leave the Ming Dynasty. Zheng Tang had no choice but to agree.
"Zheng Fantai said: "Zheng Tang and I have agreed that early tomorrow morning, the Zheng family will leave the town as expected, undergo inspection, and board the ship at Baimadu."
The three people looked at each other and nodded: "This is the only way..." They had received the emperor's secret order before. Zhu Di meant that the Zheng family was absolutely unforgivable, but they could not be charged with any crime. The Ming Emperor's will was determined by himself.
The contradiction is really difficult for the ministers to carry out. It is the most balanced solution to let the Zheng family disappear quietly and then burn the Zheng house to ashes.
At nine o'clock the next day, Mr. Zheng personally rang the charity bell in the ancestral hall.
The bells sounded long and continuous, no different from the past. But the Zheng family all knew that this might be the last time they heard the bells.
Accompanied by the sound of bells, the men and women of the Zheng family entered the ancestral hall solemnly and stood in the Shijian Hall. Thousands of people inside and outside the courtyard were filled with darkness, and there was not even a sound of coughing.
Mr. Zheng stood on the steps, his eyes slowly swept over the honest and innocent faces. His heart felt like a knife, and his body trembled slightly. He took a deep breath, stabilized his emotions, and slowly looked at his disciples.
They said:
"The rise and fall of a family is all related to the accumulation of good and evil... A house that accumulates good will always have happiness, and a family that has accumulated bad deeds will always have disaster. It is a natural principle..." When he said this, the old man choked up and said in a trembling voice: "Someone will definitely want to
That’s not entirely true…”
As soon as these words came out, the expressions of the disciples finally changed. Since they learned yesterday that they had been expelled by the imperial court, their outlook on life and values have been uncontrollably shaken...
"You must ask, if that's the case? Why do I, the children of the Zheng family, have to leave their hometown and live overseas?" Mr. Zheng could no longer hold back his tears and said: "But there are two ends. In addition to the laws of heaven, there is also power in this world.
We rebelled against the powerful, but did not suffer sudden disasters. Isn't it because our ancestors accumulated virtues, accumulated good deeds in daily life, and the laws of nature are clear, so that the powerful do not dare to harm us rashly?"
The disciples nodded silently, but this answer obviously did not satisfy them. Someone asked in a low voice: "Old patriarch, what crime have we committed to be deported?"
"We have not committed a crime." Mr. Zheng, with his hair and beard all growing, said categorically: "It is the world that has committed a crime. Nowadays, in this world's clothes and clothes, everyone is guilty. The right path we adhere to has become a sin in their eyes." He pointed to the plaque behind him,
The couplets on both sides said in a deep voice: "Our Zheng family has not insulted Emperor Taizu's inscription, and has not embarrassed Mr. Zhengxue. Do you remember it?"
"Yes" the tribesmen responded loudly, which was enough to make them go through fire and water...