A skinny old man in his fifties, sitting slumped in a single room in the prison of the Ministry of Punishment, with a sunken face, was none other than Fang Kongzhen, who was the governor of Huguang two months ago.
He has lived here for five or six days, but fortunately he is not desperate in his heart.
Because the jailers didn't make it difficult for him, they all secretly leaked information, saying that the Ministry of Punishment was processing his case urgently, but they just needed him as circumstantial evidence, and they had to wait patiently for a few more days before the suspicion was completely cleared.
At this moment, Fang Kongzheng was distracted and thinking about life, looking up at the vastness of the universe and observing the prosperity of categories. A jailer came with a food box to deliver breakfast, interrupting his meditation.
"Master Fang, it's okay. Xu Shangshu has made a thorough investigation himself. You are not at fault in arranging your troops. Once the formalities are completed in the morning, you can go out today.
The blame for the loss of Huguang lies entirely with Yin Xianmin, and He Yide surrendered without a fight. If you are interested, you can go to the Xisi Archway at noon to see the execution of Yin and He."
While the jailer was talking casually, his hands were not idle, and four plates of food were laid out. Fang Kongzheng had been through hard days for a few days, and his spleen and stomach must be weak, so the staple food was just a big bowl of yellow millet porridge, with a bowl of peeled rice next to it.
Chicken legs in clear chicken soup, a plate of vinegared radish and mustard greens, and a few fish cakes.
Fang Kongzheng opened his eyes, dusted his hands and sleeves, and smiled to himself: "There are chickens and fishes. People who don't know it think it's a meal without a head."
The jailer quickly apologized and said, "You are joking, sir. Who doesn't know that your grievances have been cleared and you will be re-employed after you go out. Naturally, you don't like these few stutters. We are just taking the opportunity to express our filial piety. After all, the procedures will take a long time."
, at least drink some porridge to nourish your stomach."
Fang Kongzhen was very self-aware and shook his head: "I don't dare to think about being reused again. At most, it will be useless."
He didn't want to appear arrogant, so in the end he drank porridge and some vinegared radish to save face. After finishing the meal, he chose non-greasy vegetables and sat there for a long time before someone went through the formalities and took him out.
After coming out of the Ministry of Justice and not seeing the sun for several days in a row, Fang Kongzheng's eyesight was a little uncomfortable with the bright light. He accidentally covered his eyes with his sleeves and took a long time to adapt.
It wasn't until someone pulled his sleeve and walked him into the car while talking that he was surprised to realize that it was his daughter's voice.
He then forced himself to open his eyes wide, tears streaming down his face despite the momentary glare and discomfort, and it took him several seconds to see clearly that it was indeed Fang Ziling.
"Ling'er? Why did you come to the capital to file a complaint? Were you okay on the way? It was such a chaotic situation. I told your brother when I left, but he turned a deaf ear to it?"
Fang Kongzhen was a little worried, and regardless of his dirty hands and feet, he subconsciously groped his daughter's arms and shoulders a few times, as if to confirm whether his daughter had lost a piece of flesh.
"It's none of Big Brother's business. The military situation ahead is urgent and he can't escape. Big Brother asked the Shen family to borrow a warship and sailor. The child took the boat to the north. It was a safe journey."
Fang Ziling has explained this explanation so many times recently that she is familiar with it and tired of it, so there is no need to repeat it.
In just two minutes, Fang Kongzhen figured out the situation and was filled with emotion.
Fang Ziling waited until her father's mood stabilized, then asked for instructions: "Can father's body still support the long journey? Let's go back to our hometown, Nanjing, or... go to my eldest brother's place."
Fang Kongzheng didn't even think about it: "Let's rest for ten days in the capital first. It's been a bumpy journey for a month, from Changsha to the capital, and I was imprisoned in the Ministry of Punishment for five or six days. If I go back right away, this old bone will be exhausted."
It’s going to fall apart, so we need to consider the long-term future.”
The transportation conditions in ancient times were so difficult. Traveling more than two thousand miles from north to south would make even the strongest person miserable and unaccustomed to the environment. If we had to turn back two thousand miles immediately, our bones would fall apart. Especially when Fang Kongzheng arrived, he was sitting in
The prison car is much harder than the boat ride for my daughter.
Fang Kongzhen has no confidence that he will be rehabilitated immediately after his acquittal, and he will probably be out of work for a while.
Previously, when Huguang fell, it was not his turn to question his guilt. That was just because he did not have to be exiled. It did not mean that he still had to serve as an official.
It would be better to stay in the capital and wait and see for a while, firstly to see if there are any opportunities, and secondly to control the activities to avoid being assigned to a dangerous job again.
At the end of the autumn of the fifteenth year of Chongzhen, anyone with a discerning eye could already see that at least half of the local officials in the Ming Dynasty were in dangerous places, and it was better not to be appointed.
Fang Ziling quickly figured out the truth and said no more. He just told the coachman to go back to his house and wait for the master to bathe, change clothes and clean up first.
Fang Kongzheng was stunned: "When did our family have a mansion in the capital? Ling'er, didn't you stay in an inn when you came to the capital this time?"
Fang Ziling blushed: "It's none of my business. When my eldest brother asked me to borrow the boat, Shen Futai borrowed it casually. He said it was a property that Mr. Shen bought when he was a doctor in the household department in the capital. The Shen family is also good at these things.
Although the money was released, the house in the capital was not sold, and someone was left to look after it.
By the way, speaking of Mr. Shen, I have found another piece of news in recent days. It is said that His Majesty was impressed by the meritorious service and diligence of the Shen Futai family. The day before yesterday, he thought of asking Mr. Shen how he was doing on behalf of Qiu Weizhen at the Nanjing Household Department.
Mr. Zhou Ge and Jiang Shangshu all helped Mr. Shen speak, and Qiu Weizhen also decided to retire this year and take up his official position. Your Majesty took advantage of these few days to do it. The decree has also been sent out. When it is sent to Nanjing, Qiu Weizhen will be able to withdraw.
Duke Shen then officially took over as the Minister of Household Affairs in Nanjing."
Fang Kongzheng thought about the new information revealed by his daughter, and soon no longer felt surprised.
He guessed that Chongzhen hoped that Shen Shuren would show some kindness before cooperating with Sun Chuanting to rescue Kaifeng and fight with Li Zicheng, so that Shen Shuren could work harder.
Chen Shuren himself currently has no more merits that can be rewarded, so he will start with his family members to see if there are any chips that can be given or not given, and he will take advantage of this opportunity to give them to him.
Moreover, Shen Shuren has become the official governor of Huguang, and also controls six prefectures outside Huguang. This status is already the highest among all provincial governors.
If his father, Shen Tingyang, was still the minister of one of the Six Ministries of Nanjing, he would be a little embarrassed.
Now that his father has become minister and his son has become a top governor, it is considered appropriate to be respectful. Shen Tingyang can be regarded as taking advantage of his son again.
When thinking of Shen Tingyang's situation, Fang Kongzhen could not help but think of his own son. Fang Yizhi was still just a prefect, and to be honest, he relied on his father's connections to become a prefect in the initial stage.
When will Fang Yizhi be able to support the family like other people's sons?
…
Fang Kongzheng's resentment towards his son did not last long.
Because when he moved into the house borrowed by Chen Shuren, he entered into a state of "eating people with a soft mouth and taking others with short hands" - Fang Yizhi only rented this house because Fang Yizhi helped Chen Shuren do things.
Yes, of course it was earned by Fang Yizhi.
There was no bathing in the prison of the Criminal Department. Fang Kongzheng spent more than an hour cleaning up and eating some snacks. Seeing that it was already noon, he ordered him to change into new and decent clothes.
After a while, he went to the Xisi Archway to watch the execution. Before going out, Fang Kongzheng thought of something again and asked Fang Ziling if he had prepared gold and silver for this trip to Beijing.
Fang Ziling was stunned: "What gold and silver do you bring to watch the execution?"
Fang Kongzhen: "After reading it later, I'm going to visit Mr. Zhou Ge's house to pay a visit and express my gratitude. Of course, I have to be prepared."
Fang Ziling thought for a while and went back to the house to get some valuable jewelry: "These were given by Shen Futai as a favor to the eldest brother, but they were not used this time."
Fang Kongzheng looked at it and knew that these jewels were originally intended to be used for his money. But before they were used, the people had already come out, so it was just a good idea to return the favor afterwards.
Fang Kongzheng tidied up and asked his servant to drive to the Xisi Archway first. It was almost a quarter past noon when he arrived.
In the Ming Dynasty, murders were still carried out at Xisi Archway, but in the Qing Dynasty, they were changed to outside Xuanwu Gate, which is Caishikou. According to the "Da Ming Code", if the crime is not too serious, it will be left to be executed after the Autumn. Very serious crimes will not be pardoned, of course.
Without waiting, I made the decision.
When Fang Kongzheng arrived, there was already a sea of people surrounding him. The servants of the Fang family could only throw some silver to buy the people in front of them to make way, squeezed into a teahouse at the corner of the street, and paid a high price for a seat facing the street on the second floor.
At first, they were surprised that people were killed every once in a while at Xisi Archway. Why were there so many people today? After asking for a while, they found out that Xianmin Yin and He Yide had actually been sentenced to beheaded——
If it is just a defeat and loss of territory, no matter how miserably the defeat is, no matter how improper the command is, or betraying teammates, the most they can do is to be killed. But Yin and He are actually involved in taking the initiative to become thieves. After surrendering to Zhang Xianzhong, they help Zhang Xianzhong to attack together to regain the lost territory.
The officers and soldiers finally helped Zhang Xianzhong to hold on to Hengzhou City for a while, so Ling Chi had to do it.
Fang Kongzhen and Fang Ziling were not aware of these circumstances at first, or at least they did not notice them. It seems that Xu Shiqi of the Ministry of Punishment personally intervened, tortured and interrogated them in the past few days.
In fact, Fang Ziling heard from her elder brother that when General Yin He was in Shouheng Prefecture, he just wanted to negotiate conditions with the Chenshu people, such as pardoning their crimes, and they would surrender. But the Chenshu people did not promise to pardon, they just wanted to survive.
He persisted in resisting, but was eventually kidnapped and sold by his men.
But no matter what, if the thieves fled and still resisted the officers and soldiers, without taking action immediately, even if it was to survive, it would be an aggravated crime.
If he had simply surrendered and pleaded guilty, he might have been given a light sentence of beheading. If he had to resist, he would have been executed in Ling Chi.
Moreover, these crimes became more and more serious after being spread by the melon-eaters who were watching the fun. Fang Ziling clearly heard that several scholars from the Donglin Party at the next table, probably scholars, were filled with indignation:
"I heard that this Yin ancestor, He Yide, was born to be a bitch! Zhang Xianzhong surrendered as soon as he arrived in Changsha City! Even Zhang Xianzhong left, and they even volunteered to cut off Zhang Xianzhong's throne!
We are defending Hengzhou City and want to cut off Shen Futai's food route and prevent Shen Futai from pursuing Zhang Xianzhong immediately! If these two people hadn't led the troops to delay, maybe even Zhang Gou would have been caught up and killed by Shen Futai!"
When Fang Ziling heard this, she was quite dissatisfied. In her heart, she wanted to refute these ignorant and corrupt people. But her rationality told her that this misunderstanding should be misunderstood if she wanted to. Anyway, it would be good for the Shen family and the Fang family. She could help
absolve yourself of responsibility.
On the side, Fang Kongzhen, who was experienced in officialdom, was even more frightened after hearing this, and whispered to his daughter: "Xu Shiqi, the Minister of the Ministry of Punishment, is probably showing favor to Nephew Shen Xian.
I heard before that he was beaten by Zhou Yanru. This was to make it clear that he was following what Zhou Yanru, Chen Xinjia, and Jiang Dejing wanted to see. Nephew Shen Xian was also very skillful. I wonder how much money the Shen family spent.
He can actually get three of the six ministers to speak for him. If Xu Shiqi also gets involved, there will be four. Except for the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Industry, everyone else is interested in him."
Fang Ziling's face turned pale. She didn't really want to believe this statement. She murmured absently: "Dad...you mean, Brother Shen's popularity in Beijing is all based on money? He is not such a person, is he?"
Fang Kongzhen couldn't help but feel angry and funny: "What are you thinking? In the Ming Dynasty, who didn't need to use money when the situation was like this? It can only be said that he couldn't help himself. It may not be all about using money, but he must have used a lot of money.
of!
Why do you think so much? It is good for us to talk about it. At least the heavier the crime Yin He carries, the less involved Zhang Xianzhong will be in Huguang, and the lighter the guilt of others. Besides, there is such a rumor in Donglin
, Xu Shiqi may not sentence them too many times."
Fang Kongzhen had just finished speaking pitifully. The execution was about to begin over there. The executioner also announced the specific punishment. I heard it was just eight knives.
An experienced person like Fang Kongzhen immediately judged that Xu Shiqi's final statement that "Yin Xianmin He Yide tried to cover Zhang Xianzhong and delay Chen Shuren's pursuit" did not increase the punishment.
Because the eight swords were already the fewest among Lingchi, it seemed that Xu Shiqi still had principles. Although the crime was described as more heinous, the number of swords that should have been cut was not added.
After the executioner's announcement at the street entrance, the executioner pulled the rag from the mouths of the two thieves Yin and He. The two immediately started to curse and tried to defend themselves from biting.
However, Ling Chi's first cut was to cut off his tongue, and the executioner moved very quickly.
He struck Yin Xianmin unexpectedly with a very sharp elbow on his lower abdomen, causing him to immediately cry out in pain and open his mouth wide. Then he inserted a small wrist-cutting knife into his mouth and cut it out, and immediately cut out a tongue.
, the biting and insulting words turned into vague sounds of vomiting blood.
After a while, both of them were stabbed six times, and the last knife went into their hearts, completely killing them.
The people in the capital cheered and cheered, littering the corpses of the two dog thieves who worked as dogs for Zhang Xianzhong, littering them with rotten vegetable leaves and dirt.
"How come there is such a huge difference between people's different opinions? In this Ming Dynasty, people living everywhere may find it difficult to understand people living elsewhere."
Fang Ziling has lived in her boudoir for a long time and has not traveled much. When she thinks of the common people here in the capital, they share the same hatred for those who work for the bandits. She also thinks of Shaanxi and Henan, where thieves and officials have always hated officials, and Fang Ziling can't help but start.
Doubt life.
The Ming Dynasty is really too vast, and the people's hearts and minds vary greatly in different parts of the Ming Dynasty.
The Shaanxi people's support for Qiu Ming, and the Jiangnan and Beijing people's support for the Ming Dynasty are not fake, and they can never understand each other's positions.
…
After sighing with emotion, Fang Ziling followed her father's car and continued to Zhou Ge's mansion.
Zhou Yanru was very busy and made Fang Kongzhen wait for a long time before he took the time to meet him. Of course, Xie En's jewelry had been sent in before the meeting, otherwise he might not have been received so quickly.
Of course, Fang Kongzhen would not say those dirty words about asking for an official position. He was actually not very eager to find another job now, but was worried about going to the wrong place.
So when they met, he just thanked Zhou Yanru very politely for his insight and didn't say much else.
Zhou Yanru is also a good person. Seeing that Fang Kongzhen did not show his face about asking for reinstatement, he knew that he knew how to advance and retreat. After being polite, he advised:
"Brother Fang Xian, don't worry. You were diligent when you were governing Huguang. Now Shen Shuren's ability to defeat Zhang Xianzhong is inseparable from Huguang's previous foundation.
Now that Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong are on the move, every official in the northwest is facing a formidable enemy and will soon be filled with vacancies. Once Your Majesty needs someone to share your worries, you need us to work together and forget ourselves."
The two chatted for a while. After Zhou Yanru confirmed that the other party was not in a hurry, he hinted that he could live in the capital for a while. If there was a chance, he would make a routine appointment at the end of the year.
In this way, the future future has been decided in advance. Fang Kongzhen felt that the capital would definitely be safe for a while, so he took his daughter and operated in the capital.
Anyway, winter is coming soon, so in the past few months before the end of the year, we should help Fang Yizhi, Shen Shuren and the others act as spies in the capital.