Rule the Ming Dynasty Alone

The sixth day of the Lunar New Year, the first day after the Spring Festival holiday.

Taiye Pond is still frozen, and Qionghua Island is covered with white snow. Looking at the world, it feels like a wilderness. Only the palaces and palace walls in the distance have a royal atmosphere.

Zhu Youtang ended this pleasant vacation and took the dragon chariot back to Yangxin Hall. Smelling the familiar sandalwood, he started to deal with the government affairs at hand.

Although the government offices all over the country are closed during the holidays, some important things will be conveyed. At the same time, various things will inevitably happen in the capital city with a population of hundreds of thousands.

During the Spring Festival, Dongchang and Jinyiwei only had one day off, and then began to collect information about the capital.

The Spring Festival holiday is a time for officials to build relationships, but it is also the day when they are most likely to reveal their flaws. In particular, bribery is often carried out at this time.

What's more, this is the year of external inspection. In order to avoid being removed from the official position, many local officials need to open up various joints to save their jobs.

Power, even in later generations, makes people want to stop, but now it makes these officials crazy, even sending their own concubines to play with them.

Because of this, both Jinyiwei and Dongchang did not miss the opportunity to collect evidence during the Spring Festival. Relevant information was sent to Zhu Youtang one after another, allowing the emperor to see clearly the true face of the civil and military officials.

Zhu Youtang looked at the vacant Zuodu Censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate with a solemn expression on his face.

He knew that no matter how wise the decision was, it still needed people to implement it seriously. The Qingzhang of Huguang was able to achieve such results precisely because of Liu Zhong, the governor of Huguang.

The first major event in the new year is to finalize the candidates for the external inspection officials. Those who are old, disabled, weak and unable to serve, as well as those who are greedy, cruel, and troublemakers will be removed from office.

Li Yu, the Minister of Civil Affairs, naturally wanted to participate, but the choice of Yushi Zuodu of the Metropolitan Procuratorate ultimately fell on Wang Yue, who had just finished sorting out the salt administration.

The Zuodu Censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate is the second-rank official. He should have been on an equal footing with the six ministers, but now he has excluded the Zuodu Censor from the Supreme Council.

It’s not that he is biased against the Imperial Censor Zuo Du, but he believes that everyone should perform their duties. The main responsibility of the Metropolitan Inspectorate is to supervise civil and military officials, and does not need to participate in the discussion and formulation of national affairs. .

Wang Yue is an official with a strong reputation. Now that he is appointed as the Zuodu Yushi of the Metropolitan Procuratorate to supervise all civil and military officials for him, he is undoubtedly the most suitable candidate.

Just the external inspection will eliminate hundreds or even thousands of officials on a large scale, so there will naturally be a need to fill them. Therefore, this year's Enke examination has become very important, and it is also necessary to find an examiner.

According to the consistent tradition, the candidate for the examiner must be Ci Chen.

Zhu Youtang decided to break this tradition, but he hoped that a more pragmatic official would serve as the examiner of the Enke examination. The initial candidate in his mind was Du Ming, the Minister of Punishment.

Letting others do things is actually the most test of an emperor's ability.

Governing a country is actually like marching to war. If you choose important ministers carelessly, it may lead to the tragedy of "Zhuge Liang beheaded Ma Su in tears".

The sky in Xiyuan is very blue, and it seems very quiet here, as if we are quietly waiting for the spring flowers to bloom.

It's just that the capital city is like a pot exploding.

In fact, since the first day of the Lunar New Year, many people have no intention of celebrating the Spring Festival. As the news spread that the imperial court had shelved the proposal to build the outer city of Beijing, the entire city of Beijing seemed to be in mourning.

"It's over, it's over, I just bought the land!"

"Whoever just bought it is now going to throw it all away!"

"Haha... I thought I would regret it to death this time, but Your Majesty is wise!"

…

When they learned that the imperial court would not build the outer city, the people who had heard the news in advance and bought the land at a high price seemed very sad, but some of the people who were lucky enough to sell it were very lucky.

In this era, the greatest value of a house is actually ensuring personal safety.

Whether in the capital or locally, everyone's preferred residential area is within the city.

If you live in a village, wealthy families will build high-walled compounds and fortresses near the village, always putting safety first.

It is true that every inch of land in Beijing is valuable, but after all, there is no security outside Beijing, so the value of land has never been high.

Take the Beijing Conservative War as an example. The Mongolian cavalry went south to besiege the city, resulting in the death of many people at the hands of the Mongolian cavalry, and almost all their houses were burned down. On the other hand, the houses in the capital were not affected at all.

Because of this, there has been a widespread rumor in the capital that it is better to live in a shabby house in the city than in a big house outside the city.

After learning that the imperial court was going to build the outer city of Beijing, the price of land outside the city skyrocketed. It's just that now there is no protection from the city wall and no corresponding public security conditions. No one can guarantee whether there will be murder and extortion, so the price has plummeted.

The price of land outside Beijing has fluctuated sharply, causing many speculators to suffer heavy losses. Some people have even abandoned their land to avoid their creditors.

In this bustling city of Beijing, the busiest one is actually the Shuntian Government Office.

In the northern suburbs, a large house was filled with a foul smell.

At this time, the officers and soldiers of the Shuntian government office had surrounded the place. Even though it was ten meters away from the house, the officials who were on guard here could not help but cover their mouths and noses.

Song Cheng, who was wearing a third-grade official uniform, rode over. Even though he had not been idle during the Spring Festival, he still had endless work in his hands.

Since he is no longer a hopeless member of the Zhejiang Qing Li Division of the Ministry of Justice, but a high-ranking third-rank Shuntian Prefecture Yin, even relatives with whom he has no relationship came to pay New Year's greetings during this year's Spring Festival.

Fortunately, his wife was able to handle these things well, so she didn't let him worry much, while he focused all his energy on official duties.

"Master Fu Yin, this family is named Qian. The head of the family is named Qian Fu. He is a famous rich man in our northern city! He has been living in Jintaifang in the north of the city for many years. He built this mansion here about ten years ago. It is said that he has a withdrawn temperament and rarely interacts with his relatives. In addition to thirteen servants, the only ones in his family are his newly married housekeeper Liu a few years ago and a three-year-old son!" The catcher Zhao Dayan stepped forward to lead the horse and reported at the same time. Something about the owner of this house.

Song Cheng looked more and more calm, his eyes were bright and bright, but his skin was still dark.

He had already smelled a stench in the air, and his brows could not help but frown slightly. This year's Spring Festival in Beijing seemed particularly strange.

Several previous cases of arson and murder have not yet been solved, but as a result, there has been a shocking tragedy of exterminating a family. If there are too many cases, it will also give me a secret headache.

Song Cheng strolled into the house and saw the concierge lying in a pool of blood first, then several nurses who seemed to be coming to greet him, then two maids who wanted to escape, and finally the money that was being eaten in the dining room for the New Year's Eve dinner. Wealthy with wife and children.

Although he has dealt with many murders, this is the first time he has encountered such a tragedy.

Seeing the tragic death of a three-year-old child under a knife, he felt a little unbearable in his heart, and at the same time secretly decided that the murderer must be brought to justice.

Judging from the scene before us, the murderer this time was definitely not one person, but multiple people. Since almost everyone was killed with one blow, the perpetrators in this case must not be ordinary people, but a group of well-trained or murderous murderers.

"Master Fu Yin, all the property inside has been looted!" The official of Shuntian Prefecture had just arrived here first and came out shaking his head bitterly.

Robbery?

When Song Cheng learned that the house's money had been robbed, and that this man was a famous rich man, he couldn't help but have an idea.

But there was a vague idea in my mind that these thugs must not have come for the Qian family's treasury, or they were just committing murder, or they were plotting something bigger.

Combined with the previous land speculation turmoil in the outer city of Beijing, now that this house is relatively close to the city wall and city gate, we have to suspect that someone is planning to build this house.

"Sir, I just found out that there is actually one person missing here!"

"who?"

"Qian Fu also has a daughter who has just grown up, but she's not here!"

"Where is she?"

There is no airtight wall in the world. The tragedy of the Qian family's murder spread quickly throughout the capital, causing panic in the entire capital.

"It's so abominable, this case must be investigated!"

"This kind of thing has not happened in the capital for many years. The truth must come to light!"

"If the murderer cannot be exposed, the country will be ruined. The court cannot tolerate the traitor this time!"

…

If it were an ordinary murder, that would be fine, but when it involves the destruction of a family, a cruel evil force must be involved. No one can guarantee that it will happen to them, so everyone is filled with indignation at this tragedy.

"Miss Qian is still alive?"

"Maybe she got away with it!"

"Hurry, if we find Miss Qian, we might be able to find out the truth of the matter!"

…

This massacre did not leave many useful clues, and the most critical factor is undoubtedly the mysteriously missing eldest daughter of the Qian family, Qian Jing. Did she witness the entire incident? Where is she now? The things that the people of the city are most concerned about.

"Miss Qian ran away from home."

"That young lady from the Qian family is so pretty."

"The two young men were even jealous of that Miss Qian's family that day!"

"By the way, one of the young masters threatened that Miss Qian must apologize, otherwise he will destroy her... and the whole family!"

…

Since the massacre case had a great impact, and it was a case that everyone in Beijing was concerned about, many useful clues were quickly found, and an important suspect was also identified.

To the west of the city, there is the Marquis Mansion of Huichang.

"This is Huichang Hou Mansion, not a place where you Shuntian Mansion can run wild!"

"I am Song Cheng, Yin of Shuntian Prefecture. Where is Sun Gao?"

"What are you doing?"

"Stop talking nonsense! Hand over Sun Gao quickly, otherwise don't blame our Shuntian Mansion for being rude!"

The Shuntian Prefecture police officers went to Huichang Houfu to arrest people. Although they were initially looked down upon by the housekeeper of Huichang Houfu, Song Cheng finally chose to compromise in the face of the powerful Shuntian Prefecture Yin Song Cheng.

Although the Huichang Hou Mansion was once the most powerful Qi Xun, and was once in charge of the capital camp, it has now been reduced to an ordinary Qi Xun. Today, Huichang Hou Sun Ming only has a sinecure.

As soon as the news came out, it immediately caused an uproar.

"Is the Prince of Huichang so heartbroken and crazy?"

"On weekdays, I see that he likes to tease girls from good families. He is really not a good person!"

"I thought I was just saying harsh words that day, but I didn't expect that I would actually dare to do it. This kind of person must not be tolerated!"

…

No one thought that just because of a moment of jealousy, the young master of the Hou family of Huichang actually arranged for people to massacre the whole family at the Qian family's New Year's Eve dinner. Even the three-year-old child was not spared, and they all condemned him.

But many people are still wondering, where is the Miss Qian family now? Is she alive or dead?

Sun Gao was brought up for interrogation in three halls. Facing Song Cheng, he cried out: "I did fall in love with that young lady that day, but that young lady stepped on my feet and threw tea in my face, so I said Those words were said. But...but those were just words made out of anger and should not be taken seriously!"

"I originally felt the same way, but we found this at Qian's house!" Song Cheng said as he took out a wooden sign with the character "grandson" on it.

When Sun Gao saw the sign, his eyes flashed with surprise, and he immediately reacted: "Master Fu Yin, someone must know about this, so he deliberately framed me. I really didn't do this! Besides, I am greedy for the beauty of that little lady Qian, what good will it do to me if I kill the entire Qian family?"

"Take it down!" Song Cheng raised his hand gently, seemingly not listening to Sun Gao's words.

The murder case of the Qian family has made significant progress. First, Sun Gao threatened to kill Miss Qian's whole family, and then found a certificate that seemed to belong to the Sun family.

"Congratulations, sir, Xu Sou has brought a serious case against the Destruction Sect!" Xu Tuiguan stepped forward and said with a beaming look on his face.

Song Cheng's expression did not change, but he shook his head gently: "He didn't do it?"

"Why do you say this, sir?" Officer Xu was secretly happy that the case was solved, but he couldn't help but be startled when he heard this.

Song Cheng looked at the direction where Sun Gao disappeared, and said clearly and clearly: "These young masters may say harsh words, but in fact they don't have the courage. What's more, what he wants is Miss Qian. Even if he sends someone to kidnap Miss Qian, it will be worse than It is more in your interest to send people to kill all the people!" After a pause, he asked seriously: "By the way, who is that Du San, and why did he sue Qian Zhai for the land that belongs to him?"

"Sir, you'd better see for yourself!" Xu Tuiguan sweated secretly and immediately showed the background he had just investigated.

Song Cheng couldn't help but take a breath when he saw the name above.

At this time, Capt. Zhao hurriedly came from outside and informed Qian's house that it had been set on fire.

Burned?

When Song Cheng heard the news, he immediately smelled a conspiracy, and the case became confusing.

Although all the evidence points to the Huichang Hou Mansion, it may also be a deliberate frame-up, not to mention that Sun Gao did not benefit from this tragedy.

On the contrary, if the Qian family is wiped out, then Qian Fu will not jump out to fight for property rights, and the house will most likely be awarded to Du San.