Rule the Ming Dynasty Alone

In Beijing, spring swallows have already begun to get busy with new mud in their mouths. The trees on both sides of the streets are sprouting new buds, and the streets and alleys are full of spring.

In this era, although there are high-ranking emperors and fathers, there are also many "fairies" among the people.

Even the burials of emperors must pay attention to Feng Shui, and ordinary people often use this as a hope for recovery. Therefore, Feng Shui masters have been a very popular profession since ancient times.

In addition to Feng Shui masters, various divination techniques also emerge in endlessly, and Fuji is even more mysterious.

Nowadays, the economy of the Hongzhi Dynasty is improving, so countless families have moved their graves in recent years. Naturally, some people are also focusing on the present to find fortune tellers to ask about bad luck.

Dongfang Wudao is a warlock who came from Jiangxi a few years ago and has been hanging around in the capital. In his early years, he decided to support the si only three times a day for one or two silver each time, so few people came to him to ask about his luck.

But gold always shines, and as he accurately predicts the good and bad fortunes of some dignitaries, he stands out among many warlocks and becomes a popular oriental fortune teller nowadays.

He particularly accurately predicted the fate of Wan'an and Xu Qiong, and thus became the most popular fuji master. He was even called the Oriental God by the people.

No one expected that when Dongfang Wudao was at the peak of his fame, he was invited by the Chang Mansion to help him, and he actually made the prediction that "the emperor's heir will be catastrophic, and when there is a second queen, Zhang will be like Qin, and Chang will make a new start."

Since it was Dongfang Wudao's fuji and it was related to today's world, once the news came out, it quickly detonated the entire capital and became the most lively topic at the moment.

"Chang Congxin, what does this mean?"

"The new dynasty will die in one lifetime. This means that the emperor will establish a permanent empress and will have no heirs!"

"It has been four years since the emperor ascended the throne, and he still doesn't even have a princess. So... you have to be careful!"

"If what the Eastern God calculated this time is true, then I'm afraid our Ming Dynasty will be abolished!"

…

The vast majority of people believe in fate, and they actually believe in some powerful sorcerers who can discern the secrets of heaven. In particular, Dongfang Wudao's Fuji technique has been verified by everyone.

Now that Dongfang Wudao has released this prediction, even though the imperial court has sent Jin Yiwei and Dongchang to strictly prohibit the discussion, many people cannot help but believe Dongfang Wudao's prediction given the current situation.

If the emperor has no heirs, then Empress Chang will be the first person responsible, and the Ming Dynasty is likely to be abolished.

"Zhang Siqin, does this Zhang refer to the former crown princess?"

"I just found out that the second concubine and the ninth concubine adopted by the emperor in his wedding do not have the surname Zhang, so they are probably the crown prince!"

"This is a strange thing to say. When His Majesty ascended the throne, why didn't he designate the Crown Princess as Queen?"

"It is said that the Crown Princess was so arrogant that she was favored, and when she found out that she was not conferred the title, she even made a fuss at the imperial court. How can such a woman be a mother to the world?"

"If Zhang Zhi is the Crown Princess of that year, then I am afraid that the Crown Princess will have to be replaced as the queen. This is no joke for the emperor to have a queen!"

…

As the topic deepened, everyone's attention turned to the almost forgotten Crown Princess Zhang Yujiao, and it was even seen that the new empress of the Ming Dynasty would return to the throne.

Things are getting more and more intense. Due to Zhang Taijiao's close relationship with the civil servant group, some literati have even begun to fan the flames behind the scenes.

"Have you heard? The Eastern gods have alerted the emperor!"

"This oriental god is so outspoken that he was almost beaten to death by the Chang family yesterday!"

"I'm afraid you don't know something. He did the same thing when he was calculating for Wanjia, and he was also beaten out by Wanjia!"

"It's not just these two families. He said that the Marquis of Huichang was also beaten when the disaster came. He has received a lot of sticks over the years!"

"It's hard to judge Empress Chang on this matter, but Dongfang Wudao's previous support has been fulfilled one by one. This person is really a living god!"

…

As the Dongfang Wudao incident became more and more intense, Dongfang Wudao was already a celebrity in the capital, so more and more unknown things were uncovered.

Just combined with Dongfang Wudao's earlier accurate prediction, although it is taboo to talk about the emperor's heirs, many people actually believe it in their hearts.

Department of Punishment, in jail.

Since there are no windows here, it is difficult to distinguish between day and night.

Generally speaking, once a felon enters here, it is difficult to get out.

In fact, many serious criminals were not executed to death, but were tortured to death in this environment.

Some tortured felons judge the time by looking at the wounds on their bodies and judging the time by the degree of decay of the flesh, thereby retaining a glimmer of hope of survival.

Of course, the current Ministry of Justice is quite open-minded, but there are no outrageous unjust cases.

"Master, I really don't need to die?"

"Although you are not a long-lived person, you are not a short-lived ghost either. Don't worry!"

"Then...then when can I go out!"

"It can take as little as three months, or as long as half a year. Just wait!"

"Then...then can you help me calculate whether the one in my mother-in-law's belly recently is my seed?"

…

In a certain cell, a death row inmate who had been imprisoned for more than half a year humbly asked for advice. After learning that he could walk out of the prison safely, he asked a very informative question.

At this moment, on the semi-wet haystack in the cell, a slovenly old man was lying on it, with his legs crossed and a piece of grass in his mouth.

He was over fifty years old, with disheveled hair, but his face looked good, his body was slightly fat, and the gray robe he was wearing was dirty, and he looked cynical.

No one would have imagined when they met him for the first time that the Eastern Immortal who was said to be a miraculous person by the people in the capital was actually a slovenly old Taoist priest.

Dongfang Wudao was about to explain the confusion to the middle-aged man in front of him, but his ears suddenly twitched, and he looked in the direction of the cell door and said, "I'm afraid I have to change places!"

Blah blah blah...

A group of people suddenly appeared here holding torches. After a sound of iron chains rattling at the door, Wang Yu led a few big men in and said, "You are Dongfang Wudao?"

"Exactly! Judging from your appearance and demeanor, you are the grandson of Mr. Wang Ge, right?" Dongfang Wudao looked at the extraordinary young man in front of him by the firelight.

Wang Yu knew that his grandfather was already a famous person in the capital, but he solemnly introduced himself: "I am Wang Yu, a member of the Investigation Department of the Metropolitan Procuratorate!"

"They say you have the demeanor of Mr. Wang Ge when you were young, but you have a mole on your eyebrow. Judging from your appearance, your face may be in danger in the near future. No matter what you are pursuing recently, I would like to advise you, it is best to give up immediately." Dongfang Wudao stretched out his finger. He picked his ears and warned him seriously.

Huh?

Hu Jun, who was accompanying him, heard the Taoist priest in front of him speaking so seriously and thought that the two of them were secretly tracking down the Cheng family, so he couldn't help but look at Wang Yu worriedly.

In the shipwreck last year, according to the testimony of Cheng Si, a member of the Jinyiwei family, it was Li Yanwen who murdered Wang Shouren and Wu Jinghou's son Zhao Kuo that night, but Wang Yu never believed this story.

Although it is impossible for the Metropolitan Procuratorate to open an investigation out of thin air, Wang Yu and Wang Shouren are good friends, so they have been silently following Cheng Si to find out the truth.

Wang Yu snorted coldly, but said with a bit of sarcasm: "Aren't you a Fuji master? How come you can even understand facial features? This is to steal the fortune teller's job!"

"One way leads to all things, but physiognomy is not as unpredictable as Fuji after all. Now the old Taoist has said this, all blessings and misfortunes are all solved by yourself!" Dongfang Wudao picked out a piece of earwax and said in a very good mood.

After all, Hu Jun was still worried about this brother, so he asked seriously: "Master, what will happen if we insist on tracing him?"

Wang Yu frowned slightly, realizing that his brother had been deceived by this charlatan.

"Young Master Wang is not a short-lived person. If you ask for a talisman, you can save your life! It's just a matter of life and death. I can't tell whether I am missing an arm or a leg!" Dongfang Wudao dug out a large piece of earwax in his right ear. Then he buttoned his left ear with some anticipation.

Wang Yu's character is as indomitable as Wang Yue's, and he doesn't take Dongfang Wudao's words to heart at all: "Stop being alarmist here! Since you can predict other people's fortunes, you might as well test how many days you can live. Emperor Is this something that you, a charlatan, can argue with? When you get to the Metropolitan Procuratorate, stop pretending and come with me!"

Dongfang Wudao found that his left ear could not pick out what he expected at all. Although he could predict some things, some things were also unpredictable.

For example, the grandson of Wangge Lao in front of him didn't believe what he said. Now he just hopes not to hurt his subordinates and not to let Wang Yue, who is dedicated to the people, lose his queen.

Dongfang Wudao had already expected that he was going to be transferred to the prison of the Metropolitan Procuratorate. He first stood up and stretched his body, and then picked up his utensil.

When Wang Yu saw that Dongfang Wudao was carrying something, he immediately asked cautiously: "What is this?"

"The tools that poor Taoists use to make a living are handed down from their ancestors, and they will definitely be used again this time!" Dongfang Wudao raised the object in his hand and explained very confidently.

Wang Yu saw that they were all indestructible tools, so he hesitated for a moment and did not embarrass Dongfang Wudao.

Although he didn't like this old Taoist and knew that this old Taoist had alerted the man in the Forbidden City, the matter was still uncertain after all.

If we take it more seriously, today's Dongfang Wudao is not a real criminal. Now that he is taken to the Metropolitan Procuratorate, he must be dealt with according to the holy will of the Forbidden City.

The Metropolitan Procuratorate and the Criminal Department were adjacent to each other, so after tying up Dongfang Wudao, he escorted him back to the Metropolitan Procuratorate's Yamen on foot.

Since the last time the scholars blocked and made trouble at the door, the guards here have been significantly strengthened, but the officials of the Metropolitan Procuratorate inside seem very busy.

Wang Ye escorted the person back to the Metropolitan Procuratorate. He did not throw the person directly into the prison, but took him to his grandfather.

Wang Yue has now joined the cabinet to pay homage to the prime minister, but he did not go to the cabinet to participate in the drafting work. Instead, he still stayed in the Metropolitan Procuratorate to handle affairs and find out the bad apples among the officials.

In the case of He Qiaoxin, Minister of the Ministry of Justice, this period of time seemed very busy because the Ming Dynasty had officially classified valuable medicinal materials such as ginseng and Ganoderma lucidum as corruption products.

It's just that he is obsessed with this kind of busyness. Although the incident in Jingshan County has passed for a long time, Hu Daniu's death seems like yesterday, but he knows that killing a corrupt official can buy a short-term peace.

"Grandpa, we have already arrived!" Wang Yu saw that his grandfather was still handling matters and immediately stepped forward to remind him.

"Wang Qianhu, you just called yourself Qianhu in the prison of the Ministry of Punishment, why don't you call him elder now?" Dongfang Wudao said jokingly when he saw Wang Yu looking like a grandson.

Wang Yu glared at Dongfang Wudao, but stood aside obediently without saying a word.

Although he has always wanted to live his life truthfully, facing his grandfather who taught him since childhood and who was fearless for the sake of the emperor, he was willing to act as his grandson.

Wang Yue's eyes were very sharp. He looked at the sloppy Taoist priest in the hall and said directly as if he was soul-torturing: "Today, Master Shengming, are you loyal or unfaithful?"

"Loyalty!" Dongfang Wudao put away his cynical attitude and answered this question very seriously.

He hangs around at the bottom, and can be said to have witnessed with his own eyes the changes in the people of the capital over the years, and has also seen more and more people eating meat and wearing cotton-padded clothes.

Although he had some intentions, he had no thoughts of disloyalty and knew the consequences of disloyalty.

Wang Yue's expression suddenly changed, and he seemed to be sternly reproving: "Do you know how much trouble your nonsense has caused to my father?"

Not to mention whether the sloppy Taoist in front of him had ulterior motives or was a pawn in a big conspiracy. Judging from the content of his support, the emperor had to abolish Empress Chang for the sake of the future of the empire.

Abolition is a major event in any era.

Although the emperor is now able to accomplish this matter on his own initiative, if this matter falls into the history books, it will have a great negative impact on the emperor's reputation.

Of course, he didn't believe this prediction, and preferred to believe that he was a charlatan.

"Mr. Wangge, what you said is wrong!" Dongfang Wudao returned to the cynical attitude just now, yawned and shook his head.

Wang Yue frowned slightly, but still said with a stern face: "What's wrong?"

"The old Taoist knows that you are a rare loyal minister, but the old Taoist does not hesitate to take the risk of backlash and reveal the secret. This is clearly the behavior of a good citizen!" Dongfang Wudao corrected seriously.

Wang Yue did not want to hear such sophistry, and immediately scolded: "What nonsense! Your Majesty is a wise king who has not been seen for a hundred years. Now he is respected by all people, he must have a long line of heirs. How can you come up with the fallacy of 'always make new things, Zhang is like Qin'?" talk!"

"Mr. Wang Ge, how about we make a bet for five years?" Dongfang Wudao knew that this prediction was difficult to convince, so he immediately said with full confidence.

Wang Yue snorted coldly, but directly ordered: "Five years? You can escape this disaster first! Someone, put this demon in a prison and keep a good watch on him!"

Wang Yu rarely saw his grandfather so angry, and he seemed very rude and asked Hu Jun to throw him into prison.

The main prison of the Metropolitan Procuratorate was newly built in the past two years. It is mainly divided into two categories: suspect cells and severe punishment cells. The suspect cells are located in the outside area and have very sufficient light.

"It's not that I'm picky, but I'm afraid that others won't be able to bear it. We haven't discussed the crime yet, and it's still unclear whether I've committed a crime. The first room here is pretty good!" Dongfang Wudao saw that Hu Jun wanted to take him inside. He immediately made a request.

Hu Jun thought of the old Taoist's kind reminder earlier and that the other party had not yet argued the crime, so he hesitated for a moment and locked the person in a temporary cell.