Rule the Ming Dynasty Alone

Dark clouds rolled in the night sky, like an angry beast roaring wantonly.

Dazzling bolts of lightning pierced the night sky, accompanied by deafening thunder, as if to tear the peaceful night apart.

In front of the ruined temple, a bolt of lightning illuminated the place again.

The cold wind passed by and his clothes were fluttering. Li Gang's eyes were like torches. He held the handle of the knife tightly in his hand and shot out like an arrow, directly taking the head of the nearby villain.

In the early years, he followed Zhu Tong, the second son of Funing Hou, to intercept the Annan envoy Li Guangdu. Zhu Tong was killed during the battle, which made his life very difficult.

Fortunately, when the emperor purged the Jinyi Guards, he chose and retained them based on their abilities, and he also relied on his own excellent strength to stay in Beizhen Fusi and keep his position.

It's just that eating and waiting for death has never been his life creed. Now that he has such an opportunity to make contributions, Li Gang will definitely get back everything he has lost.

Why does this happen?

Zhang Qiang, Bai Guanshi and other villains used lightning and lights to watch the Jin Yiwei coming towards them. They looked horrified when faced with the sudden appearance of these Jin Yiwei like beasts.

puff!

Li Gang took the lead, the light of the sword in his hand flashed, and another bolt of lightning illuminated the world, and he severely chopped off the head of the murderer in front of him, causing a splash of blood.

For a moment, there were flashes of swords and shadows in front of the ruined temple, and blood splattered everywhere.

Nowadays, the Jinyiwei's combat effectiveness is astonishing after being streamlined and streamlined. They still have a numerical advantage. It can be said that it is a one-sided battle.

Zhang Qiang, Bai Guanshi and other villains faced an overwhelming offensive, especially when there was thunder from the sky. However, they were tired of waving their weapons to block and fell into a passive defensive state.

On the other hand, the Jinyi Guards' morale is like a rainbow, and they become more and more courageous the more they fight.

They are the emperor's personal guards. When faced with these traitors, they naturally want to kill them quickly.

With a roar, another villain was killed with random knives, and the open space was dyed red with blood.

When Manager Bai saw his men falling down one after another, he was so frightened that his pants got wet. He looked like he was crying and knelt on the ground: "Master Jin Yiwei, please spare your life!"

Zhang Qiang had already taken advantage of the chaos and hid under the car. His heart was pounding at this moment, hoping he could escape.

He didn't understand that it was obviously a good situation, it was obviously their plan to get rid of Tietou, but why things suddenly turned into this. If he had known this earlier, he should not have waded into this muddy water and just been a city defender waiting to die.

"Lord General Banner, what are you doing hiding here?" Tietou would naturally not forget his boss who almost killed him. He was squatting next to the carriage and jokingly asked.

Boom!

There was another thunder, which scared Zhang Qiang's face to the color of earth, and his crotch became wet and hot.

"Get out, or you will be executed immediately!" Li Gang, from a hundred households in Jinyi, came to the carriage and immediately warned him coldly.

Zhang Qiang didn't dare to show mercy, so he crawled out in fear and said: "Master Jin Yiwei, please spare your life, I... I will say anything!"

careful!

Tietou was suddenly startled and hurriedly shouted to Li Gang.

Hearing this, Li Gang ducked away, but suddenly he felt bad!

puff!

A short blade slashed Zhang Qiang's throat, and blood suddenly poured out as if it were free of charge, while his eyes slowly lost their luster.

Steward Bai held a bloody dagger in his hand and smiled ferociously: "Don't expect to get any information from me! Cangtian is dead, Huang Tiandang is standing, and at the age of sixty, the world will be blessed!"

Boom!

Tietou had quick eyes and quick hands, and he knocked the sharp blade out of Steward Bai's hand with a flying kick.

The two Jinyi guards immediately pounced on Manager Bai and pushed him to the ground with a tacit understanding.

"Today I want to see whether it is your words or the torture tools of Beizhen Fusi that are stronger. Take them away!" Li Gang, a hundred households in Jinyiwei, looked at the controlled Bai Guanshi and said with a sullen face. .

If you want to find out the matter, you naturally need to follow the clues, and the manager Bai in front of you is undoubtedly the key figure.

Tietou watched Li Gang, a member of the Jinyiwei family, walk away, but he knew that his hope of returning to the Jinyiwei had been extinguished.

Just when he was feeling disappointed, a guard in Jinyi slapped him hard on the shoulder, then hugged his shoulder tightly and followed him.

Naturally, such a talent must be recommended to the superiors so that he can return to the rank of Jinyiwei.

The figures of the royal guards disappeared into the night, leaving only the faint smell of blood floating in the wind, and a dozen or so warm corpses in front of the ruined temple.

Just as the carnival of thunder and lightning came to an end, a rain came quietly. The rain and blood soon combined, as if to wash away all traces here.

This night in the capital, it rained non-stop.

In Yongfang, a quiet and deep house compound was also washed away by rain.

Liu Ji, the first assistant of the dynasty, stood alone under the eaves of the courtyard, staring at the miserable rainy night in the slightest chill, endless thoughts welling up in his heart.

The night is getting darker, the rain is gurgling, and the sound of falling locust leaves can be heard in the distance, which seems to be telling stories of the past.

Chief Assistant Liu Ji gently touched the plum-blossom silk handkerchief in his hand. This object with residual body fragrance has now become a medium for seeing things and thinking about people, reminding him of endless memories of the past.

People have three thousand ailments of life and death, only lovesickness cannot cure them.

His thoughts drifted with the sound of rain, traveling through time and space, and reunited with his old friends again.

The two of them once went on an outing in the suburbs of Beijing together, rode horses together in the spring breeze, slept together under the pear tree, and admired the flowers and the moon at night. Those beautiful times seemed like just yesterday.

If given the choice, he wished he could do it all over again. Even if he doesn't want to be the chief minister and she doesn't marry another woman, she just wants them to live a peaceful life.

Liu Ji saw people hurriedly walking in the corridor opposite through the rain curtain, but he sighed softly, retracted his thoughts, and turned back to his study.

"Dad, it's not good!" Liu Wei came to the study and didn't bother to wipe the rainwater off his face.

Liu Ji knew something bad had happened from the anxious look on his son's face when he just walked. He calmly picked up the tea cup and asked, "What happened?"

"The second accountant of our Xinyi Money Store has disappeared and took away our secret ledger!" Liu Wei swallowed secretly and said cautiously.

Since Xinyi Money Store was almost not involved in the loan sharking business, not only did it not suffer a blow during the last financial rectification by the imperial court, it actually received awards from the Ministry of Revenue.

In fact, many people don't know that Xinyi Bank, as the most reputable bank, is their family's property, and many officials prefer to deposit their deposits there.

Although the strong rise of Royal Bank has forced Xinyi Bank to retreat to the second position, it has always been the largest supplier of official deposits and it also indirectly possesses criminal evidence of some officials.

Liu Ji stopped the tea cup that was brought to his mouth and looked very surprised: "Didn't that second accountant investigate clearly? How could he do such a thing?"

"It has just been verified! The third uncle lied. He was threatened and paid. The second accountant was not his illegitimate son at all!" Liu Wei's eyes flashed with hatred, and he seemed to be gritting his teeth.

Because Xinyi Money Store's account book is of great importance, they are very cautious in recruiting people, and they give priority to looking for their own people.

You know, Xinyi Qiansi is not only the hen that lays golden eggs, but also a powerful means for them to control corrupt officials.

But I never expected that the Xinyi Money Store, which was thought to be solid, turned out to have a mole, and their most important secret ledger was stolen.

Once this account book fell into the hands of the emperor, the consequences would be disastrous.

Liu Ji held the tea cup and said with a stern face: "Immediately send more manpower to search, and we must recover the account book. It must not fall into the hands of the Jin Yiwei!"

The only thing that makes him feel more at ease now is that the emperor has left Beijing. As long as the secret account book does not fall into the hands of Jin Yiwei, then there is room for maneuver in everything.

"Yes!" Liu Wei responded and left in a hurry.

Liu Ji took a sip of tea and felt a strong uneasiness in his heart, so he ordered the steward next to him: "Please invite Zhu Ji to come and play chess with me!"

In order to find Zhu Ji over the years, the court could be said to have dug deep into the ground, but who would have thought that Zhu Ji was hiding in his own Prime Minister's Mansion, and probably did not think that he had helped Zhu Ji.

"Master!" The butler was about to leave, but suddenly stopped bitterly.

Liu Ji was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized, he put down his tea cup and said, "What's wrong? By the way, Zhu Ji has already arranged to leave the city!"

"Master, why don't you ask Mr. Luo to play chess with you?" The butler rolled his eyes and suggested softly.

Liu Ji nodded slightly, but looked towards the south and murmured to himself: "I have fulfilled my promise, I wonder if Jiangnan has fulfilled its promise!"

The emperor's southern tour was a rare occurrence in the Ming Dynasty, and it had never even happened since the capital was moved.

It's just that when things happened to the current emperor, especially when the scrapping of silver orders and new coins that the emperor was most concerned about were blocked, it didn't seem to be surprising at all.

Now, through his secret operation, Zhu Youtang, who has left the Forbidden City, is like the third prince of the Dragon King who left the deep sea and came to the seaside. His life and death are really unpredictable.

The sun shines through the clouds and falls on the land south of the Yangtze River, reflecting the growing autumn scenery on both sides of the canal.

Let me ask how many states the water journey from Nanjing to Beijing passes through... Longtan passes Yizhenba, Guangling Shaobo reaches Yucheng, and Jieshou Anping is close to Huaiyin... Hexi and Hehe return to Luhe, only forty miles away from the capital.

There are a total of 46 post stations on this artery and main post road from Nanjing to Beijing.

After Zhu Di moved the capital to Beijing, Nanjing remained the companion capital. The two capitals were established side by side, and six ministries stayed behind. There were constant official correspondence between the two capitals, frequent official exchanges, and busy material transportation. The land and water postal route from Nanjing to Beijing via the Yangzhou Grand Canal, It is the most important and the most important.

In addition to the transshipment function, the postal station actually also has an important function - the reception function.

Because this was the emperor's first tour to the south, and the Ming Dynasty was famous for its frugality, there was no palace along the way. Hongzhi also didn't want to do anything that wasted people and money, so he always brought an army of escorts to stay at the inns along the way.

In the autumn breeze, the hibiscus grows old on the river, and a few yellow chrysanthemums bloom below the steps.

Fallen leaves are flying over Yangzi Ferry, and travelers are boarding Guangling boats again.

The moon is like water in the cold anvil of thousands of households, and the sky is filled with frost when the old wild goose sings.

I laugh when I live in Huaihai, and my thoughts for ten years are in front of a light.

…

Guanglingyi, formerly known as Yangzhouyi, is located outside the south gate of Yangzhou City and on the west side of the canal.

On the pier, two rows of armored Forbidden soldiers stood upright, the weapons in their hands flashing coldly under the afterglow of the setting sun, greeting the emperor who was about to disembark.

Because the emperor came to Nanzhili, the fourteen prefects and four prefects of Nanzhili were already waiting here.

Wearing official uniforms and black gauze hats, they lined up and knelt on both sides of the avenue where the emperor was about to pass. Everyone's face was filled with tension and awe, and they kept hearing the pounding sound of their own hearts.

After arrangements, officials from various ministries in Nanjing were waiting in Nanjing City. The officials who came here to congratulate him now were officials from Yangzhou Prefecture, retired officials, and all prefects and prefectures directly under the central government of South Zhili.

Fengyang Governor Li Mu was also on the list, and he was considered the official with the highest position and seniority.

Governor Fengyang was established in the Jingtai Dynasty and was stationed in Huai'an Prefecture. He governed most of the prefectures in the south of Zhili and north of the Yangtze River. Like Governor Yingtian, he was divided into north and south.

Emperor Hongzhi was dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe and a golden crown. He stepped off the imperial ship calmly, like a god descending to the world.

"Your Majesty, please be careful!" Liu Jin had already arranged everything and was supporting Emperor Hongzhi and said.

Zhu Youtang looked at the official kneeling on the ground, his joyful mood weakened a little, and then he took the golden chariot waiting here without saying a word.

The imperial decree could not be implemented in Jiangnan. The main reason was that it was obstructed by the Jiangnan official and gentry group. But is it not that these prefects were too incompetent?

Calling them here now is not only to welcome them, but also to give them a good beating.

The officials present kowtowed in fear and saluted, and shouted in unison: "I respectfully welcome His Majesty on his southern tour. Long live, long live, long live my emperor!"

They lowered their heads and knocked on the ground, not daring to show any slightness or make the slightest move, for fear that one of their careless actions would cause Long Yan to be furious.

The air seemed to freeze at this moment, with only the rumble of the emperor's golden chariot intertwined with the nervous breathing of the prefects.

Xu Hong, the prefect of Songjiang, was the prefect who had the most contact with Zhu Youtang, but he was extremely nervous when he met this aloof emperor again here.

Especially since he took charge of Songjiang Prefecture and Shanghai Shipping Department, although he believed that he had done his best, he could not guarantee that the emperor would be satisfied.

Guanglingyi originally had one hundred and eighty-six postmasters and water horsemen, but now it has been arranged to temporarily leave the place, and the eunuchs and Jinwu guards have full authority to take over the place.

There is a plaque in the main hall saying "Huang Hua", there is a Huaihai Wonder Tower in the back hall, and a plaque downstairs says "Concierge Pavilion".

Although the houses are not as good as the more than 100 rooms in Yucheng Station in Gaoyou, there are still more than 70 rooms here, which are enough for Zhu Youtang and his concubines and palace people to stay.

After Liu Jin finished cooking, he came out and saw his acquaintance Xu Hong: "Prefect Xu, are you okay?"

"I am sincerely concerned about Eunuch Liu. I am an acceptable officer! It's just that I haven't had any good results in Songjiang Mansion. Now that I know that Your Majesty has been so exhausted on the southern tour, I wish I could commit suicide to apologize!" Xu Hong was polite at first, and then pointed straight to the core.

The biggest motivation for the emperor's southern tour was that Jiangnan was blocked by administrative orders, and the fourteen prefects and four prefects present were considered the first responsible persons, even Xu Hong was no exception.

"I am so ashamed of my divine grace!" Yangzhou magistrate and other officials took the opportunity to express their guilt.

Liu Jin was not interested in this group of magistrates, so he said calmly: "Your Majesty is enthroned. You can go in with the Za family to meet the emperor!"

The prefect present knew that this act was dangerous and seemed very nervous at this time, but he still followed Liu Jin into the post station to pay homage to the emperor who was on an unprecedented southern tour.

After the greeting, Zhu Youtang said straight to the point: "You all take off your black gauze hats and answer!" (End of this chapter)