Reincarnation of the powerful minister

The Chunhe Palace on the east side of the Nanjing Imperial Palace is the residence of the prince.

The crown prince gave Su Yan a tooth card, which allowed everyone to come in and out freely except during the forbidden period at night.

Su Yan is sitting in the main hall of Chunhe Palace at this moment, looking at a list in his hand.

The trip to Tangshan Hot Spring has been postponed.Because the list of missing persons provided by Eunuch Yao of the Jingong Supervisor was quickly delivered to Su Yan.

There were a total of six servants, all of whom were guides for the prince on the day of the mausoleum and were responsible for arranging deer traps. They disappeared after the explosion.

The name, age, place of origin, family situation and other information of these six people are included in the list. They all look normal, there is nothing special about them, and there is no special connection between them.

Su Yan didn't see the clue, so he asked the servant next to the prince: "Which father-in-law was in charge of going to the shrine to supervise the borrower? Who was it?"

Cheng Sheng said: "It's an old slave. The person who is connected to him is the young supervisor of the Shengong Supervisor, whose surname is Lin."

Su Yan asked: "Did that Eunuch Lin order these six people on the spot, or did he go in and write the list?"

Cheng Sheng recalled: "I ordered on the spot. I called these six people from the team around him."

"It seems that the Jingu Supervisor—"

At this moment, the prince led a group of guards through the courtyard, hurried up the steps, and walked into the gate of the palace.

"Qinghe is here!" Zhu Helin called out, "What are you talking about, you guys, I seem to hear you talking about the Jingong Supervisor?"

"Young master is back." Su Yan got up, and took off his cloak that was wet by the drizzle with his own hands.The two got close, and Zhu Helin narrowed his eyes in enjoyment, and quietly inhaled the scent of soap on his collar.Su Yan didn't pay attention, and continued, "It's true that I'm talking about this. I think the palace supervisor is suspicious from top to bottom, but there is no evidence. What about the young master, what did you find?"

Zhu Helin threw the untied cloak on the servants, waved them to leave the hall, and then pulled Su Yan to sit on the couch.

"I went to Zhongshan again, but unfortunately it was raining halfway, so I couldn't enter the explosion site again. So I turned around and went to Linggu Temple at the foot of the mountain. I used the excuse of praying for my parents to do several rituals, and then donated a large sum of incense. Qian. The host looked at me like a big fat sheep inlaid with gold, and my teeth were about to crooked from laughing."

Su Yan smiled and picked up the tea cup and handed it over: "Then what did the young master take the opportunity to find out?"

Zhu Helin drank a few sips and wiped his mouth with his sleeve: "It's an ancient temple in the Southern Dynasties, not newly built. However, the medicinal road leading to Zhongshan was built eight years ago. It was indeed donated by someone. It was a wealthy businessman in Nanjing City. The monks called him 'Qian Shanren'.

"I asked the monks how much medicine they could collect in a year, but they couldn't tell why. I tried to open a medicine shop and asked if I could cooperate with them. As a result, a deacon became vigilant and called all the monks. I have read the scriptures.

"After returning to the city, the young master asked the guards to find out if there is a wealthy businessman named Qian who deals in medicinal materials. After checking all the medicine shops, there is no shopkeeper named Qian."

Su Yan thought about it: "Perhaps this good man is not in the business of medicinal materials. He donated money to Linggu Temple to build a mountain road, pretending to be medicinal, in order to cover up another business."

"What kind of business?" Zhu Helin thought of the few shimmering stones the guards found at the explosion site, and his heart suddenly brightened, and he connected the information he found, "Ah! Could it be mining?"

The law of the Great Ming stipulates that gold, silver, copper, iron, the four metal mines, and salt mines can only be mined by the imperial court, and private mining is strictly prohibited.

Su Yan also doubts the purpose of building those mountain roads and ziplines. If the metal content of the stones they picked up can be detected, it can be basically determined whether it is a stolen mine.

"What happened to those stones, have you checked them out with the miners?" he asked.

"Yesterday, the young master ordered several guards to bring stones to someone for inspection, but the miner's village is far away, so there has been no response yet."

After thinking about it, Zhu Helin became more and more annoyed, and said, "Just outside the city of Nanjing, on the top of the hill where the imperial mausoleum is located, there are still people who dare to steal ore for private mining! These officials, big and small, all have eyes Are you blind?"

Su Yan sighed: "If the matter of stealing mines is true, I would absolutely not believe that Nanjing officials were not aware of it, that no one was involved in it, or that they even covered up or colluded."

Zhu Helin agreed with him, and grabbed the list of guides: "Young master, looking at the palace guards is suspicious enough! They are in the Xiaoling Mausoleum of Zhongshan, and nine times out of ten the guards steal themselves!"

"But there are two doubts:

"First, no matter how much the eunuchs take advantage of their positions, they are nothing more than a group of eunuchs guarding the tomb. No matter how capable the eunuch Yao is, it is difficult for the eunuchs to combine the power of one prison to complete donations, road construction, mining, transportation, smelting, etc. A series of actions. So do they have collaborators, or even more powerful instigators?

"Second, since it is illegal to steal mines, it is necessary to hide from the shadows. Why did you set up a white deer trap to lure the young master nearby? Is it just to cause mudslides and murder the East Palace? What if it really hits the imperial tomb? The Jingong supervisors cannot escape punishment, so why would they do such things that harm others and not themselves?"

Zhu Helin thought about Su Yan's two doubts, but he still couldn't come to a conclusion.But he had an intuition that the "Qian Shanren" who donated money to build the road must be the key person.As long as this person is dug out, perhaps the doubts can be easily resolved.

Zhu Helin expressed his opinion, Su Yan agreed, and reminded: "This 'Qian Shanren' may also be a pseudonym, and even the identity of a wealthy businessman is false. The entire inner and outer cities of Nanjing have a population of one million. It is not easy to find this person, and I don't think it is suitable to cast a wide net."

This is exactly what Zhu Helin was thinking about. He thought for a while and said, "Step by step. First determine what the mine is, and then start with the most obvious Jingujian, and the Linggu Temple that is covering for them. I don't believe it anymore, for such a big matter, I can't find the fox's tail!"

For the next few days, they all stood still, waiting for the guards' reply, and occasionally went to Zhongshan to inspect the progress of the Nanjing Ministry of Industry's renovation of the mausoleum and waterways.

More than half a month later, those guards hurried back and showed the prince a little metal extracted from the stone.

"Because it needs to be refined carefully, a lot of work was wasted... My lord, after the miners soak these stones in water and grind them into powder, they use the washing method to remove the stone powder over and over again, and finally sink to the bottom to leave the ore powder. Then use the difference in melting point to remove the stone powder. , These two grains melted out one after another, saying that the big one is gold and the small one is copper.”

Su Yan looked at the two pieces of metal, one large and one small, in the paper bag, and remembered the introduction in the ore museum: "It is a gold-copper symbiotic mine, mainly gold mines, and copper mines are associated."

Zhu Helin was startled and then laughed back: "The mountain road was built eight years ago, that is to say, they have been mining it secretly for at least eight years, and the court has not discovered it. This is really daring!"

For another mountain, it may be discovered within eight years.It is because Zhongshan is where the imperial mausoleum is located, and the precepts are strict. Only the three major sacrifices and the four minor sacrifices are held every year, and officials from the Ministry of Rites are sent from the capital to preside over them, and they leave after the ceremony.On weekdays, the Jingong Supervisor controls the entire Zhongshan Mountain, so the mine hidden behind the North Peak has not been exposed.

Where did the mined gold and copper go?I am afraid that only the operator of this mine can find out.

After much deliberation, Zhu Helin decided to write a secret letter to his father who was far away in the capital to inform him of the matter, and send it together with these two pieces of gold and copper as evidence.

As a result, before he finished writing his letter, the news from the capital came first——

As the Ministry of Rites of Nanjing reported the report, many courtiers impeached the prince for desecrating the imperial mausoleum and damaging the dragon's veins. The emperor and the queen mother were furious because of this, and they are discussing the crime of the prince.The emperor also sent an accountability document drafted by the cabinet, asking the prince to explain the situation and report it truthfully.

When Zhu Helin heard the news, he was like a thunderbolt.

He blinked blankly, and asked Su Yan: "What do you mean... Luhua people stabbed me in the back? Do all the courtiers believe it? Even the emperor also believes it?"

Su Yan also felt dizzy, and his mind began to buzz again, and the light and shadow in front of his eyes twisted and circled again.This time he recalled more details from the fragmented words in the history book:

Prince Zhu Helin was exiled by Emperor Jinglong because of his involvement in the case of the imperial tomb, and stayed in Yingtian Mansion for three full years.

During this period, the ministers fiercely debated the country's foundation, and Zhu Helin's reserve position was almost abolished, until he returned to the capital and became a great treasure.

However, because he was assassinated by poisoning several times during his stay in Nanjing, his vitality was severely injured, and his health deteriorated after he succeeded to the throne, and he barely survived for another four or five years.During this period, he made considerable achievements in martial arts because he advocated the crusade against the North Desert and the pacification of the South China Sea and the East China Sea. He eventually suffered from an old illness and died young at the age of 23. His posthumous title was "Wu"...

23 years old!Still so young... Su Yan couldn't help but staggered, his hands, feet and heart were completely cold.

Seeing this, Zhu Helin quickly supported him, and asked one after another, "Where is the discomfort, do you want to pass the imperial doctor?" Because he was too nervous, he put his agitated emotions aside.

Su Yan drank some hot water, gradually regained his breath, grabbed Zhu Helin's arm tightly, and gritted his teeth, "I'm here..."

"What?" Zhu Helin didn't hear clearly.

Su Yan raised his voice: "With me here, no one will try to harm you! No matter what the original path is, I will step on my own path here!"

Zhu Helin was stunned, and slowly laughed: "Qinghe... the young master was really shocked, angry, and wronged just now, but for some reason, he is suddenly neither surprised nor angry."

He hugged Su Yan, buried his face in the other's neck like a big dog, and rubbed hard. After taking a deep breath, he said, "I know that I have always been a thorn in the side of some people, and they tried every means to get rid of me. But I won't Panic, let alone back down, because this battle is not only about me, but about so many people around me, especially you—I always remember what you said to me.”

——I will do my best to assist His Highness and help His Highness realize his great ambitions!

——Since I choose to board the ship of His Royal Highness, I will use my meager strength to cut through the waves for you.Of course, it is also to rely on the blessing of this ship and not to suffer from wind, rain, thunder and lightning.

——I swear to be with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince... and Zhu Helin forever and ever, and never leave each other forever.

"For you, I will never let something happen to me!" Zhu Helin raised his face, his eyes flashed with firmness and determination, "Let's discuss a countermeasure together. I won't believe it. Let's work together to get through If you can't pass this calamity, you can't pass this level!"

Because of his words, Su Yan also calmed down completely, hugged Zhu Helin back, and patted him on the back: "Master let go first, let's sit down and plan a countermeasure."

The two chatted with each other for more than half an hour, and suddenly heard the servant outside the palace gate report: "Master Lu, Minister of the Ministry of Rites of Nanjing, please see me."

Zhu Helin sneered: "Old thief, do you still have the face to see me? You are not afraid of being beaten out by the guards of the Eastern Palace!"

Su Yan felt suspicious, and said to Zhu Helin, "No hurry, first listen to what Lu Shangshu intends to say."

As a result, as soon as Lu Shangshu entered the hall, he knelt down and saluted the prince, and said in tears: "The old minister just heard that the Nanjing Ministry of Rites reported the White Deer case, and he was terrified and terrified. This is not written in the memorandum at all... There must be something wrong with it, and I hope His Royal Highness will learn from it."

Zhu Helin raised his sword eyebrows, his eyes were piercing, but his tone was unusually calm: "Why did Lu Shangshu say that? The matter of worshiping the mausoleum was reported by the Nanjing Ministry of Rites as usual. Lu Shangshu once came to ask about Gu's situation, and Gu answered truthfully. As for how it is written in your playbook, how can Gu see and manage it?"

When Lu Shangshu was run over by him, he became more ashamed and anxious, and hurriedly took out a few pages from his pocket and handed them to him: "This is the transcript of the memorial sent by the old minister, please have a look at it, Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Zhu Helin took it, but he didn't look at it himself, and handed it to Su Yan: "Gu's eyes hurt recently, Su Shilang can take a look."

Su Yan quickly browsed through it.The writing in this memorial is relatively succinct, and there is no mention of the White Deer. It only says that after the mausoleum sacrifice ceremony presided over by the crown prince was successfully completed, the north peak of Zhongshan Mountain suddenly collapsed, and some of the mausoleum trees were destroyed by the flooding of streams and lakes. or caused by earthquakes.Fortunately, the cemetery is unobstructed. The relevant ministries and departments in Nanjing will repair the hillside in time. Please rest assured.

If it was written according to this memorandum, it would not cause such a big court controversy at all, and it would not involve any crimes against the crown prince.

Unless... After thinking about it, Su Yan asked: "Since Lord Shangshu said that the content of the memorial that he wrote is different from the content of the memorial that the court received, then maybe something went wrong in the middle and was transferred. Dare I ask Master Shangshu?" , how did this memorial be sent to the capital?"

Lu Shangshu said: "Through the 'immediate delivery' at the post station, send it to the Department of General Administration of the capital."

Su Yan asked: "Can you trust the officials of the Ministry of Rites who sent the memorial to the station?"

"He is a close friend who has followed the old man for many years, and he will definitely not transfer the package secretly. He came back and reported that he handed it over to the messenger."

"Then the problem may be at the post station. Either the messenger has accidentally changed the mailbox, or the messenger is the one who changed the package."

Lu Shangshu said: "Su Shilang's words are reasonable, the old man will take people to the post station to find out the matter."

Su Yan stopped: "Don't worry, if you just pass by like this, you might startle the snake, why don't you quietly tie up the messengers and force them to tell the truth."

Lu Shangshu was surprised: "Su Shilang must not torture to extract a confession, even if he calculates it by force, it may not be the truth."

Su Yan said with a smile: "Master Shangshu is too worried, I naturally have a way to make people tell the truth without hurting others."

Zhu Helin observed the words and expressions until this moment, and then he got up and helped Lu Huaren with his own hands: "Old Shangshu, there is no need to panic. I will definitely find out what is going on in this matter. Please answer one question truthfully first—— Do you know a rich man called 'Qian Shanren' who is in the business of medicinal materials or ores?"

Lu Shangshu was stunned, and shook his head after trying to remember: "I haven't heard of it. The Nanjing Household Department is in charge of taxation. If you are a rich man in business, there are records in the booklet. Veteran ministers can go to the tax department to bring the booklet and look for it."

"There is Lao Lu Shangshu." Zhu Helin said a few words on the scene, and asked the servant to send Lu Huaren out of the Spring Palace.

He turned his head and asked Su Yan: "Qinghe thinks this person's words are credible?"

Su Yan replied: "Looking at his words and deeds, it doesn't look like a fake. After coming to Nanjing, I have had a lot of contact with him as a deputy. Although this old man is long-winded and rigid, he has no bad intentions."

Zhu Helin thought: "From this point of view, the messenger is very suspicious. I asked the guards to sneak into the post station at night, tied up the messenger and the postman, and tortured them."

Su Yan nodded, and suddenly asked again: "That little maid named Tao Ling, just escaped from the palace without a trace?"

"I also asked the palace guards to investigate this all the time, saying that it was suspected that they escaped by hiding in a water tanker."

"Take control of the servants who were in charge of carrying the water that night, and interrogate them one by one. Also, check the background of the maid. Since she is a local, don't let any relatives in the family, seven aunts and eight aunts, be spared! Su Yan said, "For many things, the more complicated the plan is and the more people are involved, the easier it is to leave a loophole. There is no perfect situation in this world, it just depends on whether we can find a breakthrough point."

Zhu Helin nodded and said: "Qinghe is right, we will do everything you say."

Su Yan asked: "Then you plan to write a private letter to the emperor, are you still going to write it? How to write it?"

Zhu Helin thought for a while, and said: "Write. But let's not talk about someone stealing the mine, just be a wronged son and complain to his father, act like a baby, and see how my father responds."

Su Yan thought about the faint tit-for-tat meaning in his tone, and couldn't help but said: "Hey, you won't feel resentful towards the emperor because of this?"

Zhu Helin squinted at him: "Why, are you unhappy? Then tell me, on this matter, are you on my father's side or on my side? Do you love him or me? Woolen cloth?"

Su Yan: "..."

The bad habit of giving propositions to people can also succeed in the father's business?

When Zhu Helin saw that he didn't immediately stand in line with him, he immediately became unhappy: "Okay, it's nice to say that you will never be equal to the young master for the rest of your life, but in reality? Why don't you just sit on the father's side?" ! Hey——" imitating Su Yan's tone, he squeezed out the sour and bitter vinegar juice from his dark face, "Could you really sit on his butt? What kind of posture did you use?"

Unexpectedly, the crown prince suddenly questioned his soul with a pun. He was a little guilty and ashamed for a while, feeling that he could justly say "the relationship between me and the emperor is pure" before. , but now... her innocence is gone, how can she be confident?

So he retorted confidently: "Nonsense! I think you have too many little yellow pictures, and your mind is full of yellow waste. It's this time, and you still have the time to tease me?"

Zhu Helin raised his eyebrows: "The planning that should be planned, the arrangement that should be arranged, the action that should be done. In addition to the time, I have to live as usual. Is it possible that once someone slanders and framed me, I will worry day and night, Can't eat, can't sleep? A group of shady young people, they have a good idea!"

He grabbed Su Yan's wrist: "I can't go to Tangshan for the time being. Fortunately, there is a hot spring bath dug by hand in the palace. After dinner, I will take a bath with you!"

Su Yan struggled hard, but couldn't get away, and shouted: "I won't take a bath with you! You are no longer a child, can you talk about etiquette, integrity and shame, and know what it means to avoid suspicion..."

Zhu Helin became more and more convinced that he was having an affair with his father, and he was calling himself an elder!Still obeying his father's request to avoid suspicion?Zhu Helin was so angry that he wanted to vomit blood, and threatened viciously: "If you dare to disobey my master again, I will let you be the princess tonight, and the father-in-law is the one you should avoid suspicion from now on!"