Daming prepares the emperor

The golden-red sun rose in the sky, and a circle of warm light smeared on the clouds. There were layers of ripples in the river water, reflecting this magnificent scene. The large and small boats, many white sails were blown up by the wind, orderly. In sequence, approaching the pier one by one.

Yuan Kai stood on the shore, looking into the distance: "Which ones are the food escort ships that just came back?"

Fearing that he would fall into the water, Han Baihu nervously grabbed Yuan Kai's clothes and pointed to him.

"Oh!" Yuan Kai said, "The grain ship is so majestic, I don't know what the warship will look like, Mr. Han, I remember you said that you have been in the army before, what's your opinion?"

"An opinion?" Han Baihu nodded his head. He fought in wars in his early years, but he was not in the navy. Speaking of warships, he had never touched them before. Speaking of some dry goods, "I only remember that the cost of warships is extremely high, and a ship costs more than 20 to [-] taels of silver."

"The grain ship is probably not cheap." Yuan Kai sighed, and the subject suddenly changed, "Has the grain we borrowed from Mr. Li arrived?"

"It was shipped overnight, and it should be here soon."

"Let's go." Yuan Kai said, "It's the mule or the horse that I want to see."

Qiantang has been prosperous since ancient times. After the founding of the Ming Dynasty and the end of the troubled times at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, business is getting better every day.At this time, there are many merchant ships coming and going on the wharf in Hangzhou. No matter how big or small, they all put down the springboard. Amid the sound of orders, the migrant workers sweated profusely unloading goods, such as silk porcelain, tung oil varnish, rice and millet, etc., in bags and boxes. Moved ashore to support the lives of countless families.

During the Yongle period, Zhu Di's move of the capital not only had military significance, but also had a plan to drive the economy of the Northland.As long as the emperor himself sits in the north, the power center of the imperial court will be in the north, and a steady stream of food, grass and utensils will arrive in Beijing along the land and waterways. With the canal alone, it is unknown how many "labor jobs" will be created.

However, at this time, the Hongwu emigration had not yet begun, and the foundation of the Forbidden City was not stable. It was too early for Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao to consider moving the capital.

The sail was pulled down, and a huge grain ship stopped in front of Yuan Kai and Han Baihu. The ship was carrying dozens of soldiers guarding the grain. After disembarking, it brought a lot of sundries with it. It took half an hour to clear the debris. cabin.

At the same time, dozens of heavy donkey carts drove up on the road behind them, and Jin Yiwei, who was leading the cart, was directing the traffic. Inside the cart were bulging bags of grain, which Li Yinbing searched and suppressed from that warehouse. , whether it is packaging or quality, it is exactly the same as the military supplies shipped to Sichuan.

Han Baihu climbed onto the boat, looked left and right on the deck and walked around: "My lord, there is no problem with the boat, we can start now."

Yuan Kai nodded to Jin Yiwei who was driving the car.

The Jin Yiwei said yes, and turned around to direct the migrant workers to carry the grain up. While moving, he remembered the number of bags, and stepped forward from time to time to check whether the grain bags were full.In order to prevent mistakes in personal counting, or someone secretly accepting bribes and defecting, the dozen or so soldiers that Yuan Kai brought were scattered here to watch.

It was also loading food onto the ship, but Yuan Kai's team was obviously different. Not only were soldiers strictly guarding the ship, but also people in official uniforms were busy in front of the ship. For a while, people on the pier couldn't help but cast their attention. Wondering what's going on here.

Gradually, the noisy voice became much smaller.

Yuan Kai didn't have time to take care of the feelings of the people at this time, he had a stern face, his heart was pounding with the food being thrown up.

An hour later, the boat was full of food, and there was nothing else to put on it.

"Count, drive away!" Yuan Kai waved his hand, "Next one."

A smaller grain ship came over, and Jin Yiwei supervised the migrant workers as usual and began to carry it.

Yuan Kai cleverly adopted the sampling method. He did not check according to the size regulations of the Ministry of Industry, but randomly selected grain ships to verify the carrying capacity. In this way, the possibility of fraud by the river government will be greatly reduced.

After inspecting five ships in a row, the carriage had been emptied. Yuan Kai announced the stop of the operation, called everyone to him, and said with apprehension in anticipation, "Report the actual numbers one by one."

The soldiers lined up reported their numbers in order, and Yuan Kai memorized them while listening. The more he listened, the heavier the stone in his heart became, and he almost couldn't breathe.

These numbers are exactly the same as those reported by the Ministry of Industry!

what on earth is it?

Could it be that the Holy Majesty, the Prince, and I have all made a mistake?Is it true that no one in the Ministry of Industry used this batch of grain ships to embezzle military supplies, and it was really just a coincidence that they launched the ships early in winter?

Could it be that the truth of this massive action is so ironic?

Yuan Kai's long silence brought pressure to the soldiers, they looked at each other, not knowing what to say, they dared not move or walk away, they could only stay here together in a daze.

Han Baihu felt the suffering with empathy, pondered for a moment, and said, "Unload these grains and transport them back to Master Li."

Everyone had work to do, so they dispersed.

Only Han Baihu was left standing on the pier with Yuan Kai.

It was already afternoon, and even the spectators had left one after another. The pier was quite empty, and a few waterfowls were flying in the sky. It was the season of recovery, but the court was in a state of confusion.

Just when Yuan Kai was about to say something, several large official ships suddenly sailed out from the pier. They were full of loads and sailed to the distance. Cut off the comforting words he had finally concocted to Han Baihu.

Yuan Kai had nothing to say: "What is this ship for?"

The people who happened to be seeing us off nearby heard this, and replied respectfully: "Go back to the master, this is to transport military uniforms and white cloth to Sichuan. Give it away. The gentlemen are really good people."

Yuan Kai immediately looked at Han Baihu, and Han Baihu also looked at him.

---

"Dad, Daddy!"

Fang Keqin, who was sitting on the haystack, heard the sound and immediately raised his head, subconsciously looking for the source. When he saw Fang Xiaoru, he showed a very complicated expression on his face.

The sound of footsteps and calls gradually approached, and a young man appeared in Fang Keqin's sight, and that was his son.

"Father." Fang Xiaoru rushed to the railing, "Father, they said you came in because of embezzlement of military supplies. You tell me that they slandered you, right? You just told me what you said, how could you embezzle military supplies? Woolen cloth?"

Fang Keqin didn't perform any bloody tricks to deceive his relatives, but instead said: "You should have followed Uncle Wang to Yingtian yesterday, why are you still staying here? Have you written to Mr. Song to explain? "

"My son has already sent a letter to tell Master Song that he will be delayed for a while due to family affairs."

Hearing that Fang Xiaoru didn't bother Song Lian because of his own affairs, Fang Keqin was very pleased: "You have been sensible since you were a child, so I have nothing to worry about. After I leave, you have to take care of this family. I have troubled you for my father. If your father became a criminal official, it will harm your children and grandchildren, so you can no longer be an official. Be a scholar in the future, study hard, and go on your way."

"Father..." Fang Xiaoru choked up, "Did they threaten you with me?"

"No." Fang Keqin concealed this part of the facts, "Being a father is not for you, but for military affairs, for the government, and for the people."

"Does the court need father's sacrifice? What kind of bullshit court is this?" Fang Xiaoru said angrily, "What kind of court is this? What a big deal! Father, you have been clean and loving all your life, are you going to die with infamy?"

"Otherwise." Fang Keqin said calmly, "Xiao Ru, there is still time, and I will teach you the last lesson for my father. If there is trouble, someone will take the blame. This is officialdom! It doesn't know right from wrong Right or wrong, what is corruption and integrity, it only depends on the timing! Freezing three feet is not a one-day cold, when the time comes, the prime minister will fall, and the general will die! Nothing is reasonable!"

Fang Xiaoru was stunned.

Fang Keqin continued: "The way to be an official, how to choose, is all up to me. I am willing to die for the sage books I have read for so many years. On the first day I became an official, I made this oath. I will not Let all the books I read go into the dog's stomach. This is my father's own choice, you don't blame anyone, no one can blame!"

Fang Xiaoru did not give up and said: "Dengwen Drum..."

"Don't go." Fang Keqin said immediately, "Even if you go, your father will be dead by then."

After all, it was a teenager, no matter how smart he was, he suddenly couldn't bear such a blow. The tears in Fang Xiaoru's eyes overflowed little by little, and fell on half of his chest. He wiped his tears with his sleeve while Panting: "I'm going to Beijing right now, I'm going to ask Master Song for help, I have to beat the Dengwen drum."

Fang Keqin got a little angry: "Fang Xiaoru!"

Fang Xiaoru said: "A son is not a son if he does not take revenge. Filial piety to parents and love to brothers are also the principles that sons have learned from sage books. If there is no father who obeys, I will abandon them like my own. The abolition of government is against the will of the people. Even an official like my father would be killed by the court by mistake, so what reason do scholars have to give their lives to the emperor's family?"

Fang Keqin's expression changed, and he shouted in a low voice, "Speak carefully!"

But Fang Xiaoru has already made up his mind, he will not be afraid of Zhu Di who will kill him in the future, and now he will not be afraid of his father who is yelling at him.

When he walked to the door, he suddenly froze and didn't take another step.

Fang Keqin, who was anxious and angry in the prison, became suspicious, and was about to call out to his son to persuade him again, when the overwhelming singing broke into his ears.

The bang made his mind go numb.

"Who will stop me from serving? Use the power of the king. Who will live my millet? Make the rain from the king. Tell the king not to go, I am the parents of the people."①

The old shipbuilder from last night led his relatives to sing outside the yamen first, and then more and more people who heard what had happened spontaneously gathered at the door until the water was blocked until most of the city of Hangzhou The people all sang this song.

"Please don't go." The old boatman shouted in a hoarse voice.

The people kneeling behind him followed closely: "Please don't go!"

The old boatman said again: "My parents."

The people sang: "My people's parents!"

Such scenes are simply unheard of and unseen.Among them is not only Fang Keqin himself who loves the people like a son day after day, but also the role of the town demon secretary who unremittingly publicizes the story of Daotong and Lu Jin's love.The Secretary of General Administration, Dengwengu, every little bit of policy force is playing a role. Although Yuan Kai made some suggestions, the people at this time are no longer intimidated by Zhu Liangzu, and the whole city is watching Daotong struggle hard. The appearance is much stronger.

They know what they want.

Fang Xiaoru slowly backed into the prison without saying a word, just staring at Fang Keqin silently amidst the singing.

Fang Keqin didn't say anything either.

A hot tear rolled out of his eye and dripped down his cheek to the ground.

---

"He agreed to retract the confession?" Han Baihu stood up in surprise.

These stupid things really annoyed him, these officials—except for a few, all of them were dressed in human skin, doing things worse than pigs and dogs, and they were so cunning as to die, they couldn't catch the fox The tail is not at all as happy as usual to scare people to death by copying the house.

Those who were wrong refused to admit it, and those who were right rushed to admit it. Although I could understand the reason, it was still disgusting.

"Yes." Yuan Kai nodded, feeling a lot of emotion, "It's really enviable to be an official to do this, so please don't go, Fang Keqin's simple and beautiful words are enough to leave a place in the history books .”

Han Baihu was not interested in the ultimate ideal of a literati's name being left in history and being worthy of enjoying the imperial temple. He only cared about whether he could complete the tasks in the palace, and urged: "Should we just ask Fang Keqin to write a new confession?"

Yuan Kai said: "Alright, let's send someone to invite you."

In the same lobby, Fang Keqin returned to his original position one day later, standing there as before, looking up at Yuan Kai and Han Baihu who were sitting at the top.

"I heard that you want to retract your confession?" Yuan Kai asked.

"Yes." Fang Keqin was obviously much more energetic, his hair was still messed up and his clothes were still dirty, but he seemed to have some momentum, "I'm going to retract the confession."

Yuan Kai said: "This is not an easy task. The confession letter you wrote earlier is still here with us. Now that you have confessed, you will be punished. You changed your words in such a short period of time, and your words and deeds are so inconsistent. How can you tell me? Trust you? How can the court trust you?"

These few words seem to be accusations, but they are actually points, implying that if Fang Keqin knows something, it is best to speak up quickly.

Fang Keqin said: "That night, I was kidnapped by a demon. He threatened me with my life, my son's life, and whether the people in Hangzhou could borrow grain boats to threaten the justice of the court, and forced me to sign a confession. , the crime of embezzling ink and food should be borne by the Hedao Yamen."

oh?Here comes the key point.

Yuan Kai became excited: "Do you have evidence? What kind of political situation and righteousness is he talking about?"

Fang Keqin described the situation that night verbatim, and finally shook his head, saying: "There is no evidence. This group of people is very secretive, and it is difficult to catch them."

Han Baihu couldn't help but asked: "Then you said that it was the Hedao Yamen who were greedy for military supplies in Mexico. Is there any evidence for this? No, and no. If there is no such thing, then what the hell is the confession?"

Yuan Kai said: "Lord Han, don't be so impatient!"

"Yes." Fang Keqin said, "The new ship of the Ministry of Industry was built in Hangzhou. I know the inside story. The construction period is indeed in spring, but the new ship was secretly launched in the river in winter. If there is nothing wrong with it, I'm afraid even ghosts won't believe it! Adults should know about these things, how can it be said that they are not evidence?"

Yuan Kai was a little disappointed: "You are right, but..."

Fang Keqin frowned and said, "Has your lord checked the shipyard?"

Han Baihu took a deep breath and leaned back on his chair: "It's not just a shipyard. We've already moved grain onto the ship, which is exactly the same as the full load reported by the Ministry of Industry, and even has a slight surplus!"

"How is it possible?" Fang Keqin was shocked, "If that's the case, what else are they going to do?"

At this time, the three of them, no matter who you are or what your status is, have formed a team invisibly. Under the oppression of the common enemy, they are thinking about countermeasures, brainstorming, and their minds are turning like a cooling fan.

In the end, Yuan Kai made the decision: "In any case, Fang Zhifu—you retracted your confession. This is a good thing. It shows that there is indeed something hidden about the Hangzhou incident. No one will rush to close the case openly. We still have enough I hope you can resist and not be swayed by them again. Although the enemy is dark and we are clear, but they have to be more anxious. The invisible blade hangs over their heads. Our chances of winning may not be small .”

Fang Keqin thought of his son who was free to go in and out of prison, and the people gathered together. He understood something, smiled in his eyes, and accepted Yuan Kai's encouragement: "I won't belittle myself anymore. Since the people in Hangzhou want to If I stay, why not give them face."

Yuan Kai also smiled: "Come here, send Fang Zhifu back to prison."

After Fang Keqin left, Yuan Kai and Han Baihu discussed again and unanimously decided that they should write to Jingzhong.

Han Baihu said: "I still have to write a report to the palace. The matter is obvious. It is clear at a glance who is pure and who is turbid. It is just that there is no evidence. As long as there is something in the palace, I will put that surname right away." He, whose surname is Lu, peeled off his skin and stuffed it with grass and hung it up."

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① Excerpted from "Fang Keqin, Biography of Officials in the History of Ming Dynasty"