Chapter 10 The ninth secret letter came with sorrow and heartache.Death Row Meets Murderous

When the cabinet was dismissed, Gao Gong did not go to the Suzhou Guild Hall to meet Shao Daxia as scheduled, but ordered the sedan chair team to carry the sedan chair home, and asked Wei Xuezeng to come and meet him at home quickly.It was only an hour after Gao Gong arrived home, and Wei Xuezeng rushed over. Have you got a meal yet?Gao Gong asked. After receiving the notice, I rushed over directly from the official department, so I didn't care about eating.Wei Xuezeng answered. Gao Gong immediately called a housekeeper, and said: "Go tell the cook to cook a pot of two-rice porridge and bake a few cakes, and bring them directly to the study."After finishing speaking, he led Wei Xuezeng into the study.

At this time, it was already dark, and the lamps had already been lit in the study.As soon as he was seated, Gao Gong hurriedly said: "Qi Guan, something serious happened." Ah, what is it?Wei Xuezeng also became nervous. Gao Gong took out a letter from his sleeve, and Wei Xuezeng took it to see that it was the letter Li Yan sent to Gao Gong for the last time a few days ago using the Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi.Wei Xue once read it, and although he despises Li Yan's approach, he can't see what disaster will happen here.During the silence, Gao Gong said angrily: This Li Yan, I originally thought that he was only slightly less capable, but his character was not bad, but who would have thought that he would do such tricky things behind the back of the old man.

Wei Xuezeng knew that Gao Gong had always been honest and refused to accept people's property, so he was not pretending to lose his temper, but now that the matter has come to this point, he can only persuade him with good words: Although what Li Yan did violated Yuanfu's consistent However, as a student, it is reasonable for Li Yan to have such a heart of gratitude to the Master.It's up to him to send it or not, and it's up to me to accept it. Yuanfu didn't want to tarnish his reputation, so he just returned the 5,000 mu of land, so why bother to get angry over such a trivial matter.

trifle?If it was really a trivial matter, the old man would be so eager to find you?Gao Gong was restless, moved his body, and continued, when I first received this letter in the afternoon, I thought the same as you, and then I read the letter twice, and gradually saw the flaws.According to the letter, Li Yan bought the five thousand mu of land for the old man in his second year as governor of Guangdong and Guangxi.However, why did it take more than a year before I wrote to inform you?The reason he stated was that he originally wanted to give me the land deed after the old man became an official, and this reason also made sense.What doesn't make sense is, why did he use eight hundred miles to send this letter to me after he was dismissed?In the past, when the official career was stable, he was not in a hurry to hand over the land deed, but now that he lost his official position, he was so anxious that he went to the house and quickly appealed to the matter.Qi Guan, don't you think there is a lot to write about here?

The first assistant has insight into the subtleties, so to speak, Li Yan's letter is really famous.After Wei Xuezeng finished speaking, he picked up the letter on the coffee table and read it again. At this time, the cook brought in a small dining table and set out two rice porridge, pancakes and a few side dishes.Gao Gong glanced at the plate of sauce next to the pancake, and asked: Where is the sauce from? The cook replied: Master, this is the sauce from the imperial dining room, the famous golden hook bean paste, which was given to you by the emperor during the Chinese New Year. If you don't eat this sauce, the taste is light and you can't get used to it.You should go and bring up a plate of wheat sauce from your hometown.As he said that, Gao Gong picked up the plate of Golden Hook Douban and was about to ask the cook to take it away, but suddenly put it down again, and said to Wei Xuezeng, maybe you like it, so keep it.

After picking up the topic just now, the two talked while eating. If you read this letter again, you should see the problem.Gao Gong chewed a mouthful of pancakes, and his tone of voice changed a little. You are also familiar with Li Yan's handwriting, and the scriptures or letters that are sent in the past are clearly spelled out in lower script, which is a bit of Zhao Mengfu's skill.However, the letter was written rather sloppy, and several obvious clerical errors, such as writing Zhuozhou as Zhuozhou, were not found, which shows that he was disturbed when writing the letter.Having said that, Gao Gong stared at Wei Xuezeng and asked: Did Li Yan bribe you?

When he came to Beijing to report on his work, he came to visit my house. When he heard that my daughter was getting married, he said that my daughter's dowry would be on me. That's why bitches don't wag their tails, and male dogs don't hang their upper body. Gao Gong laughed for a while and asked again, so, has he ever given you dried fruit? preserved fruit?Wei Xuezeng was taken aback, then smiled in surprise, there are preserved fruits everywhere in Beijing, there is no room for him to send any preserved fruits all the way. This preserved fruit is not that preserved fruit!Gao Gong gave a half-smile, and then recounted what Emperor Longqing had said in the morning.

How does the emperor know Li Yan's candied fruit when he lives deep in the palace?Wei Xue was puzzled. This is exactly why I am worried. Gao Gong's face is expressionless, but in fact his heart is turned over. Although the emperor usually doesn't care about political affairs, he has very good ears.Think about it, Feng is in charge of the East Factory and secretly monitors the activities of all officials. These bastards are running around like loaches all day long, what can't they find out?A few days ago, an official from the Ministry of Industry was drunk after visiting a kiln. When he came back, he fell off his horse and lost a front tooth.The emperor asked me about it the next morning, but I didn't know it yet.Feng Bao, the eunuch, sent a lot of interview orders to the emperor every day.

When mentioning Dongchang, all the officials hated and feared, all the prisons during Sejong's reign were all caused by the troubles caused by Dongchang.Wei Xuezeng had always hated Dongchang, so he said indignantly that Admiral Feng Bao had slandered the emperor so much, Yuanfu should think of a way to clean him up as soon as possible. This is a later story, Gao Gong said immediately, if the matter of Li Yan is not handled well now, let people get the evidence, we will let them clean up. Is it really that serious? have! Gao Gong hiccupped loudly as he spoke, which was the reason why he ate too fast just now.He took a sip of his tea and was about to continue, when suddenly the porter came to report that it was Han Yi who asked to see him.Gao Gong frowned and said:

Why is he here to join in the fun, let him in. Han Yi came in with a gray head and a gray face, and when he saw Wei Xuezeng present, he became more and more embarrassed. What's the matter with you?Gao Gong asked. It's a small matter, but Han Yi glanced at Wei Xuezeng and said hesitantly, but it's not too important. It doesn't matter what you came here for, Gao Gong scolded unceremoniously, you didn't see, I'm talking to Master Wei. Han Yi blushed, stood where he wanted to leave but didn't want to.Wei Xue once saw that Han Yi meant that he wanted to talk to Shoufu alone, so he stood up and said, Han Yi has something important to report, so I will avoid it for now.

No need, just sit down, there is nothing to hide from you, after Gao Gong said that, Wei Xuezeng had no choice but to sit down again.Gao Gong said to Han Yi again, if you have anything to say, just say it, Master Wei is not an outsider, so it doesn't hurt to listen. Han Yi obeyed his master's order, bowed down to find a chair, sat down, and said in a low voice: Lord Shoufu, I still want to come and talk to you about the ten thousand taels of silver. Ah, so that's what you came for.Gao Gong nodded, and seeing that Wei Xuezeng was still in a daze, he told him the whole story. After seeing Li Yanxin in the afternoon, Gao Gong was meditating alone in the duty room, when Han Yi happened to bring in the official documents.Although this Han Yi was only a junior official of the seventh rank, but because he was on duty beside the chief assistant, he was deeply trusted, so the officials of the Six Departments, the officials of the frontier and other ministers of the court and the central government did not dare to neglect him.Although Han Yi pulled up a big banner outside as a tiger skin to show off, but he was cautious in front of Gao Gong, and he always had the same industrious, thrifty and pious look.Gao Gong was satisfied with the rest, except that he bothered him to ask for instructions and report everything in detail, and regarded him as a retainer in his heart. However, after Han Yi put down the official document, he lingered and still didn't want to leave. Gao Gong asked him: What else do you need? Han Yi bowed and said: Just now, Mr. Meng sent two pots of flowers, both of which are exotic peonies cultivated in the Imperial Garden.A pot of white is called Nishang Wuyi, and a pot of scarlet is called Qiujiang Xizhao.In my thirties, this is the first time I have seen such a delicate and beautiful flower.Now, Mr. Shoufu, please let me know whether these two potted flowers should be placed in the value room, or should I take them home for appreciation. The relapse of Emperor Longqing's old illness came to the cabinet to look for Nu'er Huahua, and Li Yanlai's letter made Gao Gong feel like he was in a state of turmoil. Even eating tasted like chewing wax, so how could he have time to enjoy the flowers?As soon as Han Yi's voice fell, Gao Gong roared angrily: "Is it worth asking for advice on such trivial matters as idle flowers and idle grass?"go down! yes. Han Yi, who wanted to win a lottery, had no choice but to back down obediently.At this time, Gao Gong suddenly had a thought: this Han Yi usually said a lot of good things to help Li Yan in front of the old man, did he benefit from him by doing so?Suspicious, he called Han Yi back again and asked: Li Yan, what do you think of him? Han Yi, who had just been reprimanded, didn't dare to answer rashly, because Li Yan sent the letter to the chief assistant half an hour ago.Shoufu was in a bad mood after reading the letter, but he didn't know why.After some consideration, he replied: Master Li has repeatedly failed in suppressing bandits in Qingyuan, and the punishment of being dismissed is not a serious punishment, but Qingyuan is a place with high mountains and savage mountains in the southwest, and Master Li stayed there for three years without any credit. There is also hard work. You Liulidan didn't say anything, Gao Gongying glanced over and said, you are not familiar with Li Yan, you come to my house to handle errands. , You two have met once, and you are just nodding acquaintances.But, why do you always speak nice words for Li Yan in front of me?Now you explain why. Gao Gong was in a hurry to ask, Han Yi blinked his eyes, and said another slippery sentence: I think Li Yan is the disciple of the first assistant, so I feel at ease to say a few good words for him. fart!Are you not ashamed to say such pug talk?Gao Gong was furious, poked his finger on the bridge of Han Yi's nose, and shouted, "Now tell me honestly, how much benefit did you get from Li Yan?" Mr. Shoufu Han Yi yelled but there was nothing to say. Gao Gong saw that his face turned sweaty, and he knew that the deceit had worked, so he simply defrauded him to the end. He picked up Li Yan's letter and shook it in front of Han Yi's eyes. Huang, said with a sneer: "Well, you Han Yi, you dared to accept bribes without telling the old man, and you dared to deny them when things came to an end." Han Yi really thought that Li Yanxin had mentioned this matter, so his knees softened immediately, and he knelt down in front of Gao Gong, and said in a tearful voice, "Master Chief Assistant, I dare not deny my lowly position. Li Yan sent someone to give me two gifts." Bank notes, 5,000 taels each, 10,000 taels in total. Did you take it? The humble job is accepted. Gao Gong was so angry that his seven orifices were filled with smoke, and he wished he could kick Han Yi out the door.Han Yi has been with Gao Gong for two years, and he has never seen Gao Gong so angry, his face turned pale with fright, and his undershirt was soaked in cold sweat.He bent down and couldn't get up, choked up and said: I was obsessed with money for a while in a lowly job, I failed the kindness of the first assistant, and I still hope that the first assistant is loyal to the dog and horse of the humble job, please forgive me this time, from now on I will change my mind and start a new life According to Gao Gong's temperament, he wished that Han Yi could be sent to the Metropolitan Procuratorate for interrogation, but he was worried that his family's ugliness should not be publicized, so he swallowed his anger again, and said with a long sigh: "Get up and talk." Han Yi shivered and got up, not daring to sit down, and just stood there like sifting chaff.Gao Gong looked at his bear-bag appearance, wishing he could spit on him.He looked out of the window, saw that the flowers and trees were scattered, and no one came in or out of the shed, but he still lowered his voice and asked: Do you know who else took bribes from Li Yan? Han Yi knew that several ministers had received Li Yan's filial respect, but he never dared to reach out to others, shook his head and said: Li Yan will never let a third party know that Li Yan does this kind of thing, so he doesn't know about his humble position. Gao Gong thought about it for the same reason, and asked again: Li Yan sent out a lot of money, where did the money come from? Judging from the tone of the question, it seemed that Li Yan hadn't confessed anything in the letter.Han Yi couldn't help but regret confessing so quickly, but what he said was like splashed water, and he couldn't take it back.In order to get Gao Gong's forgiveness and not to be accused of betraying friends, Han Yi vaguely replied: "I don't know much about how Li Yan made money from his humble position, but I heard that Du Huazhong, the official of the driving department of the Ministry of War, knows." You pass on my instructions now and order Du Hua to come to the cabinet at a medium speed. In less than an hour, Du Huazhong walked into Gao Gong's room panting.He was also a student of Gao Gongmen, so when he received the instructions from the old seat owner, he didn't dare to neglect, so he rode a fast horse and ran over.Gao Gong did the same thing, cheated Du Huazhong and received a total of 30,000 taels of silver from Li Yan three times.And from Du Huazhong's mouth, he learned the fact that Li Yan had embezzled a huge amount of military expenditures. | After hearing this narration, Wei Xuezeng also felt the seriousness of the problem, and his two thick and black eyebrows were immediately locked together. Looking at the cowering look of Han Yi in front of him, he couldn't beat his anger. , and couldn't help but rebuke him a few words: You, Han Yi, let someone buy your soul for 10,000 taels of silver.A few days ago, Yuanfu also discussed with me that he wanted to promote you to the sixth department as an official. You know the weight of this official position, you are the number one official in the world!This is good, the carp didn't jump into the dragon's gate, but jumped into the ghost's gate. Han Yi was so ashamed that he wished he could find a crack in the ground and slip in.After struggling for a while, Fang opened his mouth and said, "Master Wei, this afternoon, the Chief Assistant will give you a slap in the face, like a giant thunderbolt, and you've been convicted of a humble job."In the evening, I took the liberty to come here in order to return the ten thousand taels of silver.As he spoke, he took out a bank note from the sleeve and handed it to Gao Gong respectfully. Gao Gong didn't reach out to take the bank note, but stood up and took out a copy of "Zhenguan Zhengyao" from the bookshelf engraved during the Jiaguan period of Song Dynasty, turned to the middle section of "Greedy Chapter", handed it to Han Yi, and said, "You take this section Think about it. Han Yi took the book, stuttered and read it: In the second year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong said to his courtiers: I have said that greedy people can't understand love of money.As far as the fifth rank and above of internal and external officials, the salary rank is excellent, and the income in a year is as much as possible.If you accept money and bribes, it is only tens of thousands.Once it is exposed and the rank is robbed, is this the solution of love and property?Those who have small gains but big losses are also.In the past, Yixiu was fond of fish, but not merman, and his fish would live forever.And if you are greedy for the master, you will lose your country; if you are greedy for your ministers, you will lose your body. "Poetry" says: There are tunnels in the strong wind, greedy people and scum.nonsense Alright, Gao Gong interrupted Han Yi, and said tauntingly: You are also a Jinshi who passed the provincial examination all the way. Haven't you read the book "Zhenguan Zhengyao" before?Without waiting for Han Yi's answer, he went on to say that Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty was a generation of heroes who were diligent and thoughtful about politics, while Wei Zheng, Fang Xuanling and other officials were honest and honest.Such a meeting between monarchs and ministers created the atmosphere of the prosperous Tang Dynasty.Although the current sage is not like Tang Taizong who won the world immediately, but he restrains himself and restores the rituals, and always keeps a word of honesty.He liked to eat donkey intestines, but since he heard that the imperial dining room made a plate of donkey intestines for him every day, he had to kill a donkey, so he never wanted to eat donkey intestines again.Where can I find such a good emperor!But you, as a courtier, easily coveted ten thousand taels of silver.The money that the emperor saved from the gap between his teeth was turned into his own by you bastards, wouldn't the emperor feel chilled?How can the people not hate it?How can a grasshopper have no complaints?If you are greedy for the master, you will lose your country; if you are greedy for your ministers, you will lose your body.This is the most reasonable statement! When Gao Gong said these words, he was no longer furious, but rather reasoned and emotional.It could be heard that his throat was a little choked after speaking, and Wei Xuezeng and Han Yi who were sitting there were all greatly moved.Han Yi wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, and said: Hearing the chief assistant's words, I have no place to be ashamed of my lowly position. Tomorrow, I will give the emperor a letter and ask for punishment. Not necessarily.Gao Gong stared at Han Yi, and said in a tone of hatred, as long as you have the heart to admit your mistake, the old man will forgive you this time, and this matter will come to an end.You don't have to cry and let everyone in the world know what you have done.You should also go and talk to Du Huazhong, do what you should do, don't worry too much, let others see your flaws. Gao Gong changed his harsh attitude and suddenly became so tolerant, Han Yi was unexpected, and then he was very grateful.He knew that Gao Gong and Wei Xuezeng had something to discuss, so he hurriedly said goodbye. When he came back, Gao Gong called Han Yi to stop, pointed to the silver note that Han Yi put on the coffee table and said, you take this back first, how to deal with it, we will talk about it after we have the regulations. After Han Yi left, Wei Xuezeng sighed and said: The first assistant's mouth is like a knife, but it turns out that he still has the heart of a bodhisattva. Gao Gong laughed at himself and said: Otherwise, what else could we do?According to the old man's analysis, Li Yan has given a lot of gifts to the yamen in the capital in recent years. How much money is enough for him to give the empty rations and salaries of 20,000 soldiers?Think about it, who will he give it to?How many of these people were not promoted by you and me, including the officials of the yamen, and the chief doctors of the important departments?I have been in high-arch business for many years, and I finally have the current situation that everyone responds to. Right now, it is at the critical point of the competition with Zhang Juzheng, so it is impossible for people to catch them all at once. Wei Xuezeng also thought of Gao Gong's concern, and said with great concern at this time: Li Yan's embezzlement amount is so large, it is impossible to leave no trace in the account books, now that Yin Zhengmao takes over, will he follow the vine to find out this big case? yes!Gao Gong agreed, and then analyzed that there are two possibilities here. One is that Yin Zhengmao is hard to change his greedy nature, and he opened his whale mouth like Li Yan to be a big greedy person; Yeon, if that's the case, the situation is at stake. Knowing that Li Yan is like this, I regret letting Yin Zhengmao take over. Wei Xuezeng was blunt and fired another shot.Although Gao Gong felt a little regretful in his heart, he was never a person who complained about himself. He was taken aback for a while, and he said: The letter Yin Zhengmao sent to the old man a few days ago was intended to thank you for the promotion, and the words were neither close nor distant. , it can be seen that he is still observing the direction of the wind.At this time, if we give him another hand, maybe we can receive the effect of turning an enemy into a friend.Li Yan received the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi with the title of Yushi of the capital. I think Yin Zhengmao should be promoted to the next level, and the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi is led by the censor of the right deputy capital. Tomorrow, you will write an official letter and send it to the emperor to explain your intention, and I will draft it immediately. It will be sent out in two days. When Wei Xuezeng heard that Gao Gong's strategy towards Yin Zhengmao had changed, he immediately asked: "The supervisory censor has arrived in Nanchang, should we still investigate Yin Zhengmao's tenure in Jiangxi?" check!Not only must we investigate, but we must also find out his corruption and bad deeds.Gao Gong replied categorically, if he ever exposes Li Yan, we must also hold him in our hands.Give him candy first, and then give him a sap. Such two-handed preparation is a surefire strategy. Wei Xuezeng thought about changing from passive to active, so he could only act in this way. Then he said, Yin Zhengmao's promotion document, I will handle it when I arrive at the ministry tomorrow.However, the safety of many officials is tied to Li Yan alone, so he cannot be taken lightly. You can rest assured about this, I have my own opinion. After some discussion, it was late at night, and Wei Xuezeng said goodbye and went home. As soon as Wei Xuezeng left, Gao Fu stepped into the study.Gao Gong was a little tired, stretched his waist, and then asked: Is the matter settled? Go back to the master, it's done.Gao Fu replied respectfully. No trouble for him, right? No, the master didn't give instructions, and no one in the criminal department dared to act recklessly. Prepare the sedan chair, I'll go there now. Master, the night is getting dark, shall we go tomorrow? At this moment, the roads are sparsely populated, and it's just a matter of time to travel. Besides, he is a distinguished guest from afar, so we don't want to be too cold.You don't need to sit in the big sedan chair, you go prepare a female sedan chair. yes. Gao Fu withdrew.Gao Gong went to the inner room to change into a Taoist robe, then went to the sedan chair hall and got on the female sedan chair, taking advantage of the night to meander towards the prison of the Ministry of punishment. The person he went to visit on this trip was none other than Shao Daxia who came all the way from Nanjing to meet him. But he said that after Gao Fu came to the cabinet in the morning to inform Shao Daxia that he had arrived in Beijing, Gao Gong asked Gao Fu to bring a letter to Shao Daxia. Be careful not to go out.After thinking about it, he was worried, so he sent someone to bring Gao Fu back, and told him to go to the Ministry of Criminal Justice to find some police officers to secretly follow Shao Daxia. If he wandered out on the street, he would find an excuse to take him to the prison of the Ministry of Criminal Justice and imprison him.When Gao Gong gave this order, Yuan also had a thought, thinking to kill Shao Daxia without anyone noticing.After becoming the first assistant, he has always been worried about Shao Daxia.Afterwards, he sent someone to make an unannounced visit, and Shao Daxia was so focused on doing business in Nanjing that he never talked about helping him recover from the past, so he decided to let him go, and the two sides of the world will not fight each other from now on.Last year Shao Daxia entrusted someone to come to Beijing to intercede with Hu Zigao, and he felt unhappy in his heart. Although Hu Zigao was relieved of face and promoted to the head of the Nanjing Ministry of Industry, his guard against Shao Daxia, who had faded away, tightened up again.This time Shao Daxia came to the capital suddenly and said that he had an urgent meeting, Gao Gong knew intuitively that he came to meddle in political affairs again, so he was very upset.He originally wanted Shao Daxia to disappear forever without a trace, but now that he has been sent to his door, how can he let him go at ease?Gao Fu knew his master's mind very well, so he worked very hard on this matter.When Shao Daxia was arrested and sent to the prison of the Ministry of Criminal Justice, he ran to the cabinet to report the letter, asking for instructions on how to deal with it next.At this time, Gao Gong was disturbed by Li Yan's letter, and he only said one sentence: first put him in the death row and be held in secret, don't let anyone know about it, and don't give him additional punishment for the time being.Not a moment after Gao Fu left, Gao Gong got up in his sedan chair and went home to meet Wei Xuezeng. After a deep talk, he had a new idea about how to deal with Shao Daxia. When Gao Gong came to the prison of the Ministry of Criminal Justice, it was almost the first watch of the day.At this time, the drums were even more heavy, and everything was silent. The last quarter moon that had just emerged from the sky cast a little bit of cold light, dimly illuminating a pair of stone lions in front of the prison gate, making their faces even more ferocious and terrifying.The skin-piercing spring breeze swept across the deserted alleyway, which made people feel the fear of the imminent end of yin and yang.At the time of handover, the heavily guarded prison of the Ministry of Criminal Justice closed the door, and people on business at night entered and exited through the ear door.Knowing that Gao Gong is coming, the jailer who manages the prison has never dared to leave.Seeing Gao Gong coming down from the female sedan chair in casual attire, he was taken aback for a moment, then knelt down to greet him, Gao Gong asked him to lead the way, and the jailer got up to lead Gao Gong into the court room. Where are people locked up?Gao Gong asked. On death row.The Warden replied. Then go directly to the death row instead of entering the imperial court. Looking back at Mr. Fu, the death cell is full of ghosts, and there is not even a stool. Your Excellency, you should go to the court room to sit, and I will order the arrester to bring the man quickly. The Prison Department was worried that the prisoners in the death row would frighten the chief assistant, so they politely blocked it.Gao Gong felt that there were still idlers in the imperial court, so it was not as safe as being in the death cell, so he didn't appreciate it, and said, "Stop rambling, and lead the way to the death cell." The jailer couldn't help it, so he had to order someone to carry the stool, and a group of people walked around the corner to the death row. Even though it was late at night, there were still sentries at the gate of the death cell.The Jinyi guards guarding the prison stood in armor and held a knife, as if they were facing a big enemy, they did not dare to relax a little.The prison guard ordered the soldiers to remove the door bars of the death cell, unlock the lock himself, and led Gao Gong into the corridor of the death cell.After walking about ten feet away, I saw single cells lined up on both sides of the corridor. Except for the thick wooden fence on the side facing the corridor, the remaining three walls were made of stones one foot square.Two or three zhang away, there is a lantern hanging on the corridor.The fire is dim, and the shadows are everywhere. Standing on the corridor, you really have the feeling of stepping into hell. It was the first time in Gao Gong's life that he came to this kind of place, and when he first smelled the disgusting musty and bloody smell, he immediately shuddered and got goose bumps all over his body.Perhaps because of hearing their footsteps, there was a small commotion in the dead cell.Even though they were confined in a single room, the death row prisoners all raised their heads to watch this group of people pass by, not knowing what happened suddenly in the middle of the night.Gao Gong had just walked through three or four rooms following the prison guard, when he suddenly heard a hoarse scolding: I'll fuck you grandma for eight lifetimes, look, this mouse is more than a foot long, and it gnawed my foot until only bones remained. Out of curiosity, Gao Gong stopped and looked towards the cell where the scolding came from, and saw a prisoner lying on a small earthen kang, chained tightly and unable to move, and a fat mouse lying on his back. Nibbling on the carrion on the back of his feet, seeing someone approaching, the mouse dodged for a while, but it didn't run away, it just stared at the figure outside the wooden fence with a pair of bean-like green eyes vigilantly.The instep that had been gnawed by it really exposed the white bones. This miserable scene is horrifying. Why don't you untie him?Gao Gong asked. Prisoners are used to such things, and replied indifferently: This is a prisoner waiting for the autumn execution, and he is not worthy of sympathy. Gao Gong let out an oh, and moved his steps.The jailer led him all the way to the innermost part, and saw another iron gate guarded by two guards. The jailer made a gesture, and one of the guards took out a key to open the iron gate, walked in two or three feet away, and See a small door.Gao Gong walked into this small door, only to find that it turned out to be a stone secret room with no windows on all sides. This was originally a place where imperial prisoners were imprisoned, and Shao Daxia was imprisoned here. When Gao Gong came in, Shao Daxia was curled up on the kang with his back to the small door, sleeping in a daze.The jailer put down his stool, bowed and retreated.Only two masters and servants, Gao Gong and Gao Fu, were left in the room.Seeing that Shao Daxia was still lying down, Gao Gong coughed. Shao Daxia moved, turned his face, rubbed his eyes, saw that it was Gao Gong, and quickly turned over and sat up. Master! Shao Daxia's shout really had mixed feelings.Gao Gong pretended to be concerned, and hurriedly asked: They didn't make things difficult for you, did they? Why is there no difficulty?Shao Daxia became angry and said angrily, accusing me of raping a good woman for no reason, and chaining me here in public, I don't know where this is. You walked all the way, how could you not know where this is? How would I know, they grabbed me, put a black cloth hood over my head, walked into the room like a dog, and then took off the hood. Shao Daxia talked and gestured, looking very annoyed.Gao Gong pretended to be surprised and said: That's the case, so to speak, you are really wronged. Master, let's go now. Can't go, in such a huge city of Beijing, only here is the safest place. where is this place? Ministry of Penalty death row. Death row?Shao Daxia's shock was no small matter, and he said with lingering fears, thanks to the grand master who found it in time, otherwise, no one would have known that I, Shao, had become a wronged ghost.When I get out of this door, I will definitely find the gang of criminals to settle the score. Gao Gong said, "I can't blame them for this matter." Who is to blame? Blame me if you want to blame, this is actually the old man's idea. Gao Gong's words were so confusing that Shao Daxia felt as if he was in a fog.Gao Gong went on to say: "Looking at you like this, you must have never eaten dinner. Gao Fu, go and order the prison to set up a table for a banquet. I'll have a few drinks with Shao Daxia here." Gao Fu obeyed and left, leaving only Gao Gong and Shao Daxia in the house.Shao Daxiahu questioned: Why did the grand master put me in death row? Gao Gong sat on the stool, looked at the airtight secret room again, and said with a smirk: "Under the feet of the emperor in the capital, it is not only an inch of paradise, but also a trap every step of the way."Dongchang, Jinyiwei, and the spies under Xuncheng Yushi are all all-pervasive guys. There are endless people on the street. Do you know who is a good person and who is a spy?You live in such an eye-catching place as the Suzhou Guild Hall, and you have rented out another building. How can such a spendthrift person be stared at to death? I haven't seen each other for a few years, Shao Daxia didn't expect Gao Gong to become so cautious, and an inexplicable annoyance suddenly surged in his heart, and he said sullenly: "I, Shao, can guarantee that there are millions of people in the capital, and a super super person who can recognize me, Shao." But ten people. But almost all the San Gong Jiu Qing, ministers of civil and military affairs, know your name! When Gao Gong said this, a trace of imperceptible cruelty flashed across his eyes.The lights were dim, and Shao Daxia didn't notice it, but from the high-arched tone, he still heard some kind of terrible overtones.In order to further explore Gao Gong's mind, he said angrily: The grand master felt that it was inconvenient to meet each other, so he asked Gao Fu to tell me, so why bother to make such a fuss and send me to death row to suffer the crime of being useless? If it is inconvenient to meet each other, it is not an excuse, Gao Gong tapped his knees with his fingers, and he was careful in his words. I think you know the recent situation in the capital.Ever since Emperor Longqing fell ill, the brothers in the government have fought against each other, and Zhang Juzheng's ambition to seize the position of chief assistant has been known to all. I guess you came to Beijing this time probably for this purpose.Seeing Shao Daxia nodding frequently, Gao Gong went on to say, the old saying goes well, Lu Yao knows the horsepower, and it takes a long time to see people's hearts.Three years ago, I, Gao Gong, was promoted to the position of chief assistant, and you Shao Daxia made great contributions.But Xinzheng Yifare, except for the couplet you sent to show your heart, you never came to my house. This is the style of a real worldly expert. For this alone, I, Gao Gong, have a lot of admiration for you Plus, why not see it?Don't say that you came to the capital to meet me on your own initiative, even if you don't come, I will send someone to invite you to meet me.In this extraordinary period, I need you by my side, a righteous man who is not for utilitarianism but for the common people, a friend who shares weal and woe with sincerity As he was talking, Gao Gong actually became emotional, and the corners of his eyes were moist with tears.If Shao Daxia still had doubts and fears about Gao Gong before, and now seeing Gao Gong having a heart-to-heart talk with him, and the words he uttered were sincere and touching, that bit of suspicion would disappear, and he would inevitably say emotionally: Since we met in Taishi's hometown three years ago, I, Shao, have been thinking about Taishi all the time in my heart. It's just because Taishi is an important minister in the court, and Shao is a wandering cloud and a wild crane in the wild.Just as the grand master said, Emperor Longqing's illness has affected the hearts of the people in the two capitals, and the friction between the palace and the cabinet has gradually become known to outsiders.Although Shao is in the world, he occasionally walks around in the officialdom and hears some rumors, so he is very worried about the grand master.Only then did he venture to come to the capital again, originally wanting to join the grand master's sect and take some responsibility in this dispute Shao Daxia opened up his chatterbox, and was about to express his opinion on the disputes in the palace and cabinet, but Gao Gong cut off his words, saying: I already understand your deep affection for this old man, so there is no need to say anything else, I just ask you, you Do you think the old man's life is exhausted? Images of Li Tiezui and Qian Shengliang flashed through Shao Daxia's mind for the first time. The two people he met in the afternoon could be described as joyful and sad.Shao Daxia believed in the fate of the gods, thought for a while, and replied: Qi and numbers are two different things, there is fate in the breath, and skill in the numbers.What is lacking in life should be made up for with art. Gao Gong laughed after hearing this, and said: "It's good to make up for it with art, good, good!"Fate is determined by the sky, and art is by man-made. According to you, I am so arrogant? Yes, Shao Daxia half complimented and half sincerely said: I just want to remind the Grand Master that you must pay attention to your skills, just like on a chessboard, you must make a good hand to trap the dragon. Well said, Shao Daxia is really a peerless national scholar.Gao Gong's praise made Shao Daxia's brows bright, Gao Gong saw that the time had come, and took the opportunity to say: "I have thought of a trick now, but if I want to complete it, I still have to rely on Shao Daxia's wonderful hands." Grand Master, please tell me, as long as Shao can do it, he will die. With your words, the old man is relieved. As Gao Gong said, he took out Li Yan's letter from his armband, Shao Daxia took it and read it, and asked in puzzlement: This is a student's filial piety to the lord, such a top-secret private letter, why did the grand master let Shao read it? Let you see, it was caused by this letter because of the technique just mentioned. Gao Gong took back the letter and carefully put it in the armhole to hide it, and then explained the ins and outs of Li Yan's embezzlement of a huge amount of military pay by means of empty credit. After hearing this, Shao Daxia felt deeply that the problem was serious, and said worriedly: If Zhang Juzheng knows about this, the Grand Master will be in danger. That's right, it's not just me, all the yamen in the capital will be empty for a while. You said, how to handle this matter? Gao Gong twirled his beard slowly, and asked back: According to Shao Daxia, how should we deal with this matter? Shao Daxia bit his lips and thought for a moment, then suddenly clapped his hands, and said with a fierce look on his face: There is only one way, to kill Li Yan to stop the trouble. Gao Gong's heart was shocked, and he stared fixedly at Shao Daxia with a pair of bright eyes, and shook his head after a while and said: No, it's too cruel to do so. Grand Master, there is a saying in Jianghu, no poison, no husband Shao Daxia still wanted to argue with reason, but Gao Gong interrupted him with a wave of his hand, and said: Li Yan is my student after all, he is so greedy for ink, of course he is hateful, but I can't bear to put him to death. So, how does the grand master plan to deal with it? I want you to take a hard trip, go to Guangxi to meet Li Yan, first ask him to return the two land deeds, and second bring him the old man's message, I can let him go, but the condition is that he must keep his mouth shut and stay away In the village, don't deal with anyone in the officialdom again. this one? this one.What, is Shao Daxia feeling embarrassed? What's the trouble with this little thing.Shao Daxia patted his chest and said, Grand Master, don't worry, I, Shao, will definitely handle this errand for you, bring the message over there, and bring back the two land deeds. Gao Gong looked at Shao Daxia's expression and knew that he had misunderstood the meaning, so he quickly explained: What do I want those two land deeds for? You just burn them. That's right, Grand Master, when would you like to set off? The sooner the better, preferably tonight. In such a hurry? There is really such a rush!If I don't greet Li Yan early, I'm afraid the biggest prison in Longqing's reign will be spit out from his mouth. That being the case, I'm leaving now, but the servants I brought with me are still in the Suzhou Guild Hall. You don't have to worry about this, I have sent people to send them all to Tongzhou, you can rush to meet them now.Tomorrow morning, they will return to Nanjing by boat along the canal, and you can go straight to Guangxi along Zhongzhou Avenue. 僕人中，有三四個功夫不錯，我得帶上，說到這裡，邵大俠一拍腦門，叫道：哎呀，差點忘了，我這次來京之前，給太師在南京物色了一個十六歲的良家小姐，叫玉娘。雖非天姿國色，倒也有閉月羞花之貌，我本說當面交給太師，現在只好讓高福給你領回去了。 你怎麼想到這個，高拱又好氣又好笑，說道，老夫今年六十一，你領來一個嬌娃一十六，像什麼話！ 上次去新鄭，就聽高福講，太師一生不曾納妾，老夫人又沒生下兒子。我當時就留了心，一定要給太師物色一個合適的好女子，給太師生個兒子傳宗接代。 邵大俠說得懇切，高拱卻不動心，搖著頭說道：心意我領了，人還是讓她回南京。 太師，你總得給我邵某一點面子。 邵大俠說著就沉了臉。高拱雖然心裡不樂意，但不肯讓這等小事誤了大事，只得應承下來，說道：好吧，我讓高福去通州，把這位玉娘接回來。 如此甚好。 邵大俠騰地下炕，一拍屁股就要開路。 慢著，高拱攔住他，說道，我們的酒席還沒吃呢，這個高福，弄了這半夜，酒席還不知道在哪裡。 老爺，酒席在這裡。 話音未落，高福和獄典兩人便推開門，抬了酒席進來，原來酒席早就備好，高福見裡頭兩人正談得火熱，生怕打擾，就靜靜地站在外面守候。 邵大俠看看一桌已經涼了的酒菜，也沒有什麼胃口，說道：方才太師進來時，我肚子的確感到餓，現在又什麼都不想吃了。 不想吃也得吃一點，高拱說著拿起酒壺，斟了滿滿兩杯，舉了一杯說道，三杯通大道，來，邵大俠，既是為你接風，又是為你送行，我們來滿飲三杯。 邵大俠笑了笑，端起了杯子。