The Red Mansions

Chapter 1664: All become ghosts under the knife! (At the beginning of the month, please vote for me!

Chapter 1664: All become ghosts under the knife! (At the beginning of the month, please vote for me!)

Zhejiang, Shaoxing

In Han's house, the study is bright and clean, with elegant furnishings. On the walls are hung calligraphy and paintings of different styles. Judging from the signature seals, they are all works of famous artists.

Just as Han Huang was talking to his son Han Hui, an old servant walked into the study and reported, "Master, my uncle is here."

The so-called uncle is Yan Hong.

Two or three years had passed since Yan Hong resigned from his official position and lived in seclusion at home during the Chongping period because of a cheating case in the imperial examinations. After Han Huang resigned from his official position and retired, he also returned to his hometown in Zhejiang.

After a moment, Yan Hong, wearing a blue square cloth on his head and a moon-white scholar's robe, walked into the study and bowed, saying, "Hello, brother."

Han Huang nodded and said, "Sit down."

Yan Hong responded and sat down on a pearwood chair next to a high stool and a small table. Han Hui quickly leaned forward and served him tea.

Yan Hong said: "Brother, the capital is now in turmoil. Strong winds reveal strong grass, and turbulent times reveal loyal ministers. It is time for us to serve the country."

Han Huang put down the blue and white porcelain teacup in his hand, and with a smile in his eyes under his thin eyebrows, he asked, "Why, do you want to be reinstated?"

Yan Hong looked a little unnatural, and said: "Brother and King Wei, they worked together happily in the past. Now King Wei is in charge of the country, and brother is in the prime of his life. If you can write a letter and express your willingness to serve in the government again, King Wei may agree."

After Li Zan was purged, a brief power vacuum has indeed formed in the court.

There are five cabinet ministers, Qi Kun, Lin Ruhai, Liu Zheng and Zhao Yi, but one is still missing.

The Censorate is also short of staff.

Han Huang shook his head and said, "The King of Wei now holds all the power and is ambitious. His reputation spreads far and wide. If we serve him, how will we be regarded by the scholars in Jiangnan?"

Moreover, he was once the chief minister of the cabinet. If he was reinstated, what position could the King of Wei give him? He could not be a cabinet minister again.

Yan Hong frowned when he heard this and said, "What do you mean, brother?"

He was in his prime, strong and healthy, and he was unwilling to retire to the mountains and live leisurely among the trees.

Han Huang looked thoughtful and said, "Wait a little longer, at least wait until the next year's reign is changed to see how the government changes after Prince Wei takes over the government. If Prince Wei is cautious, I will write a letter of recommendation for you."

Yan Hong nodded, without saying anything else, and simply replied "yes".

Han Hui said, "Father, Uncle Yu has been exiled to the Nanjing Censorate for two years and is feeling frustrated."

At that time, Yu De was implicated in a fraud case involving his son Yu Zhen, and was later demoted to the position of Censor-in-Chief of the Nanjing Censorate. Several years passed in a flash.

Han Huang was silent for a moment, and said: "If you want to revive, you need to plan more."

Han Hui said: "Father, in my opinion, those people in Jinling are dissatisfied with Prince Wei. If you can persuade a few of them, maybe Prince Wei will look at you with new eyes."

Han Huang frowned, waved his hand, and said, "If I do this, I'm afraid I'll lose my reputation in my later years."

Yan Hong said: "Brother, since Zhao Shangshu resigned from his post due to mourning, we Zhejiang people have been increasingly marginalized in the court. Now that the King of Wei is in power, it is the time to recruit talents. It is time for us Zhejiang people to make progress and make achievements."

This is the pragmatism of the Zhejiang Party.

Or it can be said that it is a matter of changing with the times.

Han Huang waved his hand and said, "Let's wait and see. There's no rush."

The situation in the court is still a little unclear. Although Prince Wei has taken control of the overall situation, how he governs and how he treats Chongping's old ministers still needs to be observed.

Although these retired bureaucrats have left the center of the court, their students and old friends are spread all over the court and the country. This is the network foundation built up over decades.

Therefore, it is still possible to exert influence on the political situation.

Yan Hong said: "Even if you don't consider yourself, you should consider Zisheng's career."

Han Huang glanced at Han Hui and said with emotion: "Children and grandchildren have their own blessings. It is not something that human power can change."

Because he was implicated in a cheating case in the imperial examination, Han Hui's official career was cut short.

When Han Hui heard this, a thick layer of gloom covered his heart.

The so-called young man's nature is to desire a fine horse, a fur coat worth thousands of gold, and to become an official. How can he be willing to live in seclusion in the countryside?

……

……

Jinling, Hao's House——

After everyone finished their lunch around a lacquered wooden dining table, Hao Jiru invited all his colleagues present to go to the reception hall and sit down to drink tea again.

Hao Jiru glanced at the officials present and said, "Everyone, when the King of Wei was in charge of the new policy in Jiangnan, he was hostile to the Jiangnan officialdom. In the past two years, the new policy has been implemented on a large scale. In order to curry favor with the king, officials in the prefectures and counties of Jiangnan have extorted and levied heavy taxes on the people of Jiangnan."

All the people present were prominent figures in Nanjing's officialdom, and their families were wealthy, so they naturally understood what Hao Jiru said.

It is said that the food and fodder in the Han Dynasty's treasury would not increase for no reason without a major development in productivity.

The annual increase in farmland is 20 million shi, and the land acreage obtained through surveying infringes upon the interests of the gentry in the south of the Yangtze River.

The Minister of Personnel, Fu Xiye, said, "Yes, Master Hao, the court has been engaged in military operations for many years and has been squandering money. The people are living in misery. The King of Wei has recently ordered the Ministry of Works to build civil engineering projects and renovate official roads. I heard that they want to recast all official roads in the country with stone mud. This is a waste of money and labor. If this continues, the treasury will inevitably be empty and the people will inevitably have to be taxed more."

Wu Hefei twisted his beard with his hand and said, "Jiangnan has been rich since ancient times. In the end, 60% of the taxes will be imposed on the southerners."

Xie Yue was listening at the side, putting down the blue and white porcelain teacup in his hand, and was about to get up and leave.

Prince Wei is now very powerful and difficult to control. He controls heavy troops from the north and south and his minions. The officials in Liangjiang have no soldiers or generals, so how can they be his opponents?

Guo Chao stood up, his face full of righteousness, and said loudly: "Grandmaster, the King of Wei has threatened to disapprove of our southern officials more than once before. If he is in power, I am afraid that his hatred will only increase."

Xie Yue felt that he could not stay here for long in this troubled place, so he stood up and said, "Mr. Hao, I am not very tolerant of alcohol, so I will not stay here any longer. I hope Mr. Hao will forgive me."

Seeing this, Hao Jiru was startled and said, "Master Jie, why don't you sit for a while?"

As one of the few important officials in the southern province who was familiar with military affairs, Hao Jiru believed that if Xie Yue was present, he would be able to win the hearts of the gentry in the south of the Yangtze River.

However, Xie Yue was only able to leave the Hao family compound with the help of the old servant who accompanied him.

Tan Jie also stood up, his face solemn, and said, "Mr. Hao, I have something else to do in the government office, so I need to go back."

Hao Jiru opened his mouth, feeling a little depressed, but there was nothing he could do.

He had no choice but to instruct his eldest son Hao Huaizhen to see Tan Jie off.

After Jie Yue and Tan Jie left, the atmosphere in the hall suddenly became dull.

Among the six ministries in Nanjing, the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue, one is in charge of soldiers and the other is in charge of money and grain. Now that the two important officials of the southern province are both acting very secretive, what can the people present use to deal with Prince Wei?

In fact, this is why, as recorded in history, powerful ministers ruled the country and local governors rarely rebelled.

This is because, firstly, the central government has considerable authority, and secondly, everyone is watching each other.

What's more, Hao Jiru can take advantage of his seniority and complain a few times, and Jia Heng may not necessarily respond to Hao Jiru directly, but once they start to collude, the nature of the matter will change.

Not to mention anything else, the soldiers and generals of the Jiangnan camp, and even the Jiangnan navy, are now still in the hands of Jia Heng's confidants.

If there is any unusual movement, they will be killed with axes and swords, and no one will be spared. What can they do?

The key point is that Jia Heng did not usurp the throne, he was just cutting the sausages temporarily.

Hao Jiru asked in a deep voice: "Everyone, the King of Wei is now in control of the government. Can we just rely on him and dare not speak out?"

Kuang Chun frowned and advised, "Prince Wei is now too powerful to be controlled. Master Hao, you really should not make an enemy of him, lest you bring disaster to your doorstep."

Hao Jiru said righteously: "The heaven and earth have righteous energy, which flows in all shapes and forms. Below it is the rivers and mountains, and above it is the sun and stars. We should cultivate the righteous energy. How dare the treacherous and wicked people approach us and make trouble?"

"Master Hao said it well. We are scholars who study the teachings of Confucius and Mencius and read the writings of sages. Why should we be afraid of a military relative?" Guo Chao said with emotion.

Hao Jiru said: "That's right, but I heard recently that Jia's henchman, Li Shouzhong, is coming to Nanjing. You and I should give these accomplices a warning."

"What Grand Tutor Hao said is right. Li Shouzhong is also a member of the upright class and has a good reputation. However, I didn't expect that he cannot distinguish between loyalty and treachery and is willing to be a guard dog for Prince Wei. It is really despicable." Wu Hefei, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Personnel, said.

Hao Jiru said: "When Li Shouzhong was the governor of Anhui, he used the excuse of implementing new policies to exploit the people under his rule. Now that he is the governor-general of Liangjiang, I am afraid he will be even worse."

All the officials present nodded in agreement.

Everyone gathered together and scolded Jia Heng for a while. When it was getting dark, they dispersed the banquet.

After everyone left, Hao Jiru's son Hao Zhengyan supported Hao Jiru and walked towards the back house, saying, "Father, if you curse the King of Wei at the banquet and it gets to the King of Wei's ears, how can you end up well?"

Hao Jiru said: "Although the King of Wei used his sword to intimidate the ministers in the capital, there are many ministers in the southern province and even in the whole country who are dissatisfied with him. You just wait and see. The King of Wei will fall sooner or later."

As he spoke, he entered the room and sat down beside the fireplace.

Because the south is damp and cold, the weather is especially cold after entering the twelfth lunar month. Hao Jiru is old and more afraid of the cold, so he burns smokeless charcoal day and night.

At this moment, there were two foot-warming maids on the other side of the couch. With the help of the servants, Hao Jiru took off his shoes and got into the bed. The two foot-warming maids held Hao Jiru's feet.

At this moment, a servant from outside entered the warm room in the back house, bowed and said, "Sir, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue Shen Fang wants to see you."

Hao Jiru was stunned at first, then he was delighted and said, "Please come over quickly."

Not long after, Shen Fang entered the warm room, bowed to Hao Jiru, and said, "This subordinate greets Mr. Hao."

Hao Jiru said, "Mr. Shen Jie, there is no need to be so polite."

In fact, the two of them are not outsiders.

Just now, when the Jiangnan officials in the hall were scolding Jia Heng, Shen Fang said almost nothing and just observed the situation secretly.

Shen Fang said: "Old Master, you have been criticizing the King of Wei. Aren't you afraid of retaliation from the King of Wei?"

Hao Jiru said: "Evil cannot prevail over good. If the King of Wei retaliates against me, it will only make people in the world see the true face of the King of Wei as a traitor sooner."

Shen Fang sighed and said, "Now that the King of Wei has become powerful, it will be as difficult as ascending to heaven if we want to do so."

If Jiangnan could quickly follow up when the Gao family was fighting against the rebellion in Sichuan, perhaps the King of Wei could be forced to resign, but unfortunately...

In fact, the main reason was that Gao Zhongping did not escape from Shenjing City. Otherwise, it might have really caused a chain reaction like a domino effect.

Hao Jiru said: "Not necessarily. As the saying goes, the moon waxes and wanes. Although the King of Wei used conspiracy to persecute loyal officials and became the regent who controlled the country's politics, there are more loyal officials and righteous people in the world who are dissatisfied with him. They are just waiting for a call from the top."

Shen Fang hesitated and said, "The land of Jiangnan lacks soldiers and food, and it is difficult to resist the imperial court."

"We have no shortage of money and food. As for soldiers, if the families in Jiangnan can work together, it won't be difficult to gather 100,000 soldiers and horses to suppress the rebellion." Hao Jiru said in a deep voice.

With the power of the gentry in the south of the Yangtze River, they could really brew a rebellion.

Shen Fang's heart was filled with shock. He looked at the old man opposite him and said, "Master Hao, this matter is extremely dangerous. If you are not careful, your family will be ruined."

Hao Jiru looked deeply and said, "I am not a person who does not know the right time. Now that the King of Wei is at the peak of his power, I can only lie dormant for the time being and wait for the opportunity."

"Then why did the old man just now..." Shen Fang asked with a puzzled look on his face.

The old man in front of me used to be the chief minister of the cabinet, so he should not be an unwise person.

Hao Jiru sighed and said, "Let's test the minds of our colleagues in Jiangnan first."

When Shen Fang heard this, he suddenly realized.

"But King Wei has many eyes and ears. If this gets to his ears, it might alert the enemy." Shen Fang reminded.

Hao Jiru nodded and continued, "Prince Wei will be on guard, but I just cursed him a few times, what can he do? Will he kill all those who curse him? Even Emperor Shizong Xian could not do it."

Seeing this, Shen Fang sighed secretly.

This is underestimating King Wei.

However, it seems that Hao Jiru has someone to rely on?

……

……

Ye's House, Jinling

Ye Zhen, the Marquis of Annan, was playing chess with his general Ye Cheng, while Ye Nuan was watching from the sidelines, describing the political situation and saying, "Father, the Prince of Wei has completely taken control of the political situation in Shenjing City. Is he really planning to usurp the throne?"

In fact, people all over the world are now watching whether Jia Heng will really usurp the Han Dynasty next?

It is said that ambitious people wait for the right time to act, while governors and governors-general all over the world hesitate and wait and see.

"Capture the rook." Ye Zhen picked up a chess piece and knocked down one of Ye Cheng's rooks with a "bang". He said, "Now, in the court, the two rooks left by the previous emperor, Li Gao and others, have been captured by the King of Wei. The remaining horses and cannons are nothing to worry about. It's only a matter of time before the general is defeated."

Ye Nuanyu paused for a moment, and whispered, "Father, the Han Dynasty has been established for a hundred years, and Emperor Shizong Xian has been very motivated and has conquered Liaodong. He has revived the great cause of the country and reappeared the glorious era. How dare the King of Wei risk the disapproval of the world and act in rebellion?"

Ye Zhen said: "But weren't all these achieved with the assistance of King Wei?"

Emperor Chongping has been on the throne for fourteen years. He was helpless in Liaodong and the people's livelihood was in decline. However, since he appointed Jia Heng,

This comparison, to some extent, also confirms Jia Heng's ability.

Ye Nuan looked thoughtful, and asked, "If the King of Wei really wants to change the throne, then what will happen to our Ye family?"

Ye Zhen sighed deeply and said, "There is no such thing as where to go, it's just a matter of following the will of heaven."

If the King of Wei really has the destiny of a true dragon, what can his Ye family do even if they join him? But historically, it is easy to be a powerful official, but difficult to be an emperor.

Whether the Prince of Wei has this ability can be seen when he assists in governing the country.

The so-called conspiracy to usurp the throne happened during a prosperous and peaceful time. Aren't you afraid of war breaking out and the country being in turmoil?

It requires great achievements and great prestige.

It can be said that Jia Heng's title of regent had already caused loyal ministers such as Gao, Li, and Xu in the court to oppose him, but he did not usurp the throne after all.

At this moment, a young man with a heroic figure stepped over the threshold, stepped on the carpet, and bowed to Ye Kai and said, "Father."

Ye Zhen asked, "How did you find out?"

Ye Kai said, "Father, the Patriarch of the Hao family is having a family banquet with many guests. It is said that the Patriarch of the Hao family complained a lot about King Wei during the banquet."

Ye Zhen sneered and said, "This old man is taking advantage of his age. Does he really think that just because he is nearly seventy years old, the King of Wei won't dare to do anything to the Hao family?"

Ye Nuan frowned and whispered, "The Hao family and King Wei have a dispute, probably because the Hao family participated in the reselling of government grain."

Ye Zhen shook his head and said, "Not only that, Prince Wei helped Emperor Shizong to implement the new policy, and spared no effort. The Hao family paid a lot of grain taxes for this, so they can't help but feel resentful."

Ye Kai hesitated and said, "Father, isn't Hao Jiru afraid of King Wei?"

Ye Zhen sighed, "Hao Jiru has someone to rely on behind him. They are the masterminds."

Ye Nuan's heart moved slightly when she heard this, and she asked, "What do you mean by father?"

"The princes, royal family members, and royal relatives are the defenders of Chen Han. In times of peace and prosperity, they would serve as a defense for the central government. But now..." Ye Zhen said in a low voice.

The Chen Han Dynasty was established for a hundred years. Emperor Taizong was a man of great talent and strategy, and had many sons and grandchildren. There were many royal princes and early royal relatives in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, such as the line of King Wu, the line of King Ning, and the line of King Lu, as well as the princes-in-law and royal relatives of Emperor Taizong's dynasty.

These wealthy and idle people knew the situation in the capital city very well, but they were the targets of precautions by local governors.

But as long as the civil officials in Jiangnan collude with them, they will become a huge force of resistance.

Gao Zhongping had thought of using this force at the beginning, but he was suppressed before he could gain great influence in Sichuan.

As for Li Zan and Xu Lu, they did not want to cause unrest in the country. Instead, they wanted to force Jia Heng to compromise and replace him with the eighth prince Chen Ze, a direct descendant of Emperor Shizong. They did not have time to connect with the civil officials and nobles in Jiangnan.

In just one year, Emperor Guangzong was assassinated, the young emperor was deposed, the two important ministers who were entrusted with the care of the emperor were executed one after another, and Prince Wei assisted in the administration. The situation in the central court was turbulent.

All the officials in Jiangnan felt sympathetic.

……

……

Time flies, and before we knew it, the first year of Jianxing in the Han Dynasty entered the twelfth lunar month. On this day, the Caishikou was packed with people.

Today is the day when former Prime Minister of the Cabinet Li Zan, former Chief Censor of the Censorate Xu Lu, former Prince of Nan'an Yan Ye and other traitors are to be executed.

Yesterday, there was another heavy snowfall in Guanzhong. The sky and the earth were covered in silver, and the scene was desolate and bleak. In the depths of winter, water turned into ice.

Li Zan was tied up with ropes, kneeling on the ground with disheveled hair, and Xu Lu was also

Prince Yan Ye of Nan'an was also kneeling on the ground, his face as pale as paper. He was shivering all over, not sure if it was because of the cold or fear.

In addition, there were more than 20 people lined up behind him, all of whom were followers of Li and Xu who were involved in the treason case, including Jingzhao Prefecture Governor Rao Yizhou, Ministry of War Vice Minister Zou Jing, Left Vice Censor-in-Chief Zhang Zhi and the Censor of the Censorate, the Governor-General of the Beijing Camp, the Lieutenant General and the Guerrilla General.

These were all officers and soldiers from the Beijing camp who had sincerely followed Li Zan in his rebellion.

The row behind them were the male family members of Li Xu and other rebels.

As for the female members, they were sent to the Jiaofangsi as slaves.

According to the imperial edict drafted by the cabinet, the crime against Li and Xu was that they disregarded the trust of two previous emperors, arbitrarily deposed and enthroned the emperor, and brought chaos to the country.

The supervising official was Wang Shu, the Minister of the Dali Temple. At that moment, this gray-haired old man was sitting behind a long table under a reed canopy. Although he was wearing a thick cotton coat under his official robe, he still felt waves of chills attacking his body and mind.

Looking at his former colleagues in the court below, he felt a chill in his heart.

Supervising the execution of a prime minister has never happened since the founding of the country.

At this moment, the onlookers were standing in the distance and cheering.

"Prince Wei is the god of war of the time. He conquered Liaodong. These people want to murder Prince Wei. They are really a bunch of bad guys."

"Prince Wei supported Emperor Guangzong's child to become emperor, but he was eventually deposed by them."

In fact, no matter who is beheaded, these people will watch and cheer.

Of course, the crowd of onlookers are now listing his crimes, all of which were caused by Chen Xiao asking the Jinyi Mansion's detectives to secretly guide public opinion.

At this moment, the executioner in red was sharpening his tiger-head sword.

Li Zan listened to the cheers around him and suddenly felt confused.

How could the world know that Prince Wei, who was in the deep palace, was an ambitious man who wanted to usurp the Han Dynasty?

On the other side, Xu Lu closed his eyes, listening to the insults around him, and a feeling of despair surged in his heart.

The Prince of Wei has evil ambitions and will sooner or later usurp the throne of the Han Dynasty. At that time, the whole country will be in chaos and the people will suffer. Will the common people remember the situation today?

"Master Wang, the time has come." Jia Fang urged from the side.

Wang Shu picked up the token in his hand, feeling his hands trembling. He closed his eyes, made up his mind, and threw it down: "Behead!"

As the word "behead" fell, the wooden token fell to the ground with a "clang" sound, as if it was the death knell for the Chen Han royal family.

The executioner standing behind Li Zan raised the ghost-head sword high in his hand and chopped it hard at Li Zan's neck.

At this time, Li Zan looked towards the southwest of Chang'an, where the mausoleum of Emperor Chongping was located, with tears in his eyes.

Since he took office, he has been highly regarded by the emperor, who promoted him from his fiefdom to the cabinet and entrusted his son to him before his death. How much trust did the emperor have in him?

However, he eventually failed to live up to the trust of the late emperor. Due to his hesitation, he failed to get rid of the beast King Wei!

In terms of sin, he indeed deserves to die!

Now, I can only dedicate my life to the late emperor!

"Pfft..."

As the sharp blade in his hand fell from the sky, a pool of hot blood gushed out from his neck, splashing onto the white snow. Then, a big head flew into the sky. Li Zan's eyes went dark, and his endless thoughts came to an end.

On the other side, Xu Lu was also held down on the shoulders by the executioner and knelt down. At this moment, the blade of the ghost-head sword behind him fell and hit Xu Lu's neck fiercely.

Hot blood spurted and heads flew off.

Immediately, Xu Lu’s eyes fell into endless darkness.

Yan Ye struggled violently with the ropes on his body. At this moment, he felt the executioner's ghost-headed sword approaching. He was in a life-and-death crisis. He was afraid and angry. He stiffened his neck and shouted angrily: "Jia Heng, I'll wait for you on the road to the underworld!"

"Pfft..."

The ghost-head knife fell suddenly, and blood appeared, and a fluffy and messy white head rose into the sky.

From then on, the families of all the convicted officials, headed by Li Zan's son Li Yi, were all killed!