Chapter 300 299 Chen Xuanfu's Border Affairs Report
"Is there still a commotion over there?"
Seeing Captain Ding's return, Wei Guangde just pretended to be calm and asked.
"Yes, sir, that boy's family has been favored by Mr. Shen for some things, so..."
The captain of the servant explained in a low voice, "But it's not targeted at their family, but at the military households in Bao'an Prefecture. It's all about military service."
Military households do not only have to provide one soldier per household to complete the task of the military household. Having a regular soldier only exempts them from some taxes and duties. They usually have to complete some corvee tasks, such as repairing the side walls and castles.
Wei Guangde came from a military background, so he naturally knew this and just nodded silently.
These days, the life of the lower-class military families is really hard, so women with civilian citizenship are reluctant to marry into military families, because they don't want their children and grandchildren to suffer too.
Just hearing what the servant captain said next, Wei Guangde was touched again.
"That boy was kicked out of the house by his parents. He asked too many questions, and when the family members became suspicious, they questioned him. He couldn't hold back and told him the purpose of returning home, so he was kicked out and asked to come back to the adults for help. , also said.”
"What else can you say?"
Wei Guangde was confused again at this time and asked casually.
"He also said that if he couldn't save anyone, he shouldn't come back. That's why the boy was so excited and lost his temper."
Captain Ding explained in a low voice that he was afraid that Wei Guangde would misunderstand and have a bad opinion of his men.
"Um?"
Unlike later generations, clan relations are still very important social relations these days, because it would be a big deal for an outsider to kick his son out of the house and disown him.
After Wei Guangde became an official, he also looked for the whereabouts of several branches of the Wei family in the Ministry of War documents according to his memory, but he was a little disappointed when he checked. For example, there was a branch of the Weizhou Guard, but when Wei Guangde checked the information of the Weizhou Guard But no information about the Wei family could be found.
Yuzhou is located to the east of Datong, next to Xuanfu. The Mongolian Tatars sacked Yuzhou many times after breaking down the border wall. The original Weizhou Guards have long been ruined, and most of the current Weizhou Guards were later replaced from other guards. of.
Come to think of it, that branch is probably in danger.
Regarding these things, Wei Guangde was not very good at telling Father Wei when he returned to Jiujiang. He hesitated for a long time before talking about it, and the only thing he waited for was a long sigh from Father Wei.
It's good to stay in Jiangnan. At least there will be no military disasters and no need to bear the war on the border wall.
"No wonder he is like this."
Hearing this, Wei Guangde whispered.
"Everyone, please go out and leave me alone."
However, Wei Guangde didn't want to see anyone at the moment, so he immediately gave instructions.
Soon, everyone in the room left. Wei Guangde stood alone in the middle of the room. He wanted to sit down but couldn't, and he felt uncomfortable standing. He just answered the phrase "fidgeting".
To save or not to save?
Unknowingly, this was the only thought left in my chaotic thoughts.
If he is saved, he will break up with the Yan family in the future.
Even if I don’t help, I always feel uneasy about my conscience.
Wei Guangde couldn't help but recall the two people he had impeached before.
Liu Dazhang deserved to be dismissed from his official position. Who made him fear the enemy and be too timid to fight?
As for King Hui, he will be punished if he commits unjust acts. He found it himself. Can he ignore it after knowing it?
But I also know about this matter, can I just ignore it?
Thinking of this, Wei Guangde couldn't help but have a wry smile on his face. He was not yet qualified to serve as an official. When encountering problems, he did not first think about profit and loss, but the way ordinary people think, whether it is right or wrong, and his conscience has not been extinguished.
If you are an old man in official circles, you may calmly ask someone to make a pot of tea again at this time, drink it leisurely, arrange for your subordinates to collect all the information that needs to be inquired, and then return to the capital to resume your duties.
Who would bother with someone who can't even hit him with eight poles?
Wei Guangde thought for a long time and felt that he could no longer stay in Yongning. It was best to go to Baoan Prefecture to watch and rescue the people if possible, so as not to feel uneasy conscience every time he thought about it in the future.
"Zhang Ji, Zhang Ji."
Wei Guangde shouted twice to the door, and soon Zhang Ji opened the door and came in, bowing and standing by the side, waiting for Wei Guangde's instructions.
"Pass the word on. We'll set off tomorrow. Let's go to the security guard."
Wei Guangde still told him to go to the security guard tomorrow.
"Master, do you want to save the young master named Shen Xiang?"
Zhang Ji asked quietly from the side.
"Go and have a look."
Wei Guangde said casually.
"If I really want to save him, I might as well send someone to pretend to be a thief and rob him halfway. This way I can save him without exposing my identity, and I won't get into trouble with the officials in the Xuan Mansion."
Zhang Ji whispered.
"Um?"
Wei Guangde was surprised and asked, "The person was not escorted to the security guard?"
"Master, I'm afraid you misunderstood. You said you were almost at the security guard. I asked that person before when I went out, and he said that he had passed Juyongguan, and by calculation, he should have passed Yanqing. He might be near Huailai County now. "
Zhang Ji whispered.
"It's too late. Security will be here in a few days."
Wei Guangde calculated the time silently. If they rushed to Baoan Prefecture, they would have already been sent to the city and there would be no time.
"General Ma's people should have already arrived there. Send someone to ride over quickly and be able to rob the person outside Baoan City."
Zhang Ji came up with an idea.
"No, this will not only harm Ma Fang, but it will also do no good to Shen Xiang. From now on, he can only be a person without identity. The imperial examination is completely abolished, and Shen Lian's case cannot be overturned."
Wei Guangde shook his head.
Zhang Ji did come up with a bad idea. If Shen Xiang was in jail, Shen Lian could naturally come out if he overturned the case. But if he was kidnapped, he would be charged with collaborating with bandits. Shen Lian's identity as a White Lotus Sect member would probably be confirmed.
Although he didn't quite understand, Zhang Ji still shut up. The master said no, so it must be no.
Sitting back in his seat, Wei Guangde took the cold tea on the table and took a big sip. Only then did he feel that his restless heart calmed down a little.
Now Shen Lian's affairs have not been clarified. Of course, Ma Fang can't find out. Although he is already a deputy general, he is the governor of Xuanda. His rank is similar but his power is several levels higher.
To save Shen Xiang, he must accuse Yang Shun, the governor of Xuanda, of a crime. However, the impeachment memorial was sent to the Tongzhengsi, and finally it would go to the cabinet and fall into the hands of Yan Shoufu. Although Yan Song would not directly withhold the memorial, he would definitely be prepared.
What should he report now?
What channel should he use to hand it over to Emperor Jiajing?
Wei Guangde knew that once the memorial was submitted, he and the Yan family would be completely separated, and he would not have the opportunity to get help from Yan Song. He might even be suppressed because of it. Could he afford it?
Wei Guangde had already thought of the things that could be reported, which were already confirmed. The border troops killed innocent people and took credit for their achievements. This was not something that happened only after Yang Shun came. Judging from the meaning of the refugees' words, it had already appeared a long time ago.
The emperor was concerned about whether Shen Lian was a member of the White Lotus Sect. In fact, he already had an idea in his mind. He had a preconceived idea, and it didn't seem to matter whether he checked it out or not.
As for how to hand it over to the Yellow Emperor, it would definitely not work through the Tongzhengsi. There were only two other channels left. One was Jinyiwei, and then handing it over through Lu Bing.
But the problem also came. With this memorial, his subtle connection with Lu Bing was exposed to the eyes of Emperor Jiajing.
Wei Guangde didn't want Emperor Jiajing to know that he had some private contact with his intelligence chief. The position of Jinyiwei was too special, so it was better to have less contact.
Then for the rest, it seemed that Chen Ju's way was not bad. Emperor Jiajing asked Chen Ju to pass on the secret order to him. Although it was just a note, it could barely be regarded as an imperial decree. Although there was no seal, it could not be regarded as an imperial decree strictly speaking.
But the officials who were involved were from Yan Song's faction. The officials who were not from Yan Song's faction still accounted for the majority of the court. They were still quite hostile to the officials from Yan Song's faction and should not think that he was at fault. The cabinet also often received notes from Emperor Jiajing and acted according to the notes.
In fact, Emperor Jiajing's small note had the effect of an imperial decree in a sense.
The ministers of the Ming Dynasty generally did not take the imperial decree seriously. Of course, the prerequisite was that the content of the imperial decree conflicted with their ideas. If there was no conflict, they were still very happy to act according to the order. At least it meant that you had an impression in the emperor's mind.
If you have an impression in the emperor's mind, it means that when an official position is vacant, he may think of you.
As for offending the Prime Minister, there is no way. If you want to live with your conscience and earn a persona of iron-willed and fearless of the powerful in the court, you still have to make sacrifices.
Wei Guangde still remembers Chen Ju's reminder to him, to stay away from the Yan family and not be too close, what does this mean?
Emperor Jiajing may still have some affection for Yan Song, but he is also a little afraid of the influence of the Yan family in the court, but it is not the time to take action yet.
Forget it, offend if you want to.
At first, Wei Guangde did not intend to be hostile to the Yan family at this time. He was still thinking about finding an opportunity to report the situation of Xuanda after returning to the capital. Now it seems that he can only take action.
Wei Guangde asked Zhang Ji to grind ink for him. Zhang Ji also studied with Wei Guangde at Master Sun, so he naturally knew how to do it.
After grinding the ink, Wei Guangde spread out the paper and started writing.
"Wei Guangde's memorial on the border affairs of Xuan Prefecture
I have heard that since Yang Shun was stationed in Xuanda, he has requested more than 300,000 taels of silver from the treasury. However, the food for the soldiers in the town is becoming increasingly scarce, the enemy is becoming more rampant, and the castles are all broken. Yang Shun has never been able to contribute any merit, and has lost his dignity and prestige, and willingly accepted the enemy's insults. Lu Kai accepted a bribe of 7,000 taels of silver and kept it secret. Last winter, the enemy entered Yingzhou and slaughtered 70 forts, and 3,000 men and women were killed. When he was ordered to investigate, Lu Kai blamed the town, patrol, prefecture, road, state, and county, and pretended that the border people he killed were Yang Shun's military merits. Xu Lun was similar and echoed, and there was no coherent picture. These three people are all the same, how can they help your majesty share the worries? Please dismiss these three people and select loyal ministers to save the border troubles."
Yang Shun must be reported. He is the mastermind of this matter. If he hadn't started it, Shen Lian would not have been killed.
Lu Kai was the inspector, he was supposed to be investigating the case, but from what Ma Fang heard, Yang Shun gave Lu Kai a sum of money, the exact amount was unknown, and it was clear that Master Yan would arrange for him to come to Xuanfu, he must be someone on his side.
As for Xu Lun, the Minister of War, Wei Guangde was unhappy that he wanted to force him into the Ministry of War last time, and it was indeed Xu Lun who signed and approved the killing of Shen Lian, at least he was responsible for negligence, and was also considered one of the accomplices in Wei Guangde's case.
In this memorial, Wei Guangde mainly exaggerated the news he heard from Ma Fang and Bao'an Prefecture, it didn't matter whether it was true or not, as long as there was a reply and he was allowed to investigate, it didn't matter whether it was true or not, because at that time Yang Shun and Lu Kai had to stand aside.
After writing the memorial, Wei Guangde took another careful look and pondered it over in his mind. He sealed the memorial after dinner and planned to arrange for Li San to send it back to the capital.
He wrote another letter, detailing the news the guards heard from Baoan Prefecture, including that Shen Lian's wife and youngest son were exiled to the border, Shen Lian's second and third sons were beaten to death during interrogation in prison, and now Shen Lian's eldest son was also stripped of his official title and taken to Xuanfu, and his life was in danger.
This letter was also given to Chen Ju. Whether Chen Ju should hand it over to Emperor Jiajing was not something Wei Guangde could control.
"Go call Li San over."
Wei Guangde told Zhang Ji.
"This thing must be handed over to Eunuch Chen in person, there must be no deviation, and time must be seized. You take two horses back and take turns to ride."
After Zhang Ji called Li San, Wei Guangde handed the things over and still did not forget to give instructions.
Having followed Wei Guangde for a long time, Chen Ju often went to Wei Guangde's house to drink. Li San also knew Chen Ju and was quite familiar with him.
"I understand, please rest assured, sir."
Li San hurriedly assured. Although he didn't know what was written in the letter in his hand, he knew that it must be very important to see Wei Guangde so serious.
"After handing the things to Eunuch Chen, you go home and wait for news. If there is a letter, send it immediately and go directly to Bao'an Prefecture. We will leave here tomorrow."
Wei Guangde said to him again.
"Yes, sir."
Li San was also a person who followed Wei Guangde for a long time. When he went to Beijing to take the exam, he was a coachman and guard. He also went to the battle in Xuanfu. Wei Guangde was still confident in him.
The next morning, Li San rode a horse, put the reins of another horse on the saddle and ran to the capital, while Wei Guangde got into the carriage and set off for Bao'an Prefecture under the protection of everyone.
With his current status, Wei Guangde would definitely not be able to save Shen Xiang's life. Without the order of the inspector of Xuanfu, his words as an imperial censor would have no weight, and he would be impeached by Yang Shun and Lu Kai, after all, he was not justified.
Wei Guangde's current title of imperial censor means that he can impeach others.
However, in the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty, because most officials are not clean, the use of impeachment is still very deterrent.
Especially for local officials, there is a big gap between Beijing officials and local officials.
In terms of income, Beijing officials are definitely not as good as local officials, but power is another aspect.
If it were the imperial censors in the past, they only needed to go to Bao'an Prefecture and get a sum of money without asking anything, but Wei Guangde didn't dare to do so now, after all, Emperor Jiajing was watching from behind.
The group left Yongning City and walked slowly towards Bao'an Prefecture