Chapter 457 Behind the Scenes
Chapter 457 Behind the Scenes
"Tongpan?"
After hearing this, many people present stepped back a little.
The Tongpan was an official of the sixth rank, who assisted the prefect in governing and supervising the local area, and was the official in charge of them.
This is Yingtian City, and although the Tongpan is a sixth-rank official,
But he was much more honorable and powerful than the Tongpan of other prefectures in the Ming Dynasty.
Seeing him coming, the shopkeeper Li Fu was sweating profusely and lowered his voice:
"General, let's just leave it at that. The Blazing Fire Gang's backer is here."
Feng Yunfang looked at the middle-aged man in front of him.
When would a sixth-rank magistrate of a prefecture fall to the point of becoming a backer for a gang?
Just as he was doubting, a member of the Blazing Fire Gang who was still able to move hurriedly climbed up.
She knelt down in front of Kong Rui and hugged his thighs.
Although his face was bruised and swollen, it did not stop his nose from running.
"Sir, Lord, please make the decision for us.
These soldiers beat people for no apparent reason. Look, I am about to be beaten to death by them."
Kong Rui's face darkened instantly when he heard this. He pulled his leg out with some disgust and shouted:
"Get lost. You guys have been hanging around in Honggu Street. You know what kind of people you are!"
Kong Rui took in the scene in the building, looked at the shopkeeper Li Fu, and asked:
"Manager Li, what is going on?"
Li Fu was sweating profusely. He glanced at the military officer beside him and quickly ran over:
"I pay my respects to Lord Kong. These soldiers are from the Beijing Army.
Wang Erma and his friends were drinking tea in a small shop today and said some inappropriate things.
When these soldiers heard it, they got angry and started fighting. It had nothing to do with the shop."
Kong Rui frowned slightly and asked:
"What did you say?"
"How can I explain this?"
Li Fu just felt that the weather was too hot, and he kept wiping his sweat.
"Hurry up and say it, stop dilly-dallying!"
Facing Kong Rui's impatient eyes, Li Fu's face was full of grievance, and he lowered his voice to the extreme:
"Sir, Wang Erma and his men said that General Lu of the Beijing Army could not give birth to a son. They sound very convincing."
"Which General Lu?" Kong Rui's heart skipped a beat.
"It's General Lu Yunyi who just came back from Yunnan. He's the one who was reported to have killed prisoners a few days ago." Li Fu was worried.
Kong Rui cursed in his heart and had the urge to escape on the spot.
There were countless cases of soldiers causing trouble in the capital, and he was very familiar with handling them.
But the Beijing troops that just returned were different. They had just slew the governor of a province in Yuezhou a few days ago, and they had the general and Duke Cao backing them up. How could he afford to offend them?
After thinking for a moment, Kong Rui's expression changed back and forth, and finally returned to calm.
He took two steps forward, heading towards the mess ahead, with a smile on his face, looking at the young soldier holding Wang Erma:
"Brother, I am the magistrate of Yingtian Prefecture, and I have come here to handle this matter.
It’s better to let this man go first. If you strangle him again, he might die.
If it involves a murder case, it will be difficult for both you and me to explain."
Feng Yunfang looked at him coldly and said loudly:
"I am Feng Yunfang, a captain of the front army scout unit.
How should we deal with this group of people who wantonly fabricated stories about imperial officials and spread rumors in a teahouse?"
Kong Rui was startled and looked him up and down.
Such a young centurion is extremely rare in the army.
He thought for a moment and spoke softly:
"It turned out to be Lord Feng. Please put him down first. Their crimes will be dealt with by Yingtian Prefecture."
Then, Kong Rui lowered his voice a little:
"Sir Feng, there is no corresponding punishment for insulting officials in the Ming Dynasty law.
How about this, I take them back to the government office and give them 20 lashes of the board for any reason I can think of to teach them a lesson? "
"No?"
Feng Yunfang was stunned, and his grip on the big man's neck loosened.
Taking this opportunity, the big man took a deep breath and his complexion improved.
Kong Rui smiled and nodded repeatedly:
"The Great Ming Dynasty Law stipulates that anyone who creates prophecies, evil books, or evil words and spreads them to mislead the public will be beheaded. Anyone who hides evil books and does not report them to the authorities will be caned 100 times and sentenced to three years in prison.
As for cursing officials, there is indeed no corresponding punishment.
You also know that the current emperor is very kind to the people, but he is extremely harsh on officials like us.
Citizens can sue officials, but officials cannot sue citizens. "
Feng Yunfang turned his head and looked at Wang Erma, thinking:
"These members of the Blazing Fire Gang are always causing troubles in the village.
Collecting protection money on Honggu Street, and now gathering a crowd to fight and injure people, what crime is this?"
"This"
Kong Rui's face froze and he looked unhappy. He was furious at this group of difficult soldiers.
"Sir Feng, how they are convicted should be decided by Yingtian Prefecture.
I can't convict them just by saying something here."
At this point, Kong Rui lowered his voice again:
"Sir Feng, you are a soldier under General Lu, right?
I heard that General Lu was just dismissed, and the Yuezhou incident has put you in the spotlight again.
Now is the time to keep the peace and not cause trouble for General Lu.
Let me handle this matter, and I will make sure they never dare to do anything wrong again."
Seeing that he was reluctant to give any charges, Feng Yunfang finally understood that Kong Rui was indeed the Chihuo Gang's backer.
He snorted coldly, and his face turned completely cold:
"Master Kong, we have just returned from Yunnan, where we won a victory.
Now there are hooligans in the market who are deliberately making up stories about my general. This is intolerable!
If the Yingtian Prefecture cannot handle this matter, we will take these people back to the army and deal with them ourselves!"
Feng Yunfang glanced around and said loudly: "Take all these street thugs back to the barracks!"
Hearing this, the members of the Blazing Fire Gang who were originally pinned to the ground began to wail one by one, and Wang Erma, who was held in Feng Yunfang's hand, also began to yell:
"Sir! Help! Help! We have always been so kind to you!"
When these words were spoken, Kong Rui was stunned, and the people around him were also stunned.
Kong Rui looked at Wang Erma in disbelief. How could he say such things in public?
Wang Erma’s thoughts were very simple. He was only one step away from death and now he just wanted to live.
Kong Rui stood there, his expression changing back and forth, his mind full of thoughts.
Some gangs in the upper city often pay tribute to Yingtianfu.
Without these tributes, these officials would have to live solely on their salaries.
If it falls into the hands of the Beijing Army
"No. There are so many bad things going on, and Wang Erma is such a talker. We can't let them take the person away!"
After realizing this, Kong Rui's eyes sharpened and he shouted:
"Lord Feng! This is Yingtian City, not a battlefield!
If they are wrong, they will be punished according to the Ming Dynasty law. Abuse of lynching is against the law! ! "
He waved his hand fiercely and shouted, "Get the person out!"
As a result, the many yamen runners who were originally watching from the outside slowly approached even though they were reluctant, but they did not dare to draw the long swords at their waists.
Fighting with the army in the capital is simply courting death.
Kong Rui was furious and shouted:
"What are you still standing there for! Go ahead!!"
"Sir, I'm sorry," an elderly yamen runner rushed up while apologizing.
Feng Yunfang narrowed his eyes and threw Wang Erma in his hand without any politeness.
He picked up a bench and rushed forward, and other soldiers followed suit!
For a moment, the Biyou Building, which had been quiet, became noisy again, with the sound of fighting continuing.
The remaining trace of neatness was shattered in an instant, and the entire Biyou Building became a mess again.
Shopkeeper Li Fu was in tears and sat slumped aside, watching the newly renovated decoration being broken. He could only pray in his heart.
I hope that the Yingtian government and the Beijing army can compensate for some of the losses.
Don’t ask for more, half, half is enough!
The battle ended very quickly. Even though the yamen runners had long swords in their hands,
But they were still no match for these battle-hardened soldiers.
In less than thirty breaths, the sword had been taken away.
The yamen runner who was hit by the knife fell to the ground in less than ten breaths, just like the members of the Chihuo Gang.
There are even cases where people fall to the ground intentionally and cannot get up.
Just like the two yamen runners that Feng Yunfang fought against,
With just a light sweep of the leg, the two men fell to the ground.
He let out a heart-wrenching howl, as if his lower body was broken.
Feng Yunfang was stunned on the spot, but soon realized that they were acting!
However, Kong Rui, who was standing by, did not notice the clues and instead breathed a sigh of relief, feeling somewhat fortunate.
Now that the yamen runner is also injured, at least he can have an explanation when his superiors ask him about it.
At this moment, the fallen members of the Blazing Fire Gang hid behind him, their faces filled with fear. Kong Rui pulled Wang Erma aside and said in a low voice:
"What happened to you? We had a conflict with the Beijing Army!
Also, who spread that rumor? It's totally lawless!! "
Wang Erma no longer had the flattery he had before. He touched his neck, which had already turned purple, and pointed at the ceiling:
"Master Kong, this matter was instructed by our superiors, and we are just following orders.
You should think about how to make these Beijing troops calm down."
"above?"
Kong Rui fell into deep thought. The reason why the Chihuo Gang could survive in Honggu Street was not because of him.
It’s because he has a bigger backer behind him, the son of a minister in the court.
He weighed the pros and cons and wondered whether he should intervene in the matter.
"Master Kong, what are you still thinking about?
We have worked together for many years, and you have no relationship with the Beijing Army. Don't you understand what is going on?"
Wang Erma said so, Kong Rui's eyes flashed, and he suddenly made up his mind.
Yes. It is not good to please the Beijing Army, but it is good to protect the Chihuo Gang.
As soon as the thought came to his mind, Kong Rui looked outside the Biyou Building and shouted:
"Everyone come in, someone is attacking the clerks here!"
No one came in, Kong Rui let out a light exclamation.
He clearly remembered that there were nearly thirty people outside!
At this moment, some heavy footsteps sounded simultaneously.
He and Wang Erma looked towards the door. The person who came in was not a yamen runner in yamen uniform, but a soldier in black armor.
At the front was a young man in black uniform.
He has a bronze complexion, long flowing hair, cold eyes, and an aura of fierceness emanating from him.
"grown ups!"
Feng Yunfang, who was pressing a man to the ground, let out a cry of surprise.
After this, the originally bustling Biyou Building suddenly became quiet.
Everyone's eyes were focused on the young man who had just arrived.
The person who came was Lu Yunyi, and behind him were Zhang Yu and twenty armored soldiers.
Lu Yunyi glanced around and soon saw Kong Rui in a green robe.
This look made Kong Rui's heart skip a beat.
"What happened?" Lu Yunyi's voice was cold.
For some reason, as he spoke, the surroundings seemed to be intimidated by his power and remained silent.
Feng Yunfang hurried forward and explained the whole story, especially the rumors and his speculations.
"Sir, more than ten of them are talking about this matter.
I think someone is behind this and it was intentional."
Lu Yunyi's face was as cold as frost as he glanced back and forth at these Blazing Fire Gang members.
Finally, it stopped on the big man Wang Erma who was standing with Kong Rui.
Wang Erma felt his legs go limp and all the hair on his body stood up.
These people who hang out on the streets are best at observing people's words and expressions. They can tell who can be provoked and who cannot be provoked just by looking at them.
However, the young man in front of him looked like the person he should not mess with!
"I am Lu Yunyi, who are you from Jingzhao Prefecture?"
Lu Yunyi looked at the green-robed official and spoke in a cold voice.
Even though they had guessed it in their hearts, whether it was Kong Rui, Wang Erma, or the surrounding civilians, officials, and servants,
They all looked at the young man in disbelief.
There was only one thought in my mind: how could he be so young?
So young that they feel fake.
Kong Rui was the first to react, his face turned pale, and he quickly stepped forward and bowed:
"Your humble servant Kong Rui, the magistrate of Yingtian Prefecture, pays respect to Lord Lu!"
Kong Rui was groaning in his heart, feeling extremely regretful.
Why would such an important figure come to this place just for these few soldiers?
He didn't understand.
Lu Yunyi looked at him indifferently, his voice cold:
"I am a guest of the Crown Prince and an official in the Crown Prince's Palace.
These people are slandering me wantonly. Could it be that they are harboring rebellious intentions and are targeting the Crown Prince?"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone felt cold all over.
Kong Rui's legs went weak and he almost fell to the ground.
Once these people are charged with such a serious crime, none of them will be able to escape.
"Sir, these people deserve to die!" Kong Rui chose to kill his friends rather than me without hesitation.
Lu Yunyi chuckled and said, "That's not what Lord Kong said before.
I now have reason to suspect that Lord Kong is the backer behind these rebels.
Let's do this. Lord Kong will go to the Censorate Prison first.
If you are innocent, Lord Zhan will release you, but if you really intend to rebel, I am sorry."
thump.
Kong Rui could no longer stand up, and he suddenly knelt on the ground, his face pale and sweat pouring down.
Zhan Hui, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, was also an official under the Crown Prince.
If this matter were to get reported to the Censorate, he would know what would happen to him.
"grown ups!!!"
Kong Rui's voice was shrill, and he looked up at Lu Yunyi with some fear:
"I am innocent, I am innocent!
I have been a trembling official for many years and never dared to do anything that violated the guidelines.
I dare not rely on others, so how can I commit treason!"
Lu Yunyi looked down at him, with no expression on his face, and said calmly:
"Then tell me who is behind these members of the Blazing Fire Gang."
Lu Yunyi glanced at Wang Erma who was also lying on the ground.
Given the courage of the local gangs, it would be impossible for them to assign high-ranking officials from the imperial court unless there was someone behind the scenes instructing them.
"My lord, I don't know this."
Kong Rui felt that he was wronged. It was clearly a conflict between the Beijing Army and the Chihuo Gang, so how did it suddenly fall on him?
"Then go to the Censorate. I will write a letter to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and investigate you thoroughly."
Lu Yunyi's calm tone suddenly changed, and his eyes became sharp:
"Take it!"
Two soldiers stepped forward and arrested Kong Rui in an instant.
"Wait wait wait!! I don't know who ordered them.
But knowing that the Blazing Fire Gang's backer is the son of Lord Zeng, the Minister of the Honglu Temple, maybe, maybe they know!! "
"Minister of the Honglu Temple?"
Lu Yunyi raised his head and signaled the soldiers to stop, with a hint of doubt in his eyes.
He stayed in the capital for less than a month.
I don't know the Minister of Honglu Temple at all, and I have never offended him.
Zhang Yu has been in the officialdom for many years. He stepped forward and whispered:
"Sir, the Minister of the Honglu Temple is named Zeng Huaiyi. I heard that he is a capable person and is highly regarded by several officials in the Ministry of Rites."
Lu Yunyi nodded thoughtfully.
An official of the fourth rank, wearing a scarlet robe, must be a capable person.
He waved his hand and said loudly: "Bring all the members of the Blazing Fire Gang back to the barracks!"
After saying that, he looked at Kong Rui:
"I'll give you a chance to redeem yourself. Go and capture the leader of the Blazing Fire Gang and bring him to the military camp.
If you don't see anyone before the sun sets today, Master Kong will have to pray for the best of luck."
Kong Rui heaved a long sigh of relief, feeling the joy of having survived a catastrophe. He nodded repeatedly:
"Don't worry, Lord Lu, I will definitely bring people there."
Lu Yunyi smiled and shook his head slowly:
"Master Kong, you don't have to do this yourself. Leave it to your subordinates."
Kong Rui's heart was in a state of anxiety again, and he felt a pang in his heart.
"Now that things have come to this, my reputation has been damaged.
I would like to trouble Lord Kong to take me to find that Mr. Zeng. I want to ask him in person why he wants to damage my reputation. "
Kong Rui's face suddenly turned red, and a look of disbelief flashed in his eyes:
"Lord Lu, isn't this too overbearing?"
"Hahahaha, if you don't act bossy in the army, then I haven't served in this army in vain!"
Lu Yunyi laughed heartily, but his face suddenly turned gloomy:
"Take everyone away!"
(End of this chapter)