I, Jiajing, successfully cultivated immortality

Chapter 24
Looking at the shivering official kneeling in front of him, Zheng Michang couldn't help but flash a gleam of pleasure on his face. He didn't let the official stand up, but after looking at the scene, he sat straight on the main seat and looked at the The people kneeling on the ground said loudly.

"My official is Zheng Michang, the chief envoy of Zhejiang Province! What happened here just now? Tell me what you have wronged, and Mr. Gao and I will avenge your grievances." After Zheng Michang finished speaking, he nodded to Gao Hanwen, Beckon him to come over.

Hearing that Zheng Michang revealed his identity, many officials who knelt on the ground were all dead souls, Zheng Michang, the chief minister of Zhejiang!This is the largest official other than the governor of Zhejiang Province, responsible for the administration and finance of the entire Zhejiang Province, and can be regarded as the boss of his boss's boss.

And such an important official of the imperial court will appear in a small Dao'an Village!In his words, he seemed to have a lot of respect for the ignorant Mr. Gao, but he had made rude remarks earlier, which made the Mr. Gao unhappy.

"That's right, tell us all about your grievances! Mr. Zheng and I will avenge your grievances."

Gao Hanwen took Zheng Michang's words, comforted everyone, and then sat down beside him.

The many villagers present didn't know that they had met a big shot. After discussing in whispers for a long time, someone finally got the courage to say: "Report...Report to your lord! We are all villagers from this Dao'an Village. The officials have just finished collecting miscellaneous taxes in our village, and today they have to collect the exemption tax, and it is the autumn harvest, so I have no food to pay."

The visitor paused for a while while talking, and continued: "Seeing that we had no food to hand over, they beat Wang Er, Zhang San, and Li Dazi from our village half to death, and hung them upside down on this big banyan tree. The old village chief stepped forward to argue and was beaten half to death by them."

"Also ask Master Qingtian to be the master for us!"

After the visitor finished speaking, he knelt down, and the villagers of Dao'an Village also knelt down together.

"Is what the villagers just said true?" Zheng Michang couldn't hear the slightest emotion in his tone, and his eyes swept over the many officials who were kneeling on the ground one by one.

"Report to Mr. Political Envoy, I'm just waiting..." The leading official wanted to explain, but was interrupted by Zheng Michang.

"Shut up! You evil official! Come on, detain them all and punish them severely!"

I saw Zheng Michang patted the table angrily, his chest was heaving because of being too angry.

"Yes."

The soldiers on the side took orders, and quickly detained all the evil officials who had been domineering in front of the villagers before.

"Master Qingtian!"

Seeing that the culprit who caused the disaster to the village had been arrested, the villagers present couldn't help crying, and knocked their heads on the ground with a 'bang bang' sound.

"Everyone, please hurry up, since we are officials of the imperial court, how can we let the people suffer injustice?"

Zheng Michang quickly got up from his seat, and together with Gao Hanwen helped the kneeling villagers up one by one.

Then the two declined the invitation of the villagers, indicating that they still had official duties, and then Zheng Michang and Gao Hanwen left Dao'an Village with their soldiers.

When they reached a secluded place, Zheng Michang retreated the soldiers and called Gao Hanwen aside, and the two walked slowly along the ridge of the field.

"Did you just want to ask, the court has abolished miscellaneous taxes and other messy taxes, why are these places still collecting them?" Zheng Michang said, looking at the distant scenery with a calm expression.

"Yes, Hanwen is very curious about this matter. When I think of what those villagers have suffered, I just..." Gao Hanwen clenched his teeth, and he couldn't help clenching his fists, his face was full of resentment.

"After today, just forget about it! You can't mention it to anyone, even your teacher." Zheng Michang turned around and looked at the expression on Gao Hanwen's face, and couldn't help but feel amused in his heart.

"Why? Teacher, he is a cabinet member, besides, the sage said..."

"Oh, sage? The sage's books are for others to read, but they are useless for doing things!" Before Gao Hanwen finished speaking, he was interrupted coldly by Zheng Michang with a sneer.

"If you bring this matter up today, don't say I can't protect you, even Governor Hu and even your teacher can't protect you! Even so, do you still want to do it?"

"I...I..." Gao Hanwen fell into hesitation for a while.

"It's right to hesitate, you are not a saint, you can't save everyone! Based on the present, do what you should do well, and don't cause any trouble."

"Hanwen knows."

After listening to Zheng Michang's words, Gao Hanwen was silent for a long time, and replied in a low voice.

"now it's right."

After finishing speaking, Zheng Michang looked at Gao Hanwen with a little more appreciation in his eyes.

……

In the middle of the night, Gao Hanwen woke up suddenly from the bed, and everything that happened during the day kept flashing in his mind: the arrogant and domineering officials, the crowd begging for mercy, the excrement bucket, the rope, the injured villagers, the dying old man, the bright sword, and the words spoken by Zheng Bichang.

"Ahhh!" Gao Hanwen held his head in his hands and yelled out in pain.

In my mind, the scene where the teacher taught me before is still vivid: "Do you know what is the most important thing about being an official? Tell the teacher, the students don't know. Listen carefully, serving as an official will benefit one party. The most important thing is not to get lost. I have my heart!"

"Original heart... original heart..." Gao Hanwen repeated, his eyes gradually brightened.

I saw him get up from the bed, relight the candle beside the desk, take out the pen, ink, paper and inkstone that the teacher gave him earlier, after grinding the ink, he took up the pen and wrote: "Teacher, student Gao Hanwen, how are you doing recently?" ..."

At the same time, inside Jin Yiwei's Imperial Prison.

Zhao Wenhua, the head of the Ministry of Criminal Justice who had been glorious before, was sitting on a bed made of straw in unlined clothes, with disheveled hair, and his body was covered with scars from torture.

The straw had long been moldy, exuding a faint musty smell. In the corner, a huge mouse was screaming, not afraid of people, and stared directly at it. The wall was full of unknown objects. Excrement, disgusting.

'Squeak'!With a tooth-piercing sound, the cell where Zhao Wenhua was held was opened, and a figure wrapped himself in a black robe came in.

Zhao Wenhua turned a deaf ear to this, and just said indifferently: "What is Mr. Xiao Ge doing here? If you come to tell me not to speak casually, please come back, I know what to do!"

The visitor let out a long sigh, and then took off the black robe, revealing Yan Shifan's face.

"I came here this time to do this first, and second, to practice for adults!"

After finishing speaking, Yan Shifan greeted the servant who had been waiting outside for a long time, and brought in the food.

The food box was opened, and a plate of delicious dishes was placed in front of Zhao Wenhua, as well as a jug of fine wine and two wine glasses.

"Try it, this is a fine wine of 50 years." After Yan Shifan said, he filled Zhao Wenhua's glass.

Zhao Wenhua didn't doubt that there was him, so he picked up the wine glass and drank it down in one gulp.

Seeing that Zhao Wenhua drank all the wine in the glass, Yan Shifan poured himself a glass too: "To tell the truth, when my father was still serving as the sacrificial wine in the Chinese Academy of Sciences, it was the happiest day of my life."

"Those days were indeed my happiest days." Zhao Wenhua recalled, picked up a chopstick dish, put it in his mouth, and savored it carefully.

"You can't eat such delicious food here, and the interrogation is going to be tomorrow, what crime are you going to convict me?" Zhao Wenhua put down his chopsticks, looked at Yan Shifan, and asked softly.

"Capital crime." Yan Shifan responded after pausing for a moment.

"I knew it." After hearing this, Zhao Wenhua seemed relieved and leaned against the wall.

Seeing that Yan Shifan wanted to explain, Zhao Wenhua waved his hand indifferently, and interrupted: "Don't say those words, I, a dying person, don't want to hear them."

Immediately afterwards, as if recalling something, Zhao Wenhua looked deeply, and said quietly: "Does Xiaoge know how I got to this day?"

"Some things, once started, can never stop. I am like this, you are like this, and so are those Qingliu."

Zhao Wenhua looked at Yan Shifan's face and said with a half smile.

Seeing that Yan Shifan didn't intend to talk, Zhao Wenhua held up his wine glass: "Forget it, since you don't want to listen to me, an old man! So be it, take care."

"treasure."

Yan Shifan picked up the wine glass, touched him lightly, then turned and left without looking back, his figure disappeared into the imperial prison, and the door of Zhao Wenhua's cell was closed again.

(End of this chapter)