Re-embroidering life

Chapter 134 Leaving Beijing

After winning the title of martial arts champion, Shen Yi was spotted by Shangguan and joined the Imperial Guard to protect the emperor. He was a young talent who enjoyed a successful career.

"He must have been in the Imperial Guard for several years. Suddenly one day, he came back. He looked very miserable, as if he had suffered a major blow. He was always in a daze alone. The elders in the clan took turns talking to him. Some urged him to return to Beijing as soon as possible and not miss out on a bright future. Some urged him to get married quickly so that the family could rest assured. But he found me and said he wanted to stay away from Jiangnan. Seeing that he was so determined, I couldn't bear it, so I arranged for him to go to Jiangxia to help me take care of Siyifang there." Shen Xin was still immersed in memories.

"Later, I went to Jiangxia to pay homage to my aunt. Seeing that he was still unhappy after several years, I encouraged him to pursue his ideals again. I don't know what happened after that." Shen Xin said.

The mystery surrounding Shen Yi has not yet been solved. Shui Qinghua is not a curious person, so after thinking about it for a while, she put it out of her mind.

On the other hand, the farce-like "Dragon Robe Case" was far from over, and it formed a hurricane from this starting point, sweeping the entire court.

Shui Qinghua learned from Ji Zimo that on the second day after the Longpao Incident, Ji Zimo publicly exposed the evil deeds of Jiangxia Huang Zhifu and his in-laws Xiao family in the morning court for reclaiming the island in the middle of the river. He made an impassioned speech, pointing out that such actions seriously hindered the flow of the river, causing the water level to continue to rise, and eventually caused serious flooding.

As soon as these words came out, the court was shocked. The floods in Oujiang River had troubled the dynasty for decades, and countless innocent people were displaced, their families were broken up, and the court had invested countless silver taels in disaster relief. Now that they knew that the man-made disaster was greater than the natural disaster, the whole court was boiling like a pot of boiling water.

The court was instantly divided into two groups. One group was resolute and insisted on a thorough investigation of the matter. They spoke fiercely, claiming that if the situation was true, they would make Prefect Huang and the Xiao family pay a heavy price to uphold the law and appease the public anger.

The other faction argued that Huang had been an official for many years and had always been loyal to the court, and had always received excellent marks in the evaluations. There must be a misunderstanding in this matter, and they begged the emperor not to listen to one side and believe it, so as not to wrongly accuse a good official.

The emperor sat high on the throne, his expression calm, a faint smile on his lips, silently watching the people in the hall exchanging sharp words. His eyes were deep and sharp, and he quietly remembered the officials who protected Prefect Huang's faction.

When both sides were exhausted and could no longer argue, the emperor finally spoke quietly, "I have known about this matter for a long time, and I have sent the Guards to Jiangxia to investigate. My dear ministers, please be patient. When the Guards come back to report, everything will come out naturally."

As soon as he finished speaking, as expected, among the court officials who were defending Prefect Huang, some of them who were not shrewd enough already showed panic unconsciously. The emperor smiled slightly and called for the court to be dismissed.

"Your Majesty, wouldn't you be alerting the enemy by doing this?" Shui Qinghua was puzzled.

"No, the people from the Guard Bureau have already returned, and Your Majesty knows everything he should know. Otherwise, why do you think I took two months to launch the attack in the court?" Ji Zimo said.

Shui Qinghua suddenly realized and was secretly shocked by the emperor's imperial mentality.

At this moment, Shen Yi looked serious and walked into the imperial study with steady and powerful steps.

After Shen Yi bowed respectfully, he began to report: "Your Majesty, the Xiao family has been reclaiming Jiaojin Island since the reign of the previous emperor. Jiaojin Island was originally small in size, but after decades of continuous reclamation of rivers and farmland, it has almost become a vast island. On the surface, the main business of Jiaojin Island is to grow reeds. The surroundings are completely covered with dense reeds, which has caused great difficulties for the investigation of the Guard Bureau. I once sneaked in at midnight and found that the place was heavily guarded, the patrol team was well-trained, and their pace and equipment even had the shadow of the army. I dare not alert the enemy, so I can only withdraw quickly."

The emperor slightly closed his eyes, hiding the rage in his eyes. Secretly filling the lake to build an island, mobilizing the army to guard, causing floods that caused the loss of lives, such horrific things actually happened under his rule, this was undoubtedly a provocation to him and the imperial power!

The emperor calmed down his anger and asked in a calm tone, "What do you think should be done?"

Shen Yi clasped his fists solemnly: "I beg Your Majesty to mobilize the troops of the neighboring prefectures and garrisons to enter Jiangxia and attack Jiangxin Island directly! I have concluded that Jiangxin Island is definitely not a place where reeds are simply grown. There must be a bigger secret hidden there!"

"I know." The emperor remained calm and suddenly asked, "How many years have you been in Jiangxia? Have you seen anything unusual?"

Shen Yi was startled and immediately replied: "On the surface, Magistrate Huang has a good reputation as an official, and he has always been excellent in his evaluations, but he has not been promoted for so many years and has always stayed in Jiangxia. His marriage to the local prominent Xiao family shows his intention to take root in Jiangxia. It is unusual for an official not to want to be promoted."

"Um, any more?"

Shen Yi searched his mind quickly, "Also, Huang's former colleague and assistant, Jiangxia Prefecture's co-magistrate Ji Zixuan. He was a successful candidate in the imperial examinations, a young talent, and a native of Jiangxia. He should have made great achievements, but he was inexplicably convicted and dismissed from office nine years ago. I checked his files, and they are very simple and vague. There is only one charge of corruption, but there is no evidence."

The emperor nodded and said in a deep voice: "Don't worry about Ji Zixuan's affairs. First, find out about Huang Anmin's affairs. Who nominated him to be the governor of Jiangxia? Who gave him excellent evaluations? Which officials in the capital did he have close ties with? Whoever is behind this must be eradicated!"

"Yes!" Shen Yi's answer was resounding.

When I walked out of the imperial study, a cool breeze blew past me and I felt a chill on my neck. Then I realized that the cold sweat on my head and face had already soaked my collar.

The next day, Shen Yi changed into clean clothes. He had been on a business trip and had no time to stay in Beijing. In fact, there were two people in Beijing whom he wanted to meet. One was his cousin Shen Xin. He heard from his cousin that she would go to Beijing with her husband to take the imperial examination. Although he didn't know where she was, as a member of the Guardian Division, it was not difficult for him to find out about someone.

The other one was Lady Shui. Thinking of her, my heart felt a little sour, a strange feeling, but also a little sweet. I haven't seen her for nearly a year. Is she still as free and unrestrained as before? He couldn't help but laugh.

"Boss!" His deputy looked at him as if he had seen a ghost.

"What's wrong?" He put on a cold face.

"Boss, I've never seen you smile so silly." The deputy touched his nose.

Shen Yi coughed lightly and asked awkwardly, "What's the matter?"

His deputy handed him a secret order to mobilize the soldiers of Yuzhou Garrison. He sighed secretly, not daring to delay for even a moment, and selected a team of soldiers to leave the capital overnight.