Emperor Ming Dynasty

The long streets of Suzhou at night are shrouded in the dim yellow light of lanterns.

Outside the slightly shabby government office, several men in dark clothes were walking back and forth slowly.

There was a barking dog barking from somewhere.

Inside the yamen, Li Heng flipped through a page of the file, picked up an iron piece and gently flicked the wick.

"What? No news yet?"

"No news!" The man in green robe opened his mouth to speak but stopped, but seemed to have swallowed the words and fell silent.

After a long while, he said a word.

"The Du family took the money and didn't do anything. They really deserve to die." Li Heng gritted his teeth and suddenly became furious.

As a member of the Jinyiwei Baihu, Li Heng eagerly wanted to be promoted.

He walked up and down, thought over and over again, and said, "Go and spread the news about the Du family's in-laws to Beijing."

"This can be considered as knocking on the mountain and shaking the tiger!"

Soon, Jinyiwei reported that the Chen family in Wuxi had annexed land, imposed exorbitant taxes, and even set up private checkpoints to conceal customs duties.

Chu Yu was shocked.

You know, this involves Du Yinxi, the chief minister of the cabinet.

His parents died when he was young, and his father-in-law was poor but righteous. He hired a private school to teach him poetry, and even took part in the imperial examination in Wuxi.

The Du family is far less close to him than the Yue family.

As Du Yinxi gained power, the Chen family, although far away in Jiangsu, rose to become a powerful and powerful local family.

He thought over and over again and did not dare to hide it, so he could only report it to the emperor.

I originally wanted to inform the Du family to have a private affair, but I was forced to cancel it.

Jinyiwei and Dongchang are one, they are one among you, and one among me is you. Once this happens, the consequences will be unpredictable.

Zhu Yixi felt very calm after hearing this.

"Dispose of it according to law!"

"Even if you are a vassal king, you cannot violate the king's law."

"It's just that I don't understand. All the major events here are definitely not caused by the Chen family, but because there are so many places. Why did Jin Yiwei repay me now?"

When Chu Yu heard this, he broke into a cold sweat.

He admitted that Jin Yiwei had been at peace for so many years, and the conscientiousness in the past had become perfunctory.

"Obviously he is the Chen family, but he is actually the Du family."

Zhu Yixi sighed. Is this a party dispute, or is it sudden?

However, times have changed, and local right-wingers have risen again.

Just like corrupt officials, no matter how good the system is, there will always be loopholes found.

Compared with the law, power can crush everything and ignore the law.

After all, from the perspective of a local official, regardless of the chief minister's in-laws, even the wet nurse of the chief minister's family would like to be treated as his own mother, just for the sake of promotion.

He has seen too many such things, both in his previous life and now.

After being on the throne for a long time, Zhu Yixi lost her previous impatience and became more open-minded.

But this kind of thing is like a cockroach, just can't see it. Once it appears in front of you, it will definitely be struck by thunder.

"Pass the decree!" Zhu Yixi said casually: "The Wuxi gentry Chen violated the national law, and the local government turned a blind eye. He was removed from the posts of county magistrate, judge, and other assistant officials. The magistrate will not be promoted for five years."

"The inspector moved to Yunnan."

From bottom to top, it must be done all over.

As long as they get a little involved, no one can escape.

Block the house.

Du Yinxi was relaxing at home when he suddenly came across the Chen family's affairs.

"According to the law, this means confiscation of the home and exile."

Du Yinxi rubbed his temples: "Lu Song is not easy to treat!"

Mrs. Chen on the side also had a frantic expression on her lips: "Everyone has restrained themselves a bit in recent years, but who doesn't have a little influence? Why did it happen to be our Chen family?"

"Shut up!" Du Yinxi hurriedly scolded: "The law is current, don't talk nonsense."

"It would be nice to be able to save my life."

"Don't worry, I will write to the Governor of Luzon and take good care of the Chen family."

Du Yinxi comforted him.

To be honest, after the death of his kind father-in-law and mother-in-law, he lost the previous closeness to the Chen family and only regarded it as a relative.

Isn't it rare for Chen's fox to pretend to be a tiger?
In fact, he turned a blind eye and refused to listen to many suggestions, but now he is suffering.

"Husband!" Madam Chen begged, "My nephews are weak, what should I do?"

"Leave my Du family alone first!" Du Yinxi said angrily: "Because of the Chen family's affairs, I don't know how much grace I should receive!"

At this time, Chen also stopped talking.

She understands that now the Chen family and the Du family are all relying on Du Yinxi. If he is gone as the first assistant, it will really be over.

South Luogu Lane.

Feng House.

After becoming an official, Feng Xianzong did not return to Henan, but directly took up his retirement in Beijing.

To be honest, since he is less than 50 years old, the term "retirement" is not suitable. In officialdom, this is the prime of life.

But there was no other way. He was ordered to retire and had to leave the center of power.

The viscount's residence that year allowed him to live freely in Beijing.

"Your grace!" Opposite him sat Qi De, a disciple and doctor of the Ministry of Rites.

Since he was unable to preside over the examination and was monopolized by the Imperial Academy's wine festival, Feng Xianzong's protégés were mostly township party members and fancy students.

Compared with the title of the teacher, this relationship is relatively loose, which is also the reason why Feng Xianzong is not willing to step down.

In just one year, [-]% of the former generals have changed their careers, or their contact with them has become less and less.

"sit!"

Zide sighed: "The yard has been tidied up. We will set off tomorrow morning. I came here today to say goodbye to you."

"It's not bad to be a local official."

Feng Xianzong comforted him: "As a magistrate, I don't know how many people are envious of you. This is the last thing I can do for you."

After saying this, the two of them felt a little sad for a moment.

Qi De's sadness is that now he has no connections in Beijing, and it becomes increasingly difficult for him to get promoted.

Even if your political achievements are achieved, it doesn't matter, who knows you?
Especially in this era of underdeveloped communication, communication through letters can only be regarded as a way to relieve the itch.

"Do you remember my door number?"

Feng Xianzong smiled and said: "Now that the post station is open, you and I can communicate directly without having to send people to deliver it."

"That's true!"

To deliver letters from the people, you either entrust them to your servants or entrust them to your friends and fellow villagers, but there are very few special deliveries.

There are inns everywhere, almost in every county, which greatly facilitates communication.

The two chatted for a while, and Feng Xianzong sent him away with a smile.

"Father, in the past I was always a minister, but now there are even fewer ministers."

The eldest son Feng Xijin sighed, feeling unworthy of the neglect. "It is normal for officials to rise and fall." Feng Xianzong said solemnly: "Without the teacher-student relationship, these profit-seeking officials will naturally turn to those who are in power without hesitation."

"What I do today will be the same for all future cabinets, and the chief minister is no exception."

Feng Xijin could only comfort him like this: "It's a pity that your Majesty didn't care about the in-laws of the chief minister and his assistant."

"The cabinet has only been in the cabinet for less than a year. Who can be so intolerant of loneliness?"

Feng Xianzong said coldly: "You can enjoy his good fruits."

……

Brunei.

Standing on a high mountain, you can overlook Brunei and the entire place, because Brunei's castle is built on a flat place near the sea.

Chen Jianning looked into the wind and looked at the scene in front of him. The sea stretched as far as the horizon. On the yellow-green coast, Brunei Fort lying on the ground seemed to be a pattern engraved on the earth.

The sound of the wind was faintly mixed with the noise of the crowd.

There are groups of people on the ground nearly two miles away from the castle. The soldiers are surrounded by artillery. Looking from a high place, they look like groups of ants carrying insects.

At first glance, the crowd didn't seem to be moving, but if you stared for a while, you could see that they were moving closer to the castle.

All of a sudden, I saw the light of fire on the fortress.

It turned out that strings of white smoke came out from a distance!
After a while, I heard "rumbling..." the sound of cannons came from the wind.

The city seems to have collapsed, but it is still stable.

"The repair is quite strong." Chen Jianning said coldly: "If you continue to blast me, I don't believe I can hold on forever."

He turned his head again and looked at the mountain village on the other side.

This is the capital of Brunei, namely Brunei City. A Brunei River passes through the city, and dozens of villages live nearby.

This is the essence of Brunei.

When the Khmer was captured, the Wei Kingdom was established, and the construction phase officially began, Brunei, which was selected as the Hunan Kingdom, naturally entered the day of conquest.

Luzon's navy and soldiers were extremely eager. In just one month, 5000 people were recruited, accompanied by [-] new recruits.

Chen Jianning was originally a viscount. He wanted peace in the world, so he lived like this all his life. He never thought that the emperor would think of him and get such a good job.

After the Xiang Kingdom was established, the count could no longer escape.

"If you don't drink a toast, you'll have to drink wine as a penalty." He shook his head: "You can surrender and you won't lose your title!"

He is really not afraid of siege. How long can he hold out after a cannon blast?

He looked around: "It's just that this place is a bit small. Although the harbor is good, the people are afraid of only tens of thousands. Where are the tens of thousands of people those people said? I'm afraid the savages are included!"

Cursing secretly in his heart, Chen Jianning continued to look at it.

He placed his commanding flag here. Although he was arrogant, he felt very secure.

Behind him, on the other side of the mountain, a small number of infantrymen had crossed the mountain road and rushed towards the village, preparing to conquer the people at the same time.

In the narrow window, the Sultan of Brunei, Abdul Hulqul Mubin, frowned and looked at the artillery outside the city, silent.

On the side, Deputy King Huang Shuisu was also silent, with an ugly expression on his face.

The ancestor of Huang Su Shui was Huang Senping, who assisted the Sultan in fighting off the invasion of Sulu, then married his sister to him, and asked his younger brother Ahmed to marry his daughter.

The Sultan had no heirs, and Ahmed succeeded to the throne, leaving a daughter who married Sharif Ali, a holy descendant from Arabia.

In this way, the Sudanese lineage has been passed down to his descendants for more than two hundred years.

The Brunei Sultan's family has been married to the Huang family for generations, and they have been the deputy kings for generations. It can be said that they share weal and woe.

Therefore, when the Ming army asked to surrender the country, Huang Shuisu did not agree, but fought with the Sultan.

Because after agreeing, the Huang family's power will only be lost, but not improved.

Abdul Hgul Mubin sighed: "Although the Dutch helped us build the castle, it will not last long."

"The Ming Dynasty has such a vast territory, why does it have to pay attention to Brunei? Is it because the tribute is not diligent, or is it too slow to wait?"

"Dear Sultan, Ming people are interested in the fertile Brunei Bay, the land, the farmers, the ocean and the mountains."

Huang Shuisu said angrily: "We will not obey until we die."

After hearing this, Sultan Abdul Hegul Mubin comforted him: "The lives of tens of thousands of people cannot be messed with."

"What do the Dutch say?" he asked his chancellor.

"The Dutch said that ships were coming, but I investigated privately. The Dutch did not dare to offend Ming. Brunei is too small."

The group of people sighed.

There is no hope for foreign aid.

Back at his mansion, Huang Shuisu fell into deep thought.

For the Huang family, their title of deputy king is not false, but they have a real territory. Their power in Brunei is second only to the Sultan, and superior to the nobility of all sizes.

Therefore, when facing the Ban people, they used their customary title to call Huang Senping "Raja", which means the king.

Only when facing the Chinese are they called general soldiers.

In Brunei, a country co-founded by natives and Chinese, the Sultan and the Huang family each make peace for their own people.

"Chief soldier, is this the imperial court?" the elderly uncle persuaded in Minnan dialect: "If we go against the imperial court, we will not end well."

"Yes, father, the imperial court has a huge army. This is only the power of Luzon. Even the Dutch are not their opponents, let alone our weak Luzon."

The son persuaded: "I heard that Sulu was also destroyed by Qi, and we Brunei can't escape."

"Confused!" Huang Shuisu gritted his teeth and said, "In Brunei, our Huang family is the king. In the Ming Dynasty, our Huang family is the ministers. This formation looks like the establishment of a vassal state."

"He wants to change the king!"

"If this is the case, how can our Huang family keep its wealth for generations? Do we have to hand over our territory too?"

These words were deafening.

Several people were silent.

"so what should I do now?"

"The only option is to fight!" Huang Shuisu said solemnly: "Let Mingren realize our strength and have to compromise."

"No matter what happens, we must keep our title for another generation."

After holding on for several days, when Huang Shuisu felt that he could still hold on, the Sultan opened the city gate and chose to surrender.

Chen Jianning was happy with this.

It is natural to appease the old king.

He smiled and said: "I, the Ming Emperor, have been in Beijing for a long time, preparing a house for the King of Brunei. I guess a Spyker is inevitable."

Huang Shuisu couldn't help but ask: "But the county king?"

At this time, everyone's eyes gathered.

Chen Jianning could only say truthfully: "If it is as expected, it should be an earl, or a marquis, or a king, it will be difficult."

Among the kingdoms that have been broken up now, only the Ryukyu royal family has been granted the title of county king, and the rest are mostly counts, such as Khmer, Bukhara, etc.

For example, the Mo family of Annan has always been loyal and was the nail planted by the Ming Dynasty in Annan, so he was granted the title of Marquis.

Zheng Shi, Ruan Shi, Li Shi, etc. are just earls.

For the sake of the peace of the vassal state, these royal families would not stay in the local area. Instead, they would be sent all the way to Beijing and spent some gold and silver to raise them to prevent them from returning to the mainland to cause trouble.

As he spoke, he looked at Huang Shuisu.

In Brunei, Huang is the leader of the Han people with a history of more than 200 years. With his cooperation, he can quickly control Brunei.

But it's also a hassle.

"I don't know how the court will arrange it!"