Southern Ming Rebel Army

Chapter 620: Self-braiding

Over the years, Meng Jun has been stationed in the capital. The officials at all levels of the court were not in a very tense state of mind, but they dared not slack off. Now that the emperor was leaving the capital for a southern tour, the officials in Beijing felt inexplicably relieved.

During this period, although Yang En could not be said to have monopolized power, he was able to command the support of many people in the capital, and the country was peaceful. Yang En handled government affairs every day, and his life was very fulfilling.

When Meng Jun started the rebellion, Yang En was still a young man of twenty-five or twenty-six years old. Now he is over forty years old. This age is still a very young age in the court. If nothing unexpected happens, Yang En can still fight for the Qian Dynasty for another twenty years.

This kind of good life ended until my third uncle from Jiangnan gave me a ring.

When Yang En saw the ring, he felt it was very familiar. It seemed to be no different from the one the emperor wore on a daily basis. Three years after Meng Jun became emperor, King Li Hao of Korea presented a ring to Meng Jun. As soon as Meng Jun received the ring, he thought it was very beautiful, so he wore it all the time.

People outside didn’t know, but Yang En often went to the palace to discuss state affairs with the emperor, so he naturally knew it.

Therefore, the more Yang En looked at it, the more familiar it was, and the more it looked like it, so he repeatedly questioned the two people who sent the ring to Beijing, and they both said in unison, "Master Yang got it accidentally, and it was obtained through formal channels. Someone took it to a pawnshop and pawned it, so Master Yang got it."

Yang En looked at the details of the ring carefully, and the scene of the emperor wearing it emerged in his mind. He then thought about the emperor's southern tour today and the internal court report a few days ago, which said that the emperor had arrived in Jinling.

And Yang Zhongliang, his third uncle, was also in Songjiang. Thinking of this, Yang En's face turned pale. Could something have happened to the emperor?

As for Yang Zhongliang's affairs in Songjiang, Yang En didn't know much. He only knew that he did some maritime trade business in Songjiang Prefecture and earned some hard-earned money. Therefore, every year Yang Zhongliang sent his family to give him gifts, but they were all rejected by Yang En. Yang En also often warned these relatives not to do anything that violated the law of the country.

Yang En, who got the ring, was uneasy. Even when he went to work in the government office the next day, he was still thinking about it. At this time, a letter of military transfer from Nanjing was sent to the court according to the rules.

This kind of thing would normally be considered a minor matter, a small-scale troop rotation that happens from time to time. But now that the emperor is in Nanjing, the ministers have taken it more seriously.

Yang En didn't care at first, but when he saw that the place where the troops were mobilized was Songjiang Prefecture again, Yang En's political sense was very keen, and it seemed that this was not as simple as it seemed.

After finally getting the end of his shift, Yang En rushed home without stopping. As soon as he got home, he didn't even have time to eat. He took out the ring again and looked at it carefully. The more he thought about it, the more solemn Yang En's face became.

What he was worried about was whether Yang Zhongliang would do something illegal, something serious, or even come into conflict with His Majesty. The worst result would be that something bad would happen to the emperor.

By then, not to mention the Yang family, who would be killed and exterminated, even the stable Qian Dynasty would be in trouble. The prince was young, and there would be a fight for the throne? A fight for the throne? A military uprising? These words popped up in Yang En's mind one after another.

If you ask yourself, when Meng Jun was fighting for the world, Yang En had been working hard to stabilize Meng Jun's rear, just like Xiao He in the Han Dynasty and Li Shanchang in the Ming Dynasty. He spent so much effort, and in Yang En's heart, even if he died, he would rather the world be in turmoil again.

Thinking of this, Yang En gritted his teeth and had someone bring the two men from Songjiang into the woodshed. He wanted to interrogate them personally and ask them in detail.

The two men had not returned to Songjiang at this time. They had finally come to the capital, so they wanted to walk around and have some fun. Therefore, they wandered around until it was almost dark, and then returned to Yang's house happily.

As soon as he returned to the mansion, he was arrested by the servants of the Yang family and locked up in the woodshed. Yang En was getting impatient. He waved away the others, stared at the two of them closely, and asked, "Did my third uncle do anything that violated the law in Songjiang?"

The two were a little confused, then looked at each other and shook their heads, saying that Master Yang had always abided by the law and had never done anything bad.

Hearing this, Yang En took out a ring from his pocket and said in a very serious tone: "I don't want to scare you, but do you know who this ring belongs to?"

Seeing the two of them looking confused, Yang En continued, "This ring belongs to His Majesty! Tell the truth quickly. If you keep it secret, I'm afraid both of you will lose your lives and property on this ring."

The two men's faces turned pale. They had never imagined that the thing Master Yang asked them to deliver was the emperor's. Master Yang only said that he got the ring from a pawnshop, but they had no idea how he got it specifically.

When Yang En heard what they said, he threatened them again: "Hurry up and tell the truth. What exactly is Yang Zhongliang doing in Songjiang? Your Majesty has already transferred troops from Nanjing to Songjiang. If it is not a major event, why would the army suddenly move to Songjiang?"

The two looked at each other for a long time before they revealed a little information, something like he used his connections to get some land, and several people died when he was chasing people away.

The two of them were not very clear about the real story of Yang Zhongliang. What they said was basically known by many people in Songjiang Prefecture. But even so, it made Yang En feel heartbroken.

At this moment, Yang En really had a feeling that disaster was coming out of nowhere while he was still in the room.

Two days later, what Yang En worried about happened. The emperor had entered Songjiang, and all the officials in Songjiang Prefecture were arrested, including Yang Zhongliang, the chief suspect in the case.

After the news reached the capital, the officials' impression of Yang En changed drastically. When Yang En was on duty, he was extremely embarrassed by the looks of many officials. This day was the most miserable day for Yang En since he became an official.

After returning home, Yang En refused to eat or drink and could not sleep all night. When it was dawn, Yang En decided to tell everything he knew. Then Yang En sat at the desk and wrote quickly, writing a self-examination.

"Your Highness Yang En bows twice before his death and respectfully submits this memorial to Your Majesty.

I am worried and confused because of the incident involving my relative Yang Zhongliang from Songjiang, which has made me unable to sleep or eat.

Ever since I received the jade ring that was suspected to belong to Your Majesty, I felt that something was fishy. After repeatedly asking the person who sent the gift, I still could not find out what the person's jade ring contained. I often live in the capital, and I have no influence on the affairs of my relatives in Songjiang, so I had no idea what Yang Zhongliang had done before.

Your Majesty, I have always been fair-minded. I have always been mindful of the difficulties Your Majesty has faced in starting a business. I have never been lazy and have worked diligently, hoping that the Qian Dynasty will prosper and the people will live in peace. As for the daily behavior of my relatives, although I have admonished them to abide by the law, I have not been able to strictly supervise and inspect them, which has led to today's disaster. I cannot shirk my responsibility.

I know that the laws of the country are strict, and even if they are relatives, I cannot tolerate them. If Yang Zhongliang really violates the law, I will never protect him. I am a member of the Yang family, but I failed to restrain my relatives, causing them to fall into the law of the country. This is my fault for negligence, and I am willing to accept the punishment. "