Flourishing of the Ming Dynasty Novel - Chapter 177

Chapter 177 Dengwen Drum Beats
Leading Lin Lie and the others out of the gate of Uncle Guang Ning’s mansion, Lu Zhen felt a little dazed when the blazing sun shone on his head. At this moment, it was as if those corpses were still alive in front of his eyes, so miserable and helpless that a surge of energy slowly rose from his heart.

Just now, because he had to deal with the old butler and Uncle Guang Ning Liu Xun, Lu Zhen still couldn’t feel the impact. But now, the force behind the attack made it a little difficult for him to even take a step forward. Although there had been some speculations before, when the entire truth was revealed, it still greatly stimulated him. This was truly too cruel.

“Sir” Seeing Lu Zhen’s pale face, Lin Lie couldn’t help but ask with concern.

Only then did Lu Zhen pull himself out of the nightmare-like feeling and forced a smile, “Nothing much. I’m just feeling a little sad. I didn’t expect that I would have such a weak side. I’ll make you laugh.”

“Actually, this subordinate also feels the same way. His mind is not calm even now. Killing enemies on the battlefield is one thing, but seeing the corpses of these people who were killed and died innocently is another.” Lin Lie said with a heavy expression.

It wasn’t just the two of them, the faces of the two servants who followed out were even uglier, and their bodies were gently waving like they had malaria. Just now, they were still unconscious under the pressure. Now that they came out, they remembered that they had dug out those bones with their own hands. The two of them were also shocked and scared, so they almost spat them out.

After Lu Zhen discovered this, he let out a sigh of relief and said, “This matter cannot be settled casually. Otherwise, how can we console the souls of the deceased? Lin Lie, what do you think we should do next?”

Lin Lie looked at Lu Zhen in surprise, not knowing why he would suddenly ask him. However, he still gave his own meaning: “Didn’t Your Excellency just say that he wanted to report it to the Imperial Court? Then go to the Shun Tian Manor?”

Normally speaking, this was indeed the right choice, because Daxing County was indeed under the jurisdiction of the Heavenly Palace. If such a big event happened, it would naturally be reported to the higher-ups’ yamen. However, Lu Zhen shook his head slightly, “If this matter were reported to the Shuntian Prefecture, there might be some uncertainties. It was precisely because the Shuntian Prefecture intervened that Feng Changchun’s death became an open case, and the reason why they took the risk to do all of this was probably to conceal all of this!”

“Then … what should we do?” Lin Lie also hesitated.

Actually, Lu Zhen was only asking to convince himself. Seeing Lin Lie’s appearance, his gaze began to look forward, “What exactly is going on in the Shuntian Manor and what they will do about it? I have no idea, nor do I dare to gamble on it. As for the Ministry of Justice, it is the same. Officials protecting each other is not a joke. Then, who else in the court is willing to clear the grievances of these dead?”

“Hu Butang?” Lin Lie thought of Hu Ying and said.

Lu Zhen narrowed his eyes, but shook his head, “Hu Butang is a good official, and it’s also because of him that I sat in this position. However, he is only the Minister of the Ministry of Officials in the end, so he can’t interfere in this case.”

“Then who else?” Lin Lie asked in a daze. His knowledge of the matters in the court was already limited, and the current case was so serious that it really exceeded his scope of knowledge.

Lu Zhen raised his eyebrows and said, “In this world, there is only one person in Beijing. I don’t need to worry about him protecting Liu Xun and his associates. Who do you think he is?”

“There’s only one person” Lin Lie was stunned for a moment, then followed Lu Zhen’s gaze and finally understood the answer in his heart, “Your Excellency is talking about Emperor today? But” But how could you tell Emperor about this case? Not everyone could see Emperor in the Nine Palaces. Although he was only a minor servant from the border, he still understood this common sense. Apart from the important ministers of the Cabinet and the six ministers, it was not easy for the other important officials of the court to meet Emperor, let alone Lu Zhen, who was only a mere sixth-grade county magistrate of the capital.

Lu Zhen’s gaze landed on the majestic palace city in the distance. He said leisurely, “There is always a way. I just need to take some risks. But for the sake of those dead, even if I have to take some risks, I still have to do it!” At this point, he straightened his body, lifted his robe, and strode forward.

Although Lin Lie didn’t know what he wanted to do, he still dragged his lame leg and followed closely behind. As for the remaining two, they followed after exchanging glances. After following Lu Zhen into Guang Ning Bo’s backyard and digging out the corpses, they had no way out.

@ @ @ @

At the southeastern corner of the palace stood a tall wooden building surrounded by imperial guards and imperial guards day and night.

The officials and civilians in the capital were used to this because everyone knew what was upstairs-Deng Wengu!

Dengwen Drum was said to have originated in the Great Song Dynasty, and was beaten by officials and civilians when they had something important to play in Emperor. This tradition then spread to the local prefectures and counties, and the drum of grievances at the entrance of the yamen was set up according to it.

However, the specifications of this Dengwen drum were much higher than those of the local Wrongdoing Drum. Just its regulation was countless times that of the Wrongdoing Drum, and its sound was even more like a flood bell. Once it sounded, everyone within a few dozen kilometers would be able to hear it.

However, regardless of whether it was the Great Song Dynasty or the later dynasties, this Dengwen Drum had always only been used as a decoration. Only after Great Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang became Emperor did he use his vigorous energy to bring the Dengwen Drum into full play. It was rumored that whenever the drum sounded, Zhu Yuanzhang would summon the drummer for questioning.

Therefore, the people who were officials at the feet of the Son of Heaven at that time really had a hard time, because whenever you did something wrong and made the people feel wronged, there would be someone who was courageous enough to go to the drum to plead with the Emperor, and the fate of that official would be unknown.

Because of this, after Emperor Xuande, Zhu Zhanji, ascended to the throne, some officials requested to avoid this drum. Although Xuande did not agree to this invitation, it was a fact that Deng Wengu had dispatched a group of Royal Guards to surround him from now on. Ordinary people were not allowed to approach him at all. Although the drum was not removed, it also disguised itself as useless.

When a thing has not worked for decades, people can no longer think of its original use. The Dengwen Drum was the same. The officials and civilians in the capital only treated it as a decoration. Only the brocade guards below were still watching over it carefully, not letting anyone get close to it.

When Lu Zhen brought the three of them over step by step, the guards were obviously puzzled. What were these guys doing here? Only when he arrived did someone stop him with a gun, “Don’t approach the drum. Quickly retreat!”

“I am the county magistrate of Daxing County, Lu Zhen. I have a great grievance to report to Emperor today. Only by clicking this drum can I face the saints. I hope that everyone will not obstruct me!” Facing the spear heads that were shining with cold light, Lu Zhen did not show any fear at all. He raised his head and walked straight forward, as if he could not see the spear tip in front of him.

At this time, the people behind them also noticed the strange situation. They all stopped and looked over. Someone even began to discuss in a low voice, guessing what this green-robed official was doing.

Facing Lu Zhen’s action of not retreating but advancing, these guards hesitated. Although they were ordered to guard this place and not let the civilians get close, they did not receive any instructions on how to deal with the officials. They were facing an official wearing an official uniform and an official hat. They were at a loss and could only subconsciously take a step back. At the same time, they continued to shout, “County Magistrate Lu, don’t act recklessly. This drum is not something you can touch.”

Lu Zhen turned a deaf ear and said, “Emperor Taizu set up the drum to let the Son of Heaven know the grievances of the subjects under the heavens. Now that you are preventing this official from going upstairs to beat the drum, is this a disobedience to the imperial edict?”

Although his voice wasn’t loud, his solemn tone put great pressure on the guards in front of him, forcing them to retreat again. This caused Lu Zhen to quickly reach the wooden drum tower, and the stairs leading up the stairs were no more than ten meters away.

Seeing him approaching such a position, the leading military officer was finally a little annoyed. If this guy went upstairs and knocked on the drum to alert Emperor, his guilt would be great. I can’t say, I can only take him down first!

After making up his mind, he shouted, “Let’s talk after we take him down!”

One of the leaders’ words lifted the spirits of the guards who had been forced back just now. The few of them rushed forward in unison, wanting to take Lu Zhen down. Seeing this, Lin Lie, who was following behind Lu Zhen, felt his heart tighten. He stretched out his feet and wanted to step forward to block it.

At this moment, a strange smile flashed across Lu Zhen’s face. He clenched his right hand into a fist and bowed–

Suddenly, a strange change occurred.

The guards who were determined to take action, and Lin Lie who was about to step forward behind him, suddenly stopped moving, as if they had been cast a Body Stabilization Curse.

Lu Zhen, on the other hand, rushed forward as fast as he could at this moment. He unexpectedly scratched their sides and jumped up the stairs in front of them. Then, he took three steps and two steps at the same time. He rushed to the huge drum made of rhinoceros skin that was about the size of a small room and was more than one person tall.

Without any hesitation, Lu Zhen had already taken the drumstick that was hanging on the edge of the drum, about the thickness of an adult’s arm, wrapped in golden threads, and half the length of a person.

After taking a deep breath, Lu Zhen tightly gripped the end of the drumstick with both of his hands. Then, he suddenly exerted his strength and raised it high above his head before swinging it forward with his waist force.

The drumstick descended with the sound of the wind and smashed heavily onto the surface of the drum. Immediately after, it exploded–“Dong!”

Without stopping for a moment, Lu Zhen swung up and landed again, borrowing the elasticity of the drum surface to quickly knock on it.

“Knock knock knock knock knock knock knock” A loud and heavy drum echoed inside and outside the palace. The Dengwen drum, which had not been touched for decades, rumbled again on this day!