Yingtianmen
At this time, it was already past noon, and the officials who had gone to court in the morning had already gone down to court. Only some slow-moving people were still chatting along the Hongqiao and heading out of the palace gate.
Under the Yingtian Gate, there was a Dengwen drum guarded by several sergeants. In a small room on the palace wall, the gray-haired censor Fang Congqian, who was over forty years old, also put down the "Three Kingdoms" script in his hand and raised his head to give instructions. The imperial guard at the gate of Suwei said: "I'm going to have lunch. Please read this book for me and don't let anyone take it away."
After saying that, he got up from his seat and stretched.
"Mr. Fang, don't worry, no one is coming here." The imperial guard smiled, took a look at the manuscript, and said: "Mr. Fang, if you finish reading the book "Three Kingdoms", please borrow some How about reading it at home for two days? This book is quite expensive, and with a certain family’s salary, I can’t afford it.”
Fang Congqian walked to the door with a smile and said: "You, a soldier, can you understand this historical work?"
He was originally the censor of the Procuratorate, but he was at odds with his colleagues, so he was left idle here, watching over the Dengwengu, and could only find some words to entertain himself every day.
I don't want to encounter such a majestic manuscript of the Three Kingdoms, and if I can't drink unless I'm in high school, I want to drink and read at the same time. Such a majestic text is just the right time to drink.
When the dynasty was first established, the Dengwen Drum was set up just like the previous dynasty. At the time, the Dengwen Procuratorate was even imitated in the old system of the Tang and Song dynasties, with one person to judge and two people to write the script. However, as time passed, the Dengwen Procuratorate was gradually abandoned and transferred to It was under the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and was also used as a place to send some old censors.
Because there is an imperial road in front of this drum, and the end of it is guarded by the imperial army. Ordinary people cannot enter, and those with official status dare not knock it to avoid disturbing the holy emperor. The Dengwen drum has become a kind of decoration.
The soldier of the Forbidden Army smiled and said: "Why don't you understand this? When I was a child, I knew a few words. I liked Lu Bu the most. He had a square-shaped halberd. The eighteen princes of Wei Town were not allowed to move forward in front of Hulao Pass. further……"
Fang Congqian smiled and said: "Okay, when I see it, I will let you, a soldier, have a good time."
The soldier smiled happily.
Fang Congqian was about to take a step away when he suddenly saw several people approaching in a dark crowd not far away. The leader was a young man in brocade clothes. He was also carrying a door panel. On the door panel, he was also carrying a man wearing the uniform of the Five Cities Soldiers and Horses Officer. people.
"Get out of the way!" When Jia Heng saw the soldiers who were about to stop him, he took out a waist badge in his hand and said, "I am General Yunhui. The emperor personally directs the army!"
"Jinyiwei!"
The expressions of the two soldiers suddenly changed, and they immediately hesitated and moved out of the way.
Cai Quan picked up the drumstick and said, "Sir, please."
Fang Congqian was stunned for a moment, his face changed drastically, and he said: "My lord, I can't do it, I can't do it."
When the drum of Dengwen was sounded, the whole palace could really dance. At that time, the holy lunch was disturbed, and all the officials looked sideways. He, the censor, couldn't even eat and walked around!
Fang Congqian trotted forward quickly and said with a begging look on his face: "My lord, if you have something to say, please speak it carefully and don't beat the drum..."
Jia Heng's face was solemn and he shouted: "There is nothing better than listening and watching, so that the people below can be communicated. Setting up a board and listening drum is just to open up the way for speech and reach the people's feelings. This lord, the censor, is both a scholar and a communicator." Officials, who have read the poems and books of saints and sages, do they want to hinder the emperor's investigation and enlightenment?"
When Fang Congqian heard this, he was shocked, and Yi Xi cupped his hand and said, "I wonder what your surname is?"
"I am Jia Heng." Jia Heng said, took the drumstick and started beating the Dengwen drum.
Dong Dong...
As the dust fell, the Dengwen drum, which had not been beaten for more than ten years, rang, awakening the censor Fang Congqian from his astonishment, "Jia Heng, Jia Ziyu? It's from the Three Kingdoms manuscript..."
However, the sound of drums was like raindrops, passing through the palace walls, from Yingtianmen to Daming Palace, Taiji Palace, Chui Gong Palace...
After getting off duty, Yang Guochang, the cabinet bachelor and chief minister outside the palace gate, had just boarded the sedan with the help of a servant. Hearing this, a look of shock appeared on his face with age spots. He opened the sedan curtain and said in a loud voice: "Who Playing the drum?"
And such scenes not only appeared outside the palace gate, but also in the six official offices of the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Industry, and the Ministry of Rites not far from the palace, as well as the Metropolitan Procuratorate and Dali Temple. The officials, big and small, who had just returned to the Si Affairs Office to sit in their offices, all had serious expressions on their faces. Suddenly, they all left the official hall, stretched their necks, and looked towards the palace.
Ruan Chang, a doctor in the Sichuan Qing Li Division of the Ministry of Justice, had just arrived at the office and asked the clerk to prepare a meal. He was looking at a volume of Qiuji files. He smelled the sound of the drum and asked the clerk beside him, "Who is knocking the drum?" Wengu? What happened?"
"Master Ruan, who says it's not the case? Several adults are going to the palace to have a look."
Ruan Chang put down the file, stood up, and said, "Let's take a look."
Not only the Ministry of Justice, but also the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Households, and the Ministry of War, who were in the yamen, and those who had not returned from the palace city, also went to Yingtianmen.
For a time, the central part of Beijing, temples, prisons and other offices were shaken.
On Jia Heng's side, he was beating the drum, banging the three-way bell, and watched as a group of officials gradually gathered around him, wearing official robes of various colors, with birds on the front and back, and handed the drumstick to the man standing aside. Cai Quan cupped his hands and said, "My lords, my student Jia Heng has disturbed all of you, and I am really uneasy. However, I am filled with righteous indignation and will cry out when I am not satisfied!"
"Jia Heng? The one who submitted his resignation?" an official said in surprise.
"Didn't Jia Ziyu just suppress the bandits and be knighted? He was still mentioning this in the early morning, and the imperial edict was issued." Another old man in his fifties, wearing a fourth-grade official uniform, said in a clear voice.
"Why does this person want to attack Dengyun Wengu? Do you have a grievance to complain?" Xu Kai, a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy, who is in his early thirties, has a fair complexion and a thin and pine eyebrow, and asked Lu Li, a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy next to him. road.
"Who can blame a fourth-grade military attache who is still wearing a royal uniform?" Lu Li chuckled lightly, with a somewhat disapproving look on his pure and elegant face, and he didn't know why.
Just turning his eyes, his eyes fell on Fan Yi next to Jia Heng. Lu Li squinted his eyes and thought in his mind:
"This scholar on crutches looks vaguely familiar..."
A group of officials were discussing in secret, looking at the young man in brocade clothes and the officer of the Wucheng Army and Horses Division who was lying on the bed groaning in pain, with thoughtful expressions on their faces.
At this time, a voice was heard, "Everyone give way, Minister Liang of the Ministry of Finance is here."
Everyone looked around and saw Liang Yuan, the right servant of the Ministry of Household Affairs, approaching with a calm look on his face.
Liang Yuan has a slightly chubby face, wearing a straight third-grade crimson official uniform with peacock patches, a rhinoceros belt around his waist, and black official boots. He has just seen off Yang Guochang, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, and has not returned home for a while. He just heard that When Deng heard the sound of the drum, he hurried over to check and listened for a while.
Liang Yuan saw the young man in brocade clothes across from him and said in a cold voice: "Jia Heng, who asked you to attack and listen to the drums here! The Holy Father has returned to the palace to handle the affairs of the state. It is time for lunch. I How can you, my ministers, be disturbed by something? You just received a title, so you don’t know the importance of it? Or are you arrogant and willful because of your favor?"
Jia Heng's face paused slightly, and he stared at Liang Yuan with a pair of cold eyes, with a sneer in his heart. He had an impression of this Minister Liang.
The predecessor was because Jia Rong and Liang Shilang were competing for the brothel oiran, and Jia Rong blocked the blow from Liang Shilang's son, so that he was hit in the back of the head and his soul returned to the netherworld, and Liang Shilang was this Liang Yuan.
When everyone heard Liang Yuan's scolding, their expressions changed slightly, they frowned, and all turned their attention to Jia Heng.
Jia Heng said in a deep voice: "I was conferred the title of General Yunhui by the emperor's favor. It was the time when I sacrificed my life to repay the emperor. Now the Dongcheng gang is entrenched and tyrannical. First, they beat Fan Yi, the national examination candidate, with green-skinned scoundrels. Later, he wounded Dong Qian, the official officer of the Wucheng Army and Horses Division. I was greatly impressed by the emperor's favor and beat the drum to report to the emperor. You, Mr. Liang, spoke indiscriminately and blocked it. What do you want to do?"
As soon as these words came out, everyone who was watching all exclaimed in surprise, and all turned their eyes to Fan Yi, who was beside the young man in brocade clothes.
Well, as for the tolerance of the Five Cities Soldiers and Horses Division lying on the bed?
The glances were sparse, and it was obvious that the injury of the official could not arouse much sympathy.
I saw Fan Yi wearing a shabby green shirt, leaning on a cane, with slightly gray hair on the temples. His face was thin, and Feng Yi looked like one. When he saw the officials looking at him, he smiled bitterly, cupped his hands and said to everyone: "Student Fan Yi, I have seen you all." Sir, the student was originally from Xiangyang Prefecture. In the twelfth year of Chongping, he came to Beijing to take the exam. Because he offended Liu You, a minor official in the Military and Horse Department of the Five Cities, he colluded with the young gangsters of the East City to beat him and maim him..."
The clear words fell in the ears of all the civil servants, like a huge stone thrown into the lake, causing a storm in an instant.
"A student who was taking the exam was beaten and maimed by a subordinate official in collusion with a green-skinned rogue? It's simply... shocking!" Xu Kai, a bachelor of Hanlin's lectureship, was the first to say angrily.
Lu Li, a bachelor of the imperial court at the side, looked gloomy and said angrily: "It's so heart-breaking and outrageous!"
Others, such as some officials from Hanlin Kedao, were all indignant and said: "Lawlessness!"
"The East City has been like a abscess and ringworm for more than a day! The Jingzhao Yamen and the Wucheng Army and Horses Division have stood by and watched. It is really hateful!" Chen Duan, the censor of Jiangnan Province, with a handsome face as green as a crown jade, said loudly : "The imperial examination is a grand ceremony for recruiting talents. If you have any appeals, you can ask the Ministry of Rites. Fan Juren, have you ever gone to the Ministry of Rites?"
Looking at the angry officials, Dong Qian, who was lying on the bed, had a strange look on his face. He blinked and glanced at Jia Heng, seeming to ask if he wanted to continue with the pained groan coming from his mouth.
At this time, I heard Jia Heng say loudly: "Fan Yi appealed to the Jingzhao Yamen, but Sun Liangchen, the then Jingzhao Yin, did not care. He asked the Ministry of Rites, but the Ministry of Rites was perfunctory. He asked the Military and Horse Division of the Five Cities, but the subordinates of the Military and Horse Division looked coldly. The country and the dynasty When you take the exam, you have to wait until the lights are on at midnight and the chicken is at dawn to get fame. Do you have to work hard to study and be beaten by these green-skinned scoundrels? Just this morning, an official from the Wucheng Military and Horse Department was almost beaten by a green-skinned scoundrel from Dongcheng. Ambush, these gangsters are lawless and regard the laws of the country as nothing!"
After saying this, Jia Heng suddenly looked at Liang Yuan, who was already panic-stricken and at a loss, and asked: "Master Liang, you are also a scholar. Don't you think this matter can be heard? Do you have to sit back and watch them attack?" If you enter the Daming Palace and disturb the safety of the Holy One, do you have to go to the Daming Palace to sound the alarm?"
When Liang Yuan heard this scolding, he felt his body swaying a few times and thought to himself, "It's broken."
Sure enough, as these extremely emotional words fell, all the civil servants looked at Liang Yuan with some sarcasm and unkindness.
Lu Li suddenly chuckled and answered: "I remember, Sir, Mr. Liang was the last one in the Bingchen Section in the 11th year of Longzhi. He was never deposed in the imperial examination. I guess Mr. Liang does not regard himself as a scholar."
This Hanlin scholar, a famous Hanyuan Ci official in the Qing Dynasty, was the number one scholar in the ninth year of Chongping. He was a self-proclaimed man and was proud of his talents. His previous indifference to Jia Heng was not without reason, but because of his indifference to Jia Heng. He became famous because of the manuscripts of the Three Kingdoms, but some people didn't take it seriously.
This is called the literati being indifferent to each other.
As for Liang Yuan, who is ranked at the bottom of the Class A, he naturally looks down upon him.
Everyone laughed when they heard Lu Li's words. This was a ruthless mockery from a top student to a scumbag.
The commotion made Liang Yuan's fat face turn red, and he said angrily: "I am so ignorant that I don't know, how could I know that there is such a thing?"
"Since you are so ignorant, why don't you tell the difference?" Jia Heng shouted, interrupting Liang Yuan's defense, and said coldly: "Dengwengu is a sacred place to listen to the people's sentiments and understand the people's hearts. It is like hearing the sound of a drum. Even if you are eating and hearing the people crying for grievances, even if you are a saint, you will throw your chopsticks away and not be able to swallow your food! But when you, Lord Liang, hear the sound of drums, you feel like you are facing a powerful enemy. You are afraid of the people crying for grievances and think you are scolding your own official , you can isolate the inside and outside, deceive the superiors and conceal the inferiors, you are an official of the imperial court, a third-rank official, and have received many favors from the emperor, but you block the saints' hearing, block the way of speech, and tarnish the virtues of the saints. What is your intention!"
"You...you..." Liang Yuan heard the sound like a storm, with rhyming accusations. His chubby face was blue and red, especially when he heard the echoing sarcastic voices around him, which seemed to overwhelm him. I drowned myself, feeling annoyed and ashamed at the same time. I wanted to walk away, but I felt too embarrassed.
"Everyone, the emperor's son was beaten and maimed by the green-skinned gangsters from the Dongcheng gang, and the official was ambushed by them. Heng is a martial artist of the imperial court. How can we allow such a small boy to wreak havoc in the sacred capital, defeat the people, hear the drums, and hold the palace high, just for the great Han Jing to execute him? That generation!" Jia Heng shouted loudly.
When all the officials heard this, they were all furious.
"Go together, go together!"
It must be said here that despite Jia Heng's report yesterday, Emperor Chongping He Juncheng, a bachelor of Wenhua Palace and Minister of Rites, together with the Metropolitan Procuratorate and Jingzhao Yamen, investigated the matter.
But in fact, it was just an oral instruction, and this matter was not mentioned at all in today's meeting, so all officials did not know about it.
This is the way Yang Guochang, the chief minister of the cabinet, controls the influence. The results of the investigation will be reported to China and foreign countries. By then, the dust has settled. Even if there are one or two material discussions, the whole country will not be in an uproar and the public will be angry.
This is also the case in later generations, which is to deal with it behind closed doors and wait for the dust to settle, or suddenly make a big announcement, with few words and big things, or to hold it high and put it down gently.
Anyone who wants to stir up public opinion cannot do so.
Therefore, when He Juncheng, the chief minister of the cabinet, Yang Guochang, recommended him as the main manager, he looked at him with gratitude.
This is because this cabinet minister does not have to face the critical public opinion of the scholar-officials. Instead, after the situation has been fixed, the scholar-official public opinion will be in an uproar as soon as the announcement comes out. Seeing that the handling is quite satisfactory, even if there is impeachment, it will not be shaken. His position as Grand Bachelor.
Emperor Chongping also acquiesced to this matter out of some consideration of balancing the situation of the court.
(End of chapter)
