Rongguo Mansion, West Cross Courtyard
The orange lights spread like water and dyed the entire room. Ping'er was sitting in front of the dressing table, taking off the jewelry on her head. This girl in her twenties was wearing a green coat and a light red skirt. She had willow eyebrows and almond-shaped eyes. flirtatious.
Since Ping'er lived in Ningguo Mansion and helped Qin Keqing with all the trivial matters of gardening, Sister Feng was suddenly left alone. Although she often went there to stay for a short while, it was inconvenient to come and go. Today, the two of them returned to the courtyard where they lived.
At this moment, Sister Feng was sitting cross-legged on the bed, lighting up the light, and looking at an account book, which recorded the various expenses such as wood and labor incurred for the recent renovation of the garden in the mansion.
Now, every expenditure of Ningrong's second government's income and expenditure, especially for large-scale civil projects like this, must be recorded in the accounts to facilitate subsequent inspection and verification.
After Ping'er finished taking off the jewelry, he turned around, with a slight smile on his delicate and picturesque eyebrows, and said, "Grandma, let's take a look at it tomorrow. It's a bit hard on the eyes because of the dark lights."
"Well, I won't read it." Sister Feng put away the account book. While the master and servant were talking, they took off their clothes and lay on the bed. The curtains slowly fell, but the candles on the high table outside were not extinguished.
"She is really lucky."
Suddenly, a faint sigh came from the bed.
"Grandma is talking about Grandma Heng?" Ping'er asked softly.
Sister Feng said in a complicated tone: "Yes, in this backyard, apart from the old lady, she has the highest status. She has a first-grade imperial edict."
"Human beings are different and their lives are not something to be envied." Ping'er said with relief.
Sister Feng said: "How could I not know, but I can't help but feel a little emotional in my heart."
While talking, Sister Feng suddenly reached out her hand to reach into Ping'er's clothes and said with a smile: "Our Ping'er may not be able to be prosperous in the future."
Then, he added: "No wonder those men like this."
"Grandma, don't make trouble, you're going to bed." Ping'er felt his whole body go weak, and he pushed Sister Feng's hand away, his face reddening and his mouth full of embarrassment.
Sister Feng put away her hands, sighed, and suddenly whispered: "Ping'er, where are those things?"
The so-called object refers to the object previously wrapped in silk handkerchief.
"Grandma, this is not the way to go all day long." Ping'er heard this, propped up his arm with one hand, looked at the young woman who looked like a fairy concubine with the light through the gap in the curtain, and sighed quietly.
"Otherwise, what should we do? It's been a tough day every day." Sister Feng said, a little shy, her voice trembling slightly, but there was a touch of sadness in the red and phoenix eyes under the willow eyebrows.
Ever since Lian Er was manipulated by the Dongcheng Sanhe Gang, she has never...
It's been half a year. Now that Lian Er has been exiled to another province, she is as if she is a widow. What else can she do besides this?
Suddenly, my mind was spinning, and I suddenly remembered something, and I thought to myself, I don’t know how Sister-in-law Zhu has been living these years, is she like her...
This thought came together, and for some reason, he couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Because, deep down in my heart, when I think of that elegant and dignified Sister-in-law Zhu turning over and over on the bed, stirring up the quilt, I feel indescribably funny.
However, it is horrifying to say that at this moment Li Wan is rebelling against ethics and feudalism...
Ping'er was shocked when he saw Sister Feng laughing so hard that he almost dropped the brocade box in his hand. He asked in surprise: "Why is grandma laughing?"
It's so good, why are you laughing suddenly? Hysterical?
"That's what I laughed at...it's nothing, I just suddenly found it funny." Sister Feng said, but also felt that it was not appropriate to speak like this about a woman who had been widowed for many years and was steadfast in her integrity.
Just for a moment, I suddenly thought of myself, my nose felt sour, my eyes felt hot, and tears rolled down my face, silently sliding down my smooth and jade-like face.
She will be a widow for the rest of her life, and what qualifications does she have to be Sister-in-law Xiaozhu? She has a son and she has nothing.
"Grandma, what's going on?" Ping'er was even more frightened when she saw Sister Feng burst into tears not long after she smiled.
Grandma laughed and cried, it was so scary.
Generally speaking, this is a sign of mental problems.
After saying that, he handed over a handkerchief and said comfortingly: "Grandma, why are you crying when everything is fine? No matter what, you have to live your life."
Sister Feng took the handkerchief, wiped her tears, and regained some of her mood.
"Grandma, you'd better be busy with these." Worried that Sister Feng would be sad again, Ping'er chuckled and stretched out his hands to penetrate Sister Feng's clothes.
Sister Feng felt as if she had been struck by thunder, her face turned slightly red, and she let out a grunting sound.
After a while, Ping'er blushed, opened the brocade box he took out from the inner wall of the bed, and took out a jade object from it with the help of a subtle light.
Since it is a daily utensil, it is often washed with hot water and has no odor.
"Grandma, come on." Ping'er trembled at some point.
Sister Feng said "hmm", closed her eyes slightly, and allowed Ping'er to serve her. She began to imagine the charming scenes of the past in her heart.
In fact, there is no specific object, it is more like a mixed scene that has been lingering countless times, but because of Jia Lian's ruthlessness, he deliberately does not think about Jia Lian's face.
Then it was like this, I don't know how long it had passed, I just felt vague and wandering, and suddenly the calm face of a young man in a python suit flashed in my mind, looking down at me, warning me not to make any more loan sharks.
This undoubtedly shocked Sister Feng, and then, the pictures seemed to be continuous.
Sister Feng couldn't hold on any longer, and suddenly her delicate body trembled, and then she buried her head on the pillow, and the sheets she held in her slender hands were bunched up, and she had a pretty and charming face with melon seeds, glowing like Fire, spitting fire and steaming clouds.
Ping'er was busy for a while, Qi Qi heard the strange voice, her pretty face felt slightly warm, she took a handkerchief, wiped her hands and arms, then put the things into the brocade box, and said in a trembling voice: "Grandma, I'm afraid this sheet You need to change it quickly...otherwise it won't be very comfortable when you fall asleep later."
I don’t know why, but today’s grandma is more turbulent than before, almost threatening to burst the dam.
Sister Feng's body was limp at the moment, and she didn't want to move a finger. Her voice was not as sharp as before, and her soft voice seemed to be trembling: "It's too late, it's not good... Let's clean it up, first Fold the sheets.”
Like a child who wets the bed, he folds up the sheets and puts them under his body.
Ping'er did as he was told and tidied up the sheets.
Sister Feng had no choice but to prop up her body as soft as a silkworm and wait for Ping'er to clean up. It was late at night before the master and the servant fell asleep hugging each other.
…
…
The next day, early in the morning, it was just dawn, and the cold wind of early spring blew on my face, which was still dry and biting, and bursts of coldness penetrated along the collar and cuffs.
Jia Heng asked the general of Jinyi Mansion to prepare the relevant files, and then rode to the palace to attend court. Today was the day to deal with the criminals related to corruption in the imperial mausoleum.
Daming Palace, the Hanyuan Hall stands majestically, and the eaves are covered with octagonal palace lanterns. As the whip is sounded, the civil and military officials look respectful and line up. After a while, there are people inside, but even though there are many people, they can't hear their coughs. .
Because the palace lanterns and candles were lit in all directions, the lights were as bright as day, and the figures of the officials were reflected on the bright floor of Hanyuan Hall.
Emperor Chongping sat on a golden chair flanked by eunuchs and female officials. His eyes glanced at the dark crowd of civil and military officials below. The Prime Minister of the Ming Dynasty standing next to the throne held a whisk in his hand and bowed slightly.
"How was the investigation and handling of the Gongling corruption case by the Jinyi Mansion?" Emperor Chongping was the first to speak before the ministers below could proceed with their wats.
A sound like gold, stone, and ice suddenly sounded in the hall, which made all the officials in the hall feel trembling, and also made the officials who were leaving their duty put down the feet they had just raised.
When the emperor spoke, the others could only wait to ask questions before making further remarks.
In fact, in the past two days, the General Affairs Department has received a flurry of memorials and articles, all talking about the collapse of Gongling Mausoleum.
"Your Majesty."
Under the attention of all the officials, Jia Heng held an ivory and jade wat in his hand and came out, saying: "Your Majesty, after several days of interrogation, we have found out the guilty officials related to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Works, and the Ministry of Households. In the construction of Gongling Mausoleum, due to treachery and collusion, the imperial court allocated a huge sum of six million taels for the work. Because of this, many projects were shoddy and deceived. When an earthquake occurred, Gongling The mausoleum was killed."
The young man's clear voice sounded in the hall, making all the civil and military officials present feel awe-inspiring.
Emperor Chongping's face was gloomy, and his sharp eyes scanned the officials below, and finally his eyes fell on the face of Zhao Yi, a bachelor of the cabinet and minister of the Ministry of Industry.
Zhao Yi felt a chill in his heart, lowered his head tightly, and sighed in his heart.
The day before yesterday, the wife of the family actually asked Princess Beijing to go to Rongguo Mansion to plead for mercy. He knew what happened today and was afraid that he would leave the court soon.
Jia Heng said: "According to the confession of a doctor from the Construction Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, he was ordered by Chen Rong, a common man, and colluded with Pan and Lu, the assistant ministers of the Ministry of Industry, to delay the construction period by falsely reporting accounts. It will be built in seven or eight years. The construction of the mausoleum has been delayed to this day. At the same time, Liang Yuan, the right minister of the Ministry of Revenue, is an official in the Ministry of Revenue and is responsible for checking the branches and auditing the banknotes. However, he did not inspect the mausoleum project and colluded with Pan, Lu and others. Hidden for evil, and Liang Yuan is still in Yangzhou, I have sent a message to the Jinyi Guards Station in Yangzhou with the flying pigeon of Jinyi Mansion to arrest the officer and send him to the capital."
Among the civil service trains, Yang Guochang, the chief minister of the cabinet, looked gloomy. Liang Yuan was involved in the case. He had also heard the news in the past few days. Later, the Zhejiang Party and others might use this to make trouble.
Jia Heng said: "In addition, relevant officials from the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Works, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs have all confessed to embezzling work money. The confessions are now recorded in the files. The evidence is conclusive and the truth is clear. I respectfully ask the Holy One to investigate."
With that said, four Jinyi Mansion captains came from outside the palace. Under the squinting eyes of the officials, they carried a mahogany box. Inside were the confessions of the officials involved in the case, as well as documentary evidence, physical evidence and other relevant evidence that had been interrogated and admitted by Jinyi Mansion.
Jia Heng took out another memorial from his sleeve and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, in accordance with your decree, I seized a certain amount of property from the treasury of Prince Zhongshun to make up for the shortfall in internal funds. Now I have seized 5.8 million taels of stolen silver. He was sent to the Guangzhou Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. It was also discovered that Chen Rong, a common man, had been in charge of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for many years. He had committed corruption and perverted the law, and had accumulated excessive amounts of money. According to rough statistics, the amount of money stolen from the internal affairs was as much as 20 to 30 million yuan. An internal estimate of the stolen money was , all of them are listed as memorials, and I ask the Holy One to read them."
As soon as these words came out, all the civil and military officials in the palace were in an uproar.
Although everyone knew that as the eldest brother of the emperor, King Zhongshun always behaved arrogantly and lived a luxurious life, and since he had been in charge of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for many years, he was bound to enrich his own pockets, but they did not expect to have amassed such a huge wealth!
Jia Zheng was also close to the palace gate at this moment. Because the officials were lined up in front, he could not see the young man's voice, but when he heard that familiar voice speaking impassionedly in the huge Hanyuan Palace, his mood was agitated.
Not far away, Qin Ye, a doctor from the Ministry of Industry's Camp and Cleansing Department, was equally agitated. Because he was slightly tall, and there were few Ministry of Works officials in front of him to block him, he could catch a glimpse of the tall and straight figure, like a Zhilan Yushu. A boy in a python suit.
Secretly, this is his son-in-law, the Minister of Military and Aircraft, a first-rank official.
Well, he heard yesterday that Keqing also made her a first-grade wife.
At this time, Dai Quan, the Prime Minister of the Ming Dynasty, came close enough to receive the memorial delivered by Jia Heng and turned around to present it to Emperor Chongping.
Emperor Chongping looked indifferent. He took the memorial and read it under the light of the lamp.
In fact, cartloads of gold and silver were delivered to the Ministry of Internal Affairs yesterday. The emperor already knew that his brother Wang had embezzled a lot of money over the years. But looking at the records in this memorial, it was shocking. The wealth amassed almost exceeds the tax paid by the Han Dynasty in a year!
While all the officials were anxiously waiting for Emperor Chongping to speak, some officials from the Department of Science and Technology and the Qingliu Hanlin could not hold themselves back and were preparing to go out to impeach him.
These people are in charge of impeachment and have the power to make decisions based on rumors. It is cheaper than the affairs officers of the six ministries to impeach their colleagues.
Emperor Chongping said in a deep voice: "Commoner Chen Rong has arrived at Gongling. He has been in charge of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for many years. He has been corrupt, arrogant and lawless. Now the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Jinyi Mansion should inspect the stolen money and put it into internal funds without any mistakes!"
Jia Heng cupped his hands and said solemnly: "I obey your order."
This can be regarded as a clear purpose. The property related to Zhongshun should be searched and put into internal funds.
In fact, there is no conflict between confiscating the house first and returning the house and property finally. The former is punishment, while the latter is grace.
Emperor Chongping put down the memorial and said in a deep voice: "All the ministers and ministers have also discussed what crime should be committed by Pan and Lu Erxiu of the Ministry of Industry. They were questioned by the Jinyi Mansion. Now the evidence of their crimes is conclusive and their evil deeds are obvious. According to our law of the Han Dynasty, Law, how to deal with it?"
This can be regarded as a supplementary and aboveboard procedure to the previous Xingda Prison.
Otherwise, without court deliberation, so many civil servants would be demoted at once, not to mention bad laws, and it would easily make officials panic.
And such a discussion gives people the impression that you are not on the same level as the guilty officials who fell into the water, but standing on the dry bank, you can discuss the punishment of the guilty officials with the emperor.
Firstly, it can slightly reduce the harsh atmosphere of punishment and killing, and secondly, the monarch and his ministers can discuss things openly and honestly. This is the way to combine hardness and softness.
In fact, Emperor Chongping had already made a decision on how to deal with the relevant criminals, and he was just following the process.
The officials from the Department of Science and Technology who had been holding back for a long time came out one after another to report.
Pan and Lu were sprayed all over their bodies. At the same time, someone impeached Zhao Yi, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, for not knowing that the two officials of the Ministry of Yamen were involved in the case. They were responsible for the oversight and should be severely punished.
After Emperor Chongping listened quietly, he showed the image of a sage and wise king who humbly accepted advice and opened up his mind to all the civil and military officials.
Jia Heng returned to the train at this time, listening to the sounds of shouting, beating and killing, which could be described as one after another.
Each of these officials spoke sharply, describing Pan and Lu as kingless, fatherless, unfaithful and unfilial people, and they were expelled from the ranks of scholars.
Some officials even said that in hindsight, they suggested that in a certain year and month, they had impeached Pan and Lu for being corrupt and corrupt, and there were already traces of corruption. It was a pity that the cabinet blocked the officials from listening and did not ask or observe, which is why we are what we are today. He asked that the names of the memorials he had originally submitted be available for inspection at the archives office of the General Affairs Department.
This is similar to a certain stock trading answerer in later generations. Big A was cut in half. I have already said it and attached a link.
After all the officials and scholars had finished writing, Emperor Chongping looked indifferent and turned his shining eyes to Wang Shu, the minister of Dali Temple, and asked: "Your Majesty, how should I use the laws of the Han Dynasty to break the ban?"
As soon as this statement came out, Kedao Yanguan quietly waited for the important ministers in the court to discuss it.
Wang Shu held the wat tablet in his hand and said in a clear voice: "I believe that not all the criminals involved in the relevant crimes will be punished with death. Since Pan and Lu are the chief culprits, they should be severely punished. The other criminals are forced to treat their subordinates and are mostly coerced. The sage said, God has the virtue of good life, so I would like to ask the sage to give you a gentle punishment."
This is a kind of euphemistic advice - be careful not to kill without mercy.
Jia Heng glanced at Wang Shu and thought to himself, is this old man really a supporter of "abolition of death", or has he been persuaded by the family members of the convicts such as Princess Nan'an and Princess Beijing?
However, at this time, Zhao Mo, the Secretary of the Ministry of Punishment, came out of the office holding an ivory jade wat, with a cold expression on his face, and said loudly: "Your Majesty, I dare not agree with you! The mausoleum is the auspicious soil of the emperor, and I, my husband, rule the world with filial piety, so they are in the mausoleum." If you dare to get involved, you can be said to have deceived the emperor. The crime is extremely heinous and should be punished with death. Please look at it and listen to it!"
Emperor Chongping's face was expressionless, or it could be said that the collapse of the tomb was a serious matter.
Xu Lu, the censor of Zuodu, held a jade scepter in his hand and said: "Your Majesty, I believe that the criminals involved in the corresponding cases will be handed over to the three law divisions for trial and discussion according to the law."
Jia Heng frowned, knowing that this was Xu Lu who wanted to take back the initiative in the case and maintain the so-called code of conduct.
Emperor Chongping pondered for a moment and said: "Now that all the ministers in the court have discussed it together, it is more solemn and there is no need to hand it over to the Three Laws Division. Xu Qing, how do you think these people should be dealt with?"
Xu Lu's heart trembled, his face was solemn, he cupped his hands and said: "I believe that the relevant imperial offenders should be distinguished from masters and slaves and judged according to law, so that the officials involved in the case should be punished according to their crimes according to their minor crimes and serious crimes. They should not be punished for their crimes. Introduction to death.”
In fact, it is based on the fact that the crime is light and the crime is serious, and one cannot kill indiscriminately out of anger.
Jia Heng looked at Xu Lu and suddenly remembered an allusion, Di Renjie and Quan Shancai.
Emperor Chongping did not comment, but turned to look at Yang Guochang and asked, "Yang Qing, what do you think?"
When Yang Guochang heard this, his heart was shaken, and he said in a clear voice: "Your Majesty, I think that since the matter involves the mausoleum, the relevant criminals should be severely punished and the superiors and subordinates should be alerted. However, the relevant officials are all blaming the crime for the crime, which may damage the saint's morality."
This attitude actually favors Wang Shu, the minister of Dali Temple.
It can be said that the involvement of Pan Lu, King Zhongshun and others in the case has also solved the problem of the chief minister of the cabinet to a certain extent. Otherwise, it is the Yuanfu who is being questioned by the ministers now, and as the chief minister, he also needs to "The official cannot be punished" in order to safeguard the interests of the bureaucracy.
Jia Heng glanced at Yang Guochang and thought to himself, this is not wrong, it is just a way of saying... What does it mean to be detrimental to sanctity?
Emperor Chongping was silent for a while and asked, "Han Qing."
When Han Huang heard that he was being called, his face became solemn and he cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, I think that the relevant criminals are guilty of death according to the laws of the Han Dynasty. It is not pity to die without guilt! However, Your Majesty is the king and father of our subjects. , and as the son of Emperor Chonghua, he could be given thunderous blows for his filial piety, and rain and dew for his mercy, all in the Sacred Heart, the ministers looked up in fear, not daring to speculate, but only respectfully listened to the Holy Judgment. "
What he said was the same as what Jia Heng said before, and all the kindness and punishment came from above.
But Han Huang added a few more points, that is, giving an option, or a beautifying statement.
Because you are the emperor, you can execute all relevant criminals out of filial piety. This is a manifestation of filial piety. It is not indiscriminate killing and violence, and it will not damage your saintliness. Because these people went too far and actually tampered with the emperor's father's tomb. , a worthy death.
However, as the emperor is the father of all peoples, he can also punish some officials lightly as appropriate. This is also a sign of mercy.
The latter fell into the ears of the surrounding officials, and naturally they heard some advice.
But it happened that they fell into the ears of the emperor together. It probably means that you are the emperor, and you have the Constitution in your mouth. You can do whatever you say, and whatever you do is right.
It is true that gods are also you and ghosts are also you. Everyone can hear what they want.
Jia Heng glanced at Han Huang and thought to himself that this Han Prime Minister might be even more difficult to deal with than Yang Guochang once he becomes his enemy after he succeeds him as the first assistant.
At this moment, Yang Guochang frowned tightly. Even if he didn't want to admit it, he felt that these words were much smarter than his own. He was just a treacherous person from ancient times, who was best at using clever words and deceiving people!
Not only Yang Guochang frowned, but Xu Lu, the censor of Zuodu, also frowned.
Sometimes it's like this. What you say is beautiful, but not everyone likes it. These words feel too slippery.
Emperor Chongping nodded and said, "What Han Qing said is true."
"Holy Saint, Holy Ming." Han Huang bowed his hands and retreated, saying no more.
Emperor Chongping took the memorial, read the names, and said in a deep voice: "Pan Bingyi and Lu Cheng'an, the former ministers of the Ministry of Industry, Guo Yuanzheng, the former minister of the Tuntian Qing Dynasty, Cao Funian, and Yu Congdian, the Yuanwailang, Luo Chengwang, the minister of the construction department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the historian of the Zhongshun Prince's Palace. Zhou Shun and others are mostly the main culprits, and they should all be severely punished according to the law."
The principal and accomplice still listened to the opinions of Xu Lu, the imperial censor of Zuodu.
But when the ministers below listened to the names being read out one by one from Emperor Chongping's mouth, they felt chills in their backs. So many people were about to die, and they had just been impeached again, but they still felt like a rabbit was dead and a fox was sad.
Jia Heng's face paused, knowing that Emperor Chongping wanted to end this major case as soon as possible.
"As for the others?" Emperor Chongping immediately looked at Jia Heng and said in a deep voice: "When the court comes down, you will deliver these files of Jinyi Mansion to the inner study. I will separate the masters and slaves, make a list, and make a final decision."
When he was in Qiandi, the emperor once knew about the affairs of the Ministry of Punishment. He could be said to have clear laws and regulations, and he had a clear mind on how to impose punishments.
Jia Heng cupped his hands and said, "My lord, I obey the order."
The discussion of the relevant criminals has come to an end. Everything is decided by Emperor Chongping's pen. How many people will be killed in the end depends entirely on the Holy Heart.
Jia Heng returned to the train and said no more.
There was a sudden silence in Hanyuan Hall, as everyone seemed to be digesting the news.
(End of chapter)
