On the other side, in the cabinet.
At this moment, everyone's faces were full of unconcealable worry, and they had no time to pay attention to the memorials sent by the subordinate officials.
"Old Yan Ge, what should we do next!"
"Right now, Jinyiwei and Dongchang are arresting people everywhere in the court. The officials are in panic all day long, for fear that it will be their turn next. If this continues, something big will happen!"
Gao Gong was seen looking eagerly in the direction of Yan Song, and then asked.
"Yes, Mr. Yan Ge, if it delays state affairs, then none of us will be able to get away with it!"
Zhang Juzheng on the side saw this situation and followed closely and added.
When Yan Song heard this, he looked regretful. After sighing helplessly, he faced the crowd and said slowly.
"Well, if I had known this, I shouldn't have handed over Ouyang Yijing's memorial at the beginning. Otherwise, I wouldn't have made His Majesty so angry!"
"We won't let Jin Yiwei and Dongchang be dispatched at the same time!"
Xu Jie on the side heard Yan Song's words and quickly offered words of comfort.
"Mr. Yan Ge, there is no need to blame yourself. You are just following the procedures. Let's think about the next countermeasures!"
The reason why Xu Jie stood up to comfort Yan Song was because he needed Yan Song, the chief minister of the cabinet, to take the lead.
At that time, the entire cabinet will go to the Palace of Qianqing to persuade Jiajing to let Jinyiwei and Dongchang stop.
After all, before this, Xu Jie had not expected that Jiajing would be so decisive. Without saying a word, he directly sent Jinyiwei and Dongchang out to silence those officials who spread rumors by arresting them.
The household department where Xu Jie was located suffered particularly serious losses.
While Xu Jie was still thinking about how to persuade Yan Song to stand up and make this move.
I heard a rush of footsteps outside the cabinet, and not long after, I saw a subordinate official running in in a hurry, out of breath, reporting a report.
"Excuse... Mr. Ge, people from Jinyiwei and Dongchang have arrested many officials from the Ministry of Punishment, the Ministry of Works, and the Ministry of Personnel for spreading rumors!"
"What!"
As soon as the subordinate officer finished speaking, Yan Shifan stood up from his seat suddenly, with a look of horror on his face.
Xu Jie on the side saw this situation and knew that the time had come. He quickly looked at Yan Song on the side and made a decisive move.
"Old Yan Ge, we can't continue like this. If we continue like this, things will only get worse and worse!"
"We have to persuade His Majesty to take back his orders and let Jin Yiwei and Dongchang stop before things get irreversible!"
When Yan Shifan heard Xu Jie's words, he also felt that they were quite reasonable and immediately spoke out to urge him.
"Yes, father, what Mr. Xu Ge said makes sense!"
Seeing this, Yan Song stood up from his seat tremblingly, looked around, and said slowly.
"In that case, let's take a trip!"
When everyone saw that Yan Song was willing to stand up and take the initiative as the chief minister of the cabinet, they couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief, and immediately said in unison.
"Yes, Mr. Yan Ge!"
After that, everyone immediately stepped onto the stairs of Qianqing Palace without any hesitation.
…
In the Qianqing Palace, at this moment, Jiajing was sitting on the dragon chair. In his hand, he held an autopsy report issued by Jin Yiwei Zhu Qi and others.
After Jiajing finished browsing the contents, he put it aside casually, raised his eyebrows, looked at Zhu Qi aside, and asked.
"So, those Taoist priests all died from poison like white arsenic, rather than from the mischief of ghosts and gods?"
Zhu Qi on the side heard Jiajing's words and immediately stepped forward and responded in a deep voice.
"Yes, Your Majesty, those Taoist priests died from poison like white arsenic. This poison is colorless and odorless, and it is extremely difficult to detect. It will not cause death immediately after taking it. It will not cause death after a period of time. , the effect of the poison will take effect."
"Once the effects of poison take effect, there is basically no cure. People poisoned by poisons like white arsenic do not show obvious symptoms of poisoning, so they are very covert and are mostly used to kill people! "
After listening to Zhu Qi's report, Jiajing nodded slightly and then asked.
"Well, Zhu Qi, you did a good job on this matter. Apart from that, did you find any other clues?"
When Zhu Qi heard this, a look of embarrassment suddenly appeared on his face. After hesitating for a long time, he leaned down and said slowly.
"Your Majesty, before this, Weichen used Jin Yiwei's network to investigate the traces of these Taoist priests, and found that these Taoist priests all lived in the same inn in the capital before going to Gongyuan to exorcise evil spirits!"
"After those Taoist priests died suddenly, the chef and waiter of that inn completely disappeared!"
After hearing Zhu Qi's report, a look of surprise appeared on Jiajing's face. He waved his hand casually and then spoke.
"Well, in my opinion, the chef and waiter of that inn should have been silenced by the people behind the scenes long ago!"
"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"
After Jiajing's words fell, Zhu Qi on the side showed a grateful look on his face and followed closely.
Seeing that the matter had been settled, just when Zhu Qi was about to say goodbye and leave, he saw the guiding eunuch hurriedly walked into the Qianqing Palace, lowered his head, and reported respectfully.
"Your Majesty, Mr. Yan Ge and the others are outside asking for a meeting!"
"Oh, they came just in time, let them in!"
When Jiajing heard this, he gently rubbed the dragon head carved on the dragon chair with his hand, then looked in the direction of the guiding eunuch and gave instructions.
"As you command, Your Majesty!"
After the guiding eunuch responded, he immediately turned around and left Qianqing Palace without any hesitation.
…
At this moment, Yan Song looked at the Qianqing Palace so close in front of him, and couldn't help but feel a trace of worry in his heart.
"Well, I don't know if His Majesty will agree to our proposal and ask Jin Yiwei and Dongchang to stop their hands. What if His Majesty is still angry?"
"This Ouyang Yijing has really harmed everyone. After this incident is over, I, Yan Song, will never spare him!"
Yan Song thought this, and immediately came back to his senses, clenching his fists unconsciously.
At this moment, Xu Jie's worried voice sounded in everyone's ears.
"Hey, it's been so long since the eunuchs were guided in, why haven't they come out yet? Could it be that something happened?"
As soon as Xu Jie finished speaking, everyone's hearts tightened and they all looked at Xu Jie. After all, no one present knew what the current His Majesty would do.
Just when everyone was extremely worried about this, the figure of the guiding eunuch appeared in their eyes.
Seeing this situation, Yan Song couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief.
"Huh, fortunately, His Majesty is willing to see us, so there should be room for maneuver in things!"
Not long after, I saw the guiding eunuch coming to the side of everyone and speaking softly.
"His Majesty said you can go in!"
"Well, thank you for your work, father-in-law!"
Upon hearing this, everyone quickly bowed to the guiding eunuch to express their gratitude.
Afterwards, Yan Song and others stepped onto the stairs of Qianqing Palace with extremely heavy steps.
"I bow to your majesty, long live my emperor!"
After everyone entered the Qianqing Palace, led by Yan Song, the chief minister of the cabinet, they all knelt on the ground and said in unison.
When Jiajing heard this, he glanced at everyone and gave instructions unhurriedly.
"Well, everyone, get up!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
After receiving Jiajing's permission, everyone slowly stood up from the ground. However, when they saw Zhu Qi not far away, their faces were full of surprise that could not be concealed.
After all, it was Zhu Qi who led people to Zhejiang to investigate the case of dike destruction and field flooding.
"Why is Zhu Qi here? Could it be that he was entrusted by His Majesty to investigate this case?"
"Didn't His Majesty put Yan Shifan in charge of investigating the case? Could it be that this is just a cover and the real person in charge of investigating the case is Zhu Qi from Jin Yiwei?"
"Damn it, why didn't I think of it, I was fooled!"
When Xu Jie thought of this, he suddenly felt a chill down his spine. After all, he put most of his energy into monitoring Yan Shifan and had no time to care about anything else.
What's even worse is that he has no idea whether Jiajing has grasped the truth of the case.
Just when Xu Jie was feeling uneasy, Jiajing's extraordinarily calm voice sounded in their ears.
"Well, you are here just in time, Lu Fang, show them the things!"
"As you command, Your Majesty!"
When Lu Fang, who was waiting beside Jiajing, heard this, he immediately stepped forward, respectfully picked up the autopsy report issued by Jin Yiwei Zhu Qi and others from the desk in front of Jiajing, and came to Yan Song and others.
After that, Jiajing glanced at everyone and said slowly.
"Let's all take a look. Here is the truth of the whole thing. What ghosts and gods are causing trouble is obviously nonsense!"
After Jiajing finished speaking, everyone couldn't help but shudder. What they didn't expect was that Jiajing would investigate the truth of the case so quickly.
At this moment, Xu Jie looked in disbelief. Jiajing's words undoubtedly destroyed the last trace of luck in his heart.
At this moment, Yan Song took the autopsy report from Lu Fang's hand with trembling hands and began to browse it meticulously.
"It turns out that those Taoist priests all died of poisoning. It was not because of the ghosts and gods in Gongyuan as previously rumored!"
After Yan Song finished sighing, he immediately handed the autopsy report in his hand to Xu Jie's hands.
Hearing this, Xu Jie suppressed the horror in his heart and took the autopsy report from Yan Song's hand. When he saw the two words "white arsenic" recorded on it, he knew that everything had been exposed, and his heart suddenly became filled with despair.
"It turns out that His Majesty has investigated everything clearly. As a result, all previous efforts will be in vain!"
"In the end, is it still impossible to prevent those clans and nobles from returning to the court?"
"But fortunately, before that, the head and tail were cleaned up, and I, Xu Jie, can no longer be found on my head!"
Thinking this, Xu Jie couldn't help but lose consciousness for a moment. Soon, he reacted and handed the autopsy report in his hand to Gao Gong without changing his expression.
Soon, everyone finished browsing the autopsy report issued by Jin Yiwei Zhu Qi and others.
After that, Yan Song turned his gaze in the direction of Jiajing and spoke cautiously.
"Your majesty is so wise, you actually found out the truth of the case so quickly!"
When Yan Song said this, he changed the subject and continued.
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, now that the truth has come to light, we might as well take this opportunity to publish the autopsy report. What do you think?"
After Jiajing heard Yan Song's words, he nodded and gave the order quite casually.
"Well, I also have this plan. In this way, when we come down later, your cabinet will be responsible for announcing it!"
"As you command, Your Majesty!"
When Yan Song heard this, he couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief and immediately responded.
After Yan Song, only Xu Jie was seen on the side. After calming down his mood, he immediately stood up and asked Jiajing with a worried look on his face.
"Wei Chen implores Your Majesty to ask Jin Yiwei and Dongchang to stop their involvement. If they continue to be involved in this way, I am afraid it will affect the normal operation of the imperial court!"
When Jiajing heard this, he glanced at Xu Jie quite indifferently, nodded, and then gave instructions.
"This is natural. Now that the truth of the case has come to light, there is no need for Jinyiwei and Dongchang to continue taking action. I will make them stop!"
"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"
When Jiajing finished speaking, not only Xu Jie, but also the other cabinet members knelt on the ground.
Jiajing's words undoubtedly relieved the long-standing burden in their hearts.
They couldn't imagine how many officials would be left in the DPRK if Jin Yiwei and Dongchang were allowed to continue to be implicated.
At this moment, Jiajing turned his gaze to Yan Shifan, who was trembling on the side, and gave instructions.
"Yan Shifan, as the examiner of this exam, you have to serve me sincerely. If anything goes wrong again, I will never be lenient. Do you understand?"
"As ordered, Your Majesty, I will definitely live up to Your Majesty's trust!"
When Yan Shifan heard this, he immediately looked stern and responded in a deep voice.
Seeing this, Jiajing nodded slightly, glanced over Yan Shifan's body, and continued pretending to be casual.
"Well, okay, with your words, I can rest assured. On the day of the exam, I will go to Gongyuan to have a look in person!"
"What? Your Majesty wants to go to Gongyuan in person!"
When Jiajing's words fell, everyone's faces were full of disbelief. After all, Jiajing had not cared much about this kind of thing for so many years. Even the palace examination was handled by Yan Song and others.
But now, His Majesty has announced for the first time that he will go to Gongyuan on the day of the examination. The meaning of this is very obvious.
In Yan Song's view, Jiajing was clearly using this method to express his attitude and also to warn those behind the scenes.
"Well, it seems that His Majesty is determined to let the clan and nobles pass this exam and return to the court. Anyone who stands in his way will be crushed into pieces!"
Xu Jie on the side naturally heard the overtones of Jiajing's words. Just as he was about to say something to dissuade him, he met Jiajing's extremely cold gaze.
Then, a voice that made Xu Jie's hair stand on end sounded in the Qianqing Palace.
"Xu Jie, do you have something to say to me?"
When Xu Jie heard what Jiajing said, his heart suddenly sank and he answered tremblingly.
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, you have misunderstood. I fully support your decision!"
"Um."
When Jiajing, who was sitting on the dragon chair, heard this, the expression on his face did not change much, and he just responded in a subtle way.
After that, Jiajing waved his hand quite casually, faced everyone, and said this.
"Okay, I'm a little tired too. Let's just come here today. You can leave!"
"As ordered, Your Majesty, I will retire now!"
When everyone heard Jiajing's words, they couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief and quickly bowed to Jiajing.
Immediately, everyone left Qianqing Palace one after another without any hesitation.
After Xu Jie followed the crowd and walked out of Qianqing Palace, he still felt lingering fear.
After all, not long ago, Jiajing's gaze was too terrifying. Xu Jie had no doubt that if he had warned him, he would have ended up in an extremely tragic end!
"Huh, luckily I escaped!"
Xu Jie thought so, couldn't help but take a deep breath, and immediately quickened his pace.
…
The efficiency of the cabinet was very fast. After the Qianqing Palace left, they quickly posted the autopsy report issued by Jin Yiwei Zhu Qi and others on the bulletin board near the cabinet.
At this moment, a large number of officials had already gathered near the bulletin board and began to discuss the matter.
"Hiss, it turns out that those Taoist priests died of poisoning. It was not at all like the rumors earlier. It was because of the ghosts and gods in the Gongyuan!"
"By the way, do you know what kind of poison white arsenic is?"
At this moment, an official wearing a green robe stood up, with an indignant look on his face.
"Whether it's true or not, I'm not sure. You know, Gongyuan is not a good place. Everyone should have been there when they took part in the examination, right?"
As soon as the green-robed official finished speaking, another green-robed official stood up and spoke in agreement.
"Yes, that's right. The weather over there in Gongyuan is extremely weird. It's a bone-deep cold. Even if the sun is blazing outside, the temperature inside is still as cold as winter!"
"I see that this autopsy report released by the cabinet is probably forged, and the purpose is to appease..."
Before the official finished speaking, he was grabbed by the inspector wearing a scarlet robe next to him.
"Hmph, you are so bold. You actually dare to spread rumors wantonly. You simply don't take our Inspectorate seriously. Which department do you belong to and who is your commander?"
When the green-robed official saw this situation, a flash of panic flashed across his face. The remaining officials, seeing the people from the Inspectorate present, did not dare to stop at all and immediately dispersed.
When the green-robed official saw this, he immediately fell to his knees on the ground and cried.
"Sir...Sir, please spare my life. I am also confused for a moment..."
However, before the green-robed official could finish his plea for mercy, he was coldly interrupted by the Inspectorate official.
"Huh, I'm just thinking about begging for mercy now. It's too late. Just in time, our Inspectorate hasn't completed its tasks for this year yet, so let's use you first to recharge!"
…
Capital City, British Government Palace.
After the British Duke Zhang Rong returned from Qianqing Palace, he immediately summoned Duke Cheng, Duke Ding, Marquis of Wuqing, Marquis of Xincheng, and people from the Duke of Guizhou's Palace to the British Palace.
"British Lord, what did your Majesty say?"
Xu Yande, Duke of Dingguo, was the first to be unable to restrain his eagerness. He turned his gaze in the direction of Zhang Rong and asked.
After Duke Ding Xu Yande's words fell, all the clan members and nobles present involuntarily turned their gazes in the direction of Zhang Rong. At this moment, their faces were full of expectations.
Facing everyone's extremely expectant eyes, Zhang Rong organized his words in his mind, then faced everyone and said in a deep voice.
"His Majesty said that no matter what, the exam will still be held as scheduled, so we don't need to panic!"
After hearing Zhang Rong's words, the faces of the clan members and nobles present were filled with joy, and the stones in their hearts fell to the ground safely.
After all, this is the promise given by His Majesty, the Supreme Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. There is nothing more credible than this!
"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"
I don’t know who was the first to shout such a sentence, and then most of the clan members and nobles present also shouted.
Their voices grew louder and louder, and their voices were full of reverence.
Then, Zhu Xizhong, Duke of Chengguo, stood up from his seat and made a gesture of silence, and his voice gradually calmed down.
After that, Zhu Xizhong, Duke of Chengguo, looked at Zhang Rong and asked eagerly.
"British Lord, did your Majesty tell us when we should take action?"
As soon as Chengguo Gong Zhu Xizhong finished speaking, someone from the side quickly added this.
"Yes, there are rumors flying around right now, so we have to do our part for His Majesty, right?"
When Zhang Rong heard this, a look of helplessness suddenly appeared on his face. He shook his head and responded.
"What His Majesty means is that we should focus on the upcoming exams and don't sacrifice the good for the sake of the weak!"
After receiving this answer from Zhang Rong, Duke Cheng Guo Zhu Xizhong couldn't help but have a sad look in his eyes, and said with emotion.
"Alas, it seems that Your Majesty is still..."
At this moment, the housekeeper hurriedly came to Zhang Rong, leaned down, and reported excitedly.
"Old... Master, it's a great thing. I heard that your Majesty has investigated the whole case and found out that the Taoist priests who died in the Gongyuan all died of poisoning and were involved in troubles with ghosts and gods. relation!"
"In addition, His Majesty also announced that he will personally go to Gongyuan on the day of the exam!"
When the butler finished speaking, the room suddenly fell into dead silence, with no one speaking.
After listening to the butler's report, Zhang Rong's face was full of disbelief. Immediately, he swallowed his saliva, looked at the butler up and down, and confirmed.
"Are all these things you said true?"
After hearing Zhang Rong's words, the butler's face became more respectful and he responded without thinking.
"Sir, it's absolutely true. The truth of the case has been announced by the cabinet!"
"In addition, the news that His Majesty will go to Gongyuan on the day of the exam was also announced by the cabinet!"
After the news was confirmed, Zhang Rong sat back on his chair and muttered to himself.
"Okay, okay, hahaha, okay, this way, you don't have to worry about anything!"
Seeing this situation, Duke Cheng Guo Zhu Xizhong on the side couldn't help but have a look of shame on his face, and said to himself.
"It turns out that Your Majesty has already known this for a long time. It's clearly me..."
At this moment, Duke Dingguo Xu Yande's energetic voice sounded in everyone's ears.
"In that case, let's discuss what to do next!"
"Okay!" (End of this chapter)
