Seeing the fire in the Salt and Iron Hall start, it suddenly became extremely powerful and out of control.
Peng Jingyi, who was organizing people to put out the fire, immediately understood that this was not an accidental fire, but someone carefully planned it. The other party must have put a lot of fire starters in the Salt and Iron Hall, otherwise the fire would not have been so big suddenly.
Then there is no doubt about the fire. It must have been set deliberately, or even for something.
Peng Jingyi rushed to the hall and watched Su Zhe organizing the writers to carry the books.
Peng Jingyi said: "Su's work must have been deliberately set on fire!"
Su Zhe said calmly: "I guessed it. When I passed by the Salt and Iron Hall this morning, I smelled the smell of soybean oil, so the fire started, so I didn't think about putting out the fire."
"Then what should we do?"
Su Che pointed out to Peng Jingyi: "The person who set the fire must have burned these account books. You organize people to move these piles of files and account books. As long as you can snatch them away, I can punish the person who set the fire!"
Seeing Su Che's calmness, Peng Jingyi immediately said, "Okay, I'll try to block the fire first, and then I'll order people to move as many books as they can."
Su Zhe said: "It's not about how much you can move, but it must be moved, otherwise neither your master nor I will be able to stand up."
"good."
Peng Jingyi agreed loudly and immediately organized people to carry it.
…
At this moment, in the palace, the officials drank the soothing soup before falling asleep. In the first half of the seventh year of Xining, there was a severe drought in the world, and a prime minister was killed because of the drought. In the second half of the year, there was a locust plague all over the north, and even spread to the south of the Yangtze River.
The official couldn't fall asleep because of his worries. He drank a bowl of soothing soup before falling asleep again, otherwise he would have another sleepless night.
The official, who had just taken the soothing soup, had just gone to sleep when he was woken up by the chamberlain and said that there was a fire inside and outside the palace.
He remembered that during the reign of Emperor Renzong, there were rebels who deliberately set fire to the palace and wanted to enter the palace to commit rebellion.
After hearing this, the official stood up and dressed in a daze. After a while, a chamberlain reported that there was a fire in the direction of the Third Division, and he was relieved a little. Another chamberlain said that the fire was not big and could be put out immediately.
The official felt relieved, but after an hour he asked again and learned that the fire not only did not get smaller, but was getting bigger and bigger.
When the officials saw it, they ordered people to invite the prime ministers of the two governments. They climbed to Youyemen to watch the fire, but they were surprised to see that the entire three divisions were burned.
At this time, the first person to arrive at the palace was Cai Ting, deputy minister of the privy council. The official asked Cai Ting, "How is the fire?"
Cai Ting said: "Since we are still in the third division, may I ask your majesty how to put out the fire?"
The official said: "Hurry up and send two troops to rescue him. Don't let the fire spread."
Cai Ting said: "Your Majesty, if you want to mobilize troops and horses, you must go through the Privy Council. You cannot let the ministers announce the deployment of troops."
The officials were stunned after hearing this and thought, there is indeed such a rule, but it is still dark, how can we ask the Privy Council to mobilize troops?
The official asked Cai Ting: "The Three Divisions have always strictly prohibited fire. How could it be that the Third Division started this fire and spread it everywhere?"
Cai Ting said: "Perhaps it was just a momentary oversight."
The official said: "It is hard to escape the blame for the fire. I must punish those who neglected their duties severely!"
At this time, Han Jiang, Wu Chong, and Lu Huiqing arrived one after another. When they learned that the emperor was fine, all the prime ministers breathed a sigh of relief. Now they were just worried about whether the fire in the Third Division would spread to other places.
Han Jiang was most anxious to ask for troops to be mobilized to fight the fire, but Cai Ting refused with the previous reasons. Even mobilizing Kaifeng Mansion to fight the fire was delayed with excuses.
Hearing this, Han Jiang glanced at Cai Ting several times, feeling secretly panicked in her heart.
Cai Ting, who had always lowered his head, glanced at Han Jiang and immediately lowered his gaze.
But at this moment, the ministers who were watching on the right gate saw a group of soldiers and horses passing under the imperial gate, and then went straight to
Go to Sansi to put out the fire. Everyone looked around and saw an official in brocade clothes sitting on a horse. He ordered soldiers to intercept the patrol along the way, called on the soldiers and others to go together to put out the fire, and organized the evacuation of the people. At the same time, people boarded the house to use the flag as a signal, calling people to come here to put out the fire. .
Compared with the messy environment, this person's calmness and composure are impressive.
Seeing this, the officials pointed at each other and asked, "Who is this person?"
After a while, the chamberlain came to report: "It's the military weapons supervisor. Zhang Dun, the bachelor of the academy, led the soldiers in the military weapons supervisor to organize firefighting."
The official heard that it was Zhang Dun who nodded.
When Lu Huiqing heard this, he turned away and showed a very dissatisfied look. However, thinking that the other party was Zhang Dun, he felt helpless.
Soon after, the fire in Sansi was suppressed.
The official then returned to the palace.
…
At this moment, the officials who had gone to the morning court were arriving one after another. The officials met with the officials in the Chongzheng Hall and told them the news about the fire in the Third Division last night but it had subsided, and then retreated into the back hall.
The prime ministers and Hanlin scholars were also in the back hall. Zhang Yue frequently looked at Lu Huiqing, who looked calm and composed, not showing any signs of weakness.
Soon Yuan Jiang, the envoy of the Third Division, arrived. As soon as he entered the palace, he complained to the officials that he was not strict in supervision, which caused the Third Division to catch fire. Now the entire Third Division has been reduced to nothing, and all the account books and books have been burned. .
The cause of the fire was that Salt and Iron Magistrate Song Di cooked medicine in the salt hall last night and caught fire. At the same time, the officials on duty in the third division also neglected their duties last night, which eventually caused the fire to break out and missed the best opportunity to put out the fire.
After listening to Yuan Jiang's words, Zhang Yue knew that this game was Xiangzhuang's sword dance and his intention was Peigong.
Some people not only set fire to the account books of the Third Division to destroy the evidence, but also put the responsibility for the fire on themselves.
The officials were shocked and angry after hearing this, and were about to question Yuan Jiang. At this time, Lu Huiqing, who was in charge of political affairs, was already furious and asked: "The third division has always strictly prohibited fire, even monks and nuns who escaped and returned to secular life, and the temple If the stipulations are burned according to the regulations, because of the inconvenience of burning candles, they can only be cut into pieces, destroyed, and collected for public use."
"Why would a judge cook medicine in the hall and cause a fire?"
Yuan Jiang said: "Your Majesty, I am indeed to blame for this matter. Originally, the place for cooking medicine was used in the abandoned house next to the Salt and Iron Hall, but now the accounting department of the third department has arranged it in this house. The accounting department has passed the exam. Hundreds, on weekdays, the account books are piled up everywhere. Even though I am the envoy of the Third Department, I dare not take care of it, so the fire in the Salt and Iron Hall burned the account books of the Accounting Department, and finally the fire that burned down the Third Department. "
"My supervision is not strict, so I ask Your Majesty to take strict control."
The officials were furious, but they had confirmed a fact. This time, the Third Division and the Accounting Department of the Third Division were equally responsible for the fire that burned the Third Division to ashes.
It's not a pity how much it would cost to rebuild the Third Division, but the account books inside are all important classics of the imperial court, the result of hundreds of years of hard work.
Now that Yuan Jiang, the envoy of the Third Department, has pleaded guilty, what about the Accounting Department of the Third Department?
At this time, Cai Que came out and said: "Your Majesty, I have something that I don't understand. What Yuan Jiang said just now is that the medicine was cooked improperly. Then the things on the ground should be burned first. Then why did the fire climb up the beams and pillars first, and then connect with each other?" Eaves. Did the fire start from below or from above?"
As soon as Cai Que said this, Yuan Jiang's face turned pale.
