After becoming an official, everyone knows that Beijing officials are better than foreign officials.
Not only because of being able to get in touch with the emperor and many big bosses, but more importantly, being able to activate one's connections immediately when encountering such promotions and demotions.
Like this time, when the emperor issued the imperial edict, many officials in Beijing had already begun private activities to gain greater support for the tingtui. However, in contrast, many local officials beyond reach.
Since they are in the same place, it is naturally impossible for them to interfere with the outcome of the trial, and they can only leave it to fate. Unless they are Jian's people in the Sacred Heart, in most cases, they will just accompany him.
But having said that, if Jane is in the Sacred Heart, why bother to judge?
Everyone was talking about this list, but Yu Shiyue didn't care much. He already had enough power in the cabinet. No matter how high he was, he would overwhelm the chief minister, so things like adding cabinet ministers were not good. No more meddling.
In fact, Yu Shiyue hopes that one or two people can come in who are not so confrontational with him. In this way, the power of the cabinet can be relatively balanced, and he can run his own errands with less scruples.
After all, it is never a good thing to be too sharp in the court.
However, it was not necessary to finalize the candidate today. Therefore, after the official report was over, although the ministers discussed it, the morning court continued.
Next, there is the matter of reorganizing the military government that has also attracted much attention recently. More than half a month after taking office, Zhang Shi, together with Li Shi from the Ministry of War, reorganized a new charter and finally submitted it to the morning meeting. .
Of course, the contents of this charter have long been leaked because of the large number of people involved in its formulation.
As expected by the ministers, the content was basically based on the content formulated under the leadership of Yu Qian, but the specific process and management were re-divided.
Now that Yu Qian is away and Xiang Wenyao has been transferred out of Beijing, it is impossible for Li Shi to resist the pressure of nobles on his own, so he can only be forced to compromise in many places.
This matter also caused a lot of discussion in the court, but relatively speaking, the important ministers were much calmer.
If you are willing to gamble, you have to admit defeat. Just like after the Civil War, the nobles were beaten by civil servants and were so submissive that they could not even save the capital camp. This time to organize the military government, there is no doubt that it is another confrontation between civil and military forces.
No matter what the process was, but now that Wu Xun's line had won, and it coincided with a great opportunity like Yu Qian being imprisoned, they naturally wanted to try their best to seize the spoils.
They can't stop this, and they have no position to stop it. Therefore, they can only watch indifferently and try to find opportunities to get it back in the future.
However, seeing Zhang Xi's high-spirited appearance, the ministers also felt a little more wary, and many people turned their attention to Zhu Jian who was standing aside.
It should be said that for most ministers, at least until now, they still maintain their protection for Qian, especially when the military government took advantage of the situation and took the opportunity to suppress the Ministry of War, and handed it to the emperor. It is one thing what is said in the secret report. At least the public opinion in the DPRK and China still hopes that the case can be cleared up quickly and Yu Qian be released as soon as possible.
Many ministers have already learned the results of the court trial. In fact, it doesn't matter whether they know it or not. The focus of everyone's attention on this matter is not the case itself, but whether Yu Qian was involved in this matter. Go inside.
Of course, there are also many people who are just looking at jokes. After all, Zhu Jian and Yu Qian have never dealt with each other. Although many people are trying to make trouble for Qian, it does not mean that they are not watching Zhu Jian pretending to be a public servant for personal gain...
Facing the gaze of everyone, Zhu Jian, who had been silent for a long time in the court, was very calm. He took out the memorial he had prepared long ago and presented it to him, saying.
"Your Majesty, I have been ordered to preside over the trial of Prince Xiang's first land invasion case. The facts of the case have been basically ascertained. Your Majesty, please take a look at it..."
The court hearing is actually just a formality. This matter involves too much, so the actual investigation of the case is obviously under the court hearing.
Such a high-profile interrogation was actually a signal to the court that the case was ready to be closed.
Of course, one thing everyone knows is that closing the case is just the beginning. The real game lies in the court after the case is closed.
After the memorial was presented, Zhu Jian continued to speak.
"In this case of land invasion, I have been ordered by God to interrogate the plaintiff, defendant, and witnesses involved in the case, including the magistrate of Daxing County, the master, the chief clerk, and the government officials. The facts of the case have been basically ascertained. The plaintiff Xu Da has made a complaint about the land invasion. , it is indeed true that the defendant Lu Fu colluded with Daxing County magistrates to plot land. Although the chief clerk, government servants and others were under pressure, they assisted Zhou in his abuses. Daxing County Magistrate Li Youde was not strict in his management and was deceived by his staff, causing the case to go to heaven. listen."
"The facts of the case are now clear. It is planned to convict the defendant Lu Fu to return a piece of land in Xu Da. He colluded with the master to occupy other people's land. According to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, the staff was fifty. The master Chen Chengye engaged in favoritism and accepted bribes, intending to take away his status as a student. Thirty sticks. The seven persons involved in the case, including the bookkeeper and the yamen servant, were deceived and coerced but did not report in time. They are also guilty and should be punished. Daxing County Magistrate Li Youde is fatuous and incompetent and cannot redress the grievances of the people. It is appropriate to remove the magistrate of Daxing County. The position shall be re-elected by the Ministry of Personnel and shall be rated as inferior in the examination.”
"In addition to this, there is Zhu Ji, the son of Yu Qian, the Minister of War, who interfered in local affairs. According to the testimony of Li Youde, the magistrate of Daxing County, and Yin Wangxian of Shuntian Prefecture, they were accused of Zhu Ji and Yu Mian respectively. They visited but did not examine the case carefully, resulting in errors and omissions. Zhu Ji and Yu Mian also have no objection to this confession. The details are submitted for your Majesty's inspection."
As expected, the content of the court trial was only a small part of the entire case.
Most of the evidence and confessions that Zhu Jian presented at this moment did not appear in the court trial. However, after listening to Zhu Jian's report, all the officials discovered something very interesting.
That is, Mr. Zhu really didn’t have any evil thoughts on this case. If you listen carefully to what he just said, you will find that, as a presiding judge, he has dealt with the people involved in this case. , only staying on some insignificant little characters, and he didn't touch any of the really important people, such as Zhu Ji and Yu Mian.
If it is because of his official status, the magistrate of Daxing County is also an official. However, Zhu Jian also gave a punishment. And don’t forget, Yu Mian is not an official. He only has the status of a judge. Zhu Jian did not give any instructions. It can be seen that he deliberately avoided any opinions on how to deal with them and handed them over to the Holy Inquisition.
The memorial is very long, and it can be seen that the evidence in it is very detailed, and the emperor also read it very carefully, so it really took a while to read it.
After putting down the memorial, the emperor raised his head, his face was not unusual, and he said.
"Thank you to the Zhu Qing family for their hard work. The case was well investigated and handled appropriately. Those involved in the case will be dealt with appropriately. Zhu Ji and Yu Mian interfered in the court affairs without authorization, bullied others by taking advantage of their power, and tried to take away Yu Mian's honorary title. Zhu Ji was demoted to the rank of Jinyiwei Baihu, and Wang Xian, the Yin of Shuntian Prefecture, neglected his duties and was demoted to half a rank and fined half a year's salary. He was demoted one rank in the Ministry of Civil Affairs examination and still knows about the affairs of Shuntian Prefecture."
…
That's it?
The ministers looked up at the emperor, eagerly waiting for the next step. Zhu Ji and Yu Mian had been dealt with, but what about the most important one, Yu Qian?
It was quiet for a moment. To their disappointment, the emperor never spoke again. In desperation, many people looked at Zhu Jian who was still in the palace.
Feeling the pressure from everyone, Zhu Jian hesitated for a moment and said.
"Your Majesty, the case has been concluded. Judging from the current evidence, it has not been found that Zhu Ji or Yu Mian interfered with local affairs. They were instructed by Shaobao. When this happened, Yu Shaobao was As the purpose was to run a local errand, it should be concluded that Yu Shaobao did not know about it at the time. According to the testimonies of Yu Mian and others, it is also confirmed that Yu Shaobao did not know the inside story of the matter. Please give your Majesty a stern judgment."
This was considered to be a tactful way of excusing Yu Qianzai. Of course, the statement was still very cautious.
However, despite this, Zhu Jian's actions did make many ministers in the palace change their view of him.
You must know that before this, Mr. Zhu's reputation in the court fell to the bottom due to the prince's resignation and the subsequent palace examination.
In the eyes of many ministers, he is a person who strives for power and interests, likes to form cliques but fails to achieve anything, and in the end will only be self-defeating.
Now that he is presiding over Yu Qian's case, many people feel that he is either seeking personal revenge or just trying to please him. In short, not many people are optimistic that he will deal with it impartially.
But judging from today's morning performance, Mr. Zhu's performance is obviously up to standard.
Especially now that the emperor has put Yu Qian in prison and is obviously biased against Qian, he still excuses Yu Qian, which can be regarded as a good favor.
However, after hearing these words, the emperor's expression was a bit intriguing. He was neither happy nor angry, he just said calmly.
"The confessions of Zhu Ji and Yu Mian alone are not enough to prove that this matter has nothing to do with Yu Qian. Now Yu Qian is being held in the imperial prison, and the Jinyi guards are questioning him according to the order. We will not deal with him until the results are known."
As soon as these words came out, there was a burst of discussion in the palace, and many ministers were very surprised by the emperor's cold attitude.
Although Yu Qian was imprisoned in imperial prison, after all, he was the Minister of the Ministry of War, with the title of First Grade Shaobao. With Zhu Jian's rank, he did not have the right to interrogate, and even questioning required a separate order.
Although this case involves Yu Qian, it does not involve him that much. Zhu Jian asked for permission to see Yu Qian, but the emperor did not allow it. So in fact, Yu Qian has been detained for more than a month now. During that time, no one had seen him.
Originally, the ministers thought that the emperor detained Yu Qian because of the case, but now it seems that the facts are not that simple.
At this point, many ministers have realized that before the case was submitted to the imperial court, there were already many conflicts between the emperor and Yu Qian.
In particular, the incident of the palace gate kneeling to remonstrate has intensified this contradiction. Therefore, in fact, this case is just an introduction and will not be solved at all. I am afraid that Yu Qian will continue to stay in prison for a while.
The more astute ministers immediately thought of the emperor's transfer of Xiang Wenyao from the Ministry of War. Yu Qian was imprisoned. The Ministry of War was at a disadvantage in the confrontation with the military government. At this time, Xiang Wenyao, who had always been on good terms with Yu Qian, Wen Yao was transferred again.
These signs seem to indicate that Yu Qian has fallen out of favor, or at least, his achievements and prestige may have aroused the emperor's fear...
For a while, although the court became quiet, there was an undercurrent surging, which was even more intense than before.
"That's the end of today's discussion..."
The emperor didn't seem to want to talk more about this topic. He said briefly and prepared to end today's morning court. The ministers had their own thoughts and didn't say anything more.
However, just as the morning court was about to end, there was suddenly a loud bang, which shook the entire court.
The ministers were shocked for a moment and looked in the direction of the sound. The emperor also suddenly stood up from his throne.
Immediately, two Han generals outside the palace came into the palace to report, saying.
"Your Majesty, a lightning strike just now struck the end gate, causing thunder and fire, injuring several palace guards. Please give me your Majesty's permission."
Lightning strikes the palace gate?
There was a sudden commotion in the palace, and anyone with a little bit of political sensitivity could sense the huge waves that would follow this incident.
Sure enough, when he looked up at the emperor's face again, he didn't know when it had become extremely gloomy. He looked at the ministers and the Han general below and said.
"Deploy the imperial army immediately, seal off the inside and outside of Duanmen, put out all the fire, and don't allow anyone to approach!"
"yes!"
The Forbidden Army immediately moved upon the order. Although it was pouring rain outside, the sound of the clashing armor of the Forbidden Army was still clearly visible.
But even so, the discussion among the officials in the palace did not stop.
You know, Duanmen is not an ordinary palace gate. It is located between Daming Gate and Chengtian Gate, both of which are one of the main gates of the Forbidden City.
At this time, if Duanmen is struck by lightning and catches fire, its significance is extraordinary.
"My lords!"
At this moment, the emperor's voice sounded again, and the palace slowly became quiet, waiting for the emperor's attitude on this matter.
However, the emperor didn't say anything, he just gave instructions.
"Since Duanmen is on fire, it will be difficult to get in and out for a while. Please leave the palace through Xihua Gate today. The court is in a troubled period now. It depends on your efforts to calm the people and assist the government. Retreat from the court!"
These words obviously had a deeper meaning, and all the ministers looked at each other in confusion. Before they had time to think too much, the emperor's figure had disappeared from the palace.
At the same time, as the emperor left, the main hall, which had gradually become quiet, immediately erupted into a burst of noisy discussion.
Yu Shiyue was among the group of people, with a complicated look on his face. He pinched the memorial in his sleeve, sighed, and turned to leave.
There were dark clouds in the sky, bursts of thunder, and heavy rain. Heavy raindrops kept hitting the eaves and corridors. The whole world was shrouded in dark clouds. The lightning flashes from time to time contrasted with the firelight on the palace gate. It was inexplicable. There is a gloomy feeling, which makes people feel extremely depressed just looking at it...
(End of chapter)
