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Under the attention of all the officials, Zhao Junchen frowned slightly as he slowly walked out of the queue, seeming to be thinking about countermeasures. 【Read full text】
In fact, Zhao Junchen had already imagined what he should say and what he should do at this time when he made the plan.
However, in order to avoid the suspicion of the officials, Zhao Junchen still had to pretend to be "unprepared" and "thinking hard about countermeasures."
Zhao Junchen understood that under the impeachment of Huang Yourong's party, the two major government offices, the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of Industry, had actually lost 19 officials in one breath, and all of them were Zhao Junchen's "confidants", although this was Zhao Junchen Although Zhao Junchen's cronies did not know the truth, they would only think that Huang Yourong's counterattack was fierce and overwhelming. Now they must be in a state of declining morale and panic!
Therefore, at this time, Zhao Junchen not only needs to exonerate himself and Zuo Lanshan, but also needs to have a tough attitude. Only in this way can he show his determination to protect his officials, and only in this way can he stabilize people's hearts and morale!
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So, after standing out of the queue, Zhao Junchen's expression finally returned to his usual calmness and composure, and he seemed to have thought of a countermeasure!
Seeing Zhao Junchen's calm expression, as if he was confident, all of Zhao Junchen's friends also showed joy. Apparently after such a long time of getting along and getting to know each other, they were already familiar with Zhao Junchen's quick wit and methods. Deeply confident.
"Your Majesty, I do have something to say!" Zhao Junchen's voice was calm and he said slowly: "You must abide by state-owned laws! I also agree with what Cheng Yuandao Cheng Ge said! However, as far as I know, according to According to the law of the Ming Dynasty, whether an official is guilty or not does not depend on whether there is impeachment by the imperial censor, nor whether there is conclusive evidence of guilt. It depends on the final trial of the three law divisions! Nowadays, although the officials of the two ministries of industry and household are impeached by Zhang Shaofu , Liu Yushi and the two adults impeached, and the two adults also listed some evidence. However, after all, the Three Laws Division has not yet tried the trial, which means that the matter has not yet reached a specific conclusion. How come some adults can’t wait to accuse me, the worker and the household? Are you shouting to kill?! Is it possible that from now on, we only need to collect some information that is not known to be true or false, and then throw it out in the morning, without the need for interrogation by the Three Laws Division, and the matter can be concluded? Our Ming Dynasty should not have such rules! "
Having said this, Zhao Junchen looked around and paused briefly on the faces of those officials who advocated "rectifying the work and household departments", his eyes full of majesty. Many officials subconsciously avoided looking directly at Zhao Junchen!
After a pause, Zhao Junchen continued: "What's more, even after the three-law division announced the verdict, the impeached officials of the Ministry of Industry and Household Affairs were indeed guilty. That is just an example. If it is just for this reason, it must be Is the cleaning and rectification of the two major yamen of the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Husbandry not enough? The Ministry of Husbandry is responsible for the world's money and food, and the Ministry of Works is in charge of water and soil engineering. They are both important yamen of the imperial court. Once they are cleaned and rectified, the two major yamen will be unable to operate. The turmoil caused by this, Who should be responsible for the delay in court affairs due to this?!"
Seeing that Zhao Junchen was already eloquent and calmed down his momentum as soon as he spoke, Huang Yourong had no choice but to step out to compete with Zhao Junchen.
Huang Yourong snorted coldly. Chu Li said: "Mr. Zhao! You are using strong words! Officials are guilty, so they should be held accountable! If the yamen is corrupt, it should be cleaned up and rectified, and the yamen leaders should be held accountable! Is it possible because the functions of the two major yamen, the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of Works, are very important? , so you just let them rot? If so. If you are so timid, do you still want to manage the government of the Ming Dynasty?! I think you have a guilty conscience! Protect your friends! Take responsibility for yourself! "
Faced with Huang Yourong's questioning, Zhao Junchen refused to give in and snorted coldly: "I think Mr. Huangge is the one who makes strong arguments! Yes, if the impeachment of Zhang Shaofu and Liu Yushi is true, then the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Accounts are indeed There are some corrupt officials, but after all they are only a minority. Mr. Huangge, why do you say that the Ministry of Industry and the Household Department are corrupt? Could it be that as long as there are a few corrupt officials in the yamen, it means that the yamen is corrupt?! If so, Gansu and Shaanxi were continuously investigated the year before last. Five officials were found guilty of corruption and bribery. Does this mean that all officials in Gansu and Shaanxi provinces, starting from the chief envoy level, will be demoted to the rank and file?! Last year, the Qiu Wei fraud case in three provinces was a big deal. Why didn’t I see you, Mr. Huangge, advocating for the rectification of the Ministry of Rites? This year , how many local yamen were involved in the Southern Patrol’s preparation for the fraud case? Even the Metropolitan Procuratorate made mistakes. Does this mean that all the Ming Dynasty’s palaces are corrupt, and all the officials in office from you, Mr. Huang Ge, down to you need to be replaced?!”
Hearing what Zhao Junchen said, Huang Yourong couldn't help but be speechless for a moment.
Huang Yourong is from Shaanxi, and the two provinces of Gansu and Shaanxi are his local bases. In fact, five corrupt officials emerged in succession in Gansu and Shaanxi the year before last. It was Huang Yourong who promoted them. He just used the name of "corrupt officials" to squeeze out some who disobeyed him. Just a dissident!
As for the Ministry of Rites, since Zhan Shanchang was transferred to the Ministry of Household Affairs, and now under Shang Shu Lin Wei, most of them are Huang Yourong's people, and they are also Huang Yourong's territory in the court!
As for this year's "Southern Tour Preparation Fraud Case", because it was so involved, it naturally involved a lot of Huang Yourong's forces!
Zhao Junchen's attitude is very clear. If there are some corrupt officials in the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Household Affairs, these two major yamen must be rectified and purged. Then the Gansu-Shaanxi fraud case the year before last, the Qiuwei fraud case in the three provinces last year, and the preparations for this year's southern tour Fraud cases should be treated equally!
When that time comes, it will be up to you, Huang Yourong, or me, Zhao Junchen, to suffer! At worst, I'll die with you!
Zhao Junchen was naturally unwilling to die together with Huang Yourong, but Huang Yourong was even more unwilling, so when faced with Zhao Junchen's question, he didn't know how to answer for a while.
Zhao Junchen's tough attitude and fierce backlash all showed Zhao Junchen's determination to protect his cronies, and also made the panic-stricken "Zhao Party" officials secretly applaud!
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Zhao Junchen saw that Huang Yourong was speechless for a moment, so he naturally pursued the victory and continued: "As the saying goes, people's hearts are unpredictable, and in the officialdom, there are all kinds of birds in the jungle! I would like to ask all the gentlemen listed here, who of you can guarantee that? Are there all honest officials in your yamen but no corrupt officials? If you can't guarantee that, will it mean that as long as there are a few corrupt officials in a certain yamen in the future, it means that the yamen is corrupt and the yamen must be cleaned up and rectified? If so, all officials We are worried day and night that we will be implicated, and the government offices will be rectified from time to time. Do we officials and the government offices of the court still have to do things? Can we still do things?!"
After sneering, Zhao Junchen said again: "If you don't want this situation to happen in your own yamen, why should you use this standard to require the two major yamen of the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Household Affairs? Are you strict with others and generous with yourself? This is not the moral character advocated by the ancient saints!”
After saying so much, Zhao Junchen finally turned to face Emperor Deqing and raised his voice: "Your Majesty, these remarks are not to absolve myself of responsibility, nor are they guilty of committing crimes, nor are they to protect the so-called 'cronies'. You are really thinking about the court! Your Majesty, although you are extremely wise, but people's hearts are not ancient after all. Although the court is mostly composed of honest officials who are loyal to the country, there will always be a few corrupt officials mixed in. If there are some corrupt officials in a certain yamen We need to carry out cleansing and rectification, which will only make the officials uneasy, the people uneasy, and the world uneasy!"
Seeing Emperor Deqing nod lightly, Zhao Junchen said again: "What I want to say is that since some officials from the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Household have been impeached, and there are some evidence of crimes, we can send the Three Law Department to investigate, and then they will be cleared. Those who are pure and those who are filthy will become turbid. Everything has its own court laws! However, you must not go too far, let alone involve too many people. Otherwise, the people will see it in their eyes and think that the court is full of corrupt officials and hide evil, which will damage the reputation of the court. !So, from Yichen’s point of view, all we need to do is stop this matter!”
Huang Yourong seized the opportunity and finally launched another attack. He sneered and said, "That's all? Mr. Zhao's words were said lightly. If after verification by the Three Justice Department, the impeached officials from the two ministries are indeed guilty, and their crimes may even be revealed. Mr. Zhao is involved, what should I say?"
Zhao Junchen glanced at Huang Yourong and reported to Emperor Deqing again: "Your Majesty, if it is verified by the Three Laws Division that the impeached household official is indeed guilty, I will bear the crime of dereliction of duty and improper employment! If it is verified by the Three Laws Division, If their crime is related to me, then I am not only guilty of the same crime as them, but also guilty of an additional crime, and I will never ask for forgiveness!"
On the other side, seeing that Zhao Junchen had finished expressing his position, Zuo Lanshan, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, hesitated for a moment and said: "Your Majesty, I and Zhao Shangshu have the same meaning!"
After seeing Zhao Junchen and Zuo Lanshan's successive statements, Huang Yourong couldn't help but be overjoyed!
Although during the confrontation with Zhao Junchen, he was temporarily speechless and lost face, and under Zhao Junchen's strong words, he failed to achieve the goal of cleaning up and rectifying the two major yamen of the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Household Affairs, but with Zhao Junchen's words Guaranteed, then nothing matters!
The charges of "neglect of duty" and "improper employment" can be serious or minor. It all depends on the mood of Emperor Deqing. The major ones can be demoted to the people and lose power; the minor ones can be fined and scolded, which does not itch or hurt!
However, judging from the current level of favor and trust that Emperor Deqing has for Zhao Junchen, the final result will naturally be a one-year fine and a few words of blame!
But what Huang Yourong values is those few words of assurance from Zhao Junchen!
According to Huang Yourong, once those impeached officials from the two ministries enter the Third Law Division and are forced to confess all their crimes under interrogation and torture, there is no fear that Zhao Junchen will not be implicated!
When the time comes, with this guarantee again, let’s see how Zhao Junchen defends himself!
Therefore, Huang Yourong no longer bothered to continue to argue, and no longer mentioned the matter of rectifying the Ministry of Industry and Household Affairs, but turned to report to Emperor Deqing: "Your Majesty, in any case, the impeachment of Zhang Shaofu and Liu Yushi, It is not a trivial matter, I think we should immediately send the three judges to join the trial! Among them, Liu Quan'an and Liu Yushi are the ones who are impeached. They have a lot of criminal evidence in their hands and they have always dealt with things fairly. Yan Pengfei, the Minister of Punishment, is shrewd and capable, and is good at interrogating and deciding cases. Tao, they are all perfect candidates for judging, I hope your Majesty will learn from it!"
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Well, the first update, there will be a big chapter around midnight!
