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The next day, the application time was in the afternoon. 【Read full text】
Under the spotlight, Emperor Deqing's southern patrol finally arrived in Huai'an.
When Emperor Deqing arrived, all the etiquette and welcoming procedures seemed solemn and lively, but they were just the same and there were no surprises, so there is no need to mention them more.
But it was said that after Emperor Deqing arrived at the temporary palace in Huai'an Prefecture, he immediately summoned Zhao Junchen, Huo Zhengyuan, and Bao Wenjie to inquire about the progress of the investigation of the corruption case of Li Xin, the former prefect of Huai'an.
Facing Emperor Deqing's inquiry, the three people did not dare to hide the truth and explained the case to Emperor Deqing in detail.
After hearing the explanations from Zhao Junchen and others, Emperor Deqing thought thoughtfully and said: "So, Li Xin was indeed wronged? Did he really have nothing to arrest him while he was an official?"
Before Zhao Junchen could speak to Huo Zhengyuan, Bao Wenjie said first: "Your Majesty, Li Xin has indeed been wronged. His corruption charges cannot stand scrutiny at all. During his time as an official, he was also known to be honest and upright, and he was well-known among the people. So, I sincerely request your Majesty to overturn Li Xin’s case and restore her innocence!”
After receiving a positive reply, Emperor Deqing's eyes flashed with disappointment, and he remained silent without any response to Bao Wenjie's suggestion.
Emperor Deqing sent Zhao Junchen, Huo Zhengyuan, and Bao Wenjie to review Li Xin's corruption case this time because of Li Jiamin. He wanted to reduce Li Xin's charges and save Li Xin from jail, but he never wanted to The verdict of Prince Zhu Heyu must be completely overturned, because this will affect the reputation of Prince Zhu Heyu!
Therefore, Zhao Junchen and others investigated the case this time. It would be best not only to rehabilitate Li Xin for corruption, but also to find some minor charges against Li Xin. In the end, Emperor Deqing made the next order to avoid the important and take the easy. Li Xin was indeed guilty, but the prince's sentence was also too harsh. Therefore, Li Xin was exempted from prison. In this way, Emperor Deqing not only had an explanation for Li Jiamin, but also maintained the prestige of the prince. It can be said that it was the best of both worlds.
However, Emperor Deqing never expected that Li Xin turned out to be an upright official without any evidence. After Zhao Junchen and others examined him for two or three days, they could not find any crime at all. But it was Emperor Deqing's wishful thinking that came to nothing.
Is it to overturn Li Xin's case and allow the prince's prestige to be damaged? Or should he ignore Li Jiamin's request, pretend not to know about Li Xin's grievances, and cover up the matter?
Just when Emperor Deqing was thinking about what to do next, Zhao Junchen suddenly said: "Li Xin is indeed an upright official, but it is not necessarily true that he has nothing to hold against. Your Majesty, When the prince first searched Li Xin's property, he found nearly one hundred thousand taels of silver, a large part of which was silver. Li Xin couldn't tell the origin at all."
"Oh?" Emperor Deqing looked up at Zhao Junchen, narrowed his eyes slightly, and asked, "What do you mean?"
Zhao Junchen explained: "What I mean is that these properties of Li Xin's are very huge, but no one can tell whether they are clean money or the proceeds of corruption and bribery. Even Li Xin himself can't tell clearly, so why not On the charge of 'unknown origin of huge amounts of property'. It is not a bad idea to uphold His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's original verdict."
the other side. Huo Zhengyuan noticed Emperor Deqing's disappointed look, and combined with Zhao Junchen's reminder, he also confirmed Emperor Deqing's true intentions, so he agreed repeatedly and said: "I mean the same thing! As a local official, Li Xin has a huge family fortune. It’s a crime to not be able to explain the origin of all family assets.”
Bao Wenjie still insisted on his opinion and objected: "This strategy is absolutely impossible! Your Majesty, I have already found out clearly that Li Xin's ancestors were all merchants, and their business scale was not small. It was not until Li Xin's generation that he began to engage in official career , so this amount of money is Li Xin’s ancestral property, but Li Xin can’t explain or prove it. How can he use this as a crime? Who among the officials in the world can give the details of every tael of silver in his hand? Are the origins clearly explained? If this case is revealed, I am afraid that all officials in the world will be panicked! What's more, Li Xin is indeed a corrupt official. He was wronged and his case should be overturned. How can he maintain the original charges? Sentence? Doesn’t this chill the hearts of loyal ministers?”
Huo Zhengyuan shook his head and said: "Master Bao, you have always been close to His Highness the Crown Prince, why don't you understand this? Now it is no longer important whether Li Xin is an upright official or a corrupt official! What is important is that Li Xin's corruption crime was personally judged by His Highness the Crown Prince Yes, if the verdict is overturned, wouldn’t it damage the prestige of His Highness the Crown Prince? This is related to the overall situation of the court! Compared with the prestige of His Highness the Crown Prince, Li Xin’s personal honor and disgrace are just insignificant matters!”
What Huo Zhengyuan said was very serious, but Bao Wenjie refused to give in and said resolutely: "The reputation of His Highness the Crown Prince is of course crucial, but the thoughts and thoughts of the officials are also related to the overall situation of the imperial court! If Li Xin claims that the origin of the huge wealth is unknown, If convicted, all officials will inevitably be in danger. No one knows who will be charged with this unfounded crime in the future. What will happen if the situation in the temple becomes unstable?"
In this way, in front of Emperor Deqing, Bao Wenjie and Huo Zhengyuan debated again.
However, just like last night, both of them had their own opinions, and no one could convince the other.
However, when the two were debating, Zhao Junchen did not express his views, but secretly looked at Emperor Deqing, while Emperor Deqing did not express his attitude, but was just thoughtful.
In fact, ever since Zhao Junchen raised the charge of "unknown origin of huge amounts of property," Emperor Deqing has diverted his attention and thought of many more far-reaching things!
Since the emergence of the feudal dynasty, "imperial power" and "subordinate power" have been fighting openly and covertly. Sometimes "imperial power" has the upper hand, and sometimes "subordinate power" can win the battle.
By the Ming Dynasty, by controlling the army, setting up factory guards, abolishing prime ministers, etc., the "imperial power" gradually gained the upper hand, but it still could not completely overwhelm the "subordinate power". Over the hundreds of years of the Ming Dynasty, some problems still appeared from time to time. There are ministers who can compete with the "imperial power", such as Zhang Juzheng, San Yang, and now Zhou Shangjing. Many times, the emperor cannot keep his word, and many things require the support of the cabinet, which inevitably leads to constraints.
Emperor Deqing was naturally not satisfied with this situation, so he had been trying to find ways to suppress "subordinate power" and expand "imperial power", both for himself and for future generations.
Because of this, Emperor Deqing was very interested in the charge of "unknown origin of huge amounts of property" raised by Zhao Junchen, because the emergence of this charge gave the emperor an additional means to intimidate his ministers, which was conducive to the growth of imperial power.
Therefore, from the bottom of his heart, Emperor Deqing agreed with Zhao Junchen and Huo Zhengyuan's proposal - to uphold the original sentence of Prince Zhu Heyu against Li Xin on the charge of "unknown origin of huge amounts of property", and then find some excuses. Spare Li Xin jail time. In this way, Emperor Deqing had an explanation for Li Jiamin, and the reputation of the prince was preserved. Most importantly, a "precedent" was formed. Once there is a precedent, "the origin of the huge property is unknown" will truly become a For one crime, Emperor Deqing could wield this "big stick" to threaten all officials in the court from now on!
However, Bao Wenjie's point of view is also very reasonable. Once the charge of "huge property with unknown origin" appears, officials will definitely be frightened and there will be a backlash. By then, the situation in the court will be unstable. This is something Emperor Deqing will never do. Would love to see it.
Therefore, Emperor Deqing could not help but hesitate, and he did not express his position on the dispute between Huo Zhengyuan and Bao Wenjie.
Finally, when the debate between Bao Wenjie and Huo Zhengyuan became more and more intense, Emperor Deqing suddenly waved his hand, interrupting the heated debate between the two. He turned his attention to Zhao Junchen and asked: "Junchen, I think that the relationship between the great scholar Huo and Shilang Bao’s arguments all have merit, but the charge of ‘huge property with unknown origin’ was raised by you after all, and I still want to hear your opinion.”
Zhao Junchen lowered his head slightly and said calmly: "Your Majesty, by now, the facts of the case are obvious. Li Xin is indeed not guilty, and it is indeed His Highness the Crown Prince who misjudged the case... Of course, the Crown Prince cannot be blamed for this matter. Your Highness, the trial that was left to His Highness the Crown Prince was indeed a bit tight, and the factory guards also deceived the superiors and misled the Crown Prince's judgment, so it is inevitable that His Highness the Crown Prince made some omissions."
Emperor Deqing nodded and motioned for Zhao Junchen to continue speaking.
Zhao Junchen continued: "I venture to speculate on the Holy Heart and think that your Majesty sent ministers to review the case this time because you can't bear the suffering of loyal ministers and want to make up for this omission and vindicate Li Xin. However, in this way, the reputation of the prince will be ruined." will be damaged, so the situation is a bit of a dilemma. However, I believe that because of some things before and after the southern tour, His Highness the Crown Prince's reputation has already suffered some losses, and there must be no more setbacks now, otherwise His Highness the Crown Prince's reputation will be lost in a short period of time. The impact of the continuous damage inside is really inestimable, so His Royal Highness the Crown Prince’s original judgment must be upheld! This is both the premise and the bottom line!”
After hearing what Zhao Junchen said, Emperor Deqing nodded again in agreement.
On the other side, Bao Wenjie's expression also changed slightly. It was obvious that he had only looked at this matter in isolation before, but now he realized the seriousness of the matter after hearing Zhao Junchen's reminder.
Yes, because of some things before and after the southern tour, the prince's reputation has been damaged one after another, and now there really can't be any more setbacks.
Thinking of this, Bao Wenjie's original position also wavered.
At the same time, Zhao Junchen said: "However, when Li Xin was an official, he did not have any evidence. If he wanted to uphold His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's original sentence, he needed a reason, so I thought of the charge of 'unknown origin of huge amounts of property'. This It not only upholds His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's original sentence, but also gives Your Majesty a sufficient reason to reduce Li Xin's sentence. Of course, Mr. Bao's concerns are also justified. Once this crime is brought forward, it will inevitably cause concern to all officials, but in my opinion Come on, just change your words and you won’t be in trouble.”
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ps: Due to work reasons, I have not had time to update in the past few days. It is now restored and there will be an outbreak tomorrow.
...(To be continued...)
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