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Seeing Zhou Shangjing still bowing his head without saying a word, seemingly resigned to his fate and no longer offering any resistance, Emperor Deqing sighed inexplicably, seeming a little disappointed.
Then, Emperor Deqing ordered the eunuch Zhang De: "Let them all come in. I happen to have something to discuss with them."
As he spoke, Emperor Deqing moved his steps and stood in front of Zhou Shangjing. In this way, after the ministers entered the temporary imperial study, they would see Zhou Shangjing kneeling at the feet of Emperor Deqing.
Emperor Deqing did this not only to establish his imperial dignity, but also to deliberately humiliate Zhou Shangjing.
Soon, the important officials of the imperial court were filing in, lined up in two rows headed by Pavilion Elder Shen Changmao and Shaobao Zhang Cheng.
Seeing Zhou Shangjing kneeling at the feet of Emperor Deqing, he looked quite downcast, but none of the ministers were surprised, but many people looked at Zhou Shangjing with a mocking look.
To this day, most people have the same view as Emperor Deqing, believing that Zhou Shangjing has no hope of making a comeback and is certain to collapse.
Most of the important officials present in the imperial court had been suppressed by Zhou Shangjing for most of their lives. At this time, seeing that Zhou Shangjing was finally about to collapse, they naturally felt a little gloating.
Emperor Deqing naturally saw the changes in the expressions of the ministers and became more confident in his heart, thinking that the overall situation had been decided.
So, after all the ministers stood still, Emperor Deqing said slowly: "Yesterday, all the ministers must have heard about the civil uprising in Canglang Pavilion, but what is the root cause of this civil uprising? Some people who love you have heard about it. I already know it, but some of you don’t know the details..."
After speaking, Emperor Deqing looked around at the ministers, and finally fixed his gaze on Zhao Junchen.
Last night, Zhao Junchen presented the memorial to Emperor Deqing. It can be said that the whole process of Zhou Shangjing's cover-up of Zhou Suhai was explained very clearly. It was obvious that Xichang had already figured out the whole thing.
So Emperor Deqing said: "Zhao Junchen, you are not only the Minister of Household Affairs, but also in charge of the Xichang Detective Agency. You have also been investigating this matter. It is up to you to explain it to the ministers."
After hearing Emperor Deqing's order, Zhao Junchen came out and said: "I obey your order."
Then, Zhao Junchen said to the ministers: "Last June, two boats of Japanese pirates entered Suzhou along the Yangtze River, with a total of about 120 people. After they entered Suzhou, they burned, killed, and looted along the way. The people along the coast were severely affected. Among them, Heshang Village, Xilin Village and Lijiaji were the most severely damaged! Especially Lijiaji, which was originally a famous and wealthy place in Suzhou, but after the Japanese pirates ravaged it, the place Nearly half of the people were killed or injured, and the entire village was burned to the ground!
Although. The garrison towns in Suzhou also sent troops to resist. However, the Suzhou army had not fought for many years, and nearly a thousand sergeants were killed by more than a hundred Japanese pirates. In the end, they were defeated. The Japanese pirates stayed in Suzhou for more than two days before calmly leaving! During this period, there were countless victims, and after the initial defeat, the Suzhou garrison did not dare to fight again..."
After hearing Zhao Junchen's description, Emperor Deqing snorted angrily, while all the ministers changed their expressions.
Although, they also knew about the Japanese pirates wreaking havoc in Suzhou. But I never expected that the Japanese pirates would be so arrogant and cruel, that the military town in Suzhou would be so incompetent and cowardly, and that the situation of the people in Suzhou would be so miserable!
However, neither Emperor Deqing nor the ministers interrupted Zhao Junchen's argument.
Because, to them, what comes next is what really matters.
After a pause, Zhao Junchen continued: "Such a matter is naturally no small matter. It stands to reason that the Suzhou government and the Suzhou garrison should report it to the court as soon as possible. But the civil and military officials in Suzhou were worried that they would be punished by the court, so they unexpectedly It was an attempt to conceal the matter! So, they found the grandfather of Suzhou magistrate Zhou Suhai, who was Fu Zhou Shangjing, hoping that Zhou Fu could use his power and influence to help Suzhou officials cover up the matter! What is regrettable is that Zhou Shangjing was a When he was the minister of the court, he was deeply trusted by His Majesty. After assisting the court for many years, not only did he fail to deal with justice and eliminate relatives in a righteous way, but he also failed the holy hope. In order to protect Zhou Suhai, he actually joined forces with the cronies in the DPRK and China to deceive the superiors and conceal the peace! So, Only today do we know about the Japanese pirate rebellion in Suzhou!"
Having said this, Zhao Junchen glanced at Zhou Shangjing, shook his head slightly and sighed, as if he was very sorry.
Then, Zhao Junchen said again: "However, the sky net is vast and sparse! Even if Zhou Shangjing's deception of deceiving the emperor can be concealed for a while, how can it be concealed for a lifetime? Now, His Majesty has visited Suzhou on his southern tour. The people of Suzhou They had long heard of His Majesty’s name as the Holy King. After they experienced the Japanese pirate rebellion, they could not express their grievances, their grievances could not be avenged, and their losses could not be compensated. Naturally, they felt grievances. After hearing that Your Majesty was temporarily staying in Canglang Pavilion, they all started to express their grievances. We gathered there, hoping to see His Majesty and file a complaint! Although the people arrived a little late, as His Majesty had already moved to the Humble Administrator's Garden for a temporary stay, but things had reached this stage, and Zhou Shangjing's deception of deceiving the emperor was no longer possible. There’s no way to cover it up! However, Zhou Shangjing still took chances and made mistakes again and again, and joined forces with the Suzhou garrison to disperse the people. In the end, it even led to a civil uprising, which also increased his guilt!”
After saying that, Zhao Junchen did not add his own opinions. He just bowed to Emperor Deqing and then retreated to his seat.
Emperor Deqing nodded and said slowly: "That's what happened! It's all just as Zhao Junchen said! Zhou Shangjing has now confessed to all kinds of crimes! How do you think I should handle this matter?"
Upon hearing Emperor Deqing's inquiry, all the ministers were excited.
Here's your chance to take revenge and add insult to injury!
Wang Baoren, the Minister of Civil Affairs in Nanjing, was the first to come out and say: "Your Majesty, Zhou Shangjing, as a minister of the court, has ignored the emperor's favor, deceived the emperor, shielded his clansmen, and formed cliques for personal gain. In the end, he provoked a civil uprising, and the impact was even worse. ! It is truly an unforgivable crime! I believe that in order to serve as a warning to future generations, we should be severely punished!"
Wang Baoren originally had great hope of entering the cabinet, but because of Zhou Shangjing's calculations, he was demoted to Nanjing as the Minister of Household Affairs. From then on, he was far away from the central government and wasted more than ten years of good time! Therefore, Wang Baoren hated Zhou Shangjing with all his heart, and his attitude was the most intense.
After hearing Wang Baoren's suggestion, Emperor Deqing raised his eyebrows and asked: "Then what do you think is a heavy punishment?"
A hint of cruelty flashed across Wang Baoren's face, and he said word by word in a firm tone: "Dismissal from office, confiscation of homes, and execution! And make it known to the world! At the same time, Zhou Shangjing's many cronies must also be held accountable for their crimes, and no one can be allowed to escape. !”
Emperor Deqing frowned, feeling that Wang Baoren's conviction was a bit harsh, but he didn't say anything and just turned his attention to other ministers!
Shen Changmao, the elder of the pavilion, came out and said: "Your Majesty, I think that Wang Shangshu's judgment is too heavy! Zhou Shangjing's guilt cannot be forgiven, but he has assisted the court for many years and is a veteran of three dynasties. He is not only highly virtuous and respected, but also a veteran of three dynasties. And there is also a lot of credit and hard work. Now if he commits a crime, he will certainly be punished. If he is dismissed from office and his house is confiscated, that's it! But if he is beheaded in public, it is too much! Why not use merit to offset his fault, just terminate his official position and demote him to a civilian? Let him retire and return to his hometown?"
Hearing Shen Changmao's statement, everyone present was subconsciously stunned!
Like Wang Baoren, Shen Changmao has also been suppressed by Zhou Shangjing for many years. He also suffered a lot of hidden losses from overt and covert fights. In addition, Shen Changmao himself has a ruthless and ruthless temper. It would be very serious not to add insult to injury to Zhou Shangjing at this time. It's so rare, why did you plead for Zhou Shangjing instead?
For a moment, both Emperor Deqing and all the important officials in the court looked at Shen Changmao with surprised eyes.
Under the attention of everyone, Shen Changmao acted businesslike and selfless.
On the other side, Zhao Junchen was equally surprised.
After experiencing the ups and downs of his official career, Zhao Junchen is now a loyal believer in the view that "human beings are inherently evil". Shen Changmao actually intercedes for Zhou Shangjing. This kind of thing is weird no matter how you look at it.
In addition, Zhao Junchen did not believe that Zhou Shangjing had been captured without mercy, but he thought in his heart: "There is something fishy! Zhou Shangjing will never be captured without mercy, and with Shen Changmao's abnormal behavior...could it be..."
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...To be continued ~^~
