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Seeing Prince Zhu Heyu's statement, Emperor Deqing's eyes flashed with complicated and unspeakable emotions.
Then, Emperor Deqing's tone was gentle and he said slowly: "Oh? The prince has an opinion on this matter? Tell him."
Prince Zhu Heyu said: "Father, yesterday morning, after Young Master Guo Tang impeached Zhao Junchen, the Minister of Household Affairs, his relatives were in trouble one after another in just one day. If this matter can be said It's just a coincidence, I'm afraid it's hard to convince the public.
What's more, according to Huo Zhengyuan of Shuntian Mansion, there are also many strange things! According to government procedures, even if someone reports certain crimes of 'Sitong Trading Company' to Shuntian Mansion, Huo Zhengyuan should first investigate and collect evidence and confirm the authenticity of the report before taking action, instead of immediately sending someone to seal it up.' Sitong Trading Company, and even arrested all the owners of Sitong Trading Company. Huo Zhengyuan's actions were a bit hasty.
Let's talk about the matter of the Imperial College. As far as I know, just before the Imperial College dismissed Guo Shaofu's grandson Guo Mingtai, the Minister of Household Affairs Zhan Shanchang went to the Imperial College in person to visit several officials of the Imperial College. Not long after, the Imperial College dismissed Guo Mingtai. thing! This thing seems to be anything but a coincidence!
Moreover, whether it is Huo Zhengyuan, the Yin of Shuntian Prefecture, or Zhan Shanchang, the Minister of Household Affairs, these two have always had a close relationship with Zhao Junchen, and their various actions may not be without purpose! According to Erchen, even if Zhao Junchen was not deliberately retaliating for Guo Shaofu's impeachment in these matters, I am afraid that some officials were deliberately trying to please Zhao Junchen and deliberately created difficulties to suppress Guo Shaofu. "
After hearing what Prince Zhu Heyu said, the expressions of Huo Zhengyuan, Zhan Shanchang and others changed slightly.
This time, Zhao Junchen's method of punishing Guo Tang was quite fast and fierce. The advantage was that it helped to establish his authority, but the disadvantage was that the traces of revenge were too obvious and it was easy for people to grasp the clues.
Obviously, Prince Zhu Heyu discovered this flaw keenly.
After a pause, Prince Zhu Heyu said again: "Furthermore, I believe that this matter has a great impact and must not be taken lightly. If all the officials will suffer retaliation for impeaching the ministers of the DPRK, who will do it in the future?" Dare to tell the truth in the temple? At that time, the court's speech channels will be blocked, and some officials can unscrupulously deceive superiors and subordinates. Wouldn't the imperial court be completely in chaos? Therefore, I think the court must do something for this time. Mr. Guo upholds justice and severely punishes unhealthy practices. He must not let this matter affect the court's opinions. I hope my father will learn from it!"
As the words of Prince Zhu Heyu fell, Lv Chunxiao, the censor of Youdu of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, also stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, I also believe that the various actions of Shuntian Mansion and Imperial College against Guo Shaofu yesterday were by no means that simple. There is someone behind the scenes! Because the matter between Shuntian Mansion and the Imperial College is not an isolated case! As far as I know, someone was secretly contacting the censors of the Metropolitan Procuratorate yesterday, planning to impeach Mr. Guo this morning! Your Majesty, it’s just In just one day, so many things happened against Mr. Guo and his people. It would be too far-fetched to say that these things are all coincidences."
Then, under the leadership of Prince Zhu Heyu and Lu Chunxiao, Qingliu officials expressed their support one after another, intending to characterize Guo Tang's incident as Zhao Junchen's deliberate revenge, and urged Emperor Deqing to seek justice for Guo Tang.
For a time, influenced by the Qingliu people's statements, Guo Tang won the sympathy of many officials.
"It seems that Zhu Heyu has indeed made progress. He did not stand up to me and defend Guo Tang. Instead, he avoided the important and ignored the easy. He never mentioned whether Guo Min and Guo Mingtai were wronged or not. I repeatedly emphasized that Guo Tang had been deliberately retaliated against by me, and also linked this matter to the court's opinions, in order to influence Emperor Deqing's judgment..."
Looking at the performance of Prince Zhu Heyu and all the Qingliu people, Zhao Junchen secretly admired them in his heart.
However, Zhao Junchen's performance was still calm and calm. Even though Prince Zhu Heyu and Qingliu all pointed their fingers at Zhao Junchen, Zhao Junchen's expression remained unchanged and he just watched the situation change.
In fact, Zhao Junchen did not intend to take action personally for this level of trouble.
Under the hint in Zhao Junchen's eyes, all the "Zhao Party" officials did not have any fear, and they all made statements one after another, confronting the "Princeling Party" and not giving in!
Zuo Lanshan was the first to step out of the queue and said in a loud voice: "Your Majesty, I think that the statement of His Royal Highness the Prince and others seems to have some truth, but it is all conjecture without any factual basis, and it is completely unbelievable! If it is just If you can slander court officials with some baseless speculations, the situation in the court in the future will inevitably be chaotic, chaotic, and out of control. Your Majesty, please be aware of this!"
Then, Zhan Shanchang looked angry, as if he had been greatly wronged, and said: "Your Majesty, I once served as the Minister of Rites. I have always had friendships with several adults in the Imperial College and often met. Now His Royal Highness is just a Because of my meeting with several adults of the Imperial College, I blamed all the dismissal of Guo Mingtai, the direct grandson of Guo Shaofu, on me. Even such baseless accusations made me feel chilled. I beg your Majesty to take charge of this matter. justice!"
Then, with a clear conscience, Huo Zhengyuan slowly stepped out of the queue and said: "Your Majesty, the matter of sending people to seal down the 'Sitong Trading Company' is completely official and just fulfilling the duties of the Shuntian Prefecture Yin! As for the fact that I arrested Guo Min, Guo Shaofu's brother, it was only because Guo Min was the owner of "Sitong Shipping"! He had nothing to do with Guo Shaofu! Could it be that because Guo Min was Guo Shaofu's brother, I had to ignore the law and the Internet? Isn’t it possible to be just a sideshow? Didn’t I betray His Majesty’s trust? Therefore, I have a clear conscience about the arrest of Guo Min by Shuntian Mansion! If I do it again, I will still arrest Guo Min!”
At this point, Huo Zhengyuan changed the topic and said: "The imperial court has its own laws and regulations. We and other imperial officials should set an example and never engage in malpractice for personal gain! Because this is related to the fundamentals of the imperial court's governance! However, after arresting Guo Min, Just because Guo Min was Guo Shaofu's brother, I faced great pressure. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Censor of Lu Du, Cheng Ge Lao and others all put pressure on me. They did not ask the reason why Shuntian Prefecture arrested Guo Min. I strongly demand that I release Guo Min as soon as possible! Under pressure from all parties, I still insist on doing business. I never thought that I would be maliciously criticized by many people this morning!... Your Majesty, I still said the same thing, I just I am just adhering to the laws and regulations of the court! I have a clear conscience!"
As everyone in the "Zhao Party" expressed their opinions one after another, especially Huo Zhengyuan's impassioned speech, the "Zhao Party" began to counterattack.
Then, the "Princeling Party" and the "Zhao Party" started a fierce argument. The "Princeling Party" accused the "Zhao Party" of deliberately retaliating against Guo Tang, and the "Zhao Party" accused the "Princeling Party" of favoritism and interference. In accordance with court laws and regulations, both sides insisted on their own views, but avoided talking about the other party's accusations, and the situation fell into a stalemate.
As for Emperor Deqing, he had been silent and thoughtful. He just listened quietly to the debate between the "Prince Party" and the "Zhao Party" without expressing any opinions. His eyes occasionally glanced at Zhao Junchen and Zhao Junchen. Sometimes he would stay on Prince Zhu Heyu, his eyes constantly fluctuating, as if he was hesitating in his heart.
After a long time, seeing the conflict between the "Prince Party" and the "Zhao Party" becoming more and more intense, Emperor Deqing seemed to have finally made up his mind and said: "Don't argue! Everyone is a member of the imperial court. But his face is red, his ears are red, and his voice is hoarse, what kind of behavior do you have?"
Following Emperor Deqing's rebuke, the "Prince Party" and "Zhao Party" finally stopped quarreling and retreated into the ranks of officials, waiting for Emperor Deqing to express his opinions.
At this time, Prince Zhu Heyu secretly breathed a sigh of relief after seeing Emperor Deqing finally express his stance.
Just now, during the fierce debate between the two factions, the "princelings" have gradually fallen into the disadvantage. After all, their arguments seem to be aboveboard, but there is no evidence. On the contrary, they are quite suspected of interfering with the law and slandering the ministers. , and everyone in the "Zhao Party" held the truth and clung to the flaws of the "Princeling Party", so the "Princeling Party" gradually became unable to resist.
Prince Zhu Heyu originally did not expect that the "Princeling Party" could defeat the "Zhao Party" through a debate and quarrel.
However, according to Zhu Heyu's idea, Emperor Deqing will definitely support the "Princeling Party" this time! As long as there is the support of Emperor Deqing, the "Princeling Party" will definitely defeat the "Zhao Party" this time
The reason is very simple. Emperor Deqing can only maintain his imperial majesty by supporting the "princeling party"!
After all, after Emperor Deqing punished Guo Tang in court yesterday morning, the matter of Guo Tang's impeachment of Zhao Junchen should have been settled. If Zhao Junchen still retaliates against Guo Tang, it means that he is not convinced by Emperor Deqing's decision, and it will be unfair to him. Emperor Deqing's promise went against his will. After Emperor Deqing saw this situation, he would naturally not be happy!
In addition, Prince Zhu Heyu just talked about the far-reaching impact of Guo Tang's incident on the court's speech, and the court's speech was closely related to the emperor's authority. If the court's speech was blocked, then the emperor would become blind and deaf, and could only do whatever he wanted. Being deceived by his ministers is something that Emperor Deqing will never tolerate!
Considering these circumstances, Emperor Deqing's attitude is very obvious - this is one of the reasons why Prince Zhu Heyu is willing to stand up and support Young Master Guo Tang!
It has to be said that Prince Zhu Heyu has indeed made great progress by considering these things. Under normal circumstances, his judgment cannot be wrong.
But Prince Zhu Heyu didn't know that Emperor Deqing had already made up his mind to depose him! I just haven’t found the right time yet!
However, Zhu Heyu has the full support of the Qingliu people. If Emperor Deqing wants to depose Zhu Heyu, he will definitely encounter strong opposition from the Qingliu people. If the Qingliu people choose to fight to the end, maybe the situation in the temple will be changed. Shocking and restless.
Therefore, if Emperor Deqing wants to depose Zhu Heyu, he must first weaken Qingliu's influence.
Now, because of Guo Tang's incident, Prince Zhu Heyu led Qingliu officials to support Guo Tang. This was also a great opportunity for Emperor Deqing to weaken Qingliu!
Therefore, Prince Zhu Heyu still miscalculated this time!
However, under the watchful eyes of hundreds of officials, Emperor Deqing finally slowly spoke his mind.
Emperor Deqing first took a deep look at Prince Zhu Heyu, then turned his gaze to Zhao Junchen and said: "Zhao Junchen, this matter has something to do with you. Many officials think that Guo Tang's matter belongs to you. You are deliberately retaliating, but why have you kept silent? Is it possible that you have a guilty conscience?"
Emperor Deqing's words seemed to mean questioning Zhao Junchen, but Prince Zhu Heyu was shocked and raised his head to look at Emperor Deqing, his eyes full of disbelief.
The so-called emperor's mind, every move has a profound meaning!
Nowadays, the debate between the "Zhao Party" and the "Prince Party" has reached a stalemate, and no one can convince anyone. Emperor Deqing took the initiative to ask Zhao Junchen's attitude, which was equivalent to giving Zhao Junchen the opportunity to break the balance and guide the situation. Opportunity!
In this way, it is self-evident who Emperor Deqing is supporting.
In fact, not to mention Prince Zhu Heyu who was deeply surprised, even the wily Zhou Shangjing couldn't help but trembled slightly after hearing Emperor Deqing's statement. He raised his head and looked at Emperor Deqing with full eyes. It's inquiry.
However, Emperor Deqing ignored the gazes of Prince Zhu Heyu and Zhou Shangjing. He just stared at Zhao Junchen, waiting for Zhao Junchen's answer.
Zhao Junchen was not surprised by Emperor Deqing's attitude. This was something he had expected.
I saw Zhao Junchen slowly walking out of the queue, his expression still calm, and he said slowly: "Your Majesty, I have just stated my attitude. Regarding the accusations made by Guo Shaofu and others, I have no knowledge and do not admit it!"
Then, Zhao Junchen said again: "However, since His Royal Highness, Mr. Guo and others have implicated the matter on me, I will just say a few more words! This matter is actually easy to solve, as long as we send people to investigate. Yes! Did Guo Shaofu's brother Guo Min break the law? Should Guo Shaofu's grandson Guo Mingtai be expelled from the Imperial College? These things are not difficult to investigate. As long as these things are investigated clearly, the truth will naturally be clear!
If Guo Min is indeed guilty, and if Guo Mingtai indeed violated the rules of the Imperial College, then the decision of Shuntian Prefecture to arrest Guo Min and the Imperial College to expel Guo Mingtai is not wrong. Then no one is deliberately retaliating against Mr. Guo. Everything is just between Shuntian Prefecture and the Imperial College. Just business! On the other hand, if Guo Min is not guilty and Guo Mingtai does not violate the rules of the Imperial College, then Shuntian Mansion and the Imperial College are deliberately targeting Mr. Guo. At that time, as long as they continue to investigate and follow the clues, they will naturally be able to find the person behind the scenes! "
Having said this, Zhao Junchen shook his head and sighed: "Your Majesty, I think what Academician Huo said is the most correct. The court has its own laws and regulations. Everyone should be treated fairly in front of the court's laws and regulations! No matter they are ordinary people or those in the government, As long as Shaofu's relatives violate the laws and disciplines, they should be dealt with fairly and in accordance with the court's laws and disciplines! Regarding the various matters involving Shaofu Guo, it is actually very simple. Everything should be handled in accordance with the court's laws and disciplines, and there is no need to have unnecessary arguments."
When listening to Zhao Junchen's statement, speaking of "law and discipline" and speaking of "justice", everyone in the Huangji Palace looked strange.
When it comes to breaking laws and disciplines, there are very few people in the whole court who can compare with Zhao Junchen. However, Zhao Junchen did not expect that Zhao Junchen would also talk plausibly about "laws and disciplines" and "justice."
In fact, Zhao Junchen has never rejected words such as "law and discipline" and "justice". As long as these words are beneficial to Zhao Junchen, then Zhao Junchen will definitely be a staunch defender of the court's justice in law and discipline.
For example, this is the case now.
From a certain perspective, this kind of "legal justice" is also a kind of irony, but this kind of "justice" has been the mainstream throughout the ages!
The words "justice" and "fairness" are often compared by people, but "justice" does not mean "fairness" because not everyone can get "justice" and many people can escape "justice", so "fairness" The word "" is out of the question.
At this time, Zhao Junchen kept pursuing "legal justice", but he was only asking others. If it were Zhao Junchen's turn, it would be a different matter.
On the other side, after hearing Zhao Junchen's confession, Emperor Deqing also looked strange, thinking that Zhao Junchen was extremely thick-skinned.
However, Emperor Deqing still agreed with Zhao Junchen's point of view and nodded and said: "What Zhao Aiqing said makes sense. This matter is not difficult to handle. As long as we continue the investigation, we will know the truth!"
Then, Emperor Deqing raised his voice and said: "In this case, I will pass on my decree. The case of 'Sitong Trading Company' will be jointly tried by the Three Law Departments from now on, and the matter of Guo Mingtai's expulsion from the Imperial College will be handed over to the Ministry of Rites for detailed investigation. These two cases The matter is not complicated, I hope I can see the conclusion tomorrow morning!"
As Emperor Deqing finished speaking, everyone in the "Zhao Party" looked happy, while everyone in the "Prince Party" looked gloomy.
If these two things are strictly investigated, it will naturally be detrimental to the "princeling party"!
In fact, the troubles of the "princelings" have just begun.
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Well, a 5,000-word chapter, the first update today.
One more chapter before midnight!
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