Overnight, everyone was planning for the "destruction" of Zhang, or trying to gain some benefits from it.
Before dawn, Zhu Youtang returned to the palace. For him, a diligent king who had spent half his life, the days of going in and out of the palace did not seem too hard. At least when he went to Fengtian Hall to prepare for the morning court, his mental state was still good. Looks very good.
"Has Bingkuan entered the palace?"
Before Zhu Youtang moved to Fengtian Hall, he asked.
Xiao Jing handed Zhu Youtang a memorial to jointly impeach Zhang Zhou. After hearing this, he respectfully replied: "It is expected that he is on his way to the palace."
Zhu Youtang said: "That's right. Today is his official duty in the court, but it has changed."
As he spoke, he casually opened the memorial and took a look. He didn't think it was that strange when he saw the contents. He didn't even bother to read the long list of signatures at the back, so he just closed it and handed it back to Xiao Jing.
"Your Majesty, do you want to wait for Duke Lai to enter the palace and have a conversation with him before going to the main hall?" Xiao Jing asked for instructions.
"No need." Zhu Youtang said, "I will go over there when the preparations are almost complete. I am a little more looking forward to today's court meeting."
Xiao Jing's heart sank when he heard this.
Has the emperor and Zhang Zhou already discussed a countermeasure?
But why don’t even we, the ceremonial supervisors and eunuchs, know anything about it?
How to notify the ministers of the DPRK and China so that they can take precautions?
…
…
Until the court meeting was about to begin, Xiao Jing felt a little uneasy in his heart.
Because this time he was directly opposing the emperor, and even had to cooperate with the ministers to take down Zhang Zhou. Even if Xiao Jing had ten thousand reasons in his heart to feel that he was "obligated", he was still murmuring in his heart when the matter came to pass.
Court meeting.
Civil servants and military officials were listed in the east and west classes respectively. However, Zhang Zhou, as the meritorious official who reported his work that day, did not appear directly in the court class. Instead, he came with the North Korean leader Li Yi to pay homage.
Even the ministers were informed of this arrangement temporarily, but it was arranged by Xu Qiong, the Minister of Rites, and because Xu Qiong was not involved in the "back Zhang movement", he did not let the ministers know about this in advance. Even Shen Lu learned temporarily that Li Yi entered the palace that day.
In front of the leader of the vassal country... I impeached the hero of the Ming Dynasty... This hero is still the most troublesome and fearful of the vassal country...
Even if those who participated in the impeachment of Zhang Zhou felt that this matter was correct, at this time they would think that the emperor's face was not a good ending.
It was easy to drive the emperor into panic.
Zhu Youtang sat upright, as if he had never seen him so formal before. Facing Li Yi's three bows and nine kowtows to him, Zhu Youtang felt the majesty of the emperor of the heaven from the bottom of his heart.
"The Qing family is in peace." Zhu Youtang said, "Give me a letter of credence."
Xiao Jing then walked down and handed the prepared scepter and other objects to Li Yi.
On Li Yi's side, envoy Jin Shoutong read out North Korea's tribute to the Ming Dynasty, especially mentioning the support for the Ming Dynasty in the next few years to pacify the Jurchens in Liaodong, as well as the supply of food and grass for Nuergandusi, and also requested the Ming Dynasty to support the Ming Dynasty. Granted by the Lord Li Yi.
These were all responded to by Zhu Youtang.
The ministers present looked at the performance-like process, and they were all thinking about when it would be appropriate to come out to impeach Zhang Zhou.
After Li Yi was officially appointed as the leader of North Korea, Zhu Youtang asked Xiao Jing to read the imperial edict in public, and then handed the edict to North Korea.
"Li Qing's family, you have come from afar, stayed in Beijing for a few days, and then returned to the vassal country early. The stability in Korea is very important. If you have any needs from the Ming Dynasty, just report to the Ming Dynasty for instructions. Every quarter of the year, you must I will read all your reports on major domestic events, and I will provide relief for natural and man-made disasters in Korea as appropriate. Please step back."
Zhu Youtang seemed to have heard the calls of the ministers present and knew that the family scandal should not be made public. He also understood that the highlight of today was not to meet the North Korean leader.
Then Li Yi took his envoys and left Fengtian Palace together.
…
…
After the audience of North Korean leader Li Yi ended.
Then the second topic started, which was also the issue that everyone was most concerned about that day... It was not to impeach Zhang Zhou, but to reward the people who had made contributions in Liaodong this time, but it did not include the previous Huang Shui. The First World War... The basic characterization was made at the beginning of the year, and the soldiers of Jizhou and Liaodong were rewarded respectively with first merit and military merit. Although the Jizhou side still contributed more, it basically maintained fairness to the soldiers of Liaodong. .
In the current battle against the Jurchens, there would be nothing wrong with the Jizhou soldiers.
Everyone also knew that it depended on how the emperor was going to recognize Zhang Zhou's contribution, but before doing so, he would first change the subject.
Fu Han, the left minister of the Ministry of Rites, came out and asked: "Your Majesty, the leader of North Korea is seizing power for the purpose of usurping and committing crimes against superiors. This should not be exposed. Tang Yin, the head of the Ministry of War of our dynasty, has assisted Zhou to commit the following crimes in North Korea. Please forgive him." .”
It is not to show merit to Tang Yin, but to convict Tang Yin.
There was another very coincidental thing that day... As one of the heroes of Ping Liao, and as an envoy to North Korea, Tang Yin also appeared in the Dongban of civil servants as a minister of the court. Although he was standing in He was at the back of the crowd, but these words fell clearly on his ears.
Knew it……
Tang Yinxin said.
I worked so hard and risked almost death to come back, but I still became a thorn in your side.
This forced me and my senior brother to go all the way to the dark side.
Zhu Youtang said: "Tang Qing's family went to North Korea as envoys under my imperial order. They went there twice. First, they cooperated with North Korean soldiers to defend the multi-wall city of Jurchen in Haixi. They held on for several months to lay the foundation for this battle. After the victory, he sent an envoy to question the North Korean leader Li's laziness and recklessness in the war, so as to induce the North Korean leader to correct the chaos. What was his fault?"
Let alone wanting to hold Bingkuan accountable, even if you want to hold Bingkuan's side Tang Yin accountable for his "fault", you can't even think about it.
Tang Yin helped Pu Yuanzong rebel, and even led the rebellion. It sounds a bit unkind and unjust. It may have put Ming Dynasty at the forefront of public opinion. But the problem is that they did it. Now the new leader of North Korea is subservient to Ming Dynasty. This is credit.
You ministers just like to talk nonsense, and I don’t want to hear it.
"Issuing an order," Zhu Youtang said, "In the evaluation of Tang Yin by the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the official position was increased by one level and appointed as governor of the Bohai Sea."
Tu Fu, the Minister of Civil Affairs, came out and asked, "Your Majesty, I wonder what the duties of the governor of the Bohai Sea are?"
Zhu Youtang said: "I am planning to set up a shipyard in the Bohai Sea to build sea-going ships for the Jinghai Sea in the southeast. During the shipbuilding period, there will be someone to supervise this matter, so Tang Yin will be appointed as the member of the household department, the governor of the Bohai Sea, and the right capital. Censor. Do you have any objections?"
Zhou Jing, the Minister of Household Affairs, said: "Your Majesty, the shipbuilding project has cost too much. Please take it back."
"In terms of expenses, you don't need to worry about it." Zhu Youtang said, "Tang Yin will raise the personnel and expenses by himself. He only needs to mobilize a thousand soldiers from the Beijing camp to cooperate with him."
Tang Yin was given a thousand soldiers and horses from the Beijing camp, and a little money was given as start-up capital, and then Tang Yin was asked to build a government office on his own, such as the Bohai Governor's Office.
This sounded to the ministers present that the emperor's thinking was a bit out of the ordinary. They all knew that this matter probably came from Zhang Zhou's suggestion, but no one knew what was hidden behind it.
Why are you still doing sleepwalking when you're awake in broad daylight?
You, Zhang Bingkuan, won’t you want to target someone else next time, right?
"As for Bingkuan... Duke Lai Guo."
There were many people present who were ready to oppose the establishment of a Bohai governor, but after hearing Zhu Youtang's words, everyone held their breath and concentrated.
As long as the governor of Bohai takes down Zhang Zhou, everything can be overturned without any effort.
The key is not that Tang Yin should be a governor, but that Zhang Zhou should be dismissed from the court as soon as possible.
"His Majesty!"
Just when the civil servants were holding their breath and concentrating, and Yan Guan was gearing up for a big fight, Zhang Mao, the leader of Spanish martial arts, suddenly walked out.
Many people present felt that you, Mr. Zhang, were too ignorant today, right?
Zhu Youtang looked at Zhang Mao and said, "Mr. British, are you okay?"
Zhang Maodao: "I learned from the official mouth of Qintian Supervisor that in the next few days, disasters may occur in the capital, and the spearhead is directed at your majesty's emphasis on Lai Guogong, or it may be counterattacked by God's will. I ask your majesty to sacrifice the lives of the people." For the most important thing, listen to God’s will and don’t favor and trust treacherous ministers anymore.”
"ah!?"
There was an uproar in the court.
…
…
Zhang Mao's sudden emergence was originally shameful. Civil servants looked down on Wu Xun and did not think Zhang Mao could be of any help at this time.
But what he said...
But it seems to show that he, Zhang, can be regarded as an "iron-hearted" minister of the Ming Dynasty.
Zhu Youtang frowned and said, "Mr. British, do you know what you are talking about?"
Zhang Mao said: "Old minister knows."
Immediately, Zhang Mao turned his attention to Zhang Zhou, who had arrived with the North Korean envoys earlier and stood between the civil servants and Wu Xun, looking very unsightly. He said seriously, "Old minister, I also admire Lai Guogong's past actions, but Man will definitely not be able to defeat God. If human beings always act according to God's will, always use God's will as an excuse to do things, and repeatedly rely on God's will to do things, then they will definitely meet the punishment of God."
"British Duke!"
Zhu Youtang seemed to be angry, and his tone became tougher, and the atmosphere at the scene suddenly became very depressed.
The civil servants present also felt that if they had come out to impeach Zhang Zhou before, they would not have received better treatment than Zhang Mao.
In other words, the emperor's anger seemed to be directed at Zhang Maosa, but in fact it was also a warning to everyone present.
"I don't care whether Bing Kuan manages affairs with God's will, human feelings, or with military strategy. At least he has made great military exploits for the Ming Dynasty. It is really nonsense to say that his actions will be punished by God. Talk, how can I trust you?"
As Zhu Youtang spoke, his eyes swept over everyone present.
This acting skill...
Zhang Zhou was very impressed when he saw it.
Zhang Zhou wanted to say, your majesty, please calm down. We all know that Old Man Zhang is not lying. This is indeed what he heard and said, and he also believes it. Let's not get into those mysterious things and just go straight to the main meal.
Liu Jian came out and said: "Your Majesty, disasters and strange things have happened since ancient times. You must not believe it completely or not believe it."
Liu Jian has to say this now.
The ministers jointly participated in the impeachment of Zhang Zhou, and Zhang Zhou could only be convicted on the basis of using alchemy to bring chaos to the country. In addition... Zhang Zhou's many contributions can be seen by ordinary people, and they cannot ignore them directly. After all, Previously, Zhang Zhou was granted the title of Duke of Lai State based on his meritorious service, and it was done through formal procedures.
Civil servants cannot slap themselves in the face.
In their memorial, they also mentioned the drought in the north, floods in the south, and natural and man-made disasters in various places in the past two years, and wanted to blame Zhang Zhou for all these things.
That's why Liu Jian said something that "can't be trusted".
Zhu Youtang said: "Mr. Liu Ge, do you think that if a disaster occurs somewhere, it is because I used Bingkuan to cause it? Is it too harsh to criticize Bingkuan? Bingkuan can also criticize Bingkuan for causing disasters. A colleague in the DPRK?"
Liu Jiandao: "There is something about building Changbo."
"Did Bingkuan mention that?" Zhu Youtang asked angrily, "Bingkuan only mentioned that Jianchangwei might have an earthquake. Even I dare not say that this is directly related to Jianchangbo's evil deeds. And Isn’t this matter the most mentioned by you?”
Even an emperor has a temper.
At that time, you forcibly linked the earthquake in Jianchangwei to Zhang Yanling's misdeeds, and asked me to send Zhang Yanling to the northwest to "do meritorious service". You also rescued Peng Quan, the commander of Jianchangwei. Why are you now dismissing him and saying that it was Bingkuan? What?
"Qin Tian Jian!"
Zhu Youtang shouted angrily.
The unlucky Wu Hao walked out of the crowd of civil servants, his face clearly showing a despair that he had no hope for life.
I'm just a chess piece, being used as a monkey by you. You can do whatever you want, so please beat me to death as soon as possible. I've had enough.
"Did you tell the British Duke that something terrible might happen, or were you in the capital and still connected with Zhang Bingkuan?" Zhu Youtang shouted sharply.
Wu Hao said: "Yes."
"What kind of disaster is that?" Zhu Youtang asked.
Wu Hao thought to himself, Your Majesty, don’t you know? Or is this Zhang Bingkuan's conspiracy, and he deliberately tricked me?
Wu Hao looked sideways at Zhang Zhou and then said: "It's a hailstorm. It happened on Wuzi Day, which is four days later."
Zhu Youtang sneered and said: "Wu Jianzheng, you are so capable, can you figure this out?"
"I... deserve death." Wu Hao almost wanted to kowtow and admit his mistake to save his life.
"You are right." Zhu Youtang said, "As the Imperial Supervisor, it is your duty to report everything truthfully when you figure it out. But what is your intention in mentioning this matter to the British Minister? Is it to let people know the truth? Did he force this matter to Bingkuan?"
"Uh..." Wu Hao was speechless.
This is not what I want to say, it is what Zhang Bingkuan wants to say.
He also used your Majesty's name.
To blame...it's all Zhang Bingkuan's fault.
Zhu Youtang looked around at the people present again and said: "Dear lords, today I saw a memorial. Many ministers in the court jointly participated in the impeachment of Bingkuan. They said that he used alchemy to gain fortune and was a treacherous official of the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, he Chaos is the foundation of the country. I would like to ask, do you also think that I should abandon him?"
The ministers present thought to themselves, we are all here to impeach him, so naturally we want your majesty to drive him away.
Needless to say?
Why serve the country and the people? There are many people who have always served the country and the people. We only recognize the traditional rules. Who is loyal and who is traitorous, Wang Anshi or Sima Guang? Aren't the two factions at odds with each other in the DPRK?
Is it a thing to sacrifice personal interests for a position?
But in the face of the emperor's questioning, no one at the scene came forward.
Zhu Youtang said: "As for Bingkuan's discussion of merit and rewards, it will be postponed until after Wuzi Day. I would like to see if there is a hailstorm in the capital. If so, let's discuss it separately."
"Your Majesty!" Liu Jian quickly expressed his attitude this time, "Such a thing is too absurd, and it may not be necessary to verify it."
Zhang Zhou, who had been silent all this time, smiled and said: "Mr. Liu Ge, your Majesty did not say that I will not be punished. I have to wait for a few days to see if there is a hailstorm. If there is, it is God's punishment for me. I I am willing to leave the court and be a hermit with peace of mind; if not...then what is the difference from today? In fact, I think that Wu Jian is right and he should be confident, right? "
"you!"
Liu Jian glared at Zhang Zhou.
Many people are also outraged.
Just Zhang Zhou's jovial attitude when talking in the court had already made them unhappy.
But Zhang Zhou was not the first to do this. Xie Qian had made jokes in the court before, and he still became a famous minister praised by everyone during the Hongzhi period. Why can't Zhang Zhou do the same?
Zhang Mao said: "Bingkuan, you are more magnanimous."
Zhang Zhou smiled and said: "Mr. British, whose side are you on?"
While attacking Zhang Zhou with disasters and strange things, occasionally he couldn't help but try to flatter Zhang Zhou...
Zhang Mao said with a smile: "I am on the side of justice, and on the side of the Ming Dynasty and the court. If God really intends to punish you, if you leave the court, isn't it the kind of listening you have always admired? Acting according to God’s will?”
"The British public opinion is right." Zhang Zhougong handed over his hand.
The ministers present were almost furious after watching this scene.
They are even doubting... is Old Man Zhang evil? Didn’t he say that he jointly signed a memorial with us to impeach Zhang Bingkuan? How come he still has a tacit understanding with Zhang Bingkuan?
"okay!"
Zhu Youtang said sternly, "This matter will be discussed later. Bingkuan has just returned to the court and has not had a few days of peace. Do you want me to have no peace of mind as well?"
All the ministers present stopped talking about this matter.
The originally grand impeachment campaign against Zhang Zhou seemed to be suddenly postponed for a few days because of the cooperation between Zhang Mao and Wu Hao, and the murderous intent became lukewarm.
"Hiss." Zhang Zhou pretended to be crazy. He closed his eyes at the scene and seemed to be breathing air heavily, but it gave people the impression that he was behaving inappropriately.
Zhu Youtang glared at Zhang Zhou and said, "Mr. Lai Guo, what are you doing?"
Zhang Zhou opened his eyes, cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I am smelling the smell of blood in the air. I thought it was very strong at first, but now it seems to be much lighter."
Zhu Youtang said: "This court is not a place for you to play with. Honglu Temple...write it down. If Lai Guogong misbehaves, he will be punished with twenty sticks."
"I plead guilty," Zhang Zhou said.
Zhu Youtang suddenly stood up and said angrily: "I am not trying to favor anyone, nor am I trying to condone anyone! Zhang Bingkuan, you are someone I trust, but if you go against God's will, I will not allow you to act recklessly. .You paid the ransom yourself and redeemed yourself from the punishment of the rod!"
The ministers present became anxious upon hearing this.
Your Majesty, didn't we agree to give this kid twenty sticks?
Why do you want him to redeem his punishment just after you convicted him?
Zhang Zhou smiled and said: "I am weak, thank you for Your Majesty's consideration. I am willing to die for Your Majesty."
(End of chapter)
