Under the pavilion of the General Administration Department in the front courtyard of the imperial city, Zhou Bangyan, the left inspector of the procuratorate, who was on duty as the censor, also slowly finished the last bite of the food while the afternoon bell rang gently, and then took his chopsticks. Arranged neatly, Tuan Legs began to close his eyes and relax on the rope bed.
Because of the series of events that happened in the past two days, he, a veteran of the Xiantai and the Procuratorate who had experienced many ups and downs between the local government and the capital, could not help but feel a sense of urgency.
Who would have thought that Guo Chongtao, who was his half-disciple, would stir up such a big news and relationship after getting together with that person; directly bringing the spotlight to the junior third division who was investigating the case. They were all overwhelmed.
Just like the Liang Gong who assisted Emperor Taixing in reforming his political strategy. When the censor's first and third courts redefined the responsibilities and powers, the approvals were average; there were too many people in Wutai who talked little about righteousness, sat back and talked, and acted upon the wind; but too few people actually had the courage to take on responsibilities.
Therefore, a special censorship system was re-established; that is, in the transfer and promotion of censorship and foreign officials, one must go through a censorship career of one to several years (secret visits); there must be The practice of assessment and evaluation can be completed only by achievements.
As a result, this noble position, which has been passed down through the ages, was half a supervisor of the court and half a well-educated scholar, and was envied by the world; it became a mad dog in the capital that made local officials change their expressions upon hearing this; A temporary notoriety that was almost as bad as that of Tian's jackal, Wu Desi.
In fact, even Guo Chongtao himself was the censor of Lixing in Hedong and Shannan when Zhou Bangyan served twice in his early years. After personally guiding and testing a number of outstanding talents, he finally favored him and established his position. Got the status of disciple.
It was because he stood out in the market and focused on practical matters. He was both persistent and persevering, and he never missed an opportunity to become thoughtful. He also vaguely regards him as the ideal and cause he upholds, and even as one of the candidate successors of the corresponding faction, and further examines him.
But he did not expect that Wei Dongting, a disciple with a relatively superior background who had become his disciple earlier, would have more escape routes and choices. He actually chose to retreat when the matter came to pass; he would rather hide in the mistress's department and live in peace with others, sharing the responsibilities with others rather than getting involved.
Logically speaking, as a small third division that brought together the director (or judge) of Dali Temple, the member of the criminal department, and so on, and took advantage of the resources of the government office, could it really be a pure waste of money? It's just that there are too many people who are not united in their efforts, and they are afraid of taking responsibility but unwilling to put in more effort, which is why there has been no breakthrough for a long time.
As a result, the newly-appointed Guancheng Censor Guo Chongtao, who was ranked lower than the seventh rank, bravely and proactively faced the difficulties; he was stunned to create a huge situation out of thin air. The evidence and suspicions he provided alone have ruined the careers of at least three officials with higher grades than him.
I don’t know who the other low-level officials were who were sent to Taiwan Prison. This also forced Zhou Bangyan, as the seat master and the leader, to make choices and decisions.
Either the strong man cuts off his arm, and the relationship is cut off, and he is allowed to drift with the tide and fend for himself. Or, use this to give him more support and help, and even make him the most conspicuous and outstanding rookie in Yushi Taichung, and even a powerful assistant in his career.
Therefore, in the face of the latest evidence and findings, his consistent love of love still outweighed his personal interests; therefore, he had just used his maximum authority to issue a document for the Du Guan Lang Zhong Juna to hear the news. ; Also waiting for the official position to be made clear.
Because, compared to the respective departments of the various prisons in the capital, the left and right disciples located in the south corner of the city are actually an important facade due to the legacy of the Holy Ancestor Taizong. Therefore, after being passed down through the generations, they all fall under the direct jurisdiction of the Duguan Langzhong set up by the Ministry of Punishment;
Zhou Bangyan, as the Zuoduchao of the Procuratorate, directly dealt with such a lowly and powerful person. He had at least thousands of people under his jurisdiction and indirectly affected the livelihood of tens of thousands of people. At the same time, he had the power to inspect and inspect the prisons in Gyeonggi. , interrogate directly from the important positions in the Ministry of Justice on the fifth rank;
It can be said that he has pushed the skylight to the maximum extent within the basic duties conferred by the Yushitai. Of course, Zhou Bangyan's move was just "Xiangzhuang's sword dance was intended for Pei Gong"; the affairs under the jurisdiction of the Duguan Langzhong under the Ministry of Punishment were extremely complicated, so they may not have much to do with it.
The real goal is to create enough reasons and opportunities for Guo Chongtao, who is charging ahead, to interrogate and pursue the relevant people under his command. After all, even the governor and doctor, who is the superior and chief officer, have entered the Yushitai, can the people below be spared?
However, while he was holding his breath and entering the underworld, slowly recalling the strange news and chaos he had read from the Secretariat of the Ministry of Finance, he suddenly heard the sound of footsteps approaching from far away, and a sharp and feminine voice. The voice said:
"It turns out that Zuo Du is here to have some leisure time, which makes the Za family easier to find."
Zhou Bangyan couldn't help but open his eyes and saw that he was a noble man in purple clothes and a crown, with a clean face and beardless hair, and a childlike face. He couldn't help but say:
"It's Huang Daban. Why are you not listening at the Yintai Gate, but you are here to play at the General Administration Department?"
"It's really because the old man is soft-hearted and can't get help from others, so he came to Zuo Du with a message."
Faced with this soft nail, Huang Daban did not continue to laugh and said
"Oh, but is it because of the current relationship with Youtufang?"
Zhou Bangyan, however, said:
"Of course not, that is related to the last testament of the Holy Empress Zhenming; how dare an old slave from the Za family dare to break the filial piety of the Tian family?"
However, Huang Daban shook his head without hesitation:
"It's just that the old man in the palace couldn't ask for it. He said that he was his son-in-law. I'm afraid he had some misunderstandings with Guo Guancheng. The matter is serious at the moment and I don't dare to delay the official business. So I ask Zuo Du for convenience. Give me a chance to express my views face to face."
However, after this negotiation, Zhou Bangyan finally agreed to the other party's request. Because he also wanted to use this to test and observe the other party's true attitude and motivation; at the same time, he wanted to see if he could exchange some resources and information.
On the other hand, although this Huang Daiban has handed over most of his duties and half-retired to live in the palace, since he can be called a Daiban or a companion, it represents the personal team of the feudal residence before the emperor ascended the throne. origin;
As the supervisor of the ministers of the foreign dynasty, he was of course not afraid of the other party's power; since the Taiping period, there were few eunuchs who were arrogant. But at this juncture, it is not a wise choice to add more unexpected variables to his disciple Guo Chongtao.
Furthermore, by consulting the records of the Secret Pavilion of past dynasties, he vaguely sensed some kind of opportunity that might lead to changes in the current situation.
As a result, Guo Chongtao, who had justifiably integrated the manpower dispatched from various parties in Youtufang under his command, also welcomed an inconspicuous visitor. He was a middle-aged man with a short, fat build and a slightly wretched appearance.
"You and I have never talked to each other, so what else can we say?"
Guo Chongtao choked unceremoniously:
"To be fair to Mr. Guo, the long-term conflict between your and our families is due to official business rather than personal grudges?"
The middle-aged man didn't take it seriously and said:
"Therefore, given the current situation, my family's chief minister is willing to maintain a channel of mutual trust with Mr. Guo."
"You still have the nerve to say this!"
Guo Chongtao sneered:
"To be honest with Mr. Guo, the official who secretly had an affair with Ambassador Xia's house was indeed from the Wude Department; but his actions were not what you and the chief ministers wanted."
The middle-aged man said sincerely:
"At least, Wu Desi is consistent with Xiantai in terms of the original intention of finding out the relationship and the inside story. How about asking Mr. Guo to give him a chance?"
Just when Guo Chongtao hesitated for a moment and wanted to say something, someone suddenly broke in; it was Murong Wu, the chief of staff under his command, and he hurriedly spoke in vain and disgusting words in his ear:
"That Jiang Sheng was attacked and disappeared on his way back to the garden."
