"Who wrote this memorial?" Zhu Youxiao asked.
The young eunuch said, "This is the memorial written by Master Wang Cheng, the censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate."
"He is also the censor of Shanxi Road"
"Returning to the emperor, Wang Cheng is not the censor of Shanxi Province, but I heard that his hometown is in Xuanfu, not far from Datong."
Zhu Youxiao nodded slightly, with no emotion or anger on his face, and said, "Look, if there is any information about Datong, find them all."
"yes."
The little eunuch began to rummage through a pile of unread books.
After the little eunuch opened the memorials one after another and put them aside, he opened another memorial and still put it aside. Soon, the pile of memorials was read through.
Finally, the little eunuch said, "Your Majesty, no more. These are the only two memorials about Datong."
"What do the rest of the memorials talk about?" Zhu Youxiao asked.
The young eunuch said, "Your Majesty, except for the two memorials from the imperial censor, the other memorials are all impeachment memorials for Lord Fang."
"It's almost as I guessed." Zhu Youxiao picked up the bowl and said, "Keep those two memorials about Datong and take away the rest."
"yes."
The little eunuch picked up two memorials about Datong, put them respectfully on the table in front of Zhu Youxiao, put away the other memorials, and left the hall.
Zhu Youxiao picked up the two memorials left on the table, sneered, and turned to Wei Zhongxian and said, "You have heard the contents of the memorials. How do you think I should treat these two memorials?"
"I don't know, this slave." Wei Zhongxian hurriedly knelt down on the ground.
Zhu Youxiao said, "Get up. Just say what I tell you to say. I won't blame you."
"That slave really said it?" Wei Zhongxian looked at Zhu Youxiao cautiously.
Zhu Youxiao nodded.
Wei Zhongxian said, "I feel that the little eunuch knows too many things, as if he has some meaning."
"Oh, tell me." Zhu Youxiao picked up the bowl and took a sip of tea.
Wei Zhongxian hesitated for a moment and continued, "A young eunuch on duty in the palace even knows when the Datong Inspector will return to Kyoto. He even knows where the hometown of a censor is. If this is Jin Yiwei's I don’t think it’s strange that Master Luo said this, but it’s quite weird for me when a young eunuch in the palace says this.”
"You mean there is someone behind him?" Zhu Youxiao's voice turned cold.
Wei Zhongxian lowered his head and did not dare to speak.
Zhu Youxiao put down the bowl in his hand, picked up the memorial, and said, "Continue."
Wei Zhongxian said cautiously, "As the emperor said, there should be someone behind this. Unfortunately, I don't know much about the affairs of the outer court. I don't know much about who instigated this."
"Are you so anxious to replace the chief assistant?" Zhu Youxiao snorted coldly and threw the memorial heavily on the table.
"Ah" Wei Zhongxian was stunned.
I don't understand how the banditry in Datong is related to the chief minister's affairs.
Colonel Zhu You said to Wei Zhongxian, "Don't you understand why this matter involves Fang Congzhe?"
"Your Majesty is wise, this servant really doesn't understand."
Wei Zhongxian looked confused.
He knew that the tiger-character flags on the two censors' memorials were from a businessman in Datong. They must have offended someone, and that's why the two censors submitted the memorial together.
What worried him was that he had been in contact with this tiger-character flag recently, and even suspected that someone in the palace wanted to use this matter to deal with him, but he had never thought about the relationship between the Datong banditry and the chief minister of the cabinet.
Zhu Youxiao said, "The governor of Datong and the first assistant Fang Congzhe were born in the same class, and he was appointed governor only after being recommended by Fang Congzhe. If the banditry in Datong is true, he, the governor, will not be able to escape responsibility. What do you think will happen next?"
"Another round of impeachment of the chief minister." Wei Zhongxian said subconsciously.
After saying that, he was shocked.
At this time, he realized that although the emperor in front of him was young, in his heart he looked like Lord Jiajing. Whoever really treats this emperor as a child would really want to eat it. Big loss.
He suddenly thought of Wang An, the emperor's first companion. This eunuch, like Feng Bao during the Shenzong period, often interacted with the outer court. Could it have caused dissatisfaction with the emperor in front of him?
If that was the case, he felt that he had a good chance of overthrowing Wang An and replacing him.
Zhu Youxiao didn't know what Wei Zhongxian was thinking, but he still said, "You are right. I believe that in less than two days, there will be more memorials to impeach Fang Congzhe."
"Your Majesty, you want Chief Minister Fang to remain in the cabinet." Wei Zhongxian said cautiously.
Zhu Youxiao shook his head slightly and said, "Someone must be responsible for the affairs in Liaodong. Fang Congzhe must also step down from the position of chief minister. An explanation is needed both inside and outside the court."
The so-called explanation is a scapegoat, and there is no more suitable candidate than the chief minister of the cabinet.
The corner of Wei Zhongxian's mouth twitched, wanting to ask the emperor who he wanted to succeed the chief minister, but the idea only occurred to him for a moment before he was pressed down.
If he really asked the question, it would inevitably cause the emperor's displeasure and leave an impression in his mind of colluding with the foreign court, which would be very bad.
"Your Majesty, do you want to keep the memorial from the two censors?"
The chief minister's affairs have nothing to do with him, so he doesn't have to ask, but the Tiger-Character Flag in Datong is quite involved with him. Not long ago, he even got an East Pearl from the people of the Tiger-Character Flag. He really wants people to know about him. This relationship with Tiger Character Banner cannot escape the charge of colluding with bandits. If it is more serious, he will be considered to be the mastermind behind the scenes.
Zhu Youxiao looked thoughtful, and after a moment, he said, "Even if I stay here without sending a message, someone will inevitably report it. In this case, you can take your badge and go out of the palace, go to Luo Sigong's house, pass on my oral instructions, and ask him to send someone to the palace." Jinyiwei went to Datong to see if Datong is really as the two censors said, and there are giant bandits causing trouble in the border towns."
Wei Zhongxian's body trembled slightly.
I thought that the Emperor would no longer pay attention to the tiger-character flag because he believed that this matter was related to the impeachment of the Prime Minister. Unexpectedly, the Emperor would still send Jin Yiwei to Datong to investigate.
I regretted slightly in my heart that I shouldn't have accepted the benefits from the people of Tiger Character Banner. Now I have fallen into it. If I really want to confirm my identity as the Tiger Character Banner bandit, he might be sent to prison.
Seeing that Wei Zhongxian had not left yet, Zhu Youxiao said, "Tell Luo Sigong to check and report as soon as possible, and don't disturb the place. Datong is a border town, so it is not appropriate to make a big show of it, make people panic, and give the Beibei a chance to knock off the gate."
"Yes, I understand. I will go to Mr. Luo's house immediately and bring the message to Mr. Luo for the emperor." Wei Zhongxian came back to his senses and hurriedly agreed.
"Well, go ahead." Zhu Youxiao waved his hand and motioned for him to step back.
Wei Zhongxian gave a salute and then walked backwards out of the hall.
