The winter of the eighteenth year of Hongzhi. Yan Song, a concubine in the Hanlin Academy, went to the imperial court to impeach the governor Qian Shi. Chang Feng ignored the ancestral etiquette and ignored the laws of the Ming Dynasty. He slapped Xu Guangzuo, Duke of Ding, in a busy city. The imperial court lost all face.
The impeachment memorial contains witness testimony from Wang Shouren, head of the Military Selection Department of the Ministry of War.
In addition, Xu Guangzuo, the victim of the beating, submitted a memorial to intercede for Chang Feng. Xu Guangzuo said that both of them drank too much that day and lost their temper after drinking. Ask the court to punish Chang Feng lightly.
Yan Song is only a seventh-grade official. His memorials cannot reach heaven directly. It must be submitted to the cabinet through the General Affairs Department, and then the cabinet will give a vote, and finally sent to the Dragon Case of Emperor Zhengde.
Liu Jian and Xie Qian are smart people. If they see this memorial, they will immediately understand that Chang Feng used the strategy of "suffering with a small stick and walking with a big stick".
Liu and Xie would withhold this memorial without hesitation. Emperor Zhengde never got the chance to criticize this memorial.
Chang Feng has already considered this. Next, my in-law Li Dongyang will help. The political marriage between the Chang and Li families cannot be in vain.
On the day when Yan Song was about to leave, Li Dongyang came to the General Affairs Department.
When the second assistant arrived, Yang Naiwen, the general envoy, greeted him personally.
Yang Tongzheng cupped his hands and said: "The second assistant is coming, and I am waiting for you from afar."
Li Dongyang smiled and said: "You and I were in the same year of Tianshun's eight-year palace examination. I was first in the second class, and you were 13th in the second class. We sat at the same table at the Qionglin Banquet. There is no need to be so polite between us in the same year."
Although they are of the same year, Yang Tongzheng is more than ten years older than Li Dongyang. Who told Li Dongyang to be only 18 years old when he ranked first in the second grade of high school?
Let me digress. In the Ming Dynasty, there were no fools who could sit in cabinet positions. If you look through their resumes carefully, you will find that almost all of them were child prodigies, winning the national examination as teenagers, and ranking at the top of the gold list as teenagers.
Some even became Jinshi in high school when they were young.
These people are the smartest among smart people, the best among the best.
Back to business.
Li Dongyang first reminisced about the past with Yang Tongzheng. After chatting, he picked up a memorial in the box and asked casually: "Which memorials are from the Hanlin Academy?"
Yang Tongzheng pointed to a sparse box on the right: "This is it. Most of them are memorials full of nonsense and have no real content. I plan to hand them over to the cabinet for inspection in seven days."
Li Dongyang smiled and said: "Hanlin officials like to talk nonsense in memorials. This is a problem that has lasted for nearly a hundred years. But there may be one or two memorials about practical matters. I will take it back to the cabinet to check. See if there are any in the Hanlin Academy. Young talents deserve promotion.”
Yang Tongzheng said: "Second Assistant, just take it away. These nonsense memorials really take up space here."
Li Dongyang asked several followers to carry away the box. But instead of going back to the cabinet for duty, he went back to his own mansion.
In the Li Mansion, Li Dongyang's heir Li Zhaofan was drinking tea and chatting with Bingbi, the ceremonial supervisor, and Zhang Yong, the royal horse supervisor.
Seeing Li Dongyang coming back, Zhang Yong stood up and said, "Mr. Li, have you got the things?"
Li Dongyang said: "Eunuch Zhang, wait a moment."
Then he took out each memorial from the box and searched carefully. After drinking some tea, he found Yan Song's memorial to Chang Feng.
Li Dongyang flipped through it, and after confirming it was correct, he said, "I found it. Eunuch Zhang, please wait a moment. I'll make the payment."
The memorial will be effective only if the emperor approves the red reply.
Li Dongyang wrote suggestions on the small ticket, then stamped the small ticket with his personal seal, and finally affixed the small ticket to the memorial, and the ticket was completed.
The content of the vote is: Changfeng beat the Duke in the downtown area. The evidence is conclusive. It is really lawless and should be punished. However, the imperial court has always had an "eight discussion" system for punishing crimes. Changfeng has five principles: kinship, reason, energy, merit, and honor. Moreover, Xu Guangzuo, the master of suffering, has also gone to Shu to intercede for Changfeng. Minister Li Dongyang suggested that Changfeng be fined one year's salary as a punishment.
The so-called "eight discussions" refer to the privilege system in the Ming Dynasty that gave lighter punishment to eight types of prisoners. Originated from the "Eight Pi" of the Western Zhou Dynasty.
The Eight Discussions include discussing relatives, that is, relatives of the emperor and the country.
Discussing the past is the emperor's old past.
A virtuous person is a person with noble moral character.
Yi Neng is a person with outstanding talents.
Yi Gong, that is, those who have outstanding merits.
Yigui refers to those who are civil and military officials of third grade or above and those who have a title of earl or above.
Diligence refers to those who are diligent in official duties.
Yibin refers to those who are descendants of the previous dynasty and are honored as state guests by the current dynasty.
Chang Feng's wife Liu Xiaoyan was the adopted sister of Empress Dowager Zhang, and her younger sister Chang Tian was the adopted sister of the late emperor. He is naturally considered a relative of the emperor. This is the category of marriage discussions.
Chang Feng was the Han general who was close to the late emperor Long Qiandong Palace. This is the category of reasoning.
Chang Feng has served in Jinyiwei for twenty-three years, and his ability is obvious to all. This is the category of discussion.
Needless to say, he has made countless achievements in the past twenty-three years. This is the category of discussion.
Chang Feng is the Commander-in-Chief of Qianshi, a second-grade military attaché. This is an area of discussion.
Five out of the eight discussions were held, and they were given lighter, lighter, and lighter. Coupled with the victim's plea for mercy (similar to the victim issuing a letter of understanding in later generations), the felony of caning and demotion became a misdemeanor punishable by a year's salary.
Li Dongyang handed the memorial to Zhang Yong: "Eunuch Zhang, where is the memorial for Duke Ding to plead for mercy? It must be submitted together."
Zhang Yong pointed to the sleeves of his broad robe: "It's in the sleeves. I'll go back to the palace and hand the two memorials to the emperor."
Xu Guangzuo was the Duke of the current dynasty, so there was no need to go through the Secretary of General Affairs to submit memorials. He had already written a memorial and handed it to Zhang Yong.
An hour later, the main hall of Qianqing Palace.
Emperor Zhengde rested his elbow on the dragon table and put his head in a fist with his right hand.
Jiang Bin read to Emperor Zhengde the letter of credence sent by the young prince, the leader of the Tatar tribe.
Emperor Zhengde scolded: "Nonsense! Nonsense! Don't talk nonsense to me, little prince! If you have the ability, go south and attack me! Am I afraid of the little prince?!"
"Don't scream on your credentials! Do you think your loud voice can scare me? Do you grassland Tatars eat better meat than me?!"
Jiang Bin said: "Your Majesty, don't be angry. The little prince is just bluffing."
At this moment, Zhang Yong walked in: "Your Majesty, there are two urgent reports."
Emperor Zhengde asked: "Oh? What's the rush?"
Zhang Yong replied: "One is a memorial written by Yan Song, a scholar in the Hanlin Academy, to impeach Chang Feng. The other is a memorial written by Ding Guogong Xu Guangzuo to plead for Chang Feng."
Emperor Zhengde said: "I have been on the throne for less than a year, and I have received a mountain of memorials to impeach Changfeng. What is so strange about this one that you can call it a 'quick memorial'?"
Zhang Yongdao: "The emperor will know it as soon as he sees it."
After Emperor Zhengde read the memorial, he frowned and said, "That's weird. I'm afraid that Xu Guangzuo would always say "I've eaten it, I've eaten it, it smells so damn good" if Chang Feng said it smells good. The two of them should wear one pair. Pants. How could Chang Feng slap Xu Guangzuo?"
"Again, a young scholar in the Hanlin Academy, who has only been named on the Diamond Ranking for a few months. How can he have the guts to join Chang Butcher of the Imperial Guard? Is there someone behind the scenes?"
"Zhang Yong, where does this Yan Song come from?"
Yan Song's official position was low. Although she is related to the Chang family, she is related by marriage to Chang Feng's adopted son, and is considered a relative by marriage. It's not surprising that Emperor Zhengde was not impressed by him.
Zhang Yong replied: "Back to the emperor. Yan Song is the eldest brother of the wife of Chang Feng's adopted son You Jingwu."
Emperor Zhengde was even more confused: "He is still a godson of the Chang family? How could he stab Chang Feng?"
Zhang Yong smiled and said: "Why have you forgotten, Your Majesty? The Ming Dynasty's system of seizing nobility is clearly written, and those who commit crimes are not allowed to seize nobility."
Zhang Yong's two words made Emperor Zhengde suddenly realize and be inspired.
Emperor Zhengde smiled and said: "Wonderful! Wonderful! Chang Feng is an old fox. Li Dongyang wrote the proposal alone. It seems that Li Dongyang also had a hookup with Chang Feng. There is also Xu Guangzuo's intercession, which is just right!"
"A year's fine does not hurt Chang Feng at all. But he has become a criminal. Don't the civil servants always like to use the ancestral system to suppress me? This time I will use the ancestral system to suppress them!"
Whether it is to the emperor or to the ministers, the ancestral system is a chamber pot. Take it out as a tool when you need it, and stuff it under the bed when not in use.
Let’s talk about Jin Yiwei’s side.
Ma Wensheng hurriedly entered the Changfeng duty room.
Chang Feng is not on duty. Shi Wenyi was sweeping the floor in the duty room.
Shi Wenyi, even if he rose to the prominent position of Right Tongzhi, he still did not change his true nature as a "big guy". Chang Feng comes to the house every day to sweep the floor.
Ma Wensheng is an old friend of Chang Feng. Liu Jian and Xie Qian proposed to let Chang Feng attack the king, and Lao Ma was very anxious. He knew that this was a big hole dug by the two for Chang Feng.
Ma Wensheng came here to help Chang Feng find a way to avoid the trap.
Ma Wensheng asked Shi Wenyi: "Where is Chang Feng?"
Shi Wenyi replied: "Master Chang Shuai went to supervise the inspection of the property of the criminal in the salt case."
Ma Wensheng was a little worried: "When did this happen! He still cares about such trivial matters. His power can no longer be kept!"
Shi Wenyi smiled and said: "Ma Laobu Tang, I know that you and our Mr. Chang Shuai have been friends for many years, and you miss him. Don't worry, our Mr. Chang will still be in Xijue's small sewer after so many storms and waves. Capsized?"
Ma Wensheng looked at Shi Wenyi suspiciously: "Listening to your words, Chang Feng already has a way to deal with it?"
Shi Wenyi nodded slightly.
Ma Wensheng smiled and said: "Yes, the emperor is not in a hurry and the eunuchs are in a hurry. That's all, I'll go back to the staff department."
The old horse is eighty years old, but still walks steadily and as fast as flying. He turned and left quickly.
The next day, Yumen went to court early.
Liu Jian was the first to go out: "I respectfully request the emperor to issue an order to grant the meritorious minister Chang Feng to inherit the title of Marquis of Xing'an!"
All the civil servants knelt down one after another: "I respectfully request the emperor to issue an order to grant the meritorious minister Chang Feng to inherit the title of Marquis of Xing'an."
Chang Feng, who was standing in the military attaché class, had a calm expression. A posture of sitting firmly on a fishing platform without a fishing hook.
Emperor Zhengde said: "Oh! I have always followed the teachings of the three gentlemen in the cabinet and respect the heaven and the Dharma clan. In everything, not violating the ancestral system is the first priority."
"Allowing Chang Feng to attack the lord violates the ancestral system! How can I issue an order so easily?"
Liu Jian frowned: "May I ask Your Majesty, how did Chang Feng Xijue violate the ancestral rules?"
Emperor Zhengde ordered Liu Jin: "Read the memorial of Yan Song, a common scholar in the Hanlin Academy, impeaching Chang Feng! Also read the petition of Xu Guangzuo, the suffering lord."
Liu Jin began to read Yan Song's memorials aloud. Yan Song is worthy of being a sage, and with beautiful writing, he vividly depicts the movements, expressions and strength of Chang Fan and Xu Guangzuo.
Listening to the memorial, all the civil servants and generals felt as if they were in Zuixian Tower, the scene of Chang Feng's murder. The sense of text and picture is gone.
If Yan Song becomes an Internet writer in future generations, he will definitely be able to sell film and television rights by relying on his excellent writing and visual skills.
Liu Jin then read out Xu Guangzuo's intercession memorial.
Xu Guangzuo's writing style is a bit embarrassing: "I and Chang Feng are good friends and a pair of treasures. Just because they were drunk, they got into an argument about elephant feed and how much money Mrs. Chang was worth in one night. Chang Feng slapped her in anger. I am so stupid. Afterwards, both Chang Feng and I regretted it greatly. I ask the emperor to treat Chang Feng lightly."
After listening to these two memorials, Liu Jian was stunned.
This is Chang Feng’s good trick!
Emperor Zhengde said: "For this memorial, the cabinet has already given a vote, suggesting that I should give Chang Feng a lenient sentence according to the 'Eight Discussions'. I have decided to approve Chang Feng with a red penalty and fine Chang Feng for one year in accordance with the cabinet vote."
"Although the slap of the Duke has been given a lighter sentence, Chang Feng is still considered a criminal. It is the ancestral rule that criminals are not allowed to attack the nobility. I cannot violate the ancestral rule!"
Xie Qian left the class: "Your Majesty, the cabinet has not given a vote on Yan Song's impeachment memorial! The cabinet has never seen this memorial at all!"
Emperor Zhengde said: "Mr. Li has already given the vote. Doesn't the deputy minister of the cabinet count as a member of the cabinet?"
Xie Qian was speechless: "This"
Xie Qian knew in his heart that it was Li Dongyang who helped Chang Feng.
Emperor Zhengde turned to look at Liu Jian: "Mr. Liu, since Chang Feng's attack on the Lord violates the ancestral system, you should not kneel down and remonstrate to force me to violate the ancestral system!"
Liu Jian had no choice but to hand over his hand: "Yes, Your Majesty."
Emperor Zhengde said: "Chang Feng!"
Chang Feng knelt down with an expression as if he was mourning for his concubine: "I am here. Oh no, I am here."
Emperor Zhengde scolded: "Don't think that because of your great achievements and seniority, you can despise the Duke of the imperial court. If you dare to fight against Duke Ding, you are betraying you! I order you to put a table of wine and apologize to Duke Ding!"
Chang Feng said: "The guilty minister received the order."
Emperor Zhengde added: "As for the title of Marquis of Xing'an, I think it should be inherited by the descendants of the first branch of Xing'an Marquis. The Ministry of Rites hastily handled this matter."
In the confrontation between Chang Feng, Liu Jian and Xie Qian, Chang Feng won again. The pit is dead, but the people are alive. There is always a lot of trouble in the court, so why can't you find a way to avoid the trap?
That evening, Changfu dining room.
Chang Feng followed Emperor Zhengde's order and served wine to apologize to Fatty Xu. The people who came to witness the apology were all the old brothers of Jinyiwei.
It's fake to apologize, but it's real to take the opportunity to drink and reminisce about the past.
Fatty Xu smiled and said: "Hahaha, Liu Jian and Xie Qian are just two bad guys, and they still want to take away our power, Lao Chang? It's their dream. This slap I received is really worth it."
Chang Feng raised his wine glass: "Come on, Duke Guo, I will apologize to you for this glass of wine."
Fatty Xu drank it all in one gulp: "Damn it, Lao Chang, have I ever offended you before? That slap in Zuixianlou was a dead blow! You slapped me so hard that stars popped out of my eyes."
Chang Feng laughed and said: "It's just a fake show. Besides, who asked you to play cymbals with your sister-in-law?"
Qian Ning said: "This time, thanks to the slap of the Duke, Yan Shuji participated in the impeachment, the principal Wang testified, and Li Ci assisted in drafting the votes."
Chang Feng told everyone: "Although Yan Song, Wang Shouren and Mr. Li are civil servants, they are friends of our Jinyiwei. We must take more care of them from now on."
Shi Wenyi said: "This is natural."
Chang Feng asked You Jingwu: "Oh, by the way, how is the matter of bringing the Western envoys to Beijing going?"
You Jingwu replied: "I just received the message from Fei Ge. The brothers have already protected the Western envoys to the ground in Shandong. They will reach Beijing in a few days."
Chang Feng said: "The Emperor is very concerned about this matter. Don't neglect it."
You Jingwu said: "Yes, foster father."
Chang Feng asked Qian Ning again: "Today is the first day of checking the house of the criminal in the salt case. How much money was confiscated?"
Qian Ning replied: "It's shocking to say that. On the first day, only eleven residences in Beijing were confiscated. These eleven houses have not been completely confiscated yet. A total of 960,000 taels of silver and property have been confiscated."
"After copying all the sixty-four criminal officials, it is estimated that several million taels of silver will be copied."
Chang Feng was speechless: "In the 22nd year of Chenghua, I ransacked the residence of Cai Zhong, the left servant of the Ministry of Household Affairs, and found 30,000 taels of stolen silver, which is a huge fortune!"
"The Ming Dynasty is really rich! Even the corrupt officials' ability to amass wealth has become dozens of times greater."
"The stolen money copied will be sent directly to the internal transportation warehouse. Don't bother with the officer sent by the Account Department to urge the Department to dispose of the stolen money."
Qian Ning said: "This is really a case of salt, and the internal treasury is sufficient!"
(End of chapter)
