How long? "
In the Xinuan Pavilion of Qianqing Palace, Zhu Yijun paced around anxiously, and finally couldn't help but ask Chen Ju who had just entered.
Chen Ju replied in a low voice: "Your Majesty, it has been three hours and a quarter since the eldest princess Fengjia left the palace."
"Why is there no news yet?" Zhu Yijun stopped, turned around and asked, "Is there anything going wrong? Who went to Baiyu Tower?"
Chen Ju hesitated for a moment and replied: "Your Majesty, the situation is a bit unexpected. The leader is Liu Shouyou, the commander of the Jinyi Guards."
Zhu Yijun was stunned, his face immediately darkened, and he took a deep breath: "Liu Shouyou... good, good, what a loyal and good man, the emperor's eagle dog."
The word "Emperor Eagle Dog" is undoubtedly a derogatory word in the eyes of later generations, but in fact it has a positive meaning in the Ming Dynasty. Because the so-called hawks and dogs are naturally capable and loyal. But judging from Zhu Yijun's tone at this time, this is probably ironic.
But he didn't dwell too much, and continued to ask with a cold face: "Who else?"
"There are also some young scholars."
Zhu Yijun was stunned again and frowned: "Why is this? Are there no other officials accompanying us? Why are these scholars joining in the fun?"
Chen Ju replied cautiously: "The specific reason is not clear yet. I think Liu Shouyou may be hoping to use the influence of these scholars to force the Prime Minister of Gao Gao to allow them to enter the Baiyu Tower."
"Forcing?" Zhu Yijun asked: "How can a group of white-clothed scholars force the important officials of the imperial court to open their private courtyards?"
"Your Majesty, the reason why you are so cruel is that you are a group of white people." Chen Ju said: "The high school prime minister is the only six-ranked number one scholar in our dynasty. He has a great literary reputation and is well-known among scholars. But because of this, he cannot refuse the invitation of a group of scholars to him. He made a request to visit the garden, otherwise the scholars would despise him if the news got out.”
After a pause, he added: "Besides, the situation is a little different this year. These scholars all stayed in the capital temporarily after going to Beijing to take the exam. Some of them may already be in high school and are new scholars. Some may fail, but since To be able to stay in the capital, one must either have a strong family background or have relatives and friends in the capital to take refuge. In short... they are all closely related to the officialdom."
Only then did Zhu Yijun realize how powerful he was. His breathing became heavier, he snorted and asked, "Who are they and who are they related to?"
"Your Majesty, please forgive me. This group of people has a special identity, and Dongchang fans are not allowed to get close and peep at them. Therefore, it is still not possible to fully ascertain their identity and their relationship with Beijing..."
Zhu Yijun interrupted impatiently: "Even if you can't find it out completely, there are always a few that can be clarified, right? Tell me what are the ones that have been clarified!"
Chen Ju was not alarmed and replied calmly: "There are currently two people who can be confirmed, one is Yu Tingzhuo from Zhongshushe, and the other is Wang Shiqi who failed to pass the exam."
"Yu Tingzhu? From Zhongshushe?" Zhu Yijun asked thoughtfully: "I have some impression of this name, but I can't remember who he is... Whose family is this person?"
Chen Ju lowered his head and replied: "This is the eldest son of Mr. Yu You and Ding Yu, the bachelor of Wenhua Palace."
He didn't look up after saying this, and didn't hear the emperor's response for a long time. I don't know how long it took before he heard Zhu Yijun sigh and ask again: "What about Wang Shiqi? He's just a failed candidate. Why did you check him so quickly?"
Chen Ju replied: "This is Wang Shizhen's eldest son. This son was tested in Yingtianxiang last year to learn the Yuan Dynasty, but he failed in Chunwei this year. He has not been in high school and has been in the capital for a while."
Zhu Yijun sneered: "Wang Shizhen is known as one of the 'Later Seven Sons'. After Li Panlong's death, he dominated the literary world for more than ten years. In the past, even Gao Wenzhenggong didn't look down on him. What else did he write about "The First Assistant Since Jiajing"? "Biography". I read this book a few days ago, and it slandered the New Deal of Practical Studies. In particular, it made a lot of nonsense when describing Gao Wenzhenggong and his former assistant Mr. Guo. Incidentally, he also talked about seeking truth, saying that "seeking truth" To flatter others and amass money without restraint, I wanted to arrest him and confront him!
snort! If Yuan Fu and Second Fu hadn't come out to plead for mercy, saying that this man was seriously ill and fell into delusion, he actually worshiped Wang Xijue's daughter as his teacher, said he wanted to seek some immortal way, and still served this lonely widow who was only 23 years old. 'Feathering and Ascension'... I can't wait to catch him and question him! 'Feathering and Ascension'? Absolutely ridiculous! "[Note: I am not the one who blames Wang Shizhen. This incident was a big fuss at the time, and there are quite a lot of records. It is by no means an isolated evidence. Friends who are interested can look up "Wang Taozhen".]
After Zhu Yijun made a wave of sarcasm, he paused and asked again: "I remember that after Mr. Gao passed away, Mr. Guo, in order to express his love for talents and to show that Mr. Gao and he did not care about the old grudges, resurrected Wang Shizhen as Yingtianfu Yin , but he resolutely refused, and instead went to Shu to ask for an official position. Later he refused to take up the post, and soon went to become a disciple and seek immortality... Now that Wang Shiqi failed in Chunwei but did not go back to fulfill his filial piety to his father, could it be that he has recovered from his illness?"
Chen Ju said disdainfully: "How can it be cured? It is said that medicine has been used instead of food."
Zhu Yijun sneered and said: "Is this what you deserve? Practicing Taoism and seeking immortality? Humph..."
Of course Chen Ju knew the emperor's attitude towards Taoism. His grandfather, Emperor Jiajing, was a master at this in those days. As a result, Zhu Yijun could not even get a decent name even when he was several years old. In addition, the late Emperor Mu Miao deeply hated the word "cultivation of immortality", so Zhu Yijun was naturally extremely disgusted with this behavior.
Zhu Yijun did not wait for Chen Ju to comment and continued: "Since Wang Shizhen is seriously ill, Wang Shiqi does not want to fulfill his filial piety. Instead, he stays in the capital and even goes to 'visit the garden'. This shows that he is not a filial son. I thought about it, he should have been there last year Tianxiang Trial’s ability to seize Jieyuan may have relied on Wang Shizhen’s old face..."
This is a bit too emotional, and in fact it is difficult to overturn the verdict. We can't go back and check whether there were any cheating cases in the Yingtian Township Examination last year, right? Therefore, Chen Ju did not answer.
Zhu Yijun seemed to have not vented his anger yet, so he continued: "My plan to lure the snake out of the hole, I thought it would lead to some giant python, but now it seems that the giant python is very smart, so I didn't lead it out, but unexpectedly I broke into a snake nest. Chen Ju, do you think I should catch a few little snakes now and forget about it, or should I keep the nest alive?"
Chen Ju has always been cautious, so how could he take a stand at this sensitive moment? Immediately he said decisively: "Rewards and punishments are all from the Supreme Being. I have no opinion on this."
"You should be cautious." Zhu Yijun smiled with satisfaction, but waved his hand and said: "Okay, I don't want you to come up with any ideas. Just tell me what the consequences will be if you catch the little snake or even the nest. .”
Chen Ju hesitated for a moment and replied: "Catching small snakes is like catching grass and frightening the snakes, but the emperor also said just now that there may be giant pythons behind these small snakes. If we catch the small snakes, these giant pythons will not only refuse Instead of giving in, I took the opportunity to stir up trouble and stir up other troubles."
Zhu Yijun raised his eyebrows slightly: "Oh? Do you think they are so brave?"
Chen Ju said: "In front of a real dragon, there is no room for a python to fly. However, I think they can't do these things openly, and they will probably make a fuss about what happened in Baiyu Tower today... Therefore, I think it still depends on whether they dare to make trouble or not. How is the high school Prime Minister handling it?"
Zhu Yijun's face looked a little better, and he thought for a while and said: "I have always been reassured when seeking truth, but I am afraid... I don't know how he will explain today's incident to Yao Yao. I did this, although I took advantage of Yao. Yes, but in the final analysis, it is really for her own good. If she gets into trouble with me because of this, in my heart..."
Zhu Yijun didn't say the following words, but Chen Ju could certainly understand.
The emperor originally felt guilty about this sister, but who knew that since this matter was going to "lead the snake out of the hole", after all calculations, he would inevitably use her again, and this guilt became even deeper. If this causes a rift between brother and sister, he will naturally feel even more uncomfortable.
But Chen Ju couldn't say anything. He could only comfort him: "Your Majesty has just said that the high school prime minister has always handled matters properly. I think he will be able to resolve this matter satisfactorily. Your Majesty, just feel at ease."
Zhu Yijun sighed: "That's all I can think of." After a pause, he said again: "Then, what about Lian Wo Duan?"
Chen Ju said: "Although all the scholars involved in this matter have not been identified, at least now it seems that Mr. Yu Ge may be implicated... Mr. Yu Ge has not been in good health in the past two years, and he is also very ill now. It’s hard to tell whether he knew about it. Moreover, after all, Mr. Yu Ge was an important minister of the Prime Minister and Fu, and he had always had a close relationship with Mr. Shen Ge, advancing and retreating together. If the fire was brought to him this time, the servant was worried that Mr. Shen Ge might have misunderstood. It won’t end well then.”
Although he refused to give advice on behalf of the emperor, the meaning behind his words was still obvious.
It's just that Zhu Yijun didn't seem very happy after hearing this, and he didn't say anything after thinking about it for a long time.
After a while, Zhu Yijun said: "It's really bad to implicate Mr. Yu, and it's even worse to implicate Mr. Shen. I understand this, but..."
Everything is afraid of the word "but", Chen Ju's heart moved.
Sure enough, Zhu Yijun's face was serious: "I promised to seek truth, and I must give him an explanation for this matter. If I only catch a few small snakes, wouldn't it mean that I, the majestic emperor, would have broken his trust with him?"
"Your Majesty is over-concerned." Chen Ju shook his head and said: "First of all, Prime Minister Gao Gao is a reasonable person. I think that Prime Minister Gao Gao will be able to understand the difficulties faced by the Emperor. Secondly, these little snakes He wasn’t the mastermind to begin with, so even if we don’t make the matter too complicated or get too deep into it, there’s still no one who can take on this matter right now.”
"Oh?" Zhu Yijun's heart moved and he nodded: "I understand, you mean Liu Shouyou."
Chen Ju bowed his head slightly, but said nothing.
Zhu Yijun thought about it and said hesitantly: "But Jin Yiwei... seems that there are no good candidates to replace him at the moment. If he is replaced, who will Jin Yiwei give it to?"
In fact, this is also Zhu Yijun's fault. He is indeed a person who employs people without suspicion. Liu Shou was born in Jinyiwei and is still very popular. He is a serious civil servant and is not old at all. He will be used for another ten or twenty years. It stands to reason that there is no problem at all. Therefore, Zhu Yijun had never considered the issue of substitution before, and at this moment, he really couldn't think of anyone who could replace him.
To paraphrase later generations, this means that the training and connection of cadres was not done well.
Originally, he wanted Chen Ju to recommend him, because the nature of Dongchang's job was to supervise Jin Yiwei. Unexpectedly, Chen Ju replied bluntly: "The choice of Jinyiwei steward is unusual, and I dare not hear about it."
Chen Ju always called himself a slave in front of the emperor. This was a humble claim. In fact, the great eunuchs of the Ming Dynasty could be called ministers. Even the rank did not need to be too high. They could just guard the eunuch in one place. He was the dignified admiral of the East Factory. Not to mention that.
However, he, who had always called himself a slave, changed his title to "chen" at this time, which obviously had a clear meaning: who to choose as the leader of the Jin Yiwei was not only important, but also had its own special characteristics. As a minister, he did not dare to say a word more.
This kind of caution is what Zhu Yijun especially admires about Chen Ju, but the current problem is difficult to solve, so although Zhu Yijun nodded, he was stunned for a while and couldn't say anything.
After waiting for a long time, Zhu Yijun was too lazy to think about it, and waved his hands with some annoyance: "Forget it, I will discuss this matter with Qiuzhen later and solve Liu Shouyou's problem first."
He paused and said, "You are the admiral of Dongchang. Something like this happened to Liu Shou. You can leave it alone without mentioning who will replace him, but you should have some considerations on how to deal with him, right?"
Chen Ju was indeed rude this time and replied: "What the emperor said... Liu Shouyou's incident, according to Gao Wenzhenggong's previous regulations on the restructuring of the staff department, should be defined as 'not being an official but not being an official'" "Sincerely." As for the disposal, there are different severity. From light to serious, there are several types: encouragement to serve, title and title, dismissal pending investigation, removal from office on the spot, going to the judicial department for disciplinary action, etc., all the way to the confiscation of the home.
However, house raids are very rare and will generally not occur unless their 'carelessness' causes extremely serious consequences and impacts. Although Liu Shouyou's incident was bad in nature, it should not reach that level. As for the extent of punishment, it still depends on the emperor's decision. "
This means that I can only characterize him according to the rules, that is, "not careful as an official." The specific extent of "disrespectful" can only be defined by you. I don't dare to talk nonsense.
The reason why Chen Ju said this is because in the Ming Dynasty, the crime of "being imprudent" was very broad, ranging from wearing the wrong clothes on certain occasions to as big as roaring in front of the emperor or even secretly bringing a knife to see the emperor. They are all careless.
In fact, wearing the wrong clothes is usually just a minor offense. Roaring in front of the emperor is a crime of deceiving the emperor. Bringing a knife to see the emperor can even be considered treason if strictly speaking. This shows that the scope of application of this "imprudence" is wide.
Zhu Yijun thought about it for a long time before saying: "For the time being, we will consider dismissal pending review or dismissal on the spot. The specific situation will depend on the results at Baiyulou."
The emperor's determination seemed not to be too surprising to Chen Ju, and he responded calmly.
Zhu Yijun looked at the hourglass again and asked: "No matter how slow Liu Shouyou walks, he should have arrived at Baiyu Tower by now, right? Can the person you sent out to pick up Yao Lao be reliable? Nothing will go wrong, right?"
Chen Ju lowered his head and replied: "Huang Zhangyin and the slaves are also worried about what might happen, so this response plan has been discussed with the high school prime minister in detail. It should be foolproof."
Zhu Yijun heard this and said happily: "Since it is a plan that Qiu Zhen has seen, it will be fine. I will go to Cining Palace to 'say hello' first, so as not to have to... Well, you can go ahead, you don't have to accompany me."
"Yes, Your Majesty, please leave."
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