As soon as they heard that all officials in Beijing would attend tomorrow's court meeting, everyone knew that it was time for a showdown on some matters.
What is the explanation for the major conspiracy case? It is estimated that there will be a resolution at the court meeting.
Suddenly, there was a lot of discussion among officials and among the people. They were all curious, what evidence did the emperor have to prove that everyone from the cabinet ministers to the grain merchants were involved in the conspiracy?
It just so happened that at this time, the martial law in the capital was finally lifted, and everyone could come and go freely, even if they left the capital.
As a result, the business of restaurants and teahouses became prosperous again. Without exception, the hot topic discussed in every place was tomorrow's court meeting.
"Tell me, Yang Ge's Ministry...Did Yang Sichang conspire to rebel?"
"Who knows this? People are different from each other!"
"I don't think so. As a minister in the cabinet, can he be as powerful as Zhang Shoufu during the Wanli period? It is simply impossible for a civil servant to usurp the throne in our Ming Dynasty!"
"That's right, he doesn't hold military power, nor is he the only one who dominates the court. There is no way he can seek to usurp the throne!"
"But doesn't the Emperor have evidence? We'll see what the evidence is tomorrow!"
"..."
No matter where they are, the basic view is the same. No one thinks that Yang Sichang has the possibility of treason. Even if he colludes with Xuanda Governor Chen Xinjia, the censor Liu Meicai and others, as well as those grain merchants, there is basically no possibility of treason. possible! At least in the Ming Dynasty, there has never been any rebellion!
In this way, they became even more curious, what evidence would the emperor have to prove that these people were treasonous?
At the same time, in the hearts of the vast majority of people, they tended to believe that Yang Sichang and others did not conspire against them. They sympathized with them and felt that Emperor Chongzhen probably relied on his imperial power to beat them into rebel ministers.
Some people, from the perspective of factory guards raiding homes, felt that the emperor used this method to plunder a large amount of money in a short period of time because the treasury had no money. No one dares to say clearly what this method is, but it goes without saying. Everyone understands that it is nothing more than framing them for treason.
"Yeah, those grain merchants are indeed hateful, but if they were to be accused of treason, they would be the ones who would kill the Nine Tribes. This is really tragic!"
"No, there are those royal censors who spent ten years in poverty and worked thousands of miles as officials just for money. They made a lot of money, and they were arrested when they were caught. This sentence is considered treason, ah, how miserable!"
"Isn't it the same with Yang Gebu? He finally became a cabinet minister. This..."
"..."
As a result, both the officials and ordinary people had a vague feeling of rejection towards Emperor Chongzhen. I felt that what the emperor did was too much and too cruel. However, they had no choice. The emperor was still the emperor, and they could only sympathize with the ministers who were accused of treason. As for those grain merchants, not many people sympathized with them. The only ones who sympathized were with their families.
So, under the spotlight, the court meeting that everyone was looking forward to finally began.
On this morning, all the officials in Beijing who were qualified to attend the imperial meeting rushed outside the Forbidden City early. Many people have memorials hidden in their hands. If the emperor cannot provide convincing evidence for the conspiracy, they will be ready to resign. If the emperor is allowed to go on like this and is accused of treason at every turn, who can bear it!
The future of everyone is at stake, and the atmosphere seems more solemn than before. At least in the eyes of these civil and military officials, it seemed a bit tragic. It's like Jing Ke stabbed the King of Qin in a tragic mood. If the evidence that he is really the emperor is unconvincing, then the only choice is to say goodbye to the official career.
This time, Emperor Chongzhen did not waste any time and arrived quickly. After the ministers paid tribute, the court meeting began.
Zhong Yi, the censor of Zuodu of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, took the lead in coughing and went out to report: "Your Majesty, now the factory guards have arrested many officials, which has caused panic among the officials in the capital. Please make it clear to your Majesty, I don't know what crime these officials have committed before?" Many days have passed for the serious crime of treason mentioned, but where is the evidence?"
He was one of the few people in the Metropolitan Procuratorate who had not been arrested, and the censor in the Metropolitan Procuratorate's Yamen was basically caught by the factory guards. Whether it's emotional or rational, he has to come out and ask for an explanation.
Moreover, Xue Guoguan, the first assistant, could not convince the public. Many people knew that he was the emperor's lackey. Maybe he had the idea to arrest so many officials. Therefore, no one hopes that Xue Guoguan will stand up for them.
The occurrence of this situation is actually largely attributed to Yang Sichang. It was he who spread Xue Guoguan's suggestions secretly, making others feel that Xue Guoguan did not consider the civil servants at all and was helping the imperial power to harm the civil servants.
Lin Yuji, the Minister of Rites, also followed suit and said: "Your Majesty, it is really not easy to postpone a major rebellion case for a long time. Moreover, there was a rebellion case of Duke Yuan Chengguo just last time, and now there are also cases ranging from ministers of the cabinet to ministers of grain and grain. If Shang's major treason case continues to be dragged on, it may be detrimental to the court, so please make it clear, Your Majesty."
Both of them secretly hid their resignation notices. If the emperor does not give an explanation today, they will resign.
With the two of them taking the lead, many other ministers also followed suit, echoing their remarks, and the focus was on this major treason case. Because everyone knows about corruption. Basically, there is corruption. The emperor should be serious about it, but it is difficult to talk about it. Therefore, the only way to break through the situation where the emperor would let factory guards arrest people at every turn was through treason.
Seeing a large number of ministers below all asking for the release of evidence of the treason case, Emperor Chongzhen couldn't help but sneered in his heart, because he knew that these people, including the people, and the current public opinion were that he, the emperor, was just framed them for treason.
After scanning the expressions of the ministers, Emperor Chongzhen said with a cold face: "Since all the ministers want to know the evidence, I will make it public today!"
After he finished speaking, he called by name: "Where is Li Ruolian, commander of the Jinyi Guards?"
"The general is here!" Upon hearing this, Li Ruolian immediately stepped out of the queue and clasped his fists in response.
"Bring this person up and talk to the princes in the court!"
Li Ruolian naturally knew who he was taking, so he agreed and went down to take them.
The ministers below listened and remained calm. They wanted to see who the emperor was going to bring to report the treason case? Whether it is a frame-up or not, they believe they can tell!
What surprised them was that the people brought by the commander of the Jinyiwei turned out to be two young women. One of the censors who was not captured recognized the two of them and couldn't help but exclaimed: "Daughter of Kochi County? You... weren't you robbed by Jianlu?"
The visitors were naturally the two sisters Gao Qingxue and Gao Qingju.
Hearing the voice, he looked around and recognized him as someone from the same age as his father, whom he had met several times before.
As soon as he met his old friend, he forgot Li Ruolian's instructions and did not pay tribute to the emperor first. Tears fell down and he cried out sadly: "Uncle Guo!"
Guo Yushi knew the rules and asked them to give the emperor a gift first. Then he wanted to hear what these two nieces would say.
Other civil and military officials were also curious. These two girls seemed to be the daughters of Kochi County who died for their country after the city was destroyed. What could they know?
After the ceremony, Gao Qingxue began to talk about his own affairs. It starts from the time when the city was besieged by the captives, the city was destroyed, and the suffering began.
"...The slave family thought there was no way out, but unexpectedly, a Jinyiwei spy took the risk and rescued the slave family. He promised to take care of several sisters of the slave family and allowed the slave family to escape and report to the court..."
When Gao Qingxue said this, he glanced at these civil and military officials and saw that they were all paying attention. His voice was less sad and more hateful and said: "It is said that there is a Shanxi businessman named Fan Yongdou, who is a member of the Jianlu Army. He saw with his own eyes what the Tatars were doing and Prince Shuorui personally came out of his tent to welcome the Fan thief. According to the information he got from the Tatars, it was said that many Shanxi merchants had liaisons with the Liaodong Jianlu. How could the Ming Dynasty have such traitors? Can he beat Jianlu? So he took the risk and asked the slave family to send the news."
When she said this, Li Ruolian, the commander of the Jinyi Guards, interrupted and said: "After Fan went to Jianlu's camp, Jianlu suddenly went south and raided Jinan Mansion, and King De fell."
After hearing these words, everyone who didn't know about it couldn't help but be very surprised.
Originally, they were all paying attention to the major conspiracy case of Yang Sichang and others, but they did not expect that what the emperor told him was another very shocking news.
Previously, the emperor deduced from the timing of the previous Jianlu invasions that there was a possibility of a traitor in the Ming Dynasty. However, it seems that Yang Sichang and others denied it, and the matter was never mentioned again.
Many officials present had heard of this Shanxi merchant Fan Yongdou. After all, Fanji Bank is very famous in the capital. In the past, because of its good reputation, the banknotes in most people's hands belonged to Fanji Bank.
However, they soon thought that Fan Ji Bank was closed down by the factory guards because it was discovered that it had an affair with a palace eunuch in the case of Cheng Guogong's rebellion.
Thinking of this, Lin Yuji immediately asked: "I wonder who the Jinyiwei spy is, and when did he infiltrate the Jianlu Army?"
"Yes, these things are really surprising. They are just merchants from Shanxi, why do they need to cooperate with the captives?" Censor Zuodu also asked.
Li Ruolian glanced at the emperor, shook his head and said, "The identity cannot be announced yet."
Upon hearing this, many officials had opinions. Can you tell me who this spy is? That's not the case for you Jin Yiwei to talk nonsense. Maybe, there is no such person at all, right?
Li Ruolian guessed what they were thinking, but ignored them at all. He turned to give instructions to another woman.
Gao Qingju began to talk about the situation on her side: "All the sisters in the slave family are gone, and only one member of the slave family is left. When we were crossing the Wei River..."
She told everything about what happened that day, and of course she mentioned Han Leyu who discovered her.
This involves the emperor's powerful team, with names and surnames. Although the process seems to be thrilling, after all, there are other witnesses.
"Your Majesty, can you tell Han Leyu to ask him face to face?" Lin Yuji bowed and asked the emperor for instructions.
But at this time, most of those who didn't want to believe it still didn't want to believe it. They thought this could be made up, and they couldn't find anything out if asked face to face.
Han Leyu had returned to Beijing at this time. Emperor Chongzhen naturally would not disagree, so he passed on the order. Han Leyu, who had been waiting for a long time, arrived soon.
Therefore, Lin Yuji and others immediately asked Han Leyu about the details of the battle on the Weihe River.
Of course Han Leyu told the truth and even took off his clothes on the spot to show the scars on his arms to prove that he was not lying.
But even so, those who don't believe it still don't believe it, because under the pressure of the emperor, these things can actually be made up.
As a result, a civil official responded: "Your Majesty, if only these evidences are made public, the people may not be convinced, especially the many Shanxi merchants who will cry out for injustice. This matter is of great importance, so please be careful!"
Lin Yuji also said: "Your Majesty, it is human nature for businessmen to pursue profits and black-hearted people. But what does this have to do with the rebellion case of Yang Sichang and others?"
He had previously asked about a major treason case, but the emperor asked people to say that Shanxi merchants were collaborating with prisoners. He didn't care about these Shanxi merchants, or in other words, he was more concerned about the major rebellion case. After all, the rebellion affected them the most, and they did not want the emperor to take the topic astray.
Today, the emperor must give an explanation, otherwise, this official position will not be possible.
After hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen just said calmly: "My lords, please be patient and wait patiently."
After finishing speaking, he nodded to Li Ruolian again.
Seeing the emperor's plain expression, Lin Yuji couldn't help but be a little stunned. Looking back, he seemed to have a plan in mind, so okay, let's just wait and see.
Therefore, they did not see Li Ruolian bring anyone this time. Instead, they took out a confession from their sleeves and read it in public.
This confession belongs to Fan Fu from Fan Ji Qianzhuang.
The above describes what Fan Fu did, including the time he was secretly arrested by the Jin Yiwei.
This confession came as a surprise when it was released.
If the Jinyiwei secret agent did not disclose his identity as before, it would be possible that he was making it up, but this matter has names and surnames, and there are many people involved.
For example, it involves the censor Liu Meicai, collusion with the palace people, and their conspiracy to overthrow Lu Xiangsheng, the commander of King Qin's army. In addition, there are soldiers guarding the city gate who can testify about the arrest that day.
Although these things are not explicitly accused of anything, each of these things has a very large impact. From these things, it can be seen that Fan Ji Qianzhuang wanted to influence the situation of the court and make the situation conducive to Jianlu.
It was also at this time that many people suddenly realized that the factory guard had noticed the problem with Fan Ji Bank a long time ago, and then followed up on Cheng Guogong's treason case and just caught him conveniently, right?
At this moment, many officials felt that the water in this case of Shanxi merchants was very deep. Now that the imperial censor Liu Meicai has been brought out, who will come next? When thinking about this, they thought of Yang Sichang.
At the same time, some of them also thought that they had more or less dealt with Fanji Bank. Could it be that there are problems with those things of my own?
Thinking like this, they became a little nervous.
In fact, when Fanji Bank became the number one bank in the capital, it was because many dignitaries provided protection and platform for Fanji Bank. Of course, most of them just do it for the sake of money.
Emperor Chongzhen scanned the courtiers below from above and quickly discovered this phenomenon. After Li Ruolian revealed the incident at Fan Ji Bank, the indignant look on the faces of many officials before seemed to be reduced a lot.
Haha, the fun is yet to come! Emperor Chongzhen sneered in his heart and motioned for Li Ruolian to continue.
. m.
