Why did the emperor rebel?

Chapter 740 Please start your show

In the Wenhua Hall, all the ministers lined up to enter, and the emperor came to the throne on time.

"Long live my emperor! Long live!"

After saluting, the various ministries briefly dealt with some irrelevant political affairs, and then, the Minister of Rites, Hu Wei, came out to summarize the situation of the entire Chunwei Examination.

According to his old man, although there were some twists and turns in this test, overall, it was a complete, successful and positive event, which could provide experience for future tests.

During the whole process, Mr. Hu was very angry, but all the officials present were quiet until Mr. Hu boasted about all the Jinshi, and he was satisfied to give credit to the Ministry of Rites who had "successfully" completed the task. After the queue, the censor came out, said.

"Your Majesty, the Spring Festival has now ended. During this palace examination, the officials who read the papers did not know who they were, and they did not read the papers properly, which almost made the imperial court a laughing stock. The catastrophe ended satisfactorily, but those who have faults or mistakes must be investigated."

"In recent days, there have been many rumors in the imperial court that Xiao Yi, a Hanlin scholar, is related to Cheng Zong, a scholar. Therefore, when reading papers in the palace examination, he deliberately suppressed other scholars, manipulated power, and deceived the emperor. As for giving personal favors, it is really a debt to His Majesty Long En."

"I implore Your Majesty to cut off the official body of Xiao Yi, and issue an order for strict interrogation in prison, so as to set the record straight!"

It should be said that these words are very harsh, but this is indeed the direction of public opinion in the court during this period of time.

What the censor said was already restrained, and what he scolded in private was much worse. It is said that during this time, outside the Xiao family's mansion, every day was surrounded by passionate scholars. Can't even get out the door.

These words seemed to open a floodgate, and immediately many ministers stepped out and spoke.

"Your Majesty, it's true. The imperial court's talent ceremony should not be ignored. Xiao Mengqin's selfishness is unfair and should be dealt with seriously!"

"Your Majesty, I beg your Majesty to learn from you. Xiao Mengqin's actions are deceitful to the imperial court. If such a serious crime is lightly indulged, the majesty of the imperial court will definitely disappear!"

"Your Majesty seconded the proposal, please punish Xiao Mengqin severely, to set the record straight, the common people are angry, and the heart of the country is at peace!"

I don't know whether it was instigated by others or infected by the atmosphere. In short, many officials from science and technology came forward one after another, demanding that Xiao Ying be severely punished.

This posture, as if Xiao Yi is some kind of treacherous and evil generation who has caused chaos in the court.

Facing the "turbulent" court discussion, Zhu Qiyu squinted his eyes, but there was no expression on his face, and he only asked.

"President Xian, the censors have advised me to punish Xiao Ying severely. As the leader of science and Taoism, what do you think?"

There was a moment of silence in the hall, and soon there were low voices of discussion.

You must know that since this incident happened, the emperor has never revealed his opinion on the outside. All the officials have seen is that the emperor asked Xiao Yi to temporarily dismiss him from office and return to the mansion to wait for investigation. Lowered by one level, fined salary for half a year.

As for the others, whether it was the impeachment of Xiao Yi, or a small number of people who spoke well for him, the memorials were handed over to the emperor, but they were all kept silent, without a clear statement.

All the ministers thought that the emperor was waiting for today's court meeting to solve it together, but now it seems that it is not that simple.

If it is said that the emperor intends to severely punish Xiao Yi, then follow the words of the censors just now and deal with it.

However, the emperor named Chen Yi, the censor of Zuodu, and asked his opinion, which meant something different.

You must know that in the current Wenhua Palace, although it seems to be full of joy, none of the high-ranking ministers of the Seven Ministers, even the ministers of the cabinet, and the ministers of the six ministries, have not spoken out.

To put it bluntly, those who can really be placed in front of the emperor have to be these high-ranking officials above the third rank. If there are enough censors at the bottom, they can also be valued by the emperor.

However, there are actually only a few people speaking in the hall right now, but because no one else speaks, it seems that the court is full of discussions.

At this time, the emperor asked Chen Yi to come out, seemingly asking for his opinion, but in fact, the subtext was to restrain the people under him.

Of course, if at this time, Chen Zongxian felt that the censors under him were right and made the same statement as them, then the meaning of the matter would be different again.

However, Chen Zongxian was obviously on the side of the emperor this time, and he didn't intend to make the situation worse, so he handed himself out and said.

"Return to Your Majesty, I think that this matter should not be rushed!"

As soon as he opened his mouth, Chen Yi stated his attitude straightforwardly, denying the views of the few censors who demanded strict and quick handling.

Although these words were an answer to the emperor's question, Chen Zongxian turned his body slightly, vaguely facing the ministers below, and then opened his mouth to explain.

"The Great Master Cai has already said something. Now that the Spring Festival is basically over, the list of Jinshi has been re-read by the Qiqing, and His Majesty has personally reviewed it. There is no objection. The imperial court has successfully completed the grand ceremony, so there is no need to worry about the aftermath. .”

"During the process of reading the examination papers, there were many twists and turns. In addition to Xiao Yi, the cabinet ministers Jiang Yuan, Zhang Min, Zhu Jian and several other adults also made mistakes. This matter involves several important officials of the court. It should not be dealt with hastily because of haste. You have to discern the inside story and make a decision.”

"As for the so-called material debate among the people, I have heard about it these days, and quite a few of them are vented by the losers. Of course, there are some who are really angry about the injustice of this matter, but these scholars are nothing more than It's just hearsay, and it may not be possible to know the truth of the matter."

"Especially regarding the relationship between Xiao Yi and Cheng Zong, in the name of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, I have sent a document to the local yamen where Cheng Zong is located to investigate whether Cheng Zong has had any communication with Xiao Yi since he was studying. After the yamen's reply, everything is clear, and it's not too late to deal with it!"

What he said was well-founded, especially when he said it from Chen Yi, the leader of science and education, the general constitution, which in itself represented a strong attitude.

Chen Zongxian usually just doesn't show his mountains and dews, but he is able to sit firmly at the top of the scientific path, and his prestige among the speech officials is extremely high.

After these words, many censors who were eager to try could not help but show deep thinking expressions, and many censors who were filled with righteous indignation just now looked at each other with hesitation.

However, this is for ordinary censors, and for the important officials in the court, after hearing these words, their expressions suddenly changed.

It is not surprising that Chen Yi will make such a statement.

You know, although Chen Yi has an upright temperament, he is not reckless, nor is he the kind of person who does not know the importance. Under normal circumstances, people who have reached their level will not have a direct conflict with the emperor unless it is absolutely necessary. .

As the official of science and technology who is most likely to offend people, Chen Zongxian is naturally more cautious on this point.

Looking back on what Chen Yi did in the past, from Zuo Shunmen's kneeling and admonition at the beginning, to Luo Tong's incident later, Chen Zongxian tried his best to calm the relationship between the emperor and Ke Dao.

Therefore, this time is naturally no exception. It is not a big matter of principle to deal with Xiao Yi's matter early and late. Since the emperor ordered him to come out, Chen Yi will suppress Ke Dao's over-excited now Emotions are normal.

However, what caught their attention was Chen Yi's last sentence.

He said that the Metropolitan Procuratorate had already issued a document to investigate Cheng Zong's interpersonal relationship and past experience, so there was no need to rush to deal with Xiao Yi.

What does this mean?
Of course, the Metropolitan Procuratorate has already begun to investigate this matter, and it is not superficial like before, but has really made up its mind and means to investigate.

More importantly, although Chen Yi did not make it clear, his investigation into Cheng Zong actually showed to a large extent that he was skeptical of the allegations against Xiao Yi in the current public opinion and rumors. .

In other words, this high-ranking chief executive was vaguely protective of Xiao Yi.

However, this is not normal!

The Metropolitan Procuratorate is independent from the six ministries, and should be impartial to any officials of the imperial court. As the censor of Zuodu, Chen Yi has no friendship with Xiao Yi.

To put it bluntly, Xiao Yi, a Hanlin scholar, although in the eyes of others he is a Qingliu Huaxuan and a close servant, but in front of Qiqing's eyes, he is almost worthless.

Therefore, with his status, he is not worthy of Chen Yi's protection. More importantly, although Chen Yi is an official of the science and Taoism, it has only been a few days since the palace examination happened, and everyone has basically All about the same.

At least so far, there has been no evidence favorable to Xiao Ying.

Then, Chen Yi's approach is worth thinking about.

Either, Chen Yi has already grasped something that others don't know, and can prove Xiao Yi's "innocence", or...

The eyes of the ministers standing at the forefront flashed, and they probably had guesses in their hearts.

In this court, the only one who can labor Chen Yi with such a great deal of effort is His Majesty the Son of Heaven who now occupies the ninth level.

On that day, they all left the palace, but Chen Yi was left behind. No one knew what the emperor said to him.

However, from Chen Yi's current attitude, one can probably guess what the emperor's attitude on this matter is...

So, under the different expressions of the ministers, Du Ning of Dali Temple took the lead and spoke.

"Your Majesty, I think what the Chief Constitutional Lord said is very true. This matter involves important officials of the court. We should not be careless. It is better to make a decision after identifying the truth of the matter. I ask Your Majesty for permission. The Metropolitan Procuratorate will take the lead, Dali Temple and the Ministry of Punishment will cooperate. Let’s investigate and clarify the truth of this matter together!”

As soon as this remark came out, the discussion in the palace revived.

At the same time, many people's gazes began to linger between Du Ning and Jiang Yuan, showing a look of optimism.

Most of the people present may not know the inside story, but there are always gossip.

After Xiao Ying fell, the biggest suspense is who will continue to take over the position of Hanlin Bachelor.

Although the current Imperial Academy is not as good as it used to be, but, after all, it is Qingliu Huaxuan, and the ministers who are close to the court still have some weight. Naturally, everyone in the court has their own guesses.

Among them, Du Ning and Jiang Yuan were naturally the most popular.

Moreover, the two of them did have strength and background. Wang Ao's and Chen Xun's memorabilia were not secret melodies.

So in fact, Du Ning and Jiang Yuan are actually competitors in the current situation.

For the palace examination, all the firepower is now concentrated on Xiao Ying, but, again, apart from Xiao Ying, the other examiners are not without responsibility.

Especially for those who know the inside story, Jiang Yuan's performance in the whole palace examination process is certainly unmistakable, but if you want to say that it is suspicious, it is not without it.

It's just that, everywhere he is, someone happens to be able to testify for him, and they do it according to the process, so that people can't grasp the evidence.

Therefore, once this matter is investigated in detail, not to mention pulling Jiang Yuan off the horse, it will somehow get him involved in the vortex.

Du Ning and Jiang Yuan, no matter in terms of qualifications, ability, and reputation, they are equal in the court.

At this critical juncture, if anyone has troubles that cannot be shaken off, then the job of the Hanlin Bachelor will naturally be taken away by the other party.

Therefore, at this time, Du Siqing wanted to make things big, and in the eyes of the courtiers, it was a matter of course.

After all, Du Ning did not participate in the entire palace test, so he would not worry about being involved at all, but Jiang Yuan was different. In the battle of Hanlin bachelors, the outcome will naturally be determined.

However, most of the people present can understand this simple truth, so naturally it will not be so easy to do.

Sure enough, after Du Ning's voice fell, not a moment later, a person from the cabinet came out. It was none other than Jiang Yuan who was secretly targeted by Du Ning.

Facing the different gazes of the ministers, the elder Jiang Ge bowed his hands to the first emperor with a calm expression, and said.

"Your Majesty, in this palace examination, I and other dozens of examiners were all at fault, and it was not the fault of Xiao Xueshi alone. It caused such turmoil in the government and the public, and I felt extremely uneasy and ashamed."

"In the end, Xueshi Xiao made the decision to submit the scroll of Cheng Zong to the imperial court, but it was not Xueshi Xiao who acted arbitrarily and arbitrarily. The conclusion after the discussion."

"Nowadays there are rumors among the people that Xueshi Xiao has a personal relationship with Cheng Zong. It is not known if his words are true or not. However, even if there is, how can Xueshi Xiao make us and other officials bow their heads and obey orders?"

"This is indeed our common fault, but now the court and the people are discussing things, all blame Xueshi Xiao alone, which is unreasonable."

"The ministers are trusted by His Majesty, and the court relies heavily on them. They are the officials who read the papers for the palace examination, but they fail to fulfill their duties. Selecting talents for the court is really the reason for the dereliction of duty by the ministers and others."

"I implore Your Majesty, be kind and fair, and punish the ministers and other officials who read the papers. Don't attribute all the crimes to Xueshi Xiao alone."

(End of this chapter)