Emperor Taizong's Growth Plan

Chapter 398 Behind the scenes, there are black hands

With a loud bang, the gate of the mansion fell down.Dozens of capable servants rushed into the house like wolves and tigers.

The steward of the mansion led a group of servants to stop him, and shouted sharply:

"Who are you! You are so courageous, my lord is Mr. Gao, a doctor of the Ministry of Rites! If you trespass into the mansion, you are not afraid of being questioned afterwards!"

Although Gao Fang is only a mere doctor in the Ministry of Rites, the Department of Rites and Systems is responsible for the imperial examinations and mastering the path to officialdom, which is extremely important.

Ever since Gao Fang took office, all the people he interacted with were high officials from the court, and the people who came to visit were all noble and noble relatives, but he was gone, and even the servants in the mansion regarded themselves as nobler than the servants in other courtiers' homes. point.

At this time, seeing the guards in official uniforms coming to the door, the first reaction was to yell loudly, without any fear or awe.

"Hmph, I'm afraid it's not us who will be questioned, but your master!"

A cold snort came from the door.At the gate, there were three people wearing blue official uniforms, walking quickly into the courtyard.

The leader held the bright yellow imperial decree in both hands, and said loudly:

"The Dali Temple is in the capital, and has come with the emperor's order, so your master should come quickly to receive the order!"

All the servants in the Gao Mansion were in charge, startled, and turned around tremblingly to report, no longer as arrogant as before.

Not long after, Gao Fang hurriedly dressed, with a worried expression on his face, and walked quickly to the courtyard under the leadership of the servants at home.

At this moment, Gao Fang was quietly sizing up the three people in front of him to deliver the decree.

Zhengzhi is the capital of the sixth-rank Dali Temple, Zhang Tang, the head of the sixth-rank punishment department, and Zhao Yu, the supervisory censor from the sixth-rank Gyeonggi Prefecture...

[Blue training card, strict laws and cruel officials
Card effect: After using it, you will have Zhidu, Zhao Yu, Zhangtang

Card description: Destroy the nest without the phoenix, and exhaust the dragon without swimming.The sage has something to return to, and it is not a dragon and a phoenix.

Zhidu, a native of Yang County, Hedong County in the Western Han Dynasty, advocated severe punishment and severe laws...

Strength 53, Literature 68, Wisdom 84, Morality 82, Age 30, Domination 70, Politics 79, Charisma 66, Loyalty 100, Ambition 63
Zhao Yu, the judicial officer of the Western Han Dynasty...

Strength 30, Literature 82, Wisdom 86, Morality 42, Age 29, Domination 23, Politics 74, Charisma 54, Loyalty 100, Ambition 70
Zhang Tang, an official and cruel official in the Western Han Dynasty...

Force 31, Literature 72, Wisdom 85, Morality 90, Age 28, Domination 67, Politics 88, Charm 80, Loyalty 100, Ambition 30]

These three people are exactly the cruel officials who are now well-known and feared in Beijing.

Although the three have different tempers and temperaments, they all enforce the law very strictly.

Since they took office in Jingzhong, no matter which son of a powerful family committed a crime, if it was in their hands, they would still be able to come to an end if they confessed honestly.But if you are not honest, you will be punished immediately.

No matter who comes to intercede or threaten, the three of them will remain indifferent, stern and selfless, just like a cruel official and lonely minister, it is extremely difficult.How many dignitaries in Beijing treat the three of them as if avoiding ghosts and gods.

At this time, Gao Fang looked at the three of Zhidu, and then at the vicious appearance of the guards in front of him, and the appearance of vicious guests coming to the door, he immediately reacted in his heart.

This is me, something happened?

Thinking of Gao Fang here, his legs suddenly went limp, and he sat down on the ground with a plop.

Zhidu looked at Gao Fang who was pale and trembling, he snorted coldly, showed his edict, and said loudly:
"Following the heavens and the season, under the order of this, Emperor Dayun ordered:
The matter of imperial examinations is to promote talents for the country, and it is related to the safety of the country, so no slack is allowed!Gao Fang, the doctor of the Ministry of Rituals, was involved in a fraud case, and immediately ordered the three divisions, the imperial court and the temple, to interrogate and investigate the case.

Appreciate this! "

Zhi Du put together the imperial decree in his hands, looked straight at Gao Fang, and said coldly:

"Master Gao, please come back with me!"

Gao Fang broke out in cold sweat on his forehead, his body was trembling and he wanted to get up, but he struggled a few times, but failed because his limbs were weak.

Zhang Tang, the head of the criminal department, waved his hand and snorted coldly:
"take away!"

The guards around him immediately stepped forward and dragged Gao Fang, whose limbs were limp like mud, away.

Zhang Tang looked cold and solemn, and said again:

"Take away all the people in the high house, and strictly interrogate them. Search the inside and outside of the high house, and if there are any suspicious things, seal them up and take them away!"

"Yes!" All the guards responded in unison and moved quickly.

At the same time, somewhere in Zhongqing City.

Three people dressed in fine clothes, each with their own extraordinary manners, one could see that they were either rich or noble, walked quickly into the hall, and bowed to the three old men sitting at the head of the hall.

The three of them paused for a moment, and said one after another:

"Teacher, the news of Weichu Mansion has reached the capital. The emperor has ordered Gao Fang to be arrested."

"The disciple is not doing well, so I ask the hall master and the two elders to punish him."

"However, please rest assured that the uncle and the two elders, we have already tidied up the first and last."

In the hall, the old man at the top nodded, shook his head regretfully, and said:
"For the sake of the mountain, I will fall short... pity, pity!"

"It's okay, there will be opportunities in the future." Another old man said.

The third old man shook his head again and again at this time, and retorted:

"Hey, no, I don't think this is a failure! Although this plan failed, it was only because of the delay in the war between the two countries, not because of our careless planning. As long as the government-school promotion system does not change, the dust will fall in the future I will definitely not do it again!"

The old man at the head shook his head slightly and sighed:

"My three families joined forces, and it was foolproof. But I didn't want to fail because of the sudden war between the two countries. Such a coincidence, in the dark, it seems that the emperor really has luck and is blessed by heaven!"

The third old man couldn't help shaking his head at this moment, saying:
"Although the emperor is wise and powerful, he has the help of great luck in the dark. However, the emperor is young and he is in charge of a country. There are inevitably mistakes and omissions. I waited to act like this for the sake of Dayun."

"I don't want to do anything else, but I'm afraid that this action will make the emperor suspicious in his heart, and if he wants to send people to investigate further, it will be very bad..."

Speaking of this, the second old man's eyes suddenly flashed coldly, he suddenly raised his head to look at the three people in front of him, and said word by word:
"So the three of you, you must clean up from head to tail!"

The three people standing respectfully in the hall without interjecting all the time were stunned when they heard the old man's words, and subconsciously raised their heads to look at the three old men.

The first three old men either lowered their eyebrows or lowered their eyes, or raised their cups to drink tea, but they didn't look at the three people in the hall.Only the second old man was looking at the three of them with a blank face, with a solemn and cold look in his eyes.

When the three people in the hall saw this, their eyes were slightly desperate, and a dead gray appeared on their faces.

The three of them are still alive, but they haven't cleaned up!
After a long while of silence in the hall, one of them suddenly knelt down on the ground, kowtowed, and said:

"The disciple's family members and heirs, please ask the hall master to send someone to pick them up and arrange them properly!"

The other two also gritted their teeth, knelt down and said:

"Please teacher (teacher uncle) help me to leave Zhongqing City with my family!"

Hearing the words, the old man at the head sighed faintly and said:
"Don't worry, since I am your teacher, I will take care of your housework..."

Having said that, he looked at the other two and said in a deep voice:
"And the two of you are also working for your respective sects. How can the teachers of the two of you ignore it?"

"The children of the three of you, we will definitely ensure a good future for them!" The third old man said in a deep voice.

The three of them heard the words, determined in their hearts, bowed their heads again, got up and left.

But after the three of them left, there were discussions again in the hall.

"I have disciples who work in the Ministry of Punishment. How about arranging for the family members of the three of them to be imprisoned temporarily to avoid the limelight?"

Hearing the voice, it was the second old man who was speaking.

"No, no! I heard that when the Buddhist sect of Yunguo conspired against them, they put monks and soldiers in prison. With this example before, the emperor must pay attention to the prison of the Ministry of punishment!"

When the third old man said this, he couldn't help but paused, then lowered his voice, and said in a deep voice:
"Section Master Yao was so decisive before that he even had the heart to force his own disciples to die. Why is he hesitating now? It is about the safety of you and my family, and we must not leave any loopholes. Therefore, it is better not to leave any trouble behind!"

The old man at the head sighed again, and couldn't bear to say:

"Oh, my disciple, I can't help but feel unbearable... But a gentleman is righteous, and he is fair and selfless. Things are up to now, and that's the only way!"

After a while, the second old man said in a low voice:
"That's all!"

After the voice fell, the hall became silent again...
-
Yunguo Imperial Palace, in the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Zhidu hurried into the palace to meet Xiao Cheng.

"Qizou Your Majesty, Gao Fang has already explained!"

When Xiao Cheng heard this, his hands froze for a moment, and he said strangely:
"I remember that Gao Fang has not been arrested for half a day, and he confessed?"

Zhidu quickly explained:
"Actually, after Gao Fang was arrested, before he was executed, he cried out to his father and mother and explained everything. In order not to make any mistakes, I went to the palace to report after checking it!"

"Say!"

"Gao Fang has been an official since the power minister Wang Xiao was in power. He has never been involved in the turmoil in the court because of his weak temper. After the implementation of the new system, Gao Fang was transferred to be a doctor of the Ministry of Rites because of his conscientiousness. Imperial examinations, official and academic affairs."

"About a year ago, Shaozhan Taichang Zhuangyou of the dynasty had acquaintance with him and gave him a thousand taels of silver, intending to arrange a place for his nephew in the imperial examination. The quota of Yunyuan County Official School has been given to Zhuang You's nephew."

"After that, Gao Fang was out of control. Under Zhuang You's introduction, he got acquainted with the clan Ande Wang Xiao Yinglu, Honglu Shaoqing Zhao Jia, Xianwu General Shi Kaicheng, Court Councilor Wang Luo, Chang Yinghou Ji Xingsi Waiting for the dignitaries in the court. A few people joined forces and started to take the imperial examination places."

"Afterwards, these people colluded with each other, mobilized their respective forces, implicated most of the local officials and schools, and secretly sold quotas. This year's imperial examination alone made a profit of more than [-] taels at a time. One responds to criminal evidence, plus correspondence, account books , Where the gold and silver are hidden, I have already sent people to check, and there is no mistake or omission!"

Having said this, Xiao Cheng's face was already ashen.

Involved in it, there are literary and military, there are clans, and there are nobles.

With such a big move involving so many people, Xiao Cheng didn't realize it at all!

Speaking of which, the attention of Dongchang and Sticky Rod are all focused on Xia Guo, and they are inevitably distracted from China.

Moreover, most of the dignitaries involved in it are just greedy and want to make some money, so they may not have any thoughts of disloyalty towards Xiao Cheng, and the loyalty value above the golden finger naturally has no reaction.

It was precisely because of this that Xiao Cheng was so caught off guard by the imperial examination fraud case.

"As long as everyone is waiting, catch them all, don't let them go!" Xiao Cheng said coldly.

Zhi Du heard the words and immediately said:

"The censor Zhao Yu and the head of the criminal department Zhang Tang have already gone to arrest each other, and they must be coming back soon to report."

I don't know if it was a coincidence, but just as Zhi Du finished speaking, he heard the voice of the palace attendant outside the palace:

"Qi Zuo Your Majesty, Supervising Censor Zhao Yu and Head of the Ministry of Punishment Zhang Tang, please meet outside the hall!"

When Xiao Cheng heard this, he immediately waved his hand and said:

"pass!"

A moment later, Zhao Yu and Zhang Tang walked quickly into the hall, bowed down and shouted:

"Sir, see Your Majesty!"

Xiao Cheng quickly asked:

"Have all the people involved in it been taken down?"

Zhang Tang got up slightly, cupped his hands and said:

"Qizou Your Majesty, most of them were captured...except for Wang Luo, Shao Zhan Taichang Zhuang You, Hong Lu and Shao Qing Zhao Jia, who committed suicide together with the whole family and children, all of them were arrested and awaiting trial."

Hearing this, Xiao Cheng frowned again, and said with surprise in his eyes:

"The whole family committed suicide in fear of crime?"

"Yes." Zhang Tang said in a deep voice.

Xiao Cheng, who had already vaguely sensed that something was wrong, became even more suspicious after hearing that the whole family of the three committed suicide in fear of crime.

"Since I ascended the throne, except for the serious crime of treason, the rest of the crimes are just beheading the evil master, and his family members will be sent to Nanjun at most, and they will not be officials for five generations... Although what they committed is a big crime, it is not a crime. As for dragging the whole house up and down to commit suicide!"

The southern county of Yunguo has a vast land and few people.In order to develop the land of Nanjun, Xiao Cheng would usually send all the criminals and family members of criminal officials who committed minor crimes to Nanjun to open up wasteland.

Although the land reclamation in Nanjun was difficult and suffered from wild animals, miasma, barbarians, poisonous insects, rats and ants, it was still a way to survive.

And when there is a way to survive, Xiao Cheng never thinks that someone will be able to drag his family to die together!

Xiao Cheng's eyes showed seriousness, and he suddenly said:
"And this young Zhan Taichang Zhuangyou, you just mentioned, is the one who pulled Gao Fang into the water?"

Zhidu hurriedly said:
"Returning to Your Majesty, it was Zhuang You who encouraged Gao Fang to take the imperial examination quota. Later, Zhuang You continued to match Gao Fang and brought him to know many dignitaries in the court..."

"Such a coincidence? Hehehe, the person who ordered to cut grass and roots, either because he lacks understanding of the punishment of my dayun, or because he is smart. Otherwise, I really might not doubt it..."

The look in Xiao Cheng's eyes flickered, and after a moment of consideration, he immediately said in a deep voice:
"For the outside world, it is declared that the case has come to light. Order Dongchang to secretly send people to close and guard the mansions of Wang Luo, Shao Zhan Taichang Zhuangyou, and Hong Lu Shaoqing Zhao Jia. One of them should arrange visits and the location of the corpses. verb: move."

"In addition, order Di Renjie to take Song Ci back to Beijing as soon as possible to inspect the three mansions. I want to see if they committed suicide!"

After the three of Zhidu heard the words, they knew that His Majesty felt that there was something hidden in it.

The three of them immediately looked solemn, bent down to salute, and said in their mouths:
"Come on, follow your orders!"

(End of this chapter)