King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 825: Xue Family of Yingtian, Lin Family of Suzhou!
In addition to Daiyu, there was another person at the scene who knew this poem, and that was Xiangyun, who was also a tutor at the time.

Xiangyun looked at Daiyu, then at Baochai, and finally said nothing.

At this moment, when Zhu Jinghong heard this poem, the smile on his face froze, and he felt mixed emotions.

There is no hunger in prosperous times...

But hundreds of thousands of people died of starvation in Jiangbei, Nanjing was in deficit again, and Hunan was reporting plague...

Next to Zhu Muzhen was Zhu Muzhen, who was observing the changes in his father's expression and mocking his self-righteous brother in his heart.

It's obvious that things are not peaceful these days, but you say that there is no hunger in prosperous times. Isn't this simply disgusting to your father?
Looking at his son, Zhu Jinghong asked, "Did you write this poem?"

After a brief hesitation, Zhu Muzhen replied, "It was made by my son to celebrate my father's birthday. I spent a long time polishing it for this purpose!"

Zhu Jinghong looked serious and said calmly: "You have just entered school and do not know the world. How can you know what a prosperous age is? The key to learning is to understand reason and cultivate virtue. You must not indulge in poetry!"

What the emperor said made sense, but Zhu Muzhen felt aggrieved after hearing it. After all, he was trying to please his father, but his filial piety earned him a lesson.

While he was struggling, Zhu Muzhen beside him reminded him, "Fourth brother, why don't you reply to Father's words?"

Zhu Muzhen glared at his brother, then apologized, "Father's teachings, I will remember them!"

Looking at the people in front of him, Zhu Jinghong asked again: "Did you remember them all?"

In front of him there was not only Zhu Muzhen, but also the eldest son Zhu Muzhen, the second son Zhu Muwu, and the third son Zhu Mutong, all of whom were older princes.

"Son, remember this!"

After everyone answered, Zhu Jinghong waved them away, and the family dinner continued as usual.

Everyone tried their best to please him, but he just couldn't muster the interest.

About an hour later, the family dinner was officially over. Zhu Jinghong was supposed to go to Kunning Palace to rest, but he went back to Qianqing Palace.

After the emperor left, everyone else also dispersed. Most people were very happy, after all, it was rare for the palace to be so lively.

But in Kunning Palace, Baochai was not very happy.

In the study room in the side hall, Baochai had already sent everyone away, and at this moment only Zhu Muzhen was in front of her.

"Tell me honestly, did you really write that poem?"

Hearing his mother's question, Zhu Muzhen felt a little panicked, but he nodded and said, "It was written by my son!"

"Did you really write it?" Baochai asked again. She gave the boy another chance.

The verses just now obviously did not match Zhu Muzhen's understanding. Zhu Jinghong did not delve deeply into poetry and prose, so he did not notice the difference.

But Zhu Muzhen's poem could not be hidden from Baochai.

Moreover, Baochai also believed that other smart people present could guess that it was not done by Zhu Muzhen, but no one said it out loud.

Seeing his mother's unfriendly expression, Zhu Muzhen gritted his teeth and finally replied, "Mother, it was my son who did it!"

Seeing that the child she had raised no longer told her the truth, Baochai couldn't help feeling sad.

"Your father just taught you a lesson, so let me tell you another lesson. If you think you are the smartest person in the world and that you can hide it from everyone... then you are the biggest fool!"

"You didn't tell me the truth today, and you hurt my heart... This is unfilial. I will punish you by copying the "Book of Filial Piety" three times!"

At the end of her speech, Baochai's tone became particularly stern.

She was the queen who was the mother of the country. How could Zhu Muzhen not be afraid of her majesty at this moment? He knew that his cleverness had been seen through, so he immediately knelt on the ground and cried and begged for forgiveness.

"My son will never dare to do that again. I hope you won't be angry, mother. I know I was wrong!"

While crying, Zhu Muzhen crawled in front of Baochai, holding onto his mother's skirt and begging for mercy. His pitiful appearance was heartbreaking.

"I know this, and so do others. Don't think you're the only one who's smart!"

Baochai continued to lecture her. If she knew that the poem was plagiarized by Daiyu, she would never calm down so easily. After all, this was too embarrassing.

Afterwards, Baochai asked about the source of Zhu Muzhen's poems and essays, and found out that they were found in the attic of the East Hall of Kunning Palace, where there was a box of discarded manuscripts.

There was no other way. Daiyu, Xiangyun, Zhu Yunsheng, and even Baochai and Yang Jingting, when they were tutors, had all written a large number of manuscripts. Although these things were useless, they could not be thrown away, so they could only be stored like this.

When Baochai moved into Kunning Palace, someone reported this matter to her, but she had too many things to do and neglected it, so the things were kept in a corner of the attic for several years.

So Baochai asked Zhu Muzhen to find the manuscript. As soon as she saw the handwriting, she knew it was written by Daiyu, even though there was no signature on it.

Looking at the smart-aleck boy in front of her, Baochai was so angry that she wanted to slap him twice. It was the first time in her life that she felt so ashamed.

"You should personally hand this manuscript over to your Madam Lin and apologize to her!"

"what?"

"Go immediately!" Baochai shouted angrily.

"Yes!"

Zhu Muzhen fled in terror. Baochai sat quietly for a while, then got up and went to the Qianqing Palace.

She had to explain the matter to the emperor in person, otherwise this matter would remain a hidden danger and might be brought out by someone with ulterior motives someday.

…………

While the Empress of the Ming Dynasty was worried about a poem, Li Ziheng, a loyal minister of the Ming Dynasty, was working hard to feed the people.

Unable to get grain in Nanjing, he had no choice but to return to Jiangbei, planning to ask the local government to find a way to squeeze some grain out of the wealthy households.

If it really doesn't work, he can use the government treasury to buy it, and he will take all the responsibility then.

However, when he returned to Sizhou, he found that all problems had been solved and the food gap had been filled.

The person who accomplished this was Song Ziyu, the newly appointed Inspector-General and Censor-in-Chief, who called on all prefectures and counties to raise food.

After returning to Fengyang from Sizhou, Li Ziheng found Song Ziyu.

Although they were both working for the imperial court, Li Ziheng was still very grateful to Song Ziyu for his help at the critical moment.

In the inspection office, after hearing his superior's thanks, Song Ziyu replied: "Sir Li, you don't have to thank me. I am an official in Jiangbei, and I should do something practical for the people!"

"Although there are evil people at work now, not all of them are not upright. I am just one of them!"

Song Ziyu's words surprised Li Ziheng a little, but also gave him some inspiration.

Li Ziheng has always believed that there are few good people in the officialdom. Song Ziyu is Jia Yucun's disciple and has long been classified by him as a reserve team of treacherous officials.

After Song Ziyu arrived in Jiangbei, he only cared about party disputes when investigating the civil unrest, and treated other people lightly, which further confirmed his judgment.

But now Song Ziyu's words and actions have shaken his views.

So Li Ziheng could only sigh that human nature was indeed very complicated, at least he didn't dare to say he understood it all.

In fact, from a utilitarian point of view, Song Ziyu's behavior is easy to understand, and he himself has explained the reason.

He was the inspector of Jiangbei, and could be considered a local official, and it was his duty to maintain local stability.

It is true that he is Jia Yucun's student, but he has to be himself first, and factional interests can only come second.

If there is another disturbance in Jiangbei, Li Ziheng will certainly be to blame, but he will still have to clean up the situation in the end.

The two chatted for a while, but they had very little in common, so Li Ziheng left after a few minutes as he had a lot of things to do next.

Watching Li Ziheng leave, Song Ziyu felt complicated. He admired this true gentleman, but he knew that he and this man were destined to be rivals in the future.

In the blink of an eye, a few days passed. According to Li Ziheng's method of focusing on breakthroughs, the Chen family, which attracted a lot of attention, became the main target of investigation.

Although Li Ziheng was not in Fengyang these days, the Jinyiwei and the Dongchang people were not idle, and they had a clear understanding of the situation inside and outside the Chen family. However, when it came to the trial, the factory guards were very cautious. They only provided clues to Li Ziheng, and the latter had to come in person to try the case.

So Li Ziheng returned to the temporary yamen, first looked at a large amount of intelligence, organized his thoughts, and then began to try the case.

On March 16, the fifth year of Qiansheng, the first case of rectifying the annexation of Jiangbei began. Li Ziheng summoned the Liu family, the Zhang family, and the second and third branches of the Chen family for questioning.

These are the peripheral forces of the Chen family, and they are also the white gloves of the Chen family in annexing land. Only by starting with them can you get connected to the Chen family.

Li Ziheng was well prepared and had both witnesses and physical evidence during the trial. It only took him five days to implicate the head of the Chen family.

On March 21, Li Ziheng formally summoned Chen Yuying, but Chen Yuying, citing poor health, asked his son to appear in court on his behalf.

Li Ziheng certainly disagreed and arranged for a doctor to see Chen Yuying, forcing the latter to hide in the countryside to recuperate, so Li Ziheng sent the doctor to the countryside again.

In the end, Chen Yuying was forced to recover and return to Fengyang, where she was formally tried on March 27.

This was a joint trial, with Chief Censor Li Ziheng as the presiding judge, Provincial Surveillance Commissioner Sheng Jingrui and Circuit Chief Censor Song Ziyu as jurors, and the head eunuch of the East Factory Song Fusheng and the deputy captain of the Northern Pacification Office Ni Jinzhong (Ni Er) as observers.

Of course, the wealthy families in Fengyang and the surrounding prefectures and counties were allowed to send people to attend the hearings.

For Li Ziheng, such cases must be made public to have the greatest deterrent effect.

"Why did the Liu family give your family money and food?"

"Why does the Zhang family also have to pay tribute on time? In the same proportion as the Liu family?"

"And why did your second wife buy a large amount of land three years ago? Why was she able to sell it for less than the experts?"

"Why do all the villagers in Hexi Lower Village owe money to your four branches? Even though their land was taken by you, they still have to cultivate it to pay off your debts?"

"And the thirty-eight households in Liujiazhuang, why are they..."

In the lobby, listening to Li Ziheng's questioning, although Chen Yuying was angry in her heart, her face was extremely calm.

"Answer my question!" Li Ziheng said in a serious tone.

"Sir Li, I have served in office for a few more years than you. Although I have retired now, I still remember the laws of the court!"

Looking around at the officials in the hall, as well as the gentry inside and outside the hall listening, Chen Yuying continued, "You asked me to come here to question you today, and I'm here now. I want to ask you... Which of the things you just said violated the law?"

On the surface, these things have nothing to do with the main branch of the Chen family, so Chen Yuying certainly cannot take responsibility for all of them.

Although Li Ziheng was an imperial envoy, he was alone and no one in the audience, whether officials or civilians, would support him.

Looking around at everyone, Chen Yuying stroked his white beard and replied, "If you insist on my reply, I can only tell you... it is only natural to pay back debts, and the transaction is fair and we both agree!"

Li Ziheng would not be fooled, and then asked: "How did you get into debt? How did you pay it back? How did you do the business?"

"Can you please tell me about these in detail?"

Of course, these cannot be discussed in detail, so Chen Yuying simply ignored it and answered casually: "I remember that the imperial envoy came to provide disaster relief and investigate land annexation. Does he also want to investigate private lending?"

"Of course I don't have to intervene in normal private lending, but when it comes to land sales, which are related to the safety of the country, I have to intervene!"

"According to you, my Ming Dynasty's permission to buy and sell land has become the source of trouble for the world?"

When faced with such a question, most people would object immediately, but Li Ziheng reacted quickly and said, "Forced buying and selling will only make the rich richer and the poor poorer... Isn't this the source of disaster?"

Li Ziheng insisted on the point of "abnormal transaction" and refused to talk about anything else. This made Chen Yuying very uncomfortable.

"Lord Li, if you want to debate the way of governing a country, you shouldn't have asked me to come here!"

Li Ziheng smiled and asked, "Well then...please tell me why the Zhang family and the Liu family would pay you money and grain on time, and why their land and deeds are all in your house!"

This question was quite explicit. Chen Yuying did not respond in a hurry, but just looked at Li Ziheng quietly.

After a while, Chen Yuying said, "Li Yushi, I have been an official for a few more years than you, and I have some experience that I want to share with you!"

Li Ziheng said, "Today is a trial. We can discuss our experience as an official after the court session. Now just answer my question!"

"I have already answered you just now. It was you who kept forcing me. Who do you think you are? Could it be that..."

"I am the Chief Censor of the Censorate, an imperial envoy appointed by the emperor. Who do you think you are?"

With just these two sentences, the atmosphere on the scene heated up quickly. The audience held their breath, but were also looking forward to the next collision.

If it weren't for Li Ziheng's identity as an imperial envoy and the people from the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard present at the scene, only someone would applaud Chen Yuying at this moment.

"A thousand-year-old field has eight hundred owners. Who in this world doesn't buy field? Who doesn't sell field?"

"As long as we are willing, the government won't investigate unless the people report it, so why should you meddle in other people's business?"

"The secular world is turbid. Do you think you can clear the universe by yourself? Can you make the world your enemy?"

Li Ziheng remained calm, and only heard him say: "I am ashamed to be the one who clarifies the emperor's affairs, but I am loyal to the emperor and I will rectify any illegalities I encounter. Today I only ask about your case, how can I say I am an enemy of the world?"

At this point, there is no need to worry about face. Chen Yuying is also a veteran in this field and will not weaken in momentum at this moment.

"If I remember correctly, the most important mission of the Imperial Envoy is to provide relief to the victims, and then investigate the case!"

"But when you went to Jiangbei to provide disaster relief, people starved to death. Now the people are resentful. I want to ask the Imperial Envoy, is the life and death of the people more important, or is it more important for you to gain a reputation for integrity by investigating the case?"

On the other hand, Chen Yuying put another hat on Li Ziheng, accusing him of being indifferent to the lives of the people and only caring about provoking trouble and trying cases to gain fame. In simple terms, he was seeking fame and reputation and being hypocritical.

At this point, both sides had revealed their true colors, and the excitement was so intense that everyone at the scene was stunned.

Everyone present couldn't help but marvel at the fact that Senior Chen Yuying was indeed a veteran in the field. He could actually fight back even against a tough guy like Li Ziheng.

But the officials present only needed to put themselves in Chen Yuying's shoes to understand that this was indeed the time to fight to the death.

The Chen family was taken as an example of rectification and merger. If the charges were proven, they would be severely punished. However, considering the dirty deeds that the Chen family had been involved in over the years, confiscation of property and exile were considered lenient punishments.

At this moment, everyone was waiting for Li Ziheng's response, because the fact that people had starved to death and even riots had occurred was an objective fact.

"If I am guilty, Your Majesty will punish me. I will accept dismissal, confiscation of property, exile, or beheading.

"Today in court, I am here to investigate a case under orders. I am only asking about your Chen family!"

Li Ziheng didn't take Chen Yuying's advice at all. He had really given it his all, so he didn't care about outsiders' opinions and would only try his best to do the right thing.

Chen Yuying's answer in class amazed everyone, and Li Ziheng's courage and determination to disregard his reputation made everyone present admire him even more.

They all grew up reading books of sages and they all knew the sages' teachings. They also once thought about becoming gentlemen, but now they have all become bureaucrats and landlords.

"You only ask me about my Chen family? My Chen family's ancestor was a meritorious official who assisted Emperor Taizu in restoring China. Now he is down and out... He is like a tiger in a plain and bullied by a dog, but you only dare to attack us!"

A tiger in dire straits is bullied by a dog. This is not something that should be said in class. It is obvious that Chen Yuying has been forced into a desperate situation and no longer cares about the decency of a scholar-official.

Listening to Chen Yuying's sarcasm, Li Ziheng remained calm and said slowly, "We need to investigate each case one by one. If you are innocent, why do you need to worry so much?"

"Investigate them one by one? I'm afraid they picked our family just because we are easy to bully. Do you dare to investigate the real powerful people?"

This is called rambling. Anyway, the questions are all digressive and will not follow Li Ziheng's script.

"As long as the law is violated, I will investigate!" Li Ziheng also became angry.

He hated people like Chen Yuying the most. They were clearly the culprits of the land annexation, but they acted like they had suffered a lot of injustice.

Chen Yuying roared in the court: "Do you dare to investigate those ministers and ministers in the court? Do you dare to investigate the lands annexed by the princes and vassals in various places?"

"The law is strict and violators will be punished. Why shouldn't I dare?" Li Ziheng answered frankly.

Chen Yuying immediately said angrily: "Yingtian Xue family, Suzhou Lin family, do you dare to investigate?"

(End of this chapter)