Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 630: The Court Report Shocks the Court

The palace of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the Meridian Gate.

The east gradually brightened, and the golden-red morning light pierced through the clouds, like a rising tide, slowly yet swiftly, sprinkling over thousands of palaces.

The gloomy light under the Meridian Gate Tower was almost instantly lit up.

At this time, three cannon shots were heard from the city gate, followed by the rumbling of the night watch drum.

The two huge vermilion doors of the Meridian Gate, inlaid with copper nails as big as bowls, rumbled open in the morning light.

The officials who had been waiting outside the Meridian Gate to attend court lined up in formation, passed through the Meridian Gate, and went to the Fengtian Hall to attend court.

Emperor Jiazhao was the most diligent emperor in the history of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

When Emperor Yong'an was in power, he held a morning court every three days, which made him a diligent monarch.

After Emperor Jiazhao ascended the throne, he changed the practice to daily court sessions, with one day off every five days, and this continued for fifteen years without change.

Emperor Jiazhao ascended the throne at an extraordinary opportunity, fought bloody battles, and wiped out old evils. There are still shadows in his mind today.

However, during his more than ten years in office, he worked tirelessly and diligently in governing the country. Whether in the court or in the opposition, he was either well-known or difficult to criticize.

During the Jiazhao period, the national strength of the Great Zhou was stable and the people lived and worked happily, which was a step further than the Yong'an period.

This was also the reason why the court and the country were in turmoil when Emperor Jiazhao ascended the throne, but after ruling for several years, Emperor Yongan was content to give up power and retreat to the deep palace...

The daily court meeting starts at Chenshi and ends at Sishi.

Officials attending court had to wait outside the Meridian Gate at the hour of Mao, which was equivalent to having to leave home at five in the morning. Being an official for Emperor Jiazhao was truly a hard job.

When the officials attending the court entered the Fengtian Hall in line, brocade robes and ceremonial guards were displayed, musicians played drums and music, the emperor ascended the throne, and all officials knelt and bowed in salute.

Civil and military officials stood in order. Emperor Jiazhao wore a black gauze folded-corner winged hat, a yellow robe with a round collar and narrow sleeves, a rhinoceros-shaped white jade belt with nine dragons tied around his waist, and black-bottomed court boots with a fringe.

He was in high spirits and looked like an imperial majesty. He inspected all officials, inquired about government affairs and listened to their advice.

At the court meeting today, the ministers reported on official business, many of which were ongoing affairs, such as the Ministry of Revenue's people's livelihood taxation, the Ministry of Works' river defense construction, the Ministry of War's military training, the Ministry of Personnel's official selection and performance appraisal, etc.

But there are also many new things, such as the deployment of military equipment in the nine border areas and Datong, the looting and conflict of the remnants of the Mongols outside the Great Wall, the frequent incidents of the Lianghuai salt smugglers, and the harassment of the Western Sea Barbarian Kingdom in the western border of Yunnan...

Emperor Jiazhao was very diligent in his administration and needed to hold morning court sessions to listen to the affairs of various government offices on a larger scale. Therefore, he revised the ranks of officials attending court sessions based on the old system of the Yong'an Dynasty.

The system changed the rank of officials in Beijing to those above fifth rank, and the rank of officials from other provinces to those above fourth rank. Without special permission, all were required to attend court and participate in government affairs.

However, the Censors of the Censorate were responsible for reporting rumors, and were not subject to this restriction. As long as they were of the seventh rank, the thirteen Censors of the Censorate were allowed to attend court to hear government affairs.

For example, Sun Shouzheng was originally the seventh-rank censor of Yongzhou in the Censorate, a low-ranking official among the censors. Naturally, he was not qualified to attend court. Even if he reported an impeachment, it had to be forwarded to the emperor through the Ministry of Public Security.

The previous year, he impeached Jia Zheng for being infatuated with Rong Xi Tang, which violated the patriarchal etiquette. He was highly valued and rewarded by Emperor Jia Zhao, who promoted him from the seventh rank to the seventh rank Censor.

This enabled Sun Shouzheng to attend court and attend government affairs, which opened up a new world of career for a civil servant and made many low-ranking civil servants envious at the time.

……

The morning court lasted nearly an hour, and there were regulations for officials from various departments to submit their reports.

At first, the heads of the first and second ranks of the six ministries were in charge of government affairs when there was no business and reported to the emperor when there was something going on.

After the chief official of the ministry reported the facts, officials below the third rank reported the facts in court.

During the process of officials reporting, Emperor Jiazhao would often comment on the matter in court and issue edicts on how to deal with the situation. His thinking was clear and his actions were decisive, which was quite impressive.

After the officials of various yamen reported their findings, officials of the fourth rank and below reported their findings one after another.

Zhou Junxing, a fourth-rank judge from the Court of Magistrates, took out a memorial from his sleeve pocket with his right hand and began to get ready.

The officials on duty near Zhou Junxing became alert when they saw him in this state.

Zhou Junxing of the Court of Inquisition had a reputation as a cruel official, and was well-known throughout the court and the country. Whenever he submitted a memorial, it was usually about something dangerous. No one knew which official would be in trouble today, and everyone was feeling worried.

Zhou Junxing pondered for a moment, weighed the disadvantages, and was convinced that this matter would bring more benefits than disadvantages to him.

At this time, the previous doctor from the Ministry of Works had just finished reporting on the Yellow River flood. Zhou Junxing took a step forward with his left leg, with a fierce spirit in his heart, and was about to go out to report on the earth-shaking event.

Suddenly, someone in the line behind him said with emotion: "I, Sun Shouzheng, the censor of Yongzhou Road of the Censorate, have a letter of impeachment!"

The voice was clear, solemn and resounding, and contained a hint of indignation and sharpness. Zhou Junxing's ears were slightly shocked when he heard it, and he subconsciously took back the steps he had taken.

As the director of the Court of Magistrates, Zhou Junxing is the henchman of the current emperor, responsible for investigating sinister and cruel matters. Knowing people and distinguishing facts is his outstanding instinct.

He just looked back and knew who had just made the report.

When the results of the provincial examination were announced that year, his son Zhou Zi'an slandered and framed the top scorer Jia Cong, and was impeached and severely punished by several censors from the Supervisory Office.

Forced by the situation, Emperor Jiazhao issued an edict to strip Zhou Zi'an of his academic title and prohibited him from taking the imperial examinations within three years.

Because of this incident, Zhou Junxing harbored deep resentment towards Jia Cong, but since Jia Cong was highly regarded by Emperor Jiazhao, Zhou Junxing did not dare to attack him easily.

But he was extra careful about the people and things related to him, just in case he could find some evidence...

Zhou Junxing was naturally familiar with the censor Sun Shouzheng who had just made a loud report, because this man made his fortune by impeaching Jia Cong's uncle Jia Zheng.

Zhou Junxing knew that Sun Shouzheng, the censor of Yongzhou Road, was a troublesome thorn even among a group of foul-mouthed censors.

Last time, the eldest son of Duke Rong only stayed in the main hall of his house for a few more days, but he made a fuss and filed an impeachment memorial, which led many officials to follow suit, making the Duke Rong's Mansion a disgrace.

Now he is impeaching someone in court with such an expression, I wonder which official will be in trouble next...

Zhou Junxing suddenly remembered that Sun Shouzheng was recommended by Huang Hongcang, the right vice-minister of the Ministry of Rites, and this time he happened to be an examiner for the joint examination and the palace examination, and was a person who was closely related to this spring examination.

His heart skipped a beat when he thought of this, as if he had a vague premonition.

……

Emperor Jia Zhao had heard the reports from officials above the fourth rank and thought that this morning court session was coming to an end, but then he saw a man walk out from the end of the line of officials and wanted to impeach him in court.

When he heard the name of Sun Shouzheng, he remembered Jia Zheng's love for Rong Xi Tang. Sun Shouzheng was upright and outspoken. He had said what was in his heart and advocated the new nobility replacing the old meritorious officials.

Emperor Jia Zhao had some appreciation for such a minister, and said in a gentle voice, "Approved."

When Sun Shouzheng heard that Emperor Jiazhao had specially spoken to listen to his report and his voice was solemn and gentle, and seemed to contain encouragement, his heart could not help but surge with emotion and his expression became even more excited.

He said: "I am a co-examiner of this year's joint examination. When I was reviewing the examination papers, I found that one candidate's essay was outstanding, so I selected him to be at the top of the room.

When the day of the examination was announced, I was confused because of the connection with the previous incident. After private investigation, I found that everything was suspicious. The national spring examination ceremony actually gave rise to a filthy thing..."

Sun Shouzheng spoke passionately, his anger was evident in his words, and by the time he finished speaking, many officials in the court had turned pale with fear.

Because Sun Shouzheng mentioned the filthy things in the Spring Examination, everyone knew what that meant. These officials trembled in their hearts, realizing that something big was going to happen at the morning court today!

……

When Zhou Junxing, who was in the line, heard this, he was not angry about having his limelight snatched away by someone else. Instead, he felt ecstatic and stuffed the memorial in his hand back into his sleeve pocket.

Sun Shouzheng said loudly: "I impeach the chief examiner Xu Liangxiong for colluding with the Hangzhou Prefecture candidate Wu Liang to sell the test questions and cheat in order to steal his fame.

The Spring Examination is a grand ceremony to evaluate the talents of the country and the people. It is the lifelong hope of scholars all over the world. Your Majesty is in charge of this important event of governing the world. How can you allow such evil acts to tarnish it?

I implore Your Majesty to conduct a thorough investigation into this matter, conduct fair and just imperial examinations, punish those who violate the law, and set things right!

I have written a memorial detailing all the details of this matter, and I hope Your Majesty will read it!"

……

When Sun Shouzheng said this, the whole court was in an uproar.

Except for the censors of the various prefectures in the Censorate, the officials who could attend the morning court were all of the fifth rank or above. They were successful in their official careers and each of them was shrewd and knowledgeable.

Everyone knows that in every dynasty, cheating in the imperial examinations is something that the emperors hate deeply and will definitely shock the court and the public, and will always cause huge waves.

Any officials and scholars implicated will be doomed to failure, their future will be ruined, their life will be worse than death, and their end will be tragic.

At this time, the Left Censor-in-Chief Zhou Xianyang and the Deputy Censor-in-Chief Liu Yuqing, who were sitting in the front row of the Censorate, were both shocked. They could never have imagined that a subordinate censor would actually impeach someone for such a serious matter in the court.

If it had been any other matter, they would have felt resentful towards their subordinate, who had not even informed his superiors beforehand of such a major impeachment. But today, Sun Shouzheng had not revealed any information about his impeachment beforehand, and the two of them did not blame him at all, and were even somewhat thankful.

Although the job of the Censor-in-Chief is to report on rumors, matters come in different sizes and the Censor is not always free to do anything. His every word and action may affect his official career and his life.

Zhou Xianyang, Liu Yuqing and others who were able to reach the position of Chief Censor were people with deep shrewdness and a good sense of propriety.

They all knew that the imperial examination was the foundation of the imperial court and attracted the attention of scholars and people all over the world.

Once cheating in the imperial examination is exposed, both the cheaters and the whistleblowers will be caught up in unpredictable risks, and they will naturally stay as far away from such things as possible.

Sun Shouzheng did not inform them before impeaching him, which was exactly what they wanted, as they could use this as an excuse to stay out of the matter.

Moreover, after the last impeachment of Jia Zheng, Sun Shouzheng, a low-level censor, began to come into their sight.

After much observation, they all knew that Sun Shou's behavior and words were quite different from other censors, and he was not the kind of person who spoke without thinking.

Although this person strictly abides by etiquette, he is honest and rigorous in his conduct. He dared to report a major fraud case in court, which must mean that he had solid evidence and it really happened.

Since this is the case, Zhou Xianyang, Liu Yuqing and others will wait and see and will not easily get involved.

In the court, there were many officials who had the same idea as Zhou Xianyang and Liu Yuqing.

They all knew that Sun Shouzheng was a co-examiner for this year's spring examination. As he had participated in the affairs of the spring examination, he naturally knew the inside story very well.

The scholar Wu Liang was the scholar from his family. If it was not true, he would never discredit his own family.

Therefore, as soon as Sun Shouzheng finished his impeachment, many sharp-minded officials in the court were convinced that Xu Liangxiong's fraud was most likely true!
All officials looked at Xu Liangxiong...

Wang Shilun and Chen Mo, who were standing at the front of the line, looked at Xu Liangxiong, who was also the chief examiner of this spring exam, with shock, confusion, and a gradually emerging coldness in their eyes...

……

At this moment, Xu Liangxiong's face was pale, as if struck by thunder. He never dreamed that he would be impeached in court for cheating in the imperial examination!
This year's spring examination was full of turmoil. Huang Hongcang was suddenly poisoned the day before the examination. By chance, he unexpectedly succeeded as the chief examiner of the spring examination.

This was supposed to be a pleasant surprise, but now it has turned into a disaster.

If he is implicated in cheating in the imperial examination and fails to defend himself, he will be disgraced in an instant, his career will be ruined and he will never be able to recover!

He felt an unprecedented chill in his heart, and even felt that his colleagues in the Ministry of Revenue were consciously stepping back a few steps, as if they were trying to avoid him.

He staggered out of the ranks and quickly knelt down at the jade steps of the dragon throne.

He trembled and shouted, "Your Majesty, I have been blessed by the Emperor and appointed as the chief examiner for the imperial examination. I am willing to devote my life to the Emperor's affairs and never go beyond the rules, let alone cheat.

"Sun Shouzheng has lost his moral integrity and made irresponsible remarks, framing me. I feel wronged, Your Majesty, I beg you to understand my mistake!"

Emperor Jiazhao, sitting on the dragon throne, had a gloomy expression and anger in his eyes.

Sun Sun Shouzheng's impeachment just now came without any warning and surprised Emperor Jia Zhao very much.

However, if Zhou Xianyang, Liu Yuqing and other court officials could think of it, how could Emperor Jiazhao, who was so good at strategy, not think of the key to it?

At this moment, he seemed to be oblivious to Xu Liangxiong's excited accusations and self-defense, and was just looking at Sun Shouzheng who was standing straight at the end of the train.

He said, "Present the memorial!"

……

Sun Shouzheng held the memorial high with both hands. Due to his low official position, he stood at the end of the line of officials, far away from the jade steps and dragon throne.

He walked almost the entire hall, becoming the focus of attention of all the officials.

Although he kept his head down due to the etiquette of the emperor, his back was straight, his steps were steady, and he exuded a resolute determination to risk everything on one throw, which made all the officials feel awe-inspiring!

He walked for a while before reaching the jade steps, where Guo Lin took the memorial and presented it to Emperor Jiazhao.

Emperor Jiazhao unfolded the memorial, which detailed the events of the Xiao family bookstore, the obscure connection between Wu Liang and Xu Liangxiong, and Wu Liang's essay closely followed the theme of "Retreat from Reflection"...

The description of all the events was detailed and shocking. Although there were some speculations, with the wisdom of Emperor Jia Zhao, he was sure that seven out of ten of the events in the memorial were true!

He looked at Xu Liangxiong kneeling at the foot of the jade steps, his eyes flashing with a fierce light, and he was already faintly revealing murderous intent...

In order for the imperial court to bring peace to the country, it needed the assistance of talented people. The imperial examination system was a matter of state affairs, and cheating in the imperial examination system had always been hated by kings.

The candidates for the palace examination, the emperor's disciples, turned out to be fakes who had passed the test by cheating. This was tantamount to fooling God and bringing great shame to the king!
Emperor Jia Zhao spoke in a cold voice, "The imperial examination is a major national event. Now that officials have reported fraud, we must not turn a deaf ear to it, lest the scholars of the world feel disheartened.

Xu Liangxiong, what do you have to say? "

Because the incident happened suddenly, Xu Liangxiong was still confused at the time, and although Sun Shouzheng impeached fraud in court, he did not elaborate on the details, but only mentioned that everything was recorded in the memorial.

Therefore, even if Xu Liangxiong wanted to refute his self-deprecation, he didn't know where to start. He could only shout to Emperor Jiazhao that it was unjust and that his Majesty was wise, etc., which seemed pale and powerless.

Emperor Jia Zhao said coldly:

The matter will be investigated by Zhou Junxing, the director of the Magistrates' Court, and Wei Guanyao, the Minister of the Dali Temple, will send agents to assist in the investigation. Once solid evidence is obtained, it will be handed over to the three judicial departments for trial, and those involved in the fraud will be severely punished according to the law!

The Minister of Rites Guo Youchang sealed the palace examination grading list and would wait for the truth of the cheating to be found out and then make a decision and announce it separately.

In addition, according to the impeachment memorial of the Metropolitan Censorate, we will review the proposed questions and the examination questions proposed by Xu Liangxiong to see if there is any suspicion of selling the questions. "

Since some of the candidates who took the palace examination advanced by cheating, the originally scheduled palace examination list was naturally questionable, and it was inevitable that it would be sealed and postponed.

The emperor's voice, with its heart-devouring majesty, lingered in the hall, giving people a chill.

Guo Youchang, Wei Guanyao and Zhou Junxing each came out to receive the order.

All the ministers in the court looked at Xu Liangxiong, and they all had the same thought in their minds. It was likely that this third-rank Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue would have a hard time turning things around.

Xu Liangxiong, kneeling in front of the jade steps, felt cold all over when he heard the Emperor Jia Zhao's oral instructions...

He was about to speak in defense, but he heard the emperor's cold voice from the throne above his head: "Dismiss the court!"

……

As Emperor Jiazhao left, all the ministers filed out of the hall, but Xu Liangxiong remained kneeling under the jade steps, his body as heavy as a sieve.

The officials passing by him seemed not to notice his existence, and no one came forward to comfort him. The former third-rank official of the Ministry of Revenue seemed to be abandoned by everyone in an instant.

Minister of Personnel Chen Mo glanced at the distraught Xu Liangxiong, lowered his eyes, and slowly left the hall with a slightly hunched back.

Wang Shilun, who was following behind him, looked at Xu Liangxiong and sighed slightly in his heart, thinking of Chen Mo's evaluation of Xu Liangxiong before the Meridian Gate last night: he is impatient for quick success and impetuous, lacks the grand vision, and is not worth planning.

It must be that Xu Liangxiong was careless in his words and deeds during the examination, and made mistakes that were caught by others. If he had been perfect, this would not have happened...

……

Zhou Junxing and Wei Guanyao went about their routine business, exchanged a few words on official business, and then each went their own way and left.

When he was about to walk out of the hall, he looked back at Xu Liangxiong who was still kneeling, and a sinister smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

He was the only person in the entire court who knew the whole truth of the matter, and the pleasure of controlling cause and effect made him intoxicated.

Originally, he wanted to report the fraud in court, and he had weighed the pros and cons of it, although this move could win full credit for the Magistrates' Court.

But once he submits the memorial, he will have to use Zhou Yan's complaint and confession. Given his special relationship with Zhou Yan, he himself will inevitably be implicated in suspicion, and the risks involved are unknown.

Because Zhou Yan and he were from the same family and were his distant cousin, it would be difficult to hide this relationship from others as long as Zhou Yan came to the front.

But he did not expect that just as he was making a desperate attempt to report the case in court, the censor Sun Shouzheng got there first and uncovered the major fraud case before him.

Not only did it allow him to bear the huge storm and pressure, but it also allowed him to stop submitting memorials in time, putting him in a more favorable position.

The final development of the matter was just as he had expected. Emperor Jiazhao handed the case over to the Court of Inquiry for investigation, which was exactly what he wanted.

As long as the Magistrates' Court announced the case for investigation, it would be natural for Zhou Yan, a candidate who failed the exam, to report the fraud out of indignation.

His special relationship with Zhou Yan would naturally be downplayed as much as possible...

He has been working hard on this matter since the blue booklet appeared. The name of the Magistrates' Court will once again become famous in the court and the public because of this case!
Now the only thing he needs to consider is that Emperor Jia Zhao asked the Dali Temple to assist in handling this case, so that the Court of Inquiry can take full control of the initiative...

(End of this chapter)