Wanli Xinming

Chapter 251 Questioning
Since the emperor said to let himself go to see Zhang Xueyan, Zhang Juzheng could only follow the order.In the afternoon of the next day, Zhang Ju was in his busy schedule, and accompanied by Li You, the internal officer, went to Dali Temple Prison to visit the detained Zhang Xueyan.

Zhang Juzheng saw Zhang Xueyan, who had been stripped of his flying fish suit, in a simple courtyard house in Dali Temple, which was converted into a prisoner's detention center—he almost didn't recognize it.

In the past, Zhang Shumi, who had achieved the first-rank position, now has a gray beard, a gray complexion, and a stooped body. Where is the majestic appearance of living in eight seats?
When Zhang Juzheng entered the courtyard accompanied by Lu Guangzu, the minister of Dali Temple, Zhang Xueyan was sitting on a stone bench under a pine tree in the courtyard. Seeing Zhang Juzheng and others, he hurriedly stood up from the stool.There was a clatter between his hands and feet, but he was put on a ring.

Zhang Juzheng frowned slightly.Lu Guangzu also had a worried look on his face, and shouted, "Why don't you understand the official restraint?"

He was about to come up and open Zhang Xueyan's handcuffs and shackles.Zhang Juzheng waved his hand and said, "Wait a minute. Let him kneel and listen to the will first." Lu Guangzu heard the words and said: "The Prime Minister said yes. Then we have to wait until the order is completed and then untie it - this order does not require a middle official. Come, but it's rare."

Zhang Juzheng first smiled and said, "Your Majesty is far-reaching, this move must have profound meaning." Then he coughed lightly and said to Zhang Xueyan, "I have something to ask you."

Zhang Xueyan knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Zhang Juzheng.Zhang Juzheng said: "'The emperor said, the old gentleman went to see Zhang Xueyan to express my regret'."

When Zhang Xueyan heard this, her shoulders shrugged, her throat choked up, unable to reply, she only kowtowed with tears on her face.

Although Lu Guangzu often communicates tears and tears among prisoners, Zhang Xueyan is different after all, and he feels pity when he sees it.With a light cough, he said, "Mr. Prime Minister, I have to retire first."

Zhang Juzheng nodded and said, "It's better to stay with Brother Sheng for a while. After the questioning is over, let him untie the shackles."

When Lu Guangzu left the yard, Zhang Juzheng then asked solemnly, "Do you have anything to say - this is also what the emperor asked."

Zhang Xueyan kowtowed, sobbing in a low voice.Zhang Juzheng knew that Zhang Xueyan must have done something else to offend the emperor, otherwise he would only be guilty of accepting bribes. With Zhang Xueyan cooperating with Li Chengliang in attacking and destroying Wang Gao, he would not die.

After he went back and thought about it last night, he only felt that the three sentences that the emperor asked him to ask must have something to do with it, because these three sentences are clearly presented in a logical relationship.If Zhang Xueyan can resolve the emperor's hatred of him, he may not necessarily die - he will be sentenced to prison.

He was ordered to ask questions, and every question and answer between the two must be echoed in a written form.Zhang Xueyan communicated with tears and tears, and this attitude of repentance has come.But he didn't say a word, but Zhang Juzheng couldn't write this memorial, and he couldn't even give him a cheek.

But the procedure still had to go on. Zhang Juzheng waited for him for a while, then asked again, "Don't you have anything to say?" This sentence repeated the second sentence of the emperor's question, which was obviously a violation of the decree. The questioning process, that is, Zhang Juzheng, a high-weight identity, can play such a side ball.Even if Li You by his side went back to shake the salt, Zhang Juzheng could stand it.

Zhang Xueyan also knew this. Hearing that, his body shook and the sobbing stopped.He thought quietly for a while, then lowered his head and said the first sentence of the day: "If you return to the emperor, the minister should die for his sins. If he regrets it, he has also lived up to the emperor's trust, and his death will be more than enough. The minister has no other words, only Please be guilty."

Zhang Juzheng said that he had a door, and Zhang Xueyan's confession attitude was very good.He didn't justify anything, just a single death can save half of your heart.After waiting for a while, seeing Zhang Xueyan no longer speaking, Zhang Juzheng asked the third sentence and said: "'The emperor said that someone was beside me saying that he was working in a scheming way. ——Let him tell the truth.' Well, these are the original words of the emperor, you must tell the truth and do not mistake yourself."

Hearing this, Zhang Xueyan raised his head abruptly, his face flushed red at first, and then turned bloodless and pale.Zhang Juzhengrao is very good at nourishing qi, and he was startled when he saw him. He thought to himself: "This sentence must be a weakness. I don't know what he did to hide the emperor?"

Zhang Xueyan twitched his lips, and his body trembled slightly because of fear.He already fully understood why the prime minister, Zhang Juzheng, came to ask questions, not the middle official beside him. This was a ruthless mockery of the emperor's "scheming". He wanted to kill his people and punish him. Heart!

But at the moment when he asked this question, he didn't dare not answer, because Zhang Xueyan didn't live alone in the world - his sense of responsibility to his descendants and family made him directly disarm and surrender.

Zhang Juzheng listened to him bowing his head and said: "The minister dare not dare to deceive the king. After the minister was involved in the empty pay case, he tried to save himself, so he sent someone to kill Liu Tai, and then committed the case of uncovering posts. The idea of ​​the future generation. The emperor said that the ministers are scheming, and the ministers have no excuse."

When Zhang Juzheng heard this, his body shook.Li You, the middle official next to him, kept looking at his face, and seeing that he was not stable, he quickly reached out to support him.

After Zhang Juzheng was shocked, he immediately thought through Zhang Xueyan's wishful thinking.He walked slowly to the stone stool where Zhang Xueyan was sitting, and sat down slowly, with a wry smile on his face: "You made the 'disclosure case' to provoke a political dispute and make the emperor and the old man have to protect you?"

Zhang Xueyan bowed his head and said yes, and then said: "I also hid all the relevant people in the cellar of the mansion. I thought it was a foolproof plan, but the emperor saw through it. The way to die is here. The three clans of the Executioners."

Zhang Juzheng sat on the stone bench for a long time, then got up and said to Li You, "What else does Eunuch Li have to ask?" Li You shook his head and suggested that Zhang Juzheng end the embarrassing questioning.

When he started, he was at a loss, but Zhang Juzheng was not as shocked.At this moment, he suddenly realized and said in his heart: "It's true that people are looking for death, and no one can stop them. Zhang Xueyan, Zhang Xueyan, the hanging is really kind to you!"

Zhang Juzheng closed his eyes and rested for a while, then stood up and said, "You sons and daughters, I will treat them kindly. Do you have anything else to say?" He asked this, but he secretly said in his heart: "What's the use of forming a party? As the emperor said , all pig teammates."

Zhang Xueyan saw that Zhang Juzheng no longer communicated with him, and knew that he had offended him too hard.He was busy kowtowing to Zhang Juzheng and said, "This is because Xia Yu did too badly. As the so-called cleverness was mistaken by cleverness, he lifted a stone and hit his instep. Please forgive me for one or two."

Zhang Juzheng listened and said with a sneer: "You are really playing this trick under the eyes of the emperor."

After a long time, he didn't say why, he just laughed a few times, turned his head to Li You and said, "Eunuch Li, let's go back and play the truth."

(End of this chapter)