prosperous age

Chapter 859 948 Public Trial

"Clap."

As the shaking accelerated, a bamboo stick jumped out of the tube and fell onto the desk.

Zhang Juzheng put down the bamboo stick, reached out to pick up the bamboo stick, and looked carefully at the signature on it.

"Su Qiong sheds tears during Geng Geng Zhongping"

Zhang Juzheng frowned slightly when he saw the signature, and then continued reading.

"The king's heart is already known to heaven, so why ask me to be suspicious? I hope that my son will change his plans and become a filial brother, so that he won't worry about the incompatibility of his family."

His eyes just quickly scanned the signature, and then looked at the holy intention behind it.

In the end, Zhang Juzheng's eyes fell firmly on the last few words of the holy meaning.

".If you can change things, everything will be fine."

Zhang Juzheng was also familiar with miscellaneous books. After reading the signature and the holy meaning, he actually already knew the meaning of the signature.

The interpretation of this lot is: Good deeds in this lot will be rewarded well. There will be consequences for doing evil. Show people early warning. What you are doing now is bad. The gods have already shined. Of course it is impossible. Why ask. Only by repenting of past mistakes. Strength starts from filial piety and brotherhood. Have the joy of peace in your own home. Seek good luck and avoid bad luck. Only people choose. But I don’t realize it.

If we put it in vernacular, God already knows it when we send out thoughts. Since it is a bad intention, why bother to ask gods and Buddhas to solve the doubts in our hearts? In fact, we know very well in our hearts what is What is right is wrong.

As long as you change your ways and change your mind for good, eliminate all the bad thoughts in your heart, I hope you can start from filial piety. Being filial to your parents and being friendly to your brothers and sisters are the most basic ways of filial piety. As long as you are filial and filial, you don't have to worry about not being able to live happily at home. It will happen naturally. The earth's family business is safe and happy, and if there is a way, the family and everything will be prosperous.

If you don't get rid of the bad thoughts in your heart, bad luck will come at any time.

Zhang Juzheng muttered silently: "If your plans are not good, why pray to God? You should make a decision based on reason and change your past. But if you can be filial to your friends, serve your family and emperor, harmony will bring blessings, and your family will be rejuvenated."

This was his understanding of this signature. It happened to appear in his mind and he recited it unconsciously.

Inadvertently turning his head to look at the towering statue of Emperor Guan, Zhang Juzheng finally made a decision in his heart.

After leaving Guandi Temple, Zhang Juzheng wrote a note to Feng Bao when he returned to his home and sent someone to deliver it to Feng Bao.

Feng Bao was helpless that Zhang Juzheng clearly refused to intervene in Minister Wang's case, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Zhang Juzheng needs him, and he actually needs Zhang Juzheng. The two are complementary to each other. If they work together, they will both benefit, and if they separate, they will lose.

However, the relationship between Zhang Juzheng and Gao Gong was really difficult to deal with, and he did not want to end the case quickly.

Jin Yiti rode to Xinzheng, which happened to add to Gao Gong's troubles. He was still happy to see Gao Gong's troubles.

That night, because Yang Bo and Ge Shouli had not persuaded Zhang Juzheng in the cabinet during the day, they came to Zhang's house by chance in the evening, hoping to make another effort to persuade Zhang Juzheng to help Gao Gong clear out the suspicion.

They met in front of Zhang's mansion, and after a brief exchange of greetings, they realized that their goals were actually the same.

Although Ge Shouli was also surprised as to why Yang Bo chose to help Gao Gong at this time, since everyone had the same purpose and were comrades, they joined hands to enter the Zhang Mansion.

In the Flower Hall of Zhang Mansion, Yang Bo still took the trouble to say to Zhang Juzheng: "Gao Gong is the former chief minister, why do you have to do this with him?"

"Uncle, this matter cannot continue. Rumors among the people are rampant and have a great impact on the dignity of the court.

You should start a petition and ask the palace to stop the investigation by Dongchang and instead hand it over to the Ministry of Punishment to find out the ins and outs of this case.

The Metropolitan Procuratorate will also fully cooperate with the Ministry of Criminal Justice to investigate the case. This is the official business. "

Ge Shouli also said: "I have no prejudice against you or Mr. Gao, but this case involves His Majesty and the former Chief Aide. It should be investigated by the Ministry of Punishment, and absolutely not allowed to be done by Dongchang."

Hearing that the two men were constantly pushing each other, Zhang Juzheng was surprisingly angry at the moment. He glared at the two men and said, "Second Duke said that I have a prejudice against Gao Gong?"

Yang Bo immediately said: "I don't dare to do this, but no one can save me except you, because you are the chief minister, and only you can express your opinion on the palace's wishes."

Even though there are so-called secondary ministers such as Wei Guangde and Lu Tiaoyang in the cabinet, only the chief minister can truly refute the imperial edict.

Other cabinet ministers can object, but they cannot refute it. They must be supported by the chief minister.

"It's not that I don't want to help, it's actually that Dongchang now has Minister Wang's confession and is following the clues to find people in high positions to complete the final step.

There is evidence and evidence, how can I object? There is really nothing I can do. "

Zhang Juzheng still chose to delay. Although he did not intend to help Feng Bao, he would not help Gao Gong and let them fight.

He just wanted to watch a show, but Yang Bo and Ge Shouli came to pester him.

As for the external rumors they mentioned, Zhang Juzheng certainly knew about it, but he didn't think it was a big deal.

After the case was closed, the rumors died.

This time, Yang Bo and Ge Shouli still failed to persuade because of Zhang Juzheng's persistence.

However, the two of them kept looking for Zhang Juzheng. After the news came out, the outside world still speculated a lot about Zhang Juzheng's attitude towards the case.

In the lobby of the East Factory, a majestic portrait of Yue Fei hangs in the middle of the main room. Under the portrait is an official hat chair, and Feng Bao is sitting on it.

"Are you sure those two people are from Gaofu?"

"Mr. Factory, it has been confirmed. I have found three groups of spies to check it out."

“Where do people live?”

"There is an inn outside Chongwen Gate. The location is also very remote. It is suitable for arresting people."

"Send some good people to handle it. I just want a confession."

"Yes."

"By the way, do you know what they came to the capital for?"

"After investigation, after they arrived in the capital, they successively sent letters to Yang Bo, the official secretary, Ge Shouli, the imperial censor of the Zuodu Procuratorate, and Lu Tiaoyang, the assistant minister of the cabinet. The content of the letters has not been found yet, but..."

"But what?"

"Mr. Yang and Ge went to the cabinet early this morning to find the Chief Assistant, and then went to Zhang's Mansion together in the evening."

It was Feng Bao and Xu Jue who were talking to each other, and the person they wanted to arrest was naturally the servant sent by Gao Gong to deliver the message.

Not long after they entered the city, they were discovered by Jinyiwei spies, who informed Dongchang, who then began to investigate their whereabouts.

At this time, Feng Bao was furious when he thought of the note sent by Zhang Juzheng that he had seen earlier.

He knew that Zhang Juzheng's attitude must have been influenced by Yang Bo and Ge Shouli's lobbying.

"Yang Bo, Ge Shouli, very good."

Feng Bao just said something sinister, and then waved to Xu Jue, "Go ahead and do a good job."

In the middle of the night, the Chongwen Gate in the inner city of the capital was quietly opened. A group of soldiers entered the inner city from the outer city and went directly to Fusi, Beizhen.

There is a curfew in the capital at night, but for those who live on the ground, the factory guards have eyes and hands all over the place.

Although the city gate should never be opened without the emperor's will after the night ban, there are also factory guards in the city gate army, so it is really not too easy to provide convenience.

The factory guards relied on this pervasive network to monitor everything inside and outside the capital.

In the afternoon of the next day, Xu Jue's confession was finally delivered to Feng Bao. As if he had found a treasure, he immediately praised it and hurried to Ciqing Palace.

"Your Majesty, the Gao family members who colluded with Minister Wang have been caught. After interrogation, they confessed to the matter."

With that said, Feng Bao handed over the confession he had just obtained. "From now on, it is certain that Gao Gong paid to assassinate His Majesty. I would also like to ask the empress to issue an order to bring Gao Gong back to the capital for questioning. His relatives should also be imprisoned.

In this matter, factory guards can make sure nothing goes wrong.

If the empress is not at ease, I can personally go there to ensure that nothing goes wrong. "

Queen Mother Chen took the confession from Feng Bao and read it, then handed it to Queen Mother Li beside her without saying a word.

If from the beginning, Empress Dowager Chen and Empress Dowager Li hated Gao Gong deeply because of Feng Bao's confession, then after so many days, they had heard the rumors from outside and became less determined.

Moreover, they have actually realized that the political impact of ordering Jin Yiwei to arrest Gao Gong is too great, and they cannot help but think twice before doing so.

"Sister, look at this."

After Queen Mother Li read the confession, it was so consistent with the confession of Minister Wang that she had seen before, that she could not help but believe it.

"The witnesses and material evidence are all available, and the trial can be concluded, but..."

Empress Dowager Chen thought about the rumors from the outside world, and recalled that Wei Guangde and Zhang Juzheng had proposed a joint trial among the three departments.

But it is true that in the Ming Dynasty, cases involving the emperor never seemed to go through the outer court. They were all carried out by factory guards on orders.

Now Feng Bao has submitted the personal and material evidence collected by the factory guards. It seems that the evidence of Gao Gong's involvement in the assassination is conclusive.

Feng Bao also said before that the factory guards can handle this matter, and there is no need to involve the outside court.

After all, the confession brought by Feng Bao also stated that Gao Gong was angry with the emperor and the two palaces because he was dismissed from office, and then went on to pay for the assassination.

If this matter is handed over to a foreign court for trial, it will have a negative impact on them.

She had no objection to the factory guards handling the case, but she was also worried that she would be blocked by the cabinet after the order was passed.

Then, the central decree is bound to come out, and it may even cause a turmoil in the court.

For the current Queen Mother Chen, maintaining the stability of the court is the top priority.

She had no idea about imperial power. She only wanted to raise Wanli Emperor Zhu Yijun. When he took charge, the late emperor's entrustment to her would be completed, and she could go to see the late emperor with peace of mind.

When she was feeling torn in her heart, she heard Queen Mother Li ask: "Sister, is it because of the previous cabinet report?"

Queen Mother Li has some tricks, which she used in the harem in the past, but she is also very politically sensitive.

Although she had no interest in government affairs, she had the same idea as Empress Dowager Chen, that is, ensuring that the imperial power was transferred smoothly to her son Zhu Yijun was her biggest concern, and everything else could be put aside.

"Should we let the cabinet come and discuss it in person?"

Queen Mother Li suggested.

"Then let Zhang Juzheng and Wei Guangde come, while Lu Tiaoyang stays in the cabinet to handle official affairs."

Queen Mother Chen hesitated for a moment before deciding.

Feng Bao, who was below, was very anxious when he heard this, and hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, this matter concerns the Emperor and Your Majesty, and it should be carried out by the factory guards according to the ancestral rules.

If there is a joint trial among the three courts, it will definitely spread, and there is no chance that it will cause trouble and make the royal family laugh.

This is also the case in the previous dynasty, when everything involving the royal family was investigated by factory guards, nothing would be disclosed to the outside world. "

"This matter is different. The person involved is the former chief minister. Officials all over the world are watching. If it is not handled well, it will cause turmoil in the court."

Queen Mother Chen has made a decision. In terms of face and court stability, she finally chose stability.

"After the case is closed, who dares to talk nonsense? Are your factory guards just decorations?"

Queen Mother Li also spoke.

Faced with such a scene, Feng Bao did not dare to say any more.

Soon, a young chamberlain ran out of Ciqing Palace and rushed straight to the cabinet to deliver the order.

When Zhang Juzheng and Wei Guangde hurried to Ciqing Palace, they also saw the confessions from the Gaofu family sent by Feng Bao from Queen Mother Chen.

Zhang Juzheng felt a little happy when he saw the confession.

Regardless of whether these confessions are true or false, since Dongchang has perfected the evidence and now has all the witnesses and material evidence, Gao Gong will still be peeled off even if he is not dead.

He will not participate in Feng Bao's conspiracy, and he must handle the case fairly and impartially to restore the prestige that has been lost recently.

We have the evidence, so what are we worried about?

Although he still didn't believe that Gao Gong would do this, Feng Bao handed him the knife and let him do whatever he wanted.

Wei Guangde only frowned slightly after reading the confession.

In fact, he had expected Feng Bao's actions. If Feng Bao didn't understand them at the beginning, after so many days, someone should have taught him.

In Gao Gong's matter, as long as it is a public trial, the authenticity of the evidence does not actually matter.

Gao Gong means that he can seek small profits and is jealous of talents, so it is good to give him a long memory.

"The two pavilion elders are ministers who were selected by the late emperor to take care of life. This matter involves Gao Gong. How do the two pavilion elders think we should make a decision?"

Queen Mother Chen bluntly stated the purpose of calling them here.

If they say that the factory guard will handle it directly, then do what they want.

As for the previous opinions, let’s just let them be heard by the three halls.

"This matter is not trivial. There are all witnesses and material evidence. I think it can be tried in three courts to confirm that the evidence is correct. We can also issue an order for questioning."

As the first assistant, Zhang Juzheng directly expressed his attitude.

As long as he passes the court of the Ministry of Punishment and no one in the court questions the evidence, Gao Gong's guilt will be settled, and the rest will be a familiar job for factory guards, and the court will naturally not take care of it anymore.

After all, it was a case of assassinating a king and killing a chariot, so Gao Gong didn't have to go to court and could just be convicted directly.

In fact, in Zhang Juzheng's view, with these confessions and evidence, Yang Bo and others could be silenced. He never thought that the people in Dongchang's hands would dare to retract their confessions.

However, if this point of view is applied to a normal person, he will naturally not make such a mistake, but if it is a reckless man with no brains, this may not be the case.

As for Wei Guangde, he didn't want to say much and immediately expressed his support after Zhang Juzheng finished speaking.

"In this case, according to what Mr. Zhang Ge said, the matter will be reviewed. Once confirmed, the cabinet will immediately draft an order to arrest the person for questioning."

Queen Mother Chen was also satisfied. She would only try those involved in the case in the capital. Once the trial was completed, Gao Gong would be directly convicted, and the royal family would not lose too much face.

After all, Gao Gong is not an ordinary person. If he is really put on trial in the lobby, the court and the royal family will not look good.

Even if he is the late Emperor of Jiuquan, he is afraid that he will have to bear the joke of not knowing people.

Emperor Longqing's reputation among the people has been very bad after two drafts.

"Feng Bao, you are responsible for cooperating in this matter. You must do this well."

Queen Mother Chen gave final instructions.

(End of this chapter)