Rule over Ming Dynasty

Chapter 152

The spring in March is extraordinarily brilliant, and the Hall of Mental Cultivation wakes up in the rising sun.

The Hall of Mental Cultivation not only officially became the place where the emperor handled government affairs, but also the new power decision-making center of the Ming Dynasty. Senior officials would come and go here every day.

Since the Son of Heaven moved here, the communication between the Son of Heaven and important officials of the court has obviously become more frequent, and there have even been voices calling for the direct abolition of the formal early court.

Song Cheng, who was wearing a fourth-rank official uniform, followed Liu Jin to the main hall, looking respectful and respectful: "Your Majesty, Song Cheng, Minister of Shuntian Mansion, is here to deliver the order!"

"The case of Jiaofang Division has finally been clarified?" Zhu Youtang said without raising his head as he was looking through the list of personnel changes in the Imperial Academy just submitted by the cabinet.

Song Cheng's face was black and straight, he raised his head and replied solemnly: "Exactly!"

"Who is the real culprit?" Zhu Youtang's heart moved slightly, and he asked curiously.

Facing Zhu Youtang's question, Song Cheng replied with very clear eyes: "Report to Your Majesty, there is no real culprit in this case!"

"Song Qing, what do you mean?" Zhu Youtang raised his head in surprise when he heard this unexpected answer.

Last time when Dongchang secretly investigated this case, since Zhu Qi was soon confirmed not to be the real murderer, there was no need for him to investigate further, so he handed over the case to Song Cheng who is in charge of the Shuntian government office. .

Although he knew that the real culprit was not Zhu Qi, but it turned out to be Xu Yuangai and others, and he could pull out one of the so-called Four Horsemen of the capital and behead him, which could be regarded as a powerful figure.

It's just that Song Cheng, who had been investigating for so long, came to tell himself that there was no real culprit in this case. He immediately felt a sense of disbelief, and even seriously suspected that Song Cheng had already received money from the Funing Hou Mansion or the other three families.

Song Cheng met Zhu Youtang's gaze, nodded very seriously, and said, "I have repeatedly checked the case. Although the two strangle marks on the neck of the deceased Lan Xiang are difficult to distinguish due to the decay of the body, the testimony of the four of them can be confirmed." Letter. The corpse was hung up again, not someone pretended to commit suicide after being strangled to death, so this case is actually a suicide case!"

"Song Qing, do you have evidence for your judgment?" Zhu Youtang put down the list of personnel transfers just released by the Imperial Academy, looking serious and authentic.

Song Cheng knew that this statement would arouse the emperor's suspicion, so he immediately submitted the file: "Your Majesty, here are the files of my minister's investigation of this case, and they have been recorded in detail. Please read them over. A few days before Lan Xiang died, she got Knowing that her father and brother, who were exiled at the border, had passed away, she fainted from crying at that time. After investigation, on the third day before her death, she asked someone to repair a clothes tomb in the suburbs, and once wanted to ask someone to leave a letter of death. Therefore, Lan Xiang is indeed suicidal!"

"Even if Lan Xiang has suicidal tendencies, she may not take action!" Zhu Youtang took the file from Liu Jin, looking very rational.

Song Cheng knew that the emperor in front of him had a thorough understanding of the case, so he nodded lightly and said, "I think so too, so I followed this line of thought to investigate Lan Xiang's emotions that day. According to the familiar official prostitute, Lan Xiang In the early days of Xiangchu, she was really sad and didn't think about food and tea, but that day someone saw her pursing her lips and smiling at dinner. According to the testimony provided by Zhu Ji and others at the wine table that night, because Xu Yuangai caught someone and bumped into her At the door, Lan Xiang laughed for a while, and her mood has improved!"

"In this case, why did Lan Xiang choose to hang herself that night, and why there were two strangle marks on her neck?" Zhu Youtang flipped through the file at will, but asked with a straight face.

Although Liu Jin didn't easily suspect that Song Cheng was covering up the murderer, but this matter obviously didn't make sense, so he turned to look at Song Cheng in confusion.

Song Cheng realized that the emperor in front of him was extremely intelligent, so he explained seriously: "Your Majesty, Lan Xiang was originally to accompany Zhu Qi that night, but Yang Tinghe thought his female companion was too enthusiastic, so he exchanged Lan Xiang with Zhu Qi. According to Xu Yuangai and others, Yang Tinghe seemed very frustrated that night, complained quite a bit during the dinner, and sang Su Shi's "Jiangchengzi" repeatedly after getting drunk."

"Jiang Chengzi? Ten years of life and death are boundless, without thinking, you will never forget. A thousand miles away, there is no place to talk about desolation?" Zhu Youtang remembered the poems he studied in high school, and immediately recited the first two sentences.

Song Cheng was stunned for a moment. It was rumored that the emperor hated poetry very much when he was in the Qing Palace, but he quickly realized: "Your Majesty, it is this one!"

"This poem is indeed sad. Why is Yang Tinghe so frustrated? Have you investigated this matter?" Zhu Youtang asked gossipingly, too lazy to read the file.

Song Cheng is a person who likes to get to the bottom of things, so he nodded solemnly immediately and said: "Reporting to Your Majesty, I was also suspicious of this matter, so I interrogated the testimony of Zhu Qi, the official prostitutes and others one by one, and Yang Tinghe personally confirmed it. That night Because Yang Tinghe failed to get promoted, he still had to stay in the Hanlin review position, so he invited Zhu Qi and the three of them to the Jiaofang to have fun, and Yang Tinghe kept nagging during the banquet!"

"Ten years of life and death? If I remember correctly, Yang Tinghe has been a Jinshi for 14 years in Chenghua, so it's been exactly ten years, right?" Zhu Youtang had a wonderful association, and asked seriously.

Song Cheng actually thought of this, so he nodded solemnly and said, "That's right, Yang Tinghe has been in the officialdom for ten years, and now he is still an official of the eighth rank. After investigation, Yang Tinghe complained a lot, even after being drunk that night, There are still many words complaining about injustice coming out of his mouth!"

"Hanlin Xiuzhuan, I'm afraid I won't complain this time!" Zhu Youtang picked up the newly drafted list of changes of officials of the Hanlin Academy again, with a hint of sarcasm in the corner of his mouth.

Song Cheng couldn't hear clearly, Dang even asked in confusion: "Your Majesty, what did you just say?"

Liu Jin was standing next to him, and it was clear that Zhu Youtang was looking through the list of officials handed over by the cabinet just now to draft the change list of officials in the Imperial Academy.

"Song Qing, how did you rule out the suspicion of Yang Tinghe as the murderer? Why did the official prostitute Xianglan have two strangle marks on her neck?" Zhu Youtang put down the document drafting Yang Tinghe's promotion from the Sixth Rank Imperial Academy and continued. asked.

Although the case has become more and more clear, there are still doubts, and the two strangle marks on the neck of the official prostitute Xianglan are what he cares most about.

Once these doubts cannot be explained clearly, even if it is a case investigated by Song Cheng himself, he will ask the Ministry of Criminal Justice to re-examine the case.

Song Cheng's eyes were still very clear, and he replied seriously: "Although Yang Tinghe was talking non-stop that night, he was already drunk at the wine table, and it has been tested in Shuntian Mansion that he does not have natural supernatural powers. He and Lan Xiang met for the first time that night, and they did not turn against each other, so Yang Tinghe's motive for the murder was not sufficient. According to the account of the four of them, Yang Tinghe woke up at dawn, but at that time Lan Xiang's body had already appeared. Madara, so I think that Yang Tinghe’s suspicion of murder can be ruled out! As for the two strangle marks on Xianglan’s neck, it was because the four of them wanted to destroy the corpse at the beginning, but later found that they couldn’t get out of the courtyard at all, so they hung the corpse again Go back!"

"Since the person in the same room that night was Yang Tinghe, who was being criticized by Hanlin, why did he suddenly become Zhu Qi from the Funing Hou Mansion after the incident?" Seeing that Song Cheng's deduction was very reasonable, Zhu Youtang also slowly accepted the suicide by hanging himself. conclusion said.

Song Cheng thought of the arrogant Yang Tinghe, and said bitterly: "A few days ago, I brought Yang Tinghe back to the Shuntian government office for questioning, and he also explained what happened that day. He didn't want this case to affect his official career. He also didn't want his work in Jiaofang Si to be publicized, so he decided to deal with the case in a low-key manner. He asked Zhu Qi to help him replace him, and asked Jiaofang Si Fengluan to conceal the fact that the three of them were together, so that the case It's getting complicated!"

Hearing this, Liu Jin sorted out the whole case. Apart from Lanxiang, the official prostitute of the deceased, the most important person was undoubtedly Hanlin's reviewer Yang Tinghe.

For the self-criticism of this Hanlin who had never met before, he really wanted to slap the opponent hard, his mouth really stinks.

"That day when you went to the room where you hanged yourself, you only took a few glances, and concluded that Xu Yuangai and Zhu Qi were not the only two people that night. Why is that?" Zhu Youtang picked up a brush and dipped a little ink, appearing to be in control of everything.

Song Cheng discovered that the emperor in front of him was very well-informed, and immediately explained the mystery: "Your Majesty, this flaw is actually very simple. If things are really as the Jiaofang Si Fengluan said, the two of them drank eight A pot of wine and a table of tea, even if you don’t get up in the middle of the night, you have to urinate half the pot in the room, but this is not the case. So I took a look at the urinal and knew that Jiaofang Si Fengluan had lied and concealed the fact that There are other people at the same table!"

"So that's how it is!" Zhu Youtang nodded lightly when he learned the whole story.

When he first learned about it, he felt that this matter was very miraculous, and that Song Cheng was really powerful.It's just that now that I know the answer, I feel that the matter is nothing more than that.

This is actually a kind of public psychology. After all, people are high-sighted and low-handed. When they get the answer, they feel that they can do it too.

Song Cheng didn't dare to make mistakes, and waited silently for Zhu Youtang to express his opinion.

"Since it has been verified that Lan Xiang hanged herself, let's draw the conclusion! It's just the people involved in the case, how do you think we should deal with it?" Zhu Youtang crossed out the words Hanlin Xiuzhuan, and asked lightly.

The corners of Liu Jin's mouth rose slightly, but he knew that the emperor's stick was about to fall again, but he didn't know who was the most unlucky this time.

Song Cheng straightened his face, and immediately stated his position: "Your Majesty, although the official prostitute Lan Xiang died by hanging herself, it has nothing to do with Yang Tinghe's words that night. Even if Yang Tinghe made a mistake unintentionally, he still has to bear certain responsibilities. Zhu Qi and others intentionally lied about the murder case, and afterwards pressured the Shuntian government office to hastily close the case, and they should be punished with a cane. Fengluan, the secretary of the Jiaofang, was dereliction of duty and intended to cover up the murderer, so he should be dismissed. Yang Tinghe was convicted of both crimes and deserved thirty slaps Hit [-] boards. If other personnel will be punished, the minister has already been on it, please take a look!"

"The Emissary of Leizhou Mansion Cang!" Zhu Youtang dipped a little more ink, and wrote an official statement on the blank space above.

The Hanlin Academy is now a veritable place of storage.

Similar to Jin Weiyi and others who are directly subordinate to the emperor, Hanlin officials are not subject to promotion by the Ministry of Officials, nor do they need to be subject to the Beijing Inspection. It is a completely independent system.

The top three best Jinshi of each new division are directly admitted to the Imperial Academy, while the best seedlings in the second class are selected as Shujishi and are retained after the elimination system.

Just like this, the best talents are arranged to enter the Hanlin Academy, so as to cultivate the best prime ministers.

Just entering the Hanlin Academy, it can be said that he has been qualified for ten years and can go to the end of the Hanlin official.

Either someone with a strong family background like Cheng Minzheng, or someone like Yang Tinghe who has been cultivated by his master, or someone like Zhang Sheng, a scholar of the Imperial Academy, who has the perseverance and luck.

Due to the vacancy of the position of the Right Minister of the Ministry of Rites, and this personnel draft has been filled by Cheng Minzheng, a bachelor of the Imperial Academy, all officials of the Imperial Academy will usher in a change.

"Here we come! Here we come! The imperial decree is here!"

"Whose decree is this? Someone really got promoted again!"

"Can this matter be faked? I heard that this matter was compiled by Yang Ting and Sheng Hanlin!"

"No matter how he gets promoted, it won't surprise anyone. Yang Jiefu can be said to be the chosen one!"

……

When they learned that the imperial decree came to the Hanlin Academy, everyone came out of their respective government offices one after another, and they talked in earnest.

Cheng Minzheng, a scholar of the Imperial Academy, was very confident in the position of the right servant of the Ministry of Rites. When he learned that the imperial decree was coming, he immediately rushed to the front.

It's just that people never expected that it was not Cheng Minzheng, a scholar of the Imperial Academy, nor Zhang Sheng, a scholar of the Imperial Academy who was equally popular, but Yang Qianhe, the lowest-ranking reviewer of the Imperial Academy.

"Chen Hanlin's review of Yang Tinghe received the order!" Yang Tinghe's imperial order came directly to him, and he immediately greeted the order with excitement.

After ten years of hard work, now my teacher, grand teacher and fellow elders have paved the way for me. In the future, entering the cabinet to pay homage to the minister is like picking something out of a pocket.

Huang Pan opened the imperial decree in his hand, and read with an expressionless face: "Fengtian Chengyun Emperor, the edict said: The Imperial Academy reviewed the case of Yang Tinghe and the case of Si Lanxiang in the Jiaojiafang. Don't just invite friends and call friends to get drunk, and talk a lot during the banquet, causing Lan Xiang to be world-weary. Now that Lan Xiang is dead, Yang Tinghe cannot escape the blame, so he was punished fifty times with a stick and fifty hands with his mouth. He was expelled from the capital and demoted as a Ambassador Leizhou Fucang. As an official, you can’t be unrestrained. The responsibility for the court peace is too heavy, so this matter will be announced to the world through the palace newspaper. All officials in the world should take the court peace as a warning, respect this!"

"The Emissary of Leizhou Mansion Cang? No, it's impossible, absolutely impossible!"

Yang Tinghe knew that the three giants of the imperial court were to be trained as the successors of the civil service group, but after hearing the decree of relegation, his whole brain buzzed in shock.

His father-in-law and Wan An are from the same township of Meizhou Prefecture in Sichuan Province, his teacher is from the second dynasty of the current dynasty, his grand teacher is Xu Pu, the leader of the Qingliu, the left servant of the official department, and he can be said to be the proud son of heaven.

In the end, after ten years of hard work, seeing that his promotion to the Imperial Academy was imminent, he was exiled from the capital because of a small official prostitute. God simply made a big joke on him.

(End of this chapter)