The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

Chapter 184 Presupposed position
In the Jiangnan Guild Hall, it was already night, and Tang Yin was still drinking with a dozen or so Juren from Jiangnan.

After the trial, it has almost become his daily program.

Just when he was drinking happily and was about to splash ink on the spot, Xu Jing hurried in, and after greeting the people present, he called Tang Yin to the backyard of the guild hall.

"Bohu, you have a sip of hangover tea first, something happened. It is said that there are officials in the court who impeached you and me, that you and I were involved in Cheng Xueshi's question, and that we talked about the examination in advance. Exam questions..."

Xu Jing is rich and powerful, he is Tang Yin's financial backer, and his news channels are obviously very smooth.

Tang Yin trembled all over, poured the hangover tea handed over by the servant on the ground, and said: "This little wine is nothing. Who is spreading rumors outside?"

Xu Jing turned his head and glanced in the direction of the banquet hall of the Jiangnan Guild Hall, his eyes seemed to say, this group of people usually call you brothers and sisters, if someone maliciously slandered you, who else could there be besides these people?
"This is nonsense."

Tang Yin thought to himself, who am I provoking?

Is it because I am good at learning and often perform in front of others, that others will slander me for participating in the quiz?
Xu Jing was also a little anxious and said: "Now this matter has just been reported, and the specifics are still uncertain, but if it becomes fermented, maybe the inner curtain of the Gongyuan will be thoroughly investigated. I also heard a bad news that it is Because we went to visit Maesters of Process..."

"So what if you visited? After arriving in Beijing, there have been many people who have visited. Could it be that everyone is involved in the problem?" Tang Yin was furious.

Xu Jing hesitated and said: "It's also possible that I gave gold to the people of Cheng's family at that time."

"What did you say?" Tang Yin frowned.

Xu Jing sighed: "So many people went to visit at that time, thinking that everyone could see it? Was it because I gave gold that they entered in advance? If others use this to criticize, I'm afraid they can't explain clearly."

"Others don't know, so don't tell the outside world."

Of course Tang Yin was afraid that this matter would be known to outsiders.

If Cheng Minzheng is involved in the problem, Cheng Minzheng is the instigator, and there must be participants.

Always find out the purpose of Cheng Minzheng's questioning. Apart from favors, Cheng Minzheng is most likely to be the person who gave him money to leak the question, so whoever gives more money will be easily attacked.

Xu Jing falls into this category.

Let your Xu family have a great career, and you can "raise" Tang Bohu as your doorman. The two of you are so ostentatious in the capital, who will not attack you?

"It is said that Zhang Bingkuan is also involved in this case." Xu Jing reminded.

After Tang Yin finished listening, the anger in his heart suddenly eased a little, and he felt much better.

Hey!
Let you compare with me!
Still let me be your junior?
No one is better than the other now, let's fall together, right?

If there were anyone who was more ostentatious than the two of them, there seemed to be no one except Zhang Zhou.

It was really a shot at the head of the bird, and the top three in the south of the Yangtze River were so strange that they were wiped out in one go.

"He also visited the Process Bachelor?" Tang Yin frowned.

He didn't think that Zhang Zhou would be involved in the problem, but he just wondered why Zhang Zhou had gained fame and status, and could still be attacked by others.

Xu Jing shook his head: "I haven't heard that he has been there, and I don't know why. Bohu, don't go anywhere these days, just wait for news in the residence, and I will try my best to go out and find out if there is a relationship. , you don't have to worry."

Tang Yin seemed arrogant and said: "The Qing is self-clearing, and the court can't distinguish between right and wrong, right?"

Xu Jing sighed, and didn't explain too much to Tang Yin.

With Xu Jing's wealth and status, he still knows some things in the court, and some things just talk about his position and don't make sense.

The higher the position, the easier it is for this to happen.

Xu Jing was also embarrassed to attack Tang Yin's "political idealism", which was to help Tang Yin keep the last sense of justice in his heart.

……

……

Qianqing Palace.

In the bright lights, Liu Jian, Xie Qian, and Xu Qiong stood there. The emperor didn't ask anyone to prepare chairs for them. He probably just talked to them a few words and explained some matters before letting them go.

I didn't intend to talk at night by candlelight.

"...Three, this is the memorandum of Zhonghua Chang, who participated in the impeachment of Cheng Minzheng, and several people involved in the case. It involves rumors and rumors. Please circulate them first."

The emperor asked Dai Yi to take down Hua Chang's performance first, and showed it to the three of them.

Both Liu Jian and Xie Qian had seen Guan Bai before, so they just glanced at it briefly. Only Xu Qiong watched it carefully for a long time, but the light was dim, and he was still a little presbyopic, so he couldn't actually see the whole picture of what happened.

Zhu Youtang said: "I will bring up this matter in the court tomorrow morning. If it involves Cheng Minzheng, Tang Yin and Xu Jing, I will conduct a strict investigation with Dongchang and Jinyiwei, but I will only investigate the part involving Bingkuan... Zhang Zhou. Think it can end there.”

"His Majesty……"

Liu Jian couldn't help it, and wanted to come out and interrupt Zhu Youtang.

Also being impeached, why should the other three continue to investigate, while Zhang Zhou can stay out of the matter?

"Mr. Liu Ge, don't interrupt first." Zhu Youtang raised his hand and said, "I know your worries, and you should be treated equally if you are impeached, but according to the current investigation of Yidong Factory, Xu Jing and Tang Yin After arriving in Beijing, he did visit Cheng Minzheng, but Zhang Zhou did not."

Xie Qian laughed secretly when he heard the words, but came out and questioned: "Your Majesty, if you have seen it or not, it may not be known to outsiders."

As soon as Zhu Youtang raised his left hand, Xiao Jing, who was standing on his left hand, said: "Mr. Xie Ge, you are worrying too much. I think you all know what Mr. Zhang did after he entered the capital. Before he entered the capital, Jin Yiwei sent Sun Shangqi and others from hundreds of households have been following him all the time, during the past few months in Beijing, Jin Yiwei knows all about his deeds, and indeed he has never had a formal meeting with Cheng Xueshi."

Xie Qian looked embarrassed.

Good guy.

Kicked to the steel plate.

To be precise, Hua Chang should have kicked the steel plate.

Just like what Xu Qiong said in front of him when he entered the palace, you said that you, Hua Chang, participated in the impeachment issue, and you did not involve Zhang Zhou. Your fearless spirit is worth advocating, but you are afraid I don't know how much Your Majesty trusts the people around you, right?
The Zhang family's pair of live treasures made the court uneasy, and later the officials deliberately avoided those two when talking about things.

Now it is obvious that the emperor's trust in Zhang Zhou is far more than that in the brothers of the Zhang family. You, Hua Chang, dare to participate.

Xu Qiong came forward and said: "Your Majesty, since the matter has been settled now, there should be no further involvement in this case, and we should stop it in time."

Xu Qiong came out to speak for Cheng Minzheng, Zhang Zhou and others.

Even the emperor was willing to testify that Zhang Zhou didn't see Cheng Minzheng, so Hua Chang's impeachment could be ignored directly, and Hua Chang could even be arrested and questioned to see who was instigating behind the scenes.

Zhu Youtang said: "Nowadays scholars are discussing a lot, if there is no one to explain, of course it will not work."

Originally, Liu Jian also planned to bite the bullet and come out, and suggested to the emperor that he must give the world an explanation.

After listening to the emperor's words, they were relieved.

It seems that the emperor still cares about public opinion.

But this kind of concern is obviously not to sort out the right and wrong, but to declare that this matter has nothing to do with Zhang Zhou, and pave the way for Zhang Zhou to enter the court and become an official in the future.

It is said that the emperor is familiar with the routines of the ministers. Why are they ministers not familiar with the routines of the emperor?

Zhu Youtang continued: "Your family may not know that after Bingkuan arrived in Beijing, I had intentionally asked Cheng Minzheng to cultivate his knowledge and prepare him for the exam. Scholars come and go too closely, which may cause some unreasonable criticism, for this reason, he does not want to have any contact with Cheng Minzheng before entering the court."

Liu Jian, Xie Qian and Xu Qiong all gasped.

What kind of person is this.

How could he have such outstanding insights when he first entered Beijing?

It was a prophecy.

The emperor would not deliberately make up a story to deceive them about this kind of matter. If it was true what the emperor said, Zhang Zhou had no relationship with Cheng Minzheng and did not participate in the problem, it was almost a conclusion, and there was no need to say any more.

"At the beginning of the year, Bingkuan gave me a few hexagrams. Apart from the Northwest Tatar's invasion, the earthquake in Shaanxi and Ningxia, and the earthquake in Jianchangwei, there were also questions about this test rumor."

In order to convince the three of them first, Zhu Youtang spoke for himself during the court meeting in the next day, and obviously he was not satisfied with just telling them a little secret.

"I have also considered not to let Cheng Minzheng preside over this spring, but I also feel that Cheng Minzheng should not fall into the same pit twice. It is I who insisted on letting him take the exam. I never thought that it would cause a lot of scholars in the imperial court. Wow, I'm too stubborn."

Xu Qiong cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, you don't have to blame yourself, you should have your own judgment on right and wrong."

"Public opinion? Does it still make sense?"

Zhu Youtang said coldly, "Recently, someone has vaguely mentioned in the performance that I favor traitors and falsely listen to alchemists. Although I didn't mention it explicitly, it's about Bingkuan, but can't I understand this? I might as well tell you that after the exam is over, I have ordered Dongchang to pass the decree to the inner curtain, releasing Cheng Minzheng's authority to mark the papers. That is to say, there is only one examiner in this exam, which is Li Daxue scholar."

"This……"

In fact, Xie Qian was ready to discuss with the emperor whether to listen to the alchemist's words.

But after hearing the emperor's words, he only opened his mouth, and suddenly became silent, as if the belly draft in his chest was shocked by the emperor's words, and he forgot all about it.

His Majesty!

You are really good at it, you were so stubborn before to let a person who can get involved in the rumors of the questions to be the chief examiner before the main exam is scheduled, but you can correct the mistakes in time and turn around. Secretly gave Cheng Minzheng the examiner?
What kind of mysterious operation is this?
"So you see, there is still a need to discuss Hua Chang's crime of secretly colluding with candidates in Nei Lian?"

Zhu Youtang is also very stubborn.

After listening to Zhang Zhou, I made preparations in advance, which is equivalent to blocking your mouths in advance.

Liu Jian was mature and prudent, and he said: "Your Majesty, if this matter is known to the scholars, it will definitely deepen the suspicion of Cheng Minzheng, a scholar of the Imperial Academy, and the question about the vend mostly involves private teaching and receiving beforehand. It has not dispelled the world's doubts about it."

Liu Jian also made it clear.

We know that Your Majesty, you have made preparations, and you still want to silence everyone.

But the problem is, even if you are on guard against Cheng Minzheng getting involved in the problem, doesn't that mean that the court has doubts?
Those scholars are notoriously daring to speak out and make trouble. Let them seize the loopholes in the court's explanation of this matter, and they can't be called a big fuss, they can just risk their lives.

"That's why I said that whether Cheng Minzheng, Tang Yin, and Xu Jing are really involved in the issue needs to be investigated again, while Zhang Bingkuan can get out of the matter. Do the three still have doubts about Bingkuan?"

The emperor was also annoyed.

Are you deaf?
Am I partial to Cheng Minzheng?If he was partial to his belief, he would not have dismissed him as soon as the examination was over.

Cheng Minzheng has to take responsibility for his misbehavior. As for Xu Jing and Tang Yin, they will also be handed over to the judiciary for investigation. Only Zhang Zhou, that is what I care about. I said so much about my feelings before, and I was talking about you What about the calf?

Do you listen to the questions but not the key points?

Liu Jian said: "The matter has already started, so should we explain clearly to the subjects of the world what your majesty and ministers have said?"

Now Liu Jian wants the emperor to express his opinion.

You tell us, we won't just give you publicity.

But if you really want to get rid of Zhang Zhou's dislike, if you don't explain what you said earlier to the world, no one will believe it.

But you have to talk...Your Majesty, the way you get along with Zhang Zhou, will let the subjects of the world know that it turns out that His Majesty is so partial to a person who likes to talk about God's will, and others will criticize Zhang Zhou more.

I'm afraid this will go against Your Majesty's original intention of paving the way for Zhang Zhou to become an official, right?
Zhu Youtang said: "I plan to let Bingkuan enter the palace tomorrow morning and confront Hua Chang face to face."

As soon as this remark came out, the three of them were silent.

Such things as court debates have existed since ancient times. It is also a good strategy to let the parties face to face without deciding on major issues.

But the problem is... Zhang Zhou is not yet a courtier, so it would not be good for Zhang Zhou to debate with Hua Chang, and let the monarch and ministers listen in, right?Isn't it good to let Zhang Zhou and Hua Chang go to the court of the Ministry of Criminal Justice and Dali Temple to confront each other?
"Three gentlemen, my original intention is to quell the discussions of the scholars. If this cannot be tolerated by you, then there is no need for me to discuss any more."

The emperor also became ruthless.

Discuss with you, if you give you face like this, you still have the cheek to fight against it, then don't blame me for directly tearing face off with you.

You don't support me, why do you make me think that those ministers in the court will stand by me?

Or I decide the case myself, which is much more effective than public opinion.

Liu Jian said: "Your Majesty, right and wrong can be determined by the court, that's okay. But please don't allow ministers to presuppose positions, and allow ministers to question Zhang Zhou."

Zhu Youtang nodded.

He understood what Liu Jian meant, before the matter was judged, Liu Jian didn't want to completely side with Zhang Zhou.

Whether Zhang Zhou's suspicion can be cleared... It's not up to you and us, Your Majesty, but Zhang Zhou's own performance in the court.

This is to let Zhang Zhou go to "combat the Confucians with words".

"Yes." Zhu Youtang said, "But I also ask you to keep today's matter a secret. Tomorrow, if the court cannot convict Binglen, he should be given justice."

The emperor is telling three people.

Don't think about letting Zhang Zhou prove his innocence.

It is impossible for Zhang Zhou to prove that he has not had any contact with Cheng Minzheng in the past few months, or even letters or messages from others. Could it be that Zhang Zhou can give a detailed account of his whereabouts every moment after he arrived in Beijing? It's clear, is there any evidence?

I'm very clear about the pettiness in your heart.

As long as you cannot prove him guilty, he must be cleared tomorrow, and thereafter no further mention of the matter will be made.

(End of this chapter)