Jia Yujing of Red Mansion

Chapter 116 Fatal Strike

Ji Hongzhang, the commander of the Jinyi Guards, did not dare to neglect and immediately led the Jinyi Tiqi to Gongyuan.

He controlled all the people and personally escorted Zhao Junze and others to the temple to face the saint.

Shortly after Ji Hongzhang surrounded Gongyuan, Wei Wentong also led a team of Jinyi guards to surround Jinxiangyuan.

He personally interrogated Liu Ruyan and the Madam, and successfully obtained their confessions without any torture.

Zhao Junze was also a little panicked when he was brought to the Jinluan Palace. He knew that this was a bit too much, but he never expected that those students would dare to beat the Dengwen drum.

He really regretted it at this time, but it was useless to regret it. He knew that he couldn't admit it until he died.

He made up his mind, and if it didn't work out, he would admit that he deliberately improved the rankings of Fujian students and deny anything else.

Emperor Longqing looked down at him coldly and asked, "Zhao Junze, do you know your guilt?"

"Your Majesty, I don't know"

"How dare you say you don't know! Fujianese students account for nearly [-]% of the candidates on the examination list. How do you explain this!"

"Your Majesty, these students are all outstanding talents and scholars who have been carefully selected by me. I only found out who they are when their names are revealed.

As for why there are so many students from Fujian on the list, I think it is because Fujian has made remarkable achievements in education over the years, allowing many students to stand out. "

At this time, Yu Jie said: "The imperial censor Yu Jie impeached Zhao Junze for being lawless and manipulating the trial.

After the name was announced, he changed the ranking at will and acted extremely arrogantly! "

Emperor Longqing looked at Zhao Junze coldly and asked, "Zhao Junze, is what Yu Shi told you the truth?"

Zhao Junze was filled with hatred, but he couldn't quibble about this matter because too many people had seen it.

He could only kneel down and kowtow and said: "I know that I am guilty, but I was confused for a moment..."

"Your Majesty, Wu Chengxuan, the head of the Ministry of War, consulted Zhao Junze to depose Jia Qiong, and ordered the junior officials to tamper with the examination papers. This is beyond the king's laws and is a heinous crime!"

When Emperor Longqing heard this, he was instantly furious. He yelled, "How dare you let someone alter the exam paper! Zhao Junze, you are such a coward!"

Zhao Junze quickly defended himself: "Your Majesty, I am really unjust!
I have never done such a thing, this is a slander. "

Emperor Longqing suppressed his anger and asked, "Wu Chengxuan, do you have any evidence?"

Wu Chengxuan immediately said: "Your Majesty, please bring Jia Qiong's test papers and you will know after a quick look."

Emperor Longqing glanced at Zhao Junze and said, "Zhao Junze, I will give you one last chance. Do you admit this or not?"

Zhao Junze said: "Your Majesty, I have never done anything like this. Please take a closer look."

"Okay! Dai Quan, go get Jia Qiong's exam papers."

"promise!"

Dai Quanxin said that he was really going to die today. After going back and forth so many times, his old bones were almost falling apart.

This time it took less than a quarter of an hour for Dai Quan to get Jia Qiong's test paper back.

Emperor Longqing picked it up and read it again, and quickly found the typo.

He was so angry that he slapped the table and cursed: "Zhao Junze, do you think Jia Qiong will write the capital letter as dog? Do you think I am a three-year-old child?"

Zhao Junze hurriedly kowtowed and said, "I don't dare, and I also feel strange.

This may be a clerical error. How can it be said that it was done by the minister's instructions? "

Tao Dachun asked at this time: "Mr. Zhao, are you sure this is a clerical error?"

Zhao Junze snorted and said, "What else could it be if it wasn't a clerical error? This is slander.

I know that you and Jia Qiong came from the same academy, so you wantonly slandered me just to help Jia Qiong get on the list! "

When Tao Dachun heard this, he sneered and said, "Your Majesty, please look at the word "dog".

If you look closer, you can see that there are many small horizontal lines on this point.

This was obviously not written with a brush, but someone pointed it with a finger.

If it wasn't someone who manipulated it, could it be that Jia Qiong himself put it on with his finger? Your Majesty, please take a closer look. "

Zhao Junze was stunned when he heard this. He didn't expect that there would be any flaws in it.

He quickly defended: "Your Majesty, even if someone altered Jia Qiong's test paper, how can it be said that it was under the instigation of Wei Chen? I really don't know!"

Yang Sicheng, a scholar of Wuying Palace, came out and said angrily: "Zhao Junze and Sima Zhao's intentions are known to everyone on the road. How can we tolerate sophistry? Please punish him severely!"

Di Zhiheng then said: "Your Majesty, Zhao Junze acts unscrupulously.

Chen suspected that he had leaked the test questions in advance before the exam, which was why so many Fujian students were on the list. "

Zhu Chen came out immediately and said: "Zhao Junze regards the examination ceremony as a child's play and has caused such serious consequences. He should be imprisoned for questioning. Guo Feng, as the deputy examiner, colluded with him and should be guilty of the same crime!"

Seeing that everyone in the court was saying that Zhao Junze and Guo Feng were going to jail, Zhang Chunyang had to stand up.

"Your Majesty, although Zhao Junze and Guo Feng acted in a biased manner, there is no real evidence for their claims of fraud. How can they easily imprison important officials of the imperial court for questioning?

I think this matter should be investigated in detail. If there is indeed fraud, it will not be too late to discuss the crime. "

Li Shirui said coldly: "Master Zhang, how can we have real evidence if we don't go to jail and question the crime.

With such an understatement, I am afraid that thousands of students outside the palace would not agree. "

Just as Chao Shang was quarreling, General Yulin Xu Shan walked into the hall.

"Reporting to your Majesty, Wei Wentong, the governor of Jinyiwei North Town, asked for an audience outside the palace and said that he had an important report on the general examination."

Xu Shan's words made the hall instantly quiet, and everyone was speculating on the purpose of Wei Wentong's visit.

"Proclaim him to the palace."

Wei Wentong quickly entered the palace. He prostrated himself on the ground and said, "I, the governor of the north, Wei Wentong, have come to see the emperor. May my emperor live long and live forever."

"What do you have to report?"

"Your Majesty, I heard rumors recently that the exam questions were leaked in advance, so I ordered someone to investigate.

Conclusive evidence has been found today. Tong En, who came first in the examination, bribed Zhao Junze 5 taels of silver so that he could learn the test questions in advance and agreed with him on a code word.

This is the testimony of Liu Ruyan, the widower of Jinxiangyuan, and the old bustard. Please read it to your Majesty. "

"Bring it up!"

Dai Quan quickly came down to take over the memorial and sent it to Emperor Longqing.

The Fujian Party officials below were all dumbfounded. They all looked at Zhao Junze.

At this time, Zhao Junze was so frightened that he was shaking like chaff. He knew that he was going to die.

He suddenly felt a sharp gaze on him, which made him feel like a ray of light on his back.

Zhao Junze looked up and saw Zhang Chunyang staring at him coldly.

The two people's eyes met for a moment, and then Zhang Chunyang turned his head.

Zhao Junze understood what he meant. He had been abandoned by the Fujian Party.

Losing his car to save his handsome man, he must bear all the charges, so that he might be able to save his life.

Emperor Longqing read the testimony with an expressionless face. He was already thinking about how to deal with this matter.

He can use this matter to attack the Fujian Party, but he must grasp the scale carefully and not cause too much turmoil.

If he had been thinking about attacking the Fujian Party before, now he has to consider how to reduce the impact of this incident and avoid causing turmoil in the court.

He asked coldly: "Zhao Junze, do you know your guilt?"

At this moment, Zhao Junze knew that denying the crime was meaningless. He could only plead guilty honestly in order to get a lighter sentence.

"I know that I am guilty. I am temporarily obsessed with wealth. I am guilty of death!"

Emperor Longqing said coldly: "As long as you admit your guilt.

Someone came and pushed the guilty minister Zhao Junze out of the Meridian Gate and beheaded him.

The family property was confiscated and the female family members were brought into the Jiaofang Department as slaves! "

Zhao Junze felt as if he was struck by lightning when he heard this. Emperor Longqing had been kind in his administration for more than ten years since he came to the throne, and he had never executed a minister in court.

He repeatedly cried and begged for mercy, but Emperor Longqing remained unmoved and his eyes were cold.

At this moment, all the ministers were also surprised, but since this was a major fraud case, no one dared to come out to intercede on his behalf.

People in the Fujian Party knew very well that once Zhao Junze died, he would bear all the blame and no one else would be implicated, which made them feel relieved.

After Zhao Junze was dragged out of the hall by the imperial army, Emperor Longqing continued: "Guo Feng neglected his duties and is dismissed pending trial!

Tong En was deprived of his honors and was not allowed to take the imperial examination again for three generations!

The top [-] students from Fujian who ranked in this examination will all have their honors revoked.

The results of this examination will be invalidated and the test will be retaken at another date.

I hope all the ministers will take a warning from Zhao Junze and withdraw from the court! "

(End of this chapter)