Ming Dynasty: At the beginning, the house was ransacked and the ancestral temple was burned down.

Chapter 88 Trial by the Three Law Divisions! Shocked the officials!

Zhu Yijun was so angry that his whole body was shaking. He did not expect that Shen Shixing would actually commit such a treasonous act of seeking death by colluding with Zhang Juzheng's descendants and spreading the 'demon book'!

"Okay! Okay!" Zhu Yijun gritted his teeth with hatred, turned around and asked angrily: "Where is he now?"

Zhang Cheng was stunned for a moment because he didn't know whether the 'he' in His Majesty's mouth was referring to Shen Shixing or Zhang Juzheng's grandson Zhang Chonghui.

After a brainstorm, Zhang Cheng quickly replied like a gamble: "As far as the emperor is concerned, Shen Shixing is still in his house."

"What a good start! Ha... what a good start!" Zhu Yijun sneered, his eyes becoming more and more gloomy, and suddenly he seemed to remember something, and he asked again:
  "You just said that Shen Shixing also said something so rebellious and unethical as 'the bird is hidden behind the bow, the rabbit is dead and the dog is cooked'?"

"Returning to the words of the Emperor, I heard it very clearly at the time. He did indeed say so." Zhang Cheng's answer was not enough. Seeing that His Majesty the Emperor's face had turned so dark that he turned green, he just added fuel to the fire. :
  "Your Majesty, this 'demon book' incident has caused a storm in the city, making it hard for you to eat and sleep well, and also making the imperial concubine cry and be sad every day.

Yi Nu maid sees that Shen Shixing is so rebellious and unethical! Rebellious officials and traitors like him must be severely punished! "

"Severe punishment?" Zhu Yijun looked a little unnatural, but he still asked: "How to punish him severely?"

Zhang Cheng rolled his eyes and replied quietly: "Your Majesty, why don't you imitate Emperor Shizong in punishing Xia Yan?"

"Xia Yan..." Zhu Yijun fell silent this time.

Recalling the way his grandfather, Emperor Shizong Jiajing, punished Xia Yan, it was a very 'shameful' way to die.

The dignified chief minister of the cabinet was carried to the execution ground like a roasted suckling pig in full view of the public. This...

Zhu Yijun was very angry. This emperor, who had been alienated by power, no longer had the so-called concept of 'a teacher is like a father'. He wished he could cut his former 'sir' Shen Shixing into pieces with a thousand cuts!

But Zhu Yijun would not do this, not because his conscience suddenly discovered it, but because he knew one thing very well.

That is: Shen Shixing is his teacher after all. If he ordered Shen Shixing to die in such a shame, he would definitely be criticized by the government and the public, saying that the Tian family is ruthless!
  For the emperor, it didn't matter whether he was a teacher or not. After all, not everyone was Zhu Biao, the prince of Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang.

Zhu Biao dared to disobey his emperor father for the sake of his teacher Song Lian; he also dared to jump into the moat when he went out when the emperor's father did not agree to keep Song Lian.

Zhu Yijun is not Zhu Biao, nor is he a descendant of Zhu Biao. His 'role models' are the Ming emperors who preceded him.

Although he couldn't learn anything, even the "extremely ruthless" thing, he couldn't learn it.

"That's all, he was once my husband after all. Let's go through the process first and then give him a sentence."

Zhu Yijun seemed to be speaking very generously, as if he was a 'loving and righteous' emperor. Then, he waved his hand and commanded meaningfully:

"The three legal departments, the cabinet, and all the ministries will review Shen Shixing together! I want all the officials to take a good look at how treasonous their chief minister is!"

……

The first day of September in the nineteenth year of Wanli.

This is a very ordinary day, but it is also a very extraordinary day.

On this day, Shen Shixing, the chief minister of the Ming Dynasty's cabinet, was about to be tried for the 'Demon Book Case'.

It's said to be 'trial', but actually it means to be convicted.

All the officials also knew that this 'trial' was just a spectacle staged by His Majesty the Emperor in order to 'shock the officials'.

Yu Shenxing has now been promoted to Minister of Rites and became one of the six ministers of the Ming Dynasty. With such a speed of promotion, it stands to reason that entering the cabinet only took place in the past two years.

However, at this time, Yu Shenxing was facing a "catastrophe" and was facing the situation of being "driven back" to his hometown by His Majesty the Emperor at any time.

Over the years, because of the matter of "establishing a crown prince", Yu Shenxing had sent letters to the Wanli Emperor Zhu Yijun many times, hoping that His Majesty the Emperor could establish the emperor's eldest son Zhu Changluo as the crown prince as soon as possible.

Of course Emperor Wanli is not willing, but Yu Shenxing doesn't care whether the emperor is willing or not. Since you don't agree, then I will keep urging you.

Yu Shenxing's perseverance was so "awesome" that he was even able to urge Emperor Wanli, who was no longer in court, to issue an edict to scold him:

"The Edom Palace threatens the emperor, doubts the emperor, and confuses the country's foundation" and so on.

Yu Shenxing didn't care at all about His Majesty the Emperor's anger, and he went directly to Shu:
  "It is the responsibility of the Ministry of Rites to appoint the crown prince. If I don't comment, I will be derelict in my duty. Please make a decision to appoint the crown prince as soon as possible. I would rather abandon my official position and return to my hometown."

Yu Shenxing's intention was very obvious. He was threatening the emperor by "abandoning his official position", although in Yu Shenxing's own eyes, he did not feel that he was threatening.

In Yu Shenxing's eyes, he believed that 'the family and the country are one'. He felt that asking the emperor to appoint the crown prince early was for the sake of the country's foundation and stability.

Not only Yu Shenxing, but also many ministers in the court thought so.

At least that's what they claim, but in fact, only they themselves know what they think in their hearts.

Facts have proved that although His Majesty the Emperor is just a 'mascot' in the eyes of the civil servants.

But in the Ming Dynasty, where imperial power was supreme, the emperor's 'certain' rights were still very great.

Because of Yu Shenxing, the Minister of Rites,'s 'admonition', Emperor Wanli was so angry that he ordered:

All the salaries of all the officials from the top to the bottom of the Ministry of Rites, regardless of their official position, have been stopped!

Now, Yu Shenxing was very embarrassed...

Because of his advice, all his subordinates lost their salaries, which was a very offending thing.

It just so happened that at this time, an incident occurred in the Shandong Provincial Examination where questions were leaked. Now, Yu Shenxing, the Minister of Rites, could not escape the blame.

After so many things happened, Yu Shenxing knew that he could no longer stay in the court. He had already prepared his resignation. He also believed that His Majesty the Emperor, who had hated him for a long time, would definitely agree to let him get out of here.

However, just before Yu Shenxing handed in his resignation, the demon book case came out, but luckily he survived, and it involved Shen Shixing, the chief minister of the cabinet who had resigned.

In addition, 'Zhang Juzheng' was actually involved!
  Seeing that Shen Shixing was about to be sealed and convicted for the 'Demon Book Case', and maybe his home would be confiscated like Zhang Juzheng, Yu Shenxing couldn't sit still.

Yu Shenxing temporarily put away his resignation. He wanted to try his best to see if he could turn the tide.

This is for Shen Shixing, for Zhang Juzheng, and even more for himself, for the 'truth' that Yu Shenxing has believed in all his life!
  ……

The location of the joint trial was set in the lobby of the Ministry of Justice.

The decree issued by Emperor Wanli Zhu Yijun only said that the Metropolitan Procuratorate, Dali Temple, Criminal Department, Cabinet and other ministries of the Three Legal Departments should be tried together.

In other words, this time the joint trial did not involve Dongchang.

Dongchang represents the emperor himself. The absence of Dongchang's participation also means that the emperor does not want to get involved in this matter.

While the Dongchang and the Superintendent of Ceremonies were being taken cleanly, Emperor Wanli also said to his ministers and officials: "You, 'these people', will handle the matter yourself."

……

In the lobby of the Criminal Department.

People from the Cabinet, the Sixth Ministry, and the Three Law Departments are all here.

In this joint trial, the Three Law Departments were the main ones, and the other ministries and the cabinet were auxiliary.

As a result, those sitting on the presiding bench were the Minister of Dali Temple, the Censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and the Minister of Punishment.

The ministers and ministers of other ministries were sitting or standing on the jury box on both sides.

The two court elders, Xu Guo and Wang Jiaping, finally dared to come out to meet people, and they still sat in the jury box.

On the contrary, Shen Shixing, the chief minister of the cabinet who was once their boss, can only stand on the stand at the moment.

In addition to the members of the three judicial departments, the cabinet, and the six ministries responsible for the trial, there were also many people who came to join in the "hearing".

It seems that everyone wants to take a look at how the once-high-ranking chief minister was 'tried'!

On this day, at this moment, the entire lobby of the Ministry of Justice was unprecedentedly lively, and the level of excitement almost surpassed the scenes of salary distribution during the annual festival of the Ministry of Household Affairs.

"No one from the Director of Ceremonies, Dongchang, or Jin Yiwei came. It seems that the Emperor is blaming us ministers for being careless."

The speaker's surname was Shen, and his first name was Guan Guan. He was a bachelor at the Hanlin Academy at the time, and he was just here to join in the fun and hearing the trial.

However, the most excited person in the crowd at this moment is probably none other than him.

Shen Yiguang's voice was not loud, and he seemed to be talking to himself. However, this soliloquy provoked a response from someone who also came to listen to the trial.

"Master Shen's opening of his mouth has actually accused all of us courtiers of being 'not worry-free'.

In fact, those of us who are ministers have our own minds to decide whether to worry or not.

Master Shen, if you feel that what you have done is not good enough, it is enough to know in your heart.

Why speak out and drag us innocent people who are dedicated to the Ming Dynasty into the water? "

These words can be described as "carrying a gun and carrying a stick", and "the meaning of the attack is obvious". The speaker's surname was Guo, his given name was Zhengyu, and he was the editor of the Hanlin Academy at the time.

Anyone with a discerning eye can see that Shen Yiguan's casual emotion was just to flatter His Majesty the Emperor in the crowd.

However, Guo Zhengyu escalated Shen's consistent flattery behavior to the level of dragging everyone into the water.

It can be seen that there is a disagreement between Shen Yiguan and Guo Zhengyu.

In other words, it is actually a partisan disagreement between them.

In other words, they have not yet developed into a 'party', but they will soon.

The lobby of the Criminal Department was bustling with activity inside and outside. There was no need to check whether Shen Yiguan and Guo Zhengyu were noisy.

Just look at the middle of the lobby at this moment, on the trial bench.

At this time, Shen Shixing had taken off his official robe and was wearing the most ordinary plain linen robe. Among a group of ministers wearing red, blue and green robes, he looked particularly simple.

However, at this time when disaster was imminent and he was about to die, Shen Shixing did not panic at all. Instead, he was surprisingly calm and calm, with a sense of indifference like "walking to a poor place and sitting and watching the clouds rise".

"Shen Shixing, can you plead guilty to instigating others to print and spread the 'demon book'?"

Sun Piyang, the Minister of Justice, who was sitting on the presiding bench, was the first to raise a question.

Sun Piyang was a man of integrity and never relied on anyone. As the Minister of Punishment, he always dealt with cases quickly and governed with strictness.

It is almost self-evident that everyone present, including the Minister of Dali Temple and the Censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, who are also the chief judges of this trial, all think that Sun Piyang is the chief judge of this trial.

Li Shida, the censor of Zuodu of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, made preparations to "add fuel to the flames."

As for the Minister of Dali Temple who was single-handedly promoted by Shen Shixing, he could only sit back and watch without saying a word due to his sensitive status.

Facing Sun Piyang's questioning, Shen Shixing, who was surrounded by the crowd for trial, only replied with three words very calmly:
  "I'm not guilty."

"Don't make excuses!" Li Shida, the censor of Zuodu of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, immediately questioned: "You instigated Zhang Juzheng's grandson Zhang Chonghui to publish and spread demon books, and Zhang Chonghui has fully confessed!

Jinyiwei also searched your home for letters that you and Zhang Chonghui had privately exchanged over the years, which shows that you have been in contact for a long time!
  Now all the witnesses and physical evidence are complete! You have hidden evil intentions, brought trouble to the government, and colluded to cause chaos, but you still want to make excuses? You'd better confess your guilt quickly! "

As soon as Li Shida, the current "boss" of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, said this, other censors followed up to attack Shen Shixing!

Rather than saying that they wanted Shen Shixing to plead guilty early, it would be better to say that they actually just wanted to scold Shen Shixing and scold the former chief minister of the cabinet.

For a time, the entire lobby of the Criminal Department became a "stage" for the censors of the Metropolitan Procuratorate. The six subjects, who were also "trolls", were so angry that they wished they could join in and curse a few words. It's a pity that they are just here to join in the fun and have no right to speak.

Faced with the attacks from the censors, Shen Shixing seemed not to hear the abuses and accusations, and even closed his eyes leisurely, as if he was resting his mind.

This behavior of Shen Shixing certainly aroused the dissatisfaction of countless people.

Suddenly, the scolding became even louder!
  "Shen Shixing! Correct your attitude! This is the Tribunal of Tribunals! How can you be allowed to flout the laws of the dynasty like this!"

When Li Shida, the censor of Zuodu of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, attacked again, he grabbed the gavel and slapped it hard on the table!
  "Snapped!"

The sound of slamming the table resounded throughout the lobby, deafening!
  However, Shen Shixing still had his eyes closed and showed no reaction at all, as if he was listening to farts.

Seeing Shen Shixing's indifference, a censor immediately came out to accuse him: "Shen Shixing, now that you have seen that the plot of planning the demon book has been exposed, you simply stopped pretending. Even Wang Lu doesn't take it seriously, right?" Bar?"

This hat was not enough. Immediately afterwards, another censor jumped out and echoed:

"Shen Shixing, thank you that the Holy One has so much trust in you! Not only do you respect you as the emperor's master! You are also appointed as the chief minister of the cabinet!

As a result, you actually acted like the guilty minister Zhang Juzheng and made trouble for the government! Eliminate dissidents! Slandering colleagues and other things that ignore the grace of God!

You are as despicable and shameless a hypocrite as Zhang Juzheng! Damn it! "

Seeing that the censors were about to curse again and again, Yu Shenxing, the Minister of Rites, could not sit still.

There was no gavel on Yu Shenxing's table. He simply clenched his fists and punched the table hard, shouting loudly:

"Everyone, please be quiet! How inappropriate is it to make noises! This is a trial! This is not the time for you to spit and curse!"

Yu Shenxing's voice is still somewhat useful, but his hands are a bit useless.

As the first six-bu minister besides the Ministry of Punishment to speak out, Yu Shenxing's position was very clear. He stated his position directly:

"I don't believe that Shen Ge is always the mastermind of the demon book case! There is definitely grievance here!"

Li Shida sneered: "Injustice? All the witnesses and material evidence are complete, where can there be grievances? I'm afraid you, Yu Shenxing, were also involved in the demon book case, so you want to protect Shen Shixing, an accomplice?"

Faced with Li Shida's casual slander, Yu Shenxing did not panic at all. He simply ignored the other party's slander and turned to look around at the ministers and ministers sitting in the jury box.

All of these people were seen lowering their heads and saying nothing, as if they were all mute.

Seeing this situation, even though Yu Shenxing understood the current situation, he also understood that these people who came to 'judge' were all ready to pretend to be deaf and dumb throughout the whole process, hoping that it would have nothing to do with them!

"Master Sun." Yu Shenxing took his eyes away from the "cowards" of the jury and turned to Sun Piyang, the Minister of Punishment at the presiding seat, and said:

"The demon book case was originally tried by Dongchang. Now that the emperor has handed over the case to all of us to try together, for the sake of fairness, we must carefully examine everything from beginning to end, from witness to physical evidence. You have to go through it all over again!
  Instead of just reading a few documents and confessions like now, you start to convict people directly with empty words!

The crime of the Ming Dynasty can only be determined by providing factual evidence! It can't be decided just by the censors opening their mouths and scolding! "

Yu Shenxing's courage is very commendable. You must know that his words offended the entire Metropolitan Procuratorate. Even though there are some of his people and his disciples here, he still wants to scold him!
  Yu Shenxing's words were addressed to Sun Piyang, the Minister of Punishment who presided over the trial. He did not expect Sun Piyang to stand on his side. He only hoped that Sun Piyang could stand neutral and not take sides.

Facts have proved that Sun Piyang's "good reputation" is not an exaggeration. Although he usually dislikes Shen Shixing's bipolar attitude, when it comes to "business matters", he only treats the situation and not the person.

"What Your Majesty said is reasonable." Sun Piyang said: "Indeed, the emperor handed over the case to all of us for trial. For the sake of fairness, we must start from the beginning and check it carefully."

Seeing that Sun Piyang didn't go astray, Yu Shenxing also breathed a sigh of relief, although he was still alone and helpless.

Sun Piyang, who was the chief interrogator, had already spoken, and Li Shida, the censor of Zuodu, could not object any more.

As for the Dali Temple Minister whose name is not that important, his opinion is even less important.

"Come here, bring witness Zhang Chonghui."

Sun Piyang gave the order, and Zhang Chonghui was brought up not long after.

The moment they saw Zhang Chonghui, everyone was a little surprised.

Because normally, as long as the prisoners who have been interrogated by the Dongchang Jinyi Guards are basically in a miserable state, not to mention the lack of hands and feet.

However, at this time, except for the slightly dirty clothes and the slightly messy bun of the boy, the young man looked healthy and did not look like he had been interrogated at all.

In addition, everyone couldn't help but whisper about the appearance of the grandson of the once powerful chief minister Zhang Juzheng.

"He is Zhang Taiyue's grandson? He seems to be in his early ten years, right? How come he is so tall?"

"Probably because he has eaten well, he is the only one left in the Zhang family's lineage, so we can't leave everything good to him."

"So what if I'm the only one in the Zhang family's lineage? Don't you know? This kid came to Beijing to marry into the family!"

"Bringing in a child? Oh! If Zhang Taiyue knew that his grandson was marrying into someone else's family, he might not even be able to hold the coffin board in place!"

"Ha, who knows, but this kid was born like a pretty boy who wants to eat soft food. Maybe he was born to eat soft food!"

"What's wrong with eating soft rice? I also want to eat soft rice. I really don't want to make progress."

"..."

After seven years, Yu Shenxing met Zhang Chonghui again. Over the years, they had continued to exchange letters.

Although Yu Shenxing was unwilling and impossible to admit it, he did regard the other party as Zhang Juzheng.

Yu Shenxing just watched 'Zhang Juzheng' appear in front of him again, but the other party didn't even look at him. Instead, his eyes were wandering around, as if he was very curious about everything around him.

"Zhang Chonghui." Sun Piyang didn't do anything extra and asked directly:

"I would like to ask you, is it really true that you personally confessed that former chief minister Shen Shixing ordered you to publish and spread the demon book?"

From the moment Zhang Chonghui entered the lobby of the Criminal Department, his eyes had been wandering around, looking like he had never seen the world and was very curious.

Sun Piyang noticed this and kept paying attention.

"My lord, the situation is true." Zhang Chonghui replied calmly.

As soon as these words came out, there was a sudden sigh in the lobby!
  Yu Shenxing's eyes widened in disbelief. Just when he was about to ask Zhang Chonghui what he was doing, he heard the sarcastic voice of Zuodu Yushi Li Shida:

"Some people just have to let a slap hit their face before they believe it is a slap. They have to waste time and humiliate themselves. It's really ridiculous."

The target of Li Shida's ridicule was obviously Yu Shenxing.

Yu Shenxing didn't care about Li Shida's ridicule, he just warned Zhang Chonghui a little eagerly:

"Zhang Chonghui, now the three judicial departments are convening together with the cabinet and various ministries to conduct a joint trial. There will never be an unjust prison here!
  The person you are slandering right now is the chief minister of my cabinet in the Ming Dynasty! I warn you not to lie! Otherwise, it would be a capital crime to slander an official of the imperial court! "

Yu Shenxing's words seemed to be warning and scaring Zhang Chonghui, but in fact they were telling and reminding Zhang Chonghui:
  I'm here. If you have any difficulties, just speak up. Don't try to taint the chief minister, Shen Shi. He is one of our own!
  Yu Shenxing guessed that Zhang Chonghui must have encountered some difficulties or was forced to talk so randomly. He believed that Zhang Chonghui could understand the other meaning of his words.

Just as Yu Shenxing was waiting for Zhang Chonghui to 'cooperate' with him, Zhang Chonghui's next move was completely incomprehensible to him.

When Zhang Chonghui saw Yu Shenxing for the first time, he seemed to be very unfamiliar with Shenxing, and his eyes were full of doubts and confusion.

It wasn't until a few breaths later that Zhang Chonghui seemed to remember who the other party was, and then he said:

"It turns out it's Mr. Yu. We haven't seen each other for many years, and you seem to have lost some weight. In addition, you said that cheating on the chief minister is a capital crime, but I didn't cheat on him. What I said is true. The chief minister Shen Shixing did let me Publish and spread the demon book."

At this time, the sighs in the lobby of the Criminal Department became even louder, and Yu Shenxing's face was even more puzzled and shocked. He didn't understand why Zhang Chonghui would say such nonsense.

But then he thought again that Zhang Chonghui seemed to be talking nonsense all the time...

At this point, Yu Shenxing, who was already weak, was speechless for a while.

The officials present who came to join in the fun and hearing the trial also whispered to each other and started talking in various directions.

However, even in this chaos, Shen Shixing, as the 'originator' of the demon book, was like an old monk in trance, with his closed eyes never opening.

If you didn't know better, you would think that he had fallen asleep standing up.

"Okay, be quiet!"

Sun Piyang gave an order, signaling to the people around him to stop whispering. He was about to question Shen Shixing, who seemed to be asleep, but suddenly, Sun Piyang seemed to remember something wrong.

Turning his eyes, Sun Piyang focused his attention on Zhang Chonghui, who was looking around. Seeing the curious eyes in his eyes, he asked tentatively:

"Zhang Chonghui, I want to ask you, is Shen Shixing, the man who ordered you to print and disseminate the demon book, here in person?"

Zhang Chonghui, who was still a little embarrassed to look around, now finally dared to look around openly.

After watching "Blissful" again, Zhang Chonghui gave the answer:

"Sir, there is no Shen Shixing here."

As soon as these words came out, the scene suddenly became strangely quiet.

Everyone looked at Shen Shixing, who was standing just a few steps away from Zhang Chonghui, and felt like they had seen a ghost!
  Li Shida, the censor of Zuodu, was the first to react. He roared loudly, slapped the gavel hard, and said:
  "Zhang Chonghui! Stop pretending to be stupid! Open your eyes quickly! Take a good look at who is standing next to you!"

This roar and the slamming of the table seemed to frighten the young man who was eating soft food, making Zhang Chonghui look panicked.

"Why are you so fierce?" Zhang Chonghui rubbed his chest and looked at the old man standing not far away.

After specifically walking up to Shen Shixing and looking up and down, Zhang Chonghui turned to the three presiding judges in the hall and replied:

"To tell you adults, I really don't know this guy. I've never even met him."

"Let go..." A certain censor couldn't help but almost couldn't help it, and hurriedly changed his words:
  "You are talking nonsense! Everyone in the Shen family knows that you and your fifth uncle Zhang Yunxiu personally visited the Shen family on August 20th, but you actually said that you had never met Shen Shixing?

Shuzi is full of nonsense, it's really hateful! This officer orders you to summon me. If you still persist in your stubbornness, you will be tortured in court! "

Faced with the threat of 'torture', this thin-skinned, white-fleshed 'soft rice boy' did not show any fear, and fell into thinking. After a moment, he asked suspiciously:
  "What's August 20? I only met Shen Shixing, the first assistant, on August 24. Are you mistaken?"

While speaking, Zhang Chonghui also poked Shen Shixing with his elbow, who was resting beside him with his eyes closed, and asked:
  "Old man, are you the Shen Shixing they say you are? But I have never seen you! Could it be that you have seen me?"

This time, Shen Shixing, who had closed his eyes for a long time, finally opened his eyes. He looked at Zhang Chonghui, glanced up and down, and shook his head gently with a calm and unfamiliar look:

"never seen it."

At this moment, the entire criminal department lobby exploded!
  　A big chapter of nearly 8,000 words! One chapter is better than four! Please bosses not to raise books!
  　　
  　
  (End of this chapter)