Ming Dynasty 1566

Chapter 87

Zhao Zhenji began to pace up and down: "Actually, it was expected. Hai Rui's trial of Zheng Michang and He Maocai's confessions has completely disturbed the cabinet and the inspector of rites. Of course, the cabinet and the inspector of rites will vent their anger on me. , I offended both of the two central centers. That's good, I won't bother with paperwork after my dismissal, and I can go back to Taizhou to study my mind."

Tan Lun had already finished reading the court post, and he had also heard a general idea of ​​Zhao Zhenji's words just now. At this moment, he turned his head suddenly: "It's not your business alone to question the crime! The urgent court post for eight hundred miles is the next The one for the two of us arrived two days ago, why did you show it to me now?"

Zhao Zhenji: "I showed it to you two days ago, can you answer the court?"

"Whether you can answer or how to answer is one thing!" Tan Lun is also a deep enough person, and he can no longer bear the annoyance in his heart when facing this person who is deeper than himself. Deputy judges, Hai Rui and Wang Yongji are also appointed jurors. You can't be the only one thinking about whether you will be dismissed and questioned, leaving us all aside, and the court situation! Two days have passed, and you are now What's the matter with taking out the court post that the court urgently needs to answer?"

Zhao Zhenji was not annoyed by his accusations, and slowly said: "There is also a court letter from the Ministry of War that strictly ordered me to quickly supply Hu Butang and other provinces' reinforcements to fight against Japan. My desk has been pressed for a day, so I won’t show it to you. There is also a secret letter from Zhang Taiyue, secretly claiming that it was written to me with the approval of Mr. Xu Ge, and I shouldn’t have shown it to you. If so, I'll show you." He picked up the letter from the Ministry of War on the desk, took out two pages of eight-line script and handed it over.

Instead, Tan Lun hesitated, looking at the court mail he handed over, he didn't accept it, and he didn't accept it.

"Look." Zhao Zhenji threw the court post on Tan Lun's side of the desk, "I'll go back to what you just asked after reading it."

Tan Lun moved the letter closer to the light and read it nervously.

Zhang Juzheng's voice rang in his ears at the same time: "A torch in the southeast will melt the iceberg. It will drive away the dark clouds of our 20-year Ming Dynasty, only when our government signed and signed the confession interrogated by Hai Rui! Zheng and He Erni If the confession can be presented to the emperor, then my lord’s youthful name will shine with the sun..."

This is enough!The words on the eight-line script blurred before Tan Lun's eyes, and Zhang Juzheng's voice gradually faded away.With such a big plan, Zhang Juzheng actually only wrote letters to Zhao Zhenji alone, and Tan Lun immediately felt as if he was being treated like an abandoned shoe.Could it be that King Yu and the others don't want to implicate themselves?If this is the case, of course Zhao Zhenji will not be willing to be a pawn when the situation of the court is unclear.He somewhat understood Zhao Zhenji's state of mind at this moment, and slowly looked at him.

Zhao Zhenji knew that he had finished reading the letter: "The Ministry of Rites and Supervisors sent back Hai Rui's confession and asked me to retry it, but Zhang Taiyue asked me to sign the original confession before submitting it. What should I do if it's you instead?"

When he was sent to Zhejiang, his greatest mission was to overthrow Yan. Tan Lun was silent for a while, and finally abandoned his private thoughts, and replied, "I will sign with you!"

"At this time? This kind of situation?" Zhao Zhenji stared at him closely, "Ten years of Japanese invasion, once cleared, that is, within one or two months. Hu Zongxian led tens of thousands of soldiers in the front to fight against Japanese pirates Decisive battle, but at this time, we want to reveal the ruined dikes and flooded fields that he has already concluded, and also involve the closed case that the emperor has acquiesced? Such a confession will be reported in the name of you and me, not to mention the cabinet and ministers. How annoyed the supervisor of ceremonies is, he reported to the emperor, whether to drag Hu Zongxian out for questioning, or to pull out you and me for questioning? Don’t forget, you and I are holding King Yu behind our backs.”

Tan Lun was silent again, thinking sharply: "Things should be looked at twice. After all, destroying dikes and flooding fields is the envoy of Yan Shifan! Chasing Hu Zongxian at most is an oversight. Ten years of Japanese troubles must be eradicated, and 20 years of strict party and government chaos It’s even more serious than Japanese troubles! Brother Meng Jing, Zhang Taiyue’s letter is by no means his intention alone, even though I was not mentioned in the letter, if the imperial court really wants to investigate, I will share the responsibility with you, as long as you and I don’t involve others.”

"Then let you be the governor of Zhejiang, and I will sign your name to bear this responsibility!" Zhao Zhenji stopped talking with him, "My top priority now is to raise military salaries and the 50 bolts of silk that the imperial court needs this year! These two documents No, don’t say it’s strict, I’m afraid Xu Ge and the others will fall first in the court! Yu Wang didn’t believe it, Xu Ge didn’t believe it, just based on his Zhang Juzheng’s two pages of eight-line script, I won’t ignore the court. Confront the inspector of ceremonies and the cabinet! Needless to say, call the case officers immediately, read out the official letter from the inspector of ceremonies and the cabinet, and re-examine the confession."

Tan Lun knew that there was nothing left to argue: "Who will retrial?"

Zhao Zhenji: "I can't get involved in the current situation, and neither can you. Of course, it will still be retried by Hai Rui."

The red torch had a high fever, and it was another nighttime emergency meeting.

In the middle of the lobby, the chair before Zhao Zhenji's big case was still empty. Tan Lun was waiting on the upper chair on the left, Wang Yongji was waiting on the lower chair on the left, and Hai Rui was waiting on the lower chair on the right.The upper chair on the right was also empty, obviously reserved for Jin Yiwei.

Zhao Zhenji had already changed into the red official uniform at this time, but he was still staying in the signing room behind the lobby, his eyes slowly shifted to look at the two confessions sent by the court and sent back by the cabinet, the supervisor of the book case, and walked over to take the He picked up the two court mails and the confession and held them in his left hand, then looked at the court mail sent by Zhang Juzheng's military department on the book case, gently picked it up and threw it aside, revealing Zhang Juzheng who was under the court mail. Those two pages of eight-line script.

He picked up the two-page eight-line book, stretched it out to the candle and lit it.When the ignited fire was about to reach his fingertips, he threw the ashesed book on the brick floor, stomped on it again, and left with the two court mails from the supervisor and the cabinet together with the returned confession. go out.

As soon as Zhao Zhenji appeared from behind the screen in the lobby holding Ting Ji, Tan Lun and the others stood up.

"I've kept you waiting for a long time to urge the military supplies ahead." Zhao Zhenji walked to the front of the big case while talking, and didn't ask the four people to sit down, nor did she sit down, and glanced at the empty handbag on the right. Chair, turned to look at Tan Lun: "Jin Yiwei's job, why didn't you come?"

Tan Lun replied resentfully: "They said they didn't receive the order. Since the two court mails were sent to the Zhejiang Yamen, they don't have to come."

"I don't think they will come either." Zhao Zhenji slapped the confession on the case, and raised the court post in his hand: "The supervisor of ceremonies, the cabinet court post! Bring Zheng Michang and He Maocai to court! "

Because they confessed about the destruction of embankments and flooding of fields, Zheng Michang and He Maocai no longer enjoyed the treatment of shackles. Now they are all wearing shackles and handcuffs. The unchanging gown was also dirty and wrinkled, and there was a stench on the hot day, and there was no trace of being a former Fengjiang when it was brought up.

Naturally, there were no chairs to sit on, and Zhao Zhenji didn't ask them to kneel down, but only glanced at the prison guards who were detaining them.The four prisoners withdrew immediately.

Zhao Zhenji was still standing, Tan Lun, Hai Rui, and Wang Yongji were also standing, together with Zheng Michang and He Maocai standing in the middle of the lobby, the shadows of the six were cast on the brick floor of the lobby by the candlelight from all sides.

"July 40st, Jiajing [-]th year of the Ministry of Rites and Supervision, urgent court post at eight hundred miles!" Zhao Zhenji opened the court post and began to read: "According to the urgent delivery from Zhejiang eight hundred miles, Zheng's crime must be prosperous, and He's a great talent The crimes confessed are overwhelming and shocking! Zheng and He committed the crime of grabbing the state money of the Jiangnan Weaving Bureau, and scraping the fat of the people of Zhejiang. , it is his crime of greed for ink that can still be determined according to the law, but his intention to create misfortune is hard to punish even though it is too late!"

Zhao Zhenji stopped after reading this, and stared deeply at Zheng Michang and He Maocai.

Zheng Michang and He Maocai were stunned for a moment, they seemed to understand, but they seemed to be a little confused, and their eyes were fixed on Zhao Zhenji.

Zhao Zhenji: "Didn't you understand? Then I'll read the important sentences again: Zheng and He are guilty of greed for wealth...the crime of greed for ink can still be determined according to the law, and although their intention to create misfortune It's too late to kill'!"

This makes it completely clear that I have to retract the confession myself!Zheng Michang's eyes lit up a little, while He Maocai knelt down impatiently regardless of the shackles on his body: "The criminal didn't intend to make trouble, it was all forced by Hai Rui, and the criminal is willing to take back the original confession. Brother Michang, Haven't you been complaining all the time, now is the time to say something!"

(End of this chapter)