Chapter 223: Song Qiaonian and Han Mulu are tried in court
As Zhao Ye's words came out, the atmosphere in Qianyang Palace became slightly calmer.
"Your Majesty, there are frequent chaos in the capital, especially in the East City and South City."
Zhao Ye said with some sadness: "Under such circumstances, people in the capital are already panicked, and even many adults in the court have been affected. At this time, the Dongcheng and Nancheng soldiers and horses are still selling corpses and eating plain food, and they have done nothing..."
"Zhao Tongzheng, don't talk nonsense!"
A military attache on the left stood up angrily, stared at him and said: "Dongcheng and Nancheng's military and horse departments have been assigned manpower to guard near Gongyuan. They have no skills at all, how can they take care of so many?"
In the past, if this man had rashly interrupted other people's reports in the court, he would have been reviled by Wang Mang.
But now that Wang Mang was locked up in the Gongyuan, no one cared about him for a while.
The military attache said angrily: "On the contrary, it is you people who live in Dongcheng. Instead of helping to calm down the chaos, you condone your servants to do evil..."
"Ahem~"
"General Xiong's words are wrong. What does it mean to condone your servants to do evil?"
"General Xiong, please don't talk nonsense..."
The officials couldn't sit still for a while. The layout of the capital has always been rich in the west and wealthy in the east. Most officials settled in the east city.
Nowadays, when the military attache surnamed Xiong says something like this, most people blush and start arguing.
Military generals are no exception. Most of them also live in Dongcheng, and their actions are even more excessive than those of civilian officials.
But of course we can't admit this in this court, we can only avoid the important and put the mistakes on others...
"We are also victims of the chaos in Dongcheng!"
"Yes, a thief broke into Chief Liu's house the day before yesterday and stole a lot of money from the Liu family. The thief has not been caught yet!"
"It's such a shame and humiliation that even the officials of the imperial court would have their things stolen by thieves like this..."
It can be seen that the officials are still somewhat complaining.
In the turbulent court, Deng Xunwu and Gao Xun, who was sitting next to him, looked at each other and saw the surprise and joy in each other's eyes.
Now not only the officials in their plan are cheering, but many non-Cai Party officials are also complaining. Is this an unexpected surprise?
Now they are waiting for the emperor to react, and then they will take advantage of the situation and attack.
Even if the investigation of Li Yuan and Wei Zheng cannot be stopped completely, they still have to be afraid of the power of Cai Party and dare not take action against Cai Party officials...
"quiet!"
The person who spoke this time was very angry and was obviously not an old eunuch.
Qin Hui had a rare moment of toughness. He stood up and angrily scolded the ministers in the palace: "It should be noted that this is above the imperial court. Are you too presumptuous?"
Then he turned to look at the military attaché surnamed Xiong, and said angrily: "Master Xiong, Master Zhao just presented something to His Majesty, and you suddenly interrupted. What crime should you do?"
The officials may still be a little dissatisfied with Prime Minister Qin, but when they saw the "public enemy" who had made mistakes, they all glared at him.
Yes, what's your crime?
"Your Majesty..."
The military attaché named Xiong moved his lips, but finally lowered his head. If he really wanted to pursue the matter according to the rules, this matter was really his fault.
"Your Majesty, I have behaved inappropriately before you. Please forgive me."
"It doesn't matter."
Li Qian looked at this scene with a smile. As long as there was a dispute in the court, these people would inevitably quarrel: "Xiong Qing's family also has a sincere heart. Don't worry about such small mistakes."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
The military attache surnamed Xiong cupped his hands and continued: "Your Majesty, when Master Zhao retorted to me just now, he also cursed me with dirty words, which is also a disgrace in front of you."
Li Qian turned his attention to Zhao Ye again.
Zhao Ye's face froze and he cursed in his heart that the turtle son bastard named Xiong had no butthole, but at this time under the eyes of everyone, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and cup his hands and said: "Your Majesty, I have violated the rules of conduct before you. Please forgive me. "
"It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter."
Li Qian smiled and waved his hand: "Zhao Qing's family is also concerned about chaos. They care too much about the stability of the capital. I can understand you."
"As for what Xiong Qing's family said...it makes sense."
Li Qian nodded with approval: "Dongcheng and Nancheng's military and horse divisions are indeed too busy to take care of too much. The chaos in the capital now is not your fault."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." The military attaché named Xiong looked touched.
Other officials looked at His Majesty the Emperor with confusion. What does this mean?
Doesn't he want to take advantage of the victory and pursue Master Cai?
What is the purpose of being here with the mud now?
Deng Xunwu and Gao Xun also looked at each other, with a flash of confusion in their eyes. According to the plan, they should get up and play now.
But the unknown changes in front of them made the two hesitate for a moment, and it was this moment that made them lose the chance to speak out.
Li Qian spoke again: "I also understand the concerns of all the ministers. Now the leak of the Gongyuan issue has involved too much energy of the imperial court."
"Not only the East City, but also the South City has suffered from frequent chaos due to the lack of soldiers and horses to patrol. Even the princes imprisoned in the Gongyuan are a big problem."
"What's more, if this matter remains unresolved, I'm afraid there will be more chaos."
The silence in the Qianyang Palace was extremely quiet, and the ministers all closed their mouths and listened to the words of His Majesty the Emperor.
Deng Xunwu and Gao Xun below were dumbfounded. Isn’t this what we want to say?
Why did you rob me?
However, this absence only lasted for a moment, and then these two people, or most of the officials, realized something was wrong.
When something goes wrong, there must be a monster. What does His Majesty the Emperor mean by saying this?
It's a pity that Li Qian didn't leave them much time to think, but said directly: "Fortunately, the emperor is very caring, and I have the emperor's uncle and Lord Wei."
"With the two of them taking action, the culprit of this matter has now been identified."
Check it out!!
These words were like thunder, exploding in the hearts of the ministers.
Li Qian didn't care how they reacted, but continued to mind his own business: "Now the two biggest thieves have been taken into custody by Yushitai, and they can be convicted and executed only after all the rest of the gang are brought to justice!"
When he spoke, his face was filled with strong confidence and joy.
The ministers were in a trance. His Majesty the Emperor seemed to have really... got the evidence.
What followed was a huge shock.
His Majesty the Emperor actually obtained the evidence and arrested the person without saying a word, and without telling anyone!
If there hadn't been anything like today's morning meeting, would he have kept the news hidden until the very end, until there was nothing left to hide?
Deng Xunwu and Gao Xun had an unpleasant premonition in their hearts at the same time.
The culprit? Who is it?
At this moment, Qin Hui, who had a serious look on his face, asked in a deep voice for everyone: "Your Majesty, who planned this crazy thing?"
Li Qian was silent for a moment. Then he sighed heavily, seeming disappointed.
"The people who committed such a crime turned out to be the two ministers of the imperial court, and the two most trusted members of my family...Song Qiaonian and Han Mulu."
After the words fell, there was silence in Qianyang Hall. After a while, discussions broke out.
"It actually directly involves two ministers? Is it true or false?"
"Since it was the Duke of the State and Mr. Wei who found out, it should be true. The two ministers are confused!"
"I think this matter is too strange. It has been discovered until now, and it has been investigated without saying a word. We don't even know what happened. What if there is something hidden in it..."
"quiet!"
The old eunuch's shrill voice spread throughout the Qianyang Palace. The ministers who were watching and talking gradually became quiet and raised their heads to look upward.
"I know that all of you may have doubts, because when I first heard the news, I was also extremely unbelieving. I even thought that the emperor and Lord Wei were joking with me."
"But until I saw the evidence they produced, I had to believe it."
"Later I figured out that one of these two people is the deputy examiner of the National Examination, and the other is the Deputy Examiner of the National Examination. Only people in high positions like them can have access to the examination questions."
The ministers all fell silent upon hearing this.
Only Deng Xunwu and Gao Xun were anxious. The former couldn't help but said: "Your Majesty, wasn't there a thief who surrendered outside the Gongyuan the day before yesterday? The test questions were stolen by a thief, so why were they involved with Song Shilang and Han Shilang? ?”
The ministers also raised their heads, waiting for His Majesty the Emperor's answer.
Li Qian shook his head: "Those two people are indeed related to the test leaks, but they are not the culprits behind the scenes, they are just accomplices."
"Many of what he said are untrue, but they are just to cover up the real culprit."
He glanced at Deng Xunwu and said calmly: "And these two people are only the second mastermind. Maybe there are others behind it."
"Now Wang Zongbo and Mr. Cai are also in the Gongyuan. Uncle Huang and Mr. Wei are investigating them. If the two Qings are really not involved in this matter, I will definitely restore their innocence."
In other words, if you participate, you can't escape.
Deng Xunwu ignored his threat, but said more and more urgently: "Your Majesty, please consider this matter carefully. The Minister of Song and the Minister of Han are both important ministers of the imperial court. They are in charge of many errands of the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Household Affairs. They must not be rashly convicted!" "
He was not afraid of Li Qian threatening Cai Jing at all. In other words, even if the emperor really convicted Cai Jing, he would not succeed.
Li Qian sneered in his heart when he heard this, you threatened me instead.
But before he could speak again, Qin Hui suddenly asked: "Your Majesty, may I ask what evidence is used to point out the two ministers?"
Li Qian swallowed back what he was about to say, and paused for a moment before saying: "When the Gongyuan was sealed off that day, evidence of internal and external collusion was found."
He also deliberately left a misleading message here. He did not say that evidence of internal and external collusion between Han Mulu was found, but only said that evidence was found. Others would mistakenly think that all evidence of internal and external collusion between the two men was found.
Therefore, just this sentence made other ministers who wanted to speak suddenly hold back.
In a struggle of this level, as long as the evidence is obtained and the evidence is as solid as a mountain, all other efforts will be in vain.
Deng Xunwu and Gao Xun's faces turned pale, and they suddenly realized the seriousness of the matter.
Li Qian had no intention of continuing and stood up directly: "I can't reveal too much about other matters at this time. You just need to wait until the case is completed and you will know the inside story."
After saying that, he turned around and walked away, leaving only the ministers in the palace looking at each other.
After walking out of the Qianyang Palace, they received the news that during the court meeting this morning, Han Mulu and Song Qiaonian had been escorted to the Yushitai for interrogation.
In the shock of the ministers, in less than half a day, the contents of this court meeting spread to the entire capital.
Now everyone knew the breaking news, which suddenly involved two ministers of the third rank. This can be said to be the first major case since the new emperor ascended the throne!
Many officials are worried and cannot see clearly how this incident will affect them.
The common people who heard about this incident excitedly regarded it as a topic of conversation after dinner. Although they did not know Song Qiaonian or Han Mulu, there was always a market for such topics about the misfortune of big shots.
For a time, almost everyone felt that it was really difficult for these two people to escape.
Even people from Tsai’s party are no exception.
In the Yamen of the Criminal Department, Deng Xunwu looked anxious and kept pacing.
"Nothing was found at first, but today they suddenly said they had found something. If there is nothing fishy in this, it would be strange."
"It's really hateful to see those people on the wall. There are actually people who claim that they have found it a long time ago, but they just took it out now! It's true that none of these people who act according to the circumstances are reliable!"
There was also a hint of anger on Gao Xun's face, but at this time he suppressed his anger: "Master Deng, now is not the time to dwell on this, you should quickly think of any remedies!"
Deng Xunwu paused for a moment and let out a long sigh: "You're right, the top priority is not to deal with those losers, but to stall this matter and buy time for our back-up!"
Gao Xun also nodded vigorously: "The news will reach the Ming Kingdom in a while. I believe that person will definitely not reject our proposal."
"It's just how to survive the next period of time..."
He thought for a moment and his eyes moved slightly: "If we don't write to the court and let the three judicial departments jointly hear the case, it will definitely take him ten and a half days!"
Deng Xunwu's dry lips opened as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he nodded: "This is the only way right now."
As long as the Criminal Department can get involved, it can continue to argue with the other two yamen, making it impossible to pronounce a verdict on this case.
They wanted to buy time, but Li Qian had already been on guard against this move.
As soon as the memorial was submitted, Li Qian delayed it for several days. During this period, Li Yuan and Wei Zheng were conducting intensive investigations. From time to time, people were taken away from the examination room to collect evidence and confessions. For a time, even the Gongyuan was in a state of trembling.
After another two days, and seeing that it could no longer be delayed, Li Qian approved the memorial.
As for the content, of course it should be rejected.
The reason is that Cai Jing is the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, and the suspicion cannot be completely cleared, so in order to avoid suspicion, the Ministry of Justice cannot be allowed to participate in the trial.
No one can find fault with this reason, and people in Tsai's party can only accept it reluctantly.
Before they could come up with the next trick, Li Qian announced boldly that all the evidence had been collected and ordered the Yushitai to open a court to hear the case.
"Your Majesty, uncle, listen on my behalf and must eliminate all evil deeds!"