Almost immediately, the news of Duan Chaoyong's release reached Qin Zhongtang's ears.
Even as a time traveler, Qin Dewei was surprised. What happened was completely beyond his expectation.
In his mind, Duan Chao used this device that was destined to bring disaster to the country and the people, and was basically equivalent to a dead person, but he did not expect to be released by Emperor Jiajing.
Immediately, Qin Dewei felt betrayed. He had sent Duan Chaoyong to prison and planned to execute him, but the emperor casually released Duan Chaoyong without considering his feelings!
Duan Chaoyong is different from Tao Zhongwen who is self-aware and restrained. He is definitely not a good person!
If you think about it for a moment, you will understand: What kind of good person can a stickman who is accustomed to using deceitful means, daring, and has political ambitions be?
It can be said that if such a person gains power, he is destined to bring disaster to the country and the people!
Emperor Jiajing ignored Qin Dewei's mood for such a thing, how could he not make Qin Zhongtang feel angry.
For a moment, Qin Zhongtang experienced the helplessness of those upright ministers in history when they faced the foolish emperors. The biggest problem with those foolish emperors was that they were unreasonable at all!
Later, when the news of Duan Chaoyong's release spread, many ministers did not understand.
Duan Chaoyong was obviously a liar who was proven to be a liar. Not only did the emperor not kill him, why did he let him go and even entrust him with the task of praying for rain?
Based on their contemporary experience, the ministers vaguely felt that the emperor was a bit like the kind of person who, after being deceived by the temple, always had high hopes and continued to offer incense to the temple.
This kind of behavior is very similar to those people who were scammed by telecommunications five hundred years later. They have obviously been told that the other party is a scammer, but they still want to send money to the other party.
The cognitive logic of these victims is that if they do not continue to make money, the previous money will really be wasted.
At the same time, the courtiers were also waiting to see Qin Zhongtang's reaction. After all, Duan Chaoyong was sent in by Qin Zhongtang, and now that he was released, it was impossible for Qin Zhongtang not to react.
Sure enough, the next day, there was a memorial to Zhang Shu in Qin Zhongtang, and it was not in a dense form, but a normal memorial through ordinary channels.
According to the procedure, this much-anticipated memorial was submitted to the cabinet and into the hands of Mr. Yan Ge.
Mr. Yan Ge didn't know what mentality he should have at this time, so he opened it and looked at it first.
All I can see is that it was written in the memorial: "The Duan Dynasty's use of demons is actually heresy and deception, and it is a pretext to carry out his evil intentions. Looking at his words and deeds, they are false and false. The Holy Emperor can clearly see, so why should he trust the traitor in vain?
!”
Then he continued to read, and wrote at the end: "Belief in monsters is harmful but not beneficial! Disasters have occurred repeatedly today. Last year, the river burst, this year's spring drought, there are many police in all directions, the people are poor and every year is in trouble, and I am worried about your majesty!"
After reading it, Mr. Yan Ge didn't know what to say, so he simply copied Qin Dewei's memorial.
Then, without even mentioning any opinions on how to deal with it, the memorial was sent to Renshou Palace for the emperor to personally approve.
Then that night, Commander Lu Binglu of the Jinyi Guard quietly came to Yan's Mansion with the copy of Qin Zhongtang's memorial.
Since "mentor" Guo Xun was imprisoned, Commander Lu, who had no time to take care of himself, has cut off contact with Guo Xun. However, the treacherous situation in the court has forced Commander Lu, who has been unlucky recently, to get closer to the Yan family and have to regard Yan Shifan as a think tank.
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After Yan Shifan carefully read the manuscript of the memorial, he said with some confusion: "Did I read a fake memorial?"
Lu Bing didn't understand and asked: "Why do you say this?"
Yan Shifan replied: "Because it doesn't look like it was written by Qin Dewei at all! Or is it copied wrongly?"
In the previous part of the memorial, the kind of resentment that complained about the emperor's release of Duan Chaoyong was revealed on paper, which was definitely not liked by Emperor Jiajing. Even with Emperor Jiajing's character, he definitely hated being complained about.
And the following content also said that the recent years have been too bad and the times are not prosperous. These are the words that Emperor Jiajing hates to hear the most.
Yan Shifan couldn't believe that Qin Dewei could write such a memorial?
It is not that Qin Dewei has never advised the emperor in the past, but he always paid great attention to "techniques" and the greatest prerequisite was not to anger the emperor.
Everyone knows that Emperor Jiajing was a very rebellious person, and hard persuasion usually had no effect.
The memorial in his hand is of a persuasive style, without considering the emperor's acceptance. It definitely does not look like Qin Dewei's handwriting.
Commander Lu nodded to Yan Shifan and said, "I feel the same as you, so what makes me wonder is, why did Qin Dewei write the memorial like this?"
Yan Shifan thought for a while before asking, "What do you think of it?"
Lu Bing replied: "I heard people say that when the moon is full, it will be full and the water will overflow. Has Qin Dewei drifted away?
Ever since he returned from the great victory, he had always had smooth sailing, and the emperor was extremely gracious to him.
First, he was made an earl, and then he was awarded the bachelor of Dongge University. He also set up a military aircraft department according to his wishes. This year, he was also allowed to study for the Imperial Examination.
So when he suddenly encounters Duan Chaoyong, is it possible that Qin Dewei's mentality will be unbalanced? Maybe this is the turning point of his personal life?"
Yan Shifan thought about it and said: "Qin Dewei has always been drifting. There is no situation where he is drifting more than before.
Having dealt with Qin Dewei so many times, if you think about it carefully, have you ever suffered a loss every time he did something unexpected?
Therefore, I thought that this memorial might be a bait, waiting for others to bite the bait! Qin Dewei is used to doing things like this, and this time is no exception!
So we must not go along with the flow and add insult to injury!”
Lu Bing couldn't help but sigh: "I feel like you have extraordinary confidence in Qin Dewei?"
Yan Shifan: "."
Why does this sound so heartbreaking?
Lu Bing saw that Yan Shifan's face was not very good, so he quickly said: "Then when is the time to push the boat along and add insult to injury?"
Yan Shifan replied: "It depends on when Qin Dewei is really punished, instead of the indifferent punishment of three drinks of wine!
Before that, we all need to be respectful to him!"
The next day, Emperor Jiajing's imperial official came out and criticized Qin Zhongtang's memorial as "nonsense, don't talk too much!"
After others saw it, they felt that Emperor Jiajing was quite patient with Jiajing men. If it had been anyone else, he would have been slapped with a stick.
When the emperor went to Wenyuan Pavilion, Qin Dewei let out a long sigh, then picked up the pen again and wrote another letter "Re-discussing the evil ways and treachery from afar".
Then he summoned Fang You, a member of the Zhongshu House, and said, "Send this memorial over immediately!"
After Fang You took it, he just glanced at the title and felt his liver tremble. He quickly advised: "You must cherish the useful person in the middle hall!"
Qin Zhongtang is not a person who takes the route of admonition, so don't be stubborn! Even if you lose some face on the issue of Duan Chaoyong, the future is long, so why worry about the moment!
Qin Dewei said righteously: "As a man, there are things you can do and things you shouldn't do. Just send the memorial if I ask you to do so. No need to talk nonsense!"
Fang You couldn't persuade him, so he could only follow the instructions and send the memorial to the Yinghe Gate of Xiyuan. Then the memorial was sent to the cabinet through the eunuch in the clerk's room.
In the hands of veteran Yan Ge, I read this letter "Re-discussing the Evil Ways and Traitors from a Far Away" over and over several times, but I still couldn't get it right.
This Qin Dewei's second memorial was not restrained at all. The style was exactly the same as yesterday's. It was still a persuasion, and it was strange that the emperor would listen.
If Qin Dewei's first memorial yesterday was to throw out bait, then doing it today is playing with fire. Mr. Yan Ge would not think Qin Dewei was a fool, but he just couldn't figure out Qin Dewei's thoughts.
After much thought, Mr. Yan Ge decided to personally submit the memorial to the emperor. He wanted to see the emperor's reaction with his own eyes and then analyze the situation in detail.
When Mr. Yan Ge took the memorial and came outside the Renshou Palace, he found that there was more than one person waiting. Eunuch Qin, Lu Bing were all there, and even Duan Chaoyong, the recent focus figure, was also there.
Originally, Mr. Yan Ge had a closer relationship with Zhang Zuo, the chief minister of ceremony, but he was also an acquaintance with Eunuch Qin, and they were friendly on the surface.
However, during the imperial meeting last year, the relationship between Mr. Yan Ge and Eunuch Qin took a turn for the worse.
Therefore, Mr. Yan Ge and Eunuch Qin had nothing to talk to, and they pretended not to have seen each other.
As for Lu Bing, ever since Tiqi, which he worked so hard to build, was taken away by Eunuch Qin, he is no longer as arrogant as last year. In front of Eunuch Qin, he just pretends to be dead.
So although Lu Bing wanted to chat with Mr. Yan Ge and Duan Chaoyong, he didn't say anything in the end. After all, Eunuch Qin was still here.
It was Duan Chaoyong who broke the silence and said hello to Mr. Yan Ge.
Mr. Yan Ge did not have so many taboos and was interested in exploring Duan Chaoyong, so he asked: "I heard that Master Duan asked for rain. How sure are you that it will come true?"
Duan Chaoyong replied: "When it should come true, it will come true."
Regardless of whether it works or not, this is his only chance! Otherwise, he may be dragged to the West City and beheaded at any time, so he might as well take another gamble!
Twenty years ago, Shao Yuanjie, the first-generation national preceptor, first became popular because of his efficacious prayers for rain. Why couldn't Duan Chaoyong follow suit?
Of course, Duan Chaoyong is not completely blind in his gamble. According to experience, most of the time there will be rain after a long drought.
As long as the energy is consumed until that time, if the prayer for rain comes true, it will be considered a success! The probability of success is still very high.
But it was impossible to share these thoughts with others, so Duan Chaoyong could only change the topic. He looked at the notebook in Yan Ge's hand and asked casually: "What kind of memorial is this?"
Mr. Yan Ge didn't answer. How dare you, a Taoist priest in Duan Dynasty, dare to ask about the central government's affairs at will? You still have to be wise. No wonder Qin Dewei will punish you to death!
Of course, if you, Duan Chaoyong, are really capable of killing Qin Dewei, I wouldn't mind cheering for you!
Just when everyone was having their own secrets, a eunuch came out from Renshou Palace and led several people to the main hall of Renshou Palace.
Emperor Jiajing basically knew the purpose of these people's visit, but he didn't know what memorial Yan Song took.
But he first asked Duan Chaoyong: "Has the Chaotian Palace ceremony been prepared?"
In the face of a severe drought, praying for rain was not just about praying for rain. Emperor Jiajing also wanted to prove to his subjects that practicing Taoism was not a dereliction of duty.
Besides, if Duan Chaoyong's skills were effective, wouldn't it mean that he was really good at it? Wouldn't there be hope for the art of immortality again?
Duan Chaoyong hurriedly said: "Now that Chaotian Palace is ready, Your Majesty can only issue an edict! There are two more things to report!"
Emperor Jiajing responded calmly: "Keep talking."
Duan Chao replied with a memorial: "The big ceremony for praying for rain must have the meaning of yin and yang, so I want to requisition the female crown from the capital and beg your majesty for permission."
Emperor Jiajing nodded and said: "Yes."
The eunuch Qin next to him frowned secretly. The emperor was really a little "faint" after taking too much medicine. After he got drunk, he dared to agree to anything?
Then Duan Chaoyong continued: "From last year to this spring, severe drought lasted for several months. This was a warning from God!
The celestial phenomena show that there are central ministers who believe in their own merits and do not practice virtue, thus triggering an alarm from heaven!"
The imperial court does have a special emphasis on "reception between heaven and man", so the words used by Duan Chao are also "reasonable".
Emperor Jiajing was the most sensitive to this kind of thing, and immediately asked: "Who is it?"
At this time, Yan Song suddenly came out and presented Qin Dewei's memorial at the right time.
Emperor Jiajing took it and glanced at it casually, and said angrily: "Does Qin Dewei still have me in his eyes?"
People who have been deceived are most annoyed by others nagging that they were deceived! They are most annoyed by other people’s fatherly teachings!
A bunch of alarmist and very unpleasant things. I said them once yesterday and again today. Are you annoyed?
I had it on my face yesterday and it didn't cause any symptoms, but today I kicked my nose and had it on my face?
Emperor Jiajing, who was full of evil spirits, threw the memorial back into Yan Song's hand, and then shouted to the Qin eunuch: "I will punish Qin Dewei forty with the rod!"
Eunuch Qin asked garrulously: "For what reason?"
Emperor Jiajing said casually: "Having no father and not cultivating virtues will lead to a warning from heaven! After the beating, he will be relieved of his duties and ordered to shut up and reflect on his mistakes!"
Eunuch Qin: "."
If he remembered correctly, after the celestial warning, not only the emperor should blame himself, but also the ministers should bear the blame together. This was a theory "invented" by Qin Dewei in the twelfth year of Jiajing. Emperor Jiajing particularly liked this theory at that time.
Unexpectedly, eight years later, this theory would come true for Qin Dewei himself.
At that time, Qin Dewei could not have imagined that eight years later he would become a person qualified to shoulder the responsibility of warning about astronomical phenomena.
Just how brave is Qin Dewei? Can he shoulder the blame for a major drought on his own?
Emperor Jiajing suddenly pointed at Lu Bing: "Go and execute the sentence! Qin Fu will supervise the punishment!"
When everyone heard this, they understood that the emperor was really angry, otherwise he would not have deliberately issued an order for Lu Bing to take action!
Eunuch Qin and Lu Bing went out according to the order and went to Wenyuan Pavilion to recruit Qin Dewei.
At this moment, Lu Bing was very confused. As the executioner who wanted to hit Qin Dewei with the imperial staff, should he handle it lightly or hit him to death?
Yan Shifan said that when Qin Dewei was really punished by the emperor, it was an opportunity to add insult to injury. So does this count?
Forty years of imperial staff plus removal from office is already a very severe punishment.
Eunuch Qin glanced at Lu Bing and suddenly said, "What? Can't make up your mind?"
Lu Bing pretended not to hear. He had been completely at a disadvantage recently. He had lost his Tiqi power and did not want to talk to Eunuch Qin.
Eunuch Qin, who was beside him, said to himself: "I know that you, Lu Bing, hate Qin Dewei in your heart, but Qin Dewei has too many enemies, and you are not the least of them.
When Qin Dewei is in trouble, there will definitely be many people who will add insult to injury. You, Lu Bing, can just watch, so why bother to end up as the leader?
So if you, Lu Bing, can't make up your mind, the safest choice is to sit back and watch the situation and judge the situation, rather than risk being the first to take the lead."
Lu Bing: "."
Damn it, Eunuch Qin’s words are so reasonable that people can’t help but want to obey them!