Under His Majesty Dan, the civil and military officials were arranged on both sides, with the Emperor at the top. On both sides were the eunuch Cheng Jing, the eunuch who was responsible for etiquette, and Jin Ying, the eunuch who held the seal.
In the center of the main hall, Yu Shiyue, the minister of Dali Temple, Chen Yi, the imperial censor of Zuodu, and Jin Lian, the minister of punishment, stand on the left side.
Opposite them was the expressionless Shi Pu, Minister of Industry.
After a while, Jin Ying stepped forward and said loudly.
"Holy edict, Shi Pu, Minister of the Ministry of Industry, concerning the case of bribing Wang Zhen to obtain the position of Minister, was reported by the Sanfa Division. Today, in the Wenhua Hall, Yu Shiyue, the Minister of Dali Temple, presided over the case!"
"I accept the decree."
Yu Shiyue stepped forward, prostrated himself on the ground, and respectfully received the order.
Immediately, Yu Shiyue stood up, returned to the original place, and spoke in a deep voice.
"Shi Shangshu, Jin Yi Wei Cha De, on February 4, the 13th year of Zhengtong, you were ordered to return to Beijing to report on your duties. On the 12th and 17th of that month, you visited Wang Zhen's mansion twice and presented Wang Zhen with a pair of Cai Xiang.
There are calligraphy treasures and an inkstone, as well as some pearls, silk, gold and silver. Is this possible?"
Facing such a big battle, Shi Pu was very calm, cherishing his words like gold, and said.
"It's true."
Yu Shiyue asked immediately.
"Okay, I have checked the files of the Ministry of Personnel. You arrived in Beijing on the 4th. On the 10th of the month, the Ministry of Personnel gave an evaluation, which was medium. The next day, the Ministry of Personnel planned to transfer you to the position of minister of Dali Temple in Nanjing. Do you know this?
?”
Shi Pu pondered for a moment, then gently shook his head and said.
"The transfer of personnel in the Ministry of Personnel is a secret of the imperial court, and I am not allowed to know about it in advance. However, the Ministry of Personnel did give a mid-level evaluation."
This is telling lies with open eyes.
When you reach the third rank or above, there are some social groups in the court anyway. Although the transfer list drawn up by the Ministry of Personnel will not be disclosed to the outside world, it is not a secret that cannot be disclosed.
Ministers with some connections, especially local officials like Shi Pu at that time, came to Beijing to report on their duties.
There was not much to do in the capital, and I basically spent every day inquiring about where I was going. Even sometimes, the officials would give hints so that they could prepare in advance.
Therefore, Shi Pu must have known about it at that time, but it was just inconvenient to admit it.
Yu Shiyue was obviously prepared for Shi Pu's denial. He turned around, bowed his hands to the emperor, and said.
"Your Majesty, please allow me to summon witnesses to the palace."
A voice soon came from above.
"allow!"
Yu Shiyue turned around and shouted outside the hall.
"Bring witness Yin Liang to the palace."
There were already guards from Dali Temple waiting outside the hall. After hearing this, they brought a young official in dark blue official robes to the hall, prostrated themselves on the ground and said.
"Long live my emperor, long live me."
There was no sound from the throne, so Yu Shiyue asked directly.
"Who is your highness? Raise your head."
The green-robed official raised his head and saw that he was about forty years old. His face was pale and he had obviously not slept well. His hair was slightly messy and he looked miserable.
After hearing Yu Shiyue's question, the man replied.
"Yin Liang, the head of the Literary Selection Department of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, has met the Lord Temple Minister."
Yu Shiyue nodded and asked.
"On February 11, the 13th year of Zhengtong, the Ministry of Civil Affairs evaluated the political performance of Shi Pu, the then Chief Envoy of Shanxi Province, and concluded that it was moderate. At that time, Wang Zhi, the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, proposed that Shi Puping be transferred to Nanzhili and become Minister of Dali Temple in Nanjing.
Do you know about this?"
The green-robed official Yin Liang wiped his sweat and said.
"I know, it is the official who sent the document to the Department of General Affairs under the orders of Lord Tianguan."
Yu Shiyue then asked: "Then have you disclosed this matter to others in advance?"
Yin Liang was silent for a moment, his eyes evasive.
Seeing this situation, Yu Shiyue shouted sharply.
"Yin Liang, this is Tingju. Your Majesty is above. If you tell lies, you are deceiving the king and ignoring your Majesty. You should answer truthfully."
"The Dali Temple has been investigated. On your way to the General Administration Department, someone saw you and Shi Pu having a cup of tea. Do you need me to send witnesses to the temple?"
Yin Liang trembled, kowtowed, and said.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me. At that time, Minister Shi asked me about the transfer result and said that I needed to make preparations in advance. I was confused for a while, thinking that the matter was settled, so I revealed a few words."
Yin Liang's voice became lower and lower, but Yu Shiyue still had a cold face and said in a deep voice.
"What specifically was disclosed? Did you receive any property?"
"this……"
Yin Liang hesitated for a while, but when he looked up and saw Yu Shiyue's expressionless face, he still said.
"At that time, Shi Shangshu gave Xiaguan two gold coins. Xiaguan only told him that he might go to Nanjing to take charge of the prison affairs. He did not dare to say anything else."
After saying that, Yin Liang lowered his head with a gloomy face.
He knew that once he said these words, his career would come to an end.
Two gold nuggets are not a big deal, but if they fall into this matter, it is enough to make him go home.
This can be understood by looking at the mocking and pitiful looks of the civil and military officials in the court.
Yu Shiyue no longer cared about Yin Liang, but turned around and asked Shi Pu.
"Shi Shangshu, what is your explanation for what Yin Liang said?"
Shi Pu's face looked quite ugly.
He really didn't expect that Yu Shiyue would be so obsessed with even such a small detail, and even dared to offend the officials for this.
You know, Yin Liang's official position is not high, but he is also the head of the Literary Anthology Department of the sixth rank.
Just for such a small piece of evidence, he did not hesitate to drag Yin Liang to Tingju's scene to testify.
If you dare to spend such a huge amount of money, it seems that you are really going to bite him to death!
With a cold snort, Shi Pu said calmly.
"It's been so long. I'm old. It's normal for me to not remember things clearly. What's more, even if I inquired about my whereabouts, it's human nature."
"I neither interfered with the selection process nor encouraged Yin Liang to delay the process. Is it possible that Yu Siqing wanted to use the two gold coins that I gave him as evidence to accuse me of bribery?"
Yu Shiyue shook his head, still calm, and said.
"Shi Shangshu was joking. Those two gold coins are only a dozen taels of silver at most. They can't be considered bribes."
"However, there is one more thing that needs to be questioned by Minister Shi. At the court meeting on the 11th of that month, the former Minister of Industry Wang Ning once angrily accused Wang Zhen of violating power and overstepping his power. Wang Zhen argued in court for nearly half a quarter of an hour. Regarding this matter, Minister Shi
Did you know it at the time?"
Shi Pu frowned and his face turned dark, but he remained calm and said.
"This incident happened in the early dynasty. I was the second-rank Shanxi chief envoy at that time. Since I am in Beijing, I am qualified to go to the dynasty to discuss matters, so I naturally know about it."
"As long as Minister Shi is willing to admit it."
A smile appeared on Yu Shiyue's face, he turned to face the ministers and said.
"According to the testimony of Shi Shangshu himself and Yin Liang, it can be inferred that the situation at that time is as follows."
"Shi Shangshu went to Beijing on the 4th of that month to receive a performance appraisal from the Ministry of Civil Affairs. On the 10th, the Examination Department of the Ministry of Civil Affairs determined that his performance was medium."
"As a rule, the promotion and transfer of officials of the third rank or above must be approved by the Minister. On the 11th, the Literature and Selection Department drafted Pingtiao Shi Shangshu as Minister of Dali Temple in Nanjing. After reporting to the Minister for approval, Yin Liang sent the memorial to the General Affairs Department."
"On the way, Shangshu Shi stopped Yin Liang and learned that his general destination was Nanjing, where he was serving as a prisoner."
"The next day, Shangshu Shi went to visit Wang Zhen's mansion with gold, silver, silk, and an inkstone. But is this so?"