At this moment, the emperor on the throne looked exactly the same as when he was discussing politics, modest and approachable, as if everything that had just happened had been forgotten.
However, the screams outside the palace had just disappeared, and they were still fresh in people's memories.
The British Duke Zhang Mao, who had just turned ten, had a pale face and looked like he wanted to cry but did not dare to cry. If he had not been taught etiquette since he was a child and was afraid of losing his etiquette in front of the emperor, he might have hid behind his second uncle.
As everyone knows, Zhang Shi is not much better at this moment.
He was originally a playboy, a typical bully and afraid of the strong. In his early years, he was punished by Zhang Fu countless times.
In the past, he was protected by Zhang Fu, and after Zhang Fu's death, the British government was supported by Zhang Fu, so there was hardly anything for him to worry about.
Although it was Zhang Fu's idea to beat the drum and go to the palace this time, it was the first time he faced the pressure of the court.
And once you get started, you'll be at the top level.
You should know that even when Wang Zhen was in power, there was no precedent of punishing seventeen ministers at once.
But now, in front of him, it really happened.
At this time, the emperor's gentle inquiry fell in his ears, but inexplicably screams could be heard outside the palace.
Taking a deep breath, Zhang Xi kept telling himself to calm down. The British government relied on him now and must not collapse at this time.
I reorganized the words I had prepared in my mind, but when it came time to speak, it turned into...
"Your Majesty clearly knows that my brother Zhang Fu has been arrested by the Jinyi Guards for many days, but there has been no news. I have made a request to visit and announce the case, but they have not been allowed. My uncle and nephew are very worried and cannot be summoned, so I have just sounded the alarm.
"I went to the Wengu to ask Your Majesty to make the decision for the British government. It was really out of necessity and I had no intention of offending the imperial court."
Seeing Zhang Shi's cowardly look, Zhu Qiyu couldn't help but smile.
A dandy is a dandy, and it has nothing to do with age.
If Zhang Fu had come here instead, this scene would not scare him at all, but Zhang Fu was different.
He was protected very well by Zhang Fu, because Zhang Fu had long seen that this younger brother was unworthy of development, so he did not let him participate in any political affairs at all.
As a result, now, the British government has no successor. When Zhang Xi had no choice but to go to the palace to report, he was so frightened that he lost his mind.
Zhu Qiyu's expression remained unchanged, his voice remained gentle, and he said.
"Don't worry, Qing Zhang. The Dengwen Drum was set up by Taizu. Anyone with grievances can go up the Wenwen Drum to voice their grievances. What's more, the old British man has worked hard for his country all his life and has made great contributions to the country."
"I have always made clear rewards and punishments. How can I blame the British government for beating the Denwen drum? I still say the same thing, since you have beaten the Denwen drum, how do you want to redress the injustice?"
After this buffering, Zhang Shi finally calmed down.
Although he still hasn't figured out what the emperor means, at this point, he has no other way to go.
So, he gritted his teeth and spoke.
"Your Majesty, there is no explanation for the case of the diplomatic mission to this day. It is inappropriate for the Jin Yiwei to arrest high-ranking officials. I dare not say anything about the case, but I believe that my brother is loyal to the country."
"Nowadays, the prison is deep, blocked from inside and outside, and the case is unknown. However, my younger brother is being detained continuously. I dare not interfere in the trial of the court's criminal case, but I am really afraid that the Jin Yiwei will torture him to extract a confession, and he will be beaten."
"Therefore, I boldly ask Ting to take charge of the case and clarify the truth in front of all the civil and military officials. By then, even if the whole mission is guilty, the world will be convinced."
After the words fell, before the emperor could react, many ministers in the palace frowned.
It is true that although they also criticized Jin Yiwei's behavior, Zhang Shi's words still aroused dissatisfaction among many ministers.
In fact, after the last King Zhennan incident, many ministers have been quite critical of the Dengwengu system.
They generally believe that the original intention of the Dengwen Drum is to give people with grievances a chance to go directly to heaven.
However, the clan and the noble family often use the Dengwen Drum to interfere in judicial trials, which violates the original intention of the Dengwen Drum.
Therefore, during this period of time, the Ministry of Punishment has been discussing how to improve the system of Dengwengu, but it has not yet been determined.
As a result, the case of the British government came up again. It is not surprising that the courtiers generally advocated a killing blow first.
Now, from the emperor's attitude to Zhang Shi's court request, it all illustrates one thing.
As a British government official, the meaning of beating the Dengwen drum is different from that of ordinary people.
After all, as a distinguished minister of the country who had made numerous military exploits for the imperial court, he was one of the few remaining ducal palaces in the Ming Dynasty. To "regret his grievances" in this way was more or less to use his merits to force the imperial court.
This is why Zhang Shi must lead Zhang Mao to beat the Dengwen drum.
After all, Zhang Mao is the legitimate British Duke. Even if he is only ten years old, only he can represent the British Duke in the court.
Only when the British government is beating the drum can it truly be qualified to bargain with the imperial court.
After all, a palace represents not only a title, but also the intricate forces behind it, as well as the countless meritorious services it has made for the court.
To put it bluntly, it is not the title that qualifies the British Duke to bargain with the court, but the numerous achievements for the country behind the title that enable the British Duke to stand here and openly confront the court after beating the drum.
Request.
But this is exactly what the elders are dissatisfied with.
Putting Jin Yiwei aside, this case has not yet been concluded. There is neither a final verdict nor a punishment. He is just detained for interrogation and no visits are allowed. It cannot be called an injustice at all.
For ordinary people, this kind of complaint would not have any results at all. At most, it would be the next decree, ordering the magistrate to be more cautious during the interrogation.
But just because it was the British government that sounded the drum, Zhang Shi dared to question the fairness of the trial without any evidence, and dared to go further and ask for court proceedings.
Many ministers who are well versed in prisons are already worried that if in the future, whenever the Lord's family commits a crime, they will sound the drum and cause trouble, then how will the Secretary interrogate these dandy descendants of the honorary clan in the future? Will they be allowed to do whatever they want?
?
At that moment, Chen Yi, the censor of Zuodu, stood up and objected, saying.
"Your Majesty, I think it is inappropriate. The imperial court has its own rules for the trial of criminal cases. Although it is inappropriate for Jin Yiwei to be reluctant to announce the facts of the case, it is even more inappropriate to interrupt the trial because of this. The British government's request is to interfere in the criminal case.
, should not be allowed."
Du Ning, the minister of Dali Temple, also said.
"Your Majesty, whether or not the court will be held depends on the circumstances of the case. If the case involves serious matters and cannot be dealt with unless there is a court official, then the court will be allowed to be held. Do not disrupt the legal system just because of the sound of the drum."
"What's more, according to the old system of our dynasty, cases brought by Deng Wengu should be tried by Dali Temple or the Third Division depending on the circumstances. There is no reason to directly court the case."
It should be said that Zhang Shi's request actually violated the administrative rights of Dali Temple.
Compared with the imperial edicts of Jinyiwei, the trial and review of criminal cases are more responsible for the Ministry of Punishment and Dali Temple.
In the last case of King Zhennan, Zhu Yinqi went beyond the three divisions and directly requested an imperial trial, which already made these yamen officials quite dissatisfied.
But there was a large group of clan members standing behind him, and the situation was special. In addition, the clan government had already reviewed the matter, so it was reasonable to just force it out.
But now that the case of the mission has not been concluded, Zhang Shi directly asked Tingju. He simply did not take the third division into consideration. How could the bosses tolerate it.
Seeing that Jin Lian couldn't help but object, Zhu Qiyu raised his hand to stop all of them from talking.
After pondering for a moment, he turned his head and asked Zhang Shi.
"This case is of great importance. I have always asked the Jin Yiwei to interrogate it secretly. It is for the sake of the reputation of everyone in the mission, and it is not deliberately concealing it. But since the British government has beaten the drum, I will ask you again, Zhang Shi,
Are you sure you want to bring this case to court in front of all civil and military officials?"
This familiar question made Zhang Fu feel a little flustered inexplicably, but remembering Zhang Fu's instructions to him, his heart calmed down.
"... Only when we go to the court, in front of all the officials, can we make a final decision and not give some people a chance to save..."
So, Zhang Xi took a deep breath, nodded heavily, and said.
"Your Majesty, I have asked you to take action on this case. No matter what the outcome is, the British government will be convinced."
At this time, the faces of many ministers on the side became increasingly ugly.
Including Jin Lian, several prison officials were about to come out, but the emperor took the lead and said calmly.
"In this case, I will grant your request and take the case of Tingju in seven days!"
"Retreat from the court."
After announcing the result, the emperor left the throne without staying long.
Zhang Mi wiped the cold sweat from his head and breathed a long sigh of relief. Although he received hostile looks from many civil servants, the matter was finally done anyway.
But for some reason, Zhang Xi always felt that he had just vaguely seen a faint smile on the corner of the emperor's mouth when he left.
Pulling his ten-year-old nephew and quickly leaving the hall amidst all kinds of looks, Zhang Xi said silently in his heart.
Third brother, I have done everything you asked me to do. Whether you can escape the disaster next depends on you...