Chapter 5044: The Imperial Censor Fell

Liu Xiangdao was kneeling in the duty room of the Censorate, holding a teacup in his hand, with spring water boiling on a small stove beside him, and staring out the window in a daze.

There are several huge locust trees in the yard. Perhaps they encountered strong winds during their growing period, so their branches are twisted and crooked and the leaves are lush. The rain falls on the alternate oval leaves with a rustling sound, washing away all the dust on the leaves, making them as green as ink.

When he first took office as the Imperial Censor, he felt dissatisfied when he saw the locust trees. He thought that locust trees were gloomy and it was inappropriate to plant them in the Censorate.

In Liu Xiangdao's mind, the Censorate should be planted with cypress trees like in the Han Dynasty. The cypress trees have straight trunks and high integrity, which not only represent the noble qualities of scholars, but also symbolize the perseverance and unyielding power of the Censorate...

I must find a chance to dig up these locust trees.

There were footsteps outside the door, and soon, the Chief Censor Sun Chuyue walked in quickly. After greeting, he reported, "As you expected, once the news got out, the scholars in Jiangnan couldn't sit still. Now they have contacted many new Jinshi and students from the Imperial Academy, and gathered together to petition at Chengtian Gate. On the way, they paraded through the streets and made a lot of noise, attracting many people. It's a big deal."

Even though he prided himself on being resolute and having seen big scenes, he was still frightened by the bad impact of so many scholars and students gathering together to cause trouble.

Especially since these people are in high spirits, they might do something earth-shattering under impulse...

"Daomao, what do you think about this matter?"

Liu Xiangdao took a sip of tea, smoothed his wide sleeves and asked.

Sun Chuyue hesitated for a moment, bowed slightly, and replied in a low voice: "It seems... the commotion is a bit too big, and it's not going to end well."

He actually didn't quite understand. If the Censorate felt that the matter of Zhang Zizhou was the result of Fang Jun's "private transfer" and illegal operation, they could initiate an investigation procedure against the people involved. If there was evidence, they could impeach Fang Jun, Yan Liben, Zhang Zizhou and others. If there was no evidence, they could also set the record straight.

All these are within the jurisdiction of the Censorate. No matter how domineering Fang Jun is, he has to accept the investigation honestly.

What good will it do to encourage those students to go to Chengtianmen?

With Fang Jun's current status, power, and achievements, how could he be brought down by a few students making trouble?
Besides, given Fang Jun’s stubborn temper, once he gets impulsive, he might fight back harshly...hiss!

Thinking of this, Sun Chuyue took a breath and stared at his boss in horror with his eyes wide open.

Could this person be planning to send those students to Fang Jun's hands?

Your Majesty has attached unprecedented importance to this imperial examination, and naturally relies on the successful candidates. If any of these "disciples of the emperor" are harmed by Fang Jun...

"What are you thinking! Although I don't dare to call myself an upright gentleman, how can I do such a despicable thing?"

As soon as Liu Xiangdao saw Sun Chuyue's expression, he knew what he was thinking and became a little angry.

He was the Imperial Censor, the most upright official in the court. If he used such means, it would be like throwing dirty water on himself and his reputation would be ruined.

Sun Chuyue stamped his feet anxiously: "Yatai may not have such intention, but if someone uses this to frame him, how can Yatai prove his innocence?"

"Yatai" is a respectful title for "Yushi Dafu", because the prime minister was called "Tai Fu" in ancient times, and Yushi Dafu was the position second only to the prime minister, so...

Liu Xiangdao said casually: "Everyone knows that your majesty values this subject of Jinshi. If someone gets into trouble, the three judicial officials will definitely intervene. Who is crazy enough to dare to do that?"

However, when he got to this point, he was suddenly stunned for a moment, and then his face changed and he shouted, "Not good!"

He threw the teacup on the coffee table, stood up suddenly, and walked out the door.

Seeing that he was in a hurry and had already left the house, Sun Chuyue hurriedly said, "Yatai, shoes! Put on your shoes!"

"Oops!" Liu Xiangdao slapped his forehead and quickly turned around to find his shoes at the door, but he didn't have time to put them on. He just trotted out of the duty room...

Sun Chuyue hurriedly followed from behind.

When they reached the main hall of the Imperial Censorate, Liu Xiangdao said quickly, "Everyone, follow me to Chengtian Gate to control the situation!"

After saying this, he rushed out of the door.

The imperial censors in the hall looked at each other in bewilderment. Their previous orders were to stay put no matter what happened, and to step forward and turn the tide when the situation became critical... How come the situation became critical just after the students caused trouble?
However, he did not have time to complain in his heart, as he hurried out of the main hall and saw Liu Xiangdao and Sun Chuyue had already got on their carriage and left the house. He quickly chased after them, either by carriage or on horseback. The Censorate came out in full force, and dozens of censors who were working in the yamen came in a mighty procession, braving the rain to rush to Chengtian Gate.

In the carriage, Liu Xiangdao kept urging the driver to speed up. Fortunately, the Censorate was located in the imperial city, only a few miles away from Chengtian Gate.

Sun Chuyue was so anxious that he was sweating when he met Liu Xiangdao. He asked curiously, "I have thought about it carefully and feel that what Yatai said does make sense. Anyone who dares to attack Jinshi and students at this time would be in danger of being condemned by the world. How stupid is that?"

Liu Xiangdao rubbed his face, looking regretful: "You and I both think this way, so others also think that you and I must think this way. If something happens at this time, guess what others will think?"

Sun Chuyue was a little confused. What do you think, what do I think, and what does he think...

When he understood the meaning of the words, his eyes widened.

"This, this, this...something bad is going to happen!"

Everyone thought that the Censorate had already determined that no one would harm the students, so if the Censorate went against their grain and attacked the students privately, who would have thought that it was the Censorate that did it? This was a way to throw all the dirty water on Fang Jun's head, suppress him firmly, or even overthrow him completely!
But Liu Xiangdao really didn’t think so!

Using the lives of students to force Fang Jun to confess his guilt and step down, how crazy must he be to do such a thing? !
But now, whenever something happens to a student, almost everyone will think that this is Liu Xiangdao's "doing the opposite" strategy. The most terrible thing is that Zhu Wenyuan and others encouraged the students to go to Chengtian Gate to knock on the palace gate and petition. It was indeed the Censorate behind the scenes. If there is even the slightest "clue" at the scene, the Censorate will not be able to clear it up even if it pours out all the water of the Yellow River...

Is the chance of this happening high?

Sun Chuyue was sure: It was very big!
Since Liu Xiangdao took over the Censorate, he has only obeyed the emperor's orders and ignored any meritorious officials, noble relatives, or aristocratic families. Everything he did was to protect the interests of the emperor. Although he also strictly adhered to the bottom line, he offended countless nobles and ministers.

Normally these people would be helpless against Liu Xiangdao, and they even had to put on a smiling face to avoid being targeted by the Censorate, but how could the resentment in their hearts be dispelled?

As long as there is an opportunity, those people will definitely kill Liu Xiangdao, whether for personal gain or personal grudge.

And now, this may be the opportunity they have been waiting for.

Liu Xiangdao just gave others an advantage and suffered the consequences...

……

It was drizzling, the raindrops were as soft as cotton, and the rain washed the buildings in the imperial city clean. It should have been a normal office period, but officials from various government offices on both sides of the road were walking quickly towards Chengtian Gate in groups of three or five, holding umbrellas. It was rare for students to gather to petition, so they all wanted to join in the fun.

The carriage of the Censorate whizzed past, and dozens of censors rushed in the rain, immediately attracting the attention of officials.

"Isn't that the carriage of the Imperial Censor in the front?"

"My goodness, is the Censorate coming out in full force?"

"What does the Censorate have to do with the students causing trouble?"

"This incident started when a rumor spread within the Censorate that they were going to review the selection of officials for the newly minted Jinshi Zhang Zizhou, and that the Duke of Yue was even involved. Then many Jinshi and students gathered and went to Chengtian Gate to petition. Do you think the Censorate had anything to do with it?"

"More than just related. If you ask me, this is Liu Xiangdao's trick."

"I think so too. Liu Xiangdao didn't dare to openly impeach Fang Er, so he instigated the Jinshi and students to cause trouble. Once the situation gets serious, the court will definitely not be able to make a small matter out of a big one. Maybe the three judicial departments will have to intervene."

"But with so many young scholars and students gathered together, their blood will surely boil and their minds will be agitated. If something unexpected happens, how can Liu Xiangdao take responsibility?"

"Hehe, so Liu Xiangdao is very smart. Do you think that before he dared to instigate these people to cause trouble, he would have warned them in advance to stop when it was too late?"

"In that case, Fang Er is in big trouble!"

"It's Fang Er's bad luck. Your Majesty has repeatedly ordered to ensure fairness and justice in the selection of officials, but Fang Er ignored the imperial order and personally came forward to seek an official position for his relative. Isn't this just a mistake made by the Censorate?"

……

Liu Xiangdao lifted the carriage curtain and saw from afar the towering and majestic Chengtian Gate Tower. This tower was rebuilt on the original site which was severely damaged by the previous rebellion. Now it has been expanded to have five gates. Its regulations symbolize the highest level of architecture, "The Emperor's Three Gates". It is magnificent and majestic, overlooking the world.

The east and west courts on the left and right sides of the gate have just been built. People can wait here before entering the palace for an audience. If there is a grand ceremony, His Majesty will come to Chengtian Gate to enjoy it with the people. Officials can also work and hold banquets here.

The cross street that runs east-west crosses in front of the gate, forming a huge square 300 steps wide and 150 steps long, facing Zhuque Street. It was here that the traitor Li Siliang was "lingchi" some time ago...

Now, the huge square under Chengtian Gate has been filled with the gathered Jinshi, students, officials from various yamen who came to watch the fun, and guards who were there to maintain order. It was raining heavily, and the whole place was filled with shouting, scolding, and pushing, and the whole place was in an uproar.

Fortunately, although it was lively, there was no chaos. It was obvious that the situation was still under control. Liu Xiangdao breathed a sigh of relief.

However, before the carriage came to a complete stop on the cross street, a cry of surprise was heard from the area near Chengtian Gate. Then, the crowd in the rain suddenly spread outward, and someone shouted, "Someone's dead! Someone's dead!"

Liu Xiangdao, who had just opened the car door and got out, felt as if struck by lightning when he heard this. He lost consciousness in an instant and fell out of the car.

The shoes I was wearing flew off...

Dozens of imperial censors on the left and right were stunned.