Chapter 2809 The king and his ministers fight each other and use their own methods

On this day, the indignant civil servants still failed to break into the palace and failed to see Emperor Yuan Jing. After dusk, they dispersed. But the civil servants did not give up and agreed to come back tomorrow. If Emperor Yuan Jing did not give an explanation, the entire court would be paralyzed.

It was also on this day that different voices emerged in official circles. Someone worriedly raised questions.

"Everyone knows that King Zhenbei massacred the city. Where is the majesty of the court? The people of the world are probably extremely disappointed with the royal family and the court."

The King of Zhenbei is His Majesty's younger brother. He is a dignified prince, not an ordinary prince. At the same time, he is also the great military god and the guardian of the northern border in the hearts of the people. Such a person slaughters the city for his own selfish interests. The sequelae of this incident is that the people lose trust in the court, the royal family is disgraced, and the people's heart is disgraced. All lost.

On the same day, the Prince of the East Palace was assassinated in his palace after dusk. That night, the palace gates were closed, and the imperial army searched for the assassin throughout the palace to no avail.

The next day, the four gates of the capital were locked up. The first assistants Wang Zhenwen and Wei Yuan mobilized the five guards of the capital, and the government officials and policemen searched for assassins all over the city. They went from house to house, and the whole capital was in a state of panic.

Xu Zisheng watched with cold eyes. The prince had nothing to do with this matter, and with the abilities of Wei Yuan and Wang Wenzhen, it was impossible to find any trace of the assassin. This matter was obviously planned by the two of them jointly, in order to force Emperor Yuan Jing to show up. .

In the palace and sleeping hall, Emperor Yuan Jing was dressed in Taoist robes and had an elegant appearance. He was sitting cross-legged on a futon. His eyes were half-closed. He glanced at the old eunuch next to him and asked lightly.

"Has the assassin been caught?"

The old eunuch bowed, humbly and in awe, and answered in a low voice.

"There is no news. It seems that the assassin has not been caught yet!"

"Since we can't catch him now, we don't need to catch him in the future."

Emperor Yuan Jing opened his eyes, his eyes were slightly cold, the corners of his mouth were slightly raised, with a somewhat mocking smile, and he sighed with inexplicable emotion.

"Above the imperial court, only Wei Yuan and Wang Zhenwen are interesting, while the others are far behind."

The old eunuch lowered his head and said nothing. Neither of these two people could be evaluated by him, so he could only pretend to be deaf and dumb.

"However, Xu Zisheng behaved very strangely. He didn't make any movement. He just stood outside the palace gate every day. This doesn't seem like his style. What is he planning?"

Emperor Yuan Jing seemed to think of a troublesome person again, and frowned slightly. Xu Zisheng was too calm. Although he was angry with Xu Zisheng for killing King Zhenbei, he did not dare to underestimate the number one Confucian and Taoist man today. Some were worried about the long night and many dreams, so he immediately opened his mouth and said.

"Send people out of the palace to give messages to those people. There is no need to be ostentatious, but there is no need to be cautious."

When Emperor Yuan Jing said this, he paused for a moment, made up his mind, and gave the order again.

"Forget it, the night is long and the dream is too much, so I'd better inform the cabinet that I will hold a meeting tomorrow to convene the princes to discuss the Chuzhou case."

The old eunuch breathed quickly, his head was lowered, his back was like a bow, and he responded in a deep voice.

"yes!"

It had been five days since the body of King Zhenbei had been transported back to the capital. At Yin o'clock on this day, the sky was pitch dark, and Emperor Yuan Jing was finally willing to show up.

Outside the Meridian Gate, in the stone lamps, candles swayed with orange flames, complementing the torches held by two rows of forbidden soldiers. In the cool wind, the ministers gathered at the Meridian Gate, silently waiting for the morning meeting. Occasionally, familiar officials would lower their heads and chat, whispering, but generally maintaining silence.

The officials seemed to be holding their breath, expanding but restrained, waiting for the opportunity to explode. The air was filled with a heavy and tense atmosphere, and there was only one fuse left before the explosion would explode.

"Dong dong dong!"

When the sky was slightly bright, drums were beating loudly on the tower of the Meridian Gate. Civil and military officials lined up in tacit agreement and entered one by one through the slowly opening palace gate.

In the Jinluan Hall, officials of fourth grade and above entered the hall and waited silently for a quarter of an hour. Emperor Yuan Jing, who was wearing Taoist robes, arrived belatedly.

After not seeing him for many days, the Emperor Yuan Jing, who had turned gray-haired, gave people a haggard look, with swollen eye bags and bloodshot eyes, fully displaying the image of a brother who has lost his brother.

The civil servants were astonished. Emperor Yuan Jing paid the most attention to health care and the maintenance of his dragon body. Since he began to practice Taoism, he has been in good health and has a rosy complexion. He has never looked so haggard. Many people looked at each other silently, and their hearts trembled.

Xu Zisheng stood below, looking directly at Emperor Yuan Jing, looking at his impressed look, and smiled coldly, full of sarcasm and disdain.

The civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty didn't know the details of Emperor Yuan Jing. Didn't he know it yet? This emperor was not as weak as he appeared. He was an accomplished Taoist and had already reached the second level of transcending tribulation. His body's energy and spirit were perfect. This The appearance is completely fake, trying to win the sympathy of the officials is simply ridiculous.

The old eunuch glanced at Emperor Yuan Jing, took a step forward, and spoke loudly.

"When there is something to do, we will start to act, but when there is nothing to do, we will retreat."

The chief envoy of Chuzhou, Zheng Xinghuai, strode out of the queue, walked in front of the princes, bowed and said in a deep voice.

"Your Majesty, King Huai, the commander-in-chief of Chuzhou, colluded with the Wushen Cult and the Taoist leader of the Earth Sect, promoted him to the second rank for his own selfish interests, and massacred 380,000 people in Chuzhou City. This atrocity has been unprecedented since the founding of Dafeng. Heaven and man are all outraged. Please ask Your Majesty to demote King Huai to a commoner, hang his head in the city for three days, pay homage to the 380,000 wronged souls, and tell the world."

Emperor Yuan Jing took a deep look at Zheng Xinghuai. His face was expressionless and full of imperial majesty. A silent and heavy pressure pressed on Zheng Xinghuai.

Surprisingly, facing the emperor who was silent but full of anger, Chuzhou Chief Envoy Zheng Xinghuai looked at him without fear. He had already made up his mind that even if he died in the Jinluan Palace, he would still serve the three people of Chuzhou City. One hundred and eighty thousand innocent people seek justice.

At this time, Wang Wenzhen, the leader of the hundred officials and the chief assistant scholar of the cabinet, came out, looked directly at Emperor Yuan Jing, supported Zheng Xinghuai, and said respectfully.

"The actions of King Huai have made the world angry and people are resentful. The capital city has already been in an uproar. The people of Chuzhou are fierce and strong. If you can't give an explanation to the people of the world, for fear of a civil uprising, your Majesty, please demote King Huai to a commoner. His head will be hung in the city for three days to pay homage to Chu." There are 380,000 wronged souls in the city."

When the princes in the court saw this, they all bent down and opened their mouths. The sound was so loud that it shook the Jinluan Palace.

"Your Majesty, please demote King Huai to a commoner and hang his head in the city for three days to pay homage to the 380,000 innocent souls of Chuzhou City."

Emperor Yuan Jing stood up slowly, with a cold face, and looked down at the princes in the court. The muscles on his face slowly twitched, and the veins on his forehead bulged. Suddenly, he suddenly overturned the big case in front of him.

Bang! The big case rolled down the steps and hit the princes hard, and Emperor Yuan Jing's heart-rending roar sounded in the hall.

"King Huai is my younger brother. Why do you want to demote him to a commoner? Are you still asking me to punish myself? Do you still have me in your eyes? I feel the loss of my brother is like a broken arm. , you guys don’t know how to be considerate, and have been shouting at the palace gate for several days, do you want to force me to death?!"

Emperor Yuan Jing's face was ferocious, his eyes were red, and he looked like a helpless old man, full of sadness and mourning.

The ministers had never seen such an appearance of Emperor Yuanjing before, and were stunned for a moment. Emperor Yuanjing reigned for thirty-seven years, and his image of deep scheming and powerful power was deeply ingrained in the hearts of civil and military officials. They had never thought that one day, this emperor would become the emperor. The deep emperor was so helpless and mournful.

This gesture was exposed in front of the ministers, and the contrast with the inherent impression made people feel sad, and the high arrogance of the ministers was stagnated.

Before the princes could react from the huge shock, Emperor Yuan Jing sat down slumped, with an undisguised look of sorrow on his face, and whispered.

"When I was still the crown prince, the late emperor was wary of me. My position was unstable and I was in fear all day long. It was King Huai who always supported me silently. It was because we were from the same mother and had a deep brotherhood.

"The King of Huai held the Sword of Suppression, killing enemies and defending the territory for the empire. Without his bravery in the battle of Shanhaiguan, how could Dafeng be as prosperous as it is today? You all should be grateful to him."

"After the Battle of Shanhaiguan, King Huai was ordered to go north to guard the border for me. For more than ten years, he returned to Beijing very few times. King Huai did make a big mistake, but after all, he was punished, and the ministers were not willing to let go of his posthumous name. ?"

Emperor Yuan Jing interrupted the rhythm of the ministers so rudely, leaving everyone unable to react for a moment and fell into silence, not knowing how to respond.

However, the civil and military officials fell into silence, but Zheng Xinghuai did not. He was extremely determined, like a pawn on the battlefield, charging into the battle without any regrets or fear of life or death. He spoke loudly again.

"Your Majesty, merits and demerits do not equal each other! It is a fact that King Huai has made meritorious deeds over the years, but the court has rewarded him according to his merits, and the people love him very much. Now that he has committed a heinous crime, he should naturally be severely punished. Otherwise, your Majesty is bending the law for personal gain. !”

Zheng Xinghuai seemed to have lost all hope and pointed the finger directly at Emperor Yuan Jing, not afraid of Long Yan's wrath and punishing him.

Emperor Yuan Jing was furious when he heard this, looked at Zheng Xinghuai with dangerous eyes, and scolded.

"You bastard, you have been jumping up and down in the capital these days, slandering the royal family and the prince. I miss you for your hard work over the years, without any merit or hard work, and I have tolerated you until now. The case of Prince Huai has not been decided yet. It only takes one day. If it is not decided, he is not guilty. You slandering the prince is a capital crime!"

"Your Majesty! I am not afraid of death, so why should I be afraid of death?!"

Zheng Xinghuai stiffened his neck and looked directly at the furious Emperor Yuan Jing without any fear. His face was full of determination. Life and death were not a concern for him, so there was no need to fear the emperor's wrath.

Wang Zhenwen suddenly spoke, interrupting Emperor Yuan Jing's rhythm, and raised his voice.

"Your Majesty! Let's talk about the matter of Chief Commissioner Zheng later. Let's discuss Prince Huai's matters first."

Emperor Yuan Jing took a deep look at Wang Wenzhen, then his eyes passed over and paused somewhere.

As if they had received some kind of signal, someone immediately stood up, bowed and said loudly.

"Your Majesty, I have something to report."

The officials followed the reputation and found out that it was Yao Lin from the Ministry of Rites who was giving things to Shizhong. As we all know, Gui Shizhong was a professional troll and a mad dog in the court who would bite whoever he caught. At the same time, they are also the initiators of the court struggle, and they did not disappoint this time.

He bowed to Yao Lin, bowed his head slightly, and said loudly.

"I want to impeach Wang Zhenwen, the chief minister, and instruct the former Minister of Rites to collude with the demon clan and blow up Sangbo."

The princes looked at each other with strange expressions. In the past few days, Wang Zhenwen led his ministers to surround the palace gate. He became famous and was called the vanguard of forcing the palace. It seems natural that he should be impeached at this time.

Next, Yao Lin announced several major crimes of Wang Zhenwen, such as condoning corruption and accepting bribes from subordinates, such as accepting bribes from subordinates. The Sangbo case was not mentioned. The following crimes were indeed confirmed.

How can a person with clean hands become the chief minister of the cabinet? If you can't guarantee everyone's interests, who will be willing to follow you?

Emperor Yuan Jing planned to kill the chicken to scare the monkeys, and all the ministers were shocked. Although Confucianism has the art of slaying dragons, there is still an insurmountable gap between the emperor and his ministers.

Emperor Yuan Jing was not a young emperor. He overlooked the court for half a century and was extremely majestic. Even Wang Wenzhen was no match for him.

Chief Assistant Wang Wenzhen raised his head and saw Emperor Yuan Jing looking at him coldly. He immediately stopped hesitating and said in a deep voice.

"I beg for bones"

Emperor Yuan Jing's eyes flashed with a stern look, and he was about to speak. At this moment, the censor Zhang Xingying came out and said loudly.

"Your Majesty, the first assistant, Wang Wenzhen, has been corrupt and accepted bribes, which has brought harm to the country and the people. He must not be retained."

Zhang Yushi was from Wei Yuan. Emperor Yuan Jing was silent for a long time. He glanced at Wei Yuan who was like an old monk in trance and said calmly.

"Wang Aiqing's words are serious. You have worked hard for Da Feng and your hard work has made great achievements. I trust you."

The balance created by Emperor Yuan Jing has now become his biggest fetter. He does not dare to let Wang Wenzhen beg for bones, otherwise the balance in the court will be broken. Whether it is Xu Zisheng or Wei Yuan, they are both better than this leader. Mr. Fu is even more tough and radical, and by then he may no longer be able to practice Taoism with peace of mind.

In just a short moment, Emperor Yuan Jing, Wei Yuan, and Chief Assistant Wang Wenzhen had already completed a confrontation in the court hall.

Only Xu Zisheng remained motionless, watching with a cold eye, acting extremely calm. His calmness made Emperor Yuan Jing feel a little uneasy.

This time, Emperor Yuan Jing's small victory suppressed the arrogance of the ministers and shocked the princes. The chief assistants Wang Wenzhen and Wei Yuan were not at a loss, because the topic was brought back to the case of King Huai's massacre.

"Your Majesty, please severely punish the King of Zhenbei, convict him, and give an explanation to the world!"

Wei Yuan finally spoke, with a serious look on his face, looking directly at Emperor Yuan Jing and forcing him.

All the ministers in the court echoed again and agreed.

Emperor Yuan Jing glanced at them and found that a small number of people were still in place. He curled his lips without leaving any trace. After all, interests are the main priority in the court, and self-interest is above all else. The killing of chickens to scare monkeys just now can scare a small number of people, which is already effective and very cost-effective.

"It's just that Xu Zisheng hasn't moved yet. What is he thinking about? It's confusing?"

Emperor Yuan Jing's eyes paused for a moment on Xu Zisheng, who had his back straight, and he felt more and more uneasy in his heart. The most noisy person in the past was so abnormal today, which made him very worried that he would make a big fuss.

"Your Majesty, Wei Chen feels that the Chuzhou case should be considered in the long term and we must not blindly convict King Huai."

The first voice of opposition appeared. The speaker was Yuan Xiong, the censor of Zuodu. This guy had always flattered Emperor Yuan Jing and had no persistence or principles. He was a complete sycophant.

Emperor Yuan Jing frowned and asked in a pretentious manner.

"Why did Yuan Aiqing say this?"

Yuan Xiong suddenly became excited and said loudly and solemnly.

"Prince Huai is His Majesty's younger brother and Prince Dafeng. This matter concerns the royal family's face and His Majesty's face. How can we draw a conclusion so easily?"

"Shameless!"

Although the civil servants above the court had their own thoughts and not all were honest and upright, they still had some bottom line. Seeing Yuan Xiong being so shameless, they couldn't help but curse in their hearts.

The last time Yuan Xiong used the imperial examination fraud case to allude to Wei Yuan, offending cabinet scholar Zhao Chuanfang and others. After the imperial examination, Zhao Chuanfang joined forces with Wei Yuan to impeach Yuan Xiong. In the end, Emperor Yuan Jing saved him and fined him three months of salary.

Now, Yuan Xiong has indeed become a knife in the hands of Emperor Yuan Jing, fighting back against the entire civil servant group on his behalf.

"Your Majesty, Yuan Du Yushi is right!"

At this time, another old man came out of the queue tremblingly on crutches. The old man's hair is silver-white, not black at all, and he wears a bright red crown with a golden five-clawed dragon embroidered on it.

This man is King Li, the younger brother of Emperor Zhende, the uncle of Emperor Yuanjing and Prince Huai, and is the highest-ranking person in the royal family today.

"Uncle Emperor, why are you here? Didn't I say that you don't have to go to court?"

Emperor Yuan Jing seemed to be taken aback and quickly gave instructions to the old eunuch beside him.

"Hurry up and show your uncle your seat!"

"If I don't come here, I'm afraid the 600-year-old reputation of the Feng Royal Family will be ruined at the hands of an unworthy descendant like you."

King Li snorted coldly, acting like an elder. He was clearly scolding Emperor Yuan Jing for being unworthy, but in fact he was opposing King Zhenbei's conviction.

Emperor Yuan Jing lowered his head and said nothing, as if admitting his mistake. The chair was moved. King Li sat down, turned the direction of the chair, sat down facing the ministers, snorted again, and said.

"Dafeng is the great favor of the people in the world, and it is also the great favor of my royal family. Emperor Gaozu had a hard time starting a business, and he wiped out the corruption of the previous dynasty and established a new dynasty. Emperor Wu Zong killed the sycophants and cleared the emperor. How much blood and sweat he paid. King Huai committed You have made a big mistake and deserved to die, but as long as I am alive, I will not allow you to tarnish the reputation of my royal family."

Zheng Xinghuai was furious and the blood in his heart surged to his face as he retorted.

"Old prince, it has been six hundred years since the founding of the country, and there have been many kings who have issued slanderous decrees!"

Before Zheng Xinghuai finished speaking, he was forcefully interrupted by King Li, and the old man shouted violently.

"The king is the king, and the minister is the minister. You have read the books of sages and sages, all of them came from the Imperial College. Have you forgotten the teachings of Cheng Yasheng?"

The princes suddenly felt their scalps go numb. If Emperor Yuan Jing said these words, the princes would be so happy that they would give you their advice one by one. Being famous under the emperor's footsteps is the happiest thing in the minds of scholars in the world.

But it was King Li who said these words. King Li was very talented when he was young and was a well-known talent in the capital. In front of him, the princes could only be regarded as juniors.

With his status as a prince and a senior scholar at the forefront, he relied on his elders and failed to do anything about them. The arrogance of the radicals was once again suppressed.

"Oh, King Li, think twice."

Wei Yuan sighed, he couldn't let King Li continue, otherwise he would lose today's matter.

King Li straightened his back, looked at Wei Yuan with squinting eyes, and cursed with a sullen old face.

"Hmph, this eunuch should have been a slave in the palace. If His Majesty hadn't been wise and discerning and given you a chance, would you be where you are today?"

Wei Yuan lowered his head in a gesture of weakness, and then said.

"If King Li was concerned about the reputation of the royal family, he should not cover up this matter for King Huai. Yesterday, three great scholars from Yunlu Academy wanted to come to the capital to denounce His Majesty, but I stopped them. The three great scholars said that the imperial court can change the history books. However, the history books of Yunlu Academy are not under the control of the imperial court. Today, the King of Zhenbei massacred 380,000 people in Chuzhou City. In the future, the scholars of Yunlu Academy will remember this matter firmly. It will be passed down to future generations. And Your Majesty, you will protect it. My brother, who is guilty of the same crime, will be engraved in the history books."