Chapter 127 Wanlichun (VI)
Meng Yunxian hurriedly ordered people to send Ni Su out of the Drum Court for treatment. The people who were blocking the door made way for her at the same time. Countless pairs of eyes saw that under her wet cloak, her frost-white skirt was a shocking red.
Qing Qiong carried Ni Su on his back and walked forward step by step. Even though his joints were stiff and creaking, he gritted his teeth and tried his best to walk quickly, "Miss Ni, Miss Ni..."
He ran and cried.
There was a carriage parked under the old locust tree. It belonged to Huang Zongyu. He specifically instructed that the carriage be given to them. The personal attendants of the Night Police pushed through the crowd and protected them to the carriage.
"Qingqiong, don't cry."
Ni Su's eyelids twitched, "We won."
The last time she struck the drum to file a complaint, she was a commoner, an orphan, in Yunjing, and could only be used as a pawn by others to file a complaint to the emperor in the hope that it would reach the ears of the heaven.
This time, she is still a commoner, an orphan, but the initiative is in her hands. She is the one being punished, but also the one playing chess.
What she asked for was no longer to have her voice heard by the gods, but for everyone who heard the drumbeat to reconsider General Yujie and the 30,000 Jing'an Army who had been carrying a stigma for sixteen years.
Pan Youfang died, it was an easy death, but the most difficult thing was that because powerful relatives were involved, there were still people willing to cover up for him the crime that he should have been responsible for.
Even if a dirty person dies, there will still be people whitewashing him.
But Ni Su wanted this person who whitewashed Pan Youfang's reputation after his death to become a witness for General Yujie and the Jing'an Army.
"I know, I know..."
Qingqiong responded to her crying.
In Dengwen Courtyard, Zhou Ting called Chao Yisong and ordered him to take his close officials to invite Duke Lu out of Guyuan and go to the Yeshi outside Diqian Gate.
"I am a relative of the Zhao family. How dare you treat me like this?" Duke Lu's face turned pale.
"What are you talking about, Duke? Cao Dong is in the Night Watch Office, not in the Dengwen Court. I am only asking you to go to the Night Watch Office to confront him. I don't have any other intentions."
Zhou Ting lowered his head and spoke politely without any disrespect.
"Bold! Bold!"
The Duke of Lu was surrounded by his close followers and had to go out. He felt a chill in his heart and was about to call his servants, but the close followers of the Night Watch were all holding the hilts of their swords and looked very imposing.
"If Your Majesty is worried, your servants can also go to the Night Watch to serve you." Zhou Ting raised his hand, and immediately his personal officials surrounded the servants.
"My Lord, this is just a confrontation. How dare they disrespect you? Don't worry," Huang Zongyu took two steps forward with his crutches. "After all, this involves too much. If Cao Dong really falsely accuses you and the Prince of Nankang, the court will definitely punish him severely!"
It was snowing again, and the Duke of Lu was politely invited to leave by the people of the Night Bureau. The people gathered outside the Dengwen Drum Courtyard also began to disperse. Beads of sweat the size of beans were dripping down Panyuan Tan's forehead, and he dared not utter a word.
Meng Yunxian looked at the bloodstains on the ground and said, "Tan Zhao, you are really confused."
"Mr. Meng..."
Judge Tan was shocked and broke out in a cold sweat.
Meng Yunxian said nothing more. He walked out of the main hall. Huang Zongyu leaned on his crutches and looked at Tan Zhao's trembling appearance. "She is not a woman who will yield to your tricks. Tan Zhao, tell me, how many people in this world dare to beat the drum twice?"
Unheard of.
These four words emerged in Tan Zhao's mind. Not to mention the years he had been a judge, even in the years before that, there had never been such a precedent.
Meng Yunxian walked out of Dengwenyuan and called Zhou Ting, "You and I both know that now only by letting Lu Guo open his mouth and let him become a witness in the case of General Yujie's treason can we overturn the case with justification."
"yes."
Zhou Ting nodded.
"But to get him to talk, you'll have to torture him."
"I know."
"To torture a relative is a serious crime."
"I know that, too."
Asking the Duke of Lu to enter the Night Watch Division to confront Cao Dong was just an excuse. As long as the Duke of Lu entered the Night Watch Division, Zhou Ting would seize this opportunity and use all the torture methods he had learned as a member of the Night Watch Division over the years to force him to speak.
If he fails, and the Duke of Lu has another chance to turn things around, he will lose his office or even his life.
Meng Yunxian nodded, "Go ahead."
Zhou Ting said nothing, but bowed and saluted. Then he jumped on his horse and chased after the people from the Night Watch.
Huang Zongyu's carriage was given to Ni Su, and he and Meng Yunxian rode in the same carriage. "It's really like someone brings a pillow when you're sleepy. If either of us attacks Duke Lu at this time, it will be suspected of factional strife. Miss Ni is just an ordinary citizen. Xu Jing'an died in battle to defend Yongzhou for the Great Qi. She remained loyal to him and redressed his injustice. This is really smooth and there is nothing to criticize."
Huang Zongyu couldn't help but sigh, "It's a pity that such a girl can't marry my Erlang."
"How can your Erlang be worthy of her?!"
Meng Yunxian was immediately like a lit firecracker, "She's over thirty and still not a decent person! She has no shame! A young lady like her can only..."
He suddenly stopped talking.
Huang Zongyu was shocked by his violent reaction, "Meng Zhuo! Why are you so anxious?!"
Meng Yunxian had a gloomy face and said nothing.
Huang Zongyu was too lazy to argue with him, and said sternly, "As long as Deputy Envoy Zhou can pry open the mouth of Duke Lu, those officials of the old party in the court will no longer dare to fight to the death with us. As for Wang Gong, no matter how loyal he is to the government, he must consider his own way out, right? As long as we take advantage of the Duke Lu's stay in the night office and exert more efforts, if the court situation changes and he still does not change, then he has ulterior motives."
The second beating of the drum is quite a strange thing.
The name Ni Su resounded throughout Yunjing, and along with her name, General Yujie Xu Hexue and the 30,000 Jing'an Army soldiers who died in Mushen Mountain were repeatedly mentioned.
In the court and in the streets, more and more people broke away from the previous strong power and intimidation, unable to stop the boiling public opinion.
From December 26th of the 20th year of Zhengyuan to January 5th of the 21st year of Zhengyuan, the two ministers Meng Yunxian and Huang Zongyu withstood the pressure from all sides in the court and had the Duke of Lu interrogated in the Night Palace for ten days.
Hanlin Academician Zheng Jian and others had no choice but to kneel outside the Qinghe Hall for many days in a row and ask the emperor to uphold justice. However, the emperor's illness became more and more serious. The court officials only saw Prince Jia frequently entering and leaving the Qinghe Hall, while they could only worry in their hearts.
The second son of the Duke of Lu, who worked in the military office in front of the palace, tried his best to rescue his father, the Duke of Lu, from the Yiyesi. He made the officials of the old party in the court criticize the two ministers, Meng and Huang. If the two ministers did not immediately ask the Duke of Lu to come out of the Yiyesi, they would be murdering their relatives and endangering the country.
The words and writings of civil servants are the most bloodless knives in the battlefield without the smoke of gunpowder.
The Duke of Lu was unable to exert any power in the Night Office. Those officials who depended on him had lost their backbone and were already in a state of panic. Meng Yunxian used thundering methods, either putting pressure on them or winning them over. More and more people began to waver and started to show goodwill to Prime Ministers Meng and Huang. In the end, only a dozen people including Zheng Jian were left kneeling outside the Qinghe Hall.
As soon as the spring rain came, the snow began to melt.
On January 16, news came from the palace that the emperor could no longer take medicine, and the Duke of Lu had not yet come out of the Night Palace. The political situation was changing rapidly, and the imperial concubine's niece Wu Qingru never showed up. The commander-in-chief of the Palace Front, Wang Gong, was deeply involved in rumors that he was plotting to pave the way for the Taizu lineage of Yao County and to do something big. He finally couldn't resist the kind advice of Huang Zongyu, Ge Rang, Miao Tianzhao and others, and his heart wavered.
It was a rainy night with moist mist all around.
Prince Jia was leaning against the railing, watching the rain in the corridor. His personal guard Yuan Gang was guarding at the bottom of the stairs. When he saw the person coming, he stretched out his hand to stop him, "Sir, the prince said that he only saw you."
Wang Gong was drenched in rain. Hearing this, he looked past Yuan Gang at the silver-gray figure and pointed to his mouth.
Yuan Gang still said, "Sir, just go."
Wang Gong had no choice but to leave the young squad leader behind while he lifted up his coat and walked up the stairs.
Prince Jia's fingers were fiddling with the thick green pine needles outside the railing, and raindrops were on his fingertips. Wang Gong approached, leaned over and bowed, but there was no response from Prince Jia. His heart was beating fast, and after a long while, he slowly raised his head, only to find that Prince Jia's eyes were staring at him.
His Royal Highness Prince Jia was notoriously cowardly and timid, but facing his gaze at this moment, Wang Gong felt uneasy and didn't know what to do.
"Lord Wang, you are finally willing to come and see me."
Prince Jia suddenly spoke.
Wang Gong's throat moved and he pursed his lips tightly.
"The commander-in-chief of the Palace Guards is in charge of the three yamen guards. The four people who took this position before you were all people that Dad valued, but unfortunately, they all died a miserable death."
Prince Jia looked at him and said, "I know you are loyal to Daddy, but loyalty alone is not enough. The four people before you were executed by Daddy. Was it because they were not loyal?"
Prince Jia shook his head and said, "No, it's because they took this position, and they went from being people that Daddy valued to people that Daddy feared."
"Then Lord Wang, why are you different? Why are you able to stay safe and sound in this position of the commander-in-chief of the Palace Front Department?"
Wang Gong's heart trembled. He hurriedly gestured, but when he realized that Ban Zhi was not around and Prince Jia could not understand his gestures, he stopped and bent down.
"Daddy can no longer take medicine. You also met him in the Qinghe Palace today. You must have your own considerations when you come to see me now. Let's just talk it out."
Prince Jia raised his hand to support him. "Although I am Daddy's adopted son, I am from the same lineage as Daddy. If not, Daddy would not have made me a prince. I know you are waiting for Daddy's own flesh and blood, but if the queen has no evil intentions, why would she harm Daddy and me? Besides, Daddy may not be able to wait until the baby in the queen's belly is born, but the country cannot be without a king for a day, don't you think?"
Wang Gong opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
"I know you are loyal to Daddy, and I also know that within your loyalty, there is fear," Prince Jia paused as the rain fell, and then continued, "But you know me. I am not Daddy, and I don't need you to pretend to be dumb for ten years."
The fact that he pretended to be dumb was suddenly exposed.
Wang Gong immediately lowered his head.
"Still refusing to speak?"
Prince Jia looked at him and said, "Wang Gong, I will allow you to speak in front of me from now on."
After these words were spoken, Wang Gong's heart was shocked. He immediately met the gaze of His Royal Highness Prince Jia in front of him, and his lips trembled.
This secret started before he learned that he was about to be promoted to the commander-in-chief of the Palace Front. It was true that he was seriously injured, but the aphasia was fake.
It was precisely because he knew that four people had died in office as the commander-in-chief of the Palace Front before him, so he came up with such an idea out of fear.
As long as he was a mute, the emperor would not have to worry that he would use his mouth to incite the three yamen guards to rebel.
Because of this, he didn't dare to speak in public for ten years.
Huang Zongyu's previous remarks outside the Qinghe Hall had made him very alert. He knew that there was no wall that was impenetrable, and he also knew Huang Zongyu's connections in the three yamen.
Wang Gong didn't dare to speak at home, but he had a problem of talking in his sleep.
After much thought, it must have been five or six years ago when Huang Zongyu was ordered by the government to inspect the imperial guards. It happened that his old injury relapsed and he was bedridden in the camp to recuperate.
At that time he had a high fever and was unconscious. Ban Zhi, who was close to him, panicked and went out to call for . When he came back, he saw Huang Zongyu in the tent.
Ban Zhi saw that Huang Zongyu looked normal and Wang Gong on the couch was breathing smoothly and making no sound, so he didn't take it seriously.
But now it seems that
Huang Zongyu had already discovered it at that time.
But for so many years, he has kept the matter to himself and has not reported it to the authorities.
"Mr. Huang also knows how difficult it is for you. We are all ministers. Why would he make things difficult for you?" Prince Jia seemed to sense what he was thinking at the moment. "Wang Gong, I will not make things difficult for you. Do you understand?"
The early spring rain and dew continuously washed the pine branches, and the crackling sound in the courtyard fell on Wang Gong's ears like broken beads. He looked at His Royal Highness Prince Jia in front of him. After a while, he lowered his head:
"Minister, I understand."
Wang Gong had not spoken for a long time, and his voice was hoarse and unpleasant, but when Prince Jia heard it, he raised his eyebrows and patted his shoulder gently: "That's good."
The Duke of Lu was greatly constrained in the Night Office, the situation in the court changed several times, the emperor was seriously ill, and it seemed that he was powerless to save the situation. On the 23rd of January, the two ministers of the East Palace and the West Palace ordered all officials to enter the Chaotian Hall to discuss the crown prince.
The old party watched as the emperor could not hold on until the empress gave birth to a child, and they had not yet produced any solid evidence as to whether the baby in the imperial concubine's belly was suspicious or not.
Wang Gong, the commander-in-chief of the Palace Guard, argued in the Chaotian Hall that Prince Jia was the emperor's adopted son and a legitimate prince who should succeed to the throne.
He controlled the imperial guards of the three yamen, and added an element of deterrence to the two ministers Huang Zongyu and Meng Yunxian. The old party officials headed by Zheng Jian tried their best and tried every means, but in early February when the spring rain was drizzling, they still failed to prevent Prince Jia from succeeding to the throne of crown prince.
At this point, the new party is full of vigor and vitality, while the old party is sad and decadent.
Meng Yunxian took advantage of this opportunity to reward or promote officials from the old party in the name of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Zhao Yi to appease them, causing some court officials who were worried that they would be angered because of party disputes to be grateful to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
On February 19th, the crown prince became regent.
In the Chaotian Hall, Zhou Ting, the deputy envoy of the Yesi, presented a confession written and signed by the Duke of Lu himself.
It was not a confession about the secret accounts of Daizhou Manyu Bank. It not only explained the secret accounts of Daizhou Manyu Bank, but also the whole story of the collusion between Lu Guogong's father, Wang Nankang, and Wu Dai and Pan Youfang when he was alive.
Wu Dai ordered the former governor of Yongzhou, Yang Ming, to secretly dispatch troops to support Jianchi Prefecture, while Pan Youfang secretly intercepted the military order of General Yujie and ordered Tan Guangwen to support Jianchi Prefecture, which delayed military opportunities and caused the 30,000 Jing'an troops of General Yujie Xu Hexue to be completely annihilated at Mushen Mountain.
In order to cover up the truth, Prince Nankang and Wu Dai and Pan Youfang made a big fuss about the fact that the Danqiu royal court had previously intended to surrender Xu Hexue, and sentenced the 19-year-old young general to death by slow slicing in Yongzhou for the crime of treason.
Combined with the letter of guilt against Tan Guangwen that Jiang Xianming had previously presented in Tai'an Hall, the context of this unjust case of treason that had been dormant for sixteen years became extremely clear.
Meng Yunxian had been looking for Dou Yingzhang's wife and children. They had probably heard the news of Pan Youfang's death, and they happened to be arriving in Beijing at this time. They presented to Meng Yunxian and Huang Zongyu the letter that Dou Yingzhang had sent to them before he was harmed by Pan Youfang.
The letter recorded that he was instructed by Pan Youfang to frame Lu Heng, the captain of Princess Wenduan's mansion, and helped Wu Dai and the father and son of Prince Nankang to embezzle the family property of Princess Wenduan's mansion.
Not only that,
Dou Yingzhang even stated in the letter that Pan Youfang had instructed him to bring back the seriously injured General Yujie Xu Hexue from Mushen Mountain. In order to prevent General Yujie from telling the truth about the battle at Mushen Mountain, Pan Youfang gave General Yujie a mute drug and sent someone to send him to Yongzhou.
"My ministers, why don't you speak?"
Crown Prince Zhao Yi stood on the steps and said, "Before I told you about Dou Yingzhang's wife and children, you were clamoring and saying that Duke Lu was tortured into confessing in the night court and that his confession was insufficient evidence."
"But he is a relative of our clan, a member of our Zhao family. How dare the Night Guard punish him?" Zhao Yi raised his chin slightly and stared at the person below him. "Zheng Jian, yesterday I asked you to visit the Duke of Lu in the Night Guard. Tell your colleagues truthfully how the Duke is doing in the Night Guard."
Zheng Jian took two steps forward, lowered his head, and moved his lips, "The Duke... is indeed well."
"How good?"
"He is neatly dressed, and looks a little fatter."
Zheng Jian's tone was bitter.
What he saw yesterday was indeed true.
"Did the Duke tell you in person that he was tortured by Deputy Envoy Zhou?"
"……No."
He had no chance to speak to the Duke of Lu, nor could he even get close to him. The close attendants of the Night Watch surrounded him, carried a bird cage for him, served him tea and snacks, and seemed to be taking care of him in every possible way.
"good."
Zhao Yi stood with his hands behind his back. "Today, I want to ask you all, who has the nerve to tell me that the Yongzhou military report back then was ironclad evidence? If that was ironclad evidence, then what are today's human and material evidence?"
There was complete silence in the Chaotian Palace.
"I'm asking you, why don't you answer?"
Zhao Yi examined their faces one by one. "Which of you who served in Beijing did not live longer than General Yujie? When he was nineteen, he recaptured Yanguan Pass and defended Juhanguan Pass. After his death, they all fell into the hands of the Hu people. For sixteen years, no one has been able to recapture the country and protect the survivors like he did."
"A general who served his country and his people so well did not die on the battlefield, but died at the hands of our own people... May I ask you, are you ashamed?"
"Zheng Jian, I'm asking you."
Zhao Yi's sudden shout made Zheng Jian's knees go weak and he fell to the ground. He was panicked, "Your Highness, this is an imperial decree. Your servants..."
"Bold Zheng Jian!"
Zhao Yi interrupted him immediately, "Are you blaming the emperor and father? You mean the one who caused General Yujie to suffer an injustice was not the King of Nankang, not Pan Youfang and Wu Dai, but the emperor?"
"I dare not, I dare not!"
These words frightened Zheng Jian so much that he broke out in a cold sweat and quickly lowered his body.
"My two lords."
Zhao Yi looked at Meng and Huang, who were wearing purple official uniforms, and said, "I want to ask you two gentlemen, as a ruler, is there only right and no wrong?"
"Your Highness... Your Highness, are you referring to the emperor?"
Some courtiers bowed their heads and said, "Your Highness, please don't speak like that!"
"Your Highness, this is in Chaotian Palace, how can you do this..."
"Your Highness, please be careful with your words!"
The old guys in the Censorate have fallen into their old troubles again.
"You also know that this is Chaotian Palace?"
Zhao Yi said calmly, "As the crown prince, I am only asking you two gentlemen how to be a king. Are you guys going to accuse me of this?"
The court officials who had spoken just now were silent for a moment .
Meng Yunxian stepped forward at this time and said, "Your Highness, I believe that whether you are a monarch or a minister, you should be cautious and do the right thing so as not to make mistakes."
"So now I want to overturn the verdict for General Yujie and the 30,000 Jing'an Army soldiers. Is this right or wrong?"
Huang Zongyu stepped forward and said, "The evidence is all there, how could Your Highness be wrong?"
Deputy Privy Councilor Ge Rang could not hold back and immediately stepped forward, "Your Highness! Your Highness, I, Ge Rang, beg Your Highness to overturn the verdict on General Yujie Xu Hexue and the 30,000 Jing'an Army!"
"Your Highness, I, Miao Tianzhao, beg you to overturn the verdict on General Yujie and the 30,000 Jing'an Army!"
General Miao followed closely behind.
"I beg Your Highness the Crown Prince to reverse the verdict on General Yujie and the 30,000 Jing'an Army!"
More and more court officials stood up, and their voices almost echoed throughout the Chaotian Hall.
The bright spring light filled the vermilion palace gate. Zhao Yi was almost blinded by the light behind the ministers. His hands were clenched into fists in his sleeves.
"I will personally review this case. Anyone who tries to stop me will be killed."
