Compared to the "thinking", "shock" and "fear" of the lower-ranking officials in the square outside the palace, the situation inside the Tianji Palace was already tense.
The two parties at loggerheads were the Censorate and other officials.
In other words, the Censorate was against the entire civil and military forces in the palace.
"Are you crazy?!"
"Whether this matter is true or false, it is not something that can be discussed publicly!"
"Hurry up and make Du Qianchuan stop!"
“…”
This is the unanimous view of many officials.
As a small group of people at the core of the imperial court, they must consider the entire world.
In their opinion, since they already know how to prevent natural disasters, isn't it enough to just prevent similar things from happening again?
The future is more important, why bother with the past?
The Censorate’s attitude towards this is extremely clear.
"In accordance with Taizu's teachings, I, the Daqing court, should allow for openness of expression."
"There is no one in the world who cannot be investigated, and no matter that cannot be corrected, even the royal family, even His Majesty!"
"Even Taizu issued an edict to blame himself, let alone the latter?"
"Whoever obstructs Du Qianchuan today is a traitor and deserves death!"
“…”
All the officials of the Censorate in Beijing came, one by one.
Left and Right Censors-in-Chief, Left and Right Deputy Censors-in-Chief, Left and Right Assistant Censors-in-Chief, Experiencers, and Dushi.
There are only about a dozen people in total.
It was these ten or so people who blocked the gate of Tianji Palace, preventing any movement inside the palace and allowing Du Qianchuan outside the palace to continue.
"Haha, you have more people and higher positions. I am just a second-rank official, not as good as many of you."
"As for my strength, I'm only at the sixth level of the Body Cleansing Stage. Many of you can easily crush me to death."
"Even the entire Censorate combined can't stop you."
"But I am putting this here today. No matter what you want to do to Du Qianchuan..."
"Can."
Right Censor-in-Chief Gu Chengren nodded and said, "Kill me and destroy the Censorate."
“Hahahahahahaha!”
Zuodu Yushi Shi Zheng laughed, "Yes, let's destroy the Censorate. It won't be used in the future anyway. There is no need for the Censorate to exist."
Dou Tianyuan couldn't help but look at Lou Youzhi, who was closest to the dragon throne.
Lou Youzhi looked at his nose with his eyes and his heart with his nose, and just stood there with his head lowered, not saying a word.
Dou Tianyuan knew that this was undoubtedly orchestrated by Lou Youzhi.
But how dare he?!
The time is simply not right now.
Wouldn't it be courting death to confront His Majesty head on?!
What's even more outrageous is that until now, there has been no sound coming from behind the curtain.
There was no intention to stop Du Qianchuan at all...
Dou Tianyuan was puzzled.
At this moment, Du Qianchuan's last two words were heard outside the hall.
"I, Du Qianchuan, impeach the previous emperors Wenchang, Jingsheng... Zhengfeng, etc. for the crime of plotting to murder the people!"
——Swish!
The officials who were still in confrontation were startled and turned their heads away.
Du Qianchuan was just stepping into the hall.
"Your Majesty, I beg you to remove his honorific posthumous title and expel him from the Imperial Ancestral Temple to give peace to the countless innocent souls who died!"
!!!
The officials felt their scalps tingling and their bodies running cold.
It was not until this time that Lou Youzhi finally spoke.
"Du Qianchuan, do you want to plunge the whole world into dire straits?"
Two sharp gazes pierced through the chaotic crowd and went straight to Du Qianchuan.
As soon as he opened his mouth, he won the approval of most people.
"In dire straits?"
Du Qianchuan laughed loudly, "The intervals between natural disasters are getting shorter and shorter. From the boiling sea in Binzhou to the locust plague in Yongzhou, it has only been a short ten years. When will the next natural disaster come? When will the next natural disaster come? The people of the world are already in dire straits!"
"Do you know how much harm your words will cause?"
Dou Tianyuan asked again.
"When there is a rift between the ruler and his subjects, the whole country will be alienated."
Du Qianchuan nodded slightly, then suddenly changed the subject: "But what if it is so?"
"You won't seek redress for your injustice, and you won't admit your mistakes?"
"The magnificent Daqing, with a heritage of ten thousand years, doesn't it even have such courage?"
"I believe that the mistakes of our predecessors should be faced squarely by future generations, and we should take them as a warning and correct them!"
Du Qianchuan held his head high, not afraid at all. "If you know your mistakes and then correct them, and if you know your shame and then become brave, then it will be a blessing for the country and the world!"
"Then have you ever thought that perhaps all the previous emperors had their own reasons?"
Dou Tianyuan asked again.
After these words were spoken, all the officials in the hall looked thoughtful.
yes.
What are the difficulties?
After all, the grain reserves in various places are just grain reserves, not rare treasures. Even I, as an official, don’t think much of it, let alone the royal family, let alone Your Majesty?
Why should we watch refugees die for such a small amount of food?
There must be some reason...
Everyone thought so.
"Why?"
Du Qianchuan had a teasing look in his eyes as he slowly swept his gaze across the faces of everyone in the hall.
"What I just said, the earliest Zhengfeng Dynasty, is only three hundred years ago."
"It's not that I won't say more, but the records from three hundred years ago are simply no longer available."
"Think about it, there is food but no one uses it, there is disaster but no relief, is this something that has only happened in the past three hundred years?"
"My Daqing has a history of thousands and tens of thousands of years!"
“How many refugees have died unjustly or as a result of natural disasters?”
"Ten million? Ten thousand? One hundred million?!"
"Those are not flowers or plants, nor are they livestock. They are living people!"
“You can look up.”
"They turned into wind, turned into rain, and merged into the mountains and rivers."
"I stared at Dingtianfu with my eyes wide open all the time, staring at us officials who hold high positions and generous salaries and claim to serve the country and the people!"
"Why?"
"I want to know, what is the reason behind this that requires the loss of millions of innocent lives?"
"Your Majesty, I beg you to tell me the reason!"
Du Qianchuan bowed down and said: "If there is really a hardship that cannot be avoided, I believe that all officials and people are willing to share the burden with Your Majesty!"
As Du Qianchuan spoke, everyone's attention was focused on what was behind the curtain.
One breath, two breaths, three breaths...
A full cup of tea passed, and Emperor Yongtai seemed to be completely unaware of what had happened in the court meeting and never gave any response.
The mood of all officials gradually sank, and fell again and again.
"Haha, in that case..."
Du Qianchuan stood up with a smile.
The next moment, a grand and awe-inspiring voice spread throughout the Tianji Palace.
"One!"
“Those who are loyal to Daqing are all citizens of Daqing!”
"Second!"
"All the people of Daqing should be rewarded for their merits and punished for their mistakes!"
"Third!"
"All Daqing citizens should speak out when there is injustice and fight against it!"
Everyone's expression became solemn after hearing these three grand words.
These are the first three items of Taizu’s Great Edict.
No matter what they thought in their hearts, no one dared to show their disagreement on their face.
Even the current emperor is the same.
"Lou Youzhi, let me ask you a question!"
Du Qianchuan looked at Lou Youzhi and asked, "Can the refugees from the natural disaster be considered as citizens of Daqing?"
"Natural disasters are not caused by human hearts, so they are counted naturally."
Lou Youzhi answered.
"Then let me ask you again!"
Du Qianchuan stepped forward and said, "My people died unjustly. As an official appointed by the imperial court, am I qualified to speak up for them and seek justice?"
"Taizu's 13th Great Edict states that all court officials, regardless of rank, have the duty to redress grievances for the people."
Lou Youzhi said calmly, "You are naturally qualified."
"good!"
Du Qianchuan laughed loudly, "Since Your Majesty won't say anything, then I, your humble servant, will let everyone in the world know!"
"The imperial court can predict natural disasters!"
"The imperial court can make preparations before natural disasters strike!"
Du Qianchuan bowed and saluted, "Please ask Prime Minister Lou to retrieve the evidence!"
"Someone come!"
Lou Youzhi waved his hand and said, "Get all the relevant documents from the Imperial Observatory, the Ministry of Personnel, and the Ministry of Revenue."
At the command, the Blood-Clothed Guards immediately stepped out.
Just as this person was about to leave the hall, an old voice sounded faintly.
"Someone from the Imperial Household Department must also go with us."
The one who spoke was Yan Fang, the eunuch in charge of imperial eunuchs.
Ever since Emperor Yongtai retired from the political arena, the chief eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department also disappeared from public view.
As the second in command of Silijian became the actual controller of Silijian.
However, without the emperor's sincere invitation, the power of the Imperial Household Department quickly faded and fell into the hands of others, becoming a completely marginal organization, and it has never been involved in actual affairs during court meetings.
It is intriguing that he suddenly spoke at this time.
The looks of all the officials were somewhat puzzled.
"This is a matter of great importance. To prevent someone from interfering and maliciously fabricating and distorting the facts, our Imperial Household Department must send someone to accompany us."
Yan Fang looked directly at all the officials and said calmly.
"In this case, in case someone destroys the evidence, I will have to have someone from the Censorate accompany me."
Gu Chengren narrowed his eyes and added a sentence.
Then officials from various departments and government offices also spoke up.
"So does the Ministry of Justice."
"Dali Temple..."
"I was going to retrieve the documents from my Ministry of Revenue. I have no choice but to do so..."
“…”
What could have been done by one person was forcibly handled by more than ten people.
However, as for the candidate, everyone tacitly decided on the first level of body cleansing.
These people come from different forces, have different backgrounds, and are equally strong, so they can prevent each other from doing anything to the greatest extent possible.
With so many checks and balances, if nothing unexpected happens, the documents will be delivered to the Tianji Palace intact.
After these people left Tianji Hall, the remaining officials simultaneously focused their attention behind the curtain.
The same doubt arose in their minds.
Your Majesty, why are you still silent?
As long as Your Majesty speaks up, there is still time to stop this grand farce.
Wait a minute, once evidence is presented and it proves that your predecessors did not provide relief when disasters occurred, what should we do?
To convict is to be disrespectful to one's ancestors, and to acquit is to be unkind to the world.
You have to choose one of the two, there is no room for maneuver.
Time passes slowly.
However, no voice belonging to the emperor was heard.
People's hearts were in turmoil and officials began to whisper to each other.
"Why did your majesty allow this?"
"Could it be that...what Du Qianchuan said is completely false?"
“Not really.”
"Du Qianchuan is well prepared. I don't think it's fiction."
"You don't want to live anymore?!"
"What are you afraid of? Du Qianchuan is still alive... Besides, I don't doubt Your Majesty."
"I really don't understand what benefit the late emperor could gain by doing this."
"If it's not a benefit, then it's a hardship."
"Then why didn't your Majesty say anything?"
"Is it possible that Your Majesty didn't know? For example, before the late emperor passed away, he didn't pass on this matter?"
"Well... I hope so."
“…”
Deep down, the officials did not want to believe that the emperor of Daqing would have such evil intentions towards the people for no reason.
Unfortunately, Emperor Yongtai never responded, leaving them with no choice but to guess in their own direction.
Therefore, most people thought that "the previous emperors had their own reasons, and Emperor Yongtai was not aware of it."
Until one stick of incense.
A figure quickly crossed the square and landed in front of the gate of Tianji Palace.
"this!!!"
Everyone was shocked.
The one who fell in front of the hall was none other than one of the people who had just left to collect evidence—Liu Cheng, the Right Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate!
At this moment, there was a fist-sized hole in his abdomen, and he was breathing out more than he was breathing in, and he would not live long.
What on earth happened?!
Gu Chengren, who was closest to him, rushed over and squatted down immediately, wanting to heal Liu Cheng.
"No, sir..."
Liu Cheng grabbed Gu Chengren's hand and said, "Listen to me."
Gu Chengren's expression was extremely ugly.
"It's the eunuch who accompanies the court."
Liu Cheng used his last bit of strength to quickly say: "We went to the Ministry of Personnel first, then the Ministry of Revenue, and finally the Imperial Observatory."
"Everything was going well."
"But just when we had obtained the record of the natural disaster, the eunuch suddenly exploded... He knew how to disintegrate the demons."
"Everyone else is dead. The files of the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Revenue, as well as the records of natural disasters, were all destroyed by him..."
"Sir, there is something wrong with Yan Fang. There must be something wrong..."
After struggling to say the last sentence, Liu Cheng closed his eyes.
"Blood Robe Guards, listen up!"
Dou Tianyuan roared, "Catch that eunuch for me, I want to see him alive or dead!!!"
"yes!"
All the personnel belonging to the Blood-Clothed Guards responded in unison and dodged.
Gu Chengren slowly stood up and turned to face the hall.
There, Yan Fang was surrounded by officials.
"Master Yan, should I explain?"
Lou Youzhi said lightly.
"Explain what?"
Yan Fang was surprised. "The Heavenly Demon Disintegration didn't even include the Daqing Arsenal, so it's obvious that the eunuch was a rebel from the Taiping Dao who sneaked in and pretended to be an eunuch."
Such a rampant attitude and perfunctory answer made everyone look at him in a subtle way.
In fact, most of these people don’t care that much about the lives of civilians.
What they care about is Emperor Yongtai!
Don't forget that although Yan Fang is not qualified to enter the curtain, he has been a eunuch in the Eastern Palace since the Wenchang period.
In other words, Yan Fang followed Emperor Yongtai for many years.
Now, the eunuchs under Yan Fang killed the person who collected the evidence and destroyed the evidence...
"Okay, okay, okay."
Shi Zheng looked at Yan Fang gloomily, "Originally, I thought this was only done by the previous emperors, and His Majesty was not aware of it, but now..."
"Now?"
Yan Fang laughed, "Shi Zheng, you are the Chief Censor of the Metropolitan Censorate. It is true that you have the power to report rumors, but reporting is reporting, and judging is judging."
"To judge a crime, one must rely on evidence."
As he said this, Yan Fang turned around and bowed to the person behind the curtain: "Your humble servant, the eunuch Yan Fang from the Imperial Household Department impeached Du Qianchuan, the editor of the Ministry of Revenue."
"Du Qianchuan fabricated evidence, slandered the royal family, and defamed the previous emperors in an attempt to shake the foundation of Daqing and bring chaos to the world."
"I suspect that Du Qianchuan is an official appointed by the imperial court, but in reality he is a rebel of the Taiping Dao!"
"Your Majesty, please issue an order to arrest Du Qianchuan immediately and punish him for treason!"
absurd!
This is absolutely ridiculous!
Just now you said that the eunuch who destroyed the evidence was a traitor, and now you say Du Qianchuan is a traitor?
The traitors ruined the traitors' good deeds?
Shi Zheng instantly became furious.
Dou Tianyuan quickly stopped him and whispered, "It's easy to die, but are you sure you want to die like this?"
"I……"
Shi Zheng's chest heaved and his fists were clenched tightly.
At this moment, two words without any emotion came out from behind the curtain.
"Yes."
Yes, Emperor Qing spoke.
From the beginning of the grand court meeting until now, Emperor Qing finally spoke.
As for whose memorial to approve, it was naturally not Du Qianchuan's.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Yan Fang bowed towards the curtain and turned around, "Why don't you take Du Qianchuan down!"
Inside and outside the Tianji Palace, there are the Imperial Guards and the Blood-Clothed Guards.
However, the Imperial Guard is controlled by the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of War is controlled by Lou Youzhi.
The Blood-Clothed Guards are in the hands of Dou Tianyuan.
So Lou Youzhi and Dou Tianyuan did not nod, and neither side moved.
"Do you want to rebel with Du Qianchuan?"
Yan Fang scolded harshly.
Dou Tianyuan sighed and raised his hand to strike.
There is no way. His Majesty has already given clear instructions. If we really remain deadlocked and do nothing, we don't know what the situation will turn into.
However, at this moment , Du Qianchuan spoke.
"No need to bother."
At the back of the crowd, Du Qianchuan spoke in a deep voice, attracting everyone's attention.
"I remember an interesting thing."
"When I was in the Ministry of Literature, I read several local reports."
"One of them is from Yongzhou."
"There was a very small official, so small that he didn't even have a rank."
"When he was transferred to another place, he left two words for the local people."
"I think it makes sense, so I'll give it to you now."
"Your salary is the blood and sweat of the people. It is easy to abuse the people, but it is hard to deceive God."
After reading these words, Du Qianchuan looked at the curtain, "Your Majesty."
"Words can be forbidden!"
"The body can be killed!"
"But people's hearts never stop, justice - is constant!!!"
Du Qianchuan roared bitterly: "I, your humble servant Du Qianchuan, am impeaching the previous emperors again for the crime of murdering the people!"
"I beg Your Majesty to remove his honorific posthumous title and expel him from the Imperial Ancestral Temple to comfort the millions of innocent souls who died!"
"minister!"
"Death Advice!!!"
As soon as the words "dying remonstrance" came out of his mouth, Du Qianchuan shot out like lightning and crashed straight into the Panlong pillar beside him.
--Bang!
The head cracked and the Tianji Palace was stained with blood!
Du Qianchuan, dead!
There was deathly silence in the hall.
It’s not like everyone hasn’t seen death-defying remonstrations before, but only now did they know what true death-defying remonstrations meant…remonstrations aimed at death!
“Hehehe…”
Gu Chengren shook his head and laughed, "Your salary is the blood and sweat of the people. It's easy to abuse the people, but it's hard to cheat God?"
"No, no, no, that's not right."
"It should be more appropriate to add a few words."
"Your salary and benefits are just what you deserve. The people's blood and sweat are all fertilizer."
"It is easy to abuse the common people and kill them without burying them, but how can he know that it is difficult to deceive God?"
Gu Chengren said as he took off his black hat and red robe, then bowed to the curtain and said, "Your Majesty, I beg to leave my body."
Without waiting for a response, Gu Chengren turned around, put his hands behind his back, and strode away with his head held high.
A second-rank official resigned in public without giving Emperor Yongtai any face.
"I also beg for my bones."
"So do I."
“…”
A number of officials in the Censorate followed Gu Chengren's example and took off their hats and robes.
Whether they are old or strong, they all ask for their remains.
Only the Left Censor-in-Chief Shi Zheng did not move.
He still has some things to check and some things to finish.
After a long time, when there was no new movement in the hall, Lou Youzhi spoke.
"Du Qianchuan's previous statement has no witnesses or physical evidence, so I will not take his place."
"Also, the Imperial Household Department's Yan Fang failed to supervise and perform his duties. I have decided to dismiss him from his post, exile him a thousand miles away, and never employ him again."
"Do you have any objections?"
The deep voice echoed in the Tianji Palace, gradually bringing everyone back to their senses.
Everyone looked at each other and finally shook their heads.
"We have no objection."
"Resign."
A farce that started well but ended badly ended just like that.
After everyone dispersed, the Tianji Hall was quickly cleared out.
Whether it was the bloodstains or the fishy smell in the air, there was nothing unusual, as if Du Qianchuan had never come in.
pity.
Du Qianchuan's traces had indeed been cleared away, but his words remained deeply engraved in everyone's mind and kept echoing.
As soon as Lou Youzhi left Yongqing Palace, Dou Tianyuan flashed out and stopped him halfway.
"What on earth are you thinking???"
Dou Tianyuan raised his hands to block the surroundings, and asked with a sullen face: "Why did you impeach the late emperor? After all this, Du Qianchuan died, and nothing has changed. Now even you may be dismissed at any time."
"Impeach the late emperor?"
Lou Youzhi sneered, "It's just a few dead people. Would I do such a meaningless thing?"
"That……"
Dou Tianyuan's heart moved slightly.
"It took Du Qianchuan a whole incense stick of time from submitting the memorial to impeaching the late emperor, and from walking from outside the palace to inside."
Lou Youzhi narrowed his eyes, "Indeed, all relevant evidence has been destroyed."
"But the problem is, with Du Qianchuan's remarks, he won't have the chance to massacre refugees if there is a natural disaster in the future...regardless of whether there is evidence or not."
"Your Majesty knew this better than anyone else, but he still let it go."
"Let Du Qianchuan go and let him say all these words."
"I guess."
Lou Youzhi's mouth curled up slightly, "It's not that he won't leave the curtain, it's that... he can't leave the curtain!"
"I can't get out of the curtain..."
Dou Tianyuan's face trembled, "In other words, you and I don't have to worry about anything anymore?"
“That’s not all.”
Lou Youzhi thought about it, turned to face the direction of Yongqing Palace, raised his right hand, and slowly clenched it into a fist.
"From today on, Daqing..."
"It's mine!"
…
…
Outside the city.
A col close to the pasture.
The place was overgrown with weeds and there was not even a clear path. It was obviously a remote place with few people coming and going.
And in such a remote place, a small thatched house appeared without anyone noticing.
Outside the house is a grave without a tombstone.
Inside the house was a large vat filled with liquid medicine.
And the body was completely immersed in the drug liquid, with no one knowing whether it was alive or dead.