Volume 5: Fellow Traveler Chapter 773 Adding insult to injury
Kong Daxueshi volunteered to go to the imperial manor to appease the people. He originally intended to "turn the tide" after Zhu Ying's failed trip to the imperial manor. Of course, more importantly, he wanted to restore his image in the emperor's mind. In his view, the eldest prince had been expelled from the clan, and the riot that Zhu Ying encountered was just a group of ignorant people led by corrupt scholars in the countryside. As long as he showed up, it would be easy to deal with.
But how could he have imagined that the eldest prince would silently commit suicide in his room by taking poison! Moreover, he did not leave any last words!
Thus, his trip, which was meant to be a merit, seemed to have turned into a trip meant to be a fault. Even though he tried his best to appease the ignorant people who had been deceived, when the emperor sent Hua Qi, the new head of the imperial attendants, to investigate the cause of the eldest prince's death, Kong Daxueshi inevitably "fell ill".
After all, before he volunteered to do this important task of comforting the emperor, he was already a patient lying in bed groaning. If he wasn't sick at this time, what else could he do? Should Da Die Jing Shen and Hua Qi go together to find out how the eldest prince died?
Just as Academician Kong had expected, Hua Qi came to visit him with all courtesy, but when he saw his face, which was indescribably pale or sallow, and heard his weak words, he did not say much. He just comforted him and told him to rest and recuperate, and then went to investigate the mystery on his own, without asking for his assistance at all, nor did he question him about any details.
But what he never expected was that when he opened his eyes one night and fell asleep peacefully... he saw the surprised and happy face of his wife Gu!
At this moment, the still somewhat confused Master Kong was immediately frightened. After a start, he suddenly jumped up at a speed that a patient could not possibly reach, and he cried out in surprise, "How did you get here? Who told you to come?"
Gu didn't expect her husband to be as surprised as if he had seen a ghost. Even though he was ill and maybe he was just confused after waking up, she still felt very upset. However, she also knew that Master Kong was not only the pillar of the family, but also the pillar of the entire Kong family. She could only explain with a smile: "Master, I have never been out of the house. You are at home."
"Home?" If Master Kong was just frightened just now, then he was completely furious at this moment. "Nonsense, I was still in the imperial farm when I fell asleep last night, how come I'm back home in the capital?"
However, as soon as he said this, he suddenly remembered that he had slept very soundly... In other words, he slept very soundly! It was as if he was still in the imperial manor when he closed his eyes, but now that he opened his eyes, he was already at home just as Gu claimed! He couldn't help but pinch his thigh, and with the tingling feeling, he confirmed that he was not dreaming, and then he stared at Gu.
"When was I sent back? What day and time is it now?"
Even if Gu was slow, she knew that Master Kong was probably not sent back knowingly, so she hurriedly explained, "It is now the first day of the twelfth lunar month, and it is almost noon. The master was sent home less than an hour ago. He was escorted back by a team of soldiers from the Sharp Cavalry Battalion. The leader said that the master has been working hard these days and is sick. Please take good care of yourself at home."
Seeing that Grand Secretary Kong's face was darker than charcoal, Gu had to carefully add two more sentences: "Also, after they sent you here, the palace sent a royal doctor to come, and he took your pulse and left a prescription."
At this moment, Grand Secretary Kong was so angry that he almost fainted. When he was in the imperial manor before, he had many trusted followers around him. Whether it was to invite doctors or get medicine, they could do all these things, and the so-called condition was completely under control. But he never thought that someone could send him back silently without his knowledge.
While he was unconscious, he even invited all the palace doctors to take his pulse and prescribe medicine... How could he still pretend to be sick?
Scholar Kong, who was almost sick from anger, tried to hold back the sweet taste in his throat and asked angrily, "What disease did the imperial physician say I had? What medicine did he prescribe?"
Because the imperial physician said that Grand Secretary Kong was fine, Gu prescribed a very moderate and peaceful health-preserving prescription. She felt relieved for a while, but now that Grand Secretary Kong suddenly became like this, she realized that something was wrong. Could it be that her husband was pretending to be sick but was discovered, and not only was he sent back without knowing it, but he also had the imperial physician and prescription as ironclad evidence?
She hurriedly told him the doctor's diagnosis and the medicine in the prescription. The next moment, she saw that Academician Kong collapsed on the bed. She rushed over to support him and then stuffed a large pillow behind his back. Then she carefully comforted him, saying, "If the emperor is really angry and wants to punish you, he won't send soldiers to escort you back and ask the doctor to come."
"You are wrong. The emperor has actually been annoyed with me for a long time." Academician Kong smiled bitterly, thinking that ever since Lord Jiang left the throne, he had been acting impartially, and when he had been opposing the emperor on many things he insisted on, the emperor had already been annoyed with him. Otherwise, the emperor would not have failed to appoint the prime minister according to convention until now.
However, dissatisfaction with him was not a reason for the emperor to easily move against a cabinet minister like him again. If he continued to move against the cabinet, it would cause a backlash from the court and even the scholars. Now it was not twenty years ago, and the emperor was no longer a young boy, so of course he would act with caution. Moreover, his previous mistakes were not enough to take him down.
Even the death of the eldest prince this time was the same. After all, strictly speaking, the eldest prince who was expelled from the clan was already a commoner, and calling him the prince was just a habit. Moreover, he was a criminal who incited the people in the capital and the local area, hired fugitives to plot evil, and he just didn't take good care of him, so he committed suicide out of fear of crime, which was a crime of negligence.
If the emperor really wanted to investigate, there would be many people who would speak up for him. However, pretending to be sick when you are not sick is hypocritical at best, and deceiving the emperor at worst. Most importantly, this is different from his previous confrontation with Zhang Shou, and some minor mistakes and even jokes he made. This involves personal integrity issues.
What cabinet ministers hate most is being harried about issues of ethics, and that is the point that the censors like to attack the most!
Scholar Kong moved his lips and finally woke up his wife in a state of annoyance. Mrs. Gu was just too concerned about him before, but when her husband pointed out the key point, she immediately woke up and was terrified. Fortunately, she was used to the storm and soon forced herself to calm down, but she squeezed out a smile.
"I understand. Don't worry, sir. I will spread the news that you are sick because you are tired and over-worried. You can return to the cabinet to work after resting for two days."
Since his wife understood this, Confucius stopped nagging. After all, blaming her for what happened before would not help. However, when he asked about what happened during the days he was away from Beijing, he was in a mood to sneer when he heard that Zhang Shou and Zhu Ying finally got married. But when he heard about the huge scene, his face changed again.
After all, after the eldest prince's sudden death, he immediately stopped all communication with the capital in order to avoid suspicion, so it was the first time he knew about the scene of the gathering of wise men.
"Zhang Shou doesn't have such great ability, it must be Ge Yong... and Lu Wan and Liu Zhiyuan!"
When he said these three names, Grand Secretary Kong felt a heavy heart. Lu Wan and Liu Zhiyuan were colleagues in the Ministry of War in the past. After all, the relationship between Shangshu and Shilang cannot be completely defined as superior and subordinate. I have never heard of their good relationship. On the contrary, they often had conflicts because of their incompatible personalities. But now, the two of them are completely mixed up.
As for Grand Tutor Ge, he was not someone that Grand Secretary Kong could touch. Therefore, he could only curse him bitterly in his heart, until...his wife Gu stammered out a piece of news that he had not expected.
"You mean, the student of Wu Kangzhai of the Chongren School, Chen Baisha from Guangdong, suddenly brought his students to the capital this time? Not only did he go to Zhang Shou's wedding banquet, but he also brought his students to Ge Yong's invitation. That young student is a Juren, and is going to take part in the imperial examination this time? Did those celebrities spread the news?"
After receiving his wife's reaffirmation, Kong Daxueshi's face was as gloomy as the sky before a thunderstorm. Although the Chongren School did not seem to have many officials, many local officials highly respected them and recommended them from beginning to end. If Wu Kangzhai did not intend to come to the capital to be an official, he would have already occupied a seat in the Hanlin Academy.
He was not worried about anything else but that Wu Kangzhai's practice would catch the emperor's eye, so he would rather not use it. Once the emperor really wanted to, all his disciples would get a huge opportunity in an instant.
He took a deep breath in a depressed mood, and after a long while, he blurted out a few angry words: "A young boy who is still wet behind the ears can actually pass the imperial examination. The chief examiner of the Guangdong provincial examination is really too frivolous. I won't be so lucky in this imperial examination."
Although it was not her right to provoke her husband, Gu had to remind Master Kong to prevent him from getting angry again when he found out: "Master, didn't you just choose Master Wu as the chief examiner for the next year's imperial examination?"
This time, Grand Secretary Kong was stunned. Originally, the chief examiner of the imperial examination did not have to be the elder. It was Elder Wu who volunteered, saying that this was the first imperial examination after the crown prince was enthroned, and that they had to select some more vigorous talents... What did they mean by more vigorous? Didn't they mean to select some younger people?
In this case, doesn’t the young student brought by Chen Xianzhang have great hope?
The more Mr. Kong thought about it, the more uneasy and confused he became. Just at this moment, there was a sudden uproar outside, and then he heard a maid's panicked voice: "Madam, the Ninth Lady next door is here! She said that someone from the Five Cities Military Department suddenly came to the door, saying that they wanted to arrest the Ninth Master..."
She only called Madam, which meant that she didn't know that the Grand Scholar Kong had woken up. Gu knew that the Grand Scholar Kong was upset at the moment, so how could she let the mess of Master Kong Jiu disturb him? She wanted to go out in a hurry, but as soon as she reached the door, she heard Zhao's loud shouting.
"Sister-in-law, those soldiers are so vicious and don't listen to anyone. My master is already very ill. If he is taken away by them, will he be able to come back alive? I beg you to be kind and save my master!"
It's Zhu Tingfang again! It's the Five Cities Army again! Academician Kong was furious, but last time Zhu Tingfang dared to rush to his house to make trouble, and his eldest son and his wife had made such a big joke. He, the Prime Minister, was so angry that he took sick leave at home, but because of Qin Guogong Zhang Chuan's words, he took on the matter of the eldest prince, and ended up in trouble again.
Now, Zhu Tingfang came again, and he was going to attack his cousin directly. How could this be tolerated! Master Kong pressed his chest, and then said to Gu, who was looking back, word by word: "Take a few people with you and go to the next door to see what's going on and whether Zhu Tingfang came in person. If he comes in person, ask someone to come and see me."
Seeing that Gu was obviously hesitant, as if she felt that she shouldn't interfere with Master Kong Jiu's affairs under the current circumstances, Grand Secretary Kong emphasized, "If people think that I can't even take care of the affairs of my own family members, then the wolves that are eyeing me from all directions will rush over. At that time, there will be nothing we can do to save the situation!"
It was not until this moment that Gu finally realized the danger of the situation. She nodded her head in a hurry and hurried out of the door. Hearing the voices of Gu and Zhao outside the door, Kong Daxueshi leaned back softly, feeling his heart beating fast. Even though he had concluded that the emperor would not easily remove him , the cabinet elder, Zhu Tingfang's behavior still made him feel confused.
Duke Zhao Zhu Jing originally had the sharpest knife in the emperor's hand. Now, this knife is at least hidden in the sheath, but Zhu Tingfang's new knife is sharper than his father's. If he really refuses to put it away without seeing blood, then it will be troublesome!
Although he seemed to be resting with his eyes closed, a lot of things were not resolved. Academician Kong was in a mess. Not to mention falling asleep, he even felt a dull pain in both temples.
However, his wife Gu was sent to the next room to check the situation, and the others did not come in because of Gu's instructions. Even though he was thirsty, there was no one to serve tea or water. He opened his mouth several times to call for help, but finally forced himself to hold it back. He didn't know how long he waited, and finally he heard a noise coming from outside.
"I heard that Grand Secretary Kong was escorted back due to illness. It turns out that he can now see guests. It seems that the illness is not serious."
Hearing Zhu Tingfang's harsh words, Academician Kong couldn't help but feel the veins on his forehead twitching. He then pulled down the curtain beside the bed, as if he could isolate himself from his anger as long as he didn't see the other person.
After a sound of footsteps, he finally heard Zhu Tingfang's leisurely voice: "Master Kong, how are you?"
What the hell! Mr. Kong wanted to fight back like this, but in the end he still held back his anger: "Mr. Zhu, since you know that I'm back in Beijing to recuperate, you're next door trying to arrest my cousin as soon as I come back. Aren't you forcing me to die?"
"Master Kong, you are too kind." Zhu Tingfang sat down leisurely on the brocade cushion beside the bed and said calmly, "I hope that Master Kong will know that over the years, your brother has hired assassins to kill people, fight for property, and hurt people... He has done so many bad things that it is not an exaggeration to say that he has committed a heinous crime!"
