I'm really not the carpenter emperor

Zhu Youxiao let go of his hand, then looked at him with his hands behind his back, and said condescendingly: "Han Yu, the chief assistant of the cabinet, I thought about your hard work, I thought about it again and again, Zhunqing played it, and gave a small seal of Xinuange, go back to your hometown! "

After the words fell, Wei Zhongxian stepped forward and entrusted Xiao Yin to Han Yu.

As if he had found a treasure, Han Yu hurriedly took the small seal into his hand, and said: "It is worthwhile to be the chief assistant of the Tianqi Dynasty for the rest of my life."

Wei Zhongxian looked at Han Yu, feeling rather unwilling.

But he knew that the grievance between himself and Han Yu was just like that. The emperor gave this small seal to warn Han Yu not to learn from Yang Lian after returning to his hometown, but also to warn himself not to act rashly.

Wei Zhongxian kept this warning in mind.

It seems that if Han Yu hadn't killed himself from now on, Wei Zhongxian would have no choice but to let go of the grudges in his heart, and just let it go!

The courtiers were all shocked, the end of Ye Xianggao, the former chief assistant, was still in sight, but Han Yu had a good end, what is the difference between the two, and why the ending is so different.

They can't figure it out, and the answer will eventually drift with the wind and come to the people, looking for it among the different opinions of the people.

In any case, the Donglin cabinet has been completely dissipated so far!

After hearing Han Yu's words, Zhu Youxiao smiled slightly, noncommittal, watching Han Yu gradually leave, looking at his aged back, thoughtful.

The Donglin cabinet is completely finished, but this cabinet can't all be Wei Zhongxian's eyes and ears. It's time to form a cabinet that is completely loyal to him!

It's time to fulfill your ambitions!

The officer of tribute was about to announce that the emperor was driving away, and the meeting dispersed, but suddenly an official appeared in the ranks of the officials.

He took a few steps forward, entrusted a memorial to Zhu Youxiao Gao Gao who was about to leave, and shouted loudly:

"My lord, Ding Zi, a scholar of the Imperial Academy, advises me that there is a rare book for this year's exams, and I ask you to have a look and make a decision!"

All the officials were shocked, and they all looked at the past.

This Ding Ziquan does not belong to any party, because he was deeply taught by his father Ding Weijian when he was a child, and he is determined to be a good official who pleads for the people.

In the 38th year of Wanli, when Ding Ziquan was the county magistrate in Xiangling, Shanxi, he made a public statement about the eight incidents of corruption in Xiangling County, which caused a lot of trouble at that time, and even Emperor Wanli personally intervened.

In the end, it was found that there were 17 corrupt officials in Xiangling, one magistrate who accepted bribes was dismissed and investigated, and his family property was confiscated.

The memorial played by this person touched everyone's nerves.

Zhu Youxiao naturally knew that Ding Ziquan was indeed an upright official, so he was not happy.

In the blink of an eye, this memorial has been displayed on the imperial case by Wei Zhongxian.

There was a sudden silence in the hall, and all the officials were looking at Ding Zi to persuade him, and they were full of warnings, advising him not to meddle in his own business.

Some were apprehensive and kept blinking at him, luring him with small gestures.

Ding Zijian was completely unmoved by his persuasion, and stood with his head held high, quietly waiting for the final verdict from the person at the top after reading it.

Some people are like this, and naturally some people are indifferent. In fact, although there are many people involved in this big case in the examination room, looking at the court, there are not many people related to this matter.

All of these, the officials can only keep in mind, if the form and the color of the words, they can only be self-inflicted, and may even be punished as a crime of disrespect.

After Zhu Youxiao read the memorial, his face was full of anger, and he stood up against the case and said sharply: "Decree: There are famous criminals in the memorial, and they will be sent to the Ministry of Officials immediately, and the Ministry of Officials and the Ministry of Punishment will interrogate them!"

With this imperial decree, this return to the court will be considered a give up.

Just as the criminals were escorted to the office of the Ministry of Officials, before the officials of the two ministries could interrogate them, another imperial decree came down soon, with an uncompromising tone:

"Li Yuanjian, in vain of the Holy Grace, ordered Dongchang to arrest and put him in custody. As for Li Zhiling and other eight tribute students, they will be decapitated together with Li Yuanjian tomorrow!"

"Order Wei Guangwei, the second assistant of the cabinet, to preside over the joint trial of officials and punishments. The palace examination will be postponed, and the date will be notified later!"

……

Wei Guangwei, the second assistant to the cabinet and the minister of military aircraft, entered the gate of the Ministry of Officials. He walked all the way from the cabinet signing room. He walked steadily, like the wind under his feet, and he felt lighter as he walked.

For him, there are two happy events today.

First of all, that old guy Han Yu finally got out of the house. One thing to say, this is indeed a smart move, not only to preserve his previous reputation, but also to preserve his wealth and life.

His ending was much better than Ye Xianggao's.

Second, the Emperor Apocalypse appointed him to preside over the interrogation. Not surprisingly, this would be a major case against Donglin officials.

In the end, if the presidency is successful, Donglin will basically be wiped out. It can not only make meritorious service in front of the emperor, but also greatly increase its reputation in the court.

The current Wei Guangwei is most fortunate that he found his way back when he lost his way, and after being sold by the Donglin gang, he promptly took refuge in the Eunuch Party.

To take refuge in Wei Zhongxian means to take refuge in the current emperor.

Wei Guangwei didn't understand this truth at first, but now he fully understands who he is doing things for, not for Wei Zhongxian, but for the current emperor.

Wei Zhongxian, who he once thought could cover the sky with one hand, turned out to be just a pawn in the hands of Emperor Tianqi.

Wei Guangwei entered the middle courtyard through the small door next to the lobby, and saw that the small courtyard was covered with wisteria, and the branches stretched up like pythons.

He stopped beside the wisteria for a while, but suddenly sighed.

Most of the leaves of the wisteria have now fallen, leaving only the bare branches coiled on the shelf, twisting and twisting, just reminding him of the struggles and ups and downs in the officialdom.

At his stage, the open and covert struggles are more complicated, and the eunuchs are just "losers" who got together temporarily to resist Dong Lin.

Now that Donglin is disappearing, the significance of the eunuch party's existence is also weakening.

Emperor Tianqi was determined to forge ahead, and after the Donglin Party was completely wiped out, the next step would be to recruit cabinet ministers and ministers from the six departments.

Those eunuchs who came together to resist Donglin will also fall apart and fight each other.

Chapter 417

There are three huts on the opposite side of the pergola, which is his destination this time.

Of course Wei Guangwei knew that this wisteria was planted by Wu Kuan, the Minister of the Ministry of Officials during the Hongwu period, and it has been nearly 300 years ago.

More than ten steps forward from the rattan frame, you can see a plaque with the words "Tenghua Hall" hanging high. This is the place where Zhou Jiamo, Minister of the Ministry of Officials, governs, and the rest of the main officials sit in the east and west halls.

When there are important affairs to be dealt with, the Fujika Hall of the Ministry of Household Affairs is generally used as an office, and officials will come here to discuss government affairs.

Wei Guangwei stood in front of the door of the rattan flower hall, he didn't rush to go in, he was actually quite proud of himself.

He was different from the others. After Han Yu, the chief assistant of the cabinet, resigned, he, the second assistant of the cabinet, was actually the head of the cabinet.

What's more, today he came here by order to preside over the joint trial, and he is the head of all the officials.

Not long after, Zhou Jiamo, Minister of the Ministry of Officials, and Li Yangzheng, Minister of the Ministry of Punishment, also arrived. Neither of them were members of the Eunuch Party.

The little official served three cups of hot tea, and then silently withdrew, and the three ministers made their own orders, and there was a moment of silence when they came up.

According to the decree of Emperor Tianqi, the scale of this joint trial is not small.

In addition to Li Yuanjian, the chief examiner Gu Dazhang, together with examiners Zhang Han, Jiang Wenzhuo, Li Yuanyin and more than a dozen officials at various levels, as well as Yuan Huazhong, a gentleman of Donglin who was widely rumored to be involved in the fraud, were all arrested in the official office. interrogation.

Since the dawn of time, there have been major cases involving so many officials, but this is the first time in the past 200 years.

The arrested officials included Yuan Huazhong, an important court official and Donglin gentleman, and Gu Dazhang, a court dignitary and Donglin celebrity.

According to the usual practice, these officials have different identities. Even if there is a joint trial, they will be interrogated separately according to the three situations of command officer, Jinshi, first and pilot examination.

The atmosphere in the Vine Flower Hall was very dull, because except for Wei Guangwei, the attitudes of the other two were unclear.

But when the news of Emperor Tianqi's fury came, Zheng Wopu and Li Yuanjian had been beheaded one after another. For a while, the rumors were already raging, and no one dared to touch his brow at this time.

Zhou Jiamo, Minister of the Ministry of Officials, is said to have always held a contemptuous attitude towards crony disputes.

There are folk rumors that after he became Minister of the Ministry of Officials in the 36th year of Wanli, he employed people on their merits and dismissed the leaders of cronies and treacherous people. Of course, no one knows whether these are true or not.

Zhu Youxiao only knew that after Emperor Taichang succeeded to the throne, his actions were quite different from folk rumors.

During the three major cases in the last year of Wanli, Zhou Jiamo not only opposed Emperor Taichang's appointment of Concubine Zheng as empress, but also launched a mobilization with Yang Lian, Zuo Guangdou and other senior Donglin ministers when Zhu Changluo passed away and Zhu Youxiao had not had time to ascend the throne. Palace transfer case.

From the point of view at the time, this was indeed a hero who supported Zhu Youxiao's ascension to the throne.

But thinking about it now, Zhou Jiamo would basically stand firmly with the Donglin officials at critical moments.

As a later generation, Zhu Youxiao knows well that the so-called palace transfer case is actually just Donglin Party seizing power from Fang Congzhe's Zhejiang Party.

Zhu Youxiao, as the eldest son of the emperor, although Zhu Changluo hadn't had time to be crowned prince when Zhu Changluo died, his accession to the throne was a certainty, and there was no need for anyone to rob the palace and leave.

The Donglin Party's forcible "serving the country and the king" to show their loyalty is actually a manifestation of their ambitions, intending to defeat the Zhejiang Party and control the government.

After so many major incidents, Zhou Jiamo's performance has been puzzling, saying that he does not participate in official battles, who can really be sure now?

Many things in the officialdom cannot be seen on the surface, including Wei Guangwei, who has several masks and takes out whichever one is needed.

As for Li Yangzheng, Shangshu of the Ministry of Criminal Justice, he was usually a man of few words, and even Wei Guangwei knew little about him, and didn't understand what he was thinking.

On the top was Wei Guangwei, the second assistant of the cabinet, the minister of military aircraft, and the important minister appointed by the emperor. There were also Zhou Jiamo and Li Yangzheng as the presiding judges on the left and right.

The servants, principals and other officials who are usually in charge of adjudicating cases sat next to them, obsequious, not because they didn't want to talk, but because they really didn't dare to speak first, stealing the limelight from these three adults.

Wei Guangwei was playing with the lid of the teacup with a careless expression on his face, but he was actually showing it to Zhou Jiamo.

In fact, he knew very well in his heart that this joint trial by the Ministry of Punishment and the Ministry of Household Affairs must have a result anyway, otherwise he would not be able to report to the emperor.

He suddenly smiled, broke the silence in the hall, glanced at everyone, and said:

"In my opinion, the old method of interrogation is useless. Your Majesty's intention is very clear. This time, what is important is to get the result as soon as possible, instead of delaying the first trial for ten days and a half months."

"Why, did your Majesty tell Master Wei?" Zhou Jiamo said with deep disdain, as if he was still worried about Wei Guangwei's betrayal of Donglin back then.

"Not at all!"

Wei Guang laughed slightly, his face was rosy, but suddenly his expression flickered, his brows frowned, revealing a little hidden strength, and said:

"As a subject, loyalty to the monarch and the country is the top priority. Your Majesty ordered me to preside over the joint trial. Naturally, I must dare to draw inferences from one instance and share the worries for the monarch."

Li Yangzheng, Shangshu of the Ministry of Justice, nodded when he heard this, and took a sip of hot tea.

Among the three, he is the one who has the least interest in these things. Whether Donglin or the eunuch party gains power, or whether the two parties lose power, these have nothing to do with him.

In addition, Li Yangzheng has always believed that talking too much will lead to mistakes, so he doesn't express his views very much. When encountering such a big case with a lot of right and wrong, he would rather keep silent and follow the crowd.

When Zhou Jiamo heard these words, he didn't continue to choke, but instead said:

"The most talked about in the rumors is the so-called joints. Can Mr. Wei, who is familiar with the truth, tell the lower officials what the so-called 'joints' are talking about?"

"In my opinion, if you understand what the joint is, the case will be easier to hear."

Wei Guangwei secretly thought it was funny, but he understood but didn't tell the truth.

Of course he could hear that Zhou Jiamo wanted to dig a hole for him to jump in, but who was he, he didn't have any special skills, and he wouldn't be able to win the emperor's favor, so he could be appointed as the second assistant to the cabinet.

At this time, Zhou Jiamo saw the change of expression on Wei Guangwei's face, and secretly touched his brow, feeling a chill in his heart, that he was an official at the same court as these villains.

Wei Guangwei's appearance was wretched, but he usually smiled when he went to that station, but now he looked even deeper.

Before speaking, the corners of his mouth opened, as if he heard some funny idiot question, he opened his mouth and said:

"Then let me explain it clearly to Tianguaner. The so-called 'joint', as far as this exam is concerned, refers to the candidate's private contact with the examiners to sell the test questions."

"I presided over the examination in the first year of Tianqi. At that time, joints have another meaning. It is said that some examiners will agree with the examinees on a code in advance. This code can be a poem or a rare word."

"According to this code, the examiner can select those candidates with joints from the thousands of papers. For these cheaters, it is a breeze."

At this time, a waiter said:

"These examiners are so cunning, really hateful!"

Another person said: "Cheating in scientific examinations has become its own system. It's a good thing they figured it out!"

Wei Guang smiled and said: "Since the imperial examination, it has always been like this, so it is normal for poor people to compete against these rich and powerful children."

He patted his butt and stood up, raised his voice, and said:

"Okay, everyone, I have already explained the matter very clearly. Those present must be smart people, so I don't need to repeat anything."

"My opinion is that it is not necessary to conduct separate trials according to the usual practice, but to directly hit the joint trial in the same place, and choose a larger place for them. It is best to get the results within three days!"

Chapter 418 Wang Zaijin Debriefing

When the results came out in three days, the officials in the Vine Flower Hall were all stunned.

Even if this matter has a great impact, even if the emperor is furious, it cannot go beyond the rules, after all, before they are convicted, they are all members of the court.

Many of the people who were brought into the Ministry of Officials this time were big figures that many jurors could not afford to provoke. If the trial was rushed, if the conviction failed, they would not be able to bear the retaliation in the future.

Li Yangzheng also felt that this was too impatient, he was thinking, but he saw Wei Guangwei stood up, cupped his hands at everyone and said:

"If not, we'll take a compromise."

"Heavenly officials and those who disagree will go to the first trial. If there is a result, everyone will be happy, but if there is no result, the official will take over."