great mandate

Shen Wuji thought again: Besides, the relationship between Gu Xuanhuang and me has not been hidden, and now he is going instead of me. First, I cannot personally survey the muddy water behind Jinyang and Mang Mountain. If something happened there, they could still pin the blame on me.Jun Qi can really think!

The emperor looked at Shen Wuji again, waiting for his idea.

Shen Wuji lowered his head, rolled his eyes a few times, and then said in a low voice "begging for perfection": "If Qian Shangshu despises the servants like this, the servants will not dare to argue for themselves. Everything is up to the emperor."

The emperor didn't expect him to say that, he was taken aback, and said in his heart: What kind of master am I!You tell me, how can I be the master!It's good to give me a look, Shen Wuji!

But Shen Wuji didn't even look at him.

The emperor pondered for a while with a solemn expression, and slowly scanned the group of people sitting below him.

Most of the crowd lowered their eyes silently, not making eye contact with the emperor.

In the end, the emperor had no choice but to ask Mr. Yu Ge who was sitting firmly on the Diaoyutai: "Yu Qing, what do you think?"

Yu Ge was getting old and always lost his mind, so he specially prepared a little eunuch to accompany him.At this moment, seeing old Yuge sitting there indifferently with his eyes closed and his hands in his hands, as if he had fallen asleep, the little eunuch at the side hurriedly pushed him gently to wake him up, and recounted the emperor's words in a low voice.

Only then did Old Yu Ge open his eyes, "Ah", looked at the emperor, and said: "The old minister feels that Eunuch Shen is happy to be married, so he should not go on business. Mangshan is so far away, and the bride will inevitably miss it."

As soon as this remark came out, the room was silent, everyone looked at the astonishing old Yu Ge, even Shen Wuji and Jun Qi, and the emperor was most obviously stunned.

Yu Ge seemed to have sensed the gazes of the crowd, and was very surprised. He asked a minister beside him, "Why, officials are not allowed to take holidays when they get married now? I remember that when I got married, it was such a rule."

The minister hesitated to speak, and after a while, he said with a subtle expression: "There are still rules, but..." He choked, and then said, "But..." He thought for a while, and said, "But... "

Yu Ge was puzzled and said, "What?"

It is inconvenient for others to say, but the emperor has no such scruples, and said: "Where did Shen Wuji go to get married? When did he get married?" As he spoke, he looked at Shen Wuji, "You..."

Shen Wuji gritted his teeth and said, "Old Man Ge is joking!"

Old Yu Ge was even more surprised when he heard the words, and looked at Jun Taiwei as if asking for proof: "It's not that, Eunuch Shen's wife...what's her name? She's quite talented..."

Everyone: "..."

Jun Taiwei: "..."

Jun Taiwei pretended that he didn't see anything, and lowered his head to drink tea.

Shen Wuji coughed a few times, and said: "Master Ge is joking, the slaves are eunuchs, where did the marriage come from?"

"Oh, I didn't get married." Old Yu Ge looked a little regretful, "I misremembered that, it seems that I just heard that someone got married recently."

This is no longer the category of misremembering!Everyone shouted in their hearts.

Old Yu Ge said to the emperor again: "However, how do you remember, it seems that Wu Wei had a quarrel with Eunuch Shen just to snatch the bride?"

Everyone: "..."

The Minister of the Ministry of Rites sat next to Mr. Yuge. He had a good family background, had been selected as Tanhua, and was still handsome in his middle age. The prince walked the closest.

At this time, the Minister of Rites coughed lightly, and bravely faced everyone's gaze and explained to Mr. Yu Ge: "Mr. Ge, it's not like that."

Old Yu Ge asked, "What is that?"

The Minister of Rites said: "Mr. Shen's bride... No, Mr. Luo, who was not married to Mr. Shen, is not a bride, but a man."

"Oh." Old Yu Ge asked, "Then why did Wu Wei and Eunuch Shen rob a man?"

Minister of Rites: "..." He silently glanced at Shen Wuji, and suddenly regretted what he was doing so much.

But until now, it's easy for a fool who jumped into the fire pit to show up, the emperor hurriedly urged: "Oh, you and Mr. Ge explain clearly."

The Minister of the Ministry of Rites sighed silently, so he had no choice but to accept the decree, facing the eyes of everyone, and said: "Mr. Ge, Wu Wei didn't grab a man with Eunuch Shen. The reason why they didn't get along was because of that man... Mr. Luo, he got into trouble because of something. He’s in prison, and now he’s out early, Wu Wei said that Eunuch Shen got him out because he bent the law for personal gain, and he took part in Eunuch Shen’s book.”

Mr. Yu Ge suddenly realized "Oh", thought for a while, and continued to ask: "Then, did Eunuch Shen bend the law for personal gain?"

Minister of Rites: "..."

Now, he stopped talking, and he decided not to talk until he died.

He couldn't answer this question, really couldn't answer it.

In short, he couldn't say that Shen Wuji was perverting the law for personal gain, and he was afraid that he would be the next one to go to Mang Mountain.But if he said that Shen Wuji didn't bend the law for personal gain, wouldn't that mean that Wu Wei framed Eunuch Shen?Then others can't say that he is rushing to cling to Shen Wuji?Although he doesn't claim to be clean, he doesn't want to rush to become a eunuch either.And if he said that he didn't know, he would give the emperor an impression of indecision.

Ai!Being an official is too difficult!

He secretly swore that he would never listen to Jia Wang's unreliable wine and meat friend again.What kind of respect for the elderly...you do it yourself!

Being disturbed by Mr. Yu Ge, the atmosphere in the hall was extremely strange. Most of the people kept their mouths shut tightly, for fear of showing their faces.

Yu Ge, however, seemed to be "rejuvenated", curious and stubborn like a child, and asked: "Is it?"

Minister of Rites: "..."

Old Yu Ge didn't bother him, seeing him bow his head to drink tea and ignore him, he looked at the little eunuch next to him: "What do you think?"

The little eunuch knelt down to him with a plop, buried his head and dared not speak.

Old Yu Ge looked up in surprise at the different expressions of the people around him, and asked blankly, "What's the matter?" Finally, he looked at the Minister of the Ministry of War standing there alone, "Master Qian, tell me?"

Minister of the Ministry of War: "..." I shouldn't be standing here by myself.

He didn't want to mention Shen Wuji's favoritism of releasing Luo Jinyu at first, because Jun Taiwei told him not to mention it, saying that Wu Wei had made such a fuss, Shen Wuji must have already cleared the matter with the emperor, and the emperor had never heard of it. To punish Shen Wuji was to let go of the meaning of this matter, and it would be useless to mention it more.Besides, everyone knew that the case was an unjust case, so it was fine not to mention it, but if it was mentioned, it might give Luo Jinyu a chance to reverse the case.

However, Elder Yu Ge asked a few more questions, as if he had insisted on the Minister of the Ministry of War and insisted on asking him to answer.

The Minister of the Ministry of War has always been intimate with Jun Taiwei in front of people, and it is not easy to see Jun Taiwei's expression at this time. After thinking about it, he gritted his teeth and said: "If you come back to the old man, the next official doesn't know much about it. I can't say for sure."

Old Yu Ge said solemnly: "Why don't you understand? Why didn't you investigate this matter?"

You go ask the emperor!He doesn't even want to check, who dares to check!It's okay to check this thing, are you full? !Everyone shouted in their hearts.

Seeing that all the ministers were silent, the emperor knew that they had no way to answer, so he had no choice but to speak up himself: "Yu Aiqing, there is a misunderstanding in this matter, Shen Wuji and I have already talked about it... Sigh, it is also true. It’s not a big deal, let’s not talk about it.”

"How can we not mention it?" Elder Yu Ge suddenly opened his eyes wide as if he had regained his spirit, and said loudly, "According to this, Luo Jinyu killed someone and was convicted , was imprisoned, not only was he not beheaded, but he was released after only three years, all relying on Mr. Taiwan and Dali Temple didn’t even ask, and they didn’t check, so that all the ministers still don’t know whether this matter is right or wrong?”

As soon as Mr. Yu Ge said these words, everyone was even more shocked and even more afraid to speak.

Because they weren't sure what old Yu Ge's purpose was.

Over the years, Yu Ge has not been very busy. He is old and should have returned to his hometown long ago, but because of his hard work and meritorious service, he has both talents and virtues, and is deeply respected by the former emperor and the current emperor, so he still stays in the cabinet. , take the top spot.

If he didn't say leave and the emperor didn't speak, then no one would dare to speak.He simply didn't care too much, just sitting there like a lot of old people, occasionally making some harmless jokes because of his old ears, to ease the tense atmosphere due to discussions, it's not a problem, even Jun Taiwei is not too much Thinking about trouble with him.

But now, Yu Ge told him to speak.

Let's listen to this... Does it seem like an attack on Shen Wuji?On weekdays, he and Shen Wuji can be said to be like the well water does not violate the river water, on the surface Shen Wuji treats him with respect, and he treats Shen Wuji politely, why suddenly want to settle the account for Wu Wei?Could it be for Wu Guogong?

When everyone thinks about it this way, it makes sense.After all, when Yu Ge and Wu Guogong were young, they were the pillars of the court, and they got along well, and they jointly assisted the government.It's just that when Wu Guogong came to lose his son, his health deteriorated day by day, and he lived in seclusion at home, and Yu Ge was also old, so the two of them didn't have much contact.

But Jun Qi doesn't see it that way.

He was also suspicious, and didn't understand what was going on with Mr. Yu Ge for a while, but he had an intuition that Mr. Yu Ge was not trying to attack Shen Wuji.

Whether it is using or sincerity, mixed with various factors, the emperor is always more partial to Shen Wuji than to these ministers, and he is not very willing to let others expose Shen Wuji's shortcomings.To put it bluntly, Shen Wuji is his domestic slave, one of his dogs can be beaten by himself, how can he tolerate others to bully him?

But Old Yu Ge is not an ordinary person...

The emperor's expression was not very good-looking, and he hesitated to speak.

Seeing that no one was talking, Yu Ge threw away the hand of the Minister of Rites who was trying to dissuade him, and said, "What are you stopping...Shen Wuji is the official supervisor of ceremonies, Wu Wei is the grandson of Duke Wu, Luo Jinyu is a student of the Emperor, Taixue First, the affairs of these three people are not clear, so just treat it as a small matter and ignore it?"

Jun Taiwei looked at Elder Yu Ge silently, his face was calm, but his heart gradually sank.

From the sentence "Luo Jinyu is a disciple of the Son of Heaven", he already understood that this old man couldn't sit still anymore.

He seemed to question Shen Wuji's favoritism for Luo Jinyu, but in fact he wanted to find out Luo Jinyu's case!

These years, when Cao Guozhong was still there, he controlled the state affairs, covered the sky with one hand, and ruled alone. Naturally, old Yu Ge and Jun Qi were fighting against eunuchs together, but once Cao Guozhong fell, the situation changed.

The military power has returned to Jun Qi, Jun Qi is in his prime, but Yu Ge is in his dying years, and he is also a literati, Wu Guogong's mansion has also fallen, Yu Ge can only occupy the top spot in the cabinet, pretending to be stupid all day long.

It's not that Jun Qi doesn't know that Yu Ge is always afraid that people on his side will take up all the cabinet positions, so he hangs on and refuses to leave.But Jun Qi didn't pay much attention to it, because he knew the abilities of everyone in the court.

Yu Ge's old man can last no more than five years at most, and in these five years, Jun Qi really doesn't believe that his surname Yu can pull out a tall man from a bunch of dwarfs!Is it possible for the cabinet to enter as soon as it is said?There is a short list of candidates who can enter within five years, and those who are not Jun Qi's people are not able to support the wall.

And Mr. Yuge is going to reverse Luo Jinyu's case at this time... How could he, who is so sophisticated, not see the relationship between Luo Jinyu's case three years ago and me?To reverse the case for Luo Jinyu is to attack me.

Jun Qi's hands that were hidden under the sleeves of his official robe gradually clenched.

Could it be that this old man had a deal with Shen Wuji in private?Shen Wuji was eager to gain a firm foothold, so he was about to snatch back the military power from me and dedicate it to the emperor. The old guy surnamed Yu was on the same path as him in suppressing me...

Old Yu Ge was still sitting there, not as straight as the others, and looked very tired, leaning on the soft pillow behind him, his waist could not be straightened up.

He is too old.

So old that he would dream of being young again because of some naive words from an old friend.

He dreamed of himself who was first led by his father to a private school to be enlightened by a teacher. At that time, he was eight years old, and met his lifelong friend Qi Qian in the private school. After ten years of poverty, they studied sage articles together.The book teaches them to be a gentleman, to do good deeds, to be loyal to the emperor and the community, to look up to the sky, and to bow down to the earth.

He also dreamed of saying goodbye to his parents and family with Qi Qian, and himself who left home to take the exam with his burden on his back. Back then, he was full of energy and confidence. So what about being an official.

That year, he and Qi Qian didn't pass the exam, wandered around the capital frustrated, and when they were about to go home, they heard from other students who failed the exam that they cheated in the exam.

At that time, they were all young boys, full of passion and anger, they gathered together and discussed explanations at the gate of the Gongyuan.

But the officialdom is dark, and the officials protect each other, and they are suppressed layer by layer. In the end, the capital guards were sent to arrest these students.

The guards scattered the students all over the place, and the street was full of exclamations. He and Qi Qian were separated by the rush, and each hurriedly avoided arrest.He was accidentally pushed and fell down, and before he could escape, he was caught by the vicious guards and wanted to take him away, when he suddenly heard a loud shout: "You dare!"

The expressions of the guards changed drastically, their movements froze, and they froze there.

He looked over in surprise, and saw a figure with the appearance of a young general in scale armor and a sword hanging from his waist galloping towards him. When he came to him, he stopped his horse, frowned, and angrily said: "Give me all the people!" Let go!"

The guards looked at each other, but still did not move. The leader among them thought for a while, and came over to the young general and said, "Little General Wu, this is..."

"Don't tell me who gave the order!" Little General Wu waved his hand, "I'll ask the emperor myself!"

The leader was not afraid, and vaguely showed some disdain, and said: "Then I would like to invite the little general Wu to ask for the order first, but the younger ones are also ordered by the superior, so they have to be offended." The others winked, signaling to grab the people at hand and go first.

Yu Huailiang was caught by the soldier and wanted to drag him away, but he saw General Wu got off his horse, grabbed his other arm, and glared at the soldier.

Xiaobing hesitated for a moment, but finally let go, and turned around resentfully and went elsewhere.

But Yu Huailiang didn't care about anything else, he saw his good friend Qi Qian who was pushed away by the city guards, and hurried to chase after him, but was pulled back by the little general Wu.

General Wu's expression was very complicated, naturally angry, but mixed with self-blame and sorrow, he said to Yu Huailiang in a deep voice: "I can't make sense here, you go back with me first."

Yu Huailiang followed the young general back.

It was only after returning to his home that Yu Huailiang realized that this man was actually the son of Duke Wu, who was not a few years older than him, and was married the year before last.

General Wu took Yu Huailiang to see old Wu Guogong, and he talked about the fraud in the examination room and the arrest of the examiner with righteous indignation, and asked his father to come forward for this matter, but his father refused, saying that this matter involved many important officials in the court, Can't mess with it.

Yu Huailiang was shocked.

He and Qi Qian had heard about the heroic deeds of the old Wu Guogong since they were young. Now that they saw this scene, they felt that they couldn't bear it. They were shocked and angry. Who is reprimanding.

The old Wu Guogong was not angry, he just silently watched Yu Huailiang scolding himself, and after he finished speaking, he actually smiled, but there was a lot of helplessness and complexity in that smile.

It was the complexity that Yu Huailiang could understand later.

In the end, old Wu Guogong said kindly: "Your friend, I will ask someone to get him out. You two can go back to your hometown and take the exam in three years."

Yu Huailiang was also young and frivolous at the time. Hearing this, he sneered: "Why should we come back after three years? Isn't it still the same result?"

Unexpectedly, old Wu Guogong did not refute, but said: "Maybe."

Yu Huailiang was startled: "You—"

"But it's also possible that it will get better." Old Wu Guogong said, "I can't say for sure."

Yu Huailiang said angrily: "Even if you don't want to make a move, how can it be better?"

Old Wu Guogong smiled wryly, hesitated to speak, and finally said nothing, shook his head, turned and left.

Old Wu Guogong kept his word, and soon Qi Qian was released.

But only Qi Qian was released, and the others were locked up in a village on the outskirts of the city. There was news that these tests were all deceived by others, and the officials involved were generous, and they didn't care about them. Zhuang Zili released people after he calmed down and sobered up, not arrests.

Yu Huailiang and Qi Qian were innocent at that time, they were skeptical, and planned to wait a few days to see the situation.

On the third day, Zhuangzi suddenly caught fire.None of the dozen or so test subjects who were locked inside survived.

That night, Yu Huailiang and Qi Qian were just outside Zhuangzi, and they were about to call for firefighters when they were kidnapped by General Wu. Along the way, they could only hear the shrill screams from inside Zhuangzi, like those coming from purgatory. The hairs stood on end.

General Wu forced the two into the carriage, sent them out of the capital, and told them that they had already taken care of them, and they would come back for the exam in three years without worry, but this matter must not be mentioned again.

That was Yu Huailiang's first glimpse into the darkness.

Three years later, he and Qi Qian came back again. In fact, the world has not changed much, and it is still calm.It's just that this time, General Wu took care of it, so they were lucky and didn't fail the ranking.

Yu Huailiang had many doubts about the sage books he had read in his life.

But no one could answer his question.

He was in the darkness, and he didn't dare to raise the torch alone, for fear that he would become a target of public criticism.He could only follow the crowd and grope in the dark.At most, he is not like everyone else, and he will go to put out the fire.But that's all.

Afterwards, the officialdom for most of his life sank, and there was the present old Yu Ge.

……

Mr. Yu Ge couldn't tell whether he had been pretending to be old and dumb for a long time, and he was really deaf, otherwise, why would Qi Qian's words keep ringing in his ears endlessly that day?

He always heard Qi Qian asking: Do you remember the West Suburb Detached House?

The independent courtyard in the western suburbs was the place where the dozens of testers were burned.

Of course he remembered, he remembered for a lifetime.

The fire that killed more than a dozen living people also burned to death the innocent hearts of him and Qi Qian.

From then on, he said that Huailiang is sophisticated in the world, and Qi Xugu has nothing to do with the world.

But now, with the loess buried up to the neck, the little old man Qi Xugu started talking like a teenager, drank a few ounces of horse urine, and cried out the names of the dozen or so people back then.

He listened silently, and finally burst into tears.