Lei Yue Longmen

At this time, a red-robed official stood out from the ranks of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, holding an ivory wat in his hand, bowed to Li Pinghong and said, "Your Majesty, I heard that there was a riot in the Bell and Drum Tower yesterday, and many people were killed and injured, but the yamen, the commander of the infantry, concealed this matter." Didn’t report it, and deliberately blocked the news, and stopped all the people from the Criminal Ministry and the Metropolitan Procuratorate who went to find out the situation, don’t you know why?”

"Oh? Is there such a thing?" Li Pinghong quickly closed the memorial that he had just glanced at, casually threw it to Director Cai, and said with a serious expression: "Where is Feng Huaji, the commander of the infantry?"

The eyes of the courtiers all focused on a purple-robed military officer in the second row on the left.He immediately went out to the center of the hall, bowed to Li Pinghong and said: "My minister Feng Huaji kowtows to the emperor!"

"Xianqing is flat, just now? Is it true that Song Yushi participated in the performance?"

Feng Huaji, the admiral of the Nine Gates, stood up, and replied in a humble voice: "Return to the emperor, there was indeed a riot in the Bell and Drum Tower yesterday, but it was later put down by Lou Manguan, the patrolling general of the Central Battalion. , The infantry commanded the yamen to evacuate the crowd according to the law, cordoned off the scene, treated the wounded, and did not deliberately block the news."

Li Pinghong frowned: "Since that's the case, why not? Let people from the Ministry of Punishment and the Metropolitan Procuratorate come into the scene to understand the situation? Should we conceal it afterwards? Report it?"

Feng Huaji took out a memorial from his cuff, and offered it with both hands, "I report to the emperor, I didn't intend to conceal it, but I realized that there was something strange about the disturbance in the Bell and Drum Tower, so I tried the case overnight, and finally arrested the suspect at four o'clock. This is the course of the case written by the minister overnight, please read it."

Director Cai went down to bring up the memorial and handed it to Li Pinghong.Li Pinghong opened his eyes, his eyebrows raised subtly.All the members of the Metropolitan Procuratorate looked at the Holy Master uncertainly, while Feng Huaji stood beside Song Yushi with his chest upright, and the second-rank male lion on his chest patch was full of air.

After reading it, Li Pinghong showed a cheerful expression, "So that's how it is. The commanding officer of the infantry handled the matter properly this time, and acted decisively. He deserves his first credit. As for Cen Zhuo..."

Li Jingchen was in a daze, when he heard Cen Zhu's name, he suddenly raised his head and glanced at the imperial steps, feeling something was wrong, he quickly lowered his head to look at his feet.However, since many courtiers performed the same action at the same time, her special action was not noticeable, and Li Pinghong did not notice it.It's just quite playful: "Although the incident happened because of her, it can be regarded as making up for it by being able to treat the injured in time afterwards."

The Song Yushi was very puzzled, "Your Majesty...?"

Li Pinghong waved his hand and signaled him not to say it again, then turned to Feng Huaji with a smile and said, "Feng Aiqing, please explain the cause and effect of the incident in the Bell and Drum Tower to all Aiqings in public, so that no one will misunderstand that you are hiding it intentionally." , in order to get rid of the crime."

"Observe the order." Feng Huaji said in a loud voice: "This is what happened..."

Time went back to yesterday, when Cen Zhu and Gu Qing returned home from the medical clinic, the more they thought about it, the more they felt that there was something wrong with Lou Manguan's expression, as if he was deliberately hiding something.At this time, she vaguely heard some ordinary people on the road discussing: "I heard that someone died in the Bell and Drum Tower. Everyone gave up their lives just to see Cen Zhuangyuan. Fortunately, we didn't go."

Her heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly stopped to ask, only to learn that the commotion was actually related to her.The cause of the incident was that someone shouted his name in the Bell and Drum Tower, which caused the people to chase after him frantically, which led to the riot.

That's a really big mouthful to buckle down.

Cen Zhu was not willing to take such a big scapegoat, so he hurried back to find Lou Manguan and asked about the details.Lou Manguan was determined to help her suppress this matter, and said very righteously: "Don't worry, Mrs. Cen, you and Mrs. Cen have done us a favor by helping each other out of righteousness. I will never let this matter implicate the two of you." What's more, this matter is not wrong at all? As far as you are concerned, if you let Mr. Cen be convicted just because of other people's curiosity, isn't it too far-fetched?"

"Really? Then dare to ask General Lou, why not? Let this matter implicate my husband and wife?"

Lou Manlun said straightly: "As long as no one is killed in this matter, our infantry command yamen has the right to handle it on its own, won't it? It will alert the Ministry of punishment and the Metropolitan Procuratorate."

"But the Censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate will definitely not? He will let go of this opportunity of impeachment. How will General Lou explain to Lord Feng, the commander of the infantry?"

"This..." After all, Lou Manguan was young and sometimes acted impulsively, but now he felt troubled, "What does Master Cen mean?"

"Do you really believe that one person has such a great charm that thousands of people are chasing after him at the same time?"

Lou Manguan glanced at Cen Zhuo, and raised his eyebrows strangely.

Cen Zhu said with a straight face: "No matter how good-looking a person is walking on the road, ordinary people will at most pay attention to them a couple of times, and have a couple of discussions. They rarely chase after them. Even if they chase, there is rarely such a big movement. Don't I? Thinking that you have reached the level of Pan Song, almost makes people come out in an instant."

"Master Cen, what do you mean, there is a force behind that is fueling the flames?" After all, he wasn't too confused.

"That's right. Have you ever heard of 'price of the first grade, one penny, price of the second grade, [-]% discount, famous actors and actresses, comparable to Zaizhi'?"

"What does this mean?" In the court hall, Feng Huaji's explanation continued: "That is to say, the price of a first-rank official is one penny, and the price of a second-rank official is [-]% off. Sometimes, the market price of some famous actors and prostitutes is higher than that of the prime minister."

"In order to satisfy other people's voyeurism, some people who are not in the elegant hall dig deep into the privacy of famous actresses and resell them to those who do things. Later, it gradually developed to the point where all famous people are voyeuristic. Including some highly respected court officials. Take Song Yushi as an example, if someone wants to know which day Song Yushi will go shopping with his wife and concubines, and which day will go for an outing outside the city, he only needs to spend half a penny. I know Song Yushi's itinerary well. Of course, Song Yushi doesn't need to worry too much about his privacy, because in their list, people like Song Yushi and me are ugly people, even though the price is very high. Low, but very few people care about it.”

"You!!" Song Yushi was very angry.The courtiers all looked at each other.Pan Suiyong, Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites, said in his mouth: "How unreasonable, really unreasonable, it's too unreasonable." Obviously surprised, isn't it?

Li Pinghong let out a sound, and the court quickly fell silent.

Feng Huaji continued: "The price of Cen Zhuangyuan is set very high. Even so, some people still try their best to buy it. On that day, someone resold the news of Cen Zhuangyuan's trip to a small black workshop called 'Fenghuo Transmission'. The boss then sold her information to the public, attracting many interested people to buy. When Cen Zhu appeared on West Street, he didn't know that her whereabouts had already been exposed. That is to say, the people who squeezed into the Bell and Drum Tower Most of the people were people who had bought news about Cen Zhuangyuan. These people were crazy than ordinary people. Once the crowd was agitated, chaos would easily occur. Afterwards, I went to investigate the people who showed up at the Bell and Drum Tower that day. Sure enough, seven out of ten have bought Cen Zhu's news from the "Beacon Relay" in advance."

"And after a late-night investigation by our infantry commander's yamen, there are four or five such small black workshops in the central city. There are more in the remote alleys of the other four cities in the east, west, north, and south. The commander of the yamen has no right to make a ruling on this matter, so I decided to report to the emperor early in the morning and ask the emperor to make a ruling."

"Well done. If it wasn't for Feng Qing's investigation, I wouldn't know that there are such things among the people." Li Pinghong nodded appreciatively.

"I don't dare to take credit for it, so I ask the emperor to forgive me for the crime of 'deliberately' concealing it."

"Hey," Li Pinghong waved his hand, "If you hadn't blocked the news in time and arrested people first, how could these 'well-informed' people be arrested smoothly. It's too late for you to reward me."

Feng Huaji was overjoyed and kowtowed to thank him.

Li Pinghong said again: "Fortunately, this riot only caused injuries to a few civilians, and no loss of life was caused. Otherwise, it would be my fault."

"What is the crime of the father? They are all ignorant people? They are just greedy for money and sex." King Dun immediately relieved.

Li Pinghong: "This incident has given me great vigilance. If this kind of information reselling behavior is not stopped, it may lead to even greater tragedies in the future."

"The emperor is very worried. I am also very puzzled. When I went to search the workshop, I found that the earliest workshop selling information had been open for several years. How come no one in the court has mentioned this matter?"

His words directly pointed the finger at the Metropolitan Procuratorate. The censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate was responsible for rumors. There was such a small black workshop in the capital, but they didn't notice it in advance.Are they really not aware of it beforehand, or are they aware of it but conceal it? Only they know it.

The faces of Song Yushi and others were very ugly.Li Pinghong directly bypassed them, "This matter will be continued by the infantry commander's yamen, and all small workshops that seek personal gain must be inspected, and those who have been sentenced to imprisonment or above will be handed over to the Ministry of Criminal Justice. Discuss the grades of official positions, arrest and punish them together."

"The minister obeys the order."

Li Pinghong then reassured: "If you have done something wrong, you will be punished, and if you have meritorious service, you will be rewarded. The Ministry of Rites will discuss rewards for Feng Huaji, Lou Manguan and others. As for Cen Zhu, let her reinstate her post today. In addition, Mrs. Cen treats the wounded." If he suffers from merit, I will reward him with a five-rank imperial order, and also give him a plaque with a good hand and a benevolent heart."

"Your Majesty, the matter of Cen Zhu's fraudulent political achievements has not yet been investigated, so reinstatement may be inconsistent with the court's traditional rules of selecting talents and appointments." Another censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate stood up to object.

Li Pinghong's face was displeased, and Feng Huaji said when he saw this, "Your Majesty, even though I am a warrior, I know that the rules are made by people, and even the army will give people the opportunity to make a crime and make meritorious deeds. What's more, Cen Zhu's falsification of political achievements has not been proved, so it is not a crime at all." Master Cen is a talented person with outstanding ability, but he was dismissed by the court just because he was suspended due to gossip.

"Feng Qing is right. The matter is decided in this way. If it is found out that Cen Zhu has committed corruption in the future, it will not be too late to be dismissed."

Everyone in the Metropolitan Procuratorate understood that Sacred Heart was no longer approaching them, so they had no choice but to back down.But there was a censor who was angry with the emperor's selfishness and favoritism, and stepped forward and said, "I have something to announce."

"What else is there?" Li Pinghong's tone was impatient.

"I heard that Princess Kangde traveled around the inner city with a nine-dragon umbrella yesterday. The grandeur was comparable to that of the emperor's dowager, and all the people and common people avoided it in horror. But as far as I know, there is no such thing as a nine-dragon umbrella in Princess Kant's brine book. Dare I Ask Master Pan, has Princess Kant obtained permission from the Ministry of Etiquette to travel with the Nine-Dragon Umbrella?"

Hearing this, Li Jingchen glanced at the censor in surprise, and Xun raised his head again, meeting Li Pinghong's angry eyes.Her eyes were wet and misty, and her body trembled twice, almost unable to hold on.

"Sister Huang, are you okay?" Cheng Wang, who was ten or thirteen years old, saw that her forehead was full of sweat, and subconsciously helped her.Li Jingchen only felt cold all over his body, and he forced out a smile in a stylized way.King Dun on the other side saw her losing her composure, and gleefully straightened up.

Pan Suiyong responded calmly: "The Ministry of Rites has not received the imperial edict to add a stew to Princess Kant."

Li Jingchen clenched his fists tightly, suppressing the nausea in his stomach due to discomfort.Stepping out slowly, he knelt under the imperial steps and said, "My minister is guilty. Princess Kant's Nine Dragon Umbrella was given to her by my minister."

There was an uproar at the court.What is the intention of the Crown Princess giving her Nine Dragon Umbrella to Princess Kant?Afraid? He was dissatisfied with Li Pinghong's gift of the Nine-Dragon Umbrella to Dun Wang, and deliberately let his sister hold a Nine-Dragon Umbrella to demonstrate in front of people.I heard that Princess Kant circled twice in front of Dun Wang’s Mansion with a nine-dragon umbrella yesterday, showing off her heart clearly, which must be the hint from the elder sister.

Tan Xuanjing looked at her worriedly, admitting to the matter at this time, isn't it? Was it clearly against the emperor and King Dun?How could she be so confused.

Li Jingxuan knelt down at the bottom of the steps, and there seemed to be whispers from thousands of people in his ears.She regretted not listening to Yun Zai's words, and asked to take sick leave early?If I had known, would she go to court? She would not even be able to take off this resentful hat, so why bother to come here and be humiliated.In fact, no matter how she evades, as long as she is still the crown princess, her body and mind will inevitably be tormented in the oil pan.

I don't know how long it took before a series of footsteps sounded beside her, and someone knelt firmly beside her.

"My minister, Wu Jingchai, played the sage, and Princess Kant's private use of the Nine-Dragon Umbrella was all my idea. I saw King Dun come to the court with a Nine-Dragon Umbrella yesterday. It was very majestic. I have never seen the Queen Mother use a Nine-Dragon Umbrella before. He urged Princess Kant to borrow the guard of honor of the crown princess to play for a few days. But the crown princess refused to borrow it, so the minister stole the guard of honor. Princess Kant didn't dare to fight at first, but she couldn't stand the temptation of the minister's few words, so she started fighting. I really don't know that it is such a serious crime to open the Nine-Dragon Umbrella privately, please forgive me."

"Jingchai, you..." Li Jingchen's body trembled twice, almost fainting, why don't you let him atone for his crime.

"Sister Huang, don't you? You don't have to defend me anymore. One person is responsible for what I do, and I am responsible for what I do."

"Mr. Wu said he stole the Nine-Dragon Umbrella, and the East Palace is heavily guarded. How could you steal the Nine-Dragon Umbrella?" Dun Wang sent someone to stand up to acquit the empress dowager, and he was upset, so he refuted it.

"You don't care how I stole it. My grandfather is Wu Tianji, a master of the rivers and lakes. It's no problem to steal something. No? Letter to me about your mansion, and I will steal your aunt out tonight!"

"you!!!"

Another person stood up and said: "Master Wu just said, no? Hitting the Nine-Dragon Umbrella without knowing it is a serious crime. What you said is not true. Who doesn't know that there are two Nine-Dragon Umbrellas in the book of the Princess of Lingtang Town. Wu Xiaohou Since the Lord wants to play the Nine Dragon Umbrella, why not? Steal it from your own home, but go to the East Palace to steal it, isn’t that? Isn’t it too abnormal?”

"My mother has always been low-key, isn't she? She loves to play these ostentations. She doesn't know where to put the Nine-Dragon Umbrella. She's not like some people who talk about the Nine-Dragon Umbrella when she has nothing to do. Besides, who doesn't ?I know that my mother is very hot-tempered. If she finds out that I stole her Nine-Dragon Umbrella, she will not beat me to death when she comes back. Sister Huang is different. She has a gentle temperament. Even if she knows that I stole her Nine-Dragon Umbrella You can only scold me at most, and you can help me take the blame in court. Comparing the two, who do you think I should steal?"

"This……"

"That's enough, you are so courageous. It's all right to ask the princess to play the Nine-Dragon Umbrella privately, but you dare to make a noise in the court hall." Li Pinghong pretended to be angry, and all the officials were frightened. Wu Jingchai was dragged out and charged with a stick for [-] years. This matter is over. No one is allowed to mention it again. The empress dowager also got up."

"Thank you, Father."

Li Jingzhao gritted his teeth and stared at the apricot-yellow figure resentfully, muttering to himself, "We'll see."

Wu Jingchai's dead pig was carried out of Huafeng's gate without fear of boiling water, and was pressed down on a long bench. After the leader of the palace announced the decree, he said: "Young Master Wu, you have offended me."

Wu Jingchai gritted his teeth and said, "Go ahead, hit whatever you want, as long as you can't kill me, the young master is still a good man!"

The palace man winked at the two palace men holding sticks, and the two raised the mahogany sticks in their hands as thick as childish wrists. Wu Jingchai heard a strong wind from behind, and the muscles on his buttocks tightened instantly. , As a result, the wooden stick fell on the body like a slap on the tarpaulin, only the sound was heard but no pain.He chuckled, lying on the stool peacefully, listening to the whistling wind behind him, enjoying this special butt-hammering service.