Survival countdown

Huo Jingtang was sure that King Kang would be loyal to Emperor Yuanshou and the imperial court, but he was soft-hearted. He would neither let the things planned by the East Palace and Zheng Guogong's mansion succeed, but he also couldn't bear the case to be magnified, so that in the end it was bloody and bloody. Turn around.

For example, in the case of the Huainan case, after Emperor Yuanshou knew the truth, although he would vent his anger on Sima and Zheng Chuzhi, at least Prince Jing was at the front to share most of the fire. Emperor Yuanshou will completely lose control.

The emperor is out of control, isn't it a million corpses?

It is feared that both the Queen and the East Palace will be beheaded by the furious Emperor Yuanshou, and the other sects will have no way to escape.

The Great Prison created by King Qin half a year ago is actually nothing in the reign of the previous emperors. After all, everything is under the control of Emperor Yuanshou. Injustice can't go anywhere.

But once the irrational emperor raises the butcher's knife, he will disown his relatives, bring disaster to the world, and bleed thousands of miles. At that time, he will come out to dissuade him, and he might be ransacked and beheaded by the red-eyed Emperor Yuanshou.

King Kang is not alarmist, it is precisely because he knows his fifth elder brother so well that he dares to be so sure. Regardless of how much Emperor Yuanshou usually shows that he values ​​Tianlun Xule, in fact, when he counts his sons, he is relentless and ruthless in nature.

"Prepare the carriage and court clothes, the king wants to see the driver."

***

In the early morning of the next day, all the officials stood with their heads down, reporting the affairs of the court as usual, nothing unusual.

The hour of the hour is approaching, the eunuch glanced at the time and stepped forward, whispering in Emperor Yuanshou's ear.

Emperor Yuanshou kept turning the finger on his left thumb, his eyes patrolling the various officials in the Chuigong Palace, his face was as usual, even the eunuch who had served for many years could not tell how he was feeling at the moment.

"Zheng Chuzhi." Emperor Yuan Shou said suddenly.

Zheng Chuzhi's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately stepped out: "The minister is here."

Emperor Yuanshou: "Well...how is the case in Huainan?"

Zheng Chuzhi swallowed, and from the corner of his eye, he glanced at the figures of the East Palace and the fifth prince in front of him, standing upright and standing still, so he quickly withdrew his gaze and convinced himself over and over in his heart that nothing would happen, except for the East Palace, the Duke's Mansion, and Prince Jing. Knowing the whole truth of the case, none of the three parties could seek their own death.

"Returning to the Holy Lord, I have found out the truth of the Huainan case. Four years ago, the Huainan appeasement envoy Sun Yingyi killed the Jiangnan imperial merchant Huang's family and seized the treasure..."

When Zheng Chuzhi was in the mansion, he wove the words of the case statement over and over again, and dared to speak out before the imperial court only after he was sure it was safe. The truth of the case he told was not much different from the real situation, but he concealed some of the details.

For example, Sun Chengyi killed people and seized treasures, concealing that the seized treasures were ten thousand years of blood amber.

Another example is An Huaide's embezzlement of river governance silver and looting of disaster relief money. The former hides the five princes' instructions, and the latter hides the real use of the disaster relief money—"The minister interrogated An Huaide's subordinates and his confidant Sun Yicai successively." Knowing that An Huaide is the former subordinate of King Jing, he made a false appearance of obedience to confuse the prince, but the prince knows people and uses them well, and recommends them many times. Not only is An Huaide not grateful for the promotion of the prince, but he is using the prestige of the East Palace to commit crimes in Huainan. It is really heinous , the crime cannot be punished."

The crown prince responded to Zheng Chuzhi's report, and immediately went out and knelt down: "Father, my son closed his eyes and listened, and he couldn't see An Huaide's wolf treasonous heart. Too eager for quick success, wanting to recruit more virtuous ministers and officials for the emperor, praised and recommended An Huaide many times, but the subordinates acted according to the attitude of the son, no one dared to play An Huaide in front of the son, and made An Huaide Huaide was arrogant and arrogant, ignored the majesty of the court, and killed the court officials wantonly... This is the fault of the son and minister, and I ask the father to punish the son and minister for negligence of duty."

The fifth prince hurriedly came out: "Father, it's none of the Crown Prince's business. It's my son who strongly recommended An Huaide and made sure that this person has the talent for managing the country. That's why the prince promoted An Huaide many times. He must be punished and punished. Come and bear it, and never dare to have another word!"

The prince scolded: "What are you doing here? It's none of your business!"

The fifth prince turned a deaf ear and knelt on the spot stubbornly: "Father, my son and minister are not very capable. They don't like to read the Four Books and Five Classics, and they don't understand any major principles. Only the sentence 'Filial piety is the foundation of one's life' is deeply understood and engraved in his heart. The minister knew that loyalty, propriety, righteousness, integrity and shame could not be cultivated to the extreme, so he devoted himself to cultivating the word filial piety, the first of the eight virtues. It cannot be said that the "filial piety" has been cultivated to the point of praise by others, but he dared to boast that the prince monopolizes the crimes committed by the minister. The fault is that because of the 'filial piety' cultivated by the son-in-law, he compared his chest to his belly and reciprocated."

Every word and every sentence hits the ground.

When the court officials heard the words, they felt a lot of emotion in their hearts. They all said that the Tian family had no father, son, or brothers, but the brotherhood between the current crown prince and the fifth prince is moving.

Not all the court officials were feeling the brotherhood between the prince and the fifth prince, at least Chen Shidao, who looked down on the surface, scoffed in his heart.

Yao and Shun did not dare to boast of being filial and fraternal, but he was the first to boast.

Before His Majesty opened his mouth, the two of them appeared on stage first, didn't they just want to impress Emperor Yuanshou with their acts of filial piety?

"It's not time for you to come out and admit your mistakes." Emperor Yuan Shou leaned on the dragon chair with his elbow, and pressed the jade ring finger of his left hand, with a cold expression: "If you like to kneel, kneel first."

"—!"

The hearts of the prince and others sank, and Emperor Yuanshou's no longer expected attitude made them lose their confidence in controlling the situation.No matter how much Emperor Yuan Shou hated King Jing, he shouldn't have angered the two of them, and even said in front of the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty, 'It's not time to admit mistakes'——

What do you mean?

Could it be that Emperor Yuanshou knew something in advance?

Emperor Yuan Shou looked directly at Zheng Chuzhi: "Is the performance over?"

Zheng Chuzhi's scalp was numb and his heart was beating violently. He didn't dare to look back at Emperor Yuanshou's eyes that seemed to penetrate people's hearts. He resisted his fear and responded: "I... I'm finished playing."

Emperor Yuanshou asked the jurors again: "Shaoqing of Dali Temple and Minister of the Ministry of Punishment, do you have anything to say?"

Now that I have no brains, I know that there is a problem. The two court officials came out and replied boldly: "Your Majesty, I only cooperate with Mr. Zheng to interrogate the prison. The whole case is... and Mr. Zheng is fully responsible. Don't dare to presume."

Emperor Yuanshou was silent, the hall was as silent as cicadas, and the backs of the relevant people were already seeping layers of cold sweat.

Emperor Yuanshou: "Someone informed me that there are many rebellious parties in the countryside in Huainan. They often walk in groups in the mountains and fields, accompanied by slogans, equipped with armor, sabers, and guns. Their intentions are wrong."

Zheng Chuzhi was so frightened that he knelt down on the ground, his forehead touched the cold ground, ignoring the pain, his mind was running fast: "I, I don't know..."

"Prince, Xiaowu, do you know?"

The two were so frightened that their hands and feet were cold, and they tried their best to calm down: "My son, I don't know."

They are all thinking at the moment, who is the whistleblower?Who else knows about An Huaide stationing troops in Huainan?

Zhao Baiyu?

—No, he couldn't possibly know!

... He really doesn't know?

If it wasn't for the holy driver, Zheng Chuzhi would have scratched his head and scratched his head in pain, so how could he be able to go through twists and turns and drive people crazy?So what is so sacred about Zhao Baiyu?Is he scheming behind his back?If not him, who was the informer?How much does the other party know?

The same question flashed through the heads of the crown prince and fifth prince, but no one told them the answer.

Emperor Yuanshou said again: "Sima Jiao has been stealing nearly [-]% of Huainan's tax revenue these years, and secretly colluded with An Huaide to raise troops in Huainan. Is there such a thing?"

The crown prince kowtowed several times and shouted: "Although my son and his family don't move around frequently, the Sima family's noble name is well known to everyone. Sima's family style is generous and respectful. It is also well known to every family. The queen mother Bing Dewen Gong and Shushen are virtuous and virtuous, setting an example for the world's wives. For more than [-] years, they have never made mistakes and made mistakes. It is not because of the subtle influence of family tradition that they cannot have this kind of character. Sima Jiao has been released from Beijing for decades. Although I don't know him well, I believe in Sima The family style is strict, and there may be misunderstandings...the father said that there was an informant, and the son dared to ask who it was? Is there any certified physical evidence? How to prove that the certified physical evidence is not forged?"

Emperor Yuanshou: "You want evidence?"

The crown prince buried his head even lower: "According to the report, it is judged that it is the first place in prison. The law is like this, and the ministers will act according to the law."

Emperor Yuanshou asked the others: "You also want evidence?"

No one dared to speak, but Zheng Chuzhi came back to his senses and said under pressure: "Your Majesty, there is no evidence to continue the case, and I still ask for evidence so that I can be convinced."

Emperor Yuanshou: "Where is King Kang?"

As soon as the words fell, Kang Wang ran in sweating profusely: "I have seen Your Majesty, but I am late, I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."

Emperor Yuanshou: "No nonsense and hypocrisy will be avoided. Let me ask you, is there any proof that Sima Jiao embezzled Huainan's taxes privately and secretly stationed troops with An Huaide?"

King Kang: "Return to Your Majesty, the former magistrate of Jiangyang County Lu Liangshi admitted after interrogation that he used natural disasters and man-made disasters to resell women from good families, and sent good-looking women to various post-office houses. Among them was Sima Jiao, the capital of Huainan..."

The cause of the incident was explained one by one, and the clear and loud voice of King Kang was all in the hall.

The prince knelt motionless, the fifth prince suddenly turned his head, eyes full of disbelief, Zheng Chuzhi clenched his teeth, his cheeks tensed, his muscles trembling, and he stared at the ground.

Emperor Yuanshou: "Everyone, have you heard that?"

The officials are like quails, with their heads buried deep in their chests.

Emperor Yuanshou asked the prince and Zheng Chuzhi again: "What do you have to say?"

Zheng Chuzhi gritted his teeth and shirked his responsibility, shouting loudly: "I am incompetent! I am embarrassed to be responsible. You actually asked An Huaide and Sima Jiao, a rebellious minister and thief with ulterior motives, to hide such a serious crime, and they are still complacent and boastful in front of the imperial court. This minister is really ignorant and incompetent." , no virtue and no talent!"

The crown prince kowtowed, and then said: "Father, it is not my son who is playing for selfishness, but with Lu Liangshi's words alone, it is difficult to convince the public. How do you know that he has resentment in his heart, and just before he died, he stalked and bit others indiscriminately?"

Emperor Yuanshou smiled back angrily: "Okay, good question, as long as you have this inquiring persistence about the court affairs and the people, and this persistence in pursuing justice, I don't have to bother - tenth brother, what's the matter?" Guan Chujun and Zhonggong, if there is no solid evidence, I will punish you for spreading rumors and making troubles, copying and beheading the whole family!"

"I don't dare to tell half a lie!" King Kang swears, "Last night, An Huaide suddenly figured out that he summoned the jailer to deliver a message. He said that he was willing to redeem his merits before he died, so that his wife and children would not be implicated. , the younger brother is one of the jurors, and happened to be in the prison of the Ministry of Criminal Justice last night, so he decided to interrogate An Huaide until dawn. Since the matter is serious, he rushed to meet His Majesty without washing his face. A lie?"

After he finished speaking, he handed over the freshly released evidence, and the eunuch showed the evidence to Emperor Yuanshou.

After reading it, Emperor Yuanshou threw the evidence in front of the prince: "My prince, my good son, let's see what a wolf-hearted uncle is!"

The prince quickly grabbed the evidence and read it, his eyes were suddenly lit with dark fire, why did An Huaide suddenly betray them?Isn't he loyal to the eighth uncle?Or did An Huaide and Uncle Ba play a trick on them? !

And why is Uncle Ten, who is usually silent and like a waste, not a playboy?Who informed him?Why did he think of Lu Liangshi?An Huaide also told him?

This trick is a drastic move, and they are driven into the trap like ducks to catch them all!

Eighth Uncle and An Huaide are good at tricks, and Tenth Uncle is pretending to be a pig and eating a tiger. Who would have expected him to come out suddenly and beat them dizzy!

etc--

Didn't the father expect the sudden change at the moment?

Does Uncle Ten have nothing to do with his father?

Recalling that King Qin was abolished, Emperor Yuanshou also seemed to know for the first time that he stayed out of the matter. Afterwards, many new officials from the three provinces, six ministries, nine temples and five prisons filled the vacancies. Any one of Zaizhi's students.

The prince knew that this kind of person was only loyal to the emperor.

After thinking so deeply, the prince realized that he couldn't help feeling cold all over his body.

In the blink of an eye, it was the fifth prince who reacted quickly and said first: "Sima Jiao made a mistake to embezzle taxes privately, and made a mistake to garrison troops. Because he is the uncle of the country, he is the relative of the queen and the prince, so he makes troubles outside, rampantly makes troubles, and is arrogant." His heart swelled, he didn't care about His Majesty's kindness, and he didn't care about the trust of the Queen and the Prince. He acted lawlessly and rebelliously, even if he ransacked his family and wiped out his family! How innocent is the empress who set an example for her wife, and the prince who fulfilled her duties in her position? My ministers knew that the prince valued filial piety, and couldn't bear the queen's overthinking of his relatives, so he repeatedly spoke for the sinner Sima Jiao...Father, my son begged his father Mingjian, Sima Jiao's fault has nothing to do with the crown prince."

Zhao Boyong in the front row sighed silently when he heard the words, Emperor Yuanshou was clearly in a rage, and the fifth prince should not have come out at this time if he wanted to intercede.

Lu Zhiyuan hesitated for a moment, and had no choice but to bite the bullet and walk out: "Your Majesty, I think what His Royal Highness said is not unreasonable. Regardless of Sima's family style, he said that the Queen has never made a mistake in her actions for many years, and she is cautious in her words and deeds. The crown prince is the crown prince of a country, so don't you know that it is a heinous crime to set up troops without permission? What's more, An Huaide's true allegiance is King Jing. If Sima Jiao has a little consideration for the queen and the prince, he will not seek the people's anointing to support An Huaide's army! , I believe that Sima Jiao's crimes are all his own, and have nothing to do with the Queen and the East Palace."

As soon as Lu Zhiyuan spoke, courtiers came out to express their opinions one after another, the content was nothing more than to get rid of the relationship between Donggong and Sima Jiao.

Emperor Yuanshou's expression turned frosty, and he laughed suddenly: "I didn't say a word to blame the queen and the East Palace, but the Zhuqing family was eager to clear the relationship for the prince first, and sometimes I even doubted who is your king and who is you. Your minister?"

As soon as these words came out, like thunder fell to the ground, the court officials fell to their knees in unison, covered in cold sweat, and did not dare to intercede again.

Emperor Yuanshou: "Zheng Chuzhi, I will give you another chance to find out the truth of the Huainan case. All people related to this case, whether they are princes and grandsons, three princes and nine ministers, local officials, traffickers and pawns, will be arrested." Get up and interrogate, be serious and strict, and never let go of any rebellious officials and thieves who are trying to usurp the throne! If someone tells you something and tells you something you haven't found out, it's not as simple as the black hat falling down, but to be careful of your head !"

Zheng Chuzhi was so frightened that he trembled all over: "My minister... this humble minister accepts the decree!"

Emperor Yuanshou: "King Kang, you go to Yangzhou to interrogate King Jing and his family members. As soon as the list of people who have relations with them in the capital government comes out, and if they involve Huainan officialdom, you will arrest them!"

"Prince, fifth son, since you insist on your innocence, you are not afraid of the fire, so stay in the mansion and don't go out."

The words are not too extreme, it also means to be banned.

The prince and the fifth prince looked downcast and did not dare to speak more.

Lu Zhiyuan still wanted to speak, but met Emperor Yuanshou's cold gaze: "Anyone who begs again will be treated as an accomplice!"

The court officials immediately shut their mouths tightly, and everyone was in danger.

Emperor Yuanshou: "Retire!"

***

The crown prince and fifth prince caught up with King Kang, and Zheng Chuzhi and others followed behind.

"Uncle Ten, can you tell Gu, who is the informer?" The sky was pierced right now, the prince was too lazy to talk nonsense, and asked straight to the point.

"If you want people not to know, you have to do nothing." King Kang shook his head: "As a subject, I cannot tell you the inside story of the case. As your tenth uncle, I advise you not to act rashly. You can't fight Prince Jing, so don't meddle in conspiracy with tigers." stupid thing, you will be eaten to your bones by him."

The words have come to this point, supporting the prince's conjecture.

"Sure enough, it was the Eighth Uncle. He didn't think about saving Huainan... but took advantage of this opportunity to shake the court and defeat me, the prince, which is more cost-effective than any deal."

It's ridiculous that he can't see clearly the viciousness of King Jing's heart.

Such a sentence has already exposed the activities of the prince and others with Prince Jing. Kang Wang was extremely disappointed, but his expression was calm: "Prince, be careful."

The prince was shocked, and quickly asked: "Uncle Ten, does Emperor Father know that Gu and Eighth Uncle—"

"I don't know! The only person who colludes with King Jing is Sima Jiao. Don't be confused, Prince."

The prince's lips moved twice, and he looked deeply at King Kang: "Thank you to Uncle Ten."

Kang Wang didn't answer, turned around and left.

Zheng Chuzhi didn't pay attention when he walked down the steps, and fell to the ground directly, his head was covered with blood.

Others exclaimed, but no one dared to help him up. Zheng Chuzhi struggled to get up, staggering to talk to his colleagues.The colleague was so frightened that he waved his hands again and again to prove his innocence, saying that he has nothing to do with King Jing, Sima Jiao and Donggong.Zheng Chuzhi was stunned, unable to utter a sound, and walked unsteadily on the palace road, his mind full of despair that the sky was falling.

Emperor Yuanshou was furious. The naked eye could see that the battle this time was more serious than the last Jiangnan scientific expedition. I'm afraid it could not be described as bloody.

The person who presided over the prison last time was the old minister Zhao Boyong. He found out what Emperor Yuanshou was thinking, and he only exterminated some of the clans in Zheng Guogong’s mansion, but left some capital for them to fight against the Prince’s clan. In fact, there was no anger. unjust case.

Looking back at the present, Emperor Yuanshou was so angry that he said harsh words, such as "severe and strict", "seeking to usurp the throne" and "rebellious ministers and thieves" and other hats.

From the looks of it, it seems that the Prince's Clan is unlucky, and Zheng Guogong's mansion is profiting. After knowing what happened, the East Palace will not target them at Zheng Guogong's mansion?

His Majesty found out that the Huainan soldiers who had tried everything possible to cover up, Prince Jing surfaced, and the dilemma was completely revealed. How should he deal with it?

***

Sima Jiao in the prison knew that the plan had been revealed, his psychological defenses were broken, and he was tortured mercilessly. He randomly pointed out the court officials who had given gifts to him, or had letters to him, and listed a long list.

Zheng Chuzhi had no choice but to take the forbidden army to surround the court officials on the list, and Emperor Yuanshou personally sent two guards to escort him across the house to search his house, one of which was Zhao Changfeng.

At this time, it was the home of the Zhongshusheren who was raided, and the Zhongshusheren rushed over and grabbed Zheng Chuzhi's clothes and shouted for injustice, but after a while, someone escorted his wife out of the flower hall. The woman trembled all over, but suddenly Breaking free from the shackles, he rushed to the courtyard pillars and met his death.

Knowing the moment when Jiefa's wife died, Zhongshusheren pointed at Zheng Chuzhi and scolded: "Master Zheng! Your Excellency! Are you happy to climb up while eating the flesh and blood of your colleagues?! You dog official! You are cruel and unscrupulous, how do you know that I am not the you of tomorrow! Zheng Chuzhi, have you seen it? Your colleagues, those who were imprisoned by you and died in vain are waiting for you under the Lord Yama—”

Zheng Chuzhi killed people like hemp on the battlefield, but now his hands and feet are still cold, and there is a kind of sadness of a rabbit dying of a fox.

Turning his back, Zheng Chuzhi said in a low voice, "Take me to the prison."

After saying that, he was about to leave, but Zhao Changfeng stopped him: "My lord, it's time to go to the next house."

Zheng Chuzhi suddenly turned pale.

***

The prison of the Ministry of Punishment couldn't hold all the prisoners, so the prison of Dali Temple was opened, and the screams of criminals being tortured were heard every day, and the same bloody storm was staged in Huainan official circles.

The so-called "beating into tricks" does not only belong to the ordinary people who have no power and power. For the implicated court officials in the prison, the ordinary people at least have the idea of ​​upright officials making decisions for them and the life-saving method of suing imperial courts, but they do not.

No matter how bright the mirror hangs high in the sky, he dare not confront the emperor, and the only way to sue the imperial court is blocked, because it is the emperor who can restore the people's innocence to raise this big prison!

Who can save the innocent?

Who can settle the big prison?

The blood is still wet on the steps of the court, and thousands of wronged souls have nowhere to complain.

"It's wrong—!"

The cry of grievances was ear-piercing, and it was blocked in the prison of the Ministry of Criminal Justice, and could not reach the ears of the emperor.Rao Zheng Chuzhi, whose hands were bloody, saw the process of extorting a confession by torture. After returning home, he also had nightmares and suffered a serious illness, but this time he did not get a holiday. Emperor Yuanshou generously allocated imperial physicians, money and medicinal materials. .

Zheng Chuzhi wandered into the restaurant alone, and asked for a plate of peanuts and a jug of wine. He was deeply aware of the vagaries of the sensual world, and thought that the frontiers were precarious against the enemy.

People at the frontiers at least shroud their bodies in horse leather, and die in a proper place, but in front of the emperor, if they are not careful, their heads will fall to the ground, and they will not be able to utter a word of injustice in front of the Hall of Yama.

"At this time, the little imperial envoy spit out pearls in the courtroom, reprimanding the Huainan officials and guards, every word and every word is deafening!"

Little imperial envoy?

...It's Zhao Baiyu.

Zheng Chuzhi laughed at himself: "He's still smart, he doesn't get involved in troubles, he was the one who broke Huainan's officialdom, but in the end he was the only one who didn't get involved. Great wisdom and stupidity, this is great wisdom and foolishness. Others think that Zhao Baiyu's retreat means he lost However, they don’t know that he is the closest to retreating, he is already far ahead, leaving others behind!”

"He guessed the current situation early on..."

Zheng Chuzhi paused suddenly, who is the informer?

If it was Zhao Baiyu, it meant that he knew more about the case than he imagined.

Zheng Chuzhi couldn't help thinking back over and over again what Zhao Baiyu had said and everything he had done, like an old cow chewing its cud, suddenly the Lingtai was clear, and remembered a sentence that Zhao Baiyu dragged the messenger: "He said, 'The door of the county prince's mansion is always open. , waiting at any time'... Could it be that you have already guessed today's situation, implying that I came to ask for help?"

"Is he really so godlike?" Zheng Chuzhi hesitated again and again, stomping his feet and gritted his teeth: "Forget it, saving a life is better than building a seven-level pagoda. The sixth prince will return to Beijing in a few days. I can't offend too many officials in the capital, let alone provoke the East Palace to go crazy." The counterattack. My Zheng family's children are all on the front line, if they offend the court officials, they will do something in the rear, enough to kill my Zheng family."

After thinking deeply, Zheng Chuzhi got up and headed towards the Prince's Mansion of Lin'an County.

When they reached the door, Zheng Chuzhi lingered for a while, then knocked again.

"Who is visiting?"

"Please send a message, Zheng Chuzhi is asking to see Mr. Zhao."