The Yuanjing Emperor knew that battles in the imperial court were like cooking a small dish. Only by simmering it over a slow fire could a satisfactory taste be produced.
Win over a group of people, suppress another group of people, and the cycle was gradual. In the process, he needed to give the enemy a chance to retaliate and vent, slowly wearing down the enemy's spirit and fighting spirit.
If he, as the monarch of a country, forcefully convicted Wei Yuan, the result would be a repeat of the situation after Duke Huai's death.
Wasn't that the reason why he used too much firepower when the officials blocked the Meridian Gate?
The subsequent operations and arrangements slowly changed the nature of the Chuzhou Case, perfectly fitting the theory of simmering it over a slow fire.
The Yuanjing Emperor strolled in the palace and looked up at the blue sky. However, that was because he wanted to maintain the balance of fate, so it couldn't be leaked. Now, what he needed to do was shake the fate.
Since the Yan and Kang Empires were so weak, he would do it himself.
That day, even though the outcome of the battle couldn't be determined, there were still different voices in the imperial court. To the capital officials who were good at analyzing the situation in the imperial court, this was a very important signal.
Those who wanted to take a side had to make their choice now.
Those who didn't had to keep their mouths shut and watch the situation unfold.
In the next two days, there were many large and small court meetings. The former members of the Wei Party didn't give in and joined forces with the Royal Faction to argue with Yuan Xiong and Qin Yuandao.
Just like the past few decades, the Yuanjing Emperor held his throne up high and watched the tigers fight.
The most surprising thing was that Wang Shoufu, the old grand secretary who had fought with Wei Yuan for half his life, stood firmly on the side of the former members of the Wei Party with an unbelievable attitude. For the sake of Wei Yuan's reputation and the outcome of the battle, he was already doing his best.
…
In front of a small courtyard in the north of the city.
A luxurious carriage slowly stopped by the street, and a middle-aged man in casual clothes got off the carriage. Surrounded by his entourage, he knocked on the door of the small courtyard.
The person who opened the door was a pretty wife in a cotton dress. When she saw so many men at the door, she jumped in shock and hurriedly closed the door.
The entourage blocked her and scolded, "Don't be rude. Do you know who is standing in front of you?"
His wife was unable to close the door. She retreated in a panic and shouted into the house, "Mother, there's a guest …"
The silver-haired old woman walked out of the house with the help of a walking stick. She looked at the group of uninvited guests warily. "Who are you?"
The old woman had also lived a wealthy life. With just a glance, she could tell that the middle-aged man's identity was unusual from his expensive fabrics, exquisite clothes, and the jade pendant hanging on his waist.
This caused the old lady to be even more vigilant.
The goal of those traitors of the imperial court was very clear, and that was extortion. Although it was hateful, at least they did it openly. Moreover, now that they had nothing but four walls and were living a hard life, those inhumane lackeys didn't even deign to come back.
What did this middle-aged man, who must be of noble status, want?
It was definitely not for the silver.
The middle-aged man stood in the courtyard. There were a few hens crowing in the corner, and the faint smell of chicken droppings in the air made him frown.
"Are you Lu Zhennan's wife?" he asked.
Lu Zhennan was Lord Deer's real name.
The old woman suddenly burst into a loud cry. She threw her walking stick to the ground and sat down. She displayed the typical methods of a shrew. In short, she first cried out her grievances and placed herself on the moral high ground.
The old woman had never been educated and was illiterate. These were all experiences and principles she had gained from living in the marketplace.
However, the middle-aged man's words instantly caused the old woman's crying to stop. She was like an old hen whose neck had been strangled.
"Do you want to reverse Lu Zhennan's verdict?"
The surnamed Lu trafficked people, raped innocent people, and wanted to reverse the verdict? The old woman neither nodded nor refused. She only stared blankly at the middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man smiled and used words that could be understood by the marketplace woman as much as possible.
"The high-ranking official who exiled your son is called Wei Yuan. He was the head of the night watchman's yamen. As for him, he has now died on the battlefield. There were people who wanted to reverse the verdict for those innocent people who had been framed by Wei Yuan. They wanted to prove their innocence and restore justice to the officials.
"As long as you go to the Meridian Gate to sound the drum after lunch and accuse Wei Yuan of accumulating wealth without limit and slandering the innocent people, I can guarantee that your son who was exiled to the border will be able to reunite with you before this year's Spring Sacrifice."
The old woman's eyes suddenly lit up and she was in high spirits.
Then, she became a little afraid and muttered in a low voice, "If I accuse the emperor, I will be flogged."
The laws of Daibun stipulated that those who overstepped their bounds would be flogged fifty times.
If they won, there would be no problems afterwards. If they lost, they would be sentenced to two thousand li or even lose their lives.
At the old woman's age, if she were to be flogged fifty times, not to mention a lawsuit, she would be reunited with the dead old man on the spot and be reincarnated as husband and wife.
The middle-aged man sneered, "Don't worry, we will ensure your safety. If you die, wouldn't our efforts be in vain?"
As he said this, he glanced at the squire beside him.
The squire threw down an ingot of gold and a petition.
The middle-aged man said, "The petition has been written for you. If this matter is done well, not only can your son come back, but you will also get fifty taels of gold as a reward, which is enough for your family to live a life of luxury."
The old woman gritted her teeth and made up her mind, "Thank you, Old Master, for making a decision for me!"
The middle-aged man nodded with satisfaction, "I will teach you the process and method of accusing the emperor now …"
…
On that day, the drum was beating loudly outside the Meridian Gate. An old woman, with her daughter-in-law and little grandson, sounded the drum outside the Meridian Gate, accusing Wei Yuan of accumulating wealth without limit and slandering the innocent people.
The Yuanjing Emperor, who had been idle for twenty-one years, was furious after hearing this and ordered the Imperial Censorate to investigate this matter.
This news quickly spread among the officials in the capital, and the undercurrent of the capital's officialdom was turbulent.
The old woman was immediately taken away by the censor of the Imperial Censorate. She was taken to the interrogation room of the Imperial Censorate, trembling with her head lowered.
Women in the market had a natural fear of the government.
"Is it the Lu Li family?"
Behind the big case, there came the majestic voice of the presiding judge.
"I am." The old woman said with a trembling voice.
"Raise your head." The majestic voice said again.
The old woman slowly raised her head and saw the appearance of the official sitting behind the big case. She was so shocked that she almost cried out. This official was the middle-aged man who had visited her not long ago and taught her how to accuse the emperor.
"I am Yuan Xiong. What grievances do you have, tell me truthfully."
"I, I have written everything I want to say on the petition."
"Not enough. You have to be more detailed. I ask you, and you have to answer. Don't hide anything, understand? "
"Yes …"
"Did your husband, Lu Zhennan, sell people, abduct innocent people, children, and adult men?"
"Absolutely not. My husband is a small businessman in the cloth business. He is a diligent and honest citizen. How could he sell people?"
"Then why did Master Blademaster of the organization insist that Lu Zhennan is the leader of the organization?"
"I don't know. I have never heard of this person. Besides, my husband had already died of illness at that time. They slandered me and bullied the dead."
"Oh, they want to accuse me." Yuan Xiong nodded and asked, "What happened to you after the Lu family was raided?"
"Those night watchmen came to our house every two or three days to make trouble and ask for money."
"Oh, extortion and extortion. What else? "
"They also molested my daughter-in-law."
"Oh, they defiled your daughter-in-law and raped innocent people."
…
Soon, Yuan Xiong entered the palace with the result of the interrogation and reported to the Yuanjing Emperor.
The Yuanjing Emperor immediately summoned all the officials and held a small court meeting in the imperial study.
"Bang!"
The Yuanjing Emperor slammed the table and was furious.
"The night watchmen amassed money without limit and bullied the innocent people. Even after they broke up their families, they were still unwilling to let them go. They beat their bones and sucked their marrow, and defiled their daughters … The disaster of petty officials has been accumulated for a long time. I didn't expect that the night watchmen, who are supposed to supervise the officials, have been so rotten. I am deeply saddened. I am very disappointed in Wei Yuan.
"I treated him as a scholar of the country, but he actually became a traitor."
The Left Imperial Censor Liu Hong stepped out and said anxiously, "Your Majesty, this matter concerns Duke Wei. Such a big case should be investigated by three departments. You can't just listen to Yuan Xiong's words."
He was Wei Yuan's confidant. In this case, he had to avoid arousing suspicion. All the members of the Wei faction had to avoid arousing suspicion. They were excluded by the Yuanjing Emperor and were not allowed to interfere in the case.
The Yuanjing Emperor sneered, "Three departments to investigate. Can you come up with a result? During the Concubine Fu case, you interrogated the Crown Prince. What did you get? It's all a bunch of excuses. "
The officials were speechless for a moment.
Wang Shoufu stepped out and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, this case is very serious. This is against the rules. Please investigate it by three departments."
The Assistant Minister of War, Qin Yuandao, immediately stood out and retorted.
"During the time of the capital inspection, the night watchmen from Jinluo to Tonggong were imprisoned for corruption and bribery. Corruption has existed for a long time. Now that Wei Yuan is dead, this group of corrupt scum has no protection. I believe that this is the best time to thoroughly investigate the night watchmen and get rid of the serious problems. "
The Yuanjing Emperor did not look at him anymore. He stared at Yuan Xiong and said,
"Beloved Yuan, I will now hand over the night watchmen to you. Investigate carefully. You must get rid of the serious problems and give me a clean night watchmen's office."
Yuan Xiong was wild with joy. He did not let his emotions show on his face and said loudly, "Yes!"
…
The officials dispersed. The Minister of War quickly caught up to Wang Shoufu and said in a low voice, "Minister, what should we do now?"
It was obvious that His Majesty wanted to use this opportunity to smear Duke Wei's name. When the various' dark 'aspects of the night watchmen's yamen surfaced, how could Wei Yuan, as the leader of the night watchmen, be clean?
When the time came, he could forget about being a loyal general or a duke.
Wang Shoufu did not answer the question and said, "Have you noticed that there are more and more people who are silent?"
The Minister of War's expression changed.
Wang Shoufu said lightly, "Look after your own people. The tea cools when people leave. This is a principle that has not been broken for thousands of years."
The old man looked back at the Imperial Palace, his face full of exhaustion.
…
Yuan Xiong left the Imperial Palace in a carriage. He did not return to the Imperial Censorate, nor did he go straight to the night watchmen's office.
"The one who is most familiar with the night watchmen is definitely the night watchmen. If we want to get things done quickly, we can't do without that person's help."
Yuan Xiong narrowed his eyes and quietly tapped his knee.
The wheels rattled as he left the Imperial Palace. After an hour of driving in the inner city, he arrived at a mansion.
Zhu Mansion!
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