The next morning, Wu Zetian held a court meeting.
The Supreme Court Official Xu Zexiang was the first to step out and impeach Yang Fan of the Ministry of Justice.
Xu Zexiang's impassioned voice echoed clearly in the Wan Xiang Divine Palace, "… Today's matter is complicated, there are many lies and few facts. I'm afraid there are treacherous officials hiding among them, trying to drive a wedge between the emperor and the officials, or doing illegal things, or manipulating the country for their own personal gain. I am worried for Your Majesty, how can I sit back and watch!
When the ancient prison is completed, the officials will listen, the emperor will pardon them three times, and then the punishment will be carried out. Today, the prison officers are acting arbitrarily, acting on orders. This way, the power is given to me, and it is not prudent. If there is injustice, how will Your Majesty be able to do it? Using a prison official to control life and death, stealing the authority of the emperor, the country's weapon, is not a blessing for the country. Using it lightly will bring disaster to the country.
Minister Yang Fan of the Ministry of Justice pretended to be the will of the people, and looked down on the authority of the Supreme Court, making arbitrary decisions, deciding life and death, guilt or innocence, all in one sentence! As the Supreme Court Official and Your Majesty's trust, I have investigated the prison matter and have heard of it, and dare not not report it. However, the power of review lies with the Ministry of Justice, and I have no choice but to report it to the heavens, begging Your Majesty to make a decision … "
The Supreme Court Official Xu Zeheng, as one of the nine ministers, wrote thousands of words in the golden hall, vehemently stating his views, impeaching the Ministry of Justice. The Supreme Court had finally declared war on the Ministry of Justice!
When the Left Minister Wan Guojun heard what Xu Zeheng had to say, he immediately handed over another book to impeach Yang Fan. He said, "The Minister of Justice, Yang Fan, used the country's weapon to gain a false reputation, arbitrarily judged the case and confused the law. Since the Imperial Envoy is responsible for supervising the officials, I dare not neglect my duty.
Previously, the Supreme Court sentenced the son of the Chang family to death, disregarding the will of the people, so the Imperial Envoy impeached him. Today, Minister Yang Fan overdid the right thing, in order to gain a false reputation, seeking favor from the will of the people, relying on the will of the people, lightly talking about life and death, sentencing the son of the Chang family not guilty, treating the law as child's play, so the Imperial Envoy impeached him. I beg for Your Majesty's judgment to show that our court is careful with the prison! "
The Imperial Messenger Station also declared war on the Ministry of Justice. At the same time, they did not forget to drag in the Supreme Court and declared war on both the Supreme Court and the Ministry of Justice!
As for the Ministry of Justice …
The Clay Bodhisattva, Cui Yuanzong, had suddenly 'fallen ill', so he did not attend the court session. Therefore, no one from the Ministry of Justice was present to listen to the proceedings, so naturally, no one answered.
Empress Wu Zetian listened to the memorials from the Supreme Court and the Office of the Imperial Messengers, but she did not make a decision on the spot. Instead, she said indifferently, "I understand!"
Because no one from the Ministry of Justice was present, they could not refute on the spot, so the two of them could only retreat for the time being.
As soon as the court meeting was adjourned, news of the Three Law Divisions' declaration of war spread like wildfire. In this regard, the officials were happy to see this happen. After all, the Three Law Divisions not only controlled the laws of the people, but they were also restricted by the Three Law Divisions. A mutually balanced and hostile Three Law Divisions was far more popular than a united Three Law Divisions.
At this time, Yang Fan also officially entered the sights of the officials. However, because he wanted to challenge the Supreme Court and the Imperial Messenger Station by himself, and because there was no one in the Ministry of Justice who supported him, the officials were not optimistic about his outcome.
Even though he was Xue Huaiyi's disciple, and it was rumored that he had an ambiguous relationship with Princess Taiping, this was the imperial court. Even Xue Huaiyi could not do as he pleased in the imperial court. Once one entered this circle, one had to abide by the rules of this circle, and no one was an exception.
Just as Wan Guojun returned to the Imperial Messenger Station, Hou Sizhi, Wei Suizhong, Huang Jingrong, Wu Rang, Zhao Jiulong, and the rest of Lai Junchen's main subordinates all rushed over.
Hou Sizhi angrily said, "Deputy Minister Wan! What is the meaning of this? We have made things difficult for the Supreme Court, and now that the Ministry of Justice has agreed with the Imperial Messenger Station, it is a good opportunity for the Imperial Messenger Station to take advantage of our victory, overthrow the Supreme Court, and restore the prestige of the Imperial Messenger Station. Why didn't you discuss it with us, and instead made the decision on your own, treating the Ministry of Justice as your enemy? "
Zhao Jiulong said in a strange tone, "Deputy Minister Lai is temporarily demoted to a place, and the Imperial Messenger Station is temporarily handed over to Brother Guojun. Is this the case? When Deputy Minister Lai left, he repeatedly reminded us that if there is something we must discuss, be careful, and wait for an opportunity so that the Imperial Messenger Station can make a comeback. Deputy Minister Lai's words are still ringing in our ears, and Deputy Minister Wan is already acting on his own? "
Although Wan Guojun was intelligent and ruthless, he was not the kind of leader who had the courage to lead, so he had always been willing to stay behind the scenes, serving as Lai Junchen's military adviser. When Lai Junchen was demoted, although the people under him were ruthless, it was really difficult to find someone who could lead the overall situation. There were no generals in Sichuan, so he could only reluctantly support Wan Guojun. These ruthless officials of the Imperial Messenger Station actually did not accept Wan Guojun in their hearts, so naturally they lacked the respect they should have.
Wan Guojun listened to these two people, one Yin and one Yang, and angrily said, "Under the circumstances at that time, how could I have time to discuss with you? Do you think that old man Xu Zeheng really only wanted to impeach Yang Fan? He said something like 'The ancient prison is complete, the ministers will listen, the Emperor will pardon three times, and then the punishment will be carried out. Today, the prison officials are acting on their own, acting on their own. This way, the power will be given to the officials, and it will not be prudent. If the sharp weapon of the country is given to someone lightly, it will be a disaster for the country. '"
Wan Guojun slammed the desk fiercely and said, "Listen to this! Is this really just impeaching Yang Fan? He is carrying his own goods, intending to use the Imperial Messenger Station! If the Emperor accepts his suggestions, to the Ministry of Justice, it is only the loss of a doctor, what loss is there? But the power of the Imperial Messenger Station to supervise hundreds of officials, judge, and even kill officials below the fifth rank on the spot, will be gone! "
Wei Suizhong did not read much, but he was not stupid. Once he heard Wan Guojun point out Xu Zeheng's hidden meaning, he could not help but say fearfully, "What a treacherous old man, he is killing two birds with one stone!"
Wan Guojun looked at him and said with relief, "Brother Wei is indeed vigilant! But not only that, what is the reason for us impeaching the Supreme Court? The reason is that the Supreme Court's punishment is too heavy, and the Chang family's son should be reduced by one rank. With this momentum and public opinion, as long as this case is handled according to our ideas, among the three departments of justice, the Imperial Messenger Station will be able to suppress them. But how did Yang Fan sentence it? "
Wan Guojun looked around and saw that everyone was at a loss, so he angrily said, "Yang Fan's sentence was not guilty, and he was acquitted! He was acquitted! Do you understand? I have already said it so clearly, do you still not understand? "
The ruthless officials looked at each other and thought for a long time. Huang Jingrong's eyes turned, and he suddenly said in realization, "Ah! I understand now! If the Ministry of Justice follows the opinion of the Supreme Court, then we can sue them as well! If the Ministry of Justice follows the opinion of the Imperial Messenger Station, then we can suppress the Supreme Court, and we can even pull the Ministry of Justice over to our side. But now, Yang Fan seems to be on the side of the Supreme Court, but … but … "
When Wu Rang heard this, he finally understood and said, "But, he's better than us! We asked for Chang Zhiyuan's punishment to be reduced by one rank, but he was acquitted! In this way, the position of host and guest will immediately change. Now, it is not that he follows our opinion, but that the Imperial Messenger Station has become a pawn waving flags and shouting battle cries behind his butt! "
Wan Guojun said, "That's right! In this way, if he succeeds in this case, the person who will rise to fame will be him, and the number one expert among the three departments of justice will be the Ministry of Justice. Then, wouldn't our Imperial Messenger Station be making a wedding dress for him? "
Hou Sizhi suddenly understood, and slapped his forehead. "So that's how it is! I remember back then, when I was selling pancakes on the streets of Chang 'an, there were some peddlers from the east market who wanted to take over our territory in Xi' an. I contacted many of the peddlers in Xi 'an to prepare for a fight. This was originally started by me, Hou Sizhi, but there was a melon seller, Zhao Da, who was even more ruthless than me.
I thought that we would form a group to push away the non-locals. However, he directly led everyone to fight and beat away the vendors in the East Market. In this way, he became the tyrant of Xi 'an, and the busiest area in Xi' an was also up to him. I stood up for him and helped him achieve his goal! Heh! Now, what this Yang Fan is doing is no different from Zhao Da! "
When the Imperial Messengers heard him talk about the days when he sold pancakes on the streets and fought for territory, they couldn't help but have a strange look on their faces. Wan Guojun coughed dryly and said, "Brother Hou's words are crude, but they are not crude. That's why I didn't have time to discuss with my brothers, so I acted on my own and sued the Ministry of Justice and Supreme Court! "
Zhao Jiulong frowned and said, "Now that the Supreme Court's Master has given a severe sentence, and the Imperial Messengers Station is in favor of a light sentence, the Ministry of Justice has decided to acquit him. What should we do now? Our situation … seems to be a little awkward! "
Wan Guojun pointed to the ground and said, "I followed Xu Zeheng to impeach him, which was originally an act of mending the pen after the sheep is lost. Now that the Ministry of Justice is biding their time, the Supreme Court is impeaching the Ministry of Justice, and the Imperial Messengers Station is reiterating the mistakes of the Ministry of Justice and Supreme Court. What happens next will depend on the will of the Sage! "
Hou Sizhi said unwillingly, "Are we just going to sit here and wait?"
Wan Guojun said, "That's not true! Brother Jiulong, Brother Suizhong, the two of you immediately mobilize the Imperial Messengers to impeach Yang Fan. Just say that when he was handling this case, he accepted a lot of bribes! "
Wei Suizhong looked at him and said, "He is biased towards the Chang family. The Chang family are just commoners. In terms of bribery, can the Chang family compete with Officer Pan? How can the Emperor believe this reason? "
Wan Guojun stroked his beard and said with a smile, "The Chang family naturally doesn't have much money, but this matter involves the Minister Counsellor of the Ministry of Appointments, and this Minister Counsellor is a disciple of King Wu Chengsi of Wei. King Wu Chengsi of Wei and King Wu Sansi of Liang are sworn enemies. King Liang wants to deal with King Wei, so will he let go of this opportunity to bring down Officer Pan? The Chang family doesn't have money, so won't King Liang pay for him … "
A vicious glint flashed across Huang Jingrong's eyes. She clapped her hands and said, "That's right! Drag the Ministry of Appointments into this, drag King Wei and King Liang into it as well, and make the water a little more muddy. The muddier the water, the easier it is to fish! "
Zhao Jiulong chuckled and said, "Brilliant! What a brilliant plan! Since we have the privilege of hearing about this, how can we not make use of it … "
…
In the Hall of Martial Accomplishment, Wu Zetian handed Li Zhaode the memorials accusing Yang Fan of using the Chang family's son to kill Pan Junyi. She smiled and asked, "What does the prime minister think?"
Li Zhaode accepted the stack of memorials and scanned the topic of the impeachment. He snorted and said, "Everyone knows about Yang Fan's epidemic prevention. The six offices of the capital and all the civil and military officials are watching the excitement of the three departments of law. This time, the three departments of law are actually fighting each other … "
Li Zhaode closed the memorials and handed them back to Eunuch Hai. He said calmly, "This brat has succeeded, so he can't help but be arrogant!"
Wu Zetian smiled and said, "Yang Fan is young, and he comes from a military background. Naturally, he can't compare to Minister Li's maturity and prudence! Haha, youngsters are always more aggressive. "
Li Zhaode frowned slightly and said, "Right now, the Supreme Court is accusing the Ministry of Justice, and the Imperial Messenger Bureau is accusing the Supreme Court and the Ministry of Justice. As for the Ministry of Justice, Cui Yuanzong is in hiding, leaving the Left and Right Officials to fight among themselves and outsiders. Right now, the imperial messengers are accusing Yang Fan of accepting bribes, implying that the Ministry of Appointments and the two princes are involved. With the court in such a mess, isn't Your Majesty worried? "
She stood up and put her hand on Shanghai Wan 'er's arm. She said leisurely, "After the thunder, the insects will wake up. In the chaos, there will be vitality. Haha … I have never been afraid of chaos, but I am afraid that it will not be chaotic!"
Wu Zetian walked out and said to Li Zhaode, who was bowing to see her off, "Let the Political Affairs Hall pass down the order. Tell them … the three departments to jointly investigate!"
Shanghai Wan 'er supported Wu Zetian. She was as slender as a willow and frowned. She couldn't help but feel resentful, "That little enemy, I told him long ago not to provoke the Wu family. Why did he turn a deaf ear when he left my side …"
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