In the golden hall, Zhengde had the Emperor sit on the dragon chair, his heart beating fast. Shouldn't the Chen food market be executed by now? Thinking of this, Zhengde couldn't help but feel a burst of irritation.
The young Emperor was young and did not have the heart of an emperor. He simply could not accept Yang Ling's betrayal from an emotional point of view. When he heard that Yang Ling was involved in this matter and covered up the news of his most respected father's tomb, Zhengde wanted to personally kill this official that he had once trusted wholeheartedly.
However, hatred was one thing. He thought of how he had always been alone as the Crown Prince and Emperor, until Yang Ling appeared. This person's eyes did not have the usual respect and flattery on other people's faces, but he truly cared for him. He had always seen Yang Ling as a friend, but his only friend had betrayed him. Zhengde thought of this and couldn't help but sigh.
The Imperial Censor Lu Zhongkun saw that the Emperor was not listening to him seriously and couldn't help but raise his voice. "Your Majesty."
"Ah? What? " Zhengde was startled and looked away from the empty space. He looked with some surprise at this Imperial Censor who had been talking for half a day and still didn't know what to say.
Lu Zhongkun suppressed his anger and said, "Today, the Former Emperor is in mourning. At the beginning of Your Majesty's era, you liked to play and indulge in pleasure. You often arrived late in the morning and late in the afternoon until late in the evening. Your daily life was unpredictable and you did not eat and sleep properly. This caused your mind to be exhausted and hindered political affairs. This is not the conduct of a wise ruler. I heard that last night there was heavy rain and thunder, shattering the Fengtian Hall's owl and the Imperial Temple's ridge beasts. More than a hundred trees in the capital were broken. This is a disaster and we must be vigilant. "
Zhengde lightly said, "I know. I have already asked the Observing Sky Officials to calculate good or bad luck."
Lu Zhongkun sighed and said, "Your Majesty, according to the old custom, whenever there is a great change in heaven and earth, the Emperor should reduce food and entertainment and issue an edict to reflect. Your Majesty should order the civil and military officials to advise and point out the evils of the times. "
Emperor Zhengde raised his eyebrows, a burst of anger surged up in his heart: "This is really preposterous, the wind and heavy rain broke several trees, the thunder and lightning shattered several stone beasts on the eaves of the palace hall, yet you still want to take a roundabout way to blame it on Zhen? What do you mean by this is not the conduct of a wise ruler? Am I a fatuous ruler? "
However, as an imperial censor, he was not guilty of speaking. Even his father, the model emperor Hongzhi, had once been criticized by the imperial censor in an extremely unbearable manner. Zheng De suppressed his anger and said, "Then issue an edict, order the officials to remonstrate!"
Zheng De coughed and said, "Dear ministers, the traitor who deceived the Emperor's mausoleum has been escorted to the execution ground to be executed, the late Emperor must move the mausoleum. Some of the materials can be dismantled and transported from the old site. In this way, the cost of rebuilding the new mausoleum is estimated to be about three million taels of silver. We want to slightly increase taxes.
"He really came!" The three scholars couldn't help but exchange glances. Yesterday, after Zhengde dismissed the afternoon court, Xu Guan entered the palace to report the confession of the criminals. In his extreme anger, Emperor Zhengde flipped over the imperial table and shouted that he wanted to immediately execute this group of rebellious officials and traitors. When the three Grand Scholars heard the news, they knew that the relocation of the late Emperor's mausoleum was a foregone conclusion. But where would they find the money?
Others didn't know that well. Didn't they know how tight Ming Destiny's finances had been these years because of the continuous natural disasters? As for Wang Qiong, Xu Guan, Hong Zhong and the others, because they were protecting Ming Destiny's country, their power and official positions were bound to rise a level. Directly threatening their positions was secondary.
Without a choice, Li Dongyang braced himself and said, "Your Majesty, the imperial court earns four million taels a year, barely enough to cover the expenses. The Former Emperor's mausoleum has already used up three-quarters of it, and the Ministry of Revenue has already exhausted all of its accumulated wealth. If the imperial mausoleum is moved, the taxes will inevitably increase. The common people can't bear it. "
Hearing this, Zhengde said angrily, "Ming Destiny has hundreds of millions of people, each person will have to be taxed by one cent. Why do you have to make it sound so frightening?"
Li Dongyang quickly said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. Your Majesty doesn't know that natural disasters have been frequent in recent years. Henan and Hebei have been flooded, Gansu and Shaanxi have been drained without rain. Even the price of rice in Jiangnan has become extremely expensive. This has caused bandits to run amok everywhere. Fortunately, the Former Emperor was kind, supporting the people with low taxes and loving the people, so the people were barely able to overcome the difficulties. But the people in the poor areas are already barely getting by with one meal a day. If taxes are increased, I'm afraid it will cause a revolt. "
Li Dongyang was afraid that Zhengde would not listen to his advice and was so anxious that he was sweating profusely. If it wasn't for the fact that Ming Destiny had not yet heard of the fable of 'the straw that broke the camel', he would have also learned from Jiao Fang and admonished in a roundabout way.
Xie Qian immediately reported, "Your Majesty, now that the Miao Yi people are constantly causing trouble and endangering the rear, because of the Former Emperor, the Tartars are eyeing my Ming Destiny covetously. The sea is depleted, floods and droughts are frequent, and the border is lacking. We really can't cause more trouble."
Zhengde slammed the table and said angrily, "The Tailing Mausoleum is not auspicious. Don't tell me you want the late Emperor to be buried there? Or do I, the Emperor of Ming Destiny, have to stop the coffin for ten years and not be buried in peace, waiting for the common people to recuperate? "
Hong Nuo's prestige among the officials was extremely high. Zhengde was also considering the dignity of the Emperor and the filial piety of a son. Although there were many officials who opposed the tax increase, they were speechless for a moment.
His Highness was silent for a while. Liu Jian proudly stepped out of his office and reported, "I am risking my life to speak frankly. Your Majesty, do you know that the common people's thatched huts and firewood houses are hard to avoid the wind and rain? Your Majesty, you live in luxury, do you know that the common people are hungry and do not have clothes to cover their bodies? The Former Emperor returned to the mausoleum with a custom made ceremony. This is not something that I dare to discuss lightly. However, there are priorities. Mencius said, 'The people are important, the ruler is light, the country and the country are important.' Ming Destiny's rule of the country is in accordance with the mandate of heaven. The mandate of heaven is the common people. Ming Destiny follows the mandate of heaven. There is no need to be careful with the small tricks of Fengshui. The Tailing Mausoleum was built with the capital of a country. How can it be easily abolished? The Former Emperor is benevolent and loves the common people. I believe that the Former Emperor's spirit in heaven will value the common people more than the Fengshui. I ask Your Majesty to think twice. "
Having said that, Liu Jian prostrated on the ground. Though he said it politely, he was actually trying to say that the common people were the foundation of the country and that the theory of Fengshui was untrue. As for the Former Emperor, it was better for him to be buried in the Tailing Mausoleum instead of wasting money.
The officials in the golden hall all held their breath when they heard this. They had witnessed the temperamental temperament of this young emperor a long time ago. If he asked someone to drag the Grand Scholar Liu away and flog him in a fit of anger, this old man would be beaten to death at such an old age.
Wang Qiong, Xu Guan, and the others had the intention to step forward and argue for Zheng De, but the rumor among the people that the imperial court had increased taxes had already spread like wildfire, moreover, they were all accused of slandering them, so their reputations had already plummeted. If they spoke up now, the rumor would be confirmed, so they didn't dare to speak up.
Zhengde watched for a while, and found that none of the officials agreed with him. He was so angry that he laughed, thinking, "These damn officials. Yesterday they shouted at the top of their lungs that the fate of the country and the future of the country would be affected. Now the three scholars mentioned the common people, but none of them supported me. Are they loyal to the emperor or do they care about their feathers? "
Zhengde pressed his hands on the table and suddenly stood up. He pointed at Liu Jian and was about to say something when the General of the Palace Hall rushed in and knelt down on the ground, shouting, "Your Majesty, Hong Zhong, the Minister of the Ministry of Punishments, has come with a report. Madam Han, the wife of the criminal Yang Ling, broke into the execution ground and covered the head of the criminal Yang Ling with the Former Emperor's brush and ink. Hong Zhong didn't dare to execute the punishment without permission, for fear of damaging the remains of the Former Emperor. I sincerely ask Your Majesty to make a decision! "
The hundreds of officials buzzed with discussion. Perhaps the daily court meeting was too dull and boring, but hearing the strange story of Yang Ling's wife breaking into the execution ground to save her husband with the calligraphy of the Former Emperor, the civil and military officials seemed to have taken stimulants.
Liu Jian, who was lying on the ground, could not restrain his joy. He spoke boldly, but in his heart he was also on edge. With this news, he could divert Zhengde's attention, and he would be fine. Liu Jian secretly let out a breath; he lifted his sleeve to wipe the cold sweat on his forehead.
Hearing this, Zhengde was startled. After half a day he mumbled, "You said young Yang Ling's wife broke into the execution ground? She had Fuhuang's handwritten letter. When did Fuhuang give the Yang Family something? What did it say? "
He mumbled to himself, his voice was very low, only the little eunuch in front of the table could hear him. But without Zhengde's signal, he did not dare to raise his voice and ask questions on his behalf. Zhengde stared blankly for a moment, and then slowly paced back and forth on the imperial stairs. The hundreds of officials were watching his movements. They saw Zhengde on the top of the stairs gritting his teeth, and then he was lost in thought. After half a day he shouted, "Send an imperial edict, summon the Imperial Horse Supervisor Zhang Yong to question him. Bring back the Former Emperor's handwritten letter for zhen to see, court dismissed! "
At the entrance to the market, Hong Zhong was pacing back and forth on the death row platform, flustered and exasperated. The blazing sun was high in the sky, shining on his face so that he could not see the greasy sweat on it. Although what Young-niang had was not an imperial edict, and that painting had nothing to do with this case, it was still the Former Emperor's personal handwriting. Under the watchful eyes of the public, he could not snatch it, he could not damage it either, so he had no choice but to stand there in a deadlock.
Suddenly he stopped walking and shouted, "Han Shi, think carefully, forcibly breaking into the execution ground to obstruct the execution is a crime punishable by beheading. Your husband, Yang Ling, committed a crime and violated the law, deceived the sovereign and disobeyed his superiors, he is an unpardonable villain. His Majesty is already showing mercy by only killing him, one person. You are still so young, don't tell me you don't care about your life?"
Han Youniang's hand was sore from holding the painting. She raised her head and cast a sidelong glance at Hong Zhong. "You are not a good person!" she said.
"What?" Hong Zhong was greatly surprised. "Yang Han Clan," he angrily said, "You dare to slander an imperial court official?"
Han Youniang said, "My husband is a man of indomitable spirit, a good official who serves the country and the people. If you say my husband is not a good person, then you are definitely not a good person."
Most of the common people who turned around were lowly commoners, selling goods to make a living. Because of the tax increase, they hated Hong Zhong and the others so much that the roots of their teeth itched. As soon as they heard Han Youniang's words, they immediately cheered. There were some bold people who squeezed into the crowd and took the opportunity to scold him, making Hong Zhong so angry that his face alternated between green and red.
He angrily flung his sleeve and said, "Only lowly people and women are difficult to support, the old man does not want to bicker with you!"
Hong Zhong was so angry that he was tongue-tied. Just at this moment, a fast horse galloped to the execution ground. The person on the horse was dressed like a palace eunuch. The fast horse galloped through two straw ropes to the front of the execution ground. The person jumped off the horse, his movements were actually quite vigorous.
Yang Ling knew that Zhengde had a kind of sisterly affection for Young-niang. Originally he was sure that Zhengde would not vent his anger on her because of his matter. At the very least, based on Zhengde's feelings for the Former Emperor, he would forgive her after seeing the painting. But now that she had caused a commotion at the execution ground, Yang Ling could not guess how Zhengde, with his impulsive character, would deal with her.
As soon as he saw a fast horse galloping over from the Palace, he could not help but feel his heart was in his throat. Han Youniang also stared with wide eyes, nervously watching the approaching person. All around was silence. Zhang Yong flew down from the horse and walked, 'deng deng deng', onto the high platform that was half a man tall. As soon as Yang Ling saw him, he could not help calling out, "Zhang Gong-gong."
Zhang Yong came closer, but he did not talk to Yang Ling. He came closer and pretended to look at the painting, and then he also knelt on the ground and respectfully paid his respect. Hong Zhong and Cheng Wenyi stared at him as he slowly paid his respect. Only then did Hong Zhong impatiently ask, "This Gong-gong, what instructions does His Majesty have?"
By now Zhang Yong had already entered the Imperial Stables Division, he was in command of the Left Guard Horse; he was one of the four major commanders under Miao Kui. It's just that he had not yet had the opportunity to enter Miao Kui's Central Power West Factory. However, his status and position were vastly different from the past; in front of Hong Official, he also had a bit more confidence. Hearing that Hong Zhong was looking at him, Zhang Yong smiled slightly and said, "Daren, don't be impatient, we are following the imperial edict to question the Yang Han Clan."
Finished speaking, he took a step forward and amiably said to Han Youniang, "Yang Han Clan, His Majesty wants to ask you: Yang Ling has committed a crime of deceiving the ruler, he should be beheaded. You, a woman, forcibly intruded the execution ground, what is your intention?"
Han Youniang protested, "My xianggong made a confession under torture, I beg His Majesty to remand him for a retrial."
Zhang Yong nodded. "I know," he said, "All of you wait. This calligraphy and painting of the Former Emperor Ye, we want to take it back to the Palace for His Majesty to see. Yang Han Clan, please give this calligraphy and painting to me. "
Han Youniang was relying on this calligraphy and painting to temporarily protect her husband; hearing Zhang Yong's words, she could not help but hesitate. Zhang Yong chuckled and said, "Yang Han Clan, we are following His Majesty's imperial edict, do you think I will deceive you?"
Yang Ling said to Young-niang, "Young-niang, give the Former Emperor's painting and calligraphy to Zhang Gong-gong, there's no need to be suspicious."
Only after listening to him did Han Youniang raise both hands high and respectfully present the calligraphy and painting. Zhang Yong carefully took the already framed calligraphy and painting, rolled it up and put it in his pocket. Turning his head toward the Minister of Ministry of Punishments, Hong Zhong, he said, "Hong Daren, His Majesty's oral order: the execution is to be suspended, and the execution ground is to await further orders!"
Finished speaking, Zhang Yong turned around and walked down the stage. Mounting his horse, he flew away, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake.
Inside the Hall of Bao He, Zhengde was reading the painting aloud, "The dense hundred-zhang-long pine, although Lei Ke is full of knots, when used in a big building, it will still be a pillar." As soon as he finished reading, Zhengde angrily pounded the table. "Fu Huang," he said, "You schemed against Yang Ling for a small offense, and placed great hopes on him, but the great crime he has committed today, can it still be regarded as a small Lei Ke?"
From the corner of his eye, Zhang Yong swept his gaze across. Carefully observing his expression, he said, "Your Majesty, your servant is slow-witted, I have always been unable to understand. Your Majesty has great trust in Yang Ling, and Yang Ling is a person with a bright future ahead of him. How could it be that after going to the mausoleum for only a few days, he would muddleheadedly commit such a heinous crime? Your servant has not read many books, but I know that if a person commits a crime, there must be a profit to be made. If he is deceiving the ruler, then there must be a heavy temptation. What is Yang Ling's motive? "
Zhengde's expression changed. Turning his head toward him, he said, "Old Zhang, if you have something to say, just say it, there is no need to beat around the bush with zhen. Are you saying that Yang Ling has no reason to deceive the ruler?"
Zhang Yong smiled apologetically and said, "The Old Slave does not dare to say, but logically speaking, even if there is a profit to be made in the construction of the mausoleum, it is not as good as the benefits of reporting this matter. How could Yang Ling be so stupid? The Old Slave really cannot understand."
Zhengde gave a heavy humph and said, "There are witnesses from the mausoleum, and there are other people who died strangely. Is this not enough to prove it? Besides, they have confessed. "
Zhang Yong smiled flatteringly and said, "Yes, yes, yes. That is why the Old Slave says he is slow-witted. Speaking of which, Yang Ling and those people really do not shed a tear until they see the coffin. They were captured alive and brought back to the capital, but they refused to confess and serve their sentences. They had to be tortured before they confessed. Isn't this just cheap skin?"
Zhengde could hear between the lines that Zhang Yong was implying that Yang Ling had been tortured and forced to confess. He could not help but turn his head to look at Zhang Yong. Then he turned his head back and stared at his father's calligraphy and painting for a long time. He could not help but remember what his father had said that day when he held his hand and said, "Imperial Son, there are only a bunch of old officials in the imperial court, they cannot assist Imperial Son for a lifetime. Yang Ling is a man who values friendship and righteousness, he has a unique view on politics and military affairs. If you train him well, maybe he can become your right-hand man."
As soon as Zhengde thought about it, it was as if his father's voice and smile were right in front of his eyes. He could not help feeling sad. He hesitated for half a day before saying, "It's a pity that the Golden Well of the Emperor's Mausoleum cannot be touched lightly. Otherwise, Zhen would really want to send someone to investigate and see if Yang Ling has really deceived Zhen."
As soon as Zhang Yong heard this, he hastily said, "Your Majesty, originally the Tailing Mausoleum cannot be touched lightly, but now that Your Majesty wants to move the mausoleum, that place has been abandoned. Not to mention an examination, even if the whole place is dug up, it would not be a big deal. Your Majesty might as well send someone to take a look. If the evidence is conclusive, from top to bottom nobody in the imperial court will have anything to say. If there is no problem, since the feng shui is not bad, then as long as we move the ground, perhaps we can think of some way to fix it, and it can still be used as the Emperor's Mausoleum. In the imperial court, Your Majesty does not need to make things difficult for the hundred officials. "
As soon as Zhengde heard this, he suddenly slapped his forehead. "Exactly," he called out, "Zhen has always remembered that that place cannot be touched," he called out, "but I forgot that the present is different from the past. Zhang Yong, quickly go and issue the imperial edict: Yang Ling and the others are to be escorted back to the Heavenly Prison. Zhen wants to personally send someone to the Tailing Mausoleum to investigate."
As soon as Zhengde heard this, he slapped his forehead and called out, "That's right, Zhen has always remembered that place cannot be touched, but I have forgotten that the present is different from the past. Zhang Yong, quickly go and issue the imperial edict: Yang Ling and the others will be escorted back to the Heavenly Prison. Zhen wants to personally send someone to the Tailing Mausoleum to investigate."
"The Old Slave obeys the imperial edict!" Zhang Yong answered with a grin, turned around and left in a hurry. He had just reached the door when he saw Liu Jian, Xie Qian, Xu Guan, Jiao Fang, Liu Yu, Yang Lin and the other officials walking toward Baohe Dian. Zhang Yong was in a hurry to issue the imperial edict, he did not have time to pay attention to them and left in a hurry.
Li Dongyang and Xie Guan came for the matter of tax collection. Some things were inconvenient to say in the imperial court, so they wanted to properly argue with the Emperor in the rear hall. As for Xu Guan and the others, they came to persuade the Emperor to raise taxes. However, they came up with a compromise, which was that the taxes would vary from land to land. The poor land would be taxed less, the rich land would be taxed more. In this way, the rich land would be taxed twice as much this year, the poor land would only be taxed thirty percent more. Although there would still be many complaints, the rich land would become poor and the poor land would become even poorer, this method was better than sharing the taxes equally throughout the country.
Unexpectedly, as soon as they entered the hall, Zhengde cheerfully said, "Dear ministers, you have come at the right time. Zhen wants to send someone to Tailing to investigate and verify whether Yang Ling and the others are deceiving the Emperor. Who do you think should be sent?"
This young Emperor was very imaginative, often halfway through an idea, he would throw it aside and think of another way. These officials were already used to it. Although this group of old officials still could not keep up with Zhengde's leaping thinking, they were able to remain calm and act according to the situation.
Li Dongyang was startled, he immediately said, "I am willing to go to Tailing."
Xu Guan knew that he was opposed to raising taxes. Hearing from Wang Qiong that he even said in front of the Hongzhi Emperor that he had protected Yang Ling, this old fellow did not believe in Fengshui. Perhaps he would absolve Yang Ling for personal reasons, so he immediately objected, "That's not appropriate. A dignified Grand Secretary of the Imperial Court is going to be an inspector?"
Xie Qian retorted, "Official Xu's words are wrong. Even if we don't talk about Fengshui, now that it involves raising taxes, it really concerns the fate of the country. Don't you think it's a big deal? I also want to ask His Majesty for permission. "
Xu Guan was the one who reported the seepage case of the Emperor's mausoleum. In order to avoid suspicion, of course he could not go to the Emperor's mausoleum. Feeling anxious, he hastily said, "If that's the case, this matter should be even more cautious. In my opinion, His Majesty should choose a court official who has no interest in this case to go."
Jiao Fang asked, "In Official Xu's opinion, who should go?"
Xu Guan hesitated for a moment, then said, "Why don't we choose a noble relative, a court official, and a Hanlin, three of them go together to retrieve the soil and compare it with the soil of the Golden Well sealed by the Ministry of Rites. It will be clear at a glance whether there is any difference or not. Besides, the three of them belong to different departments; they will keep each other in check, so it will be very fair. "
He was convinced that the Golden Well had been tampered with, so he was not afraid at all. Of the three people he recommended, one was a court official, one was a noble relative who only had fame and fortune but no real power, and one was a substitute official who had not yet been involved in court politics, so naturally he was the most appropriate.
Yang Lin listened and said with a smile, "If that's the case, I recommend Duke Cheng Zhu Gang. The Duke is old and virtuous, impartial and selfless. He is not only a noble minister, but also a relative of the Emperor; he can be considered the best candidate."
Emperor Xianzong had once taken Duke Cheng's daughter as his concubine, so Yang Lin said this.
Jiao Fang had a good impression of Yang Ling, and the person who wanted to mess with Yang Ling was his mortal enemy, Wang Qiong, so naturally he would side with Yang Ling. But Jiao Fang did not dare to recommend himself and take the risk. He suddenly remembered that when Yang Ling resisted the imperial edict, there was a scholar who was taking the imperial examination who wrote a beautiful article in support of him. The court officials did not know much about this matter, but Jiao Fang was a person who liked to collect anecdotes from the marketplace, so he knew a lot about it.
Jiao Fang thought to herself, "This Juzi must have some friendship with Yang Ling. Now that he has entered the Hanlin Academy, although he may not be willing to sacrifice his life for Yang Ling, but if there is anything that can be done in the Golden Well of the Emperor's Mausoleum, he will definitely help Yang Ling."
Thinking to this point, Jiao Fang busily said, "This subject recommends Yan Song, this person is this year's new imperial scholar, he has already been selected as a scholar in the Hanlin Academy. This person's literary talent is outstanding, he is also a new imperial scholar, he has never set foot in the imperial court, he can be the imperial envoy."
Zhengde nodded and said, "Good, these two people have been decided. Then who among the court officials will go?"
Everyone looked at each other in dismay. For a moment, no one said anything. This case has become a competition between the six ministries and even the three ministers after the new Emperor ascended the throne, a martial arts arena for the redistribution of power. As long as they are involved, they will definitely offend one side, who would be willing to answer carelessly?
Zhengde saw that no one responded, so he looked at everyone. The Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Works, and the Ministry of Punishments were all involved in the case and could not be used. Zhengde shook his head. Suddenly he saw the Assistant Minister of War, Chen Hongmo, and could not help but happily said, "The Ministry of War has nothing to do with this case. Let Minister Liu go as the court officials."
When Chen Hongmo heard this, he jumped in fright. He did not want to do this task that would offend people. Chen Hongmo hurriedly said, "This subject thanks Your Majesty for your favor, but this subject does not dare to conceal anything. Professor Hua Fu of the Observing Sky Officials is this subject's in-law. Since this case involves the Observing Sky Officials, this subject should avoid arousing suspicion."
Seeing the displeasure on Zhengde's face, he hurriedly said, "However, this subject recommends one person. This person is also an official of the Ministry of War. He is usually very steady and has nothing to do with this case. It's just that his official position is a bit lowly."
Zhengde impatiently said, "We want to send someone because we want to find someone who has nothing to do with this case to help us understand. It doesn't matter how high or low the official position is. Who are you talking about?"
Chen Hongmo hurriedly said, "The Head of the Ministry of War, Wang Shouren. This person has a virtuous reputation and can take on heavy responsibilities!"
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