Yan Song had received his wife's warning in advance and was certain that the Emperor had the intention to exonerate Yang Ling from his crime. Therefore, among the three imperial envoys, the one with the highest status must have received the secret edict early on. Therefore, ever since the Old Master got off the sedan chair, Yan Song had been staring at him without blinking. That old fox did not expect this young man to be so fearsome. There was only a slight change in the expression in his eyes, but Yan Song had already seen it clearly.
This time, Yan Song was even more certain that his guess was correct. Actually, if Emperor Zhengde had the intention to exonerate Yang Ling from his crime, based on his temperament, he did not care what other people thought, he would directly pardon Yang Ling. He did not understand these kinds of roundabout things. The Old Master also did not receive the Emperor's secret edict.
Yesterday, as soon as Li Dongyang left the Palace gate, he immediately made an urgent appointment with Wang Hua. This matter had been known to this Duke Cheng for a long time. Among the people Li Dongyang made an appointment with, there was a person called Wang Ziwen, a Hanlin scholar, whom the Old Master had invited to be his grandchildren's teacher.
When Wang Hanlin arrived in Duke Cheng Province, he inadvertently let slip a bit of information. Duke Cheng was able to stand tall in the highly suspicious Zhu Family's dynasty without falling. Moreover, he had received the country's kindness for generations, so he must have his own knack. Each and every one of the Zhu Family's Zhangmen was born with a clever and exquisite heart, but on the outside, most of them looked like crude warriors without any scheming. Moreover, they were good at socializing.
Although the Old Duke did not go to court, no matter what happened in the court, big or small, could be hidden from him. Combining all the things that had happened in the court in the last two days, Duke Cheng's guess was not far from the truth. He had already guessed that Li Dongyang's appointment with Assistant Minister Wang must have something to do with Wang Shouren's appointment as the imperial envoy.
When Duke Cheng understood this point, he could not help but secretly admire Li Dongyang, Wang Hua, and the other officials of Ming Destiny for their unwavering loyalty. For the sake of the country and the common people, they dared to take the risk of being beheaded and having their property confiscated. But there were thousands of people in Duke Cheng Province. Old people did not have the awareness to go into battle, but they still had the ability to feign ignorance. As a result, this old fellow, who could tell with one glance whether a mosquito was male or female, became unable to see, could not hear, and was even swaying as he walked.
Seeing that Duke Cheng was willing to help him in secret, Wang Shouren was greatly relieved. The three of them boarded the official sedan chair and arrived at the Tai Mausoleum. The Chief Eunuch of the Imperial Stables, the West Factory Supervisor Miao Kui, and the Left Assistant Minister Li Jie of the Ministry of Works hurriedly stepped forward to pay their respects. Then they led the three imperial envoys to the entrance of the Emperor's mausoleum.
Because once the Emperor's mausoleum was inspected to be safe, the Emperor would have to reopen the Tai Mausoleum. Therefore, in advance, he had consulted the Observing Sky Officials and offered three animals as a sacrifice to the Heavens, asking the Heavens to forgive the crime of tampering with the Golden Well. After everything was settled, Miao Kui and Li Jie accompanied the three imperial envoys into the Emperor's mausoleum.
As he walked, Wang Shouren secretly touched the bag of yellow soil at the back of his waist. He glanced at the Old Duke and saw that with the help of the steward, Cheng Guo Gong was trembling as he walked forward. He was even shouting at Miao Kui, as if he was afraid that Miao Kui did not know that he was blind and deaf.
When Miao Kui reached the entrance of the Left Hall, he smiled and stopped. He saluted the Old Duke and said: "Duke Cheng, please come in. I will wait for you here."
Duke Cheng looked at him appreciatively, mumbled a reply and walked in. Li Jie was the biggest hero in reporting this case. If he could bring down the other four imperial envoys, he would have done a great service to the country. If he failed, he would at least be guilty of framing a colleague. Therefore, he didn't care about the Old Duke's dissatisfaction and immediately followed them in.
The three imperial envoys stopped in front of the Golden Well's stone platform. Wang Shouren said loudly: "Old Duke, you are old, why don't you stand here and supervise. How about you leave the matter of fetching the soil to us?"
As he said this, he stared at Yan Song. Wang Shouren's plan was to swap the soil along the way. Now that there was Li Jie watching and there was also imperial envoy Yan, there was no way he could do anything. It was better to pretend to be generous and let Yan Song fetch the soil so as not to arouse suspicion.
Yan Song was standing closest to the Golden Well. Just now, with the help of the light, he first looked into the Golden Well. When he saw the appearance of the Golden Well, Yan Song couldn't help but think: So this is what the Golden Well looks like. It is indeed easy to cheat.
Alas! It was a pity that such an opportunity to show off his merits had been given to the head of the Ministry of War. Yan Song's mind flashed and he secretly sneered: They can make me play the clay Bodhisattva, but they can't treat me like a fool. I have already guessed their plan. I have to think of a way to point it out. I'm not afraid that they won't sell me this favor.
Thinking of this, Yan Song hurriedly said politely: "Yes, yes, yes. Old Duke can stand here and supervise. Leave the matter of fetching the soil to us juniors. Lord Wang, please, I will stand guard at the side."
Hearing this, Wang Shouren did not stand on ceremony. He took a small shovel that he had brought with him when he entered the mausoleum and climbed onto the white jade bed. Li Jie immediately widened his eyes and stared at his movements without blinking. Duke Cheng also did not know how Wang Shouren was going to fetch the soil to cover up the seepage of the Emperor's mausoleum. However, he saw Li Jie standing there like an eagle, his hands so nervous that they were almost curled into claws. Under such a fierce gaze, how could he cheat?
The Old Duke frowned and walked to Li Jie's side. He patted him on the shoulder and laughed loudly: "You are the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Works, Li Jie? Hmm, well done. Those thieves even dared to hide the fact that there was a problem with the Emperor's mausoleum. Their crime is unforgivable. If it weren't for you, the entire imperial court would have been fooled. "
Li Jie smiled apologetically: "Old Duke is flattering me. This is the duty of an official." Although he said this, his eyes still stared unblinkingly at the Golden Well, afraid that someone would do something to it.
Yan Song saw this and was overjoyed. This ignorant scoundrel had helped him a lot. He was just worrying about how to let Duke Cheng know that he was also protecting Yang Ling, but this guy gave him a chance to make a contribution.
Yan Song immediately added: "Yes, I heard that the Emperor's mausoleum was leaking. Lord Li didn't know about it at first, but Lord Li accidentally saw their suspicious expressions and was immediately alerted. Thus, after a round of questioning, he finally found out that they were hiding something. He actually followed their trail and found evidence. Only then did the Emperor not die in the damaged Dragon Veins. This is a meritorious deed for the country and for generations to come."
Many people had heard of the Golden Well, but no one knew what it looked like without seeing it with their own eyes. Even if some of the craftsmen among the people had leaked something, out of vanity, most of them would brag about how magnificent it was. Thus, this was the first time these people had seen the true face of the Golden Well.
Wang Shouren knelt on the stone platform and was also looking at the hole that was half a foot in diameter and about a meter deep. He tried to touch it with his hand. The four walls were moist yellow soil, but when he touched the bottom, because the soil had seeped through the rice juice, it was hard and smooth. Wang Shouren's heart skipped a beat: they really did something.
Just as Wang Shouren thought of this, Yan Song's recitation of "questioning, questioning, questioning," entered his ears. An idea flashed through Wang Shouren's mind like a flash of lightning. He glanced to the side alertly and saw that Li Jie was staring at his every move. He was instantly disappointed.
Unexpectedly, at this moment, the tall and thin Yan Song suddenly turned around. He went around to the front of Li Jie and bowed to him. He said in a very respectful manner, "As a citizen of Ming Destiny, your student should also thank you, Your Excellency. Please accept a bow from your student!"
This thin bamboo pole was more than 1.8 meters tall. When he turned around, he blocked Li Jie's view. Li Jie wanted to avoid him, but that would be too obvious. It was clearly disrespectful to him and suspicious of Wang Shouren. He only hesitated for a moment before Yan Song took his arm and intimately flattered him, "The Ministry of Punishments used torture to force confessions. The officials were not satisfied, so they sent them back for retrial. If the Ministry of Punishments had a wise person like you, you would definitely make those officials confess by beating the bush and with a few words!"
At this moment, there was only the sound of the shovel from above. After a while, Wang Shouren laughed and said, "The soil of the Golden Well has been obtained. Get the golden box to hold the soil!"
* * *
Wang Qiong paced back and forth in the study room for a while. He suddenly stopped and sneered, "That bunch of rebellious officials have not given up and want to take the soil for inspection. Hmph, if it were not for the facts, how would that little Centurion dare to slander us? If there was no inside story, how would the soldiers in the army suddenly die? I have already sent people to guard the golden box to hold the soil. All the keys have been destroyed. I am the only one left. As long as the soil is unharmed, let's see what else they can do! "
Xu Guan was overjoyed. He said, "The imperial envoy should be back by now, right? Victory or defeat depends on this one move! The three cabinet ministers are harboring criminals. They do not care about the damage to the Dragon's Vein. They only care about some small profits. The Emperor must be unhappy. Once this case is over, their future will be over. "
Wang Qiong frowned and said, "Official Xu, we are doing this for Ming Destiny's country. It is not for our personal future. The three cabinet ministers are capable officials. They are worried about the tax increase because they are thinking of Ming Destiny's court. How can Official Xu say this?"
Xu Guan hurriedly smiled apologetically, "Yes, yes, yes. Official Wang is right." But in his heart he could not help but curse, "Old man, you are the only one who is open and aboveboard. How can you encourage your son to go to the Ministry of Punishments and complain that Yang Ling is robbing women and accumulating wealth? Isn't it because he was scolded by the people so much that he wanted to chop off his head and humiliate his name? "
Hong Zhong said, "Lord Wang, why don't we enter the palace immediately and report Yang Ling's illegal deeds to the Emperor. When the yellow soil of the Golden Well arrives, the truth will be revealed. We will kill him with reason and evidence!"
Wang Qiong hesitated for a moment. He smiled and shook his head. "There is no need to trouble you and me to do this. Won't it seem like we are making a mountain out of a molehill? Ask Assistant Minister Cheng Wenyi of the Ministry of Punishments to quickly write a report and present it to the Emperor in the name of a scholar's report. "
In the Palace of Heavenly Purity, Emperor Zhengde was listening to Grand Secretary Xie Qian's chatter with a restless mind. Today he used the excuse that he wanted to pay his respects to the Empress Dowager and Empress Dowager, so he had already skipped the afternoon court session. He had been waiting for news in the palace. When Liu Jian and Xie Qian heard that he wanted to pay his respects to the Empress Dowager, and it just so happened that they had to discuss the Emperor's wedding, they hurriedly followed him in.
Who would have thought that the young Emperor did not want to see the Empress Dowager and Empress Dowager at all? The two Grand Secretaries knew that time was precious and did not want to waste any time. They immediately took the opportunity to advise the Emperor not to indulge in playing, not to walk around the palace without imperial bodyguards, not to spend too little time studying, not to hold a prayer banquet. Their earnest and well-intentioned persuasion gave Emperor Zhengde a big headache.
Emperor Zhengde was getting impatient when a small eunuch hurriedly ran in to report, "Reporting to Your Majesty, Assistant Minister Cheng Wenyi of the Ministry of Punishments has an urgent report related to the case of water leakage in the Imperial Mausoleum."
Zhengde was startled and hurriedly said, "Present it to me!" Zhengde took the report and opened it to take a look. On the report, Cheng Wenyi wrote a voluminous three thousand words. Apart from the pleasantries, it said that there were scholars who reported Yang Ling. The Ministry of Punishments investigated openly and secretly and found out that Yang Ling appeared to be incorruptible on the surface, but was secretly greedy and extravagant. He spent a large sum of money to buy a concubine, oppressed the monks and so on. He requested the Emperor to allow him to be tried together with the water leakage case in the Imperial Mausoleum.
Zhengde was like a gambling addict waiting to reveal his cards. He did not know if the yellow soil that was brought back from the Imperial Mausoleum was tampered with. Once he saw this report, his heart turned cold. Originally, Zhang Yong said that Yang Ling did not have any reason to be corrupt. Now there was evidence. Zhengde only looked at the list of crimes and did not have the mood to read the rest of the report.
He angrily threw the report on the dragon writing table. The muscles on his cheeks twitched. He sat on the chair in a daze for a long time. Suddenly, he jumped up and said angrily, "Bring all the criminals to me. I want to personally try this case!"
Liu Jian heard this and hurriedly stopped him, "Reporting to Your Majesty, this matter must not be done. The law has its rules. Your Majesty is the ruler of the Ten Thousand Emperors, how can you overstep your authority and interfere? Since ancient times, other than Emperor Xianwen who did not have self-respect, I have never heard of a wise ruler who would lower himself to sit in the hall of the Ministry of Punishments. "
Zhengde was burning with anger. He pointed at him and shouted sternly, "A wise ruler, a wise ruler, zhen's ears are almost calloused from listening to you. You keep saying that you are the ruler of the Ten Thousand Emperors, but I, the Emperor, let you tell me what to do. When have I ever had the slightest decision to make? Does this world belong to you or to me? "
Hearing this, Liu Jian's face turned ashen. He knelt on the ground without his hat and said in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, why do you say such things? This old subject is loyal and courageous, heaven and earth can bear witness. If this old subject's words were rude and offended Your Majesty, I beg Your Majesty to punish me!"
Seeing this, Xie Qian hurriedly tried to smooth things over. "Your Majesty, using the dignity of a ruler to try a criminal is indeed unreasonable. Your Majesty is the ruler of the world. How can there be a reason for the Emperor to personally investigate a case? However, if Your Majesty wants to hear this case, why don't you set up a seat at the back of the interrogation hall of the Punishments Court? What does Your Majesty think? "
Emperor Zhengde waved his hand and said, "Let's hear it. Follow me to the hall of the Ministry of Punishments. I want to see what evil things he has done to hurt my heart so much! Send someone to tell the Imperial Censorate, the Dali Monastery, and the imperial envoys to go to the Ministry of Punishments as soon as the soil of the Golden Well arrives in the capital. The three courts will jointly investigate this case! "
Emperor Zhengde was in a hurry. He brought the two Grand Scholars, Zhang Yong, Liu Jin, and Ma Yongcheng, his three trusted eunuchs, all the way to the Ministry of Punishments. Wei Shen and Cheng Wenyi were shocked. The two of them hurriedly sent someone to the Ministry of Rites to invite Hong Zhong back. Wang Qiong and Xu Guan heard the news and hurriedly followed.
Emperor Zhengde was impatient. When Hong Zhong came back, he immediately ordered the court to interrogate the case. Because this case only involved Yang Ling's family, Wei Shen only brought Yang Ling, Han Youniang, Sheridan, and Gao Wenxin to the court. Li Duo, Ni Qian, Dai Yi, and the witness, Centurion, were detained in the court to await the joint trial of the three departments. Han Youniang and the others did not come at a coincidence. Because they trespassed on the execution ground, before the case of the Emperor's mausoleum was solved, they were to be punished. Because of this, they were also detained in the women's prison of the Ministry of Punishments. They would only be dealt with after the case of the Emperor's mausoleum was solved.
The complainants were the group of scholars who had reported the case: Yang Lin, Zhao Yong, Wang Jinglong, seven people, and the witness, Yutang Chun.
Yutang Chun came up to the court. Her rippling eyes quickly swept a glance over Yang Ling. Seeing that he was dressed in white, stained with blood, and that his fingers were badly mangled from being shackled, her eyes couldn't help but reveal an expression of regret.
She quickly lowered her eyes, afraid that someone would see through her act. She timidly stepped forward and knelt down. In a sweet voice, she said, "This commoner girl, Su San, kowtows in salute to Daren!"
Hong Zhong stroked his beard and smiled. With an amiable expression, he said, "Witness Su San need not be afraid. You were a servant of the Yang House. Now a scholar has reported that Yang Ling used his official authority to oppress others and forced the Shihua House to hire you away. Furthermore, the owner of the house refused to pay a single pound of gold. Yang Ling once threw away ten thousand taels of gold. Tell me the details in detail."
Following Wang Jinglong's instructions, Yutang Chun vividly described how Yang Ling had forced the Shihua House to sell them into the Yang Family. She described them as servant girls, but in reality, they were concubines. Behind the court, Xu Guan and Wang Qiong listened with beaming expressions. At that time, Yang Ling had just entered the capital and was only a reading attendant of the Eastern Palace. Where did he get ten thousand taels of silver?
This silver must have come from a shady source. Furthermore, he had squandered it without restraint. In that case, in the mausoleum, he had been tempted by others and had participated in deceiving the mausoleum and leaking water.
However, the more Emperor Zhengde listened, the more puzzled he became. Just now, when he was reading the memorials in the palace, he only saw that a large sum of money was used to buy concubines, but he didn't know which concubines Yang Ling had bought. Only now did he know the truth. However, many parts of Yutang Chun's story were untrue. In order to highlight Yang Ling's domineering and shameless nature, the words that Wang Jinglong and the others had taught Yutang Chun were exaggerated a bit too much. Zhengde couldn't help but look at Ma Yongcheng with some confusion.
Ma Yongcheng hurriedly leaned over to Zhengde's ear and recounted the matter in detail. Zhengde was the one who had initiated the operation, so naturally he would believe more of his own people. If he said that Yang Ling had not used his power to oppress people, and had not ordered people to beat and threaten them because they were unwilling to give up a pound of gold, even if there were such illegal facts, he would probably still think that Yang Ling was working hard to do things for him.
As soon as he heard Yutang Chun distorting the truth, Emperor Zhengde's face turned red, feeling as if she was talking about him. He couldn't bear it any longer and couldn't help jumping up in anger and shouting: "Woman, is every word you say the truth? You should know that if you falsely accuse a high-ranking official of the court, you will be beaten to death. Why don't you confess? "
Aside from Hong Official, Wei Shen, and Cheng Wenyi, no one else knew that Emperor Zhengde was sitting behind them. As soon as they heard someone suddenly speak, even the bailiff holding the water and fire rods jumped in fright.
At this time, Zhengde's voice had already changed. Yutang Chun and the others weren't familiar with him and couldn't recognize his voice, but Yang Ling and Han Youniang could. The husband and wife couldn't help but look at each other, their eyes filled with wild joy. With this master and listening to this good show, there was more hope for them to escape.
Yutang Chun was shocked and said: "Daren, this … who is the one asking questions at the back of the court?" As she spoke, her pair of beautiful eyes quickly glanced at Han Youniang, those big eyes that could speak were also full of doubt.
Originally, the plan they had agreed on was to wait for Young-niang to refute, then pretend to be at a loss for words, panic, and fear, and tell the truth. That way, it would be easier to win the trust of others. At this time, someone suddenly asked from the back of the court, and the tone of the voice clearly didn't believe her words. Yutang Chun also said that because they hadn't contacted each other for a day, Young-niang had found help again.
When Hong Zhong heard Emperor Zhengde's words behind him, the witnesses, prisoners, and bailiffs in the court were all surprised and couldn't help but awkwardly say: "Behind, this … this is an old daren who is listening at the back of the court. You don't need to ask any more questions, just answer honestly."
Yutang Chun saw the hint in Han Youniang's eyes and understood in her heart. She timidly knelt there, putting on a lovely appearance, and worriedly said: "Daren, this commoner girl doesn't dare to speak, that old daren wants to use torture on this commoner girl."
Seeing this beauty's lack of knowledge, Hong Zhong quickly comforted her with a smile: "As long as you tell the truth and answer honestly, the old daren won't punish you. Even this daren will help you." He glanced at Yang Ling and sneered: "No matter who is in a high position, in front of this court, you have to listen to me … uh, listen to the punishment of the big boss behind me. If you have any grievances, just tell me one by one. With me and that old daren as the judge, no one can hurt you!"
Hearing this, Yutang Chun hurriedly kowtowed and said: "Thank you, daren, thank you, old daren. This commoner girl is wronged, this commoner girl is wronged!"
Hong Zhong smiled and said: "Don't be afraid, I will help you seek justice. Su San, you can speak boldly."
Pointing at Wang Jinglong, Yutang Chun burst into tears: "This commoner girl is wronged. This commoner girl framed my old master because I was threatened by this Third Young Master of the Wang Family. This Third Young Master of the Wang Family said that my master has been put in prison. If I don't do as he said, he will sell me to the Musical House."
Yutang Chun cried so much that her tears flowed like a string. Choking with anger, she said: "The Third Young Master of the Wang Family also said that in a few days, his Wang Family will be second only to one person and above tens of thousands of people. If I am willing to listen to him, he will buy me back to his mansion as a concubine and enjoy all the luxuries and wealth. This commoner girl is a weak girl. My master has been wronged and I have no one to rely on, so I have no choice but to frame my old master. This is really not my wish. I beg you, daren, to help me … "
Before Yutang Chun's voice died away, the more than ten people who were laughing in front of and behind the hall all changed their expressions!
At this time, the guards of honor of the three imperial envoys had entered the capital. Li Dongyang and Wang Hua were still sitting at home. They still didn't get a reply from their family. They just thought that it was impossible, so they just sat opposite each other in silence and sighed sadly.
At this time, the family member who was sent to the Imperial Mausoleum to inquire about the news came back in a hurry. Wang Hua jumped up hurriedly and said with a trembling voice: "Is there any news from Shouren?"
The family member said: "Master, I have been following you for a long time, but I still didn't get a hint from the young master. Now the imperial envoys have returned to the Meridian Gate, but they only stopped for a while and then directly went to the Ministry of Punishments. I have to come back to report."
Wang Hua and Li Dongyang looked at each other in shock: The imperial envoys didn't go to the Imperial Palace to verify the imperial edict, but directly went to the Ministry of Punishments? Could it be …
Li Dongyang hurriedly said: "Quick, prepare the sedan … No! Prepare the horse, we are going to the Ministry of Punishments immediately! "
The two officials hurried out of the mansion. The family member brought the horse over. The two of them got on the horse and galloped straight to the main hall of the Ministry of Punishments. When they arrived at the door, they saw a sedan stop at the door. An old man in his fifties came out of the sedan and shook his head. Li Dongyang hadn't gotten off the horse yet. When he saw that person, he couldn't help but be surprised and said: "Supervisor Mo, what are you doing in the Ministry of Punishments?"
The supervisor of the Sky Observing Officials looked up and saw that it was the Grand Secretary Li Mengyang and the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Rites, Wang Hua. He hurriedly cupped his hands together and smiled apologetically: "Greetings to the two officials. The Emperor ordered me to calculate the lightning warning. Now that there is a result, I am here to report it to the Emperor."
Li Dongyang heard this and said in shock: "The Emperor really came to the Ministry of Punishments. He … Is he going to personally go to the Imperial Palace to interrogate us?"
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