Emperor Zhengde issued a series of blind commands, some people busily kowtowed and paid their respects, some people wanted to curry favor with the Emperor, but they could not tell who the Emperor wanted to pull down and who to bring up. In the midst of the chaos, Yan Song saw the opportunity was not lost, he suddenly stood up and roared, "All of you, be quiet!"
This roar was more effective than Zhengde's slapping of the gavel, the wolf-scampering crowd immediately froze in place, only the crazed Lu Enlu was still hugging an inspector from the Ministry of Punishments, laughing and shouting loudly about promotion and getting rich.
Earlier, Yang Ling had not had the time to take a closer look at these imperial envoys daren, now that he saw Yan Song's tall and thin stature, he suddenly remembered him, and then thought of the strange matter of the Di mausoleum's soil being tested safe and sound, Yang Ling could not help but be bewildered and uncertain.
Emperor Zhengde glanced at Yan Song and praised, "You are very good. Come, show Yang Ling and his four beloved officials a seat. Four beloved officials, now that the truth has been revealed, the four beloved officials will be reinstated to their official positions, later you will return to your mansions to recuperate from your injuries, and then you will still have to shoulder the responsibility of supervising the construction of the Di mausoleum, as for those who falsely accused Gao and framed us … "
Zhengde pointed to Centurion Lu who was still laughing and talking nonsense, he coldly said, "Drag this madman away for me, bring all the witnesses, all the criminals to the court, today zhen wants to personally judge the case!"
The Emperor had temporarily made a guest appearance as the main judge, how could his subordinates not do their best to please him? Immediately a few yamen runners went over and carried the madman out in a flurry, and with a 'bang' he was thrown into the first waiting room. Someone else also brought the trembling seven famous young masters of the capital, as well as Han Youniang's group of people to the court.
Three groups of bailiffs shouted with all their might. Zhengde sat upright in the main hall, with two blocks of yellow earth in front of him. He began to interrogate the case personally. When Assistant Minister Li Jie of the Ministry of Works saw that Zhengde was looking at him, he immediately lowered his body by half a length. With a sobbing voice, he said, "Your Majesty, this subject was muddle-headed for a moment. This madman usually speaks in a coherent manner. This subject was careless for a moment. Moreover, the Emperor's tomb is an important matter, it concerns the prosperity of the country …"
He knew that if he tried to explain himself now, he would be courting death. It would be better to admit his guilt and bring out the Emperor's mausoleum to prove that he valued the Former Emperor's mausoleum. If the Emperor's heart softened, his crime would be much lighter.
He didn't know that Fraud Mo had just made up a few lies in the back hall. When he mentioned the mausoleum, Zhengde suddenly remembered, "The lightning struck the palace, it should be in the Tai Mausoleum. When he heard these words, a wave of resentment erupted in his heart. He flicked his sleeve and used the gauntlet as a hidden weapon. With a whoosh, it flew towards Li Jie.
The gauntlet hit Li Jie's forehead with a 'bang'. Immediately, a bruise appeared on his forehead. The pain caused Li Jie to cry out, "Aiyo!" Zhengde shouted, "The Emperor's mausoleum, the Emperor's mausoleum, you caused the Emperor's mausoleum to stop working, the Heavenly Thunder sounded a warning, you bombed my palace, and you still dare to mention the Emperor's mausoleum? Strip him of his official robe, take off his official robe! "
Immediately, two bailiffs swiftly pulled Li Jie up, took off his official robe and hat, and kicked him on the back of his knees, forcing him to kneel on the ground. Seeing this, Yang Ling felt slightly uneasy. After all, the Golden Well of the Emperor's mausoleum had indeed been tampered with. Li Jie didn't wrongly accuse him. Instead, he was worried that Li Jie would be forced to take the risk and insist that the Golden Well was seeping water. Who knows, he might even bring trouble to himself.
The Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Rites, Li Duo, saw that he couldn't bear it anymore and whispered in his ear, "Sir Yang can't be soft-hearted. Do you think that he will be grateful and give up? If you don't kill the snake, there will be endless troubles in the future! "
Under normal circumstances, Yang Ling wouldn't have taken these words to heart. But he was someone who had just passed through the gates of hell. He felt the pain of it. Regarding the pompous and dignified appearance of the Imperial Court, the danger of being cut by swords and sabers while talking and laughing, he slightly nodded his head. Remembering that he was almost separated from Young-niang by this person, he couldn't help but look at Young-niang.
Han Youniang was still as pretty as ever, but her pair of watery eyes were a little red and swollen. But that pair of gentle eyes was still looking at him with deep affection. Yang Ling couldn't help but smile at his wife in relief.
Han Youniang also returned a smile. That smile was full of satisfaction and joy. Yang Ling saw Yutang Chun and Sheridan by Han Youniang's side. He remembered that these two women valued friendship and loyalty. When he was in trouble, they didn't abandon Young-niang and couldn't help but nod to them gratefully.
Unexpectedly, with this gesture from Yang Ling, the two girls' cheeks actually became hot. They suddenly shyly looked away. Yang Ling couldn't help but feel a little baffled. He didn't know that Han Youniang, out of gratitude, swore to be sworn sisters with the three girls. They swore to be in the same boat, to share weal and woe together.
What boat? Naturally, it was his Master Yang's boat. The two astute girls heard it and knew Young-niang's intentions. But at that time, they were also determined to die with him as Yang Ling's concubines. Their hopes of rescuing him were really slim. Now that Yang Ling had come back from the dead, his thoughts became active and his heart became uneasy.
Zhengde stared at Li Jie. For a moment, he couldn't think of how to deal with him. He couldn't help but turn to Hong Zhong and ask, "Hong Zhong, Li Jie falsely accused a minister, framed the Imperial Envoy, and fabricated the story of water seeping into the Emperor's mausoleum. How should he be punished?"
Just now, Zhengde shouted at Hong Zhong. Minister Hong, who had always been flexible with the wind, was so scared that he obediently retreated and ran to hide behind the swindler Mo Daowei. At this time, hearing the Emperor ask him a question, Hong Zhong was immediately flattered. He thought that the Emperor was not going to pursue his crimes.
Hong Zhong hurriedly stepped forward and said, "This subject reports to Your Majesty, Ming Destiny's law. Once a false accuser is verified, he will be punished."
"Less nonsense," Emperor Zhengde impatiently said, "In the end, how should we deal with him?"
Hong Zhong hastily said, "Your Majesty, please understand. If he falsely accuses, he will be punished. He will be punished according to the punishment that the official he falsely accused received."
Hearing this, Zhengde said, "The official he falsely accused is sentenced to be killed without pardon. Guards, drag him away and kill without pardon!"
Li Jie was anxious. He thought that Hong Zhong would be able to help him, who would have thought that Li Jie would hit him when he was down. Pointing to Hong Zhong, Li Jie angrily said, "Hong Official, I falsely accused a minister? If you did not ask the Imperial Edict to carry out the punishment, how could there be such a thing as a confession under torture? "
Hong Zhong retorted sarcastically, "If you did not have the sincerity to harm people, when you heard the news, you could have reported it to His Majesty and asked His Majesty to investigate. Why did you find a madman to pretend to be a witness? I was deceived by you."
Flustered and exasperated, Li Jie said, "I have no enmity with those daren, why would I harm him? When I heard that the mausoleum was leaking water, I reported this matter to Official Xu. It was Official Xu who told me to keep quiet for the time being and to collect evidence, so I kept quiet for the time being. Shangshu daren, is that right? "
As soon as Xu Guan heard that he was going to be dragged into the water, he shook his head like a rattle drum and said, "Nonsense, the old man only said that the mausoleum leaking water is a serious matter, how can you make groundless accusations? I told you to investigate and then report, who told you to collect evidence? You have no enmity with those daren, do you think the old man has enmity with them?"
Liu Jian, Xie Qian, and the others originally wanted to plead for them, but seeing that they were trying to shirk responsibility in this critical moment, they could not stop their faces from showing disdain. Wang Qiong saw the three people's disgraceful behavior and could not restrain his anger. In a stern voice he shouted, "Enough!"
He shouted to stop the three people's argument, turned around and knelt on the ground. He sternly said, "Your Majesty, we failed to investigate and reported wrongly. We are guilty of making a false accusation, please punish us!"
Wang Qiong took off his clothes and hat and put them to one side. He kowtowed and did not get up. His tactic of advancing in order to retreat was much better than that of Hong Zhong and the others. First he said that the crime was due to a false accusation, then he tied three ministers and an assistant minister to the same boat. The new Emperor had just ascended the throne and his foundation was not yet stable, how could he casually punish so many officials?
As soon as Zhengde saw the four people kneeling on the ground, three of them were ministers, he was at a loss. He looked at the scholars for help. Liu Jian took the opportunity to present a memorial, "Your Majesty, I think that Old Minister Hong indiscriminately punished and tortured him to make a confession, almost killing the four imperial envoys. Moreover, the news of the mausoleum moving has spread, causing the people's hearts to be unsettled, he is indeed guilty. But Hong Official was only deceived by others and did not handle the case properly. He did not have any selfish desires. I think we can … we can let him retire and return to his hometown! "
Hong Zhong's body trembled when he heard this. He had worked so hard to reach the position of a first-ranked official. Now, with just one sentence, everything was gone. Decades of hard work was like a dream. Li Jie, on the other hand, was scared out of his wits. Liu Jian was going to sacrifice a pawn to protect the army. He was the head of the cabinet. If even he had such thoughts, how could Li Jie live?
Zhengde nodded his head and said, "In accordance with the Scholar's memorial, Hong Zhong of the Ministry of Punishments will immediately retire and return to his hometown."
Liu Jian continued, "The Minister of the Ministry of Works, Xu Guan, heard that there was a delay in the construction of the mausoleum. First, he was too cautious and did not do anything about it. Later, he reported the officials without investigating the matter. He was negligent and negligent. I think he should …"
Liu Jian was about to say that he would be demoted and his salary forfeited. Zhengde, thinking himself clever, said, "Fine, he should retire as well."
Liu Jian choked on his words and was speechless for a long time. Zhengde was surprised, "Beloved Official Liu's suggestion is very reasonable. Go on."
Liu Jian took a deep breath and quickly said, "The Minister of the Ministry of Rites, Wang Qiong, educated the world with poetry and etiquette. He is highly respected and has many students. He had nothing to do with this case. It was only because he misbelieved people's words that he urged the Emperor to punish the corrupt officials in order to clean up the bureaucracy. However, Wang Qiong is not an Imperial Censor, yet he reported this to the Emperor. He should also be punished. His salary can be forfeited for three years as a punishment. "
He was afraid that Zhengde would interrupt him midway, therefore, he spoke as fast and as fast as stir-frying beans. Zhengde was displeased, "Wang Qiong overstepped his duty and almost committed a grave mistake. He is so impetuous, how can he be in charge of imperial examinations, sacrificial offerings, etiquette, foreign relations, and other matters? His salary forfeiture is indeed too light, let's … transfer him to the Minister of the Ministry of Rites in Nanjing. "
Xie Qian and Li Dongyang were about to step forward to defend Wang Qiong, but unexpectedly, Wang Qiong thought that he was wholeheartedly serving the country, while the Emperor was muddle-headed. His heart was filled with sorrow. He angrily kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty sympathizes with Laochen, Laochen cannot thank you enough!"
Hearing the resentment in his voice, Zhengde could not help but angrily said, "Are you still not convinced? You are in charge of the Ministry of Rites, educating the people under heaven, yet you did not even teach your own son well. He forced other people's maidservants to frame the family head. Is this also the conduct of the grand Ministry of Rites's Minister Mansion? "
With a cold laugh he turned toward the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Punishments, Wei Shen, and said, "Assistant Minister Wei, using the people to accuse the officials, spreading rumors and slandering, what punishment should be given?"
Wei Shen was a strict and impartial man, in his eyes there was only the law, he had no human feelings. Hearing this, he immediately bowed and said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, using the people to accuse the officials, spreading rumors and slandering, once it is verified, he should be stripped of his official rank and banished. However, this subject believes that although the suspicious case in the Emperor's mausoleum is not true, the accusation of Yang Ling buying a maidservant is based only on that one woman's side of the story, it is not enough to be accepted. It should be investigated to be able to convict him. "
Zhengde faced the sky and laughed out loud, saying with a cold laugh, "There is no need to investigate, zhen knows this matter clearly. This matter was caused by Marquis Of Shouning's family abusing their power to oppress others, they conspired to kidnap three women from the Silk Flower House. At that time zhen was still the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace. After hearing about this matter, zhen ordered the Study Attendant Yang Ling to rescue them. His money was not obtained through corruption, zhen gave it to him. Do you still want to investigate whether zhen is speaking the truth or not?"
Wei Shen hurriedly knelt down and said, "This subject does not dare. Since Your Majesty is testifying for Yang Ling, then this accusation of slander is true."
When Wang Qiong heard that the Emperor wanted to strip his son of his scholarly rank and banish him to the army, his face immediately paled and he did not dare to resist. He only kowtowed and begged for mercy on behalf of his son. The other young masters of the noble families also completely lost their former arrogance, kneeling on the ground, they could only tremble.
Hearing this, Li Dongyang was really anxious. Although these seven young masters could not be considered important people, behind each of them had a father who was an important minister in the court. Now that the six ministries had suddenly dismissed half of the officials, the hearts of the people in the court were already unstable. If there were still a few ministers who were resentful and dissatisfied, how could they manage the court?
In the case of the Emperor's mausoleum, they abandoned one Li Jie to protect three ministers. Now it seemed that in the case of Yang Ling taking advantage of the women, they could only abandon Wang Jinglong and protect the other six. Li Dongyang made a prompt decision and immediately made irresponsible remarks, "Your Majesty, the one who bribed the maidservants of the Yang House to frame Sir Yang was only Wang Jinglong. The other scholars are young and inexperienced, they were only greedy for fame and glory and came to join in the fun. It is not appropriate to punish them heavily."
Xie Qian, Liu Jian, Wang Hua and the others knew that the punishment was too heavy and would not be beneficial to the court. One by one, they knelt down and begged for mercy. Zhengde hatefully said, "Fine, I can overlook the six people who accompanied him, but Wang Jinglong is the main culprit who framed the court's ministers. If I pardon him, where will the court's dignity go? Strip this person of scholarly rank and banish him to Guizhou, never to be employed in the government for the rest of his life! "
Hearing this, Wang Qiong felt a burst of despair. Wang Jinglong knelt on the ground as if he had lost his soul. His life could be considered finished. After a long time, he slowly regained his breath. In his daze, he heard that the Emperor had sentenced Li Jie to death and ordered him to be escorted away.
Wang Jinglong gave a mournful smile. Death penalty? It would be better to sentence him to death than to suffer like this. He was originally the son of an aristocratic family with a bright future ahead of him. If he had not been deceived by that little slut, how could he have fallen to such a state where living is worse than death? Suddenly a malicious thought appeared in Wang Jinglong's mind: "Little slut, weren't you fawning on that Yang Ling to scheme against me? Even if I am sent to Guizhou, I will still bribe the outlaws to humiliate you to death, to make you regret your past deeds …"
The supervisor of rites Dai Yi saw that the Emperor had also sentenced the case, but Wang Qiong was still unwilling to give up. He knelt down and begged for mercy on behalf of his son. Hastily he slipped down from his chair and kneeled down to present a memorial, "Your Majesty, Guizhou is barren and desolate, there are many mountain passes, smoke and miasma everywhere. Being sent to that place is nine out of ten deaths and one out of one's life. In your servant's opinion, since all the daren are pleading for leniency, it would be better for Your Majesty to send him to Tailing to do hard labor, to pave the way for the Former Emperor's mausoleum, to atone for his crime. Not only will he be punished, it will also reflect Your Majesty's benevolence. "
Wang Jinglong was still pondering the malicious thought in his mind. As soon as he heard that he was sent to Tailing to do hard labor, although it was a bit hard, it was after all near the capital. Although his father was sent to Jinling to be an official, his old friends and students in the imperial court were still entangled with each other. When the time came, he could find someone to move around a bit, would he be afraid that he would not be able to get out?
But as soon as he looked up, he saw Dai Yi was smiling sinisterly at him. As soon as he saw this malicious smile, Wang Jinglong felt as if a basin of ice water was drenched from head to toe, his entire heart turned ice-cold.
"Very well," Zhengde happily said, "Let's do it that way!" Wang Qiong was fully aware that if his son went to Tailing, it would be even more dangerous than going to Guizhou; he was so anxious that he almost went crazy. Liu Jian and the others had worked together with him for many years, they could not bear to see him like this; they had no choice but to step forward and help him up, quietly promising to take care of Wang Jinglong for him. Only then did the Old Master withdraw from the hall with tears streaming down his face.
Zhengde sent everybody away, leaving only Yang Ling's family. Only then did he embarrassedly walk over to Yang Ling's side and said, "Yang, zhen … zhen almost betrayed you."
In his heart, Yang Ling was also quite ashamed; he did not believe that the importance of feng shui was greater than the lives of millions of common people; therefore, he helped Dai Yi and the others to conceal the matter of water seeping from the Imperial Mausoleum. But in the end, he still had something to hide from this young Emperor. Hastily he bowed and saluted, "Your Majesty, please do not say that. Whether Your Majesty is the ruler of a country, or as the son of the Former Emperor, dealing with this matter in this way is within Your Majesty's duty; your subject will not complain at all."
With an ashamed smile Zhengde said, "Beloved subject, you must relax and recuperate well. When your injury is healed, Zhen will put you in an important position. You go back first, those three nagging old men are still waiting for Zhen outside. Later on, Zhen will secretly go to your mansion to see you. "
"Thank you very much for Your Majesty's concern," Yang Ling hastily said, "But Your Majesty had better not leave the Palace rashly. If the three Grand Scholars found out, they would submit a memorial to remonstrate. Humble subject will go back now."
He had already removed the shackles on his hands and feet, but his ankles were badly mutilated. Walking out of this long main hall was still excruciating pain. Han Youniang and Yutang Chun, one on his left and one on his right, supported him, Sheridan and Gao Wenxin were by his side. They saluted Emperor Zhengde, and then turned around to leave. Zhengde saw Han Youniang's pretty face was stiff. Although she had not lost her etiquette, her expression was completely different from how she used to treat him. He felt a bit uncomfortable in his heart. Suddenly he called out, "Wait a minute!"
Yang Ling turned around in astonishment. He saw Zhengde walking over and said, "If Young-niang Jiejie did not use Fuhuang's calligraphy to stop me, Zhen would have lost a loyal subject. Young-niang Jiejie has rendered meritorious service to the country, Zhen wants to reward her."
He hesitated for a moment before saying, "Zhen wants to issue an imperial edict to confer Young-niang Jiejie the title of Lady of the Imperial Mandate. Young-niang Jiejie, please don't be angry with Zhen anymore, right?"
Han Youniang saw the dignified Son of Heaven apologizing to her, she did not dare to push her luck. She quickly saluted and said, "How can this subject 'qie dare to be angry with Your Majesty? Thank you very much for Your Majesty's reward. "
Her status was a sore point in Han Youniang's heart. When her husband was a xiucai, she always felt that she, the daughter of a hunter, was not worthy of him. Now that she had been conferred the title of Lady of the Imperial Mandate, how could she not be happy?
Zhengde saw a trace of happiness appear on the tip of Han Youniang's eyebrows and finally relaxed. He smiled happily and said, "Not only do Zhen want to reward Young-niang Jiejie, I also want to reward Yang Jiejie. Didn't Wang Jinglong say that it was unreasonable for you to spend ten thousand taels of silver to buy a maid? Hehe, that money was paid by Zhen. Just think of it as Zhen buying her to give to you as a concubine. The Ministry of Internal Affairs has already decided on the Empress and two imperial concubines for Zhen. En … … let's set it on the day of Zhen's wedding. On that day, Zhen will issue an imperial edict to bestow the two of them to you as concubines and consummate the marriage. "
"Ah?" Yang Ling was shocked when he heard this. Han Youniang was also surprised. Yutang Chun and Sheridan were both surprised and happy. When their eyes met, they immediately looked away. They couldn't help but blush, but their eyes were filled with unspeakable happiness.
Gao Wenxin's eyelids were slightly drooping, her expression calm and not the slightest abnormality could be seen. Although Han Youniang had promised to serve one husband together, she knew that it was difficult to get rid of her slave identity. She had never had such delusions and naturally wasn't as worried as Yutang Chun and Li Qianxue.
The little Emperor patted Yang Ling's shoulder and solemnly said, "The day of your wedding will be the day of my wedding. I swear that I will celebrate with you and never doubt you for the rest of my life. From now on, we will be monarch and minister, and also good friends!"
He said cheerfully, "The fireworks and palace lanterns that were set off in the mountains last time were very beautiful. I have always wanted to see them again. When my wedding day comes, no one will have an excuse to stop me from lighting the lanterns and setting the fire. Hahaha, I have been looking forward to this wedding for a long time. En, on the night of my wedding, come to the palace and help me set off the fireworks. "He waved his hand and said with a smile," I want to see the fireworks all night long … … "
Gao Wenxin almost laughed when she heard this stupid order. Yutang Chun and Sheridan looked at each other. The corners of their pretty mouths couldn't help but droop.
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