Liu Fengquan clearly did not expect Zhang Yu to make such a suggestion as soon as he became a Xia Scholar. He was somewhat surprised. When he heard the words "Xiuwen Courtyard Case", he could not help but frown.
He had heard of this matter before and vaguely knew that it seemed to have involved something, so he did not continue to investigate.
He looked at Kuang Gong, who looked straight at him with a determined gaze.
After Zhang Yu spoke, Kuang Gong and all of the Xia Scholars realized that no matter what, they had to support Zhang Yu this time.
This was because the Xia Scholars cared about the interests of the whole. This was not only the first time Zhang Yu had made a suggestion, but also the first official suggestion in this meeting. They had to support him.
Liu Fengquan looked around and saw that all of the Xia Scholars were looking at him. He immediately understood the meaning they were conveying.
In reality, he had never cared about a "small matter" like the Xiuwen Courtyard Fire. What he cared about was how to maintain order in the protectorate, how to stabilize the Commissar, how to balance all sides, and how to carry out his wishes.
But now that Zhang Yu had brought it up in front of the meeting, the protectorate had to give an explanation. Or rather, it could be said that this matter had to be settled. It could not be brushed aside like before.
He thought for a moment and said, "Zhang Shijun, please wait a moment. I will ask about this matter first."
Zhang Yu clasped his hands together and returned to his seat, sitting down again.
He knew very well that the matter of the Xiuwen Academy involved a lot of things. If he discussed it among the scholars first, then because of the constraints and misgivings from all sides, even if he could make a recommendation, then even if the matter didn't end without a conclusion, it might drag on until next year or even later.
Since this was the case, it was better to bring it up in the first meeting. On one hand, he did not have so many misgivings. On the other hand, all of the Xia Scholars would most likely choose to support him.
Although Kuang Gong and the others chose to support Zhang Yu, they had to understand what was going on first. After all, many of them hadn't been to Auspicious Light for a long time. They hadn't even heard about the burning of the Xiuwen Courtyard.
The few of them tried to ask, and naturally, a civil official beside them came over to answer. He said that four years ago, the Xiuwen Courtyard encountered a big fire, and everything inside was burned to ashes.
Duke Yu frowned and said, "This old man remembers that all the ceremonial instruments of the Protectorate Manor were placed in the Xiuwen Courtyard, right?"
The civil official didn't dare to hide anything and whispered, "Replying to Duke Yu, those ceremonial instruments … were also burned in that fire."
Duke Yu's brows furrowed even deeper as he asked, "But when I came last month, what about those ceremonial musical instruments that I saw in Zhao Hall?"
The civil official lowered his head and said awkwardly, "That was an imitation later on."
In fact, these ceremonial instruments were used to deal with the traditional Tianxia people who particularly valued them. Although they were imitations, in fact, they only looked very similar. It was impossible to produce the original sound. It was just that no one knew how to play these instruments, so there was no need to worry about any flaws.
Duke Yu chuckled and asked, "Then where did the fire come from? Was it done by someone, or was it caused by the heavenly fire? How was it dealt with? "
The civil official hesitated before stammering, "There was no conclusion to this matter because we couldn't find out the cause, so there was no conclusion …"
Duke Yu's face was filled with anger as he said, "No conclusion? How could there be no conclusion? What kind of place is the Xiuwen Courtyard? That is the place where the records are kept, how could it be neglected? No wonder Lord Zhang brought up this matter, then it must be thoroughly investigated! "
At this time, Liu Fengquan had already called Manager Bu in front of him and asked him about this matter in detail.
Manager Bu's cheeks were round and his body was fat. His skin was soft and tender, and he didn't have any of the majesty of a yamen's head. He said with a bitter face, "Duke's Manor, four years ago, I was still in charge. This matter has nothing to do with me …"
Liu Fengquan didn't want to hear this at all. He said in a low voice, "Manager Bu, you don't need to tell me about the internal affairs of your yamen. You only need to tell me, can this matter be investigated?"
Manager Bu took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat off his forehead. He looked around and said in a low voice, "It's better not to investigate …"
Liu Fengquan frowned. "Why?"
Manager Bu hesitated for a moment before saying, "This matter is related to the Army of God. When Manager Mei found out, he didn't dare to investigate further. He even ordered people to seal and file everything that was found."
"The Army of God?"
Liu Fengquan snorted. "Then do you know why they burned the Xiuwen Courtyard?"
This was the thing he couldn't understand the most. The Army of God was a purely military organization and had nothing to do with civil affairs. Why would they burn the Xiuwen Courtyard for no reason?
Although Manager Bu looked mediocre, he had been in the yamen for a long time and was nicknamed "Gossip Spirit". He knew everything that had happened in the past few decades.
He lowered his voice and said, "From the clues that were later investigated, the Army of God probably wanted to take something important from the Xiuwen Courtyard. The subsequent fire was to cover up their tracks."
Liu Fengquan thought for a moment. He didn't know what the Army of God wanted, but it couldn't be something simple.
He looked at the managers of the yamen around him and said, "Managers, what do you think? How should we deal with this matter?"
Manager Song of the Division Goods Office said slowly, "Duke's Mansion, I think we need to understand how much the Army of God is involved in this matter. Which faction of the four marquises did it? Why did Zhang Shijun ask for a thorough investigation? What does he know? Does he have some evidence? Also, how far does he want to go? "
Liu Fengquan nodded and said, "Experienced words."
Reinvestigating the case of the fire at the Wenxiu Yuan was a clear request from the scholars. On the surface, it was a reasonable request. As the head of the government, he had no reason to reject it. He had to investigate.
However, it was not feasible to push the Army of God too far. Therefore, even if this matter was to be investigated, they had to know in advance where they could stop. Only then would it not escalate to a point of no return.
Xiao Qingzhan didn't say a word. Although he had pushed Zhang Yu, when it came to matters involving the Commissar, as a neutral party, he wouldn't carelessly stick his neck out.
The few of them discussed for a while more and came to a general consensus.
After Liu Fengquan asked everyone to return to their seats, he said to Zhang Yu, "Zhang Shijun, I have a rough understanding of this matter from Manager Bu. This is an old case with no results. You said that you want a thorough investigation. Does that mean that you have some clues and the reason behind it? I hope you can tell us so that the Commissar can investigate. "
Zhang Yu didn't stand up this time. Instead, he cupped his hands in salute and said, "Everyone should have heard that when I entered Tai Yang Academy, I didn't take the proper path. I recommended myself.
However, I had already passed the academy's selection when I was twelve years old. However, I was still young at that time. My adoptive father was worried that I couldn't take care of myself, so he didn't allow me to enter the academy.
However, after five years, I came to Auspicious Light City to retrieve the documents. When I entered the academy, I heard that the documents that were sent to the Xiuwen Courtyard had been destroyed in the fire three years ago. Therefore, I could only recommend myself to enter the academy. "
When everyone heard this, they suddenly realized why Zhang Yu, with his knowledge, didn't take the "proper path" and instead recommended himself. It turned out that there was such a reason.
Xu Wenyue and the other two also showed a sympathetic expression. However, at the same time, a sense of admiration rose in their hearts.
Under such circumstances, Zhang Yu was still able to suppress his emotions and recommend himself to enter the academy. How strong was his heart and willpower? If it were them, their spirits would have been crushed by such news.
At this moment, they felt that they had lost wholeheartedly.
Zhang Yu continued, "When I entered the academy, I felt that there was something fishy about this matter. Perhaps there was an inside story. Therefore, I secretly spent a lot of effort to collect a lot of useful evidence."
Yu Gong opened his mouth and said, "Lord Zhang, where is the evidence now?"
Zhang Yu said, "It's now in my residence. I can immediately ask someone to bring it over."
Yu Gong said, "Good, then I ask Lord Zhang to bring the evidence to court!"
Zhang Yu nodded and asked someone to come over and give instructions. Then, someone went to fetch it for him.
He wasn't afraid that the evidence would be tampered with halfway through because he still had a copy of the same document in the bank. If someone tampered with it, it would prove that this matter wasn't as simple as it seemed.
While waiting, someone on the seat cupped his hands and asked, "Lord Zhang, I have something I don't understand and would like to ask for guidance."
Zhang Yu looked over and saw that it was a young administrative officer with clear eyes. He said, "Please speak."
The young administrative officer asked, "In the past, in order to prevent mistakes and theft, every student must have a protector. There are no records. Why doesn't Lord Zhang look for a protector and appeal to the higher-ups?"
Zhang Yu said, "This is another matter that I want to talk about. My protector's name is Shu Tong. He's an old friend of my adoptive father. After Wenxiu Academy was burned down, the Shu family of four was also killed in their home. Then, they were burned down. The methods used by both sides are exactly the same."
Many people present couldn't help but gasp. What kind of deep hatred was this? How could someone be so ruthless?
Duke Kuang said coldly, "Cruel and vicious. It makes one's hair stand on end!"
Zhang Yu looked up and said, "There are still many questions about the Wenxiu Courtyard. However, the identity of the person who stole the Imperial Booklet and the person who harmed Shu Tong's family of four has been investigated clearly!"
Duke Yu immediately asked, "Who did it?"
Zhang Yu said slowly, "Shu Tong's family was taken by Yan Zhu, the son of the Army of God's Deputy Commandant Yan Xulun. The one who killed Shu Tong's family was the Left Marquis of the Army of God, Ning Kunlun!"
Liu Fengquan's expression changed when he heard this.
He didn't expect that this matter not only involved a former Army of God marquis, but also the Deputy Commandant of the Army of God. He couldn't sit still anymore. He stood up and asked, "Lord Zhang, how can you prove this?"
Zhang Yu looked at him and said, "Ning Kunlun admitted this to me personally."
Liu Fengquan was slightly surprised and said, "I heard that the Left Marquis of the Army of God, Ning Kunlun, has been missing for several months. Does Lord Zhang know his whereabouts?"
Zhang Yu nodded and said, "That's right."
Liu Fengquan asked, "Then … where is he? Is he dead or alive? "
Zhang Yu took out an item from his sleeve and casually tossed it to the aisle of the Great Council Hall. With a crisp sound, everyone saw a blood-red gem rolling on the ground. Then, they heard his calm voice ring out in the hall. "I have killed this person with my own hands."
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