"You go back first!" In the Chui Gong Hall, Emperor Liu's voice was still cold and faint, and he looked at Wang Jien who was kneeling in front of the emperor with an indifferent expression.
When Wang Jien came here, he naturally wanted to apologize to Emperor Liu. He first characterized himself as someone who did not know people well and had lax discipline, hoping that Emperor Liu would punish him severely.
However, Emperor Liu's plain expression and cold attitude made Wang Jien extremely uneasy. He would rather let the emperor scold him severely than experience this "difficulty in understanding the holy will."
Kowtowing solemnly, Wang Jien continued to work hard: "I am guilty of a crime, and I beg your Majesty to punish him to serve as a warning to others!"
"Whether you are guilty or not is not up to you. The country has its own laws and the court has its own system!" Emperor Liu said in a dry tone.
Wang Jien's expression also became more solemn. After hesitation, he bowed: "Your Majesty, the prisoner Zhang Jinjie has been captured by the young man. I beg your Majesty to give instructions on how to deal with it."
Hearing this, Emperor Liu glanced at Wang Jien with a hint of seriousness in his eyes. After thinking for a moment, he said leisurely: "They've all been arrested! It seems that the crime committed by Zhang Jinjie is true after your Imperial City Department self-examination."
Already?"
Hearing what Emperor Liu said, Wang Jien's face changed. He raised his eyes to meet the old emperor's meaningful gaze. He suddenly realized that he seemed to be anxious again!
The emperor didn't even understand what he was thinking, so he was busy arresting Zhang Jinjie. This was simply a self-inflicted crime! However, now that the matter had come to this, he could only continue to talk. Wang Jien said in a sincere tone:
"It's all because of the lax control of the subordinates and the ignorant management of the officials, which made them arrogant and domineering. This led to the emergence of such people in the Imperial City who messed up the law and harmed the people. I regret my mistake and beg your majesty to punish him in a canonical way to set the record straight.
"
"It is said that Zhang Jinjie is your favorite adopted son. Are you planning to kill your relatives out of righteousness?" Emperor Liu reminded him in an inexplicable tone.
Wang Jien, almost without thinking, said in a deep voice: "The national laws are strict and far outweigh personal relationships. What's more, he deserves what he deserves. He has made such a small mistake and is deeply regretful. He wishes he could deal with it with his own hands in order to satisfy the laws of nature and the country!"
Hearing what he said, the smile on Emperor Liu's lips became more playful, but his eyes were still indifferent, without any waves, giving people a cold feeling.
"Having this kind of understanding is not in vain for my decades of trust in you!" Finally, Emperor Liu's tone became more "normal" and he said: "I'm afraid the news has spread. This is someone from your Imperial City Department.
, it is up to your department to conduct self-examination, and no matter what the result is, I am afraid it will be difficult to convince everyone. Now that the person has been detained, please hand it over to the Ministry of Criminal Justice for trial!"
"Yes!" Wang Jien said in a deep voice without much hesitation.
"Go! I'm tired," Emperor Liu said, looking at Wang Jien with a hint of meaning.
"Young man, please excuse me!" This was the second time Emperor Liu had driven someone away, and Wang Jien did not dare to have any more entanglements.
After leaving the Chuigong Hall, Wang Jien's steps were still steady. Although his face was solemn, he looked calm. However, under the calm surface, Wang Jien was anxious inside. Worry arose from his heart and went straight to his forehead, causing him to be in a trance.
Emperor Liu's reaction really did not make him feel at ease. For a long time, Wang Jien had been loyal and fearful of Emperor Liu, but now, he was only afraid. As for loyalty, he had no regard for it.
Wang Jien clearly realized that he had fallen out of favor, just like a dog that might be abandoned at any time. This pitiful feeling was extremely uncomfortable for people like Wang Jien.
In addition to the difficulty of adapting, there is also endless fear. I want to help myself, but I don’t know where to start. I can only have a trace of hope, hoping that this storm will pass quickly and end with Zhang Jinjie, but in the end it still has nothing to do with it.
It depends on the attitude of the old emperor.
As a result of today's meeting with the old emperor, Wang Jien really couldn't have any more confidence. Wang Jien was not afraid of attacks from foreign ministers, opponents, and enemies. He was only afraid that Emperor Liu would lose trust in him. For a servant, a hawk, this was the only way.
It is the most desperate situation.
Wang Jien is also reflecting on how he got to the current situation, which is completely puzzling. But in the end, it points to one point: it is not that Wang Jien has a problem, but that the official family has changed.
Over this period of time, or to extend the timeline a little longer, in recent years, Wang Jien has been like someone who has been beheaded. Everything has not gone smoothly, and mistakes have been made step by step. It seems that everyone is against him, and nothing can happen anymore.
In the past few decades, everything went smoothly and everything went smoothly.
Why is there such a big contrast? Looking to the bottom of it, there may be only one answer: all problems and changes were brought about by the old emperor.
Thinking of this section, Wang Jien couldn't help but tremble, and his relatively strong and strong legs couldn't help but feel weak. If there weren't palace people and guards around, he would have wanted to slap himself twice.
How could you have such an idea! Blame the officials? What a bastard!
"****!" Wang Jien cursed in a low voice and hurried back to the Imperial City Division.
The eldest eunuch secretly swore in his heart that if he could get through this smoothly, he would make those villains who made trouble and oppose him look good. At this time, in Wang Jien's heart, in addition to worries about his future, there was also a strong sense of revenge.
mood
Zhang Jinjie was quickly taken away. Zhang Xun, the Secretary of the Ministry of Punishments, personally brought people to the imperial city to mention the person, and he interrogated him personally, which shows that Zhang Xun was taken seriously. Zhang Xun had an extraordinary background. He was the stepson of the late Yu Guogong Wei Renpu.
With a profound background and being shrewd and capable, his official career was even greater than that of Wei Xianxin, who succeeded the Duke.
As the Zhang Jinjie case entered normal interrogation procedures in accordance with the imperial system, the already restive court quickly became troubled again, and the bureaucrats' attention quickly shifted from Helong. Compared with the long-standing abuses in Helong, which are two thousand miles away,
It was the turmoil in Beijing that attracted more attention, especially when it involved the Imperial City Division.
A single person can tell that this situation is different from the past. The Imperial City Division has been rampant in the Han Dynasty for more than thirty years. With its accumulated prestige, even the highest officials in the government dare not look down upon it.
From Qianyou to Kaibao, there have been so many major cases and political upheavals in the Han Dynasty, and many of them have involved the activities of the Imperial City's hawks and dogs. I have never seen the Imperial City's inspectors and arresters, but never seen the Imperial City.
The people in the department were captured, and it was core personnel like Detective Superintendent Zhang Jinjie.
Compared with Xue Chedeng's complaint, Zhang Jinjie was taken to the Ministry of Justice for interrogation, which was a clearer and clearer signal. Rumors and signs all vaguely showed that His Majesty the Emperor has no intention to protect the imperial city.
manage.
Otherwise, even if Zhang Jinjie's crime is confirmed, it would be enough to let the Imperial City Division deal with it by themselves and give him a briefing and explanation, and there would be no need to use the Criminal Department at all.
There has always been a conflict between the Imperial City, the Second Division of Wude, and the judicial system of the imperial court. There is no doubt that on some major issues, the Second Division has far more independent power than the Third Division.
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Nowadays, the situation seems to have undergone some changes that the "Gungun Dukes" are happy to see. The "big mountain" of the Imperial City Division seems to be unstable, and it can be pried up with efforts.
Unsurprisingly, on the second day of Zhang Jinjie's trial, dozens of articles of impeachment were submitted to the political affairs hall. Although they were all ordinary courtiers and censors, they all spoke with the same hatred and the same momentum.
Complete.
Although the target of the finger is still pointed at Zhang Jinjie, anyone with a little political insight understands that the real target is the Imperial City Envoy Wang Jien and the Imperial City Secretary. The crimes specified in the impeachment chapters that coincide with each other, if Zhang Jinjie is
If it were Wang Jien or the Imperial City Secretary, there would be no sense of dissonance at all.
For three days in a row, more and more people delivered impeachment memorials to the Political Hall, almost doubling the number, and their weight became more and more substantial. It can be said that half of the imperial court was involved in this "defeat" operation.
Compared with the newly revealed crimes, framing the Xue family and exterminating families and seizing wealth, it can even be said to be trivial. In the writings of the court officials, each and every small Imperial City Inspector suddenly became the most powerful person in the Han Dynasty.
Greed is the cruelest traitor and cruel official.
The imperial court was in shock, everyone was looking at him, and the Imperial City Department did not stop. Under Wang Jien's order, almost all the subordinate detectives were dispatched to spy around, swagger through the city, and even threaten to disrupt the law.
On the surface, it is more rampant than before, and targeted retaliation has been directly launched. A large number of officials' illegal and criminal evidence, the shame and ugliness behind the sanctimony, have been exposed. Basically, who participated in the impeachment of Zhang
Anyone who fails will be exposed.
After decades of accumulation, how many criminal evidences and serious illegal acts have been collected by the Imperial City Division? Even Wang Jien may not know it without digging through the secret files. In such a situation, how can Wang Jien and the Imperial City Division not behave like human beings?
feared.
Wang Jien also completely came into conflict with the outer court, releasing evidence one after another. The situation in the court was like boiling oil, boiling. No one thought that a piece of Zhang Jinjie could cause the Imperial City Department and the outer court to ignite.
Bureaucratic confrontation.
It has to be said that Wang Jien's madness and ruthlessness really scare many people, especially those who follow the crowd. Even those who are behind the instigation may not have some retreat in their hearts. If Wang Jien blows himself up, what power and influence will there be?
It is really too big and cannot be afforded by ordinary people.
As the wrestling continued, the situation in the court fell into a stalemate, but this stalemate was short-lived. What progressed smoothly was the trial of Zhang Jinjie, which was probably the smoothest of the many major cases investigated by the Ministry of Punishment.
Zhang Jinjie confessed to all the numerous crimes he had reported back and forth, with no intention of defending himself at all. He had the same attitude: I, Zhang, will bear all the blame.
Such a result is obviously unacceptable to many people. At this time, the tendencies and attitudes of the upper-class dignitaries are gradually revealed. To achieve the goal, a key push is needed. This is not an ordinary court official's statement.
If you want to achieve what your senses can do, it is impossible to hide your hands and feet.
Take Zhang Xun, the Secretary of the Ministry of Punishment, for example. No matter how Zhang Jinjie took the initiative to plead guilty, he would delay the trial of the case, step by step, and interrogate and confirm every count, as if he respected the majesty of the Punishment Bureau. However, this
Wherever the case is being delayed, it is clearly the development of the situation.
Until Emperor Liu sent someone to investigate, Zhang Xun could no longer withstand the pressure and had to pronounce the verdict and submit it to Dali Temple for review and start the next step of the process.
By this time, Zhang Jinjie's case had long been a superficial issue, and the punishment he received was irrelevant. Whether he was sentenced to death or exiled, I am afraid no one except Xue Che cared about it. What the imperial court really cared about was
How will this matter end? Will it end at Zhang Jinjie?
Finally, someone stepped forward to break the fragile balance created by Wang Jien's ferocity. Lu Mengzheng of Luoyang Prefecture issued an impeachment seal, directly addressed Emperor Liu, and pointed his finger at the imperial envoy Wang Jien.
This is what shocked the government and the public with his words. The normally silent Luoyang Prefecture Yin was actually the first "sage" to stand up and confront Wang Jien head-on. For a time, Lu Mengzheng's "righteousness" flooded the government and the public.
, he is praised both inside and outside.
Only then did the storm officially enter a new stage, the seriousness of the matter truly became apparent, and things that were previously invisible gradually emerged from under the water.
Firstly, the attack on the imperial envoy Wang Jien was officially launched; secondly, the leader was Lu Mengzheng.
At the moment when Emperor Liu lives in Ziwei City, Xijing is undoubtedly the number one capital in the world. As the governor of Luoyang, no matter how low-key Lu Mengzheng is as an official on weekdays, his status in the Han Dynasty is always special and powerful.
There is always a place for him on the list, which is brought to him by the special nature of the capital.
Therefore, the demonstration effect of such a powerful bureaucrat coming forward was huge. In just one day, following in the footsteps of Lu Mengzheng, another large wave of memorials flew to Chuigong Hall and Guangzheng Hall like snow flakes.
And this time, it is no longer the small fight before, and the people who come forward are not all small fish and shrimps.
Among them, the ministers of the Ministry of Justice include Zhang Xun, the Minister of Punishment, Song Zhun, the Minister of Household Affairs, Fan Min, the Salt and Iron Envoy, Du Zai, the Right Governor and Censor, Wen Zhongshu, the Minister of Rites, and others.
A group of ministers, either with power or with names, seemed to be announcing to the world that the Han Dynasty court and the world were not a place where a eunuch could make trouble, and his power was dared to be challenged. At the same time, they also seemed to be announcing to Liu Gongdian.
The emperor expressed their will: Wang Jien, the eunuch, has been angered by heaven and the people, and humans and gods are angry together. It is difficult to offend when the public is angry, so your majesty should make a decision.
Such a situation is obviously not what Wang Jien wants to see, it can also be said that he is afraid of seeing it. It makes him feel troubled and feels the real danger. Even though he had expected that he might be involved, when he suddenly looked back, he realized that he was not the only one.
It's wet feet, and half of the body is already submerged in water.
Wang Jien was never one to sit back and wait for death. Even if he was panicked and anxious, his counterattacks were still fierce without any compromise.
First of all, he reported Zhang Xun, the Minister of Punishment, to Emperor Liu. He also happened to have something to do with him. This person had once facilitated others and broke the law to help relatives open up the checkpoints for selling Qin and Long's giant trees.
Logging trade is prohibited.
As for the others, Wang Jien did not let them go, finding faults and finding excuses one by one. But among so many ministers, the one Wang Jien resented the most was obviously Luoyang Prefect Lu Mengzheng, but unfortunately, he did not have any black information about Lu Mengzheng.
Looking back, I realized that this Lu Fuyin had been hiding too deeply. He had been a Luoyang Yin for several years, but he had not left anyone with any clues.
What makes Wang Jien even more annoyed is that there has never been any conflict between him and Lu Mengzheng. Of course, this is what Wang Jien thinks. He himself remembers how many people and forces he has offended during the Imperial City Division's rampage for more than thirty years.
Not sure.
Only now did Wang Jien truly realize how terrifying it would be if thirty years of resentment broke out, and it even overshadowed his confidence in Emperor Liu.
When faced with unbearable pressure, Wang Jien finally went to Emperor Liu, cried out for help, recalled the past, showed his loyalty, and also poured out his bitterness. Wang Jien denied all the criticisms of those bureaucrats, and repeatedly complained that they were wronged.
He shouted at the top of his lungs, hoping that Emperor Liu would make the decision for him.
Emperor Liu only comforted him lightly, neither giving him a positive response nor giving him clear hope. All questions returned to the beginning. What was Emperor Liu's attitude?
It has to be said that Wang Jien, who was extremely sensitive to this, was already a little chilled after asking for help to no avail.
As a result, he made mistakes at every step, and he made two infamous moves. The first was to instruct some officials he had bribed in the past to provide some evidence and let them report for impeachment, with the intention of further confusing the situation and confusing the public.
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The second is to secretly visit and meet with the ministers, half requests, half threats, to let them speak for him or change their stories. The evidence and handles collected in his hands become his weapon to manipulate the court situation. In short, he wants to change the court.
The ministers unanimously targeted Wang Jien's situation.
It can be said that at the critical moment, Wang Jien showed all his trump cards, and it was very effective. Under the noisy voice of "defeating the king", the voice of "supporting the king" gradually raised its head. It was like opening a magic box.
Generally speaking, for the first time in decades, Wang Jien enjoyed the pleasure of manipulating those well-dressed and dog-like ministers without any scruples. The satisfaction he felt in this was not to be appreciated by outsiders.
However, this was also a complete rejection of Emperor Liu. Regardless of whether he was forced to do so or for other reasons, these actions he took were all taboos, or were against Emperor Liu's taboos. For Emperor Liu, these were comparable to those of Lu Meng.
The crime of impeachment is much more serious and unforgivable.
It's a pity that today's Wang Jien fails to realize this.
"Wang Jien is in danger!" Zhao Kuangyi, who had been silently watching the development of the situation between the DPRK and China in Guangyang Mansion, sighed leisurely.
