In the Wenhua Hall, the ministers lined up to enter, and the emperor also came to the throne on time.
"Long live my emperor! Long live!"
After the salute, each ministry briefly dealt with some insignificant political affairs. Immediately afterwards, Hu Hui, the Minister of Rites, came out and summarized the situation of the entire Spring Wei Examination.
In his words, although this examination had some twists and turns, overall, it was a successful, successful, and positive spring ceremony that could provide experience for future examinations.
During the whole process, Mr. Hu was very angry, but all the ministers present were silent until Mr. Hu praised all the Jinshis and expressed his satisfaction to the Ministry of Etiquette for "successfully" completing the task. After that, he returned to
After the queue, the censor came out and said.
"Your Majesty, now that the Spring Festival has ended, during this palace examination, the examiners did not know the people well and did not read the examination papers properly, which almost made the imperial court's recruitment ceremony a laughing stock. Although your Majesty's holy light illuminated it, Da Zongbo and others tried their best to save it, before it turned into a laughing stock.
The great disaster has been successfully ended, but those who have made mistakes must not be ignored."
"In recent days, there have been many rumors in the court, claiming that Hanlin scholar Xiao Fan is related to the scholar Cheng Zong, so when he read the examination papers in the palace, he deliberately suppressed other scholars, manipulated power, deceived the emperor, and tried to use the state's public instruments.
To show personal favor is to be indebted to His Majesty's favor."
"I sincerely request your Majesty to remove Xiao Fei's official status and order a prison sentence for strict interrogation to set the record straight!"
It should be said that these words were very harsh, but this was indeed the trend of public opinion in the court during this period of time.
What the censor said was considered restrained, but his scoldings in private were much worse. It is said that during this period, the Xiao family's residence was surrounded by excited scholars every day.
, can’t even get out of the door.
These words seemed to open a floodgate, and many ministers immediately came out and spoke.
"Your Majesty, this is indeed the case. The imperial court's talent promotion ceremony should not be ignored. Xiao Mengqin acted selfishly and is unfair. He should be severely punished!"
"Your Majesty, please be aware that what Xiao Mengqin did was to deceive the imperial court without a king or father. If such a serious crime is carried out lightly, the majesty of the imperial court will be lost!"
"I second the proposal, please your Majesty severely punish Xiao Mengqin, so as to set the record straight, make the people angry, and stabilize the country!"
I don’t know whether he was incited by others or infected by the atmosphere. In short, many officials from the Department of Science and Technology came out one after another, demanding severe punishment for Xiao Tan.
This posture makes it look like Xiao Tan is some kind of traitor and evil person who brought trouble to Chao Gang.
Facing the "turbulent" court discussion, Zhu Qiyu narrowed his eyes, but there was no expression on his face. He just asked.
"General Xian, the censors have advised me to severely punish Xiao Ban. As the head of the science and education, what do you think?"
There was silence in the hall for a moment, and then low voices of discussion arose.
You must know that since this incident happened, the emperor has not expressed his opinions to the outside world. What the officials have seen is that the emperor asked Xiao Tan to temporarily dismiss his official position and return to the government for investigation.
He was demoted one level and fined half a year's salary.
As for the others, whether they were those who impeached Xiao Tan or those who spoke favorably for him, the memorials were handed over to the emperor, but they were all ignored and no clear statement was made.
The ministers originally thought that the emperor was waiting for today's court meeting to solve the problem together, but now it seems that it is not that simple.
If the emperor intended to severely punish Xiao Tan, then he would just follow the words of the censors just now and deal with it.
However, when the emperor named Chen Yi, the censor of Zuodu, and asked his opinion, the meaning was different.
You must know that although there seems to be a lot of excitement in the Wenhua Palace at the moment, none of the high-ranking ministers of the Seven Ministers, not even the ministers of the cabinet, and the ministers of the six ministries have come forward to speak.
To put it bluntly, those who can really be put in front of the emperor must be these high-ranking officials of third rank or above. If there are enough censors below, they can also be taken seriously by the emperor.
However, there are actually only a few people speaking in the palace right now, but because no one else has spoken, it seems like the whole court is abuzz with controversy.
At this time, the emperor asked Chen Yi to come out, seemingly to ask for his opinion, but in fact, the subtext was to restrain the people under him.
Of course, if at this time, Chen Zongxian felt that the censors below were right and made the same statement as them, then the meaning of the matter would become different again.
However, Chen Zongxian was obviously on the side of the emperor this time and had no intention of escalating the situation, so he handed over and stepped out of the queue, saying.
"Your Majesty, I think this matter should not be rushed!"
As soon as he opened his mouth, Chen Yi made his attitude straightforward and rejected the views of several censors who just asked for strict and expeditious treatment.
Although these words were in answer to the emperor's question, Chen Zongxian's body turned slightly to the side, vaguely facing the ministers below, and then he opened his mouth to explain.
"Just now, the Great Uncle Zongcai has said something. Now that the Spring Festival is basically over, the list of Jinshi has been re-reviewed by the Seven Ministers and personally reviewed by His Majesty. There is no objection. The imperial court's talent promotion ceremony has been successfully completed. Therefore, there is no need to worry about dealing with the aftermath.
.”
"There were many twists and turns in the process of reading the papers for the imperial examination. In addition to Xiao Ban, cabinet ministers Jiang Yuan, Zhang Min, Zhu Jian and other senior officials also made mistakes. This matter involves several important officials of the imperial court and should not be dealt with in a hurry. It must be dealt with in a hurry.
You have to discern the inside story and make a decision."
"As for the so-called material discussions among the people, I have heard about it these days, and quite a few of them are used by failed candidates to vent their anger. Although there are some officials who are truly angry about the unfairness of this matter, these scholars are nothing more than
It's just hearsay, and it may not be possible to know the truth of the matter."
"Especially regarding the relationship between Xiao Tan and Cheng Zong, I have issued a document to the local government office where Cheng Zong is located in the name of the Metropolitan Procuratorate to investigate whether Cheng Zong has had any social contacts with Xiao Tan since he was a student. We will wait for the local government office
After the reply, everything will be clear and it’s not too late to deal with it!”
This statement is quite reasonable and well-founded, especially when it comes from the mouth of Chen Yi, a leader in science and technology. It represents a very strong attitude in itself.
Chen Zongxian is usually a quiet person, but for being able to sit firmly at the top of the scientific field, his prestige among officials is extremely high.
After saying this, many of the censors who were eager to try couldn't help but look thoughtful. Many of the censors who had just been filled with indignation looked at each other with hesitation.
However, this is for ordinary censors, and for the important ministers in the court, after hearing these words, their expressions suddenly changed.
It is not surprising that Chen Yi would make such a statement.
You must know that although Chen Yi has an upright temperament, he is not reckless, nor is he the kind of person who does not know the importance of things. Under normal circumstances, people at their level will not have a direct conflict with the emperor unless they have to.
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As the most likely to offend people, Chen Zongxian is naturally more cautious on this point.
Looking back on what Chen Yi did in the past, from the initial kneeling to remonstrate with Zuo Shunmen to the later Luo Tong incident, Chen Zongxian tried his best to calm the relationship between the emperor and Ke Dao.
Therefore, this time will naturally be no exception. Xiao Fan's matter should be dealt with early and dealt with later. It is not a big principle issue. Since the emperor has chosen him, then Chen Yi will suppress Ke Dao's current excessive excitement.
Emotions are normal.
However, what caught their attention was Chen Yi's last words.
He said that the Metropolitan Procuratorate had already issued a document to start investigating Cheng Zong's interpersonal relationships and past experiences, so there was no need to rush to deal with Xiao Tan.
What does this mean?
Of course, the Metropolitan Procuratorate has already started investigating this matter, and it is not just superficial as before, but it is a real determination and means to investigate.
More importantly, although Chen Yi did not express it clearly, his investigation of Cheng Zong actually showed to a large extent that he was skeptical of the accusations against Xiao Yi in current public opinion and rumors.
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In other words, this high-ranking official with a strong sense of ethics and ethics was vaguely protective of Xiao Hao.
However, this is not normal!
The Metropolitan Procuratorate is independent of the Six Ministries and should be impartial to any official in the imperial court. As the censor of Zuodu, Chen Yi has never had any friendship with Xiao Yi.
To put it bluntly, although Xiao Tan, a Hanlin scholar, seemed to others to be a Qingliu Huaxuan and a close servant, in the eyes of Qi Qing, he still had little weight.
Therefore, based on his status, he is not worthy of Chen Yi's protection. More importantly, although Chen Yi is a Kedao official, it has only been a few days since the palace examination happened, and everyone basically knows the situation.
almost.
At least so far, there is no evidence favorable to Xiao Fan.
Then, Chen Yi’s approach is worthy of consideration.
Either Chen Yi has mastered some information that others don't know and can prove Xiao Yi's "innocence", or...
The eyes of the ministers standing at the forefront flashed, and they had some guesses in their minds.
In this court, the only one who can spend so much effort on Chen Yi is His Majesty the Emperor, who currently occupies the ninth level.
On that day, they all left the palace, but Chen Yi was left behind. No one knows what the emperor said to him.
However, from Chen Yi's current attitude, we can probably guess what the emperor's attitude is on this matter...
So, under the different expressions of the ministers, Du Ning of Dali Temple took the lead and spoke.
"Your Majesty, I think what Lord General Xian said is true. This matter involves important officials of the imperial court. We should not be cautious. We should make a decision after we find out the truth of the matter. I ask your Majesty for your permission. The Metropolitan Procuratorate will take the lead, and Dali Temple and the Ministry of Punishment will coordinate.
, let’s jointly investigate the truth of this matter!”
As soon as these words came out, the discussion in the palace started again.
At the same time, many people's eyes began to wander between Du Ning and Jiang Yuan, showing an expression of watching a good show.
It is true that most people present may not know the inside story, but there are always rumors.
After Xiao Tan fell, the biggest suspense was who would continue to take over as Hanlin bachelor.
Although today's Hanlin Academy is not as good as before, it is still a Qingliu Huaxuan, and the ministers who serve as close servants still have some weight. Naturally, everyone in the court has their own guesses.
Among them, the most popular ones are naturally Du Ning and Jiang Yuan.
Moreover, the two of them did have strength and background. The memorials of Wang Ao and Chen Xun were not secret memorials. The Secretary of General Affairs kept copies, and many people in the court knew about them.
So in fact, regarding the current situation, Du Ning and Jiang Yuan are actually competitors.
Regarding the palace examination, all the firepower is now focused on Xiao Tan, but, again, apart from Xiao Tan, the other readers are not without their responsibilities.
Especially for those who knew the inside story, Jiang Yuan's performance during the entire palace examination process was certainly hard to fault, but it was not without suspicion.
It's just that everywhere he goes, there happens to be someone who can testify for him, and they do it according to the process, so that no one can get the evidence.
Therefore, once this matter is investigated in detail, Jiang Yuan will not be pulled down, but it will be more or less able to involve him in the whirlpool.
Du Ning and Jiang Yuan were equal to each other in terms of qualifications, ability, and reputation in the court.
At this critical moment, if anyone is burdened with trouble that cannot be shaken off, then the job of Hanlin Bachelor will naturally be taken away by the other party.
Therefore, at this time, Du Siqing wanted to make a big deal, which was a natural thing in the eyes of the courtiers.
After all, Du Ning did not participate in the entire palace examination, so he would not worry about being involved at all. But Jiang Yuan was different. There was something suspicious about him. Once something was really found out, the whole situation surrounding Hanlin would In a battle between bachelors, the winner will naturally be decided.
However, this simple truth can be understood by most people present, so naturally it will not be done so easily.
Sure enough, after Du Ning finished speaking, not a moment later, someone walked out of the cabinet row. It was none other than Jiang Yuan, who was being vaguely targeted by Du Ning.
I saw Mr. Jiang Ge facing the different eyes of the ministers with a calm expression. He bowed his hands to the emperor and said:
"Your Majesty, in this palace examination, I and dozens of other examiners all made mistakes. It was not Academician Xiao's fault alone. It caused such turmoil in the government and the public. I am really uneasy and ashamed."
"Although it was Academician Xiao who made the final decision to submit Cheng Zong's scroll to the imperial court, it was not Academician Xiao who acted arbitrarily, but the attitude of the ministers, Mr. Zhang Ge, Mr. Zhu Ge, etc. and Academician Xiao, and it was the decision of all the reviewers. The final decision after discussion.”
"Nowadays, there are many rumors among the people that Academician Xiao has a personal relationship with Zong Cheng. The truth of these rumors is unknown. However, even if there is, how can Academician Xiao make us, the record readers, bow their heads and obey orders?"
"This is indeed our common fault. However, now the whole court and the public are blaming Academician Xiao alone. This is not what should be done."
"I have the trust of His Majesty and the imperial court relies on me to serve as a examiner for the palace. However, I failed to fulfill my duty and select talents for the imperial court. This is really the reason why I and others have neglected their duties."
"I sincerely request your majesty to be kind and fair, and to punish me and other record-reading officials, and not to place all the blame on Academician Xiao alone."
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