Jiang Yuan's forehead was covered with dense sweat, which wetted his clothes.
It could be seen that he was very nervous at this time.
Originally, Jiang Yuan had already made plans to bow his head and plead guilty, but Chen Xun's words just gave him hope.
He was very sure that Chen Xun would never say these words without reason. There must be some hidden meaning in them.
But, what is it?
Jiang Yuan felt anxious. He knew very well that when the emperor spoke, it was the last moment.
This may be the last chance for him to set foot in the court and speak in front of the emperor and the ministers.
Once he misses it, he will never be able to turn around.
Damn it, it’s too late…
Feeling that the eyes of everyone in the palace were focused on him following the emperor's words, Jiang Yuan gritted his teeth and cursed secretly in his heart.
However, at this moment, he suddenly seemed to notice something. He raised his head and looked in the direction of the cabinet. There, there was an unusual gaze.
In the eyes of other people, there might be regret, there might be gloating, there might be disappointment, but they were always for him, Jiang Yuan.
But in this gaze, Jiang Yuan actually felt a hint of relief.
Although it disappeared in a flash, Jiang Yuan was still captured by him under Jiang Yuan's extremely tense spirit at this moment.
So, his heart suddenly moved, he completely pierced the window paper, fell to the ground, and kowtowed.
"I am ashamed of His Majesty's grace and neglected the national talent promotion ceremony. I have really committed a serious crime. In this palace examination, I did contact my colleagues and select people unfairly, but I never had the intention to manipulate the palace examination, nor did I overwhelm the ministers or cover up the sky with one hand.
Ability, I sincerely ask your Majesty to clearly understand."
After several reminders from Chen Xun, Jiang Yuan already realized that the biggest mistake he made was in manipulating the imperial examination.
This violated the biggest taboo in the court, which is why this matter caused such a big fuss.
So, if he wants to be freed from crime, no, it cannot be said that he is freed from crime. As of now, it is a certain outcome that he and Xiao Tan will resign and return home.
The only difference is that Xiao Tan can still keep his family safe, but he may not be able to bear the responsibility of manipulating the imperial examination.
Therefore, if he wants to save his life, there is only one way.
When discussing this case in detail, he and Xiao Tan are both the masterminds. However, anyone with a discerning eye can see that Xiao Tan was subject to his scheme.
What Chen Xun did just now inspired Jiang Yuan.
Political struggles often do not rely on evidence.
When everyone thinks it was you who did it, then whether you did it or not, it’s all your doing.
Therefore, in terms of their attitude towards Xiao Tan, everyone unanimously felt that he was a loser in the political struggle, and it was enough for him to be dismissed from office and return home.
But, for him, Jiang Yuan, it couldn't be done.
He was carrying this crime, even if there was no evidence, but under the prerequisite that the emperor and a group of important officials had determined that someone manipulated the imperial examination, the only thing left was not to find evidence, but to identify the most likely person, or
Say, eliminate impossible people.
This is the situation Jiang Yuan faced.
No one would believe that it was Xiao Fan who manipulated the palace examination, because he was so miserable that he committed suicide by cutting his veins, and no one would believe that it was Zhang Min or Zhu Jian who manipulated the palace examination, because they were obviously following him in this matter.
Follow Jiang Yuan to do things.
After all, according to Xiao Ban's description, it was Jiang Yuan's idea to recommend Cheng Zong, and he couldn't rely on this.
As for the other ministers, let alone that. It is okay to say that they stood by and neglected their duties, but to say that they were the masterminds, not everyone in the court was blind.
So when we eliminate it to the end, it can only be Jiang Yuan.
This was also the reason why he felt that everything was hopeless at first.
However, Chen Xun's words just now reminded him.
Again, at this time, Chen Xun would not reminisce about the past with him. Just now, Jiang Yuan was too excited, so he ignored the key information in Chen Xun's words.
Chen Xun was his teacher and had a great support for him. It can be said that every transition Jiang Yuan made in the officialdom was more or less influenced by Chen Xun. At least, he was behind it.
Therefore, no one is more familiar with his promotion path than Chen Xun.
The words he just said seemed to be lamenting that he had gone astray, but all the words before him were nonsense and only sounded touching.
If the element of exclamation is removed, then what Chen Xun wants to express is actually the last sentence.
"...After many years in the court and two years in the cabinet, where have your original intentions gone?"
Upon hearing this sentence, it had no special meaning, it was more like a question.
However, after Jiang Yuan calmed down, he immediately realized the key.
If it were just a sigh and a question, then it would be enough to say "I have been in the court for many years". Why should I add "I have been in the cabinet for two years".
This slightly abrupt statement is the most important thing.
Cabinet...original intention...
The so-called original intention at this time, of course, cannot be anything like running the world and benefiting the people, and providing peace and prosperity to the country.
Chen Xun has been Jiang Yuan's teacher for so many years, and the last time they had a falling out in the Chen Mansion has made it obvious to both parties that Jiang Yuan, deep down in his heart, is actually passionate about his career as an official and hopes to continue to ascend the throne.
A high-ranking one.
Not many people know about this matter, but there is no doubt that it is Chen Xun's "original intention" that he wants to remind Jiang Yuan of.
In fact, up to this point, it was Jiang Yuan who reacted immediately when he heard these words.
However, this is obviously not what Chen Xun wants to express in the end, because it is useless for the current situation.
This is why Jiang Yuan always felt that he could not grasp the final key through a layer of window paper.
Chen Xun gave enough guidance; any more would be too obvious.
This final point can only be realized by Jiang Yuan himself!
The emperor's expression was calm, and he looked quietly at Jiang Yuan, whose forehead was covered with sweat. He neither continued to ask nor stopped.
This made Jiang Yuan feel a lot more at ease. Taking a deep breath, he kowtowed to the ground and spoke in a deep voice.
"Your Majesty, I dare not shirk the responsibility for my crimes. However, I am no more than an ordinary minister in the cabinet. Among the ten document readers, I am not the one with the most outstanding qualifications, authority, and talents."
"Even among the cabinet members who participated in the reading, I am not as good as Mr. Zhang Ge in terms of practical knowledge, and not as good as Mr. Zhu Ge in terms of courage and merit. How can I make the two of them obey my orders and be willing to work together to convince Academician Xiao?"
"Not to mention the other six examiners, all of whom are from the Sixth Department and have no direct relations with the minister. How can I, alone, keep everyone silent, manipulate the palace examination, and destabilize the talent selection ceremony?"
Of course, these words are not asking the emperor, nor are they denying the existence of fraud in the imperial examinations, as I just did.
The intention of Jiang Yuan's words was already obvious.
There are those with a keen sense of politics in the palace who are already vaguely aware of the low pressure that is about to come.
Finally, in the silence, Jiang Yuan spoke.
"Your Majesty clearly knows that in this palace examination, the cabinet of ten examiners will occupy three of them. The ministers are not afraid of the ministers but are silent, but they are actually jealous of the cabinet."
"There are three ministers in the cabinet, and I am not the most outstanding person, but I use the minister as the leader to discuss with Academician Xiao. I am not jealous of the ministers. In fact, I should not recommend the three ministers as the file readers!"
Come on, this sentence is completely clear!
All the ministers' eyes moved away from Jiang Yuan and fell on Wang Ao, the gloomy-looking chief minister at the forefront of the cabinet!
The meaning of Jiang Yuan's words is very obvious, that is, the manipulation of the imperial examination does exist, but the real mastermind behind the scenes is not him, and he does not have the ability to make the ministers surrender.
Whether it is Zhang Min, Zhu Jian, or other ministers, the reason why they are willing to cooperate is not because they are afraid of Jiang Yuan, an ordinary cabinet minister, but because they are afraid of the cabinet. What they are afraid of is the chief minister of the cabinet whose status is comparable to that of the Seven Ministers.
,Wang Ao.
You must know that as the chief minister of the cabinet, when the candidates for the palace examination examination were discussed, it was Wang Ao who suggested that three people from the cabinet participate in the examination.
There is nothing unusual about this. The imperial examination should be led by the Hanlin Academy and the cabinet. As the chief minister, it is normal for Wang Ao to actively strive for interests on this point.
But at this time, Jiang Yuan used this recommendation as a means to attack Wang Ao.
And this is the "clear path" that Chen Xun pointed out to Jiang Yuan, and perhaps, it is also Chen Xun's true purpose.
The so-called "original intention" refers not only to Jiang Yuan's "original intention" for joining the officialdom, but more importantly, what Chen Xun really wanted to remind Jiang Yuan was his "original intention" for defeating Xiao Tan.
As early as that time in the Chen Mansion, when they had a falling out, Jiang Yuan's attitude had been made very clear. He planned all this because he wanted the position of Hanlin bachelor.
For Jiang Yuan, he lacked local experience. He had worked in the Ministry of Justice for some years, but he could only be regarded as mediocre. If Chen Xun was not behind him, it would not be easy for him to join the cabinet.
Therefore, if he wants to move forward, all he seeks is the reputation of being a scholar. To achieve this, he must occupy his own position among the clear stream.
A Hanlin bachelor's degree is the best choice.
And Xiao Tan was the person standing in front of him, so the palace examination was framed.
Because of this, Jiang Yuancai didn't react for a moment.
However, when he caught the fleeting glance from the cabinet just now, he suddenly understood that he had gone in the wrong direction.
Chen Xun wanted to remind him of his original intention, but he just wanted Jiang Yuan to recall his original plan.
If there hadn't been so many twists and turns, if the emperor hadn't keenly sensed something was wrong, if there hadn't been Xiao Bo cutting his own pulse and committing suicide to prove his innocence, then what would he do next?
Of course, he seeks Wang Ao's help and asks him to help him control the Hanlin Academy!
Thinking of this, Jiang Yuan suddenly became enlightened.
What Chen Xun really wants is not to be an insignificant person at all, but to target Wang Ao, the chief minister of the cabinet!
Only people like this are worthy of Chen Xun spending so long planning and waiting for opportunities.
Jiang Yuan...is not qualified yet!
For Jiang Yuan himself, only by moving out of Wang Ao can he reduce his guilt.
His biggest mistake was to manipulate the imperial examination. This point is already indisputable, but who is the person behind the scenes can be discussed again.
If he can succeed, then, although he still cannot escape the guilt, he will be nothing more than a puppet on strings at most. At least, he can save his life, and if he is lucky, he can retire and return to his hometown safely.
This is enough for Jiang Yuan to fight for!
Seeing Wang Ao's face so gloomy that it was about to drip with tears, Jiang Yuan simply calmed down and spoke straightforwardly, saying.
"I dare not deceive Your Majesty. Long before the palace examination began, the Chief Assistant had secretly discussed with me, saying that Xiao Tan was not talented and morally worthy, and was cowardly and unfit for a big job. The Hanlin Academy is a top-ranked candidate, so how could it be left in the hands of this person?
"
"At that time, the Chief Assistant also said that the imperial examination was led by the Hanlin Academy and there was a risk of mistakes, so he would recommend ministers, Zhang Ge Lao, and Zhu Ge Lao to participate together. He also said that after the palace examination is over, he will
I advise Your Majesty to transfer Academician Xiao to another place, recommend ministers and take charge of the affairs of the Hanlin Academy."
quiet!
It was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop in the courtroom!
No one expected that Jiang Yuan would start to accuse Wang Ao so directly and unabashedly.
Although these words did not reveal anything, to the ministers present, there was no difference between them.
Especially, after Jiang Yuan finished speaking, many ministers recalled that when the imperial examination case first came out, everyone pointed their finger at Xiao Tan.
It seems, seems, probably, that the chief minister once wrote a memorandum saying that there should be no delay in selecting common people, so he recommended Jiang Yuan to temporarily take charge of the Hanlin Academy?
Moreover, when Zhu Jian and Jiang Yuan jointly targeted Yu Shiyue, but failed, Jiang Yuan turned to please Yu Shiyue. As a result, he was humiliated in public. After being angry, he switched to Wang Ao's sect. This incident is widely circulated.
Many ministers know very well that in the cabinet, Jiang Yuan and Wang Ao are very close. During this period of time, Jiang Yuan has almost followed Wang Ao's steps.
Is what Jiang Yuan said at this time really groundless?
As a result, the atmosphere in the palace suddenly became weird.
Wang Ao's status is different from Jiang Yuan's. As the chief minister of the cabinet, he also contributed to Liaodong. Although his status is not as powerful as the Qi Qing, it is not far behind.
And more importantly, these words were obviously a private discussion, but Jiang Yuan said it like this, which shows that he can no longer control the rules of the court, nor the world, and he just wants to bite Wang Ao to the death.
.
Looking at the chief minister again, as expected, his face was extremely ugly at this moment.
Everyone looked at Wang Ao, but Wang Ao's eyes fell on Chen Xun!
After the imperial examination case broke out, he had been very uneasy and was afraid of this situation.
The plan against Xiao Tan was not proposed by him, but by Jiang Yuan. However, it also got his acquiescence and cooperation.
At that time, he considered that it was Jiang Yuan who took action, and once it was done, Jiang Yuan would control the Hanlin Academy, which would be of great benefit to him in stabilizing his position in the cabinet.
But who could have expected that due to a combination of circumstances, Jiang Yuan would end up in a quagmire, and the affairs of the Hanlin Academy would fall into his hands.
At that time, there were discussions in the court, but there was no follow-up, so gradually, Wang Ao didn't take it too seriously.
But as Du Ning tried again and again to report this matter in front of the emperor, Wang Ao became more and more uneasy.
Until now, his hunch has finally been proven.
The person Chen Xun, this old guy, wants to target in the end is not Jiang Yuan at all, but him... the chief minister of the cabinet!
This chapter has been completed!