Zhang Xuan fell to his knees with a plop, faced Chu Nanzhi and tried his best to defend himself: "Queen, I am loyal to the court, and have great respect for Chang Lao and my mentor. How could you send someone to assassinate two great Confucian scholars?
The Queen’s Mingjian.”
Gu Lei actually had a bad premonition in his heart.
In Langzhou City, only Zhang Xuan, his favorite disciple, could do everything so seamlessly.
The Zhang family's influence in Langzhou was already strong, and since Zhang Xuan became an official, he has continued to make friends with various wealthy families, and now his reputation is even more powerful.
He didn't want to see the reform of the official system because he was worried that it would cause turmoil in the empire at this time, but he knew very well what his disciple was thinking. He just wanted to maintain his current status and have all the noble families support him forever.
It's just that he would never have imagined that his most proud disciple would actually kill him.
What made him even more frustrated was that this guy deceived the superiors and subordinates, only allowing the state officials to set fires and not allow the people to light the lamps, and sent his own eldest wife to his hometown to give birth, but he harmed so many innocent people.
Lao Shen's eyes were full of anger. Gu Lei looked at Chu Nanzhi steadily and asked for instructions decisively: "Since the governor of the mainland has identified Mr. Chang Shi as the manipulator behind the scenes, I don't dare to protect him. Please ask the queen to send someone immediately."
People went to Changshi's Mansion and Zhang's house in Donzhuo County to search for evidence of crime, and to bring justice to the innocent people who died."
After Gu Lei's words fell, there was an immediate panic in the hall, and everyone looked at each other at a loss.
Zhan He also discovered a lot of interesting things during his inspections in Donzhuo County these days, and he immediately said: "Queen, this time I not only learned that Master Chang Shi and the Chief Governor secretly sent the expectant wife and concubine to
In Donzhuo County, many dignitaries also hid their expectant women in this county during the national mourning period."
At this point, his tone became very sincere: "I haven't counted the number of pregnant women hiding during the mourning abroad, but I think the number will be large. I also ask the Queen to show mercy and give grace to these guilty official wives.
Let them give birth to their fetuses."
But Chu Nanzhi couldn't help but sneer, looking at the officials in the hall with mocking eyes, looking at the frightened faces, he already had some clues in his mind.
Presumably many of the officials among them had sent their wives who were expecting to give birth to Donzhuo County. They couldn't help but shook their heads and sighed:
"You are really all good officials in Langzhou. You are dedicated to maintaining the old system under the banner of mourning for the late emperor, but it is just for your own selfish desires. If you are allowed to continue to control the official selection process in Langzhou, what will happen to the people of Langzhou?
Can I have a peaceful life again?"
But Zhan He's words also reminded her that if she wanted to thoroughly find out who was behind the scenes, she must give people a chance to be frank and lenient.
Zhang Xuan and Lu Cheng were just governors and captains, but they dared to go against the imperial court. She would never believe that this was the work of just the two of them.
Scanning the crowd with deep eyes, Chu Nanzhi said slowly: "No matter what, you are ruthless to me, but you cannot be unjust. You should have been allowed to taste the separation of flesh and blood, but those unborn children are innocent.
From today on, all officials in Langzhou who participated in the forced abortion of pregnant women can submit their own charges, and if they are exposed, I will report to His Majesty and reduce their crimes."
As soon as he finished speaking, he looked at the governor Tan Qing and said in a deep voice: "I'd like to thank you, the governor Tan, for sending someone to escort you all back to your home. I also hope that you will reflect carefully on how to state your charges, and don't step on the road again until you have thought clearly about it."
Out of the house."
It was then that Tan Qing suddenly realized why the queen had asked him to mobilize his trusted troops to the state capital in advance. It turned out that it was to monitor his colleagues, which was really clever.
He nodded with sincerity and waved his hand towards the door, and then a steady stream of soldiers walked in with strict steps, and led officials of all sizes out of the state capital in small groups.
When officials at all levels dispersed, leaving only a few state officials, Chu Nanzhi withdrew his gaze, looked at Lu Cheng again, and asked sternly: "Captain Lu, you have done meritorious service in exposing today, but you assassinated Chang.
Old, Princess Qian, the murder of six members of the Qian family is a serious crime, and it would not be an exaggeration to punish all nine of your clans. If you want to reduce your guilt and find a way for your relatives and family members to survive, I advise you to tell the inside story as soon as possible.
It’s best to explain.”
"Yes, I am obsessed with evil spirits. I should not be instigated by Mr. Changshi to commit countless crimes and be willing to die."
Lu Cheng replied sadly.
Glancing at Zhang Xuan, who was silent, he continued to speak carefully: "Two months ago, just after the general was promoted to the state capital, he learned from Chang Shi that the queen wanted to reform the official system of Langzhou. In recent years, the general has relied on recommending officials.
I got a lot of benefits, so I agreed with Master Chang Shi's method, wanted to help him stop the queen, and led people to assassinate Chang Lao.
Later, there was a national mourning, and the empress' premature birth was criticized by her mentor. Chang Shi took advantage of this to stir up a storm in the defense system. He slaughtered six members of the Qian family just to frighten the mountain. As for the death of Princess Qian, although it was personally caused by the late general
But I really don’t know the purpose of Sir Chang Shi’s move.”
"That's not hard to guess."
Chu Nanzhi looked at Zhang Xuan with a faint smile: "The governor of the mainland is for his own benefit, and Lord Changshi is now under the governor. I am afraid that your ambition is no longer enough, and Mr. Gu's prestige is no longer enough for you to continue to be promoted.
As a bargaining chip, if you want to climb up the ladder, you will naturally have to use your strength towards Jinling City. At present, the empire is suffering from internal and external troubles. The assassination of Princess Qian is just to disrupt the court situation and cause the Tang family's old party to conflict with His Majesty again. The good man behind the scenes of Mr. Chang Shi
Just reaping the benefits of being a fisherman, I wonder if what I said is true or not, Mr. Chang Shi?"
But even at this juncture, Zhang Xuan still remained silent.
Gu Lei was so angry that he threw away the crutch in his hand: "You are a conscientious hypocrite. I have high hopes for you, and I did not hesitate to put in good words for you in front of Princess Yan Jing to help you achieve today's achievements.
If you still don't tell the truth at this time, who was instructing you?"
Seeing that he was reluctant to speak, Chu Nanzhi couldn't help but shook his head and sighed: "He is a loyal protector, but Mr. Chang Shi has forgotten one thing. The situation in Langzhou is no longer under your control. You don't care.
The lives of wives, children, children, there must be people who know how to show mercy and cherish jade."
After that, he turned his eyes and solemnly ordered Li Sanmu and Zhan He: "Inspector Li, Mr. Zhan, you two will immediately take people to search the Changshi Mansion and the Zhang family's old residence in Donzhuo County. I would like to take a look at this
How big of a treasury does it take to hide seven hundred thousand taels of silver?"
Zhang Xuan was so frightened that her legs went weak and her face turned pale.
He never expected that the queen would arrest Lu Cheng without her noticing.
Although Li Sanmu and the prefectural court official Shi were working hard to investigate several cases these days, he was fully confident that the flaws in these cases would not be exposed.
Who would have thought that she would use her mentor as bait? She was so cunning and caught herself off guard. If she sent someone to search the house at this time, plus the corrections from officials at all levels, she might not have known that the investigation would be carried out.
How many things happened.
After pondering for a long time, he carefully raised his head, looked at Chu Nanzhi, and asked tremblingly: "The Queen is extremely smart and has already seen everything. I admire her, but the person behind the scenes has to do with the royal family's face. God
The family is dignified, and if the offender tells the truth, it will hurt the family ties of the royal family, and it will also bring disaster to the whole family. Please be kind to the Queen and spare the life of the offender. The offender must know that he will say everything he says."