At the first quarter of the twelfth lunar month on May 16th, Prince Zhu Changluo and his eunuchs Wang An, Zhong Benhua and Li Jian walked four miles to the gate of Qixiang Palace in the West Sixth Palace. Qixiang Palace was originally called Weiyang Palace and was renamed Qixiang Palace during the Jiajing period.
Twenty-five years after Wanli, Emperor Wanli used Qixiang Palace as his residence. Qixiang Palace has two courtyards. The main hall is five rooms wide, with yellow glazed tiles on the top of the mountain. The east and west side halls are connected by corner verandas. Emperor Wanli usually lives in
In the back hall, Zhu Changluo and four other people came early. The main door of Qixiang Palace was not opened yet, but the side door was opened. The servants had gone to inform them, but they had not been summoned for two seconds. Zhu Changluo felt angry and got down from the cypress tree at the palace gate.
As he walked back, Wang An followed behind him and whispered comfort, while pressing his stomach, his face looked painful. Wang An's stomachache occurred again.
At the right time, Li En, the eunuch in charge of the ceremony, hurried over with two chamberlains to pay tribute to the prince Zhu Changluo. When he saw Zhong Benhua with his arms hanging and Li Jian with his neck crooked, he asked: "Both father-in-laws were injured last night."
hurt?"
Zhong Benhua said: "He was injured by the assassin who broke into the East Palace last night."
Wang An, who had a good personal relationship with Li En, asked: "Did Eunuch Li come to report to the Long Live Lord the result of the censor's trial on the assault case?"
Li En asked his chamberlain to inform him, and replied: "Yes, the results of the preliminary trial of Yushi Liu Tingyuan have come out——"
"Then how did the assassin confess and what was his confession?" Prince Zhu Changluo's voice was dry and his eyes were red.
Li En glanced at Wang An with some embarrassment, and Wang An said: "Don't worry, Qian Sui Grandpa, we will see Long Sui Grandpa soon, and everything will come to light."
The eunuch of Qixiang Palace came out, and Zhu Changluo, the crown prince of Xuan Emperor, came to see him. Zhu Changluo followed the eunuch to the Xinuang Pavilion in the back hall of Qixiang Palace and knelt down to pay his respects to his father. Emperor Wanli sat on the dragon-embroidered chair and asked: "What morning did my son have?"
What's the rush here?"
Before coming to Qixiang Palace, Zhu Changluo was furious and resentful about his dangerous situation and the unfair treatment he had received over the years. But when he saw his father Zhu Yijun, his anger and resentment disappeared instantly.
Remaining estranged and frightened, he replied: "Father, at midnight last night, a thief broke into Ciqing Palace with a stick and injured many chamberlains. The thief was then captured and handed over to Zhu Xiong, the commander of the Yanshan Vanguard, who was on duty. His son
I was so frightened that I couldn't sleep all night, so I came to see my father early in the morning and asked him to investigate the case strictly and make decisions for his son."
Emperor Wanli was shocked when he heard that someone broke into the East Palace with a stick, and asked: "Where can a traitor dare to be so treacherous? Can Zhu Xiong report the results of the trial?"
Zhu Changluo said: "When I was waiting outside the palace just now, Li En, the chief of the ceremonial department, came after me. He came to report to my father the results of last night's attack case."
Emperor Wanli summoned Li En to pay an audience. Li En entered the West Nuan Pavilion and presented the memorial. He knelt down and said, "Long live Lord, this is the transcript of the preliminary trial of the mortar assault case submitted by Liu Tingyuan, the censor of the Imperial City. Long live Lord, please read it."
"
Emperor Wanli originally wanted to ask someone to read it to listen to it. After thinking about it, he had to read it himself. After reading the transcript of Liu Tingyuan's preliminary trial of the palace trespassers overnight, he breathed a sigh of relief and said to Zhu Changluo: "Brother, don't be alarmed, the case is over."
It was found out that the prisoner's name is Zhang Cha, a native of Jing'eryu, Jizhou. He is suffering from lunacy. His speech is garbled and confused. He said that he even eats food to ask for a seal, and it is difficult for him to serve me. His speech is incoherent, and he must be a lunatic."
Zhu Changluo saw that such a big case of breaking into the palace stile and attacking was going to be classified as a madman's nonsense. With tears in his eyes, he kowtowed with grief and anger: "Father, please make the decision."
Emperor Wanli also felt that this was too trivial, and said: "This is just the first trial. Whether the prisoner is named Zhang Cha or not. Whether he is from Jizhou remains to be verified. Brother, don't be impatient. Get up and talk." He asked the eunuch next to him to help the prince up and give him the gift.
seat.
Zhu Changluo said: "Father, in this imperial city, the palace is heavily guarded. A crazy person can break through the heavy walls and reach the Cining Palace. It would be difficult to convince the public if there are no people secretly helping him. My son, I sincerely ask you to help me."
The case will be handed over to the Tribunal of Justice for trial." This was Wang An's suggestion on the way to Qixiang Palace.
Emperor Wanli did not want to make this case a big deal, and said: "The censor Liu Tingyuan who is trying the case has gone to Jing'eryu in Jizhou in person. Whether the criminal Zhang Cha is crazy or not will be found out soon. The palace case should not be handed over to the Three Laws Division for the time being.
Handle it to prevent those officials from using this matter to cause trouble."
After Emperor Wanli said this, Zhu Changluo did not dare to argue anymore. He sat for a while and then said goodbye and returned to the palace. However, Emperor Wanli stopped him again and said: "Year ago, the Li Ke made a complaint to Shi Zhongqi, the Poetry Master, to complain about your mother's injustice.
Why is it that the crown prince's mother has been buried for many years but no land is given to her, no incense is offered, and the cemetery is deserted - look at these officials, they have to take care of everything, they are just asking for names, how can I not care about your mother's funeral?
If you take it seriously, in two days you will send an order to the Ministry of Rites to grant thirty grave bearers and twenty-five hectares of garden land for incense."
Zhu Changluo quickly knelt down to thank him, resigned, and walked in the direction of Ciqing Palace with his head down. Wang An, Zhong Benhua, and Li Jian quickly followed.
Wang An asked: "Master Qiansui, what was the result of Liu Tingyuan's trial?"
Zhu Changluo didn't answer. He looked around at Zhong Benhua and Li Jian. They were both seriously injured and said, "You two were unjustly buried under the sea. You were beaten by a madman."
Zhong Benhua and Li Jian looked at each other.
Wang An asked in a low voice: "Liu Tingyuan thinks the criminal is a lunatic?"
Zhu Changluo said "Yeah" bitterly and left Qixiang Palace, filled with resentment in his chest again.
Wang An asked: "Then what does Long Live Lord say?"
Zhu Changluo suppressed his inner dissatisfaction and said: "My father refused to hand over the case to the Tribunal of Justice for trial. He wanted to minimize the big issue so as to avoid disputes among foreign ministers. Oh, at the end, he said that in a few days, he would send an order to the Ministry of Rites to grant my mother a concubine.
There are thirty graves and a cemetery of twenty-five hectares."
Wang An and Zhong Benhua looked at each other and nodded imperceptibly. Wang Anxin said: "The cemetery of my mother, Concubine Wang, has been neglected. In the past two years, officials such as Wang Shichang, the Prime Minister of Dali Temple, also came to remonstrate with me, but I didn't listen."
Regardless of asking, today I was suddenly given a grave and a cemetery. It was obviously to comfort me, and I didn’t want him to get involved in this matter. This is the beginning of my benefit from the murder case. I don’t have to pursue the murder case.
But the foreign ministers will never give up -"
Wang An was also frightened and uneasy about the upcoming storm, but for the sake of the prince's safety, he would not hesitate to use this broken body. The attack must be a big one, and he must use this case to completely reverse the young master's disadvantage against Zheng Guifei——
…
After Liu Tingyuan, the censor of Shaanxi Province, submitted the confession of Zhang Cha, the prisoner of the assault case, to the Supervisor of Ceremonies, he immediately returned to Huijimen and waited in front of the cabinet for Fang Congzhe to arrive. He reported the assault case that had occurred in Ciqing Palace last night.
He turned pale with shock and asked: "What is the Holy Father's decree?"
Liu Tingyuan said: "The results of the preliminary trial have just been submitted, and the emperor probably hasn't seen it yet. I will rush to Jing'eryu in Jizhou to investigate Zhang Cha's life and origins. This case must not become a big deal. This requires Mr. Fang Ge."
Taking charge of the overall situation."
After Liu Tingyuan reported the matter to Fang Congzhe, he led dozens of sergeants and officers to Jizhou to investigate the case. The prisoner Zhang Cha was still detained in Guanglu Temple. Before leaving the city, Liu Tingyuan asked his close family members to deliver two letters written overnight.
Hand it over to Zheng Guotai, the governor of the Zuo Army Governor's Office, and Hu Shixiang, the doctor of the Ministry of Justice, asking them to pay close attention to the case and the court officials' discussions, and to avoid getting themselves into trouble——
…
When Zhang Yuan arrived at the Hanlin Academy on foot at 2:00 a.m., he saw the Hanlin attendants, lecturers, editors, editors, and concubines who had arrived first gathered in front of the gate, looking at the high school building across Chang'an Street.
Gao Huangqiang was talking a lot, with serious expressions and tense atmosphere. Zhang Yuan was heartbroken, stepped forward and asked: "My lords, what happened?"
Wen Zhenmeng frowned and said, "Just now news came out in the Imperial City that a traitor broke into the East Palace last night and beat several people with stiles. We still don't know if His Highness the Crown Prince is safe."
Zhang Yuan thought to himself: "The attack on the stile finally happened." On the surface, he said in shock: "Such a thing could happen in the palace. Where is the murderer? Has he been captured?"
Guo Hui, a bachelor at the time, said: "It is said that he has been captured and the censor patrolling the city has been interrogating him all night."
Zhang Yuandao: "How can a city patrol censor handle such a major case alone?"
Guo Hui said: "According to the law, it will be handed over to the Ministry of Punishment, and officials from Dali Temple and the Metropolitan Procuratorate will participate in the joint trial. But the situation is still unclear. Alas, I just hope that the East Palace is okay."
Zhang Yuan looked at the Chengtian Gate not far away and thought: "The officials should also know about this. There is such a big uproar. Eunuch Zhong and others made plans before taking action. It's very good. With this case, it should be difficult to shake the prince's status. Later
It is very necessary to clear up the three major cases, otherwise it will be difficult to ensure that there will not be a big chaos in the future when King Fu seizes the throne."
Wen Zhenmeng said in a low voice: "Meson, Mr. Wu Ge has been accused at home again. This happened yesterday. There is also a memorial to impeach Mr. Wu Ge. How about we go visit Teacher Wu with Qian Yizhi in the evening?"
Zhang Yuan knew that this was most likely a continuation of the Yuhe Beiqiao Incident, and Wu Ge had always been implicated by him. He said: "There has been a major case of assault. It is impossible for Mr. Wu Ge to still stay in his apartment. Mr. Fang Ge will also urge him."
It seems that we do not need to visit him for the time being."
…
Zhang Chuangshi was extremely accurate. After Liu Tingyuan left, Fang Congzhe, the director of the cabinet, thought about it and realized that the case was of great importance. He would be criticized by foreign ministers if he handled the matter alone in the cabinet, and Wu Daonan had to bear the responsibility.
, immediately wrote a letter and ordered someone to send it immediately to Wu Ge’s old residence on Taipusi Street——
Wu Daonan was shocked after receiving Fang Congzhe's handwritten letter. At this time, he didn't care about saving face and waiting for the emperor to issue an edict to comfort him. He immediately took a sedan chair to Chengtianmen, walked into the imperial city, and when he entered the Meridian Gate and passed the Liuke Corridor, Liuke Yanguan
They were having a heated discussion when Yang Lian, Hu Ke, was on duty today. When he saw Wu Daonan walking by, he hurriedly chased him out and said loudly: "Mr. Wu Ge, Mr. Wu Ge——"
Wu Daonan stopped, and Yang Lian caught up and cupped his hands: "Does Mr. Wu Ge know that there was a big case in the East Palace last night?"
Wu Daonan nodded and said: "I was already at home, but I just heard that there was a stile attack in the East Palace. Fangge wanted me to come in to take charge of the matter, so I had no choice but to come here." He asked, "Is the prince okay?"
Yang Liandao: "The prince is fine, but several chamberlains in the East Palace were seriously injured. It is inevitable that the prince was frightened. The criminal has not yet been handed over to the Ministry of Punishment, so Wu Ge must fight hard. We and the officials will soon submit the memorial."
"
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Continue to ask for recommendation votes. (To be continued
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