On this day, the court meeting had just begun, and before Emperor Deqing could speak, some Qingliu officials could not wait to impeach Zhao Junchen.
"Your Majesty, I want to impeach Zhao Junchen, the Minister of Household Affairs!"
Young Master Guo Tang quickly walked out of the queue, his expression full of indignation, and he said loudly.
Seeing Guo Tang's indignant look, Emperor Deqing glanced at Zhao Junchen from the corner of his eye. He seemed to have guessed the reason why Guo Tang wanted to impeach Zhao Junchen. A trace of helplessness flashed in his eyes, but he still said: "Guo Aiqing wants to impeach Zhao Junchen."
Zhao Junchen? What on earth is going on?"
Guo Tang turned his head and glanced at Zhao Junchen bitterly, as if he and Zhao Junchen had some deep hatred. For an old scholar like Guo Tang, what Zhao Junchen did yesterday really exceeded his psychological bottom line.
At the same time, Guo Tang was still a little proud in his heart. After all, Zhao Junchen had become more cautious in doing things in recent years. The "princeling party" could no longer easily find a handle. Now that he had finally found a flaw, he was naturally eager to get it.
Make Zhao Junchen look good!
Then, Guo Tang said with righteous words on his face: "Your Majesty, our court has long had a rule that officials are not allowed to take girls from brothels as concubines! But as far as the veteran knows, Zhao Junchen has always been indulgent and lustful, and yesterday he actually ignored the court.
According to the law, not only did a low-status brothel girl be admitted as a concubine, but she also held a banquet with hundreds of officials in a big way, lest the world would not know about it! Such an act not only corrupted the customs and despised the law, but also brought shame to the entire court!
Your Majesty, what do you think the people will think when they see that Zhao Junchen, the imperial minister of household affairs, is trying to flatter a woman from a brothel? In this case, where is the reputation of the imperial court? What about the officials?
How to be a herdsman? Zhao Junchen’s crimes have made the world angry. Your Majesty, please remove him from his official position and punish him severely!"
As Guo Tang finished speaking, everyone in the "princeling party" was also ready to move, planning to impeach Zhao Junchen together with Guo Tang.
At the same time, Prince Zhu Heyu remained silent and showed no intention of obstructing him.
Although Zhao Shancai had always hoped that the relationship between Prince Zhu Heyu and Zhao Junchen would improve, yesterday Zhao Shancai died of illness in endless pain. At the same time, Zhao Junchen was taking concubines to fill houses with great fanfare. Prince Zhu Heyu naturally felt a little unhappy.
Therefore, although he did not directly attack Zhao Junchen, he did not stop the "princeling" officials from impeaching Zhao Junchen. He just stood aside and watched what happened.
However, as soon as Guo Tang finished speaking, before the officials of the "Princeling Party" came out to support the young master Guo Tang, Zhao Junchen had already made a statement first.
Zhao Junchen's expression was serious and cold, and he raised his voice and said: "Your Majesty, I want to impeach Young Master Guo Tang!"
Seeing Zhao Junchen's tit-for-tat behavior, Emperor Deqing raised his eyebrows slightly and asked: "Oh? Zhao Aiqing also impeached Guo Shaofu? Tell me, what do you want to impeach him for?"
Zhao Junchen raised his voice and said: "Your Majesty, I want to impeach Young Master Guo Tang for spreading rumors and slandering ministers! Yesterday, I did marry a concubine named Fang Ru. Your Majesty, you have also met her! I and I
She fell in love with each other, loved each other, and finally got married yesterday! Fang Ru was virtuous and gentle, with an innocent background. She was also a matchmaker for her, but Mr. Guo maliciously slandered her, claiming that she was from a brothel. Such slander
The slander has not only damaged my reputation, but also harmed my family, which I cannot tolerate at all. I hope that your majesty will make the decision for me!"
After saying that, Zhao Junchen turned to look at Guo Tang, his eyes were extremely cold. For a moment, Guo Tang did not dare to look at Zhao Junchen and couldn't help but look away.
However, Zhao Junchen still did not let Guo Tang go, and asked coldly: "Young Master Guo, I have always respected your reputation and knowledge, but you must be responsible when you speak in front of His Majesty and all the officials! You said that I am a person
I have always been indulgent and lustful, so I would like to ask Master Guo for advice... In my house, there is only one concubine, Fang Ru, who I took in yesterday! Since I have only one concubine, Master Guo thinks that I am relaxed and lustful, but I don't know that I have always been a concubine.
How many concubines does Mr. Guo have in his house? Is there only one old wife?"
Hearing Zhao Junchen's rhetorical question, all the officials couldn't help but feel stunned.
After the propaganda of the Qingliu people over the years, Zhao Junchen has a rather bad reputation among the government and the public. Under the propaganda of the Qingliu people, Zhao Junchen can be said to have all the five poisons. Zhao Junchen can be said to have all the bad habits of treacherous ministers and corrupt officials since ancient times.
There is no shortage of them! Of course, there is also no lack of comments about lust, greed, corrupt style, and even robbing wives and daughters!
As the saying goes, "three people make a tiger", after hearing too many similar propaganda, most of the officials thought that Zhao Junchen was indeed a lecher! Greed for money and lust are always compared by people. Since Zhao Junchen is a corrupt official, then
He must also be a nymphomancer!
But when they heard Zhao Junchen's rhetorical question, all the officials recalled the fact that Zhao Junchen was only a concubine so far, and there were no rumors of lust at all. If we just talk about his life style,
, I am afraid that no one in the entire dynasty can compare with Zhao Junchen!
On the other side, Young Master Guo Tang looked embarrassed and did not dare to respond to Zhao Junchen's question.
However, although Young Master Guo Tang did not answer Zhao Junchen's question, everyone in the "Zhao Party" would not miss this opportunity to add insult to injury.
I saw the bachelor Huo Zhengyuan step out of the queue and said to Zhao Junchen with a smile: "Master Zhao, you are so ignorant! Guo Shaofu is as romantic and passionate as his moral articles! Just at this time last year, Guo Shaofu had just accepted
The sixth concubine, I remember that the concubine was only sixteen years old, and Mr. Guo was old enough to be her grandfather. At that time, many officials in the court praised Mr. Guo for being strong and strong in old age!"
As Huo Zhengyuan finished speaking, all the "Zhao Party" officials burst into laughter, which also made Mr. Guo Tang blush.
In fact, this is not so funny. It was originally a common thing for Guo Tang to have six concubines. For example, Huo Zhengyuan himself had seven concubines in his house, one more than Guo Tang. But this time it was funny.
It is enough for "Zhao Party" officials to be able to help Zhao Junchen vent his anger and humiliate his young master Guo Tang.
Amidst the laughter, Zhao Junchen's expression remained serious, and he asked Guo Tang again: "It turns out that Guo Shaofu, who took six concubines, is a clean and self-sufficient person and a moral role model, while the one I took in concubines is a lustful and indulgent one. Is he really educated?"
!... But I also want to ask Mr. Guo, you said that my concubine Fang Ru was born in a brothel, but I wonder if you have any concrete evidence, Mr. Guo? If there is no evidence to prove this, how can my woman rely on it?
What are you so slandering?"
Speaking of which, although Fang Ru was innocent and was redeemed by Zhao Junchen very early, she did stay in a brothel for a period of time, but she never showed up. It is not wrong to say that she was born in a brothel.
However, this brothel was originally Zhao Junchen's property. As long as Zhao Junchen refused to admit it, no one would be able to find any evidence!
After all, once Fang Ru's parentage is confirmed, Zhao Junchen will indeed violate the court's laws and regulations, and he will be punished at that time. But if Emperor Deqing orders Zhao Junchen to expel Fang Ru from the Zhao Mansion to set the record straight, Zhao Junchen will
Junchen couldn't accept it.
It is precisely because of this that after Zhao Junchen heard about Guo Tang's impeachment, he started to fight against each other and refused to give in!
At this time, when he heard Zhao Junchen's questioning again, Guo Tang, who was feeling ashamed and angry, could not help but speak a little unscrupulously, and retorted: "That woman named Fang Ru was originally from a brothel and has a low status. Although you have nothing to do with this matter,
She is deliberately concealed, but how can she hide it from everyone’s eyes? Who else, besides you, Zhao Junchen, would bring such a humble woman into the palace with great fanfare?"
Zhao Junchen's eyes became colder when he heard that Guo Tang opened his mouth "from a brothel" but kept silent "" he has a humble status", and just kept humiliating Fang Ru in front of all the officials.
Zhao Junchen found that he always seemed to be too talkative, especially when facing the "princeling party", he would often be tolerant for the sake of Emperor Deqing and Prince Zhu Heyu, and would always be patient.
He blindly defended and did not take the initiative to attack, so many "princeling party" officials were a little underestimated and always subconsciously thought that Zhao Junchen was a soft persimmon that was easy to bully!
"If you want to gain a firm foothold and establish prestige in the temple, you must not only show kindness, but also establish prestige! In the past, I always acted from the dark and used soft knives to kill people, so many people thought that I would only tolerate it.
Lack of awe!...Now is the time to show some tough measures!...Guo Tang, you asked for this!"
When he secretly made up his mind, Zhao Junchen looked at Guo Tang as if he were looking at a dead person!
However, Zhao Junchen did not express his thoughts. It was not very difficult to bring down Guo Tang, but if he wanted to completely destroy everything about Guo Tang and also take the opportunity to establish the awe of the officials, he needed to
It takes a day or two to prepare!
Therefore, Zhao Junchen just asked again in a cold voice: "So, Mr. Guo, you are just following what others say and don't have any evidence? Without evidence, you can maliciously slander important officials and their families at will. Mr. Guo, you are so majestic! Even
Nowadays, His Majesty needs concrete evidence to punish officials, but Mr. Guo’s prestige is actually greater than His Majesty!”
Seeing that Zhao Junchen brought the topic to himself, Emperor Deqing could no longer sit idly by and ignore it, so he shouted loudly with the same serious expression: "That's enough! Two court officials quarreled like this in Huangji Hall, and it became a matter of course.
What's the etiquette? Don't argue anymore, let me judge this matter myself!"
After hearing what Emperor Deqing said, all the officials became silent. Even the two parties involved, Zhao Junchen and Guo Tang, were waiting for Emperor Deqing's decision.
Emperor Deqing first glanced at Zhao Junchen, then turned his gaze to Guo Tang and asked: "Guo Shaofu, do you have any concrete evidence in your hands to prove that Zhao Junchen's concubine Fang Ru was born in a brothel?"
Guo Tang couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed when he saw that Emperor Deqing was also asking him for evidence.
As one of the leaders of Qingliu, he has long been accustomed to casual rumors, so where is the conclusive evidence?
Finally, after Guo Tang hesitated for a long time, he finally said: "Old minister... there is no evidence."
"Since there is no evidence, it is slandering the minister and spreading rumors to cause trouble!" Emperor Deqing did not wait for Guo Tang to explain, and he had already made a conclusion: "This is not a small crime. No wonder Zhao Aiqing reacted violently! This matter
It is true that you have not thought carefully enough, but you are an old official in the court, and I cannot bear to punish you severely, so I will fine you a year's salary and come to Zhao Junchen in person to thank Zhao Junchen after you go to court. Are you willing?"
Emperor Deqing has made it clear that this is only a "light punishment". If Guo Tang dares to refuse, then he will definitely refute Emperor Deqing's face. The punishment then may not only be a fine and a visit to apologize.
Therefore, although Guo Tang looked embarrassed, he finally nodded and agreed.
Then, Emperor Deqing asked Zhao Junchen: "Zhao Aiqing, are you satisfied with my decision?"
Zhao Junchen said: "Since it is your Majesty's decision, I naturally dare not have any opinions."
After hearing Zhao Junchen's answer, Emperor Deqing nodded with satisfaction.
In fact, Zhao Junchen didn't care whether Emperor Deqing's punishment for Guo Tang was light or heavy, because Zhao Junchen had now decided to punish Guo Tang personally!
"If you can still stand safely in Huangji Hall after three days, I will lose this round!"
This is what Zhao Junchen is thinking now!
*
When Emperor Deqing personally resolved the dispute between Zhao Junchen and Guo Tang, everyone in the "Prince Party" saw that not only did they fail to punish Zhao Junchen, but they suffered a hidden loss, they were naturally unwilling to let the matter end like this!
Therefore, Lu Chunxiao, the censor of the right capital of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, suddenly came out and said to Emperor Deqing: "Your Majesty, we don't care about the origin of Zhao Junchen's concubines for the time being! But yesterday Zhao Junchen took concubines with such great fanfare, I'm afraid the world will not know
, it has indeed hurt the reputation of the imperial court! In addition, Zhao Junchen took advantage of the opportunity to take concubines and held a banquet with hundreds of officials, which seems to be suspected of forming a clique. I hope your majesty will be aware of it!"
Emperor Deqing turned his attention to Zhao Junchen again and asked: "Zhao Aiqing, do you have any explanation for Lu Aiqing's impeachment of you?"
Zhao Junchen came out again and said: "Your Majesty, what I did was all out of public spirit! I was trusted by your Majesty to be responsible for the rectification of commercial taxation, and also established the 'United Shipping Company' to provide financial support! However, the 'United Shipping Company'
After all, it was just a start-up, and there were insufficient financial resources, material resources, manpower, etc.! Therefore, I used the excuse of taking concubines to invite some close colleagues to a banquet, and asked them for help, and asked them to raise money from relatives and friends to invest in the "United Shipping Company".
Let the imperial court's plan to rectify business taxation see results as soon as possible! Of course, I also know that such high-profile concubinage does have a bad impact, so if your majesty punishes me for this reason, I have nothing to say!"
As Zhao Junchen finished speaking, the "Zhao Party" officials once again keenly sensed the opportunity to please Zhao Junchen, so they came out one after another to plead for Zhao Junchen and say good things!
This time, the new cabinet boss Zuo Lanshan seized the opportunity and went out first and said: "Your Majesty, I can prove that what Mr. Zhao said is true. I was also in Mr. Zhao's house yesterday. At that time, Mr. Zhao was indeed asking me.
Waiting for help, I hope that I can raise some money from my relatives and friends to support the United Shipping Company and do my best for the imperial court. I deeply admire Mr. Zhao’s loyalty and I also hope that your Majesty will learn from it!"
As soon as Zuo Lanshan finished speaking, he saw Chen Dongxiang, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, walking out of the queue quickly and said: "Your Majesty, I also attended the Zhao family banquet yesterday, but Mr. Zhao mainly discussed the imperial business tax with the ministers at the banquet.
Regarding the matter, the so-called concubinage is indeed just a pretext. Lord Zhao has deliberately taken care of the court and served His Majesty, which can be verified by heaven and earth! I hope that Your Majesty will never let down Lord Zhao’s loyalty!"
Next, the officials of the "Zhao Party" came out one after another, patting their chests to vouch for Zhao Junchen, proving that Zhao Junchen's concubinage yesterday was entirely out of public conscience.
In the end, the "princeling" impeachment of Zhao Junchen failed again. Emperor Deqing only fined Zhao Junchen a year's salary. Such a punishment had no impact on Zhao Junchen at all.
However, for the "princelings", especially for the young master Guo Tang, a disaster is about to begin!
