Hai Zhongdi saw the Queen Mother walking in and hurriedly stepped forward to greet her. The Queen Mother said: "Get up. What is that in your hand?"
Hai Zhongdi said: "This is an account book, and there is evidence on it that Yu Jing and Zhuang Lian accepted bribes."
The Queen Mother pretended to be surprised and said: "Really, Zhuang Lian is also not clean? Eunuch Chen, show the account book to the Ai family for review."
Eunuch Chen took the account book from Hai Zhongdi and handed it to the Queen Mother. The Queen Mother only read one page and said: "Zhuang Lian is simply unreasonable. Hai Yushi, do you want to hand this account book to the emperor?"
Hai Zhongdi said: "I have this intention."
The Queen Mother said: "You go back to work, and the Ai family will give it to the Emperor."
Hai Zhongdi thanked the Queen Mother, left the palace, and returned to the Office of the Metropolitan Procuratorate. Mou Rongtian was waiting outside his office door. When he saw him coming back, he asked: "Master Hai, have you given the account book to the Holy One?"
Hai Zhongdi said: "I waited in the flower hall for more than an hour, but I didn't see the Holy One. Later, the Queen Mother came and asked for the account book. The Queen Mother asked me to come back to work, and she handed the account book to the Holy One."
Mou Rongtian asked: "Has Master Hai seen Master Luo in the palace?"
Hai Zhongdi said: "I saw him. He wanted me to protect Zhuang Lian, but I didn't agree."
Mou Rongtian asked: "Could the Queen Mother be invited by Mr. Luo?"
Hai Zhongdi said: "You mean the Queen Mother wants to protect Zhuang Lian?"
Mou Rongtian said: "I'm afraid it's possible."
Hai Zhongdi shook his head and said: "No, no, no, the Queen Mother's sage will never do this."
In Cining Palace, the Queen Mother summoned Zhuang Lian. The account book was placed on the table. The Queen Mother pointed at the account book and said, "Zhuang Chief Assistant, take a look at this."
Zhuang Lian had seen the account book, and after hearing what the Queen Mother said, he knelt on the ground and kowtowed: "I was confused for a moment, so I took Yu Jing's silver. I am willing to hand over all the silver I got, and ask the Queen Mother to forgive me."
The Empress Dowager said: "Shoufu Zhuang, you have devoted yourself to the imperial court and worked hard, which is very hard. The Ai family knows that it is not easy for you. Regarding money, you should accept some benefits appropriately, and the Ai family will not argue with you, but not too much.
It's better for you to restrain yourself in the future. Let's forget about this time. If it happens again, the Ai family won't protect you, so you can take care of yourself."
Zhuang Lian cried bitterly, kowtowed repeatedly, and expressed his gratitude to the Queen Mother.
Two days later, Hai Zhongdi saw that Zhuang Lian was fine, and thought to himself: "It's been two days, why hasn't the Holy One dealt with Zhuang Lian? Is this something wrong? Could it be that the Queen Mother hasn't handed over the account book to the Holy One yet?"
Hai Zhongdi went to Cining Palace and saw the Queen Mother. After the ceremony, he asked: "Queen Mother, have you given the account book to the Holy One?"
The Queen Mother sighed and said, "Hey, forget it, the Ai family lost that account book due to negligence."
Hai Zhongdi was not stupid. When he heard this, he understood that the Queen Mother wanted to protect Zhuang Lian and thought to herself: "Queen Mother, how can you do this? The court belongs to your family. If you do this, won't the court be ruined?"
Hai Zhongdi returned to the Metropolitan Procuratorate and sat in his office writing furiously. When he was waiting for the summons in Qianqing Palace that day, he read the account book several times and knew it by heart. It took him less than an hour to write it.
Then he wrote down all the contents of the account book silently and wrote them down in a notebook.
He took the book and went to Qianqing Palace to ask for an audience with the emperor. When Wanli heard that he was coming again, he asked the eunuch to wait for him. He waited for two hours in the sea before Wanli was willing to summon him in the imperial study.
After the ceremony, Wanli sat behind the dragon writing desk and asked, "Hai Aiqing, what do you want?"
Hai Zhongdi said: "Here is a book, which records the evidence that Zhuang Lian and Yu Jing took bribes and violated the law. Please take a look at it, your Majesty."
The little eunuch took the book and handed it to Wanli.
Wanli flipped through a few pages, threw the book on the desk, and shouted, "This is totally unreasonable. Go call Zhuang Lian, I want to see him."
The young eunuch went to the Cabinet Office to convey the order. Zhuang Lian came to the imperial study and presented Wanli with a gift. Wanli did not tell him to stand up, but threw the book on Zhuang Lian's head and shouted: "Zhuang Lian, see for yourself, what a good thing you have done."
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Zhuang Lian was so frightened that he dropped the book on the ground. He saw that it was not Yu Jing's account book. He picked it up and looked through it. After reading only one page, he shouted: "Your Majesty, I have been wronged. Someone is trying to frame me."
Old minister, please ask your Majesty to take a closer look."
Wanli said: "Why, you don't admit it?"
Zhuang Lian said: "The contents in this book are false and are fabricated by people who want to frame me. How can I admit it?"
When Wanli saw that he refused to admit his fault, he said: "Pass it to the sea."
Hai Zhongdi was waiting in the flower hall, and the young eunuch called him in. Wanli said: "Hai Ai Qing, Zhuang Lian denied everything in the book and said that someone was trying to frame him. Where did you get this book? The content in it is shocking.
Do you believe it?"
Hai Zhongdi said: "Two days ago, Mou Rongtian gave me an account book of Yu Jing, the contents of which are exactly the same as what is recorded in this book. The old minister took the account book to the palace and wanted to see the Holy One. The Holy One was taking a nap at that time.
, I was waiting in the flower hall. Later, the Queen Mother came and asked for the account book, and asked me to go back to work, and she handed the account book to the Holy One. This morning, I went to see the Queen Mother and learned that the Queen Mother had lost the account book. I saw
After passing the account book, I had memorized the contents in my mind, and based on my memory, I silently wrote down all the contents in the account book in this book."
Wanli said: "I thought this book was written by Yu Jing. If it was written by him, it would be credible. But since it was written by you, Hai Aiqing, I cannot be convinced by the content."
Zhuang Lian and Haizhong Di had been friends for decades, and he thought to himself: "Hai Zhong Di, what you are doing is wrong. We have known each other for decades, how could you harm me like this? Since you are unkind, don't blame me for being unjust."
"Thinking of this, he kowtowed with an aggrieved look and said, "Your Majesty, Hai Zhong Di is deliberately trying to frame me. Please make the decision for me and deal with Hai Zhong Di strictly."
Seeing Zhuang Lian bite him back, Hai Zhongdi was so angry that he blushed and said, "Your Majesty, I have been wronged. I did not frame Zhuang Lian."
Zhuang Lian knew that Yu Jing's account book was with the Queen Mother, and it was impossible for the Queen Mother to take it out, so he shouted: "Your Majesty, Yu Jing didn't leave any account book at all. These are all made up by Hai Zhongdi. He is deceiving."
Your Majesty, please take a closer look."
Wanli said: "Haizhongdi, is the account book you handed to the Queen Mother really written by Yu Jing?"
Hai Zhongdi said: "It's absolutely true, I dare to use the head on the item as a guarantee. The Queen Mother has seen the account book, and she can vouch for me."
Wanli said to the young eunuch: "Go and ask the Queen Mother to come over."
After a while, the Queen Mother walked into the imperial study. Wan Li stood up and came forward to greet the Queen Mother. Zhuang Lian and Haizhong Di also greeted the Queen Mother one after another. The Queen Mother said: "That's all, let's all get up."
The young eunuch brought a chair, and the Queen Mother sat beside the Long Bookcase and asked, "Your Majesty, why did you invite the Ai family to come over?"
Wanli stood beside him and said: "Mother, Hai Zhongdi brought a book to show to the child. It contains evidence that Yu Jing and Zhuang Lian were corrupt and perverted the law. The child called Zhuang Lian for questioning, but Zhuang Lian denied it, saying that the book
The content on it is false, and it is Haizhong Di who wants to frame him. Haizhong Di said that he gave his mother an account book two days ago. Mother, does this matter?"
The Queen Mother said: "It is indeed true, but the account book was accidentally lost by the Queen Mother."
Wanli thought to himself: "Lost? Things can be lost in the palace? Isn't this a fantasy? It seems that there is indeed something wrong with Mr. Zhuang, and the mother is deliberately trying to protect him." He said: "Mother, you have seen that.
Ledger?"
The Queen Mother said: "The Ai family has read it, but only a few pages."
Wanli asked the young eunuch to give the book written by Haizhong Di to the Queen Mother for review, and asked: "Mother, is the content here the same as that in that account book?"
The Queen Mother flipped through the first few pages and said: "The Ai family's memory is not as good as before. The Ai family just glanced at the account book and did not remember it firmly. Now there is no impression. The first few pages, the Ai family seems to be
It looks a bit familiar, and it seems to be the same as what was written in the account book, but I can't be completely sure. As for the content of the following pages, the Ai family has not read it, so I don't know."
Wanli said: "Was the account book that Haizhong Di gave to his mother written by Yu Jing?"
The Queen Mother said: "The Ai family don't know Yu Jing's handwriting, how do you know if it was written by him?"
Wanli said: "There is Yu Jing's memorial in the palace. If I find it and ask my mother to identify it, will my mother be able to tell whether the account book is Yu Jing's handwriting?"
The Queen Mother shook her head and said: "The Ai family has no impression of the handwriting on it and cannot distinguish it."
Wanli said: "Haizhongdi, you said that account book was given to you by Mou Rongtian?"
Hai Zhong Di said: "Exactly."
Wanli said to the young eunuch: "It is said that Mou Rongtian has come to see you." Then he said to the Queen Mother: "Mother, the child has nothing else to do. You, old man, go back and rest."
The Queen Mother said: "The Ai family would like to hear how you resolve this lawsuit." She did not leave.
The young eunuch went to Fusi, Beizhen, and sent word to Mou Rongtian. Wanli asked, "Mou Rongtian, Hai Aiqing said that you gave him an account book about Yu Jing and Zhuang Lian's bribery two days ago. Is this relevant?"
Mou Rongtian said: "It is true."
Wanli said: "As the detective Qianhu of Beizhen Fusi, you didn't hand over the account book to your boss, but handed it over to Hai Aiqing. What do you mean?"
Mou Rongtian said: "I know that Lord Luo has a close personal relationship with Zhuang Shoufu, and I am afraid that Lord Luo will protect Zhuang Shoufu, so I hand him over to Lord Hai."
Wanli's face darkened and he said: "How could Luo Aiqing bend the law to protect Zhuang Lian for personal gain? You are using the heart of a villain to judge the heart of a gentleman. You are simply a bastard."
Mou Rongtian said: "I know the crime."
Wanli said: "Where did you get that account book?"
Mou Rongtian said: "Two days ago, Master Luo said that Meng Shanhu and Jin Bao wanted to blackmail Zhuang Shoufu, and ordered his ministers to go to Zhuang Shoufu's house to arrest the gangsters. Master Luo said that Meng Shanhu had a book on his body, and he must get it back.
Give it to him, and I am not allowed to check the contents of the book without authorization. I captured Meng Shanhu and found the account book on his body."
Wanli asked: "Who are the Mengshan Tiger and the Golden Leopard?"
Mou Rongtian said: "They are bandits from Mengshan Mountain in Shandong."