Zhao Guan's rage cannot be hidden from anyone, especially since he doesn't seem to want to hide it from anyone.
Of course, everyone seems to understand this anger - it took a lot of effort to get that situation in the northwest, and it destroyed a centuries-old enemy, established an anti-golden united front, expanded the country's strategic advantages, and even went on an expedition
I came back with two more sons. I was supposed to spend the winter eating sweet and sour fish and roasting ground dragons. Maybe I still had time to write a few more chapters of "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons", but three major cases suddenly appeared.
When they come out, everyone loses their temper.
But when you are angry, you cannot avoid things.
Moreover, after the first snowfall, the weather became increasingly colder, and on the first day of November, when the courtiers in Wende Hall met in large numbers, the Zhao family did not bother to cover up and mentioned the matter directly in the hall:
“Dali Temple!”
Lu Yi, the minister of Dali Temple, immediately came out of the queue after hearing this, then raised his wooden tablet and lowered his head: "I am here."
"Recently, there has been a lot of discussion in Beijing about the three major cases in winter. These three cases should be tried in Dali Temple. You are the official of Dali Temple. Do you have anything to say about the matter so far?" Zhao Jiu sat on the table and responded seriously.
"Return to the officials." Lu Yi responded carefully. "The three cases have been settled from beginning to end. Yang Zheng killed his concubine and skinned him, so he should be executed according to the law; Wang Bo (Pan Guifei's cousin) deceived the superiors and deceived others, defrauding money, and he should be punished according to the law.
, and return the fraudulent property and impose a fine; only Zhang Zongyan's case is not a lawsuit, but involves the military. Dali Temple has sent a letter to the Privy Council and the Director of the Royal Camp, asking the Xifu and the Royal Camp to declare whether they have any superiors for sending troops without authorization.
Only with permission and authorization can we find laws and regulations to discuss crimes..."
This answer was actually considered appropriate, but unexpectedly, facing this obviously self-explanatory result, the aloof Zhao Guan family just frowned slightly but did not respond.
And during this gap, Ma Shen, the Minister of the Ministry of Punishment, who had just come from the south and had only been in office for ten days, suddenly came out of the queue and raised a wooden tablet to show his face:
"Your Majesty, I am the Ministry of Punishment, and I have something to say about these three cases!"
Let's say that as the horses stretched out, they all clicked together. From Zhao Ding to Zhang Jun, including the two newly appointed Zhishe people, almost everyone in the palace, civil and military, instinctively looked at it. Even Zhao Jiu also appeared.
Getting serious...nothing else? Ma Shen has been a senior censor since Jingkang, and has always been famous for his integrity, but more importantly, at that juncture when Lu Haowen led many people to turn to the original learning, as a Taoist
In fact, this person from the famous family has been in Jingxiang, and he adheres to the Taoist stance. He is one of the few top-level officials with Taoist background in the court at present. He can be said to be a standard minority.
In fact, Zhao Jiu decided to appoint him as the Ministry of Punishment that day because of his clear and strict style and his eclectic attitude in employing people. But who would have imagined? Not long after this appointment was conveyed, a man with extremely political sensitivity appeared.
What about the three major cases of violence?
Is this person going out now? I'm afraid he will be merciless, and Xiang Zhuang dances his sword with the intention of Pei Gong.
And sure enough, Ma Shen nodded slightly along with Zhao Guanjia and immediately pointed out the key point: "Reporting to the official family, as far as I know, there are actually some key points in each of the three cases. Dali Temple was somewhat negligent and did not mention it...
...For example, in the case of pre-sale of treasury bonds, the criminal Wang Bo once confessed that he was working as a helper for his cousin, Pan Yongsi, Pan Guifei's uncle, and not for himself... In other words, the case itself is simple, but the main culprit is unknown! It is Pan Yongsi.
Wang Bo committed the crime and cannot be ignored!"
There was some agitation in the hall, and Dali Temple Qing Lu Yi bowed his head deeply... Everyone knows how big the gap is between the meaning of Pan Guifei's uncle and a middle-level cousin with a different surname.
What's more, Pan Yongsi is not just a relative, he is also an official of the imperial court, and he has made great contributions. He was the one who welcomed the Queen Mother Yuanyou to Nanjing (Shangqiu) on behalf of Zhao Gou, who was still King of Kang, so he had some merit in supporting her... Later Although he was expelled because of his status as a foreign relative, he was given the title of Prince of the Pavilion because of his merits and was often in and out of the palace.
It is completely conceivable that once the criminal is identified as Pan Yongsi instead of Wang Bo, what kind of disturbance will be caused in the world's public opinion?
To put it to the extreme, if the imperial concubine’s uncle is so greedy, who knows if the official is just pretending to be in the harem?
What's more, whether it's issuing national debt or restarting the Qingmiao Loan, including handing over child affairs, these three are themselves a trinity. They are a package of financial reforms carried out by the court to raise military expenditures. In the eyes of ordinary people, they are all the same thing... And if you can make a fortune from this kind of thing, do you dare to ask if all the taxes raised in the south really go to the military camps?
In fact, this is the key to this case being ranked alongside the two major imperial camp cases... This case actually refers to the official family and the imperial camp!
In other words, in the eyes of truly understanding people, the essence of the three major cases, or the seriousness of these three cases, lies precisely in the official family and the imperial camp - the official family is based on the imperial camp, and the imperial camp is based on the official family As the core, there are eight or nine commanders and dozens of commanders in the middle. They are all connected and involved with each other, and finally form a whole.
Without the existence of the 200,000-strong imperial camp and the various commanders and commanders directly attached to them, how could the Zhao Guan family be as stable as a mountain and treat the Second Sage like a piece of grass?
Without the imperial army to absorb the military presence among the refugees in Hebei and suppress the peasant uprising in the south, where would the country have a basis for survival?
The one with strong soldiers and horses is the king. Some things just mean that and there is no need to say anything about it.
In the same way, if there were no imperial camp to withstand the Northern invaders time and time again, and no imperial camp to counterattack to regain the lost territory, how could the Zhao Guan family act arbitrarily, push away vested interest groups one after another, and abandon one after another the traditions inherited from the Five Dynasties? Complex system, forcibly granting land in the Central Plains and Kansai military settlements?
So that later on, officials were forcibly expelled from Shaoxing and Yuan Xue was forcibly implemented in the court?
It is the so-called confidants of the officials and the official party in the hall. How can they unite around Zhao Guan's family and become the official confidants and party if they do not have the military victory of the imperial camp as a foundation?
"Pan Yongsi." Zhao Jiu was slightly startled when he heard this. He didn't know if he had thought of those things, but he still immediately called the name of the person Ma Shen mentioned from the throne.
"I'm here." A man stepped out from the line of ministers on one side and looked at each other respectfully.
"Did you hear that?"
"Return to the official." Pan Yongsi said proudly. "I heard it, but Dali Temple has already written a document of my own defense for this matter a few days ago. I have already sent a self-defense document to the minister of Dali Temple, specifically saying that my teaching is not strict, so that As for the evil nephew Wang Bo who bites innocent people wantonly..."
Zhao Jiu was silent and Ma Shen was slightly startled.
"Your Majesty, although I am under suspicion, I still want to impeach Ma Shen, the Minister of Punishment, for deposing the public official for private purposes."
It was during this moment of confusion that Pan Yongsi actually struck back. "Although Ma Shangshu is the chief official of the Ministry of Punishment, he has only been in Beijing for ten days, and even the officials from the Ministry of Punishment have not recognized him. How can he find out the three cases that were tried in Dali Temple?" Vital points? If a suspect bites one today and another tomorrow in order to escape guilt, then wouldn't it be that there are vital points everywhere? What's more, Dali Temple did not bend the law just because the minister was of high rank, but was a serious scholar of Hanlin University. In the hands of the academicians on duty, the minister defended himself... Why should Ma Shangshu cross-examine him face to face in the Wende Hall? Isn't it because Ma Shangshu is a famous Taoist and has always disliked his ministers' intensive study of original learning, and has repeatedly supported Taixue Zhongyuan Studies? Disciple? So there are branches and divisions based on the views of the family?"
Ma Shen listened in a daze, and then he glared angrily: "If this is the case, people with a Taoist background cannot be important ministers in the court? Otherwise, everyone who looks at him in disbelief is just a sectarian opinion, and they are all doing it for private purposes."
"Ma Shangshu also knows that he is an important minister of the imperial court, isn't he serving as a censor?" Pan Yongsi was not afraid at all. "How important is the responsibility of the Minister of Punishment? It is impossible to destroy someone's family with just one word! And Ma Shangshu has no such responsibility!"
Ten days after entering the capital, without any basis or evidence, he eagerly ruined people's reputation in Wende Palace, made insinuations, and even wanted to kill people. Whether it is private or public, people's hearts have their own judgment!"
This actually makes some sense, but what kind of person is Ma Shen, how could he be afraid of a relative: "How ridiculous are these words? I am not trying to kill you, I am just reminding the officials to be careful about the connections in this matter. My original intention is
It’s because of the careless behavior of the Minister of Dali Temple. As for a mere relative, do I need to deal with it sincerely? Even Your Majesty, why have you ever cared about you?!"
"Isn't my maternal relative's good reputation not my pure reputation? Isn't my maternal relative's life not my life?!"
Pan Yongsi was still not afraid, and even his voice became louder. What was interesting was that, for some reason, in the Wende Palace, perhaps because he was hesitant about the unity of the three major cases, or perhaps because what Pan Yongsi actually said had some truth, many important ministers actually let it go.
A foreign relative shouted here, "How can such people who treat others as trivial take on the important position of the Ministry of Punishment?! Moreover, if the Ministry of Punishment has any doubts about the outcome of the trial in Dali Temple, it should send a letter to Dali Temple to question it. How can it be done in Wende?"
Your Highness is slandering others?!"
Ma Shen finally sneered: "I'm afraid that some people will form a network and work together to prevent the officials from hearing the truth... I don't know that taking over the Ministry of Punishment for ten days is too hasty, but if we have passed this Wende Palace Palace
, it is impossible to say that these three cases will pass by in a muddle, and only then will we be able to bear the heavy responsibility!"
The atmosphere in the palace became increasingly weird, and the few imperial censors who were about to make a move at this time also returned angrily. As for Pan Yongsi, after thinking about it, he just smiled, and then stood in silence with his sleeves folded, as if he was cowed.
"The officials." Ma Shen didn't take it seriously when he saw this, and just continued to give it away. "I still have two key points to tell the officials..."
"Come on." Zhao Jiu was neither happy nor angry.
"Report to the officials." Ma Shen took a deep breath and regained his composure. "The other two key cases... For example, in the Yang Zheng case, there is also a legal suspicion, which is that the civil and military officials in Guanxi were against him for killing his concubine.
There are many people who know about the skinning, especially among the imperial camp and rear army. It has been spread for a long time, but many people know about it but fail to report it!"
Zhao Jiu's expression remained unchanged and he nodded slightly: "What else?"
"There is also the case of Zhang Zongyan..." Ma Shen became more and more serious. "As Dali Temple said, this matter involves the military, and it is difficult to use ordinary criminal laws as evidence. We have to let the imperial camp right army department give an explanation first. I can forgive me for being presumptuous.
I would like to ask the officials, can the progress of a division really be concealed from the commander of an army? If Zhang Jun, the commander of the right army of the imperial camp, replies and says he does not know, does this mean that Zhang Jun is incompetent? If Zhang Jun replies and says that he mistakenly allowed Zhang Zongyan to make a decision at the opportunity
Quan, are the thousands of soldiers and civilians who died innocently in Shanghe this time considered to have died in vain?"
Zhao Jiu responded with silence.
"The official family." Ma Shen said with cupped hands. "I know that I have caused difficulties to the official family today, but I am not the person Pan Yongsi said nonsense. Otherwise, if I really use the style of Taiwan's remonstrance to discuss things, today Han Shizhong, Zhang Jun, Wu
I have been impeached by my ministers one by one... Since I am the Minister of the Ministry of Punishment, today I will only use my capacity as the Ministry of Punishment to ask the official to give a definite answer on some legal judgments! After all, the emperor's words are made into the constitution, and there are some things that your Majesty
Without clear regulations, the world will remain in chaos."
"What words?"
"Everyone knows that the imperial camp has great merits, and the commanders and ministers all boast of their achievements in reviving the revolution and bringing peace to the country, so that they often behave above the law and the system...
..." The horse raised his head and raised his wat board in reply. "May I ask the officials if we should give them this authority? Does it mean that the punishment is not in control and the responsibility is not in the hands of the commander-in-chief?"
Zhao Jiu remained silent, not knowing what he was thinking, while Ma Shen just bowed his hands and waited for a reply. Not only that, but none of the other ministers in the palace spoke.
The scene actually became stiff for a moment.
This scene is quite scary for some people who are establishing themselves in the palace for the first time. For example, the newly-appointed bachelor Mei Yue, who claims to be a capable person, has already had his brain as confused as paste, and no matter how clever or organized he is,
It's of no use, it's just a daze.
Of course, although everyone was silent, not everyone was as confused as the Meishe people. For example, several prime ministers, and Lin Jingmo, the Minister of Revenue, who was standing next to Ma Shen, knew the situation well.
Academician Xiaolin woke up to what was going on at the beginning, so he did not react this time, not because he thought too slowly and had no time to move, but because like other important ministers, he fell into a position dilemma.
As I said before, the three major cases are essentially the same, and they point to the official family and the imperial camp.
Yang Zheng's case reminded everyone that there are still a large number of old-style officers in the imperial army that the officials rely on. The average moral quality of those military personnel is still generally lower than that of scholar-bureaucrats, and even lower than that of ordinary people. It is not a matter of changing the imperial army.
The skin will be completely renewed.
The treasury bond pre-sale case also clearly shows that no matter whether it is a new powerful person or an old powerful person, no matter who it is, if they are in front of fame and fortune, they will fall when they should.
As for Zhang Zongyan's case, it is more serious than the previous two combined. The first two can be attributed to personal immorality, but this incident clearly shows that after the imperial army got rid of the past shortcomings of soldiers not knowing generals and soldiers,
The thing they were most worried about finally happened... They were actually able to do their own thing.
It was fine to just do what they wanted, but they actually returned with a huge defeat, which made everyone in the world doubt the combat effectiveness of the imperial camp, and the impact of such a grand victory in Xixia was also greatly reduced.
The sudden accumulation of these three cases immediately gave the opposition in the south an excuse to attack the rulers! The moralists had previously requested that the ban be released. Ma Shen's behavior at this time, which was close to forcing the palace, was vaguely echoed.
state.
The reason why the ministers in the hall chose to remain silent couldn't be simpler... Although they are part of the official clan, and although they are not on the same side as Ma Shen and others, they are not military ministers in the imperial camp system... they are traditional scholar-bureaucrats!
The imperial camp and the official family are one, and they are also one with the official family, but they are not one with the imperial camp!
Therefore, when Ma Shen asked this question, even Xiaolin, a confidant of the official family, couldn't help but want to hear the official's answer.
Of course, these thoughts may seem to change endlessly, but they only last for a moment.
In the lobby, this confrontation only lasted for a moment, and Zhao Guanjia spoke decisively: "I know what Master Ma wants to hear, and I also know why everyone in the palace is so quiet today, and I have actually thought about this matter for a long time...Besides,
, I am someone who is unwilling to cover up, and I am unwilling to cover up... If you want words, I will give you words... That is, in my place, the commander-in-chief ranks with the prime minister, the commander-in-chief ranks with the secret ministers, and both civil and military affairs are valued.
! If the country has never killed a chief official for a certain crime, it will not kill a commander for a certain crime; and if an important minister of the Secret Pavilion kills his concubine and skins it, I will definitely kill him."
There was an uproar in the hall, and it took a long time to gradually calm down... This answer was actually expected by many people, but it still made many officials present a little sad.
However, when the crowd calmed down and before Ma Shen could say anything, Zhao Guanjia continued with a dark face:
"Not only that, I feel that both being an official and an official must have a bottom line. If he is a prime minister and a commander-in-chief kills and skins his concubines, I may not be able to bear it. So what will I do then? For the sake of the country's face, I will probably lure him
I went to the palace, chopped him up with my own hands, and sank him into the fish pond to make fertilizer! Then he told outsiders that a certain husband, a certain Jiedu, slipped and fell and drowned!"
Finally, there was a slight sound of laughter in the hall... Frankly speaking, they all felt that this kind of thing could only happen to military ministers. If a scholar-official could still be the prime minister after doing this, the country would be in ruins.
Already.
"There's more." Zhao Jiu continued to respond solemnly. "I still don't want to hide it from you... I am not the kind of person who only hides his good bows when all birds are gone. For now, the country is going to war, let alone mentioning it. One day there will be peace, and there will be peace."
I'm afraid it's unusual for two commanders who have the ability and qualifications to become a prime minister. And if one of them is a Jinshi who knows how to fight, I think it's okay to be the commander of the imperial camp or army... When the time comes, you guys
Don't make a fuss."
The hall suddenly became quiet again.
"I understand." Seeing the atmosphere in the hall becoming more and more solidified, Ma Shen, who was vaguely regretful, was silent for a moment, and then still stubbornly raised his hands and asked. "One more thing... the imperial camp has its own system, and they protect each other.
, I dare to ask the officials, can the national laws regulate military affairs?"
"Of course it can be restrained." Zhao Jiu seemed to have opened some kind of gate, and continued to respond. "But soldiers themselves are special, but they cannot use criminal regulations to restrain military affairs. Otherwise, wouldn't killing people on the battlefield also require beheading? There must be a complete
Military law... The Ministry of Punishment can work with the Privy Council to formulate a proper military law on this matter, and then the Privy Council and the General Affairs Office of the Royal Camp will conduct a special review."
"Please let the officials explain clearly what matters fall under the jurisdiction of criminal law and what matters fall under military law?"
"For example, if Yang Zheng kills his concubine, he will fall under the punishment system. Based on the punishment system and referring to military law, if his superiors and subordinates in the army do not report the knowledge, it is also a punishment system. But if Zhang Zongyan takes military action without permission, it will be under military law, and his superiors and subordinates know about it.
No, whether to participate or not, it is all based on military law and referring to the criminal system." Zhao Jiu blurted out, obviously well prepared. "Is the Criminal Department satisfied?"
"Officials joking, formulating laws, and maintaining discipline are things that satisfy the people of the world. What does it matter if the ministers are dissatisfied?" Ma Shen is still not afraid. "However, the officials must answer all questions, and the ministers really have nothing to do with it.
You can talk."
"You are speechless, but I still have something to say." Zhao Jiu took a long breath. "Actually, I have never thought about long-term peace and stability, nor have I ever expected that everyone will be like Yao and Shun...Human nature is like this. When these three cases happened, I
In fact, it’s not surprising at all, but to have so many cases come in so quickly and so concentrated is because I was negligent..."
There was nothing to say. Zhao Ding and other officials finally came out and bowed to apologize, and the atmosphere in the hall relaxed a little.
But at this moment, Zhao Guanjia suddenly called out another person's name: "Pan Yongsi!"
"I'm here!"
"The argument you just had with the Ministry of Punishment was actually on your side in terms of logic. Even if it is found out that you were responsible for this case in the future, I will still say so." Zhao Jiu responded with a smile. "It can't be because of that.
You are a relative and you wantonly humiliate me."
"I am so grateful that the officials can be so fair." Pan Yongsi couldn't help but look at Ma Shen proudly.
Although Ma Shen was furious, he had no choice but to do so, so that Li Guang, the censor Zhongcheng, was a little annoyed for a while and prepared to go out to remonstrate.
But soon, Zhao Guanjia's next words calmed down the hall: "But Pan Yongsi, are you the main culprit in this case? In public, if you confess in public, I can give you a lenient punishment, that is, the Ministry of Punishment
It’s not easy to embarrass you.”
Pan Yongsi was startled for a moment, then shook his head solemnly: "The officials look down on me! If it's not my fault, it's not my fault!"
Zhao Jiu nodded slightly and looked at the other person again: "Dali Temple! Lu Qing!"
"I'm here!" Lu Yi, the minister of Dali Temple, was frightened.
"On the 15th of last month, your family went to Mrs. Song's Fish Soup and ordered three boxes of takeout. After the takeout was delivered, someone suddenly followed outside the door and delivered another box of takeout... Is this happening?" Zhao
Jiu asked curiously.
Lu Yi was stunned on the spot, but a moment later, in the distance, Pan Yongsi fell to his knees first, and then kowtowed on the ground repeatedly.
Then Lu Yi reacted, and regardless of his identity, he knelt down directly on the ground, and then said, "I am guilty! I thought that the official would let the matter go lightly for the sake of the noble concubine, so I rashly accepted a box of Pan Sheren.
pearl……"
"Why should I let this matter go so easily?" Zhao Jiu was finally furious on the throne. "My imperial camp, my new policy, my foundation lies in these things... Even if I discuss the matter on the matter, the national debt is also my own.
What he signed and pledged was selling my credibility! But he was talking empty talk and promised a share through the air to collect money for free... Why do you think I let this matter go so easily?! I gave the noble concubine some dignity,
Who gives me dignity? Has Shangshu Ma, who has been forcing me with words for most of the day? Does he give me dignity?!"
Ma Shendeng, who was about to go out to praise the official's magnanimity, was furious and fell silent. Mei Qu and Chao Gongwu from Zhishe were stunned again.
Zhao Guanjia, who was in the throne room, didn't bother to pay attention. He stood up directly and walked away, leaving only the last words: "The case will be handed over to the Ministry of Punishment. From tomorrow, I will go to patrol the river defense and inspect the imperial camp troops to nip problems in the bud...
...You can take care of yourself."
PS: Thanks to Xiaoyu for being the second cutest character, and also to the new alliance leader Feng Yu Nandu, this is the 149th cutest character in this book!