There is no need for Yang Lun to do anything deliberately, this just means avoiding Yang Lun in terms of stance.
As Yang Lun walked towards the Bell and Drum Tower, he recalled intermittently the years he and Deng Ying had spent in the capital.
If you think about it carefully, he lives his life quite deliberately.
After writing the "Plan for Clearing the Fields" in a very eloquent manner, he went south to preside over the clearing of fields and the implementation of new taxes, without slacking off for a moment.
Ying was the one who was caught up in the middle. He did not influence any decision of the cabinet, and he accomplished almost everything that Yang Lun and others wanted to do.
He was pushing these boats silently against the current. Since he took charge of the East Factory, half of the external power of the Northern Pacification Prison was divided away. Under Zhang Luo, he finally saved the lives of all the students in the academy and court officials such as Bai Huan, but he himself ended up like this.
The word "end" is really heartbreaking.
Yang Lun couldn't bear to think any further, so he pulled his robe tighter and quickened his pace in the wind.
At this time, the Meridian Gate had not yet opened. Although it was past the hour of Chen and could not be considered as waiting for the leak (1), since today was the day for the imperial funeral, the inner court still prepared charcoal rice in the duty room inside the Duanmen Gate and in the five wooden rooms on the left side of the gate (2) for all officials to rest.
The "food for the emperor" was stopped at the end of the previous dynasty because of "too many duties and difficult to provide." Today, it was restarted, but most officials were unwilling to eat, fearing that they would lose their composure in the court due to urgency. Only a few low-ranking officials who could not enter the duty room stood in front of the door with bowls of porridge to warm themselves.
Several officials from the Zhanshi Mansion and the Sijing Bureau invited Yang Lun to the Banzifang to discuss matters. Yang Lun did not like dealing with these people, so he simply took a bowl of porridge and stood at the door of the Banzifang with the lower-ranking officials to answer. After less than four or five sentences, the gate guards in front of the Duanmen Gate stood on guard. Officer Zhan walked to Yang Lun's side and took a look at the door, wondering, "It looks like the Ministry of Justice is 'releasing prisoners to wait for the court'... Hey?"
He squinted his eyes, trying to see the man in the prison car clearly, and asked in doubt: "What day is it today? The late emperor has not yet been buried, how can he be "interrogated for a serious crime" (3)? Who is the person brought by the Ministry of Justice?"
When he asked this, the other officials in the board room came out, and they all looked towards the opening, breathing heavily.
Qi Huaiyang stood in front of the prison van and leaned over to talk to the person in the van. The person lowered his head to listen and then nodded calmly. Then the officers from the Ministry of Justice opened the door of the prison van and brought the person out of the van. After the person stood still, they retreated behind the Duanmen Gate.
The general of the Jinwu Guard led the guards forward and negotiated with Qi Huaiyang for a few words. During this period, the officials outside the board room also identified the man's identity.
"I think... he looks like a eunuch from the Eastern Depot."
"What? Deng Ying?"
"Yes, take another look."
Several people walked forward a few steps while talking. One of them asked, "Why was he brought here by the Ministry of Justice? When was he imprisoned?"
As soon as this sentence was finished, no one responded.
Before the grand meeting, Deng Ying, an official of the East Factory, was imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice. Today, he was wearing shackles and escorted to the palace by the Ministry of Justice. This incident made most people doubt about today's grand meeting. As the situation was unclear, no one was willing to speak easily.
Deng Ying stood with his hands hanging down among the ranks of the Jinwu Guards.
He wore a quilted coat and a gray plain cloth robe. Although it was sunny, the sunlight on Deng Ying's back was not warm at all. Qi Huaiyang looked at the sky and turned to the Jinwu Guard General and asked, "How long will it take to leave the gate now?"
The Jinwu Guard said, "Today is not the imperial court, so the time is uncertain. We have to wait until the Empress of the Central Palace and the Empress Dowager enter the three rear halls before the Duanmen Gate will open."
Qi Huaiyang, "The prisoner is injured and cannot stand for a long time. Is he in the three rooms under the West Gate..."
"Today, the three lower rooms are open, and the officials of the Imperial Academy are inside."
Qi Huaiyang nodded angrily after hearing what he said, and turned to Deng Ying and asked, "Can you still stand?"
"Um."
Deng Ying just responded and said nothing else.
Qi Huaiyang sighed, lifted his robe and walked towards Yang Lun, saying as he walked, "Let's talk in the duty room."
Yang Lun blurted out: "Have you given them water and food?"
"I gave it to him, but he wouldn't eat it."
"Why?"
Qi Huaiyang looked back and said, "So many people are afraid of losing their manners due to overeating, isn't he afraid?"
Yang Lun coughed and changed the subject, "Did he write the indictment himself?"
Qi Huaiyang said, "According to the system of the Ministry of Justice, the case is tried in the court. What I want to submit today is the confession from the court trial the day before yesterday. He also wrote a copy, which I have read, but I will not submit it today. Now the Imperial Household Department does not know what Deng Ying and the cabinet mean by this move, and the Northern Pacification Office has also held its troops. Are you and Lord Bai going to submit a new edict today, or choose another day to submit it secretly?"
Yang Lun said, "Let's choose a day. After I leave the Imperial Household Department, I will be able to draft the imperial edict more smoothly without any obstacles behind me."
"OK."
Qi Huaiyang paused and said, "There is one more thing I want to tell you. I don't know what the cabinet's attitude is towards Deng Ying. But no matter what, I don't advocate torturing him anymore. Even if the judicial system requires the three courts to be called, this part of his case does not need to be reviewed again."
Yang Lun nodded and said, "I understand. Although I cannot explain Deng Ying's affairs directly to the cabinet, I will tell you everything I can. Huaiyang, I have never been in the Three Departments, so I don't know much, but I wonder if Deng Ying can be listed as an accomplice of the Silijian when the Three Departments try this case in the future. You have been in this line for a long time, so see if you can help him with your confession."
Qi Huaiyang did not comment, "I will try my best, but the reason why I said that to you instead of Minister Bai is..."
Before he finished speaking, he was interrupted by the sound of the lock of the Duanmen Gate. The bell striker on the bell and drum tower struck the bell three times, and the officials under the drum tower straightened their robes and belts and lined up on the Jinshui Bridge. Before leaving, Yang Lun looked back at Deng Ying. He was standing under the Duanmen Gate, facing the wind. Even though he was wearing a quilted coat, his bones were still visible.
**
A seat had been set up on top of the Fengtian Gate, but the wind was strong and the light was bright that day, so there was no umbrella over the throne.
Neither the Empress Dowager nor the Empress Dowager came to the Imperial Gate in person, but took their seats in the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
Jiang Min, a female official from the Shangyi Bureau, stood in front of the hall, ready to communicate.
The eunuchs in charge of the Imperial Household Department, led by He Yixian, stood at the front of the imperial road, watching the officials walk northward from the east and west sides of the imperial road, and kneel down in order to pay tribute to the throne.
After the ceremony, the officials of the Honglu Temple sang "Qi--"
Yang Lun put on his robe and stood up. Everyone in the Imperial Household Department bowed and saluted to the inner cabinet. After He Yixian finished the ceremony, he stood up and said to Yang Lun, "Is your health not improving yet?"
Yang Lun said: "When you are old and have a serious illness, it is very difficult to rest."
"oh."
He Yixian sighed, "The elder's contribution will last for thousands of years. He will surely be blessed and will be able to assist the holy monarch again and continue the prosperity of future generations."
Yang Lun sneered and said nothing.
He Yixian didn't care, turned around and said, "Present the imperial edict."
Hu Xiang responded by walking onto the imperial road, bowed and held the imperial edict, and stood in front of He Yixian. Everyone on the imperial road raised their heads and looked at what was in Hu Xiang's hand.
He Yixian glanced at the officials who were getting off the train and said, "Please ask the Honglu Temple to announce the imperial edict."
Just as the official from the Honglu Temple was about to step forward, Qi Huaiyang suddenly stepped out and said, "This decree cannot be announced!"
As soon as these words came out, Hu Xiang's hands trembled subconsciously. The Left Inspector of the Inspectorate shouted, "Minister Qi, these words hurt the country's foundation."
Qi Huaiyang said: "Master Zongxian, I have my own reasons."
He took a few steps forward and pointed at Hu Xiang, "This edict was not written by your majesty. It is a fake one!"
After hearing this, Hu Xiang's legs and hands went weak and the imperial edict in his hands fell to the ground and rolled a long distance. He quickly rolled out to pick it up.
He Yixian looked down at Hu Xiang, then raised his head and said, "Report the Minister's words to the palace."
"Don't rush. Even if you want to ask the Empress to punish me, you have to listen to me finish my story."
After he finished speaking, he took out a book from his sleeve and said, "Please ask the Ministry of Public Administration to recite the chapter!"
The wind blew up dust, which rushed down from the north and passed over the Jinshui Bridge, almost dazzling the eyes.
During the past hundred years of the Ming Dynasty, officials from the Ministry of Public Administration had read out imperial edicts in front of the imperial gate more than a hundred times, and their voices were always loud and clear. But never like today, when the official's legs were trembling halfway through.
The entire memorial, totaling more than a thousand words, excluding the introduction, most of the rest are quotations from Deng Ying's confession.
Deng Ying admitted that he forged the late emperor's will and used the imperial seal privately when the late emperor was seriously ill, but the late emperor did not issue a will because he was seriously ill.
When the official from the Ministry of Public Administration reached the end of his recitation, there was total silence beneath the Golden Stage, save for the piercing sound of the wind tearing the fabric of the official's robe.
"Your servant Yang Lun requests that you bring the eunuch Deng Ying, the commander of the East Factory, to the palace for questioning."
Yang Lun's voice broke the silence, and several cabinet ministers echoed it. The left and right inspectors and officials from the Zhanshi Palace also followed suit and requested to make a memorial. The voices of requesting to make a memorial rose to the sky at once. Hu Xiang and others could hardly stand and looked towards the Taihe Hall in panic.
Not long after, the Empress Dowager's decree was conveyed from the Hall of Supreme Harmony, allowing the Ministry of Justice to bring the eunuch Deng Ying, the commander of the Eastern Depot, to the front of the hall for interrogation.
The imperial edict was quickly passed to the Duanmen Gate. The Jinwu Guard general received the order and turned back to order, "Bring the prisoner to the palace."
The guards on Deng Ying's left and right immediately stepped forward and tried to twist Deng Ying's arms. Deng Ying did not move at first. He took a few steps and called out to the Jinwu Guards in front of him, "General."
General Jinwu waved his hand to stop, turned around and said:
"Please go ahead."
Deng Ying raised her hand and saluted him, "Can you let me go by myself?"
"We are following the rules. Please don't make things difficult for us."
After hearing this, Deng Ying didn't say anything else. He lowered his hand and replied with "OK".
It takes more than a hundred steps from Duanmen to Taihemen.
He once participated in the construction of this imperial road. Before it became a symbol of feudal monarchy, he and countless craftsmen had walked on it thousands of times. However, after it was completed, he never set foot on this road again.
Deng Ying had always wanted to walk freely on this imperial road alone, and look up leisurely at the palace he had rebuilt, but he was naturally humble and was not willing to force too much.
He was escorted onto the Jinshui Bridge, and the civil and military officials from the east and west each moved their trains back a few steps, leaving a path for him in the middle.
Deng Ying dragged the chains and slowly walked to the bottom of the golden platform. When the guards released his hands, he knelt down obediently.
All the ministers were already very familiar with this eunuch commander of the East Factory. When they thought of the Tongjia tragedy, Bai Huan's suffering in prison, and his crime of forging the emperor's will today, they were filled with hatred. However, as they were under the Golden Stage, they dared not say anything, otherwise, several censors who were willing to bear the brunt of the situation would have spit at him.