In the main hall of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the people who were serving meals in the kitchen retreated to the underside of the corridor.
The eunuch in charge of the kitchen was afraid that the food would get cold, so he asked someone to bring flannel to cover the food boxes. Bai Yuyang stood in the corridor and watched everyone's behavior. He called the eunuch in charge of the kitchen to come forward, raised his hand and pointed at the flannel and said, "We are ready."
The eunuch in charge of the seal felt a little embarrassed.
Bai Huan was seriously ill at home, Bai Yuyang was now the chief of the cabinet, and almost all the eunuchs in the Imperial Household Department were now in custody. The emperor was still young, and he had never kept eunuchs before, and his temperament was very different from that of the previous emperor. The eunuchs in the Fourteenth Bureau, who had lost their protection, were extremely timid in the face of this prospective prime minister.
"My Lord, this... is not the right place..."
Bai Yuyang said: "Your Majesty is in mourning and you can eat cold food to show your filial piety."
"Yes, yes..."
The eunuch in charge of the seal dared not explain. After Yixian was imprisoned, the cabinet used this opportunity to purge the eunuchs in the inner court, saying bluntly: "Anyone who flatters and deceives the emperor will be punished together with the other criminal eunuchs in the Imperial Household Department."
Bai Yuyang's seemingly light-hearted remark had actually almost pushed the eunuch to the edge of the cliff. Before he was crushed to pieces, he had no choice but to plead guilty and beg for a chance to live. "We servants know we are wrong."
Bai Yuyang nodded and took a look inside the food boxes.
Slaughtering is prohibited during major funerals, but the kitchen cannot really let the emperor stay away from meat and oil. The plate of tofu in the box was fried with fermented oil, and now that it has cooled, the oil on the surface has solidified and formed a layer of shiny white oil crust.
"Lord... this..."
As the eunuch in charge of the seal spoke, his legs went limp.
"Let's just forget about it today."
Yang Lun continued, "Mr. Bai, we have to defend people, but we can't correct the wrongs."
"That's not right."
Bai Yuyang turned around and said bluntly, "The iron law of the Emperor Taizu has been lost for many years. Is it right to rectify it now? Minister Yang, there are some things I don't want to say. The Tongjia tragedy has been going on until now, and the country has suffered a great loss. I can see it clearly. The court politics is suffering from the eunuchs' disaster. Everyone is in shackles and can't move forward. If today's treatment of the Silijian and the East Factory makes you, Yang Lun, feel that it is right, then you don't have to hand in the memorial today."
After he finished speaking, he flicked his sleeves and stood back.
Yang Lun bowed, "I spoke inappropriately, please forgive me."
Bai Yuyang snorted.
The eunuch in charge of the seal was terrified when he saw that he had caused a dispute among the ministers.
Seeing that Bai Yuyang did not respond, Yang Lun simply lowered his head, turned around and said to the eunuch in charge of the seal: "Go and do your work."
"yes."
As he was speaking, Qing Meng walked out from the inner hall, and Bai Yuyang, Yang Lun and others immediately straightened their clothes.
The ministers of the Qing and Meng dynasties bowed and said, "Your Majesty summons all the ministers."
Bai Yuyang responded and walked to the front. The ministers behind him saw that Yang Lun had not left and did not want to step out of order.
Yang Lun turned around and waved his hand, "The elders, please go ahead, I will follow behind."
After saying that, he turned around and walked to the back.
The ministers then lifted their robes and stepped forward to enter the inner hall to perform the great ceremony between the emperor and his subjects.
Yi Lang called out "dismiss", and all the ministers straightened their clothes and stood up. Bai Yuyang saw that Yi Lang was wearing plain clothes with mourning clothes on the outside, and only Qing Meng was standing beside him. He was very satisfied and praised: "Your Majesty is truly filial."
Yi Lang did not say anything more, he just stood up and said: "The assistant minister has something to report."
"yes."
Bai Yuyang took a step forward and said, "The Dali Temple and the Supervisory Office, together with the Ministry of Justice, have concluded the case of the Imperial Household Department and are now presenting the case file to Your Majesty for your decision."
Qing Meng took the file and presented it to Yi Lang, who stretched out his hand to take it and opened it on the desk.
All the ministers remained silent. Yi Lang read through the letter word by word. After half a cup of tea, he finally read the letter to the Left Inspector-General.
"General."
"I am here."
"I want to interrogate Deng Yixian and Deng Ying in person."
"no need."
Before the Left Censor-in-Chief could say anything, he was interrupted by Bai Yuyang.
Yi Lang raised his head and said, "The interrogation of serious crimes is an old system left by my great (harmony) ancestor emperor. I will ask when I have to."
Bai Yuyang said: "Your Majesty is still young, kind-hearted, and easily deceived. It is not appropriate to question these guilty eunuchs face to face."
Yi Lang closed the scroll and said, "Minister, I know that I am still young and need to follow the advice of the cabinet ministers. Please rest assured that I will not question the trial of the three courts. I just want to observe the judicial process myself. Chief Justice, is my action against the rules and laws?"
The Left Supervisory Censor said: "Your Majesty's move demonstrates justice in the criminal justice system."
Bai Yuyang heard what the Left Supervisor Censor said, and he stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I ask you to let the three courts decide the crime today."
Yi Lang said calmly: "After I interrogate you, I will sentence you."
"His Majesty!"
"If the assistant minister refuses to agree, I will summon all the officials of the Dali Temple to debate with the assistant minister in front of the emperor according to the rule of 'face-to-face hearing for serious crimes'."
Bai Yuyang's face turned pale.
Before reporting to the emperor today, he had not thought that the emperor would use the excuse of "serious crime interrogation" to resist the result of the three courts' trial, and he had never thought that he would force him to debate with the Dali Temple.
The other cabinet ministers also remained silent when they saw this scene.
Qi Huaiyang gently nudged the shoulder of the Minister of Rites and said softly, "Report the matter of 'discussing rituals'."
The Minister of Rites then coughed, stepped forward to break the deadlock, and reported with great trepidation that the Ministry of Rites was discussing the posthumous title for the late emperor.
The deadlock was broken, and the cabinet ministers finally found an opportunity to speak out, but they were obviously more cautious than before.
By the time the matter was discussed, the sun was already setting.
The officials left the hall one by one. The eunuchs in the kitchen on the corridor had red noses from the cold, and the imperial meals had been frozen to the point where they could not smell a single breath. Yang Wan finished talking to the imperial physician in the back room, put on her clothes and walked out. Seeing the eunuch standing on the corridor rubbing his hands in bewilderment, she walked up to him and said, "The ministers have gone, you should serve the meal quickly, it's already late."
The eunuch in charge of the seal hurriedly said: "Aunt, the meal is cold..."
Yang Wan was a little surprised when she heard him say this: "What you said, it will get hot when it's cold."
"Aunt Wan, Lord..."
After he mentioned this word, he didn't dare to say any more.
Yang Wan was stunned for a moment, then gradually understood what he meant.
She rolled up her sleeves and opened the food box. Seeing that the food inside was already cold and hard, she retracted her hand and stood up and said, "Your Majesty has been suffering from internal heat these days, so it's good that there is no greasy food. Go back and compare the light dishes with yours and make another batch and send it to you. If you are asked, just say it was my order."
"yes… "
The eunuch in charge of the seal spoke as he subconsciously looked down at the platform.
Yang Wan pulled her sweater closer and saw Yang Lun and Bai Yuyang standing on the platform.
Bai Yuyang kept pointing his finger at the ground, his emotions were boiling. Although Yang Lun was listening silently opposite him, he slowly clenched his fist beside his leg.
"I think it went backwards!"
Bai Yuyang's voice trembled a little.
"First..."
"What else do you want to say, Yang Lun? You used to be brave enough to fight to the death, but now you are even worse than the people of Qi Huaiyang. Before I go, I am ready to risk my life and property to refute the will and resolve to be incompatible with the eunuch party!"
As he spoke, he pointed to the platform and said, "In the past fourteen years, so many people have died tragically in the imperial prison, without even a complete body left. You must have watched the people in Tongjiayuan being killed. Are the lives of these people not worth a eunuch full of crimes? We have just purged the inner court, but Your Majesty secretly protects Deng Ying. How can you not dare to oppose such a wrongdoing?"
Yang Lun pressed down Bai Yuyang's arm.
"Don't you dare to refute it?"
"Hey..."
Yang Lun closed his eyes for a while, then opened them and said, "He never forged the will. We forced him to take this step."
"What about that?"
Bai Yuyang said, "Are you going to give him a reward? Pardon him from prison, let him take control of the East Factory again, and work with his sister to hold the young emperor hostage and form a party again? Yang Lun, regardless of whether he was forced or not, Your Majesty has already decided to violate the law and pardon him. He must be executed together with Yang Yixian."
Yang Lun felt uncomfortable, and gradually lowered his posture, choking and said: "Mr. Bai, I have watched the officialdom politics for more than ten years, and I know that it is muddy and dirty. Innocent people have nowhere to seek justice, and guilty people are at large. We are officials in the cabinet, and everything we do is to change the world, make politics clear, and everyone has something to do. In this case, why do we still have to do what the eunuch party did in the past and throw innocent people into death row? Mr. Bai, what I am doing now is just to find a way out for a wronged person. If he doesn't want anything else, I won't ask for it..."
He raised a finger and said, "I don't want fame, I just want a life."
Bai Yuyang snorted coldly and shouted, "Yang Lun, I will write down your unreasonable words and impeach you at the appropriate time!"
"Bai Yuyang!"
Yang Lun couldn't bear it any longer and called out Bai Yuyang's name.
Bai Yuyang did not respond, but turned around and walked away.
Yang Lun was about to catch up when someone grabbed his sleeve from behind. He turned around and saw it was Yang Wan.
"Come back and bear with it."
Yang Lun slumped his shoulders and said, "I heard it."
"Um."
Yang Wan nodded, let go of her hand and walked in front of him.
"What happened in the palace?"
Yang Lun coughed and calmed his voice, "Your Majesty has temporarily resisted the three judges' decision by using the 'serious crime interrogation'. But..."
He raised his head and looked forward, then he let out a long sigh and exhaled, forcing the tears in his eyes back.
Yang Wan said: "Brother, there is something you said just now, it's really good."
"What time is it? And still..."
"You said..."
Yang Wan raised her head and interrupted him, "Why do we have to do what the eunuchs did in the past and throw innocent people into death row? Brother, I'm serious, you are a person who truly has justice in your heart."
"Is it useful?"
Yang Lun shook his head and laughed, "He said he went back, I think he did. You should leave the palace quickly, if you don't leave, you will be harmed sooner or later."
"I know."
Yang Lun straightened his clothes and turned to look at the corridor. "Yang Wan, I will not go against my conscience. I will try my best to help him mediate."
"Don't mediate."
Yang Wan said calmly: "The more we take care of him, the more the cabinet will be afraid of him."
After hearing this, Yang Lun sighed, took a few steps forward, and was silent for a long time before saying, "Don't worry about him. His Majesty wants to conduct a 'serious crime interrogation', and the Empress Dowager will have to watch it in person. Yang Wan, you must not say too much in front of His Majesty at this time, otherwise, no one can save you."
"I understand. I won't say or do anything. Everything is up to Your Majesty."
Yang Lun raised his head and sighed, "It would be better if he didn't plead guilty to the crime of 'forging a will'."
"Perhaps it can be erased."
After hearing this, Yang Lun shook his head and laughed, "This is nonsense."
Yang Wan took a step forward and said, "Brother, forging a will can be both a criminal case and a secret of the inner court. Do you think the boundary is clear?"