oh
oh
It is extreme, it is extreme.
After hearing this, Zhao Qiu and others finally came to their senses and understood why Yan Shifan had raised objections. This was a strategy that killed two birds with one stone. Not only could it put an end to gossip, but it could also achieve twice the result with half the effort. Lord Yan was truly a man of talent.
"Master Yan is right. I will also follow Master Yan's example and recuse myself. I'll leave the trial to Master Zhang." After Zhao Qiu figured it out, he no longer insisted. He walked down from the main judge's seat, a smile on his gloomy face, and bowed to Yan Shifan and Zhang Gu who were in the audience.
"Mr. Yan's high moral character is admirable."
"In ancient times, Qi Huangyang recommended people without avoiding his enemies and recommended people without avoiding his sons. Now, Lord Yan avoids the court to uphold integrity. We admire him."
In the court, everyone praised Yan Shifan's actions.
Zhu Ping'an stood in the court, watching this scene quietly, with a slight smile on his lips. It would be a waste of your talent if you don't become actors.
Soon, after discussion, the presiding judge and the attending officials decided that Zhang Gu, the right vice minister of the Ministry of War, would replace Zhao Qiu, the left vice minister of the Ministry of War, as the presiding judge.
The petition in the Ministry of Justice continued, which was not much different from the trial. First, the identities of Zhu Ping'an and Zhao Daying were verified, and then the relevant laws and regulations on crimes such as false accusations and killing innocent people to claim credit were read out before entering the substantive petition stage.
"Zhu Ping'an, why do you want to impeach Zhao Daying?" In the court, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice Wang Xueyi asked loudly with a gleam in his eyes. He slammed the gavel.
"Zhao Daying killed innocent people to take credit for his achievements. In Liujia Village, which is more than a hundred miles north of the capital, at the foot of Yunmeng Mountain, except for a dozen young men who were recruited to fight against the Tartars and an old man who went out to fetch water, all the old and young women and children in the village were 'borrowed' by Zhao Daying. Fifty-nine heads of the whole village, old and young, women and children, became Zhao Daying's qualifications for promotion. It's a pity that their fathers and brothers were willing to brave the arrows and kill the enemy on the front line. How can I turn a blind eye to Zhao Daying's evil deeds! This is intolerable!"
Zhu Ping'an stood in the hall with his hands clasped, looking at the presiding judge in the courtroom and exposing Zhao Daying's crimes. Even though the incident happened a long time ago, he still couldn't help but feel the rage in his chest when he recounted it, and a blazing fire flashed in his eyes.
Huh? What
There was an uproar in the courtroom. Some officials who were not familiar with the case were shocked when they heard the words. They looked at each other and then turned their eyes to Zhao Daying.
The composition of the officials who attended the trial was similar to that of the presiding officials. The majority of the officials were from the Yan Party, but not all of them. The ratio was 3:1:1, with 3 from the Yan Party, 1 from the neutral party, and 1 from the Li Mo Party. Therefore, not all officials supported Zhao Daying, and some officials were not even very clear about the case.
"Nonsense! This is complete nonsense! You are slandering me!"
Before Zhu Ping'an finished speaking, Zhao Daying could not help but yell at him angrily, glaring at him angrily, veins popping out on his face, his eyes were red with anger, his hair and beard were all standing on end, and he pressed his chest hard with one hand, as if he had suffered a huge injustice and could not bear it.
"Nonsense?" Zhu Pingan stood there and quietly watched Zhao Daying's hysteria, curling his lips in disdain, "Master Zhao, are you feeling guilty?"
People often use anger to cover up their guilty conscience. Zhao Daying is a typical example. On the surface, he looks like he is furious and uncontrollable after being slandered, but in fact it is just another manifestation of guilty conscience.
"What nonsense! I am doing the right thing and sitting upright, why should I feel guilty!" Zhao Daying's voice gradually rose to a high pitch, and finally he started to roar, as if he was possessed by Ma Jingtao, his face flushed red as if his blood was boiling.
Not only that, Zhao Daying clenched his fists, came to Zhu Ping'an angrily, and stared at him angrily, "Master Zhu, I have offended you in any way. If so, please tell me and I will apologize to you in front of everyone. Why do you have to use such despicable means to slander me for no reason!!!"
At this moment, Zhao Daying clenched his fists and stared at Zhu Ping'an angrily, as if he was going to beat Zhu Ping'an up in the next second.
Really wanting to, Zhao Daying clenched his fists tightly and they were still trembling, like a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey.
Compared to him, the weak Zhu Ping'an was just like a fish on a chopping board.
"What? Is Zhao Daying going to 'borrow' my brain?" Zhu Ping'an stood there quietly without moving, curling the corners of his lips slightly, squinting at Zhao Daying's fist as big as a club, and asked sarcastically.
Zhao Daying originally wanted to use his strength to force the enemy, but he didn't expect to use his power on the wrong target. Zhu Ping'an looked like a weak scholar, but he was braver than those Tartar generals he looked up to on the battlefield. Facing his physical threat, Zhu Ping'an not only did not even blink, but also took this as a breakthrough point and jokingly pointed out the matter of "borrowing" a head again.
In this situation, Zhao Daying's aggressive look with his fists clenched really makes people think of more things.
"Nonsense, I am not that kind of person." Zhao Daying quickly realized that something was wrong and took a step back.
"Hehe..." Zhu Ping'an looked at Zhao Daying and chuckled.
"Enough! We cannot tolerate such trifling in the court!" The presiding judge in the court slammed the gavel again, interrupting the verbal confrontation between Zhu Ping'an and Zhao Daying.
"Zhu Ping'an, do you know that I, the Ming Dynasty, falsely accused you and implicated you, which is a more serious crime. You must think carefully. You must cherish the fame and honor you have gained through ten years of hard study and don't make mistakes. If the court finds out that you are a false accusation, it will be too late..." Wang Xueyi in the court looked at Zhu Ping'an sternly and said slowly.
"Thank you for telling me, sir. However, I care more about the lives of the 59 people in Liujia Village than fame. When I passed the imperial examination, my parents repeatedly told me that if I didn't serve the people as an official, I might as well go home and sell sweet potatoes. I always keep my parents' teachings in mind. Today, I will do the same as I did that day. Please investigate this case thoroughly and uphold the law. I will be immortal even after my death!"
Zhu Ping'an shook his head with a determined look on his face, then bowed deeply to the court, with his knees bent at a 45-degree angle. After standing up, he bowed again to the seats on both sides of the court.
"If an official doesn't serve the people, he might as well go home and sell sweet potatoes..."
Some officials in the audience looked at Zhu Ping'an's bent back and couldn't help chewing on the simple words "If an official doesn't serve the people, he might as well go home and sell sweet potatoes." For a moment, they felt as if they were electrocuted in their hearts.
They are not modern people, and have not watched the Henan opera "Seventh Rank Magistrate" which was performed more than a hundred years later. Just hearing this sentence, they were deeply touched. A scene seemed to emerge in front of them: a young man who had just passed the imperial examination was riding a horse home in triumph. After hearing the news of their son's success, his old parents in the fields put down their hoes and were melancholy for a long time, fearing that their son would become a corrupt official who exploited the people. So they taught their son over and over again that if he did not serve the people as an official, he might as well go home and sell sweet potatoes... ...
The way of truth is simple!
This sentence is simple, but it has a profound meaning and is thought-provoking. It can be compared with the words "loyalty to the country" tattooed by the mother-in-law, and it is not inferior!
Regardless of the outcome of this petition, Zhu Ping'an's words "If an official does not serve the people, he might as well go home and sell sweet potatoes" have become popular this time, and judging by the momentum, it will soon become popular in the Ming Dynasty.