Qiu Jun, as one of the main examiners of the general examination, naturally became a mentor to the candidates in that subject.
Among the students, Tang Fan was the most attractive to him. Qiu Jun believed that if he was diligent and diligent in his studies, his future achievements would not be inferior to his own, so he accepted Tang Fan as a disciple. At that time, he was in Shilin. It is also a good story.
After Tang Fan was on the list, he stayed in the Hanlin Academy for three years, and then some officials came to Shuntian Mansion. Among them, his brother Pan was indispensable. Otherwise, if there was no one in the court, he would continue to sit on the bench in the Hanlin Academy, or be arrested. It is also common to be assigned to a small remote county to be a county magistrate. Although the ruling party may sound more prestige than pushing an official, the sky is high and the emperor is far away. Who knows what year and month it will take to be remembered by the emperor, every three years. However, there is a new jinshi in office, who will remember the name of a vast crowd
With this level of relationship, the relationship between Tang Fan and Pan Bin is not close.
Tang Fan also knew that his senior brother was not actually a traitor, but he was just a little mediocre and a little afraid of trouble, so he also did his best to plan for Pan Bin, and after listening to Pan Bin's complaints, he was not annoyed, but With a slight smile: "How about I make a bet with my senior brother?"
Pan Bin was a little unhappy, thinking that although it's okay to call senior brother in private, I'm still your Shangguan, how can I be such a high-ranking part, but because of the teacher Qiu Jun's face, he doesn't care too much, coughing lightly A voice: "Is there a lottery?"
Tang Fan pointed to the empty bowl in front of him: "If I win, senior brother will also invite me to eat a bowl of noodle soup."
Pan Bin said with a smile, "Well, it looks like you're going to invite me to dinner again."
Although Pan Bin took good care of the younger brother because of his mentor, he really didn't take Tang Fan's words seriously. In his opinion, Tang Fan had just entered the officialdom, and he was young. How could he understand what was at stake? As long as he didn't cause trouble for him, it would be fine.
As for his teacher's compliments to Tang Fan, Pan Bin is even more concerned about it. He thinks that the teacher is everyone in terms of learning, but he is not very good in being an official. Otherwise, it would not have been so many years, and the official position is actually better than that of a student. even lower.
The sudden death of the eldest son of the Marquis of Wu'an Mansion was quickly reported. On the Shuntian Mansion's side, Pan Bin did not take Tang Fan's advice to continue the investigation. Instead, after communicating with the Marquis of Wu'an in private, he directly identified Zheng Cheng as "" She died suddenly due to a sudden onset of yang deficiency.” In this way, Alin, the maid who was present at the time, was to blame.
But in the end, it is not the Shuntian Mansion that can decide, because the matter involves the Marquis of Wu'an, the Marquis of Wu'an will definitely go to the emperor, and in the end, the emperor will definitely decide.
It stands to reason that Alin didn't kill directly. Even if he really seduced Zheng Cheng and caused him to die indirectly, it wouldn't constitute a capital crime, at best, it would be exile. She also knew that she might not be able to reach her destination along the way, not to mention that she offended the Marquis of Wu'an Mansion. If Marquis of Wu'an wanted to kill a weak and powerless woman, she didn't even have to think about it, it was easy.
No matter what, it's good, Pan Bin's side is clear of responsibility.
But the sky doesn't follow people's wishes. The more Pan Bin wants to make big things smaller, the more things go against his wishes.
Somehow, this year is destined to be an eventful year.
The cause of the incident went back to two months ago. In March, Chen Yue, the censor of the right deputy capital, wrote a letter asking for the reopening of Liaodong Ma City. Regarding this matter, the old grievances involving Duoyan Sanwei and the Ming Dynasty have to be traced back to When Emperor Yongle of Chengzu went there, it was like an old woman's foot-binding cloth, stinky and long, so let's not mention it.
It's just that the DPRK and China are quite controversial about this matter. Some people think that Duoyan Sanwei is shameless, so they should hold their throats and not let go. Reopening the horse market is equivalent to taking the initiative to make concessions. These people had to make an inch, but because of the support of Wang Zhi, the emperor finally agreed to Chen Yue's sparse, and let Chen Yue go to governor of Liaodong.
As a result, within two months, Chen Yue falsely claimed that the Jianzhou Jurchen rebelled, covered up the murder and reported it as credit, causing riots in Liaodong. The frontier of the harassment, at this time, Wang Zhi, the chief of the West Factory, took the initiative to ask Ying, saying that he was willing to serve the emperor.
Take it for granted that Wang Zhi is trying to achieve meritorious service, but many people have done this kind of thing.
However, Yu Zijun, the Minister of War, stood up against it, thinking that the most urgent task now is to send someone who is familiar with military affairs to solve the problem quickly. .
Of course, Wang Zhi was furious. He found that although he was favored by the emperor and established the West Factory, he still did not cover the sky with one hand, and there were still many people in the court who opposed him.
Just at this time, there were earthquakes in Taiping Prefecture, Guangxi, and Yanjing Guard in Sichuan, causing heavy casualties. Wang Zhi used the excuse of God to warn the emperor that there were traitors around the emperor, and sued in front of the emperor first. Going to Liaodong, he broke Yu Zijun's arm, and in the name of letting the censor supervise the local disaster relief, so that no one would enrich himself, he kicked all the officials who spoke for Yu Zijun to the place, completely isolating Yu Zijun.
The wrestling of these central leaders of the imperial court had nothing to do with Pan Bin at first, but by coincidence, the murder case of the Marquis of Wu'an came at the right time, and Wang Zhi took this to the emperor and demanded a thorough investigation. If necessary, Xichang can also join in to assist in the investigation, and the Marquis of Wu'an must be told the truth. In addition, Shuntian Prefecture closed the case hastily, but it was suspected of perfunctory and should be punished.
When this news came, Pan Bin couldn't sit still any longer. The development of the matter was exactly the same as what his little junior brother said!
Imagine that the other party is only in his early twenties. Although he is talented, the teacher also admires him. He is accepted as a disciple, but after all, he is just a fledgling. It's just that the young man is too arrogant and doesn't know the benefits, and he is just pointing the country indiscriminately. Who knows that after a short time, the words that the junior brother said will be fulfilled one by one, exactly the same.
On the other hand, as the governor of Shuntian, a senior third-rank official, he could be considered to have half footed into the center, but he was still ignorant, but none of them could see things clearly from a sixth-rank junior official.
At this point, he hurriedly called Tang Fan, who was urgently ill and went to the doctor. In the past, he didn't call his junior brother, but now he has no psychological barriers. Is there any room for recovery?"
As Pan Bin's status, of course, the speed of getting news is much faster than Tang Fan. Tang Fan is not surprised, his face is not showing off, he pondered for a moment, and said, "Let's see what Senior Brother wants to do."
Pan Bin said in his heart what else I wanted to do. Of course I wanted to keep my official position and not be held accountable!
He coughed lightly: "The Marquis of Wu'an told me in private that he wanted to make the case less serious, but this time Wang Zhi is aggressive and he has earned His Majesty's trust. I'm afraid it will be difficult to be kind. It’s impossible to say that Shuntian Palace will also be implicated, if you have a way, you might as well talk about it.”
Tang Fan: "The Marquis of Wu'an and the senior brothers have no grievances against Wang Zhi, and Zheng Cheng's murder has nothing to do with him. He won't get along with you for no reason, and it's just that he wants to use this to gain power. , to intimidate the courtiers."
Pan Bin said with a bitter face: "It's none of my business for him to establish his prestige. I'm not Yu Zijun, and I didn't offend him!"
Tang Fan: "Yu Shangshu is an old official of the previous dynasty, and he is known for his prestige. Wang Zhi didn't care about him for a while, so he had to find someone else to get rid of his anger. As the saying goes, the fire at the city gate will bring disaster to Chiyu."
Pan Bin angered: "You still have the heart to laugh, your senior brother is about to be dismissed and accused, are you happy?"
Tang Fan was not panicked, and cupped his hands: "Sir, forgive me, have you asked a few friends of the screen, and what did they say?"
Pan Bin has two staff, one named Lu Feng and the other named Jiang Dongyuan, both of whom Tang Fan has met before.
Pan Bin sighed: "One of them asked me to apologize to Wang Zhi and give a gift, and the other said that I would like to apologize!"
Shangshu is a must. Now Wang Zhi is scolding Shuntianfu for his incompetence in front of the emperor. Pan Bin will definitely want to do it. But how to write a memorial is also an art. More importantly, it depends on the emperor's mood and the person who wrote the memorial. If he could not speak in front of the emperor, Pan Bin was worried that once his memorial was submitted, Wang Zhi teased a few words in front of the emperor, making the emperor feel that Pan Bin was incompetent, then he, the governor of Shuntian, would be at an end.
As for giving gifts to Wang Zhi, Pan Bin hesitated.
Now the DPRK is mainly divided into three factions: those who depend on Wang Zhi, and those who oppose Wang Zhi.
In addition, there are neutral ones, such as Pan Bin and Tang Fan's teacher Qiu Jun. His old man is just a sacrificial wine from the Imperial Academy. If he is neutral, he will be neutral, and no one will bother to win him over.
Pan Bin also wanted to be a neutralist without offense, but in terms of his position, it was a bit difficult.
Look, it was originally a small case. Although the identity of the deceased is not simple, it is enough to investigate and handle it carefully. As a result, it has suddenly become complicated because of various factional disputes involving intrigue between the two.
Tang Fan: "Senior brother, what do you think of Wang Zhi?"
Pan Bin was stunned and thought for a while: "It's not easy."
It's really not that simple.
An internal eunuch younger than Tang Fan suddenly rose in just one year, gained the trust of the emperor and Concubine Wan, established Xichang, and became powerful. Pan Bin heard that an official who went to Beijing to report his work was neither arrogant nor humble when he met Wang Zhi. Instead of flattering him like others, he scolded him in public. Afterwards, Wang Zhi not only ignored it, but praised everyone. That official has a strong character, and the rumors do not know whether it is true or not. However, it is said that he has the capacity to tolerate people. He has arrested and killed many officials through the West Factory, established many enemies, acted arrogantly, and liked to give random orders to others Add chaos.
All in all, this is a person who can take advantage of the situation. If he is in troubled times, he may be a hero, but if he treats eunuchs with the same disdain attitude that ordinary civil servants treat eunuchs, then in the end, only himself will suffer.
Tang Fan: "Generally, eunuchs are not greedy for money, but Wang Zhi is an exception. He does not love money, but loves fame and power. Senior brother knows what he did for His Majesty two years ago. "The Demon Fox Case", you can take advantage of the situation to raise a banner, build a western factory, and win over your own forces. Two years ago, how many people heard the name Wang Zhi, and now you ask again, how many people do not Do you know Wang Zhi? So, giving gifts and bribes works for ordinary Xiao Huangmen, but it doesn't work for Eunuch Wang."
His tone of voice was unpleasant, but he spoke in a succinct manner, but it gave people a calm and reliable feeling.
After some rational analysis, Pan Bin was completely convinced of this little junior brother, and nodded again and again: "Yes, it has been a waste of time for Lao Jiang to be my guest for some years, but his understanding of Wang Zhi is not as good as yours, then according to you, what should I do? How is it good?"
Tang Fan: "Shangshu is going to go up, but senior brother can do this..."
After Pan Bin heard this, his eyes lit up, and he laughed and said, "This is a good idea!"
The next day, Pan Bin published a memorial.
He was not good at judging cases, but he was very good at being an official. A memorial that had been polished by his staff was stunned to be written as a grievance and grievance letter. First, he sincerely pleaded guilty, told his various last resort difficulties, and won the emperor's sympathy, and then he spoke up. After a turn, he said that since Admiral Wang impeached Shuntianfu, it must be that the ministers and others did not do enough. It would be better to invite Xichang, Dongchang, Jinyiwei, the Ministry of Punishment, and Dali Temple to investigate the case together. Houfu a truth.
The pond was already unclean, but Pan Bin made the pond even more chaotic.
This is Tang Fan's idea for Pan Bin.
Wang Zhi's behavior is too domineering, and there are not a few people who find him unpleasant. This proposal fits the mind of some people in the court. Tang Fan also calculated the minds of these people. After a few words of instigation, the proposal was quickly approved by the emperor.
With so many yamen involved, no matter what the final result is, the responsibility of Shuntian Prefecture will naturally be much lighter. As the saying goes, when the stick went down, all the fish scattered and fled, and one was beaten to death. In this way, Pan Bin didn't have to worry about losing the black gauze hat.
So after a long circle, the murder case of the Marquis of Wu'an, which was about to be closed, returned to the original point and started again, which was really ironic.
No one would have thought that the person behind this was a rank six petty official.