Dongnuan Pavilion, the sun shines on the incense burner, and the green smoke curls up among the golden light spots.
Standing in front of the imperial case, Lu Heng methodically reported the investigation to the emperor.
"On October 12, after the imperial court disbanded, Xue Kan went to visit Peng's house and showed Peng Ze the memorial that he had just written. Peng Ze left Xue Kan for dinner, but he said at the dinner table that he drank too much and lost his mind. , let Xue Kan keep the memorial, and he will read it tomorrow when he wakes up. Xue Kan promised that the next day, Peng Ze went to Wenyuan Pavilion to find Zhang Shoufu, and secretly talked with Zhang Shoufu for half an hour. In the afternoon, Zhang Shoufu brought a copy of the memorial. Transcript audience."
Lu Heng said and handed Xue Kan's original draft of the memorial to the emperor. The emperor took it and looked at it, and it was nine points similar to what Zhang Jinggong brought. Seeing that the emperor had almost read it, Lu Heng continued: "This draft was found by the minister from the Xue family's study, and there are several other scraps. The servants of the Xue family also confessed that Xue Kan has been in the study since October. I wrote this manuscript and edited and edited several versions, but I still can't make up my mind. The servants of the Xue family said that one day in mid-October, Xue Kan returned drunk and seemed very emotional. On October 14th, Peng Ze was drunk. Xianlou invited Xue Kan at a banquet, sent back the original manuscript, and praised the book for its good writing, urging Xue Kan to publish it as soon as possible. Xue Kan still hesitated until October 20th, when Peng Ze called again, saying that Zhang Shoufu also appreciated it very much If Xue Kan scribbles this excerpt, Zhang Shoufu will help it. On October 21, Xue Kan will transcribe the excerpt and upload it to the table."
Lu Heng did not link the cause and effect, but the time and passage were placed here, enough for the emperor to guess what happened. The emperor put down the draft and asked, "Where is Xia Wenjin?"
The emperor's suspicions are indistinguishable. Zhang Shoufu is not clear. What about the rest of the cabinet, do they also want to support the crown prince? Lu Heng was already prepared, and said calmly, "Xue Kan and Xia Ge Lao do have contacts in private. The last time they met was in June. Since the southern tour, Xia Ge Lao has not met Xue Kan. The servant said that in June Xue Kan and Xia Ge Lao met and talked for an hour, but the servant only changed the tea and left, and he didn't hear what he said after that."
This information covers the restaurant, the homes of Xue, Peng, and Xia, as well as the official residence of the imperial city. Lu Heng has checked them all clearly, and can even detect most of the conversation, which shows the power of the Jinyiwei intelligence network. The Jinyiwei claimed to be the eyes, ears and claws of the emperor, without exaggeration.
Lu Heng got so many clues, enough to solve the case, he personally went to test Peng Ze and Xia Wenjin, but it was the last insurance. The reactions of Peng Ze and Xia Wenjin confirmed Lu Heng's speculation. Lu Heng had no doubts about the result and entered the palace with confidence.
Lu Heng did not say who formed a party or who was for personal gain, but only put the matter in front of the emperor, and the emperor himself would figure it out. The emperor sighed slightly, it seems that this result is also in line with the emperor's expectations.
The emperor did not express his opinion on the dispute between Zhang and Xia, and asked Lu Heng calmly: "The situation in Datong is getting more and more tense. In your opinion, who should be sent to Datong to lead the troops?"
This question is not easy to answer. Lu Heng paused for a moment, and then said cautiously: "According to the minister's thin view, the deputy capital's imperial censor Zeng Xian pacified the Liaoyang mutiny, defeated the Monan Tartars many times in Shandong, built the outer city of Linqing, and had rich experience in fighting against the Mongols; During the period of governor of Gansu, Yang Bo, the censor of the capital, established fields, built canals, and built forts, subdued the people of Handong, and defended the borders many times. It is said that Fu Yue ate and slept with the soldiers during his stay in Datong Mansion, and he was deeply supported. If Fu Yue's grandson, Fu Tingzhou, was sent, it would definitely boost the morale of the Datong army and achieve twice the result with half the effort. The minister believes that these three are good choices."
These three people have poor families, civil servants, and honorable people, covering three sources of generals. Except for Fu Tingzhou, who has never been on the battlefield, the other two have good military capabilities. The emperor said in his heart that Lu Heng was really slippery, and the emperor answered every question he asked without leaking.
The emperor said: "Zeng Xian is now the governor of Shandong and cannot be transferred without authorization. Yang Bo is suitable, but he returned to his hometown due to the death of his mother, and he is still in Ding You. If Fu Yue is still there, he must be the best candidate for the coach this time, but it's a pity. Jealous of good generals. Before Fu Yue died, he made a list, saying that he brought up his grandson himself, and that he taught martial arts, art of war, and strategy by himself. If there is any difficulty in Jiuzhen in the future, he can send Fu Tingzhou to relieve his worries. Fu Yue and Mongolia have fought for many years. Datong House knows a lot, and the heir he taught should not be bad. However, Fu Tingzhou is too young."
No matter how well Fu Yue taught him, but he never actually fought, who knows if Fu Tingzhou is just a soldier on paper? The emperor has been thinking about it these days. If he has to adjust, there are many generals who can be used, but there are no suitable timing and candidates.
The Daming frontier is so long, there are Jurchens in the northeast, Mongolia in the northwest, Japanese pirates along the southeast coast, and all the ministries in the southwest are not stable. Among the unemployed generals in the capital, except those who are old, frail, and arrogant, there are not many good seedlings. Fu Tingzhou has a suitable status, but he loses because he has no qualifications.
The emperor has been thinking hard for a long time, and now it is time to make a decision. After listening to the emperor's words, Lu Heng already understood the emperor's inclination.
Lu Heng had long expected that the Lu family was a family of military officers, could he not know who was available in the court? Lu Heng followed the emperor's wishes and said, "Wei Huo was only twenty years old when he made his contributions. Military officers are no better than civil servants, and age does not hinder him."
The older the civil servants who govern the country, the better, but the military generals at the frontier have to be younger. Since ancient times, famous generals have been young, and sometimes people are old and timid on the battlefield.
The emperor obviously thought so too, and he went down the slope and said, "However, he has no experience in leading the army. What if he is young and energetic and falls into someone else's trap?"
Lu Heng said: "Marquis Zhenyuan is inexperienced, but Marquis Wuding has been in the army for many years and has many capable people. I heard that Marquis Zhenyuan and Miss Yongping Marquis will get married soon, and when this marriage is completed, The Marquis of Zhenyuan is the nephew and son-in-law of Marquis Wuding. When the nephew and son-in-law are on the battlefield, Marquis Wuding should send some henchmen to remind him."
The emperor looked at Lu Heng, Lu Heng lowered his eyes and let the emperor look at it calmly. The emperor's brows moved, and a clear look appeared in his eyes.
It turned out to be the case, he said why Lu Heng secretly pressed the Fu family's letter some time ago, and today he recommended Fu Tingzhou, the original purpose is here.
Lu Heng was very involved in robbing women, and he is still in the play. Zhang Jinggong used the emperor to suppress his dissidents. The emperor was very angry when he wanted to understand it, but if it was Lu Heng who planned on a political enemy and robbed women, the emperor felt it was acceptable.
Is it normal for people to be drunk and wealthy? Lu Heng knew the importance. Although he suppressed the Fu family, it did not delay the battle, and he would give in when it was time to give in. It's just that he will use the state affairs to satisfy some personal desires.
After the emperor wanted to understand, he felt more at ease with Lu Heng. The more capable a courtier was, the less afraid he would be of selfishness. If it was Hai Rui who had no desires, no desires, and a single-minded pursuit of ideals, the emperor would not dare to use it.
The emperor was well aware of Lu Heng's little abacus, and when Lu Heng said it, he also asked the emperor in disguise to satisfy his thoughts. The emperor has always been very tolerant of courtiers who have opposed meritorious deeds. This is not a big deal. The emperor said happily: "You are right, swords in the battlefield have no eyes, and the problem of starting a family must be solved before going to the battlefield. The daughters of Fu Tingzhou and Yongping Hou are old. Similarly, if Wang Heng and Yu can become husband and wife, it will be a good story."
Lu Heng achieved his goal, cupped his hands and said, "Sage is wise."
It was easy for the emperor to marry the Fu Hong family, but he didn't want to care about Lu Heng's affairs. Lu Heng's own woman tossed it, and the emperor should not be the wicked person. The emperor said: "Peng Ze is telling right and wrong, and the minister of officials may not be ignorant. Those from the officials and households, as well as Li Shi and Zhai Luan, you should check them all. Check it out and see what they've been up to during this time."
Li Shi and Zhai Luan are both cabinet scholars. There are six members in the cabinet. The emperor has checked four of them. It seems that this time it is really going to be a big investigation. Lu Heng took the order and saluted and retired.
Lu Heng's goals for today have been satisfactorily accomplished. As for his and Wang Yanqing's will to marry, he didn't intend to ask for it at first.
The crux of him and Wang Yanqing is not the form. If the knot is not solved, even if she forces Wang Yanqing to get married, she will not forgive Lu Heng. In the end, Lu Heng had to solve these matters himself.
The two pipes must be taken together, he must quickly cultivate Wang Yanqing's feelings for him, and the blow to Fu Tingzhou cannot be relaxed. Wang Yanqing can coax slowly, but Fu Tingzhou must be pressed to death and never give him a chance to fan the flames.
Lu Heng had already settled the Xue Kan case and went to perform the second phase of the mission, but Guo Xun and the others were still fighting. One of Zhai Luan and Qin Fu fought with the mud, the other did not cooperate, and only Guo Xun and Zhang Shou were left to fight.
Zhang Shoufu was impatient and strong, and intervened in the interrogation of Xue Kan. Guo Xun couldn't get used to this group of civil servants for a long time.
How could Zhang Jinggong endure this kind of anger, and he also took action to rectify Guo Xun. Guo Xun is the Marquis of Wuding, who is kind to the emperor and cannot easily move, but the other members of the Guo family are not. Zhang Jinggong, as the first assistant, couldn't move Guo Xun, and it was more than enough to clean up the others.
Guo Xun's henchmen were implicated, Guo Xun was enraged, and he intensified his involvement with Zhang Dang, saying that he participated in the establishment of the prince if anyone didn't like it. Anyway, the emperor asked Guo Xun to investigate the case, how to find evidence without interrogation, Guo Xun involved arbitrarily, and the prison was overcrowded for a while.
When the two major forces of civil and military were fighting fiercely, an explosive news suddenly came from the harem. The focus of their investigation, the protagonist of the book that triggered the holy wrath, the first prince, died of illness in the middle of the night.
In December of the 12th year of Jiajing, the eldest son, whom the emperor had been waiting for for many years, died just two months after birth.
Even the imperial palace is still helpless against many diseases, and it is not uncommon for infants to die, especially the eldest prince who was born prematurely and is already weak. The emperor was very sad and in a very bad mood. Guo Xun and the others saw that something was wrong, the eldest prince was dead, and they held on to Prince Li again, didn't they deliberately sprinkle salt on the emperor's wound? Guo Xun and Zhang Jinggong could only stop and return to the palace with their tails between their tails.
The emperor became angry when he saw these people. The emperor sent two people at the same time to find out who was pushing the crown prince. Lu Heng submitted a complete report a month ago, and this group of people had the best resources, but they couldn't come up with results for a long time. Now that all the candidates for the crown prince have died, they have come to resume their lives. How can the emperor not be angry
Zhang Jinggong, Guo Xun, and Zhai Luan stood in the Qianqing Palace and listened to the emperor's scolding with embarrassed brows. It's also because their luck is not good. Those who can stand here are not stupid. They can see that the emperor wants to use the name of the prince to liquidate the court. Isn't this forcing them to find a side? Which time did the court stand in a row that was not broken and bloody, but before they stood up, the eldest prince died of illness.
Zhang Jinggong and Guo Xun also felt that they were wronged. But luck is also a part of strength, and you can only recognize it by yourself. Guo Xun originally wanted to wait for the case to be investigated. When he came to the emperor to report to him, he took advantage of the emperor's pleasure and mentioned the matter of the marriage decree. As a result, when the prince died, Guo Xun didn't get the credit, but was scolded.
Guo Xun didn't dare to mention the marriage gift again. The emperor is now going through the pain of losing his son. Guo Xun's request for marriage at such a time is very unsightly.
The emperor cursed, and his mood gradually calmed down. There are still several concubines pregnant in the harem. Although the emperor was saddened by the loss of his son, it was not to the extent that the sky collapsed. After he beat the courtier, he slowly gave the sweet dates.
The emperor said: "My son has no relationship with the palace, but the father and son are in a relationship, and I can't bear him to leave alone. The order goes on and the emperor's eldest son is named Aichong Crown Prince and buried in Xishan. Concubine Yan Li lost her son at a young age, and I couldn't bear to see him, and named him as Concubine. The Ministry of Rites will give amnesty to the whole world. From this month onwards, the prisoners on death row will be pardoned, and the exiles will be pardoned. If you commit less murder, you should pray for the blessing of Prince Aichong."
His Royal Highness officials should all agree. The emperor also said: "Empress Dowager Zhang Sheng died at the beginning of the year, and Prince Aichong also went at the end of the year. But even so, the state affairs cannot be left behind. The situation in Datong is becoming more and more tense and cannot be delayed any longer. Ren Zhenyuan Hou Fu Tingzhou is the general soldier of Datong. Guarding Datong. I remember that Fu Tingzhou is not married yet. After all, he is Fu Yue's bloodline. If there are any problems on the battlefield, I am sorry to General Fu. The third daughter of Yongping Houfu is respectful Duanmin, and Zhenyuan Hou is good Match, give the two to become husband and wife, choose a good time to get married."
Guo Xun was overjoyed when he heard the words in front, but when he heard the back, he shuddered violently. The marriage was only mentioned some time ago. Except for a few close friends, Guo Xun didn't tell anyone else. Why did the emperor take the initiative to confer marriage? What is the intention of the emperor to use Fu Tingzhou with his front foot and push Zhenyuanhou, Yongpinghou and Wudinghou to form an alliance with his back
The more Guo Xun thought about it, the more terrified he became. After the emperor dealt with the affairs of Guo Xun's party, he looked at Zhang Jinggong again. Zhang Jinggong straightened his back, bowed his head and stood solemnly, knowing that the most important thing was coming.
The Qianqing Palace was so quiet that even the sound of dancing in the air could be heard, and the emperor's voice slowly sounded: "Xue Kan arrogantly proposed to establish a reserve and demote to the people. Peng Ze fabricated a trap, disrupted the court, and demoted Datong. Zhang Jing respectfully As the head and assistant, but he listens and believes, and is reckless and arbitrary, which makes Zhishi think at home."
Zhang Jinggong did not dare to refute a word, and apologized. For ordinary officials, dismissal is a major event, but as a chief assistant, dismissal and reinstatement is a matter of one sentence, it only depends on whether the superior is willing to continue to use you. There is room for the emperor's words. Obviously, although the emperor resents Zhang Jinggong for being stubborn and excluding dissidents, he still recognizes his ability.
After Zhang Jinggong entered the cabinet, he resolutely cleaned up the farmland, liquidated the land occupied by eunuchs and monks and temples, and did not hesitate to offend people and implemented a new system of electing people for the imperial examination. The emperor wanted to solve the land annexation, but this time he was deceived by Zhang Jinggong, lost face, and was angry. He suspended Zhang Jinggong and removed him from office.
Zhang Jinggong wanted to understand this, and heaved a sigh of relief. The emperor slapped everyone with kindness and beating before letting them out.
After everyone walked out of the Qianqing Palace, Guo Xun and Zhang Jinggong had been tearing each other for so long, and they had long disliked each other. Now Guo Xun's faction has been granted military power and marriage, but Zhang Jinggong has been suspended. Guo Xun is inevitably proud, and smiled and surrendered to Zhang Jinggong: "Zhang Gong has been tired for a year, and now he can have a good rest, congratulations. It's a pity. There are many things at the end of the year, and I have a backlog of official business in the yamen, so I can't accompany Zhang Gong for entertainment. Zhang Gong forgive me, I will take a step first."
Zhang Jinggong looked at Guo Xun and sneered: "Marquis Wuding, please, I'm just a commoner now, and I don't dare to delay Marquis Wuding's time."
Guo Xunzhi left with satisfaction, Zhai Luan stepped forward to salute Zhang Jinggong, pretended to say something, and went back to the cabinet.
Zhang Jinggong walked alone in the Forbidden City, everyone was busy, but he was the only one who went out, and the eunuchs who came and went cast a vague look at Zhang Jinggong. Zhang Jinggong didn't care at all. His career went up and down several times. At the worst, he was almost killed by Yang Ting's liquidation. What is this turmoil now
It's ridiculous that Guo Xun was very proud and thought that Zhang Jinggong's dismissal was his credit. Really stupid, the emperor did not wait for them to report the results of the investigation, and scolded them when he saw them. It can be seen that the emperor already knew the truth. It wasn't discovered by Guo Xun, so who could it be
Guo Xun is just a knife in another person's hand. Walking in such a sensitive matter yet being able to retreat completely, hiding behind the scenes the whole time, Lu Heng is the truly terrifying person.