Chapter 70 Direct remonstrance was reprimanded

"So, if the emperor insists on refusing to punish Zhu Tong, it is obvious that he will force Jiang Juzhi and Gao Yanwen to resign!" Qian Qianyi thought anxiously as he walked forward.At this time, he had already entered the Forbidden City from Dongye Gate with the queue of civil servants, and walked slowly towards Fengtian Gate along the prescribed route.On the other side far away from him, there was a procession of military officers entering the court from Xiyemen. Right now, the sky has begun to brighten, and the surrounding scenery gradually becomes clearer.The yellow glazed tile roof, the red palace wall, the white marble-carved dange, the imperial road and the Wulong Bridge spanning the Neijinshui River all show their own beauty under the disappearing sky of Cebu. .Since the end of April, the imperial city has been undergoing extensive construction and renovations. The dilapidated and dilapidated "emperor's residence" has largely restored its old appearance, reappearing the solemn and magnificent atmosphere of the past.

However, Qian Qianyi didn't pay attention to these at all.Because the possible resignation of Gao and Jiang and its consequences, like an inescapable nightmare, are occupying his heart more and more horribly. "Ah, the only ones in the court who can compete with Ma Yaocao are Gao Yanwen and Jiang Juzhi. If they can't stand, who else can stop Ma and Ruan from retaliating? Wang Jue Of course, Si couldn't count on it. Liu Niantai was besieged by open guns and dark arrows less than a month after he took office as the chief constitution. Then, from now on, it seems that Ma and Ruan can only do whatever they want! It seems that the situation of reversing the case and reviving the eunuch party is inevitable!" Thinking that I will fall into the horrible situation of the Tianqi Years again, and With his current prominent status in the Donglin faction, his end may be even more terrifying and tragic than last time, Qian Qianyi couldn't help but feel his hair stand on end, and tremble from the inside.

In this way, Qian Qianyi was entangled in nightmarish suspense, and came to the alchemy of Fengtianmen in a trance. Because he was out of his mind, he almost made a mistake when scheduling a shift.Thanks to Gu Xichou gently tugging at the side, he suddenly woke up, and stood still in his place in a panic. At this moment, a fat eunuch had already swayed to the side of Dan Chi, raised a golden lacquer dragon head and yellow silk cleaning whip in his hand, and slapped it repeatedly Three times.The loud and crisp sound of the whip was transmitted far along the vast rectangular courtyard, and when it hit the palace wall, it was reflected back with a whistling sound, making people's minds tremble!So, everyone instinctively held their breath, raised their wats to Fengtianmen together, bowed slightly, and waited quietly for the emperor's arrival.

In the Forbidden City, the building called "the gate" is naturally much smaller than its main body - the three halls of Fengtian, Jinshen and Huagai, but it still has a glazed tile roof with double eaves and a long white stone. Tan Chi and a large foyer.Therefore, in addition to the grand ceremony, daily court meetings are generally arranged to be held here.Now, Qian Qianyi was silently peeping at the movement inside the door from under his low eyebrows with a feeling of uneasiness.Because the previous fear began to trouble his heart again, for a moment, he suddenly wanted to see Ma Shiying's expression.But Ma Shiying was standing at the head of the line, with his back turned to this side, so that he could not see.Then he wanted to take a look at Ma Shiying's right-hand man—Liu Kongzhao, the fierce-tempered Chengyi uncle, so he slipped his eyes to the line standing on the west side.Unfortunately, before he could find the evil star among the long line of military officials wearing royal crowns and embroidered patterns of lions, tigers, bears, and buffaloes on their front patches, there were footsteps in the hall, and Hanlin, Zhong The "guiding driver" who is the four members of the book, the department, and the Taoist officials, stepped backward step by step, and turned out from behind the lacquered and carved dragon screen.Then, a group of eunuchs wearing jade-colored makeup and over-the-shoulder python clothes, surrounded by a brown sedan chair, slowly appeared with solemn steps.Sitting on a brown sedan chair, Emperor Hongguang wore a crown of wings and a yellow dragon robe with a collar and narrow sleeves today.His white, fat, youthful face looked sullen, and his pair of small round eyes also condensed a sluggish, blank light.At first, this look made Qian Qianyi feel relieved.Because compared with the late Emperor Chongzhen, this new master obviously does not belong to the kind of shrewd, harsh, and vindictive person, which can be said to be very important to his future situation.However, gradually, he became worried again, because the new emperor lacked assertiveness and clearly relied on Ma Shiying blindly, which made the latter's power greatly inflated invisibly.Qian Qianyi also heard people say that the emperor was not like this at first, and once even tried to dismiss Ma Shiying, but later, he was probably surrounded by those trusted eunuchs around him, and ended up not caring about anything, just hiding in the harem with him. The concubines drank wine, watched operas, and changed their ways for fun.That spirit seems to be getting more and more depressed.

"Salt to the class!" A resounding voice sang suddenly, and Qian Qianyi, who was taken aback, raised his head slightly and found that the emperor had already sat on the throne.He hurriedly restrained his mind, stared sideways at the small horn lamp in the hands of a school lieutenant standing next to the emperor, and together with all the officials, followed the ups and downs of the lamp, performing the usual court salute of three worships and one kowtow. "If there is something to do, go out and play early, and if there is nothing to do, roll the curtain and retreat!" After everyone stood up after the ceremony and stood up again, the official Honglu sang loudly again.

As soon as the words fell, Gao Zhuo, Minister of the Ministry of Industry, walked out of the class of the civil servants, and then He Yingrui, Minister of the Ministry of Industry, and Li Qing, the secretary of the Ministry of Engineering, walked out.These three officials in charge of finance all called the emperor poor.Because on the thirteenth day of this month, Emperor Hongguang's mother who had been lost while fleeing in Henan—that is, the present Empress Dowager—was finally visited and sent to Nanjing.This is naturally a great joy.So as usual, the "West Palace" where she lived had to be furnished according to the highest standards, and gold, silver and jewelry had to be prepared for rewards.Once the two expenses are calculated, it will cost hundreds of thousands of taels of silver.At present, the national treasury is very tight, and the military pay in various places alone owes tens of millions; in addition, the south of the Yangtze River has encountered an early morning that has not been seen in a century, and many rivers and lakes have been exhausted. There is no hope of improving the finances next year , only worse.Therefore, the three officials of the Ministry of Industry implored the emperor to save money and take it back.But this request was not granted.The three officials had no choice but to back away dejectedly with a look of bitterness on their faces.

Then Gu Xichou requested posthumous titles for the martyred ministers in Beijing according to the duties of the Ministry of Rites.Because the officials of the Ming Dynasty who were lost in Beijing fled back one after another, the situation of the unyielding and martyrdom of the ministers after the March 19th Incident has been generally investigated. one person.In order to commend their integrity, they should be given posthumous posthumous titles, and funeral ceremonies will be held in their hometowns.For this reason, the Ministry of Rites has already issued a list and submitted it to the emperor for approval. Since there is no following, Gu Xichou proposed it again.This matter was answered in the affirmative.According to the emperor, the list has been reviewed and will be sent back to the Ministry of Rites soon.So Gu Xichou returned to the class with satisfaction.

Next, several officials announced something else.Among them is the "negotiable act" of eunuchs leading stickmen and searching for ladies all over the city.Because Qian Qianyi had already heard about it, or because he had little relationship with him, he didn't pay attention to it, but continued to weigh the consequences of Jiang Riguang and Gao Hongtu's possible resignation in silence. "Well, no, I have to go see them later and persuade them to stay no matter what!" he thought.Because of resignations like Gao and Jiang, it is estimated that the emperor will "warm order and comfort stay" as usual. As long as they are willing to push the boat along with the flow, there is nothing unreasonable for them to stay in office. "However, just to be on the safe side, it's best for the emperor to work harder and hurry up?" Thinking of this, Qian Qianyi raised his head and planned to play a book in class.However, before he could move his feet, a stern gaze had already pierced over - that was Liu Kongzhao, the sincere uncle he hadn't found just now, who was staring at him viciously from the queue of military officers opposite him.Qian Qianyi's heart was shocked suddenly, and he quickly and automatically withdrew his gaze, bowing his head obediently.

At this time, an official with a gauze cap and green robe had strode out, knelt down in front of the emperor, and said loudly: "The humble minister Yuan Pengnian wrote to His Majesty: The seven major crimes of Zhenguo lieutenant Zhu Tongshu impeaching his assistant minister Jiang Yueguang to rebel against Jiang Yueguang are all well-known and unfounded. First of all, whether the prince of Qicheng can consult for details, and then give a review. If it is said that Zhu Tong is a candidate for the Ministry of Officials, he should be equal to foreign officials. In front of the imperial court, the discipline is chaotic, and Wang Sheng strictly prohibits it!"

Just after Yuan Pengnian finished speaking, another official came out of the shift, and said: "Yuan Pengnian's play, I think it is very true. Zhu Tongte participated in Jiang Yueguang. He was filthy and family ambiguous. He spurted people with blood and didn't care to pull out his tongue. If you don't refute it, what's the use of setting up a speech officer in the court? I'm willing to risk my life Please!" Just when Qian Qianyi saw clearly that the person was Xiong Rulin, the official secretary, and was surprised and happy that his memorial was more intense than Yuan Pengnian, the deep and indignant voice of Liu Shizhen, the Secretary of General Administration, rang out again. :

"Your Majesty, as far as I know, the assistant minister Jiang Yueguang is blunt and upright. There are public opinions on the period of residence in the country. Who is Zhu Tong? Zou, I can't help it. This is a treacherous and dangerous person, how can it harm the holy world!" At the same time, these three courtiers launched a series of cannon-like attacks on Zhu Tong, the false accuser, including Ma Shiying and others behind him. It's shocking.Qian Qianyi was even more secretly relieved. "Well, even if Zhu Tong can't be managed this time, Jiang and Gao will probably stay!" He thought, and immediately became more courageous.So he turned his face away and took a vengeful glance at Liu Kongzhao who was standing opposite him.Unexpectedly, however, Liu Kongzhao stood with his eyes closed, with a slight sneer on his face, and he didn't seem to care about Yuan Pengnian's and others' defense.Qian Qianyi couldn't help being surprised again! At this moment, there was a momentary tranquility on Tanchi.No one came out to join the rebuttal.I probably feel that the firepower of the three courtiers in front is not small, and no matter how many people join in, it will cause suspicion of besieging and intimidating the holy driver.So everyone just watched the emperor sitting on the throne together, waiting for the holy judgment. While the three courtiers were playing, Emperor Hongguang frequently turned his eyes to the trusted eunuchs Tian Cheng and Li Yongfang standing on his right, as if asking for their opinions.At this moment, he was silent, and his fat and fat face still had a look of boredom and bewilderment.It wasn't until everyone was anxiously waiting that he turned his stubby neck and said sullenly: "I make my own decision, you don't need to say more!" The emperor's will is the highest and final decision.On weekdays, everyone had no choice but to keep silent.However, it seems that at least some of the courtiers today are aware of the seriousness of the situation. If they do not fight desperately, the future court situation will become unimaginable.Therefore, there was only a moment of silence on Danchi, and another official walked out from the class of civil servants.That was Chen Zilong, who was given by the military department.This former leader of several clubs has a handsome appearance and a tall figure.In terms of origin, he is Jiang Yueguang's disciple, so he naturally has the heart to protect his master.However, his father and Ma Shiying were Jinshi in the same list, and for this "friendship of the same year", Ma Shiying also treated him quite favorably.A while ago, Ma Shiying once expressed his willingness to reconcile with Donglin. Among them, Chen Zilong's vigorous mediation can be said to have a lot to do with it.Probably because of this, he dared to stand up even when Ma Shiying clearly had the emperor in his hands. "Your Majesty," he said in a sincere voice, knelt down on the altar, "as far as I know, Zhu Tong's slander against Jiang Yueguang was actually done by Ruan Dacheng. Dacheng was merciful and won After regaining the crown, he was still not satisfied, and he went out to instigate everywhere, intending to overthrow the rebellious case appointed by the late emperor. He said that he would uphold the righteousness and block it, so he held a grudge in his heart and used this treacherous method. Tong was young Ignorant, misused. May Your Majesty forgive you and reprimand Da Cheng, so as to stop court competition and reassure people's hearts!" Chen Zilong's suggestion can be said to be quite clever.Because a few days ago, Gao Hongtu tried to punish Zhu Tong, but the emperor blamed Zhu Tong for being a member of the royal family. Now Chen Zilong bypassed Zhu Tong and brought out Ruan Dacheng, which not only preserved the emperor's kinship, And grasped the crux of the incident.So Qian Qianyi listened and couldn't help but secretly nodded. "Well, what is the basis for saying that this matter is the envoy of Ruan Dacheng?" Emperor Hongguang asked.Because in the fierce attack of the courtiers, Chen Zilong came forward to excuse Zhu Tong, which obviously won his favor. "This—His Majesty Qizuo, Qian Qianyi, the official of the Ministry of Rites, can attest to it." When Emperor Hongguang asked the question, Qian Qianyi guessed that there might be a turning point in the matter from the obviously relaxed tone, and was waiting to listen to the following with his head sideways, when such a statement of testimony slipped into his ears, he couldn't help but be surprised .Yes, yesterday afternoon, when Chen Zilong visited him, Qian Qianyi did tell Chen Zilong the news revealed by Yang Wencong two days ago, out of concern about the court situation and future, but he never expected that the other party would be there At this moment, he gave himself out!Qian Qianyi was so anxious that he almost got into the ground.However, the current situation does not allow him to delay any longer, because Emperor Hongguang has already cast his questioning eyes directly on him.So he had no choice but to take two steps forward in a panic, prostrate himself on the ground, cover his face with the wat, and said tremblingly: "Qizou Your Majesty..." "Well, Chen Zilong said that you can testify, is this true?" Emperor Hongguang asked about the next sentence. "This... Weichen... this..." Qian Qianyi hesitated and became more and more anxious. He felt like seven or eight sauce jars had been knocked over in his heart, and it was a mess, because if he admitted it, he would finally chase him out It doesn't matter if the news comes from Yang Wencong. Mr. Hao Hao is Ma Shiying's brother-in-law. At worst, he can complain to his brother-in-law and it will be over. But he has offended Ma Shiying and Ruan Dacheng because of this. Practice how you love. "No, it must not be done like that!" thought he, and gritting his teeth, raised his head and said: "Your Majesty Qizuo, what Chen Zilong said may have been misrepresented, and I don't know anything about this fact!" After speaking, he immediately lowered his head and covered his face with the wat board again, in order to avoid all kinds of gazes from all sides. Once again there was a moment of tranquility on Danchi.Afterwards, Qian Qianyi saw Chaoyi flickering in front of him, and a minister in scarf robes with a gauze cap knelt down in front of him. "Your Majesty, I have a statement from my humble minister: what the two ministers said at the right time, one pointed out that there is, and the other argued that there was no. There is no need to discuss this matter in depth. But as far as I know, there are many discussions in the court and people who are coaxing each other. Because of Ruan Dacheng, Dacheng may not be without talent, but his intentions are not right. I am deeply afraid that once it is used, the party will be evil and harm the righteous. His talents are good enough to destroy people's hearts and disrupt discipline, so don't be careless!" At first, Qian Qianyi couldn't figure out who this person was, but when he heard the strong Shaoxing accent, he immediately understood: this minister is none other than Liu Zongzhou, the great Confucianist and the censor of Zuodu.Because the other party covered up the embarrassing scene between himself and Chen Zilong with a single word, Qian Qianyi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.Moreover, the highly respected Liu Zongzhou came forward to comment on Ruan Dacheng, and the weight was different from that of Chen Zilong.Therefore, although he didn't dare to stand up without the emperor's permission, he couldn't help but tilt his ears, waiting to hear the following. After a while, Emperor Hongguang spoke in a hesitant tone: "It is said that the lack of authority is the chief envoy of Dacheng, but there is no evidence, so how can we talk about the theory of wrong intentions? Hey, there is no need to discuss this matter any more. , wait up, sir!" "Qizou Your Majesty: It's not a mere guesswork to say that Dacheng's intentions are wrong!" Liu Zongzhou lowered his head and argued tenaciously, "It's a clear proof that his affiliation is against the party. The official was unable to do so, so he turned his anger on Wei Dazhong, who was in charge of the matter. Later, with the help of Wei Ni Zhongxian, Dazhong was trapped in the imperial prison, and he was destroyed to death. Snakes and scorpions have their hearts, so don't do it! That's why Dacheng used it to depose , The discipline is very important. The minister is in the position of picket, and he really can't be silent. I beg your Majesty's holy heart to learn from you!" Wei Dazhong, the official of the Tianqi Dynasty, was one of the famous Donglin Party members.Back then, he was tortured and looted by the eunuchs, and his death was miserable.Many people are convinced that this matter has a lot to do with Ruan Dacheng's instigation, but because Ruan Dacheng is very cunning and always tries to destroy the evidence, it has not been fully confirmed.Now that Liu Zongzhou, in his capacity as a supervisory minister, has formally presented evidence to the emperor, he must have undergone strict verification in advance.Therefore, not only Qian Qianyi was refreshed, but even the civil and military ministers on both sides also opened their eyes wide.For a while, Dan Chi became more and more silent, waiting for the emperor's reaction, and waiting for Liu Zongzhou to give more convincing evidence. At first, Emperor Hongguang seemed a little hesitant, but when he turned his consulting gaze to the eunuch next to him again, his white, chubby face, which was lacking in energy due to excessive drinking, changed its expression. "It's Wei Dazhong again!" He said annoyedly, "How many times have we discussed it over and over again! In fact, it's all nonsense! Hey, sir, don't say any more, get up, get up!" If the emperor stopped Liu Zongzhou from speaking just now, it could be understood as an attempt to avoid controversy, but this time it was clearly revealed that he was deliberately protecting Ruan Dacheng under the instigation of the eunuchs around him!So Qian Qianyi, who was peeping intently with squinted eyes, was startled for a moment, and all hope disappeared immediately.He moved his body instinctively, intending to stand up, but when he realized that Liu Zongzhou was still kneeling stubbornly, he stopped hesitantly. I saw Liu Zongzhou's aged back suddenly trembling, and for a moment, his tall body seemed to be rickety even lower.Qian Qianyi knelt behind his back, unable to see his expression clearly, but from the unceasingly rising and falling shoulders, and his heavy breathing, it is still not difficult to imagine that this old minister, who is known for his uprightness and stubbornness, is suffering in his heart at this moment. What a pain.Qian Qianyi peeked worriedly, anticipating that something unusual was about to happen, and couldn't help but tremble slightly in his heart. Sure enough, Liu Zongyi straightened his waist and straightened his body on Monday. Then, with a resolute movement, he took off the black gauze hat at once, revealing his white hair wearing a net scarf. "Your Majesty," he said in a distressed voice trembling with excitement, "it's not because the ministers are stubborn, it's because of the advance and retreat of the great Cheng, which is related to the rise and fall of Jiangzuo..." However, this time, Liu Zongzhou didn't even have a chance to speak.Because Emperor Hongguang stood up almost immediately, lowered his face, and reprimanded very rudely: "The advancement and retreat of Dacheng is related to the rise and fall of Jiangzuo. Is it true? Who caused the country's destruction over the years? Isn't it nonsense to blame Dacheng alone!" After finishing speaking, he flicked his sleeves and angrily walked towards the edge of the screen, making the ministers of civil and military affairs of the court froze on Dan Chi in horror. Two days later, the emperor's decision was issued.The residence newspaper announced impressively: Jiang Yueguang's resignation has been "approved".Meanwhile, another appointment was issued: