Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 610 The whole court is afraid of you

The sun is shining at the foot of Phoenix Mountain.

Civil and military officials dismounted from their horses and sedan chairs at Luomaying, crossed Liubu Bridge, and entered the palace from the north gate of the palace, "Hening Gate".

The officials who arrived earlier were already waiting in the waiting courtyard, enjoying some tea and snacks.

However, they were all very restrained. They only drank tea to moisten their throats, and snacks were only eaten by those who did not have time to eat in the morning and were really hungry.

Otherwise, although he could sneak out to relieve himself on the way to court, it would still be a bit embarrassing.

The time for the morning court session had arrived, and the regent's ceremonial procession had already appeared, with the sedan chair being carried from the side towards the Golden Palace.

All the officials came out of the Tailou Courtyard, lined up in neat rows, divided into civil and military ranks, and entered the court.

Zhao Yu bowed deeply toward the emperor's throne, then sat down on a seat one step lower beside him to accept the worship of all officials.

After all the officials had paid their respects to the Regent, they submitted memorials in order of rank.

There were also some officials waiting to "report on their work", mainly local officials who had returned to Beijing to report on their work, and they were waiting patiently.

They had to wait until these court officials had finished reporting on state affairs before making any further comments.

However, there was something strange in the court today. The court officials seemed to have heard some rumors. When the eunuch standing in the hall asked all officials to present their memorials, there was complete silence in the hall.

After a moment, the direct scholar Lü Zhuwei shook his sleeves and said loudly: "This humble official has a memorial to report."

He walked out of the line, stood in the middle, and said, "I heard that when Liu Yiguan, the Tongpan of Lin'an Prefecture, heard a case, he mistakenly convicted Yang Yuan, the Assistant Censor of the Censorate, of a crime. The evidence was false, and he even fabricated evidence for the sake of greed and profit, so he was detained for investigation.

I think this is "don't wrong". However, if there is "don't wrong", there is also "don't let go". Liu Yiguan and Yang Yuan had no grudges or hatred. Even if he was just greedy for merit, why did he dare to falsely accuse the minister?

Actually there is a reason. I, Lü Zhuwei, will try to explain it from the perspective of "do not indulge"..."

In the court, Lu Zhuwei began to talk incessantly.

Zhao Yu had just taken in a concubine yesterday. This concubine was originally a boat girl on the West Lake, and she was only sixteen years old.

He encountered it by chance when he went to Gushan Mountain. It was playful and cute, and it was very amusing.

Having played too late last night and woke up too early in the morning, I felt a little sleepy.

However, he had become very experienced in suppressing his yawns, and others could not notice anything, except that his eyes were moist and his vision was a little blurry.

Zhao Yu blinked and glanced at the ministers in the hall with his still unclear eyes.

Huh? Yang Yuan is not in the palace.

Yang Yuan is the Chief Censor-in-Chief. His rank is enough to qualify him to attend court. Where is he?
……

Since the Censorate Prison was only a place for temporary detention of prisoners awaiting trial, it was located in the northwest corner of the Censorate for convenience.

At this time, inside the prison of the Censorate, Yang Yuan, along with three censors, Xiao Yiran, Lu Chengze, and Yu Zeping, as well as more than a dozen people including clerks, secretaries, and servants, crowded into the interrogation room.

Qiu Shunquan sat on the prison chair. After a night, he looked a little unrecognizable.

His gray hair was a little messy, with a few strands of straw stuck on it, and he looked very depressed.

This appearance is completely different from the majestic appearance when he was in the Ministry of Personnel and held the future of all officials in his hands.

Yang Yuan patted a file on the table and said, "Qiu Shunquan, I have already made a verdict on your case. It is not too late for you to go to court now. You are in a hurry to see me. What do you have to say?"

Qiu Shunquan gnashed his teeth for a while before he said in a frustrated tone, "Qiu can confess, but... I want to make up for my crime and be pardoned."

"That's natural."

"I want to live in leisure."

"That's impossible."

Yang Yuan refused without even thinking about it.

Are you kidding me? You are a corrupt official who sells official positions and titles, and you still want to "live in leisure with a crown and a robe". Why don't you go to heaven?
"Guan Dai Xian Zhu" means dismissal from office, not removal from office. One can still maintain his official qualifications and go home to live in idleness, then there is still a possibility of reinstatement.

"If Qiu confesses, the Ministry of Personnel will collapse at least halfway."

"Don't be so foolish. Even if you wipe out the Ministry of Personnel, you can't be completely absolved of your guilt."

Yang Yuan stood up impatiently and picked up the file: "Do you want to confess or not? If you don't, I have to hurry to court."

Yang Yuan ran away, and Qiu Shunquan hurriedly asked, "Yang Qianxian, how much can you forgive Qiu?"

Yang Yuan stopped and said sternly, "You are wrong. The court has the final say on how much tolerance to give you. The court is not just Yang's court."

After he finished saying this, the three imperial censors behind him, Xiao Yiran, Lu Chengze and Yu Zeping, rolled their eyes at the same time.

Everyone knows that the Regent obeys your every word, yet you speak so righteously? How shameless!

Qiu Shunquan had no intention of playing word games with him. This concerned his life and the future of his family.

Qiu Shunquan changed his words and said, "Then, according to Yang Qianxian, if Qiu makes meritorious contributions while serving his sentence, how much leniency can the court give him?"

Yang Yuan returned to his seat, sat behind the desk, slapped the file on the table, and said, "If you make a small contribution, you will be exempted from the death penalty. If you make a great contribution, you will be exempted from prison. If you make a great contribution, you will be demoted to a commoner."

Qiu Shunquan said with a distorted face: "I also want to be exempted from the crime of confiscation."

"That's impossible!"

Yang Yuan rejected it outright, but immediately added, "We have already found evidence of the money that Supervisor Mo bribed you with, and the accounts are clear, so it must be recovered.

Of course, if you shared the bribe with others and there is evidence, then you only need to return the portion you received.”

What Yang Yuan meant was that, among the embezzled money you received, I have only found the one that Mo Dujian reported you for, so I will only recover this amount.

Moreover, if you don't collect all the money, you only need to pay out the amount you collected.

Qiu Shunquan thought: In this way, once I am demoted to a commoner, I can still be a rich man, and at least my wife, concubines, children and grandchildren will not be ruined.

Well...that's right, what Qiu Shunquan wanted in his mind was to make great contributions.

He either doesn't achieve this achievement, or if he does, it will certainly be a great achievement.

What's the point of saying half and keeping the other half? He only needs to give up a few colleagues. With Yang Yuan's devilish methods, won't those people confess?
Rather than letting others accomplish this feat, I’d rather accomplish it myself, walk in other people’s paths, and leave them with no way to go.

Qiu Shunquan let out a long breath and said in a deep voice: "Okay! I trust your character, Yang Qianxian! With your promise, I will confess! I will confess everything!"

Yang Yuan immediately waved his hand, and the two clerks in charge of shorthand on the left and right picked up their brushes at the same time.

……

In the court, the direct scholar Lu Zhuwei made an impassioned speech, the general meaning of which was that Liu Yiguan had indeed made a wrong trial and was suspected of inducing a confession.

But why did he dare to do this to Yang Yuan?
Since flies don't bite seamless eggs, Yang Yuan is indeed suspicious.

Well, the imperial court could not wrongly accuse a good person, so Liu Yiguan, who violated the principle of "no wrongdoing", received the punishment he deserved.

However, the court could not appoint suspicious people to important positions. After interrogation, it was found that Liu Yiguan's suspicion of Yang Yuan was reasonable.

Therefore, Yang Yuan should be allowed to leave the Censorate until it is confirmed that he is not a suspect.

For example, you can first let him serve as the judge of "Taiyi Palace" and be a palace official.

Minister of Rites Qu Mo frowned and objected, "Mr. Lu, this is definitely unfair, isn't it? Yang Yuan has made great contributions to the Song Dynasty.

The Book of History says: "When there is doubt about guilt, the punishment should be light; when there is doubt about merit, the punishment should be heavy." Yang Yuan's merits are real and visible to everyone.

How can we accuse someone of a crime just because we have suspicions but no solid evidence? "

Ye Quan, a scholar of Zhi, immediately came out and said, "Minister Qu is wrong. Does it mean that Yang Yuan has been falsely accused of a crime and is being punished just because he has become the judge of the temple?

Minister Qu, if you say that, how can so many palace officials in the world feel? "

Qu Mo sneered at Ye Quan and said, "As the Minister of Rites, I am in charge of the ceremonies, sacrifices, tributes and examinations throughout the country, and I have established the ceremonial system of the five rituals. I have spent my whole life studying the classics and learning.

Master Ye, are you sure you want to play word games with me?"

Ye Quan suddenly felt uneasy.

Wang Chenkun, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Metropolitan Censorate, suddenly frowned: "There are so many palace officials in the world? This is not right. Isn't the court vigorously cutting down redundant officials?
May I ask the Ministry of Personnel, are there still many palace officials now?"

The Minister of Personnel, Tan Yingwen, was watching the fight between two tigers from the mountain when suddenly the topic turned to cutting redundant staff, which surprised him.

"Well..., the government is working hard to govern the country, and it is imperative to cut redundant staff, but this matter involves so many people, how can our Ministry of Personnel not be cautious?

The third batch of layoffs should be cleared out soon."

After hearing this, Cheng Zhen, the Minister of War, also came out and said, "My Ministry of War is also making every effort to deal with the chaos of redundant soldiers.

The army now has a major examination every quarter. Those who fail the examination will be demoted from the Imperial Guard to the Wing Army. Those who fail the examination again will be expelled from the army.

In addition, soldiers who are fifty years old or older will also be dismissed..."

Minister Cheng introduced the situation in a long and rambling way, and Yang Cunzhong came out again: "Redundancy of generals is also the main reason for the poor military operations. Therefore, reducing the number of soldiers also requires reducing the number of generals.

Now, the commanders of the Imperial Guards and the Wing Armies, those who are old and ignorant, those who have poor eyesight and hearing, those who have difficulty walking, and those who are not well trained have retired. Now..."

When Yang Cunzhong finished speaking, Shangshu Qu nodded and praised: "Redundant officials are a waste of resources at the top, and redundant soldiers are a waste of resources at the bottom. This is why we cannot make full use of the benefits of mountains and lakes. If we want to relieve the burden on the people, we must eliminate redundant personnel. In both civil and military affairs, we should speed up the elimination of redundant personnel."

The Minister of Revenue analyzed the report and saw that the topic had turned to cutting down on redundancy.

He hurried out of the class and said, "Regent, what Master Lu and Master Ye said is a mature way to govern the country.

The court should be very cautious in appointing important ministers, and the first thing to consider is virtue.

If his actions make people suspicious, he cannot be accused of anything because of that.

But in order to prevent major mistakes, he is temporarily entrusted with an idle position. This is also for the sake of the country. As a subject, what does it matter if he suffers a temporary grievance?
I believe that the Censorate is responsible for the inspection and impeachment of officials, and has the power to make decisions on major matters and make decisions on minor matters, and its position is high and powerful.

Therefore, before clearing his suspicion, Yang Yuan should take the initiative to resign and should no longer serve as the Censor-in-Chief. "

"I second the proposal!"

"I second the proposal!"

"I object."

"I second the motion." Ye Kui said, "As far as I know, Yang Yuan has a concubine who is from the Jurchen Wugulun clan. The Wugulun clan is a senior official of the New Jin.

Based on this alone, the court should be more cautious about appointing Yang Yuan."

Yang Cunzhong said: "Northerners often regard their wives and daughters as property, and the one who captures them becomes the owner. It is said that this Wugulun became Yang Yuan's concubine as a captured female slave."

Lu Zhuwei asked, "So what? Yang Shu asked you to guarantee Yang Yuan and make sure he is not suspected of anything?"

Yang Cun Zhong was speechless after hearing this. You said he was suspected of being a spy for the Jin people, but I didn’t ask you to give a guarantee.

Why do I have to vouch for him just because I said my suspicions about him were groundless?
While they were arguing, Zhao Yu yawned and asked, "Hey! Yang Yuan took a Jurchen woman as his concubine. Does that mean he must be suspected of bribery?"

Ye Quan said: "Regent, there might be one, so we should be on guard."

"Maybe?"

Zhao Que felt that these words sounded familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had heard similar words before.

Zhao Yu then asked, "He took a Jurchen woman as his concubine, so he is suspected of bribery?
Since Wugulun became his woman, does that mean that the Wugulun clan is also suspected of surrendering to the Song Dynasty?

Why does Xinjin still want to use the Ugun clan?"

What Zhao Qu meant was, if we are suspicious of everything and just fabricate charges against others, aren't we being too narrow-minded?
Xinjin didn't say that it was wary of the Ugurun clan just because their daughter followed a minister of the Song State.

Is it possible that the broad-mindedness of our Song Dynasty is not as good as that of a group of barbarians?

Unexpectedly, Lü Zhuwei seized on the truth and said confidently: "Regent, doesn't this prove that Yang Yuan may have defected to the Jin people?"

Li Jianwu, the Left Selectman of the Ministry of Personnel, also hurried out and said, "When our Ministry of Personnel examines officials, we have a rule that if there is any suspicion, we will use them with caution.

Since Yang Yuan has caused so many disagreements among the ministers, it is clear that there are still doubts about his identity and position. I think it is right for him to avoid important positions."

"I second the proposal!"

"I second the proposal!"

There was another group of people who just followed suit. Generally speaking, the majority of them agreed to send Yang Yuan to an idle government office to live out his retirement.

Because of what Yang Yuan did...

Officials really don't like it.

However, although there are many people who agree, the reason they fabricated Yang Yuan's argument is after all "I heard it, I analyzed it, I felt..."

There is not a shred of evidence.

Therefore, the two sides fought for more than ten rounds, but could not come to a conclusion.

Zhao Yu said, "Forget it. This matter cannot be resolved in one day. The ministers can submit their opinions in a memorial and I will present it to Your Majesty for your review and judgment.

I have received the memorials from the two scholars, Lu and Ye, and I will put this aside for the time being. Does any of the ministers have a memorial?"

At this time, the local official who was waiting to report on his work had sore feet from standing and could hardly stand if he didn't move around.

He hurried out of the class, holding up his hu tablet and shouting, "Jiangling prefect Yang Wenjing reports on his post!"

……

After the court meeting, all officials dispersed and walked out of the palace together.

Today, a group of officials in the court who clearly supported transferring Yang Yuan to an idle position are still talking big.

Around these big talkers, groups of people gathered, with him as the center, and expressed their opinions as they walked out.

Even if they had no vested interest in Yang Yuan, and did not reject him because he was "incompatible" with the officials, most of them felt that it was right to transfer him to a sinecure.

Since there is suspicion, of course you should avoid important positions. Is that wrong?

It is hard to say that their views are wrong. Some officials know that this is just an excuse for party disputes, but they are reluctant to speak out.

For things like this, unless you have already torn your relationship apart, you cannot bring it up in the open, otherwise it will easily give people something to talk about.

Outside the Hening Gate, as soon as the first official appeared, his entourage drove carriages, rode horses and carried sedan chairs, and flocked to the square in front of the gate, waiting to take their masters away.

They just lined up in the square in an orderly manner. After all, the palace was not a vegetable market. They could not rush to the door to pick people up, nor was it a kindergarten to pick up children.

However, a group of people rushed over to greet him, and one of them shouted, "Where is Li Jianwu, the Left Selected Doctor of the Ministry of Personnel?"

Li Jianwu was making an impassioned speech criticizing Prince Jin's tolerance and protection of Yang Yuan. He became very displeased when he heard someone calling him by his name.

He frowned, glared at the visitor and asked, "Who is shouting here, calling me by my name?"

As soon as he said this, he realized that the man who called him was wearing a servant's robe, and he immediately became even more dissatisfied.

What grade!
A small servant dares to call me by my name?
At this time, a young green-robed official stood in front of him and said solemnly, "I am Lu Chengze, the Supervisory Censor of the Metropolitan Censorate. I am ordered by Yang Qianxian to invite Li Jianwu, the Left Selected Doctor of the Ministry of Personnel, to come to the Metropolitan Censorate to cooperate in investigating an important case. Please."

Lu Chengze stepped aside, and two servants came up and pushed Li Jianwu to the left and right.

Although he was not put in shackles, it was obvious that the other party would attack him if he tried to leave.

The civil and military officials who had just come out of court were stunned by this scene.

This Censorate is so arrogant that they actually blocked the palace gate to arrest people!

This was the first time they had ever seen such a thing.

Li Jianwu was secretly surprised, but he was furious and asked, "What evidence do you have to arrest me?"

Lu Chengze said: "There is an important witness who identifies you, so I would like to invite you to go to the Censorate."

Confession is one of the most important evidences in this era. With a confession, a case can be filed for investigation.

It is also legal to control the relevant personnel first, which is similar to the "double regulation" of that era.

The main reason for doing this is to prevent the suspect from colluding with his accomplices or destroying evidence in a timely manner if he is not detained.

Therefore, we must first control the suspect. Of course, we cannot judge him guilty at this time. This is a temporary control measure.

However, this measure has already been implemented.

In the fifth year of the Qingli period, Ouyang Xiu's niece (his sister's adopted daughter) accused him of having an affair with her. Ouyang Xiu, a third-rank official, was first detained in the Surveying and Exploration Institute, where his personal freedom was restricted before he was investigated.

Speaking of Ouyang Xiu's case, he was later released on the grounds of being framed, thus clearing his name.

The reason why he was framed was the same as the reason why Yang Yuan is caught in the whirlpool of public opinion today, both of which were due to party disputes.

Ouyang Xiu's sister was widowed at a young age and was taken home by Ouyang Xiu to be raised. Since his sister had no children, he adopted a baby girl.

When the girl grew up, Ouyang Xiu decided to marry her to a member of his clan.

However, the girl committed adultery with a servant in the mansion and was discovered and reported to the authorities.

The presiding judge happened to be Ouyang Xiu's political enemy, so he induced the woman to confess and made her accuse Ouyang Xiu, and then launched an investigation into Ouyang Xiu.

The main evidence that Ouyang Xiu's political enemies used to induce his niece to falsely accuse him of having an affair with them was a poem he had written for her: "Wang Jiangnan"

"The willows in the south of the Yangtze River have small leaves that have not formed a shade. People are so light that they cannot bear to break them. The orioles hold the tender willow leaves and sing to them. I will keep them until spring comes. When I was fourteen or fifteen, I will look for them leisurely, playing the pipa. I will winnow the money on the steps and walk down the steps. I should have paid attention to you when we met then, let alone now."

This one, "If I had known that you would be so beautiful when you grow up, I would have paid attention to you a long time ago. Why would I wait until today?"

This sentence is indeed too ambiguous. She is his niece, and he is a great scholar...

Difficult to comment.

The final investigation result was that there was no evidence, but this incident greatly damaged Ouyang Xiu's reputation and he was demoted for it.

"The Pavilion of the Drunken Old Man" was written after he was demoted.

Li Jianwu was feeling extremely ashamed and angry, while Yu Yiting, the doctor of the Ministry of Personnel, was also controlled by Xiao Yiran and his men.

Immediately afterwards, Zheng Gongqian of the Official Complaints Office of the Ministry of Personnel was taken under control by Yu Zeping and his men.

Later, Lan Mu, the Minister of the Left of the Ministry of Personnel, was also taken under control.

They directly "invited" these officials to get on the cars prepared by the Censorate and took them to the Censorate.

The officials' sedan bearers, coachmen, and grooms were all so frightened that they could not make a sound.

The Minister of Personnel Tan Yingwen and the Vice Minister Mu Xinyang were older and walked slowly behind.

When they arrived outside the Hening Gate, they saw many officials standing there, making the scene even more lively than during the court session.

These people were talking non-stop, but no one left.

Minister Tan asked in surprise, "Why are you discussing this, everyone?"

The Minister of Rites gloated over the incident and told him the whole story. Minister Tan was immediately furious and shouted, "How dare you, you are bullying me!"

The Tianguan was furious, and all the officials crowded outside the Hening Gate suddenly moved to the left and right, making a way for him.

When Minister Tan looked closely, he saw Yang Yuan, dressed in court robes with a tablet stuck on his belt, walking towards him quickly.

Minister Tan said angrily, "You little Yang Yuan, stop right there! You arrested all my officials from the Ministry of Personnel. What do you want to do?"

Yang Yuan hurriedly stopped and saluted, saying, "Ah, it turns out to be Minister Tan. Nearly half of the officials in the fourth round of the Ministry of Personnel have not been arrested. How can you say that they have been arrested cleanly?"

Tan Yingyan's angry Three Corpse Gods jumped up and down, he hated playing word games!
Minister Tan grabbed Yang Yuan and shouted, "Don't leave. Let's talk it over with me today."

Yang Yuan didn't know what he did, but Tan Yingwen just felt a numbness in his elbow and couldn't hold him at all, so Yang Yuan easily pulled his sleeve back.

Yang Yuan bowed and said, "There are still a few officials to be detained. They are of higher rank. I cannot arrest them without authorization. I am in a hurry to go to the palace to ask for instructions from the Regent. I will explain to Minister Tan later. Excuse me."

"you you you you……"

Tan Yingwen rolled his eyes in anger. If Minister Mu had not helped him in time, Tan Yingwen would have fallen backwards to the ground.

The entire court of civil and military officials saw this scene, and everyone couldn't help but have the same thought in their mind:
If I am not sure that I can kill him with one blow, I must never offend him.

This Yang Yuan is definitely a mad dog!
PS: I owe you two chapters each for "Speak Frankly" and "JJM". The manuscript of the novella will be finished in about ten days. I will return it then.

(End of this chapter)