Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 172 Yan Song, a man of integrity, has enemies everywhere (Third update)

"This rumor is extremely malicious!"

Haiyue frowned immediately after hearing this.

They were already last place, barely making the list, and yet there are rumors that they were added on top of the list?

Given Yan Song's current rising momentum and his imminent entry into the cabinet, such rumors could be truly fatal.

To put it simply, if Yan Song were the chief examiner for this year's imperial examination, Yan Shifan wouldn't even be allowed to take the exam; he would have to recuse himself from the competition.

Even if Yan Song were not the chief examiner, if word were to spread that his son had received preferential treatment due to his father's power, and had gone from being rejected to being on the list, that would be an absolutely major event, utterly ruining the reputation of the literati.

"What nonsense!"

Li Mo retorted angrily, "Bring all those people here! I want to find out who is spreading such nonsense!"

This rumor was a major blow to the Yan family father and son, and it also accused him of cheating in the imperial examination in order to curry favor with Yan Song. How could this be tolerated?
A-Lu shrank back, not daring to answer, while Judge Shen Mo became enthusiastic: "This subordinate will go and arrest him immediately!"

"Wait a minute!"

Haiyue firmly stopped her: "This is a rumor circulating in the examination hall. What the Shuntian Prefecture should be doing right now is searching for the whereabouts of the abducted scholar Yan Shifan. We must not put the cart before the horse!"

Li Mo suddenly realized what was happening, broke out in a cold sweat, and hurriedly said, "That's right! As the chief examiner of the provincial examination, I will make the decisions regarding matters within the examination hall!"

Judge Shen Mo rolled his eyes and said "Oh".

Seeing this, Haiyue added, "Judge Shen, Yan Donglou's fate is currently unknown. Any leak of details about the case could lead to the thieves harming him. I don't want to hear any rumors from outside. Do you understand?"

"understand!"

These words certainly didn't sound like something a scholar would say to a sixth-rank official, but Shen Mo's heart skipped a beat. He quickly agreed and bowed to Li Mo, saying, "This humble official takes his leave!"

He felt a little regretful. Just now, Li Mo was furious and ordered him to interrogate the person. If he brought the person back to the government office, some information would inevitably leak out.

If this scandal is exposed, even if the person cannot be found afterward, no one will care whether he was negligent in his duties...

Li Mo had indeed lost his composure in shock and anger, but now that he had fully recovered, he coldly watched the judge's back disappear, and then turned to Hai Yue, wishing he could hold the disciple's hand: "Mingwei, you are so calm!"

This matter is of utmost importance; it not only damages the reputation of Yan Shifan, the person involved, and the chief examiner, but also implicates all the candidates in the imperial examination.

After all, if Yan Shifan's last place ranking was added to the list, wouldn't he have taken someone else's spot? Are there any irregularities in the other lower-ranked positions? And are there connections among those ranked higher?
If we really look into it, both the top scholar Lin Daqin and the second-ranked scholar Haiyue are from the same guild. Could it be that they are trying to curry favor with His Majesty's arrangements?
Those who failed the imperial examinations before already felt it was unfair. If they knew this news, wouldn't they flock to the examination hall and cause a ruckus?
Therefore, Haiyue's composure at this moment was truly commendable, which is why Li Mo admired her so much. As a teacher, he asked his student, "What should we do next?"

"The results were released yesterday, and rumors spread widely in the examination hall that very night. This could not have been spontaneous."

Haiyue said, "The motive for Donglou's kidnapping is still uncertain, but the rumors circulating in the examination hall are aimed at Minister Yan's reputation."

Li Mo nodded: "Not bad!"

In a more recent sense, Yan Song punished a large number of officials. Perhaps not much blood was shed, as he only executed the ringleaders Tang Mu and his son. However, the punishment of exiling them to the frontier for life without pardon was a deep-seated hatred for some officials in the capital who were enjoying their careers.

To take a longer view, in last year's case at the Imperial Academy, the arrogant and domineering Marquis of Wuding, Guo Xun, has now become a laughing stock in the capital, and his power has greatly declined. Yan Shifan played a role in this, and Yan Song even brought back the criminals from the Li Fuda case to the court. It should be known that Guo Xun and those people have long been irreconcilable enemies.

In addition, Haiyue also thought of the newly rich and powerful in the Grand Etiquette Council.

Once you enter the officialdom, a field of fame and fortune, it's hard for you to have a high moral standard. As Hai Rui said in the TV series, "When an official becomes too powerful, there are no scholars left." Most capable officials also have various flaws and will resort to any means necessary.

For example, Gui E was vindictive, Huo Tao was harsh, Fang Xianfu liked to compromise, and Zhang Cong had an extremely strong desire for power.

In order to prevent Xia Yan from taking power, Zhang Cong did something quite despicable in history.

This story begins with Xue Kan, a disciple of Wang Yangming. He was a close friend of Xia Yan and a pure scholar-official. He actually submitted a memorial to the Jiajing Emperor, advising him to "examine the old precedents and determine the heir apparent."

It means that Your Majesty has been on the throne for more than ten years and has not yet had a son. According to precedent, it would be best to select a member of the royal family and raise him as the crown prince.

Consider that even Emperor Renzong of Song, Zhao Zhen, with his good temper, had many disagreements with his ministers over the issue of adopting a son. Emperor Jiajing, with his temperament, flew into a rage upon seeing this memorial, immediately imprisoning Xue Kan in the imperial prison, subjecting him to severe torture, and demanding to know who was behind it all.

Before submitting his memorial, Xue Kan was unsure of what to do, so he went to the home of Peng Ze, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, to seek his opinion. Peng Ze was not only his superior but also a fellow graduate of the imperial examination, and they had a good personal relationship.

However, Peng Ze was Zhang Cong's confidant. Upon seeing the memorial, he came up with a clever plan to frame Xia Yan. He strongly encouraged Xue Kan to submit the memorial and secretly informed Zhang Cong. So Zhang Cong first laid an ambush on Jiajing's side, telling Jiajing that he had found out that someone was instructing Xue Kan behind the scenes, and then made Xue Kan foolishly submit the memorial.

At this point, the blame could have been pinned on Xia Yan. However, Zhang Cong and his crony Peng Ze never expected that Xue Kan, a disciple of Wang Yangming, though politically naive, was incredibly principled. No matter how he was tortured, Xue Kan insisted that Xia Yan had submitted the book alone. After calming down, Jiajing investigated thoroughly and discovered Zhang Cong's involvement. Thus, Xia Yan survived, but Zhang Cong was dismissed from his position as Grand Secretary for the second time and demoted further.

The specific details of this part are somewhat similar to the prototype of "He Biao is here" in the TV series. Historically, it happened in July of the tenth year of Jiajing's reign. Now it is September, but since Xia Yan failed to gain favor, Yan Song has the momentum to rise to power. Will the new nobles of the Great Rites Controversy turn their guns on Yan Song and his son?
Hard to say.

'In this light, Yan Song, despite rising to prominence as a member of the upright officials, has ended up with enemies everywhere!'

Haiyue pondered this for a moment and couldn't help but feel a little emotional.

Political struggles have always been this brutal, and it is even more difficult for leaders of the "pure" faction to be in power.

The examination hall was clearly not a safe haven. Since the other side had come with such force, he couldn't delay any longer: "Now that things have come to this, how about you and your student split up?"

Li Mo replied without hesitation: "Everyone has their own expertise, Mingwei, don't worry, just say it!"

Haiyue said, "If the internal investigation of the examination hall is left to the students, these servants, knowing the teacher's character, will be emboldened and fearless, while the students will have no worries."

Li Mo thought for a moment and said, "Then I will go to the Shuntian Prefecture government office. This matter is of great importance, and I will not feel at ease if I do not keep an eye on it!"

This is exactly what Haiyue is worried about. If the new elites of the Great Rites Controversy are indeed involved, or exert influence behind the scenes, then Prefect Huo Tao is a potential rival, and the Shuntian Prefecture government has also become a destabilizing factor. Judge Shen Mo cannot make decisions, and he might accidentally leak the suspicion of cheating in the provincial examination, causing a public opinion storm.

Li Mo has never been afraid of power. Whenever there is injustice, he will still argue with Huo Tao and not give an inch. It is just right to let him buy time.

"Please wait, sir!"

After escorting the tutor to the entrance of the examination hall, Haiyue returned to the front of Minglun Hall and looked at the servant Alu who was standing there waiting: "You are quite obedient."

Alu smiled bitterly and said, "Lord Hai, you are the reincarnation of the God of Literature, while I am a pitiful person. I only ask for your forgiveness!"

"How can you forgive me? You were quick-witted and discovered the envelope and jade pendant in time. Once the person is rescued, you will be credited for your efforts."

Haiyue sighed softly, "But you have a huge misunderstanding about Donglou. Do you know that this son of a third-rank official still doesn't have a personal page?"

Aru was stunned: "Huh?"

Haiyue said, "Minister Yan is honest and upright, and has been so for decades. Donglou naturally learned from him. If it weren't for today's Deer Cry Banquet, you wouldn't have seen him wearing a jade pendant... I'm afraid that jade pendant was borrowed, right?"

These words are heartbreaking to hear and bring tears to the eyes, but they are truly the truth.

Yan Shifan indeed had no pageboys or maids. The old servants in his household served Yan Song and his wife, Ouyang. If we exclude the money he recently squandered at Biyutang, his lifestyle was completely unrelated to that of a playboy.

Alu was moved: "Minister Yan is a good official, Young Master Yan..."

He swallowed back the words "although he doesn't look like a good person," and choked out, "Young Master Yan is also a good person. I shouldn't have listened to those slanderous words. I deserve to die! I deserve to die!"

The values ​​of ordinary people are very simple. If the son of a high-ranking official is willing to live a simple life, then he is a good person and should not be slandered. Seeing A-Lu slap himself hard, Hai-Yue stopped him: "Doing this is useless. The most important thing is to save him. You said the rumors started last night. Do you know who started them first?"

Alu frowned: "When I heard about it, everyone was talking about it, and they were all quite angry..."

Haiyue said, "The unfairness of the imperial examination is certainly infuriating. The fault lies not with you, but with those who spread rumors with ulterior motives! If the rumors spread in the teahouse, what about in other places?"

Seeing that Alu was still confused, Haiyue simply said, "Tell me about the personnel in each place!"

"Yes!"

A-Lu responded and began to tell the story.

The examination hall was divided into several areas, such as the servants and scribes in the main courtyard, the cooks and guards in the examination cells, the cooks and charcoal workers in the kitchen, the gatekeepers and inspectors at the main gate and the outer gate, as well as the engraving room, the watchman's station, the library, the copying room, the reading room, and so on.

This year is the year of the imperial examinations. From the autumn examinations to the spring examinations early next year, it will be the time when the manpower is most complete.

If Haiyue hadn't heard Alu's detailed account, she wouldn't have known that there were more than two hundred servants in this examination hall.

As A-Lu spoke, his expression turned grim: "Lord Hai, with so many people, how are we going to find the person who first delivered the message?"

Haiyue pondered for a moment and then gave the selection criteria: "You have a good memory. Think carefully, is there anyone who usually likes to gossip, but who remained silent and rarely participated when everyone was talking about it this time?"

(End of this chapter)