A son who doesn't resemble his father? Love you, old man, see you at Xuanwu Gate!

Chapter 137 First Case

Without evidence, what can you do to me?
Through the report from Bian Tong, the Minister of Justice, the intentions of Princess Pingyang's residence were clearly understood by the Emperor, the Chancellor, and the Grand Censor of the Han Dynasty.

"Insanity!"

Zhang Tang, enraged, hissed in a low voice.

The Death of Haitang.

It was the secret information obtained by the Imperial Censor that led the Embroidered Robe to discover that the person could not bear the debauchery of Princess Pingyang and Marquis Pingyang and died after failing to be removed from the register of officialdom.

The death of both parents is proof of Haitang's unwavering will, and it is no exaggeration to call her a "heroic woman." However, the explanation from Princess Pingyang's mansion is that she is a "heroic woman" whose filial piety moved heaven and earth.

Both were virtuous women, but their causes of death were completely different.

Zhang Tang suddenly stood up from the embroidered stool, knelt down, and said solemnly, "Please believe me, Your Majesty, that the information obtained by the Imperial Censor's secret envoy is true. I am willing to guarantee it with my life."

He was a cruel official.

He was indeed ruthless and blindly loyal to his superiors, but he also genuinely cared for his subordinates and did not shirk responsibility.

Bian Tong stood there, stunned. Before he arrived, something significant had clearly happened, and it was related to Princess Pingyang's residence.

"Your Majesty."

Gongsun Hong rose from the embroidered stool and bowed slightly toward the throne. "I have come to the palace to pay my respects today because I have received some disturbing news."

"explain."

"It is said that in the spring of the first year of Yuanshuo, the Crown Prince was born and the banner of Chiyou appeared in the world. The Han Dynasty has been fighting for many years, and it is all due to the Emperor."

Gongsun Hong said respectfully.

Unbeknownst to many, the prevailing opinion in the Han Dynasty regarding the constant warfare had shifted from His Majesty's pursuit of military prowess and virtue to "the sake of the sovereign."

The legacy of the prosperous reigns of Emperors Xiaowen and Xiaojing was destroyed, countless Han soldiers shed their blood on the battlefield, and the people were displaced, all of which suddenly turned into "heaven's punishment."

Your Majesty is the Yellow Emperor, and the Supreme Ruler is Chi You. They descended to earth solely to bring chaos to the world.

In this world, wise people are always a minority, so no matter how ridiculous the rumors are, there will always be people willing to believe them.

Gongsun Hong realized the terrifying nature of public opinion.

Liu Ju also realized what the high ground of public opinion was.

Having lived two lives, he found it hard to accept that someone had gotten the upper hand in public opinion.

"Have you found the mastermind behind this?"

In a word.

This silenced everyone in the hall.

The ruler directly defined the rumors circulating in the streets as political struggles.

Therefore, all subsequent measures are justified.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, we have not found it."

Gongsun Hong said in a calm tone, "The rumors may not have originated in Chang'an."

That is, it spread from the local areas to the capital.

This also proves that someone is deliberately spreading rumors and slandering Shangyu.

"Speak, what's your guess?"

"Your Majesty, the Prime Minister's office has noticed that the rumors are spreading more in the north than in the south of Guanzhong. I humbly believe that the rumors are spreading in the counties north of Chang'an," Gongsun Hong speculated.

Rumors must originate from people and be passed on by word of mouth to form a trend. Since the wind blows from one direction to another, the degree of rumor spread in a certain place will inevitably be higher than that in a certain place.

"north?"

Liu Ju looked back at the large map of the Han Dynasty in the hall. North of Chang'an, there were Hedong Commandery, Beidi Commandery, Henan Commandery, Shangdang Commandery... Guanzhong and Guandong Commandery, which accounted for almost half of the empire.

Drifting in the wind and rain.

There were rumors that Princess Pingyang's residence had violated the agreement, and there were also rumors circulating among the people about the banner of Chiyou.

"Your Majesty."

Jiang Bo came to the throne again and reminded him, "General Wei from Shuofang has sent an urgent report."

A sealed memorial was placed on the emperor's desk.

Liu Ju tore open the wax seal, took out the bamboo slips, and looked at them closely. The young lord's tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed.

Since the enemy believes they have seized the high ground in public opinion, then we must let them know where their regime came from.

"Show it to the Chancellor and the Imperial Censor."

The memorial was submitted.

Gongsun Hong and Zhang Tang both revealed their understanding, realizing who the mastermind was. This made things much simpler. Finding evidence was Zhang Tang's forte.

"Zhang Tang".

"The minister is here."

"The two cases combined form the first case of the Embroidered Robe."

"The minister obeys the order."

"Is there any difficulty?"

"Your Majesty, this matter is of great importance. The Imperial Censor has too many duties to attend to, and both manpower and financial resources are somewhat insufficient."

Zhang Tang took the opportunity to explain his difficulties.

The Embroidered-Robe Censors were not part of the official court order, so to avoid being exposed, they had no way to apply for funds and provisions from the court. Similarly, the Embroidered-Robe Censors, especially the secret envoys, had to be developed within the Embroidered-Robe Censorate itself, and there was always a shortage of manpower.

"How much do you want?"

"I need ten thousand gold pieces."

"I will give you 40,000 gold coins."

"Thank you, Your Excellency."

"No need to thank me."

Liu Ju shook his head and looked at Gongsun Hong, "Prime Minister."

"The minister is here."

"The military and political records of the Great Han Dynasty were opened to the Imperial Censor, who was in charge of selecting personnel and developing secret agents from among them."

The entire empire's household registers are kept in the Prime Minister's residence, just like the eight hundred guards of the Crown Prince. Zhang Tang can only do things smoothly with the cooperation of the Prime Minister's residence.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Gongsun Hong accepted the order. Practice makes perfect; the Prime Minister's office was already quite adept at removing people from the household registers.

However, the imperial court is getting weaker and weaker, and many people and things are getting out of control.

"How is Zhang Tang?"

"Your Majesty, I lack nothing!"

Zhang Tang was filled with ambition.

With money and manpower, he was determined to crack the first case involving embroidered robes.

The matter was brought to a close, and the case of the virtuous woman was handed over to the censor in charge of the Embroidered Robe. Zhang Tang and Bian Tong then withdrew from the Xuan Shi Hall.

Gongsun Hong continued, "Your Majesty, the court is in dire need of capable people, and I have someone to recommend."

"explain."

"Xu Le, Attendant-in-Ordinary of the Central Court."

"What should I recommend?"

"This person has a broad and profound understanding, which is evident in his writing. What is even more remarkable is that he is insightful about worldly affairs and has a sense of concern for the world."

"What position does the Prime Minister think he should hold?"

"After Gongsun He, the matter of the Grand Master of the Palace, one of the Nine Ministers, remains unresolved. The Grand Master of the Palace is always by the emperor's side. I believe that he may become the Grand Master of the Palace."

The Grand Master of the Palace was in charge of the horse administration of the Han Dynasty. Sometimes he would even drive the emperor's carriage himself. He was a noble and close minister, and the position was suitable for such a minister who was concerned about the country's troubles.

Liu Ju thought for a moment and said, "Then let's do as the Prime Minister suggests."

"Thank you, Your Excellency."

Gongsun Hong bowed and thanked the emperor for his grace, and then said, "In addition, I request that the system of filial piety and incorruptibility be changed. Recently, there has been a lot of blind and false filial piety in the streets. Foolish and hypocritical people have taken the positions of virtuous and good people. I think this is inappropriate."

What does the Prime Minister think?

Liu Ju looked at Gongsun Hong and joked with a smile, "How should filial piety and integrity be defined? We can't all take the Prime Minister as our standard, can we?"

Gongsun Hong was born into a family of filial piety.

His father remarried and died a few years later. Gongsun Hong treated his stepmother as his own mother. When his stepmother fell ill, Gongsun Hong stayed by her bedside for several days and nights, serving her medicine and feeding her until she recovered. This story is widely known.

The reputation for integrity came after Gongsun Hong ascended to the position of Imperial Censor. Ji An impeached Gongsun Hong in court, saying that although he was one of the Three Dukes and received a very high salary, he always acted like a "grandson" and that he only used a cloth quilt, seeking fame and reputation.

Gongsun Hong used the story of Guan Zhong to defuse Ji An's attack and preserve his reputation for integrity.

Such filial piety and integrity.

It's somewhat foolish, and somewhat hypocritical.

Gongsun Hong blushed and couldn't answer.

"Old Prime Minister, morality cannot be regulated. If we want to change it, we should not change the regulations, but the system itself," Liu Ju pointed out the real problem with the filial piety and incorruptibility system.

It's not that the system is not standardized enough; the system itself has huge flaws.

Gongsun Hong was greatly surprised and hurriedly asked, "Does Your Majesty intend to abolish the system of filial piety and incorruptibility?"

Even though the system of filial piety and integrity had its flaws, it did give commoners like him a chance to rise in society. If it were abolished, then even that chance would be gone.

Liu Ju nodded, then shook his head. "Yes and no. The idea of ​​a new selection system is not yet fully developed, and the filial piety and integrity system will not be abolished in the short term."

Gongsun Hong felt a pang of regret and said, "This matter concerns the very foundation of the nation; I earnestly hope Your Majesty will give it much consideration."

"I will."

……

We left Weiyang Palace.

Zhang Tang then led his embroidered-clothes officers directly to the Imperial Censor's residence in Pingyang.

As if it had been anticipated, the visiting card was handed over, and Marquis Cao Xiang of Pingyang immediately came out to greet him.

"Greetings, Grand Minister of Works." Cao Xiang greeted him with a smile and a graceful manner.

Zhang Tang said coldly, "Marquis of Pingyang, you should know why I'm here."

"I am deeply honored, humbled, and puzzled by the sudden arrival of the Grand Minister of Works. I truly do not understand his intentions."

Cao Xiang feigned confusion, as if he had suddenly thought of something, "But if it concerns matters of my household, we are fortunate to have recently encountered a virtuous and filial woman. Could it be that the Grand Minister of Works has come for this matter?"

"Does the Marquis of Pingyang have anything to say?"

"To be honest, I've always been busy and haven't had much contact with or shown enough concern for the maids in my household. I never imagined that there would be such a strong and righteous woman. If you want to know the specifics of her heroic deeds, why don't you ask one of the maids who knows her well to tell you?"

Cao Xiang's smile remained unchanged as he spread his arms, "Please invite the Grand Minister of Works and all the embroidered-robed officials into the mansion."

Zhang Tang made no attempt to be polite, ascending the steps and entering the Marquis's residence, with Xiu Yi following closely behind.

After the guests and hosts took their seats, servants served tea. While waiting for the maid to arrive, Cao Xiang looked at the embroidered man and pointed directly at the censor, the one who had once served as a secret envoy in the Pingyang Marquis's residence. He said, "This embroidered man looks very familiar. I wonder if we have met before?"

“I once served in the Marquis’s household.”

"Why did you leave?"

"I don't want to do this anymore."

"Indeed, with such a fine place as Lantai, my Marquis's mansion is far inferior. Water flows downhill, and people strive for higher positions. I can understand what Xiuyi did, but I don't know why Xiuyi has come back with a vengeance?"

"Bring down the Marquis's mansion!"

This sentence.

Zhang Tang answered the call.

Cao Xiang could no longer maintain his fake smile, and his face changed color.

"Then I wish the Grand Marshal all his desires will be fulfilled."

The maid who was familiar with the virtuous woman arrived.

Upon recognizing the two individuals, the previous envoy became somewhat excited and looked towards Zhang Tang.

These are the two crabapple blossoms that provided the testimony.

"Tell the Grand Minister the story of the virtuous woman."

"Yes."

One of the slightly longer crabapple blossoms glanced at the envoy, then at Zhang Tang, her eyes filled with remorse. She slowly said, "Pingjun was a poor commoner who sold herself to the Marquis's mansion. The princess took a liking to her and allowed her to correspond with her parents. Recently, Pingjun's mother fell ill and died. The couple were deeply in love, and Pingjun's father died of grief. When Pingjun heard the news, she was heartbroken and spent her days in tears. I never imagined that she would have such a moment of despair and throw herself into the river to join her parents..."

The testimony has been changed!

(End of this chapter)