Di Ming

Chapter 262 Zhu Zhihu, you've won!
Although Li Shida listed the four charges against Zhu Yin, he specifically stated that he did not agree with these four charges.

They set the tone for the court debate right from the start.

I am the Left Censor-in-Chief, and I believe these four charges are highly debatable. You can decide for yourselves.

Wang Xijue frowned and glanced at Li Shida, clearly dissatisfied with the Left Censor-in-Chief's attitude. However, as the Grand Secretary, he did not preside over court discussions and could not openly oppose Li Shida.

Everyone turned to look at Zhu Yin, waiting to see how he would defend himself. Many looked concerned, while quite a few remained indifferent.

Wang Xijue's faction mostly harbored hostility towards Zhu Yin. The Zheng faction was even more hostile. Zhu Yin's appointment as tutor to the eldest prince did indeed win him the support of many court officials, but it also incurred the resentment of the Zheng group.

They were eager to hear how Zhu Yin would defend himself!
Some things are hard to explain; once you get involved, it's hard to talk about them.

In the current political climate, anyone impeached by the censors should resign voluntarily. However, Zhu Yin clearly has no intention of resigning.

Zhu Yin held his tablet horizontally and said with a clear and cheerful expression, "In response to the Grand Censor, I have no need to defend myself."

What? No need to defend yourself?

Everyone looked at each other in disbelief, never expecting that Zhu Yin would not defend himself!
Did he expect anyone else to speak up for him? But there were no other civil officials present when he went to the northwest to quell the rebellion. They weren't involved, so how could they speak up for him?

Zheng Guowang frowned slightly, suddenly sensing something was amiss. But she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.

Li Shida, the Left Censor-in-Chief who was trying to help Zhu Yin, couldn't help but frown and said in a deep voice, "Young Marshal Zhu, have you thought this through? It's not too late for you to defend yourself in court now."

As long as Zhu Yin defends himself, he is confident that he can get Zhu Yin out of trouble. Even if he uses the three judicial departments to investigate, it will just be a formality.

But Zhu Yin actually gave up the opportunity to defend himself?

Shen Yiguan already knew what was going on, and hearing this actually put him at ease. Having been Zhu Yin's teacher for several years, how could he not know his disciple's cunning and quick wit? He was someone who would be hard to take advantage of. Since Zhihu said there was no need to defend himself, then he must have a chance of winning!
Zhu Yin suddenly glanced at Zheng Guowang, his gaze full of meaning.

This gaze made Zheng Guowang very uncomfortable, as if Zhu Yin had seen through all his secrets at a glance.

Amidst everyone's confusion, Zhu Yin took out a letter, sighed, and said:
"This is a letter from when I was in Hexi, a letter that kindly reminded me. The author of the letter said that his patron, Censor Zheng, asked him to draft a memorial impeaching me for my crimes."

He advised Imperial Censor Zheng, saying that the official was diligent in serving the king, loyal to the country, and had led the royal army to victory after victory. Moreover, he was a child prodigy who had passed the imperial examinations three times in a row, a feat unparalleled in history. Why should he fabricate charges to impeach the official? He asked Imperial Censor Zheng to prioritize the overall situation and not to impeach the official for personal reasons.

"Censor Zheng said, 'I am the tutor of the eldest prince. My brother, Governor Zheng, asked me to impeach him. He said that if you want to find fault, you can always find a reason to impeach me. I just need to find a way to nitpick.' He said that he did not want to impeach me, but he could not disobey his brother's order and insisted that his staff draft the impeachment petition."

"After drafting the impeachment memorial, this staff member was tormented by his conscience and tossed and turned, unable to sleep. He had also studied the classics and followed the teachings of the sages, but ultimately could not bear the inner condemnation, so he wrote this letter, asking me to be wary of the Zheng brothers' plot against me... He said that he lacked the principles of righteousness and dared not consider himself a gentleman, but he could not emulate Wan Qixie in framing loyal and virtuous people..."

As Zhu Yin spoke, he stroked the letter in his hand, his expression quite desolate.

"Alas, I never expected to find such an upright and noble person among my staff. This is the true meaning of righteousness. I am deeply grateful to him for his help."

With a "whoosh," everyone looked at the letter in the young minister's hand.

Zheng Guowang's autumn eyes remained unblinking.

She finally realized what was wrong.

Song Dynasty poem!

She certainly wouldn't write the memorial herself; it was written by her advisor, Song Ji. This Song Ji was a confidant of the Emperor's brother-in-law's household and enjoyed the trust of both her and her brother.

Previously, when she asked Song Ji to draft the impeachment memorial, Song Ji did indeed advise her that Zhu Yin had made great contributions, was well-liked in the court, had powerful backers, and was even regarded by the common people as a reincarnated star deity and an auspicious omen for the Ming Dynasty. If she were to find a reason to impeach him, she would probably invite disaster and bring trouble upon herself.

This Song Ji was a scholar who passed the imperial examination. He was meticulous and cautious in his work, but he was too superstitious about good and bad omens, strange phenomena, and supernatural beings. He had a deep belief in ghosts and gods.

Therefore, he was hesitant to impeach Zhu Yin and advised himself to write back to his brother and give up the impeachment.

However, since he insisted on impeaching Song Ji, Song Ji had no choice but to obey and draft the impeachment order.

On the way back to the capital, they passed through Shaanxi. Song Ji said he wanted to go home for a visit, and I agreed. Song Ji then left the army and did not return to the capital with us.

But who would have thought that he would secretly side with Zhu Yin and betray himself?
Even though Zheng Guowang was very shrewd, he was so angry that he was shaking uncontrollably.

Song Ji, I'm going to kill you, you treacherous scoundrel!
But in fact, she wronged Song Ji.

As Zheng's trusted advisor, Song Ji did not betray her voluntarily. Instead, he was secretly threatened by one of her agents, Tiger Tooth, who seized on his weakness and forced him to turn against her, writing a so-called "well-intentioned reminder" letter.

At this point, Song Ji had no choice but to wholeheartedly serve the secret agents.

Zheng Guowang wished he could snatch the letter and see what it was all about!
Hao Yunlai's eyelids twitched. To be fair, he didn't want to impeach Zhu Yin. After all, he was Zhu Yin's fellow townsman and didn't intend to completely sever ties.

However, he dared not disobey Zheng's orders for the sake of his career and future, and could only join Zheng Guowang in impeaching him.

If the impeachment fails and he suffers a backlash, will he still be able to be promoted to the position of Assistant Minister of Personnel?
Last night I told my beloved wife that she would soon become the wife of the Minister of Personnel.

Zhu Yin stood up, walked to Li Shida, handed him the letter, and continued:

"This advisor to the Zheng family was named Song Ji, and he was also a scholar who passed the imperial examination. Most of the memorials submitted by the Zheng brothers were written by him, and their handwriting can be matched."

"If the Grand Censor doubts the authenticity of this letter, he can check the previous memorials of Zheng Guotai and Zheng Guowang in the Grand Archives and compare the handwriting to find out."

Zhu Yin was somewhat heartbroken. "I received this secret letter reminding me more than half a month ago. But I was skeptical and unwilling to believe that Censor Zheng would fabricate baseless charges and impeach me under the direction of his brother Zheng Guotai."

"Furthermore, I have fought alongside Imperial Censors Zheng and Hao in suppressing the rebellion in the Northwest. We are comrades who have shared life and death. On the battlefield, we worked together with one heart and one mind to help the king. Even if we are not close friends or relatives, we are still comrades-in-arms. Therefore, out of consideration for our relationship, I did not hand over this secret letter immediately."

Zhu Yin sighed, "My plan is that as long as Censor Zheng does not impeach me, I will pretend that I did not receive this secret letter. This will both maintain good relations with my colleagues and prevent Song Ji from incurring the wrath of the Zheng family."

"But who would have thought that, just as the letter stated, Censor Zheng, under the instigation of his brother, instigated his accomplice Hao Yunlai to submit a memorial impeaching me. Today, I have no choice but to hand over this secret letter, firstly to prove my innocence, and secondly to punish the other party's intentions."

"If it weren't for Song Ji's upright character, I would be speechless today. I am only fifteen years old, but after this incident, I have already become somewhat disheartened about my career. Alas, how difficult it is to serve the country!"

As the boy spoke, his expression turned somewhat melancholy, his desolation mirroring the autumn chill outside the palace.

The officials were all moved by what they saw.

This letter doesn't seem to be fake!
Zhu Yin was indeed not to be underestimated because of his youth; with a single move, he cornered those who were impeaching him.

Great!

Shen Yiguan smiled slightly, flicked his hat, and leisurely picked up his teacup.

Wang Xijue, however, remained expressionless, his eyes narrowed as he stared at the letter in Li Shida's hand.

"You! Stop pretending!" Zheng Guowang was so angry that his chest almost buckled, and he glared at Zhu Yin with his eyebrows raised.

"Zhu Shao Sima! You present this letter, whose authenticity is unknown, and fabricate it out of thin air? It is my duty to impeach you, not at the behest of my elder brother!"

Being instructed by relatives and friends to impeach a minister, whether justified or not, is a crime in itself. How could she admit it?
Hao Yunlai's legs trembled uncontrollably. He felt the gazes of the crowd were like hooks, and a cold sweat broke out all over his body. He could only bite the bullet and say:

"Grand Censor! Gentlemen, please see the truth! My impeachment of Junior Sima Zhu was entirely out of the public interest, and I was not acting under anyone's orders!"

"I am a fellow townsman of Zhu Shao Sima from Jiangning, a classmate of Nanyong, and a fellow examinee in the provincial and metropolitan examinations. We have a very good personal relationship. How could I impeach him because I was instructed by someone else? I only did not dare to violate the law because of my personal relationship with him, and that was my duty!"

"Enough!" Minister of Rites Luo Wanhua shouted. "This is a court meeting in the Wenhua Hall! Not a place for petty squabbles. Where is the decorum and decorum? Step down!"

Zheng Guowang and Hao Yunlai trembled, no longer daring to argue, and could only swallow their anger and shut their mouths.

Zheng's cronies also fell silent in fear.

Li Shida, who was reading the letter, looked up, gave Zheng Guowang and Hao Yunlai a cold glance, and slowly said, "Grand Minister of Justice, please take a look at this letter with the Grand Minister of Justice."

The Minister of Justice and the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review both read the letter and nodded in agreement.

"Prime Minister, three Grand Secretaries, would you like to see this letter? The contents of this letter are exactly as Zhu Shao Sima said."

Wang Xijue sighed softly and shook his head, saying, "I won't look anymore. Let's go to the Wenyuan Pavilion's main archives to check the handwriting."

Shen Yiguan and the other two shook their heads, "Let's not look at it anymore, let's go to the main warehouse to check first."

The imperial court's accumulated memorials were originally stored in the Wenyuan Pavilion, known as the Grand Secretariat Treasury. Copies were stored in the Six Ministries Corridor.

The Wenyuan Pavilion is right next to the Wenhua Hall, so the results were found quickly.

Over the past three years, the Zheng brothers have submitted a total of twenty-seven memorials and congratulatory messages, twelve of which bear the same handwriting as this letter.

Moreover, judging from the ink marks and smell, this letter was written at least ten days ago, definitely not a letter written within two or three days. It wouldn't even require sending in handwriting experts from the Ministry of Justice or the Court of Judicial Review to determine this.

"Zheng Guowang, Hao Yunlai, do you have anything else to say?" Li Shida's voice sounded calm, but his anger was hard to hide. "Zhu Yin did not defend himself, this letter is the best defense! Could he have foreseen that you would impeach him?"

"To be instructed by others to fabricate charges and impeach ministers—is this the duty and professional conduct of you censors?"

Zheng Guowang took a deep breath, stiffened his neck, and bowed, saying, "Grand Censor, gentlemen, I would never dare to be instructed by anyone to impeach Junior Marshal Zhu. Nor would I dare to fabricate a charge against him."

At this point, she looked at Zhu Yin and said, using a sophistry-like argument:

"Lord Zhu, you believe that I fabricated the facts, but you did not request an imperial decree or consult the Ministry of War before arbitrarily rewarding the soldiers with hundreds of thousands of taels of silver. Is that also fabrication?"

She raised her slender finger and pointed outside, "Of the seventy or eighty thousand soldiers who went to the Northwest, who didn't receive your rewards? Who among them didn't speak well of you? This matter can be easily verified with a simple question. How could it be fabricated out of thin air? Who would dare to speak so falsely about something so important?"

She regained some confidence. This was because Zhu Yin had indeed used the captured gold and silver to generously reward his soldiers, amounting to approximately three months' worth of military pay.

This is an undeniable fact!
“That’s right!” Hao Yunlai also looked upright and gentlemanly. “The embezzlement of seized gold and silver, the understatement of accounting records, and the interception and handover of the proceeds—isn’t that the truth? If I, as an official, knew this but did not report it, that would be bending the law for personal gain and a waste of my education!”

Everyone frowned as they listened.

These two are really reckless. Once Zhu Yin's letter was released, not only did their impeachment fail, but they also got themselves implicated and are now in dire straits. What's the point of clinging to this now?
Is it a crime to intercept or misappropriate seized goods? Yes. Is it illegal? Yes.

The problem is, nowadays, how can a victorious battle not be intercepted or misappropriated?
It would be good if they could submit half of it.

Things like drawing salaries without working and exploiting soldiers, as well as embezzling funds and grain, have long been common practices. How can we possibly control them? How can we take them seriously?

Even if Zhu Yin misappropriated the spoils and distributed them as rewards to his soldiers without authorization, he still handed over much more.

That's very reasonable.

Zhu Yin said unhurriedly, "Before I set off for the expedition at the end of February, the Minister of War was Mr. Yun Qu (Wang Yi'e), not the current Grand Marshal Shi."

"At that time, I submitted a petition to Mr. Yunqu, requesting that after arriving in the Northwest, the soldiers' back pay be made up and that double pay be issued during wartime to encourage the soldiers."

"Mr. Yunqu said that the outstanding military pay could be made up immediately, and he would send a document to the Ministry of Revenue. As for double pay, that was not out of the question, but it could only be issued after a major victory and the capture of spoils."

"Therefore, I am not bestowing rewards upon the soldiers without authorization. Even if I were to win their hearts, it would be for the sake of winning the battle. With a formidable enemy at hand, should I, as the commander, dare not win the hearts of the soldiers and instead risk losing them?"

"Although Mr. Yun Qu has been ill from overwork and has passed away for a hundred days, and the seal of the Ministry of War has been replaced by Grand Marshal Shi, the document I gave to Mr. Yun Qu before is still in the archives of the Ministry of War. You can find it with a simple check."

Minister of War Shi Xing said calmly, "Is that so? At the time, I was the Left Vice Minister of War and was unaware of this matter. As for your memorial, I was unaware of it."

Shi Xing was very dissatisfied with Zhu Yin, his newly appointed deputy, and simply said that there was no such document. As the Minister of War, whether the document existed or not was up to him.

Of course, he knew it didn't mean much; his main purpose was to embarrass Zhu Yin.

“There is this memorial,” Shen Yiguan suddenly said. “Mr. Yunqu was the Grand Marshal at the time. He once came to Wenyuan Pavilion and mentioned the memorial submitted by Zhu Yin.”

Shen Yiguan smiled slightly as he said this, "Chen Wen is in the west archives of Wenyuan Pavilion, you can check."

His smile was like that of an old fox; he had a trick up his sleeve.

"Is that so?" Wang Xijue narrowed his old eyes. "I knew nothing about this. This involves rewards for soldiers worth hundreds of thousands of taels of silver."

He really didn't know.

I am the Grand Secretary, yet I knew nothing of this matter! This Shen Yiguan... is wicked!
Shen Yiguan smiled and said, "The Grand Secretary was busy with the imperial decree to build a temple and make donations for the Imperial Concubine and the Third Prince, and he hadn't returned to Wenyuan Pavilion for several days. Besides, this was just a document from the Ministry of War, not a memorial or report, so I didn't need to bother the Grand Secretary. Oh, Grand Secretary Zhang also knows about this matter, Grand Secretary Zhang?"

Zhang Di nodded and said, "Yes, I remember now. There was indeed such a document. It's been almost half a year, and I had almost forgotten about it. Alas, I never imagined that Mr. Yun Qu was already nearing the end of his life back then. Today, his voice and appearance are still vivid in my mind. How can one not sigh with emotion?"

Wang Xijue opened his mouth, but swallowed his words back. His face remained expressionless, but inwardly he cursed a Suzhou slang term: "You short-coffined dog!"

Shi Xing's face was also gloomy, and he cursed his deceased ex for being so meddlesome.

At this moment, a eunuch who was listening in the corner of the hall saw that Zheng Guojiu was about to be in trouble, so he immediately left Wenhua Hall and went straight to Qianqing Palace.

The Empress must be in the Qianqing Palace now, preparing to have lunch with His Majesty. We must hurry and report this to the Bodhisattva.

Zhu Yin was very observant and had long ago noticed the eunuch sneaking out of the Wenhua Hall to deliver a message, but he was helpless and could not stop him.

Relying on the palace's backing, Zheng Guowang gritted his teeth and lied:
"Gentlemen, how can you be sure it wasn't Song Ji who colluded with Zhu Yin to frame me? Some time ago, I reprimanded Song Ji and said I would dismiss him. He must have held a grudge and turned to Zhu Yin for personal gain. What can his letter prove?"

Zhu Yin chuckled. Still want to resist?

He glanced at the few officials who were in charge of remonstrances, seemingly casually, but his eyes held a deeper meaning.

Censor Wu Lijia suddenly stood up and said:

"I, Wu Lijia, Supervising Censor of Shandong Circuit, hereby impeach Censor Zheng Guowang! Last night, Zheng Guowang sent someone to instigate me to impeach Junior Marshal Zhu!"

Wang Yougong, the Supervising Censor of Zhejiang Circuit, also stepped forward and said, "Yesterday, Zheng Guowang also hinted to me to impeach Zhu Shao Sima! I did not agree, and today I will also impeach him in court!"

Zheng Guowang trembled with rage. When did she order Wu Lijia and Wang Yougong to jointly impeach Zhu Yin?
Unfamiliar!

She did secretly arrange for others to jointly impeach Zhu Yin, but they were all court officials in Zheng's inner circle, not Wu Lijia or Wang Yougong!

Zhu Zhihu actually used a treacherous scheme to not only escape easily but also frame himself. He is truly a despicable and shameless villain!

"You... I never ordered you to impeach Zhu Yin!" Zheng Guowang roared. "It wasn't you..."

Realizing her mistake, she immediately stopped. She was a clever woman, but in her haste, she made a fatal error.

The officials all shook their heads, and Hao Yunlai couldn't help but sigh.

Li Shida coldly said, "Zheng Guowang and Hao Yunlai, as censors, are suspected of being instructed by others to fabricate charges and impeach state ministers. I will request their dismissal and removal from office."

Minister of Personnel Sun Long immediately said, "I will also report this to dismiss the accused and punish him!"

Neither the Ministry of Personnel nor the Censorate had the power to dismiss censors; they could only submit memorials to the emperor proposing dismissal or punishment.

Wang Xijue shook his head and slowly said, "What are you two standing there for? Go back and listen to my instructions. I expect there will be an imperial edict today."

"Yes." Zheng Guowang and Hao Yunlai bowed dejectedly and left Wenhua Hall with pale faces. Hao Yunlai was especially distraught, as if he had lost his parents.

I thought I'd be promoted because of this military achievement. Who knew it would turn out like this!
He tried to kill the tiger but was instead injured by it!
Zhu Zhihu, you won! But if you weren't so popular, you wouldn't have won!

Inside the Wenhua Hall, Li Shida announced: "After court deliberation, Zhu Yin has been found to have rendered meritorious service and is innocent. I will report this to His Majesty. Grand Secretary, Grand Secretaries, do you have any objections?"

Wang Xijue could only shake his head.

Shen Yiguan and the other two said together, "We have no objections."

Li Shida then looked around at everyone and asked, "Do any of you gentlemen have any objections?"

Everyone shook their heads in unison.

What a joke! What good would it do to disagree now? It would just make you the villain for nothing.

Everyone was filled with emotion when they saw the young vice minister sitting there with his back straight.

As expected of Zhu Lang of Jiangzuo, the famous Mr. Zhihu among the people.

Faced with impeachment, he effortlessly and completely escaped unscathed.

Wang Xijue glanced at Zhu Yin and exhaled a breath of stale air, saying:

"Next, the court will discuss the war in Korea. His Majesty asked about it yesterday, requesting the court to come up with a plan."

Since the court is discussing military affairs, the next step is for Minister of War Shi Xing to preside over the discussion.

Shi Xing's first words were: "Gentlemen, in my humble opinion, the best course of action in the affairs of Korea is peace!"

P.S.: I was too busy today, so the update is late and there are probably a lot of typos. Sorry, goodnight!

(End of this chapter)