Volume 4: Gathering of Sages Chapter 647: Wan Jun
In the Qianqing Palace, he was promoted to a higher position... Of course, this was just a collaboration between the emperor and Hua Qiyi, purely talkative. Although the third and fourth princes were both princes, it was impossible for them to only see light and not darkness in their lives, especially when the third prince, the crown prince, ascended the throne in the future and held the power of life and death over millions of people. Sometimes he needed to kill decisively, but it was not urgent at this time and place.
However, seeing the yellow paper and basin delivered as ordered, the imperial attendant who had repeatedly shouted but received no response did not know that he was just pretending, and he collapsed completely. Of course, he had received the most rigorous training, but that was for outsiders, not for the emperor.
Under the great pressure of the emperor, how could he bear the reputation of deceiving the emperor after his death? Moreover, he still remembered the extreme fear of being suffocated and approaching death when the official blocked his mouth and nose, and he never wanted to experience it again!
Therefore, before Hua Qi pasted the first piece of soaked paper on his face, he shouted at the top of his lungs: "It's really Eunuch Chu, definitely Eunuch Chu! I was ordered outside the office of the Imperial Household Department, and at that time I could still hear Eunuch Chu talking to someone in the office. The eunuch who came to deliver the message said that the emperor didn't want to see the Duke of Zhao's Mansion and the Duke of Qin's Mansion getting so close..."
"fart!"
This time, the furious Fourth Prince finally couldn't hold back. If the Third Prince hadn't turned his head and glared at him, he would have almost rushed over and attacked again: "Damn you, you bastard, how dare you criticize my father!"
Hearing these conversations, Zhang Chen wanted to shrink his head as low as possible so that no one could see him. It was good to catch a big fish, but catching Chu Kuan could at least avenge him for helping Zhu Ying find out about the Silijian, and being beaten by his father. However, the guy in front of him directly put the blame on the emperor, and claimed that the emperor couldn't stand the two dukes getting close...
This is simply life-threatening!
Compared to the anger of the Fourth Prince, the Third Prince seemed relatively calm. However, Zhang Shou only needed to look at his eyes and the way his fists were clenched to know that the Crown Prince, who had enjoyed a good reputation among the court officials and lecturers since his enthronement, was obviously extremely angry.
At this moment, a voice came from outside the door: "Your Majesty, the officials from the Imperial Household Department have arrived."
Seeing that the imperial attendant had turned pale due to the scolding of the Fourth Prince, the Emperor, who was half-smiling, was now silent as a cicada and dared not utter a word. Zhang Shou sneered, Zhu Ying looked disdainful, and it was clear that they did not believe it. On the contrary, Zhang Chen seemed like a frightened quail, and was not as calm as the boy Ah Liu, who had no expression as usual.
Therefore, he slowly returned to his seat and calmly ordered people to come in. Soon, Chu Kuan was seen leading the way, followed by the other seven eunuchs, and they entered one after another. Chu Kuan, who was at the head of the group, was wearing a robe that fit him perfectly in the past, but now it seemed a little too big, and for the first time, he seemed to live up to his name.
The others bowed their heads and looked respectful, but they also hid their expressions. Among the eight people in total, except for Chu Kuan who held the seal, the other three held the pens, and the remaining four were attendants. These were the real power holders above all the eunuchs in the Ming Dynasty. Although they seemed to be in charge of only the more than one hundred eunuchs in the inner palace, they actually had to include all the menial servants in the outer imperial city.
This is already several thousand people. If we add the charity houses that were set up throughout Northern Zhili to adopt orphans and give them a second life, it can be said that these eight people hold considerable power over life and death.
When they performed the ceremony, even Chu Kuan, who grew up with the emperor and was said to be a half-brother to him, was meticulous and not sloppy at all. However, Zhang Shou discovered that, just like the court officials in the regular court, the eunuchs in the inner palace were not kowtow bugs. When they bowed in their wide robes with long sleeves, their postures were just as elegant and beautiful, without any sense of humility or flattery.
After the emperor and the others finished paying their respects, he looked down at the imperial attendant and said indifferently, "Didn't you just say that Chu Kuan ordered you to do that? Now that he's here, you, the imperial attendant, please repeat what you just said."
Although Chu Kuan did not look back at him, the imperial attendant felt an indescribable fear. He was a real boss who had been in the Imperial Household Department since Ruizong ascended the throne. He looked only forty years old, but in fact he had already known his fate. However, he was said to be able to teach the newcomers among the imperial attendants a lesson with his bare hands. If he rebuked this person in person, would he be killed immediately?
"Yes, Eunuch Chu. I received the order in front of the Silijian Public Office!"
There were wolves in front and tigers behind, so he could only close his eyes and make up his mind, insisting that it was Chu Kuan, but he didn't dare to look at the expressions of others when they heard this. Therefore, of course he couldn't see that Chu Kuan didn't react at all when he heard this accusation by name, and he stood there calmly as usual, even though many eyes were focused on him, he still didn't even blink.
The emperor sneered and said calmly, "If it is just because of this nonsense, you will not . Yingying is impatient, Hua Qi always likes to exaggerate, Zhang Chen will probably be incoherent at this moment, and Ah Liu would like to say ten sentences in one sentence. Jiuzhang, you should tell us the whole story."
Since the emperor had named him, Zhang Shou briefly and concisely recounted the whole story of the Lu family incident. He had just finished speaking and had not had time to add his own opinions when he was interrupted.
"Your Majesty, Eunuch Chu would never do such a thing! He has always been wise and calm, how could he do such a crude thing?"
Seeing that Lu Chan, who was speaking, was glaring at him, Zhang Shou smiled and said, "What Eunuch Lu just said was also the opinion of Miss Zhu and I after we heard that this person confessed to Eunuch Chu. The same goes for Master Hua Qi. He would not have resorted to private punishment on someone else's wedding day, but since the person kept saying that it was Eunuch Chu who ordered it, he couldn't help but use a gift to promote him."
All the people who came to the Imperial Household Department today entered the Imperial Household Department at a young age, and then worked their way up to be promoted, and finally sat in their current positions. Of course, they were not like the third and fourth princes, who still didn't know what kind of torture it was. Even Chu Kuan, who had remained calm just now , couldn't help but change his expression slightly.
However, before anyone else could react, he slowly took a step forward, then knelt down, kowtowed respectfully, and after straightening up, he knelt on the ground for a long time and said, "Your Majesty, the imperial attendant in the palace actually did such a thing. As the seal holder of the Imperial Household Department, I am to blame. Please punish me, Your Majesty."
No one expected Chu Kuan to not refute or defend himself, but to just acquiesce. Even Zhang Shou felt that Chu Kuan was too frank. Even if the emperor and his subjects had been friends for many years, did people really believe that the emperor would be able to see through everything and make the most clear judgment?
After a moment's silence, all the people from the Imperial Household Department who came with Chu Kuan suddenly spoke up one after another. Some defended Chu Kuan, some pleaded for Chu Kuan, and some presented facts and reasoned about Chu Kuan's achievements... At first glance, Zhang Chen couldn't help but feel that Chu Kuan had absolute authority in the Imperial Household Department, so there was no one trying to take advantage of the situation.
However, Zhang Shou vaguely realized that the scene where everyone in the Imperial Household Department stood on Chu Kuan's side was a bit incongruous.
He knew that Chu Kuan was very smart and capable. Even though he was a eunuch, he was not a bit weaker than those court officials who were known to have studied hard. But even if he could really control the other people in the Imperial Household Department like his own arms, it stood to reason that not everyone would stand on Chu Kuan's side when they were suddenly accused like this.
Because isn't this clearly telling the emperor that Chu Kuan has the final say in the Imperial Household Department?
As expected, when the emperor saw Chu Kuan neither defending himself nor refuting but kneeling down to confess his guilt, he only frowned slightly. But when he saw other people in the Imperial Household Department rushing to speak for Chu Kuan, his brows were twisted into a knot.
Just when the emperor's face darkened and he was about to lose his temper, the third prince suddenly asked, "Eunuch Chu, you just said that you are to blame. So, are you admitting the crime of negligence or the crime of instigating the incident?"
The Fourth Prince had just punched and kicked the imperial attendant, firstly because his father was framed, and secondly because Chu Kuan was not like some guys who were only respectful to the two brothers on the surface but not really had much respect, he truly treated them the same as he treated the Eldest Prince and the Second Prince, he even had some vague childhood memories that he seemed to have ridden on someone's shoulders.
Although it seemed that the third brother was riding on his father at that time, he still remembered the joy of the two adults carrying them around the Qianqing Palace... That was a long, long time ago, and he was not even sure how old he was at that time.
So, since Zhang Shou said that neither he nor Zhu Ying thought it was Chu Kuan who did it, when the Fourth Prince heard the Third Prince speak, he rushed behind his Third Brother and said, "Eunuch Chu, if you are wronged, just speak up. Father is the most discerning!"
The Third Prince glanced at the Fourth Prince helplessly, but he couldn't blame him for causing trouble. As expected, he saw Chu Kuan lower his head and said, "After the Imperial Attendant entered the palace for internship, before being transferred to other places, he was under the supervision of the Ministry of Rites. When such a big thing happened, regardless of whether it was my fault or not, I, the seal holder, should be punished."
"Does that mean it wasn't you who ordered it?" The Fourth Prince asked quickly. Seeing Chu Kuan fall silent again, he couldn't help but get anxious. "Eunuch Chu, just tell the truth! What are you afraid of in front of our father? He has always trusted you!"
Chu Kuan smiled bitterly. "It is precisely because the emperor has always trusted me and he repeatedly gave me medicine when I was sick that I was so worried. Although there are many attendants in front of the emperor, I have also reviewed the new trainees every year, so I remember everyone's name. This person just entered the palace two months ago. According to the order of the earthly branches, his name is Xin Eighteen."
"This person just said that he received an order outside the Silijian public hall, and a certain eunuch came out to pass on the message. During the time, I could even hear the servant talking to someone in the public hall. I think there must be records of entering and leaving the Silijian in the outer imperial city. The Silijian still has rules in this regard."
"So it shouldn't be nonsense. And just recently, during the few days when I was recuperating from my illness, I heard that a Feng Yu died of illness in the Imperial Household Department. Some people also said that it was a pity that he was so young. I don't know if it was someone who asked me to pass the message to Xin Shiba."
"If this person is the real one, there will be no proof of his death. However, I cannot provide any evidence that I did not instruct him. I have no other way to refute my guilt except to admit my guilt. If this person is not the real one, we need to appoint someone else to investigate in detail. As the seal holder, I should also be punished accordingly."
Chu Kuan made such a frank statement that even though the Fourth Prince wanted to plead for mercy, the words that he should have said had already been said by those people from the Imperial Household Department, and he was immediately speechless. The Third Prince just wanted Chu Kuan to make his words clear, whether he simply admitted to being the one who ordered the incident or was simply oversight, but now that Chu Kuan had made it so clear, he felt that he had nothing to say.
But compared to his younger brother, the third prince was more stable. He stood in silence for a moment, and finally bowed deeply to the emperor and said, "Father, today's incident and the previous impeachment of the so-called Renhe Charity Hall in the Ministry of Ceremonies, plus the previous disturbance in the Imperial College, are actually all in the same vein. Why not..."
He paused. Although he knew that his father might not agree with his idea and would be angry, he still said in a deep voice: "Your son begs your father to let you investigate these cases personally."
Zhang Shou, who had advised the Third Prince not to take on this series of troubles, wanted to hold his forehead with his hands when he heard this. He immediately objected firmly, "Your Highness, it is time for you to study and observe politics. It is not your business to investigate cases and administer justice. Not to mention that the Imperial Household Department has many capable people, and the court is full of impartial and wise officials."
Zhu Ying immediately followed up and said, "That's right, why does His Royal Highness the Crown Prince need to personally take action for such a matter? Wouldn't it make the people laugh at the lack of capable people in the court? I think my eldest brother is very capable..."
Seeing that the Third Prince was opposed by Zhang Shou and Zhu Ying one after another, his face turned red for a moment, but he still refused to give up. Zhu Ying, as always, habitually pushed the difficult things to his eldest brother. The emperor couldn't help but sneered and said, "These cases seem very complicated and troublesome, but if I say, there is no need to investigate or try them at all!"
When he said the last six words, the smile on his face disappeared, and he looked murderous. It was the first time that Zhang Shou had seen such an angry emperor, but Zhu Ying had seen such an emperor before. She immediately grabbed Zhang Shou's hand without thinking, and her fingers quickly drew the word "be careful" on Zhang Shou's palm.
At a time like this, even if it was her, she would never beg for mercy or interrupt without considering her own abilities!
"The Nine Chapter Hall was finally evacuated from the disturbance in the Imperial College. Yingying and Zhang Chen have already verified that it was the outer court of the Imperial College who did it. The academic officials of the Imperial College have also been punished. In this case, Lü Chan, who is in charge of the outer court, will be demoted to Fengyu and temporarily in charge of the outer court. However, he must be punished with 20 strokes of the cane! All those involved in this matter, including Lü Chan, will be sent to guard the imperial mausoleum!"
Seeing Lü Chan kneeling down with a pale face to thank him, the emperor said slowly, "Whether it's Chu Kuan or the others, they have been in the Imperial Household Department for at least a dozen years, or as many as twenty or thirty years. In the past, they were considered to have made great contributions, but now there are so many impeachments from the outside world that I can't just blindly protect you. Chu Kuan, from today on, you have to hand over the seal of the Imperial Household Department and go to Ciqing Palace to serve the prince!"
