Chapter 688 The Dispute at the Morning Court
At dawn, civil and military officials entered the palace.
High-ranking officials could enter the palace to participate in important state affairs, while minor officials would stand outside the palace to listen, and were basically not qualified to speak.
Cheng Zhao stood outside the hall, quietly listening to the sounds coming from inside.
The ministers took turns reporting on major current issues, from people's livelihoods to taxation, from domestic affairs to foreign policy...
After that, the Imperial Censor stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to report."
The emperor raised his hand and made a gesture of permission.
“In the past few days, news of the Yangzhou incident has reached the capital, and I’m sure His Majesty has heard of it.” Imperial Censor Liu lowered his head, his voice firm and resolute. “The Yangzhou Prefectural Magistrate, He Tongji, is suspected of murder, but the Yangzhou Prefectural Governor released him without charge after the trial. This has caused a great uproar in Yangzhou, and when it reached the capital, the people there were also furious. I have specially submitted this memorial to inform His Majesty.”
He Hanhai stood among the officials, his face calm, but in his heart he was cursing Imperial Censor Liu to the core.
That Liu fellow is always busy submitting memorials about all sorts of trivial matters, and he likes to meddle in everything, making the He family the target of everyone's criticism.
Fortunately, he had anticipated this incident and had a plan in place.
He Hanhai stepped forward, bowing, and said, “Your Majesty, I have something to say. After this incident, He Tongji wrote to me explaining what happened. He had no grudge against the deceased and had no motive for murder. The death of the so-called witness had nothing to do with him. Rumors are circulating that the murder weapon was engraved with the character ‘He’, which is why the uninformed people believe that He Tongji is the murderer. To investigate this matter, I specially ordered the prefect of Yangzhou to send me a drawing of the murder weapon by express courier. At the same time, I also present the He family’s unique mark. I humbly request Your Majesty’s judgment.”
He knelt down, took out two blueprints from his sleeve, and held them up with both hands. Eunuch Ming quickly went down and respectfully presented the two papers to the emperor.
The He family's exclusive mark is a cursive "He" character with a black background and gold lettering. The lower part of the character has a slightly sharp edge, making it look like a blade, giving it a unique appearance.
The character "贺" on the murder weapon was written in running script, flowing smoothly and elegantly, giving a completely different feeling from the He family's mark.
"Your Majesty, you are wise. This matter has absolutely nothing to do with the He family." He Hanhai kowtowed to the ground. "If the He family's collateral branches were truly acting as accomplices in Yangzhou, I would have already offered my apologies before Censor Liu even had a chance to report it. The He family has served as officials for three generations, and they are honest and upright. They would never dare to do anything against the law. This is clearly a deliberate frame-up by someone, Your Majesty!"
The emperor's gaze was indifferent: "Then, according to Minister He, who framed your He family?"
"Yes, yes..." He Hanhai dared not raise his head, stammering, "This humble subject dares not make any presumptuous guesses."
Just then, a young voice rang out from outside the main hall.
"Lord He is implying that the person who framed the He family is Lady Sui, isn't he?"
People inside the hall all looked outside and saw Cheng Zhao step forward, kneeling on the marble floor in the center, holding a memorial in his hands, his eyes slightly lowered, his face calm and composed.
The ministers present all knew that this man was a compiler in the Hanlin Academy and also the nephew of Lady Sui.
Someone in the hall was secretly trying to smear Consort Sui, and her nephew couldn't help but step forward to speak out, which they considered perfectly reasonable.
Cheng Zhao continued, “As a seventh-rank official, I cannot submit a memorial unless it is of utmost importance. However, Lord He has openly and blatantly wronged Consort Sui. If I were to stand idly by, I would be unworthy to be his nephew. Therefore, I have dared to submit this memorial and beg Your Majesty’s forgiveness!”
The emperor had actually heard about the Yangzhou incident yesterday. There were far too many such cases among the people; if he were to intervene in each one, he would never have a moment's peace.
But since Imperial Censor Liu has brought this to his attention, he must provide a solution.
The emperor said calmly, "Summon Minister Cheng to the palace."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Cheng Zhao rose from the ground, bowed, and entered the main hall, kneeling at the lower end of the table. "The matter in Yangzhou actually stemmed from the mantis shrimp. Last year, Consort Sui presented a thousand catties of mantis shrimp to the capital as tribute. All the nobles in the palace ate some, and no one felt unwell. This means that this year's mantis shrimp was problematic; someone maliciously poisoned them. Consort Sui, concerned for the people, personally went to Yangzhou to handle the matter. First, she stayed up all night treating the patients. Then, she burned forty thousand catties of mantis shrimp outside Yangzhou. Consort Sui's negligence caused serious consequences. Therefore, Consort Sui is doing her best to make amends, striving to be worthy of her conscience, the people, and the trust of the Emperor and Empress..."
"But then, someone secretly caused trouble and killed two innocent lives. People say that the He family did it, but the He family believes that Sui Shuren deliberately framed them."
At this point, Cheng Zhao boldly raised his head.
"As Consort Sui's nephew, I cannot show favoritism towards her. Therefore, I humbly request Your Majesty to send someone to Yangzhou to thoroughly investigate this case. First, to find out who poisoned the people, nearly causing the deaths of millions. Second, to find out who the murderer is... to clear the He family's name and, at the same time, to give Consort Sui justice!"
Lord Lin immediately stepped forward: "Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, it is indeed appropriate to send someone to Yangzhou to investigate thoroughly in order to appease public grievances."
Lord Zhang then submitted a memorial stating, "If the common people believe that officials are protecting each other in this matter, it will severely damage the reputation of officials. This matter must be investigated, and thoroughly investigated!"
He Hanhai gritted his teeth and presented evidence related to the He family. Logically, the matter should have been dropped and the Yangzhou prefect should have continued the investigation.
But with Cheng Zhao taking the lead, and these old fogies putting pressure on the Emperor, the Emperor will definitely send someone from the Dali Temple to investigate the case. If the investigation starts from the beginning, many things about the He family will be exposed...
He secretly gave a look to the others on the He family's side.
Just as those officials of the third and fourth ranks were about to step forward to speak, the emperor spoke up: "Yangzhou is the premier commercial city. If the reputation of its magistrate is ruined, it will indeed cause public resentment. Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, make your preparations and set off for Yangzhou tonight. I will give you a month to thoroughly investigate this matter and give the people an explanation!"
The Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, a third-rank official, stepped forward and loudly proclaimed, "Your humble servant obeys the order!"
That's how this matter is settled.
After the morning court session ended, He Hanhai walked to the palace gate with a cold and angry expression. His gaze fell on Cheng Zhao, and he wished he could devour Cheng Zhao alive. However, he did nothing, turned his hand and got into the carriage, which slowly drove away.
Cheng Zhao's eyes were filled with coldness. He didn't know what the He family was going to do next, but he was fully prepared.
“Brother Cheng, you’re being too impulsive.” Zheng Wangfeng walked over to him, his face full of disapproval. “Your second aunt has the ability to challenge the He family. Why are you, a mere seventh-rank official, getting involved? Aren’t you afraid that the He family will secretly trip you up and make it impossible for you to stay in the capital?”
Cheng Zhao looked at his former classmate and said slowly, "Brother Zheng, I advise you to get off the He family's ship as soon as possible. If you are late, it may be too late."
Zheng Wangfeng frowned: "Why?"
“Intuition,” Cheng Zhao said quietly. “You’ve just gotten married, and your wife is pregnant. There are some things you have to be careful about.”
In the spring, Zheng Wangfeng got married to the second daughter of a fourth-rank official. The He family acted as matchmakers, and the wedding was a grand affair.
His wife's family had some ties to the He family, and he couldn't completely sever those ties... The key point was that he didn't think the He family would be in trouble...
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