Chapter 57 Chapter 57 I have been waiting for this day for a long time
As soon as the memorial from the Northern Pacification Office came out, the censors who had jumped the loudest before were immediately speechless. If they impeached Lord Chen again at this time, wouldn't they be suspected of colluding with the Embroidered Uniform Guard?
Moreover, Chen Lingyi is no pushover. He seized on loopholes in the evidence and exaggerated it. People were only concerned about the false crimes, while few people paid attention to the crimes with real evidence.
At that time, memorials were flying in like snowflakes to appeal for justice for Chen Ge Lao. Of course, there were also voices questioning Chen Ge Lao, and in fact, Liu Jinshu was one of them.
Emperor Hongde found this interesting and called him over to ask, "When did your relationship with Chen Ling'an improve?"
Liu Jinshu replied, "Your Majesty, are you referring to my impeachment of Lord Chen? I submitted the memorial because I believed Lord Chen was indeed at fault, not to defend Chen Ling'an. Furthermore, Chen Ling'an's memorial contained many inaccuracies, and I impeached him as well."
Emperor Hongde pondered for a moment, then waved his hand and told Lü Liang to move the pile of memorials. "Forget it. I don't want to bother with their verbal battles. The money for dredging the Huitong River has yet to be found, the Grand Canal is blocked, and grain transportation is struggling. They're trying to stay away from these issues."
Liu Jinshu lowered his head and said nothing. Although the emperor did not say it explicitly, his intention to move north had already been revealed, and dredging the river also had this intention.
But since the founding of this dynasty, Nanjing has been the capital and the center of power. Once they move north, the southern gentry will inevitably be far away from the center of power, which is definitely not what they want to see.
Whenever the emperor brought it up, except for a few officials from the north who agreed, the rest either opposed it or remained silent.
Therefore, the dredging of the river was delayed again and again and could never be carried out.
He was used to life in the south and was reluctant to move north, but now he was somewhat curious about the north - what kind of land could give birth to a girl like her?
As if by some strange coincidence, Liu Jinshu said, "If we squeeze a little, there will still be some money."
Emperor Hongde's eyes suddenly brightened, "Tell me in detail."
Liu Jinshu picked out a few insignificant things to say, then thought for a moment and added, "I'm not working at the Ministry of Revenue, so these are just hearsay. It would be better if the heads of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works discussed a set of rules with the Cabinet, and then asked the Emperor to make the final decision."
Emperor Hongde was just worried about not having enough money, and when he heard this, he became a little restless and said, "Follow me to Wenyuan Pavilion."
Liu Jinshu reminded the emperor, "It's past the time to leave the court."
Emperor Hongde looked at the dark night sky outside the palace and laughed to himself, "I was so busy that I forgot the time. Even if I dragged you along, you wouldn't have had any free time, Lu Liang, and you didn't even remind me."
Lu Liang bowed and smiled, asking the emperor if he wanted to have dinner.
"No." Perhaps because the money had come from somewhere, Emperor Hongde seemed to be in high spirits. "Let's go to Chen Shao's house and have a meal."
The king and his minister changed into casual clothes and quietly came to Chenjia Lane under the escort of secret guards.
The doorman did not recognize Emperor Hongde, but only Liu Jinshu, and said with a smile, "Master Liu, it is really unfortunate that you have come. My elder and younger elders are not here."
Liu Jinshu asked, "Where has the elder gone? I will go look for him myself."
The doorman said embarrassedly, "I don't know, but the young master told me before he left that unless it was a major event, don't go looking for them."
Liu Jinshu went to see Emperor Hongde, and seeing that he still showed no sign of leaving, he said, "I still owe you an article, Second Young Master, and I happen to be free today. You wouldn't say he's out, would you?"
"No, no..." The doorman nodded and invited them in, and ordered the servant to inform them immediately.
Emperor Hongde followed the servant who led the way inside and saw precious vases and tripods, and elegant windows, which showed the luxury and nobility of a wealthy family everywhere. Even the maids were dressed in silk and satin, and were more respectable than the palace maids.
He frowned slightly.
Not long after arriving at the study, the second young master Chen arrived. He was born with a leg disease and could not enter the officialdom, so he became a rich and idle man at home, and therefore did not know the emperor.
The second son appeared kind and gentle, a complete contrast to his brother Chen Lingyi. Despite the deepening rift between the Chen and Liu families, it did not affect his admiration for Liu Jin's books. Moreover, he showed no disrespect to Emperor Hongde, a distant relative of the Liu family.
He was also a smart man. After chatting about the article for a while, he realized that they were not interested in that. Without waiting for Liu Jinshu to bring it up, he said that he had not eaten yet and asked the two of them to do him the honor.
Dinner was served quickly. It was all home-cooked dishes. It was neither luxurious nor shabby. It looked like an ordinary meal for a middle-class family.
After the meal, the servants brought over tea. Emperor Hongde took a sip and found it was Mingqian Longjing.
Emperor Hongde put down his teacup and nodded slightly to Liu Jinshu. Liu Jinshu understood and stood up to say goodbye.
The second young master walked all the way to the gate and wanted to go further, but Liu Jinshu persuaded him to stop. However, he still stood in front of the door until he could no longer see the two people's figures, and then turned back.
But he turned around, his face darkened, and he questioned the manager, "I asked you to serve last year's old tea, but you actually served new tea!"
The steward replied tremblingly, "There's no old tea left. A few days ago, the master replaced the tea used by all the masters with this year's newly picked tea leaves."
"The master doesn't have it, and you don't have it either? The entire Chen family can't find two taels of old tea?"
"How dare you let the master drink our tea! If the master knew, he would skin me alive."
"You..." The second young master hesitated and waved his hand dejectedly, "Forget it, no matter how much you try to cover it up, it won't escape his eyes. Go and ask the old master to come back and tell him that the emperor has been here."
The steward was horrified. "The Emperor? The one next to Lord Liu? How did you tell? They don't look like him."
The Second Young Master glanced at him and said, "You can tell that you are the master. Lord Liu treats him with the utmost respect. He never walks in front of him and always checks his eyes before speaking. Who else could he be but the Emperor? Go!"
The manager wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and disappeared into the night like a flash.
The night was pitch black, with its mouth gaping like a monster. There were no stars, no moonlight, only gusts of cold wind rustling through the Chen family's courtyard.
The second young master looked at the dark sky, and suddenly a feeling of uneasiness swept through his heart.
-
Perhaps it was because Chen Ge Lao's disciples and former officials began to take action, and more and more memorials were submitted to protect Chen Ge Lao, and of course, there was no shortage of scolding for Chen Ling'an.
Chen Ling'an had long been accustomed to it and didn't care at all. He only cared about who had not submitted a petition to protect Chen Shao.
"In addition to spreading the news that Chen Shao was wronged, there's also the news that Chen Ling'an was reprimanded by the Emperor, and there are signs that he'll be punished."
Wu Yong understood what he was doing, so he pulled in those people who were sitting on the fence, and asked more people to protect Chen Shao.
As a result, the situation in the court became almost one-sided.
At this time, not to mention Chen Shao, even Chen Lingyi realized that something was wrong, and hurriedly ordered his confidants to stop calling for Chen's protection, and then submitted several memorials to impeach his father.
However, the situation was no longer under their control. Not only was the impeachment letter not submitted, but those people were also ostracized by their colleagues, who accused them of being lackeys of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and forgetting the kindness of their master.
Chen Shao originally wanted to suppress these memorials, but Liu Fang reported them to the emperor before him. The emperor ordered Lu Liang to retrieve these memorials, and Chen Shao could no longer suppress them.
Lu Liang looked at him and sighed, "You have become much more haggard and older recently. You are almost sixty years old. Taking good care of your health is more important than anything else."
Chen Shao said, "It's not that I don't want to, but the burden of this whole family is on my shoulders, and I dare not rest."
Lu Liang smiled and left without saying anything.
Whether they were truly supporting Chen or just pretending to follow the trend, they were all eagerly awaiting the emperor's order. However, those memorials were like a stone sinking into the sea. After half a month, there was no movement at all.
Even Chen Ling'an was getting a little restless. Just when he thought that this matter would end in nothing like the previous ones, the emperor urgently summoned him to the palace late at night.
The decree was simple and clear: Chen Shao had no manners as a subject, disrespected the imperial order, and was corrupt and abused his power, so the Jinyiwei was ordered to investigate and punish him strictly.
When coming out of Fengtian Hall, Chen Ling'an's steps were unsteady. He stumbled when crossing the threshold and almost fell.
He held onto the palace wall, trembling all over, breathing heavily, wanting to cry, wanting to laugh, wanting to yell to the sky and the earth.
It’s been ten years, ten years, has this day finally arrived?
Dad, Mom, Big Brother...
He covered his face with his hands, tears silently streaming through his fingers.
In the corridor not far away, Li Lin was holding a pile of documents and looking at him silently with a compassionate look.
Liu Jinshu called him softly, "It's time to go."
"Your Liu family has also helped a lot." Li Lin suddenly said.
Liu Jinshu couldn't answer.
Li Lin didn't need him to say anything, and continued to speak to himself: "In the three years since I ascended the throne, I've had three Prime Ministers. They were either forced to retire or had a miserable end. Who knows what the next one will end up like? Being an official is good, but it's also bad. You and I are not as open-minded as He Ping on this point."
Liu Jinshu said after a long while: "You don't seem to be praising He Ping, but rather regretting Chen Ling'an."
"Indeed, I feel sorry for him," Li Lin said bluntly. "No matter what mistakes Elder Chen has made, he has served the country well. If the Emperor regrets his actions, or simply to silence public opinion, Chen Ling'an will be held responsible. Elder Liu will be the next Prime Minister. You'll take the benefits, while he'll bear the infamy. Let me be frank: if that day ever comes, I, Li Lin, will speak up for him."
After saying this, he left without waiting for Liu Jinshu to say anything else.
There was no sign of Chen Lingan at the other end of the corridor.
The morning sun shone down, and the scenery in front of him was lying in a special silent silence: the chaotic sky, the golden glazed tiles, and the red palace walls. Liu Jinshu stood quietly in the dim sunlight, and suddenly felt at a loss as to where to go.
The breeze blew by, like a lament.
Chen Lingan directly led his men to surround the Chen family.
Perhaps he had heard the rumors, or perhaps he had expected it, for Chen Lingyi did not go to court. Instead, he took off his robe and loosened his hair, sat in the center of the outer courtyard with a dozen boxes beside him, waiting for Chen Ling'an to arrest him.
"I know the methods of the Imperial Prison. If I frown even once in your hands, I'm not Chen!"
Chen Lingyi's expression was arrogant, without a trace of fear. He patted the box beside him and said, "Take it. The valuables are all here. No need to search through all the boxes and cabinets. Just one rule: do not disturb the Chen family members."
Oh, and he's even giving orders to the Jinyiwei! Wu Yong was about to hit him hard, but then he remembered the complicated relationship between the Chen family and his boss, and he shut his mouth again.
Chen Ling'an sneered, "Do you still think you're the respected young minister? Come on, search the outer courtyard and the inner house thoroughly. Don't miss a single piece of evidence."
Chen Lingyi angrily said, "Chen Ling'an, my mother is still sick, are you trying to force her to death?"
Chen Ling'an had a cold face and said nothing.
Chen Lingyi's voice suddenly became lower and softer. "Don't be like this. I beg you, my mother, my mother... She is the result of my father and I. Please at least consider the way my mother treats your sister..."
Chen Ling'an closed his eyes. "Detain all the female members of the family in the main courtyard. Do not use violence. Send a few female officials to search them."
Chen Lingyi finally breathed a sigh of relief, stood up, and said, "You're locking me up with my father. He's old and needs someone to take care of him. You don't want him to die soon, do you?"
"Where is he?"
"Wenyuan Pavilion, why didn't you go there? My father hasn't been dismissed from office yet!"
Chen Lingan turned and left.
What a great guy Chen Shao is! Even at this time, he still dares to sit in the cabinet.
Wenyuan Pavilion was eerily deserted. Apart from the eunuchs guarding the gate, there was not a single official on duty.
The white sun shone through the dark thin clouds, and the high courtyard wall cast a blurry shadow on the ground.
The door creaked open, and when someone came in, a crow flew up with a cry, circled a few times in the air, and landed on the dark eaves, staring at the two people standing and sitting in the room with its bright black eyes.
Chen Shao wore a black gauze hat and a scarlet official robe embroidered with cranes. He looked at Chen Ling'an solemnly. It didn't look like he was being tried, but rather like he was interrogating him.
"I've been waiting for you for a long time." He said, "Sit down, I have something to tell you."
Chen Ling'an tried his best to calm his pounding heart, his fists clenched with sweat. "If you have something to say, go to the Imperial Prison and tell it to me, Uncle. I've been waiting for this day for a long time."
Chen Shao smiled faintly, "Why did your father commit suicide? Do you want to hear it?"
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