Jiuxi

Chapter 387 Chapter 385 [My buttocks]

There was a lot of excitement and a lot of noise.

This kind of grand occasion has not happened in Da Qi court for many years.

The officials who impeached Lu Chen came from various yamen in the imperial court. The scope of involvement was unprecedented. Even the Hanlin Academy and the Imperial College, which were recognized as noble yamen, had people come forward. It can be seen that Lu Chen's behavior of arresting officials yesterday has completely aroused Aroused public outrage.

They accused Lu Chen of various crimes, either criticizing his arrogant temperament and acting recklessly, or accusing him of abusing his power and causing wanton implicating others. What's more, they fished in troubled waters and accused him of being a powerful warrior and colluding with the prince and prince, and he was suspected of being disobedient.

Such a situation, not to mention Lu Chen, a newcomer who had just entered the officialdom of the capital, but also senior bureaucrats such as the Six Ministers who had been working in the court for decades would feel great pressure.

It can be said to be a target of public criticism.

Led by Ding Hui, Minister of the Ministry of War, more than twenty courtiers stood upright in the center of the hall, as if the emperor would not give up until Lu Chen was punished.

Normally, when a court official is impeached, he must defend himself. In serious cases, he may have to suspend his duties and return to the government to reflect on himself.

Everyone looked at Lu Chen who was standing in the second row of Wu Xun. However, before Lu Chen could open his mouth to defend himself, the emperor on the dragon throne spoke first.

This young prince, who had been accused by thousands of people, should have defended himself with fear at this moment. If he had a wink, he should have taken the initiative to resign. However, Lu Chen not only did not do so, but instead preached calmly, with no trace of panic on his face, as if Those impeachments mean nothing to him.

However, Li Duan didn't give them a chance to display their talents at all, and moved directly to another topic.

Ding Hui, the Minister of War, moved his lips. Of course he knew the emperor's intentions, but he had no reason to refute. After all, the emperor just wanted to solve the Hou Yu case first, not ignore their impeachment.

"Hou Yu was born in the Hou family of Dehua and was originally a member of a high-ranking family. Through his family connections, he built a solid network of relationships in the capital and used gold and silver to seal the mouths of these people. For example, the current Ministry of War Chen Xincai, the right assistant minister, was in charge of the military merit assessment at that time. Yu Shouwen, the general secretary of the Privy Council, Wei Jixiang, the director of the examination and sealing department of the Ministry of Personnel, and Qiao Wendian, the director of the Information and Appraisal Office of the Ministry of Industry, and others. These people are colluding with each other. Deception and help Hou Yu cover up the truth of the matter."

It is difficult to describe the mood of more than twenty courtiers in words.

Li Duan looked around the hall and said in a slower tone: "Lu Chen."

More than twenty courtiers came forward to impeach. This was almost a major event that could shake the country. In the eyes of the emperor, it was just "lively"?
Li Duan didn't think there was anything wrong with his choice of words. He looked around the ministers indifferently and said calmly: "I already know about the impeachment of Shanyang Marquis by the nobles. Before discussing this matter, I want to say something first Let’s talk about the case of Hou Yu, the Marquis of Nan’an.”

Other ministers also understand this.

Li Duandao: "You are the imperial envoy investigating Hou Yu's case. It is up to you to introduce the details of this case to all the ministers."

The emperor's first words made many important ministers' expressions change slightly.

"The minister obeys the order."

If Li Duan accepts the impeachment of these courtiers, even if he sides with Lu Chen, he will be unable to argue.

Lu Chen bowed his hands, turned to look at the courtiers who were impeaching him, and said unhurriedly: "With the help of the information provided by Luo Jiujiu, the daughter of the Yalong leader in Shazhou, the investigation experts from Dali Temple, the Ministry of Punishment, and the Sutra Weaving Department Through joint cooperation and the overnight interrogation of relevant persons last night, the truth of Hou Yu's case has now come to light. In accordance with His Majesty's order, I will now explain the details to all your lords."

Lu Chen continued: "In the third year of Jianwu, Hou Yu was promoted to the rank of captain of the Qingjiang Army of the Chengzhou Dudufu. In July of that year, he bribed Chen Zhixun, then the Marching Sima of the Chengzhou Dudufu, to cross the border in the name of leading the army to inspect the border. Yunling, he attacked a small village of Yalong tribe on the west side of Yunling, killed more than 200 people, cut off the heads of these Shazhou people and lied about military merit, pretending that they were Shazhou native soldiers he discovered during his inspection. Afterwards, With more than two hundred heads, Hou Yu was promoted to captain of the Qingjiang Army."

"It's so lively."

This is obviously out of common sense.

Lu Chen came out of class and said, "I'm here."

The courtiers couldn't keep up with Lu Chen when it came to leading troops in battles and courting horses, but when it came to quoting scriptures and quarreling with each other, the emperor was no match for them even if he was full of mouth.

"From the fifth year of Jianwu to the eighth year of Jianwu, Hou Yu's ambitions grew bigger and bigger. He ignored the appeasement policy formulated by the imperial court and regarded the originally peaceful Shazhou people as a ladder to climb up. He personally He led troops or sent trusted generals to attack and kill the various tribes in Shazhou. When the Shazhou native soldiers could no longer bear to fight back, he would naturally report to the imperial court that the other side had invaded the border, and then rely on repelling the Shazhou native soldiers to gain military exploits."

"In June of the fourth year of Jianwu, Hou Yu repeated his old tricks and once again led his troops across Yunling to attack two villages in the Huining tribe of Shazhou and obtained more than 600 Shazhou people's heads. This time he passed Chen Zhisun He colluded with Shi Wangping, the then governor of Chengzhou. The two men helped him polish the battle report and cover up the truth for him. This indiscriminate killing triggered a counterattack by the seven Shazhou tribes, which was the Battle of Quxia in September of that year. In Chengzhou According to the battle report from the Dudu Mansion, this battle was a cross-border raid by Shazhou native soldiers, and the Chengzhou Army bravely and resolutely repelled the enemy. With the merit gained in the battle, Hou Yu successfully became the deputy commander of the Qingjiang Army."

After all, the court is a place of reason, whether it is right or wrong.

"If it hadn't been for the Moyuan assassination case, and if Luo Jiujiu, the daughter of Yalong's leader, hadn't spoken out, both His Majesty and the Manchu ministers would have been kept in the dark. Da Qi is surrounded by enemies on all sides, and Jingguo in the north is eyeing it. Now, The army may move south to invade our country at any time. In this dangerous situation, Hou Yu and others, for their own selfish interests, deceived the emperor, lied about the military situation, and used weapons without permission, putting the safety of the country and the country in danger!"

Lu's sonorous and powerful voice echoed in the hall, and the courtiers who had been eager to impeach him suddenly stopped.

He looked around at everyone, and finally looked at the emperor on the dragon throne, bowed and said: "Your Majesty, the Sutra Weaving Department has obtained evidence of collusion between Hou Yu and those officials. I sincerely request your Majesty to severely punish these scum who ignore the laws and regulations of the court, correct the chaos, and clean up the moral integrity. !”

The whole hall was silent. Li Duan looked at him steadily, nodded slightly and said, "You did a good job."

Lu Chen lowered his head and said, "Thank you for your compliment, Your Majesty!"

Li Duan did not give a direct response to the Hou Yu case. He looked at the more than twenty courtiers still standing in the center of the hall and said slowly: "Actually, I know that the reason why you want to impeach Lu Chen is because he He arrested more than ten officials with his tone. You have never experienced anything like this before. Whether you are sad for the death of a rabbit or a fox, or you are afraid of being affected, you are desperate to drive Lu Chen out of the court. "

"I can understand this feeling."

These words made Baiguan slightly surprised.

Without it, for the emperor, such a statement would be too direct and inconsistent with the unspoken rules of the court.

Some people wanted to refute, but Li Duan did not give them the chance and continued: "Now you should understand that Lu Chen is just following my instructions to investigate this case thoroughly. Gao Huan."

The emperor's sudden summons made Gao Huan, the Minister of Punishment, slightly startled, and then he came out of his duties and responded: "I am here."

Li Duan narrowed his eyes slightly and asked in a deep voice: "I asked you to send people to assist Lu Chen in investigating the case. I hope those people will report the details to you after they return. I want to ask you, did Lu Chen do anything wrong during the investigation?"

Under the gaze of everyone, Gao Huan felt a chill on his back and replied honestly: "Your Majesty, as far as I know, Shanyang Marquis has not exceeded the rules."

Li Duan nodded slightly and said, "Qi Weili, Wu Zhisheng."

"The minister is here."

The two Dali Temple young ministers responded in unison.

Li Duan asked: "Dali Temple also sent people to assist in the investigation. I want to know if Lu Chen violated the court's laws during the investigation?"

The two looked at each other, and although Qi Weili felt a hundred reluctances, he could only reply: "Your Majesty, no."

"very good."

Li Duan took a deep breath, looked at the ministers, and said solemnly: "Now you all heard clearly? Ding Shangshu of the Ministry of War impeached Lu Chen for abusing his power and wantonly implicating him. What evidence do you have for your slander?"

Ding Hui choked.

He did not expect that he would be the first person targeted by the emperor, so his face turned red and he remained silent.

Li Duan did not pursue him. He slowly stood up from the dragon chair, took a step forward, looked at Han Chang, another important minister, Yushi Zhongcheng, and said in a cold voice: "You are impeaching Lu Chenjiao for being overbearing, ignoring the laws and regulations of the court, and trampling on the court." Regulation. Let me ask you, what has Lu Chen done that violated the law? As the censor, although you have the power to report things based on rumors, you cannot make things up out of thin air. If I can't produce evidence, I will punish you with a false accusation. crime!"

Han Chang was horrified and his face turned pale.

Such a strong statement from the emperor was unheard of and unheard of, and for a moment he didn't know how to respond.

Li Duan took another step forward, his eyes fell on Pei Fangyuan, the director of the Imperial Academy, and said sternly: "You are impeaching Lu Chen for colluding with the prince and having disloyal intentions. It is simply ridiculous! I will tell you now what kind of person Lu Chen is."

"In the past two years, he has grown from a small captain to the current general of the country. It is not because of my preference and casual support, but because of his risking his own life and fighting for the country on the battlefield time and time again. ! If it were you and not him who guarded the border for Da Qi, it would have been you who stood up when Guangling City was in crisis, it was you who was not afraid of risks and risked your own life in the Leize Plain, and it was you who was not trusted by all the ministers in the Manchu Dynasty. When I lead my troops to recapture Heluo, I will also give you the title of Marquis and promote you to the rank of General of the Beijing Army!"

Although the distance was far away, Pei Fangyuan could still feel a strong killing intent coming towards him, almost making him stumble and fall.

Li Duan walked to the edge of the imperial steps, glanced at the ministers in the palace with stern eyes, and said decisively: "I know that you joined forces to impeach and caused a storm in the court. You just want to use this force to force me to surrender and let me general Lu Chen Get out of this court."

"Indeed, similar things have happened countless times in history books, giving you such illusions. After all, the border is now stable and the border troops are getting stronger and stronger. It seems that the enemies in the north do not need to be afraid. And in the capital, in this court On top of that, Hou Yu’s case has been thoroughly investigated, and there seems to be peace and tranquility at home and abroad.”

"At this time, you all attack in groups. As long as I bring Lu Chen out to punish him, everything will calm down and Daqi will return to a peaceful and stable state."

"Many people think this is a sure-fire deal, but I don't agree!"

"Lu Chen is a loyal minister of Da Qi. I will never do anything that makes my relatives happy and my enemies happy!"

At this point, Li Duan paused slightly, and his tone suddenly turned serious: "If anyone wants to use this method to harm Zhongliang, I will kill you!"

(End of this chapter)