Chapter 47 Entering the Palace

When Shen Yu got up the next morning, she was told by the guards that Xie Tingzhou had arranged a courtyard for him.

"Am I the only one living here?" Shen Yu asked in surprise.

I can't figure out what Xie Tingzhou was thinking, why he suddenly arranged such a good yard for her.

The guard said: "This is what the captain of the guard told me. Everything in the house is ready. Don't worry."

Shen Yu thought to herself that this place was located at the east gate of the palace, so far away from Xie Tingzhou's courtyard. Could it be that she had been exiled by him? As soon as she comes back, throw her as far as she can.

Before he could figure it out, the guard was about to leave.

"Wait a minute," Shen Yu called to him, put on a smile and said, "Brother, I wonder how my rotation is arranged?"

The guard said: "I don't know about that. The captain of the guard went into the palace with His Highness. Why don't you take a rest and wait until they come back?"

Shen Yu nodded, "Thank you, brother."

The guards left and Shen Yu fell into deep thought.

When Xie Tingzhou comes to Beijing, he will definitely go to the palace to meet the saint, and when he enters the palace, he will definitely mention the Yanliangguan case.

Emperor Tongxu had just come down from court and summoned Xie Tingzhou in Xuanhui Hall, along with several cabinet ministers.

"Sit down," Emperor Tongxu said, "I haven't seen Tengzhou in a few years. The last time I saw him was when you were recovering from a serious injury, right?"

"Yes." Xie Tingzhou said.

That year he was seriously injured on the battlefield, and Emperor Tongxu sent an imperial doctor from Beijing to Beilin to treat him.

The imperial doctor reported truthfully after returning to the capital, but Emperor Tongxu was suspicious by nature and summoned Xie Tingzhou into the capital, who was still seriously injured.

The euphemistic claim is that famous doctors in Beijing and China offer many convenient treatments, but in reality, I just want to see it for myself to confirm.

"The spirit seems to be better than that year." Emperor Tongxu said.

Xie Tingzhou said respectfully: "I have been looking for famous doctors in the past few years, and I just saved my life."

Emperor Tongxu was old, and his face was covered with wrinkles. Only his eyes were still very energetic, and he looked at people with the majesty of a superior.

"It's a pity. I still remember that when you were thirteen years old, you went to Beijing with your father, and happened to meet Chunsou (sōu). Your superb archery skills surpassed all my generals."

Recalling the past, Emperor Tongxu seemed a little happy.

Xie Tingzhou was well aware of the temptation hidden under the calm greetings, so he just changed the subject, "Your Majesty is too complimentary. That's because I was lucky. General Shen happened to be away from the capital, otherwise the lottery would not have been my turn."

Mentioning Shen Zhongan, everyone couldn't help but think of the Yanliangguan case, and the atmosphere suddenly became silent.

This is something that needs to be reported to Japan today, otherwise Emperor Tongxu would not have summoned several cabinet ministers together.

Emperor Tongxu said in a deep voice: "You have made great contributions to rescuing Yanliang Pass, and you should be heavily rewarded. However, we will discuss this matter later. Tell us exactly what you saw at Yanliang Pass."

After Xie Tingzhou finished speaking, Emperor Tongxu was so angry that he slapped the table.

"Did you all hear this? Check it out for me! How can Liang Jianfang, a small supervisor, have such courage? There must be someone behind it. I want to see who has such courage!"

Emperor Tongxu gasped for breath, and several cabinet ministers repeatedly called on His Majesty to take care of himself.

Defu quickly brought a cup of tea and put it on Emperor Tongxu's back.

Emperor Tongxu took a sip of tea and calmed down, "What do you guys say?"

Wen Hongyuan, Minister of the Ministry of War, said solemnly: "But now that Liang Jianfang is dead, where should we start?"

Liu Cheng, the second assistant to the cabinet, said: "In my opinion, it is better to investigate from the death of Liang Jianfang. The prince had 100,000 troops. He knew that Liang Jianfang was a major criminal, so why did he only send 2,000 people to Beijing and slow down the whole journey? Didn't he put Liang Jianfang's head on display? What is it for people?”

Xie Tingzhou sneered in his heart.

The implication of this was that he and the people behind the Yanliangguan case were in the same group, and Liang Jianfang was left to be killed by them.

If he brings more than 3,000 troops to Beijing privately, what awaits him may not be hot tea at this moment, but shackles.

Xuanhui Hall was silent for a while.

The emperor's heart is unpredictable, and several ministers were not sure what Emperor Tongxu meant. Even if they felt that his words were biased, they did not immediately refute him.

Xie Tingzhou looked at the expressions of everyone in the hall and said slowly: "Tingzhou has no official position, so you should not speak when you are here, but now that I am involved, I have to say a few words. There are many directions for starting. For example, where did the food and salary collected by the Ministry of Revenue go? Or where did the three urgent reports sent by General Shen go? "

"Wait a minute." Wen Hongyuan, Minister of War, said seriously: "Your Highness said that General Shen sent out urgent reports three times. Is there any evidence?"

Xie Tingzhou said calmly: "Of course there is a witness."

Wen Hongyuan said seriously: "The Ministry of War has not received an emergency report. Which joint is the problem?"

"That's a coincidence," Xie Tingzhou smiled, "It seems that Mr. Wen is also involved like me."

Wen Hongyuan lifted his robe and knelt down, "Your Majesty, I have absolutely no different intentions. Please investigate thoroughly and give me justice."

Emperor Tongxu lowered his eyelids and stared down at him, his expression gloomy.

Just a few sentences implicated both the military department and the chief minister of the cabinet, but Xie Tingzhou was right, this was indeed an issue that required strict investigation.

Emperor Tongxu looked at the upper right corner and said, "Yuan Qing, what do you say?"

Jiang Yuanqing, the first assistant who had not spoken for a long time, said slowly: "I dare not speak nonsense. Jiang Ji is the Minister of Household Affairs, so he is involved. I should avoid suspicion."

Jiang Ji, named Lianzhi, is the direct grandson of Jiang Yuanqing.

Emperor Tongxu snorted coldly and looked at Liu Cheng who had spoken rashly before, "It seems like no one can tell the reason?"

Liu Cheng was sweating profusely. He originally just wanted to implicate Xie Tingzhou, but he didn't expect that his few words would implicate many important officials. He offended people this time.

According to Xie Tingzhou, if the investigation continued like this, none of the six ministries would be cleared, and the court would be in turmoil.

Xie Tingzhou said calmly: "That's not the case. I haven't finished what I said just now."

He looked at the people in the hall, "There is another simplest way, which is to pry open Liang Jianfang's mouth."

Emperor Tongxu said: "Can a dead person get up and identify him?"

"The dead can't speak, but the living can."

Jiang Yuanqing sat up straight, "From what your highness said..."

"That's right," Xie Tingzhou looked at him, "Liang Jianfang is still alive."

The hall was in an uproar in an instant.

Emperor Tongxu asked, "Where is Liang Jianfang now?"

Xie Tingzhou said, "In my palace. Your Majesty can send someone to the palace to pick him up at any time."

Emperor Tongxu leaned back and listened to Wen Hongyuan asking, "Didn't the report sent to the capital say that the person had been smashed to death?"

Xie Tingzhou bowed his head slightly, "If not, Liang Jianfang would not be able to enter the capital. In an emergency, I will take the initiative. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."

Emperor Tongxu waved his hand, "Let's not talk about this for now, Defu."

Defu bowed, "Your servant is here."

"Pass on my order, the Dali Temple, the Ministry of Justice and the Supervisory Office will jointly try the case, and the Jinyiwei will assist in the investigation."

The Jinyiwei is directly under Emperor Tongxu and is Emperor Tongxu's knife. It cannot be fake.

This matter is serious, and Emperor Tongxu does not trust anyone.

① Spring search: the custom of the ancient emperor or princes to hunt in spring; the four seasons of hunting are spring search, summer seedlings, autumn hunting, and winter hunting.