kvmb Chapter 132: All Executed
Chapter 132: All Executed
Chapter 132 All Executed
No one expected things to turn out this way.
Originally they all thought that this meeting was about Wang Yun's matter, but they didn't expect that these people from the Three Dukes' Mansion would appear here.
What they didn't expect was that this young emperor who hardly ever left the palace had already investigated them so thoroughly!
Qiao Zheng and others were terrified. How could they have known that the emperor knew so much about such a secret matter!
Qiao Zheng's expression changed and his hands trembled. The emperor's sudden attack caught him off guard.
"We are guilty of our crimes, please forgive us, Your Majesty!"
Qiao was thinking of a countermeasure when some people behind him fell to the ground in fear and apologized.
Liu Bian stared at Qiao Zheng coldly and said, "Pick it up and show it to me!"
Qiao Zheng was looking at the scattered memorials on the ground, vaguely seeing the names of Zhang Rang and others, his heart shuddered, his face turned pale, he knelt down with a thud, unable to utter a word.
Only then did he realize that the court would not pursue the eunuch party's followers, but that did not mean that the court had no evidence of people buying official positions from the eunuch party!
Yang Biao, Wang Yun, Dong Zhuo and others sat upright with their heads down, and their expressions could not be seen.
Zhong Yao, Li Ru, Liu Biao and the others were secretly shocked. They knew nothing about so many things!
"Somebody come!"
Liu Bian snorted coldly and said, "Drag him out and throw him into death row!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the guards rushed in and tried to arrest them.
"Your Majesty, spare your life, Your Majesty, spare your life!"
"Your Majesty, I was forced. It was all Qiao Zheng who forced me..."
"Your Majesty, I am innocent. I did not participate..."
"Your Majesty, I know my crime, please spare my life..."
"Step aside!"
Suddenly, a white-haired old man in his fifties struggled to break free from the guards, stood up, and shouted at Liu Bian, "Wang Yun messed up the government, killed censors, and forced orphans and widows to death. Your Majesty has not investigated the matter, but has brought up old cases. I refuse to accept this!"
Another middle-aged man broke free from the guards, with a sad face, and said generously: "I was just deceived, and I didn't commit any crime. Since your majesty ascended the throne, you have favored treacherous officials and distanced yourself from honest officials, disrupting the court order, and the loyal and good are worried! Today, I am willing to die to advise your majesty to change your ways, eliminate the treacherous officials, and clear up the court!"
As he said this, he was about to crash into the pillar beside him.
The guard grabbed him and pinned him to the ground.
Yang Biao, Wang Yun and others changed color. If someone really died in public in the Jiade Hall, then the current emperor would be labeled a "tyrant" who "died for his loyal ministers' advice".
"Pull it out!"
Liu Bian would never be frightened by such a trick, and said coldly: "Let him hit you somewhere where there is no one, and bury him on the spot if he dies!"
The guards dragged more than thirty people out without saying a word.
A crowd of people wailed and shouted for mercy.
Liu Bian sat upright, his eyes sweeping over the court officials on both sides.
These people bowed their heads and dared not speak.
Inside the hall, it was as quiet as if no one was there.
Liu Bian's gaze moved around and fell on Zuo Li.
Zuo Li understood, quietly stepped back, and walked out through the side door.
Liu Bian watched the eunuch collect the scattered memorials on the ground and said calmly, "Let's talk about cutting redundant officials."
The ministers remained expressionless, their eyes vaguely focused on Wang Yun.
"Wang Yun murdered Yin Tong and forced his family to death, so he won't be held accountable?" Many people thought to themselves.
This kind of thing cannot be suppressed. Even if His Majesty the Emperor does not pursue it, the gossips of the court and the public will drown Wang Yun!
Wang Yun was depressed and depressed. He raised his hand and said, "Your Majesty, it is expected that 200 people will be laid off today. It will take ten days, and the total number of layoffs will be 1,921. The decision will be finalized before the end of the year."
Liu Bian nodded and said, "You all have heard it. I hope you can work together, eliminate interference, focus on state affairs, and put aside your various thoughts."
Looking at Liu Bian's calm expression and his intimidating tone, all the court officials in the hall felt inexplicably awe-inspiring.
This young Majesty is becoming more and more majestic.
"I will receive the order."
The people here all understand the 'big picture', know how the wind is blowing, and raise their hands respectfully.
Liu Bian looked back and forth at Yang Biao, Wang Yun, and Dong Zhuo, and said, "I will hand over the salt administration to the Li Cao and Hu Cao to jointly implement it. What do you think?"
"I obey your order." Yang Biao raised his hand and said. He wanted to push all the things out, not to mention that the salt administration would stir up a hornet's nest.
The others followed suit and raised their hands, saying, "We obey your orders."
The salt administration has been in preparation for a long time, but now that the wind has blown, no one is willing to take on this thankless job.
"If you all have no objection, then let's do this," Liu Bian said.
Ying Shao has already arrived in Jizhou, and it is just around the corner to control the output of the salt field. Even if Liu Yan in Yizhou is disobedient, without Liu Bian's nod, Yizhou's salt cannot enter the seven northern states!
It's time to raise the salt tax!
Yang Biao took advantage of the situation, raised his hand, and said solemnly: "Your Majesty, regarding the matter of Zuo Pushe, I think we must carefully investigate it and not convict him based on a few words from court officials."
Liu Bian glanced at him and turned to Wang Yun.
Wang Yun didn't expect that Yang Biao would actually comfort him. He bent his body, looked stern, and lowered his eyes.
Suddenly, Zuo Li came in from the side door in small steps, came in front of Liu Bian, bowed, and whispered a few words.
Liu Bian raised his eyebrows. Is there such an unexpected gain?
Zuo Li stepped back quietly and stood beside Liu Bian.
Just as Liu Bian was about to speak, a Zhonghuangmen came in from the other side in a panic. He handed a memorial to Liu Bian and said in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, this is the memorial that the Shangshutai just received."
Liu Bian's expression remained unchanged. He reached out to take it, opened it and just glanced at it. His eyes suddenly changed and became as sharp as a knife.
This was Yin Tong's memorial, in which he directly criticized Liu Bian: he was unfilial to his grandmother, abandoned her to the mountains, favored treacherous ministers, killed court officials, frightened upright ministers, made scholars worried, the world was in turmoil, and the country was about to be destroyed, etc.
"What a courage!"
Liu Bian's eyes were cold as he looked up into the hall.
The court officials in the hall were still in a daze and had not yet recovered from the incident with Qiao Zheng and Wang Yun. Seeing Liu Bian's expression, they couldn't help but be secretly frightened.
What happened again?
Liu Bian suppressed his anger, took a deep breath, looked at the eunuch, and said, "Does anyone else know about this memorial?"
The eunuch lowered his head, his face slightly pale, and said, "The officer on duty at the household department and I."
Liu Bian nodded, regained his composure, and handed the memorial to Zuo Li.
Zuo Li met Liu Bian's murderous gaze with a tense expression. He accepted it silently and quietly retreated.
Liu Bian sat up straight, turned to the courtiers, and said in a loud voice with a smile on his face: "Qiao Zheng and others confessed that they were the ones who poisoned Yin Tong, forced Yin Tong's wife to death, and framed Wang Qing's family."
All the ministers looked at Liu Bian, with confusion written all over their faces.
Qiao Zheng and others framed Wang Yun? What a coincidence?
Besides, Your Majesty should be happy that Wang Yun was cleared. Why did he have that expression just now?
What did that memorial say?
Liu Bian glanced at the crowd again, then suddenly stood up and said, "Qiao Zheng and the others will all be executed. This is the end of today."
"Dismiss the court." Pan Yin shouted loudly and quickly followed Liu Bian out of the side door.
More than thirty people are waiting at the execution bridge!
The court officials looked at Liu Bian's back with horror, and their hearts were filled with shock and doubt.
The originally expected Wang Yun being convicted and imprisoned did not happen. Instead, a man named Qiao Zheng emerged and cleared Wang Yun's name.
Even after Liu Bian had been gone for a long time, the Jiade Hall was still quiet. No one spoke, and no one left.
Yang Biao had a stern face and looked dignified. He glanced at the crowd and smiled at Wang Yundao: "Master, this is a blessing in disguise. Congratulations."
Wang Yun had a blank expression on his face and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He had been prepared to die, but he never expected that after all the difficulties, he actually had a way to survive!
"Did Qiao Zheng and the others really frame me, or did His Majesty deliberately protect me?"
Wang Yun was unsure, and said to Yang Biao with a stiff face: "Thank you, Prime Minister, for speaking the truth for me."
Yang Biao's fat face trembled, and he said with a smile: "You and I are colleagues, it's only natural."
When He Yong, Zhong Yao and others saw this, they looked at each other secretly.
What happened today happened too suddenly and unexpectedly, leaving them with many confusions.
Especially after His Majesty read the memorial, he executed more than 30 people including Qiao Zheng.
His Majesty has always considered himself to be "lenient and benevolent", but this is the first time that more than 30 people have been executed with just one sentence!
The other court officials were also thinking about this matter and had ignored Wang Yun who was about to fall.
Wang Yun sat there, and it took him a long time to calm down. His eyes swept across the faces of everyone in the hall, cold and indifferent, and he wondered in his mind which other treacherous people were involved in framing him.
"Everyone, what do you think about cutting down on redundant officials?" Wang Yun's voice rang out in the quiet hall.
Everyone's expressions were startled, and many of them unconsciously bowed slightly to Wang Yun with a respectful look on their faces.
More than 30 people are about to be executed. Who dares to say anything about "cutting down redundant officials"?
Yang Biao looked at Wang Yun and suddenly became very alert.
After what happened today, not only did Wang Yun not fall, but his position became more stable and his power increased greatly!
Wang Yun saw that no one said anything, so he turned to Yang Biao and asked, "Prime Minister, what do you mean?"
Yang Biao immediately looked friendly and said with a smile: "Master Zi, do as you wish. Once you have drawn up the proposal, ask me to stamp it."
Wang Yun remained calm and asked, "What's going on at the Shangshutai?"
Yang Biao stood up and said with a smile to the crowd, "Everyone, let's discuss matters at the Shangshutai."
Following Yang Biao, Wang Yun stood up, and the others followed suit, quietly looking at the familiar people, instead of gathering in groups of three or four to discuss as they did in the past.
He Yong and Zhong Yao had just left the Jiade Hall. The two of them walked together, away from the crowd.
He Yong asked, "Zhong Tingwei, tell me, are they really Qiao Zheng and others?"
Zhong Yao said: "It doesn't matter whether it is true or not."
He Yong understood and was thinking about Liu Bian's expression when he read the memorial. He clearly felt the murderous intent in Liu Bian's eyes.
He Yong's relationship with Liu Bian was not as close as Xun You's, so he did not have the courage to ask, and he always felt uneasy.
"Minister Xun, are you going back to Beijing soon?" He Yong asked.
Zhong Yao nodded and said, "I received his letter yesterday. I think it will be in the next day or two."
He Yong hummed, still thinking.
He found that without Xun You, the Six Ministries had lost their backbone, and everything went wrong and it was difficult to make a decision.
Speaking of which, although the Shangshutai seems peaceful now, in fact, there are factions everywhere and the gaps are clearly visible.
Although Yang Biao, as the prime minister, had no cliques or factions, he was the most powerful one invisibly because he was the prime minister after all.
The next one was Wang Yun, who handled most court affairs and was also in charge of the issue of "cutting redundant officials." Everyone in the court and the public had to be polite to him and he was dignified.
Then, there were the Six Caos, headed by Xun You, the Minister of Personnel, and the three Caos were merged into one.
As for the Nine Ministers outside, many are the remnants of the eunuch party and the relatives of the emperor's wife, and their intentions are difficult to predict.
As Zhong Yao and He Yong were talking, they came to the meeting room of the Secretariat. They were startled when they entered the door - King Liu Xie of Bohai was also there.
It was not surprising that Liu Xie was here, as this was decided more than two months ago. What shocked them was that Liu Xie was not sitting aside as usual, but sitting next to Prime Minister Yang Biao!
Not only were they stunned, but everyone else was also confused.
Including Liu Xie himself.
He sat next to Yang Biao. Compared to the fat Yang Biao, Liu Xie looked very thin.
Liu Xie had a tense face and sat upright. Even though he was precocious, he was still very nervous facing the gazes of so many court officials.
He was deeply worried about Liu Bian's arrangement, but he could not resist, so he had to cooperate.
Seeing that everyone had arrived, Yang Biao said solemnly with a sullen face, "Today, we are going to talk about reducing redundant officials. The Shangshutai has set a deadline of ten days. If you have any difficulties, you can speak freely."
No one spoke, most of them pretended to be thoughtful.
More than 30 people including Qiao Zheng were jumping up and down and were about to be executed. Who would dare to say anything?
Yang Biao glanced at Wang Yun, then turned to Liu Xie beside him and said with a smile, "What do you think, Your Highness?"
Liu Xie's expression remained unchanged as he said, "You gentlemen are discussing matters. I am listening to your orders and will not comment on them, nor do I have the power to make decisions. Please feel free to discuss matters, and do not pay attention to me."
Yang Biao blinked his eyes, then smiled and said, "Today's matter ends here. Your Highness, will you come with me to present this to His Majesty?"
Liu Xie looked at him and said, "I will go to the palace to take my grandmother to celebrate the New Year, so I will not go with you, Prime Minister."
Yang Biao's expression remained unchanged, but he was secretly surprised and suspicious in his heart.
Why did they invite Queen Mother Dong into the palace?
Everyone knows that Empress Dowager Dong wanted Liu Xie to succeed to the throne. During the period when the previous emperor passed away, she was the master of the Twelve Eunuchs.
Empress Dowager Dong bears a great responsibility for that palace coup!
Not only Yang Biao was confused, but Wang Yun, Zhong Yao and others were also secretly alert.
At this time, in Yongle Palace.
Empress Dowager He looked sullen and shouted to Liu Bian, "If I don't agree, let that old woman die on the barren mountain!"