readytorunbook Chapter 478: Conquering the Western Frontier
Chapter 478: Conquering the Western Frontier
Chapter 478: Conquering Western Frontier
The collapse of Shuchangguan, which killed and injured dozens of people, caused an uproar in the court and among the people.
Who was the deceased Shujishi?
They are top scholars who have gone through county examinations, prefectural examinations, academy examinations, provincial examinations, metropolitan examinations, palace examinations and imperial examinations. They are almost the most outstanding representatives of talents in recent years.
——But now it has been ruined in this accident!
The voices of accountability and condemnation were endless, and the Ministry of Works, which had once renovated Shuchang Hall, was the first to be hit. The memorials from the Minister of Works, Huo Tingyu, flew into the imperial study like snowflakes.
Emperor Tianqi immediately ordered the three courts to jointly review the collapse of Shuchang Hall, and during the review, ordered Huo Tingyu's son Huo Qingyun to suspend his post as commander of the Imperial Guard.
……
Prince An's Mansion.
"Huo Qingyun was suspended?"
Luo Xiaoran raised her eyebrows slightly, and a hint of coldness flashed across her beautiful eyes, "He really got the chance to settle accounts with the heroes!"
Hearing the sarcasm in his princess' words, Wei An couldn't help but purse his lips tightly, for fear that he would laugh out loud.
Whether it was the liquidation of the Tang family or the suppression of the Lin family's rebellion, Lord Huo made an indelible contribution.
In response, Emperor Tianqi only rewarded Lord Huo with some gold and silver, and conferred an insignificant title on him.
Although the collapse of Shuchang Hall involved the Ministry of Works, and as the Minister of Works, Lord Huo Tingyu could not escape blame, the Emperor Tianqi wanted to implicate others before the matter was investigated clearly. This was really... out of perspective!
"There is another matter that I need to report to the princess."
Prior to this, Wei An had informed Luo Xiaoran of everything that had happened to Sun Qingyuan, Wang Changbo, Du Kongqing and Liu Ang.
"Tell me." Luo Xiaoran, who had been thinking about something with her eyes lowered, raised her eyes and looked at her with a look of great interest.
"When the Shuchang Hall collapsed, it was not yet time for classes, so those buried under the house were the Shujishi who arrived earlier on weekdays. Most of these people came from poor families, and among the Shujishi who were injured or killed, there were not many who came from noble families."
Luo Xiaoran raised the corners of her eyebrows slightly, and said "tsk" in her heart, revealing an expression of "as expected".
"So Wei An, do you think this is a coincidence?"
Wei An was stunned. What the princess meant was...
"My subordinates are going to investigate now!"
"Those pieces of wood are the pillars and beams that support the entire house. Find a way to take a closer look and see if there is anything fishy inside."
……
The reason why houses collapse, apart from natural disasters such as earthquakes that destroy the foundation, is also due to reasons such as unstable wooden frames and unqualified building materials.
There was no unusual movement in the seismometer stored in the Taibu Office, so when everyone pointed the finger at the Ministry of Works, which had renovated the Shuchang Hall, it was not a specific target.
In just two days, a memorial stating the cause of the accident was submitted.
The accident was caused by the pillars of the house being eaten away by insects and ants, which resulted in the breaking of the supporting points of the entire building, leading to the collapse of the house and casualties.
Among them, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works was found to have embezzled money and made huge profits by selling inferior goods as good ones.
The most important thing is that he confessed that everything was instigated by Huo Tingyu, which caused a huge uproar in the court!
It is a serious crime to bite your superior!
Although, he has already been sentenced to death.
The Huo family is descended from heroes who followed Taizu to conquer the world. The current head of the family, Huo Tingyu, was the Minister of Works at the time, but he always kept a low profile in the court. Therefore, half of the court officials believed and half did not believe the testimony of this minister.
There were witnesses but no physical evidence. Even someone as high-ranking as Emperor Tianqi had to consider public opinion and could not easily punish a top official of the imperial court.
Three days later, Huo Qingyun, who had been suspended from his post, walked into the Inspectorate and found Censor Zhang Zheng.
Zhang Zheng is fifty-seven years old this year. He has a thin face and a serious and stern personality. He has served in three dynasties and is a well-known upright old minister.
Three days later, as soon as Zheng Tianbao finished his words "If you have something to report, stand up and report it; if you don't, leave the court", Zhang Zheng stood up.
"Your Majesty, I have something to report."
Emperor Tianqi sat upright on the dragon throne. Ever since the fall of the Lin family, he no longer sat as if his flesh and bones had been torn apart, and the dragon power on his body became more and more prominent.
"There has been new progress regarding the collapse of Shuchang Hall. Your Majesty, please allow me to present the evidence."
There was no expression of surprise on Emperor Tianqi's face. Huo Qingyun's visit to the Inspectorate yesterday had already been reported to him by his spies.
"can."
Afterwards, Zhang Zheng took out a piece of wood cut from the pillar of Shuchang Pavilion and showed it to Emperor Tianqi.
"Your Majesty, please look. The cross section of this pillar is covered with traces of being eaten by insects and ants. Generally speaking, even old wood that is more than ten years old would not be damaged so severely."
"What's even more strange is that all the broken wood has a faint sweet smell, and in the past six months, some Shujishi in the Shuchang Hall have had skin swelling and pain for no reason."
"I have consulted the doctors who treated them, and they all said that these Shujishi were all bitten by some kind of insects and ants."
"Therefore, I can conclude that someone deliberately raised insects and ants in the Shuchang Pavilion, which were eating away the pillars and beams of the house, and was premeditated to kill our Daliang talents!"
As soon as Zhang Zheng said this, all the court officials in the hall showed doubts, and some even stood up to question him directly.
"What Censor Zhang said seems a little unbelievable. I have never heard of any insects or ants that can eat away a piece of wood in just half a year."
"I second the proposal. The Shujishi were bitten by insects and ants because perhaps the Shuchang Hall's fumigation measures were not adequate."
"At that time, Commander Huo led the Imperial Guards to arrive at the Shuchang Pavilion first. The wood had a sweet smell. It was unknown whether it was there before or was newly stained!"
"I also think that Censor Zhang is exaggerating... and is trying to deceive the emperor!"
……
Facing endless doubts and slanders, Zhang Zheng's stern face did not relax in the slightest. He stood firmly at the front of the ministers, his back firm and resolute.
"In Western Xinjiang, there is a species of ant called red-black. These red-black ants like sweets and often build nests in trees. They have extremely poisonous stings. Once a person is stung, the pain is unbearable."
"It has been verified that the pillars and beams of the Shuchang Pavilion were deliberately smeared with honey water, and red and black ants were placed in them to gnaw on them every day."
"I have already caught the man who smeared the honey water, and based on his confession, I also caught a man from Western Xinjiang."
"This person's name is Miao Ling. She is the daughter of Miao Hao, the King of Western Xinjiang, who was raised outside the palace. She is good at making poisons and raising poisonous insects."
"She was the one who deliberately planned the collapse of the Shuchang Hall. She wanted to use such dirty means to harm the talents of Daliang and damage the reputation of our court. She deserves death!"
"I have written a memorial on the relevant confessions and the process of the investigation. Please review it, Your Majesty."
As he spoke, Zhang Zheng took out a memorial from his sleeve. Zheng Tianbao took it and handed it respectfully to Emperor Tianqi.
Emperor Tianqi read the contents carefully, and his originally unfathomable eyes suddenly revealed a raging rage!
"Western Xinjiang is just a tiny place. We have been living in peace for many years. I never thought that they would harbor evil intentions behind the scenes. How despicable!"
"I have decided to send troops to attack the Western Frontier soon to commemorate the Daliang scholars who died in vain!"