The Censorate, above the court, is brightly lit.

Today is a late-night trial, and it is also a preliminary trial.

The chief judge was Zuo Zhengyan Ren Boyu, the jury was You Zhengyan Chen Guan, the attendant censor Chen Shixi and the attendant censor Chen Cisheng. All of them were the chief generals of the old party in the censorship system. If the four of them collapsed, then although the old party would not end there, they would also lose the tools to attack the new party and Zhang Dun and his son.

Looking at the four neatly robed and coated censors sitting upright in the hall, Zhang Yuan, who was a criminal, just smiled faintly, then bowed and said with a smile: "Zhang Yuan, I have met four of you."

"Zhang Yuan," Ren Boyu said in a gloomy tone, "I am hereby ordered to go to the imperial prison to ask about the case, you have to honestly explain it!"

"Okay, okay," Zhang Yuan nodded repeatedly, "Everyone in charge of the officials will tell you, and you will say everything you know!"

True or fake?

The four gentlemen of the old party looked at each other, all looking in disbelief.

Zhang Dun's son was so cowardly that he surrendered without even being scared? Is he really Zhang Dun's species?

You Zhengyan Chen Guan shouted sternly: "There is no joke in the court!"

"The lower official understands that there is no false statement in what the lower official says."

Chen Guan asked: "In the early morning of January 13, 2018, did your father and son send Ji Yi to the Duan Prince's Mansion in an attempt to lead Duan Prince out of the mansion?"

"This is indeed the case." Zhang Yuan said, "It was because the lower officials and sons received secret reports, and the inner palace was suddenly closed by soldiers and isolated from the inside and outside. He knew that the late emperor was about to refuse. That was why Ji Yi was asked to induce King Duan out of the mansion."

The inner palace was closed by the soldiers? It sounds wrong... According to convention, the government should recruit the prime minister and the Hanlin Bachelor (the Hanlin Bachelor drafted the internal system, that is, the imperial edict issued by the Ministry of Menxia Province) to meet and draft the will. How can the inner palace be closed and the soldiers are mobilized? Why is this a bit like a coup in the palace?

"Why did you want to lead the official family out of the palace?" Chen Guan frowned and asked again.

"It is to support King Jian to succeed the throne," Zhang Yuan said word by word, "This is the last emperor's order!"

"It's nonsense!" Ren Boyu slapped his desk suddenly, "Zhang Yuan, you can't talk nonsense in the court!"

"It's not nonsense!" Zhang Yuan said loudly, "If there was no last emperor's will, why would my father have to act like this? Who in Kaifeng Prefecture doesn't know that the Empress Dowager loves Duan deeply? As long as my father discusses the establishment of Duan, the decision-making achievements are at his fingertips!"

This, this, this... it seems like I've stabbed a hornet's nest!

Everyone in the hall, except Zhang Yuan, was a little stunned at this time. What Zhang Yuan said seemed to make some sense. Didn’t Zhang Dun take the wrong medicine at that time and insist on supporting King Jian? Could it be that this is really the last emperor’s will?

If King Jian was appointed as the last emperor's will, it would not be Zhang Duan's rebellion, but King Duan usurped the throne! What's even more terrible is that King Duan seemed to have successfully usurped the throne!

It's really damn! Can you know that you have successfully usurped the throne? You will be guilty if you know...

"You, do you think there is a will?" Ren Boyu was the first to react, and asked loudly with a veritable face.

"There is a will." Zhang Yuan said, "Only my father and I know about this outside the palace." He sneered, "Now, you all know, hahaha..."

It’s not good to know too much! If you know too much, you will have the possibility of moving...

The four legitimate statements present, the Censor and some of the Censors' clerks, all their faces turned pale.

"You, you, you... you are talking nonsense!" Ren Boyu suddenly stood up, "Where is the will? Where is it?"

Zhang Yuan spread his hands, "I don't know! It's not in the hands of our father and son... Otherwise, King Jian would be the emperor now."

"I don't know, it's not!" Ren Boyu said, "There is no will, nor the last emperor's will!"

"There are nobs, and there are nobs..." Zhang Yuan smiled and said, "If you don't believe it, you can go and investigate. The one who led the troops to block the forbidden palace that day was Pan Xiao'an, and the one who commanded the eunuchs to put down the Concubine Zhu and Empress Liu in the inner palace was Pang Kuan. They are still here now, and Concubine Zhu and Empress Liu are also here, you can ask."

Block the forbidden palace and house arrest of the queen and the concubine... If this matter is true, it must be someone who is planning to usurp the throne, and the task has been completed!

At this time, the people in the censor's lobby knew it. They were probably a secret that they shouldn't have known!

They know what they shouldn’t know. Do they need to say what they shouldn’t say?

There was a dead silence in the imperial court of the Censorate, and everyone held their breath and said nothing.

Everyone was thinking about countermeasures in their minds. Zhang Yuan stabbed a big hornet's nest, but everyone had to follow melons... The beheading or something might not be possible, but it would definitely not be dismissed to Haizhou. Most of them were going to Danzhou, and maybe they would be sent to Shamen Island!

What should I do!

I don’t know how long it took, Ren Boyu coughed, breaking the silence, and everyone’s eyes turned to him. He walked out from behind the case, walked to the clerk who was responsible for recording, and picked up the paper full of words.

"There is nothing nonsense on it!" As he spoke, Ren Boyu put the paper on the candle and lit it, burning it to ashes.

"Yes, yes, yes! It's all nonsense!" You Zhengyan Chen Guan also reacted. Although Chen Qingtian had the reputation of being honest and not fearing power in history, those who Chen Qingtian dared to impeach were all treacherous ministers. This time he met an official who was planning to usurp the throne, and there was no way to do so... There is no reason for censors to impeach the official family in the world? Impulsing the official family is to rebel, and rebellion requires beheading!

Therefore, Zhang Yuan’s explanation cannot be reported. Even if he wants to report it, he can only write secretly and must not go through public procedures to report it.

"Since it's nonsense," Ren Boyu said in a deep voice, "Then no one is allowed to go outside and talk nonsense!"

This is to listen to the clerks and soldiers of the Censorate present!

"I'll know!"

"I won't dare to tell you if I beat you to death..."

The clerks and Taiwanese soldiers responded one after another, but they were thinking that there was no airtight wall in the world! They were not a hero who called the name outside Donghua Gate. If they ran away quickly, they would be killed and silenced!

"Take... and take Zhang Yuan down and take good care of him." Ren Boyu had no intention of retrialing. Zhang Yuan had already told him, but he was still a big deal! And they dared to tell him everything. Do you Qingtian dare to report to the above?

Zhang Yuan was taken away, and the clerks and soldiers in the hall also scattered like birds and beasts, leaving only Zuo Zhengyan Ren Boyu, You Zhengyan Chen Guan, the attendant censor Chen Shixi and the attendant censor Chen Cisheng, the four of them were speechless.

"Deweng," After a while, You Zhengyan Chen Guan broke the silence, "What should we do?"

"Of course I will continue to impeach the traitor!"

Ren Boyu narrowed his eyes and made a decision, "At present, we have progressed and not retreated. What Zhang Yuan said today is nonsense, so he should not report it... And Ji Yi is also cunning and cunning. Collusion with Zhang Yuan to trap me is equivalent to being unfaithful and unrighteous. In the future, there will be opportunities to punish him for his crimes."

There will be opportunities to cure Ji Yi's sin in the future... In other words, I can only let this villain go for the time being!

"What should I do if Zhang Dun is guilty of treason?"

"I can only continue to impeach," Ren Boyu gritted his teeth, "I'll write it if I make a note!"

Chen Guan asked: "Things happened in the early morning of January 13, 3rd year of Yuanfu..."

"Not mention it!" Ren Boyu said, "We don't know if Zhang Yuan and Ji Yi didn't say it." He paused and added, "I can't think about it, so I can only take it slowly. When the officials continue to punish Zhang Dun, I will invite the county later."

It’s still Ren Qingtian’s experienced masters! They can’t stop immediately now, otherwise Zhao Ji would immediately realize that these meddling counselors knew what they shouldn’t know and killed people and silenced them, but they were about to come!

The Song Dynasty did not kill scholars and officials, and it was hard to say that they could not kill them openly. Assassination or something...

Therefore, the four upright and bold Qingtian could only use evidence to bite Zhang Dun, the censors could hear the truth, and even if they were unreasonable, they would not be punished.

Moreover, all four of them were senior censors and had enough ranks to ask the county to release the rank. When the official family refused to punish Zhang Dun's serious crime (it was naturally impossible to punish without evidence), the four of them could leave Kaifeng Prefecture, a place of right and wrong with the excuse of being in the other county. It would be safer to go to the other county, because the secret service in the Song Dynasty had only one Imperial City Office. It would be very difficult for the army to assassinate a prefect in the other county.

...

The next day, at noon, the Chief Censor Zhao Tingzhi came to the Censorate with great worries, but he had no intention of handling official duties. He just called Zhang Kegong to his capital, wanting to ask Zhang Yuan and Ji Yi about the situation. As a result, as soon as Zhang Kegong entered the door, he told Zhao Dazhong Cheng that he had never expected in his dream.

There seems to be a plague in the Censorate!

"Plague...plague?" Zhao Tingzhi looked at Zhang Kegong blankly, "Jie Zhong, what are you talking about?"

"It's just a plague!" Zhang Kegong smiled bitterly, "The officials only found out this morning. There was a clerk in the Censorate today. Eight Taiwanese soldiers filed sick leave, and Chen Shixi and Chen Cisheng fell ill... They fell eleven people all of a sudden. They must have had an epidemic!"

How could such a thing happen? Zhao Tingzhi was a little confused, "Have you found a doctor?"

"It's already arranged," Zhang Kegong said, "the kitchen was also asked to clean it, the well was sealed, and the drinking water was sent."

"Oh," Zhao Tingzhi nodded, "How is Zhang Yuan and Ji Yijian?"

"The officials don't know."

"Don't know?"

"During the interrogation yesterday, they did not let the officials approach the trial."

Zhao Tingzhi smiled, "Then you won't go and inquire? There are always Taiwanese soldiers and clerks who are listening, right?"

"But they all fell ill..."

"Are you... sick?" Zhao Tingzhi widened his eyes and said to himself: Could it be that the epidemic was spread from Zhang Yuan, Ji Yi and others?

"Did Zhang Yuan and Ji Yi get sick?"
Chapter completed!