inspire-indiana Chapter 318 Someone impeached Shen Zheng? The Emperor supports her!
Chapter 318 Someone impeached Shen Zheng? The Emperor supports her!
However, he was very satisfied with Eunuch Hong's reaction.
But he said with disdain: "How can you yell in the Golden Palace? I am in a good mood today, so I won't punish you. Read out what you saw. I am very curious."
He was pretending to be curious, but all the officials in the palace were truly curious as they watched them sing the same tune!
What is the per-acre yield in Tongan County to be worthy of Your Majesty's behavior?
Is one thousand pounds...not enough?
They shook their heads suddenly at the thought.
How is it possible! They think that the yield of 1,000 kilograms per mu needs to be verified! And more than 1,000 kilograms...
Eunuch Hong rubbed his eyes and said to the emperor tremblingly:
"Your Majesty, can I take another look at the yield per acre... I'm afraid I've seen it wrong..."
His reaction successfully pleased the emperor.
"You must look carefully this time. If you can't see clearly, you will be punished!"
"Yes Yes......"
This time, Eunuch Hong was extremely alert. He reported the per-acre yield of Tongan County tremblingly on the letter paper.
"In Tong'an County, Liuyang Prefecture, Great Zhou, the autumn harvest in August of the twenty-third year of Shunchang, the average yield of rice per mu in the county is: one thousand! Two hundred, fifty-two catties!"
The more he reported, the more confident he became and the louder his voice became, as if he, Eunuch Hong, was also a member of Tongan County.
The emperor nodded with satisfaction, and said calmly: "One thousand two hundred and fifty-two kilograms, Tong'an County and Shen Qing did not disappoint me."
"hiss--"
All the officials in the hall took a deep breath.
Was Eunuch Hong correct in reporting this?
His Majesty is here, if he dares to report a mistake, he will lose his head?
So... they were wrong just now.
The yield per mu in Tongan County is not 700 to 800 kilograms, but a solid 1,252 kilograms!
Suddenly, a cry of surprise came from among the officials.
"Master Ji! Master Ji!"
The emperor looked in the direction of the sound.
The Minister of Revenue, Ji Benchang, rolled his eyes and leaned blankly against Yue Zhenchuan, a merchant from the Ministry of Industry.
His eyes rolled back and his hands twitched, but he did not forget to point at the letter in the emperor's hand.
Yue Zhenchuan was in a panic and pinched Ji Benchang's philtrum hard. He thought that Old Ji must not die at his hands today, otherwise it would be too embarrassing if the news got out.
He pinched for a long time, but Ji Benchang didn't respond. He was so anxious that he wanted to ask the emperor to send a royal physician.
Amid the noise, a voice as thin as a mosquito came from Ji Benchang's mouth:
"Don't... don't pinch me... If you continue, you will really strangle me to death..."
Yue Zhenchuan suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, and when he moved his hand to look, he saw that the good Shangshu Ji had been turned into a Japanese bandit by him...
He turned his head to one side, waved his hand to ask the crowd to disperse, and asked:
"Master Ji, are you okay? Do you want me to call the imperial physician for you?"
The emperor also stepped down slowly. After looking at Ji Benchang's miserable condition, he glared at Yue Zhenchuan and said, "If you feel unwell, please call the imperial physician and go to the side hall to rest for a while."
He just wanted to give the officials a surprise, but he didn't expect to knock down two of them and leave them lying here today.
Then the surprise would turn into a shock, and maybe Shen Qing's reputation would be ruined.
"Do not......"
Ji Benchang took a deep breath, climbed up with his hands and feet, and said tremblingly:
"Your Majesty...I am not going anywhere. If I don't see the rice in Tongan County today, I will die..."
"Ouch - Master Ji, please be careful with your words!"
Eunuch Hong spoke out in time to stop them. No one could casually talk about life and death in the Golden Palace.
When the emperor saw that Ji Benchang was fine, he waved his sleeves and sat back on the dragon throne.
He teased, "Which of you is in poor health? Be the first to speak up, plug your ears, cover your eyes, and stand in the corner of the hall. I will ask Eunuch Hong to call you when we adjourn."
Civil and military officials should look at their nose with their eyes, their heart with their nose, and their toes with their heart.
They put themselves in his shoes and thought that if they were the Minister of Revenue, they would probably not be much better than Ji Benchang.
The yield per mu is 1,252 kilograms, which is so impressive. It is equivalent to planting five or six mu of other rice.
Most people believe this number - because His Majesty has never questioned it.
But there are always a small number of people who are stubborn.
Cai Qicheng, the censor of the Imperial Censorate who had wanted to impeach others before, stepped out of the line and bowed his head and said:
"Your Majesty, I do not doubt that Lord Shen has falsely reported the yield per mu. However, the letter sent back by Prefect Yu previously stated that the yield per mu of rice is about 1,000 kilograms. Why is the yield per mu more than 20% higher this autumn harvest?"
In fact, he was just questioning the per-acre yield in Tongan County, but he just said it in a nice way.
The head of the soldiers escorting the rewards was Yi Qun, the commander of the left guard of the Yulin Army.
Didn't he say that when they arrived in Tongan County, the autumn harvest had already begun? Calculating the distance he had walked, he didn't stay in Tongan County for long. Could it be that he saw Tongan County measuring the yield per mu?
If Lord Shen, who was seeking fame and reputation, really dared to make false reports, how could they verify it since they were far away in the capital?
The emperor was not very happy to see him, and asked with narrowed eyes:
"What Cai Qing meant was that Shen Qing deceived the emperor?"
Cai Qicheng's eyes widened.
He didn't expect that His Majesty was so murderous today. Logically speaking, this matter should be questioned.
He questioned on behalf of His Majesty, so His Majesty could ask Yi Qun, right?
Ji Benchang turned his head and glared at him, then whispered to the official from the Ministry of Revenue beside him:
"I have said before that the censors in the Censorate are not very smart. They are used to being used as guns. No one lets them be the gun, but they jump out on their own."
The people around him took it very seriously and nodded repeatedly.
Couldn't Cai Qicheng see how happy His Majesty was? If he jumped out at this time, he would be scolded.
Cai Qicheng's forehead was instantly covered with cold sweat, and he said, "Your Majesty, I have absolutely no such intention! I just want to know why the per-acre yield in Tongan County has increased so much!"
The emperor snorted coldly and ignored his questions.
The emperor's close ministers in the palace all knew that the emperor's current expression showed that he was thinking about how to deal with him.
Yiqun bowed and stepped out, frowning and saying:
"Your Majesty, I can testify for Lord Shen!"
He went to Tongan County with his uncle and had to return to Beijing to report, so it was not as simple as just going there to have a few meals.
He found out the exact yield per mu in Tongan County in just one day.
The more I think about it, the angrier I get. Do they really think that their Yulin Army is just there to do nothing?
"No need!"
The emperor raised his hand and interrupted him, "I believe in Shen Qing, I believe in Yongning Bo, I believe in Yu Zhengqing, I believe in Shen Xingjian and Liang Fu. You don't have to prove anything for Shen Qing and Tongan County."
He pointed his chin at Cai Qicheng and said slowly:
"If Cai Qing wants to impeach Shen Qing, why don't Cai Qing produce evidence that Shen Qing deceived the emperor, instead of questioning him right away, and let Shen Qing prove himself, or ask a group of people to testify."
And self-certification...
Yi Qun glared at Cai Qicheng again. Lord Shen was not even in the capital, so how could he prove himself?
All the civil and military officials could see that the emperor had a clear attitude. If Cai Qicheng dared to argue at this time, he would be in trouble.