preface
During the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, there was a sensational criminal department wrongful case, which involved the struggle for imperial power and almost shook the foundation of the country. At that time, several ministers, represented by Zhang Tingyu, used excellent means to resolve the crisis, which impressed the Kangxi Emperor.
One
At that time, there was a ridiculous "white duck slaughter case" in the Criminal Department. A trafficker named Zhang Wu was sentenced to death, while the real murderer went unpunished. This Zhang Wuben is a certain crop man in Jiangnan who lives by transporting vegetables.
One day, when I was walking to the gate of the Criminal Department, I happened to encounter a criminal department servant who had killed a prostitute, and in order to exonerate himself of the crime, he threw the body on Zhang Wu's vegetable cart, and then pointed out that Zhang Wu had killed someone.
Zhang Wu expected that he would be implicated, and before he had time to argue, he was detained in a large prison, and after several tortures, he was finally sentenced to death. This incident caused an uproar among the people, and they all talked about the unfair handling of the criminal department.
When the Kangxi Emperor learned of this, he was furious and immediately ordered a thorough investigation. The task of thorough investigation fell on the eighth son of the emperor, Yin Yu.
Yin Yu has an upright and strong personality, and is dedicated to asking for the people's life. At a young age, he aspired to become a wise politician, often going in and out of the people, and had extensive contacts with people from all walks of life.
The appearance of this unjust case stung his sense of justice, and Yin Yu immediately asked the emperor to personally investigate the matter. Kangxi was very pleased to see his son so motivated and immediately approved his request.
Yin Hen rushed to the Criminal Department non-stop to launch an investigation, inspecting the files day and night, and interrogating the people involved in the case in detail. Thanks to his efforts, many overlooked details surfaced.
Finally, from the mouth of a guard, Yin Yu heard a little wind: the mastermind behind this case seemed to be related to the princely henchmen of the Criminal Department.
After obtaining this important clue, Yin Yu interrogated the officials of the Criminal Department. These officials originally wanted to prevaricate, but under Yin Yu's majesty and insight, someone finally couldn't help but confess. It turned out that the mastermind behind this case was the prince Yinren at that time.
Why did the prince design to frame an innocent peddler? It turned out that most of the officials in the criminal department were from the prince's henchmen, who coveted power and desperately tried to curry favor with the prince, so they took the risk of letting an innocent person be charged.
A stain can be sacrificed, but the prince's favor is rare, so they wronged Zhang Wu in this way. Yin Yu sent this incriminating evidence, which was enough to overthrow the crown prince, to the Kangxi Emperor's dragon chair overnight.
Two
The Kangxi Emperor was shocked. As a father, he certainly can't bear to let his son fall into disrepute. But as a monarch, how do you balance justice and family affection? Kangxi wandered in the palace, his mind extremely complicated.
The prince made a big mistake and should have been severely punished; But after all, he was his own flesh and blood, and Kangxi thought of the prince losing his mother at a young age, and he grew up single-handedly, and he couldn't bear to provide him in the court; Moreover, the shaking of the crown prince's status will also trigger disputes over the succession to the throne, causing turmoil in the country. These considerations were intertwined, making Kangxi unable to make a decision for a long time.
In the dead of night, Kangxi came to Wen Yuan Pavilion and found his confidant minister Zhang Tingyu. Zhang Tingyu is still working. He has always worked hard, and even late at night he insisted on handling political affairs. This time, as soon as I heard the footsteps, I knew that it was Kangxizhi, and I immediately put down my pen and ink and knelt down to greet him.
"There aren't many people who can hear the footsteps." Kangxi said meaningfully. He hinted that he wanted Zhang Tingyu to guess his difficulties. Zhang Tingyu immediately understood that the emperor had something unspeakable and needed to guess his intention.
So he followed Kangxi's words and answered, and the two of them hinted at interaction with each other, and Zhang Tingyu quickly guessed that the emperor was deeply troubled by the prince's affairs.
In order to further elicit Kangxi's true thoughts, Zhang Tingyu offered to treat his son's illness, saying that the child was terminally ill and could not be treated by many doctors.
Kangxi said that he could send an imperial doctor to see him, and asked Zhang Tingyu to go to the Internal Affairs Office to receive medicine as a sign of his grace. Zhang Tingyu immediately expressed his gratitude and said that he would thank his son on his behalf. Such a response shows that he has understood the emperor's distress and is willing to help the crown prince escape.
In the end, Kangxi took out Yin Yu's twist and turn, which completely confirmed Zhang Tingyu's speculation. After Zhang Tingyu quickly scanned the content of the fold, he immediately made a judgment: This matter is very important, and the hidden danger must be eliminated from the source. So he pondered for a moment, decisively threw the fold into the candle flame, and watched it turn to ashes.
Although Kangxi was surprised by Zhang Tingyu's decision, he was also relieved. Sure enough, Zhang Tingyu knew his meaning well and stayed in the Wen Yuan Pavilion without sleep, just to be able to execute such a tricky matter. Witnessing the destruction with one's own eyes means that the evidence of the prince's guilt no longer exists. Kangxi breathed a long sigh of relief, and finally saw the hope that the case would turn around.
Three
Soon, Tu Lichen, a henchman of the Kangxi faction, put Xiao Guoxing, who knew the truth, under house arrest, and the crisis of the crown prince was thus resolved.
The keen Zhang Tingyu woke up with a word, and Kangxi also understood that as an emperor, he could not put his personal feelings above justice, but he also had to stabilize his foundation and not let the scandals of the imperial family be exposed. To redress the wrongful case and save the prince, Zhang Tingyu's clever plan helped him find a way to get the best of both worlds.
Afterwards, Kangxi praised Zhang Tingyu for "deep understanding" and his son for "terminal illness". Zhang Tingyu modestly said that as a father, as long as he fulfilled his responsibilities. He believed that Kangxi was already magnanimous, and that he had only fulfilled his duties as a minister and could not talk about merit. Seeing Zhang Tingyu so humble, Kangxi respected him even more.
As for the absurd wrongful case, Kangxi also adopted a pragmatic approach. Although the criminal department officials were removed from their posts and questioned, the prince was forgiven; Yin Yu, who thoroughly investigated the case, also received praise to calm the matter.
Most people believed that the emperor handled it properly, punishing the officials who committed adultery, and forgiving the young and vigorous prince, so that the wrongful case could be cleared and the status of the crown prince was preserved.
The handling of Zhang Tingyu and Kangxi fully reflects the mastery of their political wisdom. In the face of a scandal that could cause a shock in the palace, they did not take a desperate move, but resolved the contradiction, preserved the face of the royal family and the status of the prince, and stabilized the political situation.
This kind of prudent way of doing things also made the Kangxi Dynasty peaceful and peaceful, and the people lived and worked in peace and contentment. People talked about and admired the emperor's wisdom, and Zhang Tingyu and other officials were loyal and clever.
Pleasing rhetoric filled the streets of the capital, and the government and the public rejoiced that the crisis had been resolved.
epilogue
History proves that the political skills of Zhang Tingyu and other old ministers allowed the Kangxi Dynasty to continue to prosper. And they actively guided the prince, facing the realistic attitude, and also became a model for the relationship between monarchs and subjects.
It was with these loyal auxiliary ministers that the Kangxi Emperor was able to escape the crisis of palace prohibition and forge his brilliant life. This history is still talked about, and Zhang Tingyu's name has been famous for eternity.