Episode 23
Amid the turbulence of the Jiajing Dynasty, Zhao Zhenji signaled to Tan Lun that he should take charge of the case of Zheng Michang and He Maocai.When these two officials heard the imperial edict, they knew that Yang Jinshui had escaped responsibility and that they could not protect themselves.So, they chose to confess everything and reveal the truth behind it.
Zheng Michang and He Maocai admitted frankly that they actually served the Weaving Bureau and the palace, and the cabinet also served Emperor Jiajing.All this was to satisfy Emperor Jiajing's needs and wishes.They further revealed that Yan Shifan wrote a letter instructing them to destroy the embankment and flood the fields. Yang Jinshui knew all this, and Emperor Jiajing naturally knew it too.
This series of confessions and revelations made Zhao Zhenji feel the seriousness of the situation.He couldn't help but confess to Tan Lun, pointing out that if the action of overthrowing Yan (that is, overthrowing Yan Shifan) involves Emperor Jiajing, not only will it fail, but it will cause greater trouble, and may even implicate King Yu.Zhao Zhenji emphasized that important ministers like Hu Zongxian must be protected, and in order to protect Hu Zongxian, the destruction of embankments and flooding of fields must not be investigated in detail.
Tan Lun also faced a dilemma.On the one hand, Jin Yiwei demanded that all palace-related content in the confession must be deleted; on the other hand, Hai Rui insisted that in all cases heard by order, the confession must be submitted to the court and Emperor Jiajing word for word.Zhao Zhenji also asked Tan Lun to persuade Hai Rui, hoping that he could change this approach.
