…

Inside the Qianqing Palace.

Li Dongyang was personally invited by Xiao Jing. He entered the palace and stood in front of Zhu Youtang.

He also asked Xiao Jing on the way, but Xiao Jing was very secretive about the purpose of the emperor's summons, and no information was leaked to him.

"Li Qing's family, I don't understand some etiquette matters, and I would like to ask you for advice." Zhu Youtang said.

Li Dongyang muttered inwardly.

With his wisdom, he naturally understood that there was an overtone in the emperor's words, but he couldn't figure it out yet.

"Your Majesty, please speak." Li Dongyang said.

Zhu Youtang asked seriously: "If there is a disaster in the Xuansheng Temple in Queli, what can you say?"

When Li Dongyang heard this, his brain was running fast. The emperor suddenly mentioned the Confucius Temple in Qufu and said there would be disasters... If he hadn't heard of it, then it might have never happened. It was a prophecy, and this kind of prophecy could only be said by Zhang Bingkuan. Only then will there be a basis...The emperor did not ask the Ministry of Rites or anyone else, but only asked me...Obviously this is related to my marriage relationship with the Kong family.

Li Dongyang said: "If there is a disaster in Xuansheng Temple, God will warn you. I don't know what the disaster is?"

"Zhurong's disaster." Zhu Youtang said.

When Li Dongyang heard this, it was another fire? Is Zhang Bingkuan so awesome? He was in the northwest, so he dared to say that a fire was going to break out in the Confucius Temple? Or was Zhang Bingkuan hinting that someone would set fire to it?

Li Dongyang asked: "I don't know what the disaster is like. Are there any injuries?"

"It hasn't happened yet. It's Bingkuan's prophecy that there will be a disaster in Queli Xuansheng Temple at the end of this month, that is, five days later." Zhu Youtang was also honest.

Just say whatever you have to say.

Li Dongyang frowned and said: "Your Majesty, this kind of thing may not be credible..."

When he said this, Li Dongyang himself felt a little unsure.

If it's just nonsense from others, forget it, Zhang Bingkuan... This person really meant what he said with his mouth. The only thing I don't know now is whether he really calculated that it would happen, or did he imply that someone would complete it?

Of course Zhang Zhou was not talking nonsense.

Historically, there was indeed a fire in the Confucius Temple before the end of June in the twelfth year of Hongzhi. This was also mentioned by Li Dongyang in his memorial to Kong Hongxu.

"...In the early days of Jiwei, when the Xuansheng Temple suffered a disaster, Huidongzhuang was in court. The Duke led his disciples to run to save the temple. He wore plain clothes in the temple and cried, and ate vegetarian food for a hundred days, just like a funeral ceremony. Even if the imperial court ordered officials to build it, although the Duke did not provide any funds, he did not I appreciate the many paintings..."

It means that when a fire broke out in the Confucius Temple, Kong Hongtai was in the capital for an audience. Kong Hongxu personally led people to rescue the disaster, and he even made a show of it, wearing plain clothes and crying in the temple, and "eating for a hundred days on a vegetarian diet, like living in a funeral ceremony." It was really a trick. If he has done enough, he is actually paving the way for his son Kong Wenshao to succeed to the throne.

The fire was also mentioned in "Records of Xiaozong": "(June) Jiweiye Queli Xuansheng Temple Disaster..."

He also mentioned in the middle of July: "Supervisory censor Yu Lian reports that the recent disaster of Huilu has affected our Confucius Temple, and the monuments and inscriptions in the temple gates and verandas have been reduced to ashes. The righteousness is very bad, but the court officials have not heard any words of prayer." , The imperial court has never heard of this act of pity and pity, which is why the emperor and his ministers are indifferent to the calamity of the ancestors."

It means that a fire broke out in the Confucius Temple recently, burning a lot of things, but no one from the court prayed for the temple to be built, and the court did not issue a conciliatory edict. It is because the emperor and his ministers were indifferent to this matter...

Therefore, Kong Hongtai also petitioned to allocate money and food to build the temple, and Zhu Youtang agreed to do so.

Why did everyone in the imperial court "compassionately accept the disaster of the ancestors"? It is because historically it is recognized that this fire was set by Kong Hongxu himself.

Start the fire yourself and put out the fire yourself.

Kong Hongxu wanted to use this fire, and the main purpose was to make the court feel that it was because Yan Shenggong's inheritance was not in the right line, and God wanted to warn the court to return Yan Shenggong's title to Kong Hongxu, or at least to his son.

But how could the emperor not investigate such a big thing as the fire in the Confucius Temple? Once the person who set the fire was found, he would be the one who put out the fire...

What would the emperor think?

You Kong family are very good at conspiracy!

In the end, the emperor saw through it without pointing it out, and the matter was just fooled away. A few years later, Kong Hongtai died, and Kong Hongxu did not pray for the title to be passed back to him. As soon as it was passed to his son, the other man also died... The two brothers were successively Whether there was any conspiracy behind the death of the foot has not been mentioned in the history books.

"History of the Ming Dynasty" also mentions Kong Hongtai's attitude towards this matter: "... When Hongtai returned, Yi Zhai cried as if he were in mourning. Hongtai was orphaned in the seventh month of his life. He served his mother as a filial piety and had a close friendship with Hongxu. He died in sixteen years. , Hongxuzi Wen Shao attacked. Wen Shao, also known as Zhide. Next year, a new temple will be built, and the regulations are out of date. He will send the great scholar Li Dongyang to pay tribute, and the imperial inscriptions will be laid on the stone..."

It probably means that after the fire started, Kong Hongtai was also very sad and contracted an illness. He died of the disease four years later.

As for whether Kong Hongtai knew that this fire was started by his elder brother... he probably knew but was unable to point it out. In history, Kong Hongtai had no sons and was probably deliberately wiped out by his family. Maybe after this fire, Only then did Kong Hongtai gradually understand the joints.

…

…

Now the emperor raised the question, and Li Dongyang also answered it.

Zhang Zhou said that the Confucius Temple was going to catch fire, but Li Dongyang said, we can't believe it.

Zhu Youtang said: "If someone deliberately set fire to Li Qing's house, how much would he be guilty of?"

"This..." Li Dongyang thought to himself, Zhang Zhou still wants to lure others to set fire?

Who is so brave?

He himself mentioned that he had such a fire, but he waited for others to set it on fire. This method...why can't people understand it?

Li Dongyang thought briefly and said: "The crime should not be forgiven."

Needless to say?

Let alone setting fire to the Confucius Temple, even setting fire to ordinary people's homes is a serious crime of "murder and arson." Li Dongyang actually wanted to ask, what else did Zhang Zhou mention that made Your Majesty care so much that you specifically asked me to tell you?

Zhu Youtang said: "No one else should know what happened today, right?"

"Your Majesty, what do you mean?"

Li Dongyang looked around and saw that there were quite a few of the four eunuchs and eunuchs in charge of rituals. Plus he, Li Dongyang, and Zhang Zhou, who sent secret memoranda to the emperor... couldn't this be said to be unknown to a third party, right?

"I made it clear." Zhu Youtang said, "Bingkuan told me that he had calculated that someone in Qufu would be plotting something evil, so Duke Yansheng was in the capital and could not take care of the Confucius Temple at the same time, so he took the opportunity to set fire to it. I hold the emperor and his ministers hostage as a way of self-respect. As for who it is, I don’t want to say it clearly.”

Li Dongyang frowned when he heard this.

This damn thing doesn’t need to be said clearly, but it’s obvious that it’s the Qianyan Shenggong, my future father-in-law Kong Hongxu?

Li Dongyang immediately thought, are you asking me to remind Kong Hongxu and make him repent?

Then I thought again.

If it is a myth, if I remind him, Kong Hongxu will definitely think of me as a lunatic! Even if I hint to him, he will think that I am making things up out of thin air.

Even if Kong Hongxu really has the idea of ​​​​arson, if I remind him, can he admit it?

What the hell is Zhang Bingkuan doing?

"Your Majesty, I really don't understand why you are telling me this." Li Dongyang said, "Even if Zhang Zhou really has a plan that leaves no stone unturned, doesn't he know that he said it before the fact and proved it after the fact?"

Zhu Youtang smiled and said: "That's exactly what I thought, but I just want to ask the Li Qing family, do you want to tell him about this, or do you want to catch him?"

"ah?"

Even though Li Dongyang thought that he had studied Zhang Zhou thoroughly, he never expected that Zhang Zhou and the emperor would ask him such a question together.

Not even knowing that Kong Hongxu would set a fire, he asked Li Dongyang if he wanted to remind him or to catch him.

Isn't this actually telling him that we know that Kong Hongxu is not a positive character, and we understand that you are a bit aggrieved by marrying your daughter, and we are willing to help you find a way to postpone this marriage?

even if……

The emperor's proposal really moved Li Dongyang... Li Dongyang was also thinking, how can I say this? Should I tell the emperor that we can't protect the Confucius Temple, and let Kong Hongxu set fire to it, and then catch him after the fire is finished to prove that he is You're such an ambitious person, just to help me get married?

Zhu Youtang smiled and said: "I think what Li Qing's family said before is extremely reasonable. Since it has not happened, it is just Bingkuan's groundless speculation. I want to send people to the front of Queli Xuansheng Temple within five days. I will verify it myself after the ambush. I wonder what Mr. Li Ge thinks?"

Li Dongyang said: "Your Majesty, if you are afraid of arresting someone like this, you will only be able to catch the person who set the fire. You will not be able to find out the person who caused the fire."

As soon as these words came out.

Even Dai Yi and the others understood it.

This was all a matter of discussing the feasibility of the matter with the emperor.

Li Dongyang was clearly siding with the emperor and Zhang Zhou, and was preparing to catch Kong Hongxu, so that Kong Hongxu would be completely doomed.
Chapter completed!