Chapter 40 Past Life and Past

Zhang Zanai came from an official examination background.

The official examination is different from the Jinshi examination. After the examination, the selected officials are different from the general officials who receive the salary of the emperor. After being recruited into the public gate, they are "used for urgent matters, and dismissed for settled matters", which can be considered as temporary assistance to officials in government affairs. There are regulations in this direction that "officials" cannot serve as imperial censors, nor can they participate in scientific examinations. Therefore, generally speaking, those who fail the official examination repeatedly or come from humble backgrounds will participate.

Zhang Zhe belongs to the latter.

He lost his parents at a young age and was only raised by his widowed mother. Although he was talented and talented, he was not very familiar with the Eight legged Essays, economics, and strategy. After taking the civil service examination, he worked under the supervision of Gu Chunfang, the Governor of Henan Province, specializing in justice and law enforcement, and surprisingly had extraordinary talents.

Gu Chunfang therefore made an exception and recommended him to the court.

Less than three years later, due to making a judgment on a suspicious case in front of the emperor, he was favored by the Holy See and appointed as a member of the Criminal Investigation Department.

In his previous life, his career path was not very smooth, full of ups and downs.

Jiang Xuening felt a tingling sensation in her mouth when she remembered it.

He could have made a name for himself in history, using "straightness" and "righteousness" to stay away from the tumultuous struggles of the court, but unfortunately, she was caught up in it.

When Zhang Zhegang was promoted to the position of Minister of Justice, the Jin Yi Wei wanted to completely control the power of the prison. However, Zhang Zhe felt that the Jin Yi Wei was acting arrogantly and abusing lynching, and there was a conflict of power between the two departments, so they always had a sharp confrontation.

Piansheng Zhou Yinzhi was in charge of the Northern Town Governor.

He was determined to eradicate Zhang Zhe, while Zhang Zhe made every effort to regain his power in prison. He also repeatedly accused Zhou Yinzhi of favoritism and corruption of the court.

The two are incompatible in terms of water and fire.

Behind Zhou Yinzhi was Jiang Xuening, who was at odds with the Xiao family at that time and had many uses for Zhou Yinzhi. Therefore, at first, looking at Zhang Zhe was like looking at a stumbling block, and no matter how she looked at it, it was not pleasing to her.

At the beginning, it was due to a variety of difficult positions;

Later on, it was discovered that this person had a cold face and was really fun to tease.

After all, she is the queen, and even if her words and actions are a bit excessive, Zhang Zhe cannot afford to provoke her. Therefore, earlier on, she mostly forgave her and let her go, but she is not someone who takes things as they please, and instead, she has made more progress.

Zhang Zhe often gave her advice and advice.

At that time, Jiang Xuening was also praised by everyone and did not take these loyalties seriously. He only felt that this person was pedantic and stubborn. Until later, Xiao Shu and the Xiao family were pressing each other step by step, and one day they took evidence of Zhou Yinzhi's followers engaging in private activities and bribery, and exposed it all at once. They even intentionally handed it over to the Ministry of Justice for trial, allowing the case to fall into the hands of Zhang Zhe.

The former court is closely related to the harem.

Xiao Shu was proud and focused on the position of empress. She was now pregnant and gave birth to an imperial heir. If she were to suppress her influence in the previous dynasty and successfully obtain the throne, then Jiang Xuening could be considered a place without a burial ground.

After all, she had a fierce fight with Xiao Shi before.

She and Xiao Shu, no matter who gets the opportunity, will not let their enemies be safe and sound.

Overnight, Jiang Xuening suddenly found herself in a dilemma where she seemed to only be in a state of being humiliated.

People always like to add icing on the cake, but rarely give charcoal in the snow.

The people who gathered at the peak of her momentum suddenly dispersed like a receding tide.

But Jiang Xuening doesn't want to die yet.

So she chose Zhang Zhe.

On that day, Shen Jie summoned several courtiers in the Qianqing Palace, including Xie Wei, as well as Zhang Zhe, who was responsible for hearing the case. They had not yet finished discussing the key to the palace, so she issued an order to let several adults stay overnight in the palace.

Jiang Xuening stood under the long palace wall and waited.

Her figure was covered by the shadow of the high wall.

The young eunuch leading the way, holding a lantern in front, approached from a distance according to the figures of the two people in front and behind.

The person walking ahead is Xie Wei.

Perhaps because he was getting closer, he recognized her at a glance and stopped, saying, "I suddenly remembered that a jade pendant from Fang had been left in the cabinet duty room this morning. I'll go back and pick it up. Mr. Zhang, let's go first."

After speaking, he turned around and headed back.

One of the eunuchs immediately lit a lantern to follow.

At this moment, Jiang Xuening walked out of that shadow and looked at the humanitarian who had stayed in place, saying, "Mr. Zhang, I have something to say to you in this palace."

Zhang Zhe seemed to have never expected her to be so bold as to dare to stop him in the palace at midnight.

Not to mention the presence of Master Xie today.

He silently lowered his eyes, guessed her purpose, and said, "Madam, please forgive Zhang Zhenan for obeying."

The night is deep, lonely men and women.

One is the queen, and the other is a foreign minister.

Although Zhang Zhe stood upright, he was also afraid of accumulating and destroying bones. With just one sentence, he would bow and bow to avoid suspicion. However, before he could leave, Jiang Xuening reached out and grabbed his broad official sleeve and robe.

The footsteps suddenly stopped.

Her slender, snow-white fingers rested on the dark embroidered patterns, and she looked up at him slightly. There was a slight trembling voice in her voice: "Do you want to watch me die?"

Zhang Zhe was speechless.

Jiang Xuening's fingers slowly tightened, and her transparent and round nails were adorned with bright red cardamom. In the darkness of the night, there was a heart wrenching charm. She begged him with a soft posture that she was not accustomed to: "The carriage rolled over from the post road, and you would rather break your leg to protect me; the rebels of the Heavenly Cult assassinated me, hiding in the weeds, but you were willing to take strange risks to lure them away. Zhang Zhe, if you are so kind to me, can't you always be so kind to me?"

At that moment, he lowered his stiff palm to his side and slowly clenched it, saying, "Empress is the mother of a country, and Zhang Zhe is a minister of a dynasty. It is a matter of loyalty to the emperor to feed on his wealth. In times of crisis, it is Zhang Zhe's responsibility to exchange his life for Empress. However, the case of Zhou Yin's followers was originally a national matter, and the rise and fall of a dynasty were all related to it. Zhang Zhe dared not be selfish."

===Kunning Section 52===

"It's my job..."

Jiang Xuening tugged at the corner of his sleeve and robe, stubbornly refusing to let go. Upon hearing this, she smiled and looked straight into his eyes.

Just ask, "Really?"

Zhang Zhe finally avoided her gaze and closed his eyes. There seemed to be a struggle hidden in his rolling Adam's apple, and he said solemnly, "If the Empress feels that my previous act of rescuing me was actually a violation of her will, I am willing to be punished."

Jiang Xuening slowly let go of her fingers.

The corner of the sleeve was wrinkled by her grasp and hung down.

She said anxiously, "I know that Mr. Zhang doesn't rub the sand in his eyes. These people in the court are forming factions for personal gain, and there should be a law to punish them. But do you know that if Zhou Yin falls, what will happen to me? I don't want to ask Mr. Zhang to spare them for a lifetime, but please show him your respect and let me get through this difficult time. I will present the crimes of these people one by one to the court and make them confess and face the law!"

Zhang Zhe lifted his steps and wanted to leave.

Jiang Xuening did not stop him anymore, but looked at his cold back as he was about to disappear into the darkness and told the biggest lie he had ever told in his previous life: "Zhang Zhe, help me. After this time, I will be a good person, okay?"

Zhang Zhe stood in place for a long time.

The sky was too dark, and although there was a hazy moonlight above her head, she couldn't determine what Zhang Zhe was thinking at that moment.

All she could hear was her beating heart like a drum.

That night, Zhang Zhe finally didn't say a word and left under the long palace wall.

Xie Wei, who went to retrieve the fallen jade pendant, did not return for a long time.

Jiang Xuening stood there at night with heavy dew, listening to the sound of the palace time report before returning to Kunning Palace.

The next day was a torment for her.

Until half a month later——

The case of Zhou Yin's followers accepting bribes for personal gain was heard after a joint trial by the three departments. Half of the individuals involved had conclusive evidence and were dismissed from their positions, exiled, or executed in autumn. However, the other half were spared due to unclear evidence and conflicting confessions. Some were demoted to the first rank, while others were reinstated to their original positions.

During the trial of this case, it was also discovered that the Xiao family had formed factions in the court, which aroused Shen Jie's fear.

The plot of the Xiao family was in vain.

Jiang Xuening's position in the back has been preserved.

On that day, she was truly filled with joy from the bottom of her heart. She kept asking people to inquire about when to go to court ahead, and even Zhou Yinzhi didn't want to see her. She only wanted to know where to stop Zhang Zhe and what to say to him later.

But she never expected that the person who came back to report would say that Mr. Zhang had been imprisoned.

The earring she was about to hang in her ear fell off and shattered into pieces.

A thousand calculations cannot be made, and people's hearts are fickle.

Alternatively, Zhou Yin was originally an immature wolf.

She tried her best to maintain her power and Zhou Yinzhi in this crisis. Unexpectedly, as early as this matter was exposed, Zhou Yinzhi had weighed the pros and cons and at some point switched to the Xiao family, serving Xiao Shu.

Jiang Xuening doesn't know whether those half of the people are truly innocent.

She only knew that it was Zhou Yinzhi who presented conclusive evidence of these people's bribery for personal gain after the trial of the Three Departments ended, instantly putting Zhang Zhe, who had previously cleared them of wrongdoing, in danger. She also joined forces with the court to accuse Zhang Zhe of favoritism and wrongdoing, and falsely accused him of having an affair with the Empress.

Half a lifetime of innocence, eventually covered in dirt.

In the past, he was the archenemy of the Royal Guards. Once he fell into the imperial prison, how could he win under the control of Zhou Yinzhi? Not to mention Chen Ying, the Right Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Justice who was in sharp opposition to him and skilled in various forms of torture.

Jiang Xuening dare not imagine what kind of life he had in prison.

I can't even imagine if he thought she was plotting against him, ultimately to get rid of him.

She only knew that after only half a month in prison, Zhang Zhe's home was hacked, and his mother, who had no one to take care of, was worried about the safety of her only son day and night. She fell ill and eventually passed away.

Zhang Zhe is a renowned filial son.

Ke Ren was in prison, but he didn't even see her last time.

Legend has it that on the night he learned of his mother's passing, Zhang Shilang, who had a cold and indifferent face, burst into tears in prison.

He is pure and upright, has solved countless cases, and has never made any mistakes or omissions.

There are many wise names among the people.

At that time, all the judges who tried the case of Zhang Zhe were hesitant or unwilling to write a conviction for him, and there were also many petitioners in the court. In the end, on the third day after his mother's death, he asked the prison guards to lay a pen and ink, then picked up his pen and confessed his guilt word by word. He wrote a conviction for himself, sentenced himself to death, and was scheduled to be executed in autumn.

The judgment presented three divisions, and half of the court sighed.

Looking back now, the plea under the palace wall that night was actually the last time Jiang Xuening met him.

I don't know, did Xie Wei in the previous life always speak and act?

The person was gradually walking away under the long street covered by the rain curtain. The wind poured in from the window and blew into the crevices of the person's bones. Jiang Xuening slowly withdrew her gaze and finally felt a hint of coldness.

Raising his hand to support his face, tears filled his eyes.

Zhang Zhe, in my previous life, I was the queen and a bad person. I owe you a lot.

In this life, I will not be the queen, but a good person——

Is it compatible with you?

"Miss, what have you seen? Why are you crying?"

Watching her stand in front of the window, motionless for a long time, Lian Ertang'er came to check, but was stunned by the tears on her face.

Jiang Xuening smiled and wiped her red circles with an embroidered handkerchief, saying, "It's okay, the wind is too strong, it's just mesmerizing."

She asked the two maids to close the window, and when Yan Lin was tired of waiting, she leaned against the noble concubine's bed in the room to take a nap. When she slightly lowered her eyes and closed them, her heart was filled with peace.

"Wait for Yan to come and call me," he said softly

Both maids whispered, "Okay."

But it's so late, will Prince Yan still come?