Chapter 561: Complaint to the Emperor
At the end of July, a major event happened in the capital.
When the emperor went to Chong'an Tower to offer sacrifices, he was suddenly stopped by a ragged man and complained to the emperor.
The man claimed to be the son of the former magistrate of Leshui County, Wangxian Commandery. He claimed his father had accepted no bribes and was wrongfully killed. His father was upright and honest, loving the people like his own children, and would never do such a thing. He filed a complaint with the emperor hoping that he would have the case heard and bring justice to his father. A crucial point was that the petition he brought bore the bloody fingerprints of tens of thousands of ordinary citizens.
Every word in the petition is heart-wrenching, and the bloody fingerprints are horrifying.
The emperor accepted the petition and promised to send someone to try the case.
One stone stirs up a thousand ripples, and for a moment, everyone has their own ideas.
Where is Leshui County, Wangxian County?
That is the eldest princess's fiefdom.
The fiefdom system was inherited from the previous dynasty, but it underwent some changes with the change of dynasties.
The previous dynasty's King Pan was immensely powerful, enjoying both tax revenue and military power over his fiefdoms, much like a king within a state. King Pan's power grew, and with it, his ambitions. Eventually, the vassal kings rebelled, leading to the fall of the previous dynasty. Drawing on the experience of the previous dynasty, the Zhou Dynasty reformed the system, granting fiefdoms 50% of their fiefdom's tax revenue, prohibiting them from maintaining private armies, and subjecting them to the control of local officials.
Of course, only a few people could enjoy fiefdoms. They either had made great contributions or were extremely favored.
The eldest princess was the latter. The emperor and the eldest princess were born of the same mother and shared a deep bond. Most of Wangxian County was a fiefdom granted by the emperor to the eldest princess, the most fertile and rich land, and also the closest to the capital.
The fact that the son of the county magistrate of Leshui County, Wangxian Commandery, came to file a complaint to the emperor was a bit tricky.
It is said that feudal lords are subject to the control of local officials, but the eldest princess is different. In Wangxian County, the eldest princess almost has absolute power.
The people in the capital are all shrewd people, and no one wants to be involved in this matter.
The Emperor and the Princess have such a good relationship. If I get involved, I'm likely to offend the Princess. She'll then complain to the Emperor, and then I'll be in trouble with both sides...
The Princess's Mansion.
The eldest princess looked very ugly.
"What's the matter with this complaint to the emperor?" the eldest princess asked in a cold voice.
The subordinate recounted the incident.
This man was quite righteous and stubborn. After Wangxian County increased taxes, he refused to collect them, and instead, he brought out the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty and confronted the county governor. That would have been fine, but he also...
So they simply fabricated a crime and killed him.
It turned out that the whole family had mental problems, and his son even came to the capital to file a complaint with the emperor.
"How did you get him to come to the capital? And even go to the emperor to file a complaint!"
The eldest princess felt that there was something wrong. This man was just the son of a small county magistrate. How did he secretly come to the capital and knew that the emperor was going to Chong'an Tower, and chose this moment to file a complaint?
She always felt that this matter was strange. Could it be that there was someone behind this person, targeting her?
"If Your Majesty sends an imperial envoy to Wangxian County, some things will no longer be hidden," said the eldest princess.
Wangxian County was her fiefdom, and she was the local emperor there, so it was inevitable that she would violate the laws of the Great Zhou. If it hadn't been exposed to the emperor, it would have been fine. Those things were covered up tightly, and filing a complaint with the emperor was like poking a hole...
She rubbed her temples and had a headache.
"Your Highness, don't be nervous. This matter is not as complicated as you think. You have so many people in the court. Others dare not accept the mission of the imperial envoy. Your people will take it, and then just find out the results and report them to His Majesty."
Whatever, it has already happened, and we can only think of a solution.
The princess had so many daughters, all of whom were married to officials or relatives of the emperor. The connections were complex, and many of them were her own people. She only needed to choose one of her own people to be the imperial envoy.
The eldest princess's expression looked a little better.
"Your Highness, Young Master Liu Yue is here." Someone reported outside the door.
The person who reported to the eldest princess lowered his head, with a hint of contempt in his eyes.
The princess had many male favorites around her, and Liu Yue was the most favored in recent years. However, no matter how favored he was, he was still just one male favorite.
"Your Highness, I'll take my leave," the man said.
The eldest princess waved her hand and the man retreated.
…
The next day.
At the court meeting, the emperor indeed proposed to send an imperial envoy to Wangxian County to investigate the matter of the magistrate of Leshui County.
"Your Majesty, I am willing to go to Wangxian County to hear this case."
"Your Majesty, I think Censor Li is a good fit. He once served in Wangxian County and is very familiar with the area."
The court officials recommended people one after another, and some people also stepped forward on their own initiative to take on this task.
In fact, these people all have close ties with the eldest princess. The others don't want to get involved, so they all shrink their necks, fearing that they will be seen by the emperor.
There was only one person who was special, and that was the Minister of Justice Wu Yu.
The emperor looked around at the court officials who volunteered and finally chose Wei Qing.
"My dear Lord Wu, please go there," said the emperor.
"I obey your command." Wei Qing said.
The matter was settled.
Soon, the news reached the Princess's Mansion.
The eldest princess looked very ugly.
"Of all the people, why did the emperor choose him?"
Minister of Justice, Wu Yu.
Before he took office, the Ministry of Justice was actually just a decoration, suppressed by the Dali Temple and the Supervisory Council. Among the so-called three judicial departments, the Ministry of Justice was actually dispensable.
Until Wu Yu was transferred to Beijing to serve as the Minister of Justice.
He was first recognized by the emperor for his work in resolving the flood in Yizhou, and was promoted to Minister of Justice. Under his leadership, within just one year, the Ministry of Justice became more than just a minor institution. During this year, the Ministry of Justice also solved many major cases, achieving remarkable results.
In short, this Minister of Justice is a tough guy and not easy to deal with.
Besides, he has the General's Mansion and the Marquis' Mansion as his backers.
Wu Yu should be the emperor's man.
She really didn't understand why the emperor chose him. Was he suspicious of her?
The eldest princess was very upset as things were developing in an uncontrollable direction.
"We can't let the imperial envoy find out anything. If he does, he won't be allowed to leave Wangxian County." There was a hint of cruelty in the eldest princess's eyes.
…
Marquis' Mansion.
In the evening, after Wei Qing finished his work at the government office, he returned home and told Tang Li that he was going to Wangxian County.
"Wangxian County is very close to the capital, and it will take three or four days to get there." Wei Qing said, "Wife, don't worry."
Tang Li didn't say anything. Wei Qing came over and hugged her again.
"Wife, I can't bear to leave you and the baby." His palm was covering Tangli's bulging belly. The baby was sleeping and didn't kick him.
His expression was aggrieved, and Tangli reached out and touched his head.
She always had a feeling that a storm was about to come, and she always felt a little uneasy about her husband's trip.
"The eldest princess has raised so many daughters, all married to high-ranking officials. Her ambition is obvious. But Your Majesty and her are born of the same mother. I don't know if Your Majesty is deceived or trusts the eldest princess, and the relationship between them has always been good. Wangxian Commandery and Leshui County are the eldest princess' fiefdoms. If the imperial envoy investigates, he will definitely find something, which is equivalent to opening a loophole. If the loophole is large, Your Majesty and the eldest princess will have a rift. If the loophole is small, the eldest princess will be safe. But no matter what, the imperial envoy will definitely offend the eldest princess..."
Tang Li looked at Wei Qing: "Husband, you know all this, right?"
Wei Qing nodded. He knew, but he didn't tell her because he was afraid she would worry.
He originally wanted to gather evidence and report the Xiao family's grievances to the emperor. However, the Empress Dowager's incident made Wei Qing think that the emperor might be involved in the Xiao family's affairs, so he had to change his strategy.
It was too difficult to redress the Xiao family's grievances. The Xiao family had too many enemies: the eldest princess, the Wang family, the Lu family, and even the emperor who stood high above them. Revenge and redress were like facing a mountain.
His strength was not enough to overturn the mountain, it could only cause it to fall apart.
The eldest princess's ambition is the best inducement to alienate the emperor and the eldest princess.
So, when he learned that the county magistrate's son had written a petition and asked the people to put their fingerprints on it before going to the capital to file a complaint, he fanned the flames. Otherwise, the person filing the complaint would never have been able to leave Wangxian County.
"Don't worry, my dear. I will ensure my safety no matter what. I will take the secret guards with me and will rush back after I find out the truth." Wei Qing said, "Do you still remember Master Pei?"
"Master Pei?" Tang Li remembered him. "Master Pei of Liangzhou?"
"Yes, he's here too, protecting me." Wei Qing said, "With so many people protecting me, I'm sure I'll be fine."
After her husband said so much, her worries were indeed alleviated a little.
"When do we set off?" Tang Li asked.
"Tomorrow morning." Wei Qing said.
We're leaving tomorrow morning, and I don't know how long we'll be gone.
"Husband, don't worry about your things. I can take good care of myself. I'm here in the capital." Tang Li said.
She was pregnant and couldn't go to Wangxian County with him. She could only make sure she was well and her family was well so that he wouldn't have any worries.
Wei Qing nodded and hugged the person in his arms.
I don’t know how long it will take him to come back. I really miss my wife and baby.
But there are many things he has to do.
He kissed Tangli lightly on the forehead and whispered, "Wife, wait for me to come back."
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