"What is it for, Lord Wu? Speak up!" Imperial Censor Wen said with a cold and stern expression. "Could it be that Lord Wu is feeling guilty and, upon encountering the victim on his way out, assumes he has been caught and is trying to shift the blame?"
"How dare you! You're the thief!" Lord Wu retorted angrily, his face flushed red.
The Emperor, sitting on the dragon throne, guessed that there was some entanglement between the Wu and Wen families.
However, Imperial Censor Wen inherited the style of Grand Secretary Cui, being fearless of power and upright. He would not have brought it up in court today without solid evidence.
Clearly, his father-in-law was not as honest as he appeared; behind the scenes, he might have used his father's name to bully and oppress the people.
Thinking this, his face turned even paler.
Just as he was about to speak, another gaunt censor stepped forward and said loudly, "Your Majesty, I also have something to report."
Everyone instinctively looked over, their hearts filled with surprise and curiosity.
What an amazing day! The ordinary grand court assembly is so lively!
The thin censor didn't keep everyone waiting and said directly, "Wen Junyan of the Court of State Ceremonial abused his power to oppress the people and forcibly bought ink workshops from the people of Anyang, causing the ink workshop owner to hang himself."
"The magistrate of Anyang County, Hu Dongsheng, was a classmate of Wen Qinglin, the Imperial Censor. Magistrate Hu helped suppress the matter out of personal favoritism, leaving the Mo Fang family with nowhere to seek justice."
"This matter is widely known in the area, damaging the prestige of the government. It is a heinous crime. We beseech Your Majesty to take this matter seriously and thoroughly investigate the crimes of Wen Junyan in oppressing the people and Wen Qinglin and Hu Dongsheng in protecting him."
The courtiers listened from beginning to end, their mouths agape in astonishment.
This is truly a case of the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.
No sooner had Censor Wen taken action against the Wu family than someone jumped out and accused the Wen family as well…
Winter hasn't even fully arrived yet, and there's already a string of accusations coming up in the court. Are they planning to dip these in candied hawthorns?
The emperor also subconsciously straightened his back and his face turned cold.
Wen Junyan was just watching the show when the flames of war suddenly spread to him.
Thinking of the boxes of ink blocks that had recently been delivered to his study, beads of sweat immediately dripped down his forehead.
In recent years, my second brother has enjoyed immense prestige in the imperial court, while I, a fourth-rank official in the Court of State Ceremonial, am as insignificant as a shadow.
Feeling depressed, he would occasionally take a long leave to go for a stroll outside.
Six months ago, he went to Anyang County in the south and took a fancy to an ink workshop. He wanted to buy it, but the workshop owner said it was a family heirloom and refused to sell it for any price.
In a fit of anger, he used some underhanded tactics to force the owner of the ink shop to his death, and then the orphaned mother and her children went to the county government to file a complaint.
He went to the Anyang County government office to make a visit, hoping to curry favor with the officials, only to discover that the county magistrate was his younger brother's classmate and friend, and had often visited his home in the past.
As a result, things immediately went much more smoothly.
With the county magistrate's intervention and his financial support, the ink shop eventually fell into his hands.
The wife and children of the original ink shop owner swallowed their anger and returned to their hometown...
Everything was handled perfectly, without the slightest mistake.
Moreover, almost every household in Xinduli has done this!
Of all the shops and estates inside and outside the city, how many of their original owners were truly willing to sell their property to "outsiders"?
He only acquired a small ink workshop, so why has it been brought up again after so long?
Wen Junyan's legs went weak, and he almost tumbled and crawled out of the line, kneeling down and crying out for justice, "Your Majesty, I am innocent!"
"I did buy an ink shop before, but it was a legitimate business, and there was absolutely no way I drove anyone to their death!"
Before the emperor could speak, the gaunt censor spoke up again.
"Lord Wen, are you saying I've framed you? I have no grudge against you, why would I falsely accuse you?"
That sounds so familiar!
That's exactly what Imperial Censor Wen asked Lord Wu.
It wasn't even the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea before it was returned to me!
Wen Junyan stared at his younger brother with eyes as wide as a bull's, wishing he could devour him alive.
Over the years, his family has not been able to get any help from him, and now he is being retaliated against at lightning speed because he offended someone!
Lord Wu looked at the court officials with a puzzled expression, not understanding who had come to his aid at such a critical moment, but he was still extremely happy and proud.
He sneered at Censor Wen, "Lord Wen, you are a censor, favored by the Emperor, yet your family has committed such a grave error. What face do you have to stand here and accuse me of such a fabricated crime?"
Unfortunately, Imperial Censor Wen's expression didn't change at all.
He bowed directly to the emperor on the dragon throne and said frankly, "Your Majesty, I am the Imperial Censor of Tianwu. My duty is to uphold the dignity of Tianwu's laws and maintain the integrity and fairness of the court."
"I impeached the Wu family because they had indeed made a mistake and should be punished, not because of personal grudges."
"Furthermore, I severed all ties with the Wen family several years ago, and except for the family genealogy, I joined the Cui family. Now I am a son-in-law of the Cui family, and I have no right to interfere in the affairs of the Wen family."
"If Lord Wen did indeed force the people to buy ink shops, resulting in the wrongful death of a person, then a thorough investigation should be conducted and he should be punished according to the law."
"The saying goes, 'Even princes are subject to the law,' and the Wen family is no exception, nor is the Wu family!"
His words were forceful and dignified, and the emperor and some senior officials nodded slightly in agreement.
This is how an imperial censor should be!
Monitor the affairs of the world, speak out against injustice at all times, fearless and undaunted!
The skinny censor felt a little guilty and subconsciously shrank his neck.
Lord Wu was also anxious and fearful.
Could it be that even the intervention of reinforcements, which dragged the Wen family into the mess, couldn't stop Imperial Censor Wen from striking down the Wu family?
Wen Junyan, on the other hand, was so angry that he almost spat out a mouthful of blood!
In a moment of madness, he wanted to yell at his younger brother, but then an official from the Ministry of Personnel stepped forward.
"Your Majesty, the day before yesterday I received a document from the magistrate of Anyang County. The magistrate of Anyang County reported that Wen Junyan of the Court of State Ceremonial forcibly purchased an ink workshop, resulting in the wrongful death of a commoner. The magistrate of Anyang County has been investigating for several months, and now he has both witnesses and physical evidence."
"However, my old illness relapsed, which delayed me for two days, and I did not write a memorial. I did not expect to be involved in this matter today..."
"Your Majesty, please punish me. It is all my fault. I almost caused the magistrate of Anyang County, an honest and upright official, to be accused of protecting someone..."
As he said this, he knelt down, his face full of remorse.
The entire court fell completely silent because of those few words from the Ministry of Personnel official.
The emperor and his ministers, a total of one hundred people, were tossed about in the wind and waves, and suddenly thrown onto the beach.
To be honest, people who aren't very bright still haven't figured it out yet!
Imperial Censor Wen filed a lawsuit against the Wu family.
Another censor filed a lawsuit against the Wen family.
The Wu family cries foul!
The Wen family cries foul!
The Ministry of Personnel intervened and exonerated the Anyang County Magistrate who was implicated...
But even the Empress's biological father couldn't get rid of it!
Even the Imperial Censor Wen's own brother couldn't get away with it!
"Smack!"
The Emperor could no longer contain himself. With a cold and stern expression, he slammed his hand on the table and shouted, "Outrageous! What have you all done to the court!"
Regardless of their true intentions, all the court officials immediately knelt down, displaying extreme deference.
The Emperor took a deep breath and decisively ordered, "The Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review shall jointly investigate Wu Jiaqiang's abduction of a woman and his seizure of farmland, and Wen Junyan's forced purchase of an ink workshop, and report back as soon as possible."
"If I want to know the truth, anyone who shows favoritism or conceals the truth will be punished as well!"
"Furthermore, all personnel involved in the case have been suspended from their duties, placed under house arrest, and await the results of the investigation, after which they will be dealt with accordingly!"
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