Chapter 813 Quarrel
The Minister of Punishments, He Cheng, hurriedly accepted the summons and entered the palace. Soon after, news came that the Queen had been furious and reprimanded the emperor.
It was said that He Cheng looked extremely unhappy when he left the palace. Not only did he give the cold shoulder to anyone he met or greeted, but he also seemed to be filled with resentment that could explode at any time. Not long after He Cheng came out of the palace, the Queen's imperial decree to strictly investigate officials in the Ministry of Justice made many people excited.
Investigate the Ministry of Justice?
Is this a disaster for the Ministry of Justice?!
Liang Guangyi and Cao Dejiang rushed into the palace immediately after hearing about this. When they saw Tang Ning, she was still furious.
The matter of the fugitives could not be concealed, and Liang Guangyi and the others were surprised to hear that she was conducting a strict investigation in the Ministry of Justice for this reason.
Liang Guangyi said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, please reconsider. The war between the north and the south is currently raging. The court should focus on dealing with the war first. It is really not right to cause such a commotion in the court over a minor incident."
"What do you mean by small?"
Tang Ning's face turned cold upon hearing this. "It's not a big deal that the officials of the Ministry of Justice humiliated the female prisoners? It's not a small matter that they took the initiative to demand money and commit corruption and selfishness? Those who were exiled have long been sentenced by the court to receive the punishment they deserve. Who gave them the courage to do such evil things?"
"They represent the imperial court and are officials, yet they, because of the little power they hold, wantonly abuse female prisoners, force women into prostitution, and kill people. If they ever seize power, will they be able to use it to bully others, bring disaster to the court, and harm the people?"
Liang Guangyi was unhappy with Tang Ning's questioning tone, but he suppressed his anger and said:
"That's not what I meant. I simply feel that the court is currently in turmoil, and Your Majesty hasn't returned to the capital. The people in the court are already uneasy, so there's really no need to stir up trouble again. Even if this matter needs to be investigated, it can be postponed. Your Majesty should focus the court's attention on the border war."
Tang Ning's face was expressionless when she heard this: "Prime Minister Liang, are you blaming me?"
"I dare not."
Liang Guangyi said he didn't dare, but his face looked stubborn.
Tang Ning sneered, "I know the war is important, but that's no excuse for neglecting the investigation of the court. Putting aside the question of how to unify the empire if internal troubles aren't resolved, even the Ministry of Justice isn't among the necessary ministries during wartime. How would my ordering an investigation hinder the border war?"
"Besides, this incident has already spread among the people. The death of the official in the Ministry of Justice has caused a huge uproar, but no one has reported it to the palace. If you say that they didn't collude with the officials to protect each other, I don't believe it at all!"
"If we indulge these vile villains and fail to conduct a thorough investigation, we will destroy the foundation of the Wei Dynasty and bring unrest to the court!"
Liang Guangyi frowned, his face showing a gloomy expression. "Your Majesty, why do you have to make it sound so serious? They are just a few female prisoners who have already committed crimes. It's not a big deal..."
Tang Ning was angered by Liang Guangyi's words. "If they are guilty, then only the court can punish them. When is it the turn of a few police officers to take action on their own? Besides, they are not torturing them, they are just satisfying their own selfish desires that are worse than animals."
"Prime Minister Liang is speaking so lightly now. If one day a female member of the Liang family were to suffer such a fate, would he still be able to calmly say it's no big deal?"
“Queen!!”
Liang Guangyi suddenly shouted in a deep voice, obviously offended by Tang Ning's words.
Cao Dejiang, standing aside, did not expect that Tang Ning, who was usually very calm, would be so tough today. Seeing the two of them arguing and neither willing to give in, he quickly grabbed Liang Guangyi, who was scowling, and stepped forward and said:
"Empress, Prime Minister Liang definitely has no such intention. He is also concerned about the political situation."
Cao Dejiang said gently, "The Ministry of Justice is indeed unrelated to the war, but if we investigate thoroughly, we will find that the involvement is widespread. The people involved may also be related to other departments. Why not discuss this matter further..."
"The female prisoner who died in exile this time was Fu Jinrou."
Cao Dejiang's words of persuasion suddenly stopped.
Tang Ning looked at him and said, "Your Majesty showed special mercy that day by tattooing Fu Jinrou and exiling her. Her guilt was absolved. However, because the officers humiliated her to satisfy their lust, Fu Jinrou was dissatisfied with her innocence being tarnished. She teamed up with the officers to force several other female prisoners into prostitution. In the end, they fought back and killed her."
"The scene was so chaotic that the officer was killed, and Fu Jinrou was also killed on the spot. The exiled female prisoners fled to nearby towns in a panic, crying and screaming all the way, and then all crashed into each other and died in front of the government office. Now, not only is the court under suspicion, but the reputation of the women of the Fu family is also known throughout the world."
Cao Dejiang swallowed back the words he was about to say to persuade her, his face turning pale.
The Ministry of Justice was deliberately concealing the truth and would never let the news from below reach the ears of the people above. Cao Dejiang had been busy with border wars and dispatching officials to the court these days and had no time to pay attention to other things. If Tang Ning had not suddenly attacked the Ministry of Justice today, he would not even know about such a thing.
He never expected that this matter would actually involve the Fu family and the long-forgotten Fu Jinrou.
Seeing that Cao Dejiang's expression was no longer as tough as before, the Queen said firmly:
"I have made up my mind. There is no need to discuss this matter further."
"Empress..."
"Okay."
Tang Ning interrupted Liang Guangyi and looked at him with a sullen look, "The imperial decree has been issued and cannot be changed. If it changes from day to day, how can I, the palace, take charge of the court on behalf of Your Majesty in the future?"
Liang Guangyi's words were blocked, and his face was particularly wonderful.
…
When Liang Guangyi came out of the Imperial Study, his eyes were filled with gloom. Standing in the corridor, he turned his head and looked at Cao Dejiang: "You are just letting the Queen do whatever she wants?!"
Cao Dejiang frowned: "She is the queen."
"So what if it's the Queen? His Majesty gave the power of regent to you and me before leaving Beijing. You know very well that you shouldn't touch the Ministry of Justice right now!" Liang Guangyi said in a deep voice.
Cao Dejiang said, "Your Majesty has asked you and me to assist the Empress, but the Imperial Seal is in the Empress's hands. The Empress has already issued her decree. Do you intend to force her to withdraw it? Furthermore, the Empress hates evil and this matter should not be allowed to go on lightly. If she wants to investigate thoroughly, she can let them investigate. What is there for Prime Minister Liang to be afraid of?"
"I'm afraid? I think you're the one with the most selfish motives!" Liang Guangyi said coldly, "Tell me honestly, if this matter didn't involve the Fu family and it wasn't Fu Jinrou who died, would you agree to let the Queen investigate the Ministry of Justice?"
He showed disgust:
"Your Majesty was determined to attack Southern Qi, and you concealed the truth. Only after the attack did you ask me to cover up your lies. Now Beiling is pressing hard, and the northwest border could collapse at any moment. Yet you indulge the Queen and disregard the overall situation for her own selfish desires."
"Cao Dejiang, I really misjudged you!"
After Liang Guangyi shouted angrily, he turned his head to look at the hall behind him, flicked his sleeves and turned away.
Cao Dejiang was nearly hit by his sleeve. He took a step back but still felt a chill on his face. He turned his head to look at Liang Guangyi who was walking away and frowned.
This old guy's temper is as bad as ever.
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