Chapter 74: The New Official's First Three Actions
"Princess, the Imperial Household Department sent someone this morning to ask if you are comfortable living in your residence and if there is any area that needs repair?"
Hengbo thought it was acceptable; the Imperial Household Department had clearly put a lot of thought into the furnishings of the house.
Is there anything else you want to tell me?
Zhu Xi lowered her voice: "Protector Bai sent a message asking if you need some time to adjust. He's waited so many years anyway, there's no rush."
Hengbo waved her hand, saying that she wasn't really there to be an official. Seeing Ji Heng's old face every day at court had made her lose her appetite these past few days.
This matter should be addressed sooner rather than later, and besides, she hoped to settle everything this year. Having been down the mountain for so long, she wanted to go back and see her master and mistress.
It's said that a new broom sweeps clean. Well, let's say her first act was to rouse the late Empress Dowager Zhengde.
...
"Is there anything else you wish to report today? If not..."
In the imperial court, as Emperor Zhenyuan finished speaking, several officials exchanged glances and silently began to exchange veiled accusations.
"Your Majesty," the Prefect of the Capital stepped forward hesitantly, "the Prefectural Office of the Capital received a case today. Although it is not a major case, it is old and involves officials of the court. Please transfer it to the Ministry of Justice."
"Oh?" Ji Heng became interested. "What case?"
The Prefect of the Capital lowered his head. "The Chief Steward of the Imperial Household Department, Bai Yun, has accused the Marquis of Dingbei of abducting children and preventing them from finding their families?"
Upon hearing this, everyone turned their gaze to Lu Wuwang, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, who stood silently in the crowd.
Ji Heng also asked, "Shaoqing, is this true?"
Lu Wuwang stepped forward, his face calm: "Your Majesty, I am unaware of this matter. However, since someone has submitted a petition, I request Your Majesty to thoroughly investigate this matter and restore the innocence of the Marquis of Dingbei."
"Since you, Lord Shaoqing, are so certain," Ji Heng said with a hint of amusement, "then this case will be handled by the Ministry of Justice, with the Prefectural Governor's Office of the Capital Region assisting. If the truth cannot be uncovered, not only will the Imperial Household Department and the Marquis of Dingbei's residence be held accountable, but I will also make trouble for you!"
"Yes, I will obey Your Majesty's command."
"Yes, I will obey Your Majesty's command."
"Princess, these are all the files. They will now be handed over to the Ministry of Justice."
The Ministry of Justice official glanced at Hengbo's face, then looked at the Prefect of the Capital, who seemed to have gotten rid of a hot potato, and gave a forced smile. "Your Excellency is joking. We are officials speaking out, and this is the Vice Minister."
"Yes, yes," the Prefect of the Capital wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, "I'm just getting senile, I hope the Vice Minister won't take offense."
Hengbo flipped through the files in his hands, then suddenly looked up at the timid man in front of him with a half-smile. This man was the real wolf in sheep's clothing.
She hadn't expected that this seemingly quiet old man had actually uncovered so much behind the scenes.
No wonder she waited for so many days without the case being transferred to the Ministry of Justice. It turned out that the old man was getting more and more frightened as he investigated, and in order to save his own life, he made a point of making a public appearance in front of Ji Heng before the case was transferred.
However, this saved her a lot of trouble, and Hengbo decided in a good mood to let it go for the sake of him.
Hengbo rolled up the dossier in his hand and took the lead in leaving. Seeing this, the group from the Ministry of Justice hurriedly followed, leaving the Prefect of the Capital alone, who collapsed into a chair, exhausted.
He should find an opportunity to retire; after all, he's reached the end of his official career. A storm is brewing. His old bones can't withstand the brunt of it.
"My lord," the physician said, halfway up to catch up with Hengbo's steps, "so what's next?"
Hengbo glanced at him with annoyance. What was wrong with this guy? Who was he who had just become an official a couple of days ago?
He chuckled sheepishly and explained in a low voice, "Princess, the young master taught me to be perceptive; I will follow your lead in everything."
Hengbo realized that he was one of her old subordinates. No wonder she had always felt that this person was a bit strange, strangely attentive.
It seems he killed his boss, but unfortunately he didn't succeed in taking the position; instead, she took it from him.
The father of the former Vice Minister of Justice actually passed away last year, but this man deliberately kept it a secret for the sake of his official position. After all, very few officials could be reinstated after the three-year mourning period, and he didn't think his talents were enough to make the emperor remember him for three years.
When the old servant brought the news, he knew he had been exposed. But the man didn't directly report him. After a moment's thought, he realized the crux of the matter: the man had his eye on his position.
So he submitted a memorial that very night and, without waiting for the imperial decree, rushed back to his hometown.
Considering his current position and the great efforts the person in front of him had made, Hengbo became more patient with him.
Now that we have the case file, the next step is naturally to conduct an investigation.
The person who came was about thirty years old, and his long black hair with a few white hairs was simply tied up with a white jade crown.
To Hengbo's surprise, Baiyun was a rather frail-looking man, but considering his identity, it was understandable.
“My lord,” he said, as he picked up his teacup, his slender wrist protruding from beneath his wide sleeve, “I had no choice but to do this. Fortunately, the Marquis is kind and forgiving, and he does not hold my rudeness against me.”
The official in charge, who had been summoned to record the events, couldn't help but raise his voice several octaves, "So you sued the Marquis of Dingbei just because you couldn't find your biological parents? You really are..." If it weren't for the fact that rank has the power to suppress others, he would have pointed his finger at the man and accused him of being unreasonable.
Some time ago, Baiyun's adoptive mother came to Beijing to visit him. The old lady was unable to adapt to the cold of Yujing and caught a cold after only a few days. When she developed a high fever at night, she began to talk incoherently.
Because Baiyun was worried, she stayed by her bedside all night, and thus, by a twist of fate, she learned that she was not her parents' biological child, but a child adopted from the Dingbei Marquis's mansion.
He was immediately puzzled, but he had to keep it to himself because of the old woman's condition. Fortunately, his mother's fever subsided after a few days, and she recovered completely after resting for another two days.
He finally couldn't help but ask about his origins, but his adoptive mother denied it outright and forbade him to tell anyone.
Seeing his adoptive mother's panicked expression, he was puzzled. After all, he was a court official, directly under the emperor's jurisdiction. What kind of force could possibly threaten him? However, faced with his adoptive mother's pleas, he had no choice but to agree.
After his adoptive mother returned home, he tossed and turned for several nights without being able to sleep, and finally decided to go to the Marquis of Dingbei's residence to find out the truth.
The person in charge, who had just found the story absurd and bizarre, couldn't help but urge, "What's next?" This shows that once someone starts something, they want to get to the bottom of it.
Seeing Princess Shenxiao and Baiyun looking at him at the same time, he felt embarrassed, but fortunately he was thick-skinned and said nonchalantly, "Lord Bai, and then?"
Bai Yun smiled bitterly: "The Marquis of Dingbei's mansion refuses to admit that this happened, otherwise I wouldn't have resorted to this desperate measure."
The official in charge thought to himself, "This is indeed a poor choice. No matter what happens in the end, Bai Yun's official career is probably over. He was a good head of the Imperial Household Department. Although he didn't have much real power, at least he had a high rank. I couldn't even get that position if I wanted to."
Just then, the Ministry of Justice official in charge of investigating the Dingbei Marquis's residence led an old woman in.
“My lord, I found in the Ministry of Personnel that the only old servant who worked in the Marquis of Dingbei’s mansion thirty-five years ago and then left the mansion is this old lady who is still in Yujing.”
He nodded with a wave of his hand.
"Your Excellency's method is excellent!" The steward clapped his hands. Since the Marquis of Dingbei's residence was unwilling to speak, then they would start with the servants who had leaked information.
However, he hadn't expected that this newly arrived vice minister would actually be quite capable, managing to make his difficult superior run around like a headless chicken. Normally, a fourth-rank physician would never be tasked with such a menial task.
“Mrs. Liu, I ask you questions, and you must answer them without any lies or concealment.”
"Yes, sir." Granny Liu knelt tremblingly in front of the hall, her eyes filled with fear and apprehension.
"Is it true that you served in front of the old Marquis and his wife at the Marquis of Dingbei's residence thirty-five years ago?"
Yes, yes.
"Was there any new addition to the Dingbei Marquis's household thirty-five years ago?"
The old woman seemed lost in memories, counting on her fingers for a long time before finally answering, "The old Marquis only had one son and one daughter, namely the current Marquis of Dingbei and the deceased Imperial Concubine. The Marquis also only had one son, who was born thirty years ago. Apart from that, he had no other children."
Compared to other official families, the Dingbei Marquis's family had a very simple personnel structure, so the servants could not hide whether the family had had a child.
The Ministry of Justice official, already engrossed in investigating the case, was lost in thought and didn't even notice Hengbo exchanging a glance with the physician.
"Then let me ask you, were there any other major events at the Marquis of Dingbei's residence thirty-five years ago?"
The doctor sitting at the head of the table had piercing eyes, which startled Liu Shi. Her mind, which she had thought was old and useless, suddenly became much clearer.
“Thirty-five years ago…” She paused for a moment, then suddenly raised her voice, “I remember now! Thirty-five years ago, the empress in the palace passed away, along with her unborn child. The then-marquis’s wife fell seriously ill after attending the funeral in the palace, and it is said that she was bedridden for several months.”
"It is said?" The official from the Ministry of Justice carefully considered the word. "So, you haven't seen the lady for several months in a row?"
Madam Liu nodded: "During that period, apart from the lady's personal maids, we were not even allowed to approach the courtyard. It was said that the lady was too grief-stricken to see anyone."
"It's hard to say. The Marquis's wife wasn't even in the manor at the time," the steward boldly speculated. "But her daughter had just passed away, and then she didn't return to the manor for several months. Why was that?"
Seeing his puzzled expression, the doctor said slowly, "Then why don't you be a little bolder? Don't you think it's a bit too much of a coincidence that it's all thirty-five years ago?"
Upon hearing this, the person in charge's eyes widened in surprise. He looked at Bai Yun with suspicion and uncertainty: "Could it be?"
But Bai Yun smiled without saying a word. It's over! It's over! It feels like he's the one who's fallen into this trap today. How could a mere sixth-rank official's wife possibly know about something this serious?
“Sir,” he said to Hengbo with a mournful face, “please send me to run errands next time! I’m still young and can still run errands!” He also wanted to be promoted again!
With eyes gazing at the nose, and the nose reflecting the heart, this matter is not suitable for the old subordinates to get too involved; it can only be entrusted to these loyal ministers of the emperor.
"It's not time to jump to conclusions," the doctor reassured Hengbo. "Since you want to run errands, then take the Ministry of Justice's token to the Imperial Medical Bureau and invite Physician Jiang here."
Now that they were already on the wrong path, it was better to go all the way than to jump ship at the last minute. The person in charge was also itching to ask, "Why did you invite Physician Jiang?"
The physician then turned to Bai Yun and asked, "If I may be so bold as to ask, is Lord Bai's frail health a congenital condition?"
Bai Yun didn't shy away from the truth: "It is true. Fortunately, my adoptive father is a doctor at a clinic. After many years of his painstaking treatment, I am much better."
The doctor clapped his hands and sighed, "In that case, everything makes sense."
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