Chapter 129 Investigating the Case
Yinzhen's reputation was effective in Jiangnan, not only because he was the emperor, but also because of the good impression he left on the people of Jiangnan after investigating corruption in the past.
Therefore, when Yinzhi and his entourage arrived in Jiangning Prefecture as imperial envoys appointed by the emperor, the students and their relatives who had been rioting and resisting all quieted down.
The common people were actually quite easy to appease. They knew that the imperial envoys in charge of the case were all the emperor's brothers, and should have inherited some of the emperor's virtues. In addition, the scholars had also heard about Yinzhi's previous reputation, and were willing to entrust him with this task for the time being.
After calming the public and promising to give the students an explanation, Yinzhi and Yunxiang immediately began the trial. Meanwhile, Prince Yu, Yuntang, appeared and disappeared under the guise of investigating the case, without arousing any suspicion from anyone.
To ensure fairness, Yunsi not only held a public trial, but also invited the Governor-General of Liangjiang, Gali, and the Governor of Jiangnan, Zhang Boxing, to serve as jurors.
The investigation was swift. The two princes sat at the head of the table, and the examiners, Wang Yueyu and Fang Ming, were so frightened that they confessed everything on the spot. They admitted to accepting bribes and that they had graded the exam papers of wealthy merchants' sons, such as Cheng Guangkui and Wu Bi.
The abilities of the implicated candidates, Cheng Guangkui and Wu Bi, were also tested. Of the two top-ranking candidates, one couldn't even memorize the Three Character Classic, and the other couldn't even write the characters Zhao, Qian, Sun, and Li correctly.
With witnesses and physical evidence at hand, Deputy Chief Examiner Zhao Jin was unable to refute the allegations. He admitted, pale-faced, that he had participated in the matter and had even received three hundred taels of gold.
A wealthy merchant from Jiangnan offered bribes, the deputy chief examiner and the examiner accepted bribes, and the chief examiner failed to supervise. This cheating case in the imperial examination seems to have been solved, and it can be closed once the people involved are dealt with.
Upon learning the truth and receiving a promise from Yinzhi that the Emperor would reopen the provincial examinations and that the innocent students who participated would not be held accountable, the people of Jiangnan were relieved.
Everything seemed to have returned to calm, and the Viceroy of Liangjiang, Gali, who was on the jury, also breathed a sigh of relief. He was preparing to host a banquet to send off the imperial envoys, including Prince Lian, when unexpectedly, Prince Lian opened the court again.
This time, however, Gari went from being a juror to being tried.
"I wonder what Prince Lian means by this?" Gali stood in the center of the hall, his face grim, glaring at Yunsi, who sat high above him, showing none of his previous humility.
"Lord Gali, don't panic. If no one reports this to me, I will naturally not make things difficult for you." Yun Si looked at him with a gentle smile, as if it was just out of helplessness and not intentional.
But seeing his kind appearance, Gali didn't believe it at all. He felt uneasy, but he forced himself to be assertive and asked, "Your humble servant has worked diligently and conscientiously for half his life. I wonder who would like to accuse me?"
"It is indeed I, the official."
The voice came from behind the yamen. Gali squinted at the person who strode out, and was shocked for a moment.
"Zhang Boxing?"
“Indeed, it is I, Zhang Boxing.” Zhang Boxing, the governor of Jiangnan who should have left long ago, suddenly appeared, glancing disdainfully at Gali. He then bowed to Yunsi in the hall.
"Zhang Boxin, the Governor of Jiangnan, has met with Prince Lian."
"Lord Zhang, please rise. Lord Gali, I don't know why you're accusing him. Why don't you explain to him what you're accusing him of?"
"Yes. Your Highness, I accuse the Governor-General of Liangjiang, Gali, of embezzlement and bribery, of knowingly violating the law, and of being the mastermind behind the corruption case in Jiangnan!" Zhang Boxing's voice was firm and powerful.
Upon hearing this, Gali's expression changed drastically, and he flew into a rage.
"Absurd! Zhang Boxing, you are deliberately slandering me; this is utter nonsense!"
"Alas, Lord Gali, there is no need to be agitated. I will not listen to Lord Zhang's one-sided story."
Yun Si's seemingly kind words of comfort instantly made Ga Li forget all his previous prejudices against Yun Si, and he looked at Yun Si with a shameful and aggrieved expression.
"Your Highness, please understand, I really didn't do it. It was just a disagreement on some political views, yet Lord Zhang wants to kill me." At this point, Gali even squeezed out two tears.
Unfortunately, Zhang Boxing remained unmoved in the hall, while Yun Si seemed quite confident of victory. So, those who enjoyed watching the spectacle, those who loved watching, and those who wanted to watch, leisurely shed a few tears while watching the show.
"There's no need to rush to accuse me. I dare to speak today because I have evidence." Zhang Boxing coldly observed Gali's excitement, as if watching a clown perform.
Once Gali had calmed down, Zhang Boxing bowed to Yunsi and requested that the witnesses be brought to court.
"Granted." Yun Si smiled and agreed, and kindly asked Zhang Boxing and Ga Li to sit on either side to listen to the testimony.
Gali sat on the carved chair, his hands gripping the handles tightly, his nerves on edge. His feelings as he awaited the witnesses were completely different from when he first joined the jury.
"We, Li Qi and Chen Tianli, greet Your Highness."
Upon hearing a familiar name, Gali's brow twitched, and his heart skipped a beat.
"I wonder if Gali knows these two people?" Yunsi, sitting at the top, had a clear view of the people below and asked with a smile as he looked at the tense Gali.
"This humble subject does not know him." Gali maintained his composure and shook his head indifferently.
"Then let's hear from Lord Zhang."
"Yes." Upon hearing Yun Si's order, Zhang Boxing stood up, pointed at the two kneeling men, and asked Ga Li, "One of these men is Li Qi, the middleman who handled the bribery for the wealthy merchant, and the other is Chen Tianli, the magistrate of Jing County. Do you really not recognize these two men, Lord Ga Li?"
“I am too busy with official duties to meet any shady people,” Gali replied impatiently.
"Really? As far as I know, isn't Chen Tianli, the magistrate of Jing County, related to your family by marriage?" Zhang Boxing pressed on.
"Is that so? So what? I come from the Dong'e clan, a prominent Manchu family with relatives all over the world. Do I have to know them all?" Gali remained calm and his rebuttal was reasonable and well-founded.
"Is that so?" Zhang Boxing smiled slightly, much to Gali's surprise, he casually dropped the question. This made Gali quite uneasy, unable to figure out what he had overlooked.
"In order to prove that I am not acting out of personal motives, I ask Your Highness to allow me to start from the beginning and tell Lord Gali's story."
"I grant your permission." Yinzhi nodded. The stage was set up, so naturally Gali had to perform on stage; otherwise, he would have no chance.
"Thank you, Your Highness." Zhang Boxing bowed respectfully, then slowly walked to Gali's side. He looked at Gali without speaking, which made Gali restless.
"Zhang Boxing, what tricks are you playing? Just say it if you have something to say."
"Since Lord Gali is so eager, then I shall speak."
Zhang Boxing returned to the center of the hall, his face serious, and began his formal report: "The matter begins with the two scholars who bribed the officials, Cheng Guangkui and Wu Bi. According to their testimonies, the bribes amounted to fifteen ingots of gold each, with each ingot weighing twenty taels, totaling 600 taels of gold. However, the testimony of the deputy chief examiner, Zhao Jin, states that he only received 300 taels of gold. Does Lord Gali recall this?"
When Zhang Boxing mentioned gold, Gali's heart sank; his bad premonition was indeed correct.
"I vaguely remember, but it is very likely that Zhao Jin deliberately concealed 300 taels in order to reduce his punishment."
"But both the person in charge, Li Qi, and the magistrate of Jing County, Chen Tianli, admitted that the remaining 300 taels of gold ended up in the hands of you, the Governor-General of Liangjiang, Gali."
"Absurd! This is blatant slander!"
Faced with Zhang Boxing's interrogation, Gali suddenly stood up from his chair, walked to Li Qi and Chen Tianli who were kneeling on the ground, and angrily rebuked them: "You audacious scoundrels, do you know what crime it is to frame a high-ranking official? You should be dragged away and beaten to death!"
Upon hearing Gali's words, the two men were so frightened that they prostrated themselves on the ground, trembling with fear.
"Why are you so alarmed, Lord Gali? Let's see the evidence before we talk about whether it's a frame-up or not." Yunxiang's unique, chivalrous, and cheerful voice came from outside the hall.
Looking at Prince Yi, who had clearly rushed over, Gali suddenly understood everything in a flash. He finally realized what he had overlooked.
Trembling as he looked at the crowd in the hall, at the leisurely Prince Lian and the smiling Zhang Boxing, Ga Li felt his blood boil and stammered, "You...you deliberately...disturbed the time..."
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