Chapter 110 Unable to Keep Stable
[Great! Mr. Dong is taking the blame... Ugh! Taking the blame isn't a good thing, so why should I be happy?]
Chu Liuzheng cursed several times in his heart before continuing to read.
[Hmm... the person who actually accepted Li Youcai's bribes was a lawyer he hired named Han Cunzhong. This lawyer, under the name of Master Dong, accepted gifts from numerous people, even buying several large mansions and taking in three concubines. He had been with Master Dong since he was a minor county magistrate and enjoyed his deep trust. Furthermore, the incidents he helped cover up were minor, so Master Dong never discovered anything.]
[Tsk tsk, when it comes to betraying one's father, it has to be one of his own. It's all good that nothing happened to Master Dong, but now that something has happened, all the blame for Han Cunzhong's accumulated crimes will be placed on his head.]
Chu Liuzheng continued to dig down.
[This is a long list. Han Cunzhong has done a lot of deceiving his superiors and subordinates. Just this one... Wait a minute! This is... Holy shit! !]
The sudden increase in his inner voice made Xiao Jingfan's head buzz, and he almost dropped the teacup.
He glanced towards where Chu Liuzheng was standing. What had he seen that had made him howl like that? Was the suona a spirit?
Chu Liuzheng was busy watching the follow-up, and his thoughts disappeared.
Xiao Jingfan: "..."
You keep talking!!
Dong Yi, who was completely unaware that his Majesty was busy eating melons and had no mind on business, flipped through two records in the book based on the approximate date given by Li Youcai.
The coroner's autopsy results showed that the victim died by drowning after jumping into a well.
He glanced to check the person's name and found that it was Han Cunzhong, the master who had followed him for the longest time.
He has three advisors under his name, and Shuntian Prefecture also has a chief clerk and a chief clerk. Isn't it too coincidental that they were all checked by the same person?
He frowned slightly, and his intuition from years of being an official gave him a sudden bad premonition.
Li Youcai had been standing nearby. Seeing Dong Yi staring at the booklet solemnly, he felt increasingly uneasy and couldn't help but whisper, "Master Dong, you..."
Dong Yi didn't give him a chance to finish his words. He held the booklet in both hands and handed it forward, saying loudly, "Your Majesty, please review it."
Eunuch Zhou came forward, took the two open books and presented them to Xiao Jingfan.
Xiao Jingfan had already learned the truth from Chu Liuzheng's thoughts, so he was not surprised to see the name on the booklet.
He asked Dong Yi: "Who is Han Cunzhong?"
Dong Yi replied, "Your Majesty, this man is my hired advisor. He has been with me since I was the magistrate of Baiyuan County. He is well versed in Dasheng law and has been of great assistance to me."
A legal advisor is an aide to the emperor. Even officials who have passed the imperial examinations are not all-rounders. Especially those who are going to serve as officials in local areas and do practical work will often hire legal advisors to assist them in order to get started on local affairs as soon as possible. Over time, this has become an established rule.
Some officials with good family backgrounds would even spend money to hire a few more advisors, assign all the tasks to them, and act as a hands-off manager.
Xiao Jingfan asked the Jinyiwei who had just gone to get something, "Can this person enter the palace together?"
The Jinyiwei bowed and said, "In reply to your Majesty, no one is allowed to enter the palace without a summons. This person is waiting at the palace gate."
Xiao Jingfan nodded, "Announce."
Orders were issued one by one, and soon Han Cunzhong asked Xiao Anzi to lead him to the second floor of Jinxiu Pavilion.
When Han Cunzhong was paying his respects, Xiao Anzi walked up to his master and whispered a few words in his ear.
Zhou Yuande winked at him to step back, then he took two steps forward and whispered what Xiao Anzi had said to Xiao Jingfan.
Xiao Jingfan glanced at Li Youcai, whose expression was no longer as calm as before, and ordered Zhou Yuande, "Bring everyone here."
"Yes." Zhou Yuande accepted the order and left.
Everyone was confused. Who else was there besides this master?
Han Cunzhong thought of the people he saw at the palace gate. His mind was racing, but his face was full of respect.
Xiao Jingfan ordered someone to show the two booklets to Han Cunzhong and asked, "Were you responsible for the two suicide cases in the Li Mansion?"
Han Cunzhong glanced at the contents of the record. He naturally recognized his own handwriting and nodded: "In reply to Your Majesty, it is me."
Xiao Jingfan looked up at him and asked, "Did these two women really commit suicide by jumping into the well?"
Hearing this, Han Cunxin's heart skipped a beat, and he subconsciously wanted to look up to observe Xiao Jingfan's expression, but then he remembered that the person asking the question was the emperor, and people of low status should not look directly into the emperor's face.
He restrained himself from looking up, quickly weighing the facts in his mind before speaking, "Your Majesty, the record in the book is false. The bodies of these two women were covered in whip marks. They must have been whipped to death, not committed suicide by jumping into the well."
Hearing this, Li Youcai was startled and looked at Han Cunzhong in horror, "You..."
He had just shouted a word when two eunuchs stepped forward, covered his mouth, and forced him to his knees.
How could we roar and shout in front of His Majesty? It would have been fine if His Majesty had let us go just now, but not now.
Li Youcai struggled subconsciously, but then he remembered that he was in front of the emperor, and he was so scared that he dared not struggle anymore. He just trembled slightly and looked pitiful.
However, at this time, apart from Zhao Yue and Yu Zhui, who hated him to the core, no one else paid attention to him.
Everyone was looking at Han Cunzhong. How could he admit it after just one question? Judging from his expression, he didn't look intimidated by Jun Wei.
Xiao Jingfan was also a little surprised that Han Cunzhong would admit it so readily. According to the woman's thoughts, this man was a habitual offender and should not be so timid and unstable.
He said coldly, "Since you knew the true cause of death of these two people, why did you fabricate the records?"
Han Cunzhong sank to his knees, looking remorseful. "Out of greed, I accepted three hundred taels of silver from the Li family's steward and ordered the coroner to rewrite the two women's injuries and causes of death. I then recorded them in the register and hastily closed the case."
Hearing this, Dong Yi sighed deeply.
He had already had a premonition just now, and now that the premonition was confirmed, he couldn't tell whether he was more surprised or disappointed.
"I am short-sighted and I am sorry for your kindness in cultivating me." Han Cunzhong turned around on his knees and kowtowed to Dong Yi.
Dong Yi frowned and turned aside to refuse the greeting. Instead, he lifted the hem of his robe and knelt before the emperor. "I have failed to govern strictly, allowing my subordinates to take advantage of loopholes and causing two more unjust cases. Please, Your Majesty, punish me."
Xiao Jingfan felt much better after he knew from his heart that the person who embezzled and accepted bribes was not Dong Yi. At least it proved that he was not wrong and that he was a wise ruler.
He still had some use for Dong Yi, so after a moment's deliberation, he said, "Order him to be fined two months' salary and have a demerit issued to the Ministry of Examination. If it happens again, you will be forced to resign as the Shuntian Prefecture Governor."
Dong Yi looked up in shock.
That’s it?
Deducting two months' salary and recording a demerit in the Examination Office, isn't that equivalent to not giving any punishment?
He wanted to raise his hand to clean his ears to see if he was hallucinating.
According to your Majesty's violent temper, he should at least scold him severely, then demote him or exile him, or at least fine him.
Why is there nothing here?
When did Your Majesty change his ways?
Mr. Dong said he was not used to it.
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