Capital city, Dali Temple.
Zhu Yu sat on the high chair, and said to Yu Qizhe who sat beside him in a bossy manner: "Zhou Li has committed suicide in the Zhaoyu of your Dali Temple. His testimony against General Ji is one-sided. It is still unknown whether it is a frame-up or a confession under torture. Yu Shaoqing, General Ji is a loyal minister. His case needs to be tried by the three courts. You can't convict him based on the opinion of your Dali Temple alone."
Yu Qizhe looked calm and composed: "Second Prince, what you said makes sense."
Zhu Yu was just surprised that Yu Qizhe would agree with him, and then he heard Yu Qizhe say to his subordinates: "Go and invite Wei Shangshu and Zhang Zhongcheng. Since the second prince said that he wants a joint trial by the three courts, then invite the two adults to come to the court to try the case together."
Zhu Yu originally just said it casually, but he never expected that Yu Qizhe would actually want a joint trial by the three courts.
The Minister of Justice Wei Tingzhi seemed to be a man who was careful to protect himself, but in fact he was on good terms with the Liu family. Not to mention the old guys in the Censorate, all of them claimed to be upright and were in the same party with Liu Yu.
Ji Wudao, who was standing in the hall being tried, had obviously thought of this, but he was not worried. It was simply a foolish dream for the Dali Temple to put him in jail.
He and Zhu Yu exchanged a glance, and Zhu Yu said, "There must be a set of rules for the joint trial of the three courts. This is a serious matter. Since my father has given me the title of regent, I will hold a court meeting tomorrow. We can discuss this matter again in the morning."
Zhu Chu nominally had the power to regulate the country, but since Emperor Mingzheng went to Xianyang, most state affairs were approved by the Cabinet and the Imperial Household Department, and Zhu Chu had no real power to attend court and listen to reports.
"Since Emperor Taizong, all major cases have been tried by the three courts. What rules does the Second Prince want?" Yu Qizhe retorted calmly, "I have read the case files and found that even General Xiao's case was presided over by the Dali Temple, the Ministry of Justice assisted in sentencing, and the Censorate supervised. The trial is not a matter of public affairs, so why do we need to discuss it again in the morning court?"
Zhu Yu frowned, and slammed the table with the attitude of a pampered prince. "Yu Shaoqing, do you know what it means to govern the country on my behalf? My father is not here, and I said we can discuss it in the morning. My father's words are the emperor's orders. This prince is acting as the emperor, and everything I say and do is the same as if the emperor was here in person. Do you want to disobey?"
Yu Qizhe was calm and only glanced at Zhu Yu calmly: "I dare not. Since the Second Prince also knows that he is the regent on behalf of the emperor and handles state affairs, he should restrain himself and be cautious and prudent, instead of following the precedent of his ancestors and abusing the imperial power."
Zhu Yu was furious and pointed at Yu Qizhe: "You...you are determined to go against me? Yu Shaoqing, don't forget that you are just a lowly official of the fourth rank. You have no right to give orders to this prince!"
Ji Wudao also took advantage of the situation and said, "Master Yu has such great power. A mere fourth-rank Dali Temple official has no regard for the imperial power, bullies his subordinates and does whatever he wants. How can we know that he has ulterior motives?"
Yu Qizhe looked calm, "General Ji made up this story out of thin air. I am ashamed to accept it. I am just speaking based on facts. The Second Prince is so protective of General Ji. Isn't he afraid of gossip? Or is it that the Second Prince doesn't dare to let the three courts try General Ji's case? Is he afraid that something will come out of the trial and bring trouble to himself?"
Zhu Yu was furious. He already hated Yu Qizhe, so he would not tolerate his repeated provocations. He stood up and kicked over the chair in anger: "What am I afraid of? Zhou Li's testimony is only one-sided. How do you know that you, Yu Qizhe, did not intend to frame General Ji? If you continue to disrespect the emperor's authority, I will dismiss you from your post today!"
"Second Prince, calm down. Shaoqing Yu is just eager to try the case. There is solid evidence that Ji Wudao colluded with Zhou Li to smuggle war horses to the Tatars. The Dali Temple has irrefutable evidence. How could Shaoqing Yu intentionally want to frame Ji Wudao?" Zhang Zhongcheng walked in from outside the hall and said loudly.
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