Chapter 225 The Crown Prince's Daily Task: First in the Ministry of Justice...
By the time Qi Chengming handed his phone to Song Gu's trusted confidante, Xiao Fangzi, to charge, his mind had completely cleared. He took a deep breath before walking out of the small room with a sense of shame.
That was absolutely wrong.
Adults should know what to do and when, but he couldn't resist the temptation of his cell phone after being offline for several years. The most important thing right now was to see his newly appointed tutor to the Crown Prince, Grand Scholar Mu, with whom he had long-standing spiritual ties.
—You can't be late, or even on time; you have to arrive a little early.
"What is breakfast?" Qi Chengming strode into the side room and asked. Xiao Dezi cleverly held up the prepared food box in her hand: "This servant picked out two things, peony rolls and bean cakes."
Qi Chengming no longer needed to ask the question he was about to ask. He gave him an approving look, turned around, and went out: "Let's go."
Both of these can be eaten on the road or during breaks from reading. There's no need to worry about thirst; the prince can drink tea normally while reading.
Young people walk very fast, and since he was in his own residence, he didn't need to pay attention to his manners. Qi Chengming walked like a whirlwind, effortlessly devouring two servings of bean cakes as he went, which made him half full, without wasting any time. Not only that, he also took the opportunity to quickly scan his upgraded system page along the way.
The buttons I didn't finish looking at last time were [Shop], [Tasks], and [Achievements].
Buy a set of [earthquake detectors and sensors] from the store first, install them when you have the chance, and then slowly accumulate points to buy more and expand your network.
The "Achievements" section is densely packed with many detailed records added over the years, including "First time planting potatoes", "First time experiencing a hurricane", "First time becoming the king of a territory", "First time being poisoned", and other achievements, some serious and some not so serious.
Qi Chengming: "..."
He stared at one of them, lost in thought.
'The first time I was regarded as a god'.
Seriously?
Because of his modern inventions?
Finally, there's the [Tasks] page.
The scattered infrastructure tasks that popped up were still lying quietly on the list, and Qi Chengming could only skip them to avoid getting annoyed.
He's been stuck lately, feeling frustrated. Even before he became emperor, he couldn't modify the drainage systems in the palace or the capital. Now that he's the crown prince, his power has expanded further. He wonders if he can use the rationing incident to address the livelihood issues of the people in the capital. Hmm, he'll have to think about it some more.
The top task on the page, "Appointed as Crown Prince," has been completed.
The reward is a "fully automated system mechanism".
Time was short on the road, and Qi Chengming only had time for a quick glance. The gist was that… the system would become more intelligent. For example, if he were poisoned again, a notification would pop up on his personal panel if anything unusual happened; if he was unconscious, it would automatically use points to buy pills and activate emergency treatment; and it would also broadcast any new, dangerous developments in different territories on the map. Mission rewards would be automatically deposited into his system space, etc…
It's a rather convenient feature.
Qi Chengming noticed that this function had a default off button, so he turned it on with peace of mind.
The next daily task, [Counterattack Against the Emperor], is already in progress. It is divided into four stages, and the first stage is already complete.
Qi Chengming already knew what was going on, but he kept quiet and waited patiently.
When he hurried to Yinquan Courtyard, a young eunuch came up to him and bowed, reminding him: "Your Highness, the Grand Tutor has been led by Chief Eunuch Song to dine in the Flower Hall and has not yet arrived."
Qi Chengming breathed a sigh of relief: "...!"
...Truly worthy of being called a descendant of the Song Dynasty!
That's a great assist!
He calmed his breathing, regained his composure, and slowly entered the Drinking Spring Courtyard. He sat down at the table and chairs and first recalled the deeds of the Crown Prince's tutor.
Because of the relationship between Grand Secretary Mu's son, Prefect Mu, and Qi Chengming, they had several interactions. Later, it became clear that this Grand Tutor was a supporter of Qi Chengming and had extensive connections among civil officials.
Having someone like him, one of their own, teach Qi Chengming is naturally the most reassuring option. But what will he teach?
Qi Chengming was filled with curiosity and anticipation.
Before long, an elderly man with a somber demeanor lifted the curtain and entered.
Qi Chengming remembered their last meeting, including several encounters at grand court assemblies; this man had always been kind and benevolent… but now, the moment he met his solemn gaze, Qi Chengming reflexively tensed, his mind racing like a student facing the dean of students. He recognized a vaguely familiar outline of Prefect Mu on that stern face:
"...!!"
Is this the aura of the Crown Prince's tutor?
...Yes, yes, yes, that's exactly what I wanted!
As expected of father and son, their serious and strict demeanor is so familiar.
Qi Chengming felt a sense of entitlement that this was the right way to do things.
Grand Secretary Mu said succinctly, "Your Highness, we meet again. This old minister still has some face before His Majesty, so I've arranged a task for His Highness the Crown Prince. Not long ago, the Minister of Justice retired and returned to his hometown, leaving a large backlog of death penalty review cases in the Ministry. I would be grateful if Your Highness could make a trip there."
Qi Chengming: "Huh?"
Was it that sudden and fast?
So Qi Chengming hadn't even settled into his seat before he stood up again and followed Grand Secretary Mu out the door. The carriage, which had been prepared in advance, was already waiting, and the two boarded the same carriage.
The infrastructure system popped up automatically: [Crown Prince's Daily Task: Ministry of Justice's First Case]
After he was settled, Grand Secretary Mu's expression softened, and he explained to him briefly: "Your Highness's first assignment has been closely watched, and it must be done well. But beyond the empty title, this old minister cares more about what Your Highness can learn from this experience."
It is common knowledge that no one can be expected to perform flawlessly in every single task from the very beginning, and that no mistake is allowed. But this is what everyone expects of the "Crown Prince," and it is also... what His Majesty expects of the Crown Prince.
Grand Scholar Mu saw things clearly; he didn't want the new emperor to live such a tiring life, and that wasn't something the crown prince should really be learning.
Balancing these two aspects... that's what Grand Tutor Mu should do for the Crown Prince.
Mu Jie carefully explained the intricacies of the process.
All major cases or capital offenses are reported before the Frost's Descent solar term, and the Emperor is informed of the review results in the autumn. The Ministry of Justice cannot be ignorant of the reported cases. Determining sentences and verifying case details may seem trivial, but the actual results and impacts are extremely important, requiring thorough knowledge of criminal law and understanding of human nature…
This kind of important "minor matter" that will be ultimately decided by His Majesty is perfect for the Crown Prince to practice on.
Qi Chengming nodded thoughtfully.
...Was the Minister of Justice I met last time really retired to his hometown?
He was very skeptical.
For the rest of the journey, Grand Secretary Mu remained silent for a long time before finally speaking hesitantly in a low voice just before reaching the palace gates: "There is one more thing. It concerns Your Highness, your birth mother and the obscure nature of your birth. This old minister has inadvertently discovered that Your Highness has recently been investigating those old matters?"
Qi Chengming suddenly turned to look at him, his brows furrowing slightly: "What are your thoughts, Grand Tutor?"
Grand Secretary Mu is one of our own, so why is your reaction so hesitant and conflicted? Is there something you need to hesitate about for so long before telling him?
"His Majesty may already have many clues in secret. Your Highness should not act rashly now... As the saying goes, we should not presume to guess the Emperor's intentions." When Grand Secretary Mu gave this advice, he did not even raise his eyebrows, his eyelids drooped and his face was expressionless, as if he had not said a word.
Qi Chengming pondered this passage, which contained a great deal of information.
Since his attack on his way back to the capital, it's said that Emperor Hongren purged the connections between the inner palace and the outside world, and since then, news from the inner palace has been cut off, making it difficult for information to spread. Yet, Grand Secretary Mu seems so aware of recent events. It sounds like he also knows some details from back then.
I advised him not to investigate during this period... Now that he has become the crown prince, if it's still not a good time to investigate, then when is it?
Why doesn't Emperor Hongren want him to find the truth now, and doesn't want him to target the mastermind behind it all? Wasn't Emperor Hongren ruthless towards the Seventh Prince last time?
This subtle change...
Is Emperor Hongren starting to think about balancing things out?
Qi Chengming secretly made a mental note of it, nodded in agreement, and didn't ask any further questions.
Upon arriving at the Ministry of Justice, the Left Vice Minister greeted them and led them into a narrow room where a thick stack of files lay on the table. He smiled familiarly and said warmly, "Your Highness, please take a look; these are all the files for this year." He pointed to the vermilion and ink pens on the table one by one, patiently explaining how to return the files and how to mark up and submit them, before finally leaving.
"Your Highness, please sit down." Mu Jie rolled up his sleeves to grind ink, gesturing for Qi Chengming to look first.
"..." Qi Chengming was at a loss for where to start, so he opened the first volume.
It clearly states that a merchant named Wang Danan from the south, dissatisfied with his father's behavior and subjected to daily testimonies of disobedience from relatives and neighbors, eventually beat and killed his father, committing a heinous crime. The county government reported the case and sentenced him to be executed in the autumn, with the case submitted to the Ministry of Justice for review. Several filthy confessions with signatures were attached, belonging to relatives, neighbors, yamen runners, and the coroner.
Qi Chengming: "?"
Wait, is that all?
He flipped through a few more volumes; there were other cases, such as the flower-picking case and the robbery-murder case. Without exception, all the files were short and concise, only explaining the evidence and reasons for sentencing the defendants to be executed in the autumn.
How can anyone verify this? Based on imagination? What about the details of the case? What about the motives? Or does the Ministry of Justice need to send someone to the scene to verify everything one by one? And… a son killing his father is punishable by execution in the autumn? Is that too harsh or too lenient? Is this the standard punishment?
Qi Chengming was bewildered for two seconds, completely clueless. He sorted out his thoughts, looked around, and decided to first pick out the books of major laws and regulations to look for relevant provisions.
Mu Jie watched from the sidelines with a cold, nostalgic gaze, a slight smile playing on his lips as he watched helplessly as the still-naive Crown Prince fumbled his way through things on his own.
"..." Found it.
Qi Chengming focused intently on reading; over the years, he had become quite accustomed to reading these vertical, traditional Chinese characters without punctuation. The law stated that killing one's father was a grave act of filial impiety, punishable by immediate execution; however, if there were other circumstances, the sentence could be reduced upon approval by the emperor.
The question is, why did the county government here sentence him to imprisonment and await execution in the autumn?
Undeterred, Qi Chengming flipped through the other case files and saw that the review process for executions after the autumn harvest was more complicated, and if there were any objections, one could appeal again during the court review. In contrast, immediate execution only required a joint review by the three judicial departments, and the sentence could be carried out immediately after the review was completed. In other words, immediate execution was a harsher sentence than execution after the autumn harvest.
The county government's ruling was a discretionary reduction of the punishment.
Qi Chengming picked up the dossier with a troubled expression, when he suddenly noticed a handwritten supplementary volume had fallen out. It was only the size of a palm, a thin scroll, tied to the main volume with thread. The handwriting on it was unfamiliar, neatly filled with many observations and judgments:
'...A messenger was sent to the south. Wang Danan had a younger sister who was not yet of marriageable age; her face was covered in red pimples. After the case, she swore to become a nun and cried out that her brother had been wronged...There is suspicion that her father coerced Wang Xiaomei.'
'Upon entering the prison and seeing the eldest son, I had serious doubts, but he wouldn't budge. Should I execute him immediately? Or should I execute him later in the autumn? The killing of a father by his son cannot be treated lightly…'
Qi Chengming found a drop of vermilion ink below, but the final reply was not written there—which shows the writer's conflicted feelings.
He looked up and asked, "These...were written by the former Minister of Justice before he retired to his hometown?"
Grand Scholar Mu glanced at the handwriting and immediately recognized it: "It's him."
Qi Chengming had a guess in his mind and asked, "Did the Minister himself conduct this investigation? Was the Ministry of Justice—or rather, the Three Judicial Offices—not thorough enough in their review?"
Grand Secretary Mu's expression turned somber for a moment, but he slowly admitted, stopping short of saying, "His Majesty dislikes the aloofness of the former Minister of Justice."
Qi Chengming stared at the file: "...Has he already left the capital? I want to see him."
He was now quite certain that the Minister of Justice had not wanted to step down. Perhaps not every case under his jurisdiction was a miscarriage of justice by chance, but he could not accept that Qi Chengming would issue his own approval without understanding the details or reading the case carefully.
The south is remote, and this former Minister of Justice seems to know quite a lot about it; let's go ask him.
Mu Jie readily agreed, without any intention of stopping or interfering: "This old minister knows his residence; Your Highness may write him a letter."
-----------------------
Author's Note: I'm back in top form! After some exercise and a good night's sleep, I'm now refreshed and ready to update again.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com