17 Chapter 017
◎The Princess Enters the Court◎
Xie Mingzhuo changed into the princess's regular clothes and walked onto Fengtianmen Square in broad daylight.
The officials present were completely focused on the fact that they had been sued by the emperor. Even if they felt some resistance and dissatisfaction when they saw the princess entering the court, they would not jump out to cause trouble at this time.
Is it in accordance with the etiquette for a princess to enter the court? No.
But does it matter? Not important!
They were anxious to see who was suing Duke Jingguo.
Xie Mingzhuo was also certain of these people's psychology, so he chose to take this opportunity to enter the court.
Once there is a chance, there will be a second chance. Once the best opportunity to protest is missed, the princess's participation in the court meeting will become a foregone conclusion.
When the princes entered the court, they sat on the left according to the order of seniority. At this time, there were no princes participating in the court meeting. Xie Mingzhuo stood directly on the left side of the Danbi, and behind him was the chief minister of the cabinet, Chang Wei.
Even when he heard someone complaining to the emperor, Chang Wei remained calm. However, when he saw Xie Mingzhuo standing in front of him, his eyes twitched for a moment.
Xie Mingzhuo smiled slightly: "Student greets teacher."
Chang Wei: “…”
He had never seen such a brave student!
The old-fashioned people who usually like to talk about "etiquette" pretended not to see it at this time. They stretched their necks towards the Meridian Gate, just like spectators watching the excitement in the market.
He had no choice but to return the greeting.
For some reason, he suddenly had a hunch that today's drum-beating must be related to the princess in front of him.
Yesterday, the second son of Marquis Weining was attacked and injured by servants ordered by Prince Zhang. Princess Rong'an personally went to Nanxiaguan and tricked Prince Zhang. This matter has spread among the nobles in the capital.
Someone sued Duke Jingguo at the court meeting today. It was such a coincidence that it made people suspicious, but it was just suspicion.
After all, the drummer was a bannerman, what did he have to do with the princess?
Xie Changfeng gave the ministers time to react. Seeing that no one mentioned the princess's visit to the court, he secretly gave his daughter a thumbs up while no one was paying attention.
The latter glanced at the Censor, indicating that it was time for Xie Changfeng to get down to business.
Xie Changfeng cleared his throat and pretended to be surprised: "Oh? Suing Duke Jing? Bring him up here and confront Duke Jing in person."
When everyone looked, they saw that Duke Jing’s face turned black.
Generally speaking, if someone sued a duke, a noble or a relative, as long as the drum-keeper and the censor knew what was going on, they would not report the matter to the emperor.
It is better to have less trouble than more. What's more, among the officials in the court, who hasn't done things in private that cannot be made public?
It's a pity that the censor on patrol today is a stubborn man who claims that his talent is not appreciated. In order to get into the emperor's favor and become famous throughout the world, he can do anything.
The most ridiculous time was when, in order to find out the secrets of officials, he did not hesitate to put on makeup and dress up as a prostitute in a brothel. His outstanding talent even attracted many scholars to pursue him.
After the matter was exposed, the men who had fought for the hair binding vomited for three days and never went to brothels for a long time.
Such an unscrupulous person, when he heard that someone was going to sue Duke Jingguo, naturally became like a fly smelling bloody blood. He only wanted to show off in the court, and didn't care about the possibility of retaliation later.
In this regard, Xie Mingshuo privately commented that he is a good candidate to be a journalist.
Xie Mingzhuo deeply agreed with this.
It was a rare opportunity for the Censor to see the emperor, so after receiving the order, he happily ran back to the Meridian Gate and brought Wei Dajiang into the court.
As soon as Wei Dajiang stepped onto Fengtianmen Square, he felt a cold gaze following him.
He was surrounded by important officials of the court, and at the top sat the most honorable emperor in the world. He couldn't help but feel timid and didn't dare to look up.
He remembered the King of Jin's instructions, stood at the foot of the imperial steps, and then knelt on the ground with a plop, kowtowed respectfully: "I, Wei Dajiang, pay my respects to the Emperor. Long live the Emperor."
When he knelt down, his naked back was exposed, and the overlapping old and new whip marks caught everyone's eyes.
Most people felt sympathy, but a few looked unhappy.
"Your Majesty, this man entered and exited the court in disheveled attire. He is truly a scoundrel and a scoundrel who does not follow the rules. He should be severely punished for offending the emperor and causing trouble in the court!"
The first person to speak was the Left Shaoqing of the Dali Temple. On the surface, he had nothing to do with Duke Jingguo, but he was confusing the public at this time and should be investigated.
Xie Mingzhuo wrote it down in the little notebook in his heart.
Afterwards, several people came out to agree. They were all officials from the five ministries and six departments, and they also had no connection with the Jingguo Mansion.
If they are all lackeys of Duke Jingguo, it would be too impatient.
Of course, the protagonist of the incident, Zhang Xiaofu, was still quite calm. He had restrained his expression and did not look at Wei Dajiang again, as if what was being discussed in the court had nothing to do with him.
Xie Changfeng frowned because of the noise.
Wu Shanqing immediately stopped him: "Silence."
The ministers fell silent.
"Wei Dajiang, you said you want to sue Duke Jingguo, do you have a complaint?" Xie Changfeng asked.
His voice was deep and powerful, coming down from the high throne, with a sense of sacredness and solemnity, like a reassurance that allowed Wei Dajiang's heart to slowly calm down.
"Your Majesty, I and my comrades were assassinated late at night, but luckily escaped. We are left with nowhere else to turn. Thinking of your majesty's grace and benevolence, I have the audacity to strike the drum and plead with your majesty to intervene on our behalf. I arrived in a hurry and haven't had time to write a petition."
Xie Changfeng: "Then tell us why you are suing Duke Jingguo."
"I bow to thank Your Majesty for your grace." Wei Dajiang remained kneeling, but his voice, no longer trembling with anxiety, became high-pitched and passionate. "I will sue Jing Guogong for privately occupying soldiers, withholding their food and wages, creating false pretenses, extorting money, raising assassins, and taking human lives!"
The court was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.
If only one of these charges was relied upon, it would be impossible to bring down Duke Jingguo, but with so many crimes piled up, Duke Jingguo would be severely punished if he did not die.
The Left Vice-Minister of the Dali Temple spoke first: "Wei Dajiang, all these things you accuse require evidence. If you can't produce evidence, it is a false accusation. You are falsely accusing an important official of the dynasty. You will be convicted of the same crime as the one you falsely accused, and the punishment will be severe. Even if you have a hundred heads, it will not be enough to chop off your head."
"I have evidence!"
"Please produce the evidence. If even one of them is forged, you should know the consequences."
Wei Dajiang clenched his fists, straightened his back with all his strength, and looked at Duke Jingguo who was standing calmly.
"I was originally a bannerman of the Ru'ning Guard in Henan, and was ordered to come to the capital for training. This matter can be verified according to the records.
"The imperial court stipulated that troops from all regions should take turns entering the capital in two shifts, spring and autumn. However, since I arrived in the capital four years ago, I have never returned to my original garrison, probably because someone secretly collected my salary.
"Soldiers who paid silver were exempt from entering the capital, forcing the garrisons to repeatedly call up troops. Commoners, unable to pay the silver, were forced to remain in the capital year after year. This is evidence one."
The military households of local garrisons are all recorded in household registration books, and the soldiers mobilized every year are also registered in the books. This kind of thing can be found out with a simple check. As to whether the "discounted silver" really exists, further investigation is needed.
"Nonsense!" someone snorted coldly, "I've never heard of 'discounted class silver'!"
Wei Dajiang ignored him and continued speaking.
"It is our duty as soldiers to protect our country. If we were only to go to the capital for training, I wouldn't feel resentful.
"But I have been in Beijing for four years, and not only have I received few drills, but I have also been forced to do forced labor. My fellow soldiers are suffering terribly, and they can all testify to this.
"Even at this moment, many of our colleagues are working in the various wealthy families in the capital, carrying sedan chairs, driving carriages, feeding horses, sweeping the streets, and other labor. This is evidence number two."
Someone stole a glance at Duke Jingguo's face and saw that he was still calm and composed, and couldn't help but admire him in his heart.
"Anything else?"
"The troops who went to Beijing for training exercises were each given four dou of rice per month. I have never seen this rice before, and I have only survived on the food provided by my master. I have no evidence of this, and I implore Your Majesty to investigate."
Zuo Shaoqing of the Dali Temple: "A mere four dou of rice, who would covet your rations?!"
Someone immediately refuted: "Four dou of rice per person, what about ten people? A hundred people? A thousand people? Does Zuo Shaoqing know how many soldiers come to the capital for training every year?"
Zuo Shaoqing: “…”
"This gentleman is right," Wei Dajiang raised his head, "I am not the only one who has never received the four dou of rice."
"Do you have any evidence to support your allegation of raising killers and taking human lives without mercy?" the official from the Censorate asked impatiently.
Wei Dajiang's eyes were red as he choked up and said, "Last night, thirty assassins in black attacked the pig farm and tried to kill us. I was lucky enough to escape, but I'm worried they'll kill me again in the future. That's why I'm beating the drum to ask for His Majesty's protection."
"Killer?" Zuo Shaoqing asked condescendingly, "Do you have any evidence?"
"The remains of our comrades and the injuries on their bodies can all prove it."
Wei Dajiang followed the words taught by King Jin and deliberately made his words unclear.
Zuo Shaoqing immediately sneered: "Perhaps you scoundrels are fighting among yourselves, and fearing that the truth will be revealed, you deliberately disguised yourself as assassins to assassinate us. I want to ask you, are you assassins killing useless soldiers like you because you have nothing better to do?"
"Why does this gentleman keep slandering the common people?" Wei Dajiang asked back.
Zuo Shaoqing: "Because your words are full of loopholes!"
"Where's the loophole?" Wei Dajiang stared at him angrily. "My military registration is verifiable, and I was indeed forced to do labor under the Zhang Mansion. Everything I say has a basis."
"You're such a sharp-tongued soldier! I think you're a deserter who couldn't stand the training. To curry favor with the wealthy and earn more money, you're doing craftsman work while still a soldier. Your Majesty, our dynasty stipulates that soldiers are prohibited from performing other labor services. This person should be punished severely!"
Wei Dajiang sucked in a breath of cold air. These corrupt officials really had a mouth that could turn the world upside down and could even turn black into white.
Fortunately, he still had a strong piece of evidence.
"Your Majesty, I have witnesses."
Xie Changfeng resisted the urge to look at his daughter and asked, "Who is it?"
"Jinyiwei Commander Yang Yunkai!"
The court was suddenly in an uproar, and even the Duke of Jingguo, who had always been as steady as a rock, couldn't help but change color slightly.
No one expected that this matter would be related to the Jinyiwei.
Xie Changfeng knew the climax was about to come, so he sat up straight and said, "Call Yang Yunkai."
Yang Yunkai was not on duty at the court today. When he was not on duty, he usually worked at the Northern Pacification Office. But now he was waiting outside the Meridian Gate. When he heard the emperor's summons, he walked into the court with a serious expression.
"Your humble servant greets His Majesty."
"Stand up," Xie Changfeng asked in a deep voice, "Do you recognize the person next to you?"
Yang Yunkai glanced at Wei Dajiang and replied, "I recognize him. His name is Wei Dajiang."
"Why do you recognize me?"
"Last night, I was out of town on errands. Passing by Chaoyang Gate and Nanxiaguan, I encountered a group of men in black armed with bows and arrows besieging a pig farm. I thought something was fishy, so I led my men to capture the assassins. I recognized him while counting the wounded and asking about the cause."
Duke Jingguo's lips had turned a little pale.
"Where are those assassins in black now?" Xie Changfeng continued to ask, "Have they confessed?"
"Your Majesty, they are now imprisoned in the imperial prison. Here are the confessions of the twenty-two killers." Yang Yunkai took out the confession from his arms and held it above his head with both hands.
Wu Shanqing went down the steps to take it and presented it to the imperial desk.
Xie Changfeng flipped through a few pages, and suddenly slammed the imperial desk with a "bang", glaring at Duke Jingguo.
The latter was sweating profusely, his knees weakened, and he slowly knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, I am innocent."
"Are you saying that Yang Yunkai is wrongly accusing you?"
"No, those assassins were deliberately throwing dirty water on me. Someone must have framed me! Your Majesty, please understand!"
Yang Yunkai lowered his eyes and said, "Your Majesty, when I counted the casualties, I found that three palace guards were killed and five were injured. Only two were lucky enough to escape. They are also witnesses."
"Palace guards?" Xie Changfeng pretended to be confused.
Xie Mingzhuo seemed to have just realized something, and spoke with regret, "Father, yesterday you sent guards to take me back to the palace. I felt sorry for the craftsmen who were whipped, so I left ten of them behind and asked a doctor to take care of them. I never expected them to suffer the same misfortune."
When she left them behind, she didn't expect that Duke Jingguo would kill them to silence them. By the time she thought of it, it was already too late.
The deceased is gone, and the compensation is insignificant compared to life, but this is all she can do now. The injured will receive proper treatment, and if they are injured and can no longer guard the palace, the royal family will provide them with sufficient compensation and arrange for them to work within their capabilities.
All the ministers looked towards Duke Jingguo.
The palace guards are the emperor's personal army. How could the emperor not be furious if his personal army died?
If they had all died in the pig farm with no evidence, things might not have developed to the current situation. But unfortunately, the killer happened to run into the Jinyiwei on night patrol when he was assassinating them.
The killer was imprisoned, and most of the confessions pointed to Duke Jingguo. Duke Jingguo would probably not be able to escape the blame this time.
"How audacious! How outrageous!" When Xie Changfeng heard this, he truly felt a cruelty that chilled him to the bone.
If Shao Shao had not thought of this last night and had not arrived with the Jinyiwei in time, wouldn’t dozens of innocent lives have been lost in obscurity?
If Shao Shao had not thought it through carefully enough and had not brought enough Jinyiwei with him, but had gone there alone, wouldn't he have also encountered an accident?
The more he thought about it, the more frightened he became. His hands, hidden under the imperial desk, were shaking, and the anger on his face could no longer be suppressed.
Faced with the emperor's wrath, the ministers knelt on the ground and shouted, "Your Majesty, please calm down."
Xie Changfeng slammed his palm against the imperial desk and shouted, "At the foot of the Imperial City, someone dared to drive assassins to kill people without hesitation. Do you still respect me?! Zhang Xiaofu, what else do you have to say?!"
Zhang Xiaofu kowtowed and said, "I am innocent. I beg Your Majesty to investigate the truth and clear my name."
Even at this point, you still want to pretend to be innocent. You won't cry until you see the coffin.
Xie Changfeng suppressed his anger, scanned the room, and asked in a deep voice, "What do you think we should do?"
Someone advised, "Your Majesty, the Duke of Jing is in charge of the three camps and is very busy. It is inevitable that there will be omissions. We cannot just believe the one-sided words of a small army."
"There are inconsistencies in the killer's confession, which still need to be considered."
"Perhaps the officers under him deceived their superiors and put personal interests above public interest. This has nothing to do with Duke Jingguo."
Some people, who understood the emperor's expression and happened not to be aligned with Duke Jing's faction, said, "Your Majesty, Wei Dajiang's words were so convincing, and now the Jinyiwei have presented their confessions. I believe that the private use of soldiers and the maintenance of assassins are indeed true. Now they all point to Duke Jing. Duke Jing must give an explanation to the Beijing Army and Your Majesty's personal army."
Following Xie Mingzhuo's eye contact, Xie Changfeng asked Xiang Changwei, "Changqing, what do you think we should do?"
Chang Wei smiled bitterly to himself. The emperor and the princess were forcing him to take a stand.
The Zhang family has been arrogant for many years, and the emperor finally couldn't help but take action.
He weighed the pros and cons in his mind for a split second before replying, "Your Majesty, I believe that the private use of soldiers will be cleared up with a single investigation, but the raising of assassins and the disregard for human life requires a closer look."
"Changqing's words make sense," Xie Changfeng ordered directly. "Duke Jing, you are the governor of the military affairs of the Beijing camp, and you also command the training of the troops entering the capital. Even if the private use of soldiers and the embezzlement of food and wages were not yours, you cannot escape blame. I suspend your post as governor and detain you in the Tianlao Prison pending the investigation of the truth. Do you have any objections?"
Zhang Xiaofu leaned forward in shame and anger, saying with difficulty, "Your Majesty... I accept your command and thank you."
The emperor's move was truly ruthless. He threw him directly into the Heavenly Prison, cutting off his contact with the outside world and leaving him no way to order anyone to clean up the mess.
Damn it, who could have thought that a Jinyiwei would show up out of nowhere!
【Author’s words】
I will be joining V tomorrow. I hope you guys will continue to support me~
Send 100 red envelopes~
Recommend the pre-collected article "F-Class, But No Weakness"
Bian was not tested to have F-level healing ability and was assigned to a grassroots community hospital.
From nine to five every day, he drinks tea and waters flowers, and occasionally removes low-level poisons from soldiers.
The community is harmonious with the neighbors, the hospital colleagues are friendly, and even the demons rarely come to visit.
Life is quite comfortable.
One day, a C-class demon fell from the sky, and the hospital was about to face a catastrophic disaster.
Doctor Bian, who was treating the beast, picked up a medical tray and hit it with a blow, killing the beast.
Everyone: ???
Bian Wei Innocent: Coincidence.
A few days later, a B-level demon descended.
Bian Wei was leisurely watering the flowers when he subconsciously threw the watering can, and the demon died.
Everyone: ...
Bian Wei was helpless: It was really a coincidence.
*
The older sister in the community was too enthusiastic and insisted on introducing a partner to Bian Wei.
Bian Wei couldn't refuse the invitation, so he had to agree to go.
The guy sitting opposite me was also an F-class guy, fresh and handsome, well-behaved and harmless, and he blushed easily when he spoke.
Bian was not worried that refusing would make the other person cry, so he simply agreed to give it a try.
It’s definitely not because of good looks.
After dating for a while, Bian Wei was very satisfied and no longer wanted to break up.
One night, she fell asleep in her arms around her boyfriend. When she was about to sacrifice her newly bought mop, her boyfriend suddenly opened his eyes.
The golden pupils glanced at her coldly, transformed into an S-level warrior, and smashed the demon into pieces with one move.
Bian Wei: Good job, boy.
I really misjudged you, you are really finished.
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