84 Chapter 84
◎Total Death◎
The street across the wall was bustling with activity, but the house was plunged into an unbearable silence.
Since the princess didn't say anything, Cen Kui could only continue to kneel on the ground, with some doubts floating through his mind.
Miss Meng is Princess Rong'an?
The guy Lin Fan actually fell in love with the princess?
Why did the princess come all the way here during the Lantern Festival?
"The ground is cold, Chief Cen, please get up." Xie Mingzhuo instructed Jiang Qing, "Bring a chair for Chief Cen."
Cen Kui's heart was in turmoil. After thanking him, he sat down on the chair nervously, only half of his buttocks touching the ground, not daring to sit firmly.
"Before Lin Fan left Beijing, he told me that you had encountered several accidents that almost endangered your life. Is this true?" Xie Mingzhuo asked slowly.
Cen Kui was touched. He didn't expect that the boy was still concerned about his safety before leaving Beijing.
After several accidents, he knew that those accidents were not coincidences, but no matter how hard he investigated, he could not find out who was the perpetrator.
He even suspected that it was a soldier from the Bingmasi, but he had no connection with the Bingmasi, and when he was injured before, it was a soldier from the Bingmasi who sent him home, so he dispelled his doubts.
After thinking about it, it should be related to the cases I have handled.
However, all the cases handled by the head of the Ministry of Justice were major cases, including cases involving the review of death sentences, and countless people were offended.
Trying to find the murderer from a pile of files without any clues is like trying to find oil in snow.
"Princess, this is indeed the case." Cen Kui replied respectfully.
Xie Mingzhuo went straight to the point: "You are the director of the Sichuan Qingli Division, in charge of Sichuan's criminal cases. Have you handled any special and important cases in recent months?"
"Princess, all the cases I have handled have been important, and I have concluded them all according to the law. I believe some relatives of the condemned are resentful and are secretly threatening me."
This kind of thing is not uncommon, but Cen Kui suffered accidents too frequently, and the relatives of ordinary criminals may not have such great abilities.
Cen Kui himself couldn't find any clues, so it was even more impossible for Xie Mingzhuo to think of it.
She pondered for a moment and decided to change her mind: "I saw you in the prison before. What were you doing there that day?"
Cen Kui was surprised. He remembered "Miss Meng" because Lin Fan asked her to do so. But Her Royal Highness the Princess only met him once. How could she still remember this after such a long time?
Thinking of the evaluation of Princess Rong'an by the court and the public, he finally felt a sense of reality.
As expected of Princess Sanyi, her vision and memory are far beyond those of ordinary people.
"Princess, I went to the Heavenly Prison that day to learn about the local situation from a Sichuanese criminal. I assure you that I have nothing to do with the criminal's case."
He was not the chief officer of the Sichuan Qingli Division, and the case had not been handled by him. It would certainly be against the rules if he brought the criminal to trial without authorization. However, as the chief officer, it was still in accordance with the law for him to enter the prison and talk to the prisoner to understand some of the situation.
Xie Mingzhuo: "What did you ask? Why did you ask this?"
"I recently received a case file from Sichuan. It's a case of family annihilation. The suspect, a notorious bandit, broke into the home of a chief executive at night and brutally murdered the entire family of sixteen. The local county magistrate apprehended him and submitted the complete case file to the Ministry of Justice. However, he died suddenly during the escort."
"Always urging?"
"It's a temporary local lijia set up in the salt district. Those with a large population paying salt taxes are generally assigned the position of chief inspector, assisting the tax ambassador to directly supervise the salt extraction and tax collection at each well and stove."
They were not part of the imperial court system and were equivalent to the heads of villages.
Xie Mingzhuo had just found some free time these days and had not yet started to understand the Sichuan Salt Administration affairs, but as soon as Cen Kui explained it, she understood it.
"Is there something wrong with this case?"
Cen Kui pondered, "The facts in the file are clear, the evidence is irrefutable, and I don't see any loopholes. However, my intuition about the suspect's motives is unconvincing, and since the suspect died suddenly, I want to get to the bottom of it."
He is worthy of being Shen Shi’s close friend, and he handles cases with the same meticulousness and rigor.
"What did you ask when you went to the prison?"
"I went to the Heavenly Prison and questioned a criminal. He was a frequent resident of the underworld and was apprehended for offending a royal relative."
Offending the royal family is a serious crime, but whether or not to convict and how to convict is not up to the royal family.
This gangster is now in the Ministry of Justice prison. I guess the royal relative is unwilling to let him go easily.
There is a King of Shu in Sichuan whose fiefdom is in Chengdu Prefecture. The title is hereditary and he has considerable power. He is relatively far away from the lineage of the current emperor and has always been relatively peaceful, so his presence is neither high nor low.
Xie Mingzhuo made no comment for the time being. She could not conclude that the case was an injustice just because the overall image of the royal family was bad.
Cen Kui continued, "I know very little about the salt region, and he has been around for years, so I'm looking for him to understand the local salt affairs. If he knows about the general urging, that would be great."
"Does he know?"
Cen Kui shook his head: "He doesn't know."
If it were an ordinary person, he would have closed the case long ago, but he was quite stubborn about the case and couldn't get over it without a thorough investigation.
"Solving a case depends on evidence, but sometimes it also relies on keen intuition. You felt that this case was unusual, so you delayed the progress of the case and tried to investigate further. Have you ever considered that you were blocking others' way?"
After experiencing several accidents, Cen Kui certainly thought about it, but there was no evidence at all. As the head of the Ministry of Justice, he could not speak carelessly.
But now that the princess had pointed it out, he took advantage of it and said, "Princess, your insight is profound. I have suddenly realized something. I will go back and investigate further based on this clue."
"You are injured, so you should rest at home for a few days. This case will be put on hold." Now that Xie Mingzhuo knew the cause and effect, he would not let the capable minister die in vain.
"I obey your command."
"How much do you know about the case of offending the royal family?"
Cen Kui said, "This case is not yours, and I don't know the details. I only heard that the wanderer destroyed the crops at Wang Manor, and the King of Shu was furious, so he punished him for the crime of assault."
"Wangzhuang should be guarded by someone. How could someone from the Jianghu enter so freely?"
"The suspect is well-known among the outlaws as a chivalrous thief who robs the rich and gives to the poor. He deliberately disguised himself as a farmhand to gain access to the manor, where he was waiting for an opportunity to steal."
Xie Mingzhuo: "Why did he destroy the crops?"
"It is said that the crops on that acre of land were planted by the King of Shu himself, and the King of Shu treasured them very much. He thought the King of Shu loved to put on a show, so he scoffed at it and deliberately destroyed it."
If what the file says is true, this man was not wrongly imprisoned. Even if the King of Shu was really putting on a show, he couldn't have wantonly destroyed the crops.
"Don't mention anything about what happened today to anyone else."
Xie Mingzhuo did not explain the reason to him, but Cen Kui thought about Princess Rong'an's style of doing things, and without any hesitation, he immediately accepted the order and took his leave.
It was still early, so Xie Mingzhuo was not in a hurry to go to Zhengyangmen to meet his relatives.
She sat in a private room and concentrated on sorting out the case, putting all the coincidences and accidents into the appropriate nodes. A major case of collusion between officials and businessmen gradually emerged in her mind.
The highest official involved in the case was the third rank Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and the merchants involved were undoubtedly salt merchants linked to the salt administration.
The illegal sale of salt continues despite repeated bans.
But this big net was woven tightly enough that there was not even a breakthrough to pull it out of the water. For the time being, she could not think of a suitable excuse to interfere in the Sichuan Salt Administration.
The candle burned lower and lower, and the street outside the wall became more and more noisy.
"Your Highness, it's almost the hour of Xu," Feng Caiyu reminded.
Xie Mingzhuo sighed inwardly. Since he had agreed to go to the Lantern Festival with his family, he decided to put these government affairs aside for the time being.
There is always a way out when you reach the mountain. Maybe a flash of inspiration will come to you after you relax.
Outside Zhengyang Gate, two low-key carriages were parked on the roadside. The people inside the carriages lifted the curtains and looked curiously at the brightly lit street market.
"Wife, it's more lively than I thought." Xie Changfeng lowered the curtain, turned around and approached Meng Qi, chuckling.
Although he did not contribute much to the governance of the country, he was still quite proud to see this peaceful scene.
Since he traveled through time, he had never seen the scenery outside the palace except for the time when he went out of the palace to hunt. This was the first time he traveled incognito, which made him feel both comfortable and novel.
Meng Qi's eyebrows were filled with worry. "Why hasn't Shao Shao come over yet? There are so many people on the street. If someone accidentally pushes me..."
"I think you're just worrying about nothing. Not only is Shao Shao good at martial arts, but there's also Xiao Jiang and Xiao Feng here, and there are people protecting her in the dark, so nothing will happen."
Meng Qi glared at him. There was nothing to say to someone who was so careless.
Fortunately, Xie Mingzhuo showed up on time and immediately dispelled her worries.
"Shao Shao, come up quickly." Meng Qi lifted the front curtain.
A head popped out from the carriage next to him and said, "Tiezhu, get on our carriage."
Xie Mingxuan was squeezed in the gap between them, revealing one eye, and also looking at Xie Mingzhuo expectantly.
Caught between a rock and a hard place?
No.
Xie Mingzhuo didn't get into any car and decisively turned around and said, "I prefer to walk around the lantern festival."
Four people: "..."
Of course they also wanted to get off the bus, but the five of them walking together made them too conspicuous. If they ran into an official who had seen them before, they would have no chance of walking around the street.
Forget it, let Shao Shao have fun.
Zhengyangmen Street is located in the southern part of the capital. Compared with the northern part of the city where most of the dignitaries live, the residents here are mostly ordinary craftsmen and merchants.
It was Xie Mingzhuo's first time here, and he gradually became fascinated by the place.
"Miss, would you like to buy a lantern? There are Ganoderma lanterns, which symbolize longevity and health. There are also white elephant lanterns, which symbolize peace and prosperity. There are also Kuixing stepping on Ao to take the top spot. There are also carp leaping over the Dragon Gate to soar into the sky. Each one has a special meaning. Which one would you like?"
Xie Mingzhuo: “…”
She just stopped and glanced at it for a few times, but didn't say she wanted to buy it, right?
However, seeing that the lantern vendor had a weathered face and his fingers were covered with fine wounds, she generously bought eight lanterns.
Lanterns are very cheap, far outweighing their time cost and artistic value.
The peddler was overjoyed and carefully handed over eight lanterns. Xie Mingzhuo, Ayu, and Aqing carried them together and came to the two carriages, giving each of them one. Even Wu Shanqing, who was accompanying the carriage, got one.
"Thank you, young lady, for your reward." Wu Shanqing smiled so hard that his teeth were exposed.
The four people in the car were also very happy.
After buying lanterns and watching a few games, Xie Mingzhuo walked at a leisurely pace, always keeping a distance from the carriage.
At the end of Zhengdongfang, the crowd gradually thinned out. She was about to turn back when a surprised voice came from the alley beside her.
"Lord Meng?"
The woman, wearing a thick coat and skirt, carrying a few packets of medicine, walked quickly to Xie Mingzhuo and said, "It's really you!"
"Is Madam Xu sick?" Xie Mingzhuo asked with concern.
Xu Zhixiu glanced at the medicine bag and said hurriedly, "I'm not sick. I ran into an old lady who had fainted from hunger on the roadside when I was leaving the city the other day. She looked so pitiful, so I took her to see a doctor. This is the medicine I bought for her. I'll send it to her tomorrow when the city gates open."
"Helping the needy is commendable, but as a single woman, you should be cautious."
Xu Zhixiu's eyes curved. "Lord Meng, I've taken note of your suggestion. Last time, when there were outsiders present, I didn't properly thank you and the two young ladies. How about I treat you to Yuanxiao (Chinese rice dumplings)? I live nearby, so it'll be there in a cup of tea. Lord Meng, would you please come and enjoy me?"
"I appreciate your kindness," Xie Mingzhuo declined gently. "I have something else to attend to, so I'll take my leave now."
Xu Zhixiu was obviously a little disappointed, but he still forced himself to say, "Then I won't delay Master Meng. Master Meng, take care."
She stood there, watching the three of them leave, before turning around reluctantly.
After the Lantern Festival was almost over, Xie Mingzhuo returned to the palace with his family. On the way back, he did not forget to instruct: "Aqing, tomorrow you send someone to secretly follow Madam Xu and make sure she is not bullied."
Jiang Qing felt that His Highness was truly kind-hearted and readily agreed.
After three days of following, the old lady recovered and left, and Xu Zhixiu resumed her previous peaceful life. Jiang Qing reported the news to Xie Mingzhuo. Xie Mingzhuo remembered this matter in the midst of his busy government affairs and ordered the withdrawal.
I thought it was just a trivial matter, but unexpectedly, a few days later, a talisman was presented to the Wenhua Hall.
It was given to Xu Zhixiu on the way back to the city after we went to the Wei family villa to appreciate the plum blossoms.
Xie Mingzhuo reviewed the memorial and asked without even looking up, "What's going on?"
"Madam Xu used this talisman to request an audience with Magistrate Song. Magistrate Song, realizing it was a palace possession, ordered Minister Song to bring it to the palace for questioning."
Xie Mingzhuo paused, "What did she ask for?"
"She said she would speak only after meeting Lord Meng."
"Have you checked?"
Before Jiang Qing met Xie Mingzhuo, she had already sent people to investigate. It was impossible for them to come and disturb her before there was any result.
"I've already had someone investigate. The woman Madam Xu rescued seized an opportunity to stop the Shuntian Prefecture governor's carriage yesterday, claiming she had a grievance to redress. The governor took her back to the government office, but there has been no news since."
"Since the old lady has left, how does Madam Xu know all this?" Xie Mingzhuo asked calmly.
"Maybe they formed a bond during those days of taking care of her. Madam Xu saw that she was so poorly dressed and couldn't bear it, so she altered her old clothes. She went to give them to her yesterday and witnessed this incident."
Giving away the talisman was to give Xu Zhixiu a chance to seek protection. Now she was giving the opportunity to someone else, and Xie Mingzhuo should keep his word.
She instructed Jiang Qing: "Take my token and go to Shuntian Prefecture in person."
"yes."
The second hall of Shuntian Mansion.
The prefect Xia Yuansong stared at the notes in his hand, hovering over the charcoal basin several times, his brows twisted into a knot.
He was indeed doing his job conscientiously and brought people back to inquire about the case, but who could have expected that this question would lead to a shocking case.
The case involved too many people. Although he was a third-rank prefect, he was not qualified to take the blame even if the sky in the capital fell.
This case can be exposed, but not from his hands. However, if he really turns a blind eye to it, he will not be able to live with his conscience.
Xia Yuansong squatted in front of the charcoal brazier and sighed.
When the interrogation was taking place, the governor and the assistant judge of the government office were all there, as well as clerks, yamen runners, etc. The news must have reached the ears of his superiors by now. What would be the point of him burning the record?
"Sir," a yamen runner hurried in and whispered in his ear, "The Ministry of Revenue has a message."
Xia Yuansong drooped his head and asked, "What did you say?"
"To falsely accuse an important official of the imperial court is a capital crime."
Xia Yuansong slumped to the ground, his fingers tightly gripping the notes whose ink had not yet dried. The fresh fragrance of bamboo ink emanating from the black words on the white paper penetrated into his mind inch by inch.
Good and evil are just a thought away.
When he was young, he was full of confidence when reading the books of sages, and he was extremely eager to enter the court and make great achievements. Now he is middle-aged, but he lives a life of mediocrity and fear.
What else can he do except writing memorials to the emperor every day praising the prosperous times?
Just a few days ago, Princess Rong'an was still commenting on the word "empty" in a memorial...
Princess Rong'an?
Xia Yuansong suddenly sat up, pulled back the notes that were about to be engulfed in flames, and muttered, "Wait a little longer."
Last year, a clerk from the household department of Shuntian Prefecture was involved in the pig farm dispute. Princess Rong'an later sent someone to reprimand him. Although she did not remove him from his post, it was enough to scare him.
Later, he studied everything related to the princess carefully and thoroughly.
The more he studied, the more he felt that the princess was unfathomable.
Take the example of "recruiting a prince consort to eliminate the remaining evildoers." Before the incident, who could have imagined the princess's secret arrangements? I'm afraid the Sun and Moon Sect members were all confused when they were captured.
What does this mean?
This means that the five ministers were no match for the princess, and that the entire capital was under her control.
He suddenly broke out in a cold sweat.
The most important thing for an official is to see the situation clearly. What if the Ministry of Revenue passed on the message? If the princess knew about this matter, given her temperament, she would definitely investigate it thoroughly.
Wouldn't he, who disregarded the law, be the first to lose his head then?
"Someone, please make sure He Cui Niang is safe."
He even didn't trust others, so he stayed up all night and stared at He Cuiniang with his own eyes until the next morning when the Ministry of Revenue secretly delivered another message.
Xia Yuansong was so anxious that blisters appeared on his mouth.
At this point, he has offended his superiors and has no choice but to find another way out.
Xia Yuansong patted his numb legs, stood up and straightened his official robe. Just as he was about to order someone to prepare the carriage, his trusted yamen runner stepped into the hall again, with an indescribable excitement on his face.
"Sir, the princess's personal guards have arrived!"
The haze in Xia Yuansong's heart was completely cleared, and he became energetic. He waited all night, not really waiting for the princess's instructions.
The princess was so busy that the possibility of her noticing this was slim.
He acted this way just to show his attitude. If he failed to successfully reverse the situation, he would have more evidence to save his life during the future reckoning.
But he didn't expect that the princess actually sent someone, and it was the famous Guard Jiang.
No, it should now be called "Qiang Qianhu".
Years later, the princess set up the Princess Palace Guard Command in accordance with the rules of the Prince's Palace, promoted Jiang Qing to the position of Qianhu, and most of the previous guards of the Princess Palace, excluding those with poor martial arts skills, were incorporated into the Guard Command.
There is currently no commander-in-chief, and Captain Jiang is the only one in charge. It is said that Captain Jiang directs training whenever he has time, and is also recruiting more officers proficient in martial arts to join the Commander-in-Chief's Office.
This person is a big shot among the princess and must not be neglected.
Xia Yuansong immediately walked out of the second hall and went to greet him in person.
"Captain Jiang is so honored to have come. I, Xia, apologize for not welcoming you."
Jiang Qing said calmly, "Take me to see He Cui Niang."
Even the name is known!
Xia Yuansong was glad that he had not chosen the wrong path. He quickly led her to the interrogation room where He Cuiniang was and handed over all the transcripts.
Jiang Qing glanced at it and was secretly shocked.
The breakthrough that the princess had been looking for turned out to be the ragged He Cuiniang in front of her!
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