The boat was moored in the middle of the river, drifting with the wind.
Shen Lanxi summoned the people who had filed the complaint and inquired in detail about the local customs and traditions. Meanwhile, two court physicians, four historians, two clerks from the Censorate, one official from the Ministry of Personnel, one official from the Ministry of Justice, and one official from the Court of Judicial Review were writing furiously, recording in detail the local scenery, the case, the emperor's various concerns, and his worries about the country and its people.
They stopped when news came from the shore at sunset.
"Your Majesty, the case has been investigated and the old man's accusation is true. It was his daughter who was beaten to death by the bully a year ago."
"Your Majesty, I have investigated and found that this case involves many people. The clerk is related to the county magistrate by marriage, the county magistrate is related to the local prefect by marriage, and the prefect is related to the local governor by marriage. The network of relationships is vast and involves many people."
Shen Lanxi was furious.
"Even if they are related to me by marriage or are brothers-in-law, as long as they violate the laws of my dynasty, they shall be brought to justice."
"Write a letter to the capital and ask Wei Jie to send someone to thoroughly investigate this case. No matter what the relationship is, no matter who is involved, anyone involved who has transferred benefits is a criminal!"
"I will write a letter to the capital immediately!"
The messenger continued to report: "To avoid alerting the tyrant, I did not punish him. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."
Shen Lanxi was very understanding: "I know you did the right thing. Get up!"
"Although the old man has been found to have been wrongly accused, his daughter will never come back. Please comfort him and don't let him do anything rash!"
The two men went to persuade the old man.
Shen Lanxi: "This is the first case I have handled since my southern tour. I must dig out the last person hiding in the shadows, eliminate all the evildoers, and restore a clear sky to this place."
"His Majesty's heart is with the people; he is truly a wise ruler for all ages!"
The old man's case was handed over to a specialist, and the fleet on its southern tour continued its journey before dawn the next day.
Soon, news of His Majesty's southern tour to seek redress spread throughout the streets and alleys, reaching everyone from officials in various regions to ordinary peddlers.
The lurking forces in the shadows around the world tremble with fear in the dead of night.
They can stop one person, but they can't stop so many people in the world!
Only then did they realize that His Majesty's southern tour was not just to inspect the waterways, but also to sound an alarm for officials in various regions.
They arrived at a new place, and the sound of gongs rang out again from the riverbank.
"Your Majesty, I have been wronged..."
...
Ten days later
"Your Majesty, in the twenty days since we left the capital, we have received twenty-six grievances from the people. Of these, twenty are true, two are false accusations, and we are currently searching for evidence for the remaining four, which are from cases that occurred too long ago."
"Among them, there are more than 220 people involved in the case, more than 100 of whom are extremely heinous and more than 100 are extremely vicious. No one is innocent."
Shen Lanxi: "Those who commit heinous crimes and are extremely vicious shall be beheaded and their heads displayed to the public. The rest shall be dealt with according to the law!"
"yes!"
Ten days later
"Your Majesty, in the thirty days since we left the capital, we have received 251 grievances from the people, of which 198 are true..."
Shen Lanxi listened quietly, and after reading it aloud, she made her ruling without any hesitation.
Although the voyage lasted only a month, and no one disembarked or saw blood, the entire account was filled with stories of bloodshed and carnage.
In particular, the daily follow-up reports were like a sharp knife, and every time they were published, they made people applaud.
The most talked-about topic every day was: "How many tyrants and corrupt officials has His Majesty killed today?"
Even if someone found a way to plead for mercy, the message wouldn't reach the ship; they could only watch helplessly as they died.
The official boats on the southern tour were thus exposed to the public eye.
Besides those who come to file complaints every day, there are also many more people along the way throwing flowers and ribbons into the river.
"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
"His Majesty loves his people like his own children..."
"May Your Majesty enjoy a long and prosperous reign..."
The accompanying officials were greatly shocked and all submitted to him!
Two months have passed in the blink of an eye, and the Southern Tour is already halfway through.
In addition to handling cases daily, Shen Lanxi also took time to meet with representatives of the river channels on both sides of the strait, official representatives, and workers involved in the construction of the river channels.
The writing brushes of the attendants alone have worn out a whole box, and the ink sticks have been used up in two large boxes. The written records already fill eight boxes.
Each time the ship docked, they would replenish the ink and paper, fill the cabin with records and documents, and transport them off the ship to the capital via post stations.
Besides the people who came to see them off, there were also those who had been wronged and those who had attempted to assassinate them.
From the moment the ship reached the dock and moored, assassins began to emerge.
To date, there have been dozens of assassination attempts, large and small, all of which have been secretly resolved without alerting the local population.
All those who were assassinated were handed over to Zhou Cheng'an for interrogation.
Over the years, Zhou Cheng'an has grown from a bastard son who was bullied by everyone into a good sword that the emperor can use with ease.
...
Shen Yuanjing saw Zhou Chengan reporting to the Emperor again, and felt somewhat resentful.
His Majesty should entrust the interrogation of assassins to him.
Zhou Chengan had only killed a few people; he had killed countless enemies on the battlefield. He was the one who knew best how to interrogate prisoners.
Zhou Chengan looks like a pale-faced scholar. Can he bear to see blood?
Shen Yuanjing was dissatisfied and thought about finding a job as well.
On this ship, everyone knew what they were supposed to do and had their own tasks to complete, except for him, who seemed to be simply accompanying His Majesty on a sightseeing trip.
Does His Majesty not believe in his abilities?
Why not assign him a task?
Before Shen Yuanjing could figure it out, Zhou Chengan came out from inside.
"Commander Zhou, have you found out who sent the assassin?"
Zhou Chengan: "They are descendants of the previous dynasty."
Shen Yuanjing was somewhat surprised to get the answer so easily.
He thought this cold-hearted person would at least say something like, "It's a confidential matter, and I can't reveal it."
Why did you tell him so easily?
"Commander Zhou told me so easily, isn't that a bit much?" He wanted to hear how Zhou Cheng'an would respond.
Zhou Chengan truthfully replied, "His Majesty never said anything about concealing anything. Even if something were to be concealed, it would be from the people, so as not to cause them panic."
So, everyone on the ship knew?
Shen Yuanjing was somewhat displeased again.
"Who did Commander Zhou learn his methods of interrogating prisoners from? I'd like to learn them myself."
Zhou Chengan: "I can learn from the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice."
Shen Yuanjing: "..." Did I really tell him that easily?
It made him feel like he had punched cotton.
"Commander Zhou, is there anyone else in His Majesty's room?"
Zhou Chengan glanced at him and said, "General Shen will know once he goes in and takes a look." He then turned and left.
Shen Yuanjing was somewhat annoyed. He was the Emperor's own younger brother, and Zhou Chengan shouldn't have been so indifferent and aloof, even if he wasn't extremely respectful. (End of Chapter)
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