Chapter 708 More shrewish than a shrew herself
The following day, news of Jin Ji's rape and murder of Madam Li reached the imperial court, where ministers discussed the matter animatedly, saying, "It was Jiang's son-in-law who did the murder..."
"I heard the methods were very cruel. Did the killer have some kind of unusual fetish?"
"The Li and Shu families have made a big fuss about this. Even if the Empress and Minister Jiang wanted to help, they probably couldn't. If it were an ordinary girl who had this kind of trouble, they would just bury her in private and that would be the end of it. But of all people to harm, he had to harm Minister Li's daughter-in-law, who had only been married for a few months."
"The eldest son of the Li family already had a bad reputation. I heard that Madam Li went to great lengths to arrange the marriage between the Li and Shu families, but now she has been murdered."
Those who were on good terms with the Jiang family, or even supported them, have now kept quiet, given the serious murder that has occurred.
Jiang Jinyan stood calmly and reservedly at the front, as if he hadn't heard the whispers and pointing fingers. The matter hadn't spread among the common people, but it had spread among the ministers, thanks to Minister Shu. His niece had been murdered, and he had spread the news among the ministers that morning, saying very harsh things, completely disregarding Shu Xue's reputation after her death.
Ironically, Shu Lang was the Vice Minister of Revenue, a subordinate of Minister Jiang. Back then, many people in the court wanted to recommend him to be the Minister of Revenue, but in the end, the position fell into his hands. He probably still holds a grudge to this day, and this time he is taking advantage of his niece's death to ruthlessly crush the Jiang family, and he is doing so openly and blatantly.
Vice Minister Shu is even more shrewish than a shrew.
Just then, a eunuch announced loudly, "His Majesty has arrived."
Xie Shang, dressed in a majestic dragon robe, strode to sit on the dragon throne, and the ministers bowed in greeting.
After a series of procedures, a few more moments passed.
Just then, Minister Shu cried out inconsolably, "Your Majesty, I have a memorial to present."
Seeing him with snot and tears streaming down his face, Xie Shang already knew what had happened. He pretended to ask, "What's wrong, Minister Shu? Why are you crying so early in the morning?"
Minister Shu knelt on the ground, “My niece has been murdered. She was only eighteen years old! Xue’er was obedient since she was a child. How could she be murdered and die so tragically? I beg Your Majesty to severely punish the murderer. The murderer is Jin Ji, the second son-in-law of Grand Tutor Jiang. Jin Ji is a monster who can kill a thousand times. He is not human. How could he treat a girl like this? Xue’er died too tragically.”
He had already told these words to his ministers in tears, which made people feel both ridiculous and amused.
Xie Shang received the news yesterday, and based on his understanding of Jin Ji, he believed that Jin Ji would never do such a thing, let alone kill someone.
Jiang Jinyan frowned. "The case is still under investigation. Before the government has reached a conclusion, how can Vice Minister Shu be so sure that it was Jin Ji who did it? Vice Minister Shu is not an official in charge of the case. It is too arbitrary for him to say such a thing. I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly. I believe that Jin Ji would not do such a thing."
Vice Minister Shu said, “Your Excellency, the deceased was my own niece. I heard that the murderer was personally apprehended by Xue’er’s husband. Xue’er died in Jin Ji’s room. I know that Jin Ji is Your Excellency’s brother-in-law. If you want to protect him, I have nothing to say. After all, Her Majesty the Empress is there. If Her Majesty wants to protect someone, it’s just a matter of a word…”
Xie Shang's eyes flashed with a cold light: "The Empress has not been involved in this case; she has been busy with the poisoning of the people at Jishantang."
Seeing the emperor's anger, none of the ministers dared to utter another word.
Xie Shang's words also explained why Jiang Fenghua was not in the palace; she left the palace only to care about the safety of the people.
Minister Shu didn't dare to say much. He knelt on the ground and explained, "Your Majesty, I know I was wrong. I was just too heartbroken. I didn't mean to mention Her Majesty the Empress. Her Majesty the Empress is naturally selfless. I just felt sorry for Xue'er's tragic death."
Xie Shang gets annoyed whenever he cries, and Shu Lang has also started to adopt the same traits as women: crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide.
Jiang Jinyan stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I request that this case be thoroughly investigated."
Upon hearing this, Wang Mian became anxious. "Jin Ji's wife is Minister Jiang's second sister, isn't she? It's probably inappropriate for Minister Jiang to handle this case. Shouldn't Minister Jiang avoid suspicion?"
"This case has had a huge impact. I have heard that Madam Li was tortured to death, and the manner of her death was extremely gruesome. The news has even spread among the people. I humbly request Your Majesty to issue an order to transfer this case to the Ministry of Justice. I will definitely find out the truth about the murder and give the victim justice," Wang Mian said with righteous indignation.
Jiang Jinyan said, "If I remember correctly, Lady Wang and Vice Minister Shu were related by ancestry. If Jin Ji is handed over directly to Vice Minister Wang, I'm afraid he might be tortured into confessing before the case is fully investigated. In that case, shouldn't Vice Minister Wang also avoid suspicion?"
Wang Mian was stunned. How did he know that his wife was related to the Shu family? He quickly said, "Criminal cases should be handled by the Ministry of Justice. Although my wife is related to the Shu family, there are so many officials in the Ministry of Justice. If you are not at ease, please ask Minister Tang of the Ministry of Justice to personally supervise the case."
At this moment, Xie Shang sat calmly on the dragon throne, flipping through the memorials submitted by the officials. He asked, knowing the answer already, "Where is Jin Ji being held now? Who is handling this case, and what stage has the case reached?"
Jiang Jinyan said, "I heard that someone reported the case to the Jingzhao Prefecture after it occurred. Jin Ji is currently being held in the Jingzhao Prefecture's prison, and Prefect Zhang is handling the case. I do not know how far the case has progressed. I went to the yamen to visit Jin Ji, but Prefect Zhang stopped me from seeing him. Lord Wang is right, I should indeed avoid suspicion in this case, but I believe Jin Ji is innocent. I implore Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly."
His statement demonstrates Zhang Anyu's selflessness, as Zhang Anyu was someone personally promoted by the Emperor.
Xie Shang said, "Summon Zhang Anyu to see me!"
Soon Zhang Anyu arrived before the emperor, "Your subject Zhang Anyu greets Your Majesty, long live the Emperor..."
Xie Shang hadn't seen him for a long time either, "No need for formalities."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Xie Shang then said, "Regarding Jin Ji, the prisoner detained by the Jingzhao Prefecture yesterday, how far has Prefect Zhang progressed in this case? In front of me and all the ministers, Prefect Zhang, please tell us about the progress of the case!"
Zhang Anyu took out a letter written in blood on a piece of clothing. "This is a letter of grievance submitted by Jin Ji to me. I interrogated him overnight. He denied killing anyone and even said that he had never seen Madam Li Shuxue and did not know how she appeared in the inn's room with him. He also said that he was drugged and carried into the room and had no idea how Shuxue died."
Shu Lang said coldly, "That's just sophistry. How could a murderer admit to killing someone? Lord Zhang keeps making excuses for the murderer. We should believe his one-sided story..."
Zhang Anyu said, "I am merely recounting the process of the case review. These words were not spoken by me, but by Jin Ji himself. As for the true facts of the case, they are still under investigation. Lord Shu's agitated criticism of me, is it because you do not trust me, or because you do not believe that the Jingzhao Prefecture can handle this case?"
"Lord Zhang is close to the Jiang family, and I am only worried that Lord Zhang is not handling the case with impartiality in mind." Shu Lang wanted to prevent Zhang Anyu from handling Jin Ji's case.
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