When Fan Jingwen heard the news of Kong Yinzhi's death, he was shocked for a long time, and then became even more confused.
You must know that this is the land of the emperor, not a land of barbarians.
Although the people are belligerent, they would never do anything to kill Duke Yansheng.
There must be someone behind the scenes controlling everything.
"Where is the murderer?" Fan Jingwen stood up and asked the person who delivered the letter.
"We killed a few, and the rest were all captured by Shuntian Prefecture."
"Inform the Imperial Household Department immediately and have them tell His Majesty. Also tell the governor of Shuntian Prefecture to ensure the lives of the murderers." After Fan Jingwen finished speaking, he changed his tone and said, "I will go to the palace in person to report this to His Majesty."
When Fan Jingwen arrived at the Qianqing Palace, Chongzhen was drinking tea leisurely.
"Your Majesty," Fan Jingwen bowed, "I have something important to report."
"No hurry," seeing Fan Jingwen coming, Chongzhen personally poured a cup and asked Wang Chengen to bring it to Fan Jingwen.
Fan Jingwen had no appetite for tea.
But it was difficult to disobey the imperial order, so he could only pick up the cup and drink the tea in it.
Putting down the teacup, he bowed again: "Your Majesty, I have something important to report."
"Mr. Fan, please speak."
"Duke Yansheng is dead!" Fan Jingwen raised his head and observed Chongzhen's expression while speaking.
Chongzhen first looked around, and when he found that there were no outsiders in the Qianqing Palace, he simply stopped pretending.
He said calmly, "I already know that Duke Yansheng was beaten to death by the people in his mansion. What a pity."
Fan Jingwen bowed again and said, "I think the people were instigated by some bad guys, so they did such extreme things. Your Majesty, please order a thorough investigation."
"What if there is no thorough investigation?" Chongzhen asked back.
Fan Jingwen was stunned, then he suddenly realized.
He always suspected that Chongzhen was the murderer behind the incident, but he had no evidence.
Today Chongzhen admitted it in front of him.
Seeing that Fan Jingwen was imagining things, Chongzhen immediately explained, "Does Lord Fan know who besieged the Duke of Yansheng's mansion today?"
Fan Jingwen did not hesitate and immediately answered: "I heard that they are citizens of the capital."
"They are indeed the people of the capital, but they have another identity."
"Your Majesty, please enlighten me!"
Chongzhen sighed and said slowly: "Most of them are family members of the Yongwei Battalion soldiers who died in Liaodong."
Fan Jingwen's mind suddenly went blank.
He realized that things were not only getting out of hand, but were also becoming increasingly complicated.
Chongzhen ignored Fan Jingwen's reaction and continued, "Those brave guards died in Liaodong at the hands of the Jiannu. Their families were already grief-stricken. Later, they heard that Duke Yansheng had surrendered to the enemy, and they were even more angry and sad."
"So they attacked the Duke of Yansheng's mansion and killed him."
"If Lord Fan wants to conduct a thorough investigation, please find out the truth as soon as possible and give justice to Duke Yansheng!"
"This..." Fan Jingwen's mind was even more confused than before.
He had planned everything, but he had never expected that those civilians were actually the families of the fallen soldiers of the Yongwei Battalion.
It’s not a question of how to check, but how to deal with it after the check.
If these civilians were convicted, it would not only discourage the soldiers fighting in Liaodong, but would also cause dissatisfaction among the soldiers in Beijing.
At that time, the possibility of a defeat in Liaodong and a mutiny in the capital cannot be ruled out.
In this way, the good situation of the Ming Dynasty will be completely ruined.
But if these people are not convicted, it would be neither compliant nor legal.
After all, a murder had occurred, and the deceased was the Yansheng Duke of the Ming Dynasty!
We must give an explanation not only to the Confucius Mansion, but also to the imperial court, scholars and people all over the world.
Fan Jingwen, who was usually experienced, was unusually at a loss for what to do and stood there in a dilemma.
After an unknown amount of time, he raised his head and looked at Chongzhen again.
At this time, Chongzhen was also looking at him.
The king and his minister looked at each other, and then their gazes separated after a moment.
Although the two didn't say anything, they communicated through their eye contact.
Fan Jingwen guessed Chongzhen's true intention.
Chongzhen also knew Fan Jingwen's thoughts.
"Your Majesty," Fan Jingwen clasped his hands and said, "I think the most urgent task is to immediately convene the three judicial departments to try Duke Yansheng."
"Duke Yansheng has been beaten to death. Have you forgotten, Lord Prime Minister?" Chongzhen reminded in a light tone.
"I haven't forgotten," Fan Jingwen replied, "Even though Duke Yansheng is dead, the evidence is still there. As long as the three courts hold a joint trial, they will be able to conclude that Duke Yansheng surrendered to the enemy."
"What then?" Chongzhen asked.
Fan Jingwen bowed again and said, "If the three judicial officials believe that Duke Yansheng is guilty, then the people who beat him to death are not guilty. After all, traitors can be killed by anyone!"
"If the three judicial officials believe that Duke Yansheng is not guilty, then the people who beat him to death are guilty. According to the Ming Dynasty law, if you owe a debt, you must pay it back and if you kill someone, you must pay with your life."
"Since the elder has already come up with a solution, let's implement it as soon as possible. Everyone in the capital is watching it." Chongzhen said slowly.
"I'm leaving now." Fan Jingwen strode out of the Palace of Heavenly Purity, not looking like a sixty-year-old man at all.
That afternoon, Fan Jingwen promoted the convening of a three-court trial.
The results were all within Chongzhen's expectations.
The people from the three judicial departments all believed that the evidence was irrefutable and there was no way to argue that Duke Yansheng Kong Yinzhi had treasoned to the enemy.
Even if Duke Yansheng is dead and not at the scene, he can still be convicted based on this solid evidence.
After the charges were determined, the news was immediately sent to various parts of the capital.
The first to receive the news was Shuntian Prefecture.
"What? Duke Yansheng surrendered to the enemy and deserved death, but the people are innocent?" The governor of Shuntian Prefecture felt like the sky was falling.
In order to mitigate his guilt, he was ruthless when arresting civilians.
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