Chapter 138 The Complainant Arrives
After seeing Shen Zhong off, Shangguan Jin didn't rest either.
With the year drawing to a close, there's a lot to do at the manor.
It's time to prepare New Year's gifts for each household in the capital.
We also need to send winter clothes to the children at the charity halls in the suburbs of Beijing.
After finishing all this, before the snow falls, I'll go stay at a village in the suburbs for a few days.
There's also a small hot spring in the village, perfect for this weather.
Of course, the Seventh Prince should also be brought along.
Shangguan Jin waited quietly for the Seventh Prince to return.
She has arranged everything she needs to; as for how things will turn out, she'll leave it to fate!
On the nineteenth day of the first lunar month, the road leading down from Bao'en Temple was heavily guarded.
Today is the last day of the ritual. After burning one more incense stick, the Crown Prince can take the Seventh Prince back to the palace.
The Crown Prince and the Seventh Prince had been listening to the sutras for three days and were already impatient.
Early in the morning, at the time the abbot had instructed, the prince devoutly lit incense and offered prayers, and then exchanged a few words with the abbot.
After listening to the abbot say a few words he couldn't understand, the prince prepared to take his leave.
Many ordinary people gathered to watch, all waiting quietly outside the Imperial Guards, peering inside.
The Crown Prince! What about the future imperial family?!
There won't be many opportunities to see the Crown Prince this year.
Many young women eagerly awaited the prince's arrival, hoping he would glance in their direction as he descended the mountain.
With a bit of luck, who knows, a pheasant might just turn into a phoenix!
The seventh prince was somewhat listless, looking around absentmindedly.
"What? You can't take it after only three days of listening to the sutras?" the Crown Prince asked the Seventh Prince in a low voice.
"If you can't eat or sleep well, how can you be in good spirits?"
"Brother Crown Prince, I won't go with you to pay my respects to Father Emperor after we go back. You two will talk for a long time." The Seventh Prince said softly.
The Crown Prince smiled but didn't say anything. He simply led the Seventh Prince down the mountain.
The road leading to Bao'en Temple is a mountain path.
No matter who goes to Bao'en Temple, they must walk up this mountain path.
This was a rule set by the founding emperor of the Great Yu Kingdom.
He said to his ministers, “If you’re not even willing to walk a mountain path or endure this little hardship, how can you expect any filial piety from us?”
Therefore, even if Emperor Xiao Jing wanted to go to Bao'en Temple, he still had to walk up there.
The mountain road was guarded by imperial guards on both sides, and no one was allowed to approach.
As they reached the foot of the mountain, the space became a bit larger. Although there were still imperial guards stationed there, most of the onlookers also gathered there.
Similarly, the Crown Prince's carriage is also here.
After the Crown Prince and the Seventh Prince came down the mountain surrounded by a large crowd, the onlookers all knelt down as well.
The crown prince was very pleased with the scene.
Being second only to one person and above ten thousand others, this feeling is indeed wonderful!
But what he wanted was to be above everyone else...
"No need for formalities! It's cold outside, please go home and be careful on your journey."
The crown prince's gentle demeanor moved the onlookers.
Just as the Crown Prince was about to get into the carriage, a sudden voice rang out.
"Your Highness is wise. This humble subject humbly requests Your Highness to thoroughly investigate the wrongful convictions of the Jiangning Imperial Textile Bureau and the Ministry of Justice."
The prince was taken aback, and everyone looked in the direction from which the sound came.
A man dressed in white, holding a petition written in blood, tried to break through the encirclement of the Imperial Guards.
This person is none other than the Fifth Young Master, who has been hiding here for three days...
The seventh prince sighed.
How can this person be so useless? How can we file a complaint like this?
In my aunt's words, if it doesn't grab attention, how can it attract people's attention?
Thank goodness my aunt spent half a day making arrangements...
Sure enough, the Crown Prince snorted coldly, intending to signal the commander of the Imperial Guards to drag the man away and deal with him.
There are far too many cases like this...
"Brother Crown Prince, this is a sacred Buddhist site. We just performed a Buddhist ceremony for Grandfather."
It is not auspicious to shed blood today.
"And the people are all here!" The Seventh Prince quickly and gently tugged at the Crown Prince.
They've finally arrived! This person has finally appeared!
It was worth listening to the sutras for three days!
The crown prince also realized what was happening.
If blood is drawn today, I'll inevitably face another scolding when I return to the palace.
"Get him out of here! Let him find the person he needs to find!" After saying that, the Crown Prince turned around and walked towards his carriage.
The fifth young master panicked upon seeing this.
He only had one chance; if he failed, he would lose his life...
"Your Highness, I truly have a wrongful conviction to accuse..."
Seeing that the Fifth Young Master was about to be dragged away, the Seventh Prince had no choice but to step forward.
"Wait a minute!" he said, then tugged at the crown prince again.
"Brother Crown Prince, it's almost the end of the year. If something happens, Father will definitely not be happy."
With so many people still around, rumors can be quite unpleasant.
"Then what do you suggest we do?" The crown prince asked, his face grim.
Encountering something like this while traveling is definitely not a good thing.
"Just ask clearly and then send them away; it's nothing more than a matter of a few words."
If you're hesitant to ask, I'll ask for you.
After speaking, the Seventh Prince looked at the Fifth Young Master.
"Go to the proper place to file a complaint. Even if the Crown Prince finds out about it, he will instruct the relevant government departments to handle it."
You've come to the wrong place!
The fifth young master finally realized what was happening and hurriedly struggled to shout.
"With no one to turn to for help, the officials of the Jiangning Textile Bureau, the Ministry of Justice, and the Court of Judicial Review protected each other, resulting in dozens of deaths!"
The Court of Judicial Review and the Ministry of Justice altered verdicts and switched death row inmates; each and every one of these cases resulted in human lives…
These words immediately caused an uproar among the already whispering crowd...
The Ministry of Justice? The Court of Judicial Review? And the Jiangning Textile Bureau in Jiangnan...
Dozens of lives lost...
This is a major case!
The officials from the Ministry of Rites who had come with the Crown Prince were all trembling.
If this is true, then the officials in the imperial court are really going to be in for a major upheaval.
The crown prince was also shocked.
Ministry of Justice and Court of Judicial Review?
The Ministry of Justice is staffed by the Prince of Qin, and the Court of Judicial Review is staffed by the Emperor himself. If anything happens to the people in these two places...
However, he was a little excited inside.
If this is true, and we follow the method used in the case of Vice Minister Mei, we might be able to remove Prince Qin's people from the Ministry of Justice...
"Who... are you?" The Crown Prince looked at the Fifth Young Master.
The fifth young master breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed he could file a complaint now!
"This humble one is the fifth son of Ma Yongnian, the Imperial Textile Commissioner of Jiangning." The fifth young master kowtowed heavily.
The prince took two steps forward.
"A son can sue his father, and a commoner can sue an official!"
You're very brave!
"Guards, take him back."
The fifth young master simply kowtowed without saying a word.
He knew that his case had finally been won.
The seventh prince also breathed a sigh of relief.
He can now go with his aunt to stay at her estate in the suburbs of Beijing for a few days without worry!
The onlookers were even more excited.
We'll have something to talk about for the next month...
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