Chapter 123: The court is reversed, the swordsman blocks the way
There was a sudden noise in the Golden Palace.
Admit it!
Faced with Zhou Cheng's trap question, Ma Yan did not dodge or evade, but directly admitted it!
In the crowd, the Imperial Censor Yuan Li, dressed in a blue robe, watched quietly, his eyes slowly narrowed, and his gaze quietly glanced at the empress.
As if he had guessed something, a barely perceptible smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
In contrast, the Prime Minister, who was the "party leader", frowned and felt vaguely uneasy.
Everyone should know that Zhou Cheng's words set the tone. He discarded all the messy clues and only grasped the core.
From the moment Ma Yan nodded in agreement, the imperial court fell into an extremely passive situation.
"Did the Governor admit it?"
Zhou Cheng was stunned for a moment, and the "chuan" wrinkles on his brow became deeper.
Ma Yan looked at him coldly and said sarcastically:
"I am different from the Minister of Justice Zhou. There is nothing wrong with admitting what I have done."
Zhou Cheng ignored the sting in his words and immediately turned around and said to the empress:
"Your Majesty, you have heard that Ma Yan has confessed to this crime. I implore you to follow the laws of Dayu and punish Ma Yan and his subordinates, including Zhao Duan and the other officers of the Lihua Hall!"
After he finished speaking, the other officials of the Dali Temple who had followed him into the palace, the fifth rank and above, came out one after another and said in unison:
"I beg Your Majesty to punish severely and uphold the law!"
Among the hundreds of officials, a secretary stood up and echoed loudly:
"The imperial court is acting with impunity, and the people are complaining. This is due to long-standing problems..."
Another official jumped out to support the Dali Temple and criticize Ma Yan.
Not all of them were Zhou Cheng's followers. Some of them were simply trying to take advantage of the situation. For a while, there was an endless stream of requests.
“Bang!”
The eunuchs beside the throne room raised their whips and lashed the ground fiercely:
"quiet--"
The ministers finally quieted down. Xu Zhenguan, who sat high on the throne, remained calm, but her eyes had become much colder. Her cold voice echoed throughout the hall:
"Are you done?"
No one answered.
Xu Zhenguan said calmly, "Now that we have finished speaking, it is your turn, Ma Yan, to tell them."
What's the meaning?
Zhou Cheng keenly noticed the strangeness of these words.
"Yes." Ma Yan spoke calmly, looking around at the ministers:
"What Zhou Tingwei said is indeed true, but I have never violated the law in my imperial court."
Zhou Cheng was stunned, and many people were also confused.
However, the next second, Ma Yan explained to them:
"According to Dayu law, in ordinary cases, once the Dali Temple has already detained the criminal, the Imperial Court cannot dispute it. However... there is one exception, which is when the emperor grants special permission and issues an imperial decree for the arrest!"
Zhou Cheng's expression changed slightly, and he understood what the other party meant.
Sure enough, Ma Yan took out another thick stack of documents from his sleeve, pulled out the top few, and showed them to the gentlemen:
"As early as the day before yesterday, His Majesty had already ordered the Imperial Court to investigate Marquis Xiajiang's crimes and arrest him if necessary. The relevant procedures are all officially approved and available for review. According to Dayu law, the Imperial Court can exceed its authority to make arrests in cases authorized by imperial decree, and the three judicial departments cannot obstruct it.
So! Last night, Zhao Duan, holding my imperial edict, arrested Marquis Xia Jiang. He was acting on the emperor's orders. Dali Temple Secretary He Zheng obstructed him due to personal grudges, but was repelled by Zhao Jisi. This did not violate the law!
What's more! The emperor ordered the investigation first, and the Dali Temple detained the people later. And from what I saw, when the arrest was made, Xia Jianghou and Zhou Tingwei were having tea together. When facing interrogation, he firmly defended himself.
I also want to ask, how much benefit did Marquis Xiajiang promise you to get Lord Zhou to come forward?!"
After he finished speaking, he threw the files in his hand towards Zhou Cheng.
“Crash—”
Papers flew and scattered all over the floor.
The whole audience was silent.
The officials from the Dali Temple were stunned. They had never expected that Ma Yan would come up with this answer.
His Majesty has already ordered an investigation into Marquis Xia Jiang...isn't it because of his affair with Zhao Duan?
This was far beyond their expectations.
As for whether the files on the ground are real or fake, did they really happen, or did the empress rush to work overnight to protect the imperial court and then add them afterwards?
Even if someone has doubts, no one would be stupid enough to raise them on the spot.
The truth doesn't matter.
The important thing is that Ma Yan provided legal reasons, so Zhou Cheng’s impeachment was untenable.
"Your Majesty...this matter..."
The face of Zhou Cheng, the Minister of Dali Temple, turned from rosy to pale, and then gradually turned to iron blue. He turned and looked at the throne.
The empress nodded expressionlessly:
"Zhou Qing misunderstood."
Misunderstanding... Zhou Cheng opened his mouth, trying to make a final struggle:
"But when Zhao Duan entered the palace, he never said he was acting on the emperor's orders..."
Ma Yan glanced at him and said calmly:
"Which of your Majesty's subjects is not acting according to the emperor's orders?"
The implication is that since Zhao Duan did it, it must be legal.
You are wrong to question his violation of the law.
Zhou Cheng was speechless.
Those who had just jumped out to support him also fell silent.
In the crowd, Yuan Li had an undisguised smile on his face. He looked at his old rival Li Yanfu, but saw that the Prime Minister had already closed his eyes and seemed not to intend to intervene.
This made Yuan Li, who was sharpening her knife, feel a little regretful.
Ma Yan spoke again at this time. He shook the remaining thick file in his hand and said:
"Since Lord Zhou is silent, it's my turn to ask. Since the Dali Temple claims to be investigating Marquis Xiajiang, I wonder what they've found?"
Zhou Cheng said with a sullen face, "It's just a suspicion, not confirmed yet."
Ma Yan nodded: "That means I don't have it anymore. It doesn't matter. I have it."
He took out a piece of paper and read:
"According to our investigation, Marquis Xiajiang has large sums of money in exchange for the Red Flower Society, a gang in the capital. He used the Red Flower Society to secretly operate four gambling houses and two underground money houses..."
"To collect debts, the Red Flower Society secretly murdered thirty-nine people..."
"Last September, through the Red Flower Society, he indirectly controlled the Human Tooth Society and trafficked fourteen girls from decent families into Beijing, suspected of using them as bribes. He then hid three of them in his private residence and tortured them to death in January of this year, throwing their bodies into the river to destroy the evidence..."
"And the latest case involves the kidnapping of Feng Lianlian, the daughter of the head of the Ministry of Personnel. Fortunately, Zhao Duan rescued her in time. All of the evidence is available and can be verified."
The throne room was quiet.
Behind the crimson official robe of Zhou Cheng, the Minister of Dali Temple, fine beads of cold sweat quietly seeped out of his back.
He didn't expect that the imperial court had quietly obtained so much evidence of Xia Jianghou's crimes.
Although some of the most fatal ones, such as some transactions with him, did not happen due to lack of evidence.
But these existing charges alone were enough to send this hereditary marquis to execution in autumn.
But if Xia Jianghou was imprisoned, would he give these people away?
Zhou Cheng quickly went over it in his mind and confirmed that he had gained a lot of benefits from the other party.
But every time he was very cautious and left no evidence.
Moreover, as long as Xia Jianghou is imprisoned, the number of people who want him to shut up will probably be several times greater than those who will try to rescue him.
"This man is so evil that if the Governor hadn't pointed it out to me, I would have been deceived by him!"
Zhou Cheng's expression changed as he turned the pages of a book, and he spoke indignantly.
Those ministers who had just stood up were awakened from their dreams.
They turned their guns on Marquis Xia Jiang and cursed him, asking the empress to punish him severely.
This impeachment against Zhao Duan and Ma Yan seemed to be forgotten by everyone and became the trial of Marquis Xia Jiang.
…
…
Just when the court trial was in full swing.
Zhao Duan also left his home and walked towards the palace for a long time.
After the sun rose, the sunlight was scorching, so he hid in the carriage to cool off.
Without a mobile phone, the bumpy carriage is not suitable for reading...
Especially in the vernacular stories of this era, it’s either about a talented man marrying a beautiful woman, a talented man marrying a female ghost, or a talented man marrying a princess…
Zhao Duan said that authors of this era are too timid and don't even dare to fantasize about writing about a female emperor, which he despises.
I can only look at the scenery outside the window boredly.
However, at first the scene on the street outside seemed normal, but gradually, he began to feel uneasy.
"Little Prince, haven't we arrived at the palace yet?" Zhao Duan suddenly asked.
The driver, Xiao Wang, was also surprised:
"My Lord, something seems amiss. I've walked this road more than once, but somehow this street feels so unfamiliar."
As he spoke, he also controlled the carriage to slow down.
Zhao Duan stood up, subconsciously grasped his sword, and lifted the curtain of the carriage.
The two of them turned into a deserted street without knowing when.
There were shops on both sides, but they were all empty and there was not a single pedestrian.
The shops were all open.
Including a noodle shop on the side of the road, there are even noodles boiling in the pot and wafts of hot steam emanating from it.
But there was no one in sight.
"Stop the car." Zhao Duan said in a deep voice.
The driver also realized the danger, and hurriedly tightened the reins, held the weapon at his waist, and looked around vigilantly.
The master and servant got out of the car and looked back first.
However, the street in the direction they came from was very long, and it seemed as if there was no end in sight.
Looking forward again, it looks the same.
"Sir, how can this be..."
The young official surnamed Wang turned pale:
"We won't run into a ghost wall, will we?"
Zhao Duan raised his hand and shaved his scalp, cursing:
"Where did the ghosts come from in broad daylight?"
He said with a grim expression: "But we are indeed in trouble."
At this moment, he thought of the warning from the "scattered official" of the Tianshi Mansion:
The bloody disaster lingered above his head!
Zhao Duan initially thought that the disaster should befall Xia Jianghou, but it did not happen yesterday.
But I didn't expect it to come at this moment.
"Sir, you mean someone..." The coachman Xiao Wang was stunned.
Zhao Duan interrupted him, suddenly looking into the distance, his expression slightly changed:
"What is that?"
Xiao Wang subconsciously turned his head to look, and then felt a sharp pain at the back of his head, his eyes went dark, and he fainted.
Zhao Duan retracted his palm knife and raised his hand to grab the unconscious subordinate.
After learning from Zhu Kui's lesson, he inevitably became more cautious towards the people around him.
Although he couldn't be sure whether the driver had anything to do with turning into this strange street, he didn't need to take any risks.
Besides, facing an enemy that could threaten his life, having one more follower would be of little use.
"I'm sorry, if this has nothing to do with you, I'll take you out after I've dealt with the enemy."
Zhao Duan threw his subordinates into the carriage, then raised his hand to calm the restless horse.
With a clang, he drew out his sword and walked forward.
Quiet streets and densely packed buildings.
A cloud quietly floated across the sky, blocking the scorching sun and casting a shadow.
Zhao Duan walked with a knife in hand, and after taking a few hundred steps, he suddenly stopped.
There is a tea stall in front of the street, leaning against a gray brick wall. There are only two tables under the awning of the tea stall.
At one of the tables, a person was sitting on a bench.
He was wearing a gray robe and a conical hat, and underneath the robe was a white swordsman's robe.
He lowered his head and was quietly sipping tea. On the table, besides a teapot, a tea bowl, and a sword lying horizontally.
An unsheathed longsword.
A... swordsman?
Zhao Duan raised his eyebrows, a little surprised: "Are you waiting for me?"
The swordsman slowly raised his head. Under his bamboo hat, a laugh could be heard from behind the indigo ghost mask:
"I've long heard of your great name, Zhao Duan."
Zhao Duan stared at the ghost face, sighed softly, and thought to himself, Xiao Wang, you guessed right.
In broad daylight, there are ghosts roaming around.
…
Typos should be corrected first and then replaced
(End of this chapter)
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