Chapter 201 Fishing in Troubled Waters
"Haha, you old bastard, you actually tried to bribe the Qin family kid by pretending to be a relative! Qin family kid, don't trust him. Their family is run by the wives. If his wife raises her eyes, this old bastard will be weak in the knees. Don't trust him!"
Yin Heng, supported by Su Qianqian, also pricked up his ears. Even though Zhuang Shizhao's voice was not loud, he could hear it clearly and immediately poured cold water on Qin Hanjin.
"Two elders, please sit down first. Now that you are here, please have a quick meal first. We can discuss everything later."
Qin Hanzhang stepped out at this time, standing between the two of them, and motioned Su Qianqian and Qin Hanjin to help them sit down.
Perhaps they were tired of arguing, the two adults stopped confronting each other and were persuaded to sit down. They each picked up the tea on the table and drank it in a few sips.
Su Qianqian rolled her eyes, thinking about what happened today, and decided to use a sleight of hand to expose the matter of Lu Jing selling official positions and loosen the soil for his foundation. If she was lucky, perhaps she could use the hands of these two masters to bring Lu Jing down.
"Listen to me, my lords. I have only been working as a clerk in the Ministry of Justice for a few days and have not made any achievements. Even if I want to be promoted, how can the emperor approve it?"
Zhuang Shizhao and Yin Heng looked at each other and said in their hearts: You naturally don’t know what you have accomplished, but we know your abilities.
"But today, by chance, I heard about a case. If this case is handled well, you two adults will have achieved great success."
Su Qianqian said in a mysterious tone.
"What case?" Both of them pretended not to care, but their ears perked up.
"Just now in Yanyu Tower, a wood shop owner stabbed the farm official Liu Zi to death."
Su Qianqian tapped the armrest of the chair with her fingertips and raised her eyebrows.
"What's the big deal about this? Although it's a murder case, it's common in Xijing." Zhuang Shizhao frowned, suspecting that Su Qianqian was fooling him.
"Murder cases are common, but what about murder cases involving selling official positions?"
Su Qianqian said in a long voice.
"What?" the two adults asked in unison, their expressions becoming serious.
The emperor has always hated buying and selling official positions. Therefore, although there have been occasional officials accepting bribes to recommend officials over the years, the buying and selling of official positions has never been investigated. This is the emperor's taboo.
"The businessman's name is Fang Youan. He lost all his savings by joining the Wanwu Shengcai Club..."
Su Qianqian told the story of Fang Youan.
"My Lords, this money-making organization is defrauding the people of their money. Find out the root cause and punish it severely. Eliminating this harm is a great benefit to the people.
Fang Youan bought an official position for his son, which shows how rampant the buying and selling of official positions is. We need to cut off this malpractice to relieve the worries of the court. This is a major case and its second benefit.
If stolen goods and silver are confiscated, apart from returning them to the victims to appease the people, the rest should be confiscated. This is the third benefit. ”
Su Qianqian stretched out three fingers.
"With these three advantages, my Lords, isn't this case a top priority?"
Yin Heng and Zhuang Shizhao looked at each other and thought about it in their minds.
Investigating this case is certainly dangerous, as those who dare to sell official positions must be high-ranking and powerful. However, if the truth is really uncovered, not only will it be passed down through the ages, but it will also leave a good name worthy of boasting for future generations.
"Even so, what does it have to do with you working in my Dali Temple?" Zhuang Shizhao still didn't want to give up Su Qian.
"What I mean is that this case is of great importance. According to the rules, it should be handed over to the Dali Temple by the City Patrol Office first. After the Dali Temple has examined it, the Ministry of Justice will have to review it.
I know something about the case, and I can participate in the trial of the case in the Dali Temple as a clerk sent by the Ministry of Justice. If I can provide some clues and gain some credit, it will be natural for Lord Zhuang to recommend me, right? ”
Zhuang Shizhao's eyes lit up: "Not bad, not bad, this method is very good!"
"Lu Shi Su, what do you mean? Are you going to..." Yin Heng became anxious again when he heard this.
"Master Yin, even if Master Zhuang recommends me, I will still start as a clerk in the Ministry of Justice. Will I still have to contribute to the Ministry of Justice in the future?"
Su Qianqian tried to play the peacemaker between the two sides. She was just a small clerk, at best a minor official, not even an official, so in front of the two adults, she only dared to call herself a junior.
Fortunately, Yin Heng knew her true identity. In order to allow her to help in the Ministry of Justice, he specially made a record for her in the Ministry of Revenue. "Su Qian" was already a scholar who had come from Fujian Province to live with his relatives, so it would be fine even if he was hired as an exception in the future.
However, Su Qianqian never thought of becoming a high-ranking official. Living in fear all day long facing the emperor was not the life she wanted to live. She used her position to find out what needed to be investigated, and she was ready to escape.
At this time, the banquet was ready. The two adults did not hesitate to follow Madam Qin to the dining hall. After a quick meal, they hurriedly said goodbye to Madam Qin and the Qin family.
Before leaving, Yin Heng told Su Qianqian that Gu Yunqing's case would be heard by three judges in the Ministry of Justice in two days, and she would still be the recorder.
Zhuang Shizhao glared at Yin Heng and decided to put the matter aside for the time being. As soon as they got out of the door and into the car, they began to discuss Fang Youan's case, having long forgotten that they had almost pulled each other's beards out during the argument.
After seeing off the two adults, the Qin family breathed a sigh of relief. Not to mention that Qin Hanjin was secretly happy, several old ladies praised Su Qianqian and praised her for having a solution.
Only Madam Qin smiled and asked, "Qianqian, how do you know so much about what happened in Yanyu Tower?"
Everyone woke up as if from a dream, and all eyes were focused on Su Qianqian like spotlights.
"Ah, haha, the Marquis told me." Su Qianqian betrayed Qin Hanzhang without hesitation, and winked at Qin Hanzhang to remind him of their agreement.
"Hanzhang, how did you know that?" Mrs. Du's eyes became sharp.
"Grandma, mother, it's getting late. Qianqian will leave first."
Su Qianqian quickly took her leave and escaped from Fushou Hall without caring whether Qin Hanzhang lived or died.
[Hurry up and leave. I would rather die than let my friend die. I must not let my grandmother and the old ladies know that I went to the Misty Rain Tower. I will never admit it even if I am beaten to death...]
Su Qianqian made up her mind as she walked. The Qin family members behind her were stunned. They didn't expect that she could lie so easily.
"Look, she is becoming more...interesting!" Mrs. Qin actually laughed.
The Qin family in Wuning Marquis's mansion were at a loss for words because of Su Qianqian. At this time, in Su Taifu's mansion, Second Madam Su fainted after hearing the news about her brother...
On the second day, Fang Youan's murder case was sent to the Dali Temple by the City Patrol. The Dali Temple Minister Zhuang Shizhao took over the case personally and immediately brought it to court for trial. On the same day, Liu Zibo's house was sealed off and Hu Shiqi, the broker who sold the official position to Fang Youan, was arrested.
After the court session was adjourned, Lord Zhuang talked with the clerk of the Ministry of Justice in the back hall for a while.
That night, a jailer guarding the cell in the Dali Temple attempted to strangle Hu Shiqi and was caught on the spot by Lord Zhuang. The jailer only confessed that someone gave him a sum of money and ordered him to do as he was told, but he didn't know who that person was.
On the third day, nearly a hundred people gathered outside the Dali Temple to protest their injustice, saying that their money had been defrauded by the Wanwu Shengcai Society and that they had lost all their money. Among them was Madam Su II.
The whole government and the public were shocked.
"Tomorrow is the day of the trial of Gu Yunqing's case. I wonder if anyone is still willing to intervene?"
Su Qianqian looked at the recorded confession and talked to herself.
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