Chapter 287 Confession
"Sir, it's Wu Wencai." Fu Jiashan replied calmly.
Wu Wencai knelt aside, as if he had not heard anything, and remained silent and unmoved.
"Wu Wencai, have you ever said this? Where did you start?" Lord Zhuang turned around and asked.
"Sir, I never said that an adopted son can inherit the ancestral position, but Feng Zhigao used the convenience of Lu Langzhong's position to promise that he could buy and sell the official position in the name of an adopted son."
Wu Wencai spoke calmly, but there was a "bang" sound coming from behind the screen where the princess was sitting, apparently someone was slamming the table.
"Wu Wencai, do you know what you are talking about?"
Lu Jing turned to look at Wu Wencai, and then acted as if he had realized something: "Then it was Feng Zhigao who impersonated me and tricked you into saying this. Feng Zhigao, you betrayed your master for wealth and honor. The money has now been found out. The truth of the matter has been revealed. I trusted you for so many years in vain. You, a lowly slave, deserve to die!"
Lu Jing said the last sentence with gnashing teeth, which showed that he really hated him so much that he didn't want him to die.
"Master, I deserve to die, I deserve to die, sir. I plead guilty and accept the punishment. I only ask for a quick death!" Feng Zhigao kowtowed repeatedly with a pale face.
"Feng Zhigao, your crime is unforgivable, but wait a moment, Fu Jiashan, do you recognize this gentleman?"
Lord Zhuang pointed at Lu Jing and asked Fu Jiashan.
"I don't recognize him. I only recognize Wu Wencai and Feng's personal attendant. I am just a merchant. How can I possibly meet a fifth-rank official?"
Fu Jiashan quickly shook his head to deny it.
"On the day of the Gengwu month and the Guihai day of the 17th year of the Qiande reign, Fu Jiashan, accompanied by Wu Wencai, met Doctor Lu Jing and his personal attendant Feng Zhigao at the Mingxuezhai Teahouse.
As for why they met, it was because Fu Jiashan did not believe what Wu Wencai said, and even did not believe what Feng Zhigao said, until he met Doctor Lu, he no longer had any doubts. During this meeting, Fu Jiashan paid an extra 20,000 taels to Doctor Lu to buy tea. ”
Su Qianqian suddenly spoke and read the paper on the table.
Everyone standing or kneeling in the hall turned to look at Su Qianqian with shock on their faces.
"What nonsense! Just a small official of the Ministry of Justice, who was only appointed by His Majesty, really thinks he can lie. Even if they met, it must have been very secretive. How did you find out? Who is the witness? Is the Dali Temple really making an iron-clad judgment now that it is trying the case?"
The eldest princess's angry voice finally came from behind the screen, and she was just short of pointing at Su Qianqian's nose and scolding her for farting.
"It was a drizzling day, and Fu Jiashan was wearing a water-green brocade robe. The corners of the robe were splattered with mud, and he was so distressed that he hurried to ask the shopkeeper to clean it. He was also mocked by the tea master for being poor, and when he ordered tea, he deliberately picked the cheapest one, thinking that Fu Jiashan could not afford good tea.
When Fu Jiashan left, he bought all the tea he liked and spent another 20,000 taels of silver. The tea doctor's name was Qingquan. ”
Su Qianqian was not disturbed by the eldest princess and continued to talk about what happened and the witnesses.
"Fu Jiashan, you are such a treacherous person!"
Feng Zhigao suddenly turned around and pounced on Fu Jiashan, hitting him hard with the shackles on his hands. Fu Jiashan screamed and fell to the ground, covering his head with his hands, blood flowing from between his fingers.
The bailiffs came to their senses and rushed over to hold Feng Zhigao down. Thinking that they were so focused on listening to Su Qianqian's explanation of the case that they had caused the witness to be injured, they should be punished, so they couldn't help but use force and even secretly kicked Feng Zhigao twice.
"Feng Zhigao, you obstructed the trial in the court, and threatened to seriously injure the witness. Come on, take him away and give him 20 lashes first!"
Lord Zhuang was really angry. Feng Zhigao knew that he was doomed to die, so he took the opportunity to disrupt the trial to give Lu Jing a chance to escape, so that he could win the Lu family's favor and let his family go.
Feng Zhigao was dragged away for execution. When the doctor from the Dali Temple came in to bandage Fu Jiashan's wound, the eldest princess behind the screen spoke again.
"Master Zhuang, since the criminal is injured, let's stop the trial today and wait until he recovers. There is no rush."
"Your Highness, Fu Jiashan is just one of the criminals. He does not hinder the trial. It is better to try and close the case as soon as possible so that I can report to Your Majesty."
Lord Zhuang didn't want to delay any longer.
He knew that the princess wanted to seek help from the emperor, so the case might be left unresolved, with Feng Zhigao, Wu Wencai and the literate man being used as scapegoats. The person who bought the official position would have his property confiscated, and the person who served as an official would be sent back to his hometown, and everything would be settled.
But it won't be long before this kind of thing comes back to life, and the court of Da Qi will gradually be controlled by these corrupt officials, treacherous ministers and incompetent officials, and will be riddled with holes from top to bottom.
"Zhuang Shizhao, I will report this case to His Majesty. You don't need to say anything more. Please leave the court."
The eldest princess' voice turned completely cold and she issued an order.
"Your Highness, I dare not obey your order. As the head of the Dali Temple, I must judge right from wrong, eliminate evil, and maintain peace. If this case is not thoroughly examined, I will not be negligent even if Your Majesty comes in person."
When Lord Zhuang said these words, it was as if he had said them countless times in his heart, calmly and clearly without a trace of hesitation.
"Zhuang Shizhao..."
"good!"
They all shouted in unison, scaring the princess so much that she swallowed the rest of her words.
The three generations of the Qin family cheered loudly behind the screen. Madam Qin then said:
"Lord Zhuang has devoted himself to the emperor, worked tirelessly for the country, and worked tirelessly for the people. It is worth it that several generations of my Qin family have sacrificed their blood to protect this beautiful land.
Lord Zhuang, you must make sure this case is examined thoroughly. With me here today, no one can go beyond the law. Her Royal Highness the Princess is well aware of the righteousness of the cause, and she must mean the same thing. ”
Lord Zhuang suppressed the twitching of his eyes. The eldest princess' words did not scare him, but the earth-shattering shout of the Qin family's grandson did frighten him.
"Mrs. Ning Anguo's words are too serious. It is my duty and I dare not slack off. Come, bring someone to testify against Qingquan." Lord Zhuang calmed himself and gave the order in a deep voice, continuing to try the case.
Duke Xu remained silent throughout the entire period.
Although not all witnesses were brought in, these people were enough to prove that Lu Jing was not innocent. Coupled with the loopholes in the handwriting on the previous documents, the rope around Lu Jing's neck became tighter and tighter.
"Lu Jing, with all this evidence in one place, why don't you plead guilty?"
Lord Zhuang finally said this.
"Master Zhuang, even if I have made some mistakes in the matter of appointing officials through patronage, I am not buying and selling officials for profit. I just don't want to allow them to secretly recognize relatives and disrupt the government through transactions..."
At this point, Lu Jing's expression suddenly froze. After a pause, he suddenly burst into laughter, as if he was crazy!
"So what if I did it? I sold more than just these small positions. They are just a drop in the ocean for me. I manipulated the selection of officials in the court. Who can be reinstated after mourning and who can be relinquished during mourning also needs my approval. I am the real person in charge of the Ministry of Personnel!"
Lu Jing's eyes were empty and he spoke woodenly, which made everyone in the lobby shudder, as if they were holding their breath.
"Lu Jing, what are you talking about!" It was not until the eldest princess shouted loudly that everyone realized that what they heard was not an illusion, but Lu Jing's true confession!
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