Chapter 13 Chapter 13 Those who deserve to go to hell don’t deserve…
Although there were problems with the Censorate, it was of no use for the three officials to request an investigation during the joint trial.
Xu Qing'an actually said this to the two people behind the screen.
The person behind the screen made a move, and the chief of the three divisions stood up and saluted over there.
"Your Highness, Mr. Su."
Shangguan Xu and Su Wang came out one after another.
Shangguan Xu raised his hand slightly, waiving the greetings, and continued, "What happened today truly surprised me. Such a scandal has occurred within the Censorate, the institution that oversees all officials. Censor Xu is right. This matter must be thoroughly investigated. If the person who stirred up this trouble is not apprehended, all officials will believe that everything the Censorate reports is fabricated, and the Censorate will lose its proper dignity."
She turned her head and asked Su Wang beside her with a smile: "What do you think, Mr. Su?"
Things have developed to this point, and an explanation must be given.
Su Wang looked back with a subtle smile. "Your Majesty is right. The Censorate is independent of the Three Provinces and Six Ministries. The imperial court granted it the power of impeachment and supervision, which requires it to be fair and honest. Now that this has happened, it must be investigated."
Shangguan Xu nodded: "Mr. Su's words are more profound."
She discussed it, "Since this matter is handled by the Censorate, then the people responsible for investigating it cannot be their own people. And since this case is special, why not let the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple assist in the investigation."
Because Shangguan Li once served as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, the officials of the Ministry of Justice tended to be more on Shangguan Xu's side, but the Dali Temple had more interactions with Su Wang.
Even though most of the censors in the Censorate were arrogant and self-righteous, Su Ran was the Chief Censor, so naturally the Censorate would favor Su Wang a little.
Shangguan Xu's words did not mean that the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple were cooperating, but that she was cooperating with Su Wang, so that he would not feel that her move was targeting him.
Anyway, this matter is going to be investigated, and the Censorate will make a fuss for a while, so there is no need for her to push Su Wang too hard. The person who should be caught will not be caught so easily.
Shangguan Xu knew very well that Su Wang valued his reputation, and her arrangement was comprehensive and appropriate, so he would naturally agree to it.
Sure enough, the matter was said in this way, and Xu Qing'an was naturally acquitted as before. He was also asked to organize the files of the Lantern Festival night cruise and Liu Chang case and close the case in due time.
When everything was almost settled, Su Wang glanced at Xu Qing'an in the hall before leaving, and suddenly said meaningfully, "Censor Xu is truly a man of quick wit. In the courtroom, he remained calm in the face of danger, spotted the flaw in the bloody letter at a glance, and saved himself from danger. The Empress Dowager made a good choice."
Shangguan Xu saw Su Wang looking at him and smiled back, "It's not my choice, it's Qilang's."
"Last year's spring exam, Qilang, as the Minister of Rites, served as the chief examiner. Censor Xu was the top scorer that year, so I imagine Qilang must have reviewed his paper." Shangguan Xu smiled. "So, he can be considered Qilang's disciple."
The smile that had just appeared on Xu Qing'an's lips faded.
Shangguan Xu continued to ask, "By the way, Qilang has been on a diplomatic mission to Western Yan for over three months now. I think he'll be back soon. Has he written to Lord Su to express his regards? And did he mention the exact time of his return?"
Having said that, Su Wang turned around and looked at Shangguan Xu quietly. His eyes were not as sharp as usual, but much softer.
Although he only smiled briefly, this time his smile was much more obvious: "He did write a few letters back, but the return date is uncertain. He doesn't know when he will return to Beijing."
Shangguan Xu sighed regretfully, "Oh!" "Then when he returns to Beijing, I'll definitely give him a good welcome and prepare all his favorite foods."
Su Wang nodded: "I thank the queen on behalf of Qilang."
After the joint trial of the three courts was over, there was naturally no reason for the officials in the court to stay.
Because Shangguan Xu brought a lot of personal belongings with him and it would take some time to pack them up, she said it would be inappropriate to let Su Xianggong wait, and let Su Wang leave first. The officials of the three courts also had to sort out the files based on the results of this trial and continue with the subsequent procedures, so Shangguan Xu asked them to leave first.
Xu Qing'an was still there, but no one paid any attention to him.
Shangguan Xu looked up and inadvertently saw him still standing there. He asked curiously, "The trial is over, and Censor Xu is still here. Does he feel that his speech just now to solve the case was not enough?"
Xu Qing'an bowed, "Your Majesty, you are teasing me. The others have all left and haven't arranged a place for me to go."
Shangguan Xu saw that he looked unhappy, and when he bowed, he found that there was blood around his index finger that he had just bitten, and his heart inevitably softened.
She said softly, "The trial is over. You are innocent and can go back now."
Xu Qing'an said softly, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for today."
Shangguan Xu raised his eyebrows: "Thank me?"
Xu Qing'an clearly understood what she meant, but said something else: "Is your Majesty preparing to return to the palace?"
Shangguan Xu: "Of course."
Xu Qing'an said, "Your Majesty caught a cold a while ago, so I imagine your appetite has been affected. There's a shop in the East Market that makes excellent pastries, called Li's Pastry House. I live in Anyifang nearby, so I often buy from there. Now that Your Majesty has recovered, and today is a rare opportunity for you to leave the palace, and the Imperial City is close to the East Market, if Your Majesty likes pastries, you might as well send someone to buy some for her to try."
The place where the three courts held their joint trial was in the imperial city where various government offices were located, and the Taiji Palace was considered the palace city. Although the imperial city and the palace were adjacent to each other and one could enter the imperial city with a certificate, the imperial city and the palace city were different after all. For Shangguan Xu, leaving the Taiji Palace was like leaving the palace, and outside the imperial city were the east and west markets of Chang'an City.
Shangguan Xu's face was calm, but he looked at the person in front of him with a smile on his face, without any verbal expression.
At this moment, Qing He came to her and said, "My Lady, everything has been packed."
Before leaving, Shangguan Xu finally smiled and said, "I see. Since Mr. Xu recommended it, I will send someone to buy it."
——
Xu Qing'an first went back to the Taiwan Prison to get something.
The people from the Censorate also returned to him the clothes he wore on the day he was imprisoned. After changing his clothes and taking his cloak, he prepared to leave.
The cell was located very deep inside. When passing by other places, Xu Qing'an heard conversation coming from a cell.
"Is this the morgue?" Xu Qing'an stopped and asked the jailer who was following him.
The jailer nodded and explained the reason for the conversation inside. "Yes, the body of Minister Liu is here. Now that the case has changed, I heard that the body will be moved to the Ministry of Justice or the Dali Temple."
"Oh." Xu Qing'an understood. "Can I go in and take a look?"
The jailer hesitated for a moment. Although he didn't understand why he wanted to look at the corpse, he thought that Xu Qing'an was not guilty now and was still the Supervisory Censor of the Censorate, so there was no reason for him to stop him.
Xu Qing'an left.
The jailers who were arranging the removal of the bodies in the morgue all recognized Xu Qing'an and saluted him upon seeing him.
Xu Qing'an responded with a smile, then walked to Liu Chang's body.
The pale and cold person who was now kneeling before him in the private trial that night burst into tears——
"I, I really didn't think they would suffer so much because of the things I handed over. I thought the worst they'd do was get demoted or exiled..."
"I, I, I... But I really have no choice. I'm a fifth-rank doctor, I can only follow the orders from above. If I don't do this, I'll be the one who suffers..."
"But I really regret it all the time. I haven't had a good night's sleep since that incident. If I could have another chance, I would never do it again. I would definitely find a way to deal with them."
"I've even erected memorial tablets and lit eternal lamps for those gentlemen in Jingming Temple, hoping they'll be reborn in paradise. Censor Xu, Lord Xu, you said you could rescue me. If you can, rescue me... If you do, I'll use all my money to perform rituals for them, find their exiled families, and find a way to resettle them. This will atone for my sins, okay?"
Xu Qing'an looked down at the person in front of him whose voice was almost like wailing and whose expression seemed to be filled with endless regret. His eyes were cold and dark, and no emotion could be seen.
He took out a medicine bottle from his bosom and poured a pill into his hand: "Take it."
Liu Chang didn't understand what he meant, but he still listened to him obediently.
Xu Qing'an said, "Soon after I leave, someone will come looking for you. When they do, tell them what we just talked about. Just say that I found out what happened on Shangsi night four years ago, so I came to question you tonight. As for the rest, if you want to survive, keep it to yourself."
Liu Chang suddenly panicked. He seemed to have guessed who Xu Qing'an was talking about. "No, no, no, I can't tell you. If I do, he won't let me go. Maybe... he'll even kill me to silence me! And you, I'm afraid, won't be able to escape either."
"That's right, I want him to do this, to kill you and silence you." Xu Qing'an smiled faintly, "If he doesn't kill you, how can I save you? Do I have to wait until your autumn execution to rob you?"
Xu Qing'an said slowly, "The medicine I just gave you is called Ningxi Dan. It can hold onto a person's last breath and create the illusion of death. If you follow his wishes and die, I can then stealthily rescue you, and your family won't be implicated. This is the best solution for both sides."
"And what you just said is right. After you say that, he won't let you go, nor will he let me go. So I need your help."
Xu Qing'an smiled. "I think his best way to silence both you and me is probably to force you to end your own life so he can bite me back."
Xu Qing'an surveyed the cell as he spoke. "Looking at the conditions, I suspect you committed suicide by banging your head against the wall. You also likely left a blood letter, a tragic act, accusing me of forcing you into a confession and falsely accusing you of a crime."
He smiled slightly, his tone still relaxed: "Do you think I'm right?"
…
"Really?" After everything was arranged, Liu Chang asked one last question. He looked up at Xu Qing'an, who was about to leave. "Does the medicine really have this effect? Will you really save me?"
"Of course." Xu Qing'an said without hesitation, "A gentleman's words are as firm as gold and stone, and you can only trust me, right?"
Yes, Su will not save him, Liu Chang thought.
Xu Qing'an kindly reminded him, "Remember to act like one. Don't just listen to him and die. Cry a little, beg him, and then negotiate terms with him. Maybe your family will be able to live a better life."
"And that medicine is for keeping you alive. Be ruthless and don't let the coroner find out."
Liu Chang finally agreed.
…
Xu Qing'an stood in the autopsy room. The corpse on the wooden bed beside him was cold and spotted.
When he was young, he often read poems by literati, among which there were many plum, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum, which were metaphors for the demeanor of a gentleman. He regarded himself as a gentleman, seeking wise men and lofty aspirations, so he loved them especially and often smoked orchids.
But now he no longer burns orchids, nor does he act like a gentleman.
He glared coldly at Liu Chang, who had already died.
There is no such thing as a Breath-Consolidating Pill.
It's just an ordinary ginseng pill.
Those who deserve to go to hell do not deserve salvation through their final confession.
Hmm...
Xu Qing'an withdrew his gaze and walked out without looking back.
I'd better go back quickly, wash up and change my clothes.
We still have to welcome guests later.
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