242. Solving the Case in One Day (Part 2) (Page 1/2)
The main hall of the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner's Office.
After issuing the 'final ultimatum,' Cui Xian took out two books from his pocket and carefully flipped through them.
He completely ignored the embarrassed expressions of the officials present.
Cen Hongchang's temple throbbed.
The anger emanating from the second-rank official in his scarlet robe made the atmosphere in the entire hall almost stagnant.
Only the young headmaster, sitting upright in the main seat reading a book, seemed oblivious.
He held the book in one hand, and with the other hand he lightly tapped the table next to the teacup.
Cen Hongchang and the other officials followed Cui Xian's hand and saw the jade ruyi on the table, which was as white as mutton fat. Their expressions all turned serious.
Zhou Xiang coughed and said, "Someone, serve the headmaster some tea."
Immediately, a servant stepped forward and respectfully refilled the empty teacup.
After the servant who was refilling the tea left.
Zhou Xiang looked at Cen Hongchang for his opinion: "According to the Provincial Governor's opinion, how should this case be investigated?"
Cen Hongchang glanced at Zhou Xiang and snorted softly, "Investigate however you need to!"
Zhou Xiang: "..."
Char's maid!
You're incompetent, and Cui Xian publicly humiliated you.
Why are you taking your anger out on me?
But Zhou Xiang was no pushover either, and angrily said, "Then arrest them all, and that will be the end of it!"
hiss.
Gasps of breath rose and fell among the officials in the hall.
"Those are over a thousand Confucian scholars!"
"If we arrest them all, how will we explain it to the imperial court?"
They argued and kept glancing at Cui Xian.
However.
The young headmaster focused intently on his studies, remaining silent throughout.
Seeing this, officials such as Cen Hongchang and Zhou Xiang finally realized the situation and stopped harboring illusions.
Today, we must give them an explanation!
Zhou Xiang stopped pretending to be ignorant and said directly, "Prefect Ye, in your opinion, how should this case be investigated?"
Countless gazes immediately turned to Ye Huaifeng.
Nowadays, who doesn't know that this newly appointed prefect of Kaifeng is Cui Xian's man?
He was being scrutinized by many people.
Ye Huaifeng stepped forward and said decisively, "Issue two notices in succession to inform the whole city."
"Firstly: Since the incident, the authorities have learned the names of all the perpetrators. Do not harbor any illusions; the net of justice is vast and its meshes are fine, yet nothing escapes it. All those involved in the case are currently at large!"
"Secondly: the county government, the prefectural government, the provincial judicial commissioner's office, and the provincial administration commissioner's office all understand the headmaster's intentions, considering that you are all Confucian scholars and that studying hard is not easy."
"With the imperial examinations approaching, I cannot bear to see them all imprisoned and their futures ruined. Therefore, I have changed course and will only investigate the chief culprit."
"If the other accomplices can provide evidence of the principal's crime and voluntarily compensate for the damage to the houses and workshops, the government will not pursue the matter further once the principal is apprehended."
After hearing this...
Everyone present turned to look.
He truly deserves to be called a formidable figure who, as the magistrate of Nanyang County, managed to take down the magistrate of Kaifeng County!
Ye Huaifeng's actions were not merely to seek justice for Cui Xian.
They also need to use the county government, the prefectural government, the provincial judicial commissioner's office, and the provincial administration commissioner's office to "carry Cui Xian's sedan chair"!
After today.
The reputation of Cui Xian, the abbot of Yuelu Mountain, for his magnanimity, kindness, and humility will surely spread quickly among ordinary people and scholars.
The series of one-sided "public opinion attacks" against Cui Xian, which were triggered by his revision of the Book of Documents, the omissions in the Twenty Classics, his new learning ideas, and his succession to the position of headmaster, will come to an end.
Holding the "Truth-Seeking Jade," he, as the abbot of Yuelu Academy, will ignite a flame of "truth-seeking" in this feudal dynasty.
Burn your own path to sainthood!
The three immortal achievements of Confucianism are: establishing virtue, establishing merit, and establishing words.
Virtue comes first.
Today, Cui Xian's outburst at the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner's Office was not just to vent his anger.
At the same time, they are paving the way for themselves!
After Ye Huaifeng finished speaking, he didn't wait for the others to express their opinions.
The young headmaster, who was engrossed in reading, couldn't help but exclaim, "Excellent!"
Everyone was looking over.
Cui Xian raised his head and smiled, "When I got to the most exciting part of the book, I couldn't help but forget about you gentlemen."
"You continue, you continue."
The assembled dignitaries: "..."
No, are you really only 14 years old?
Having good academic knowledge is one thing.
How come you're so adept at navigating the intricacies of officialdom?
Zhou Xiang glanced subtly at Zheng Qizhen, who was sitting next to Cui Xian.
Then, he said righteously, "In that case, let's follow Prefect Ye's wishes and have the four departments work together to instruct our subordinates to handle the case as soon as possible!"
"Someone, please bring seats to all the gentlemen."
"Today we are all here in the main hall of the Provincial Surveillance Commission, awaiting the results and giving the headmaster an explanation."
In the main hall, a group of officials, including Cen Hongchang, Zhou Xiang, and Liu Chong, took their seats one after another.
Outside the government office.
The bailiffs began posting the first notice.
The shocked shouts of the people could still be faintly heard.
All of the thousands of Confucian scholars who committed the crimes have been apprehended and brought to justice!
Oh my god!
The news spread like wildfire, astonishing everyone in Kaifeng, from the common people to the scholars.
(This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading) 242. Solving a Case in One Day (Part 2) (Page 2/2)
The old scholars who participated in vandalizing the Cui family's property that day all fled in panic, trying to escape.
Their wives, daughters, children, and grandchildren were crying their hearts out at home.
He scolded them: "Why did you go and smash up the headmaster's house for no reason! You've studied the classics your whole life, and all you do is talk about how uncivilized people are."
"And yet, you're the one who's most disgraceful of all!"
The old scholar who was being scolded was meek and submissive, his face full of fear.
Who would have thought that Cui Xian would be so terrifying, ordering the four government offices of Kaifeng County, Kaifeng Prefecture, Provincial Surveillance Commission, and Provincial Administration Commission to launch a citywide manhunt!
That morning.
Kaifeng was in chaos.
A large number of constables and bailiffs patrolled the streets.
As noon approached, even more terrifying news arrived—
Kaifeng City is closed!
Cui Xian's terrifying reputation spread throughout the city streets.
The situation took a turn for the better in the afternoon.
The four government offices posted a second notice throughout the city: The headmaster is magnanimous and will not hold any accomplices accountable who confess to the mastermind and voluntarily pay compensation!
The second notice was posted.
The somber atmosphere throughout the city eased.
The people applauded and praised.
The students of Shilin were full of praise.
The elderly scholars who had committed offenses were voluntarily dragged to the yamen by their families to turn themselves in and pay compensation.
The main hall of the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner's Office.
Cui Xian ignored external affairs and continued reading.
However.
As dusk drew closer, the atmosphere in the lobby grew increasingly tense.
Although the notice stated that reporting the mastermind would exempt one from punishment.
With over a thousand perpetrators on the day of the attack and nearly half a month having passed, is it really possible to solve the case in just one day?
A state of stagnation.
Cui Xian seemed to have gotten tired of reading.
He rubbed his temples and glanced at the sky outside.
The Kaifeng County Magistrate stood up tremblingly and said with a forced smile, "This humble official will personally go and urge them to arrest the people."
Zhang Sai, the magistrate of Kaifeng County, is still being held in custody by Ye Huaifeng.
Therefore, the county government is now being managed by this unfortunate county magistrate.
Not long after the Kaifeng County Magistrate left.
Ye Huaifeng stood up: "I will also go and take a look. Please excuse me."
They left one after the other.
Of the other officials, who can remain calm?
If we can't solve the case before dusk, we're all doomed!
"I will also personally supervise the process."
Excuse me.
The officials left one by one, filled with trepidation.
Dozens of official sedan chairs set off from the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner's Office, hurriedly leading their constables to investigate the case.
The people along the street were amazed by this sight, expressing their astonishment at something they had never seen before.
As the sun gradually sets in the west and time goes by.
Even Zhou Xiang couldn't sit still any longer.
He stood up, trembling: "I'll go take a look too."
You bunch of useless trash!
Hurry up!
Time is of the essence. If we can't solve this case soon, we're all doomed!
at last.
Only Governor Cen Hongchang remained steadfast, his expression unchanged.
As the first rays of dusk shone into the main hall of the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner's Office.
The young mountain chief, engrossed in his book, slowly looked up and put the book back into his sleeve.
The bailiffs who remained in the main hall of the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner's Office turned deathly pale instantly.
The governor picked up the teacup beside him, which had long since gone cold, and took a big gulp.
This action jolted the servant responsible for pouring tea out of his daze.
He stepped forward, trembling, and poured Cui Xian another cup of hot tea, saying in a trembling voice, "Headmaster, please have some tea."
Cui Xian smiled gently at the other person and picked up the teacup.
This means he's willing to give us another cup of tea's time.
It's hard to imagine how quickly or how long it takes to drink a cup of tea.
The evening breeze of late summer gently blew in.
The dappled afterglow of the setting sun danced and swayed on the bluestone slabs of the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner's Office.
The young mountain chief leaned back in his chair, leisurely sipping his tea.
Every sip of tea he took sent shivers down the spines of the constables from the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner's office.
These people were so terrified that they looked like they were about to break apart.
Gao Qi, Zhuang Jin, and Xu Yizhi, who were in the corner, looked at them with sympathy and pity in their eyes.
Look at him, of all people to mess with, he had to mess with Brother Xian.
The time it takes to drink a cup of tea passes in the blink of an eye.
Xu Yizhi slowly stood up and said respectfully, "Headmaster, I will go prepare the carriage."
The sound of bailiffs gasping for breath filled the main hall of the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner's Office.
One person with poor mental fortitude even fainted and collapsed to the ground.
At a critical moment.
The Kaifeng prefectural magistrate rushed in, looking very anxious.
Before the person even arrived, the voice preceded them: "Case solved! Headmaster, please wait! Headmaster, please wait!"
"All eight masterminds have been arrested! They have nothing to do with the Zheng family! The remaining accomplices have voluntarily paid a total of over six thousand taels of silver in compensation, which will be used for the repair of the headmaster's house and workshop!"
"My lords will be back soon, please wait a moment, Headmaster!"
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