Chapter 26 Testimony Why did Jiang Yanli testify for me?
Cheng Xianzhi was flipping through the bookshelf, his movements so subtle that even Lu Tingwan, who was standing beside him, could hardly notice.
But it was dark inside and he couldn't see clearly without a lamp, not to mention that if what he was looking for was related to books or documents, it would be even harder to find.
Lu Tingwan asked from behind, "Master Han, are you looking for evidence of the interactions between merchants and members of the Chamber of Commerce? How can we see clearly in such darkness?"
Cheng Xianzhi, preoccupied with his work, ignored her. After a while, Lu Tingwan approached, using the light of the night-shining pearl.
He was holding a pearl in his hand, and the light emitted by the night pearl was enough for him to see the words on the scroll clearly.
The faint fragrance came into her nostrils again. She was more sensitive to spices than ordinary people. Her mind was hooked and she had no idea what Cheng Xian's purpose was.
Following the scent, her eyes fell on an agarwood box. She tapped it gently a few times, then carefully opened it. Inside was a mailbox. Still cautiously, she placed it to her ear and shook it a few times. Glancing to the side, she saw the person on the other end still ignored her, so she quietly tucked the mailbox into her arms.
Then he wandered aimlessly in the study. A flash of fire appeared outside the room, startling the two sneaky people. Cheng Xianzhi and Lu Tingwan leaned against the wall with their backs to each other and cut a hole in the window with a dagger.
The noise outside the yard gradually grew louder. I could vaguely see seven or eight strong men carrying a few wooden boxes, passing the study and heading towards the backyard. The weight of the boxes made their steps heavier, and there were some clinking noises.
Lu Tingwan whispered, "Those people seem to be carrying something hard."
Her judgment was accurate. Cheng Xianzhi couldn't imagine how she made that conclusion, but he knew it was the sound of military equipment colliding.
Why are there weapons in the Chamber of Commerce compound?
"What are they doing carrying hard equipment in the middle of the night? They're so sneaky. Is the Chamber of Commerce still doing this kind of business?"
Cheng Xianzhi's intuition was not that simple. "Let's stop here for tonight. I got what I wanted, it's time to go."
Lu Tingwan was eager to leave quickly. After sending Lu Tingwan out of the hospital, he turned back and lay on the eaves. He saw a secret door in the rockery in the backyard slowly open, and the boxes carried by those people were sent into the dark room one by one.
When the person in the dark room came out, the person on the roof had disappeared.
The sparrows outside Yansheng Hall started chirping incessantly at dawn. Lu Tingwan stretched her waist and yawned. She had returned home late last night, the backyard was locked, Feng Xin had fallen asleep, and there was no one guarding the door, so she had climbed in through the dog hole.
Seeing the dark circles under her eyes, Feng Xin came over from the side courtyard and asked, "Why don't you get some more sleep, Madam?"
Lu Tingwan stared at the nest of birds on the tree, her puffy face very cute. "These birds have been chirping non-stop since early in the morning. I'm sleepy, but I can't sleep anymore."
"Then after breakfast, Feng Xin will have the housekeeper send someone to move these bird nests to an uninhabited courtyard in the mansion."
Lu Tingwan leaned against the door frame and said slowly, "Forget it. The yard is quiet already. I usually wake up early. Having these birds in the yard will make it more lively."
"The Second Madam is kind-hearted. She's afraid that if the nest is moved, the birds won't be able to find their chicks after they go out to find food." Feng Xin saw through her.
Lu Tingwan yawned again and went back to the house to change her clothes. Suddenly, she remembered something important and shouted outside, "Feng Xin, where are my clothes from last night?"
"I washed it."
"Washed it?" Lu Tingwan asked anxiously, "Where are the things inside?"
Feng Xin said calmly, "Second Madam, are you referring to the letter box? I've already placed it for you, in the wooden box on the dressing table."
Lu Tingwan breathed a sigh of relief, fortunately the letter inside was still there.
***
Inside Hanzhang Palace, Empress Dowager Jiang spoke from behind the curtains, her voice stammering and powerful: "I heard that Cheng Pushe has been working tirelessly on this case, day and night. Over a month has passed. I wonder if there has been any progress?"
Cheng Xianzhi raised his court board and replied, "Your Majesty, Queen Mother, the case is still under investigation. An explanation will be given within seven days."
"Lord Cheng has always been prudent and careful in his work, so I am naturally relieved."
"Your Majesty is merciful. Cheng Pushe is a great talent, a shining star, a phoenix. Then seven days will pass. After seven days, I will want a result."
Five days later, there was still no movement from Cheng Xianzhi. The empress dowager invited Lu Tingwan to the palace in the name of the Lu family to interpret Buddhist scriptures and asked about Cheng Xianzhi's recent movements. Lu Tingwan first said that Cheng Xianzhi had investigated the relationship between the Chamber of Commerce and the Ministry of Revenue, and used the merchants in the flower market to lure him into a trap.
And all these clues were obtained from Mr. Han Jinzhang, whom she knew.
Queen Mother Jiang was in deep thought. After investigating the connection between the Chamber of Commerce and the Ministry of Revenue, she took no further action. This was not like her style.
After seeing Lu Tingwan off, Queen Mother Jiang summoned Lu Mingqian for a talk.
Although Kyoto seemed calm, an undercurrent was brewing in the quiet. On the sixth day, Jingzhao Prefecture received a secret letter stating that a private residence outside the city had secretly stored weapons, armor, and shields, which had been seized by Jingzhao Prefecture.
The people detained were Han Jinzhang and his men who Cheng Xianzhi had sent earlier to wait outside the house.
It's unknown when the people in that house got wind of the news and deliberately lured people into a trap, framing Han Jinzhang with the unknown armor and shield weapons. The customs documents bore the personal seal of the Minister of War, one of Cheng Xianzhi's most capable subordinates.
The Jingzhao Prefecture captured the man and detained him in the Criminal Justice Department. Even Cheng Xianzhi, who came with them to demand the man's release, was unable to do anything about it.
After the matter passed through the hands of Jingzhao Prefecture, it was no longer subject to the joint trial of the Three Courts. The matter reached the ears of the Emperor and Empress Dowager Jiang. Empress Dowager Jiang ordered Jingzhao Prefecture to conduct a full investigation, and even Cheng Xianzhi, the inspector of the six ministries, was unable to intervene.
Cao Guanqing from the Criminal Justice Department was interrogating Han Jinzhang. Han Jinzhang was already unhappy because he had been tricked. The person behind the scenes was using dirty means. He was just a military man and not good at speaking. Facing the rigorous interrogation of the Criminal Justice Department, he could hardly refute a single word.
Lu Tingwu came to Zhichunli, and when the two sisters were talking, Lu Tingwu accidentally mentioned this matter.
"Your master has been embroiled in a lawsuit recently. I hope he hasn't given you any trouble."
Lu Tingwan almost didn't understand: "Lawsuit? What lawsuit?"
Just these two days, people from the Cheng family came to order flowers, but she hadn't heard about it.
"You don't know?" Lu Tingwu sighed. "It was Cheng Xianzhi's subordinate, Han Jinzhang, who was captured in public by the people of Jingzhao Prefecture."
"Han Jinzhang?" Lu Tingwan's voice rose noticeably, then calmed down again. "Why did the people from Jingzhao Prefecture want to capture Lord Han?"
"Something about secretly storing armor and shields with the intention of transporting them to the border, plotting evil and subverting the imperial power." Lu Tingwu leaned over to whisper in her ear.
"Hidden armor and shield?" Lu Tingwan sorted out his thoughts.
suburbs?
Lu Tingwan came back from thinking. The last time she was in danger outside the city, Cheng Xianzhi was being hunted by an assassin. Could it be because of this?
To secretly store armor and shields in the suburbs of the city, one needs a place to hide it from the public. When they sneaked into the Chamber of Commerce compound that night and saw people transporting boxes, the things inside were most likely weapons, and only the court's regulatory departments could have control over weapons.
The Ministry of War and even the Imperial Guards were under its jurisdiction. Who was the Chamber of Commerce secretly hoarding weapons for? Or was it secretly trading with someone? Selling weapons privately was a capital offense, no matter what.
But why did this become the fault of the Imperial Guards? Lu Tingwan's mind was working quickly.
The information we know is limited. Perhaps Han Jinzhang knows, but he is imprisoned in the Criminal Justice Department. How can we find out...
"That man was imprisoned in the Criminal Justice Department. Didn't Cheng Xianzhi try to find a way to testify on his behalf?" Lu Tingwan asked Lu Tingwu.
Lu Tingwu also heard some of this from Lu Mingqian, and then from Jiang Yanli, "Since Cheng Pushe is involved, it's naturally difficult for him to intervene. The emperor has already given full authority to Jingzhao Prefecture to investigate this matter."
"Since it involves the serious crime of treason, why not send it directly to Hanzhang Palace for trial by the three courts, but only go through Jingzhao Prefecture?" Lu Tingwan still couldn't figure it out.
"That was His Majesty's intention. After all, the Imperial Guards were involved. Cheng Pushe and the Empress Dowager already had different political views. His Majesty probably feared that the situation would become more complicated if things went on for a long time, so he simply decided to make the decision directly from Jingzhao Prefecture."
Jingzhao Prefecture's Liu Lin didn't participate in party politics. If Cheng Xianzhi truly had ill intentions, his decisiveness would be a good thing for the emperor. If he was framed, Jingzhao Prefecture's Liu Lin was fair and would definitely clear his name, leaving the court officials and the empress dowager speechless.
"I heard from Yan Li that the Jingzhao Prefecture interrogated Han Jinzhang in court today. Han Jinzhang was tortured by the Criminal Justice Department, but he said nothing..."
During the interrogation in court, Lu Tingwan only heard this. He exchanged a few more pleasantries with Lu Tingwu before asking Feng Xin to take care of the store business and went to Jingzhao Prefecture himself.
When she arrived at Jingzhao Prefecture, the interrogation in court had already ended. Cheng Xianzhi and the people from Jingzhao Prefecture were still discussing the case. He never showed up in court, but only sat at the back of the court to listen to the interrogation.
Lu Tingwan asked the guards of Jingzhao Prefecture to pass on a message. When Jingzhao Prefecture Governor Liu Lin heard that the man was there to provide evidence, he summoned him to the court for questioning.
"I, Jiang, a commoner, would like to pay my respects to the prefect." Lu Tingwan bowed.
"Jiang, do you have any clues about the case of the armor and shield hidden in the suburbs of Beijing?"
"In reply to your Excellency, it is true. Before midnight, a case was heard in Jingzhao Prefecture. The case directly accused Lord Han of secretly storing weapons in his house outside the capital."
"What's the problem?" Liu Lin sat in front of the court desk, Lu Tingwan was sitting upright, behind the screen, a young man with a clear and bright moon was sipping tea and listening to every word outside.
"Then may I ask, sir, are the weapons and armor and shields in Sun Gui's house in the West City Chamber of Commerce compound also the work of Lord Han?" Lu Tingwan looked directly at the official in his official uniform.
Liu Lin paused for a few breaths and then asked, "What do you mean by west of the city? Are there weapons in the west of the city?"
"That's right."
"How do you know?"
Lu Tingwan spoke calmly and truthfully, "That night, I was at Sun Gui's residence and saw with my own eyes someone transporting weapons into a secret room in Sun Gui's backyard late at night."
The person sipping tea behind the screen paused for a moment, his fingertips slightly paused, his originally relaxed brows pressed down into his deep eyes, and a fierce look darkened.
She did not mention Han Jinzhang, nor did she mention why she went to Sun Gui's mansion, and she insisted that the box she saw that night was a weapon.
She is so brave. Should I love her for being so bold or because she is too ignorant?
"Jiang, do you know that privately possessing armor and shields is a serious crime? If you give false testimony, you will be punished for the same crime. You said that weapons were privately stored in the Sun Gui Mansion of the Chamber of Commerce. Do you have any evidence?"
"Evidence?" Lu Tingwan said, "If you send someone to search, you'll know if I'm lying or giving false testimony."
Han Jinzhang had been framed, and the weapons at the suburban residence had been taken down. The weapons at Sun Gui's residence wouldn't be moved anytime soon, so if Jingzhao Prefecture sent someone to search, they'd surely catch them red-handed.
Lu Tingwan was not afraid of not finding anything.
Liu Lin hesitated a little, as he was afraid that it would take some time to get the search documents before nightfall.
"My Lord, you don't dare to search?" Lu Tingwan questioned, "Could it be that the prefect is also afraid of Sun Gui?"
"How dare you!" Liu Lin refused to allow his reputation to be questioned. His stern expression was filled with righteousness. "Sun Gui is just a merchant. Why should I be afraid? Even if someone holds a higher position than me, if they violate the law, I have nothing to fear. They should be in office and do their job. The laws of Dalan cannot be trampled upon."
"Since you have said so, I feel relieved."
"I run a flower shop in Fenglin Lane. I know some flower farmers outside the farms outside the capital. They make a living by growing flowers. Every year they send the flowers to merchants in the west of the city. But this year, the merchants maliciously lowered the prices, leaving the flower farmers with no way to make a living. This matter has even been reported to Jingzhao Prefecture."
"But what does this have to do with Han Jinzhang's private collection of weapons?"
"That's the problem," Lu Tingwan said. "The flower market merchants are in contact with the Chamber of Commerce. Why are they suppressing the prices of flower farmers? Isn't it just to profit from it? And those involved are all closely related to Sun Gui."
"Sun Gui is not only involved in the sale of houses, but also suppresses market prices. He also secretly stores weapons in his mansion. He is just the president of a chamber of commerce. Does he have such great power that he can cover up everything with one hand, sir?"
Lu Tingwan's words became increasingly bold. Behind the screen, Han Zhou folded his arms and spoke to Cheng Xianzhi, who sat upright, "Why did Jiang Yanli testify for Han Jinzhang? Didn't you say he was selfish?"
Cheng Xianzhi had mentioned Lu Tingwan in front of Han Zhou, also because of his errands.
"I also want to know why Jiang Yanli testified for me." Cheng Xianzhi continued to sip his tea meaningfully.
"Whether Lord Han is fair, honest and incorruptible, I dare not say anything. I will only tell you everything I know. I hope it will be helpful for you to handle the case. You will not only not wrongly accuse good people, but also eliminate the mastermind behind the muddy waters, and restore the flower market and the building industry to a quiet business market. As for other things, I am powerless and cannot touch them. They are not something I can influence." Lu Tingwan said righteously.
Liu Lin was in a dilemma, but it wasn't that he didn't dare to search. After a moment's silence, the bookkeeper came forward from behind the screen and whispered a few words into Liu Lin's ear.
Liu Lin left for half a cup of tea, and the search documents were in his hands.
That was prepared in advance by Cheng Xianzhi, who was just waiting for an opportunity to search the armor and shields in Sun Gui's backyard through the hands of Jingzhao Prefecture. It was impossible for Sun Gui to transport so many weapons and armor and shields on his own.
To be able to pass the city gate inspection and the military inspection, there must be someone who can cover him and send out secret sentries to successfully avoid the layers of inspection. This is not an easy task.
Cheng Xianzhi guessed some connections in his heart, but he still needed Jingzhao Prefecture to connect the remaining clues and evidence. Lu Tingwan's appearance happened to be able to complete this step for him.
With the search warrant, things will be easy.
Liu Lin sent people to Sun Gui's house and found the secret room in the backyard that Lu Tingwan had mentioned. Sure enough, there were ten large boxes in total, two of which were old armor, four were long swords, and four were bows and arrows.
They are all old and defective products left over from the previous dynasty. They will not be used on the battlefield, nor will they appear in the various tribes.
Trying to accuse the Imperial Guards and Cheng Xian of treason and conspiracy was too easy. Perhaps the person behind this didn't have this intention from the beginning, but had other intentions.
Sun Gui and the ten boxes of weapons were escorted back to Jingzhao Prefecture.
Sun Gui had explained everything he needed to, and the house outside the city was where they moved. The reason he insisted on targeting Han Jinzhang was that he was desperate and had to settle for the next best thing.
During the days when Han Jinzhang and his men were on the lookout, the Chamber of Commerce members noticed something and reported it. The information they received was that they were to lure the imperial guards into the courtyard, catch them in the act, and then sue the Jingzhao Prefecture.
Holding back Han Jinzhang would mean hindering Cheng Xianzhi.
"Sir, is the case solved?" Han Zhou said leisurely.
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