Chapter 1088
The Three Judicial Offices Hold a Joint Trial
Chapter 1088 Joint Trial by the Three Judicial Offices
the next morning,
Before the morning mist had even dissipated, the deep, resonant sound of the drumbeats echoed from the Drum Tower in the capital, startling the crows roosting under the eaves.
On the bluestone road,
Early on, constables carrying gongs were running around shouting, "Joint trial by the three courts, all bystanders please step aside!" The shouts broke through the morning mist.
Many early risers craned their necks to watch, while others, always eager for gossip, sat together and began chatting idly.
"Third brother, you're the head of this business. Today, the three judicial departments are conducting a joint trial, and it's in the Ministry of Justice. Tell me, what major case is being tried?"
The burly man at the stall craned his neck to look curiously. The constables had already walked away. The old man who was being questioned smiled, pinched a bun and put it in his mouth, and replied indistinctly.
"You guys are just here for the spectacle. A joint trial by the three judicial authorities—which one isn't a major case? In the capital, apart from Marquis Luoyun and a few princes who came to the capital and caused some trouble, we haven't heard of anyone else committing a crime."
"What do you mean? Are you saying that this time it's the trial of Marquis Luoyun and several princes?"
The people nearby didn't understand. Someone exclaimed in surprise, only to see the old man frown and slam his hand on the table.
"Bullshit. If you don't understand, don't speak. At the level of Marquis Luoyun, who would dare to interrogate him? What I just said means that if nothing is wrong in the capital, it must be an official from another region who has committed a crime. It's either one of those corrupt officials from the south of the capital or the one from Jiangnan. Just watch."
The old man huffed and scolded them, but the group didn't care. However, what the old man said made sense. The one who had just asked the question was all smiles and shouted at the shopkeeper.
"Shopkeeper, bring another steamer of buns. Put the bill for the old lady's on my tab."
"Alright, sir, it's coming."
After a shout, the steamed buns were served. Many people, with envious expressions, continued to gather around, guessing whose case was being tried.
Inside the main hall of the Ministry of Justice
Many servants came out to sweep the courtyard and moved out some unused items from the main hall. They rearranged the main hall, placing only three tables in the central position, arranged in a triangular pattern. The empty space on both sides of the hall was filled with a large number of chairs, with only a few tables placed in front of the chairs at the very front.
Seeing that the hall was set up, Song Zhen, the Minister of Justice, wearing a black gauze hat, a python robe and a jade belt, walked over, nodded, and asked;
"Chang Zuo, have everything else been arranged?"
"Your Excellency, everything is arranged. To facilitate the trial, the Imperial City Guard has rented a house opposite the yamen and arranged for all the defendants to be housed there. They can be summoned at any time. Our own people are also there to guard them, so there will be no mishaps!"
The Vice Minister clasped his hands in greeting, announcing that a joint trial by the three judicial departments was scheduled for today, and that there were also rumors that people from the palace would be coming. He wondered who they were.
"My lord, there is one more thing. I heard that people from the palace are also coming. I don't know how to arrange it."
After all, these positions are fixed; if we want to add more people, how should we do it?
Song Zhen's expression hardened, and he suddenly remembered the letter that had been sent from the palace last night.
"At the head seat, add three more tables, and move the whole arrangement to the back. The eldest son is the supervisor and has already joined the cabinet, so he will sit in the rear seat. There will also be Eunuch Chen Hui from the Directorate of Ceremonial, and Eunuch Ma. You will also be seated there. With this arrangement, we will need to add a few more seats."
Thinking of this, Song Zhen couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed. With each addition, he was at a loss. He spoke up again.
"Place my seat at the very bottom. This time, I will personally conduct the interrogation."
He squinted, holding his breath and concentrating. Since he was going to offend them anyway, he might as well try the case thoroughly.
"Yes, sir. Then arrange four seats at the very back: two in the middle and one at the very bottom."
Since the elder isn't sitting in the back, we'll do the opposite.
"Alright, that's settled. Open the main gate wide and get ready."
Song Zhen sighed, still feeling somewhat uneasy. Everyone said that the case was difficult to handle, but His Majesty was unwilling to be shrewd. What about the involvement of Chang Le Palace in this case?
Subsequently,
The vermilion gates of the Ministry of Justice slowly opened, revealing thirty-six armored guards standing with halberds at their sides, the scarlet tassels on their spears trembling slightly in the morning breeze.
Only an hour or two had passed.
Officials arrived one after another.
Marquis Luoyun's residence,
Zhang Jinyu also got up early, washed up and changed clothes, and hurriedly ate breakfast in a side room of the east courtyard. Before Baozhu brought people into the room, she asked Ning Bian outside the door.
"Is there any movement from the Ministry of Justice?"
Once the joint trial by the three judicial authorities is scheduled, the trial will proceed regardless of whether the jurors are present or not. Therefore, it is better to proceed sooner rather than later.
"Reporting to the Marquis, the Ministry of Justice has already opened its main gate. It's getting late, and officials have already entered the hall."
Upon hearing that someone had already gone, Zhang Jinyu could no longer remain seated. She took a sip of tea, got up, and left the room.
"It won't take long to get there, but I wonder if all the princes have gone?"
Zhang Jinyu was somewhat worried and even contacted the Marquis of Xiangyang. If the princes didn't attend, wouldn't this whole scene become much less interesting?
"Rest assured, my lord, our scouts have reported that several princes and those from the Court of State Ceremonial have already set off, and the eldest son's carriage is already prepared in front of the mansion, ready to arrive at any time!"
Now that the eldest son has entered the cabinet, regardless of his age, he will be a cabinet minister. His arrival will inevitably bring pressure, and the Grand Secretary might offer some guidance behind the scenes, which will make this case more interesting.
"Okay, get in the car, don't wait."
After speaking, Zhang Jinyu boarded the carriage, followed by a line of personal guards on horseback.
On the northeast shore of Qinghu Lake,
The front courtyard of Grand Secretary Li Chonghou's residence was quite noisy these days, with many servants wiping down the carriages parked outside.
In the backyard
Li Chaosheng sat beside his father, carefully eating his breakfast. As the saying goes, one should not speak while eating or sleeping. After the two finished their breakfast, they rinsed their mouths with tea, and then the Grand Secretary cleaned his mouth with a brocade cloth.
"Today, you're also going to supervise the trial. Do you have any thoughts on this?"
"In response to Father, I believe that the so-called supervision and trial should be fair, just, and based on listening to all sides. This time, the Ministry of Justice should be at the forefront, and many officials from the six ministries, as well as military officers, will be here. Therefore, we must be extra careful."
Li Chaosheng looked somewhat puzzled. He was still very excited when he heard the news of his entry into the cabinet yesterday. He thought that an imperial edict would be issued in the future, but he did not expect that the imperial edict would be sent in overnight. The urgency made him feel a little uneasy despite his joy.
"You're just too calculating and can't see the bigger picture. Yesterday, the imperial edict from the palace arrived so urgently, wasn't it all for today's case? When judging things, don't just look at the surface; look at the overall picture. You're there, a cabinet minister."
"That old codger Song Zhen wasn't on the last list of cabinet members because he'd lost the Emperor's favor. He's certainly jealous, so if the case goes too far in the end, you need to correct it promptly, cough cough."
Chief Minister Li coughed twice, and with the help of the old steward, went to the inner hall and lay down on the couch. Although his health was still robust, it was not as good as before. His future was already planned; it was now up to Chao Sheng to decide how to proceed.
"Father, are you saying that there are still twists and turns in this case? Wasn't the trial in Jinling already over?" The eldest son looked thoughtful. It was the first time he had ever worn a bright red official robe, and with his handsome appearance and official hat, he looked more like a groom.
"You're just not paying attention. You only know one thing but not the other. The case is over, but the money from the confiscated property can only be taken once. The Emperor needs it every year. In the south of Jiangnan, there are tax fields, textile bureaus, and salt taxes. The court needs money, so if possible, control just one of them."
Grand Secretary Li slowly lay down on the bed, gently closing his eyes, but his words were solemn. The court, and even the Emperor, wanted not only stability, but also money. Marquis Luoyun's current high position was partly due to the Emperor's favor; most of the silver plundered from the south was sent to the palace. How could he not know about the Four Seas Bank? After all, who didn't have shares in it?
This explanation, however, also presented Li Chaosheng with a dilemma. Leaving aside the salt tax in Jiangnan, with Wang Mengshan's provincial governor and inspector already imprisoned, and the textile bureau being the Imperial Household Department's purse strings, only the tax revenue from the Nanjing prefectural government remained, but compared to these two sources, it seemed insignificant.
“Father, there are four taxes in Jiangnan: land tax, merchant tax from the Jiangnan Chamber of Commerce, salt tax, and the harvest from the textile bureau. The first two are under the jurisdiction of the provincial governor, and with Prince Zhongshun's involvement in the salt tax, and Wang Mengshan having just taken office, he can't be squeezed out. So, only the textile bureau remains, but it's such a mess.”
How could we take over? Those deficits are probably too much to cover. My senior brothers are getting old and lack the ability to handle such turbulent situations. Therefore, although Father has many disciples, the positions of Provincial Governor and Imperial Textile Commissioner are in a difficult position.
"Then you need to think about it carefully. Your three senior brothers in the capital are in positions to build momentum for you, so they can't be moved without your permission. Therefore, for the position of Provincial Treasurer, you should consult your eldest brother and go to the Hanlin Academy to see Wang Yishu, and ask him to take over as Provincial Treasurer of Jiangnan. Also, as for Jia Yucun, if he's capable, you can take him under your wing. As for the Textile Bureau, Shen Wanhe is already involved. He seems loyal, but unfortunately, he's too self-serving and can't be trusted. So,"
The Grand Secretary had turned to the side, slowly opening his eyes, as if he had a question.
Just then, a sudden inspiration struck the eldest son. Wasn't that person still imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice's jail?
"Father means to search for someone again. I do know that Qin Sheng, the former chief clerk, is still imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice prison. Could he be of use?"
“Hey, if he were capable, why would he still be locked up in prison? The Textile Bureau should be taken over by Shen Wanhe, and the supervisor should be someone from the Imperial Household Department. You just need to have your senior brother coordinate the raw silk matter. The Jiangnan Supervisor can’t just sit around doing nothing in Jinling, can he?”
Looking at his son's approach to personnel management, he realized he was still too inexperienced. Qin Sheng was already a discarded pawn; how could he still be used? This time, it was the eldest son's turn to be puzzled. Wouldn't this just mean losing the textile bureau?
“Father, you just said that Shen Wanhe is too self-serving and involved in today’s case. What if…”
"There's no chance of anything going wrong. It's precisely because the Weaving Bureau is so important that we can't wipe them all out in one fell swoop. Let him manage it; it'll be a way for him to make amends. You just need to assist your senior brother in arranging the tax revenue. Remember, you can't eat all the food on the plate by yourself. Go now."
After leaving a message, Prime Minister Li sighed, turned around, and left Li Chaosheng with an old, weary back view, filled with a sense of helplessness.
"Yes, Father, I understand."
He bowed respectfully, then slowly withdrew, heading straight for the gate of the mansion.
a long time,
Another sigh came from the inner room, and the old steward tried to comfort him from the side;
"Master, the eldest son was merely a little overthinking; he has already done very well."
“You old fool, you’re still speaking up for him. There’s a world of difference between doing something well and doing it right. If he can understand it, it’s a blessing for him and the Li family. If he can’t, he should leave this man-eating place as soon as possible.”
A series of sighs echoed in the inner hall.
Meanwhile, at the entrance of the Ministry of Justice,
Many jurors who wanted to watch the spectacle had already entered. Even the Prince of Beijing and the Prince of Dongping had arrived early. In addition, three princes and several other princes entered the main hall at the same time.
Only Zhang Jinyu went around an extra block, bought some snacks, and followed Ning Bian up the steps.
As soon as I entered the courtyard,
They found many civil and military officials in scarlet robes and purple sashes, conversing there. The rank badges on their court robes gleamed faintly in the morning light. Among the crowd, several princes who had just entered stood out, their black python robes particularly dazzling. Only after the princes had entered did the other officials begin to move.
Just then, two more sedan chairs arrived from outside and were carried into the front yard. They stopped, and Zhang Jinyu stood still for a moment before two eunuchs in bright red robes came into view.
He was clearly from the palace, but he looked unfamiliar. As soon as he stepped out of the sedan chair, the two eunuchs looked around and bowed to see Marquis Luo Yun. Only then did they step into the inner hall, the jade pendant hanging at his waist swaying along with the wisps of smoke from the bronze incense burner.
Who are these two?
"Reporting to Your Excellency, these two are the two chief eunuchs of the Directorate of Ceremonial. The one in front is the Grand Eunuch Chen Hui, and the one behind him is Ma Fei, the Supervisor of the Directorate of Ceremonial."
Ningbian quickly whispered in the Marquis's ear that although these two men were not well-known, they held considerable influence in the Directorate of Ceremonial, especially their leader, Chen Hui, who held a very high position.
This explanation made Zhang Jinyu's gaze sharpen. Chen Hui, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, meant that he was a high-ranking official in the Directorate of Ceremonial, and his position was not low. Was his purpose in coming today to be watched by Dai Quan, or was he thinking of something else?
"Yes, let's go in and take a look. Let the brothers come in and rest in the front yard."
Zhang Jinyu waved his hand, and his personal guards rushed in, stopping in the front courtyard corridor. Many constables tried to stop them, but upon seeing that they were Marquis Luo Yun's personal guards, they dared not move.
that's it,
After everyone was settled, they stepped into the inner hall.
Inside the main hall of the Ministry of Justice,
Upon entering the hall, one sees thirty-six ram's horn lamps lit on both sides of the entrance, illuminating the plaque that reads "A Bright Mirror Hangs High." Civil and military officials sit on both sides, while in the center of the hall, there are seven or eight seats, occupied by officials from the Three Departments, the eldest son, and several eunuchs.
On either side of the main seat, in a more distant area,
The clerks were placing mountains of documents on the sandalwood desk; the still-wet ink on the testimonies gleamed an eerie dark red in the candlelight.
The remaining seats in the front row were occupied by the five princes, who were already comfortably seated at the head of the eastern table. On the west side, Prince Bei Jing, Shui Rong, and his entourage sat alongside the three princes, facing the other princes across the table. Seeing that the seats in front were empty, Zhang Jinyu smiled, her eyes falling on a chair near the door. She then sat down there herself.
As soon as I settled in,
Then the drum rang seven times, and the booming sound of the bronze bell came from deep within the palace, making the bronze bells under the corridors ring loudly—the joint trial of the three judicial departments was about to begin.
Song Zhen, dressed in official robes, looked solemn. Then, he took out an imperial edict and placed it on the table.
"Today, I, Song Zhen, have been summoned to Shangyu to preside over the trials of the breaching of dikes and flooding of farmland in Jiangnan, and the trials of the two banks of the jade mines in Jiangbei. In the case of breaching dikes and flooding of farmland, the evidence is already conclusive. It was Ma Guangcheng, the Vice Prefect of Jinling, who was the mastermind. As for the jade mines in the five counties of Jiangbei, it was Hu Wenxuan, the Assistant Magistrate of Jinling, who was the mastermind. Now, the three judicial departments will hold a joint trial. Bring the two men to the court."
The officials who came to the trial were not given a chance to adjust or speak. Even Eunuch Chen Hui, who wanted to say a few words, swallowed them down. Not to mention the princes who were still looking for Marquis Luo Yun and launching an attack together.
"mighty."
A row of armored yamen runners had already entered the hall, standing on both sides, each holding a stern rod, looking imposing.
With announcements coming from outside the palace, Ma Guangcheng and Hu Wenxuan, already in a sorry state and with ashen faces, were dragged into the center of the main hall by the Imperial City Guards.
The moment the two appeared, they attracted the attention of all the officials in the hall, especially Zhang Jinyu, who almost forgot what the two looked like. Ma Guangcheng was covered in filth, his yellowish-brown robe was torn to shreds, the jade pendant at his waist was already chipped, and the remaining threads were loose. Only his gray hair was covered with mud, and he was no longer recognizable as a human.
Not to mention Hu Wenxuan, whose once slightly plump body now appeared even more disheveled and thin. His scarlet peacock-patterned robe was torn at the shoulder, revealing a dark cloth underneath. His neck was covered in bloody marks from the shackles, and his cloud-patterned boots were half-broken, leaving him practically barefoot, covered in bloody scabs.
The two entered the hall and knelt down at the same time. Song Zhen slammed the wooden sledgehammer down hard with a loud "bang" and shouted.
"You two are utterly heartless and cruel. You destroyed the dikes and flooded the fields in Jiangnan, causing people to be displaced and suffering heavy casualties. Do you know how grave your sins are?"
It hardly counted as an interrogation. After all, the cases they had already investigated were irrefutable. The two men were kneeling on the ground, their homes had been ransacked, and their wives and daughters had been sold off. They had no way out, so they simply laughed heartily, resigned to their fate.
"Hahaha, hahaha! Oh dear, my Lord Song, Minister Song, what are you doing?"
Ma Guangcheng laughed heartily for a while, which puzzled the officials in the hall. He was about to die, yet he was still so arrogant!
(End of this chapter)