r18novel Page 524
Page 524
“Lord Wei, there are many people and eyes in the yamen. There may be spies from other forces. Even if you are innocent when you enter the yamen, after working as a night watchman for a long time, you will inevitably be bribed by people with ulterior motives.”
"Therefore, Master had already sent Li Yuchun to Yunzhou to capture Zhou Chixiong, and he has now been brought here overnight!"
Xu Qi'an saw it clearly: Wei Yuan, who had been looking worried, now had a smile on his face.
The next day, there was a court meeting.
After the formal audience, Emperor Yuanjing asked, "Is there any progress in the Sangbo case?"
In the imperial court, all the ministers looked at Wei Yuan with varying expressions: some were gloating, some were gritting their teeth, and some were glaring angrily.
This powerful eunuch in blue robes, who had suppressed all the civil and military officials, is now finally getting his just deserts.
The Minister of Rites stepped forward and said righteously, "Eunuch Wei is loyal to the country. I hope Your Majesty will investigate and give him justice!"
The court officials all spoke in a sarcastic and insinuating manner. This Minister of Rites was one of the core members of the Wang faction, and this was clearly a provocation.
"Your Majesty! The truth of the Sangbo case has been revealed!" Wei Yuan stepped forward and reported.
Emperor Yuanjing was greatly surprised and leaned forward slightly, asking, "Who is the mastermind behind this?"
Wei Yuan said, "Your Majesty, please summon Zhou Chixiong, the centurion of the Golden Guard, to the palace. He is the one who allowed gunpowder to enter the Yongzhen Shanhe Temple. His words are more convincing!"
At this moment, the Minister of Rites suddenly felt dizzy. Zhou Chixiong had run off to Yunzhou, so how could the night watchman possibly catch him?
Yunzhou was teeming with bandits and had effectively broken free from the control of the Great Feng Dynasty. Neither the government troops nor the night watchmen could possibly capture Zhou Chixiong.
Moreover, the Wang faction's spies among the night watchmen were also watching the night watchmen's movements outside the capital. The silver gong who went to Yunzhou to investigate the arms case had already been secretly killed. Apart from that, the night watchmen had not sent any people to Yunzhou.
A sliver of hope flickered in the Minister of Rites' heart, but he immediately sneered, "Wei Yuan! Zhou Chixiong has already fled. Are you trying to make a fool of His Majesty?"
Hearing the Minister of Rites' flustered yet feigned composure question, Wei Yuan replied with a half-smile, "Zhou Chixiong is just outside the capital. Your Majesty, please summon him!"
Chapter 318 The Biao Biao's Faint Sorrow, Who Will Comfort Her?
Wei Yuan's words stirred up a storm, and whispers began to circulate within the Golden Palace.
Now that the investigation into the Sangbo case has reached this point, the ins and outs are basically clear. Zhou Chixiong colluded with the demon race to smuggle gunpowder into the imperial city, and was the direct executor of this case.
As for the real mastermind, the high-ranking officials in the court, with their intelligence and knowledge, had basically guessed most of it. What they couldn't figure out was the deal between the mastermind and the demon race.
That treacherous Wei Yuan! Another person in the court is doomed!
These civil officials never reflect on their own actions; anyone who touches their interests is labeled a treacherous official, and they will certainly write about him in detail when history is written in the future.
The Minister of Rites froze on the spot, his white beard trembling violently, and his legs went weak. This old bureaucrat, who was always composed, finally lost control of his expression and completely lost his composure.
"Summon them!" Emperor Yuanjing said in a deep voice.
Not long after, Zhou Chixiong was brought to the Golden Palace. Xu Qi'an, Zhang Shen, and Song Qing went up to the palace together. In order to prevent Zhou Chixiong from betraying him in the palace, Wei Yuan had also made a backup plan.
"Your Majesty! This is Zhou Chixiong, a wanted criminal by the imperial court!" Xu Qi'an lifted Zhou Chixiong's face and then pressed several acupoints to wake him up.
Zhou Chixiong groaned in pain a few times, then panicked. Before him stood the Emperor of Dafeng and a multitude of officials; the scene was truly terrifying.
"This sinful subject deserves to die a thousand deaths! He deserves to die a thousand deaths!" Zhou Chixiong cried out, his body trembling as he prostrated himself.
He flew all the way to the capital, but spent most of the time unconscious on the back of the golden eagle, barely eating anything along the way.
Emperor Yuanjing looked down from his high position, his voice authoritative, as if suppressing his anger, "Zhou Chixiong, who instructed you to collude with the demon race to smuggle gunpowder!"
Zhou Chixiong lay prostrate on the ground, repeatedly saying, "This humble subject deserves to die..."
Emperor Yuanjing ignored him and said directly to Zhang Shen, "Thank you for your trouble, Mr. Zhang."
Zhang Shen snorted coldly and shouted at Zhou Chixiong, "A gentleman should be honest, and so should a commoner!"
The moment the words were spoken, the atmosphere in the hall changed drastically. Everyone's mind was filled with only the word "honesty." The Minister of Rites even staggered and would have collapsed to the ground if not for the support of those around him.
"Who ordered you to collude with the demon race to smuggle gunpowder!"
Zhang Shen's voice echoed in the hall, and Zhou Chixiong cried out, "It is the Minister of Rites, Li Yulang."
In an instant, the Golden Palace was filled with commotion. Half a year ago, the Minister of War fell from power, just two days ago the Minister of Works fell from power, and now the Minister of Rites has also suffered such a major setback. It was inevitable that people would be filled with anxiety.
The six ministries were in a state of panic, and it was truly unbelievable that three ministers had run into trouble within a year.
At this moment, Xu Qi'an was filled with mixed feelings. The Qi faction was allied with the Witch God Cult, the Wang faction was colluding with the demon race, and half of the six ministers were imprisoned. What kind of dynasty was this? It was simply a mess.
At this moment, several members of the Wang faction stepped forward to defend him, saying, "Your Majesty, this matter is truly absurd. It concerns a second-rank minister, and we cannot allow Zhou Chixiong to slander us!"
Song Qing interrupted the high-ranking officials with a cold tone, "Everything Zhou Baihu said is true; he did not lie."
The sorcerer's ability to observe qi cannot be used on ministers of the fourth rank or above, but it has no problem dealing with Zhou Chixiong.
The Minister of Rites turned ashen-faced and closed his eyes in anguish, for he knew that if Emperor Yuanjing dared to allow Zhou Chixiong to enter the palace, he had no intention of letting him off the hook.
As expected, Emperor Yuanjing said without any mercy, "Li Yulang, you actually colluded with the demon race and destroyed important national treasures. This is simply outrageous and the evidence is irrefutable. What else do you have to say!"
Minister Li knelt limply on the ground, trembling as he said, "Your Majesty, I am filled with fear and deserve to die..."
Wei Yuan immediately said, "Your Majesty, please rest assured, the Night Watchmen's Office will conduct a thorough interrogation, investigate to the end, and find out the accomplices!"
Emperor Yuanjing remained silent, glancing at the court officials, and the discussions in the hall instantly quieted down.
Just then, a passionate shout suddenly rang out in the court: "Your Majesty, this case cannot be handed over to the night watchman for trial!"
Wei Yuan frowned, turned around, and saw a censor from the Ministry of Justice kneeling on the carpet in the main hall, his expression excited, and speaking passionately.
"Your Majesty, the Night Watchmen's Office is rife with corruption, bribery, and lawlessness. Such a major case concerning the fate of the nation must not be handed over to them for trial!"
The Minister of Justice was a member of the Wang faction, but this Censor was a member of the Qi faction.
Wei Yuan remained calm, but a sense of unease was rising in his heart. Had the Wang faction and the Qi faction joined forces, or had the Sangbo case been solved and the emperor was going to settle scores with him?
The censor, kneeling on the ground with his buttocks sticking out, was still crying out about the crimes of the night watchman: "The night watchman abused his power for personal gain, committing heinous crimes. He has repeatedly overstepped his authority and acted arbitrarily, transgressing imperial edicts. He deserves to be executed! I beg you to execute the eunuch Wei Yuan and eradicate this evil practice!"
"I will reconsider!"
"I will reconsider!"
……
Seven or eight members of the Wang and Qi factions stepped forward and knelt down in the court.
Xu Qi'an finally witnessed the convincing acting skills of high-ranking officials. These people were all sanctimonious and upright, just like wise and experienced sages who were plotting to seize power, as if Wei Yuan was about to rebel and take over the country.
However, these people were merely using a diversionary tactic, attempting to transfer Zhou Chixiong to the Ministry of Justice for trial, so that the depth of the investigation would be up to the Wang faction.
Of course, that wasn't their only goal; they wanted to exploit the emperor's desire to maintain balance in the court and completely bring down and cripple the night watchman.
Firstly, the night watchman needs to investigate the Qi Party's arms case, and the Qi Party must now take action.
Secondly, with the downfall of several ministers, the "eunuch faction" had become dominant, which the emperor could not tolerate.
The emperor took the memorial from the eunuch and carefully read it through, then let out a long sigh.
"Wei Yuan, you have truly disappointed me."
A single, emotionless sentence reassured the officials prostrate on the ground; it meant the emperor intended to punish Wei Yuan.
Emperor Yuanjing has never said such a thing over the years.
Then, Emperor Yuanjing angrily threw the memorial in front of Wei Yuan, saying, "Take a look for yourself!"
Wei Yuan picked up the memorial, glanced at it, his pupils suddenly contracted, and then he knelt down to beg for forgiveness.
He knew that Qi's faction was going to cause him trouble, but he did not expect that it would be Zhu Jinluo who defected and provided a lot of evidence. The memorial mentioned several of his close associates, and there was concrete evidence against them.
"Your Majesty, I deserve to die a thousand deaths. I have failed the Emperor's grace and only ask for death."
Without offering any rebuttal, he directly confessed his guilt, leaving the courtiers, who had rolled up their sleeves in preparation for a debate, somewhat bewildered.
Xu Qi'an was equally bewildered. Wasn't today supposed to be the day the Sangbo case was to be concluded? Why did the topic suddenly change?
Emperor Yuanjing slowly stood up. "Very well. If you try to deny it today, I will throw you into the imperial prison!"
Then, with a pained expression, he looked at the court officials and said, "You have truly disappointed me!"
"Of the six ministers in the court, three dared to defy the law and endanger the nation! My right-hand men have also betrayed my trust, turning the night watchman's office into a den of iniquity!"
Xu Qi'an looked at Emperor Yuanjing in shock. His intuition told him that this emperor's acting skills were superb!
Although he had only recently transmigrated, he could clearly see that the chaos in the court was a direct result of Emperor Yuanjing's indulgence and even leniency.
This emperor was obsessed with maintaining a balance, letting the various factions fight amongst themselves while he simply sat back and watched. Now, with a single sentence, he has shifted all the blame onto his ministers.
Emperor Yuanjing continued, "The Sangbo case will be handled by the Ministry of Justice. Xu Qi'an will atone for his crimes by performing meritorious service, so the execution by waist-cutting will be waived."
"The major case of misconduct by the night watchman's office shall be jointly tried by the Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Censorate. I want to see the results within three days!"
The meeting is over.
The courtiers slowly rose from the ground, their expressions of grief, hatred, and righteous indignation completely vanished.
These people maintained the shrewdness and calculating nature of years of official service on their faces, their eyes gleaming with a sharp light, as if they had just finished a grand performance.
Xu Qi'an followed Wei Yuan out of the Golden Palace, when he heard the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review chasing after them from behind.
The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review in the Great Feng Dynasty was a fourth-rank official, not a high-ranking position, but he held great judicial power.
In any dynasty, the weight of a Beijing official was determined by the real power they held, not by their official rank.
The old man, with his gray hair and sharp features, wore a smile full of worldly wisdom. "Lord Wei, I would like to inquire about the circumstances of the wanted criminal involved in the case."
Wei Yuan stopped in his tracks. "Someone will send it to the Dali Temple later."