Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 592: The government office holds a hearing

The backyard of Shuntian Mansion,
In the flower hall,

The sound of the resentful northern minor tune fell, and behind the curtain,
The so-called woman who was in trouble, Mei Shu, had already put down her guqin and went to the inner hall to sit on the kang. She took out an envelope from her arms and opened it.

Looking at the contents of the secret message in his hand, a smile appeared on his lips,
"Uncle Zhong, there is news from the eldest princess. I'm afraid it will be too late to offer incense the day after tomorrow. Let me wait for preparations tomorrow. I want to sneak into Yanchun Tower and wait for His Highness's order."

"So urgent, what do you mean by His Highness?"

The person who spoke was the old man Mei Zhong who was following this woman. His capable look did not look like that of an old man in distress.

"Your Highness means that tomorrow we will arrange for the Queen Mother and others to go to Jing'an Temple in Beishan to offer incense."

Mei Shu smiled and picked up the secret letter, then placed it on the flame of the oil lamp. After a while, the secret letter burned, then fell to the ground and burned to ashes. The old man beside her was already used to it. He fumbled for the crutch in his hand and replied. road,

"Who can change what the Queen Mother has decided? Does Your Highness want to use the harem spies? Why can't you wait one more night?"

Mei Zhong couldn't see clearly what was going on inside. What made His Highness so anxious? What did he want to do?

The six presiding judges met each other and exchanged greetings. They had already sat on the high platform in the main hall. The two people in the middle were of course Luo Yunhou and Chang Zuo, the Minister of Justice.

A sharp drake's voice came from the back hall, and in a moment, a broad and fat figure walked over. Fo Chen was holding in his arms, swaying from side to side. It seemed that the person was not Wang Xiu, Eunuch Wang. , or who else.

Zhang Jinyu laughed out loud, his gangster style was full of gangsterism, which made everyone in the hall look at him. Chang Zuo smiled back.

"I vaguely know why. General Yue, who wanted to come to the south of Beijing, has arrived with his troops.

Almost everyone who could be reached arrived, and the two sides of the main hall were also filled with idle officials from the capital, especially the officials from the six departments.

"Yes, miss, let's clean up and leave now. It's just because of Mr. Xu's kindness."

But there is no need to speculate about the master's thoughts and what's going on inside. We have already got the list of people imprisoned in Shuntian Mansion ten years ago. Now we have the opportunity to leave, taking advantage of the busy time in the front office. "

"It can only be said that he is not a kind person. He will wait for a good family in the future."

Mr. Chang, the Minister of Justice, who had always been quiet, was now sitting there with a smile on his face, clasping his fists and saying.

"Haha, Mr. Chang, you are too polite. It is a kind of fate to be tried together in the same court. I have always had the same temper. I will never let him suffer when he treats his friends. He will share the blessings and the hardships!"

When the rest of the people saw that the prince and his father-in-law were coming, only the Marquis of Xiangyang and Kang Mengyu stood up and saluted, while the civil servants looked at each other coldly.

There are six main seats in the main hall.

Zhang Jinyu took a look inside the hall. In addition to the scribes and other people who were recording, there were actually many officials from the capital on both sides of the hall. Outside, the people who had received the news came one after another to watch from the outside. More and more people gathered together. , that high-spirited look left Zhang Jinyu speechless. There was never a shortage of people watching the fun.

Zhang Jinyu sat on the high platform, cupped her hands and said meaningfully;

I don’t know where Mei Zhong got a wooden box from. When he opened it, it turned out to be a human skin mask that was rare in the world. After a while of changing his appearance, only two people who looked like a middle-aged man and a young man took care of the package. , took the silver, walked out of the inner room, closed the door, and headed straight from the backyard path to the corner door of the backyard. She didn’t meet anyone along the way, which showed that the whole yard had been memorized by heart. After leaving the corner door, Mei Shu turned around He glanced at the yard and left silently
The front courtyard of the government office,

"Back to the Marquis, everyone is here. The Za family hurriedly hurried, but they were still a step too late. Jia Zhen is waiting in the back hall."

"As expected, the Marquis is quick-spoken and has a bold personality. His subordinates are not arrogant people. He will be tried in public. If there is something wrong, then there is something wrong. If there is something wrong, then there is nothing. Whether he is guilty or not will be known at the first trial."

The two of them were silent, with questioning looks in each other's eyes.

This made Meng Li and Feng Yongwen look at him side by side. Mr. Chang showed his kindness first when he came up. Could it be that he was showing weakness to others.

Master Chang gave a concise summary. Although he had a good impression of Marquis Luo Yun in his heart, he was very vigilant. The threat he just said was beyond words. He just didn't know whether the Marquis really wanted to interrogate Jia Zhen or was trying to hide it. I thought The interrogation will take place tomorrow. Unexpectedly, in less than a day, the Marquis requested a trial.
"Okay, just as Mr. Chang said, you can do the trial as you want. Are you here?"

"Master Marquis, this is our first time dealing with you, please be considerate of me,"

"It's not too late. You've come just in time. Come and take a seat."

Zhang Jinyu replied with a compliment, not to mention that the eunuchs were much more reliable than the officials in the court. It would be great if the civil servants, let alone the interrogators, could arrange things in an afternoon. He glanced at the lobby Yan Guan, who was standing below, stood motionless with a determined look on his face, not knowing he was tired.

Eunuch Wang walked to the high platform in the inner hall and glanced at the three people opposite him. He saw that the three people had cold faces and were unmoved. They didn't even return a gift or show any kindness to Eunuch Wang from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. , with a twitch of the corner of his mouth and a wave of his hand, he asked his godson Xiao Mingzi to move a chair to the side of the high platform, lift up his pants, and sit on it.
"Master Hou, the Zajia is just a thug. People from the third division are needed to try the case. Wherever the Zajia is used, the Zajia can just watch from the sidelines."

Although he said that, his eyes would glance at the civil servants of the Third Division from time to time, who were being looked at by Zhang Jinyu on the high platform. Although he did not look back at the faces of Chang Zuo and the others, if his guess was correct, the three of them would definitely It's a cold face. After all, civil servants and eunuchs can never pee in the same pot. It's useless to talk more. We need to give Jia Zhen a show of strength first.

Glancing at the desk, there was a sign box on it. There were red and green writs and gavel wood in it, as well as pens, ink, paper and inkstones. The pen holder was all ready.

Zhang Jinyu had never seen these things before. The pen, ink, paper and inkstone were good for writing and drawing. The gavel was also used for knocking on the table. The red and green signs in the sign tube did not know what they meant.

As the saying goes, Zhang Jinyu immediately reached out and picked up the gavel, and slammed it on the desk with a loud bang.

Everyone in the hall was frightened.
"The auspicious time has come. I, under the order of His Majesty, will be participating in the case of Yan Cong, the presiding judge, suing Jia Zhen of Ningguo Mansion. I dare not disobey the sacred mandate. Therefore, today, I have called you all together for a hearing. Sir, may I Objection.”

While Zhang Jinyu was speaking, he specifically bowed in the direction of the palace to show respect. When the others saw it, both the officials in the hall and the people watching outside, they all hurriedly stood up and bowed in the direction of the palace, saying " Saying "Sheng Gong'an", he sat down again.

Seeing everyone sitting down, Zhang Jinyu was not polite and shouted to the people in the hall,

"Where is Yan Cong? Who are you going to sue?"

Yan Cong, who had been waiting in the hall for a long time, as if receiving a signal, walked directly to the platform not far away, bowed his hands and said seriously,
"Go back to the Marquis, and all your lords, please be strict with your subordinates and sue Jia Zhen and his son of the Ningguo Mansion for raising alchemists, deceiving the people of the capital, and deceiving the public with their evil words, causing strange phenomena in the world. It is really a crime of great disrespect."

After speaking, his eyes turned red and he cried,
"My lords, everyone in the capital knows about this matter, and many people gathered around to watch that day. They saw it with their own eyes. There are precedents in the previous dynasties. God has given a warning. How can you deceive the people of the world at will? As a public official, I must You should read his book and get to the bottom of it."

As soon as the words fell,
The people outside the government office heard it clearly, and they were all talking about it. They all said that this matter was true, and many people had seen it with their own eyes. The Marquis of Xiangyang looked at everything in front of him, his brows furrowed, and he looked at the Marquis's face out of the corner of his eye. He couldn't tell why, and glanced at Kang Mengyu again. Unexpectedly, Kang Mengyu looked at his nose and heart, sitting there motionless, as if he hadn't come. generally,
"You have said so much, but do you have evidence or witnesses?"

Zhang Jinyu didn't care what others thought, and just went with the way he remembered it, giving him a rough idea first, and then letting them talk about it.
Yan Cong nodded and replied,
"Back to the Marquis, there are witnesses. That demon was casting a spell outside the gate of Ningguo Mansion that day. There were many people watching, even the servants of Ningguo Mansion saw it."

"I brought it."

"this."

Yan Cong looked at the grand duke Wang Xiu who was sitting in the audience with some embarrassment. After all, it was the Imperial City Department that was assisting him. It was the Imperial City Department's job to try cases and arrest people. People from Shuntian Mansion could only stand outside. Even the Lian Mansion Yin and Zhizhong were also watching outside.

Wang Gonggong sat there with his eyes squinted as if he was asleep. He wanted to ask again, but Wang Xiu casually said,
"Come here, bring strict witnesses."

"Yes, godfather."

Xiao Mingzi next to him responded, and with a wave of his hand, someone from the Imperial City Division led two people into the main hall.

I saw the two of them bending over and entering the government office with pale faces. As soon as they arrived in the hall, they immediately knelt on the ground. The coarse cotton-padded jackets on their bodies were a bit shabby. Cold sweat covered their foreheads. They were obviously very frightened.
Seeing that the visitor was so frightened, Zhang Jinyu wondered how he could speak freely. He patted the table with his hand and said to the two people below,

"Come here, give them two a settlement allowance of twelve taels each. I understand what I said. As long as you two answer truthfully, I will keep you safe."

Ning Bian, who was waiting below, had already taken out two silver ingots and threw them directly in front of the two of them. Then the two of them looked around carefully. The bold one on the right reached out and took the silver on the ground, put it to his mouth and bit it hard. After taking a sip, I saw teeth marks on the silver. It was real. I quickly put it in my arms and put it away.
"Go back to the elder, I will answer truthfully."

When the other man saw it, he hurriedly picked up the silver and put it in his arms. He still put his hands on his chest and hugged it tightly, for fear that others would snatch it away. His despicable look made everyone shake their heads.

Zhang Jinyu didn't care about the two people's behavior, but felt that it was true. The other five people were even more confused.

"Master Hou, what are you trying to do?"

Meng Li couldn't help but ask. After all, from the beginning to the end, no one on the civil service side said a word. It seemed that Marquis Luo Yun was really trying the case alone. Why did anyone else intervene in the trial of the three divisions?
"It's a case trial. By the way, I almost forgot. Mr. Chang, come here."

Without waiting for Meng Li to speak again, Zhang Jinyu handed the Jingmu Tang to Chang Zuo. The interrogation still required a civil servant to intervene.

Master Chang's face straightened, and he hit the table hard again.
"Okay, since you have accepted the money, you have agreed. I will ask you first, who are you?"

Chang Zuo didn't refuse. This was a civil trial case, and this bureau must continue. As for the Marquis, he actually gave the interrogation to himself. He thought in his heart, maybe the Marquis did it intentionally, so why should he do it today? After a good trial, I had some calculations in my mind.

Naturally, he had no reservations and was going to be cruel. He pointed to the person on the left who was the first to take the money and asked. The person kneeling in the hall kowtowed hard again and replied tremblingly;

"Back to the old man, my name is Wang Da. I live in the alley opposite Ningrong Street. I work as a coolie for a wealthy family to earn some money to live."

"Well, since we live so close, we can probably see what happened on Ningrong Street. I would like to ask you, at noon that day, did you see anyone in Ningguo Mansion casting spells to collect Yang Qi in front of the door?"

Chang Zuo, the Minister of Punishment, is not fooling around. He will do whatever it takes to deal with these idiots.
Wang Da was stunned for a moment, then nodded his head and said in a stuttering voice,
"Sir, I saw it, I saw it. Who wouldn't know about the Duke's Mansion? At noon that day, an immortal master came out of the Ningguo Mansion to exorcise evil spirits and suppress demons. With just a wave of his hand, the sun disappeared, and then he took a gourd. Shake it once, and the ground will move, which is scary, but the magic power of the immortal master is so high that it can shake the heaven and the earth!"

As he spoke, he gestured with his hands, as if he could do the same. Only the Marquis of Xiangyang beside him could not hold back his anger and said,

"Nonsense. Where did the immortal master cast a spell that could change the world? It's just a coincidence."

I thought I could scold a commoner, but Wang Da, who was sitting in the hall, seemed to have been insulted and directly replied with his head held high,
"Master, please don't say that. The immortal master cast a spell with a magic weapon, and all the people in the village saw it. I kowtowed several times, thinking that the immortal master could bless me to earn more money. , look, the money will come today."

"you!"

The Marquis of Xiangyang's face turned red, which was really unreasonable.
"Ahem, Marquis Xiangyang, don't be anxious. Things will become clearer the more you ask. A mud-legged person has limited knowledge, so there is no need to get angry."

This statement,

It was Feng Yongwen who was sitting in the east who spoke, as if to comfort him. Meng Li's heart moved. Feng Yongwen had figured it out and wanted to rely on the civil servants. In this way, as long as Marquis Luo Yun relaxed a little, the Jia of Ningguo Mansion would Zhen must be doomed, and what Mr. Lu Ge told him should be implemented.

Seeing that several people were about to start an argument, Zhang Jinyu patted the table lightly.
"Everyone, let's try the case first, and we'll talk about other things later. It's not like we just listen to his family's opinions. Well, you, tell me what's going on?"

"Yes, the eldest master, what he said just now is right. The younger one works for Ningguo Mansion and goes there every ten days. When I went to the Duke of Guo's Mansion in the past few months, the people in the Duke of Guo's Mansion all practiced Taoism. Every day It was a big scene to kowtow and worship. It was said that they were refining elixirs. Every time I passed by, I sniffed hard to get some fairy spirit. I even stored the excrement from Na La for great use in the coming year. .”

Unexpectedly, the timid person just now became bolder as he spoke. However, those words made the officials hearing the trial on both sides move back in disgust. The person presiding over the high platform also complained a lot.

Zhang Jinyu didn't expect that this person was actually picking up feces. No wonder his hands were greasy and black. Your mother, you picked up feces with your hands.

"Ahem, do you dare to draw a pledge on what you just said?"

"Dare, dare. Sir, this is not what the two of us saw. There are many people who saw it."

The two of them nodded. They had money to take and a noble person to protect them. How could they not dare?

"Come here, show your mouth to the two of them, and then sign it."

"Yes, sir."

The clerk who was sitting in the hall taking notes took the ink pad and the confession. He stood up and walked over. He placed the confession in front of the two of them, and then pointed to the place where the seal was drawn.

The two of them couldn't understand the words. There were so many words and they didn't know what was written. However, they thought that noble people would not embarrass themselves when they were promoted to ordinary people. They gritted their teeth, pressed the ink pad, and then pressed their fingerprints on the confession. The clerk picked up the confession and blew it carefully. , then walked up to the high platform and placed the confession on the desk for the chief interrogator to see.

"Well, that's good. Take a look and see if there are any omissions!"

(End of this chapter)