Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 411 Just be honest
Promoting the treatment of prisoners is an important source of income for the lower-level jailers. Speaking of this group of people, it is quite hateful. From the perspective of the emperor, the income of these officials is very small, barely making ends meet, so there is a way to generate income. Emperor Chenghui is very contradictory. Not only did he not crack down on the jailers who abused their power for personal gain, he also turned a blind eye. But he emphasized the governance of officials.

Therefore, it is very difficult to manage the civil service well in the era of centralized imperial power.

In other words, in any era, as long as it is a human society, it is difficult to manage the government well.

Jia Lian is not a saint, he is selfish, not so sophisticated, and would not exploit people by squeezing them dry.

It feels good to get through another day, but some people don't feel so good. For example, the Chief Justice of the Dali Temple and the Minister of Justice were both impeached by the Censor.

The reason for the impeachment was very simple. Beating up a second-rank official of the imperial court in the street was such a serious crime, but as an official, he could not first deprive him of his honors and then interrogate him.

Let me ask you, if a scholar or a juren beats up a court official in the street and still does not kneel before the official during the trial, where is the dignity of the court? Where is the dignity of the nobles?

People in this era care a lot about face! Because face means prestige. If everyone can give you a hard time, how can you maintain your prestige in front of others?

No one in the cabinet, which represents the civil service group, can cover up everything. No one has impeached before because the emperor's attitude has not been revealed.

Now, as soon as the imperial edict was issued, impeachment was like a tide, with the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice bearing the brunt, and the cabinet was also impeached. However, the cabinet's crime was not serious, it was just a failure of supervision.

Jia Lian estimated that these memorials impeaching cabinet ministers were all written by people arranged by the cabinet ministers. They were impeaching themselves and defining the nature of their mistakes in advance to prevent others from making a big fuss about it.

According to the rules, if Emperor Chenghui used memorials to impeach cabinet ministers, the cabinet ministers would first have to reflect on themselves at home and await investigation.

This is the imperial power. It is very easy for the emperor to mess with the cabinet.

However, successive emperors used this power very cautiously, and this BUG was forgotten by the world, which was also the reason why Fang Baiyi fell.

I may not pursue it, but I must have this right. The Zhou Dynasty Taizu ensured that the emperor's power was unlimited in law from the perspective of the system.

The memorial impeaching the Dali Temple and the Minister of Justice worked, and Emperor Chenghui wrote a comment: "Got it." This saved face for the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple.

As for the memorial impeaching the cabinet, it was kept in the palace and not sent out.

Jia Lian was simply watching the incident, but he also saw clearly that the essence of this court was still that the emperor and the literati shared the world, except that power was further concentrated.

Of course, this also depends on the emperor's personal character, as well as the ministers and the situation. For example, Hai Rui scolded Jiajing, but in the end, nothing happened. Hai Rui is a very interesting person. He was just a juren, but he could become an official at the central level. It's really not that simple. He is a ruthless person in any era.

When the trial started again, the Chief Justice of the Dali Temple and the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice smiled more when facing Jia Lian, and Fang Song even secretly gave him a thumbs up.

As for Jia Lian, his reputation among the court and the public is very divided.

The nobles love and hate Jia Lian. They love him because he is a rising star among the nobles and has indeed won many benefits for the group. Since the emperor became emperor, the trend of civil officials being more noble than military officials has been reversed and there is a trend of balance. They hate this bird man because he is too domineering. We are all family members, so we should at least help each other and stop harping on trivial matters.

The civil servants' views on Jia Lian were also very divided. Most of them regarded Jia Lian as a heretic who had sneaked into the civil service and wanted to burn him to death. A few young civil servants respected Jia Lian very much. He was a good scholar and a good warrior, and a role model for our generation. In fact, there were not many conflicts of interest between Jia Lian and the civil servants. Most people disliked him because of his background.

The military had a relatively consistent view of Jia Lian: he was good at fighting! He protected his own shortcomings! He was not easy to mess with! He treated his soldiers well.

Anyone with a discerning eye could see that when Jia Lian impeached Wang Ziteng, he was actually helping.

As for the affairs of the Xue family, how should I put it? It cannot be blamed on Wang Ziteng. They are relatives and have related interests. The bond between the Jia family and the Xue family is the Wang family.

As long as the Xue family does not harm Jia Lian's interests, Jia Lian will not care. But if Jia Lian's interests are really harmed, he may have to take some shady measures.

"Court open!" The Chief Justice of the Dali Temple slammed the gavel hard, as if he had a deep hatred for this piece of wood.

Not only Shen Lie was brought to the court, but also several students. These people behaved differently. Shen Lie seemed very tough. The look in his eyes when he looked at Jia Lian seemed as if he wanted to pounce on him and bite him to death.

The others were not so calm. After arriving at the lobby of the Dali Temple, the bailiffs shouted in unison: "Kneel down!" All of them knelt down, but Shen Lie remained standing, glaring at Jia Lian fiercely.

Jia Lian, with a faint smile on his face, was naturally a very generous person. He turned around and asked the Dali Temple official: "What crime does the prisoner have if he refuses to kneel in the court?"

This question made Fang Song subconsciously move away from Jia Lian and keep a distance. The Dali Temple Minister looked at Jia Lian with a serious expression and then turned away. He was not going to argue with Jia Lian for a while and planned to deal with it vaguely. Unexpectedly, Shen Lie roared very fiercely: "Jia thief, you have harmed scholars, you will be punished by heaven!"

Jia Lian laughed even more happily, turned his head to look at the Minister of Justice, and spread his hands with a deputy GOT look.

You see, I'm not looking for trouble, it's the prisoner who is roaring in the court.

The assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice was also confused. Is Shen Lie so powerful? What kind of place is this? Are you fighting in the court?

Jia Lian was the most relaxed person at this time. He didn't have to do anything but wait and watch. Everything that happened now would be reflected in the memorial.

The Minister of Justice, who wanted to protect Shen Lie, exchanged glances with the Dali Temple Minister. The Minister of Justice grabbed the sign in front of him and said, "The prisoner Shen Lie refused to kneel before the officials and roared in court. He shall be beaten with twenty killing sticks!"

Three yamen runners came forward. As Shen Lie looked stunned, two of them held his arms and one of them poked his knee with a stick. Shen Lie could not bear it and knelt down.

The execution bench was brought over, and Shen Lie was pressed down. He wanted to shout but a walnut was stuffed into his mouth. I don't know if this thing is reusable, but it looks disgusting.

What is the "killing stick"? It is actually a punishment to humiliate the prisoner, which is to knock down your pride.

Normally, the Dali Temple's execution stick would require the pants to be stripped off, but the bailiffs gave Shen Lie a last bit of decency by beating him through his pants.

"One, two, three... eighteen, nineteen, twenty." Along with the counting of the yamen runners, there was the sound of boards falling.

Shen Lie was beaten so hard that tears and snot came out, covering his face.

As the person supervising the trial under imperial order, Jia Lian had a smile on his face, which was inconsistent with the solemnity of the others.

After Shen Lie was beaten, Jia Lian did not say a word during the subsequent interrogation and listened quietly throughout the trial. Shen Lie admitted all the charges against him by the authorities. He was the proposer and organizer of this action and had nothing to do with others. Others followed him because of his influence.

Seeing this answer, Jia Lian admired this guy as a man and the smile on his face disappeared.

But even though he admired Shen Lie, his fate was already doomed. Did Jia Lian not see that the yamen runners had done something wrong when they beat him? It was just a minor injury. Although it made a big noise, it didn't hurt any bones. Jia Lian never considered Shen Lie as an opponent. If he wanted to deal with him, he would also deal with his two uncles and his whole family.

Speaking of which, it is very absurd that Shen Lie regards Jia Lian as his enemy.

Jia Lian, who was ordered to supervise the trial, had no problem with what he did either from a human or legal perspective.

In that case, it’s your choice!
"To control the military with civil power is the strategy of the late emperor. This move is intended to put an end to the trouble caused by local military governors. Your Majesty's appointment of Yue Qi as the Minister of War is a big mistake." Shen Lie did not seem to realize the seriousness of the matter and continued to speak impassionedly.

"I am a scholar..., woo woo woo..." Shen Lie was about to continue, but was interrupted by a look from the Dali Temple official, who then stuffed a walnut into his mouth. The Dali Temple official, who failed to stop Shen Lie in time, regretted it deeply at this moment. He kept observing Jia Lian, and when he found that he had no expression on his face, he secretly complained.

Everyone else was looking at Jia Lian, making him look confused: "Why are you all looking at me? Why don't you let him speak?"

As soon as he said this, Fang Song quietly moved his chair again and said, "Are you afraid that Shen Lie will not die?"

The Minister of Justice spoke up in time: "Take the next one!"

The interrogation continued. After a different person came in, perhaps influenced by Shen Lie, this student spoke very firmly, saying that he was not bewitched and that he wanted to go on his own to correct the emperor's mistakes.

Jia Lian continued to remain silent and changed people. These prisoners were a bit "honest", perhaps because they had read too much and became stupid. They all said that no one had bewitched them and they went there voluntarily.

The foreheads of the Supreme Court Justice and the Minister of Justice were covered in sweat. Finally, the Supreme Court Justice said, "Everyone, it's getting late. How about we stop the trial today?"

Jia Lian had no objection, so he went to the recorder, took the interrogation record, and asked the Dali Temple and the Minister of Justice to sign and seal it first, indicating that he would copy a copy and return it. When Jia Lian left first, he called Fang Song to go back to the Inspectorate with him. Fang Song hurriedly followed him, saying that he couldn't stay here for long, so as not to be infected with idiocy.

The remaining Minister of Justice and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court looked at each other, announced the adjournment of the court, and agreed to talk in the backyard.

When they were alone, the Minister of Justice said angrily, "He's being held here by you, how come you didn't make any preparations in advance? Look at what he said."

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The Dali Temple Minister was also very annoyed: "Butler Shen went to the prison in person yesterday and stayed there for an hour before coming out. How come there was no preparation?"

The Minister of Justice was also stunned and shook his head: "Forget it, you and I have done enough, the Shen brothers' kindness has been repaid, don't get yourself involved in the retrial tomorrow."

"The most important thing now is the interrogation record!" The Dali Temple Minister's words made the Minister of Justice stunned. He stammered and asked, "Did you do anything?"

The Dali Temple Minister remained silent, and the Minister of Justice was about to cry. What a stupid teammate.

How much you people look down on Jia Lian.

Arriving at the Inspectorate, Jia Lian called Fang Song and summoned a clerk to copy the interrogation record.

Fang Song sat quietly aside and watched the clerk finish copying. Jia Lian handed him the copy. Fang Song pinched his nose, picked up the pen, and signed his name.

Jia Lian also signed and sealed the document, as well as the original, and then handed it to Fang Song, who returned it to the Dali Temple Minister.

This is called mutual supervision. Jia Lian was flawless throughout the entire process, without any problems at all.

Jia Lian also borrowed a place and a pen and ink to write today's supervision materials in front of Fang Song, comparing the original and the transcript, and restoring the entire supervision process on paper. After finishing, he signed and sealed, and then asked Fang Song to sign and seal. Fang Song was completely numb and instinctively followed suit.

Are there any problems with this interrogation record? Of course there are, and they are serious.

For example, when Shen Lie scolded Jia Lian, the recorded words were not the original ones, but just one sentence: Shen Lie scolded Jia Lian angrily.

However, the original text is recorded in Jia Lian's materials. By comparing them, we can know what the Dali Temple did.

With this thing, Jia Lian didn't have to do anything. He just had to record what happened truthfully, and the matter would be very serious.

So, before Jia Lian left, Fang Song looked at him and said something meaningful: "Master Jia has a really good memory!"

Jia Lian was even more modest: "It's not that good. If I hadn't recorded it in time, I would have forgotten some details. Goodbye!"

After saying this, Jia Lian went to the palace and presented the transcribed document and the restored document to the emperor, saying: "Your Majesty, the beatings I have made are completely true. All false statements may be punished at will."

Emperor Chenghui saw Fang Song's signature and couldn't help but complain: "That's right, Fang Song also signed and sealed it!"

Jia Lian didn't feel embarrassed at all and left promptly.

After carefully reading this document without any exaggeration, Emperor Chenghui saw what was behind the words.

All scholars reached a consensus that military generals must never be appointed as prime ministers.

Not to mention entering the cabinet, even becoming a minister is an unacceptable thing.

The Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice did tamper with this matter, but in the minds of the two parties involved, this was also natural.

Fang Song from the Inspectorate also agreed with this in his heart.

In other words, Emperor Chenghui's move to appoint Yue Qi as the Minister of War was a confrontation with the entire literati class.

Emperor Chenghui also saw Jia Lian's cunning smile. This bastard didn't even know how to disguise it. Did he just want to make things difficult for me?
"Go and bring Jia Lian back!" Emperor Chenghui gave the order decisively. Qiu Shian's legs were as fast as fire wheels as he chased after Jia Lian and stopped him at the palace gate.

"Lord Jia, it's a good thing you walked slowly." Qiu Shi'an did not forget to make a sarcastic remark. Jia Lian looked at Qiu Shi'an with a smile without arguing.

When Emperor Chenghui saw Jia Lian again, he asked him unhappily, "How should we deal with him?"

Jia Lian smiled and said, "Send it to the cabinet! As for whether to add some ingredients, it depends on whether your majesty needs it."

The tone of these words was very provocative. Emperor Chenghui reached out to grab the teacup, then put it back, glaring at Jia Lian: "Why didn't you refute Shen Lie in court?"

"I am merely there to supervise the trial and have no right to try the case." Jia Lian looked innocent.

Emperor Chenghui was silent for a long time and then said: "Back off!"

Jia Lian can leave this time. After he leaves, Emperor Chenghui tells Qiu Shian, "Go check and see if there is any information about the Shen family."

What is the background, the black material!

In fact, what Jia Lian did was not smart at all, but what can I say?

There are some things that Emperor Chenghui really can't tolerate! He knows what Jia Lian is thinking, but he still acts according to his ideas.

There is no other way. Unless Emperor Chenghui is a weak character who allows himself to be manipulated by the civil officials, otherwise, it cannot be tolerated!

(End of this chapter)