Red Mansion: Bastards rule the roost

Without investigating, he could guess that Dai Quan must be involved. As for the others, no matter who was involved, Jia Cong had made up his mind to kill one to warn a hundred.

At the Jinyiwei Command Office, Jia Cong looked at the newly appointed Nansi Deputy Chief of Criminal Affairs, told him what he had learned from the Queen this morning, and asked, "What is your opinion on this case?"

Zhuang Qing learned about this from Wang Fei last night. He expected that Jia Cong would ask about it today, so he did not sleep all night and had already sent people to investigate from various sources and collect clues.

He then said confidently, "Your Excellency, this case involves a palace struggle and is kept secret. The key to solving the case lies in Imperial Doctor Mo. As long as we pry open his mouth, everything will become clear.

But if we think about it more deeply, the enemy might be waiting for us to take the bait."

"What do you mean?" Jia Cong asked.

"Suppose we arrest Doctor Mo and he dies in prison, we won't be able to explain ourselves to the Emperor.

After all, judging from the current evidence, there is nothing wrong with either the pulse record of Empress Yuan or the prescriptions on file at the Imperial Hospital. The only problem is the medicine, but the Empress took it, so no evidence of guilt was obtained." Zhuang Qing said.

"Well, what do you think?"

“I think we should do the opposite, not attack the head or the tail, but the middle.

This case involves Concubine Wu, Chief Steward Dai, and even the princes. Since the Emperor has not issued an order, if we act rashly, we may give others an advantage.

So let's not touch Imperial Doctor Mo and Wu Shitao for now, just take advantage of their tricks, send people to hide in the dark to set up traps, and start with the top brass of the Imperial Hospital instead." Zhuang Qing said.

Wu Shitao, the father of Concubine Wu, is a senior member of the New Party and currently serves as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, in charge of the Imperial Medical Service.

Jia Cong hesitated for a moment, nodded slowly, and said, "Go on."

Zhuang Qing took out a case file from his bosom and presented it to him, saying, "Last night, I secretly interrogated the officials of Wu Mansion and the Imperial Hospital with Captain Wang, and found that the Left Court Judge Ji Xingyi was very close to Wu Shitao.

I also questioned the relevant personnel of the Ministry of Civil Service and learned that Ji Xingyi was originally an ordinary imperial physician. He was promoted to the position of Left Court Judge because of Wu Shitao's recommendation. This case must be related to him."

Jia Cong said, "Okay. No wonder Old Zhou said that you are meticulous, can see the big picture from the small details, can anticipate the enemy's moves, and are experienced in handling affairs, so he strongly recommended you to me. After you handle this case well, you can remove the title of 'deputy'."

Zhuang Qing was overjoyed and bowed down, saying, "Thank you for your appreciation, sir. I will not hesitate to die for you and will not let you down."

He has been Zhou Wei's deputy for many years. Now that Zhou Wei has been promoted, even if he is promoted, he should be promoted to the title of Qianhu according to convention. Unexpectedly, Jia Cong is not restricted by convention in employing people and directly lets him temporarily take the actual post of Qianhu in charge of punishment, which can be regarded as an exceptional promotion.

He has been walking on thin ice these days. If he cannot please Jia Cong and win the support of his subordinates, he will not be able to hold this position for long.

Apart from anything else, there are several old captains watching him day and night, and he does not have Zhou Wei's prestige. If he fails to do his job well, he will be beaten to death if he reports it.

Therefore, after learning about the case, Zhuang Qing was overjoyed. He was determined to use it to show off his skills and vowed to make a big splash in front of Jia Cong and establish his reputation as the chief captain of the Southern Division.

"Go ahead. I have to go to the prison in person to attend the trial today." Jia Cong waved his hand.

Zhuang Qing was inexplicably excited and said in a deep voice, "Yes. I'll arrange it right away." Then he turned around and left.

Ji Xingyi was in a very good mood today and specially invited a few familiar colleagues to have lunch at a restaurant, because Minister Wu had hinted to him that the current judge of the Imperial Hospital was old and would retire soon.

If nothing unexpected happens, he will undoubtedly take over the Imperial Medical Bureau and reach the pinnacle of life that a doctor can achieve.

However, accidents always happen at unexpected times.

Two lieutenants in plain clothes walked into the private room of Wangyue Tower and their eyes swept across the room, and their gazes fell on Ji Xingyi who was sitting in the main seat.

"Who are you? Do you know the rules?"

"Can't you see we are drinking? Why don't you leave?"

"The person you are looking for is not here, get out of here," the crowd shouted.

"My lords, please enjoy your meal and drink. We brothers know the rules best. We are here only to invite Lord Ji to have a cup of tea at our place." A captain bowed and said with a smile.

"Which family are you from? Please tell your master that I am busy now. If you want to have tea, how about we make an appointment another day?" Ji Xingyi thought they were servants of some official family and declined politely.

As the head of the imperial physicians, he has a wide network of contacts in the capital, and everyone has to be courteous to him. After all, no one can guarantee that they will not get sick.

"That won't do. Our master has a bad temper. If we can't invite Master Ji, we brothers will be in trouble. It's better to ask Master Ji to go and talk in person."

The captain smiled, took out his badge and slapped it on the table.

Everyone wanted to scold him for being rude, saying how could one entertain guests in such a way? However, when they saw the three big characters "Jinyiwei" on the double fish waist badge, they quickly swallowed the words that were about to come out of their mouths.

Everyone was silent as a cicada, wishing they could bury their heads under the table for fear of getting into trouble. They secretly regretted coming to this meal, and if they were implicated by Old Ji, their lives would be over.

Ji Xingyi's face turned pale. He didn't expect the Jinyiwei to come to his door so soon. He tried to remain calm and said, "I wonder what's going on?"

Another captain was already impatient and scolded: "What's the matter? Don't you know what's going on? Do you want to drink a toast and then drink a forfeit?"

Ji Xingyi's heart trembled, but when he thought of Minister Wu's perfect plan this time and that he had not left any evidence, he suddenly became bolder.

After all, he was an official appointed by the imperial court, and the Jinyiwei could not kill him at will, so he stood up and bowed, saying, "In this case, I will go with you two."

"Well, that's right. Lord Ji is willing to do us a favor. We can relax a little." The captain in front escorted him out.

The other person glanced at everyone and said coldly: "Everyone, eat more, talk less, and stay safe."

"Yes, yes, we will follow your orders, sir, and will never say anything nonsense when we return." Seeing that only one person was arrested, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and nodded and bowed.

Seeing the captain turned and left, everyone collapsed in their chairs. In the past two years, the Jinyiwei had become too notorious, so they could not help but be afraid. Moreover, since they were in the Imperial Hospital, they knew some palace secrets. It was obvious that this was Jia Shaobao's revenge for the incident of Concubine Yuan.

In the Nansiwei prison, Jia Cong came in person to attend the trial today, and the matter involved the Yuan Fei. Everyone from the thousand households to the strong men and jailers were already on high alert, sharpening their knives, scrubbing all kinds of torture instruments to a shiny finish, and sweeping the tables, chairs and floor spotlessly clean.

After entering the torture room, Ji Xingyi felt his legs go weak when he saw the captains looking at him as if he was about to slaughter a fat sheep. He looked up and saw all kinds of strange instruments of torture in the corner, which made him even more horrified.

Only then did he realize that the temptation of high office and generous salary was so pale and powerless in the face of the torture of death, which made him want to confess the truth to avoid physical pain.

He then remembered that the Jinyiwei had no evidence, and as long as they refused to admit it, the emperor would not let them do whatever they wanted, so he mustered up his courage again.

"Your humble servant pays his respects to the Grand Protector." Ji Xingyi bowed respectfully to Jia Cong after he had handled a major case.

Jia Cong snorted coldly and ignored him.

Zhuang Qing, who was standing beside him, took over the conversation and said, "Master Ji, do you know why I asked you to come here today?"

"I don't know." Zhuang Qing smiled and said, "Really? Since Master Ji has a bad memory, I will remind you, who is the mastermind and who is the accomplice in framing Princess Yuan?"

Ji Xingyi forced a smile and said, "Who dares to frame the Empress Yuan? I really don't know."

Zhuang Qing sneered, "The Empress Yuan suddenly became pregnant, and then suddenly had a miscarriage. Didn't you know about this in the Imperial Hospital?"

Ji Xingyi hurriedly said, "Your Excellency, the Imperial Hospital has kept detailed records of Empress Yuan's pulse diagnosis and medication.

As far as I know, Doctor Mo had already noticed signs of possible pregnancy when the Empress had her first menopause and had recorded them, but he did not dare to report them because he had not confirmed them.

It was not until yesterday that I was sure of the situation and reported it to Your Majesty. As for why the Empress had a miscarriage, I really don't know. Please investigate."

Zhuang Qing nodded and said, "Master Ji seems to be ready to die, but he doesn't know that any major crime requires the cooperation of many people. There is a problem here, don't you know?"

Ji Xingyi laughed dryly and said, "I only know medical skills, and have never learned anything about criminal law."

Zhuang Qing raised a finger and snorted, "It's no use being tough. If one of you lets go, all of you on this vine will be finished.

Therefore, the more people who commit crimes, the easier it is to solve the case. Come, bring Wei Gu! "

"Yes."

When Ji Xingyi heard the word "Wei Gu", he shuddered.

Seeing this, Zhuang Qing said calmly, "If someone wants to use the power of the Imperial Hospital to commit a crime, the imperial physicians who take pulses and prescribe medicines are the first to bear the brunt, and you, the superior who is in charge, must also be mediated. In addition, the clerks who dispense medicines in the pharmacy are an unavoidable link. Lord Ji, am I right?"

"My lord...I don't understand what you are saying." Ji Xingyi said in a trembling voice.

Zhuang Qing looked at Wei Gu, the clerk of the Imperial Hospital who was dragged in, and said, "Your Imperial Hospital has seven or eight clerks who dispense medicine, and Wei Gu is one of them.

We searched these seven or eight houses overnight and only found more than 2,000 silver coins in cash in Wei Gu's house.

Tsk tsk, Master Ji, your Imperial Hospital is so well-funded? A mere clerk has a richer family than me. I admire you. "

Ji Xingyi hurriedly said, "Your Excellency, the Imperial Hospital is a government office with little money, how can there be any profit? I really don't know where the huge amount of money in Wei Gu's family came from."

Zhuang Qing sneered, "When he came in yesterday, he insisted that he won it from gambling, but he couldn't tell me the name of the gambling house or the gambler.

After trying my tricks, he changed his words and said that it was a reward from Lord Ji. This is inconsistent. Lord Ji is so generous? Can you explain this to me?"

Ji Xingyi shouted, "I am innocent! This is a frame-up by Wei Gu. I don't have so much money to reward him. Please look into it! Wei Gu, tell me! I have treated you well, why did you frame me?"

"Oh, it turned out to be a frame-up." Zhuang Qing looked at Wei Gu and said, "Did you hear that? Your boss said you framed him."

Wei Gu was lying on the ground, not caring about his superiors or subordinates at this moment. Saving his life was the most important thing. He hurriedly said, "I dare not lie. The two thousand silver coins were indeed given to me secretly by Lord Ji in the middle of the night when no one was around. However, he gave me silver notes at that time. I exchanged them after returning and hid them at home.

I remember it clearly, that day was April 27th, and it was my turn to be on duty, and I have the night duty records of the Imperial Hospital as proof."

Zhuang Qing nodded and said, "We checked the night duty records and found that this is true. You are just a minor official, why did Lord Ji reward you with so much silver?"

Wei Gu said hurriedly, "Lord Ji said that I am honest and capable, and gave me a few bottles of medicine, asking me to keep them in the medicine cabinet and take them out to the palace maids when Doctor Mo writes a prescription."

"What drug is it?"

"Three bottles are Bazhen Pills for nourishing yin and blood, and one bottle is Baizhu Chuanxiong Pills for protecting the fetus. This name is written on the label on the medicine bottle. I don't know what the medicine is inside." Wei Gu said.

Zhuang Qing said: "You have been working in the Imperial Hospital for more than ten years, you should know the rules. Can the medicines in your Imperial Hospital be given or received privately?"

Wei Gu said: "My Lord, according to the rules of the Imperial Hospital, except for decoction pieces, finished medicines are not allowed to be brought in from outside. They must be prepared and used in the hospital, such as pills, plasters, powders, etc.

It was not against the rules for Lord Ji to give me a few bottles of pills in private, but I was greedy and blinded by greed, so I took them without paying attention. "

"You are talking nonsense and slandering me. When did I give you the pills?" Ji Xingyi cursed angrily.

Wei Gu was startled and quickly lowered his head.

"Tell him to shut up." Zhuang Qing said.

Bang! Ji Xingyi was hit hard on the face and fell to the ground, spitting blood and foaming at the mouth, not daring to say anything.

"Why does the Imperial Medical Bureau have this rule?" Zhuang Qing continued to ask.

Wei Gu said: "Because I am afraid that the imperial physician will be instructed by others to give drugs to harm the nobles in the palace.

The medicinal pieces have identifiable residues, which can easily leave evidence, while pills, plasters, powders, etc. disappear after use, leaving no trace, and are most likely to be used by others, so the Imperial Hospital set this rule. "

Zhuang Qing nodded and said, "Master Ji, do you have any objections?"

Ji Xingyi covered his face, trembling with pain, and just shook his head and said, "What Wei Gu said is completely false and nonsense. I have never given him a penny of silver, let alone any medicine."

Zhuang Qing smiled faintly and said, "Master Ji, forgive me for being blunt, but you are well-read, but you are not as smart as Wei Gu.

You are just a small pawn, doing things for benefits, is it worth it for you to work so hard?

I have already investigated the matter. Can you deny it with your iron teeth and bronze jaws?

Concubine Zhou in the palace has already reported to the Queen, saying that it was Concubine Wu who instigated the conspiracy. She was the one who passed the message and used her father, Minister Wu's power to arrange for you and Imperial Doctor Mo to accomplish this silently.

Concubine Wu, Minister Wu, you, and Imperial Physician Mo are all idiots. You are being used as pawns and you don't even realize it. You think this is just an internal fight within the palace?
I'll tell you the truth. You forged the image of Concubine Yuan committing adultery in the imperial palace, which has affected the reputation of the Second and Tenth Princes! Obviously, someone is using this to fight for the position of crown prince, do you understand? !

Now that the Queen is furious, do you think you can still survive?

If you are smart, you will confess early and save your family.

If you are stubborn and refuse to change your ways, your entire clan will be punished. Is that a good thing?"

Ji Xingyi's face turned pale. He never expected that there was such a deep calculation in this. He thought it was just to help Concubine Wu to overthrow Concubine Yuan, but he didn't expect it to involve the dispute over the succession to the throne.

Such shocking internal strife is too much for a mere medical officer, not even a cabinet minister, to get involved.

"I...I admit it." (End of this chapter)