The Bookish Scholar of the Red Mansion

Chapter 232 Arrest

No one knows what Wang Bo's daughter went through before coming to Daming Gate. According to the rules of the Dayong court, if the people have a case of injustice, they should first submit a petition to the county government where they are located. If the county government handles it unfairly, there are also higher-level prefectures, the Ministry of Justice on Qipan Street, the Dali Temple, the Censorate, and so on.

There are so many court offices, and there are always one or two places willing to accept cases. Now she kneeled directly outside the Daming Gate, and many officials have frowned. What a bad rule! If other people follow suit, how can they be officials in the future?

Some people have a headache, and naturally some people are secretly happy. No matter what, the Wanping County Magistrate handled things unfairly, and the Shuntian Prefecture Governor was guilty of negligence. Thinking that the morning court was approaching, everyone knew that there would be fun today.

This happened very suddenly, and Chen Heng was worried that Lin Ruhai would be questioned by His Majesty in the court. On the way to Wumen, he told the teacher about what happened to Liu and Xue so that he would have a clear idea.

Coincidentally, on the corridor in front of the Meridian Gate, an official was also telling his colleagues about this incident. There is no impenetrable wall in the world. The capital is large, but in some ways it is small. After the popularization of the well-informed people, everyone talked about it and the topic inevitably revolved around Wang Ziteng.

Wang Ziteng's position was very easy to find. He stood at the front row of the military officer corridor. Standing side by side were the Prince of Beijing, the Prince of Nan'an, the Prince of Xining, and the Prince of Dongping. Behind him were the eight sons of the famous dukes. Interestingly, among the eight dukes, only the two families of the Duke of Ning and the Duke of Rong were not present.

When Chen Heng and Lin Ruhai arrived, Wang Ziteng was calmly accepting everyone's attention. Looking at his calm appearance, it seemed that the person who committed the evil deed was not his good nephew, but a stranger who had nothing to do with him.

When they parted, Lin Ruhai told the student, "Go to court first." The latter understood the meaning and walked silently to the class where the six departments were.

Lin Ruhai walked forward alone, walked all the way behind Gu Zaiyong, and then nodded to Sha Xiang, Wei Yinghong and others beside him. As soon as Zuo Du Yushi arrived, the small officials who were chatting enthusiastically just now stopped talking. The Censorate was ordered to supervise all officials, and no one wanted to fall into their hands and suffer.

Gu Zaiyong was in a good mood and took the initiative to greet Lin Ruhai. But the one in the best mood was Yan Hu, the Minister of Personnel. Since the addition of a new Maritime Affairs Department to the court two months ago, he has issued countless appointment and dismissal letters for officials. The human relations and etiquette in the process really made him gain a lot.

Now, there is only one post of the Director of the Maritime Affairs Department from the fourth rank, and Li Zhi has not yet decided on the candidate. Maybe he ate a little too much when he went out this morning, and Yan Hu burped at an inappropriate time. But his official position and qualifications are here, and no one dares to bother him about the crime of impoliteness.

There was still some time before the court session, and the heavy snow was still falling, with no sign of stopping. Gu Zaiyong suddenly stood up and sighed, "I'm old, I'm old."

When he moved, all the officials around him took a half step back. The movement of the civil officials naturally attracted the attention of the other side. Gu Zaiyong shook his official robe and said helplessly, "It's cold, everyone, let me go to the warm room to relax."

The warm room is two duty rooms in front of the Meridian Gate, both in front of the long corridor. In the early Ming Dynasty, these two rooms belonged to the Jinyiwei. They would hide in the house and secretly watch the officials during the court session.

After the establishment of the Dayong Dynasty, considering the hardships of the winter court session. These two rooms were taken for the elderly officials to rest.

Since the Prime Minister said so, how could others have any objections. Gu Zaiyong led Yan Hu into the warm room leisurely. Soon, Shuntian Prefecture Yin Liu Liangcai jumped out of the crowd and suddenly went straight to the warm room.

The action of Shuntian Prefecture Governor was truly beyond everyone's expectations. In theory, he was a prefect of the third rank, and the head of the prefectures in the world. He was absolutely qualified to enter a greenhouse, but why did he choose this moment?

Lin Ruhai, who witnessed everything, frowned immediately, and said in his heart that it was bad. He vaguely guessed that there might be something wrong with Shuntian Prefecture Governor.

Xue Pan did such a thing, and before he met Li Zhi, the New Party had not thought of a countermeasure. It was not that they did not react in time and quickly, but that the incident of the common woman suing the emperor happened too suddenly.

Since the core of the New Party did not know, Wang Ziteng would not know the New Party's plan. The latter's sight never left this place after Shuntian Prefecture Governor entered the greenhouse.

"What do they want to do?!" Wang Ziteng was suspicious. He has not had a good time recently. The border war has just stopped, and a new group of meritorious officials have emerged in the court. These people are naturally not the same as the four kings and eight dukes.

Li Zhi had these people at hand, and Chen Heng helped him to enrich the treasury. His Majesty, who had been swallowing his anger for a long time, had long intended to punish the four kings and eight dukes. It was precisely because of this that Wang Ziteng's reward had not been received.

His family was already at the center of the storm, and his nephew did such a foolish thing and fell into someone's hands. Although Wang Ziteng felt a headache, his mood was still calm. It was just a matter of accidentally killing someone. This matter can be as big or small as you want.

Not managing the family strictly is certainly a good way to attack court officials. But the four kings and eight dukes around him are Wang Ziteng's confidence in facing this matter. As long as their people are still in the court, he doesn't believe that His Majesty will act rashly and choose to tear his face directly.

But why did Shuntian Prefecture Yin follow Gu Zaiyong in? Isn't he His Majesty's man? Wang Ziteng frowned and thought about various possibilities in his mind.

The people of the new party were also confused by Shuntian Fuyin's sudden move. Thinking as fast as Lin Ruhai, he has already seen the truth of Shuntian Fuyin's betrayal. But more people thought that the old and new parties wanted to reach a tacit understanding in the greenhouse. Everyone is waiting and watching, always feeling that Shuntian Mansion alone is not significant enough.

At this time, another civil servant came out.

The strong-tempered and impatient Minister Sha Xiang of the Ministry of War was worried that Shuntian Prefecture Yin and Gu Zaiyong were planning some tricks together, so he planned to go to the greenhouse to watch in person. The Secretary of the Ministry of War walked away so fast and hurriedly that Lin Ruhai had no time to dissuade him and could only sit back and watch as the other party pushed open the door of the greenhouse.

"Not good." Lin Ruhai shouted softly, attracting Wei Yinghong's gaze.

If Gu Zaiyong's previous plan can be called a masterstroke. In Lin Ruhai's opinion, Mr. Sha's stress reaction was really stinky.

No matter what Gu Zaiyong's plan is, the most important thing the New Party should do now is to distance itself from the relationship. As long as they don't move, Li Zhi will have room to move forward and retreat. There is still a possibility of explanation for Shuntian Mansion's quiet defection.

He was so impatient to get involved, and then Gu Zaiyong didn't care what he did afterwards. Wang Ziteng would have reasonable suspicion that there was a shadow of the New Party in it.

Lin Ruhai looked at Wang Ziteng in the distance again, and his face was indeed livid. Just by looking at his expression, Lin Ruhai could guess what Wang Ziteng was thinking. He must be thinking in his heart that the old and new parties have reached a tacit agreement and took the opportunity to cut them off.

Sha Xiang here just opened the door and noticed something was wrong. In the house, the seat where Shuntian Fu Yin sat was far away from Gu Zaiyong. But now it is impossible to look back. The official robe of a second-rank official is on his body, and behind him are hundreds of officials and subordinates. There is no room for the minister to show his cowardice.

The cold wind blowing in from the door broke the silence in the house. Gu Zaiyong saw Sha Xiang still frozen at the door, and said kindly: "Master Sha, since you are coming to the greenhouse to avoid the cold wind, why don't you close the door first."

Seeing Sha Xiang's embarrassing situation, Yan Hu couldn't hold back his good mood and burst into laughter.

This door is still closed after all.

…………

…………

Today's morning session was an eye-opener for Chen Heng. After the Daming Gate incident was brought to the forefront by people from the old party, Wang Ziteng took the lead and apologized to Li Zhi.

The old and new parties argued endlessly over this matter, and people from the old party directly proposed a joint trial among the three departments. People from the New Party believe that the matter should be handled according to the original steps, first continued by Shuntian Prefecture, and then reviewed by the Ministry of Punishment, Dali Temple, and the Metropolitan Procuratorate.

Chen Heng's old boss Sha Xiang was surprisingly silent this time, with a look of frustration on his face. Only Lin Ruhai and Wei Yinghong were left in the New Party to argue. The two of them, together with Wen Shiqian, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, could not be more proud of Gu and Yan.

Seeing the joint trial of the three departments, it will be a foregone conclusion. Li Zhi finally understood the minister's intention and directly announced that Shuntian Prefecture Yin would take over the case. Gu Zaiyong didn't care about this either. Going to the joint trial of the three departments was to confirm that the old and new parties were working together to control the four kings and eight princes.

If only Shuntian Mansion took over, that would be a good outcome. Many people still think that Shuntian Prefecture Yin is Li Zhi's person. No matter how much Wang Ziteng and his four princes and eight princes play around, they will eventually fall into the hands of himself and the Supreme Emperor.

Gu Zaiyong lowered his eyes before he could feel proud. Lin Ruhai's counterattack also came. After Gu Zaiyong returned to the line, he immediately stepped out and said: "Your Majesty, this matter is of great importance, and unclear laws are not enough to convince the public. I would like to ask your Majesty to send another official to assist in handling the case as a token of appreciation. The court’s laws are fair.”

This is someone who wants to insert a new party into this case. Li Zhi thought calmly, this person cannot have a high official position. If it's a big case, it's better to have a direct trial by the three agencies. The official position should not be too small. If it is too small, it will be led by the Shuntian Prefecture Yin.

Seeing Lin Ruhai still standing in front of him, Li Zhi suddenly moved his eyebrows and said, "Chen Chixing."

In the court, there were also many officials named Chen. If Li Zhi hadn't yelled like this, Chen Heng couldn't believe that he would be directly named. He immediately left the class train, stepped forward quickly with a wat board in hand, bowed and said, "I'm here."

"As Lord Yilin said, you, together with Shuntian Mansion, are responsible for assisting in handling this case."

Before Chen Heng had time to answer, Yan Hu had already stepped out of the queue and said urgently: "Your Majesty, I think it's impossible. The sixth subject is only the seventh rank in the matter, how can it be..."

"Your Majesty, I think it's just right." Wei Yinghong interrupted directly, "Liu Ke has the duty of supervising the six ministries. Mr. Xiao Chen will take charge of it. There is no violation of etiquette."

"What the two adults said is true." Li Zhi was also annoyed by Gu and Yan today, and he did not expect that the Shuntian Prefecture Yin who was personally appointed and dismissed was Gu Zaiyong's person. This feeling of betrayal was deeply rooted in Li Zhi's heart. He overcame everyone's opinions and said, "I will give Chen Qing a flying fish suit. Hold on, you must handle this case impartially for me."

Such a difficult matter suddenly came to hand. Chen Heng didn't even have a chance to complain. He had to lean over again and said: "I obey the order."

The moment he lowered his head, Chen Heng saw Wang Ziteng in front of him who was still kneeling to apologize. On both sides of Wang Ziteng were Yan Hu and Wei Yinghong who were packing up their court uniforms and preparing to return.

After finishing the morning court in such a noisy manner, Chen Heng walked to Fengtian Temple Square when he was pulled by Lin Ruhai. Surrounded by civil and military officials who were retreating in order, Lin Ruhai knew that there was not much time left for him to give some advice to his students, so he quickly said: "It is state-owned and national law. Before the third division reviews the case, remember to keep the criminal in custody."

Chen Heng raised his eyebrows directly. Does this mean that someone wants Xue Pan's life? He did not dare to hesitate. Seeing that Shuntian Fu Yin was about to step out of the palace gate, he immediately nodded and said: "Teacher, I understand."

"Go." Lin Ruhai patted Chen Heng on the shoulder. He had to rush to Linjing Hall to calm Li Zhi's anger.

The teacher and student immediately parted ways, and Chen Heng finally caught up with Shuntian Fu Yin at the Meridian Gate. Liu Ke, who was dressed in blue robes, directly stopped Liu Liangcai, the governor.

"Sir, are you going to arrest Xue Pan?"

The two men had met before over matters in the countryside of the capital. Liu Liangcai was not completely unfamiliar with Chen Heng, so he immediately said jokingly: "Exactly, Mr. Chen, do you want to accompany me?"

His identity has been revealed by Gu Zaiyong. There is no need to continue to disguise yourself and deliberately give Chen Heng face.

"Very good." Chen Heng agreed immediately, and happened to pass by Lu Yingxiong of the Wucheng Army and Horses Division. How could he let this person go and said directly: "Master Lu."

Lu Yingxiong immediately trembled, isn't it, little ancestor? I've been thinking about treating you to dinner all day long. How could you retaliate and drag me into this muddy water? Lu Yingxiong was about to pretend that he didn't hear because of the heavy wind and snow, when Chen Heng shouted again: "Master Lu."

It would be really rude not to reply. Lu Yingxiong had no choice but to stop, cupped his hands and said, "Master Chen."

"I want to borrow someone from the Military and Horse Division."

"Mr. Chen, the government office also has agents and officers." Liu Liangcai retorted.

Yes, there are a lot of people in the Shuntian government office. What are you civil servants floating around thinking about me, a little person? Lu Yingxiong couldn't help complaining, hoping that Chen Heng would change his mind. As a result, the latter said directly: "Did Mr. Liu forget that this case occurred in Shuntian Mansion? Your Majesty asked me to assist in handling this matter. Naturally, I will do my duty faithfully and share the worries of the imperial court."

Yes, even His Majesty has moved out, it seems there is no way to escape. Lu Yingxiong hated that he had lost two legs, so he simply came to Liu Liangcai's rescue and said: "Please, Mr. Chen."

With a group of useful people on hand, Chen Heng took Lu Yingxiong and rushed to the Wucheng Army and Horses Department without stopping. He gathered all the officers and soldiers and went to Rongguo Mansion to kill them.

…………

…………

At this time in Lixiang Courtyard, Xue Pan was lying on the bed and moaning. He had smashed four or five teacups today, and in front of the weeping Aunt Xue, he still kept shouting: "When I get better, I will definitely seek revenge on Liu Xianglian."

He was yelling fiercely inside the house, but Baoyu and Baochai outside the house had a headache. This good brother was so stubborn that they were really helpless.

Jia Lian didn't want to come, but when Jia Rong heard that Xue Pan was beaten with a bruised nose and face, she thought of coaxing him to come and see the excitement. The situation of the Xue family in the Jia Mansion was really embarrassing. Mrs. Jia was not the only one who complained about their long stay. Even the men in the family don't have much respect for Xue Pan.

Baochai listened to Xue Pan's scolding and watched Jia Rong covering her mouth and laughing. Her heart felt like it was burning with ice, which really made her feel ashamed. I wish I could hide in the boudoir to have some peace and quiet. Baoyu saw her embarrassment, so she stood up and said to Jia Rong: "Come on, hurry up, I will see you hanging out together all day long. Now that Brother Xue has suffered a loss, you are the one who laughs the most."

"Second uncle, please don't accuse a good person unjustly." Jia Rong couldn't suppress her laughter and said hurriedly, "I feel pain in my heart too, but it's just that the man didn't shed tears easily, that's why... then..."

Jia Lian couldn't listen to his nonsense and pushed his nephew directly. He smiled and said: "Okay, okay, let's leave this place to Baoyu." He was still thinking about the gentle countryside outside, so there was no time to spend in Lixiangyuan, "Come on, follow me out to have some fun."

Jia Lian is famous for being playful. Jia Rong rolled his eyes and said excitedly: "It's just right, I have something on hand..."

Baoyu was about to leave when he saw the two of them, but he didn't have time to be happy. A servant stumbled in from outside and cried to the men in the hall: "Master, master..."

"Why are you so flustered?! Can the sky fall down?" Jia Rong raised his foot and put it in the servant's heart.

The man was kicked so hard that he was lying on his back, but he didn't care to cry out in pain. He immediately turned over and lay on the ground, crying: "Guys, there are officers and soldiers coming to kill you outside."

"What?!"

"What did you say?"

After Jia Baoyu and Jia Rong called out, Jia Lian said impatiently: "Don't talk nonsense, but you went to the wrong place?"

What kind of world is this, and there are still people who dare to come to their Rongguo Mansion to cause trouble? !

As he was talking, the sound of officers and soldiers running in order could be heard outside. The leader, Chen Heng, had already put on the Feiyu suit given by Li Zhi and crossed the threshold. He immediately shouted: "Where is Xue Pan who wants to offend him?"

As soon as this sound came out, he looked at the officers and soldiers standing in the courtyard. Jia Lian, Jia Baoyu and Jia Rong were all stunned on the spot. Baochai was even more confused and had no idea why things would develop like this.

Chen Heng is also anxious. Lin Ruhai's instructions are still in his ears. The most important thing now is to control Xue Pan in the hands of the New Party. He glanced at the stunned Jia family and waved his hand without caring about others: "Go in and get someone."

Now that they are at this point, Lu Yingxiong has no way out. He pointed at the curtain and then stopped yelling at someone, and said directly to the officers and soldiers behind him: "Didn't you hear what Mr. Chen said? Go in and get someone."

"yes."

Four or five officers and soldiers rushed into the curtain side by side. Not long after, I heard a woman crying and a man yelling.

"What are you doing?"

"The wrong person has been arrested, the wrong person has been arrested. There are some good men on duty, but my son has always been sensible and obedient. There must be some injustice involved."

"Which of you dare to touch me? I am the eldest son of Jinling Xue."

Swearing, Xue Pan was held by several officers and soldiers and dragged out. Seeing the scenes in the hall and outside the courtyard, he gradually became silent, probably because he knew he was in trouble.

Chen Heng saw Jia Lian moving his lips and tongue, as if he was about to speak. He directly said, "I am doing this according to the order, so you don't need to say more."

Simple eight words, but they suppressed the atmosphere in the room like a mountain. How could Xue Pan not know the weight of these eight words? He trembled and said, "Brother Chen..."

Chen Heng was too lazy to listen to his nonsense and waved his hand directly.

"Take him away."

This time, Lu Yingxiong didn't need to say anything. The officers and soldiers received the order and took Xue Pan out of the mansion.

The weather has turned cold, and the hands typing are cold. Please count the votes and comfort my heart.

Chapter 230/335
68.66%
The Bookish Scholar of the Red MansionCh.230/335 [68.66%]