first minister

Chapter 259 Backstab
On February 27, the Spring Exam ended.

Countless disciples were suddenly released like wild monkeys that had been locked up, screaming and jumping for joy, without a trace

Carnival all night, indulging in the fear of the past few months, forgetting to eat and sleep, looking forward to the glory of becoming a new scholar after the rankings are released.

Thousands of girls filled the entertainment venues all over the city, and in the brothels, everyone had guests and everything was in order.

Xia Jingyun, who was publicly told by many oirans that he would never charge him a penny for whoring in the future, did not sit still and join in the fun, but returned to the Hou Mansion early.

When he arrived at the mansion, he didn't even have time to sleep, he just washed up and began to talk secretly with the people in Hou's mansion to deduce tomorrow's situation.

The same situation is happening in many places throughout Zhongjing City.

In the Eastern Palace, the lights were kept on all night;
Inside the prime minister's mansion, the study room is brightly lit;

In the Duke's mansion, they whispered until the cock crowed.

The great changes in the capital city came and went quietly as night fell.

The sky had just dawned, and the main hall of the Ministry of Punishment had already been newly decorated.

The big case in the middle of the hall is still in the distance, and it is the seat for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince who presides over the case.

Next to the big case is a small case, which is for the Minister of the Ministry of Criminal Affairs who is at home.

On the next level down, there are two small cases facing the door, which are reserved for Jing Zhaoyin and the first seat of Heibingtai.

On the two sides of the lobby below, four viewing seats were placed facing each other, reserved for those big figures who came here to sit.

Behind each chair are two smaller chairs for possible attendants.

Further outside, on the open space outside the lobby, [-] chairs were added for the rest of the dignitaries and stakeholders who were qualified to come here to watch the ceremony.

It is said that the trial is open, but it is actually limited to high-level officials, and it is impossible to let a large number of common people come in to watch.

When the time came to the end of the hour, people from all parties came to the scene one after another.

There are dignitary dignitaries like Duke Ying, interested parties like Xia Jingyun who came here on behalf of the Houfu, representatives from various ministries and governments to inquire about news, and children of powerful people like Qin Sichao.
When Da Zong from Zongzheng Temple appeared and walked slowly into the arena, everyone was shocked, and then there was an instant excitement of meeting a big event.

As the owner of the Qin family, the old head of the family, accompanied by his son and granddaughter, came to the hall and was arranged to sit on the first desk on the right.

Then the chief officials from the Ministry of Punishment, Jingzhao Mansion, and Heibingtai came hand in hand.

When His Royal Highness walked into the arena calmly and sat in the middle of the stage, everyone looked at him with complicated eyes.

This should be the last time he appeared on such an occasion with such a posture of being under one man and above ten thousand people, right?
From now on, will he be called the deposed prince, or will he be called a certain king?

Just when everyone's emotions were fluttering, the crown prince Dongfang Ming said slowly, "The assassination case of Qin Yuwen, the eldest son of the Qin family, shocked the government and the public, and the father was furious. He ordered the three divisions to investigate the case alone. Now the investigation and interrogation of the third division has begun. As a result, today we will hear the case in front of all the lords, in order to comfort the Qin family for generations of loyalty, and to return the people of Zhongjing to a clear and fair justice."

The loud words fell on everyone's ears, but they were full of irony.

You're a fucking mastermind behind the scenes, and you have the guts to say that!

If there were more common people, their simple sense of justice might drive them to clamor.

But all those present here are high-level officials with high reputations in the entire empire. Their justice and bottom line are very flexible. After listening to it, they all waited calmly.

After the crown prince finished speaking, he looked at the Shangshu of the Ministry of Justice, "Lord Fei, let's start."

The Secretary of the Ministry of Punishment subconsciously arched his hands respectfully, and immediately straightened his back, picked up the document on the table, and said loudly: "Next, I will introduce the case to you first."

"On the 24th of the first month of the 29th year of Chongning, Xia Jingyun, the younger brother of the Concubine Defei, was assassinated on the way out of the palace, and the assassin is still in the process of being traced."

"On the second day of February in the 24th year of Chongning, Qin Yuwen, the eldest son of the Qin family, was killed by a coachman with a hidden arrow on his way out in a carriage. Then the coachman committed suicide under the siege of the Ministry of Justice and Heibingtai, shocking the government and the public. .”

"It was night, Lord Fengyang, the old patriarch of the Qin family, entered the palace to seek an audience. His Majesty issued an order to order the Criminal Department to investigate the case together with Jingzhao Mansion and Heibingtai. After many days of inspection, we initially ruled out the initially identified suspect. He solved Yuan Xia Jingyun's suspicion of revenge and assassination, and after that, he worked together to capture important witnesses and made a major breakthrough."

"Then, I followed the important clues and continued to dig deeper. Finally, I sorted out the whole case and formed a file. In order to show justice, the case will be heard publicly. Next, bring witnesses!"

With a slap of his gavel, a man in white came in with two clerks of the Ministry of Criminal Justice.

Apart from the disheveled beard and hair and the dirty clothes, this man has no blood stains all over his body, and because he has not been convicted yet and has not been shackled, many people who don't know are feeling the civilization of the court's law enforcement agencies.

When the man saw the prince, he trembled and lowered his head, not daring to look at him.

The Minister of the Ministry of Justice patted the gavel, "Who is under the hall?"

"Dong Sicheng, the next official and crown prince sheren!"

Everyone was in an uproar. They had heard the rumors before, but now they saw it with their own eyes, and they felt different in their hearts.

"On February [-]th, you changed into casual clothes and went secretly to the unnamed blacksmith's shop in Niwa Lane, Nancheng. Why?"

"Official"

After all, it was the prince face to face, and this prince Sheren really couldn't spare that face to backstab.

But at this time, how could he have any room to back down!
The Secretary of the Ministry of Punishments patted the gavel, and shouted in a deep voice: "Dong Sicheng, the confession in black and white is still here. His Majesty has personally paid attention to this matter, and the hall is full of dignitaries. Is there any room for you to back down? Be lenient when you confess, and be strict when you resist." , You think it through!"

The prince's face was dark, but he didn't dare to say a word.

He had anticipated this moment when he obtained the will of Taoism, but he did not expect that when he actually faced it, his emotions would come so violently.

So much so that after more than [-] years of doing little fuss and nourishing his energy, he couldn't control his expression, and he clenched his fists tightly in his sleeves.

Dong Sicheng was also awakened by this sentence. Anyway, even if he survived the calamity safely, the crown prince would no longer trust him, and he could be treated with leniency if he was honest and meritorious. According to the order of His Royal Highness, I contacted the groom. He was bought by us and often provided us with information about the Qin Mansion. After this incident, His Highness ordered me to clean the head and tail, so as not to leave any flaws. I was always worried Someone would be following this shop, so they waited for half a month before going there, but they were caught on the spot."

As soon as these words came out, there was a discussion in the field again.

If this matter is true, then this matter is a certainty!
And in front of so many people spreading the matter out, can the prince, the crown prince, still sit still?

Everyone looked at His Highness the Crown Prince with pity in their eyes.

Although he is still the crown prince at this moment, this is the only glory he has left.

The Secretary of the Ministry of Punishment forced him to ask: "Then did you give that groom an order to assassinate Qin Yuwen?"

Dong Sicheng shook his head, "No. I don't know why he did it either."

"Then have you ever received an order to contact this person to assassinate Qin Yuwen?"

This sentence almost pointed the finger at the prince clearly, but the prince still didn't dare to refute at all, so he could only listen silently.

"No. It's just that someone suggested that the prince let him wait for the opportunity to give the Qin family a hard time, saying that the Qin family has no support now, and the outside is strong but the inside is weak. As long as there is a big fall, it will be much easier for the East Palace to pretend to be a good person to subdue him. But what exactly is this big pain, I don’t know.”

"Who suggested it?"

"Prince Zhan is Lu Hongyuan."

"Bring Lu Hongyuan!"

Soon the prince Zhan Shi Lu Hongyuan, who was dressed in white, was also brought in, because he had not been convicted yet, and he was also not shackled.

After some intimidation exactly the same as before, Lu Hongyuan recognized the situation earlier than Dong Sicheng, and began to explain the situation like beans in a bamboo tube.

As the real confidant of the prince, he knows far more than Dong Sicheng.

In his mouth, a clear and definite vein gradually surfaced.

The crown prince wants to bring the Qin family under his command because of the need to increase his strength. Now that the Qin family is also in the court, there is no one in the court. He thought it would be a situation where the two love each other and hit it off. Unexpectedly, the Qin family flatly refused.

Among them, Qin Yuwen, the eldest son of the Qin family, who the prince first came into contact with was the most resistant. He had rejected the prince's overt and secret wooing several times, and when the prince finally spoke out, he made it clear to the prince that the Qin family was devoted to business and did not want to Meddling with the prince's affairs, he left the table directly.

"When the prince returned to the East Palace that day, he was so angry that he threw things all over the floor, saying that even Qin Yuwen dared to give him such a face because he was a majestic prince. He must take revenge on the Qin family and make him look good!"

Lu Hongyuan continued: "At that time, I suggested that the prince should think of a way to deal a heavy blow to the Qin family, and then secretly let people target the Qin family, and then I would help him subdue the Qin family in the name of the prince. Let us decide."

"That is to say, the death of Qin Yuwen was caused by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince out of hatred and ordered you to do it?"

Lu Hongyuan quickly shook his head, bowed his head and shouted: "This matter has nothing to do with the villain, His Highness did not give me an order. I don't know who ordered it!"

Naturally, Shangshu of the Ministry of Justice had no choice but to torture and interrogate so many people in the courtroom, and then showed the rest of the evidence to everyone.

They are all witnesses and physical evidence, gradually filling in all the details of the Prince's scheme against the Qin family.

When it comes to this point, interrogation seems unnecessary.

Zongzheng Da Zongzheng of Zongzheng Temple who came to the scene with a mission, Emperor Chongning’s uncle Qi Wang Dongfang Jiong looked at Dongfang Ming sitting on the stage, and said slowly:

"Prince, what else do you have to say?"

(End of this chapter)