Rule the Ming Dynasty Alone

At the gate of Shuntian Mansion, a large group of armed people suddenly poured in.

The imperial guards in armor opened the way, followed by a group of royal guards led by Wang Xiang, then the accompanying eunuchs, and finally the emperor Zhu Youtang who came in a dragon chariot wearing a dragon robe.

The emperor came to Shuntianfu Yamen, the card was really too big.

When the people in the hall learned that the emperor was coming, they made way for an aisle several feet wide and knelt down to welcome the emperor in a polite manner, with their foreheads pressed against the floor tiles.

The officials and Qi Xun present stood up from their seats one after another, walked to the main courtyard and knelt down to greet the emperor Hongzhi. No one expected that this case would alarm the current emperor.

When some scholars learned that the emperor was coming in person, they exchanged glances silently, with a hint of worry flashing in their eyes. Now that the emperor is here in person, he is naturally not in a hurry. He is probably here to protect Du Ming, the Minister of Punishment.

Of course, this is naturally the malicious judgment of these scholars.

After all, Zhu Youtang really wanted to protect Du Ming, the Minister of Punishment. In fact, he had ten thousand ways to protect him, but he didn't have to come out to hear the trial in person.

Zhu Youtang rarely leaves the palace. Firstly, he considers his own safety. Secondly, there is really too much movement when he leaves the palace. Even a small chariot requires twelve chariots.

Now I came to the north of the city for the first time. I was curious about the things around me along the way. Now I saw the famous Shuntian Mansion Yamen and I couldn't help but take a closer look.

The emperor is naturally different from the important ministers. Even if they come to listen, they have to sit in the highest position, while Song Cheng, as the presiding judge, can only sit at the bottom.

Zhu Youtang sat down on the throne that had just been placed. When he saw the two rows of ministers and Qi Xun standing in the hall, he seemed to be smiling but not smiling: "My dear friends, are you all here?"

"Yes, I am concerned about the massacre of the Qian family, so I came to listen!" Li Yu, the official secretary, and others felt ashamed of being "caught in bed", and responded with embarrassment on their faces.

Zhu Youtang raised his hand and said calmly: "You all stand aside! Song Qing, let the trial begin!"

Li Yu, the Minister of Civil Affairs, and other officials gave him a salute and then stood in one place in an orderly manner. All the chairs that had just been gathered together were empty. Since Zhu Youtang didn't say anything, no one dared to sit down.

Song Cheng solemnly saluted Zhu Youtang, and then took a seat in front of the case on the left. He immediately entered the role of the presiding judge and patted the wooden door and said: "Bring someone to prison!"

The common people and scholars in the hall were driven further away by the Imperial Forest Army to the corner. Only some common people could see Long Yan from a distance and suddenly seemed satisfied.

Starting from the young father-in-law at first, then Xu Hong, who was elected from Guangdong, and then Miss Qian and others were successively brought to court to state the case.

The clouds are rolling and the time is passing by bit by bit.

Zhu Youtang took the time to drink tea leisurely, but he knew that professional matters should be left to professionals. Although his logical thinking ability is very strong, he knows that when it comes to trial cases, he may have to rely more on the black-faced young man.

This case seems to be unraveling, starting from when the young father-in-law Zhu Gao molested Miss Qian's family, to the whole process when Miss Qian's family was hunted down.

Originally this was a murder case involving the Qian family, but because it involved three murders in Dongsheng Inn, the case became even more egregious.

Song Cheng knew that the confessions of the previous people were all correct, and that the next step was the most important part of the case, so he was stunned and said: "Bring someone to commit the crime!"

"Who is this person?"

"I recognize this, this is the masked leader who wanted to kill Miss Qian that day!"

"Haha...you should watch carefully, the show is about to begin!"

…

When the people watching in the hall saw the fat, one-eyed middle-aged man being escorted up, they all inquired about the prisoner's origins, but some people who knew the identity were suspicious.

The new prisoner is a fat, middle-aged man in his late forties, with one eye already broken. When he comes to the hall, he introduces himself: "The grassman is the one-eyed tiger, the leader of the Northern Gang!"

ah?

The people in the hall couldn't help but open their mouths when they learned that the murderer who was chasing Miss Qian's family was the leader of the Northern Gang commanded by Mr. Du.

"Tell me your real name?" Of course Song Cheng already knew this person's identity, so he straightened his face.

The one-eyed tiger's voice couldn't help but become a little weaker: "Kill the big dog!"

this……

The people in the hall were disappointed when they heard the huge contrast between this ordinary name and the one-eyed tiger just now.

"Zhan Dagou, why did you go to Dongsheng Inn to hunt down Miss Qian Jing of the Qian family?" Song Cheng followed the normal procedure of the case and asked directly to the core.

If his men hadn't rushed over in time, Miss Qian would have been silenced. It would undoubtedly be very difficult for him to find out the whole truth.

Zhu Youtang was sitting on the throne, sizing up this fat middle-aged man with one eye, wanting to know the truth at this moment.

Zhan Dagou hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and confessed: "The villain is appointed by someone!"

"Who appointed it?" Song Cheng asked.

Faced with this problem, Zhan Dagou suddenly became very hesitant and silent.

"Do you want me to carry out a severe punishment?" Song Cheng watched the big dog beheaded in silence for a long time, then directly threatened him.

The big dog was still unsure, so he asked tentatively: "Master Fu Yin, if the villain recruits the mastermind behind the scenes, can you save the villain's life?"

"If you really want to help me solve the case, I will plead with the court in person!" Song Cheng had his own principles of action and immediately made a promise calmly.

"Du Ming, Minister of the Ministry of Punishment!" Zhan Dagou gritted his teeth and admitted immediately.

this……

The people in the hall couldn't help but gasped when they heard that it was Du Ming, the Minister of Punishment, who had done it. This result was completely unexpected.

I thought it was impossible for the dignified Minister of Punishment to do such a crazy thing, but the facts turned out to be as some people had guessed, Du Jian turned out to be just a scapegoat.

"Du Ming was originally a treacherous minister. This kind of person should not be reused!"

"I heard that the villains in the court are now in power, and the virtuous ministers are being squeezed out!"

"If this continues and these villains gain power, the country will not be a country!"

…

After the leader of the Northern Gang revealed that he was under the instigation of Du Ming, the Minister of Punishment, they could no longer sit still, but they all pointed their fingers at the current court.

Affected by the public opinion of Qingliu officials, many scholars were actually dissatisfied with the current court situation, especially the two paper elders who wanted to get rid of them quickly.

Now it turns out that Du Ming, the dignified Minister of Justice, is the mastermind behind the scenes. Not only will Du Ming, the Minister of Justice, be overthrown, but the entire court will undergo a major reshuffle.

When Du Jian saw Zhan Dagou pointing the finger at his father, he angrily shouted on the spot: "Zhan Dagou, don't spit out your blood here. It is absolutely impossible for my father to do such an illegal thing!"

When Song Cheng heard the noisy sounds below, he was immediately startled: "Quiet!"

mighty!

Twelve government officials armed with long sticks of water, fire and wood immediately pounded the green bricks in front of them with their sticks, and they all made powerful sounds from their mouths, demonstrating the majesty of the court.

The people in the hall felt their scalps go numb for a while, and knowing that the emperor was still sitting at the top of the court, they all obediently closed their mouths.

Song Cheng saw that the people in the hall had calmed down, and then turned to look at Zhan Dagou: "Zhan Dagou, you said you were ordered by Du Ming, the Minister of Punishment, what proof do you have?"

"Yes! These two notes were written by Mr. Du himself. The first one asked me to bleed into the Qian Mansion on the evening of New Year's Eve, and the second one asked me to go to Dongsheng Inn to get rid of Miss Qian!" The dog tore his clothes and took out two pieces of paper from the sandwich.

When Huichang Hou Sunming saw this scene, the corners of his mouth raised slightly.

Now his son can not only be cleared of suspicion, but now that Du Ming, the Minister of Punishment, has fallen, the court is likely to undergo a major reshuffle.

What's more, the military power of Jingying will also return to the nobles who command the army. His ancestors of the Sun family once commanded Jingying, so he can naturally get a share of the pie.

"It was really Du Ming who did it!"

Not to mention the prejudiced people in the hall, even the officials such as Li Yu, the Minister of Personnel, who came to support Du Ming, the Minister of Punishment, looked at each other, and couldn't help but begin to doubt Du Ming, the Minister of Punishment.

The evidence presented was two slips of paper written in Du Ming's handwriting.

After Song Cheng read the note, he respectfully handed it to Zhu Youtang.

Zhu Youtang saw that the handwriting on the note was indeed Du Ming, but he didn't care whether the note was true or false. Now the situation has evolved into the worst situation.

Once it is proven that Du Ming, an important minister he relies on, has committed such a crazy crime, not only Wan An and other important ministers will be questioned, but even the emperor himself will be criticized.

You must know that Hanlin's compilation of Zhang Zhen's death remonstrance was something that had never happened in the early dynasties since the Ming Dynasty. Naturally, those Qingliu people could not forget it, but were waiting for a more suitable time.

At this moment, Zhu Youtang couldn't help but feel a little regretful. He seemed to have made a wrong choice.

Song Cheng faintly felt the unkind eyes from behind, so he took a deep breath and asked: "So, on the night of New Year's Eve, you personally led the Bei Gang to the northern suburbs and massacred the entire Qian family. clean?"

"That's right, but the villain was entrusted by Du Ming, the Minister of Punishment!" Zhan Dagou nodded gently, and then put the blame on Du Ming.

Song Cheng nodded noncommittally and handed it to the clerk next to him who was responsible for recording: "In that case, you can sign and stamp it first!"

Zhan Dagou saw that the confession above was the same as what he said, and he happily pressed his fingerprints.

After Song Cheng took the confession, he looked at the head catcher Zhao Dayan and said: "Send the order! Search the whole city immediately for the Bei Gang members. Be sure to find the Bei Gang members who participated in the massacre, and then execute them all!"

"Master Fu Yin, we just use money to do things!" Zhan Dagou said nervously after hearing the next sentence.

"Don't be impatient, I will give you an explanation!" Song Cheng interrupted Dagou's words, then turned to look at the witnesses present and said: "You have all told the story of the case, then I will ask you You guys have a few questions!”

Li Yu and Li Si looked at each other, wondering what kind of medicine Song Cheng was selling.

Song Cheng's eyes fell on Zhan Dagou, but he asked with a slight smile: "You said in your testimony that the reason why you took this deal was because you were greedy for the Qian family's treasury, but is that true?"

"That's right. That night I led the gang to loot the Qian family's treasury and gained a lot of money!" Zhan Dagou nodded very seriously.

Song Cheng looked into Zhan Dagou's eyes, but expressed doubts: "I have been to the Qian family's bank room, but the bank room is mostly covered with spider webs. Even the silver box is covered with spider webs. There is no money at all in it! Since you have been here all year round, In the north of the city, can you tell whether there is any silver in the Qian family's treasury?"

"I'm just lucky. After all, there have been rumors in the capital that he is worth one hundred thousand taels!" Zhan Dagou was slightly stunned at first, and then explained seriously.

Song Cheng still didn't believe it, but he shook his head gently: "If you really wanted Qian Fu, you wouldn't think that he has a hundred thousand taels of silver in his treasury, and you wouldn't be eyeing his treasury!"

"If you don't keep an eye on the treasury silver, why should you keep an eye on it?" Li Si, the Minister of Revenue, heard this and couldn't help but interject.

Song Cheng faced the curious eyes of those present and announced an answer: "Qian Fu is actually a shrewd businessman. In the early years, he had been speculating on shops. Until ten years ago, he suddenly sold off his properties one after another. Every time he sold an property, he Buying land in the suburbs of the city. After nearly ten years, he has actually become the largest land holder in the suburbs!" After a pause, he looked at Zhan Dagou and said: "If you really want money, you should Look for the title deed, not the coffers that are already empty!”

"Yes, Qian Fu has been buying land on the outskirts of the city!"

"Yes, my land was sold to him back then!"

"Back then I laughed at him for being stupid for running to the northern suburbs when he couldn't live in a house in the city!"

…

Almost all the people in the hall live in the north of the city, so they have heard of the "weirdo" Qian Fu to some extent, but now it seems that they are only belatedly aware of it.

"I...I was in a hurry, so I didn't know anything about it!" Zhan Dagou suddenly broke out in sweat and quickly gave an explanation.

Song Cheng didn't believe this explanation, and continued expressionlessly: "I believe your argument for now! But you said you personally led the gang to Qian's house, but you lied again!"

"This is a capital crime. How could I lie? The villain was entrusted by Du Shangshu to massacre the Qian family!" Zhan Dagou suddenly became anxious and emphasized again.

Song Cheng saw his eagerness to kill the big dog, and became even more convinced of his own judgment. He was stunned and said, "Call the witness!"

When the people in the hall saw a young man in white being brought to the court, they couldn't help but look at each other. Even the most well-informed people looked confused: "Who is this?"

"The villain is Bai Zihua, a painter from the capital!" Although Bai Zihua has a great reputation, he is sitting on the current emperor and is kneeling down to announce his family status.

After seeing Bai Zihe appear, Ruianbo Wang Yuan couldn't help but muttered: "What is a painter doing here?"

Miss Qian's face was filled with confusion when she saw her teacher Bai Zihua.

Song Cheng ignored everyone's confused looks, but suddenly asked: "Bai Zihua, where are you on the evening of New Year's Eve?"

"I'm in the firewood pile outside Qian's Mansion in the northern suburbs!" Bai Zihua responded bitterly.

ah?

As soon as these words came out, everyone present was shocked, knowing that this was an eyewitness.

Changning Bo Zhou Yu immediately objected: "No, you Hao Duanduan were not at home for the reunion dinner, why did you come to Qian's Mansion on New Year's Eve!"

"I...I want to see my son!" Bai Zihua explained his motive.

Changning Bo Zhou Yu first made a guess, and then he felt that he had caught a flaw and said: "Your son works in the Qian Mansion? No, you are probably not married yet. How can you have a son in the Qian Mansion?"