Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 150 The Mutual Redemption of the Yan Father and Son (Second Update)

"Master Zhao, I am innocent! Please release me! I will repay your kindness in the future!"

The night was as dark as ink, and the iron gates of the Ministry of Justice prison gleamed coldly in the moonlight. Zhao Wenhua paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, while Hao Shi's voice drifted faintly from not far away.

He looked annoyed and suddenly shouted, "Shut up!"

Hao shut her mouth, but a smug look appeared on her face.

She came from a humble background and couldn't understand the intricacies of court politics, but she could understand people.

The person in front of me panicked, became flustered, and wavered.

As long as the Tang family doesn't fall, she can save her life. Even if she is sent far away afterward, it's still better than going through the executioner's blade!

But Hao's thinking was too simplistic.

Zhao Wenhua was very clear that he could not possibly let the female prisoner leave; otherwise, he would have to bear the enormous responsibility.

What he's worried about now is that Haiyue and Yan Shifan will back down, the case will be left unresolved, and he'll have to slink out of the capital and go as far away as Fujian to serve as a judge!
Moreover, after this incident, those officials who used the death penalty to cover up the Zhang brothers' crimes will surely deeply resent the person who almost exposed this secret. Hai and Yan are already favored by the emperor, so it's fine for them, but he will probably be stuck in those remote prefectures and counties for the rest of his life, never to rise again!
'With my great talent, am I truly destined for such bad luck?'

'That's it! That's it! I'll just go back to my hometown!'

Zhao Wenhua was immediately disheartened and even considered resigning his post, abandoning his official position, and returning to his hometown in Zhejiang to become a wealthy man.

At least he still has money.

Those days of power and respect from everyone are gone forever.

"Young Master Hai! Young Master Yan!"

Just as he was sighing, the pageboy's voice came through. Zhao Wenhua's expression changed instantly, and he went to greet him as if by reflex: "This place is filthy, yet the head of the association has condescended to do so. I am truly impressed!"

Yan Shifan glanced sideways. He had just seen this man's distraught appearance from afar, yet he was still instinctively flattering him. He certainly had a unique talent for it and was worth learning from.

Haiyue then calmly asked, "Yuanzhi, you've had a hard time. How is the Hao family?"

Zhao Wenhua sneered: "Still trying to argue, and you even dream of me letting her go!"

Yan Shifan scoffed: "Ridiculous! Even if this case is suppressed, Hao will definitely have dealt with it quietly. How could she allow this wicked woman who murdered her husband and escaped the death penalty to live? The first people to kill her will be Tang Mu and his son Tang Da!"

These words were spoken without being muffled, deliberately carried into the cell.

As expected, Hao's pupils dilated immediately upon hearing this.

What made her even more desperate was that Haiyue walked in and her first words were: "Bring the people of Dengcao Hutong here so they can recognize her!"

Hao screamed, "I look just like Hao, they'll mistake me for someone else, they'll mistake me for someone else..."

Haiyue coldly said, "The Jiang brothers are twins, and they can be identified by birthmarks. The Liu you claim to be from is from Pingwu County, Long'an Prefecture, Sichuan. Is that correct?"

Hao's breath weakened: "Yes...yes..."

Haiyue continued, "Pingwu is located on the northern border of Sichuan, bordering the Qiang and Tibetan areas. Your father was a veteran who guarded the border. After he died in battle, he and his mother wandered to the Tea Horse Market. After his stepmother passed away, he was adopted by a merchant and eventually brought to the capital. There, he was taken as a concubine by Tang Da, the son of the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review."

"Sichuan is inherently isolated, and the border regions are far less prosperous than the prefectures and counties. The household registration system is extremely chaotic. In addition, she was adopted by a merchant and eventually became a concubine, which fits the identity of a concubine who only cares about her appearance."

"However, although this identity highlights someone who is all alone and has no trace, it has many flaws!"

"The most obvious point is that one's place of origin can be faked, but one's accent cannot!"

"Even if you can argue that after entering the capital and learning the official language, you won't forget your original accent, will you?"

"There are Sichuanese people in the capital; one pair will suffice!"

"Liu is a woman from northern Sichuan, but your accent has none of the characteristics of Sichuan; instead, it has the soft, gentle tone of a woman from southern China..."

"Hao was from Yuyao County, Shaoxing Prefecture, Zhejiang Province. Her ancestors had produced a scholar who passed the imperial examinations, but the family fortunes declined. By her grandfather's generation, they were poor scholars who ran a private school for a living. As a child, she studied with her father. When she was ten, her father passed away, and her mother remarried. She was then fostered by her maternal uncle, who was a minor official in the textile bureau. Seeing her intelligence, he taught her embroidery. Later, she went to the capital with him and married Zhao Bao, a shoemaker. She supplemented the family income by doing embroidery..."

In just a few words, Hao's face had turned ashen.

In fact, such a forged identity is full of loopholes.

Even if Haiyue personally took charge, any responsible official, if determined to get to the bottom of things, would surely have uncovered the truth.

At this very moment, Yan Shifan and Zhao Wenhua's eyes flickered.

He was particularly alarmed when he heard that the people from Dengcao Hutong were to be brought to the Ministry of Justice for identification.

This whole mess started in the city of the capital. Now, if we bring the people here to identify the real Hao family member, it will definitely blow up completely and there will be no way out!
"The key to solving cases lies in purity of heart, and the key to serving the people lies in loyalty!"

Haiyue ignored their expressions and directly set the rules: "Execute them!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Wenhua's expression turned serious, and he shouted loudly, "Loyalty!!"

Yan Shifan, who was standing next to him, suddenly felt a jolt.

Why are you yelling so loudly?

Haiyue turned around, her face showing approval: "Yuanzhi, you personally lead the people to invite the residents of Dengcao Hutong here. Explain the situation to them beforehand to avoid causing panic, understand?" "Yes!"

Zhao Wenhua cupped his hands in greeting, loudly agreed again, and turned to leave.

At this point, he made up his mind.

With no way out, let's fight to the bitter end!
At worst, I can just go back and inherit thousands of acres of fertile land, and become a good-for-nothing who can only be waited on hand and foot!

Yan Shifan watched the other man stride away, feeling inexplicably guilty, and quickly explained, "Mingwei, I didn't..."

Haiyue raised her hand: "Donglou, there's no need to explain. You personally brought Hao Shi out of the Tang family, so the pressure you face is naturally incomparable to ours, but you don't need to worry too much."

Yan Shifan asked instinctively, "Why?"

Haiyue said, "Donglou, have you forgotten that your father was dissatisfied with the eunuch faction's power in the court? The court repeatedly summoned him back to office, but he resolutely refused, citing the presence of treacherous people and his unwillingness to associate with them. He built a pavilion on Qianshan Mountain and lived in seclusion there for eight years, devoting himself to his studies. During this time, he did not associate with powerful figures and maintained his integrity through scholarship. As a result, he became famous throughout the world. This indifference to fame and fortune and his emphasis on integrity are what we, the younger generation, admire most! Now, faced with the threat of such treacherous officials, would he choose to go along with them?"

Yan Shifan said firmly, "No! Of course not!"

But after returning home last night, the father and son discussed it, and the father didn't ask him to investigate wholeheartedly. It seemed that he was also weighing the pros and cons.

Haiyue looked at him: "Uncle Yan didn't directly teach you how to do it, did he?"

Yan Shifan suddenly realized: "Mingwei's intention is that Father is testing me?"

Haiyue said, "I don't know about that, but I know that you are his only son and the future of the Yan family! Doesn't he want you to grow into a strong and upright man?"

Yan Shifan's body trembled: "Yes! Yes! Father has high hopes for me, how could I do anything to shame him and the Yan family? I am ashamed! I almost went astray just now, but fortunately Mingwei reminded me!"

Haiyue smiled and said, "It's not that I'm enlightening you, but your father's reputation and integrity that have enabled Donglou to strengthen his beliefs, straighten his mind, and return from the wrong path!"

……

In the back hall of the Ministry of Personnel, candlelight flickered.

Yan Song sat at his desk, his fingers tapping lightly on the surface, his gaze fixed on an unopened letter.

The letter appeared on my desk this morning.

The sender is unknown.

No one will admit it.

However, according to some people's hints, there will be a list of officials, no higher than the fourth rank and no lower than the sixth rank, all of whom are the backbone of the six ministries and hold a certain amount of real power.

As long as you show leniency and don't pursue them relentlessly, these people can be used by you in the future.

Yan Song was somewhat moved.

Back then, I was a junior high school graduate, full of ambition and high spirits, thinking only about how to serve the country and clean up the bureaucracy.

Now, however, he has been in and out of officialdom for decades and has seen too many people go from being upright to corrupt, from being honest and incorruptible to becoming complicit in wrongdoing.

How did they gradually fall into depravity?
Is it like now, on some day, when faced with a letter, a list, and a banknote, that you are torn between your conscience and your will?

However, regarding this specific case, Yan Song scoffed at Tang Mu's promises.

Are they treating him like a fool who only sees the temptation and not the risks?

Taking the example of Zuo Shunmen's tearful remonstrance, His Majesty must not tolerate any behavior by this group!
Of course, the law does not punish the masses. Even if Zhang Cong was rectifying officialdom and wanted to take down a large number of officials at once, he could not do so, since the various departments of the court still needed them to operate. However, the leader would definitely be the first to be punished.

Therefore, Yan Song had no intention of accepting this group's so-called defection.

But he didn't want to take the lead.

If we accept it, His Majesty will surely despise us after the incident.

If he refused, he would offend this large group of officials. If he didn't deal with them properly, they would hold a grudge and he would be controlled at every turn. He wasn't currently enjoying the Emperor's favor, and he could easily be ousted from the capital if he wasn't careful. Why bother?
Therefore, after weighing the pros and cons, Yan Song was already inclined to use the tactic of delaying.

However, at that moment, accompanied by soft footsteps, the old servant entered and came to report something.

"Qing'er went to the Ministry of Justice to continue the interrogation, and also sent Zhao Wenhua to Dengcao Hutong to gather the people to confirm the facts in person?"

Yan Song was moved.

Once the public identifies Hao, there will be no turning back in the case!

When did his son develop such a firm belief?
"This child...this child...ha! Not bad at all!"

"Even the younger generation has made their decisions. Am I, an old man, going to hesitate and be looked down upon?"

He picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, and wrote eight characters directly on the unopened letter: "Yan Song is poor and frugal, but he fears only the principles of Heaven!"

After finishing writing, a long-lost air of high spirits appeared on his face. He then picked up the letter and said, "I wish to see the Emperor!"

(End of this chapter)