Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 180 Ten Heinous Crimes, Eight Unforgivable Deeds

The Henan government office was chilly, and the people's eyes seemed equally cold; in short, Zhang Dai felt no warmth there.

Seeing that the Prefect of Henan, Meng Wenli, was sitting at the top of the yamen, holding a file and reading it with a frown for more than half an hour without saying a word, he said, "If Prefect Meng has any doubts about the file, please ask. I will do my best to answer them!"

"No noise is allowed in the courtroom!"

Meng Wenli, Yuwen Rong's former superior and recommender, was already quite old, with gray hair and an aged appearance. When Zhang Dai asked him this question, he dropped the dossier he was holding and immediately retorted in a displeased low voice.

Wang Shouzhen was initially worried that Zhang Dai might take him to a remote place to carry out private punishment, and he couldn't help but plead anxiously on the way. Now that he had come to a well-ordered government office, he felt a little more at ease, but he still did not dare to be presumptuous.

Seeing that the Governor of Henan was not friendly towards Zhang Dai, his mind started working again, and he immediately spoke up, saying, "This case file was forced upon me by the Jinwu Guard, and it contains many inaccuracies. If Governor Meng wants to know the truth, he still needs to question me carefully. Zhang Liu's theft of my servant is confirmed. If the Governor does not believe me, he can summon my servant to testify..."

"You shut up too!"

Meng Wenli was in a bad mood and treated Wang Shouzhen with the same coldness. If possible, he really wanted to severely punish these two troublemakers who were causing a ruckus and disturbing the peace of others, but that was obviously not an option.

According to the case files, both men claimed to be the aggrieved party, but Zhang Dai's accusations against Wang Shouzhen were far more serious. Although the Jinwuwei's case files were somewhat brief, they still provided a general description of the events and established the facts of the case.

If Henan Prefecture wants to conduct a more detailed trial, it will need to gather more evidence on the details. However, Meng Wenli knows this is a hot potato. Once he gets involved, it will be difficult to extricate himself. The lesson of last year is still fresh in his mind, and he can't say for sure what the outcome would be if he rashly took over.

After a moment's thought, he suddenly pointed at Zhang Dai and said in a deep voice, "The Crown Prince's servant is a fourth-rank official. Even if he has violated regulations, there are officials in charge of investigating and impeaching him. How dare you, a commoner, detain or imprison him on your own!"

Although the case file suggests that Wang Shouzhen's actions were more egregious, past lessons have shown that Zhang Dai's destructive power was far more alarming. Therefore, after some consideration, Meng Wenli decided to set aside the facts for now and see if he could pass this hot potato through procedural means.

Wang Shouzhen was no ordinary commoner; his position as a servant to the crown prince was a high-ranking official of the fourth rank. Theoretically, even if he committed a crime, he should not be subject to trial by the local authorities. Zhang Dai, however, had taken Wang Shouzhen to the authorities despite being a commoner, which was undoubtedly illegal.

Upon hearing this, Wang Shouzhen nodded repeatedly and then exclaimed, "This man not only detained me here, but also ordered his servants to mistreat me along the way. I implore Magistrate Meng to uphold justice!"

Upon hearing Meng Wenli's words, Zhang Dai knew that the man had not carefully reviewed the case file and seemed to have been trying to find ways to shirk responsibility. However, not to mention his own wicked intentions, even his grandfather had intervened, so how could he let Meng Wenli so easily pass the buck?

“What Magistrate Meng said is indeed reasonable, but the crime that Wang has committed is no ordinary crime. Among the items that were stolen from my home were an imperial robe and a jade belt, and the temple of Prince Huiwen, which was affected by the fire, is located to the west. All of these constitute serious crimes of disrespect. The relevant prefecture and county should investigate this matter thoroughly and report it to the Emperor!”

Zhang Dai was recently bestowed with a robe and jade belt at a banquet in the palace, but he never wore them. After leaving the palace, he stored them in his villa in Huixunfang. Whether they were stolen or not, he didn't know, since he was forced to leave home after going downstairs and had no time to keep track.

However, it is true that a corner of Qi Wang Shan Chi Garden was burned down by the fire that spread from his house, a fact that was confirmed by the report from the street guards when he was in Jinwuwei.

Upon hearing this, Meng Wenli's face immediately darkened. He then picked up the dossier and examined it carefully. He then summoned an official and ordered him to lead the yamen runners to Huixunfang to investigate.

Although Prince Qi held a highly respected position during his lifetime, he was still only a prince. Destroying his residence was certainly a crime, but it did not constitute a serious offense of disrespect. However, after his death, he was posthumously granted the title of Crown Prince Huiwen, which made him the deceased successor. If he were to commit any further acts of disrespect, the consequences would be much more severe.

"Those who commit the ten heinous crimes are unforgivable, and those who are subject to the eight deliberations are not pardonable. Even if they are lowly commoners, they are considered to have rendered meritorious service and are not guilty!"

The Ten Abominations are the most serious offenses in the law. No matter how high one's status, if one commits such an offense, all special privileges will be automatically revoked. Even if one's servants catch and report such an offense, it will be considered a merit once the facts are verified, rather than a crime of deceiving one's master.

"He's wronging me! He's wronging me!"

Although Wang Shouzhen held the rank of fourth grade, he was basically just an ignorant and incompetent playboy. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he was ignorant of the law. He didn't quite understand the specific meaning of these accusations in the Jinwuwei yamen before. In his opinion, no matter how serious the accusations were, his father would always be able to get him out in the end.

But when he heard that his actions involved heinous crimes, he panicked and began to argue loudly.

Seeing that he couldn't shake off the matter, Meng Wenli became even more agitated. He slammed his hand on the table and said in a deep voice, "Whether it's true or false, this matter will be judged clearly here. However, the evidence related to the case still needs to be carefully examined, and the case needs to be heard on another day. Until the matter is over, neither of you may leave the office and you will be temporarily detained in the yamen. If you have any needs, you can ask the yamen runners or send a message to your family to deliver items."

Since he couldn't avoid the matter, he decided to delay for the time being. On one hand, he wanted to thoroughly understand the situation and gather a more complete chain of evidence; on the other hand, he hoped for some new development, such as their respective superiors pulling strings and diverting the dispute to higher-level law enforcement agencies, thus freeing Henan Prefecture from being caught in the middle. "I have, I have! Please, Magistrate Meng, arrange for your officers to inform my family that I am currently in Henan Prefecture. Zhang Dai abducted me from the Jinwu Guard office, and my family may not even know where I am yet! Quickly, quickly!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Shouzhen hurriedly added that he was a master at being domineering, arrogant, and bullying others, but now that he heard he was about to be accused of heinous crimes, he panicked and lost his mind, only hoping that his father would send someone to bail him out as soon as possible.

Zhang Dai added, "It is certainly good that Magistrate Meng wants to handle the matter properly, but there is one thing I must remind you of. Just now, several hundred soldiers from the North Gate rushed into Qinghua Ward and caused a disturbance outside the Jinwu Guard's office. We rushed here because we were afraid that the situation might escalate. To prevent the government office from being disturbed as well, Magistrate Meng must take precautions!"

Upon hearing this, Meng Wenli's face darkened again, and he glared fiercely at Zhang Dai: "Since the Imperial Guards have already been harassed, why did you rush to send them to Henan Prefecture? Isn't it just to avoid any further trouble?"

Although he loathed this young man who always seemed to cause trouble for Henan Prefecture, he dared not let his guard down and allow the Northern Army to abduct him from the prefectural office. If that happened, his official career would be over.

“Detain these two parties separately in separate residences, and assign officers to guard them closely, absolutely forbidding them from having any contact with the outside world!”

He quickly gave an order, not daring to leave the two men in the mansion, but temporarily detaining them in a subordinate's villa. That way, even if they were kidnapped, it wouldn't sound as bad as kidnapping them in the mansion.

After making these instructions, he dared not sit idly in the office. He prepared to go to the capital to inform and observe the situation. Before leaving, he instructed his subordinates to wait in the office and not to leave on their own before his return.

Then Meng Wenli left the mansion. As he grew older, he could not stand the bumpy ride. He usually rode a gentle mare when he went in and out of the mansion. But today, in order to get to the capital quickly, he specially instructed his subordinates to bring a steed. He mounted the horse and rode off at high speed.

The steed was fast, but after galloping all the way, when he arrived at the Left Gate of the Imperial City, Meng Wenli felt as if his internal organs had been displaced. When he dismounted, he even staggered and could hardly stand.

But he had no time to rest and adjust, and with the help of his attendants, he hurried straight into the imperial city, eventually reaching the outer province of the capital. Fortunately, Prime Minister Yuan Qianyao was on duty in the outer province that day, so there was no need to go elsewhere to search.

It was already evening, and Yuan Qianyao had finished dealing with his backlog of work and was preparing to go home. When he saw Meng Wenli walking towards him, sweating profusely and panting heavily in the dead of winter, he was taken aback.

He hurriedly rose and invited Meng Wenli into the hall, while asking in a deep voice, "What has caused Magistrate Meng to come in such a panic?"

"Does my lord still remember Sun Zhang Dai, a disciple of Zhang Yan Gong?"

Meng Wenli was a little out of breath and couldn't say much in one breath. He asked questions in short sentences while panting.

Upon hearing the name, Yuan Qianyao's eyes sharpened. He nodded first, then quickly asked, "Could it be that this boy has caused trouble again?"

Meng Wenli took a while to catch his breath before speaking again: "That's right, this boy just entered the mansion to file a lawsuit against Lord Huo and Prince Mao Zhongzi..."

He recounted the events haltingly, and Yuan Qianyao's brows furrowed deeper with each word he heard. He then said in a deep voice, "This must be Zhang Shuo's scheme to force us to dislike Lord Huo. The Grand Magistrate should not accept him so easily!"

Hearing the accusatory tone in Yuan Qianyao's words, Meng Wenli was so angry he could hardly breathe. How could he have known this kid was so troublesome! Besides, Henan Prefecture was open to the people and accepted lawsuits; was that something he could choose to do?

"Both of them are currently being held in a separate residence. Zhang's son has said that the soldiers at the North Gate have already harassed the Imperial Guard. I fear that Lord Huo will send someone to the Henan Prefecture again to cause trouble. Could you please issue a document and send someone on horseback to visit them?"

He didn't have time to explain in detail and hurriedly asked Yuan Qianyao for help.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Qianyao pondered for a moment, then shook his head repeatedly, saying, "If that's really the case, what will become of the situation! Do we still need to send cavalry and ten thousand cavalry to fight against the city? No, no, let me think about it, think about it!"
If this matter is not handled properly, not only Henan Prefecture, but also the Censorate will be uneasy. Therefore, Magistrate Meng, you should go to the Ministry of Justice and file a report there, so that all departments are involved. This way, if the matter is investigated later, Henan Prefecture will not be singled out.”

Meng Wenli had barely settled in when Yuan Qianyao sent him off to the Ministry of Justice. He had just left the Secretariat when he remembered something he needed to ask Yuan Qianyao for instructions. He turned back and saw Yuan Qianyao hurriedly leaving the office, so he asked, "Where are you going, sir?"

Upon hearing this question, Yuan Qianyao immediately hunched over, forcing a bitter smile as he said, "I was already feeling unwell around the time of the festival, and today's sudden cold has made me even more unwell. I must ask for leave to go home and rest for a few days. Magistrate, please go ahead, and be careful to avoid catching a cold while traveling in this cold weather!"

(End of this chapter)