Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 347 A Crime Deserving Public Execution
As dusk fell, the interrogation of several officials from the Jingzhao Prefecture involved in the case was completed, and the entire case was finally concluded, with the details of the incident being outlined.

After reviewing the case file recorded in court and confirming its accuracy, the three presiding judges each signed their names, thus concluding the trial of the case.

After all, the case itself wasn't complicated; it was simply a case of fraud and embezzlement, handled by the Three Judicial Offices—a high-level case. If it weren't for the Emperor's keen interest, a skilled judge from the Court of Judicial Review would have thoroughly investigated it in less than half a day.

But precisely because this was a case personally ordered and supervised by the sage, the officials of the three departments dared not be careless. They repeatedly questioned all the details of the case, trying their best to restore a complete truth without any blind spots.

After a day of interrogation, both Yuan Jie and Li Linfu were exhausted.

Li Linfu had also served as the Vice Censor-in-Chief, so he was naturally familiar with the procedures for questioning cases by the Censorate. When he saw the presiding official signing and affixing his seal on the case file, he quickly asked, "Gentlemen, now that we have been tried, shall we remain in the office to await judgment, or shall we return home to await further orders? May we see our families and instruct them to prepare the fines?"

As long as the lawsuits were not malicious attacks launched by opposing sides in internal court struggles against political enemies, nor involved serious crimes, the court treated the officials involved relatively well. Even Zhang Yue, who was impeached by the Censorate the previous year, was allowed to return home to await judgment after the case was basically cleared up.

Li Linfu and his associates did indeed engage in the theft and sale of official property by passing off inferior goods as superior ones and selling them at inflated prices, but this was not a serious crime. Usually, they would be fined, have their salaries reduced, and be demoted.

Li Linfu is currently just a former official without a new post, while Yuan Jie is an official in the Eastern Palace with no real duties. Neither of them holds important positions in the court, so even if they are demoted, it will not have a significant impact on them.

Therefore, the most important thing for them right now is to sincerely admit their mistakes, pay the fine as soon as possible, and strive for leniency so that the matter will not have a significant impact on them after the storm has passed.

But this is only the usual situation. The current situation is not ordinary. It is that the emperor himself is involved and the three judicial departments are conducting a joint trial. Li Linfu asked this question to test the attitude of these three people and to determine whether he needs to quickly find someone to ask for help.

"Although the trial of the case has temporarily come to an end, the case file still needs to be presented to His Majesty. Before His Majesty issues an edict, you officials involved in the case must remain in the office, and you may have your family members send in clothing and supplies."

Li Huairang, the Imperial Censor and the landlord, spoke up, emphasizing that the three of them were only responsible for hearing the case, and the final judgment would be made by the Emperor. This also meant that the final judgment might not have much to do with the details of the case, but rather the Emperor's likes and dislikes would be the decisive factor.

Upon hearing this, Li Linfu understood. He knew that they should not let their guard down. They did not know what means the despicable Zhang Dai had used to make the emperor make such a big fuss over such a trivial matter.

Therefore, the safest course of action right now is to first mobilize our connections to get ourselves and others out of trouble, and then wait until things have calmed down before seeking an opportunity to retaliate against Zhang Dai.

Li Linfu then gave Yuan Jie a wink, signaling for each of them to express their desire to see their families.

Yuan Jie was under much more pressure than Li Linfu. Firstly, he was the main manipulator of the matter, and secondly, his father had been dismissed from his post as the Prefect of the Capital and reassigned to a sinecure as the Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince, and had also been expelled from Chang'an, having already paid a heavy price.

So when the two were led to a separate hall to wait for their family to arrive, Yuan Jie couldn't help but complain to Li Linfu, "Li Shi, you are too vain. If you hadn't been so greedy for wealth but still insisted on having a large house, this whole dispute wouldn't have happened!"

Yuan Qianyao was no longer serving as the Prefect of the Capital, and Li Linfu's mindset had also changed slightly. Upon hearing this, he immediately frowned and said, "I do owe you a favor, Yuan Jiu, but I have never said I would not repay you!"

But aren't such things common among people in the capital region? Why are you and I the only ones to be arrested and questioned? It's all because of that scoundrel Zhang Dai! Yuan Jiu, you're unwilling to return his huge sum of money, and you're using personal connections to coerce me, which is why I'm so eager to devise this plan for you.

Didn't I warn you then to be wary of that scheming young man? But you were too careless, which led to this unsettling situation. Now you still have the nerve to question me? Instead, think about how you'll explain to Minister Yuwen after Yuan Gong's departure and the subsequent plot to become prime minister!

Leaving aside the two officials in the Censorate complaining to each other, the three chief officials, after finishing their questioning, immediately took the case files to Xingqing Palace. They presented the files to the Qin Zheng Building and were then led to a side hall to wait.

After a while, Gao Lishi came down from upstairs and looked at the three officials, saying in a deep voice, "The Emperor instructed me to tell you three that since you have handled the case so clearly and meticulously, you should make judgments on the people and the matter. Please each submit a judgment."

Upon hearing this, all three were taken aback.

In the past, after the three judicial departments jointly tried a case, either the officials of the three departments were only responsible for the trial and then reported the results to the prime minister or the emperor for a judgment, or the three of them discussed and made a judgment and then presented it to the emperor. Now the emperor asked them to draft their own judgments for reference. Does this mean that the emperor has no opinion on this matter?
Despite some doubts, the three men composed themselves, picked up their pens, and wrote their own judgments and pronouncements. After the ink dried, they presented their judgments to Gao Lishi. Gao Lishi, having received the judgments, hurried back to the main hall of the Qin Zheng Building and presented them to the Emperor.

The sage was still carefully reviewing the case file. When he saw the part where Yuan Jie and Li Linfu confessed to forging Zhang Dai's land deed, he couldn't help but laugh again: "Zhang Dai thought he was very clever, but in the end he still lacked experience and was inevitably defeated by the cunning old official!"

It is commendable that he did not let personal grudges cloud his judgment, but instead focused on the greater good. Based on his personal experience, he gained insight and offered a strategy for assessing the value of stolen goods, thus eradicating the evil forces within the judicial system. This was truly a wise move that deserves praise. Afterwards, he was given a piece of yellow paper, instructing the Jingzhao Prefecture to carefully write his judgment on the matter!

Upon hearing this, Gao Lishi respectfully agreed and immediately instructed the eunuch beside him to record the matter so as not to forget to handle it.

After carefully reviewing the case files, the emperor then picked up the judgments submitted by the three ministers and found that their judgments were basically based on legal provisions, and that they imposed demotions, fines, and other penalties. The specific sentencing was slightly different, but the content of the judgments was not significantly different.

"Hmph, these are the very people the court has handpicked to be knowledgeable in law and justice! If the law is in place, then follow the law; if it's not, then don't pursue the matter. Is the court's decision to grant high-ranking salaries a sign of favor to the virtuous and capable, or is it simply a way to cultivate a bunch of bookworms who only know how to devour books!"

After reading the verdict, the sage's expression gradually turned hostile. He even slammed his fist on the table and roared, "This Genji son steals and sells official goods at rock-bottom prices and embezzles public funds, which is disloyalty! He uses his father's power to intimidate the public and usurps his father's authority to commit treachery, showing no regard for the merits and reputation his father has accumulated through half a lifetime of hard work, which is unfilial! When offered a large sum of money for his services, he actually accepted the money and used treacherous schemes, breaking faith and abandoning righteousness, utterly shameless! Such a wicked person should only be treated with ordinary punishment, is that enough? Go and question him again!"

Seeing the emperor's fury, Gao Lishi was startled and quickly nodded in agreement. Then he hurriedly went downstairs to ask the three officials in charge of punishment.

This night was very long and difficult for many people, especially for those who were already in adversity.

Yuan Jie tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep. She finally made it to dawn, but there was still no improvement. Li Linfu was in a similar situation; when they looked at each other in the morning, they both saw bloodshot eyes.

"Li Shi, what kind of punishment do you think we will receive this time?"

While eating breakfast, Yuan Jie no longer had the energy to complain about Li Linfu, and only asked in a hoarse voice.

"We've been exiled to the south of the mountains before, this time it can't be any worse than the last!"

Upon hearing this, Li Linfu sighed and said, "I couldn't sleep last night. I also pondered why we fell into this trap. The reason must still be the price of that mansion! In the past, this might have been a small matter, but now the national treasury is scarce. Even Vice Minister Yuwen is going to be appointed prime minister based on his financial resources. It can be seen that financial matters are becoming more and more important!"
I only gambled a few thousand strings of cash with the Jingzhao Prefecture, but Zhang Dai has proof of spending tens of thousands of strings, and he also received a smaller amount of land. When this was presented to the emperor, the contrast between the two was shocking, and the emperor was furious, so he ordered the Ministry of Justice to conduct a thorough investigation.

Alas, what a pity. If it weren't for the contract you signed with Zhang Dai, even if he wanted to report this, he would have no evidence to support his claim. If he insists on proving it, then he could ask him where the money came from? Was it ill-gotten gains from when Yan Gong was in power? People of the time envy power and hate wealth; they won't delve into whether these tens of thousands of strings of cash are debts…”

"Alas, I just wanted to end this matter as soon as possible and didn't want to get entangled with this villain any longer, but I didn't expect to fall into his trap again!"

Upon hearing Li Linfu's analysis, Yuan Jie was filled with remorse and regret.

"You are a gentleman, with an open and honest heart, yet you were deceived by this scoundrel!"

Li Linfu continued, "I've also reflected a lot. The reason we've repeatedly suffered at his hands is ultimately because we underestimated him. He's cunning and prone to using underhanded tactics, making him impossible to guard against. Therefore, in future conflicts with him, we must avoid a gradual approach and instead use decisive, swift attacks to kill him in one fell swoop!"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Jie nodded repeatedly, saying bitterly, "If we can get through this, I will make this brat pay double in the future!"

As the two were talking, an imperial envoy and officials from the Ministry of Justice quickly arrived. They then ordered the two to be led to the court. Under the anxious gazes of the two, the imperial envoy began to read the imperial edict: "Yuan Jie, the Right Vice-Minister of the Crown Prince, has usurped his father's power to establish his own authority, disgraced his father's reputation, and disrupted the law. His crimes are heinous and unforgivable. He shall be executed by public execution..."

(End of this chapter)