People in the Qin Dynasty sought good fortune and avoided misfortune.

Chapter 546, The Imperial Prison of the Court of Justice, Yao Jia
Xianyang, Court of Justice.

The Court of Justice (廷尉) was one of the Nine Ministers of Qin, the highest authority in Qin responsible for punishment and trial. He was in charge of compiling the number of cases adjudicated in Qin, overseeing major cases and revising laws and regulations. His subordinates included the Chief Justice (正) and the Left and Right Supervisors (左 and 右监). It can be said that the Court of Justice was the most powerful person besides the Chancellor and the Grand Commandant (国尉).

The once solemn and even awe-inspiring Minister of Justice now exudes a sense of fear and unease.

The two supervisors and their subordinate officials stood anxiously in the courtyard, some whispering, some looking tense, and some nervously pounding their hands, as if the sky had fallen.

Just as an uneasy atmosphere began to spread, the door to the main house of the mansion was pushed open, and the Minister of Justice and his assistant came out.

The Minister of Justice, with a stern expression and a cold demeanor, swept his gaze over the crowd. The chief eunuchs and other subordinate officials and clerks all stood in line, lowered their heads, and stopped whispering among themselves.

Just as the Minister of Justice was about to reprimand his incompetent subordinates, the voice of the clerk at the door rang out.

"Lord Zhaoming has arrived!"

Upon hearing this, the Minister of Justice disregarded his subordinates' reprimands, straightened his clothes, and turned to look at the gate. The other officials also looked up at the gate.

Under everyone's gaze, Xu Qing, wearing a cloak and with a handsome face, walked towards them with two attendants.

Upon seeing Xu Qing enter the Court of Justice's residence, the officials of the Court of Justice stepped forward, bowed in unison, and greeted him.

"Lord Zhaoming".

"Fang Tingwei".

Xu Qing returned the salute to the Minister of Justice with his hands clasped, and then nodded to the others as a greeting.

After the two exchanged greetings, Fang Tingwei took a step closer to Xu Qing, his previously serious expression softening, and cautiously asked...
"Lord Zhaoming, has the King summoned you to the Court of Justice with any instructions?"

After speaking, Fang Tingwei appeared calm on the surface, but he was inwardly somewhat uneasy. The scope and impact of Lao Ai's rebellion were unprecedented.

Moreover, Lao Ai himself is not important; what is important is that Lao Ai was recommended to the palace by Lü Buwei. As the Qin court official, he was naturally familiar with Qin law, which stipulated that if the person recommended committed a crime, the recommender would be punished along with them.

Ordinary crimes are easy to explain, but this is treason, a crime punishable by the extermination of three generations of one's family.

Even if Lü Buwei had made tremendous contributions to the Qin state, the least he could do in the face of such a crime was to wisely step down and hand over power to Ying Zheng.

Lü Buwei could save himself, but the officials from the six states might not be so lucky. The Qin royal family had long resented Lü Buwei and the scholars from the six states; how could they possibly let go of such a golden opportunity? If Lü Buwei didn't die, he would surely transfer his anger to these scholars.

Although he wasn't originally a retainer of Lü Buwei, he was a scholar from one of the six states, and it was Lü Buwei who recommended him to become the Minister of Justice. Given the current situation, how could he possibly feel at ease?

The other officials of the Court of Justice also looked at Xu Qing, their expressions tense, eagerly awaiting his answer.

Xu Qing glanced at everyone, her expression remaining calm and inscrutable, revealing neither good nor bad intentions, and replied indifferently.
"Nothing important. His Majesty asked me to ask Fang Tingwei whether the investigation into the case of Lao Ai and his accomplices' treason has been completed and whether it can be closed and reported to His Majesty."

Is this the start of a liquidation process?
Upon hearing Xu Qing's answer, Fang Tingwei and many of his subordinates had the same thought.

Lao Ai was only sent to the Court of Justice yesterday, and the interrogation was just completed today. Before his crimes and the confessions of his accomplices could be registered, Ying Zheng sent Xu Qing to inquire about the results. Isn't this an eagerness to clean up the court?
Immediately, everyone's hearts sank, and their gazes towards Xu Qing became somewhat complicated.

"Lao Ai confessed to his crimes without reservation. However, the number of traitors who followed him in the rebellion was large and the involvement was extensive, so a thorough interrogation was still needed. The crime of treason must not let any person with ill intentions go unpunished, but the innocent should not be implicated either."

"Therefore, I request that Your Majesty inform the king that I need some more time."

Fang Tingwei glanced at Xu Qing and, although he understood what Ying Zheng wanted, he still forced himself to speak his true thoughts.

Xu Qing glanced at the officials from the Court of Justice, whose faces were somewhat pale, his gaze lingering on the Vice Minister of Justice for a moment before turning to Minister Fang and speaking.

"It seems that Fang Tingwei has misunderstood something. His Majesty only sent me to inquire about the results, not to rush to close the case. Where is Lao Ai? Let me go see him."

"This..." Fang Tingwei looked at Xu Qing with some hesitation.

"Rest assured, I have the King's decree in my hands."

As Xu Qing spoke, he took out Ying Zheng's warrant. Fang Tingwei took the warrant, glanced at it, and only after confirming that Ying Zheng allowed Xu Qing to see Lao Ai did he nod in agreement.

"If that's the case, Lord Zhaoming, please come with me."

"Commander Fang, just arrange for anyone to take me there. Now that the evidence against Lao Ai is clear, go and report to the King first."

Xu Qing looked at the Minister of Justice, smiled, and said.

"That's fine then, let the Chief Justice take you there."

Fang Tingwei glanced at the Tingwei Cheng, who then stepped forward and respectfully addressed Xu Qing.

"Your humble servant Yao Jia pays his respects to Lord Zhaoming."

Upon hearing Yao Jia's words, a glint flashed in Xu Qing's eyes. Yao Jia was no ordinary name, especially since he was a person named Yao Jia in the Qin court.

"Yes, I'd like to trouble you to take me to the prison." "Please follow me."

Xu Qing glanced at the many subordinate officials again, then followed Yao Jia toward the prison where Lao Ai was imprisoned. Behind him were two attendants and two minor officials.

Perhaps out of concern for his own future, or perhaps out of worry about the political situation at court, Yao Jia and the others did not speak to Xu Qing along the way. Xu Qing was happy to have some peace and quiet and observed the layout and decoration of the Court of Justice on his own.

The Court of Justice, as the highest department in Qin responsible for criminal law, exuded solemnity from the inside out. The entire place was decorated in black, and the minor officials we encountered on the way were busy with various files.

Before long, the group arrived outside the Imperial Prison.

The first thing that caught Xu Qing's eye was the head of the mythical beast Bi'an on the bronze gate. A dozen armored soldiers were on guard and patrolling on the towering and sturdy walls. Even from some distance away, Xu Qing could smell an unpleasant stench of blood.

“Lord Zhaoming, please forgive me, prison is not a clean place,” Yao Jia said.

"It's nothing, I've been to places like this before. You two stay outside, I'll go in with the Chief Justice and the other official."

Xu Qing shook his head slightly and said nonchalantly that the place where Han Fei dragged him to perform autopsies in South Korea was much dirtier and more chaotic than this prison.

"promise."

The two attendants and the minor official stayed outside, watching Xu Qing and Yao Jia walk into the prison.

Upon entering the Tingwei Prison, Xu Qing felt a chill. The air was thick with the smell of decay and blood, and only a few oil lamps provided faint light in the deep, empty passageway.

When the jailers saw Yao Jia arrive with the richly dressed Xu Qing, although they didn't recognize Xu Qing, they knew that someone who could be personally led by the second-in-command of the Court of Justice must not be an ordinary person.

The jailer's supervisor stepped forward, bowed to Yao Jia and Xu Qing, exchanged a few words with Yao Jia, and then led the way with a bunch of keys.

"This is a filthy place, so please watch your step, Lord Zhaoming," Yao Jia reminded him with a smile.

“I had long heard that the Chief Justice was a meticulous person and had never made a mistake since taking office. Today it seems that his words are true.”

Xu Qing strode into the prison, making sarcastic remarks as he went.

Yao Jia was taken aback at first, his expression slightly changing, but he maintained a respectful demeanor and humbly said...

"Your Majesty is joking. It is merely an outsider's excessive praise. Your Majesty has appointed me as the Assistant Minister of Justice, and I will certainly do my duty to the utmost and dare not be negligent in the slightest."

"Is what Marquis Wenxin said also an overstatement?"

Xu Qing's lips curled up slightly, and he said meaningfully.

Yao Jia suddenly stopped and turned back to look at Xu Qing in surprise, his eyes filled with astonishment.

"Lord Zhaoming, I once served as a retainer of Marquis Wenxin for a period of time, so your evaluation of me may be somewhat biased."

Yao Jia couldn't figure out what Xu Qing meant by those words, so he could only continue to maintain a humble expression.

"Hehehe~ Yao Tingwei Cheng, you're treating me like an outsider. Han, Zhao, and Wei originally belonged to Jin. Although I am deeply trusted by the King, I am ultimately a Han person. And you and I, if I remember correctly, should be Wei people."

“If we go back a hundred or two hundred years, you and I would be considered fellow townsmen.”

Xu Qing chuckled a few times and looked at Yao Jia.

“I am indeed from Daliang in the State of Wei, but I am not as good as you. I was falsely accused of theft and forced to come to the State of Qin. By chance, I was appreciated by Marquis Wenxin, which gave me the opportunity to enter officialdom.”

"As a sinner, I dare not presume to be close to Lord Zhaoming."

Yao Jia bowed and clasped his hands, his eyes darting around as he pondered the meaning behind Xu Qing's words.

Xu Qing's words clearly conveyed a desire for closeness, but at this critical juncture, he dared not easily become close to Xu Qing, fearing that he would become the target of Xu Qing's or the imperial clan's attacks against Lü Buwei.

Seeing that Yao Jia remained vigilant, Xu Qing was not angry. From the other party's words, he was also certain that the person in front of him was indeed the Yao Jia he thought he was.

Later, as a high-ranking official of the Qin state, he single-handedly disrupted the unfinished alliance between the four states of Chu, Qi, Yan, and Zhao in three years, allowing Qin to expand eastward and destroy Han, thus beginning the path to unifying the world.

Moreover, Yao Jia and Li Si are friends. Logically speaking, Yao Jia first rose to prominence after being recommended by Li Si following the order to expel guests. How come he is now the Assistant Minister of Justice?

Despite his doubts, Xu Qing maintained a friendly smile and patted Yao Jia on the shoulder, saying...
"As a criminal, how could I not be a criminal who entered Qin? It is only because the King did not despise my lowliness and entrusted me with an important task that I have achieved what I have today."

"How can someone of lowly status not identify with the bonds of their hometown? What do you think, Chief Justice?"

Yao Jia looked up at Xu Qing, and seeing Xu Qing's face, which was dimly lit by the oil lamp but had a friendly smile, he hesitated for a moment before a smile appeared on his face as well.

“Lord Zhaoming, you are right. The affection between fellow townsmen is about the longing for one’s hometown and homeland. How can we judge distance based on social status?” Yao Jia said.

(End of this chapter)