Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 128 Who is the mastermind?

Anyone in the world who commits a crime can ultimately be brought before the Dali Temple.

But members of the royal family are an exception.

However, royalty cannot act arbitrarily and do whatever they want.

Therefore, the Imperial Clan Court was established to manage the affairs of the royal family.

Furthermore, a super-rank official position—the Imperial Clan Court Official—was established, which was not among the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers.

This position is usually filled by a highly respected member of the royal family.

The current head of the Imperial Clan is Prince Qi, Wei Jing.

The emperor had a few brothers who still had some say in things.

After Song Shi'an entered the Dali Temple, Wei Wusheng also entered the Imperial Clan Court.

In a solemn inner hall, Wei Wusheng sat on his throne. Opposite him, Wei Jing also sat on his throne.

"Sixth Prince Wei Wusheng, who was the mastermind behind the troop mobilization in Langya?" Wei Jing asked solemnly.

“Reporting to the Imperial Clan Court, I was the mastermind,” Wei Wusheng said.

"It's on record."

Wei Jing raised his hand, and a junior member of the royal family beside him was taking notes.

"Who masterminds the looting of the property of Zhang Wen and others in Shuofeng?"

This time, Wei Wusheng did not confess, but explained: "Zhang Wen and others voluntarily handed over money to bribe the officers guarding the south gate."

"Is there any evidence?"

"All the officers and soldiers guarding the city have been flogged and had their salaries deducted. The supervising officer and the county magistrate have also filed cases against them. The heads of the powerful families who came to Sheng'an this time can also serve as witnesses," Wei Wusheng said.

"It's on record."

Wei Jing raised his hand.

He continued, "Song Shi'an, the magistrate of Shuofeng County, promised that soldiers and officers of the Imperial Guards would be promoted two or more ranks. Who was the mastermind behind this?"

"I was the mastermind."

"Did he suggest it?"

No, it was my own decision.

"It's on record."

After noting this down, Wei Jing stared at Wei Wusheng and asked with a hint of questioning in his tone, "One last question: what responsibility does the magistrate of Shuofeng County bear in all these actions?"

“All actions are proposed and decided by me. Shi…Song Shi’an is only responsible for carrying out my orders, just like everyone else.”

"you sure?"

"I am sure."

"It's on record."

Finally, the trial at the Imperial Clan Court, which was conducted without any unnecessary delays, came to an end.

Wei Jing stood up, and Wei Wusheng also stood up.

The two people bowed to each other.

"Sixth Prince, you will have to stay here until the case is closed at the Dali Temple. Please understand," Wei Jing said.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Imperial Uncle," Wei Wusheng replied with a very humble smile.

"It's my duty." Wei Jing smiled, but his expression remained quite formal as he reminded, "The Imperial Clan Court will close this case here. Once I leave, it cannot be changed."

"No need, Imperial Uncle, not a single word will be changed."

"it is good."

Wei Wusheng's straightforward confession spared Wei Jing, an old man nearing sixty, some of the torment.

After leaving the Imperial Clan Court, he said to those around him, "Give these to His Majesty."

.........

Wei Wusheng's confession was delivered to the emperor, but he didn't even glance at it, since he already knew about it.

The key issue now is whether or not to send the case to Wang Chen of the Dali Temple to assist him in handling the case.

"Chen Bao," the emperor asked the eunuch beside him, "according to the procedures of the Dali Temple, how long will it take for Song Shi'an's case to be concluded and for him to be released from prison?"

"Your Majesty, that depends on Song Shi'an's testimony," Chen Bao replied.

"What do you think he will say?" the emperor asked again.

"Please forgive my rudeness."

"Speaking is not a crime; speak."

"Since it was agreed upon by the Sixth Prince and Song Shi'an that they would return separately, then all the actions regarding the troop deployment in Langya, the granting of official titles, and the promises made should have been done in advance..."

"We've checked each other's statements."

The emperor spoke for Chen Bao, a word he dared not utter himself.

Chen Bao said, "Even if there are some discrepancies in the details, and Song Shi'an will defend His Highness slightly, in general, there shouldn't be much difference."

"If their testimonies match, wouldn't they be released without charge very quickly?" the emperor asked again.

Song Shi'an needs to get out, but he can't get out too easily.

The emperor wanted to pave the way for the King of Wu, so he couldn't let him get out of prison easily.

At the very least, some obstacles must be anticipated.

In this way, Song Shi'an would owe a debt of gratitude to the King of Wu.

"Then Your Majesty..." Chen Bao thought for a moment and then said, "The officials of the entire Northern Liang, especially the military officers, are now basically the core of the Imperial Guard. Moreover, those people kneel before both Your Highness and Song Shi'an."

"It's too big," the emperor said, rejecting it outright.

The goal is to frame Song Shi'an with various charges, some minor and some major, so that the King of Wu can come out and save him, but the charge of 'cultivating his own faction' is no small matter.

"Was the person Zhang Wen bribed not actually the guards at the South Gate, but Song Shi'an himself?"

This information is highly confidential.

But the emperor knew.

Or to put it another way, there were very few things the emperor didn't know.

"No, I'll keep something in reserve."

This won't work either. Exposing it will make 'An Sheng' restless and nervous.

“The death of Zhang Wen’s son was too hasty,” Chen Bao said. “Moreover, it was Song Shi’an who killed him with his own hands.”

Too many people know this.

Even the military supervisor must record the facts truthfully.

After Zhang Wen and his family returned home, his son was killed by Song Shi'an, and secret letters accusing him of treason were subsequently discovered.

Zhang Wen was the head of the most powerful family in Shuojun. His son was a fourth-rank military officer, and his nephew was a former regional governor. The fact that one of his sons was killed was no small matter.

Of course, once the Song Shi'an case is over, Zhang Wen's entire family, including the eldest son of that captain, will be beheaded.

Even if it was a nephew who was appointed governor, he had basically withdrawn from the center of power. If he could have a sinecure of the third rank and stay there until retirement, that would be considered a great favor from the emperor.

"Okay, this one."

The Emperor has made his decision.

If Song Shi'an and Wei Wusheng's testimonies are consistent, the An-Sheng duo can be broken up.

.........

"Shi An, after returning to Sheng An, I will definitely join the Imperial Clan Court and, just as I said before, shoulder all the responsibilities."

"When you are at the Dali Temple, don't admit to anything. Just say what everyone already knows—that you did it along with them."

"Please don't worry about it. No one can erase our achievements. I won't have any problems with you, and I won't blame you."

"All you need to do then is get out of Dali Temple as soon as possible."

Wei Wusheng's words that night replayed in Song Shi'an's mind.

Sitting in the prison cell, his expression was perfectly calm. A short while later, the prison officer who had come to arrest him that day arrived, standing outside the cell and smiling as he said to Song Shi'an, "Young Master Song."

Realizing they were being used as pawns by powerful figures, they tried to salvage the situation.

Song Shi'an looked at him and smiled: "What is it?"

"Today, I was only doing what I was told to do. The imprisonment was also ordered by them. I was just carrying out their orders. The process was a bit rough, please forgive me." He was as apprehensive as a lowly clerk in Chekhov's satirical novel.

Of course, he was a seventh-rank official, which was quite a high-ranking position.

"It's alright, it's not your fault." Song Shi'an didn't seem to care at all.

This feeling of oppression!

The implication is that the blame lies with the higher-ups.

"Does my father know I've come in?" Song Shi'an asked.

“Lord Song should know,” the other party replied. “These past few days, he has been personally liaised with Lord Wang. However, the Imperial Prison is outside my jurisdiction, so I’m afraid I can’t pass on any messages there.”

The Imperial Prison was a place where high-ranking officials were tried, so it was definitely different from Song Shi'an's place.

"Need not."

Song Shi'an didn't care.

We'll meet eventually.

"Yes, Lord Song."

"When will the trial begin?" Song Shi'an asked.

“I’m here to take you there,” the prison officer said.

"Let's go."

Song Shi'an stood up quite calmly, and then followed the prison officer of the same rank to an interrogation room that was completely enclosed and contained various instruments of torture.

In the very center, there is a hard, low wooden stool.

Without him saying anything, Song Shi'an sat down.

Above them were two spacious and comfortable armchairs, for those who came to judge them.

Who's coming? I'm so excited!

……

After much deliberation and shirking, the question of who would be the interrogator was ultimately settled between Sun Heng and Ji Ming.

The left and right supervisors of the Dali Temple.

Sun Heng believed it was due to Ji Ming, as the Right Supervisor was responsible for handling lawsuits and trials of officials outside the capital, while the magistrate of Shuofeng County was from Liangzhou, clearly a local position.

Ji Ming felt that it was Sun Heng's fault, because the officials who impeached Song Shi'an were from the capital, and this should be considered the Kyoto Case.

So the final compromise was that both of them would come.

Why not both of them?
Wang Chen said he had something to do and went home first.

"When the Sixth Prince returned to Sheng'an, the officials welcomed him, which must have been considered a reward," Ji Ming speculated. "If that's the case, why hasn't he received any honors or rewards in the past month? Moreover, he's remained in the palace the whole time and hasn't gone anywhere else?"

"You mean..." Sun Heng asked, "His Highness took the blame for all the 'crimes'?"

Ji Ming remained silent.

But both of them thought it was possible.

“If Song Shi’an also places the blame on His Highness…” Ji Ming said, “then we cannot retort or rebuke him for his audacity.”

"We can only report the details truthfully to the palace," Sun Heng said.

But after saying that, he frowned again: "If the two sides match up, Song Shi'an will be innocent."

As soon as he said this, Ji Ming stared at Sun Heng with a serious look in his eyes.

Don't start any more infighting and drag him into it.

"Ask according to the procedure, and review according to the procedure."

Sun Heng restrained his evil intentions.

The two of them went to the interrogation room together.

They sat down together.

At the same time, there were several subordinate officials and recorders to ensure procedural justice.

Seeing Song Shi'an, that scoundrel, Sun Heng couldn't contain his anger.

But no matter how angry you are, you can't vent your personal grievances.

Not to mention torture.

Given the severity of this case, if he were to lose even a hair, someone would lose their head.

"Song Shi'an." After gathering his thoughts, Sun Heng looked at the case file and asked, "Do you know your crime?"

"I am guilty."

The two of them were dumbfounded when those three words were uttered.

This kid actually admitted his guilt!
This is not a place to throw a tantrum. He himself has admitted to the crime, but he will be judged according to the Yu law!
"What crime do you know?" Sun Heng retorted.

“You want to question me, not make me confess,” Song Shi’an reminded him.

"You don't need to tell me, how could I not know?" Sun Heng retorted unhappily, then cut to the chase, "There's an impeachment claiming that you orchestrated the Langya troop mobilization case. Is that true?"

"The troop deployment in Langya is intended to mobilize all available resources to resist Qi."

"I'm asking you, who's the mastermind?"

“I am saying.”

Song Shi'an stared at him, neither humble nor arrogant, and replied seriously, "If it's not a rebellion, then how can you be the mastermind?"

"Then you just said you knew you were guilty. What crime were you guilty of?" Ji Ming asked.

“I know I’m guilty, but I know it was because I violated military discipline in order to resist Qi and adapt to changing circumstances. It was not treason.”

“Whether it constitutes treason is not for you to define,” Sun Heng said.

"Is my statement on record?" Song Shi'an asked.

“Yes,” Jiming said. “I’ll write down every single word, and you’ll need to sign and put your fingerprint on it later.”

"it is good."

“Then tell me again,” Ji Ming continued, “who proposed, who decided, and who carried out your so-called unconventional response that violated military discipline this time?”

This is the key.

Song Shi'an's answer will determine whether he can be released from prison as soon as possible.

He was involved in the execution process, which was visible to everyone, so as long as he admitted to the public acts and his testimony matched that of Wei Wusheng in the Imperial Clan Court, he would basically be released without charge.

This is what annoys Sun Heng the most.

Isn't the Sixth Prince being too good to him?
He took everything upon himself.

All the credit then goes to Song Shi'an.

Raising his head, Song Shi'an suddenly said, "I will propose the troop deployment, and Your Highness will decide. The two of us will carry it out together."

"..."

Upon hearing this, everyone, including the official recording the event, froze.

This Song Shi'an actually wanted to use his own body to resist the crime of treason!
Yes, Song Shi'an did promise Xiao Wei, but it was just a lie.

If his testimony matches Xiao Wei's, then Xiao Wei is fully responsible, and Xiao Wei bears no responsibility.

But what if his and Xiao Wei's testimonies contradict each other?

That is, the charges against the two individuals are pending.

King of Wu, aren't you trying to win our hearts?

Then use your extraordinary abilities to exonerate both of us.

(End of this chapter)