Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 129 The Emperor Wants to Kill
Ji Ming and Sun Heng never expected this person to be so tough.

If one person were to bear these charges alone, they would certainly face certain death.

But the prince has an invincible golden body, so he can be handled with care; at worst, his merits and demerits will cancel each other out.

How could a county magistrate, who was hostile to all officials, possibly stand up to them?
There is only one possibility.

The Sixth Prince's testimony was completely contrary to his.

Even if only part of the parts overlap, he's doomed.

Just one point: as a subject, is it permissible to offer official titles and promises to those soldiers?

Absolutely not.

Putting aside whether this is in accordance with the rules in terms of form, there is just one point that cannot be resolved: after you promise soldiers and officers official positions, who should they thank?
This is using the emperor's power to enhance one's own prestige and cultivate a real faction of followers.

In any case, using a divine artifact is a capital offense.

Therefore, Sun Heng immediately asked, "Who proposed and decided to promote the Imperial Guard soldiers two ranks?"

“With Tongguan and Zhao Xiang suffering two consecutive defeats, the morale of the Northern Liang army has long been shattered. The Imperial Guards are filled with fear, all believing that defending Shuofeng City is certain death. Within Shuofeng City, powerful clans are colluding with Ji Yuan. Only by promoting and consolidating the forces of Shuofeng during the battle can we prevent a mutiny and a popular uprising,” Song Shi’an said.

“I’m asking you who proposed this, who made the decision, and who gave you permission to say these things!” Sun Heng immediately retorted angrily.

Song Shi'an stared at Ji Ming beside him and said, "It's recorded."

"you!"

Sun Heng immediately became angry.

Ji Ming raised his hand and said to the official beside him, "Make a record of it."

"Yes, sir, I've got it." He replied hastily.

You can admit to a crime, but you can't just admit it arrogantly and without any restraint—just do it.

Explaining the internal causes is both a form of refutation and a sincere attitude.

I am a loyal subject; everything I do is for the sake of the Great Yu.

Believe it or not.

“I proposed the promotion of the entire Imperial Guard by two ranks to the Sixth Prince, and he made the final decision, which I then implemented,” Song Shi’an said.

“It’s on record.” Sun Heng’s tone hardened, just like his.

Next, it was just a matter of asking questions.

Regarding the 'plundering' of the property of the Shuofeng clan, etc.

However, Song Shi'an did not admit it here.

Because of all that, he did it flawlessly; the physical evidence, witness testimonies, and procedures were all complete. The county government's case files and the military supervisor's records were all largely accurate and could withstand the test of history.

And so, after about an hour, the long interrogation came to an end.

The recorded statements were several thousand words long.

The official who wrote the letter presented it to Song Shi'an and gave him paper and pen to sign and affix his seal.

Song Shi'an, on the other hand, carefully read through the entire book, not missing a single word.

He's the kind of person who reads the entire disclaimer from beginning to end when registering a game account; he's very meticulous, and no one can fool him.

This made Sun Heng, who was above, a little impatient, but there was nothing he could do to urge him.

Now, whenever I ask a question in a bad tone, Song Shi'an will respond in a bad tone.

If only torture could be used.

But this person is someone you really shouldn't mess with.

About 30 minutes later, Song Shi'an finally finished reading.

He signed his name with a pen.

Then, he used his finger to apply the fingerprint with red ink.

“Song Shi’an, this is only the first time. There will be many more interrogations like this. You have to take responsibility for what you’ve said.”

Before Ji Ming got up, he reminded him.

This statement reveals his attempt to 'make amends' to me.

Normal interrogation procedures would not involve such a request or talk of repeated interrogation.

His meaning was clear: one should be careful with one's words and avoid contradictions, otherwise the consequences will be severe.

"it is good."

Song Shi'an responded peacefully.

Then, the prison officer personally escorted him back to the prison.

The group being interrogated was waiting for a decision from above at the Dali Temple.

Just then, Wang Chen returned to Dali Temple as if he had timed it perfectly.

And to Ji Ming and Sun Heng, he smiled apologetically and said, "Oh dear, without a virtuous wife, the household is in turmoil. Even the smallest thing can cause chaos. I really envy you two."

"Lord Wang is truly considerate of his wife." Sun Heng couldn't manage a smile, and said rather calmly, "I wonder if you would be able to attend the next interrogation, sir?"

"Of course we'll be there; the Dali Temple's duties come first," Wang Chen replied with a smile.

The two supervisors already had considerable opinions about him.

Although they were all his subordinates, at a time like this, lacking responsibility was a serious offense.

If he were to become the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, one of the most powerful and influential of the Nine Ministers, then this institution would be rendered useless.

Therefore, it is absolutely impossible to let him go up.

When the court comes to inquire about his performance as acting Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, the two of them will tacitly agree that no one will speak well of him.

However, they needn't bother with that; Wang Chen had no hope of ever getting a permanent position.

It's fortunate that we were able to get through this 'Langya Mutiny Case' smoothly. Are you still thinking of taking the opportunity to get promoted?
It's noisy.

That position either belongs to Song Jing or...

Either the emperor should appoint someone else he trusts.

"How so?" Wang Chen asked.

"This is the statement," Ji Ming handed it to him.

After reviewing it, he looked somewhat serious: "At this rate, it might take at least a month to finish the trial."

The workload has increased again.

"So what should we say? Should we report it directly?" Sun Heng asked.

"Just hand it over to the palace. Don't say a word," Wang Chen said. "How to conduct the interrogation is entirely up to His Majesty."

Logically speaking, the Dali Temple would have its own views and opinions on interrogation.

Because it's impossible to say for sure what the criminal says.

But no one could definitively say whether Song Shi'an was truly the culprit. Ultimately, the confession was presented to the palace by the Dali official, intact.

Song Shi'an's powerful and resounding speech in the interrogation room quickly spread throughout the middle and high-ranking officials of the Dali Temple...

Before Song Jing's prison, Lord Liu looked around, then covered his mouth and whispered, "Lord."

Seeing this, Song Jing stood up and walked over: "Young Master Liu, what is it?"

"Your Excellency," Lord Liu continued in a low voice, "During the interrogation, the young master admitted to mobilizing troops in Langya and appointing officials without authorization. His Highness made the decision on his behalf."

Xiao Liu had thought it through that day.

He had indeed displeased the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review and held a grudge because he had relayed the message in advance.

Having served as a seventh-rank official for so many years, it's unlikely I'll get promoted again.

But can we try a different approach?
Even the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review has to curry favor with Lord Song, so why don't we skip the Vice Minister and go straight to currying favor with Lord Song?

No middlemen making a profit!

“Oh, that’s what he said,” Song Jing said.

"My lord, should I have someone tell the young master that it was you who said this?" he said after looking around.

"No need."

Song Jing smiled and declined, but then he suddenly thought of something and added, "If it's convenient, tell him that I already know, that I'm doing well in prison, and that he doesn't need to worry."

"…Yes."

Lord Liu didn't know why he was sending such meaningless words at such a critical juncture, but he still decided to do as he was told and took his leave: "Then this humble official will take his leave now."

"Ah."

Song Jing smiled and let him go.

Then, sitting in prison, with one hand resting on his knee, he appeared surprisingly composed.

This message is not just empty talk.

On the contrary, everything was explained clearly.

Go for it! Don't feel pressured just because I'm in jail.

Gazing outside the imperial prison, Song Jing said solemnly, "Your Majesty, our Song family also cares about our reputation."

.........

Dali Zheng handed over the Dali Temple's confession to the palace eunuchs and explained the trial process and details to them in detail.

Subsequently, the eunuch presented it to Chen Bao.

Finally, Chen Bao handed it over to the emperor.

After reading it, the emperor was unusually stunned for a moment.

There were unexpected events, but none as unexpected as those.

Of course, I was slightly shocked by this testimony.

"Chen Bao, come and see."

The only person the emperor can talk to properly right now is this chief eunuch.

It's not that we don't trust others, it's that they don't know the whole story.

Sima Yu, who knew the whole story, was almost killed by his own actions.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Chen Bao obeyed the order and read it very carefully.

He was also taken aback.

"Can you understand?" the emperor asked.

"Your Majesty, as this servant wishes..."

After much deliberation, Chen Bao said, "Song Shi'an, as the top scholar in the provincial examination, will inevitably have some arrogance from the aristocracy. Your Highness can bear all the blame, but if he shirks responsibility and ultimately gains wealth and status, he might worry about being scorned by scholars throughout the land."

"Yes, it's not just my Wei family that cares about face; the Song family does too." The emperor understood this quite well.

Not domineering at all.

"But if it's just about losing face, why take on so much?" the emperor asked. "If two people's testimonies are completely contradictory, how should they be convicted?"

Chen Bao choked up nervously for a moment, then said cautiously, "Both of them are guilty, yet both of them are innocent."

"So he wanted the King of Wu to suppress the kidnapping of the garrison commander, the seizure of power to mobilize troops, and the unauthorized appointment of officials. Or, to put it another way, to define all of these as absolute loyalty, allowing generals in the field to disobey some orders."

Actually, it's all on Wei Wusheng's behalf; there's no problem at all.

If Wei Wusheng were truly guilty, all the officials in the court would plead for him.

However, under the prevailing public opinion, they must be divided.

But if the King of Wu can really suppress them, they will not only not be divided, but will be locked together.

Chen Bao knew.

The emperor absolutely did not want to suppress Song Shi'an; the only person he wanted to suppress was Wu Sheng.

If there is someone who doesn't want him to gain power, it must be someone who is unruly.

When Sima Yu interpreted the dream, he said that the rebellious ministers around the prince who was causing trouble should be eliminated.

But this emperor seems to want to do the opposite.

He wanted to eliminate the rebellious prince to whom the traitorous minister served.

He wanted to protect the traitor.

Do you hate Wusheng that much?
"Do you think that Song Shi'an confessed his crime and Wu Sheng knew about it?" the emperor asked.

This problem is terrifying.

The question is, who actually came up with the idea of ​​each person taking the blame?

If Song Shi'an acted on his own initiative without Wu Sheng's knowledge, then it's fine.

But what if both of them have agreed on it?

The goal was to bind the two together tightly, release them without charge, and ensure they would remain locked in a familial bond as ruler and subject.

To this end, they did not hesitate to hold the entire Northern Liang hostage.

Therefore, they did not hesitate to force the emperor to make a choice.

That arrogant ambition is far too great.

We definitely can't kill him now.

But in the future, when he gets the chance, he will have to die.

Chen Bao knelt down, trembling.

The emperor, with a commanding air, said, "Go and tell Wusheng that Song Shi'an's testimony is completely consistent with his own, and see how he reacts."

(End of this chapter)