Da Ming: Father, step aside, I'll be the prime minister!

Chapter 131 No need for procedural justice? Blood for blood! (9300)

As they spoke, the group hurried to the prison of the Northern Garrison Command.

This is not the imperial prison, but a place where the Embroidered Uniform Guard usually detains ordinary prisoners.

Leading the two to the front of the cell, Zhang Jianxiu said with some hope.

"Please, Minister Ling, take a look. Is this your son?"

Ling Yunyi paused for a moment, then forced himself to look at the familiar figure on the cell floor. After observing him for a long time, he noticed that the figure's back was becoming increasingly hunched.

Without further hesitation, he stepped forward and grabbed the criminal by the hair. When the criminal looked up and revealed his face, he finally recognized him.

For a moment, Ling Yunyi's eyes widened, and they seemed to be spitting fire!
"Ling Xuan Ying! You unfilial son, what are you doing here! Are you trying to kill our whole family?!"

As he spoke, he mercilessly slapped Ling Xuan Ying more than a dozen times, left and right.

Ling Xuan was clearly overdosing on hallucinogens; he was in a daze, and even when he was somewhat awake, he was still muttering something.

"The Eternal Mother ~ Vacuum Homeland ~"

"Beasts!"

Ling Yunyi's eyes were bloodshot with rage, and he immediately raised his hand, wanting to kill this unfilial son.

But Zhang Yunxiu, who was standing behind him, stopped him from doing so.

"Minister Ling, let's go outside and talk. Even if you kill him, it won't solve anything right now."

Ling Yunyi opened his mouth, but ultimately lowered his head and sighed.

"It's all my fault for neglecting to discipline this beast, allowing him to develop such an arrogant nature. A few days ago, I heard that he was associating with some martial arts friends and had even become involved with that black incense. I originally thought that since I wasn't too busy with official duties, I could discipline him, but I never expected that he would associate with the White Lotus Sect."

Sitting back down in the lobby, Ling Yunyi gritted his teeth and looked at Zhang Yunxiu and the other man.

"Now that the Grand Secretary is seriously ill, and Zhang Siwei and Xu Xuemo are eyeing him covetously, the court is rife with intrigue. This beast has caused such a disaster, and I have no face to plead for him!"

As he spoke, he actually knelt down straight in front of Zhang Yunxiu and the other person.

"The consequences are so severe that even if I were to die nine times, I could not atone for them! Even if you two were to tear this scoundrel to pieces, I would have no complaints."

"You mustn't do that!" Zhang Jianxiu quickly stepped forward to help him up, mimicking Zhang Yunxiu's earlier words. "Now that things have come to this, even if we kill Xu Xuemo and Zhang Siwei, it won't make a difference. Uncle, you don't need to do that."

Ling Yunyi said angrily, "Then kill this brat and let him die without a burial place! If others can't find a reason to kill him, it won't have any impact!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yunxiu was immediately startled.

Good heavens, he's really ruthless. Ling Xuanying is his own flesh and blood, after all.

But upon further reflection, I can understand it.

The crime of colluding with the White Lotus Rebellion was roughly punished according to the Ming Dynasty Code as follows: "The ringleader shall be hanged, and the followers shall each be flogged one hundred times and exiled three thousand li."

This is merely collusion; Ling Xuanying's actions go far beyond mere collusion. He may even have become the leader of the White Lotus Sect!
This crime could implicate the entire family, potentially leading to their execution.

This one spendthrift son could potentially destroy the Ling family; it would be better to kill him and end it all.

Seeing that the other party was about to chop his son up, Zhang Yunxiu quickly said something.

"Minister Ling, there's no need to worry. Things haven't reached the point of no return."

“Zhang Tongzhi has another way?” Ling Yunyi looked at him with some surprise. He knew that Zhang Yunxiu was intelligent, but he also had a way to collude with the White Lotus Sect.

Zhang Yunxiu naturally wouldn't defend Ling Xuanying, and shook his head as he spoke.

“The death penalty may be waived, but the punishment will not be spared. However, it is not the time to punish your son now. We have a more pressing issue to resolve.”

He analyzed it in detail.

"I think that although your son is absurd, he wouldn't actually go out of his way to provoke the White Lotus cult."

“Zhang Tongzhi said…” Ling Yunyi frowned deeply.

"In my opinion, your son must have been bewitched by that Qingliu, who used Wuxiang as bait to lure him into the White Lotus Sect. He is willing to do anything for these people in order to obtain Wuxiang, which is rare even in the royal capital!"

Ling Yunyi widened his eyes and said, "What you mean, Nephew Zhang, is that this beast is being misled by others and is not acting out of his own nature."

“I’m not sure.” Zhang Yunxiu shook his head. “However, now that things have come to this, no matter why your son joined the White Lotus Sect, there can only be one reason—he was bewitched!”

Ling Xuan should be punished, but this is definitely not the time.

Even if they were to be executed by slow slicing, they would have to wait until Zhang Siwei and Xu Xuemo confessed their crimes and accepted punishment!
As he spoke, Zhang Yunxiu's eyes revealed a ruthless glint.

"At this juncture, the most important thing is to obtain strong evidence. I have some preparations, but they are not entirely secure."

He stared at the other person.

"In extraordinary times, extraordinary measures are needed. I would like to trouble you, Uncle, to make extra preparations. Even if there is no evidence, you must create evidence!"

"Fabricating evidence?"

Ling Yunyi was startled, not expecting Zhang Yunxiu to say such a thing. In a flash, he immediately understood the implications and couldn't help but sigh.

"Such courage and insight, my nephew, you truly deserve to be called the unicorn son of the Grand Secretary!"

"Are we really going to fight those people to the death?" Zhang Jianxiu couldn't help but hesitate. It would be easy for him to kill people, but he couldn't help but think twice about these things.

"There is no way out!"

Zhang Yunxiu slammed his hand on the table, his eyes seemingly spitting fire.

"If we're going to do it, we'll go all the way! This time, we'll fight that Qingliu to the death!"

After all, paper cannot contain fire.

Just a few days later, news of the arrest of Ling Yunyi's son, the Minister of War, spread to the streets and alleys of the capital in an unexpected way. In fact, Zhang Yunxiu was prepared for this outcome; from the moment he learned of Ling Xuanying's identity, he had already realized it.

In this situation, even if Ling Xuanying were to disappear from the world, it would be of no use. Since the Qingliu faction has laid this trap, they must have already made preparations.

Even if Zhang Yunxiu and his group don't capture Ling Xuanying, they will deliberately expose themselves.

In a sense, it's even better to discover this now, at least we have some time to prepare.

"The reason why this Renmin Medical Clinic can cure diseases is because it has invited the 'Unborn Parents'. Zhang Shiyuan must be colluding with the White Lotus Rebellion to harm the people!"

On this day, a large crowd gathered in front of Renmin Medical Clinic. Among them were some people dressed in plain clothes who spoke eloquently, recounting the clinic's "crimes" to the people.

Someone countered, "That's not right! My father was cured of his illness at the clinic!"

But someone would immediately retort, "Those White Lotus cult bandits are extremely cunning. Some people were cured, but they were also infected with a poisonous curse. Most of them still suffered greatly from it."

"My poor child is only three months old, and I'm sure these people have made him their 'unborn parent'."

"This Zhang Shiyuan is truly despicable. He has deceived the Emperor and colluded with the White Lotus Rebels. This bastard should be executed!"

For a time, the noise outside the clinic was so loud that many passing patients heard the related comments.

Anyone with a modicum of common sense would not believe it, but unfortunately, most people are still ignorant and are hesitant to speak of this clinic.

Just as these people were still denouncing Zhang Shiyuan's collusion with the White Lotus Sect and were preparing to enter the clinic, a shout came from inside.

"You are spreading heresy and inciting trouble; are you trying to rebel?"

The people were startled as a general in full armor approached menacingly, his rank clearly high.

Some people in the crowd said they wanted to take advantage of the situation.

"Why can't you see right from wrong, sir? Zhang Shiyuan is a scourge to the country. Do you intend to shut down the channels of communication?"

The visitor was Zhang Rong, the Duke of England. He had no intention of arguing with the other party and gave an order.

"Take it!"

Several officers immediately rushed into the crowd and apprehended the individuals who were "inciting" public opinion.

These people, dressed in the commoners' clothes, tried to take the opportunity to escape, but in the end they were no match for the soldiers' skills.

"The authorities have arrested someone!"

The people were thrown into chaos and fled in all directions.

Zhang Rong glanced at the people she had captured, and when they took off their masks, she saw that their faces were fair. She snorted coldly and said...

"It must be some students causing trouble here. Take them all back for thorough questioning and see who's behind it all."

The students were terrified and begged for mercy, crying and screaming, but to no avail.

Zhang Rong's face was ashen. He entered the lobby of Renmin Medical Hall, found a doctor, and went straight to the isolation area to find Zhang Yunxiu.

After going around in circles, he saw Zhang Yunxiu leisurely taking the pulse of a young woman.

"Cough cough~"

Zhang Rong coughed twice.

Only then did Zhang Yunxiu notice the other person's arrival, and he apologized to the woman.

"Please don't be offended, young lady. I will treat you again later."

Inside the clinic's office, Zhang Rong mentioned the outside world with a hint of disappointment.

“Nephew, this mobilization of the military is not a long-term solution. The Qingliu faction will surely use this as an excuse to make trouble. You must be very careful.”

Zhang Yunxiu, however, appeared quite relaxed, still organizing the medical files in his hands.

"When soldiers come, we'll block them; when water comes, we'll dam it. Why does the Duke seem more anxious than I am?"

How could I not be anxious?

Zhang Rong was also an impatient person, and he slammed his hand on the table as he spoke.

"Ling Xuan has been misled and joined the White Lotus Sect. The Qingliu faction is spreading rumors everywhere, which is at the behest of Chief Minister Zhang and you. With the court assembly tomorrow, the Qingliu faction will surely launch another attack, yet you remain unmoved!"

Zhang Yunxiu, who has been promoted to the rank of Assistant Magistrate, is now qualified to attend court. The Qingliu faction has already submitted their memorials, so Zhang Yunxiu will have to attend tomorrow's court assembly whether he wants to or not.

Zhang Yunxiu poured the other party a cup of tea: "As long as you have a calm mind, Your Excellency, you are in good health, but you should still take care of yourself. I'll give you a discount; from now on, when you come to my clinic for treatment, you'll only need to pay half price! Just remember not to get angry~"

"You brat!" Zhang Rong finally realized what was happening, and he narrowed his eyes as he said, "You're still keeping me in suspense!"

"I presume the Duke has uncovered some clues?"

"Haven't I given you everything I have?" Zhang Rong thought for a moment and said, "Some, but not enough to settle this case."

"I happen to have some here too."

Zhang Yunxiu thought of something that the steward You Qi had delivered the other day.

He opened a package that Zhang Rong had sent him; inside lay a vajra and a small booklet.

"These people will stop at nothing to make a profit, and it's time to settle accounts with them."

Let's see who has the last laugh at tomorrow's court assembly!

　Note 1: There is historical evidence that Ling Yunyi's son, Ling Xuanying, was arrogant and spoiled. It comes from the 110th biography of Ling Yunyi in the History of Ming: "Ling Yunyi, courtesy name Yangshan, was a native of Taicang Prefecture. He was arrogant and spoiled at home. He was impeached by the Censor and the Imperial Censor. He was dismissed from his post by imperial decree and later died."

　　Some artistic embellishment was done here.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)