A son who doesn't resemble his father? Love you, old man, see you at Xuanwu Gate!

Chapter 95 Prophecy
Unlike the hostility of the Grand Master of Ceremonies' office.

The Imperial Clan Court was filled with an indescribable enthusiasm and liveliness.

In the vast mansion, everyone was dressed in mourning clothes and wailing, some banging gongs and others beating drums. It was as if someone had died.

While Zhang Tang was still in a daze, he was pulled inside by his filial son. He had been handling cases for many years and had encountered countless situations, but he had never seen anything like this before.

Without really understanding what was happening, Zhang Tang found himself in front of the coffin. As a cruel official, he had at least the ability to identify corpses. He could confirm that the person lying inside was Liu Shou, the Minister of the Imperial Clan, and that he was indeed dead.

The person has turned pale.

"Heaven did not grant him a long life!"

Zhang Tang sighed, looked at the filial son, Liu Shou's eldest son, a member of the imperial clan, and asked, "When did the Minister of the Imperial Clan die? And how did he die?"

"At the hour of Si (9-11 AM), I was discussing the important matter of life and death with my father. Suddenly, my father said that after he died, the Minister of Justice should come to close the coffin and nail the lid shut. Then he said that he was tired and needed to rest. I was a little confused, but I went out. When I went back in, I saw that my father had passed away suddenly." As the filial son spoke, tears fell again.

Zhang Tang sighed, "The matter of life and death is something no one can escape. When one is born, one is unwilling to be born, which is why one keeps crying. When one dies, one is unwilling to leave this world, suffering endless pain before letting go. It is also a blessing for Minister Zongzheng to sleep forever. Don't cry! Don't cry!"

“Minister of Justice, that’s what you say, but how can a son do that?”

"I understand! I understand! The tree may wish to be still, but the wind will not cease; the child may wish to care for his parents, but they will no longer be there."

Zhang Tang thought of his deceased father, looked at the dead Liu Shou, and sighed deeply. "The Minister of the Imperial Clan was a man of great fortune. He could foresee his death before he died and left behind his last wishes. What virtue or ability do I have to give the final verdict on the Minister of the Imperial Clan? I am willing to serve the Minister of the Imperial Clan. I will definitely come to visit again in seven days."

For high-ranking officials, the coffin must remain in place for seven days before burial. At this time, the coffin cannot be closed and the lid nailed on; we must wait.

The filial son was moved to tears, expressing his gratitude profusely, and escorted Zhang Tang out of the mansion. The two officials from the Court of Justice who had accompanied him were stunned. "Your Excellency, this?"

"What is this?"

Zhang Tang glanced at him and said irritably, "You, go and keep watch."

"what?"

"Ah for what?"

Seeing his subordinates' stunned expressions, Zhang Tang became even angrier. "You shall stay for seven days. You may return only after the Minister of the Imperial Clan has been buried."

I knew that anything involving high-ranking officials was never simple, and they were hard to catch. These people would rather commit suicide than fall into the hands of others.

He should think about how to advise the emperor to restore the Qin law that "no one can commit suicide." If all the ministers and officials follow this law, he, as the Minister of Justice, will be unable to perform his duties.

But this is just a grumble. This is probably the best outcome. The Minister of the Imperial Clan is the head of the Liu clan and is related to His Majesty and the Emperor by blood. If he were to be brought to the Court of Justice, it would be impossible to use torture or other methods. Although Zhang Tang has the means to kill Liu Shou, the latter's choice to die peacefully without illness is exactly what the Emperor wants to see.

Out of the corner of Zhang Tang's eye, he saw people from the Dongyuan Bureau, a subordinate agency of the Shaofu (Imperial Household Department). This bureau was responsible for making funeral rites for members of the royal family. They had everything: burial cloth, burial clothes, coffin, burial chamber, and burial suit... If there was also a jade burial suit, then it would be the standard for the emperor and princes.

For a subject to reach this level, how can it not be considered a form of recognition?
The Imperial Censor's Office.

Looking at the shabby lintel, Zhang Tang was speechless. The Imperial Censor was one of the Three Dukes, so why didn't he even bother to decorate his door?
The old man from the Mei family, a man of humble origins, said directly, "Minister of Justice, please come in."

"Don't you know the rules? Go and report it first."

"The Grand Marshal already knows you've arrived..."

"Report!"

The old man then rushed into the mansion in a panic and loudly announced at the door, "Minister of Works, the Minister of Justice has arrived!"

Mei Gao seemed to be unwell. He put down his book and said to the old man in the household, "Help me up." The old man immediately went inside to help Mei Gao up.

Zhang Tang strode in and said, "No need to get up, Imperial Censor, please sit down."

Then, looking at the old man still standing there, she said, "The spring breeze is so cold, why is the door open? Go out and close the door."

"Yes." The old man went out and closed the door.

Mei Gao lowered his eyes and asked, "The Minister of Justice should already know, right?"

"I know everything," Zhang Tang nodded.

This is not a machine seal.

It's about Mei Gao's "identity".

Mei Gao was able to serve as an official because his father was "Mei Cheng," the same Mei Cheng who was known as "Zou Mei" alongside Zou Yang, "Mei Ma" alongside Sima Xiangru, and "Mei Jia" alongside Jia Yi.

Mei Cheng twice advised the King of Wu to stop the Rebellion of the Seven States. Although he failed, he became famous throughout the world because of it.

When His Majesty ascended the throne, he admired Mei Cheng's literary reputation and sent him to the capital in a "comfortable carriage with a wheelbarrow," but Mei Cheng died on the way due to his advanced age.

Therefore, His Majesty issued an edict to find Mei Cheng's descendants. Mei Gao claimed to be Mei Cheng's son and displayed extraordinary talent, which won His Majesty's favor. From then on, he rose rapidly in rank.

However, he was not obsessed with power or conformed to fashion. On the contrary, he was "unversed in classical studies," which was all the more valuable in an era of "dismissing all other schools of thought and exclusively honoring Confucianism."

This enabled Mei Gao to rise from the central court to the position of Imperial Censor after Li Cai's death and when Dong Zhongshu was unable to assume the important post.

Moreover, Mei Gao was different from ordinary scholars. He was witty and unconventional in his speech, often making jokes and amusement in front of the emperor. However, whenever he had the opportunity, he would speak frankly and offer his advice.

When His Majesty was wasting manpower and resources to build the luxurious Shanglin Garden, he and Dongfang Shuo jointly submitted a memorial to oppose it.

Mei Gao was highly regarded by both the Chinese and foreign dynasties.

But what if the identity of Mei Cheng's son was fake from the very beginning?

To impersonate someone and appear before His Majesty is a crime of deceiving the emperor!
The evidence currently presented by the Court of Justice is insufficient to prove that Mei Gao is a fraud, but it can prove that Mei Gao is not entirely genuine. It is permissible to invite Mei Gao to the Court of Justice to present his case.

Of course, given Mei Gao's status, he could also go to other places, such as the Prime Minister's residence, Chang Le Palace, Wei Yang Palace, or even Gan Quan Palace; Zhang Tang would be happy to accompany him.

However, the larger the place he moved to, the more questions Mei Gao would face.

“My father was Mei Cheng, and my mother was Mei Cheng’s concubine. This is something my mother insisted on until her death, and it is also something I have insisted on throughout my life. Minister of Justice, I do not want this matter to be tarnished.”

Zhang Tang remained unmoved.

If people's insistence is true, then everyone in the world would be the emperor's son, and shouldn't the Han dynasty be divided among them?
“Therefore, I will not make any defense, nor will I go to the Court of Justice or any other place, even if it means death.” Mei Gao coughed up blood, clearly having taken poison beforehand.

Zhang Tang was confident in his strength and believed he could at least guarantee that he wouldn't accept the threat of bloodshed from the weak scholar in front of him. What made the Imperial Censor think that he would keep this secret?

“I have had contact with Guo Jie and received guidance from his family’s scholarship. I have made some achievements in prophecy, which I would like to present to the Minister of Justice.”

Mei Gao coughed up more and more blood, and pushed the silk scroll prophecy on the desk toward Zhang Tang. It read: "A nine-ren-high platform on the red steps, the heavenly gate opens with the frost-covered brush."

"The vermilion gates are cracked, the gold is shattered; the steps of the three dukes are stained with blood!"

(End of this chapter)