Please call me the Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty

Liang Tianqi has been handling cases for many years and is very experienced.

He knew that dealing with troublemakers and scoundrels like Sun Er and Song Ba required some cunning.

He looked down at Sun Er and Song Ba, and asked, "Sun Er, do you know Zhang Guoji?"

"How could I not know him? I entrusted my daughter Zhang Yan to his care, so of course I know him."

Liang Tianqi nodded, then asked Song Ba, "Do you know Zhang Guoji?"

"I know him. He's a fame-seeker. Zhang Yan is clearly not his daughter, but he insists she is."

Later, Zhang Yan was selected to enter the palace and become Empress, and she benefited from this honor.

Liang Tianqi's expression was stern: "I'm going to make things clear to you two and give you one last chance."

Can you guarantee that what you're saying is the truth?

Sun Er and Song Ba both insisted that they were telling the truth.

Liang Tianqi pointed and summoned a constable, whispering instructions in his ear.

The constable nodded and then left.

A moment later, a person walked out from the crowd of people outside the Dali Temple.

The man strode confidently into the hall.

Zhou Ling'er glanced at him and saw that the man was about forty years old, tall, handsome, and upright. He was dressed in blue and black, and looked like a scholar.

Zhang Yan saw this and her expression became somewhat agitated.

She was about to speak when Liang Tianqi gestured with his eyes and shook his head, indicating that she should not speak.

The man bowed and said, "Greetings, Your Excellency."

Liang Tianqi nodded slightly.

He asked Sun Er, "Do you know this person?"

Sun Er glanced at it briefly, then shook his head: "I don't recognize it."

Liang Tianqi then asked Song Ba, "Do you know him?"

Song Ba looked at the person who had come over, but he didn't recognize him. He wondered what Liang Tianqi's intention was in suddenly calling this person over.

Could it be that he is Zhang Guoji?

But what if we guess wrong?

Song Ba opened his mouth twice and looked at Wei Zhongxian.

Wei Zhongxian winked at him.

Song Ba didn't understand what he meant, and in the end, he could only say, "I don't know him."

Immediately, Liang Tianqi slammed his gavel: "Guards!"

At this moment, four constables approached, bowed, and said, "Sir, please give your orders!"

"Slap Sun Er and Song Ba twenty times each."

"promise!"

The four constables agreed in unison, and two of them held down Sun Er.

Control his head so he can't move.

The other two people held Song Ba down.

When they slap someone at the Dali Temple, they use a special tool, similar to a ruler but not quite, with soft nails on it.

That thing really hurts when it hits your face.

Liang Tianqi said, "Execute them!"

"Clap clap clap".

A series of crisp sounds rang out in the hall of the Dali Temple.

They beat Sun Er and Song Ba so badly they were barking like dogs.

A moment later, when you look at Sun Er and Song Ba again, their faces are swollen like pig heads, blood is flowing down the corners of their mouths, and their molars have been knocked out.

His face was unbearable to look at.

After the beating was over, the four constables bowed and withdrew.

Sun Er and Song Ba were in tears and snot, completely stunned by the beating, their faces swollen and numb.

Liang Tianqi asked, "Do you know why we hit you?"

The two of them shook their heads, speechless; the pain was truly excruciating.

"I am telling you, the man standing before you is Zhang Guoji himself."

"Huh? He's Zhang Guoji? Isn't he in his hometown?" Sun Er and Song Ba were both dumbfounded.

"Sun Er, you keep saying you have a great relationship with Zhang Guoji, but you don't even know him. Isn't that just swindling?"

Sun Er hadn't expected that Liang Tianqi would actually invite Zhang Guoji himself.

Zhang Guoji was a virtuous gentleman and a respectable scholar. How could he possibly know a thief like Sun Er, who had committed a capital crime?

At this point, Song Ba had guessed that the person coming might be Zhang Guoqing, but he was still unsure and dared not be sure, so in the end he did not dare to admit it.

At this moment, Zhang Yan stood up and called out, "Father."

Zhang Guoji looked at Zhang Yan with kind eyes and gestured for her to sit down.

Zhang Yan then sat down.

Liang Tianqi was still very polite to Zhang Guoji.

It wasn't because Zhang Guoji was a member of the imperial family, but because Liang Tianqi respected Zhang Guoji's character, conduct, and scholarship.

The Imperial Academy was not a place that just anyone could enter.

One must be excellent in both character and academics. One must have genuine talent and learning to have any chance of entering the Imperial Academy.

Zhang Guoji had originally been granted the titles of Earl of Taikang, Grand Pillar of State, and Junior Tutor.

However, Wei Zhongxian discovered that Zhang Guoji and his daughter Zhang Yan were not on his side.

Therefore, he ordered his subordinates Liu Zhixuan, Liang Menghuan and others to slander and impeach Zhang Guoji.

They said Zhang Guoji had committed various crimes, including seizing maids, encroaching on land, selling official positions, being arrogant and domineering, and accepting bribes.

Zhu Youxiao ignored him.

Later, during a search of the palace, an assassin carrying a knife was discovered.

Wei Zhongxian intended to use this as a pretext to slander Zhang Guoji.

It is said that the assassin with the knife was sent by Zhang Guoji to the palace to assassinate the emperor and install Prince Xin, Zhu Youjian, as emperor.

Ultimately, his subordinates advised Wei Zhongxian that this was inappropriate.

Even the Emperor wouldn't believe it.

Wei Zhongxian executed the assassin and did not make a big deal out of the incident.

Because Wei Zhongxian and Madam Ke impeached Zhu Youxiao multiple times, Zhang Guoji was later dismissed from his post and sent back to his hometown to reflect on his actions.

This time, in order to solve the case, Liang Tianqi specially sent someone to bring Zhang Guoji over from his hometown.