The low-key prince summons trainees from the Imperial Household Department at the start of the game.

The 7th day of the 6th month of the 24th year of Yonghe.

The joint trial by the three judicial departments was held in the main hall of the Ministry of Justice.

This case began with the hijacking of the official ship in Runzhou.

The entire process, from capturing bandits at the Wudang martial arts school, arresting people at the Jiangning Governor's Office, Liu Heng's sudden death in prison, Wang Anshi's impeachment memorial being submitted, the Third Prince's secret cooperation, and Yao Guangxiao's integration of evidence, to the final imperial approval, took only half a month.

In just half a month, Zheng Ke, the prefect of Runzhou, aged prematurely, while the assistant prefect of Jiangning committed suicide during his escort.

Even in prison, the Director of the Textile Bureau gritted his teeth but dared not reveal the mastermind behind him.

But today's trial is the real battleground that will determine the outcome.

The main hall of the Ministry of Justice was temporarily converted into a joint trial court. Three long tables made of rosewood were placed in the center, and three presiding judges sat behind the tables.

In the center is Han Zhongyue, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, who is 68 years old, a veteran official of three dynasties, and one of the Nine Ministers. His beard and hair are all white, but his eyes are like those of an eagle.

To the left is Zhao Tingyu, the Minister of Justice, who is fifty-six years old. He is a veteran of criminal law, having risen from a county magistrate to the position of Minister. He has handled more cases than all the people present combined.

On the right is Shen Jingzhi, the Minister of Revenue, who is fifty-three years old. This case of losses in the Grand Canal transport directly involves the accounts of the Ministry of Revenue. He sits in the presiding judge's seat as both the judge and the victim.

The joint trial by the three judicial departments was the highest level in the Great Zhou Dynasty, second only to the emperor's personal trial.

On both sides of the hall sat officials sent by the Censorate, the Hanlin Academy, and the Imperial Academy to listen in; there were no fewer than thirty or forty people sitting there.

Pei Du sat in the front row on the left. Kong Yan claimed to be ill and did not attend, but sent someone to listen in on his behalf.

Su Shi sat in the audience section of the Hanlin Academy, tapping his palm lightly with his folding fan, his gaze occasionally sweeping over the three presiding judges in the hall.

Yao Guangxiao sat in a corner of the audience area of ​​the Ministry of Rites, holding a cup of cold tea, his expression calm and composed.

The Third Prince, Zhou Ying, sat at the far end of the audience seats for members of the imperial clan, dressed in casual robes, as unassuming as an inconspicuous member of the imperial clan.

But everyone who knew his identity couldn't help but take a second look at him.

This newly appointed supervisor of the Imperial Horse Administration and inspector of the Ministry of Personnel's Performance Evaluation Department is currently enjoying great popularity, so his appearance here today is no coincidence.

Wang Anshi sat in the front row of the audience section of the Censorate, with a stack of case files in front of him.

He is neither the presiding judge nor an observer today.

He was the initiator of this joint trial, the organizer of all the evidence, and the drafter of the impeachment memorial.

However, Pei Du repeatedly instructed him: Do not speak up during the joint trial, and do not try to take credit in front of the three presiding judges.

Strictly condemn the crimes that should be condemned, thoroughly investigate the accounts that should be investigated, and the credit will naturally come.

He sat upright with his back straight and his gaze calm as still water, but his fingers, which were hanging on his knees, were unconsciously tapping lightly.

"Bring in the criminals!" Han Zhongyue slammed his gavel, and two bailiffs escorted the Jiangning Textile Bureau's Admiral into the courtroom.

The head of the textile bureau was surnamed Ma, and his given name was Jun. He had been running the textile bureau in Jiangning for eight years.

He was originally a plump, middle-aged wealthy man, but now he was disheveled, with dark circles under his eyes, his handcuffs and shackles clanking, and he knelt in front of the hall, trembling like a leaf.

Following closely behind were the accountant from the textile bureau, the steward from the governor's mansion, several minor leaders captured in Liu Heng's water stronghold, and a letter from the Jiangning Prefecture Magistrate intercepted during the escort.

The prisoners knelt in a row, their faces ashen.

Han Zhongyue began interrogating Ma Jun.

Ma Jun's teeth chattered as he stammered that he was innocent, that his subordinates had done it behind his back, and that he knew nothing about it.

Zhao Tingyu sneered, picked up a confession from the table, and had the bailiff hand it to Ma Jun. It was the confession of his accountant.

The accountant testified that all procured materials had to be signed and stamped by the Admiral before they could be released, and the release slip for this batch of official silk bore Ma Jun's personal seal.

Zhao Tingyu asked him slowly, "You can't possibly not even recognize your own seal, can you?"

Ma Jun was sweating profusely, his lips trembling so he couldn't speak.

Shen Jingzhi then pressed for details regarding the losses.

Last year alone, the Jiangning Textile Bureau reported transportation losses amounting to over 30,000 taels of silver, which exactly matched the amount of losses incurred during the canal transport from Runzhou to Jiangning.

He questioned Ma Jun, asking if the more than 100,000 taels of silver had grown legs and run into Liu Heng's pocket on its own.

Ma Jun collapsed to the ground, kowtowing repeatedly, but still stubbornly refused to reveal who was behind it all.

Wang Anshi knew that the time had come.

He stood up and bowed to the three presiding judges: "My lords, I have some documents here that may corroborate Minister Shen's questions."

Han Zhongyue narrowed his eyes slightly; he recognized the young man.

Wang Anshi, the clerk of the Censorate's Records Department, was the drafter of this impeachment memorial.

He didn't have a good impression of this young man, and the impeachment memorial caused a great uproar.

This forced him, the soon-to-retire Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, to preside over this thorny joint trial.

But in court, evidence comes first, and he couldn't stop it.

He coldly raised his hand and uttered the word "呈" (present).

Wang Anshi picked up three documents from the desk and presented them to the court attendant with both hands. He did not directly make accusations, but instead interpreted the evidence one by one.

The first document is the on-site investigation record of the hijacking provided by the Runzhou government.

The seal fragments remaining on the hijacked official ship matched perfectly with the seals issued by the weaving bureau, and the seal numbers were consistent with the numbers on the weaving bureau's waybill stubs.

This proves that the official silk was switched after it left the warehouse.

It wasn't switched during transport; it was genuine when it left the warehouse, and the seals were intact.

When it arrived in Runzhou, it became stolen goods on Liu Heng's ship, with the only person involved being the textile bureau.

The second document is a fragment of an account book found in Liu Heng's water fortress, which records details of financial transactions with the Jiangning Prefecture Household Department.

Each entry has a date and a number, and some of them happen to correspond to the dates of the approval slips issued by the Assistant Magistrate of Jiangning Prefecture.

The third document is a copy of the suicide note left by the Assistant Magistrate of Jiangning Prefecture before he committed suicide out of fear of punishment during his escort.

In his suicide note, he admitted to accepting bribes from Liu Heng to provide protection for his hijacking activities between Runzhou and Jiangning.

He also identified Ma Jun, the director of the Textile Bureau, as his main contact in the Jiangning officialdom.

Wang Anshi held up a copy of his will high, his voice echoing in the Ministry of Justice hall.

The suicide note clearly states at the end: "All my actions were under the orders of the Emperor, but the Emperor's orders cannot be disobeyed, and I dare not speak of them."

The room erupted in uproar.

Han Zhongyue had to repeatedly strike the gavel to quell the noise.

"One cannot disobey the orders of one's superiors."

Whose fate?

Who could make a fourth-rank prefectural magistrate of Jiangning "dare not speak"?

The answer was obvious, but Wang Anshi did not say it.

He only presented copies of his suicide note to the three presiding judges.

It was added that although the Jiangning Prefecture Magistrate's will was unsigned, several details mentioned in it perfectly matched the three clues: the embezzlement case in the Textile Bureau, the canal transport loss case, and the Liu Heng ship robbery case.

He suggested that the three departments investigate whether there was another mastermind behind the Assistant Magistrate of Jiangning Prefecture.

"Wang Jingli," Han Zhongyue's voice suddenly became extremely stern, "you should think carefully before you speak in court."

"The Assistant Magistrate of Jiangning Prefecture is dead, and the authenticity of his will is yet to be determined. You're asserting, based solely on a will, that there's someone else behind it all? Who are you implying?"

Wang Anshi remained silent for a moment.

He knew that Han Zhongyue was setting a trap for him.

As soon as he utters the words "Fourth Prince," Han Zhongyue immediately rejects his accusations on the grounds of "making unfounded speculations," and may even charge him on the spot with the crime of slandering a member of the royal family.

He raised his head and looked directly at Han Zhongyue, his voice neither humble nor arrogant: "Your Excellency Han, I have not implied anything about anyone."

"The official's statement that 'there is another mastermind' refers to other officials involved in the case who have not yet been identified, and does not refer to any specific person."

"As for who this person is, I believe the Three Judicial Offices will make a fair judgment, and it is beyond my ability to comment."

Zhao Tingyu nodded slightly; this young man had not been provoked into revealing any weaknesses by Han Zhongyue's goading tactics.

The answer was watertight, neither hesitant nor rash, striking the perfect balance.

He took the evidence presented by Wang Anshi, carefully reviewed it, then exchanged a glance with Shen Jingzhi and whispered a few words to each other.

Shen Jingzhi placed the evidence on the table and announced the end of the first round of the joint trial by the three judicial authorities.

Ma Jun remains in custody awaiting trial, while the will of the Jiangning Prefectural Magistrate is handed over to the Dali Temple for authentication.

The on-site evidence provided by Runzhou Prefecture and the account books of Liu Heng's water fortress will be further verified by the Censorate, along with relevant personnel involved in the case.

This includes the head of the Household Registration Office of Jiangning Prefecture, the warehouse manager of the Textile Bureau, and the escort officer of the Runzhou section of the Grand Canal.

The Ministry of Justice issued a warrant for his arrest.

After the court session ended, the officials who had been observing the proceedings walked out of the Ministry of Justice hall in twos and threes, their discussions buzzing in the corridor.

Some say that the suicide note of the Assistant Magistrate of Jiangning Prefecture was too cruel.

The phrase "The emperor's command cannot be disobeyed" directly targets the fourth prince, who is likely to suffer a severe blow this time.

Some argue that it's hard to say whether the suicide note is real or fake; what if it's forged?

Someone chimed in, saying that even if it were true, no name was written on it.

The "order" may not necessarily refer to that person; it could simply be the superior official of the Household Registration Office in Jiangning Prefecture. This case needs further investigation.

Su Shi and Yao Guangxiao walked out of the Ministry of Justice hall side by side.

Dusk was pouring down from the glazed tiles, turning the entire Ministry of Justice building into a dark gold.

Su Shi murmured his admiration for Jie Fu's demeanor in the hall today, noting that he was reasonable, well-founded, and neither servile nor arrogant.

Even when Old Man Han tried to provoke him, he didn't fall for it; his composure was far greater than it used to be.

Yao Guangxiao said calmly that Han Zhongyue was about to retire and return to his hometown, and did not want to offend the fourth prince while in office, which was why he had repeatedly made things difficult for Jie Fu.

But after today's trial, the chain of evidence is now closed. Even if Han Zhongyue wants to smooth things over, Zhao Tingyu and Shen Jingzhi will not agree.

Now it remains to be seen whether Jie Fu can withstand the pressure that follows.

Su Shi frowned slightly and asked what kind of pressure.

Yao Guangxiao did not answer directly, but turned his head to look at the palace walls that were gradually sinking into the twilight, and said the five words "The emperor's order cannot be disobeyed". Now the whole court knew that there was someone behind this case.

The fourth prince will not sit idly by and wait for his doom; his counterattack will only be more ferocious.