Do You Know?: I, the Little Cabinet Elder, Regent of the World

Before long, all six of them understood.

"The imperial envoy is my eyes and ears, and he travels on behalf of Heaven, carrying the imperial seal. His orders are my orders, and his power is my power! Now, this traitorous minister dares to set fire to the envoy's house, which shows that he regards the law as nothing and treats me as nothing!"

Zhao Ceying angrily rebuked, "Such outrageous acts not only harm my envoy, but also shake the very foundations of the nation! I will investigate the root cause thoroughly, bring the ringleader to justice, and implicate all his followers. Even if they are hidden in the deepest hell, I will dig three feet into the ground and execute them!"

"This time, we must not only investigate Liangzhe Road, but also thoroughly investigate the fourteen roads of the two capitals!"

Zhao Ceying said coldly, "I hereby appoint the Marquis of Ningyuan and the Earl of Zhennan each to lead 10,000 troops, and the General of Zhongwu to lead 5,000 troops. In addition, all my beloved ministers shall be in charge of the Censorate, the Ministry of Personnel, and the Ministry of Justice, to conduct a thorough investigation on my behalf!"

Those people even dared to burn the imperial envoy!

The fact that they dared to set fire to the imperial envoy demonstrates their fearlessness in the face of imperial power.

One day, they might dare to rebel!

Investigate the two capitals and fourteen prefectures?

The group exchanged glances, their hearts skipping a beat, and quickly bowed, saying, "Yes, sir."

"Jiang Qing!"

Zhao Ceying looked at Jiang Zhao alone and said in a deep voice, "You shall thoroughly investigate the affairs of the inspection tours of the two capitals and the fourteen routes. Wherever you go, you shall act as if I were personally present and have the authority to act expediently!"

Jiang Zhao was startled and quickly bowed, saying, "Your subject obeys the decree."

Chapter 225 I am Jiang Zhao, a native of Huaizuo, holding the official positions of Vice Chancellor and Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion, and a member of the Grand Secretariat.

Liangzhe Road, Pacification Commissioner's Office.

Led by the Pacification Commissioner Chen Ji, several officials from various departments gathered here, all of them with worried and dejected expressions.

"Snapped!"

"Who started the fire?"

At the head of the table, Chen Ji slammed his hand on the wooden table, his eyes filled with undisguised anger and panic.

Compared to the crimes of officials protecting each other and perpetuating mistakes, the burning of the imperial envoy was far more serious.

The key point is that no one really had any motive to burn and kill the imperial envoy.

After all, anyone with a brain knows that an imperial envoy is a matter of the emperor's face, and killing him is considered treason.

Once the imperial envoy is killed, the implications will be completely different; everyone in Liangzhe Road will suffer without exception.

"Master Liu, who exactly is the arsonist?" Transport Commissioner Liu Jun sighed, looking quite dejected.

In the case of Yang Wu, his wife, Xu, fought her way up the legal ladder, and he secretly helped her in some way.

The purpose was to use this opportunity for political infighting and to target the pacification commissioner Chen Ji.

But who would have thought that someone would dare to set the imperial envoy on fire?

Burning the imperial envoy was tantamount to treason, and had far-reaching implications.

The authorities even froze all personnel appointments in Liangzhe Road.

Not only might their plans be in vain, but they could also be demoted or exiled.

It's truly unfortunate that such a small miscarriage of justice has implicated so many people.

Liu Li, the chief clerk of the Criminal Justice Department, stood up, bowed, and reported: "Zhong You, the second son of Zhong Shen, the magistrate of Chun'an County."

Burning the imperial envoy was a heinous crime.

All officials in Liangzhe Circuit, from top to bottom, would bear some degree of joint responsibility.

The head of the criminal justice department took the opportunity to proactively take on the task of investigating the real culprit.

All they wanted was a chance to get a "reduction in sentence".

At this moment, the top officials gathered because the Imperial Inspector of the Ministry of Justice had made a breakthrough in his investigation and had come to announce it publicly.

"The magistrate's second son?"

Chen Ji frowned, puzzled, and asked, "Why did he set fire to the imperial envoy?"

“Zhong You is an unlearned and incompetent man.”

Liu Li, the chief clerk of the Criminal Justice Department, took out a file from his pocket and said slowly, "This boy usually hangs out with some local thugs and bullies, oppressing his neighbors and causing trouble in the area."

"In the case of Yang Wu, the Ministry of Justice took the initiative to investigate and dispatched a total of nine imperial envoys. In order to find out the truth, the nine imperial envoys visited the residence of the magistrate of Chun'an County several times, either to ask questions or to collect confessions."

"When Zhong You learned of this, he worried that if the truth of the case came to light, his father would lose his official position."

"For this reason, they specially summoned more than a dozen local ruffians and hooligans. While the nine imperial envoys were having a meal at the inn, they bolted the door, added firewood, and set the imperial envoys on fire."

Liu Li continued, "Of the nine imperial envoys, seven were burned to death, and two escaped by breaking through a window with knives and entered the capital overnight."

After speaking, Liu Li sat down and remained silent.

"You brat!" Chen Ji wiped his face and sighed mournfully.

How can there be such a stupid person in this world?

"I wonder how severe the punishment the court has decided this time will be?" Transport Commissioner Liu Jun sighed, his face showing deep concern.

Burning the imperial envoy was unprecedented in hundreds of years.

It was said to be equivalent to treason, but no one knew the exact degree of punishment.

After all, since it is equated with treason, it means that treason is used as the reference standard, and there is a certain degree of fluctuation between the two.

The only relevant example is perhaps a major case of "impersonating an imperial envoy" during the reign of Emperor Taizong.

In the past, when Emperor Taizong was in power, he often secretly appointed some secret envoys to monitor the four directions and carry out orders.

A man named Li Feixiong seized the opportunity, impersonated an imperial envoy, and thrived in the system, gaining the support of many post station workers. He intended to use this opportunity to establish himself as emperor.

Ultimately, the imperial court quelled the rebellion. All the post station workers associated with the rebellion were exterminated along with their entire families. Anyone who had any dealings with the rebellion, regardless of whether they knew about it or not, was charged with "treason." If there was doubt, they were convicted and either subjected to slow slicing or beheading.

Even many civil officials were executed by being cut in half at the waist, breaking the precept of "not killing scholar-officials".

In terms of the severity of the punishment, the punishment for the "impersonating an imperial envoy" case was much heavier than that for treason.

At one point, it even exceeded the upper limit of the statutory penalty.

Therefore, whether burning the imperial envoy was a higher or lower offense compared to "treason" depended entirely on the emperor's temperament.

It may be heavier, or it may be lighter.

The burning of the imperial envoy would certainly implicate all the civil and military officials in Liangzhe Circuit, but the severity of the repercussions would vary.

Demotion is an entanglement, exile is an entanglement, and even beheading is an entanglement!

"Ugh!"

Chen Ji sighed deeply and shook his head, saying, "I don't know!"

From the moment the imperial envoy was burned and his report was submitted, the official in charge of reporting to the emperor in Liangzhe Road stopped transmitting any documents.

The people of Liangzhe could not possibly know anything about the imperial court's decision.

The remaining few exchanged glances and sighed inwardly.

Who would have thought that a small miscarriage of justice could lead to such a disaster?

Who would have thought that someone would actually dare to set the imperial envoy on fire?

This calamity is destined to befall me!

Huai River.

The river flows gently, without any ripples.

With masts standing tall and sails billowing, dozens or even hundreds of large ships sailed on the river.

On the leading official ship, Jiang Zhao, Gu Tingye, Wang Shao, Wang Anshi, Teng Fu, Wang Gui, Chen Jian, and Yao Si stood together on the deck.

"Burning the Imperial Envoy will surely result in severe punishment. But how exactly to punish him? I hope Your Excellency will provide guidance." Teng Fu bowed respectfully, his expression grave.

He's from Liangzhe Road!

But it was precisely because of this that he knew just how terrible the situation in Liangzhe Road would be this time.

Jiang Zhao is the most trusted Grand Secretary of the Cabinet.

Led by Grand Secretary Jiang, who wielded the imperial sword and had the authority to act expediently, the emperor ordered an investigation of the two capitals and fourteen circuits.

From this, we can see how furious the emperor was.

Regarding the severity of the punishment, there may even be no upper limit!

Jiang Zhao raised his eyebrows, glanced back, and said nothing.

"Rest assured, Your Excellency, I am fully aware of the Emperor's fury." Teng Fu patted his chest and said, "I will absolutely not show favoritism!"

"In your opinion, Imperial Censor Teng, why did the Emperor personally select you, who comes from Liangzhe Road, to go south, instead of the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief?" Jiang Zhaoping asked calmly.

This time, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Personnel both sent their "Left Vice Ministers" south, but only the Censorate sent its top official south.

Moreover, this top leader happened to be from Liangzhe Road.

To say that there were no official considerations involved would be a lie.

Sending the head of the Censorate south or the second-in-command would have the same effect.

Jiang Zhao's question was meant as a reminder.

At the very least, Teng Fu needs to recognize his own "positioning".

After Jiang Zhaoyi reminded them, the remaining people all looked over.

Teng Fu's decision to travel south by imperial decree was indeed somewhat unexpected.

"Appease?" Teng Fu frowned and asked tentatively.

As a native of Zhejiang, he naturally considered the official's purpose in sending him south.

After all, the "avoidance system" is generally the main approach.

"Probably," Jiang Zhao said calmly.

Currently, there is no one from Liangzhe Road who has entered the cabinet.

Teng Fu, a second-rank official, was the highest-ranking official in Liangzhe Circuit.

The burning of the imperial envoy was destined to result in a severe punishment, with the entire Zhejiang province being penalized.

Its effect should at least be enough to deter the two Zhejiang circuits for over a hundred years and the two capitals and fourteen circuits for several decades.

Such a severe punishment would inevitably cause unrest on Liangzhe Road.

Teng Fu, who held the highest official position, power, and prestige, went south as a judge, intending to either take action or appease the people.

If you make a mistake, you have to accept the punishment honestly!

"I understand your instruction." Teng Fu was taken aback, sighed deeply, and nodded in understanding.

Jiang Zhao glanced at it and slowly said, "Compared to treason, this is more serious!"

Teng Fu was startled and dared not utter a sound.

“However, the focus is not on punishing people, but on punishing those on the road!” Jiang Zhao said calmly.

"I hope Your Excellency can enlighten me," Teng Fu said respectfully.

He claimed to "never show favoritism," but if he could gain some benefits from Liangzhe Road, he would definitely try to say a good word for it.

"Where is the geomantic map of Liangzhe Road?" Jiang Zhao asked thoughtfully.

"here."

Gu Tingye waved his hand and took out a geomantic map from his pocket.

Almost every high-ranking officer on the ship had one of these.

With the geomantic map in hand, the group looked at it together.

Chun'an.

"Qiantang River".

"Fuchun River".

"Longmen Mountain".