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

The sound of armor being put on grew louder and louder, and faint cries of terror could even be heard.

A hundred paces away, soldiers were seen escorting officials.

"this--"

Chen Ji was taken aback, his face showing surprise: "You ordered Bing Luzi to openly arrest people?"

He originally thought that the Imperial Guards would surround the administrative center, and the officials in charge of the center would hand over power one after another.

As for the officials in charge of the government, almost all of them were implicated and likely only demoted, not imprisoned.

But who would have thought that the chief inspector of Zhejiang and Jiangsu would order Bing Luzi to directly arrest all the officials in the administrative area?

With this kind of approach, wouldn't the first step be a punishment or even dismissal?

The remaining dozens of people exchanged glances silently, not daring to utter a sound.

"Zi Gui." Chen Ji quickly winked at a low-ranking official of the ninth rank.

Because the imperial court had cut off his sources of information, he still didn't even know the identity of the chief investigator.

Now, perhaps we can take this opportunity to investigate.

The young official in the green robe understood what he meant and took a few steps forward, almost reaching the entrance of the courtroom.

"Da da da!"

Led by Gu Tingye, dozens of heavily armored soldiers approached.

"Arrest them," Gu Tingye ordered, waving his hand.

The next moment, the young official in the green robe standing at the entrance of the court was pinned to the ground and his hands were tied.

"How dare you!" the young official in the green robe shouted. "I am a dignified ninth-rank official. How dare you arrest me in the courtroom?"

"How dare you, a mere soldier, be so disrespectful!"

Chen Ji looked at him and nodded to himself.

If they resist even slightly and make a big fuss, they will definitely have a chance to find out the identity of the chief inspector.

Although this move is dangerous, the chance of winning is high.

Ninth grade?

Gu Tingye waved his hand dismissively and said, "Arrest them all."

Dozens of soldiers exchanged glances, then suddenly stepped forward, grabbed people, kicked them a few times, and started grabbing them.

"I'm going to take this to the cabinet!" the young official in the green robe shouted angrily.

next moment.

"Who's going to complain to the cabinet?"

A calm voice rang out, and dozens of soldiers made way for them.

Led by Jiang Zhao, several officials in purple robes slowly stepped over the threshold.

"this--"

Upon taking the seat of honor, Chen Ji's expression changed drastically, and he was greatly alarmed.

Is this matter being investigated by the Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion?

"This humble official greets Grand Secretary Jiang." Chen Ji bowed deeply and respectfully.

Grand Secretary?

The remaining dozens of officials from the Pacification Commission were all greatly alarmed and hurriedly bowed.

"This humble official greets Grand Secretary Jiang!"

"Oh!" Jiang Zhao exclaimed in surprise, "I didn't expect that someone would recognize me."

"In the third year of the Jiayou era, Grand Secretary Jiang outwitted Grand Secretary Pang Ji. His strategic planning and maneuvering were truly masterful. At that time, I was a fourth-rank official and had the privilege of witnessing it," Chen Ji said respectfully.

"That's it!"

Jiang Zhao nodded and explained, unusually, "The Emperor is furious and wants to severely punish the Liangzhe Circuit, including the Pacification Commissioner."

Chen Ji was shocked and exclaimed, "Even the Pacification Commissioner is going to be imprisoned?"

“The Emperor is furious; even the Pacification Commissioner will be imprisoned,” Jiang Zhao confirmed.

As a pacification commissioner, Chen Ji must have had the support of a certain Grand Secretary behind him; otherwise, he would never have become a powerful regional official.

However, this does not affect the overall situation.

With this incident, he will definitely be removed from his position as pacification commissioner.

Chen Ji understood, sighed dejectedly, and was not surprised.

In fact, from the moment he saw Grand Secretary Jiang, he already knew the answer, but he was just a little unwilling to accept it.

After decades of navigating the treacherous waters of officialdom, he was implicated and implicated in the burning of the imperial envoy's residence.

What an injustice!

"This humble official has found the true culprit behind the burning of the Imperial Envoy in Chun'an County. I humbly request Your Excellency to review the case file," said Liu Li, the Chief Clerk of the Judicial Bureau.

"Oh?"

Jiang Zhao pondered for a moment, then said, "No rush, let them all go to prison first. The Ministry of Justice will come to question them then."

"Yes." Liu Li nodded quickly.

He mentioned it specifically to seek a "reduction in sentence".

Now that Elder Jiang has spoken, someone will definitely ask him questions.

Dozens of people were successively pulled out.

June 23, Pacification Commission.

In the main seat, Jiang Zhao held the dossier and watched silently.

Below the Chief Censor, Teng Fu, the Left Censor-in-Chief, Wang Gui, the Acting Prefect of Kaifeng, Chen Jian, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Wang Anshi, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Gu Tingye, the Marquis of Ningyuan, and Wang Shao, the Earl of Zhennan, were seated on the left and right respectively.

Apart from General Yao Si, who was still stationed in Chun'an County, all the other major officials were gathered here.

"Hi~!"

After reading for a while, Jiang Zhao frowned and asked in surprise, "So, the burning of the imperial envoy was really just a coincidence, something that the young man did on a whim, and not at someone's behest?"

"After interrogation and investigation, it was found that the county magistrate's son, Zhong You, and the local ruffians' statements were consistent."

Wang Anshi reported: "The two remaining surviving imperial envoys also recognized the others as the real arsonists."

“Wang specifically ordered an interrogation of Chun’an County Magistrate Zhong Shen, who was indeed unaware of Zhong You’s arson and murder beforehand.”

"Judging solely from the motive, only an ignorant fool would dare to set fire to the imperial envoy."

The officers exchanged glances, all surprised.

The ignorant brat, fearing his father would lose his official position, set fire to the house and committed the crime.

This reason is actually quite valid!

After all, almost no high-ranking official would have the motive to kill an imperial envoy.

Even the pacification commissioner Chen Ji was the same.

Ultimately, even if the nine imperial envoys had indeed discovered the collusion between officials in Liangzhe Circuit, Chen Ji would only have been demoted.

A high-ranking official who had been stationed in a remote region was protected by a Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, so he definitely had a certain "tolerance for mistakes".

In contrast, the burning of the imperial envoy resulted in demotion as the lower limit, with virtually no upper limit.

"What about Yang Wu's case?" Jiang Zhao asked.

Compared to the burning of the imperial envoy, the Yang Wu case was merely an afterthought; he hadn't even had a chance to read the case file yet.

"Yang Wu and Bi were actually forced to confess under torture."

"The coroner examined the body of the deceased Ge Lian and found no signs of poisoning; the cause of death was more likely an onset of illness."

"Some medical officials believe it may be cholera." Wang Anshi bowed and reported, "Coincidentally, there have been more than a dozen cases of cholera in Chun'an County."

"Cholera?" Jiang Zhao understood.

Cholera is also known as plague.

Drinking dirty water during hot weather can lead to illness.

Initially, the main symptom is diarrhea, which gradually turns into vomiting, accompanied by both vomiting and diarrhea, muscle spasms, convulsions, and death. This is a typical case of short-term exhaustion leading to death.

After pondering for a moment, Jiang Zhao shook his head and didn't delve into it further.

In any case, the Yang Wu case must be a "wrongful conviction," which is the result of public opinion.

"If that's the case, how should the crime be determined?"

Jiang Zhaoping smiled and looked down.

Finally, attention turned to Teng Fu, the Left Censor-in-Chief.

The emperor specifically sent people from Liangzhe to Liangzhe Road to handle cases, either to appease the people or to make them wield knives.

To appease the people is to be a "good person," while to wield a knife is to be a "bad person."

With a Grand Secretary of the Cabinet serving as the presiding judge, it is immediately clear who is the good guy and who is the bad guy.

Teng Fu sighed inwardly.

Ever since Jiang Zhao singled him out last time, he has known his "position".

But what can be done?

There's no way to resist!

Moreover, not everyone has the opportunity to be the knife.

If you do dirty or hard work, you definitely need to be compensated.

“The case of impersonating an imperial envoy during the reign of Emperor Taizu should be taken as the standard, and the punishment should be even more severe,” Teng Fu replied.

"Okay, draft the charter."

Jiang Zhao nodded in satisfaction and said, "The trial will be held in three days. Whatever Lord Teng says, then it is."

"Yes, sir," Teng Fu replied, bowing.

Chapter 227 How high a rank is considered a high-ranking official?

Three days passed, and it was June 26th.

Superintendent of Criminal Justice.

The long courtroom, several meters in length, bears the inscription "Enlightening the Punishment and Enabling the Teachings" in bold characters, exuding solemnity and reverence.

In the main seat, Grand Secretary Jiang Zhao, dressed in a purple robe with a jade belt and a gold talisman and fish pouch, appeared calm and solemn, with clear eyes that conveyed a sense of compassion.

On the wooden table were a red ink brush, a booklet, and files.

Below the seat of self-respect, there are six chairs, three on the left and three on the right.

Left Censor-in-Chief Teng Fu, Acting Prefect of Kaifeng Wang Gui, Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel Chen Jian, Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice Wang Anshi, Marquis of Ningyuan Gu Tingye, and Earl of Zhennan Wang Shao took their seats in turn.

The trial involved seven people, six of whom were dressed in purple robes, a sight that was visually striking.

Below, on the left and right, are two signs that read "Avoid" and "Silence". More than ten bailiffs stand with sticks in hand, and armored soldiers stand in a circle with their hands on their swords, creating an extremely solemn atmosphere.

There were also dozens of clerks lined up in a row outside the courtroom, responsible for relaying the conversations in the courtroom.

The courtroom was directly in front of the crowd, where more than ten thousand people had gathered, glancing at the judges from time to time.

"A high-ranking official!"

"This is a high-ranking official!"

About ten paces away, someone exclaimed in surprise.

The six purple robes were truly astonishing.

"It is said that the presiding judge is Grand Secretary Jiang, who expanded the territory to twelve prefectures, the first person to do so in the history of the nation's century-long reign," an educated person interjected.