Chapter 892

The Yuanjing Emperor knew that battles in the imperial court were like cooking a small dish. Only by simmering it over a slow fire could a satisfactory taste be produced.

Win over a group of people, suppress another group of people, and the cycle was gradual. In the process, he needed to give the enemy a chance to retaliate and vent, slowly wearing down the enemy's spirit and fighting spirit.

If he, as the monarch of a nation, went against the wishes of the masses and forcefully convicted Wei Yuan, what would happen in the end would be a repeat of what happened after Duke Huai's death, when the officials surrounded the Meridian Gate.

Wasn't that the reason why he used too much firepower when the officials blocked the Meridian Gate?

The subsequent operations and arrangements slowly changed the nature of the Chuzhou Case, perfectly fitting the theory of simmering it over a slow fire.

The Yuanjing Emperor strolled in the palace and looked up at the blue sky. However, that was because he wanted to maintain the balance of fate, so it couldn't be leaked. Now, what he needed to do was shake the fate.

Since the Yan and Kang Empires were so weak, he would do it himself.

That day, even though the outcome of the battle couldn't be determined, there were still different voices in the imperial court. To the capital officials who were good at analyzing the situation in the imperial court, this was a very important signal.

Those who wanted to take a side had to make their choice now.

Those who didn't had to keep their mouths shut and watch the situation unfold.

In the next two days, there were many large and small court meetings. The former members of the Wei Party didn't give in and joined forces with the Royal Faction to argue with Yuan Xiong and Qin Yuandao.

Just like the past few decades, the Yuanjing Emperor held his throne up high and watched the tigers fight.

The most surprising thing was that Wang Shoufu, the old grand secretary who had fought with Wei Yuan for half his life, stood firmly on the side of the former members of the Wei Party with an unbelievable attitude. For the sake of Wei Yuan's reputation and the outcome of the battle, he was already doing his best.

…

In front of a small courtyard in the north of the city.

A luxurious carriage slowly stopped by the street, and a middle-aged man in casual clothes got off the carriage. Surrounded by his entourage, he knocked on the door of the small courtyard.

The person who opened the door was a pretty wife in a cotton dress. When she saw so many men at the door, she jumped in shock and hurriedly closed the door.

The entourage blocked the door and scolded, "Don't be rude. Do you know who is standing in front of you?"

The wife couldn't close the door, so she hurriedly stepped back and shouted, "Mother, there's a guest …"

The silver-haired old woman walked out of the house with the help of a walking stick. She looked at the group of uninvited guests warily. "Who are you?"

The old woman had also lived a wealthy life. With just a glance, she could tell that the middle-aged man's identity was unusual from his expensive fabrics, exquisite clothes, and the jade pendant hanging on his waist.

This made the old woman even more vigilant.

The goal of those traitors of the imperial court was very clear, and that was extortion. Although it was hateful, at least they did it openly. Moreover, now that they had nothing but four walls and were living a hard life, those inhumane lackeys didn't even deign to come back.

What was the purpose of this middle-aged man who must be of noble status in front of him?



The middle-aged man stood in the courtyard. There were a few hens crowing in the corner, and the faint smell of chicken droppings in the air made him frown.

"Are you Lu Zhennan's first wife?"

He threw his cane down and sat on the ground, displaying the methods of a shrew. In short, she first complained about her grievances and placed herself on the moral high ground.

The old woman suddenly burst into a loud cry. She threw her crutch and sat on the ground. She displayed the usual means of a shrew. In short, she first cried out miserably and put herself on the moral high ground.

The old woman didn't know how to read, but this was all the experience and logic she had gained from living in the marketplace.

But the middle-aged man's words stopped the old woman's crying. She was like an old hen whose neck had been grabbed.

"Do you want to reverse the verdict for Lu Zhennan?"

That Lu Zhennan trafficked people, raped innocent people, and wanted to reverse the verdict? The old woman didn't nod or refuse. She just stared blankly at the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man smiled and used words that could be understood by the women in the market.

"The official who exiled your son is called Wei Yuan, the head of the night watchman's yamen. As for him, he's dead on the battlefield. There were people who wanted to reverse the verdict for those innocent people who had been framed by Wei Yuan. They wanted to prove their innocence and restore justice to the officials.

"As long as you go to the Meridian Gate after lunch and sue Wei Yuan for accumulating wealth and slandering innocent people, I can guarantee that your son who was exiled to the border will come back and reunite with you before the Spring Sacrifice."

The old woman's eyes lit up and she was in high spirits.

Then she became afraid and whispered, "I'll be punished if I sue the emperor."

The law of Daibun stated that those who violated the law would be punished with fifty lashes.

If they won, there would be no problems. If they lost, they would be sentenced to two thousand li or even lose their lives.

At the old woman's age, fifty lashes would be enough to reunite with the old man and be reincarnated as husband and wife, not to mention a lawsuit.

The middle-aged man sneered, "Don't worry, we'll protect you. If you die, won't our efforts be in vain?"

As he said this, he glanced at the squire beside him.

The squire dropped an ingot of gold and a complaint.

The middle-aged man said, "I've written the complaint for you. If you handle it well, not only your son can come back, but you'll also get fifty taels of gold as a reward. It's enough for your family to live a life of luxury."

The old woman gritted her teeth and made up her mind, "Thank you, Master, for helping me!"

The middle-aged man nodded with satisfaction, "I'll teach you the process and method of suing the emperor now …"

…

On that day, the drum was beating loudly outside the Meridian Gate. An old woman with her daughter-in-law and grandson beat the Meridian Gate to sue Wei Yuan for accumulating wealth and slandering innocent people.

The Yuanjing Emperor, who had been negligent for twenty-one years, was furious and ordered the Imperial Censorate to investigate the matter.

The news spread quickly among the officials in the capital, and the undercurrent in the capital's officialdom was turbulent.

The old woman was immediately taken away by the censor of the Imperial Censorate. She was taken to the interrogation room of the Imperial Censorate, trembling and lowering her head.

Women in the market had a natural fear of the government.

"Is it the Lu Li family?"

Behind the big case, there came the majestic voice of the presiding judge.

"I am." The old woman said with a trembling voice.

"Raise your head," the majestic voice said again.

The old woman slowly raised her head and saw the appearance of the official sitting behind the big case. She was so shocked that she almost cried out. This official was the middle-aged man who had visited her not long ago and taught her how to sue the emperor.

"I am Yuan Xiong. What grievances do you have, tell me honestly."

"I, I have written everything I want to say on the petition."

"Not enough. You have to be more detailed. I ask you, and you have to answer. Don't hide anything, understand? "

"Yes …"

"Did your husband, Lu Zhennan, sell people, abduct innocent people, children, and adult men?"

"Absolutely not. My husband was a small businessman in the cloth business. He was a diligent and honest citizen. How could he sell people?"

"Then why did Master Blademaster of the organization insist that Lu Zhennan was the leader of the organization?"

"I don't know. I have never heard of this person. Besides, my husband had already died of illness at that time. They slandered me and bullied the dead."

"Oh, they wanted to frame me." Yuan Xiong nodded and asked, "What happened to you after the Lu family was raided?"

"Those night watchmen came to our house every two or three days to make trouble and ask for money."

"Oh, extortion and extortion. What else? "

"They also molested my daughter-in-law."

"Oh, they defiled your daughter-in-law and raped innocent people."

…

Soon, Yuan Xiong brought the results of the interrogation to the Yuanjing Emperor and reported to him.

The Yuanjing Emperor immediately summoned all the officials and held a small court meeting in the Imperial Study.

"Bang!"

The Yuanjing Emperor slammed the table and was furious.

"The night watchmen amassed money without limit and bullied innocent people. Even after their families were separated, they were still unwilling to let them go. They tortured their bones and sucked their marrow, and defiled their daughters … The disaster of petty officials has been accumulated for a long time. I didn't expect that the night watchmen who were supposed to supervise the officials to be so rotten. I am deeply saddened. I am very disappointed in Wei Yuan.

"I treated him as a scholar of the country, but he actually became a traitor."

The Left Imperial Censor Liu Hong stepped out and said anxiously, "Your Majesty, this matter concerns Duke Wei. Such a big case should be investigated by three departments. You can't just listen to Yuan Xiong's words."

He was Wei Yuan's confidant. In this case, he had to avoid arousing suspicion. All the members of the Wei faction had to avoid arousing suspicion. They were excluded by the Yuanjing Emperor and were not allowed to interfere in the case.

The Yuanjing Emperor sneered, "Three departments to investigate. Can you come up with a result? During the Concubine Fu case, you interrogated the Crown Prince. What did you get? Nothing but excuses. "

The officials were speechless for a moment.

Wang Shoufu stepped out and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, this case is of great importance. This is against the rules. Please investigate it by three departments."

The Assistant Minister of War, Qin Yuandao, immediately stood out and retorted.

"During the time of the capital inspection, the night watchmen, from Jinluo to Tonggong, were imprisoned for corruption and bribery. Corruption has been around for a long time. Now that Wei Yuan is dead, these corrupt scum no longer have protection. I believe that this is the best time to investigate the night watchmen and get rid of the serious problems. "

The Yuanjing Emperor did not look at him anymore. He stared at Yuan Xiong and said,

"Beloved Yuan, I will now hand over the night watchmen to you. Investigate carefully. You must get rid of the serious problems and return me a clean night watchmen office."

Yuan Xiong was wild with joy. He did not let his emotions show on his face and said loudly, "Yes!"

…

The officials dispersed. The Minister of War quickly caught up to Wang Shoufu and said in a low voice, "Minister, what should we do now?"

It was obvious that the Emperor wanted to use this to smear Duke Wei's name. When the 'dark' of the night watchmen office surfaced, as the leader of the night watchmen, how clean could Wei Yuan be?

When the time came, he could forget about being a loyal general or a duke.

Wang Shoufu did not answer the question and said, "Have you noticed that more and more people are silent?"

The Minister of War's expression changed.

Wang Shoufu said calmly, "Look after your own people. The tea cools when the people leave. This is a principle that has not been broken for thousands of years."

The old man turned around and looked at the palace. His face was full of exhaustion.

…

Yuan Xiong left the palace in a carriage. He did not return to the Imperial Censorate, nor did he go straight to the night watchmen office.

"The one who is most familiar with the night watchmen is definitely the night watchmen. If we want to get things done quickly, we can't do without that person's help."

Yuan Xiong squinted and quietly tapped his knee.

The carriage wheels rattled as he left the palace. After an hour of driving in the inner city, he arrived at a mansion.

The Zhu Mansion!