It was another morning. The bells and drums in the city had just struck for the 800th time.
The yamen of the Ministry of Justice was the same as usual. The people walking in front were prisoners wearing shackles and shackles. Behind them were officials in black robes who dragged their wind and fire rods and swayed lazily in the long corridor. There were low-ranking officials who were walking hurriedly in front of the departments. When they saw a superior with a higher rank, they would stop and greet him respectfully and warmly.
There seemed to be something different. There were more people in the yamen today. Perhaps it was because of one reason or another, some people who did not have to report to the yamen early in the morning had arrived early. Or some people who liked to stay in the office after arriving at the yamen were also loitering in the courtyard, looking for someone to talk to.
Could it be … today was payday?
There was a courtyard with grey eaves in the northwest corner of the yamen. That was the public kitchen of the Ministry of Justice. After the smoke had stopped for many days, the sky above that courtyard began to emit faint smoke again early in the morning.
When the low-ranking officials and officials in the yamen saw each other, they would stop and greet each other. Their greetings were all the same: "The Pestilence Doctor is back!"
When they finished, they would smile tacitly and nod their heads. No one knew what they understood, but they would pass by each other.
Some of the officials who were more or less in charge of some errands, even if they were minor officials of the lower ninth rank, inevitably had to put on some airs. When they saw low-ranking officials, they naturally didn't bat an eyelid. When they saw officials of the same rank, they just nodded and smiled, but that smile had an extra layer of inexplicable meaning than usual.
It was only when they met their superior, a superior whom they were usually very close to, that they would hastily approach them, and with an expression even more anxious than that of the petty officials and officials, they hurriedly said, "Doctor Pestilence is back! What should we do? "
Their superiors almost all had the same expression and the same words. They would keep a straight face and reprimand in a deep voice, "Watch your own mouths and do your own work. Don't ask around! When two Bodhisattvas are fighting, when did you have the right to tell them what to do? This is just the beginning, do you understand? "
Whether the low-ranking officials understood or not, they just nodded their heads blankly, as if they understood everything. No one knew what kind of Zen they were chanting, but the entire Ministry of Justice seemed to be shrouded in a mysterious and hazy atmosphere.
The Plague Doctor was naturally Yang Fan. He used the "Plague Stratagem" to turn the entire Ministry of Justice upside down. Then, he hid in the White Horse Temple and enjoyed his leisure time. From that day onwards, he was nicknamed "Doctor Pestilence" by the officials who had given him the nickname Cheng Feng.
It was still Assistant Minister Cui's office, and it was still one of the Five Great Ministers of the Ministry of Justice.
"Gentle Blade" Chen Dong, "Window Breaking Axe" Pi Erding, "Difficult to Write" Sun Yuxuan, "Sweet Potato Wading" Yan Xiaojun, and Yang Fan, who had just been given the elegant title of "Plague Doctor", sat upright and still.
Cui Bodhisattva, the wooden sculpture, slowly walked out from behind the screen. He looked at the five lamps and coughed softly.
The five of them stood up together and paid their respects to Assistant Minister Cui. "Greetings, Assistant Minister!"
"Everyone, please sit!"
Cui Bodhisattva sat on the seat of honor and pressed his hands together. The five Great Ministers returned to their seats with a swoosh.
Cui Bodhisattva coughed again and said, "A few days ago, many people in the Ministry of Justice fell ill with an acute illness. The symptoms were similar to the plague. To be cautious, the court temporarily isolated all the officials who contracted the illness. Hmm … the affairs of the yamen were inevitably affected."
Everyone knew what the "Plague" was about a few days ago, but what could not be discussed on the table was not discussed. If it were someone in the military, they would have already used their bodies to speak. However, the people in the hall all looked calm, as if what Cui Yuanzong said was true.
Cui Yuanzong continued, "Now that the Imperial Medical Bureau has investigated and confirmed that it was a false alarm, all the officials are here. We have to make the best use of the time to deal with the affairs that have been delayed these days. Otherwise, we will miss the time limit set by the court."
Cui Yuanzong covered his mouth and coughed. He picked up a thick file from the table and gently caressed the hard leather cover. His eyelids also gently drooped as if he was caressing the smooth skin of his favorite concubine, Miss Hua Ying.
Old Cui touched it for a while, then slowly said: "Yesterday, a case was transferred from the Supreme Court. Because the Imperial Envoy Station had doubts, and the Supreme Court insisted on its own judgment, so according to the rules, the Ministry of Justice will review the case."
At this point, Cui Yuanzong gently raised his head and glanced at Yang Fan. He said with a faint smile, "This case is closely related to the case handled by Yang Langzhong. According to the rules, it should be reviewed by Yang Langzhong. I have discussed this with Doctor Sun yesterday. Doctor Chen also has the same opinion. Yang Langzhong … "
Yang Fan smiled and straightened his back. He said seriously, "Since this is the rule and the Assistant Minister has already arranged it, I will comply. But … "
The corner of his mouth curled up. He said mockingly, "If the scribe and yamen officials suddenly get sick again, I'm afraid these two cases will be reviewed indefinitely."
Hearing this, Chen Dong's expression became slightly uncomfortable, but he quickly put on a very calm expression. Seeing him agree, Cui Yuanzong secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He said repeatedly, "It won't happen, it won't happen. I promise that this kind of thing will never happen again!"
Pi Erding, Sun Yuxuan, and Yan Xiaojun all looked at him with a somewhat strange expression. The trick that Yang Fan played earlier was not like that of a new official. They did not believe that Yang Fan knew nothing about this case that had been transferred from the Supreme Court. Even so, Yang Fan was still willing to accept this hot potato. This matter was thought-provoking.
Of the three doctors, only Yan Xiaojun looked at Yang Fan with a faint trace of sympathy.
Old Yan was also a slanderous person. When he was still a small yamen official, just because a melon farmer refused to give him a melon to eat for free, he could run to the yamen and make up a lie about thieves hiding in the melon fields. In the end, the farmer's melon fields had no melons to harvest. Given his vengeful personality, he very much admired the way Yang Fan punished those small officials and yamen officials who looked down on him.
Therefore, Old Yan felt that Yang Fan was a hero and a hero.
Yang Fan smiled again. He said, "This lowly official is in charge of the Ministry of Justice. I wonder if I have the authority to judge the officials of this ministry?"
Cui Yuanzong did not know why he had suddenly brought up this topic. He couldn't help feeling surprised. After thinking for a while, he said, "Officials but not officials?"
Yang Fan nodded. "Yes!"
Cui Yuanzong smiled. "Of course I have the authority to judge. However, whether it is scribes or yamen officials, most of them are sons who inherit their father's position. This position is hereditary. Unless there is a big mistake, there is no such thing as dismissal. "
Yang Fan opened his mouth and smiled. He said lightly, "Assistant Minister's words are too serious. This lowly official does not want to dismiss anyone. It is just that during the last court session, I felt that the vice-monitor named Yuan Han was quite easy to use. Now I want him to be the monitor!"
Cui Yuanzong was stunned. He coughed and said, "He is just an ordinary official. As for the matter of moving him, the doctor can decide. There is no need to tell me."
Yang Fan bowed and said, "Yes!"
Yan Xiaojun's gaze towards Yang Fan had an additional tinge of admiration, "Don't beg that monitor to listen to Chen Dong's instigation to make him look bad. Then, he would put down his airs as a doctor and settle a score with this lowly official. He is one of us! He is indeed a man of my generation! From now on, I will no longer be alone! "
A trace of contempt flashed quickly in Chen Dong's eyes. A dignified doctor of the current imperial court was also one of the top officials in the Ministry of Justice, yet he was actually haggling over minor matters with a lowly official. This person's breadth of mind and vision was only so-so. What great things could he do?
In reality, both of them had guessed wrongly. Yang Fan was not the type to argue or seek revenge for the smallest grievance. The reason he cared about this matter was that he had only been in the Ministry of Justice for a short time. To obtain the obedience of his subordinates, one was prestige and the other was ability. Both were indispensable.
In terms of ability, as long as he could handle this thorny case of the three departments satisfactorily, he would be able to gain the recognition of all the officials in the Ministry of Justice, subordinates, the three departments of justice, and even the Emperor.
On the other hand, prestige was a gradual process. It was impossible for everyone to have the authority to kill people to establish prestige. The six ministries were not the army. This was a place where bureaucrats and civil officials gathered. It was impossible for him to use military law to kill people to establish prestige. Thus, this was a gradual process. When the words "I am in charge here!" were instilled into everyone's hearts, his prestige would naturally be established. Once this idea was instilled in everyone's hearts, his prestige would naturally also be established. What he was doing now was instilling this idea into all of his subordinates in the Ministry of Justice.
He did not have the time to waste. From time to time, he would have to wrangle with his subordinates. If he did not do well, he would be tricked at a crucial moment by a small official such as a constable or a supervisor. He would be forced to learn from the "window breaker" Doctor Pi and climb out of the window to retrieve documents. After this incident, anyone who encouraged their subordinates to drag him down would have to think twice.
Cui Yuanzong's expression became solemn. He said sanctimoniously, "Alright, there is nothing else. I just want to tell everyone that the case Yang Langzhong is investigating involves the three departments of justice. Thus, when he needs the assistance of the departments, no one is to be negligent. In addition, Yang Langzhong has only just arrived and will inevitably be unfamiliar with matters. Doctor Chen has been in the Ministry of Justice for a long time. If Yang Langzhong has any matters to discuss with you, you must assist him. "
"Yes!"
"We will solemnly obey the assistant minister's instructions!"
"Many thanks for the assistant minister's protection!"
The five doctors rose together and bowed to Cui Yuanzong, respectfully sending the Bodhisattva back to his seat.
Cui Yuanzong then walked behind the screen.
"Everyone, farewell!"
Pi Erding cupped his hands to everyone and floated out.
Sun Yuxuan hesitated for a moment, then cupped his hands to Yang Fan. "The case that the Supreme Court of Justice handed over may not be complicated, but it involves all the departments of the three departments of justice. This makes it very complicated. Yang Langzhong, be careful!"
Sun Yuxuan still gave him a word of advice because of the endless free drinks every day.
Yan Xiaojun also smiled. "This kind of case is not easy to judge! It is a pool of muddy water to begin with. How can we clear it? If we can make the three departments of justice leave some face, then it will be perfect. Haha, this is just a crude opinion. Please consider it. Farewell! "
He rather admired Yang Fan's personality, so Old Yan also gave him a word of advice.
When Chen Dong heard this, his face darkened slightly. Yang Fan's face was not very pale, but compared to him, he had a jade-like complexion and vermillion lips, a handsome young man.
The others left, but Chen Dong could not. This was because he and Yang Fan were officials in the same department.
Thus, one with a black face and one with a white face returned to the Ministry of Justice together.
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