In the morning sun, Assistant Minister Cui had one hand behind his back and was leisurely feeding his myna in a secluded courtyard.
Under the porch hung a delicate and elegant birdcage. A myna with a black body and bright yellow beak was using its powerful legs to grab onto the perch. It stretched out its neck and let out a crisp cry, "Hello!"
Assistant Minister Cui used the feeding pole to scoop up some fried rice mixed with egg white and placed it in front of the myna. Watching it swallow it in one gulp, the wrinkles at the corner of his eyes softened with a smile.
"Assistant Minister!"
Pi Erding quickly walked in and said to Assistant Minister Cui, "Assistant Minister, Yang Fan is being interrogated in the main hall today."
Unhurriedly, Assistant Minister Cui asked, "Oh, which case is it?"
Pi Erding answered, "The case of the Chang family's old woman beating her daughter-in-law to death."
Assistant Minister Cui chuckled, "Let him be. Who cares about this case now? "
Pi Erding frowned, "What case can this person interrogate? He's just messing around!"
Assistant Minister Cui pursed his lips, "Lai Junchen is a ruffian and Hou Sizhi is a pancake seller. Both of them can dress in red and become officials of the court. What's so great about a general being a civil official? Our empress has always been eclectic when it comes to using people. "
As Assistant Minister Cui said this, he scooped up another spoonful of bird food and chirped to tease the myna to eat.
The myna was speaking human language while Assistant Minister Cui was speaking bird language. It was quite interesting.
Pi Erding said, "This lowly official just feels that even though that Chen Dong isn't very tactful, given time, we might still be able to subdue him. Now that Yang Fan has just arrived at the Ministry of Justice and has already caused such a ruckus, if we don't handle it properly, our Ministry of Justice will become the target of public criticism.
"There are some things that we cannot predict in advance, such as Pan Junyi's death. There are some things that we cannot change even if we know about it, such as Yang Fan's arrival at the Ministry of Justice."
Assistant Minister Cui sighed and said to Pi Erding: "Look at this birdcage. It's a thick piece of bamboo, cut horizontally and vertically, sawn into tubes, chopped into slices, drilled into strips, shaved into strips, pulled into threads … the bamboo sticks and strips are intertwined vertically and horizontally, intertwining with each other, forming this cage. Sturdy, right? Gorgeous, right? It's just like our Ministry of Justice. These bamboo sticks, strips, strips, and pieces are all different and have their own uses. If you take out a bamboo stick or strip from the inside, 'Bang!' the whole cage will fall apart! "
Assistant Minister Cui turned around and said to Pi Erding with a smile, "This old man also thinks that this martial artist is a hindrance. At first, I asked Wang Wan to test him. I thought that he was a simple-minded boorish fellow, and that a little trick would be enough to make him leave, or at least make him squat there obediently and not say a word. I didn't expect that he wasn't stupid."
Assistant Minister Cui put his hands behind his back and walked toward the center of the hall. He said slowly, "If I want to kick him out of the Ministry of Justice, I naturally have my ways, but that would be too obvious. He's someone personally arranged by the Emperor. Is Cui trying to cover the sky with one hand in the Ministry of Justice by doing this? Don't look at Fu Youyi. Fu Youyi is unlucky, but what about those prime ministers who pushed him out of the Political Affairs Hall? "
Pi Erding bowed and said, "Yes!"
Assistant Minister Cui said lightly, "Let them fight it out. It's fine if one of them collapses, but it's best if they collapse together. When there's no other choice, this old man will come and clean up the mess. As for you, don't worry. This Ministry of Justice will be yours sooner or later! "
…
At noon, when the kitchen opened, the entire Criminal Court knew that Yang Fan had already tried the case of the Chang family's old woman beating up and killing her daughter-in-law, and had already made a verdict: Overturning all of Chen Dong's previous verdicts and sentencing the Chang family's old woman to death!
There were faint undercurrents surging in the Criminal Court, but no one made any obvious reactions, because the current focus was on the case of Pan Junyi's murder.
Chen Dong laughed coldly in the dark. "Right now, it doesn't matter whether the Chang family's old woman is dead or not. The problem is, how are you going to decide on the second case? The Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Court are in a standoff, and King Wei and King Liang are also in a standoff. No matter which side you lean towards, the other side will pounce on you like a pack of rabid dogs. Let's see how you deal with it! "
No one had expected that the calm and composed Yang Fan, who had been sitting under the cassia tree and chatting with a group of scribes, would suddenly start to try the case of Pan Junyi's murder in one go that very afternoon. Moreover, he made a verdict on the spot, and the verdict was even more unexpected.
The Supreme Court's verdict was: Chang Zhiyuan should pay for Pan Junyi's life with his own.
The imperial emissary's impeachment was: The Supreme Court's verdict was unfair, and there was suspicion of officials protecting each other. The son of the Chang family's crime was unforgivable, and his sentence should be reduced by one rank, and he should be exiled.
Yang Fan's verdict was: Chang Zhiyuan was not guilty of murder!
The news was like a sudden clap of thunder, exploding in the entire Penal Court.
When Assistant Minister Cui heard that Yang Fan had started to try the case of Pan Junyi's murder, he could no longer remain calm. He had been waiting in the office for news. When Pi Erding rushed into the office and reported the verdict to Cui Yuanzong, Cui Yuanzong forgot himself for a moment, and actually pulled out a few strands of his beard.
Old Cui said in exasperation, "Yang Fan is playing with fire!"
Luo Ling, who had been pacing back and forth outside the main hall waiting for news, also ran back quickly and reported Yang Fan's verdict to Chen Dong. Chen Dong was stunned for a long while after listening to it. Only then did he spit out a sentence in astonishment, "He is playing with fire!"
Chen Dong paced around the room anxiously. Yang Fan was about to go crazy and bring about his own destruction. He was naturally happy to see that happen, but if he wanted to burn a hole in the sky, who would plug it for him? At that time, Yang Langzhong would be finished, and wouldn't he, Doctor Chen, be the one cleaning up after him?
Among the three law departments, the Ministry of Justice was the weakest. Even though Lai Junchen had fallen, the power of the Imperial Messenger Platform had not yet dissipated. The Supreme Court was originally on the same side as the Ministry of Justice, and they worked together to resist the Imperial Messenger Platform. Now that Yang Fan had made a move, he had directly offended both the Imperial Messenger Platform and the Ministry of Justice. This …
Chen Dong thought hard for a long time, and felt that he should prepare ahead of time. He wanted to see Assistant Minister Cui and discuss a countermeasure with him, so that he would not be flustered when the time came. Unexpectedly, when he arrived at Assistant Minister Cui's office, he saw that the office was empty. Chen Dong asked the scribe in Assistant Minister Cui's office, "Where did the assistant minister go?"
The scribe respectfully replied, "The assistant minister felt unwell, so he went back to his manor to rest."
Chen Dong made an "oh" sound, and turned to leave. The scribe said again, "Good, Doctor Chen knows that the assistant minister has already sent someone to the government hall to ask for leave. He probably won't be able to come for the next few days."
Chen Dong was stunned, and he cursed in his heart, "This old turtle!"
…
The next morning, coincided with the Ministry of Justice's ten-day meeting.
Assistant Minister Cui was not present, so in the Ministry of Justice, Yang Fan's position was the highest, so this ten-day meeting was presided over by him.
It was the first time that Yang Fan's office was so lively, and a few doctors had arrived.
Sun Yuxuan and Yan Xiaojun were the first to arrive. Although Yang Fan's current state was a little crazy, it would not implicate them anyway, so the two doctors did not feel any pressure. Since they had already expressed goodwill to Yang Fan, they would continue to support him before he fell from power.
Pi Erding was the third to arrive. Assistant Minister Cui's "illness" meant that his faction would completely not interfere, and would allow Yang Fan to do as he pleased. Therefore, Pi Erding did not express his opinion, and could not be said to be lenient to Yang Fan.
Chen Dong's office was right across from Yang Fan, very close, but he was the last to arrive. Yang Fan did not go overboard, and waited for him to sit down before he cleared his throat and said, "Assistant Minister is not feeling well, and has already applied for leave from the Political Affairs Hall. In the few days that Assistant Minister is not here, I will be in charge of the Ministry of Justice's affairs. Today is the ten-day meeting, Manager Feng … "
Feng Xihui understood, and immediately picked up the file to read. Yang Fan purposely put the two cases that he handled yesterday at the end. After the first few cases had been discussed, Feng Xihui brought up the two cases that he had just handled yesterday. The office immediately quieted down, and only Feng Xihui's voice could be heard.
After Feng Xihui finished, Yang Fan said, "Regarding these two cases, what do the doctors think?"
Pi Erding, Sun Yuxuan, and Yan Xiaojun looked at Chen Dong at the same time. Chen Dong frowned, and after a moment of silence, he slowly said, "Yang Langzhong, should we … be more careful?"
Yang Fan said with a smile, "What does Doctor Chen think is wrong with my judgment?"
Chen Dong was silent again, and after a moment of silence, he laughed bitterly and lightly shook his head.
Yang Fan said with a smile, "Since there is nothing to say, then it is passed!"
Everyone was still speechless. Yang Fan clapped his hands and said, "Alright, all the doctors can go back. In the few days that Assistant Minister Cui is not in the yamen, we have to maintain the Ministry of Justice well, lest Assistant Minister Cui comes back to make trouble for us. Haha, please go back now!"
Pi Erding, Sun Yuxuan, and Yan Xiaojun did not say much. They stood up, cupped their hands, and silently left. Chen Dong still sat there, his face gloomy. Yang Fan stared at him, and asked, "Doctor Chen, do you have something else to say to me?"
Chen Dong hesitated for a moment, and slowly said, "I once tried a case in the past."
"Oh?" Yang Fan raised his eyebrows, and slowly sat down.
Chen Dong narrowed his eyes, and did not look at Yang Fan. He only stared at the pillar opposite him, and leisurely said, "At that time, I was a magistrate in Ruzhou. Once, two brothers came to the yamen for a lawsuit, but it was because their father had passed away, and the two brothers wanted to snatch the mansion left behind by their father. Of the two brothers, one was the son of the old man's ex-wife, and the other was the son of his second wife. They were both sons of the first wife, and each had their own reasons. Even an upright official would find it difficult to resolve family disputes. At that time, I was also young, and faced with such a case, I actually could not make a clear judgment. So the two brothers came to the yamen every day to quarrel … "
Chen Dong sighed, and continued, "The two brothers quarreled until their eyes were red. Over time, it was as if they were enemies. As a result, they attacked each other, and spoke indiscriminately. As a result, as they spoke, they gradually revealed some secrets that were not meant for outsiders to know. Although they did not say much, I heard something strange. "
Yang Fan was a very qualified listener, and immediately asked, "What secrets?"
Chen Dong said, "So it turns out that their father who passed away was the leader of a famous bandit group in the area. Their family's wealth was enormous, and it was naturally obtained through illegal means. In the end … naturally, they did not get the mansion. Not only did they not get the mansion, but they also lost everything. "
Chen Dong chuckled, stroked his beard, and said, "Yang Langzhong, do you know why I was transferred from a small magistrate in Ruzhou to the capital, to the Ministry of Justice, and step by step to where I am today? It's because … I solved this big case! "
Chen Dong slowly stood up, and looked deeply at Yang Fan. He slightly cupped his hands, and said meaningfully, "Yang Langzhong, you're on your own …"
Yang Fan stood up, and watched him walk out of the door. Then, he also smiled faintly, "What an interesting person!"
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