In Yang Fan's office, an uninvited guest said in a low voice, "You have asked me to inform Lang Zhong that the Imperial Envoy Station has accused Lang Zhong of being unfair in handling the case, accepting bribes, being in cahoots with friends, and trying to buy people's hearts."
"I understand. Thank you for your concern. I have my own plans."
The one who came to report was the Secretary, Li Zhanpeng. The one who replied was, of course, Yang Fan.
Yang Fan smiled and replied calmly.
Wu Cheng Si, Wu San Si, and the Vice Counsellor of the Ministry of Appointments were pressuring him. He had long wanted to reveal this matter. However, it was not easy to do a self-examination as he would be regarded as a saint. Saints were meant to be praised, not to be befriended. Doing so would make him a loner and isolated in the officialdom. Now that the Imperial Messenger Station had lodged a complaint against him, they would not dare to put pressure on him so blatantly.
Li Zhanpeng had just left when another uninvited guest came, "Her Highness wants me to ask Lang Zhong why the Supreme Court and the Imperial Envoy Station have become enemies. Does Her Highness need to lend a helping hand?"
This time, the person who came to ask questions was Princess Taiping's groom, Xu Houde. Princess Taiping's residence's head steward, Li Yi, was also considered to be somewhat famous. After Xu Houde disguised himself, there were not many people who could recognize him.
Yang Fan said, "No matter which side I go with, I will be used by one side and offend the other side at the same time. If I don't want to be passive, I can only jump out of this shackle and lead them by the nose if I don't want to be passive. Her Highness does not need to intervene. Yang Fan wants Her Highness to know that Yang Fan is fighting alone! "
Xu Houde left reluctantly.
Yang Fan closed his eyes and rested. Seeing that it was about time, he tidied up his clothes and walked out.
The Empress decreed that the three law departments would form a joint trial of Pan Junyi's murder case. The venue would be the main hall of the Ministry of Justice.
The official name for the joint trial of the three departments was the "Tribunal of the Three Divisions". It referred to major and difficult cases that would be jointly tried by the three law departments.
There were three ranks in the 'Three Division Supervisors': First Division Supervisor, Middle Division Supervisor, and Third Division Supervisor.
The three departments formed by the Imperial Censor or Deputy Prime Minister, the Minister of Justice or Assistant Minister, and the Minister of Justice or Junior Minister of the Supreme Court were the three departments of the highest level, and were called the 'Great Three Secretaries'. The three departments formed by the Minister of Justice, the Minister of Justice, and the Imperial Censor were called the 'Middle Three Secretaries'. The Ministry of Justice Vice Minister, the Supervising Imperial Messenger, and the Great Court Judge jointly decided on the Prison Suspicions. They were known as the 'Three Marshals'.
At this moment, the joint trial of the three divisions held by the Ministry of Justice was of the second level.
The Ministry of Justice had a total of five torture chambers. Today, they were using the largest one.
Everyone in the Ministry of Justice had already gathered outside the Torture Chamber. Seeing Yang Fan walk steadily in his new official robe, whether it was Pi Erding, Sun Yuxuan, or Zuo Yuanqing and Cao Qigen, or even the managers and secretaries of the various departments, they all looked at Yang Fan with complicated expressions.
Yang Fan was like a catfish thrown into a school of sardines. His arrival disrupted the peaceful routine of the Ministry of Justice, but it also brought a sense of renewal to the Ministry of Justice.
When Zhou Xing was around, the Ministry of Justice was number one among the three law departments.
No matter how notorious Zhou Xing's reputation was among the people, when he was the head of the Ministry of Justice, the people in the Ministry of Justice felt dignity and glory, fear and authority. When they went out to work, even if it was to the Supreme Court or the Imperial Envoy Station, which were also part of the Law Sector, their backs were always straight, and their voices were always rough.
But ever since Zhou Xing's death, the status of the Ministry of Justice had been deteriorating. The people in the Ministry of Justice no longer had the confidence. When they went to the Imperial Messenger Station, they had to put on a smiling face, and when they went to the Supreme Court, they had to be polite. This was very uncomfortable for the people in the Ministry of Justice who were used to speaking with their chins held high. But they had no choice. With the situation like this, how could they not lower their heads?
But now, someone had stood out from among them, daring to challenge the Supreme Court, daring to challenge the Imperial Messenger Station, daring to challenge the Supreme Court and the Imperial Messenger Station at the same time!
For the people in the Ministry of Justice who had been suppressed for a long time, there was a feeling of exaltation. Even if they did not have high hopes for Yang Fan, and even thought that Yang Fan would be completely finished after the joint trial of the three departments, but at least right now, Yang Fan was a hero in their eyes, a man with courage.
But after all, they were people who had been in the bureaucracy for a long time, and it was difficult for the blood of a bureaucrat to be heated up. Even if they had some admiration for Yang Fan, it was not enough to make them say or do anything. Their admiration was only vaguely shown in their eyes.
But it was not the case for the ordinary bailiffs and petty officials. The blood of those at the lowest level was always the easiest to boil. They subconsciously formed two human walls, looking at Yang Fan walking alone in the middle. Step by step, he was as steady as if he was about to set foot on the execution ground. Their emotions grew more and more agitated. The monitor, Yuan Han, looked at Yang Fan, his face red for a long time. Finally, he roared, "Yang Langzhong, good job!"
Yuan Han's words seemed to have opened a floodgate, and the crowd finally began to shout in support.
"Yang Langzhong, I wish you victory!"
"This is the Ministry of Justice! Yang Langzhong is a member of the Ministry of Justice. Yang Langzhong, everyone is standing with you! "
"Yang Langzhong, you have to show the power of the Ministry of Justice!"
Yang Fan smiled, smiling at his colleagues from the Ministry of Justice who had sent him to court.
He was really not too worried about this lawsuit.
If this lawsuit was judged purely according to legal principles, he might not be able to win against those who had spent most of their lives in the judicial yamen. But it also involved morality and ethics, and these morals and ethics could definitely affect the judgment of the law. That was not the case.
In the details of the judicial regulations, he might not be a match for these old foxes who had immersed themselves in the criminal law for many years. But since it involved morality and ethics, to a large extent, who would win would depend on whose words could incite people more. In this regard, Yang Fan had an advantage over those bureaucrats who were used to speaking in the official language.
He was also very confident in his eloquence. Of course, what he was most confident about was that as long as he did not go too far, as long as he gave the Empress a dignified way out, the Empress would definitely give him face.
Yang Fan, who had walked to the steps, turned around, cupped his hands and bowed to everyone, and said heroically, "In the territory of the Ministry of Justice, how can we let others take advantage of us? Colleagues, don't worry! "
Yang Fan's action did not match the style of those officials who had been honed in the officialdom for most of their lives and had long lost their edges and corners, but it was to the taste of these people at the bottom. Once Yang Fan's words left his mouth, it was like a condemned prisoner on the guillotine shouting, "After 20 years, I will be a good man again." Immediately, everyone cheered.
Sun Yuxuan and Pi Erding looked at each other and laughed bitterly at the same time.
In the distance, Chen Dong, who was standing alone at the door of the Ministry of Justice, seemed to have heard these words. He shook his head, sighed, and shook his head again. As he shook his head, he sighed as he returned to the official office.
The people in the court also clearly heard what he said outside the court. When he walked into the main hall, the people from the Supreme Court and the Imperial Censorate all looked at him strangely.
Yang Fan did not care at all. When it came to scheming and scheming, he might not necessarily be a cut above others, but these people who were used to scheming and scheming beneath the stage could not compare to him.
The reason why this case was so difficult to judge and why the three Law Divisions each had their own opinions was because it didn't just involve legal principles, but also reason and ethics. Everyone's understanding of morality and ethics was different, so there was a situation where everyone said they were right and everyone said they were right.
However, most of them did not realize that this originally purely criminal case had already become a weapon of competition between the three departments of Justice, between King Wei and King Liang. That was why its significance was no longer purely reflected in the law and ethics, but also in politics.
Once politics was involved, would the emperor's judgment still be based on the case itself?
The Mirror of Eminence hung high in the air. Beneath the plaque was a picture of 'Auspicious Clouds and Red Sun Setting Out to Sea!'
There were three cases in front of the main judge's platform, and they were arranged in a straight line to show that they were on equal footing.
This was the Ministry of Justice, so Yang Fan's case was at the center.
Yang Fan sat down and cupped his hands towards the two officials to his left and right. With a sincere smile, he said, "This one is Yang Fan, the current Minister of Justice. May I ask what position you two hold, and what your esteemed names might be?"
When the two officials saw him sit down, their expressions became solemn, and their backs straightened. They didn't expect Yang Fan to start exchanging pleasantries with them before the court had even begun. They didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
The official on the left had a square face, large ears, a black beard, and a dark face. He looked to be in his early forties, and he exuded an imposing aura. When he heard Yang Fan's question, he hurriedly cupped his hands and said seriously, "This official is the Imperial Censor of the Supreme Court, Cheng Ling!"
The official on the right looked to be in his thirties, with a fair face and a slight beard. His eyes were sharp. This was the imperial censor, Zhao Jiulong. He also cupped his fists towards Yang Fan and introduced himself.
Yang Fan said with a smile, "It is my great fortune to be able to judge this case with you two brothers today. Since the three of us are the main examiners, who will be the judge? "
Cheng Ling and Zhao Jiulong looked at each other and snorted, "It's just a formality. This is the Ministry of Justice. You, Yang Langzhong, will be the judge!"
"Haha, thank you. I won't stand on ceremony then!"
Yang Fan's smile disappeared. He grabbed the gavel and slammed it down, shouting, "Let the court begin!"
Even if Yang Fan hadn't shown his methods to the officials of the Ministry of Justice before, because today was a battle between the Ministry of Justice, the Supreme Court, and the Imperial Censor, these officials wouldn't let him down. This shout of "Tang Wei" was very dignified and loud, and the three people's expressions unconsciously became solemn.
"Bring the criminal!"
With this order, Chang Zhiyuan was brought into the main hall. He had already been removed from his shackles and was only wearing shackles.
He had already been to the court of the Supreme Court of Justice, and it was not the first time he had been to the court of the Ministry of Justice. However, this was the first time he had seen a scene like the joint trial of the three departments. Seeing that the court seemed slightly crowded but even more dignified, the child's face turned pale.
Yang Fan waited for Feng Xihui to verify his identity and go through all the procedures before speaking to him in a friendly manner, "Chang Zhiyuan, don't be afraid. Today is the joint trial between the three courts. Tell us everything that happened between you and the deceased Pan Junyi. There must be no falsehoods. "
"Yes! I … I went with my mother to Ding Ding Street to play on the Double Seventh Festival … "
Chang Zhiyuan had just started speaking when Cheng Ling from the Supreme Court interrupted him with a frown, saying, "Chang Zhiyuan committed the murder on the fourteenth of the seventh month. What does that have to do with Double Seventh Festival? Just tell us what happened that day! "
Chang Zhiyuan stuttered, "Yes, that day …"
"Wait!"
Yang Fan also stopped him and said to Cheng Ling, "Brother Cheng, if we had not met on Double Seventh Festival, there would not have been the murder on the fourteenth of the seventh month. The two incidents are closely related, and we should not omit this part!"
Cheng Ling said, "If Chang Zhiyuan had not been born 13 years ago, he would not have committed the murder today. Based on what Yang Langzhong has said, shouldn't we tell us everything about his life since he was young?"
Yang Fan shook his head and smiled, saying, "Judge Cheng's words are wrong. Every case has one cause and effect, or many causes and effects, or many causes and effects, or one cause and effects, or many causes and effects. There are also inevitable causes and effects, and as a judge, we must first clarify the causes and effects. The Double Seventh Festival incident was the cause of a series of tragedies, how can we not mention it! "
The case of the Chang family's youngest son was just a prelude. This case is actually a case between the three courts. This case has finally begun!
…
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