A dream of glory and splendor, half a piece of scholarly papers, a thousand feet of sea waves. Horse hooves shatter the frost of the forbidden street, listening to the rooster sing several times. Dust and clothing, the heart of the jianghu. Out of the royal phoenix net, Muyi Qi Shouyang, sighing that Han Peng did not end. Early in the paper, the demonic form.
(Yuan Wang, Yuan Heng, the Emperor of the court, as the inscription)
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The clouds in the sky were like wet cotton, ready to squeeze out water at any moment. They were also like large lead ingots, heavy and not something the air could hold. They were probably going to smash into the world in the next moment. Rain was already trickling down from the leaden clouds and dripping to the ground. No one knew when it would become a torrential rain.
Song Shiren, once the best litigation master in Jingdou and nicknamed Rich Mouth, now had white hair at his temples. His features were no longer as free and at ease as before. He was much more steady. He gazed calmly at the sky. No one knew what he was thinking.
A moment later, he pulled back his gaze and sat in a chair, feeling a bit tired. Beside him, someone had brought him hot tea. He took a sip and rinsed his mouth. He then accepted a scalding hot towel and pressed it against his eyes. Only then did he feel more energetic.
There were also people behind him massaging his back and legs. There were also people who began to fan him. However, the autumn of the ninth year of the Qing calendar was already cold. Additionally, the autumn rain was about to arrive. Jingdou was completely cold. How could he stand the fan? Song Shiren couldn't help but shiver. The person beside him in black official robes glared at the subordinate holding the fan.
This Overwatch Council official was the head of the First Bureau, Mu Tie. He looked carefully at Song Shiren and said, "Sir Song, are you confident?"
Although Song Shiren had heard this title for a year and a half, he was still not used to it. His brows furrowed and he calmly replied, "Don't worry, sir."
This litigation master's first official appearance was in the fourth year of the Qing calendar on behalf of Minister Guo's family. He sued the son of the assistant minister, Song Shiren, for fighting underground in the middle of the night. That case was also a rare complete defeat for Song Shiren. However, he truly caused a stir in the Qing court because of the property dispute lawsuit involving the Jiangnan Ming family in the sixth year of the Qing calendar.
In that case, relying on the Overwatch Council Commissioner Fan Xian's strong support, Song Shiren spent half a year in the Suzhou government. He demonstrated everything he had learned in his life to the fullest. He forcefully grasped the loopholes in the Qing law and Ministry of Justice's rules and completely defeated the natural inheritance right of the legitimate eldest that was deeply imprinted in the hearts of the people.
This Ming family property dispute lawsuit was truly in Jiangnan, aimed at the Jingdou Royal Palace. It had to be said, later, the Emperor's worship to the heavens to depose the Crown Prince, as well as the Crown Prince's final forced rebellion, all had an unclear connection to this lawsuit.
In Jiangnan, Song Shiren's glory was limitless. However, when he returned to Jingdou, the Crown Prince had not been deposed and the empress dowager was furious. The old woman had only quietly said a few words, and the world's best attorney had been kneaded into an ant by the Palace. His family's property had been confiscated, and he had to see the world look down on him. He set up a stall in Lotus Pond Square and struggled to survive.
Fortunately, Fan Xian returned to the capital at that time and secretly sent him out of Jingdou. He also gifted him a large sum of money as a form of repayment. At the beginning of the eighth year of the Qing calendar, the Jingdou matter was settled. Fan Xian brought Song Shiren's family back and bought him a manor in the west of the city. At the same time, he gave him the identity of an official.
Although the best attorney in the world could earn money, his status was not as high as an official's. Song Shiren was endlessly grateful. At the same time, he knew he had to sell his life well for Sir Fan junior. Additionally, after experiencing the baptism of these few years, Song Shiren was no longer as arrogant as before. Instead, he appeared steady and ordinary, but he still had a powerful ability to execute laws.
His present identity was an official of the Eighth Bureau of the Overwatch Council's legal department. He was responsible for helping the Overwatch Council fight lawsuits.
The Overwatch Council also needed to fight lawsuits? If this matter had to be told from the beginning, it would be a very long story. There were two important points. First, a few years ago, the Emperor had taken back all of the Overwatch Council's trial power and divided it between the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Court. Thus, the Overwatch Council was now more of a public prosecutor.
During these two years, the little Duke of the Overwatch Council seemed to have been provoked by something. After asking for the Emperor's edict, he began to purge the governance of officials. The Overwatch Council had captured countless corrupt officials in various Roads, counties, and departments. If they captured a criminal official, they had to be interrogated. If they were just handed over to the Ministry of Justice and Supreme Court to interrogate, the Overwatch Council would not be satisfied. Sir Fan junior would also not agree. Everyone knew that officials protected each other. Since the Overwatch Council wanted to investigate the governance of officials, they would not give these civil officials a chance to band together.
Thus, Song Shiren, the newly promoted official of the Overwatch Council specializing in lawsuits, played a great role. As long as he appeared, the crimes the Overwatch Council pinned down were basically all brought to fruition. No matter how the court's civil official system tried to hide it, they were unable to let the criminal officials escape.
What truly chilled the Overwatch Council were the Emperor's edicts after the Jingdou matter was settled. Although these edicts only continued the plans set when the seven gentlemen entered the Palace and had the Imperial Censorate enter the Council's internal procedures to carry out supervision, the Imperial Censor of the Left, He Zongwei, relied on the Emperor's favor and clear edicts to truly use his power. On one hand, he weakened the Overwatch Council's power. On the other hand, he began to attack some of the Overwatch Council's violations of the law.
The world was large, but it was not as large as the Emperor's edict. After almost two years, the Imperial Censorate's power gradually grew. It was like a rope across the Overwatch Council's neck, making it difficult for the Overwatch Council officials to breathe.
He Zongwei was like a hunting dog, standing guard outside the Overwatch Council. As long as an official of the Overwatch Council did something forbidden, he would not be soft-hearted or courteous. He would draft up a rule and send it directly to the Supreme Court to ask the court to punish them.
The Overwatch Council didn't have any good ideas. From the beginning of the Overwatch Council's establishment, there had been this rule. The Qing law had strictly restricted them from acting against the Imperial Censorate. However, because of the powerful existences of Chen Pingping and Fan Xian, this rule had always been forgotten, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Now that the Emperor had once again remembered this matter, the Imperial Censorate began to shine.
Fortunately, Sir Fan junior was still the Commissioner of the Overwatch Council, so the Imperial Censorate's actions were still relatively gentle. He Zongwei was careful not to touch Fan Xian's bottom line. He only made an issue of the Qing law and didn't bring any insult to the Overwatch Council.
However, the Overwatch Council acted in secret and would often violate the Qing law. The Imperial Censorate relied on edicts to urge the Supreme Court to investigate. Even Fan Xian didn't have a good way to deal with it. In the end, this was the Emperor's edict. Furthermore, he knew that the Overwatch Council's dominance was not a good thing for the court.
Understanding did not mean accepting. One day in the eighth year of the Qing calendar, Fan Xian kicked open the main door of the Imperial Censorate. He pointed at the 20 or so Imperial Censors under He Zongwei and cursed them angrily. He then invited Song Shiren back.
Wasn't it just a lawsuit? Was the Overwatch Council afraid of others?
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Song Shiren had to fight two lawsuits in a row in the Supreme Court. One was that the Overwatch Council had found that a vice director of the Ministry of Works had colluded with the River Transport Governor's yamen to embezzle silver from the river works. Furthermore, this silver was not from the public. Fan Xian had painstakingly saved it from his own little treasury in the Jiangnan palace treasury. Then, through the Hangzhou Conference that Lady Fan controlled, it had been transported to the River Transport Governor's yamen.
Greed had reached the head of the Overwatch Council's ancestor, so the Overwatch Council was not polite at all. They didn't care about the Minister Counsellor's connections in court or the private pleading letter the River Transport Governor had sent. In one dark night, they arrested 20 related criminals and locked them up in the Seventh Bureau's prison for a few days before sending them to the Supreme Court.
The second lawsuit was a bit of a headache. The Imperial Censorate had found that a certain official of the Fourth Bureau of the Overwatch Council stationed in Nanzhao had secretly transferred some silver from the Honglu Temple. When this official returned to the capital to report on his work, the problem was discovered. Using the words of this Fourth Bureau official, at the time, there was not enough funds. In order to develop spies in Nanzhao, they had no choice but to use public funds.
However, no one knew exactly how much he had used and whether or not he had intercepted it. The inside of the Overwatch Council knew that this colleague had certainly received benefits. It was just that he was a spy in a foreign country. Even though Commissioner Fan had consecutively increased the Overwatch Council's monthly salary three times, they were still nervous. No one was a saint.
"Has the case been prepared?" Song Shiren glanced at the assistant beside him. His name was Chen Bochang. He was the famous person who had fought against Song Shiren in Jiangnan. Unexpectedly, in the end, he had also been half-invited and half-tied back to Jingdou by Song Shiren. The newly established legal department of the Eighth Bureau was all famous litigation masters from various places. Every time he thought of this, Song Shiren, whose heart was as calm as still water, couldn't help but smile bitterly. Sir Fan junior's way of doing things was still as arrogant as ever. It was clear that the Emperor had the Imperial Censorate check and balance the Overwatch Council, yet you still brazenly went against them and did it so happily.
Chen Bochang made a sound of acknowledgment and stood up.
As an official of the First Bureau of the Overwatch Council, Mu Tie was listening at the side in the Supreme Court. He wanted to see how the Vice Counsellor of the Ministry of Works was treated and to ensure that the official of the Fourth Bureau of the Overwatch Council would not suffer too much. All of the officials of the Overwatch Council admired the Eighth Bureau's legal department because they knew that these former litigation masters were the greatest protection for their interests.
He patted Song Shiren's shoulder and sincerely said, "Good luck, sir."
Outside the Supreme Court, the rain gradually fell lightly. Song Shiren took a sip of tea. His face was full of confidence. With his hands behind his back, he walked toward the yamen of the Supreme Court. He walked steadily, completely disregarding the Ministry of Justice and Imperial Censorate inside. He walked confidently and confidently.
The Jingdou commoners watching the spectacle across the street cheered in unison. They all hoped that the Overwatch Council would be able to chop down all of those corrupt officials.
It had to be said that during these two years, the Overwatch Council's power had been greatly reduced, but its reputation had improved greatly. Fan Xian had used a few years of time to finally pull the Overwatch Council out of the darkness a little. Using a series of thunderous purges, he had established a glorious image among the people.
Presently, the direction of discussion among the people was basically biased toward the Overwatch Council and felt disdain toward the Imperial Censorate.
Song Shiren walked toward the Supreme Court. His expression was calm, but his heart was not. Working for Sir Fan junior was indeed delightful. Not only was it delightful to win, but he could also receive the support of many people. This was not easy.
In over a year, Song Shiren had helped the Overwatch Council fight cases and had never lost. This time, it would certainly be the same. However, he had already completely offended the entire Qing civil official system. He knew that he could no longer get off the Overwatch Council ship. Once he did, he would be swallowed by a giant wave.
However, he was not afraid because the person at the helm of the Overwatch Council ship was Sir Fan junior. As long as Sir Fan junior was here, no one in the world would dare to harm him.
"There are some problems on the Nanzhao side. The Imperial Censorate and Ministry of Justice have taken a large amount of silver from that official's home," Chen Bochang looked at his expression and carefully reminded him.
"Return the stolen goods, remove from office, not guilty." Song Shiren didn't turn his head. Lowering his voice, he said, "This is the Commissioner's bottom line. If the Imperial Censorate wants to go further, they will have to fight openly. They will start with the Xin tribe. Not many of those people are clean."
Chen Bochang's heart chilled. He thought to himself that Sir Fan junior was indeed like old Director Chen, a powerful and protective person. Looking at his meaning, if the Imperial Censorate did not accept Fan junior's three conditions, Sir Fan junior was prepared to mess around.
He couldn't help but shiver. With Sir Fan junior doing things like this, it was no wonder the Imperial Censorate could never win the case against his family. After all, no matter how much Sir He Zongwei was favored by the Emperor or how much effort he put in, he could not stop Sir Fan junior from becoming hostile at any moment.
If Sir Fan junior truly became hostile, He Zongwei would not be able to withstand it. Given his personality, even if the Emperor spoke, it would probably be useless. Everyone knew how much the Emperor valued or favored him.
"Why didn't the Commissioner come to watch the show today?" Chen Bochang swallowed and asked as he walked.
During this year, Fan Xian's greatest interest seemed to be acting as a backer for his subordinates, listening to the Supreme Court's trials, and watching the Imperial Censorate's ashen faces. Logically speaking, it was fine to send an official of Mu Tie's level to listen. Even Yan Bingyun couldn't be bothered to come. Yet, he kept coming.
This little duke sat with his legs crossed in the Supreme Court yamen. All of the trial officials began to feel afraid. No one dared to use torture on an Overwatch Council official. This was the effect he wanted.
"The Emperor has sent him out." Song Shiren only vaguely knew some inside information. He didn't say anything more. Rubbing his wrist, he glanced at the Imperial Censorate and Ministry of Justice officials in the hall. His face darkened. With a cold huff, he began to fight.
… …
Heading west from Jingdou, going around the verdant Cang Mountain, crossing a number of clear rivers, and after a dozen more days, entering an area where hundreds of li of military land was being cultivated. This was one of the Qing Kingdom's seven main roads, Xiliang Road. This road was the poorest place in the Qing Kingdom, but it was also the place with the strangest scenery.
Most of the land along this road had been repeatedly fought over by the Central Plain and the Hu people over hundreds of years. Until the Wei Kingdom weakened, the Qing Kingdom and its predecessor, the vassal state, began to rise in secret. This country had not yet advanced into the heart of the land when they began to demand a thousand years of blood debt and land from the Hu people.
After fighting for many years and many people died, this piece of land was finally firmly controlled by the Qing Kingdom. At the same time, they built a number of new cities on it and moved in many people. However, it was, after all, a newly prosperous land. Other than farming, commerce was not developed. There were also no valuable products. It was only in recent years that the fleeing of the people who moved in had improved slightly.
There were only flat and rarely tended fields, endless lines on the horizon, and the protruding mounds at the edge of the line. The barren desert in the distance looked desolate.
The sun here set later than anywhere else in the land. The blood-red dusk enveloped the vast land and reflected a majestic city. It was completely piled up from earth and stone. It suddenly appeared at the edge of the land, flaunting the Qing Kingdom's powerful national and military power and intimidating the people on the grasslands further west of the majestic city.
This was Dingzhou, an important city on the Western frontier.
The road from Jingdou to Dingzhou was maintained very well. It could accommodate eight horses traveling side by side. Back then, who knew how much manpower and wealth had been expended. However, it ensured the eternal peace of the Qing Kingdom's west and firmly controlled this large piece of land. No matter how one looked at it, it was worth it.
A group of carriages sped toward Dingzhou on this road. It seemed that they wanted to enter Dingzhou before the sun set. However, looking at the mountain in front of them ran the horse to death, particularly on this piece of flat land. Dingzhou seemed to be in front of them but was far away on the horizon. It looked like they would not be able to enter the city before the city gates closed.
About 20 li from Dingzhou was a courier station. This courier station was not a military courier station. It was not under the jurisdiction of the Dingzhou army. Rather, it was a courier station managed by the Ministry of Works. Thus, it appeared a bit run-down and old. Seven or eight men were yawning under the light of the setting sun. They had already eaten dinner and were preparing to gamble later.
The sky gradually darkened. A strange smile suddenly appeared on the men's faces. They moved closer to the rear courtyard and listened to the sounds coming from inside. They covered their mouths and laughed, thinking that the person inside was too impatient.
In a stone room in the backyard, the only official official of the relay station was hugging a woman's snow-white thighs. His hands were pressed against her soft breasts, and he was moaning non-stop. His body was covered in sweat, and the room was filled with the smell of lust.
Dingzhou was far away and did not have much entertainment. Night came too late. Thus, each time the sun set, he would seize the moment and carry out this only form of entertainment. The woman beneath him was a prostitute he had brought from Dingzhou. Although the prostitutes who were willing to leave the city were all average in appearance, he liked this woman's charm and the soft flesh on her body.
Holding the slippery courier in his hand, he was incomparably happy. He felt that the woman beneath him seemed to be made of cotton candy, particularly her eyes, which were sweeter and more greasy than the well water in Dingzhou. The three liang of silver he earned a month was truly worth it.
Just as he was enjoying himself, the door to the room was suddenly pushed open. The courier didn't even turn his head as he cursed, "If you want to listen, then listen. If you want to see, then look. F * ck, why didn't you tell me to be careful? How dare you barge into the door. Be careful not to make me sick on horseback …"
The prostitute beneath him also giggled. She was not at all afraid of being seen.
Suddenly, the courier felt that something was strange because there was no sound behind him for a long time. He unconsciously turned his head and saw it was a stranger. Startled, he quickly jumped up from the kang and fastened his pants. He did not forget to pull over the black quilt and cover the prostitute's white lower body on the kang.
The courier wanted to let loose a torrent of curses, but seeing this stranger's expensive attire, he was probably someone he couldn't afford to offend or an official. His mouth became dry and he became afraid.
In a trembling voice, he said, "Who are you?"
…
…
Fan Xian sat in the only chair in the courier station and looked at the large group of people kneeling in front of him. Furrowing his brows, he said, "I told you to get up, so get up quickly."
He had come to Dingzhou on the Emperor's edict to reward the army. He said it was to reward the army, but the secret edict he had received in the royal study had some other content. During these two years, the Hu people in the West seemed to have taken some stimulant or tranquilizer. They changed their romantic battle tactics of the past and began to attack Dingzhou in an organized fashion. Furthermore, their battle tactics had become very cunning.
Although the Ye family still managed Dingzhou's military affairs, Ye Zhong was in charge of the Bureau of Military Affairs. He had to manage all the armies under heaven, so he could not personally keep watch. Additionally, the Hu people's attacks were too fierce. In the first year, the situation in Dingzhou was very dangerous. Fortunately, the Emperor personally moved the soldiers from the various Roads to take turns to provide support. Only then did the situation stabilize.
The Emperor and Fan Xian had long seen that there were problems, but without first-hand information, no one knew what was happening within the Hu people. The situation could not continue like this. If Xi Hu continued to develop like this, it would probably become a great threat to the Qing Kingdom. Thus, Fan Xian had made this trip. He had to listen to the personal reports from the generals in Dingzhou and understand the situation.
Furthermore, Fan Xian knew that the Emperor had personally moved the five Roads to the West with the intention of using the Hu people's knives to sharpen the Qing Kingdom's swords. The Hu people's attack just happened to give the Qing Kingdom a chance to train its military power and prepare for the war to unify the world in the future.
Since he couldn't make it to Dingzhou, he could only rest for the night in this dilapidated relay station. Unexpectedly, no one came to welcome him when he entered. Seven or eight men were eavesdropping like children. Fan Xian was curious and pushed open the door to enter. Unexpectedly, he saw a live erotic scene.
The deputy and the seven or eight men knelt on the ground and repeatedly kowtowed. The officials who had come with Fan Xian knew his personality and had long pretended to see it. They each prepared to rest for the night.
Fan Xian looked at the deputy and laughingly scolded, "The sun hasn't even set and you're already doing it. If you have the guts, then don't be afraid."
The deputy's face fell. He knew he was about to be killed. The man in front of him was the second most important person in the world, the Commissioner of the Overwatch Council. He was a high and lofty figure. He was someone he didn't even have the right to see.
Fan Xian asked with confusion, "What are you afraid of?"
"Sir abhors evil and hates corrupt officials the most …" The deputy was so scared he was about to cry. Paralyzed on the ground, he spoke of the people's impression of Fan Xian.
Fan Xian rubbed the back of his head in confusion. He thought to himself that he was already the father of two children. Why was it that in the hearts of the people, he seemed more and more like an otherworldly saint or demon?
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