"Sir, I've been wronged!"
The woman knelt in front of the Ministry of Justice. Her voice was extremely sorrowful, as if she had a great grievance in her heart that she had nowhere to cry about. It drew the sidelong glances of passersby.
Recently, the common people had been filing complaints. It wasn't just the yamen of the various counties, but also the yamen of the capital, the Imperial Censorate, the Ministry of Justice, and even the Ministry of Revenue, Ministry of Rites, and Ministry of Works. As long as it was a yamen, it was unavoidable. After all, the number of yamens was limited, and there were many people. It was impossible for them all to gather together. Even if all the yamens in Jingdou were taken into account, there wouldn't be enough.
This kind of situation had greatly hindered the normal operation of the yamen.
Thus, the Eldest Princess quickly made an order based on the feelings of the people and the actual situation in Jingdou.
Anyone who took the opportunity to purposely cause trouble and block the yamen would be severely punished as a warning to others. If there were truly any grievances, they should be filed in an orderly manner. The relevant yamen would deal with them one by one according to the urgency and severity of the case. Any grievances had to be tried, and any cases had to be reversed. The bottom line of the law was strictly observed, and the people were given a clear sky.
With the Eldest Princess' order, the vigorous anti-corruption cases among the people were temporarily eased. It didn't disappear. Instead, it went from disorder to order. Countless eyes were fixed on the various yamens in Jingdou.
At this critical juncture, even the usually unbridled playboys in Jingdou were tightly restrained by their families. They were terrified that they would cause trouble and become targets in everyone's eyes.
Even a small matter would be infinitely magnified, magnified to a point where their families couldn't bear it.
The Ministry of Justice usually dealt with serious cases. Unless the Emperor designated it, the main hall of the Ministry of Justice was usually closed, and complaints of grievances were not allowed in front of the Ministry of Justice. However, this time was different. Each county yamen was about to go crazy, and the Ministry of Justice couldn't be idle either.
A bailiff had already come out from inside and kindly helped the woman up from the ground. He kindly asked her what grievances she had suffered and if she had a piece of paper. If she didn't, she could have a bailiff from the Ministry of Justice write one for free.
From beginning to end, there wasn't much impatience on their faces. So many people were watching on the street. If one place wasn't handled well, the Ministry of Justice's reputation would be ruined. This was a special time. If something went wrong at this time, it would be strange if the Minister didn't skin them alive.
Soon, the woman was helped into the hall by a Ministry of Justice runner.
Among the onlookers on the street, someone shook his head and said, "In terms of how they treat the common people, the officials of the Ministry of Justice are still the best. Unlike the Governor's Mansion. I heard that some time ago, someone went to the yamen to seek justice, but the people of the yamen didn't care. They even locked the person up for disturbing the yamen. Compared to the Ministry of Justice, the difference is obvious …"
"That's right!" As soon as he finished speaking, someone else chimed in, "Unfortunately, I was also present at that time. It is said that the young lady's younger sister died. This is a murder case. The people at the capital's magistrate's office are really too careless …"
"I heard that the young lady has been arrested several times. What is the capital magistrate worried about …" Another person interrupted. "The one who went in just now seems to be the young lady. Why is she in the Ministry of Justice this time?"
"There's such a thing?" Someone's face was filled with anger as he quickly walked towards the entrance of the Ministry of Justice. "If that's the case, I might have to take a look at this case!"
"I'm going too!"
"Let's go together!"
…
At the entrance of the Ministry of Justice, the excited crowd was stopped by the yamen officials.
However, they didn't stop them for long. After verifying their identities, someone specially led them in.
Based on the principle of fairness and openness, when the Ministry of Justice was conducting a case, the common people were allowed to listen in. The Ministry of Justice claimed that there were laws to abide by, that the law was enforced strictly, and that those who violated the law would be punished. For some cases, the process of handling the case was completely transparent, which won many people's hearts.
Of course, in order not to disturb the order of the case, the number of people listening in was still limited to fifty. However, although most people couldn't see it with their own eyes, the various details of the case would be passed on through the mouths of these fifty people. In a short period of time, the news would spread throughout the entire capital.
In the court, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice, Liu Yi, patted the gavel and asked, "Who are you? Where do you live? What are your grievances? Tell me slowly."
The woman stood in the court and said softly, "Your Excellency, my name is Lin Qin. I live near the city gate of the capital. My younger sister is sixteen years old. Her maiden name is Lin Shuangshuang. She used to be a musician at the Miaoyin Pavilion. On the night of the fifteenth of the first month …"
…
"Today's court will be held by Liu Qingtian …"
"This lady is really lucky this time. Every case handled by Liu Qingtian has been solved by him."
"Not necessarily. It's very likely that the capital governor's residence will be involved in this case. However, I still believe in Liu Qingtian …"
In the past few years, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice, Liu Yi, had handled countless cases. No matter how well-hidden the criminal was, there was no place for him to hide. This was because he often helped the people and solved ordinary cases. He was deeply loved and respected by the people of the capital. People gave him the nickname of "Liu Qingtian".
Liu Qingtian had the meaning of "the Great Lord of Justice". It also overlapped with the fictional image of "Justice Bao" in the opera. This was the highest praise the people of the capital had for him.
Inside the court, when the woman was complaining about her grievances, people outside the court had already understood.
"So this woman is Miss Shuangshuang's sister …"
"Miss Shuangshuang's zither skills were unparalleled. It's a pity that she died young. That 'Hundred Birds Pay Homage to the Phoenix' will never be heard again. What a pity, what a pity …"
"Didn't the capital governor's office say that it was the work of a criminal from the imperial court?"
"Bullshit capital governor's office!" One of the people who had been paying attention to the situation inside the court was so angry that his chest heaved up and down. He angrily said, "Listen, this lady only wanted to see Miss Shuangshuang's body, but the capital governor's office found a reason to arrest her. Later on, they used a few more reasons to lock her up in prison for almost half a year …"
"If there's nothing fishy going on, I won't believe it even if I beat you to death!"
At this time, as the woman in the court explained, the case gradually became clear.
According to the explanation given by the capital governor's office, on the night of the Upper Yuan Dynasty, a criminal from the imperial court hid in the Fine Sound Pavilion. After using extremely cruel methods to kill Miss Shuangshuang, he tried to harm the young master of the Chu family but failed. Then, he jumped out of the window and escaped. Even now, although the wanted poster had been posted everywhere, the criminal had not been arrested.
If it weren't for the lady standing in the court, perhaps the case would have passed with the passage of time and be forgotten by people. However, her experience and the actions of the capital governor's office added many points of doubt to the case …
How did Miss Shuangshuang die? How did the criminal escape the heavy pursuit of the government without leaving a single trace? What role did the capital governor's office play in this case …
The entire case suddenly became complicated and confusing.
Everyone said that Dou E was wronged. This lady's younger sister had died a dubious death. She went to the government to seek redress and was imprisoned for half a year. She had no place to seek redress for her grievances, so how could she not be wronged?
Once the case broke out, it quickly attracted the attention of the people of the capital. It also made the Ministry of Justice pay great attention to it.
The relevant witnesses of the Fine Sound Pavilion had already been brought to the Ministry of Justice and were heavily protected. The Ministry of Justice had also sent in a request to pull out all the files related to the case from the capital governor's office and reinvestigate the case. They wanted to prove the innocence of the deceased and give the people who were paying attention to the case an explanation.
Under these circumstances, "Dou E's Injustice" continued to be performed in various brothels in the capital. Every day, countless benefit performances were held …
In a certain brothel, Fang looked at Li Yi and said with some heartache, "Young master, this stage, this scene, this effect, so much ice, and only so little ticket money, and so many benefit performances. This time, we've suffered a great loss …"
Li Yi shook his head and looked at him. With sincere and heartfelt words, he said, "Don't always think about money. You also have to think about contributing to society …"
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