NCCnovel Chapter 207 Ingratitude and Deceit (42)
Chapter 207 Ingratitude and Deceit (42)
With so many prisoners arriving at once, Baili Weisheng, as the Minister of Justice, was also quite troubled.
These prisoners were all scions of powerful and wealthy families, who had been putting pressure on them.
Baili Weisheng was even more troubled.
Ning Yi is recuperating at home due to a leg injury.
He has a lot of responsibilities on his shoulders, and the pressure is immense.
Baili Weisheng was no fool; he learned from his mistakes and knew that these people couldn't be touched until everything was completely settled.
Without severe punishment, some only sons from prominent families shamelessly boasted that they would threaten Baili Weisheng.
Baili Weisheng is a scholar who is good at investigating cases, but he is really not good at interrogation.
Having only recently taken office as Minister of Justice, he was facing a group of scions of prominent families, many of whom were his former colleagues.
My headache is getting worse.
He could only detain the person and go organize the case files.
Ning Yi investigated thoroughly, but did it sloppily and against regulations.
And this delay led to trouble.
A scion of a prominent family died in prison.
He was poisoned and murdered.
When Gu Yao heard about this, he raised an eyebrow and immediately understood what was going on.
He sighed.
Baili Weisheng is still too inexperienced; he needs more practice.
Bu Shaoluan looked down at the familiar people below, and his gaze, which had been on Baili Weisheng, turned to Gu Yao.
Baili Weisheng knelt down and begged for forgiveness, "Your Majesty, this matter is my responsibility, and I am willing to bear it all."
Gu Yao remained expressionless.
He couldn't be in a hurry, after all, Baili Weisheng was openly an enemy of the eunuch faction.
Bu Shaoluan was somewhat disappointed that he didn't get any reaction from Gu Yao. He had wanted to take advantage of this incident to get some benefits that night.
He clicked his tongue lightly, but still carried out the punishment.
"Lord Baili, please rest at home for the time being."
It's neither heavy nor light.
Baili Weisheng closed his eyes. He knew that this was already the result of His Majesty's mercy.
He removed his official hat, kowtowed, and accepted the punishment of suspension.
Meanwhile, the head of the Yan family, whose child had died, was vehemently denouncing the excessive severity of the punishments in the imperial prison.
With the first scapegoat identified, the other powerful families now had a reason to demand the release of their own members.
Gu Yao found the noisy noise annoying.
Looking at those passionate and impassioned people is like looking at clowns.
These scions of noble families, who usually act all respectable, are all legitimate sons of their families and know all about their family's dirty secrets.
Now that such a good opportunity has presented itself, Gu Yao naturally won't let it slip by.
The key to survival in the inner palace is to never be soft-hearted when dealing with enemies.
After listening to a string of aristocratic families' complaints about the imperial prison, he raised his hand, shook his sleeve, and loudly interrupted the impassioned words of those sanctimonious family heads.
"Your Majesty, since the Ministry of Justice cannot find out the truth, why not let the Eastern Depot handle it?"
Upon hearing this, the entire court fell silent.
Those old men who were just arguing their case to get their children out of trouble were now completely silenced, as if they had been choked.
With Grand Secretary Feng absent, they were already leaderless.
After Gu Yao uttered these words, they paused for a moment and then voiced their opposition.
What a joke! Everyone knows how ruthless and vicious those eunuchs in the Eastern Depot are.
If the Eastern Depot were to conduct the trial, their child would be severely punished, if not killed.
Some people, anxious and frustrated, have even turned their anger towards Gu Yao.
"Castrated dog".
"A treacherous minister."
"Rebellious ministers and traitors."
They were eager to label Gu Yao in various ways.
Gu Yao listened to these accusations and insults, but the curve of his lips did not change in the slightest.
The people in the imperial court are all scholars, and when they curse, they use the same old words over and over again.
Gu Yao had heard plenty of harsh words before, so these were basically negligible to him now.
However, just because he doesn't take it to heart doesn't mean he doesn't hold grudges.
He glanced at the group of family heads, gave a mocking smile, and turned to look at the person in the first position.
“Lord Li, I remember your second son went to a brothel a few days ago. It seems that a young female courtesan died at Chunfeng Tower a few days ago. It was said to be a suicide, but I have some doubts about this.”
The face pointed at by Gu Yao turned ashen, and he immediately fell silent.
"And Lord Zhang, Lord Chen, and Lord Zhao, the local officials from Jiangnan came to the capital to report on their duties a few days ago, and it seems they made a special trip to visit your residences."
Gu Yao glanced at this group of people who were all bark and no bite, his face showing obvious disdain.
Gu Yao looked at the quiet crowd and expressed his satisfaction.
Bu Shaoluan was initially furious at the old men's verbal attacks on Gu Yao, but in the blink of an eye, Gu Yao silenced them with his words.
Watching Gu Yao, who had debated with the scholars and directly grasped the Achilles' heel of those aristocratic families, Bu Shaoluan loosened the fist he had been clenching in his sleeve.
"Your Majesty, since all the officials have no objection, I request that this case be handed over to the Eastern Depot for investigation. I hope Your Majesty will grant my request."
He said, "I hope Your Majesty will grant my request," but his tone, devoid of any questioning, didn't give him any right to refuse.
Bu Shaoluan sighed slightly, but he still had to put on a show of maintaining appearances.
"In that case, this matter will be handled by Manager Shen."
Gu Yao's smile remained unchanged as he agreed.
The group of people behind him looked ashen-faced.
Bu Shaoluan originally wanted to gain some benefits from this matter, but after the morning court session, he didn't even see Shen Xuntang's shadow.
When he remembered to rush to Ruotang Courtyard, he found it empty.
Wearing his official robes, Shen Xuntang led his men directly to the imperial prison.
Bu Shaoluan was in a bad mood because he failed to catch anyone.
Seeing Bu Shaoluan's gloomy face and his posture as if he were about to head towards the imperial prison.
Shen Shenwei recalled the heavy stench of blood and the wailing sounds from the imperial prison. He figured his master probably didn't want His Majesty to see those filthy things.
Ever since his master brought him out of the cold palace, he has rarely touched these things himself.
Even if he occasionally interrogated someone in person, he would take a bath and burn incense in his residence outside the palace to make sure there was no blood on his body before returning to the palace.
Watching the young man stride away, he carefully considered his words and advised, "Your Majesty, the Chief Inspector probably doesn't want you to see those filthy things either. Why don't you wait for him to return in the courtyard?"
Upon hearing this, Bu Shaoluan stopped in his tracks, turned to look at Shen Shenwei, and asked with a hint of uncertainty, "Really?"
Shen Shenwei pursed his lips, thought for a while, and then told the boy everything he knew.
The boy, who had originally had a gloomy expression, couldn't help but smile as he listened to Shen Shenwei's words.
He lifted his foot and walked towards Ruotang Courtyard.
He couldn't help but smile, but he still stubbornly muttered, "I'm not a child, do I need him to protect me like this?"
Despite her complaints, she still obediently waited for Gu Yao to return in Ruotang Courtyard.