Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 4772
Zhang Liang had a splitting headache. He looked at Cen Changqian and said thoughtfully, "I thought I had recovered from the cold, but now I feel uncomfortable all over again when the wind blows. How about I return home and rest, and leave the affairs here to you?"

Cen Changqian smiled and said, "The Marshal is not feeling well, so it is only right for him to return home to rest. I am willing to serve you. But before that, please sign and seal the document for the transfer of the criminal and the file, otherwise I will have to go to your house later to trouble you."

You can either sign here or go home and sign it. You have to sign it anyway.

Don’t you want the authority of the Right Jinwu Guard General?

That's it.

Zhang Liang sighed and complained, "Fang Er is too cunning, really too much! I have already avoided it and don't want to get involved, why do you have to involve me? I am also a meritorious official of the Zhenguan period, and I am a close friend to his father, but look at this guy, does he have any respect for the elderly? He is such a bastard!"

Cen Changqian smiled and didn't interrupt. "You said it so frankly in front of me, but why didn't you say it in front of the Marshal just now?"

Zhang Liang also knew that this kind of complaint would not show that he was not afraid of Fang Jun, but would make him look timid. He shook his head and sighed, "What documents are there? Bring them to me for signature. I have a severe headache and will go back home to take medicine soon."

"Here."

Cen Changqian turned around and went out. After a while, he and Lai Ji each carried a large pile of documents and files and placed them on the desk.

Later, Jicai bowed and said, "This humble official greets Duke Yun."

"Hmm." Zhang Liang hummed through his nose and glanced at Lai Ji: "Hurry up and unfold the parts that need signatures. Do you want me to do it myself?"

Lai Ji hurriedly stepped forward to unfold the documents and files, pointing to the places that required signatures and seals for Zhang Liang, while marveling in amazement.

He had thought Fang Jun was a responsible person. He was allowed to try the case and then took the initiative to take responsibility. He was impressed by his broad-mindedness and courage. But now he realized that Fang Jun was not brave enough to take responsibility. It was obvious that he had already found someone to take the blame.

Zhang Liang is also strange. He usually disappears and doesn't care about anything, but when it comes to taking the initiative to take responsibility, he appears out of nowhere. I don't know if he is stupid or mean...

Zhang Liang did not dare to sign carelessly. He spread out the documents and files, carefully examining them word by word and line by line, fearing that there might be a text trap hidden somewhere and he would be tricked again. After reading it carefully, he breathed a sigh of relief. He thought that Wei Shuxia had been convicted and reported through him, which would be considered as his manipulation by the Jingzhao Wei family and they would be angry with him. However, it turned out that he was just a suspicion. The Jinwu Guard and Wannian County only transferred him to the Sanfasi for trial. In this way, the impact would be much smaller. Regardless of whether Wei Shuxia was convicted in the end, the royal family and the Jingzhao Wei family would not vent their anger on him.

He signed his name in the designated place without hesitation, then threw away his brush, stood up, yawned, said "go home and take medicine", and hurriedly rode away with his personal soldiers, leaving Lai Ji and Cen Changqian looking at each other in bewilderment.

"Why does this person seem to be on fire?"

"Hehe, he's scared by the Marshal's trap. This trap is not big, and he's afraid there will be a bigger trap waiting for him ahead. If he doesn't leave now, when will he leave?"

"Speaking of which, the Marshal is really good at planning. With just a little trick, he pushed the huge responsibility onto Duke Yun. No matter what happens next, Duke Yun will bear the responsibility. The Marshal easily stayed out of it. He is really amazing."

"Who can be blamed then? Duke Yun has been clamoring for power every day, so isn't that what the Marshal is doing? He is taking on all the responsibilities that should have been borne by the Right Jinwu Guards General."

"hehe."

Thinking of Zhang Liang’s extremely depressed face, Lai Ji smiled unkindly.

He has no power and no less responsibility. This Duke of Yun State insisted on snatching the position of General of the Right Jinwu Guard. It was really a bad move...

……

Soon, the Left and Right Jinwu Guards and Wannian County jointly transferred Wei Shuxia's case to the Sanfasi, and sent people to escort the person and the case file to the temporary office of the Sanfasi, the Jingzhao Prefecture Yamen. When several bigwigs who were gathered together to discuss the wording of closing the case heard about the situation, they felt like their heads were about to explode.

The murderer who killed Li Jingshu was found? !
The murderer is actually a member of the Jingzhao Wei family? !
Now we're in big trouble.

Li Yuanjia immediately gave the order: "From now on, the gates of Jingzhao Prefecture are locked, and no one is allowed to enter or leave without permission. In addition, in the name of the three judicial departments, notify the Jinwu Guards and Wannian County that the details of Wei Shuxia's case are not to be disclosed to anyone for the time being. Those who violate the order will be severely punished!"

After giving the order, he explained to the others: "This matter must be kept secret before we make a decision, otherwise we will be in an extremely passive situation."

Everyone nodded in approval.

Whether Wei Shuxia was the murderer of Li Jingshu, how much responsibility did he bear in the death of Li Jingshu, whether there were other people who killed Li Jingshu, and even how Wei Shuxia would be punished in the end...all these require careful examination and weighing.

The most important question now is not the truth of the facts, but how to weigh the pros and cons to best benefit the situation...

Li Jingshu is nothing, and Wei Shuxia is nothing either, but if the royal family behind them and the Jingzhao Wei family go to war because of this, it will be a big deal.

Although the Jingzhao Wei family did not have many prominent figures in the court, they had been deeply rooted in Jingzhao for hundreds of years and had inseparable interests from other Jingzhao nobles and Guanlong clans. If they were not careful, the aristocratic families and royal families in the entire Guanzhong region would face off against each other.

That would be a huge risk that would even shake the foundations of the empire...

Dai Zhou's face was solemn: "Then we must make a decision as soon as possible. This news cannot be blocked for too long."

Not only do we have to seal off Jingzhao Prefecture, we also need close cooperation from the Jinwu Guards. Most importantly, there must have been many participants when we went to arrest Wei Shuxia and interrogate him overnight. How easy is it to completely block the news?

Once the news spreads, the royal family will surely cause trouble, and the Jingzhao Wei family will not sit idly by. A clash between the two major groups would be a huge event, and they, the chief judges, would also have to bear the responsibility.

Liu Xiangdao sighed and said, "How can it be blocked? This kind of news can spread in the blink of an eye, so everyone should make a decision as soon as possible."

Everyone thought this made sense, and they quickly lowered their heads to circulate the documents and files one by one, and then urgently interrogated Wei Shuxia again. His confession was exactly the same as what was written in the files, with no significant difference.

Then they gathered together to discuss how to judge the case.

Dai Zhou's words were concise and clear: "Wei Shuxia is suspected of causing Li Jingshu's death, but Wei Shuxia insisted that he did not step on Li Jingshu's vital parts. Due to the lack of eyewitness identification, Li Jingshu's death cannot be attributed to Wei Shuxia."

Han Yuan, the newly appointed Minister of Justice, had not even taken up his post when he encountered this problem. He sighed and said, "That is true, but if we cannot convict Wei Shuxia, we must find the real murderer. Otherwise, the Dongping County Prince's Mansion will think that we are biased towards Wei Shuxia, and then they will impeach us and make rumors, which will be extremely disadvantageous to us."

As long as the real murderer cannot be found, the Prince of Dongping's Mansion will treat Wei Shuxia as the murderer. If the three judicial officials cannot convict Wei Shuxia, how can the Prince of Dongping's Mansion and the clan members let it go?
By then, not only will the royal family and the Jingzhao Wei family go to war, but the three judicial departments will also be involved... It would be fine for others, but he, the newly appointed Minister of Justice, will definitely be the first to bear the brunt and become the focus of criticism from all sides. Losing his job would be the lightest punishment, and if things go wrong, he might even be exiled out of the capital and serve three thousand miles away...

Before, he had secretly mocked Zhang Liang for being ignorant of the times and for giving up the position of Minister of Justice to pursue the Right Jinwu Guard General, which resulted in him losing his prestige and becoming a laughing stock. But now he found that the position of Minister of Justice was not an easy one to get either.

Han Yuan asked, "What good ideas does Dai Siqing have?"

This statement seems to be an attempt to shirk responsibility. After all, any decision at this time may cause dissatisfaction from the outside world, and the person who makes the suggestion will be subjected to endless criticism.

However, Dai Zhou, as a veteran minister of three dynasties, turned a blind eye to Han Yuan's hidden thoughts. He only glanced at Han Yuan and said to Liu Xiangdao and Li Yuanjia, "It is a fact that Li Jingshu was trampled to death. The real culprit must be hiding among the young men who attacked Jingzhao Prefecture that night. We can't find him, but it doesn't mean that others can't find him either."

Han Yuan was stunned at first, then suddenly realized and slapped her thigh: "Let Jingzhao Wei family find it! The biggest suspect now is Wei Shuxia. If the real murderer cannot be found, then Wei Shuxia will be responsible for Li Jingshu's death. If the Wei family does not want to see that scene, then go find the real murderer yourself!"

Dai Zhou looked indifferent, thinking that although this boy had no responsibility and courage, he was at least smart.

The others also understood Dai Zhou's meaning: let Jingzhao Wei find out the "real murderer" to clear Wei Shuxia of the responsibility. As for whether the "real murderer" is "real", it has nothing to do with the people present, because it was found by Jingzhao Wei. If a good person is wrongly accused, then the responsibility should be borne by Jingzhao Wei.

As for whether the "real murderer" can be found...

The Jingzhao Wei family is deeply entangled with various forces. At this time, in order to protect their own "beautiful jade" and avoid possible conflicts between the royal family and their own family, it is not difficult to pay some price to let the "real murderer" come forward and "surrender" himself...

Several people looked at each other and all agreed with this method. Regardless of anything else, it would be best to get themselves out of this situation first. As long as the matter could be settled at this point, it would be the best strategy. If there were any troubles later, there would naturally be plenty of time to deal with them later.

Han Yuan took the initiative to speak again: "Then, who will go to talk to the Wei family? Let me make it clear first, it's not that I don't want to, but I really can't talk to the Wei family. Besides, I'm young and lack prestige, and the Wei family may not do what I say."

Li Yuanjia patted his cheek and said helplessly: "Wei Wan and I have some friendship, so I'd better go."

Although this approach is beneficial to the Wei family, it also has serious hidden dangers. If they can persuade the Wei family to do so without emotional appeal, they may not be willing to do so. After all, going to war with the royal family now will certainly cause huge losses, but Wei Shuxia is only a "suspect" after all. The Wei family is on the right side, but when the "real culprit" is found, the Wei family will no longer be on the right side. When the Dongping County Prince's Mansion discovers the situation and goes to war again, the Wei family will be completely at a disadvantage.

Dai Zhou nodded: "In that case, I'll have to trouble Your Highness to take care of it."

This matter was done to stand up for everyone, so Li Yuanjia, who took the initiative to take responsibility, is more than ten times stronger than Han Yuan.
Han Yuan also realized this and touched his nose, feeling very embarrassed.