Drunk Bamboo

In the morning, everything seemed calm.

The emperor and his ministers had a tacit understanding and no one mentioned what happened last night.

When the emperor said that there was nothing else to do and the court was dismissed, Han Jian could not help but speak out.

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has returned to Zhongdu. We should investigate as soon as possible to clear His Majesty's name!"

"The Crown Prince's affairs will be discussed in Baoping Palace after the court session."

The emperor glanced at Han Jian coldly.

Han Jian must have slept very comfortably in his mansion last night. Today he feels refreshed and looks very proud.

Looking at Wang Xiang and other ministers, they all looked haggard or had tiredness under their eyes.

The difference is obvious.

The emperor became dissatisfied with Han Jian.

He was the one who started it, but now he seemed to be in a hurry to watch the fun.

Han Jian was stunned by the emperor's cold attitude.

After adjourning the court, he went to Baoping Palace.

In the main hall sat the emperor.

His Highness stood with the three judges Xun Bai, Wu Guanzhong and Luo Yuan.

Wang Yan was the prime minister and the prince's maternal grandfather, so naturally he was there too.

There is also the person who impeached, Han Jian.

The most surprising thing was that after the court session, the emperor called Hua Qinfeng to stay and also kept Hua Qinming.

Perhaps he felt it was inappropriate to leave Hua Qinming alone among his three sons.

When Hua Qinyu was brought to the hall, he changed into the prince's exclusive embroidered python robe, looking majestic and impressive.

Without the emperor's permission, he couldn't change into this outfit this morning.

Hua Qinyu took a step back, and the emperor had to give the prince enough face and dignity.

"Your Highness, I pay my respects to you, Father. May the Emperor live long and long."

I haven't seen the prince for almost two years. His skin is not as fair and delicate as before, and there are fine lines at the corners of his eyes. He looks more stable.

With just one glance, the emperor could see how hard he was working away from home.

The emperor couldn't help but soften his heart, and the fear in his heart disappeared for a moment.

"Sit down."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

After Hua Qinyu sat down, the presiding judge Luo Yuan began to ask questions:

"Lord Han impeached His Royal Highness the Crown Prince for embezzling 100,000 taels of silver for building the dam because of a letter. Could Lord Han tell me the origin of this letter?"

Han Jian: "This letter was sent by Wang Qingming, the former county magistrate of Jiangbei County, before his death."

After he finished speaking, Luo Yuan held in his hand a private letter from Wang Qingming to Han Jian, which denounced the prince for embezzling money.

"Master Han, do you know that Wang Qingming was the mastermind behind the killing of officials and the hijacking of government silver in the Loushan case? He intended to poison the crown prince and assassinate King Feng. He used his position as county magistrate to employ jailers, abused his power for personal gain, deceived criminals, and disguised himself as a robber?"

Han Jian said calmly: "Wang Qingming deserves to die. No matter how serious his sins are, they cannot erase his past deeds. He was a Jinshi in the tenth year of Chongguang, and he spent nine years in Jiangbei County, building countless bridges and roads. It can be said that he made a great contribution to Jiangbei County. Although later, he was tempted by money and did many wrong things."

"Just before his death, he suddenly realized the truth and revealed it. He had no chance of survival, so why would he make up something out of nothing? Anyone who receives a letter like this will report it to His Majesty and find out the truth."

Luo Yuan asked, "Why did Lord Han impeach the Crown Prince when the matter has not yet been clarified?"

Han Jian hesitated for a moment, and knelt before the emperor. "As a subject, I should be loyal to the emperor and love my country, and I cannot hide anything. This matter involves the crown prince, so I dare not delay for even a moment."

"Your Majesty, I only have your Majesty in my heart and I am loyal to you only!"

The emperor said calmly, "Minister Luo will preside over the trial today. All arrangements will be made by him."

Han Jian looked slightly stunned.

He knew what happened in the palace last night. Even though the Crown Prince and Prime Minister Wang compromised in the end, the Emperor was still furious, and he should be even angrier today.

From the emperor's attitude and expression during the morning court session, there was no sign of anger.

what is the problem?

Han Jian glanced at King Wen Hua Qinming out of the corner of his eye. Hua Qinming stood there silently, without looking away.

"I will obey your majesty." Han Jian stood up and continued to confront Luo Yuan. "It is useless for Prime Minister Luo to keep questioning me. It is useless for me to believe that your highness is innocent. Evidence is needed. If your highness is innocent, why not investigate it?"

Luo Yuan glanced at the prince.

The prince said frankly, "I am innocent, and Luo Xiangcha is the one who will investigate."

Luo Yuan bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I request that the three gentlemen who are in charge of the dam construction project come to the palace."

The emperor glanced at him and asked, "Didn't the Ministry of Revenue send a special official?"

Xun Bai explained: "The Ministry of Revenue is mainly responsible for the final review. The project is complicated and involves a lot of materials. The locals are most familiar with it, so some trivial details are all handled by a local accountant with many years of experience."

The emperor agreed, "Then let them come up."

The three common accountants all knelt on the ground. It was their first time to come to the palace. They were all important figures and were so scared that they did not dare to raise their eyes.

Only one younger person remained calm.

Luo Yuan: "Is there something wrong with your account? Tell us one by one."

"I, Zhang Fu...I, the commoner, record the expenses of food, clothing, housing and transportation. I remember every detail clearly, and there is absolutely no corruption."

After the first one finished speaking, the second one immediately said, "I, Wang Liu, am the one who calculates the wages for the workers. I can check how much work each worker has done and how much money each worker has received. Your Highness would never commit corruption."

Hua Qinfeng's gaze fell on the third person.

He was in his early thirties, and his dry lips moved. "I am Zhang Die, the person who records the purchase of materials..."

He stopped halfway through his speech.

"Your Majesty is the one who makes the decision. Zhang Die, just say whatever you want to say." Han Jian kindly reminded.

A sly smile crossed his lips.

Zhang Die was the man that King Wen had planted beside the crown prince. Half a year ago, he sent a group of officials from the Ministry of Works to the crown prince on the pretext of insufficient wages, and also arranged for Zhang Die. Han Jian had always thought that Zhang Die was just trying to find out about the crown prince, but he didn't expect that he was a pawn that King Wen had already arranged to frame the crown prince and provide evidence.

King Wen was a man of foresight and truly amazing.

Han Jian was secretly proud of himself.

"Grassman..."

"Don't hesitate and don't try to make up stories. If they are proven true, it will be a serious crime." Wu Guanzhong's deep voice came out.

"I am guilty. I made false accounts! The stone used for slope protection was Taiyuan-specific marble, but it was changed to mica. Although there is only one letter difference, there is indeed a world of difference... The price is half the difference!"

Zhang Die kowtowed and admitted his fault. "I know I was wrong. I know I was wrong. Your Majesty, please forgive me. Your Majesty, please forgive me!"

Hua Qinfeng glanced at Hua Qinyu, but Hua Qinyu remained calm.

The emperor stared at Hua Qinyu with serious eyes.

Luo Yuan and the other three judges looked grim.

"But you did it alone?" Luo Yuan asked.

"Yes, it was done by me alone. It has nothing to do with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince! It was all done by me alone!"

Han Jian smiled coldly, "Your Majesty, Zhang Die is just a commoner. How could he dare to embezzle the money from the river bank? He must have been instructed by someone. Just now he was helping the Crown Prince, which shows that he is a good citizen. He was just used by someone and had to cook the books."

"The account books are all outside the palace. Your Majesty, have someone check them carefully!"

As soon as Han Jian finished his passionate words, the Baoping Hall fell silent.

The air condenses into ice.

Just then, the eunuch came to report.

"Your Majesty, the Minister of Justice, Mr. Zhang, has brought an important witness and is waiting outside the palace."

Han Jian was puzzled. Why was there someone else? Did King Wen prepare two tricks?

But Hua Qinming's face turned pale at this moment, and he secretly thought that this was not right.

The emperor looked down at everyone, taking in everyone's expressions.

"pass."