Traveling through Du He, Li Chengqian's rebellion begins

Luozhou Governor's Office.

In the lobby.

Zhang Liang turned to Jia Dunyi and said, "Governor Jia, arrest the perpetrators and put them in jail. Hand them over to the people from your Luozhou Governor's Office."

Seeing Zhang Liang's smug look, Jia Dunyi clenched his hands, which were hidden under his wide sleeves, into fists.

He stood up, clasped his fists and said, "As you command!"

Jia Dunyi then turned his gaze towards the Luozhou Judicial Military Officer, and gave the order with a serious expression.

"Military officer Zhang Sifa, take that man to the prison in the governor's mansion now."

"Once this case is over, I will send you to Lingnan to serve your sentence on a chosen day!"

Jia Dunyi knew very well who those ruffians belonged to. Putting them in jail was also a disguised way of temporarily protecting them.

Jia Dunyi will not let this unjust case go, he will continue to submit memorials to the emperor, and these evildoers who committed the crime still have value!

After the Luozhou Judicial Officer stood up, he first saluted everyone with his fists clasped, then left the Governor's Mansion with a sneer on his face.

The next trial of Si Gong Canjun Zhang Yong's case was even simpler. The gang of thugs who committed the crime took all the blame on themselves.

After reviewing the case for less than half an hour, Zhang Liang made the judgment.

The three main culprits were immediately taken to the market town and beheaded, and the remaining five accomplices were thrown into the governor's prison and would be taken to Yelang on a later date to serve a 10-year sentence.

The dyeing workshop that made a fortune was returned to the rest of the merchant's family.

After Zhang Liang finished the trial of the case, he stood up and spoke loudly.

"Since the case has been thoroughly investigated, we will return to Chang'an to report tomorrow!"

He didn't dare let the people from the Ministry of Justice stay in Luozhou for too long, for fear that the things done by his other adopted sons would be reported and eventually cause him a lot of trouble.

Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice Zhang Xingcheng and Director of the Ministry of Justice Wang Huaike and others stood up together and saluted Zhang Liang with their fists clasped.

"As ordered!"

Zhang Liang nodded slightly, then left the governor's mansion with a stern face.

As for other officials from the Ministry of Justice, they also left one after another. They had come to Luoyang with great difficulty and wanted to take this opportunity to have a good look around there.

Zhang Xingcheng saw that Luozhou Governor Jia Dunyi was in a daze. He walked over, patted Jia Dunyi on the shoulder, and then whispered.

"Governor Jia, I have come from afar, brother, won't you buy me a drink?"

Although Jia Dunyi's official position was higher than Zhang Xingcheng's, the two of them had some personal relationship, so Zhang Xingcheng's conversation with him was more casual.

Jia Dunyi nodded and said, "Minister Zhang, please move to the backyard."

The two went to the backyard, and then under Jia Dunyi's order, the chef quickly prepared a few dishes to go with the wine.

The servant also lit the fire in the side hall, and then took a jar of wine and placed it on the stove. Drinking warm wine is more comfortable in the cold winter.

After Jia Dunyi dismissed the maids and attendants, he gestured to Zhang Xingcheng.

"Brother Zhang, please take a seat."

Zhang Xingcheng nodded, then sat cross-legged on the desk.

After they toasted each other with a glass of wine, they began to talk about private matters.

Zhang Xingcheng frowned and said, "Brother Jia, I sent someone to question the relevant witnesses yesterday, and their confessions are the same as the confessions you gave during the interrogation."

"And the witness changed his testimony today. I'm afraid he was threatened by someone sent by Minister Zhang."

When Jia Dunyi saw that Zhang Xingcheng knew the truth, his expression changed slightly.

He asked with a complicated expression: "Brother Zhang, since you know the truth, why don't you speak it out in court?"

Zhang Xingcheng shook his head and said, "Brother Jia, what I said is the same as your confession during the interrogation. There is no way to convict Zhang Chao and Zhang Yong."

"The only witness changed his testimony, and the scapegoat took all the blame. What else can we do?"

If those thugs were afraid of being beheaded and revealed the mastermind behind the scenes, he would still have a way to convict Zhang Chao and Zhang Yong.

But these thugs were just like the death squad, showing no fear when facing beheading. I'm afraid they had a weak spot that was exploited by Zhang Chao and Zhang Yong.

For cases like this, unless they want to make a big fuss, closing the case is the best option.

Jia Dunyi said in a deep voice: "Brother Zhang, I will not let this matter go. I will definitely give an explanation to those who died unjustly!"

There are eight lives at stake for two families. If he stops here, he will feel guilty.

Moreover, all the officials in Luozhou, from the governor's office to the eighteen counties, were basically occupied by Zhang Liang's adopted son.

If he doesn't kill the chicken to scare the monkeys now, the people of Luozhou will be oppressed to no end in the future.

"Hey!"

Zhang Xingcheng sighed, then frowned and advised.

"Brother Jia, your foundation in Luozhou is not stable yet, and now you have offended these people. It will be difficult for you to carry out your government affairs in the future!"

"Don't worry too much about this case. Now that someone has taken the blame, everyone can give His Majesty an explanation."

"Besides, since His Majesty sent Minister Zhang to handle this case, he didn't want to make a big fuss. It won't do you any good if the matter continues."

Despite Zhang Xingcheng's persuasion, Jia Dunyi did not change his inner thoughts.

He also made up his mind that in addition to thoroughly investigating the two cases, he would also return all the land that Zhang Liang's adopted son had seized from the people to their original owners.

...

As soon as Zhang Liang returned to the Duke of Yun's Mansion, he ordered Gongsun Jie to call back all his adopted sons in Luoyang.

Although he helped Zhang Chao and Zhang Yong escape disaster, he had no idea what other bad things these rebellious sons had done behind his back.

While he is still in Luozhou, he has to give these rebellious sons a good beating.

When Zhang Liang was waiting for his adopted sons to come back, he found that his second wife, Li, was not in the hall again, so he asked the maid.

"Where's Madame?"

The maid replied respectfully, "Master, Madam and Young Master Zhang are learning to dance in the backyard."

When Zhang Liang heard that his wife and adopted son were always together, he immediately showed displeasure on his face.

He and his wife hadn't seen each other for more than a year. He didn't expect that his wife's attitude towards him was so cold. Instead, she had a closer relationship with her adopted son.

Those who don’t know might think that this adopted son is the child of him and Li.

Not long after, hundreds of men of different ages arrived at the Duke of Yun's Mansion one after another.

Gongsun Jie walked up to Zhang Liang, bent down and reported in a low voice.

"Foster father, my brothers who are officials in Luoyang County have all arrived."

There are also differences in closeness among adopted sons, and Gongsun Jie is one of Zhang Liang's favorite adopted sons, and he takes him with him wherever he goes.

Zhang Liang nodded seriously, and then began to lecture his adopted sons.

...

On the other side, Old Man Huang had just returned to the door of his small house when suddenly a middle-aged man behind him called him.

"Please stay, old man."

Old man Huang turned around slowly, looked at the strange man who jumped off the carriage in front of him, and then asked vigilantly in his heart.

"who are you?"

"Are you sent by those evil people to snatch the silver from my hands?"