readytorunbook Chapter 365 Joint Trial by the Three Judicial Offices 6
Chapter 365 Joint Trial by the Three Judicial Offices 6
Liao Wude returned and shook his head at Xiao Ji, comforting him, "Don't worry, sir, perhaps the person has already left."
"But she didn't go home."
Xiao Ji joined the firefighting efforts, pouring bucket after bucket of water down the rubble, which greatly reduced the fire's intensity.
Just as he was about to rush in, someone grabbed his arm from behind.
"My lord, don't go in." Shen Lan's voice came from behind Xiao Ji.
Xiao Ji's body stiffened for a moment.
He slowly turned around and saw Shen Lan standing there alive.
He embraced her tightly, his pale face exposed to the world.
Shen Lan knew he was frightened, and whispered, "Sir, I'm fine. I came out from another place. It wasn't a secret room, but a secret passage."
Xiao Ji calmed himself down and released her. "Let's go back and talk about it."
He left the Tong residence with his men, and on the way, he saw the Tong family servants who arrived late. He said calmly, "When your master returns, I wonder if he will blame you for not being able to even look after the house properly."
Xiao Ji ignored their reactions and quickly left with his men.
Back at the Criminal Investigation Department, Xiao Ji called Shen Lan into the house, while Sui Feng stood guard at the door.
Shen Lan told Xiao Ji about her discovery, her eyes shining, "I really suspect that the walls of that house were made of gold. Maybe that's where the Tong family hides their gold and silver."
Xiao Ji was somewhat puzzled.
"Assuming your deduction is true, that house couldn't have been built in a day. Did no one notice?"
And since it's a dilapidated house, it must be quite old. What about the Tong family's income over the years?
Shen Lan also thought about this question on the way and guessed, "Perhaps there is more than one such house."
"If there's a warehouse in the secret passage, why didn't they hide the money there?"
"If the secret passage is discovered, the hidden contents will be exposed, but if the house is discovered, it doesn't necessarily mean that anything suspicious will be found."
Xiao Ji really wanted to see it for himself, but he was surrounded by spies, and it would be too conspicuous to lead his men out of the city now.
He stood up and said to Shen Lan, "I'm going to the prison. You go back and rest. I'll have Uncle Liao take you there."
Shen Lan gave him a suggestion: "Tong Xiuqing is not as shrewd as his father, you can try to trick him."
Xiao Ji smiled and nodded, "That's exactly what I was thinking."
"I don't know if things are going well with Marquis Pingyang. I'd like to go up the mountain to check."
If Shen Lan hadn't been in a hurry to come back and report, she would have gone straight up the mountain when she was in Qianjia Village.
Xiao Ji's smile vanished, replaced by a stern reprimand: "Go back to sleep and don't go anywhere! Marquis Pingyang has troops under his command, we don't need to worry about him."
Shen Lan countered, "What if Tong Yiwen runs away?"
"If he fled to avoid punishment, then there's no need to investigate the Tong family."
Shen Lan walked a short distance away, then turned back and asked, "Do you think it's possible that he's hiding in the Crown Prince's residence?"
Xiao Ji knew her too well; he knew she wouldn't wait patiently for the outcome, so he called her back.
"Change your clothes and stay by my side today. You're not allowed to go anywhere!"
He took Shen Lan to the imperial prison.
The Tong family members have not yet been convicted, and the prison cells they are staying in are quite good. The female relatives have not been mistreated in the slightest.
"Bring Minister Tong out; I have questions for him."
The jailer looked at him with difficulty, "Lord Xiao, it's not that I'm not cooperating, it's just that Lord Dong instructed that no one is allowed to meet with the Tong family members in private, except for the three of you together."
"Oh? Hasn't he met with him privately?"
"Well... let's not beat around the bush. After all, Lord Dong is the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, and we only met him once yesterday."
Shen Lan slipped a purse into his hand and said with a smile, "Then let's meet secretly, I promise it won't be for long."
A heavy wallet is very appealing.
The jailer hesitated before asking, "What if Lord Dong finds out?"
Shen Lan casually replied, "Then we just shouldn't let him find out, right? Our adults will stay here to question him, and I'll guard the door. If Lord Dong arrives, I'll let you know immediately."
The jailer said sullenly, "No, I'll go myself, Lord Xiao, please hurry."
A jailer went to fetch Tong Xiuqing.
He wasn't wearing official robes, but he wasn't wearing prison clothes either; he was dressed in a comfortable straight robe, as if he were living in his own home.
It seems that Lord Dong has given me quite a bit of special treatment.
"Xiao Ji, when has my Tong family ever offended you?" Tong Xiuqing began to berate them as soon as she saw them.
He pointed at Shen Lan and asked Xiao Ji, "Is it worth it for you to go against us for a woman of unknown origin?"
Xiao Ji remained unmoved. "Lord Tong, I am in charge of criminal justice. It is my duty to seek justice for those who have died unjustly."
"Ha! Lord Xiao is truly a just and upright official! But you must have secretly let quite a few criminals go over the years, right?"
"This humble official would never do such a violation of discipline."
"Oh? So the murderer who killed the entire Wu family in Jianzhou, I heard that Lord Xiao has been preventing the government from issuing a verdict. What else could that be but protecting him?"
"There are still some doubts about that case, and the Ministry of Justice will review it again."
Tong Xiuqing shook her head and laughed, "You're really naive. The case is clear, the murderer has confessed, why would the Ministry of Justice re-examine it? The judgment should have already been sent to the Jianzhou government office."
Xiao Ji told Minister Zhao the whole story and asked him to retry the case, but the other party didn't want to cause trouble for himself and directly sentenced the man surnamed Lu to death.
Xiao Ji was not surprised at all. "Sometimes I think, if the government is controlled by you officials, how much more suffering will the people of the world have to endure?"
The Tong family appears virtuous and upright on the surface, but behind the scenes they have amassed immense wealth, committed countless murders, and resorted to any means to satisfy their selfish desires, eliminating dissidents. How can they possibly feel at ease teaching and nurturing students?
"Is the Xiao family really that clean?" Tong Xiuqing scoffed. "A family that is too clean cannot last for hundreds of years."
"Even if my Xiao family has done something wrong, we would never have such ambition and appetite."
The Tong family's actions don't seem like they're supporting the Crown Prince; rather, they seem like they want to usurp his position!
Tong Xiuqing's face darkened. "You're talking nonsense! You want to accuse us of rebellion? You'll have to see if others believe you!"
"The Tong family not only dug a secret passage leading out of the city, but also hid so many supplies and gold and silver. What else could it be but a rebellion?"
"I recall that the Crown Prince was recently troubled by money."
Tong Xiuqing lost her composure, and a slight flaw appeared in her expression.
By the time he returned to normal and refused to admit it, it was too late.
Xiao Ji was almost certain that his guess was true: the Tong family's ultimate goal was not to support the crown prince to the throne, but to use the emperor to command the feudal lords.
The jailer rushed in.
"Lord Xiao, Imperial Censor Huang has arrived."
Xiao Ji finally provoked Tong Xiuqing, saying, "If the Crown Prince knew that the Tong family had secretly hoarded so much money, I wonder what he would think?"
He left with Shen Lan, ignoring Tong Xiuqing's shouts.
When he met Imperial Censor Huang outside the prison, he preemptively asked, "Is Lord Huang also here to inquire about the fire in the study?"
Imperial Censor Huang frowned. "Xiao Ji, isn't it against the rules for you to meet with a suspect in private?"
"Sigh, I was just hoping to solve the case as soon as possible. At this critical moment, the Tong family's study was burned down. People who don't know the situation might think that someone was colluding with the Tong family."
If the Emperor finds out, he'll probably replace all three of us.
"It's probably for the best, though. This case was thankless and difficult to investigate; it's better to get rid of it sooner rather than later."
Imperial Censor Huang dared not respond to his words.
I've only ever heard of officials being beheaded during joint trials by the three judicial departments; I've never heard of someone being removed for being disobedient.
The emperor is not so merciful.
He said with a smile, "Lord Xiao, please be careful with your words. This case involves the Crown Prince, who would dare to be negligent? It's just a study that was burned down, didn't Lord Xiao bring out the account books long ago?"