Chapter 131: Seizing Power with Cases
Chapter 131: Seizing Power with Cases (Part )
The victim was lying on the bed, his face full of flesh, and he looked like a scoundrel.
After asking the time, he found out that the Lantern Festival had just begun. Yuwen Chengdu immediately realized that this man was most likely the first scoundrel to be stabbed.
"We were four people, joking with two young ladies in the East Market. That guy was eating sweet-scented osmanthus dumpling porridge. He suddenly jumped up and attacked us. He cut off my ear with a sword, and stabbed my three friends through the thigh with a sword. He also threw us into the river. The ice on the river had just melted and it was freezing cold..."
"What does that person look like and how old is he?"
"He doesn't look very old, maybe fifteen or sixteen at most, but he's very tall, and judging by his accent, he doesn't look like a native of Chang'an."
"What's the accent?"
"It seems to be the accent from Jianghuai?"
"Jianghuai accent, fifteen or sixteen years old, a young master."
A silhouette vaguely appeared in Yuwen Chengdu's mind. He could kill people like a shadow at night. This was not a fifth-grade barrier breakthrough. This person had already consolidated his essence and had at least seventh-grade internal strength. If it was a teenager, there would be only one person on Jiang Huai's side.
"Did he use a dagger?"
"Yes! That's right, a very sharp dagger."
Yuwen Chengdu couldn't help laughing. No wonder something that had never happened before happened. It turned out that this brat had come to the capital. No matter how deeply he hid, he was still dug out by himself.
.........
Yuwen Chengdu would certainly not go and report it. Not to mention that he had no evidence, more importantly, this person had a special identity. Once it was revealed, it would cause a huge storm.
Yuwen Chengdu also guessed why Xiao Xia wanted to kill Yun Shitai. It was most likely to avenge the assassination attempt on him by the prince last year.
After walking out of the alley, Yuwen Chengdu pondered for a moment and told his trusted subordinates, "You stay here to monitor the injured person. If anyone comes to investigate, report to me immediately!"
Although Yuwen Chengdu is Yuwen Shu's adopted son, he is loyal to the emperor. He knows that this case has a serious impact and cannot be taken lightly, but he cannot reveal it easily either. He must wait and observe patiently.
.........
In the inner hall of the Ministry of Justice, Vice Minister Zhao Chuo was reporting last night's case to Prince of Jin Yang Yong, with an interim report on the table.
"Your Majesty, Yun Shitai's murder last night may have a lot to do with his own misconduct. He actually robbed a woman in the street. So I think Yun Shitai's murder was not premeditated. He just aroused public anger and was killed by a warrior who was watching the lanterns."
Yang Guang frowned, "You mean, there is no way to investigate this case, and there is no clue at all?"
Zhao Chuo nodded, "That's exactly what I mean!"
Yang Guang walked a few steps with his hands behind his back and asked, "There were several incidents of wounding last night. It is said that all of them were scoundrels who were killed and injured. Does Minister Zhao think it is related to the Yun Shitai case?"
The Ministry of Justice had already made a conclusion on this issue. Zhao Chuo said quickly: "I and other officials in the Ministry of Justice think it is not a big deal. More than 50 people were killed and injured last night, all over the city. If it was done by one person, I think it is difficult. I think it was done by a gang, acting separately, with a clear purpose, which is to crack down on rogues.
The assassination of Yun Shitai happened suddenly, without any prior planning. It was done by one person, and the two committed crimes in different styles. The stabbing of the scoundrel was just a brief attack, without hitting the vital parts, while Yun Shitai was beheaded by a single sword strike. Therefore, I believe that the two are not related. Anything can happen on Lantern Festival night. "
Yang Guang nodded and asked, "What is the attitude of the Dali Temple?"
Zhao Chuo shook his head, "I don't know about the Dali Temple's investigation!"
At this time, Yang Guang was more concerned about Zhang Guo, the Minister of Dali Temple. His father's imperial edict asked him to be in charge of criminal laws. Criminal laws not only refer to the Ministry of Justice itself, but also include the Dali Temple. However, when he was questioning a case in the Ministry of Justice, the Dali Temple ignored him. They did not take him seriously at all, which made Yang Guang extremely annoyed.
Yang Guang certainly knew that Zhang Guo was the crown prince's confidant. With the crown prince backing him up, he would definitely not buy into his account. Taking over the Dali Temple was the key to his coming to power. Where should he start now?
Yang Guang was upset for a while, so he pointed to the temporary report on the table and said, "You go first! Let me take a look at the case first." "I will take my leave first!"
Zhao Chuo bowed and retreated. Yang Guang frowned and paced back and forth in the hall with his hands behind his back. Yang Zhao beside him understood his father's mood very well.
He whispered, "Father, I saw my third brother this morning!"
"Oh! How is he?"
"He's fine. He bought himself a house in Qinren and is currently studying at the Imperial Academy."
Yang Guang was not surprised that Xiao Xia had the money to buy a house. The Xiao family was wealthy and the housing prices in Chang'an were not high, so it was normal to buy a small house in Chang'an.
"You are the eldest brother, you must discipline him well, let him concentrate on his studies, and don't cause trouble for me!"
Yang Zhao said cautiously again: "Father, my third brother gave me a suggestion. He said that father can use the Yun Shitai case as a starting point to deal with the disobedient subordinates."
Yang Guang shook his head. "He is still young. He should not interfere in the affairs of the court."
"Father, have you forgotten Yang Liang, the Prince of Han?"
This sentence reminded Yang Guang that King Yang Liang of Han had been forced to face the wall for a year because of his fall at the hands of his third son Xiao Xia.
Yang Guang asked after a while: "What does he mean?"
"Father has been away from the officialdom for five years. Now he is back in charge of the criminal law department. There must be people in the criminal law department who are loyal to the crown prince or the King of Han, such as Zhang Guo, the Minister of the Supreme Court. He is the crown prince's man. Father can give him three days to solve the case. If he fails, he can be replaced."
Yang Guang's eyes lit up. What a brilliant idea! He nodded and said, "That makes sense. I'll go see your great grandfather now!"
Emperor Yang Jian was old and gradually took less care of government affairs. Except for the military power in his hands, he handed over the rest of the government affairs to the crown prince and four sons, and each of them had their own division of labor.
Crown Prince Yang Yong was in charge of the Ministry of Personnel and finance, the second son Yang Guang was in charge of criminal justice and law, the third son Yang Jun was in charge of rituals and sacrifices, the fourth son Yang Xiu was in charge of engineering and water conservancy, and the fifth son Yang Liang was in charge of military forces and weaponry.
However, this division of power was only a formality. They could take care of major matters, but they had no control over the normal operation of the court. That was the responsibility of the three prime ministers: Gao Jiong, Yang Su, and Su Wei.
Otherwise, the five brothers would hinder each other, fight among themselves, and the entire court would be in chaos.
Therefore, Yang Guang was in charge of criminal law, and the Assistant Minister of Justice, Zhao Chuo, only reported major cases to him, so Yang Guang had no control over the normal operation of the Ministry of Justice.
Logically, the same applies to the Dali Temple, but the problem is that the Dali Temple does not report major cases to Yang Guang, which is a violation of regulations.
The Dali Temple violated the rules, and Yang Guang could only seek support from his father. The emperor was the rule maker, and if someone did not follow the rules, his father had to intervene.
Yang Guang hurried to the harem. He waited for a moment, and the Changqiu Supervisor Yang Yue hurried out.
Yang Yue was the brother of Yang Su, Duke of Yue. When he was young, he fell from a tree and injured his penis. Later, he entered the palace and became a eunuch. He had a family background, ability, and good judgment, so he was very trusted by Emperor Yang Jian and was appointed as the Chief of Changqiu, which was the chief eunuch of the palace.
"Your Highness Prince Jin, the Emperor is summoning you to the Warm Pavilion. Please follow me!"
"Thank you, Mr. Yang. How is Father's health?"
"Your Majesty is in good health, only Concubine Chen is a little unwell, but she looks very healthy today. By the way, the emperor wants the whole family to gather together to watch the lanterns tonight. In the afternoon, the prince will go back to prepare and bring his family to the palace at 5 p.m. Your third son will also go to the palace. His Majesty will tell you later."
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(End of this chapter)