Seeing that it was still dark and there was no need to get up early to go to court during the day, Zhang Ren lay down directly to catch up on some sleep. Perhaps he was still frightened by the previous dream, so he tossed and turned for a long time but could not fall asleep.
Zhang Ren didn't sleep at all, put on his shoes and went to the ground to practice his sword skills in the yard.
It was already bright after completing a set of procedures. Zhang Ren drew water directly from the well, not afraid of the coolness, and poured the water directly on his body to wash away the wet sweat.
Then he went back to his room and put on a set of clean clothes.
After breakfast, the concierge came all the way and stood in front of Zhang Ren to report: "Master Ren, an official came in front of me and asked you to go to Dali Temple."
Zhang Ren wiped his mouth and asked, "Where are the people?"
The concierge said, "The person left after he finished speaking."
Zhang Ren shook his head. These officials in the court really regarded him as a snake and scorpion. After all, he was also a supervisor sent by His Majesty. How could the three departments be so disrespectful?
However, Zhang Ren had no choice but to go to Dali Temple alone.
Dali Temple is equivalent to the Supreme People's Court in later generations. Its authority is still above that of the Ministry of Justice. It is in charge of the review and deliberations of judicial cases. As long as the case is decided by Dali Temple, it is considered to be a final decision. There is no possibility of overturning the case. Now the Sanfa Division Setting Li Shanchang's case to be heard here was also intended to be a solid case.
Zhang Ren entered Dali Temple without encountering any obstruction. He must have been greeted by the superiors. When he entered the main hall of Dali Temple, he found that the place was already full of courtiers.
The Minister of Dali Temple sat in the middle position, with officials from the Ministry of Punishment and the Inspectorate on the left and right.
Zhang Ren also saw Yuan Kai's figure among them. He smiled and waved, but Yuan Kai just glanced at him lightly and stopped looking at him, with no intention of saying hello.
Zhang Ren was disappointed, but he still shook his head and didn't care.
The Dali Temple Qing in the middle looked at Zhang Ren and slapped the gavel, which startled Zhang Ren who was unprepared.
Good guy, I'm standing in the middle of the hall and you just slap me on the wall. If you don't know, you think I'm a criminal.
I just heard the Minister of Dali Temple say: "Since the supervisor sent by His Majesty has arrived, let's go to the palace."
All the officials nodded one after another, and Zhang Ren stepped aside. He saw that each official in the hall had a chair, but none of them were wealthy, so he could only stand.
I saw the Dali Temple minister shaking his sleeves and robe, and said to the Yamen below: "Bring Li Cunyi up."
Who is this Li Cunyi? Shouldn't it be Li Shanchang who is on trial? Although he was puzzled, Zhang Ren didn't ask, he still planned to take a look before talking.
After a short wait, Li Cunyi was picked up by two government officials. It was indeed put on a shelf because his legs and feet seemed to have some difficulty.
Li Cunyi looks quite young and is very well-dressed, giving him the image of a wealthy old man. However, if you look carefully, you will find that his eye sockets are sunken and dull.
Seeing that Li Cunyi had been brought there, the Dali Temple minister was shocked again, with a serious look on his face: "Li Cunyi, do you want to say it or not? How did Hu Weiyong conspire with Li Shanchang to rebel?"
Li Cunyi seemed to be startled by the Jingtang tree. His body trembled, and his eyes gradually became brighter. He raised his eyes to look at the Minister of Dali Temple, and then at the adults around him. Tears burst into his eyes: " Don’t kill me, please don’t kill me, sir, I’ll tell you everything!”
Just after crying and saying a few words, Li Cunyi started to tremble all over, perhaps because he was too scared, and then he even broke down in tears and couldn't even speak.
With a look of contempt on his face, the Minister of Dali Temple slapped the gavel again and shouted: "Why are you crying? Hurry up and call me truthfully!"
Frightened by this shock, although Li Cunyi was still trembling all over, he forcefully held back his tears.
Just listen to him sobbing and say: "I said, I said, Hu Weiyong was plotting a rebellion back then, but my brother was there to control him, so he never dared to act rashly. In the end, he could only entrust me to act as a lobbyist to convince my brother. I was It was also lard that deceived me. I had a good talk with my brother. I originally wanted to be a high official like my brother, but my brother ignored me.
He scolded me and told me to take care of myself. I was indeed involved in what happened back then. Now I just want to die. However, my brother was not involved in it. Please give me a clear warning. "
Now Zhang Ren finally understood that Li Cunyi was Li Shanchang's younger brother. When trying the case, he would start with the suspect's relatives. The Dali Temple was indeed much smarter than the Ministry of Punishment.
After Li Cunyi finished speaking, he kowtowed directly. It’s hard to say whether he is timid or not. You might say he is timid, but he dared to participate in the rebellion, and now he only wants to die. You might say he is courageous. He was so scared that he cried when he was just in court. With.
In fact, this is no wonder Li Cunyi. Back then, he was involved in the rebellion case and saw his colleagues around him being beheaded one by one. His Majesty knew that he was involved, but he still pardoned him for the sake of Li Shanchang. Even so, But Li Cunyi had been afraid for ten years, fearing that His Majesty would kill him when he thought of it.
Now Li Cunyi understands that instead of living in fear every day, it would be better to die directly.
Even the officials of the Third Law Division did not expect that today's case would be heard so quickly. Originally, they were still studying whether Li Cunyi would be punished if he refused to confess.
Now that what happened back then has become clear, the Minister of Dali Temple naturally asked Li Cunyi to be taken away. As for the servant in Li Shanchang's mansion, there is no need to interrogate him. The words of the man who sold himself into slavery may not be accepted in court.
According to Li Cunyi, Li Shanchang did not participate in the rebellion that year, but he was guilty of knowing the crime and not reporting it, which can be regarded as deceiving the emperor. This matter is big or small. Even the Sanfa Division cannot convict him and can only let him The scribe wrote everything down clearly for His Majesty to judge.
The officials of the Third Law Division left one by one, and finally the clerk handed Zhang Ren the case files and confessions.
He is the supervisor appointed by His Majesty, and it is indeed his duty to deliver these things to the palace.
Zhang Ren rushed to the palace without stopping. When he passed the palace gate, he saw Feng Hong, who was guarding the palace.
Seeing that the dark circles under Zhang Ren's eyes were darker than yesterday, Feng Hong stopped him directly.
Zhang Ren was a little confused and said, "Old Feng, His Majesty has appointed me as a supervisor, but he allows me to enter the palace at any time. Why did you stop me here?"
But Feng Hong consoled him earnestly: "Zhang Ren, Lao Feng, at my age, your uncle is also rich. It's not my uncle who told you that you shouldn't covet the bed when you are young. Look at you, around your eyes It’s all dark. If you keep doing this, you will die sooner or later on a woman’s belly!”
But Zhang Ren rolled his eyes and said, "Old Feng, I really haven't touched a woman. I told you that I had a dream all night last night and didn't sleep well at all. Do you believe it?"
