Two days later, Yi Ming and Deng Tong were summoned by the Dali Temple Yamen to cooperate in the trial of the woman's disappearance.
Zhou Yiming and Xia Dezhang felt uneasy, but everything went smoothly in the Dali Temple Yamen. Zhou Yiming and his colleagues told the young minister of Dali Temple everything that happened that night.
Less than ten days have passed since the last time Zhou Ming and the others saw the young minister of Dali Temple. At this time, the young minister of Dali Temple was obviously much older. His face was bloodless and his cheeks were thin. It was obvious that he had endured a huge amount of pain during this period. The pressure may be due to the fact that I was working on this case without sleep.
After Zhou Yiming and others cooperated with the investigation, less than half a month after returning, the young minister of Dali Temple compiled the files of the entire case. Because the case involved important officials in the court, the young minister of Dali Temple knew that his power was limited and could not handle such a case. case, so the files and confessions were handed over to the court as soon as possible.
At this time, the disappearance case had already caused a stir in the city, and was heard all over the city. Even the children in the city played games and acted out the scene of Yi Ming killing Yan Shikuan.
Emperor Xiaokang, the emperor of the dynasty, was shocked after receiving the files. He knew that the case was serious and the people were resentful. He deliberately favored his favorite minister, but was afraid that it would be difficult to block the mouth of the world. If he persisted in going his own way, he would arouse the anger of heaven and people and lose the hearts of the people. Da Chu The situation was difficult to stabilize, so after much thought, I finally found a way to get the best of both worlds.
Two days later, the court announced the results of the trial into the woman's disappearance.
It is quite different from Zhou Ming’s previous analysis.
Yan Qiu placed all the blame for the case on his grandson Yan Shikuan.
The court finally determined that the main culprit in the disappearance of the woman was Yan Shikuan. In order to pursue his own selfish interests, he colluded with Feng Shiying, one of the three masters of the White Guards, to rob good women over the years, causing the destruction of countless families. He was an unpardonable crime and should be executed.
The accomplice Feng Shiying helped Zhou to commit crimes. After learning that the principal criminal Yan Shikuan was killed by an official, he used his power to commit murder and retaliated for the inspection of the Yamen in the south of the city, causing the death of many Yamen and four people seriously injured. The crime was so heinous that he should be punished.
However, Yan Qiu, the mastermind behind this case, relied on the protection of the old emperor, and finally found himself guilty of lax discipline and indulging his subordinates, and his punishment was only a year's salary.
Emperor Xiaokang took great pains to silence the people of the world. On the one hand, he tried his best to exonerate Yan Qiu, and on the other hand, he devoted himself to research on how to reward Yi Ming and others.
If the reward is too small, people in the world will not only say that the emperor is too stingy, but it will also highlight his unfairness in judging the case, which in turn will cause trouble. After all, although Zhou Ming made great contributions in this case , but what he killed was Yan Qiu’s grandson after all.
At this time, Emperor Xiaokang gave Yiming an official position and a title. If the reward was too generous, it would inevitably chill Yan Qiu's heart. No matter how capable Yiiming was, he was worthless in Emperor Xiaokang's eyes at this time, unlike his favorite minister. Yan Qiu is not comparable at all.
After repeated weighing, Emperor Xiaokang finally came up with a reward plan that he considered most satisfactory.
The purpose of this plan is actually very simple, which is to reward Zhou Ming and others in large amounts of money. However, the aspect that officials care about most, which is promotion, is strictly controlled.
Zhou Yiming, who had made the first contribution, was only promoted to the number one policeman in the inspection yamen in the south of the city. Deng Tong and Xia Dezhang were not even promoted in terms of official positions, and their grades were only raised by one level in name.
As soon as the court's handling of this case was announced, it immediately caused an uproar across the world. Both the civil and military officials of the court and the common people were very angry about the handling of the case. From the court to the streets, almost everyone felt that Emperor Xiaokang had concluded the case in this way. , obviously favoring Yan Qiu.
After Deng Tong and Xia Dezhang learned about the court's handling of the disappearance case, they immediately came to Zhou Mansion to find Yi Ming and tell him the good news.
After the Zhou family knew the news, they were all very happy, and even the servants in the family breathed a sigh of relief secretly.
Zhou Yiming was mentally prepared that the court would favor Yan Qiu in handling this case. However, when he learned that Yan Qiu's punishment was only to suspend his salary for one year, he couldn't help but sneer: "I punish myself with three cups, which is a bit mean."
After walking through the gates of hell, Deng Tong and Xia Dezhang were extremely happy to finally save their lives. Moreover, they both knew in their hearts that their ability to save their lives depended entirely on Yi Ming.
Having been in the officialdom for many years, it goes without saying that these two people are very naughty, but they still know how to be grateful. They know that from now on, they and Yi Ming will share weal and woe and be bound together.
The two of them were not only respectful to Yi Ming, but also humble and courteous to Yi Ming's family and parents.
The two of them were obviously much older than Zhou Yiming. As soon as Lin Ajiao came out, the two of them quickly called themselves sister-in-law without even daring to raise their heads. Their thoughtful etiquette surprised Zhou Yiming.
"Eh? You two are not mistaken, are you? I am so much younger than you, so you call me Niangzi and sister-in-law. Are you mistaken about your seniority?"
Zhou Ming said with a playful expression.
Deng Tong and Xia Dezhang laughed at the same time: "Brother Zhou, you are wrong! Ever since we experienced this case, we have been friends of life and death.
The preservation of our lives, including the lives of our two families, depends entirely on you.
This great kindness, let alone treating you as a brother, even treating you as a father, as long as you are willing, the two of us can also scream. "
Zhou Yiming was drinking tea. After hearing the two people say these shameless words, he couldn't help but spit out all the tea in one gulp.
"Can you two be any more shameless?" Zhou Ming scolded with a smile.
The two of them didn't take it seriously at all, they just giggled.
Zhou Ruhai and Mrs. Zhou felt very happy when they saw that Yi Ming had such a good relationship with their superiors in the yamen. They were afraid that it would be inconvenient for Yi Ming and others to talk to them in their presence, so they said a few polite words and left with their families. .
In an instant, only Zhou Ming and Xia Dezhang were left in the main room.
Zhou Yiming suddenly sat upright and asked with a serious face: "Looking at the happy faces of you two, the imperial court only rewards us so little. Don't you feel aggrieved? Don't you have any objections?"
Deng Tong and Xia Dezhang looked at each other, then they both smiled secretly and walked to Yi Ming's side.
"Brother Zhou, what do we two have to feel wronged about? To tell you the truth, before the outcome of the case comes out, we just want to survive, and we have already thanked you a lot.
Unexpectedly, instead of taking our lives, the imperial court promoted us. Although the promotion is the same as not being promoted, the two of us are very satisfied. On the contrary, it is you who is wronged. "
Zhou Yiming smiled slightly: "I had expected this result a long time ago, so I am not aggrieved, let alone surprised."
Deng Tong and Xia Dezhang hesitated for a moment, then asked the question they were most concerned about.
"Brother Zhou, now that this case has been settled, will Yan Qiu cause trouble for us in the future?"
Zhou Yiming turned the tea cup in his hand, looked out the window, thought for a long time, and said leisurely: "Not in a short time. Even if he wants to take action, he has to wait for the people to forget about this matter, otherwise it will be like setting fire to himself."
Deng Tong and Xia Dezhang were full of joy just now, but when they heard what Zhou Ming said, their hearts immediately sank to the bottom, and even their expressions changed.
Seeing their useless looks, Zhou Yiming shook his head and sighed: "You two are just useless.
Let me tell you, even if Yan Qiu wants to seek revenge in the future, the person he seeks will be me, and he will probably not cause trouble for you.
From now on, just keep your tail between your legs and stay away from me, and you should be able to enjoy peace. "
Although Deng Tong and Xia Dezhang were afraid of death and as timid as mice, they were not stupid. If they followed Yi Ming from now on and Yi Ming stood in front of them, they would be able to survive as long as Yi Ming did not fall for a day. A peaceful day.
On the other hand, if they keep a distance from Yi Ming from now on, without Yi Ming's protective umbrella, it will be easy for Yan Qiu to deal with them.
"Brother Zhou, what are you talking about? Even if we die, we will advance and retreat with you from now on."
Both of them immediately expressed their loyalty.
Zhou Yiming smiled and asked casually: "Since the court has not promoted us to an official position, is there any bonus?"
This sentence immediately hit the point.
Xia Dezhang leaned forward and said in a low voice: "I have reliable news that the imperial court's reward in terms of bonuses this time is very generous.
Inspector Deng and I can each receive a reward of 3,000 taels of silver. As for you, brother Zhou, the court plans to reward you with 5,000 taels of silver as a reward. "
Zhou Ming did not expect to receive such a high reward, but he was not happy about it, but asked a more concerned question: "Then the court has no plans to pay pensions to our dead brothers. ?"
Deng Tong and Xia Dezhang exchanged glances, and then Deng Tong stepped forward and said furtively: "Brother Zhou, you must not make this matter public.
I have a relative who holds an important position in the court. According to his reliable information, for every brother who dies in our inspection yamen, the court will issue 2,000 taels of silver as a pension.
This amount will be sent directly to our Yamen, and we will then transfer it to the family members of the deceased brother. "
After beheading Yan Shikuan, no matter how much danger and difficulty he encountered, Zhou Yiming never regretted it. The only thing that always made him feel bad was the brothers who died in the yamen. He always felt sorry for them and wanted to do something for them. What.
Now that he heard that the imperial court had issued such a pension specifically for the dead brothers, he felt better. After all, with this money, the families of these dead brothers could live a peaceful life, at least they would not have to pay for food and clothing. And worry.
"Okay, now that the money has arrived, you have to send it out as soon as possible without any delay." Zhou Ming said.
When Deng Tong and Xia Dezhang heard what Zhou Ming said, they both showed interesting expressions. They both thought that Zhou Ming was still too young.
