Throughout the spring of the twenty-sixth year of Kaibao's reign, if there was anything that shocked the whole court and attracted the attention of both the government and the public, it was not the prince's enfeoffment of the country, the colonization of the country by nobles, nor the death of three consecutive uncles, but the arrest of the world-famous businessman Kang Ning.
Although it was quickly handed over to the hands of Dali Temple, the specialness of this case was already shown from the time it took for the Imperial City Secretary to go to prison, which raised its attention to the highest level.
No matter how rich a businessman is, no matter how good his relationship with the government is, no matter how close he is to the powerful, he is still just a lowly businessman. However, he can make the old emperor personally pay attention to him and affect the hearts of everyone. There are many unknown reasons for this. Where people are confused, there are also details that cannot be discussed with others.
For Xiang Minzhong, the Shaoqing of Dali Temple who had been in office for less than a year, he faced tremendous pressure after a brief period of confusion. After Kangning was transferred to Dali Temple Prison, the entire Dali Temple became lively and became the most watched place inside and outside the imperial court.
Such attention made Xiang Minzhong feel no honor at all. Those who sent people to inquire, convey messages, and plead for mercy were all dignitaries in the court. There was no one with lower rank and real power than him, the fourth-rank Shaoqing.
From the moment he took over the Kang Ning case, Xiang Minzhong knew that there was trouble. He also knew that its background was complicated and involved many things, but he never expected that it would be so complicated and involved.
The first person to find Xiang Minzhong was Yang Xun, the left minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, who was the second son of the late Changwu Bo Yang Tingzhang. Yang Tingzhang was the brother-in-law of the late Xing Guogong Guo Wei, and had connections with the famous Guo and Chai aristocratic groups in the court. Close and deep.
As for the others, they either have higher official positions than him, or have more power than him, or they are nobles that are beyond his reach. Just one Kang Ning made the court panic and undercurrents surged.
What makes Xiang Minzhong most suspicious is that for several days, Xiang Minzhong has not figured out how Kang Ning is going to be interrogated and what the outcome of the trial should be.
When the Imperial City Secretary handed over the person, Wang Jien's adopted son was so arrogant, with his nostrils turned to the sky, leaving only the emperor's oral instruction of "take good care of it". Two more words seemed like a gift.
As for his immediate superior, the Minister of Dali Temple, as soon as he received the news, he took a "routine vacation" and only left a sentence of "careful review" and an attitude of "I think highly of you".
The minister of Dali Temple is still Luanjun Duke Murong Chengde. As an official, Murong Chengde is relatively "senior" and never cares about specific affairs. Even if necessary, he does not ask about big things and pays attention to small things.
Someone once impeached Murong Chengde for laziness and neglect of government affairs. Even Emperor Liu called him to Chui Gong Hall to hold him accountable. However, Murong Chengde remained unhurried and even plausibly said that as the chief of the ministry, he only needed to Just control the overall situation and do a good job of coordination. As for specific affairs, he has his own subordinates, Shaoqing, Tuiguan, and various temple affairs. Murong Chengde's talents are limited, and he really cannot do everything himself like Zhuge Wuhou.
Murong Chengde's remarks were not approved by Emperor Liu, but he did not ask any more questions. In this way, Murong Chengde, the minister of Dali Temple, still lived quietly and comfortably.
In these years, the person in charge of daily affairs and specific cases in Dali Temple was actually Shaoqing. The Kang Ning case naturally fell into Xiang Minzhong's hands.
Taking into account the complexity of Kang Ning's background and the particularity of the case itself, Xiang Minzhong couldn't bear the pressure from all parties after two days of hearing according to the rules, and mustered up the courage to go to the palace to see Emperor Liu, hoping to get the Holy Enlightenment. But Emperor Liu refused to see him, and only asked someone to send a message, four words: do your job well.
Xiang Minzhong is an extremely cautious person who seeks stability in everything and is never willing to take risks, especially political risks. In Xiang Minzhong's eyes, the issues involved in Corning contain major political risks.
Whether it is the emperor's personal attention or the people greeting him from all walks of life, this is supported. If it is not handled properly, it is likely to cause political turmoil.
The prison in Dali Temple is also dark and damp, but compared with those ordinary or special prisons, it has less of a scary atmosphere and the overall environment is cleaner.
Kang Ning was held in solitary confinement as a key prisoner and was closely guarded. Even the recent interrogation took place in the cell. After being imprisoned for only a few days, Kang Ning's aging was very obvious, and he became more and more like an old man in his seventies.
The main responsibilities of Dali Temple are to break prisons and detail punishments, with emphasis on auditing. However, it also has its own system and methods for decriminalization and investigation. However, these methods cannot be used on Kang Ning, so it is difficult to be effective. , the reason is that Xiang Minzhong, who was mainly responsible, was hesitant in the first place.
In the prison cell, the interrogation was still going on. This was probably the strangest scene in Dali Temple's interrogation process over the years. The prosecutor was going about his routine and interrogating carefully, but he didn't care about the answers he could get from Kang Ning.
Corning also answered somewhat absentmindedly, but his attention was not on the problem. All he could think about was how to solve the current dilemma. That is to say, the expressions of both parties are very serious, so as not to make the atmosphere lack of solemnity.
Not long after, the new round of interrogation ended. The judge walked out of the cell and saw Xiang Minzhong wandering outside with a thoughtful look on his face. He immediately stepped forward and saluted.
"Is it over?" Xiang Minzhong asked casually with a calm face after taking the record from his hand.
"yes!"
"That's the right thing to do today, and we'll try again tomorrow!"
Seeing this, the judge hesitated to speak, but when he saw that Xiang Minzhong was about to turn around and leave, he finally said: "Shaoqing, please forgive me for speaking frankly. According to the current interrogation method, even if it is five or ten years, it will not be possible." There are results!”
Xiang Minzhong paused when he heard this, turned around and looked at him, and said calmly: "What is your opinion?"
The official raised his hands and said: "According to the interrogation protocol drafted by Shaoqing, the interrogation of Kang Ning has always been difficult to get to the essence and the crux has not been explored."
"In your opinion, how should the trial be conducted? And what is the outcome?" Xiang Minzhong interrupted him angrily and asked in a bad tone.
The official's face was slightly dull, he lowered his head slightly and said, "At least we can start from the aspects of bribery, acceptance of bribes, and illegal operations!"
"Are these within the scope of Dali Temple's investigative powers?" Xiang Minzhong asked.
The official immediately said: "If we don't seek a breakthrough, how can we explain it to our superiors? This is a case handed over by the Imperial City Division and authorized by His Majesty!"
Hearing what he said, Xiang Minzhong suddenly understood. Looking at the respectful Dali Temple official in front of him, he couldn't help but smile bitterly. For him, Kang Ning is a trouble, but for these lower-level officials, it is an opportunity for meritorious service and promotion. Dali Temple accepts so many cases for review every year, how many of them are personally examined by His Majesty the Emperor?
After staring at this person for a few times, he waved his hand to Minzhong and said, "I have my own thoughts on this matter!"
In the prison cell, Kang Ning sat cross-legged, his old face wrinkled and ugly, and his whole person was immersed in a depressing atmosphere. These days, he has been thinking, introspecting, racking his brains, trying to find a way to save himself.
However, I can't think of any effective way at all, because there is an unavoidable problem, within the palace city and above the main hall. Kang Ning used to be very proud. After all, it was such an honor to be able to reach heaven as a businessman.
However, this honor has now turned into the greatest danger for him and the entire Kang family. In fact, Kang Ning was not unaware before. He had already sensed the danger since he learned that Wang Yansheng had died. His death was really untimely.
Of course, Kang Ning would not be at all conscious of what he had done, and some things could be done but not said. The bureaucrats in Dali Temple were still confused and suspicious, but in Kang Ning's own heart, as he reflected on the reason for being imprisoned in the past few days, he gradually understood.
Because of this, Kang Ning became more and more frightened, and the more frightened he became, the more he dared not reveal anything more, and just tried his best to deal with Dali Temple. He didn't know the reaction of those who were involved with him outside the prison, but he knew in his heart that if he lost his temper and "talked nonsense", the people who wanted his life would probably be lined up from Dali Temple to the Imperial City Gate.
(End of chapter)
