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 eucalyptus was already shown from the time it was taken from the imperial city to the 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.
There are also things that make people confused, and there are also details that cannot be discussed with others.
Xiang Minzhong, the young minister of Dali Temple who had been in office for less than a year, faced tremendous pressure after a brief period of confusion. After Kang Ning was transferred to the Dali Temple Prison, the entire Dali Temple became lively and suddenly became a prison.
It became the most watched place inside and outside the imperial court.
And with such attention, Xiang Minzhong felt no honor at all. Those who came 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 Kang Ning Eucalyptus, Xiang Minzhong knew that he was in trouble. He also knew that his background was complicated and involved many things, but he never expected that it would be so complicated and involved so deeply.
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, and 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 he can only hope to reach. Just one Kang Ning made the people in the court panic and undercurrents surged.
What makes Xiang Minzhong most suspicious is that for several days, Xiang Minzhong still has no idea 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 that he raised his nostrils to the sky and left only the emperor's oral instructions of "take a good look". 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 leave" and only left a sentence of "careful review" and an attitude of "I think highly of you".
The Minister of Dali Temple is still Murong Chengde, Duke of Luan County. 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 in 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, to promote officials and handle 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 who actually presided over the daily affairs of Dali Temple and was responsible for specific matters was Shaoqing Kang Ning, who naturally fell into the hands of Xiang Minzhong.
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 sides after two days of trial 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 greetings from various parties, this is proved. 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 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 the guards were very tight. Even the recent interrogation took place in the cell. After only a few days in prison, Kang Ning's age was very obvious, and he became more and more like an old man in his seventies.
appearance.
The main responsibilities of Dali Temple are to break prisons, detail punishments, and focus on auditing. However, it also has its own system and methods in terms of judicial prosecution and investigation. However, these methods cannot be used on Kang Ning, so it is naturally 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 continued. This was probably the weirdest interrogation scene in Dali Temple in the past few years. The prosecutor was doing his routine and interrogating carefully, but he didn't care about what answers he could get from Kang Ning.
Corning also answered somewhat absentmindedly, but his attention was not on the question. All he could think about was how to solve the current dilemma. That is, the expressions of both parties were very serious, so as not to make the atmosphere lack of solemnity.
Not long after, the new round of interrogation was over. The judge walked out of the cell and saw Xiang Minzhong, who was 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!"
"Let's just do it today, and we'll try again tomorrow!"
Seeing this, the judge hesitated to speak, but when he saw Xiang Minzhong was about to turn around and leave, he finally said: "Shaoqing, please forgive me for speaking frankly. If we follow the current interrogation method, it will be difficult even for five or ten years."
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 result do you want from the trial?" 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, accepting 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 the handover of the Imperial City Department, a document authorized by His Majesty!"
Hearing what he said, Xiang Minzhong suddenly understood. Looking at the respectful Dali Temple officials in front of him, he couldn't help but smile bitterly. Kang Ning was a trouble to him, but to these lower-level officials, it was an opportunity for meritorious service and promotion. Dali Temple
Of the so many cases that are reviewed 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 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, there is no effective way to think of at all, because there is a problem that cannot be avoided. Inside the palace city and above the main hall. Kang Ning used to be very proud. After all, as a merchant, he could reach the heavens.
What an honor.
However, this honor has now turned into the biggest 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 died. His death was really untimely.
Already.
Of course, Kang Ning would not be without some awareness 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, the reason why he was in trouble began to change.
After reflection over the past few days, I have gradually come to understand.
Because of this, Kang Ning became more and more frightened, and the more frightened he was, the less he dared to reveal anything. He just tried his best to deal with Dali Temple. He didn't know who the people involved with him were outside the prison.
What reaction did he have, but he knew in his heart that if he lost his composure and said "nonsense", the people who wanted his life would probably be lined up from Dali Temple to the Imperial City Gate...