That night, Zhou Jun and Kong You discussed many matters regarding the reconstruction of the Dunhuang Ancient Road.
Some days later, Zhou Jun did not wait for the imperial edict approving the Dunhuang Ancient Road, but instead waited for the imperial court's judgment on the Kang family.
The Kang family colluded with bandits, attacked Changxingfang, killed the guards, and smuggled poisonous medicine, committing one of the "Ten Evils".
The punishment is as follows: the principal offender, regardless of his subordinates, shall be executed by beheading; the offender's immediate father-in-law and men over the age of sixteen shall be hanged; the offender's wives, concubines, weak sons, grandfathers, brothers, and sisters shall all be banished to the officialdom and become slaves; all members of the family shall be slaves.
, property, fields and houses are all without official positions; uncles, uncles, and nephews all live three thousand miles away, regardless of whether they live together.
Zhou Jun was a little surprised when he heard the penalty.
When he originally reported the crimes of the Kang family to Chang'an, he characterized them as unjust, poisoning animals and being disgusted with evil spirits; but after deliberation by the Ministry of Punishment and Dali Temple, the crimes of the Kang family were heavily sentenced as conspiracy.
The latter is a crime second only to conspiracy, and is higher than Zhou Jun's conviction in terms of severity and punishment.
In order to supervise the case, the Minister of Punishment and the Prime Minister of Yousi of Dali Temple came all the way to Liangzhou with their subordinates.
Zhou Jun and Kong You carefully accompanied the two men in handling the case, and through insinuations, they found out that the original group of horse bandits from Shazhou were escorted to Chang'an for interrogation, and they actually found out that the case was related to the Tubo people.
From this point of view, it is not wrong to characterize the Kang family case as a rebellion.
The Kang family case involves a wide range of areas, is complex, and has many prisoners. Looking at the whole of Hexi, it is also a major case that has not been seen for a long time. Zhou Jun accompanied the Ministry of Punishment and Dali Temple and worked hard for more than a month before the case was completed.
In the blink of an eye, the time came to the end of October and the beginning of November. As the supervisor of the mutual market and the governor of Wuwei County, Zhou Jun held many positions. While he was busy sorting out the poor accounts of the Hexi Mutual Market, he also had to work hard to create the six-year plan for Tianbao in Wuwei County.
House records.
Just when Zhou Jun was busy, the sky was dark and the earth was dark, Kong You hurriedly entered the governor's mansion and knocked on the door of the mansion again.
Zhou Jun said, "Come in." When he saw Kong You's expression, his expression froze and he asked, "But has the memorial for rebuilding the ancient Dunhuang Road been approved?"
Kong You frowned and slowly shook his head.
Zhou Jun felt suspicious, stopped the pen in his hand, and looked at Kong You.
The latter took a deep breath and said: "The sage issued an edict to order Wang Zhongsi to enter the court for trial."
Zhou Jun was stunned on the spot, and after a long time, he let out a long sigh.
Starting from Shuofang and then to Hexi, Zhou Jun experienced a lot with Wang Zhongsi, but what made the former helpless was that history had not changed, and the latter still ended up seizing power and being tried.
When Kong You saw this, he advised Zhou Jun: "What happened to Wang Zhongsi today is because he firmly believes that the saint's fault has nothing to do with the master's family."
Zhou Jun nodded and said calmly: "Tell me what happened."
Kong You: "At the beginning of October, Dong Yanguang wanted to attack Tubo Shibao City. The imperial court issued an order and ordered Wang Zhongsi to send troops to assist in the battle."
"Wang Zhongsi said: Shibao City is dangerous and the Tubo troops are heavily guarded. If we attack now, we will inevitably suffer tens of thousands of casualties. We may lose more than we gain. It is better to wait for a good opportunity and wait for a good opportunity to attack again."
"The imperial court did not accept Wang Zhongsi's words and ordered him to send troops to assist in the battle. Wang Zhongsi had no choice but to assist Dong Yanguang in attacking the city. However, he delayed in resisting the order. Dong Yanguang was dissatisfied and wrote a letter to Wang Zhongsi for obstructing the military plan and having other plans."
"The saint was furious when he heard about it, and Li Linfu, the right prime minister, took the opportunity to send Jiyang farewell to Wei Lin to make a speech. Zhongsi once said that he had a close relationship with the prince in the palace where he was raised as a child. He wanted to support the army to respect the prince." "The saint was very angry, so he
I ordered Wang Zhongsi to enter the court and appoint three departments to interrogate him."
After Zhou Jun listened, he recalled the records in the history books.
Wang Zhongsi was tried, and the three ministers reported that he deserved death. It happened that Ge Shuhan entered the court because of his meritorious service, and the holy family was prosperous. The latter proposed to the saint that he was willing to use his official title to atone for the sin of his loyal heir. Li Longji was grateful for his loyalty, so he pardoned the king.
For the crime of being loyal to his heir, he was demoted to be the prefect of Hanyang.
Zhou Jun stood up and said to Kong You: "Wang Zhongsi is a general and has high prestige among the Tang army. If he can submit a letter..."
Kong You interrupted Zhou Jun: "Does the master want to plead for Wang Zhongsi?"
Zhou Jun thought for a moment and nodded slightly.
Kong You sighed slightly and added: "After all, the saint and Wang Zhongsi have a father-son relationship. It is more like fear than anger. After seizing power and demoting officials, the Northern Fan has no leader. The saint has achieved his goal and will not treat Wang Zhongsi again.
A loyal heir commits harm."
"So, no matter who is willing to stand up and intercede for Wang Zhongsi, most saints will find a way out and give up."
"However, the person who stepped forward should not be from the main family."
Zhou Jun: "Why?"
Kong You: "First of all, the master is the guest of Pang Gong. After being appreciated, he started as a subordinate and then entered the court as an official. And who is Pang Gong? A servant of Queen Zhenshun, longevity
Mr. Wang Zhijia. This time Wang Zhongsi came to the court and was interrogated by the three divisions. The crime was due to his entanglement with the prince. The master's rash intercession was afraid of ruining his reputation and leaving the impression of being biased. "
After listening to Kong You's words, Zhou Jun couldn't help but nod.
Kong You observed Zhou Jun's face and whispered: "Secondly, the master wants to intercede for Wang Zhongsi because he hopes that the latter can be used for his own purposes. However, Wang Zhongsi firmly believes in the saint and will not give birth to two children even if he is framed.
Heart. It is difficult to persuade such people to return to their hearts. If they are not handled well, it may even be counterproductive and cause fire and burn the body."
Zhou Jun sat back on the folding chair and remained silent.
Kong You came closer and said softly: "My master has been getting along with Wang Zhongsi for a long time, and it is natural for me to appreciate him. However, the Tang Dynasty is so difficult to return, and just trying to persuade Wang Zhongsi to return is just in vain. The master should know
, the biggest crux of the Tang Dynasty is not in Beifan or Hebei, but in Chang'an."
Zhou Jun understood the deep meaning of Kong You's words and said: "It's near the end of the year and I will soon go back to Chang'an to report on my work. I have a long-standing friendship with Wang Zhongsi. His case is just like what Bo Hong said, so I can't speak out."
Please beg for mercy, but it’s not good to just sit on the sidelines and just be sensible.”
Kong You heard this and praised: "What the master said is absolutely true. Wang Zhongsi's case needs to be treated with caution. The key lies in the word propriety."
Zhou Jun: "In addition to Wang Zhongsi's case, there is also the matter of rebuilding the Dunhuang ancient road. The imperial court has been unable to issue an order for a long time. I plan to meet the emperor in person to clarify the interests and strive for an early start."
Kong You: "Wang Zhongsi was interrogated by the three departments, and the seals of Hexi and Longyou Jiedushi were left vacant. The DPRK and the Central Government were probably worried about this matter, so many affairs were temporarily put on hold."
Zhou Jun: "As for the governor of Hexi Province, I already have a candidate in mind. If I can recommend that person to take over the general seal, it will also have implications for the Dunhuang Ancient Road."
Kong You: "The person the master is referring to is An Sishun from the An family in Hexi?"
Zhou Jun: "Exactly."
Kong You nodded slightly.
In the next ten days, Zhou Jun settled the political affairs of the market supervisor and the governor of Wuwei County, and arranged the schedule of the craftsman's workshop.
After bidding farewell to everyone in Liangzhou City, Zhou Jun took Sun Aying, Qiu Yong and a group of soldiers, mounted fast horses, left Liangzhou, and rushed towards Chang'an.