Entering the official office of Fusi in Nanzhen, Ban Weizheng faced a pile of files higher than the desk. He originally wanted to turn around and run away, but was pulled back by Wang Hong, who had quick eyes and quick hands.
Ban Weizheng smiled bitterly and said to Wang Hong: "Wang Liulang, the most painful time for me in Shuofang was handling documents in the army. Now that I am here, is it possible that I have to do this again?"
Wang Hong: "If you don't read the case, how can you understand the facts of the case? Stop talking nonsense and read these first!"
Bite the bullet and spent two days reading the case, Ban Weizheng lay down on the ground and said to Zhang Yanling, who was also exhausted: "What do you think?"
Zhang Yanling rubbed his forehead: "The principal criminal and his accomplice committed suicide out of fear of crime. The clues are almost cut off. How else can we watch?"
Ban Weizheng: "If you think about it carefully, the prime minister will soon ascend the throne as emperor. At this juncture, he is framed for murder. Who will benefit the most from this matter?"
Zhang Yanling lowered his head, thought for a while, and asked: "If something happens to the Prime Minister, then the throne will be inherited by the prince. So, the biggest beneficiary of this case is the prince?"
Ban Weizheng: "Yes, but not only that. The arrangement of the late emperor's coffin and the arrangement of the memorial platform are all the responsibility of the royal family. If the prince is the biggest beneficiary, then the clan and the Ministry of Industry may
It’s the executor.”
Zhang Yanling: "The prince colluded with the Zongfu and the Ministry of Industry? Is there any evidence?"
Ban Weizheng: "Twelve officials from the Ministry of Industry involved in the case, as well as a chamberlain in the palace, all told in prison about secret talks with the Zongfu. Moreover, the organ of the mourning hall is divided into upper and lower parts, and the parts that are closely related are
Among them, there is also the word "Imperial Made". In this way, the human and physical evidence can be considered complete."
When Zhang Yanling heard this, he stood up and said, "In that case, what are you waiting for? Just come to arrest people."
Ban Weizheng: "That's the Zongfu. To put it bluntly, they are just a bunch of relatives of the emperor! You and I are just Yu Hou, where do we have the confidence to arrest people there?"
Zhang Yanling was stunned for a moment, then said: "I'll go find Wang Liulang and ask."
Ban Weizheng shook his head and said: "It involves the clan, and Wang Liulang naturally knows the seriousness of the matter. It is impossible for him to agree."
After a moment of burning incense, Zhang Yanling came back with a face full of surprise.
When Ban Weizheng saw this, he smiled and said, "Wang Liulang can't do anything, right?"
Zhang Yanling was silent for a moment and said to Ban Wei Zheng: "Wang Liulang said that as long as there is evidence, regardless of whether it is a member of the clan or an important official in the court, the Jin Yiwei can lead troops to arrest, interrogate, and investigate. If anyone
Anyone who dares to obstruct it will be punished on the spot."
Ban Weizheng was surprised: "You really said that?"
Zhang Yanling nodded.
Half an hour later, Ban Weizheng and Zhang Yanling counted out four teams of Jin Yiwei, with a total of two hundred horses. They left the guardhouse and went directly to the house of Du Tao, the Marquis of Pingnan in Liangcheng.
Du Tao, the Marquis of Pingnan, was the maternal uncle of Emperor Li Longji. He made great contributions to establishing the throne in the early years of the Kaiyuan Dynasty. Later, due to his advanced age, he retired from official service and returned home.
This time when Li Longji passed away, Du Tao came all the way from the Central Plains, and a series of funeral arrangements were all arranged by this veteran official of the clan.
Ban Weizheng and Zhang Yanling stood outside the door. They looked at each other and knocked on the door of the Hou Mansion together.
The servant of the concierge opened the door and saw that there were fully armed soldiers outside. He was startled at first, and then bravely shouted: "This is the residence of Marquis Pingnan! Who are you?!"
Ban Wei Zheng: "We are the Jinyi Guards, investigating the arson case of Chengyu Palace. Let everyone in the Hou Mansion come out and go back with us."
The concierge was furious when he heard this: "I have never heard of a Jinyiwei! You want to show off and deceive, but you have come to the wrong place!"
Zhang Yanling was a man of bad temper and courageous. When he saw this shape, he didn't explain it. He just took out his sword and chopped it down with all his strength. The concierge's body and head were immediately separated, and his death was horrific.
Then, Zhang Yanling kicked the corpse of the doorman again and shouted loudly behind him: "Brothers, go in and search!"
In an instant, two hundred guards in golden robes filed in and rushed into Pingnanhou's mansion. They all, regardless of gender, old or young, were tied up, arrested, and escorted back to the prison for interrogation.
During the battle at Pingnan Hou Mansion, the Jin Yiwei completely gained their reputation.
A famous marquis in the Tang Dynasty and a very important figure in the clan family were imprisoned in the prison of Jin Yiwei.
Within the next ten days, the Jin Yiwei followed the clues, obtained evidence from Ping Nanhou, and began to conduct large-scale arrests and interrogations of the entire clan in Liangcheng.
Suddenly, the prison used to hold prisoners was overcrowded.
In order to expand the prison, Jinyiwei applied to build a large prison next to the official office, with a planned capacity of more than 2,000 people.
The prison was named "Shen Zhi Hall". In the following decades, this prison had another nickname - "Yam Luo Hall".
On this day, Ban Weizheng and Zhang Yanling wrote the results of many days of interrogation into a case file and presented it to Wang Hong's case.
Wang Hong picked up the case book, read it carefully, and asked: "These gangs of rebels have been colluding since the spring of last year?"
Ban Weizheng: "Among the rebels, there are not only people from the clan, officials from the Ministry of Works, and even the chamberlains in the palace who are also involved."
Zhang Yanling: "Brother Bang and I made a plan. To be able to use so many dignitaries and high-ranking officials, the mastermind behind this must be no ordinary person!"
Wang Hong calmly put down the case book and asked with a calm face: "In your opinion, who should be the person behind the scenes?"
Ban Weizheng: "We feel that the mastermind behind this should be a prince in Liangcheng. He was dissatisfied with the Prime Minister being the emperor. He persuaded a group of officials to interfere with it on the grounds of the legitimacy of the Tang Dynasty."
Wang Hong: "There are a total of five princes living in Liangcheng. Who do you think he is?"
Ban Weizheng scratched his head: "It's hard to say. There must be very few people who know the true identity of the mastermind behind the scenes. We have interrogated so many prisoners, but we haven't gotten any useful information."
At this moment, a voice suddenly sounded outside the door: "In that case, wouldn't it be enough to arrest all five princes for interrogation, and then thoroughly search the prince's residence?"
Ban Wei Zheng heard the sound and looked out the door, only to see Kong You walking in with his hands behind his back.
Wang Hong, Ban Weizheng and Zhang Yanling stood up quickly, bowed to Kong You and said, "Kong Zhongcheng."
Kong You found a piece of land, sat down minding his own business, and said to the three of them: "The case of arson in Chengyu Palace is getting more and more passive the longer it goes on. The Jinyi Guards should solve the case as soon as possible."
The three of them said it together.
Ban Weizheng raised his head and asked in a low voice: "Kong Zhongcheng, the prince is no longer the prince, but the heir of the late emperor. At present, there is no real evidence, and if we rush to arrest him rashly, will the court say anything?"
Kong You glanced at Ban Weizheng: "There is no evidence, wouldn't you think of ways to create evidence?"
Ban Weizheng and Zhang Yanling were stunned for a moment, then looked at each other and replied together: "I understand."
Kong You: "In the case of arson in the Chengyu Palace, once something happens to the prime minister, the person who will benefit the most is the prince. Based on this alone, you can take action. Remember, the biggest responsibility of the Jinyiwei is not to handle the case, but to
He is the protector."
Not handling the case, but protecting the owner?
These eight words from Kong You's mouth caused everyone present to be stunned.
Ban Weizheng thought for a moment, then cupped his hands to Kong You and said, "Remember Zhongcheng's teachings."