"Dong dong dong!" A dull drum beat sounded, and the people around were shocked.
"Here, someone is going to file a complaint!" A commoner looked over to see who had dared to file a complaint.
"Oh! Why is it a young girl?" A woman immediately exclaimed.
"Ouch! Girl, this is not something you can play with. Put it down!" There was also an enthusiastic woman who planned to step forward and pull Xue Shuyao away. She thought that the girl was old and didn't understand, so she was beating a drum to complain.
Xue Shuyao turned a deaf ear to all this. She beat the drum laboriously, using up all her strength every time.
"Xue Shuyao, the daughter of Mrs.
"Ouch! I really came here to beat the drum and redress the grievances." The woman who stepped forward to pull her back quickly retreated when she saw this. This was a complaint, and she did not dare to have anything to do with this girl.
"This girl is so courageous! She actually dares to file a complaint!" Suddenly people began to talk about it. This complaint was not something that ordinary people could bear, let alone a girl's family.
"Who are you? Did you know that this is beating drums to cry out grievances?" A pair of guards came over and one of them shouted loudly.
"The daughter of the people is the daughter of the Xue family. This is the petition of the people of the country!" Xue Shuyao handed over the petition in her hand. At this moment, she was supported by a belief in her heart. Facing the cold-faced guard, she did not even feel scared.
"Did you know that once you file an imperial complaint, you will be whipped fifty times first?" The guard saw that she was a young and beautiful girl. After all, he still couldn't bear it. He was afraid that she didn't understand the law, so he made the matter clear to her first.
"The daughter of the people knows that, please hand over the petition to the daughter of the people!" Xue Shuyao nodded, she had made up her mind.
Seeing his resolute attitude, the guard had no choice but to swallow the words that came to his lips. He wanted to say that nn would be whipped fifty times first, and then there would be punishment. However, the other party was indifferent, and he could not say much.
"Give this paper to the Secretary of General Affairs!" The guard handed the paper to the person behind him, turned around and said to Xue Shuyao: "Wait!"
After General Secretary Chang Xuezhou received the petition, he opened it and took a look at it in surprise. He was so frightened that he almost threw the petition in his hand.
"Here, who handed over this petition?" Chang Xuezhou had just been promoted to Zuo Tongzheng. He didn't expect to encounter such a big thing when he took office. There were as many as seventeen officials accused.
There are many senior officials among them.
One of them even turned out to be the teacher of the current regent. Isn't this looking for death?
"She is said to be Xue's daughter, and she is waiting outside the palace at the moment."
"Hurry, stop him quickly, I'm going to the Criminal Department!" He is only a fourth-rank official, and he can't even see the regent on weekdays, let alone the emperor.
Normally, this matter would first be interrogated by their General Affairs Department, and then handed over to the Ministry of Punishment. But he couldn't take care of that much at the moment, so he might as well hand it over to the Ministry of Punishment first!
The most urgent task is to pass it to the Regent through the Ministry of Punishment first. Be good in front of the Regent and those ministers first, and worry about having no future in the future?
Thinking of this, he immediately ordered, "Tie the person up and lock him up first!"
"Sir! Someone from Dali Temple is here. He said that the petition was received today and will be handed over to the Criminal Department for interrogation!" A councilor hurried over and reported to Chang Xue Prefecture.
Chang Xuezhou was stunned when he heard this, and then he understood. It seemed that the regent had known about this for a long time.
"You go and keep an eye on Yang Shiqi. The document cannot disappear without any trace." Gu Chengyu said to a guard of Dali Temple.
Yang Shiqi was involved in this, and he was afraid that the other party would conceal the document.
"Your Majesty, the Ministry of Punishment has handed over a petition, stating that it is the Xue family's orphan who wants to reverse the case for Xue family!" Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishment entered the Wenhua Hall and saw that Gu Chengyu was reviewing the memorial for the emperor, while the emperor was listening to the Hanlin Academy officials explaining their homework.
His eyes flashed involuntarily.
Gu Chengyu actually sent someone to intervene in this matter, and Liang Zhirui was also involved. Was he not worried at all?
"Xue?" The little emperor was a little confused. This happened three dynasties ago, and he had never heard of it.
Gu Chengyu put down the ink pen in his hand, glanced at Yang Shiqi, and explained to the emperor: "Reporting to the emperor, the case of the Xue family being exterminated occurred in"
"So, that person is the orphan of the Xue family? But wasn't the Xue family exterminated? Where did he come from? The little emperor frowned. If this person's identity is true, then he belongs to the imperial court.
Imprisoned.
"Exactly! This person is a prisoner of the imperial court! She escaped by chance back then, but she dared to file a complaint? Please ask the emperor to arrest this person and bring him to justice!" Yang Shiqi immediately nodded in agreement after hearing this.
He was a little panicked at the moment. If the Xue family's orphan wanted to reverse the case, the events of that year would inevitably be revealed. He was also involved in those events of the past.
"Your Majesty, since she has come to our door, it is natural to arrest her. But we might as well take a look at the so-called evidence of guilt in her hand. If the Xue family is really wronged, after all, she will be clean for a hundred years and will be loyal to the court."
The young emperor was a little undecided. This involved too many officials, not to mention the emperor's grandfather, Emperor Huiming. If he accepted it, it would definitely affect his grandfather's reputation.
"Your Majesty, this petition lists many officials who colluded with Daxing. If this matter is not investigated first, the consequences will be disastrous."
Xue Shuyao waited outside for a long time. As she became more and more anxious as she waited, a guard came forward to catch her and said, "Follow us to the Criminal Department!"
Xue Shuyao finally felt uneasy and said she was not afraid. How could that be possible?
When they arrived at the lobby of the Ministry of Justice, Xue Shuyao was held down by the guards and knelt on the ground. She looked up and found several officials sitting above them, and Gu Chengyu was also among them.
When she saw Gu Chengyu, her restless and flustered heart finally calmed down.
"Who is there?" Zhou Wei, the right servant of the Ministry of Punishment, slapped the wooden door and shouted downwards.
"The daughter of the people is the daughter of the Xue family. Today I am beating the drum to complain, to sue Liang Zhirui, the imperial concubine, and Yang Shiqi, the Minister of Punishment. They slandered me, the Xue family, and asked the official to clear the Xue family's name!"
After Xue Shuyao kowtowed three times, she remembered the evidence in her arms and clenched her hands tightly into fists.
"You are the daughter of a criminal, but a prisoner of the imperial court. The emperor's grace is so great that he allows you the opportunity to defend yourself. nn First, you will be whipped fifty times. If you accuse falsely, you will be whipped a hundred times. You will be punished for false accusation.
.You have complained to many officials. If it is not true, not only will you be flogged a hundred times, but you will also be sent to the army. Come and execute!"
Xue Shuyao trembled and let the guards put her on the stool. Before she could prepare herself, the whip came down.
She suddenly felt a burning pain in her back, which made her almost scream. She gritted her teeth tightly, and the second whip fell quickly, and she couldn't help but raise her head to look at Gu Chengyu.
Gu Chengyu's face was expressionless and his eyes were deep, unable to tell what he was thinking.
In fact, Gu Chengyu felt uncomfortable. He cursed in his heart that this punishment was too inhumane. However, this was the law, so he could only pick up the file on the table and read it to divert his attention.
He has already been given some injections, and although it hurts a little, it won't hurt his muscles and bones. After all, with so many people watching, it can't be too fake.
Xue Shuyao turned her eyes back. She silently endured the pain in her back and found it difficult to even breathe.
I don't know how long it took, but when she was put down from the bench, she was already limp and turned into mud. After all, she was just a body of flesh and blood.
"Do you want to continue?" Gu Chengyu asked softly.
"The guilty minister's daughter will be the Xue family's pnn." Blood overflowed from Xue Shuyao's mouth. Although her mind was beginning to become hazy, she still heard Gu Chengyu's voice. It was so cold and ruthless.
"The second punishment is rolling on a nail board!" Zhou Wei, the right minister of the Ministry of Punishment, was also impressed by the fierceness of this woman. Even men rarely survived these fifty lashes.
However, they have long been accustomed to these things, so they don't have much feelings in their hearts.
"Take off his clothes!"
Xue Shuyao suddenly felt that someone was peeling off her outer clothes, and she immediately covered it tightly, unwilling to let go.
"Take off your outer clothes and put on the nail board!" 7