The stars were shining brightly in the dark blue night, and the morning breeze was very cool. Doctor Zheng tightly put on his coat and said a few words to the old family member who was watching the door. The boy brought the donkey from home, and Doctor Zheng rode on it.
He went out with the boy carrying the lantern.
The sound of the courtyard door closing slowly came from behind. In this area, the sound of opening and closing the door rose and fell, and from time to time, a few dogs barked, breaking the early morning silence.
Zheng Langzhong met many colleagues from the imperial court along the way. They all said hello and went to the imperial city together. Zheng Langzhong was a fifth-rank official. With his official rank, he was qualified to participate in both major and minor court meetings. Speaking of which,
It is a decent thing, but his family is poor, and now he lives in a house provided by the imperial court for poor officials. The rent of this house is much lower than the market price. It is said that the imperial court takes care of poor officials, but now the imperial capital houses are expensive, and the resettlement in the inner city
Mr. Zheng couldn't make it to the house, so he had to live in the outer city.
The outer city is also a very prosperous place now, but it is far away from the imperial city, so you need to get up earlier and rush to the morning court.
Accompanied by the kicking sound of donkeys, we exited Guanxiang and turned the corner to Qingyun Street, which leads from the outer city to the inner city. At this time, most of the shops on both sides of Qingyun Street that are very noisy and lively during the day are darkly lit and have not yet opened. There are also a few
Lanterns were hung outside the shop doors. These were mostly food shops, selling all kinds of morning food, specially prepared for officials going to the inner city.
Doctor Zheng loved to eat chicken noodle soup and two biscuits. His servant followed him and left the donkey in the care of the shopkeeper and came in to have breakfast together. The servant ate the same as the master. The master and servant were having breakfast when they heard
"Brother Zheng" was heard, and then a young man in red robe with the same fifth-grade official uniform walked up. Mr. Zheng and the boy immediately picked up the cup and drank the last mouthful of soup in the bowl and ate the last bite of cake.
He put the meal money on the table with a slap, stood up and said, "Master, I'll go get the donkey."
"Go." Zheng Langzhong stood up and said hello to the visitor, "Oh, Brother Xu is here."
The visitor was Doctor Xu, who, like Doctor Zheng, was an errand in the Ministry of Justice. The two were classmates from the same hometown, but their relationship was average. Of course, this may just be Doctor Zheng's own view of their friendship.
There is a characteristic of Mr. Xu. He never pays the bill when eating with Mr. Zheng. Mr. Zheng gets angry when he sees him. Mr. Zheng and Mr. Xu live very close to each other.
I don't know how many times. In order to avoid Mr. Xu, Mr. Zheng had to send his servants like a thief to see if there was any movement in the Xu family every day before going out. He was really annoyed by Mr. Xu's food.
"Old Zheng, why are you so early today? I came to your house to look for you. Your concierge said you should leave first." Seeing that Langzhong Zheng was about to leave after eating, Mr. Xu said to the shop owner, "Give me two bags of husks."
Cake." He paid the bill and went with Dr. Zheng.
Zheng Langzhong asked why this little bitch didn't ask me to pay the bill with him, and didn't say much, so he and Xu Langzhong walked out of the store. Xu Langzhong's horse was also a donkey, and the two of them rode donkeys together, walking together.
While chatting, Mr. Xu asked Mr. Zheng unintentionally, "I heard that His Highness the Third Prince explicitly stipulated that he is not allowed to accept gold and silver. Is this true?"
"There is no need for His Highness to stipulate this. This is what the law stipulates. Accepting gold and silver is called bribery." Mr. Zheng swayed on his horse and said selflessly.
Dr. Xu drove the donkey closer and said, "That's not what I meant. I was worried that His Highness is a solemn and difficult person to get along with."
"What are you worried about? You don't work with His Highness the Third Prince."
"I'm worried about you." Mr. Xu looked kind-hearted.
Doctor Zheng didn't say anything. When His Highness the Third Highness came to the Ministry of Justice, everyone from the Minister to the two Ministers were a little numb. In fact, His Highness's political future and character in the court were very worrying.
It was this His Highness who previously competed with His Highness the Crown Prince for the reserve position. Now His Highness the Crown Prince is occupying the East Palace...
Even if he failed to compete for the crown prince, His Highness the Crown Prince is merciful after all. As a result, the third prince, who had a good reputation in the past, was greatly stimulated by the failure to compete for the crown prince. He changed from his usual gentleness and became unreasonable. First, in front of the public.
Then he humiliated Prime Minister Pei, and then scolded the censor to make him faint.
The Third Highness is coming to the Ministry of Punishment. Neither the Lord Shangshu nor the two ministers want to experience the feeling of being publicly humiliated by the Third Highness, let alone being scolded by him. Therefore, they are very cautious.
The Third Highness wanted to review the case, so he sent Mr. Zheng, the worst-tempered person in the entire Criminal Department, to be punished by the Third Highness.
Mr. Zheng, by nature, is different from ordinary people. He is honest and stern to the point of being unkind, so the entire Punishment Department only allowed Mr. Zheng to get along with him. It is estimated that the Ministry of Punishment made this arrangement because His Highness did not like Mr. Zheng.
If you directly humiliate people, then His Highness the Third Prince's mission in the Ministry of Punishment will be over.
It is estimated that most people in the Criminal Department thought so, and as a result, it was good for Mr. Zheng to be with His Highness. The Third Highness did not have any attacks on Mr. Zheng, and Mr. Zheng was quite stable.
In addition to taking advantage, Doctor Xu also likes to inquire about gossip. He and Doctor Zheng also live close to each other. No, Doctor Zheng has been chattering in his ear all the way to the morning.
After entering the palace, Mr. Xu found a cup of hot tea in the room where he was waiting for the morning court, took out the Hu cake from his sleeve, and started eating the cake with the tea, and then he calmed down.
Doctor Zheng, on the other hand, found a seat, closed his eyes, and thought about the Zhu family's case.
How did Mr. Zhu’s will be lost?
The tiger came out of the coffin, the turtle and jade were destroyed in the coffin, who is at fault?
After the morning court, there were always no birds or beasts around Mu An, so Lang Zheng hurriedly chased after him, "Your Highness, the Identification Department will be able to give us the identification of the evidence today. Are the officials from Emperor Xuan's capital who keep the evidence coming to inquire?
?Master Zhu’s will disappeared out of thin air, and they can’t break away from their relationship.”
"That's fine. Send someone to announce them to the Ministry of Punishment for interrogation." Mu Anzhi and Dr. Zheng were talking about the lawsuit, so they didn't let Mr. Zheng ride the donkey. He ordered Mr. Zheng to ride in a car with him and continue to discuss the case in the car.
, "Say hello to Chen Fuyin. In addition to the people involved in the case, there are also general judges from the Imperial Capital Prefecture who are in charge of the punishment. In addition, people from the Imperial Capital Prefecture's execution room will come to the Imperial Capital Prefecture in batches to record statements."
"Yes." Dr. Zheng responded respectfully.
Unlike most people's perception of Mu Anzhi, Zheng Langzhong felt that Mu Anzhi was easy to get along with. In particular, he was not good at dealing with interpersonal relationships and was rigid in doing things. However, he felt like a fish in water with Mu Anzhi.
Zheng Langzhong went to work as soon as he arrived at the Yamen. The Criminal Department spent the whole morning interrogating the people involved in the case. Mu Anzhi did not get any useful confessions, so he directly ordered, "Look for two single rooms in the prison. There are still missing items from the torture room, Mr. Liu."
Li Xu, the official of Zhu Jing's will, please stay here first. They are involved in a large inheritance case. We will let them out after the case is found out."
Doctor Zheng said solemnly, "Your Highness, the prison cells of the Criminal Department have always been tense. Now the top three senior officials do not have private rooms to enjoy. I am afraid there will be no private rooms."
Mu Anzhi looked at Mr. Zheng. There was a strong hint in Mr. Zheng's eyes. Mu Anzhi nodded, "Sure, then you can look at the arrangements."
Arranged by Dr. Zheng himself, the death row was filled with shackled felons. The gloomy and dark dungeon was filled with all kinds of ancient blood and damp stench, and was occasionally illuminated by an oil lamp hanging on the wall.
In a weak area, each cell was nailed tightly with thick wrist-thick wooden sticks. In this dark cell, the people inside were also pitch black and could not be seen. There was only an occasional trace of black iron on the torture tools.
reflection, or the prisoner's dark eyes.
Li Xu Li's legs became weaker and weaker as he walked. Before he reached his cell, he was already as limp as noodles on the ground. Immediately behind him, a prison guard pinched the back of his neck and lifted him up, cursing, "Why are you pretending to be here when you are already here?"
Miss Jiao."
Li Xu staggered to catch up with Mr. Zheng, grabbed the corner of Mr. Zheng's clothes, and begged, "Sir, even though I am guilty of careless storage, I will not end up like this. My lord! Please take a closer look!"
"What are you thinking about? It's just that the case is not settled now, so I will keep you in the Criminal Department for a few more days." Mr. Zheng said lightly, without a hint of fireworks in his words, as if the place he was in was not a cold dungeon, but a place entertaining distinguished guests.
Yashe, "There is really no extra place for you to live. I feel sorry for you to stay here for a few days until the matter is found out. If you are clear about it, I will naturally be able to clear your name."
While talking, Doctor Zheng walked to the deepest cell and signaled to the cell leader. The cell leader took out the key from his waist, opened the cell door, and pushed the two of them in.
Secretary Liu could no longer hold his breath and begged repeatedly, "Master Zheng, Master Zheng, if you have anything to say, please tell me. We know everything you want to say!" Li Xu nodded at the side like a machine, "What do you want, sir?"
Just ask!”
"I've asked all the questions that need to be asked. Let's wait for the follow-up case." Mr. Zheng Shi Shiran left.
Secretary Liu and Li Xu looked at each other. They had both been working in the Xingming Yamen for many years and knew the common interrogation methods. Now, this is nothing more than Doctor Zheng trying to pressure them to tell the truth.
But even though they were clear in their hearts, when they turned around and saw the shackled criminals leaning behind them with fierce looks and heavy breathing, the two of them still couldn't help but break out in cold sweat.
Mu Anzhi was looking at the two letters in front of him, which had the same four words on them: Liang Shangjunzi.
The handwriting appraisal of the Imperial Capital Palace is indeed that of the thief Liang Junzi, and the appraisal of the Ministry of Punishment is the same as the appraisal of the Imperial Capital Palace.
However, it is understandable for a thief to steal some gold and silver. Why should he steal someone else's will? Does he have a grudge against the Zhu family? But even if he stole the will, the Zhu family's wealth would still be rotten in the pot. Zhu Yue couldn't do it.
All in all, it is nothing more than giving the Zhu clan members an advantage.
Or maybe Liang Junzi had a grudge against Zhu Jing... This doesn't make sense. To seek revenge, stabbing Zhu Jing to death or killing Zhu Jing's descendants would be considered revenge, but stealing a will would not be considered revenge.
Du Changshi, Hua Changshi and Director Duan all felt that the behavior of this gentleman in Liang Shang was unexplainable. Director Duan had been in the Ministry of Punishment for many years and was also an old criminal. Director Duan pinched the tip of his beard and thought, "For ordinary people in the world, especially those with famous names,
In fact, they rarely become enemies of the government. Most of them are both good and evil people, not rebellious fanatics. The first time Liang Junzi committed a crime in the imperial capital, he stole from a very stingy wealthy family.
Yes, you have to feed your own father a certain amount of food. If there is too much, you don’t care whether he is full or not. Mr. Liang stole this house, and many people clapped their hands and applauded him."
Du Changshi couldn't help but interjected, "When I was rich, I had to pay a certain amount of rice for my father. Now that a thief has stolen one end, the rice he cooks for his father from now on must be based on the number of grains, right?"
"No, no. Because Liang Junzi left a sentence, if he dared to treat the old man harshly, he would steal all his family. From then on, this rich man would feed his father with lavish food and meat every day, and he would never dare to treat him harshly again." Mr. Duan said it.
I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "The first handwriting here was left during that case."
Doctor Zheng came in and heard about the incident of Mr. Liang. He bowed to Mu Anzhi and said, "This thing is not like what Mr. Liang did. He has only committed one crime in the imperial capital before, which is the one Mr. Duan mentioned. This is
The second case. There are thirty-one cases of Mr. Liang reported in the local newspaper. All he stole were gold, silver, jewels, and valuables. He didn’t even steal paintings and calligraphy. Now he suddenly steals wills. It’s very abnormal.”
Mu An said, "Let those two people stay in the dungeon for a few more days and ignore them for now."
Mr. Zheng should be.
As the sun set in the west, Mu An said, "It's almost time to return the evidence to the Evidence Storage Department. Everyone goes back to their homes and rests first. Once you've rested, we'll get back to work tomorrow."
Mu Anzhi never worked overtime, and would go home after office hours.
Zheng Langzhong and others sent Mu Anzhi off respectfully. Du Changshi and Hua Changshi also left first. Zheng Langzhong chatted with Director Duan for a few words and went to hand over the evidence. Just when Xu Langzhong came over, Xu Langzhong smiled.
"Old Zheng, you have already left the office, too. Let's go back together."
"You go first, I have something else to do." As long as you go home with this guy, you will have to go to Piaoxiangfang to buy honey cakes, and then this guy will cry and say he has no money... Doctor Zheng even gave him a good deal.
Hundreds of dollars for honey cakes...
"What's the difference in having Xiao Duan do it for you?"
Xiao Duan is over fifty, and Zheng and Xu are both in their thirties. Xiao Duan said:...
Doctor Zheng went straight to the Certificate Deposit Department. Doctor Xu was chattering beside him. When he got to the Certificate Deposit Department, Sun Yuanwailang said, "I was just about to go home, and you guys came just in time."
Director Duan handed the wooden box in his hand to Sun Yuanwailang. Sun Yuanwailang opened the lid of the box, took out two pieces of plain paper, checked the seal of the Ministry of Justice on them, nodded, put the plain paper back, put a seal on the outside of the box again, and dropped it.
The red seal instructs the staff to keep it.
Xu Langzhong's eyes flashed and he let out a sigh.
Doctor Zheng glanced at him, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Xu Langzhong looked at the sky.
Dr. Zheng ignored him and returned the evidence and prepared to go home. Dr. Xu followed him and said, "Let's go together. There are newly baked honey cakes in Piaoxiangfang today."
"Piaoxiangfang will have freshly baked honey cakes every evening."
"I invite you to eat."
The two of them were talking in front of the official department, and their young men went to the mules and horses store to lead the donkeys of each family. Mr. Zheng looked at him and said, "After you finish what you just said, I'll treat you to ten days."
Honey cake.”
"No, at least a month." Mr. Xu smiled evilly.
"Twenty days." Mr. Zheng bargained.
"One and a half months." Mr. Xu pushed further.
"Okay, one month." Doctor Zheng was not good at bargaining, so he had to let Doctor Xu succeed.
Doctor Xu's side face faced the setting sun, which was dyed rose red by the glow. He scratched his face and said, "It's nothing. Of those two characters, one is old and the other is new."
The author has something to say: ps: The second update will be in the evening~Thank you to the little angel who voted for me or irrigated the nutrient solution~
Thank you to the little angel who threw [landmine]: 2 pieces of "The Time of the Wood"; 1 piece of Tiger Piranchia, Xiao Qiao, Gao Lego, Bright Moonlight Flow, Marshmallow Bean, Looking Back and Smiling;
Thank you to the little angel who irrigates [nutrient solution]:
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