Chapter 161 General Constitution of the Supreme Court
It was night in the capital, and the wind was biting. The people who had nothing to do had already blown out their oil lamps and went to bed.
The Metropolitan Procuratorate of the Ming Dynasty, which is separated by a wall from the Ministry of Justice, was not completely dark at night. The study room of Jiang Qianxiao, the highest official of Zuodu Censor, was still brightly lit.
Jiang Qianxiao is sitting behind the desk. His beard and hair are all white, and his raised sword eyebrows are also black and white, moving towards a completely white color. His hands are lightly clasped together and resting on the desk. The whole state looks calm and intimidating.
Sitting on the guest chair next to the desk was an old man. He looked to be about the same age as Jiang Qianxiao, but his beard and hair were gray and he had a long goat's beard, which made him appear to have an unfathomable immortality.
This person is Wanqing, the censor of the right capital of the Duchayuan.
"Sir Wan, what do you think about the fact that hundreds of officials signed a letter to hold Xiao Chen accountable for killing Cang Cheng, the Minister of Rites, in public?" Looking at the other party, Jiang Qianxiao asked calmly.
"Why did you summon me late at night for this matter?" Wan Qing leaned slightly and asked softly.
Jiang Qianxiao nodded, with a serious look on his face: "That day, the emperor asked us to go to the execution ground to watch the execution of Liao Xianghe, the envoy of Jinyiweibei Town, Fusi Town. Who would have thought that Liao Xianghe was not beheaded, and Cang Cheng was that self-righteous old man?
, but it became a stepping stone for Xiao Chen to establish his power. Master Wan, have you ever thought about the true meaning of the emperor asking us to go to the execution ground?"
As the Metropolitan Procuratorate on an equal footing with the Six Ministries, Jiang Qianxiao was also a high-ranking and powerful figure. Cang Cheng was beheaded on the spot by Xiao Chen, who was wearing the imperial purple robe, and he also felt a little pressure.
If the emperor is really planning to use Xiao Chen as a sharp sword in his hand to attack civil servants in the court, the Metropolitan Procuratorate will be helpless and can only protect himself first.
Hearing what his Lord General Xian said, Wan Qing cleared his throat: "Sir, in my opinion, the emperor wants to convey an idea to all the officials in the court, that is: no matter who is in charge of the imperial edict, even if he is in charge of the imperial edict,
His confidant Liao Xianghe, as long as he does something disloyal to the imperial court, there is only one outcome, which is to be executed."
Jiang Qianxiao shook his head: "It's not just this meaning. By asking all officials to go to the execution ground to watch, the emperor wants them to understand that the imperial power will not tolerate any provocation."
"Yes." Wan Qing supported his knees with both hands and leaned back on the chair: "I think back then, Liao Xianghe was in charge of the imperial edict and was an absolute confidant of the emperor. Although he only had a fifth-grade official title, we, like those in the court, were
Senior officials, everyone who sees him must show courtesy. Unexpectedly, he was captured by Dongchang overnight, and ended up being beheaded in public at the Meridian Gate. The emperor asked hundreds of officials to come and watch. What he really meant was that your Excellency
What you said is to warn the world that the imperial authority cannot be challenged, not by anyone."
Jiang Qianxiao nodded slightly: "The purple-robed captain Xiao Chen killed Cangcheng, the Minister of Rites, in front of all the officials. Although there were big problems with the procedure, the emperor did not pursue the matter afterwards, so we have to deal with this matter.
Treat it with caution."
"But sir," Wan Qing frowned, "now hundreds of officials in the court have jointly signed a letter to the emperor, demanding that Xiao Chen be held accountable and justice be restored. Among them, we are all the only ones left to investigate. If we insist on discord,
If all officials stand on the same side, they will inevitably be isolated in the government from now on."
Wanqing, the censor of Youdu, said a little worriedly.
"What do you mean, Mr. Wan, that our Procuratorate will join them in targeting Xiao Chen, the captain of the East Factory?" Jiang Qianxiao stretched her neck, waiting for the other party's answer.
Waving his hand, Wan Qing said: "I share the same view as yours about this joint petition from hundreds of officials, and I am not very optimistic about it. Besides, Xiao Chen's work for the emperor has no conflict with our Metropolitan Procuratorate. I just
I'm afraid that because we, the Metropolitan Procuratorate, are the only ones who have not written a letter against Xiao Chen, it will leave a stain in the minds of all officials. In the future, if anything happens to the Metropolitan Procuratorate, no one will come out to speak for us."
"Hehehe..." Jiang Qianxiao chuckled, "Master Wan's considerations are not unreasonable. However, has Master Wan discovered that the petition signed by hundreds of officials this time is quite strange?"
"What's weird? I really haven't found anything strange. I would like to ask you to be more careful." Wan Qing frowned slightly and said softly.
Jiang Qianxiao stood up, with his left hand behind his back and his right hand clenched into a fist, leaning on the desk.
"Cang Cheng's character is obvious to all the officials in the court, and there are only one or two people who are particularly close to him. And Li An, the Minister of Punishment, has no deep relationship with him, but at this time he has repeatedly
Encourage everyone to jointly submit a letter against Xiao Chen. If he says that he wants to seek justice for Cang Cheng, I will not believe him even if he beats me to death."
"I think that he was so actively targeting Xiao Chen because he was instigated by others or had other motives." Jiang Qianxiao narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at the right capital censor Wanqing with deep meaning.
Although Jiang Qianxiao, the censor of the left capital, and Wanqing, the censor of the right capital, were both second-rank officials of the imperial court and the top leaders of the Metropolitan Procuratorate. However, the Ming Dynasty respected Zuo, and Jiang Qianxiao was the highest official of the Metropolitan Procuratorate in the true sense.
Also called the General Constitution.
Now in the court, all the officials were unanimously targeting Xiao Chen, but Jiang Qianxiao chose to stay out of it.
It stands to reason that the Metropolitan Procuratorate, one of the three judicial departments of the Ming Dynasty, should have responded to Xiao Chen's direct execution of Cangcheng, the Minister of Rites, without reporting it to the emperor, and proactively submitted a letter to hold him accountable.
However, Ming Chengzu's reaction made Jiang Qianxiao involuntarily choose to retreat.
According to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, for punishments such as death, the Ministry of Punishment makes the final judgment, and then sends the prisoner and the case file to Dali Temple for review, and finally reports it to the emperor for a decision. The real power of life and death rests in the hands of the emperor.
Jiang Qianxiao didn't know whether Xiao Chen was ordered to kill Cang Cheng in public by the emperor. However, after the execution, the emperor did not blame him or even mentioned it. It was already clear that the emperor had no intention of Xiao Chen's actions.
The meaning of reproach.
Jiang Qianxiao didn't believe that Li An, the Minister of Punishment, didn't realize what the emperor meant. But at this time, he still jumped out and incited officials, which must not have been his original intention.
Either he was coerced or instigated by others, or he had other motives.
"Is there another plan? This Li An is already the Minister of the Ministry of Justice and a second-rank official of the imperial court. He has another plan. What is he planning?" Wanqing, the censor of Youdu, frowned. He really couldn't think about it.
clear.
"We don't know what he wants. However, I conclude that he will fail this time, and it is very likely that he will be killed." Jiang Qianxiao said with a serious face.
"Your Majesty, what do you mean, I, the Procuratorate, will definitely not participate in the matter against Xiao Chen this time?" Wan Qing stretched his head, waiting for his Lord General Xian to give the final instructions.
Jiang Qianxiao nodded: "I still want to continue to be the censor of the Zuodu of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, so this time all officials have written a letter, and we, the Metropolitan Procuratorate, will not participate."
