It's a nice weather in Ming Dynasty's capital today.
The occasional gust of wind no longer had the biting chill, and the chilly feeling was mixed with a hint of subtle warmth.
When it was breakfast time, the streets were even more bustling with people. There were businessmen coming and going, and more of them were farming people who came back from the fields outside the city to eat.
Some were carrying hoes, others were carrying shovels, and they were in small groups, chatting about what they were going to plant in the fields and that there would be a good harvest.
From the Criminal Department, Li An called in Meng Fei, the chief responsible for arresting criminals.
This Meng Fei is nearly six feet tall. He is tall and burly. He has a dark complexion and looks like a ruthless character.
This person is also Li An's confidant.
"Sir!" Meng Fei clasped his hands and saluted Li An.
"Take a dozen capable guards from the Criminal Department and follow me to the Dongchang Prison." Li An ordered softly.
"Dongchang Prison? It's dinner time soon. How about we go there after dinner?" Meng Fei hesitated and said after looking at the sun in the sky outside the door.
"It's because we're going to eat right away, so we have to go there." Li An stood up.
"Going to Dongchang for dinner?" Meng Fei looked confused.
It wouldn't be a big deal if Li An and I went to Dongchang to have a meal, but the Lord also asked us to bring more than a dozen guards with us. It might not be appropriate for so many people to have a meal in Dongchang.
"Come here." Li An waved to Meng Fei.
Meng Fei hurried over.
Standing on tiptoes, Li An leaned into Meng Fei's ear and whispered a few words.
Listening to Li An's whisper, Meng Fei's face changed and his expression became serious.
"Remember, pick some guards you think are smart and bring them with you." Li An ordered again.
"Yes, I understand." Meng Fei folded his hands and bowed, bowing and retreating.
In Dongchang Prison, Xiao Chen stood in the yard with his hands on his back, constantly looking at the sun in the sky.
Duan Tianming and the other three stood at the door of the east factory kitchen, observing the door from time to time.
Finally, the door was knocked "bang bang bang" several times.
The captain on duty at the gate turned to look at Xiao Chen.
Xiao Chen nodded.
"Creak." The door was opened from the inside.
Outside the door, Li An, the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, stood in official uniform. Behind him were more than a dozen guards of the Ministry of Justice.
"In the Jiangnan case, there are some situations that the Criminal Department needs to discuss with Lord Ziyi. I wonder if Lord Ziyi has time?" Li An smiled slightly at the Dongchang captain at the door and said softly.
"Sir, wait a moment, let me go and make a briefing." The captain replied and closed the door again.
Then, he turned around and walked to Xiao Chen, stood for a while, looked at Xiao Chen and nodded, then walked to the door again and opened it.
"Sir, please come in." The captain raised his left hand.
Li An nodded and walked into the door.
The dozen or so guards at the back wanted to follow, but were stopped by the captain.
"Master Shangshu, just go in and wait outside."
Hearing this, Li An's face turned red, and then he turned back and exited the gate, looking at the captain: "These are the guards of my criminal department, can you be accommodating?"
"Sir Li, I'm afraid it's a little inappropriate for so many people to come and go in the Dongchang Prison at will?" the captain said a little embarrassed.
"How about you go and report to Master Ziyi again? These are really just the guards of the Ministry of Justice." Li An said a little flatteringly.
"My lord, when I came to Dongchang Prison before, I didn't see anyone with me. Today, not only did I bring my guards, but I also brought so many of them at once. I'm afraid even Master Ziyi would not allow them to enter." The captain directly rejected his request.
.
"Yesterday, something happened to the Jin Yiwei in front. I didn't want to disturb Dongchang today. It's just the content involved in the Jiangnan case. Without understanding the situation at that time with Master Ziyi, the Ministry of Punishment cannot continue the trial and sentencing. So,
We can only bring more people here." Li An said with a smile.
"Let Mr. Li's bodyguards come in together." Xiao Chen raised his voice and shouted towards the door.
"Yes." The captain responded, then stepped aside, "Sir, please come in. Your guards can also go in together."
As the big iron door behind him closed again with a bang, Li An raised his head and waved his hand towards Xiao Chen.
"Master Li, you are here in a hurry, do you want to hang out in my East Factory?" Xiao Chen said with a smile, but his voice was several times louder than usual, and it could be heard several feet away from the iron gate.
Hear it clearly.
"The case is urgent, otherwise I wouldn't have rushed here. To be honest, I haven't eaten any food. If you still have food here, let the brothers have a meal. When we go back, there is no food in the kitchen of the Criminal Department.
"Li An also raised his voice and responded loudly.
"Dongchang is not short of such a small amount of food. Come, let's eat together and chat while we eat." Xiao Chen laughed.
After the Dongchang prison was renovated, the kitchen was relatively large and could accommodate 200 people eating together at the same time without any problems.
There were seven or eight people in the kitchen, including Duan Tianming and the others.
After welcoming Li An in, Xiao Chen's expression suddenly became serious.
"Are these guards reliable?" Xiao Chen asked in a low voice, staring at Li An.
"They are all our own, brother Xiao, don't worry." Li An said.
Meng Fei, the head of the Criminal Department, came over, clasping his fists with both hands, and saluted Xiao Chen: "Master Ziyi."
Before Xiao Chen could agree, Li An pointed at Meng Fei and introduced him: "Meng Fei, the head of the Criminal Department, is in charge of the Prison Department and the arrest of criminals. He is absolutely one of his own."
Xiao Chen nodded and looked at the other party: "Master Li, have you made everything clear?"
"Sir, I understand the importance of this matter." Meng Fei bowed and said.
Meng Fei knew the relationship between Li An and Xiao Chen clearly. Xiao Chen's ability to hand over such an important matter to Li An was due to his trust in Li An and his trust in the Ministry of Punishment.
If this matter is done beautifully, I will be able to leave a good impression on Master Ziyi. Although the other party is only a Qianhu position, and his rank is only the fourth-grade General Mingwei. But the people of the entire Ming Dynasty
Everyone knows that the one in purple is the uncrowned king.
If I get his approval, I don't dare to hope for a successful career. If I can improve myself, I still have great hope.
"As long as it's clear, I won't repeat it again. But I want to tell you clearly that if this matter goes wrong, not to mention the Ministry of Justice, as well as the Dongchang, all of our heads will be in danger." Xiao Chen said seriously.
said.
"Don't worry, sir. If this matter goes wrong, I will cut off my own head with my own hands." Meng Fei hurriedly bowed and said.
"What's the use of raising your head? Remember, not only can't this be done badly, but it must be done well and beautifully."
"Don't worry, sir. The guards coming this time are all brought out by my subordinates. They must be strict in their tone."
Xiao Chen nodded, looked at Li An aside, and laughed: "How about it, do you regret agreeing to this?"
