mtl008 Chapter 131 Lin Qi Niang, Sacrifice Relatives for the Sake of Justice
Chapter 131 Lin Qi Niang, Sacrifice Relatives for the Sake of Justice
At the beginning, the two of them were instinctively a little afraid when facing the civil and military officials in the hall, but after receiving the warning looks from Luo Zheng and others, Zhao Ping began to quickly weigh in his mind how to respond.
This time, the chief judge was Yan Feng, the Minister of Justice, who personally conducted the trial. He first questioned Zhao Ping and the other man according to the procedure, asking them whether they had witnessed with their own eyes when they arrived at the scene that the deceased was killed by Guo Yian with a single blow.
The two men immediately began to shake their heads and said, "Your Excellency, when we arrived, Ge Wanglong was already dead. Based on the signs of a struggle at the scene, we quickly discovered a shoe print by the window. Therefore, we suspect that the murderer must have escaped through the window."
"Oh? Did you chase after him? Or question the witnesses around?" Yan Feng asked.
"This……"
Zhao Ping and Li Si looked at each other, then spoke hesitantly, not knowing how to answer.
Guo Yian was at the scene at the time, and it was obviously him who killed the person. Why would he go outside to ask the so-called eyewitnesses?
Just as the two of them were hesitating, they heard Yan Feng's voice suddenly rise and warn:
"I must remind you that in this Golden Palace, anyone who dares to give false testimony to shield a criminal will be punished according to the law. I urge you to think carefully before answering."
As Yan Feng finished speaking, Zhao Ping and Li Si were obviously unable to hold on any longer, and cold sweat began to drip from their foreheads.
At first glance, it was obvious that there was something wrong with the two of them.
Time passed by minute by minute, and just when Zhao Ping and Li Si were about to give up, they suddenly heard Luo Zheng ask:
"What's the meaning of the two of you not talking? You've actually asked someone about it, so just tell the truth. If it's there, it's there, and if it's not there, it's not there. Why are you taking so long to think about it?"
Zhao Ping suddenly understood that Luo Zheng wanted him to admit it first, and then find a few of his own people to pretend to be witnesses, saying that they did investigate and visit among the crowd, and then the assassination would be confirmed.
"Your Excellency, I did follow the procedures and interviewed all the witnesses. However, the incident occurred on the second floor, where there were few people present. No one could clearly see the assassin. Moreover, the assassin disappeared without a trace after the assassination. I suspect this was the work of a debt the deceased owed, or an enemy he had offended."
"Then have you continued to investigate and check the deceased's enemies and movements?"
"This..." The two were stumped again.
Before coming here, the two had no idea what they were doing, and their testimonies were simply answers given in a hurry to avoid responsibility, without any careful consideration of the mistakes and omissions.
They would never have thought that the Ge family would dare to sue Guo Yian in the Golden Palace and even drag the two of them to testify.
At that time, because of the fear of the Guo family's power, the case was only briefly understood afterwards. Where did the visits and investigations come from?
So now, we are in a dilemma. If we tell a lie, we have to cover it up with ten or even a hundred lies, and we have to ensure that there are no mistakes or omissions in the process.
Otherwise, it would be a crime of deceiving the emperor and a dead end.
The fear and uneasiness in Zhao Ping and Li Si's hearts were infinitely magnified. The cold floor of the hall intensified the chill that was slowly rising in their hearts.
"I'm asking you questions, why don't you answer?"
Following Yan Feng's order, Zhao Ping and Li Si could no longer hold back and broke down in an instant.
"Please spare my life, sir! I didn't mean to lie. It was General Guo who threatened me personally, sir, to silence me!"
As Zhao Ping took the initiative to admit his mistake, Guo Xiang's eyes suddenly closed, and a feeling of powerlessness rose from his heart.
I hope that at this time, An'er can hear the news as soon as possible and respond.
At the same time, the Basalt Mountains.
Guo Yian had just ordered the mine to be closed and all the miners were driven to a place on the edge of the cliff, preparing to kill them all.
At this time, a confidant came to report that something had happened in the capital and someone had beaten the drum to report the incident, saying that they wanted to sue him.
Guo Yian suddenly had a bad premonition in his heart.
He quickly ordered the people around him to push all the miners to the bottom of the cliff and bury them alive, then he walked out of the cave and headed straight for the outskirts of Beijing.
If nothing unexpected happens, the emperor wants to use this incident to take action against the aristocratic families, and once he returns, he will be the first person to be sacrificed by the emperor.
Therefore, he had to hide all the forged weapons before the emperor could react, and also recruit a group of his confidants to be ready to force the emperor to abdicate at any time.
At this time, when Ge Wanjin went to beat the drum to report the incident, Lin Qinniang ordered people to pry open the storehouse in the Guo family's mansion and move out some of the treasured antiques, priceless unique pieces, books, etc. In addition, several large boxes of gold, pearls, agates and other items were dug out from the cellar.
Anyone familiar with the situation would have noticed that most of these items were tributes from foreign lands or neighboring small nations, items not even found in the imperial palace. They were practically unheard of in the entire Seven Kingdoms. Examples included ancient paintings and calligraphy, books, weapons, antiques, giant coral trees symbolizing royal use, and rare, lost jade artifacts.
When Lin Qinniang ordered her secretly trained trusted guards to sort out all these things, they almost blinded everyone's eyes.
At this time, Liu went to the temple to pray and was not at home. Prime Minister Guo was in court, and Guo Yian also went to Xuanwu Mountain. The only one who could make the decision at home was Lin Qinnan.
After she compared these priceless treasures one by one, she quickly ordered the guards to carry these things into the palace. She wanted to put justice above her own family and sue the Guo family for corruption, bribery, selling official positions and titles, seizing people's land, and bullying men and women!
Meanwhile, in the Imperial Palace, after Zhao Ping and Li Si confessed, the case quickly became clear. Guo Yian was a major suspect.
Just as the emperor was about to order someone to invite Guo Yian to court, another guard came to report.
"Your Majesty, a woman has arrived at the palace gates, claiming to be a concubine of the Guo family. She is carrying countless rare treasures, claiming to have moved them from Prime Minister Guo's residence. She claims she is suing her husband and father-in-law for corruption, bribery, embezzlement of project funds, and other crimes."
As the palace servant finished reporting, everyone present thought they were hallucinating.
what?
A concubine of the Guo family? She wanted to sue her husband and father-in-law?
What's happening here?
Considering Ge Wanjin's recent attack on the Guo family, and the concubine's decision to sacrifice her own family for the sake of justice, everyone thought in their hearts that the Guo family might be in big trouble this time.
When Guo Xiang heard this, his face suddenly turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
"This is outrageous. Where is this place? How can a mere woman like her speak nonsense?"
"Your Majesty, this concubine is from my son's courtyard. She was previously diagnosed with insanity and mental problems. Your Majesty, please do not believe such unfounded rumors."
The emperor glanced at Prime Minister Guo with a look of anticipation.
"Oh? Crazy? Could it be that such rare treasures could be conjured up by a mere woman like her?"