mtl008 Chapter 139 Should we make up one for him?
Chapter 139 Should we make up one for him?
Lingchuan, who was in Ruyin County, had no idea that the court was in chaos because of their search and seizure of the Xu family compound.
Even though Lu Xi sent Xu Hongtu away that day, Xu Hongtu had already made arrangements. The next day, many officials raised various opinions on the matter, making the entire court meeting like a vegetable market.
Some ministers believed that when the Criminal Investigation Department searched the Xu family compound, they actually had no evidence. They arrested people first and tried the cases later, which could easily lead to wrongful convictions.
Those who hold this view are basically the censors from the aristocratic family factions.
Another point of view is that aristocratic families cannot be above the laws of the imperial court. Since there was suspicion, why didn't the Xu family cooperate with the investigation department, which led to a conflict? It was clear that they were guilty.
The aristocratic family faction also said that the Xu family was an aristocratic family after all, and had served the court since the founding of the Great Sheng Dynasty. If any ninth-rank official could run to the aristocratic family's home to investigate a case, how could the aristocratic family maintain its reputation?
At first, Lu Xi said nothing and let the ministers argue. Later, Lu Xi was too lazy to even listen. He let the ministers argue and he went back to the palace.
On the first day, Prince Ning criticized the censors for a few words, but on the second day he simply claimed to be sick and did not come.
Anyway, the matter is a foregone conclusion. Wu Kun has already set off with two hundred Yulin Guards. After more than a thousand people from the Xu family are escorted to the capital, then things will be lively.
However, by the time Wu Kun and his men arrived in Ruyin County, more than ten days had passed. Lingchuan had been living a very carefree life during this period.
In terms of rank, Lingchuan is the same as the heads of other departments, but everyone unconsciously respects him.
Apart from anything else, the fact that Shi Xing led the troops of the Military Department to travel hundreds of miles to Ruyin and seized the Xu family compound without saying a word shows that everyone understands that Ling Chuan's background is terrifyingly powerful.
The most important thing is that Cao Huanchun also sent people to deliver a lot of silver bills to Lingchuan. During this period of time, Lingchuan could be said to have eaten in all the restaurants and taverns, big and small, in Ruyin County. Everyone in the Investigation Bureau ate and drank delicious food every day, and all of them were Lingchuan's banknotes.
Even the newly appointed substitute magistrate was submissive in front of Ling Chuan and treated him as his superior.
Including Wu Kun, who brought two hundred Yulin Guards to Ruyin County, they were also warmly received by Lingchuan. After all, all the other heads of the Investigation Bureau came to help him, so he had to accept this favor.
In the most upscale restaurant in Ruyin County, Ling Chuan set up a large table. During the meal, Ling Chuan toasted Wu Kun repeatedly, making him feel embarrassed.
After eating and drinking, Ling Chuan and Wu Kun went to the Xu family compound. As soon as he entered the yard, he found something wrong.
The two hundred Yulin Guards who came with him were now preparing a banquet in the yard. The food on the table was no worse than what he had just eaten in the restaurant. The only difference was that there was no wine.
When Wu Kunlin set out, King Ning asked him to withdraw three thousand taels of silver from the account office, specifically to bribe the Yulin Guards.
Because we were in a hurry along the way, we didn't have much chance. We had planned to rest for a while when we arrived in Ruyin and then arrange a good meal for everyone in the evening, but we didn't expect that Lingchuan would get there first.
Even if Wu Kun wanted to get angry, he couldn't find an excuse. He had just eaten Ling Chuan's food, he couldn't just put down the bowl and curse at him. As for these Yulin Guards, they were only on secondment, and Wu Kun hadn't even had time to win them over, so how could he dare to offend them?
He was so suffocated that he could only follow Ling Chuan into the yard where the wanted criminals were held and go through the procedures.
Speaking of wanted criminals, besides Xu Lang, there were more than a dozen servants and guards who had participated in the siege of Lingchuan.
After walking around for a while, Wu Kun dragged Ling Chuan to a secluded place. He was about to send his attendants away, but Chu Yi glared at him, and he felt cold all over.
"Master Tiju, this is my brother in life and death, you can rest assured. Is there anything you want to tell the higher-ups?"
Wu Kun nodded: "Ning... ahem..."
Being coaxed by Ling Chuan, he almost revealed all his secrets. It's one thing to know about this kind of thing, but the meaning is different when you say it out loud.
"Your file says that the Xu family might have been the culprit in smuggling bows and crossbows to the Kingdom of Yue. Is there any evidence for this?"
Ling Chuan shook his head simply: "No!"
Wu Kun's eyes widened: "So you dare to rob the Xu family compound?"
Ling Chuan said aggrievedly: "Master, you can't blame me for this. When they raided the Xu family compound, I had just returned from outside the city. When I arrived, they had already finished their work."
Wu Kun was speechless and could only change the subject: "Let me put it this way, the case of smuggling bows and crossbows is too complicated, we can't investigate it in a big way, do you understand?"
"clear."
"I'm glad you understand. But based on the other cases in your file, the Xu family is not at the point of being searched and confiscated. You don't know how much of a stir this matter caused in the court. The civil and military officials in the court were arguing fiercely at the court meeting."
Ling Chuan asked curiously, "Really? What kind of scene was that? Sir, please tell me about it so that I can learn more."
Wu Kun thought that was all what Prince Ning said. How could he be qualified to attend a court meeting of that level? So he waved his hand and said, "None of this is important. The main thing is that the emperor has ordered us to escort more than a thousand people from the Xu family to Beijing and hand them over to the Ministry of Justice for interrogation. But if we can't find any major cases, I'm afraid our Criminal Investigation Department will be in trouble."
Ling Chuan rubbed his chin: "This is difficult to handle. This case is too big and too big, and the small ones can't reach it. What should I do?"
Wu Kun followed the instructions of Prince Ning and began to persuade him: "Lingchuan, this case is the first major case since the establishment of our Judicial Investigation Department. If you handle this case well, you will be the number one hero of the Judicial Investigation Department. But if you fail, it is hard to say whether our Judicial Investigation Department can still exist. The most important thing is that this matter has become so big that someone will definitely have to take the responsibility."
As he spoke, he observed Ling Chuan's reaction: "As the chief officer of the Investigation Department, I naturally cannot escape this responsibility, and as the main investigator, I'm afraid you are also..."
Ling Chuan stiffened his neck and said loudly, "At worst, we can just expose the matter. No one will have an easy time."
"Shh..." Wu Kun almost wanted to step forward and cover Ling Chuan's mouth: "Keep your voice down. If you tell us about that, we won't just be free to take off our hats. We might even lose our heads."
Ling Chuan raised his eyebrows. He had already realized that Wu Kun was trying to trick him, so he shouted, "Master Tiju, tell me what to do. I will listen to you."
Wu Kun's teeth were itching. This Ling Chuan was really a smart guy. He kicked the ball back to his feet. He simply gritted his teeth and said, "Look, the Xu family compound is so big. Maybe there is a case that we haven't investigated yet, which can nail the Xu family but not involve too many people..."
Ling Chuan finally understood, and he came over with a look of realization on his face, and whispered, "Master Tiju means that we make up a case for him?"
Wu Kun raised his eyebrows, did not reply, but nodded slightly.