novelden Chapter 939 Case Closed 2
Chapter 939 Case Closed 2
Actually, by now, the facts of the case are clear, with only some details remaining unclear.
Let's start with the case of Chen Zijun being framed many years ago.
Thirteen people, led by Jin Laoqi, were brought in. They had already signed and confessed that they had framed Chen Zijun because they resented her and heard that she intended to suppress the aristocratic families.
The allegations of illegally operating salt mines, writing letters of treason, and possessing imperial robes were all fabricated by them.
That's right. The thirteen people only believed that Chen Zijun wanted to suppress the aristocratic families. They absolutely denied knowing anything about the late emperor's edict regarding their revenge.
Because if they really admit to this, they will be accused of defying the imperial edict. Not only will they disobey the edict, but they will also want to destroy the late emperor's edict. How is that any different from treason?
Even if the emperor was bound by the dignity of the monarch, he would still have to confiscate their entire family property and exterminate their entire clan in an instant.
But if we really do that, we'll go back to the same problem: the emperor forces thirteen powerful families to unite in a real rebellion, and the country will be in chaos.
Therefore, the emperor and his officials were well aware of the situation. Although their testimonies were not detailed, they were all sensible enough not to pursue the matter further.
It was the emperor's attitude of turning a blind eye that put those powerful families at ease.
They could tell that the emperor's attitude wasn't as fanatical as the previous emperor, who wished to wipe out all the aristocratic families.
Even if the emperor is not insane, the loss of some members and wealth in their clan is nothing to worry about.
As long as their ancestral heritage is not destroyed, the various aristocratic families are still unwilling to cause turmoil in the imperial court.
With the intervention of Shadow Two, they have regained their identities as Dragon Guards. They testify that the Chen family is loyal and has never kept any retainers.
After the late emperor's death, everything Chen Zijun did was to fulfill the late emperor's entrustment. Although he failed in his mission, his will will live on.
Master Chen was in tears, and almost fainted in the Ministry of Justice.
For over a decade, he couldn't understand what had happened, but now he finally had an answer.
Zijun was indeed not a treacherous minister; he was a good man, a man of great righteousness, who did not bring shame upon the ancestors of the Chen family.
Fang Nanzhi's eyes were also red.
If Mother were in heaven, she would be happier to see this day.
However, Mother has been gone for so long, she should be reunited with Uncle by now, and Uncle should have explained things long ago. I just don't know if Mother will resent Uncle.
Fang Nanzhi understood her uncle. As a high-ranking official, he bore responsibilities that left him little room to consider his own family.
Princess Mingzhu's eyes reddened, and tears welled up, but they did not fall.
After so many years, Grand Princess Mingzhu finally dared to face her heart.
She was in love with Chen Zijun; the feelings arose without her knowing why, but they were already deeply rooted.
But because of this, her inner torment grew even heavier, and she personally delivered the evidence to the emperor.
Even though I had doubts at the time, I...
Previously, the case of Wan Sheng cooperating with the Dragon Hidden Guards to rescue Chen Zixi on the road to exile had already been investigated.
He should have been punished, but the Dragon Guard had the authority to act expediently, and the emperor, being magnanimous, did not pursue the matter.
As for Princess Dongyue sending someone to kill Chen Zixi, Chen Zixi was an exiled criminal at the time. Although the princess could not interfere in politics, she should have reported the matter to the government after discovering it, instead of killing him in private. However, the murder attempt failed.
While there were some shortcomings in how this was done, it cannot be considered a major mistake.
Only a minor punishment can serve as a warning.
Fang Nanzhi pursed her lips. She looked down on Princess Dongyue for forcibly marrying a respectable man, and then killing innocent people out of jealousy after obtaining him.
But Princess Dongyue's reasons, though seemingly plausible, appeared to have no effect on her.
If the law clearly defines the perpetrator's motive as one of the criteria for sentencing, wouldn't Princess Dongyue be able to pay the price in this case?
Qin Yan also seemed to be deep in thought.
Then came the assassination attempt on Chen Yong and the false accusation case against Chen Yong.
Jin Laoqi and thirteen others admitted that they sent people to intercept and kill Chen Yong, had massacred the post station, chased and killed Chen Yong, prevented him from going to the capital, and later organized the assassination attempt at the gate of the capital.
Speaking of assassinations, we must mention those assassins. When the Crown Prince and Fang Yin were arresting people, they captured three assassins who were different from ordinary assassins.
These three individuals were, respectively, Wang's steward, a member of a collateral branch of Ying's family, and Cui's steward.
After getting the three men to talk, the Ministry of Justice found several other places where assassins were trained.
These days, the Minister and the Lord of Yue are busy with trials, but they have entrusted Zhu Guanfeng with a small portion of the soldiers guarding the capital. He has made several trips in and out of the capital, arresting batch after batch of people.
So far, three hundred highly skilled assassins have been captured, and two brothels, a teahouse, and a gambling den have been raided.
These were places where aristocratic families kept Tibetans and gathered intelligence.
It can be said that the vast majority of the people carefully nurtured by the thirteen aristocratic families over the years have been lost.
Despite their heartache, they still had to plead guilty, trying their best to shift the blame onto the arrested members of their families and save the others.
Regarding Chen Yong's false accusation case, he has already admitted that he was first instructed by the eldest princess, and later by Yao Xin of the Yao family.
Although Yao Chengwen didn't say anything, Yao Xin wrote a statement last night.
The confession admitted to instructing Chen Yong to accuse Princess Famingzhu of fabricating evidence, and also admitted to murdering the princess.
But he refused to say why.
Yao Xin was brought to court. She stood tall and straight in the hall, refusing to even kneel.
The Minister of Justice did not insist.
However, just as he was about to convict Yao Xin, someone appeared from behind the screen and reported something to Prime Minister Yue.
Prime Minister Yue squinted at Yao Xin, unsure whether he was lucky or unlucky.
"Grand Princess Mingzhu is kind and considerate of the friendship between Yao Xin and Chen Zijun, and is willing to plead for Yao Xin."
The victim's pleas for leniency are very important, especially since the victim's identity is not ordinary.
Unexpectedly, Yao Xin's expression suddenly darkened.
“Yao has violated the laws of the imperial court and should be punished accordingly.”
So, the Grand Princess pleaded for you, and you're still not happy? You don't know what's good for you.
Many people were thinking this to themselves.
The Minister of Justice frowned slightly. Zhu Guanfeng, who had been standing in the corner as a background figure, couldn't help but take a step forward.
"My lord, why don't we let the princess meet with Yao Xin? The motive for Yao Xin's murder is still unclear."
The Minister of Justice looked behind the screen, and a maidservant came out from behind it and nodded slightly.
This means that the eldest princess agreed.
Yao Xin, on the other hand, frowned and pondered for a long time before finally agreeing.
The two were invited to the back of the room to talk, and only Zhu Guanfeng was allowed to listen in.
Fang Nanzhi was also a little curious, but she held back.
She thought Yao Xin was a strange person. He seemed to know the identity of the Chen family's retainers all along, and warned her to be careful. He was only focused on avenging his uncle, but he didn't chase after the real culprit. Instead, he bit Princess Mingzhu to death.
too weird.
The proceedings continued in the courtroom, with the assassination cases of Fang Nanzhi, the Princess of Yiyang, and the Crown Prince being presented together.
In the former case, thirteen people confessed, but only the Ying family was involved in the assassination of the crown prince.
The Ying family was bound to be criticized for murdering the crown prince.
With this, the case of Chen Zijun comes to an end.
The Minister of Justice read out a very long imperial edict.
The gist of it is that Grand Princess Mingzhu and I were deceived by villains, causing loyal officials to suffer injustices. Chen Zijun and the main leaders of the Chen family died, and their clansmen were exiled, enduring more than a decade of hardship.
Now that the wrongs have been rectified, the Chen clan members have been pardoned, and all of their former property and land have been returned to them.