Chapter 92

Great Xia Imperial Capital.

Imperial Palace Hall.

The entire court of civil and military officials rushed over in a hurry.

After the court session began,

Emperor Yongsheng directly threw the memorial in his hand onto the floor of the hall.

"Two thousand unarmed civilians were massacred, and our Great Xia general was beheaded."

"Is the Xiongnu really mocking us for having no one to stand up?"

"Is this the result of our retreat?"

Roaring sounds echoed as Emperor Yongsheng almost shouted in anger. Two thousand civilians were massacred; what was the purpose of this? Most importantly, a Great Xia general was publicly beheaded.

If the court ignored it, losing face would be a minor issue, but the动摇 of public sentiment and military morale would be a major problem.

"Your Majesty."

"I believe this matter is very suspicious."

"Although there are often disturbances at the border, the Xiongnu would not dare to act so recklessly. The Great Xia Dynasty is unwilling to start a war, and the Xiongnu dare not start one."

"There is no need to invade our borders. I believe someone is secretly causing trouble, hoping for a war between the Great Xia Dynasty and the Xiongnu, thus weakening us and achieving their sinister goals."

Yang Kai's voice echoed. At this point, he could not let others speak.

This matter indeed had significant issues, and anyone with clear eyes could see that someone was causing trouble.

Although the Xiongnu looked down on the Great Xia Dynasty and had intentions to invade, no matter what, the current Great Xia Dynasty is not a target the Xiongnu would dare to invade.

If the Great Xia Dynasty was unwilling to start a war due to financial issues,

The Xiongnu would absolutely not dare to start one because they could not win. If a real war broke out, could the Xiongnu withstand the Great Xia cavalry?

Therefore, the Xiongnu would never dare to be enemies with the Great Xia.

There must be someone behind this causing trouble.

"Yang Kai."

"Are you going to wait until the Xiongnu cavalry enters the Great Xia capital before you believe it?"

Emperor Yongsheng spoke, directly rebuking Yang Kai.

Although what Yang Kai said made sense, the invasion of the national border was a major issue, regardless of any conspiracy.

It's fine to think in this direction.

But what if you lose the bet?

Even if you are almost certain that someone is behind this, you cannot relax your vigilance because if you lose the bet, you might lose a country.

"Your Majesty."

"I have already sent people to negotiate with the Xiongnu. We will have a response tomorrow."

"I hope Your Majesty will think carefully."

Yang Kai spoke, knowing the emperor was furious but still had to say what needed to be said.

A real war would be a loss.

The conflict between ministers and the emperor is like this: the emperor is one person, while the ministers are a group. Whether it's for interests or to stabilize the situation, many things are not decided by the emperor alone.

Being stubborn can easily lead to major mistakes.

Except for tyrants, even despots sometimes have to listen to the advice of their ministers.

"Minister of War, listen to my order."

"I now order you to strengthen preparations for war."

"The Ministry of Revenue will allocate funds and grain, and quickly send them to the northern border, and activate the dragon boats."

"The Ministry of Justice will strictly control domestic security."

"Regardless of whether someone is behind this, I want the world to know the consequences of offending the Great Xia."

"Dismissed."

Emperor Yongsheng did not waste words and directly issued various orders. Regardless of the situation, sending supplies to the border was not a problem.

"We obey your orders."

Seeing Emperor Yongsheng's actions, the officials did not dare to continue persuading.

The emperor left.

The officials had varied expressions.

The military officials hurriedly left, regardless of the final outcome, the Ministry of War had to get busy.

Yang Kai and Hu Yong only exchanged a glance and then rushed to the Crown Prince's residence.

This matter would not be good if it escalated.

The Crown Prince must be involved.

At the same time.

Great Xia Academy.

The affairs of the court did not reach the academy.

At this moment, seven people were standing outside the Dean's study.

Gu Jinnian, Su Huaiyu, Wang Fugui, Jiang Yezhou, Fairy Yaochi, Yang Hanrou, and Li Ji.

Seven people formed a group, received the dossier, and completed the monthly assignment.

Originally, there were six people with Gu Jinnian, but Yang Hanrou actively joined.

Entering the study.

Su Wenjing was studying a chess manual. As Gu Jinnian entered, Su Wenjing directly took out five dossiers and placed them in front of Gu Jinnian and the others.

"Choose one."

Su Wenjing did not look up and continued to study the chess manual.

"Teacher, do you like playing chess?"

Gu Jinnian spoke, looking at the five dossiers, which were mostly the same, and could be chosen randomly.

"Alright."

"I will be attending the Jixia Academy Chess Saint Conference soon, so I am reviewing a bit."

Su Wenjing slowly spoke and then looked up at Gu Jinnian.

"Can the Young Master play chess?"

He asked.

"Can play Go, but not Weiqi."

Gu Jinnian directly picked up the first dossier on the left and answered.

"You can learn. The political arena is like a chess game. Sometimes, when you can't figure something out, playing a game of chess might help you understand."

"By the way, study this dossier carefully. It doesn't matter whether you go to the Holy Hall or not. I will come to inspect the results in a month."

Su Wenjing said.

"Understood."

Gu Jinnian nodded, bowed, and then left.

The others also bowed and followed Gu Jinnian out of the study.

After leaving the study,

The seven people were somewhat excited. After all, reviewing the Ministry of Justice's dossiers sounded impressive.

Leaving the study, they encountered a few familiar faces.

Xu Ya and three others, plus Xiaoyansi and three others. They nodded at each other, and Xu Changge also appeared, but his expression was somewhat gloomy. When he saw Gu Jinnian, his expression became even more desolate.

It seemed he had suffered a severe blow. Although he was cold and silent before, he was at least not this desolate.

Now, he seemed to have lost his spirit.

This made Gu Jinnian feel a bit uncomfortable.

They exchanged greetings and then left, heading to a courtyard. After everyone was seated, Li Ji's voice could not help but rise.

"Uncle Jinnian, open it quickly, open it and take a look."

Li Ji was very excited. As the heir, he had been taught by Confucian scholars since childhood, but the usual classes were all about "zhi hu zhe ye," which was not at all interesting.

Where could reviewing cases be more fun?

Hearing Li Ji speak, Gu Jinnian did not waste words and slowly unfolded the dossier. The Ministry of Justice's dossier was thick, with over a dozen pages, mainly divided into three parts: the case details, the criminal's confession, and the witness statements and evidence.

Gu Jinnian directly unfolded the case details, and everyone's gaze naturally fell on it.

[White Egret Prefecture - Zhang Ming Murder Case]

[The criminal, Zhang Ming, served in the military for seven years. In the tenth year of Yongsheng, on the fifth day of the second month, he was discharged due to injury and returned to White Egret Prefecture, where he served as a copper order officer in the prefecture office. However, due to his gambling addiction, he lost all his money and sold his wife and children, losing all sense of humanity, which was shocking.]

[On the fifteenth day of the fifth month, due to the relocation of households in Pingyang County, he was dissatisfied with the compensation from the court, causing a disturbance at the county office, and was demoted and imprisoned for three months.]

[After his release on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, he harbored resentment and, using his martial skills, attacked the local Wang family on the ninth day of the ninth month, intending to steal gold and silver. However, he was discovered by the Wang family's servants. Fearing the news would spread, he twisted the neck of the Wang family's servant, crushing his internal organs, with extremely cruel and cold-blooded methods.]

[Due to the commotion, the entire Wang family was alarmed, and they eventually cooperated with the patrolling officers to capture him.]

[On the tenth day of the ninth month, the White Egret Prefecture office reviewed the case, and the criminal Zhang Ming confessed and signed the confession, receiving a death sentence, which was submitted to the Ministry of Justice for verification.]

[On the twelfth day of the ninth month, the Ministry of Justice's Assistant Minister Wang Zheng reviewed the case and confirmed it.]

[On the thirteenth day of the ninth month, the Ministry of Justice's Deputy Minister Xiao Yan reviewed the case and confirmed it.]

[On the fourteenth day of the ninth month, the Ministry of Justice's Deputy Minister He Weihua reviewed the case and confirmed it.]

[On the seventeenth day of the ninth month, the Ministry of Justice's Minister Xu Ping finally verified it.]

[On the twentieth day of the ninth month, the Ministry of Justice's dossier was delivered, and the criminal Zhang Ming was sentenced to immediate execution.]

This was the first part of the dossier.

The cause and effect were clearly written, but more detailed information was not included.

The coroner's testimony and witness statements were on the following pages.

After finishing the dossier, Gu Jinnian felt something was off.

"Gambling addiction, selling wife and children, such a person is truly despicable."

Wang Fugui was the first to speak, expressing disgust at such behavior.

"Grandfather said, gambling is as fierce as a tiger. Gambling addiction, selling wife and children, such a person deserves to die."

Li Ji also spoke, believing that Zhang Ming deserved his fate.

"Enlisting in the military, returning to the hometown, and serving as a prefecture officer, it's not a bad job. With a monthly salary of twenty taels of silver, plus some other income, one can earn at least thirty to forty taels of silver a month."

"Moreover, as a prefecture officer, with his military experience, becoming a constable within five years should not be a problem."

"In the Great Xia Dynasty, a prefecture constable earns a monthly salary of thirty-five taels of silver, plus special silver from the prefecture governor and other income, earning a hundred taels of silver a month is not excessive."

"Such a good job, but because of a momentary lapse, he ended up with a death sentence."

Jiang Yezhou spoke, his tone filled with regret.

"This is the cause and effect of the mortal world, already predetermined."

Fairy Yaochi spoke, very calmly, just saying it lightly.

"Pity his wife and children."

Yang Hanrou also spoke.

Only Gu Jinnian and Su Huaiyu remained silent.

At that moment, Gu Jinnian looked at Su Huaiyu, his eyes filled with doubt.

"What do you think, Brother Su?"

Gu Jinnian looked at Su Huaiyu and asked calmly.

"You should have noticed something."

Su Huaiyu was very calm.

He did not answer but looked back at Gu Jinnian.

"What did you notice?"

"Uncle Jinnian, what did you see?"

"Is there a problem with the dossier?"

Hearing Gu Jinnian speak, everyone's eyes were filled with curiosity.

The reason was simple; this was the second month's assignment. According to what Su Wenjing said, from this month on, they would be evaluated individually.

No one wanted to be the first to be expelled.

Now, hearing these words, everyone was naturally filled with curiosity.

"Time."

Gu Jinnian looked at the dossier and slowly spoke.

To be honest, the case was not a big one. Gambling addiction, selling wife and children, such things were not uncommon.

Especially in a feudal society.

The overall cause and effect were not problematic, logically sound, but there was one very strange aspect.

That was the time.

"What do you mean?"

"What time?"

"Brother Jinnian, what do you mean?"

Everyone was even more curious, their eyes fixed on the dossier, but they could not see any time-related issues.

"I have never worked in the Ministry of Justice, but I know some rules."

"Everyone, take a closer look."

"On the tenth day of the ninth month, the case was reviewed, on the twelfth day, the Ministry of Justice reviewed it, on the thirteenth and fourteenth, the second review was completed, and on the seventeenth day, the Minister of Justice approved it, and on the twentieth day, it was sent to White Egret Prefecture for immediate execution."

"Isn't this too fast?"

"However, I am not sure, Brother Su, you have worked in the Ministry of Justice, what do you think?"

Gu Jinnian spoke calmly, but his words made everyone realize something.

"White Egret Prefecture is one of the twenty-three prefectures in Jiangling Commandery, centrally located, with mountains and water, rich in resources, and can be considered a prosperous city."

"But it is two thousand miles from the Great Xia capital. Normally, on the ninth day of the ninth month, when the criminal was captured, there should be an interrogation. Even if the criminal confessed immediately, it would take at least two days, and the capture time was at night."

"The dossier clearly states that the capture was at night, and to convict, it must be reviewed by a clerk, recorded by a lawyer, signed and sealed, and then publicly sentenced in the prefecture office with the public watching, and the case would be finalized."

"If it is a death sentence, it must go through three hearings and three reviews to ensure no evidence is missed before a death sentence can be finalized, and then it must be sent to the Ministry of Justice for review."

"If there are no issues in the second review, it would generally not be a problem when it reaches the Minister of Justice."

"However, the Minister of Justice is very busy and sometimes directly delegates the review to the Deputy Ministers."

"But even so, it should not be this fast."

"Normally, such a death sentence dossier would take at least two months to reach the Minister of Justice."

"But this dossier, from the ninth day of the ninth month to the twentieth day of the ninth month, took only eleven days for immediate execution."

"The time is too fast, incredibly fast."

Su Huaiyu pointed out the core issue.

For a death sentence dossier, the process is extremely strict. The Great Xia law is very strict on death sentences, requiring three hearings and three reviews at the local level, and then it must be sent to the Ministry of Justice.

The Minister of Justice is the first level of review, investigating information and confirming details, then passing it to the Assistant Minister, who must also review it carefully.

Even if I reviewed it and immediately passed it to the higher-ups, would the higher-ups have the time to review this case?

Clearly, this case was expedited.

And it was expedited very quickly, from filing the case to execution, it took only eleven days. If there was nothing else going on, Gu Jinnian would not believe it.

"Uncle Jinnian, I understand. This case has a problem. Someone deliberately expedited it to get a death sentence."

Li Ji understood, and everyone else naturally realized it as well.

"I don't understand. Why expedite this case? The cause and effect are clearly written. Even without expediting, the law of the Great Xia Dynasty dictates that murder must be punished with death. There's no major issue."

Wang Fugui frowned, looking at the dossier with confusion.

"Someone wants Zhang Ming to die quickly."

"This case seems to have a problem."

Jiang Yezhou slowly spoke, pointing out a possibility.

"It's also possible that Zhang Ming was already dead before the twentieth day of the ninth month."

Gu Jinnian's voice echoed.

This was his opinion.

The desire for someone to die quickly could be for two reasons: one, this case is a miscarriage of justice, and they want to close it quickly.

The other possibility is that the person was already dead, so they needed to expedite the execution.

For these two possibilities, Gu Jinnian leaned towards the second.

In a miscarriage of justice, they would not want a quick verdict. They would let the higher-ups investigate slowly. If you think it's wrong, you can send people to check.

But this expedited dossier strongly suggests that Zhang Ming was already dead.

The cause of death was likely very tragic. Otherwise,