20demayo Chapter 1144 Backing up
Chapter 1144 Backing up
The people thoroughly enjoyed this "puzzle-solving" game.
Under Jiang Zhiming's guidance, they even solved the mystery of several more copper rings, which were exactly the same as those recorded in Lao Quan's ledger.
Those who bribed Huai Gongwang gradually came to light.
Jin Zuoren – Manager of Jinbangxuan Restaurant.
Jinbangxuan is the largest stationery shop in Liuyang Prefecture.
Liu Hanhai – Owner of Moxianfang.
Moxiangfang only sells classic books, which are expensive, but it never lacks buyers.
But among these known bribe-givers, the most surprising is Zhang Mo.
The educational official, Zhang Mo, was kneeling in the hall at this moment.
He watched as Xu Yunyan's robe passed by, and then heard Shen Zheng ask him, "Zhang Mo, do you plead guilty to bribing Huai Gongwang?"
"This humble official admits it..." Zhang Mo dared not deny it.
But he still felt very unlucky and thought that Huai Gongwang was mentally ill.
Why would someone accept bribes and then have the record specially engraved and put on a bird? Is it to repay favors later?
He thought that perhaps he hadn't accepted enough bribes, which was why he couldn't understand Huai Gongwang's inhuman actions.
By this time, most of the witnesses had been brought to court, with only Wu Shun and Wang Yueqian remaining to be questioned.
Just as everyone was wondering what Wang Yueqian had done, Shen Zheng spoke up: "Wang Yueqian, what role did you play in the Huai Gongwang bribery case?"
Fine beads of sweat appeared on Wang Yueqian's forehead. After taking several deep breaths, he leaned forward, his voice coming from his arm: "Your humble servant, Wang Yueqian, is the official in charge of sealing the examination papers. Before Lord Yu became the prefect of Liuyang, when I sealed the examination papers, I would leave a mark on the papers of candidates who had bribed others, so that Huai Gongwang could grade them as 'excellent'..."
Upon hearing this, Huai Gongwang closed his eyes completely.
He never expected that in just three days, Shen Zheng would even find out about Wang Yueqian.
The crowd in the court was in an uproar: "I knew there was something fishy about the prefectural examination! The academic achievements of those scholars from previous years are not real. They must all be stripped of their titles and made to retake the exam!"
"Why should he have to retake the exam! My son is truly talented!"
"You think it's true just because you say so? He has to prove it to everyone!"
"Pah! Why should I prove myself? Do you guys even have any sense of reason?!"
Seeing the courtroom descend into chaos, Shen Zheng slammed her gavel. Constable Sun immediately stepped out of the courtroom and shouted angrily, "The case is still under trial. Anyone who makes a disturbance will be asked to leave immediately!"
The people fell silent.
In the hall, Shen Zheng picked up a scroll and asked while looking at it, "Wang Yueqian, in the two prefectural examinations after Lord Yu took office as prefect, did Huai Gongwang still allow you to leave a mark?"
"No!" Wang Yueqian kowtowed twice. "Lord Shen, you are wise! I only left a mark during the prefectural examination three years ago. In the two prefectural examinations that followed, I acted in accordance with the law and did not do anything that would compromise fairness!"
Shen Zheng pondered for a moment, then deliberately asked, "Do you know why Huai Gongwang didn't allow you to leave a mark during the prefectural examinations in the past two years?"
Wang Yueqian knew that his chance to shine had come.
He lay back down and said loudly, "Reporting to Your Excellency! Because Lord Yu was also reviewing the papers, Huai Gongwang had no chance to make a move and had to give up!"
Yu Zhengqing, who was on the jury, glanced at Shen Zheng and forcefully suppressed the sweetness that rose in his throat.
Just handle the case; why go to all this trouble to clear his name?
Really...
The sunlight at 9 AM streamed freely into the courtroom, and Huai Gongwang's shadow lay crookedly curled on the ground, no longer the upright figure he had when he first entered the hall.
The trial has now concluded, with all witnesses having been interviewed, and it's nearing its end.
Xu Yunyan handed all the case files and evidence to Shen Zheng.
Shen Zheng lowered her eyes and flipped through the pages, while the people could not hide their excitement.
Everyone knew that Lord Shen was going to betray Huai Gongwang.
This kind of corrupt official deserves to die a hundred times over!
After a long while, Shen Zheng raised her head under the expectant gazes of the people.
The brilliant sunlight made her hair appear yellow. She squinted at Huai Gongwang and asked again, "Huai Gongwang, now that there are witnesses and physical evidence, do you plead guilty?"
Huai Gongwang's shadow moved slightly, but remained crooked and distorted.
He looked disheveled and didn't say a word.
Only Huai Zhizhen was still struggling: "Father, you can't confess! You can't confess! We didn't do anything, why should we admit it? Didn't you just say that the copper ring was switched? If that's the case, you can't confess even more!"
Huai Zhizhen was filled with resentment.
It must have been incredibly difficult for him, a son born out of wedlock, to get to where he is today.
The literati of Liuyang respectfully called him "Young Master Zhizhen," which is a great honor.
He doesn't want to fall into the mud!
He wanted to continue being the young master Zhizhen, and he also wanted to go to the capital to take the imperial examinations, become a tribute student, a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), an official, and a high-ranking official!
Huai Gongwang took in his resentment.
But Gongwang knew that he had taken a terrible fall today, plummeting from the mountaintop to the valley floor.
Those copper rings were indeed imitations cast by the government office, but the engravings inside the rings... were exactly the same as the original rings.
Only by removing the copper ring with pliers could the engravings be seen inside. However, once the copper ring was removed, it was difficult to restore it. But what he didn't expect was that Shen Zheng could think of imitating the copper ring to deceive him, make him lower his guard, and even personally acknowledge the existence of the copper ring in front of the pliers.
Now that both the real and fake copper rings are in the hands of the government, even if he wanted to argue again, he would have no reason to refute them.
"Father!" Huai Zhizhen saw the despair in his eyes and was horrified. "Father, you can't confess! What will happen to your son if you confess? What will happen to Auntie...?"
How to do?
Huai Gongwang lowered his eyes.
With his life hanging by a thread, he had no time to care about others.
"pat-"
A green-tipped token landed on his lap, and Shen Zheng's voice came: "Huai Gongwang, the Prefectural Inspector, accepted bribes exceeding ten thousand taels of silver during his tenure in Liuyang Prefecture, fabricated achievements, and instigated the murder of Wang Huai'an, an official appointed by the imperial court. His crimes are not..."
"咚咚-"
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Huai Gongwang suddenly kowtowed twice, interrupting Shen Zheng's pronouncement.
"Lord Shen, I confess to the bribery case, but I do not confess to the murder of a high-ranking official!"
"What?!" Before Shen Zheng could speak, Wu Shun became agitated: "Huai Gongwang, are you a beast? You want to drag me down with you even in death? If it weren't for your orders, would I be so foolish as to harm Lord Wang?!"
Huai Gongwang looked at him jumping up and down and sneered: "I will not admit to things I did not do."
Wu Shun is right.
Even if he were to die, he would drag this traitor down with him.
Moreover, as long as the government cannot find evidence that he instigated the murder of Wang Huai'an, he will not be sentenced to death. As long as he can save his life, that official... will definitely save him.
Wu Shun's face turned red with anger, and he kowtowed twice to Shen Zheng, imitating Huai Gongwang: "I hope Lord Shen will see the truth, this humble official was indeed acting under Huai Gongwang's orders!"