klisemfg Chapter 1440
Chapter 1440
"Boom-thump-thump-"
Amidst the solemn and reverent sounds of bells and drums, numerous court officials dressed in official robes and wearing black gauze hats filed into the imperial city from outside the Meridian Gate.
We continued on our way, crossing the Jinshui Bridge.
After lining up in the square outside the Fengtian Hall, they entered the hall in trembling silence.
"My lords, what matters do you wish to discuss today?"
Zhu Yunwen sat upright on the high dragon throne and slowly asked a question. His handsome face was expressionless, revealing no emotion.
Now, he no longer needs to hide his true self, no longer needs to let others think he is a tyrant, and no longer needs to release any false or misleading information to make people wonder if there are any other forces behind this emperor.
So naturally, he sat there high up, looking down at everything.
With just a single, calm and collected statement, a powerful and awe-inspiring dragon's might was conveyed... Unstoppable and awe-inspiring!
His Highness and his ministers lowered their heads, all involuntarily filled with horror.
After a while.
Chen Zhou, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, quietly gave a wink to the person next to him.
Then, Sun Sheng, the Left Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, stepped forward, cupped his hands, and solemnly said, "Your Majesty, the criminal Zhan Hui was transferred from the Imperial Prison to the Ministry of Justice a few days ago. After several rounds of joint trial by the three judicial departments, the charges and sentencing were determined yesterday."
Zhan Hui was also the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate. Given his friendship with Zhan Hui or the potential impact of this matter on him, there were naturally people within the Censorate willing to speak up for him.
And this matter was brought up.
Regardless of whether they were officials from the three judicial departments, their expressions changed slightly as they all looked at Sun Sheng, who had stepped forward, and Zhu Yunwen, who was seated on the dragon throne.
Zhu Yunwen pondered for a moment.
However, they did not immediately respond or express their opinion.
Instead, he calmly and unhurriedly announced the results of the joint trial in court: "I also saw this matter yesterday. After a joint trial by the three judicial departments, it was found that Zhan Hui, Minister of Rites and concurrently Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, abused his privileges to accept land offered by the people and privately altered the registration records of the fish-scale map to evade taxes... Therefore, he should be dismissed from his post and demoted to the position of Assistant Director of the Ministry of Personnel?"
After speaking, Zhu Yunwen glanced at the various expressions on the faces of the people in the prince's eyes, a hint of mockery in his gaze, and asked, "What do you, my esteemed ministers, think of this matter?"
The case of Zhan Hui can not only expose more "chickens," but also let him see what kind of monsters and demons are in the court, who is fearful and who is open and honest.
Although most of them certainly had some problems, Zhu Yunwen couldn't possibly purge most of the court based on their reactions alone.
But at least he can keep track of things in mind, which can also be an indicator for evaluating personnel selection in the future. After all, the names he can remember from posterity are only a small number that have left their mark after hundreds of years. However, a large state apparatus requires a whole system of officials from top to bottom to function. These trivial matters are the most important things for an emperor to do.
As Zhu Yunwen's voice faded.
A low murmur and commotion immediately arose inside the Fengtian Hall.
"Hiss... It's... It's just a demotion and dismissal?"
"That's true..."
"Is it not necessarily a bad thing? I just don't know... what His Majesty really thinks about this. Ever since that incident half a month ago, the imperial power of our Emperor Kaiqian has become increasingly unpredictable and unfathomable."
"However, since this matter was jointly decided by the Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Censorate, it inherently represents their will, and they are also bearing the brunt of the consequences..."
"..."
The officials were clearly surprised, whispering among themselves to their familiar colleagues. Along with this, many secretly rejoiced – for no other reason than that the crime and punishment were obviously disproportionate.
The entire Fengtian Hall was immediately filled with a buzzing sound.
Zhu Yunwen did not say anything immediately, but instead looked around at everyone with great interest, taking in the diverse expressions of the people in the Fengtian Hall.
After a while.
He casually turned his head and glanced at Ma Sanbao.
Ma Sanbao immediately understood, flicked his whisk, and called out loudly, "Gentlemen, please be quiet!! If you have any thoughts, just step forward and report to His Majesty!"
The emperor's majesty was as deep as an abyss, and naturally no one dared to act rashly. They all shut their mouths and quieted down, and the noise receded like the tide...
Seeing that Emperor Zhu Yunwen had remained calm for quite some time, the officials from the Censorate, the Ministry of Justice, and the Court of Judicial Review, who were involved in the case, exchanged glances. They made up their minds and stopped hesitating.
Fan Da, a senior official in the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Justice, stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, this is the result of the joint trial and discussion of the three departments. Although Lord Zhan has made some minor mistakes that he should not have made, considering that Lord Zhan has been diligent and respectful in serving both the late Emperor and Your Majesty, and has worked very hard, we have carefully determined the sentence based on the ‘Great Ming Code’. Please approve it, Your Majesty!”
Following closely behind were Zeng Maocheng, Left Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate; Zhang Chongshan, Vice Director of the Huguang Bureau of the Ministry of Justice; Ye Hengyi, Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review; and others.
"Lord Fan is absolutely right!"
"Your Majesty, I second that proposal! Please approve it!"
"I second this motion!"
"..."
At times like this, the more people there are and the louder the voices, the better—everyone agrees, so how could Emperor Zhu Yunwen possibly refute it? Ideally, His Majesty would approve the result in court.
Over the past few days, Chen Zhou had been making moves around in various places, thinking he was doing so discreetly. Most of the officials in the three departments had already reached a tacit understanding.
At this point, everyone naturally stepped forward and worked together.