Southern Ming Rebel Army

Chapter 218: Qingluan Shocks Jinling (4)

Meng Jun returned to Jinling exhausted and asked Xia Wanchun to prepare a plan and allocate craftsmen, some guards, and a team of Qingluan Guards to let him build the experimental base first. When it reached a certain scale, Meng Jun would intervene and provide core technical guidance. Although Meng Jun might not be clear about the details, he still had a good grasp of the general research and development route so that these experiments could avoid detours.

After returning to Jinling, Meng Bian hurried to the palace and said to Meng Jun, "Young Master, please have a look." After that, he handed a document on his body to Meng Jun.

This confession recorded in detail the process of the assassination conspiracy by Xu Yunjue, Zeng Daowei, Zeng Ying and others, including the personnel, weapons and crossbows, information on when Meng Jun would return, and the choice of route.

Meng Jun gave up his confession with some emotion. The demise of the Southern Ming Dynasty was actually caused by the factional struggles and infighting among these ministers. No matter when or how urgent the situation was, the infighting would not stop as long as there was still a breath of life.

Meng Jun frowned and thought for a moment, his eyes showing a cold light. He slowly placed the document on the table.

"Bi'an, is the evidence conclusive?" Meng Jun turned to Meng Bi'an and asked.

Meng Bian answered firmly: "Master, this confession is detailed and reliable. Xu Yunjue's confession is consistent with the information we have. The confessions of Zhang Guobi, Zeng Ying, Zeng Daowei, and Wang Duo who were arrested are consistent. They had planned it long ago and the plan was thorough. There were also six middle-level officials in the shogunate who provided intelligence to these people."

Meng Jun nodded, and after thinking for a moment, he slowly said: "If that's the case, then we will make these evidences public at the shogunate meeting tomorrow."

Meng Bian took the order and left. His steps were firm and swift, and it was obvious that he was fully prepared.

After Zeng Daowei, Xu Yunjue and a group of people in the shogunate were arrested by the Qingluan Guards, Xiong Ruolin, Lu Zhenfei and others came to Yang En.

Lu Zhenfei spoke first and advised Yang En: "Today, we are not here to chat but to ask Mr. Yang to think deeply. In the past, when Emperor Taizu launched a large-scale prison case, tens of thousands of people were implicated. The Jinyiwei tortured them into confessing and made random accusations. There are countless innocent people. Yesterday's incident, the Qingluanwei's style of action was quite similar to that of the Jinyiwei in the past. We are worried. Now the enemy army is powerful. If we launch a large-scale prison case, it may hurt the hopes of the gentry."

Xiong Rulin continued, "As Brother Lu said, the Qingluan Guard was originally established to investigate the enemy troops and prevent spies. However, looking at their actions now, they have exceeded the law and abused their power. I am afraid that innocent people have also been killed by them. If such organizations are not restricted, they will surely bring disaster to the world."

Yang En was silent for a moment after hearing this, and said, "I have thought deeply about what you two said. The matter of the Qingluan Guards must be treated with caution, but Zeng Daowei, Xu Yunjue and others' plot to assassinate the king is definitely not groundless. The king has just returned to Jinling. I will present it to the king tomorrow. If the evidence is conclusive, the Inspectorate and the Department of Justice will jointly decide the case and determine the sentence."

The next morning, in Jinling City, inside the palace.

After Yang En saluted Meng Jun, he spoke first, "Your Majesty, is there solid evidence that Zeng Daowei was plotting to assassinate you?"

Meng Jun nodded and said, "The confessions of the assassins, the crossbows, the weapons, Zeng Daowei, Zhang Guobi, Wang Duo, Zeng Ying, Xu Yunjue and others are all consistent. This is an ironclad case."

Upon hearing this, Yang En advised solemnly: "Your Majesty, even if it is an ironclad case with irrefutable evidence, the Inspectorate and the Department of Justice should jointly handle the case and determine the sentence, rather than the Blue Luan Guard alone. Now the Blue Luan Guard has the duty of arresting, as well as the power to try cases and sentence. Its power is greater than that of the Jinyi Guard and the East Factory in the past. Your Majesty should think deeply about this!"

"The world is not yet settled. The great power and responsibility of the Qingluan Guard are just a temporary measure. We will make plans after the country is restored." Meng Jun didn't care much. He still trusted Meng Bian, the person who had followed him the longest.

"Your Majesty, it is better to take precautions before things happen. Even the Jinyiwei in the past did not have the responsibility to make final judgments. If their power and responsibility were so great, why did Your Majesty need to establish institutions such as the Inspectorate and the Department of Justice?" Yang En continued to persuade.

Meng Jun pondered for a long time, and finally nodded slowly, saying: "Mu De is right. I should think twice before acting. Although the power of the Blue Luan Guard is necessary for the times, it should not be expanded without limit. I will review the duties and powers of the Blue Luan Guard."

Yang En heaved a sigh of relief when he heard this. He continued, "Your Majesty is wise. This case can be transferred to the Inspection Department and the Department of Justice for supervision. The Qingluan Guard can send someone to listen in. If there is any disagreement, it can also be reported to Your Majesty."

Meng Jun smiled slightly and said, "In this case, we will not convene the shogunate for a meeting. We will first transfer this case, the confessions, and the criminals to the Inspectorate. This is also the first case since the establishment of the Inspectorate. I will wait and see."

Yang En quickly stood up and bowed respectfully: "I will do my best to live up to your expectations."

Meng Jun waved his hand, motioning for Yang En to sit down: "Okay, today's matter ends here for now, I will draft the order now!"

…………

Inside the Qingluan Guard, Meng Bian looked at the king's order to hand over the prisoner and sighed, "The hard work is done. Chen Zilong and Wu Jinkun intercepted us!"

Zhou Zhuo was a little angry and said, "Why did the king listen to such sour words? Our Qingluan Guard handled this case quickly and well, and transferred it to the Supervision Department..." After he paused for a while, he asked with some worry, "Sir, do you think these scholars will protect each other and clear the charges?"

Meng Bian cursed at him, "Bullshit! This is a serious assassination case, how can we protect each other? Moreover, Yang Mude is an old man who has followed the king for a long time. How can he not know the seriousness of the matter?"

There was a hint of helplessness in Meng Bian's words, but he knew that although the Qingluan Guards performed well in this case, the final power of trial still had to be given to the Inspectorate and the Department of Justice. Although he was dissatisfied with the interference of Chen Zilong and Wu Jinkun, he also understood that this was the king's decision, which was to balance the forces of all parties and avoid excessive concentration of power.

Zhou Zhuo nodded. Although he was still aggrieved, he had no choice but to accept the reality.

Meng Bian patted Zhou Zhuo on the shoulder and encouraged him: "Even if the prisoner is transferred to the Inspection Department, we will continue to listen to the trial and record the whole process. If there is anything wrong, report it immediately."

Zhou Zhuo took a deep breath, straightened his back, and answered firmly: "Yes, sir, I will do my best to never let these thieves get away with their crimes!

When Meng Bian returned home, Gu Qingmei came up to him and said with a smile, "Husband, you are back."

Gu Qingmei saw that Meng Bian looked unhappy, so she asked him what happened.

"Alas." Meng Bian returned to the house, sighed, and then told Gu Qingmei what happened at Qingluan Guard.

Gu Qingmei smiled upon hearing this and asked, "Your Majesty is in a high position. The current shogunate is like a small court. You should take into account the forces of all parties. The Qingluan Guard has such great power and responsibility. If they also have the power to make decisions, the officials of the shogunate will be in a panic. If there are no restrictions, I am afraid that the situation will be difficult to control in the future. Your Majesty's move is a wise one."

Meng Bian felt relieved after hearing this. He knew very well that after being in charge of the Investigation Department for such a long time and now the Blue Luan Guard, Meng Bian had already shed his former immaturity. He said slowly, "I know everything, but I feel a little annoyed."

"Why are you so upset? You are born in the royal family, so you should do whatever the king tells you to do. Why do you need so much power? When you have time, you should visit the old lady more often instead of staying in the government office all day." Gu Qingmei rolled her eyes and said.

"Yes, ma'am, what you said makes sense!" Meng Bian felt relieved when he heard that and replied with a smile.