Chapter 864

Love Shenjing, Supreme Court office, Minister Wei Guanyao's office.

The furnishings in the room were simple, with a whole row of bookshelves against the wall, on which were placed various documents, dense and impressive.

Many volumes were clipped with bookmarks, with brief summaries on them, which was convenient for searching and using at any time.

The desk in the room was simple and wide, on which were placed case files, brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, looking neat and solemn, without any negligence.

As the head official of the Supreme Court and the leader of the three judicial departments, Wei Guanyao could be said to have high position and great power.

Although he was in a high position, he had little official exaggeration, handled affairs meticulously and diligently, and was very much in line with Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao's pragmatic style. Four years ago, he was promoted to the position of Minister and had always been highly esteemed.

He was reviewing the case files at hand. Seeing Yang Hongbin report his entry, he knew he was coming to report the progress of the secret leak case. The two had already had a tacit understanding for the past few days.

Just now, Yang Hongbin had carefully discussed the investigation matters with the three judges under his command, and made a division and arrangement according to the weight of the doubts in all matters.

He carried the documents to the Minister's office. Because Wei Guanyao was concerned about the military depot secret leak case, Yang Hongbin reported and asked for instructions on all his gains to Wei Guanyao.

Wei Guanyao asked, "Hongbin, has there been any progress in the case?"

Yang Hongbin first detailed the investigation strategy discussed with Jia Cong to Wei Guanyao.

He also briefly reported the investigation of the eight officials involved to Wei Guanyao.

Wei Guanyao nodded slightly upon hearing this and said, "Jia Yuzhang has always had extraordinary talent, and his methods of investigating and exploring are old-fashioned. Even the veteran clerks of the three judicial departments are inferior to his old-fashionedness.

Sometimes I am a bit strange, whether he inherited his origin or was born with knowledge. He only holds a position in the Hanlin Academy, which is a waste of talent."

Yang Hongbin smiled and did not speak. Jia Cong's actions were unexpected, and he had long been used to it. He was also used to the astonishment in others' hearts.

Wei Guanyao chatted for a few sentences and then returned to the main topic, asking, "Among these eight officials involved, according to your investigation and deduction, who has the greatest suspicion?"

Yang Hongbin took out Chen Ruichang's case file and said, "This humble official and the judges under his command carefully analyzed it, and Chen Ruichang, the grandson of the Duke of Qi, is the most worthy of in-depth investigation."

When Wei Guanyao heard words like Duke of Qi, his eyes seemed to brighten slightly, but he did not speak.

……

Yang Hongbin reported in detail to Wei Guanyao the gains from investigating Chen Ruichang.

He said, "This humble official originally thought that Chen Ruichang was a descendant of a Duke, with a noble family background, and had experienced the war at the military depot. After being injured, he reported the news thousands of miles away, so he felt that his suspicion of leaking secrets was not great.

But Jia Yuzhang felt that among the four military officers at the military depot, Chen Ruichang was the most deeply involved and could not be easily excluded from suspicion.

After a thorough investigation, this person associated with merchants, and his actions were quite suspicious, but no solid evidence has been obtained for the time being."

Wei Guanyao's expression was precious, and he said, "Jia Yuzhang's thinking is correct, and this person's suspicion is really not small.

Precisely because he is a descendant of the Duke of Qi, this matter is becoming more urgent and tricky. We must not let it go easily, and we must investigate the root cause as soon as possible!"

Yang Hongbin's expression was surprised, and he asked, "What does the Minister mean by this?"

Wei Guanyao's expression was solemn, and he said, "You don't know that the day the morning court broke out the disaster of the military depot being occupied, the civil and military officials were filled with righteous indignation, and the war was already unavoidable.

Many generals requested to be the Regional Commander in court, requesting to fight and attack Anda Khan of the Tumet tribe. Duke of Qi Chen Yi was one of the generals who requested to fight.

For the past few days, I have frequently entered the palace to report the progress of the military depot secret leak investigation to the Emperor.

The people who entered the warm pavilion to discuss politics together were all high-ranking officials from the Cabinet, the Ministry of War, and the Five Military Governor's Office, many of whom mentioned the selection of generals for the war.

Duke of Qi Chen Yi is a veteran general in the army and serves as the Left Military Governor of the Five Military Governor's Office, and has a high reputation among the military generals.

In the discussion of politics in the warm pavilion, his name is often mentioned by the Emperor and ministers. In this war against the Mongols, Duke of Qi Chen Yi is very likely to be entrusted with heavy responsibilities.

If his grandson is found to have leaked military secrets, this matter will be no small matter, and the consequences will be unpredictable..."

Yang Hongbin's face also changed when he heard this. Because he was a Grade 6 official, he did not yet have the qualifications to enter the court, so he naturally did not know the inside story.

He said, "Minister, although this matter is of great importance, this humble official's investigation of Chen Ruichang, although there are doubts, is only speculation and there is no solid evidence.

If it is used to influence the selection of generals, it is not legitimate, equivalent to catching the wind and shadows, which is equivalent to the style of the cruel officials of the court, and the Supreme Court will definitely be criticized by the court and the public!

If the final investigation result shows that Chen Ruichang did not leak secrets, the Supreme Court will be difficult to clean up, and officials from various ministries and censors of the Censorate will definitely impeach and attack!"

Wei Guanyao sighed, "What you said is absolutely correct. This matter has not obtained solid evidence and cannot be easily uncovered, so as to avoid difficulty in cleaning up later.

Even if Chen Ruichang is really involved in leaking secrets, Duke of Qi Chen Yi is a hereditary noble and an old official of the two dynasties. Observing his words and deeds, there will never be any fear of colluding with the remnant Mongols.

The stable method for this matter is to fully investigate Chen Ruichang and obtain solid evidence as soon as possible, but before the clues appear, we must not act rashly, so as not to startle the snake!

Even if we can't get ahead, I hope the Emperor will determine the military position for the war and have other good generals in his heart..."

……

Dazhou Palace City, Qanyang Palace.

The sky was overcast, the palace city was magnificent, vast and empty, revealing an unusual oppression. Only on the central axis path were there occasional palace maids and eunuchs coming and going in a hurry.

Jia Cong received Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao's order and followed the attendant into the Chengtian Gate. Walking on the empty palace road, he felt a sense of insignificance and depression.

By the time he rushed to Qanyang Palace, the vicinity of the palace was heavily guarded, and there were many more imperial guards patrolling than usual, revealing a murderous atmosphere of strict array.

The unusual momentum made Jia Cong feel surprised in his heart. With such tight defense, not to mention that it was airtight, I fear that even a bird could hardly fly out...

When Jia Cong stepped into the warm pavilion in the back hall, he happened to meet several court officials who had also been summoned into the palace like him.

Several of them were familiar faces, such as Cabinet Grand Secretary Wang Shilun, Cabinet Grand Secretary Cai Xiang, Minister of War Gu Yankui, and Marquis Zhongjing Shi Ding.

Duke of Qi Chen Yi, Minister of Personnel Chen Mo, and several others were dressed as military generals. Jia Cong did not know them, but observing their military badges and signs, they should be generals of the Five Military Camps.

In fact, with the fast horses carrying military reports entering the city yesterday and being urgently summoned into the palace again today, Jia Cong had already guessed a few points about the matter he was facing.

He is an outstanding figure in the Court of Judicial Review in recent years, and in just a few years, he has been promoted from an ordinary judge of the Court of Judicial Review to the Left Temple Justice of the Court of Judicial Review.

He is esteemed by Wei Guanyao, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, and is entrusted with important tasks in everything. He is shrewd, capable, has handled major cases, and has extraordinary thoughts and means.

But like Jia Cong, meticulous, flawless, ingenious, and opening up many paths, it is something he can never do.

Jia Cong's calculation of human hearts and worldly affairs, and his judgment of the military situation, are also differences that Yang Hongbin cannot easily reach.

In his view, this is the difference in innate talent, and even more the limitation of acquired broad knowledge, a difference that cannot be easily bridged.

Jia Cong said, "For example, Chen Ruichang, whom you mentioned, is the most noble among the several grain transport military officers.

It happened that the Remnant Mongols occupied the military grain depot, and he was lucky enough to escape and return to Shenjing to report the military situation. Even so, it cannot be said that he has no suspicion.

According to my calculation, the leak of the military grain depot location was at the turn of the twelfth lunar month last year.

In Chen Ruichang's interrogation record, at the end of the eleventh lunar month last year, until New Year's Eve, he transported military grain three times, just in the leak period.

The grain transport before New Year's Eve was originally another military officer's trip, but he happened to get a sudden illness, so he replaced him temporarily.

During the period around the twelfth lunar month, among the four grain transport military officers, he transported grain the most times.

But the deeper one is involved, the greater the probability of leakage, so this person must also be strictly investigated."

……

Yang Hongbin sighed in admiration and said, "The Emperor granting you the power of participation is truly a wise move, saving the Court of Judicial Review so much effort.

Your screening has reduced the scope of investigation for officials involved in secrets by more than half, and the investigation will surely achieve twice the result with half the effort."

Jia Cong smiled and said, "One person's wisdom is short, and two people's wisdom is long. The officials I screened out just now inevitably have shortcomings and omissions. You have sufficient manpower.

You can screen them again carefully, pick up the omissions and fill the gaps, and the subsequent actions will be more appropriate. The investigation strategy for this case can also be considered as fully consulted."

The two chatted for a few more words, and Jia Cong said goodbye to Yang Hongbin. He only had the power of participation to assist in clarifying the investigation strategy, and specific investigation affairs were not his responsibility.

Now that a great war is imminent, facing the fast horses and sharp knives of the Mongols, the power of firearms is immediate, which has been fully verified on the Liaodong battlefield.

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao's reliance on firearms is something Jia Cong knows better than anyone else.

At present, the responsibility of rushing to build firearms is the top priority. The case investigation has come to an end, and Jia Cong's energy will be moved back to the firearm workshops.

By the time he walked out of the Court of Judicial Review, the time was close to the time of the horse. Thinking that it was very close to the mansion here, he prepared to return to the mansion to rest for a while, and then go to the workshop to handle affairs in the afternoon...

……

Rongguo Prefecture, Rongqing Hall.

Since Wang Xifeng entered the hall, the atmosphere became more and more enthusiastic. The sisters chatted about family chores and accompanied Grandmother Jia to laugh and have fun.

Baoyu was afraid of Wang Xifeng's power. Since she entered the hall, he didn't dare to speak at will.

Although he was depressed in his heart, he had no choice, and he was reluctant to leave just like that. Even if he was uncomfortable in the West Prefecture, it was better than facing the Old Master in the East Road Courtyard.

Seeing Baoyu no longer talking nonsense, Sister Xi Ren breathed a sigh of relief, just hoping to muddle through this scene as soon as possible and return to the East Road Courtyard early to be clean.

By the time of the horse, Grandmother Jia set up a banquet in the flower hall and asked people to invite Xue Yima to come to the banquet. Xue Yima was very good at talking, and Grandmother Jia was willing to find her to chat.

Yingchun thought of one thing and said, "Grandmother, I had breakfast in Brother Cong's courtyard this morning and heard him say that he was going to the Court of Judicial Review to handle affairs. That place is very close to the East Prefecture.

It is said that he will come back to rest at noon. I will let Xiuju go back to see. If Brother Cong has returned to the mansion, it is cold and clear over there, let him come to pay his respects to Grandmother."

Grandmother Jia smiled and said, "It's just right for him to come back. I haven't seen him for two days, so let's come over together for excitement."

Baoyu originally came with full joy, but ended up with a stomach full of idle anger, not to mention, and was controlled and deterred by Wang Xifeng, which was really unfavorable.