Chapter 460: Case Files

He brushed past Xue Shao on the palace corridor; Xue Shao's face was full of astonishment.

Leading Xue Shao, Yang Pu said calmly, "That man is a sorcerer; you must not befriend him closely. I heard that just the day before yesterday you went to pay him a visit?"

Xue Shao: "... He is the senior brother of Pan Yun, daughter of Pan Hong."

Yang Pu frowned: "Then why did he want to cover for the Imperial Prison?"

In the civil officials' eyes, a place like the Imperial Prison simply should not exist.

Xue Shao said, "Is it possible that Lord Yin was merely speaking the truth, and there really were no demons or heretics in the Imperial Prison?"

Yang Pu fell silent and quickened his pace.

Xue Shao sighed and hurried after him.

They were almost at the Court of Judicial Review when Yang Pu finally spoke: "His Majesty did not agree to reopen this case because of talk of demons and heretics. Yesterday, when the palace examination results were posted, just before they were released His Majesty suddenly changed his mind, making you the Second-Class Transmitter, and having Wang Zhen thrown into prison. You can see he had long intended to bring Wang Zhen to justice. But the heart of an emperor is fickle; we must settle this matter before he changes his mind again."

Xue Shao lowered his eyes and assented.

The human heart is hard to fathom; this saying applies not only to the hundred officials, but even more so to the Emperor.

Yang Pu and the others did not know why the Emperor had suddenly thrown Wang Zhen into prison, or why he had suddenly agreed to reopen Xue Xuan's case, but they knew this was a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity.

Even Yang Shiqi, ill at home, was alarmed into action.

The case files of the Yue-shii murder-husband case and the He-shii murder-husband case were both at the Court of Judicial Review; it took them two days and a night to find the files. The files they produced were only a few thin sheets of paper—confessions of the persons involved.

Yang Pu saw them and flew into a great rage: "Cases this large, and this is all the evidence you have? Where are the autopsy reports from that year, the physician's testimony, and the prescriptions?"

"Because both cases involved Xue Xuan and Pan Hong's faction accepting bribes, the case files were transferred to the Southern Administrative Office. Grand Secretary Yang perhaps should go to the Southern Administrative Office to inquire."

Yang Pu said with a dark face: "Why was this not stated on the lending receipt? Why did you not say so earlier? We investigated for two days before you mentioned the lending. If it was lent out, why are the confessions and seals of both cases here as well?"

The Court of Judicial Review official broke out in a cold sweat, and bracing himself said: "The Court of Judicial Review has a severe rat infestation; the lending receipt from three years ago was already destroyed. As for these confessions, they are discarded case files. The Yue-shii and He-shii cases went through five trials and five verdicts; no one knows how many copies of the confessions exist. These are all useless."

Yang Pu lifted his eyelids and turned his head to look at Xue Shao.

Xue Shao's expression was calm; he was not angered by two days of fruitless labor. Seeing Yang Pu look his way, he opened his mouth and asked: "My lord, can you confirm that these are case-file confessions that were merely discarded?"

The Court of Judicial Review official: "Yes."

Xue Shao's face grew stern. He immediately turned, bowed to Yang Pu, and said: "Grand Secretary Yang, this subordinate requests a full investigation into the Court of Judicial Review officials' crime of dereliction of duty. For all criminal cases, the confessions of the persons involved must be marked with a date; whether or not they recant, none may be discarded. The Court of Judicial Review officials knowingly violated this rule—their crime is one degree more severe."

The Court of Judicial Review official:...

Damn mouth, spoke too fast.

The Court of Judicial Review's problems were not small, but the Censorate's were even greater. Because of the reopening of the old case, Wang Wen, who was far away in the provinces, raced back to Jingcheng with all his might.

But no matter how fast he was, returning from Jiangnan to Jingcheng still required some time. After Xue Shao had examined the archives of the Southern Administrative Office and the Censorate, he finally found the chance to hand over the evidence in his own hands.

The case files of the Yue-shii and He-shii murder-husband cases were scattered in pieces—some at the Court of Judicial Review, some at the Southern Administrative Office, some at the Censorate.

With these things as a foundation, once Xue Shao handed over the case files in his own hands, the genuine could be distinguished from the false.

He lifted the case files and reported to the Emperor: "Back then my uncle foresaw that the two cases would still have twists and turns, so he made a copy of the case files, affixed his superior's seal, and sent them to the Court of Judicial Review in Nanjing, addressed in the name of Xue Erlang. 'The letter was forwarded on to Hedong; after my uncle received the package he never opened it. I beg Your Majesty to examine it.'"

Zhu Qizhen raised his eyes, and Cao Jixiang immediately stepped forward to present a sealed bundle of case files to the Emperor.

Zhu Qizhen looked at the wax sealing the large bag and the countless official stamps upon it, said nothing, and merely raised his hand.

Cao Jixiang immediately took the large bag over for Yang Pu and the others to see.

After carefully examining it, several officials said: "The seals have not been damaged; it is indeed the original."

The Great Ming Code stipulates that unopened mail transmitted through official courier stations may be admitted as evidence in court.

Xue Shao did not produce it at first because he wanted to see what was in the case files held by the Three Judicial Offices.

If his own copy was not needed, and the cases could be overturned relying solely on the files in the Three Judicial Offices, that would be best.

After all, even with the Great Ming Code's stipulation and the seals undamaged, these case files had been outside for three years; there would surely be no shortage of voices questioning them.

Xue Shao's thinking was sound. Seeing the case files he produced, Ma Shun was the first to object, and Xu Xi, Chen Guan, and others also questioned the authenticity of the files.

!. Read

Xue Shao said only one sentence: "What evidence do you gentlemen have to prove this letter was opened?"

The seals were intact, the wax unbroken; in theory, this letter could serve as evidence.

Everyone looked toward the Emperor.

Zhu Qizhen gave a slight nod, acknowledging the letter's status.

Ma Shun's face went slightly pale; he stepped back, and his heart began to sink ceaselessly.

Yang Pu opened the letter on the spot. Inside were complete transcribed copies of all the evidence in the Yue-shii murder-husband case and the He-shii murder-husband case.

Including all the confessions and evidence from their five trials and five verdicts, as well as the written evidence of the back-and-forth between the Shuntian Prefecture, the Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Censorate over the two cases.

The evidence of Xue Xuan's three times sending back the Yue-shii murder-husband case and ordering the Ministry of Justice and Shuntian Prefecture to reinvestigate was also among them.

It could be said that the evidence Xue Xuan prepared was so thorough that they did not need to exert themselves. Once the case files were spread out, setting aside the struggles of interest and faction, anyone with a brain could see that these two cases were wrongful convictions.

Zhu Qizhen: "Two cases, five trials and five verdicts, three great reviews, and the results were all different. I would like to see just what kind of difficult cases these are—are they truly so hard to decide?"

Yang Pu said: "Your Majesty, this is all because the cases involve the Brocade Guards and Wang Zhen's nephew Wang Shan; that is what made these two cases so complicated. Wang Zhen abused his public office for private gain. I beg Your Majesty to punish Wang Zhen severely!"

Zhu Qizhen: "The cases were not under the review of the Eastern Depot from the start. How could a eunuch in charge of the brush meddle in the affairs of the Shuntian Prefecture and the Ministry of Justice? What is the Censorate good for?"

"Wang Zhen has been building factions and pursuing private interests for many years. Even if it is outside his jurisdiction, he always has his partisans flattering him to curry favor; these two cases are the example!" Yang Pu said: "Your Majesty, for the sake of all under Heaven, I beg Your Majesty to exterminate these partisans and return a clear sky to the common people."

"Eunuchs colluding with capital officials, and capital officials communicating and profiting together with provincial officials—that is indeed building factions and pursuing private interests," Zhu Qizhen leaned forward, his gaze fixed straight into Yang Pu's eyes, and staring at him asked: "Grand Secretary Yang, among the partisans in court, is there only Wang Zhen's faction? Are the affairs of inside and outside colluding limited to Wang Zhen alone?"

Yang Pu instinctively avoided the Emperor's eyes, bowed his head, and said: "Your Majesty, this minister's loyal heart is as bright as the moon. If Your Majesty does not trust this old minister..."

(End of this chapter)