Chapter 244 Take it, follow me, I will give you a court judge
The door opened, and a man in a blue shirt walked out of the house. He was still slightly hunched over when he came out, but after closing the door, his back straightened a little.
He took three steps, and the flattering smile on his face disappeared, and he looked like he had survived a disaster.
If I were not stupid, it wouldn't take long for me to become the monarch's confidant, but if I became the monarch's confidant, I wouldn't be able to survive in a short time.
The man in green shirt thought about how he had been second only to Gan Luo and above the entire Gan family.
Finally, he went to Qi and Chu quietly to become a retainer of a local tycoon, and his body couldn't help but shiver.
If a merchant from Qi had not come to Xianyang a year ago, he would have happened to have met and chatted with him.
I'm afraid he is now trying hard to show himself, hoping to be accepted as a confidant by Gan Luo, the head of the Gan family.
"Brother, you must have remembered it wrongly. I came from Linzi and have never heard of any wealthy gentry named Qian in the past three years."
The merchant from Qi sat on the balcony, surrounded by women, and said firmly with a smile.
A cup of tea time after the man in green left, it was pitch dark as he stretched out his hand in front of him, in the dark room filled with black ink without a trace of light.
A hoarse voice was heard, as if the owner of the voice had his throat pecked by an eagle.
"What you did was like a street fight. This is not your style. Your Majesty is upset."
“I’m more lucid than ever.”
"You shouldn't treat Chang'an Jun like this."
"Then how should I deal with it? When it comes to conspiracy and intrigue, no one can compare to my brother."
"You can petition His Majesty. No matter how strong a subject is, he cannot defeat the king."
"It's useless. You don't understand him. This is the only way to deal with him. Emotions are his only weakness. Since I've known him, all the stupid things he has done were because of emotions."
"Your Majesty seems to know Chang'an Jun very well."
"I've been following him around and calling him brother for more than ten years."
October 10th, Tingwei Mansion.
Li Si stepped over the threshold of the gate of the Supreme Court, looked up at the palace soldiers and officials, and surprisingly felt a sense of unfamiliarity.
It seemed like he hadn't been back here for a long time, even though he was the Tingwei, the highest official in the Tingwei Palace.
Since being promoted to the left prime minister, Li Si has been working in the Prime Minister's Office.
Compared to the Chief Justice, the highest judicial official of Qin State, he still preferred the Prime Minister, the highest civil official of Qin State - if we don't count the prime minister Ying Chengjiao who was newly added by Emperor Qin Shihuang.
"Your Excellency the Chief Justice, no, Your Excellency the Prime Minister." The Chief Justice had been sitting in the hall looking towards the gate. When he saw Li Si for the first time, he ran out in a hurry.
The words of Ting Wei Zheng softened the hard lines on Li Si's face, and he followed Ting Wei Zheng who was leading the way into the hall.
In the hall, the Right Chief Justice of the Supreme Court stood in front of the chair without sitting down, waiting for Li Si.
"Left Prime Minister."
Before the First Emperor appointed a new Chief Justice of the Court of Censors, these three people were the highest leadership team of the Court of Censors.
Feeling the respect brought by power, Li Si was very satisfied. He nodded and said unceremoniously: "Well, why must I come here for everything?"
The Right Supervisor of the Supreme Court spread out the scrolls of bamboo slips on the table.
Li Si casually picked up a scroll and read it carefully. The pride he had in becoming the prime minister disappeared instantly.
Written above are pieces of evidence related to Shangqing Gan Luo.
Li Si frowned.
The Chief Justice and the Right Supervisor of the Supreme Court lowered their brows and bowed their heads, saying nothing.
In the hall of the Supreme Court, the only sounds that could be heard were the tapping of bamboo slips as Li Si flipped through them, and the sound of putting one scroll down and picking up another. No other sounds could be heard.
After reading all the bamboo slips, Li Si already had the answer in his mind, and he closed all the bamboo slips one by one.
"Who sent it?"
Tingwei Zhengdao said: "After opening the government office today, I saw these bamboo slips in the courtyard. Judging from the signs of their scattering, someone must have stood on the left wall of the government gate and threw objects last night."
The Right Supervisor of the Imperial Court added: "This incident is very strange and has not yet been reported to the Internal Affairs Office."
After the wax festival, the curfew was restored in Xianyang.
Someone was able to stay outside the Supreme Court at night, and according to common sense, this matter should be under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Household Department.
Li Si hesitated for a moment, looked up at the Chief Justice and the Right Supervisor and asked, "What do you two think?"
According to normal procedures, these bamboo slips would either be sent to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to find someone to deliver them, or they would be burned.
In short, these bamboo slips will not have any impact on Shangqing Gan Luo normally.
This is not a manifestation of the Qin State's officials protecting each other, bureaucracy corruption, and court depravity.
On the contrary, this is a manifestation of the Qin State's fairness and integrity, its rule of law, its governance according to Qin law, and its concern for actions rather than hearts.
Qin law allowed the people to appeal and report. Not only did it allow it, it also strongly supported it. In the Qin Dynasty, this behavior was called "begging for interrogation."
As long as it is found that begging is true, we must act according to the law and sentence the person accordingly.
But there is a prerequisite, that is, a person must come to beg for interrogation, and it cannot be just throwing a bamboo slip. Without the person begging for interrogation, it will have no effect.
The underlying reason is that the Legalists believed that if you investigate someone based on a bamboo slip, if it is true, then it is fine. But if it is not true, then it is unfair treatment of the person being investigated.
Therefore, Qin law stipulates that it is okay to request an interrogation, but it must be handled by the government.
If successful, handle the case according to the law . If unsuccessful, arrest the person who begged for help and sentence him to the punishment he falsely accused her of. This is called false accusation and counter-attack.
As long as the case is reported to the police, one of the plaintiff and the defendant will definitely be in trouble.
The legalists did not try to smooth things over. The plaintiff asked for an interrogation to find out the truth and it was the defendant who made the mistake and the defendant should be punished.
If the interrogation reveals that the allegation is false, then the plaintiff has falsely accused the defendant, and the defendant's rights and interests have been infringed, so the plaintiff must bear the consequences.
The Chief Justice and the Right Supervisor of the Court of Justice, who were familiar with the provisions of Qin laws, bowed without hesitation and said respectfully, "It is all up to the Left Prime Minister."
Li Si nodded and said, "I understand. I will handle this matter myself. You have nothing to do with it."
"only."
"only."
The two of them responded respectfully and entered the hall.
The Chief Justice calmly made a cup of tea and took a sip leisurely.
Looking at the eyes of the Right Supervisor of the Supreme Court who occasionally glanced towards the front of the hall, he gently tapped the rim of the cup, making a slight "ding" sound.
"Not willing?"
The Right Supervisor of the Supreme Court withdrew his gaze and smiled bitterly.
“A little.”
If this time I succeed, maybe I can also become a member of a noble family.
What Ying Chengjiao said at the wax festival had spread throughout Xianyang, so the Chief Justice and the Right Justice were naturally aware of it.
The two of them naturally knew that Ying Chengjiao said he wanted to send Gan Luo to the Tingwei prison.
Therefore, when the two saw those bamboo slips today, they knew that they must be the work of Ying Chengjiao.
Regardless of whether what is said in these bamboo slips is true or false, ordinary people would never be able to find so much negative information about Gan Luo, and even if they could, they would not be able to write it down.
How they choose to deal with these bamboo slips will have a significant impact on their future.
Leaving it to Li Si without asking any questions means not intending to participate in the confrontation between the emperor's younger brother and the leader of the aristocratic family.
"To cut off someone's future is like killing his parents." The court judge took a sip of tea and pointed to the door with the cup, "It's not too late to leave now."
We are still young, and it is not something we can participate in given our status.
It is true that Chang'an Jun will be defeated, and it is also true that he can send you to prison before his defeat, but Zuo Jian has not released you yet.
The Right Supervisor of the Court of Censors stared at the teacup in the Court of Censors' hands, watching the turbid tea in the cup swaying with the Court of Censors' movements, unable to take shape.
His body was always ready to rush out at any time, but he never stood up.
The Right Supervisor of the Supreme Court looked at the teacup that was put back on the table and saw that the tea soup had calmed down, but he still hadn't made up his mind.
He looked up and said sincerely, "Please give me some advice, Lord Tingwei Zheng."
The Tingwei Zheng laughed and said, "You are not worthy of being an elder."
He picked up the tea, which had cooled down a bit and was ready to drink directly, and drank it all in one gulp.
He put the empty teacup away and sighed softly.
"Two people do the government work for four people, alas."
He got up and went to handle the daily affairs of the Supreme Court.
"You haven't spoken to me yet." The Right Supervisor of the Supreme Court shouted hurriedly.
The Chief Justice did not turn around or pay any attention. He hummed a little tune and began to flip through the bamboo slips and examine the case at another table.
The flames in the heart of the Right Supervisor of the Supreme Court began to rise.
I called you sir and asked for your advice, but you acted arrogantly towards me!
In terms of official position and annual salary, his was no lower than that of the Chief Justice. Except for the Chief Justice, all the other nine ministers in the Chief Justice's Office had an annual salary of 2,000 dan.
The Chief Justice, the Right Chief Justice, and the Left Chief Justice were nominally of the same rank, one level lower than the Nine Ministers.
Although in reality the Right Censor of the Supreme Court was the third in command, the second in command, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, did not have much more power than him.
The Right Supervisor of the Supreme Court was already emotionally unstable, and after being provoked by this, he suddenly stood up and ran out.
At the back of the hall, the Chief Justice was sighing softly.
"From now on, I will have to handle the government affairs of four people by myself."
He had actually given a hint, but the Right Supervisor of the Supreme Court did not understand it.
The five words "not worthy of being an adult" not only mean that he is not worthy of the title of "adult", but also serve as a warning to the Right Supervisor of the Supreme Court - you are not worthy of being an adult either.
The latter two people doing the work of four people also implicitly pointed out that Li Si, who had a close relationship with Ying Chengjiao, became the left prime minister, and the left supervisor of the court who had a conflict with Ying Chengjiao was thrown into jail.
Tingwei Zheng didn't think Ying Chengjiao would win, but he thought it would be easy for the loser Ying Chengjiao to kill him.
It’s not that some people didn’t get the reminder, but that they didn’t understand it, or rather, they were unwilling to understand it.
When you toss a coin to decide whether to do something or not, the most important factor is not whether the coin lands heads or tails when it falls, but whether it lands heads or tails when it flies up.
"Left Prime Minister."
The Right Supervisor of the Supreme Court ran a few steps, panting , and bowed to Li Si.
"What is it?"
Li Si raised his eyebrows slightly and continued to write on the bamboo slips with the brush.
"I can go with Zuo."
The Right Supervisor of the Supreme Court said with an apologetic smile.
Li Si is the Chief Justice, and things have come to this point, so this matter cannot leave Li Si out.
If I want to get involved, it would be best for me to go to Gan's house with Li Si to show my intentions.
If Li Si doesn't respond, I will leave!
“No need.”
Li Sidao.
He really wanted to take all the credit. I was the one who discovered these bamboo slips first, and I could have sent them directly to the Gan family!
The Right Supervisor of the Imperial Court had a forced smile on his face and said, "Left Prime Minister, this is a little inappropriate..."
"What's wrong with that?" Li Si finished writing the last stroke, and casually threw the bamboo slip in the hands of the Right Supervisor of the Court of Justice, saying, "I'm worried that I can't do it in two places. Since you are willing to do it, then go and get these people back."
Who will be brought back?
The Right Supervisor of the Supreme Court was caught off guard. He held the bamboo slips in his hand, looking at the ink that had not yet dried on it, and the smile on his face completely froze.
Before Li Si arrived, the Right Chief Justice of the Supreme Court looked at all the bamboo slips thrown in and recognized them.
The names written by Li Si were all witnesses related to Gan Luo’s crimes in the bamboo slips!
He raised his head stiffly and said in a panic, "Left Prime Minister, is this appropriate?"
If no one begs for interrogation, no case will be filed for investigation. This is a provision in Qin law. As long as there is no plaintiff, there is no defendant.
What Li Si did was to investigate the defendant without a plaintiff.
"Why is it inappropriate? Are the descriptions on these bamboo slips not accurate enough?" Li Si looked at the Right Supervisor of the Supreme Court and said, "Or, can you and I go and arrest Gan Luo?"
Crazy! Li Si is crazy!
Sweat began to drip down the face of the Right Supervisor of the Supreme Court. He straightened his back slightly and spoke in a harder voice.
"Left Prime Minister, Qin law stipulates that no one can be interrogated without a request. If Gan Shangqing is wrongly accused, who will be held responsible?"
False accusation and counter-attack.
The Qin judicial system is not something to be joked about. If the government intervenes, blood will be shed.
"Who said no one begs for interrogation?"
Li Si walked step by step to the front of the Right Chief Justice. His power as the prime minister instantly crushed the Right Chief Justice's strong will.
The Right Supervisor of the Supreme Court did not dare to look Li Si in the eye and lowered his head slightly to avoid the pressure.
"Last night, the Imperial Court was closed. For convenience's sake, I threw all the bamboo slips in from the outer wall. May I ask for your interrogation?"
The Right Supervisor of the Court of Justice took a few deep breaths, and without looking up, he whispered, "Left Prime Minister, please think it over carefully... If the crimes listed in these bamboo slips are true, they are enough to exterminate all three clans."
The Right Supervisor of the Supreme Court did not look up, and could not see the pleased and slightly neurotic smile on Li Si's face, which was originally a stern expression.
"Si is very clear."
In bartering, the more precious the object you give, the more valuable the object you receive.
The greater the crime, the less Chang'an Jun would care about the position of prime minister, and the smoother his career as a general would be.
The Right Chief Justice of the Supreme Court didn't know what to say; he was frightened by Li Si.
He never considered the possibility that Li Si would stand on Ying Chengjiao's side.
Anyone can see the current situation: Ying Chengjiao is an enemy of all the aristocratic families and even the First Emperor, so there is no possibility of him winning.
"Does the Right Supervisor intend to follow me to capture Gan Luo?" Li Si raised his voice.
The Right Supervisor of the Court of Justice was silent for a moment, then bowed his head and saluted, saying, "The number of people listed by the Left Prime Minister is too large. I am afraid I cannot handle the heavy responsibility. I will go to the Gan family and take Gan Luo alone."
His forehead was sweating, his legs were shaking, and his heart was beating violently.
Except for the heart, the abnormalities on the forehead and legs were clearly visible to Li Si.
"You and I are colleagues."
Li Si slowed down his voice and waited for the Right Supervisor of the Supreme Court to speak. The Right Supervisor pricked up his ears and kept his lips tightly closed.
"I'll let you go to the Gan family."
"only!"
The Right Supervisor of the Supreme Court responded immediately, and fearing that Li Si would go back on his word, he hurriedly ran out of the Supreme Court.
He ran so fast and in such a hurry that he didn't even take the palace soldiers with him to arrest people, and he disappeared outside the gate of the Supreme Court.
"You are courting death."
Li Si looked at the back of the Right Supervisor of the Supreme Court indifferently.
Picking up the bamboo slip on the ground with his name written on it, Li Si was about to go out and call the palace soldiers to arrest the person by name.
Suddenly he stopped, turned around and walked towards the back of the hall.
"Your Excellency the Prime Minister."
The Chief Justice stood up hurriedly and said respectfully.
"Come on, follow me and take him away."
Li Si threw the bamboo slips in his hand into the hands of the Chief Justice.
When the Chief Justice unfolded the box, he saw ladies from the pavilion, merchants, and children of nobles.
He couldn't help but wonder, "Have these people committed crimes? The Supreme Court has not received so many cases. I will do it, no need for the Prime Minister."
"...You haven't read all the bamboo slips outside?" Li Si's mouth twitched.
The Tingwei Zheng's face straightened and he said, "Of course not. The Prime Minister is also the Tingwei. How dare I look at it if the Tingwei Zheng didn't look at it?"
"Take it and follow me. I will give you a court judge." Li Si pointed at the bamboo slips in the court judge's arms, turned around and left.
You are not sending me to the court, you are sending me to die...
"Mr. Prime Minister." The Chief Justice hurriedly called out, saying with a bitter face, "I am already old and weak, I am afraid I cannot take on this important task of Chief Justice. By then, the Right Supervisor will be strong and capable, and his abilities will far exceed mine..."
From the moment Li Si mentioned the bamboo slips outside, Ting Wei Zheng realized that these names were related to Gan Luo.
The Chief Justice, who was deeply shocked that Li Si was going to stand on Ying Chengjiao's side, didn't want to get involved in this matter at all.
"Chang'an Jun once showed me a piece of jade." Li Si interrupted the court judge's words and said calmly, "It is from the Heshi Bi. It is up to you to decide whether to follow me or not."
The Tingwei's eyes lit up.
Holding the bamboo slips, he rushed to Li Si in two steps.
He unfolded the bamboo slips, circled half of the names with his finger, and said, "Give these people to me, and the Prime Minister can go and capture the others. It will be faster if you and I split up into two groups."
Every Qin person had a photo sticker, which served as an ID card.
Most of the Heshi Bi taken from the State of Zhao were made into imperial seals.
The remaining bit was made into a photo album belonging to the King of Qin.
However, the King of Qin did not need to show his photo, so ordinary people had no chance to see him.
On that day, Shangqing Gan Luo was arrested and brought to the Supreme Court by Li Si, who led the palace soldiers.
