The Red Mansion: From a Small Pawn to a Leader

Chapter 135 Grab!
At this time, it was getting dark and all the lights were lit. There were lights hanging from the beams, lights sitting in the corners, and lights placed on the desks, illuminating the Ministry of Rites' duty room.

The testimonies were laid out on the case. The Fourth Prince stood in the middle, the Minister of Rites stood on the left, and the Minister of Justice stood on the right. They all opened their eyes wide and read every word.

Jia Yucun, the prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, and a red-robed eunuch from the Imperial Household Department stood quietly by, waiting for them to finish reading the confession.

After reading the confession, all three of them raised their heads, their eyes bright, but no one spoke.

After a moment of silence, the Minister of Justice spoke first: "I think these testimonies can be submitted to the cabinet immediately."

The Minister of Rites turned his gaze to the Fourth Prince.

The Fourth Prince was calculating rapidly in his mind, weighing the pros and cons.

Someone was killed at Chongwen Gate. Although two fists are no match for four hands, ordinary people are no match for the battle-hardened Jurchens. Moreover, the other side was ruthless, and when they saw blood, the common people began to hesitate. Bloody courage was only small courage. After people died, the anger in the hearts of the common people completely disappeared and they became afraid.

If the patrolling soldiers from the South Camp had not arrived in time, more than two people would have died.

Two civilians were killed, more than ten were seriously injured, and the rest were slightly injured.

Although no one died on the Jurchen side, several were seriously injured, two of whom were slashed by patrolling soldiers from the South Camp.

With the testimonies of the two Huitongguan officials and the ordinary people, the whole matter was very clear. The Jurchens were deliberately making trouble.

The facts of this case are clear and the evidence is conclusive, but this case is not an ordinary case. These Jurchens are guards of the diplomatic mission and are even involved in a contract between the two countries.

On one hand, there are angry people, and on the other hand, it involves the court's strategy in the north. It's not easy to deal with!

Thinking about this, the Fourth Prince glanced at the self-ringing clock beside him and said, "Prince Beijing is also in charge of the Ministry of Justice. We should listen to him."

Everyone present was smart and understood that Prince Beijing was going to take the blame.

As the saying goes, a dead Taoist friend will never die a poor Taoist.

Everyone looked at each other and answered in unison: "Yes."

Silence fell again.

In the duty room, only the clock was ticking.

Finally, coughing and footsteps were heard outside the door, followed by the clerk's report: "Fourth Prince, Prince Beijing is here."

The Fourth Prince: "Quick, please come in!"

The door curtain was lifted and Shui Rong walked in, coughing from time to time.

When they saw Shui Rong coming in, Jia Yucun and the others showed complicated expressions on their faces, and then they all bowed together: "Your Majesty."

Shui Rong nodded with a smile: "Don't be so polite." Then he started coughing again.

The Fourth Prince hurriedly stepped forward and helped him sit down in front of the large desk. He then handed Shui Rong a bowl of hot tea and asked Shui Rong to drink a few sips.

Shui Rong seemed to be feeling better. He stood up from the chair on his own and bowed to the Fourth Prince.

The Fourth Prince returned a half-bow and helped Shui Rong sit down again.

Jia Yucun smiled secretly, each one was better at acting than the other.

After reading the testimony, Shui Rong looked at the Fourth Prince: "What does your Highness mean?"

The Fourth Prince: "Prince Beijing is also in charge of the Ministry of Justice."

Shui Rong understood immediately, and looked at the Minister of Justice, the Minister of Rites, Jia Yucun, the Governor of Shuntian Prefecture, and the Chief Eunuch of the Imperial Household Department: "What do you think?"

Several people looked at each other and answered in unison: "It's up to the prince to make the decision."

Shui Rong sneered in his heart, but remained silent on the surface. He pretended to hesitate for a long time before saying, "Then submit it to the cabinet."

When these words were spoken, the Fourth Prince was the first to be stunned.

Jia Yucun and others were also confused. Didn’t Shui Rong understand the pros and cons of this?

Shui Rong coughed and continued, "Under the feet of the emperor, in the best place, two Dashun people were beaten to death by foreigners. How can this be tolerated! If the murderer is not dealt with, it will be unjust! Otherwise, people's hearts are like water and people are uneasy. I am worried that there will be chaos!"

No one can refute this!

Jia Yucun and the others all looked at the Fourth Prince with difficulty.

The fourth prince lowered his head in thought, and raised his head again after a long time: "Sending it to the cabinet will be tomorrow. Let's go back and rest first, and then think about it."

This was obviously to leave a last glimmer of hope. Everyone understood, but kept silent.

Shui Rong stood up and said, "I have to take medicine when I go back. I'll take my leave now. I'm sorry for the rudeness!" He bowed to the Fourth Prince and walked out. The Fourth Prince looked at the Minister of Justice and the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture and said, "Check again to see if there is anything missing."

The Minister of Justice and the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture: "Yes." He bowed to the Fourth Prince and walked out.

Hearing the footsteps fade away, the Fourth Prince immediately said to the Minister of Rites and Jia Yucun, "This case is of great importance. With the testimony of the officials of the Huitong Hall and the confessions of the common people, the case can be tried and concluded immediately. Those Jurchens deserve to be put to death!"
But now this case is involved in the upcoming peace talks and affects the court's strategy, and the people must also give an explanation. This is the dilemma. You can go to the deceased's home and have a good talk. It is best not to point out the murderer in the testimony. "

The Minister of Rites and Jia Yucun exchanged a knowing look and answered in unison, "Yes." They bowed to the Fourth Prince and walked out.

The fourth prince looked at the eunuch again and said, "This matter cannot be concealed from the emperor."

The chief eunuch smiled and said, "His Majesty is waiting for Your Highness."

The Fourth Prince suppressed his shock, packed up the testimony in the case, and walked out.

The moon was covered by clouds, with only some twinkling stars.

There was a tent in the wilderness, and a faint light was coming through.

Inside the tent, a small oil lamp emitted a dim light, and Li Hu was sitting on a large rock that had been brought from somewhere.

Li Hu left the city before dusk and had no idea what was happening in the capital.

Before the summer, Ni Er placed an informant in the warehouse outside Bai Hongzhi City, and every move was under the control of Li Hu.

If it was just a trivial matter like robbery, it would not be worth Li Hu's personal involvement. Only the White Lotus Sect members following Bai Hongzhi were worth his involvement.

There was a sound of footsteps, the curtain was raised, and a Mongolian general came in. He knelt down before Li Hu and spoke in stiff Chinese: "General, we have brought back the people and goods."

Li Hu got up and walked out.

Horse-drawn and mule-drawn carts loaded with cloth were lined up in front of the tents.

Of course, the more secretive this kind of thing is, the better, so Li Hu only brought one hundred Mongolian cavalrymen, and even Wang Daniu and others didn't know about it.

Several pits had been dug in the wasteland behind the tents.

In one of the large pits, dozens of dead bodies were lying in a mess, and a dozen Mongolian cavalrymen were filling it with soil.

The few surviving White Lotus members were tied up tightly and stood at the edge of their respective pits.

Li Hu looked at them and asked, "Who is Bai Hongzhi?"

The White Lotus sect members did not speak.

Li Hu raised his hand, and the Mongolian cavalry threw the last White Lotus Sect member into the pit like throwing a dead pig.

Li Hu coldly spat out a word: "Bury!"

The Mongolian cavalry filled the hole with soil without saying a word.

The White Lotus member struggled and tried to crawl out, but unfortunately his hands and feet were tied.

Soon, the mud was about to cover his head.

He shouted loudly: "I'm telling you, I'm telling you, Bai Hongzhi's grandfather was our old leader, the leader of the Shaanxi branch who died at the hands of General Li. What I said is all true, General Li, spare my life!"

Li Hu's eyes flashed, there really was a grudge.

".General Li! Spare my life."

Li Hu ignored him.

The pit was quickly filled, and then the Mongolian cavalry rode on their horses and trampled the soil to make it firm.

The other White Lotus sect members looked pale.

Li Hu looked at them and asked, "Who is Bai Hongzhi?"

A White Lotus member shouted out.

The others lowered their heads and shouted along.

Li Hu sneered and asked, "Do you know about the Qinglong Hall?"

Several people quickly answered: "Yes, we all know."

Li Hu waved his hand and turned to walk towards the tent.

(End of this chapter)