Red Mansion Rebirth: Ghost Phoenix

It was already the second watch, and most of the candles in the Purple Palace had gone out. Emperor Chongzhao had also finished washing, got on the dragon bed, covered himself with a brocade quilt, and prepared to go to sleep.

He is really exhausted today.

Jia Zhen, Jia Rong and You Shi were arrested, and the Ning and Rong mansions were surrounded by imperial guards. This news was like a thunderbolt, exploding quietly and fiercely in the capital!

Countless people were shocked and confused, and several royal relatives and nobles immediately handed in signs to the palace, requesting to see the emperor - but what was interesting was that the four kings and eight dukes and the four surnames of Jinling were not included.

Emperor Chongzhao wanted to ignore them all, but there were more than a dozen royal family members, nobles, and important officials above the third rank.

After careful selection, he met three families: the Prince Consort of Yongchang, the Duke of Qing, and the Doctor of Lantai Temple.

Although the first two had also come to inquire about this matter, they still remembered to greet the emperor and the empress dowager first. Emperor Chongzhao said a few words and then asked them if there was anything else.

Prince Consort Yongchang was a relative after all. Although he had not had much contact with Emperor Chongzhao in the past, he relied on his age and being of the same generation as Emperor Chongzhao, and hinted while twirling his beard:

"The Empress Dowager is the most sentimental. Now that the two saints are not feeling well and are taking medicine, it is better to postpone some matters in the capital."

Emperor Chongzhao stopped smiling and said, "Is Prince Consort Yongchang teaching me how to be an emperor and handle state affairs?"

In a word, Prince Consort Yongchang was so frightened that he slipped off the seat given to him, knelt on the ground and repeatedly cried "death penalty", and was driven out by Emperor Chongzhao without any mercy.

Duke Qing was a bachelor, so he asked directly, "I wonder what's wrong with the Rong and Ning mansions? I heard that the imperial guards surrounded the two mansions and arrested Jia Zhen from the Ning mansion. There was a lot of discussion in the capital.

"In just half an hour, four or five groups of people came to my house to inquire about the matter.

“I am a person who cultivates his moral character, and I have discussed Buddhist and Taoist practices with Jia Jing before.

"It's not even the seventh day since his death, yet Your Majesty has arrested his only son. Has he committed some heinous crime?"

The person who could ask this question with such confidence should be someone who knows nothing about the private dealings of Jia Jing, Zhen, Prince Beijing and others.

Therefore, Emperor Chongzhao was much more friendly to Duke Qing than to Prince Consort Yongchang: "There are some obstacles.

“Nowadays, they just surround the place, arrest people, and try them first.

"If they are innocent, I will restore their dignity and compensate them for their grievances.

"As for other matters, since you are not his in-laws and do not hold any position as a judge, it is better not to ask too much."

That's putting it mildly.

Duke Qing was very grateful and said goodbye immediately: "Your Majesty is right. I was confused and shouldn't have been used as a pawn by others."

Emperor Chongzhao smiled and said, "My dear minister, you are selfless and speak frankly. I don't think it is a bad thing."

He even gave him a box of lotus seed paste biscuits which happened to be nearby, and asked him to take it home and share it with his family.

When Song Shouzheng, the doctor of Lantai Temple, came to see him, he asked Emperor Chongzhao to give an explanation for another problem:

"Your Majesty arrested Jia Zhen and surrounded the two mansions, but the case was directly handed over to the inner court and was not sent to the Ministry of Justice or the Dali Temple. Please explain the reason."

Emperor Chongzhao did not even raise his eyelids: "This involves officials in the inner palace, it is inconvenient for men outside to do so."

Song Shouzheng immediately took his leave.

Emperor Chongzhao stopped him and asked him coldly: "Since I ascended the throne, have I ever acted arbitrarily or violated the law?"

"No." Song Shouzheng bowed.

Emperor Chongzhao looked at his tense back and asked, "Then, have any of the people around me, in the inner palace or the harem, ever been rampant in the court and bullied the ministers?"

Song Shouzheng paused and spoke with difficulty: "Except for two or three relatives who are a bit domineering...no!"

“You, the doctor of Lantai Temple, have done such a good job that you even ignored the fact that it was getting late and the palace gates were about to close, and you came to the palace immediately and asked me in person, so that I can explain to you.

"Song Shouzheng, you are my subject, not my ancestor! Even if you don't believe in me in your heart, you must respect me in your behavior!"

Emperor Chongzhao did not move, just looked down upon the people below him, and watched his back become wet.

Song Shouzheng could no longer stand, so he knelt down and kowtowed heavily: "I was devoted to seeking loyalty and integrity, but I neglected the way of being a minister! I am guilty, please punish me, Your Majesty!"

"You came here just to cheat me of the caning? I will do as you wish!" Emperor Chongzhao stood up, pointed at him, and said to Jingquan, "Right here, give me five canings."

After saying that, the man left first.

Jingquan does his work meticulously.

Although it was only five strokes of the cane, Song Shouzheng was beaten so hard that his buttocks and legs were bleeding, and he limped back home.

Emperor Chongzhao peeked at what happened from behind the screen and couldn't help but sigh at Jingquan.

Jingquan didn't notice.

Emperor Chongzhao had no choice but to come out again, sit on the throne, and sigh softly again.

Jing Quan glanced at him, and seeing that he didn't say anything, he also kept silent.

Emperor Chongzhao had no choice but to speak up himself: “Compared to the two in front and the people in this group, Song is probably the one with the purest mind.

"I beat him only to warn him. There is no need to injure him so badly."

Jing Quan was silent for a while, then said, "If it doesn't hurt, I won't remember it."

"In the main hall of the Purple Palace, under the imperial steps, I took off my pants and was beaten. If you can't remember such an experience, then even if your legs were broken, you must not know that you did it wrong."

Emperor Chongzhao shook his head and stopped talking to him.

Jing Quan muttered to himself, "It's just that it's such a big fuss. If the Ning Mansion can't find anything, it will be troublesome."

Emperor Chongzhao was slightly moved, and could not help but ask him: "Do you know what is going on outside? Did Chen Duo make a mistake in this matter?"

Jing Quan hesitated for a moment, then crossed his arms and said, “I heard that he had a few words with Jia She during the siege.

"Jia She was arrogant, so Chen Duo became even more arrogant. He even said that he would bring Jia She to the palace to confront the emperor and have him file a complaint in front of him."

See who the emperor favors more.

That's just rude.

Emperor Chongzhao frowned: "Is this the first time he goes out to arrest people in public?"

"Yes."

"If this kind of person is not taught a lesson, he will probably become even more arrogant in the future."

Emperor Chongzhao was a little annoyed, "It just so happens that he is the best at judging cases."

Jing Quan opened his mouth, then closed it again without saying a word.

Emperor Chongzhao looked at him for a moment, and suddenly something moved in his heart. He asked tentatively: "Have you tried a case?"

Jing Quan blinked and asked, "In the past, when the children were making a fuss in the inner quarters of the East Palace, the servants were always asked to judge right and wrong.

"Does this count?"

Emperor Chongzhao laughed: "It counts, it counts, it counts!"

Pointing at him again, he said, "Forget about not telling Chen Duo about this case in advance. Next time, you should also go to the inner temple and see if you are qualified for this job!"

Jing Quan nodded in agreement.

Emperor Chongzhao knew that he was a little unhappy, so he just laughed and ignored him.

At the second watch of the night, Chen Duo knocked on the door and said, "Your Majesty, it's urgent."