He was not wearing any shackles, so each step he took was very light, and the soles of his shoes made almost no sound when they touched the ground.
Yang Lun exchanged glances with him in front of the door, and he then took a step forward at the bottom of the stairs and raised his arm to bow to Yang Lun.
Yang Lun looked at his tattered clothes, and unexpectedly saw in the fabric of the clothes a elegance as pure and simple as a cedar tree after the silk and brocade were removed.
He did not avoid Deng Ying's bow, but returned the greeting behind the door.
Bai Yuyang in the hall did not say anything, but several censors from the Inspectorate were frowning.
They were all loyal officials who made a living by scolding people. In the past, because of impeaching Deng Yi several times, countless people in the Supervisory Office were beaten with sticks in the court at the Meridian Gate. Now seeing Yang Lun and Deng Ying bowing to each other, one of the censors named Liu couldn't help but say, "Sir Yang, you shouldn't do this to this criminal."
Yang Lun stood up, turned around and asked, "Why is he a criminal slave? Did the three courts punish him?"
Censor Liu was already old, and when he was suddenly contradicted by a junior who was also a censor, his ears immediately turned red.
"you… "
Yang Lun snorted coldly, said nothing more, flicked his sleeves and walked back to sit down beside Bai Yuyang.
Qi Huaiyang waited for Yang Lun to take his seat, then stood up and bowed to Bai Yuyang, saying, "Sir Shangshu, let's begin."
"Um."
Bai Yuyang was wearing a hat and unbuttoning his sleeves. He was about to speak when he heard someone say, "Shouldn't a servant from the inner court be kneeling when being tried by the Ministry of Justice?"
Everyone looked sideways, the person who spoke was Zhang Luo.
Deng Ying turned sideways and looked at Zhang Luo, who was also staring at him.
"I have no official position, and I am not dismissed. Why is the Ministry of Justice so lenient to me?"
"Leniency?"
Yang Lun could not help but ask, "Master Zhang, have you ever seen such leniency towards a person who has not yet been convicted?"
He had just finished speaking when Deng Ying glanced at him and knelt down. "My Lords, ask."
Seeing that he was cooperative and docile, the imperial censors were speechless.
Bai Yuyang took away the paperweight, and the papers on the desk immediately flew around, making a sound like the fluttering of butterfly wings.
He took out a scroll and handed it to Deng Ying, "This is the confession of the fifteen craftsmen who built the Huangji Hall. Take a look first."
Deng Ying took the paper and spread it out before his eyes.
Several people mentioned in the confessions were indeed the builders of the Huangji Hall. Two of them were elderly and were even Zhang Zhanchun’s fellow townsmen and friends.
Bai Yuyang said, "These people confessed that in the tenth year of Zhenning, the construction of the Huangji Palace consumed 14,000 pieces of bricks from Linxi, which is exactly 20,000 pieces less than the number reported. Deng Shaojian, I know that this was two years ago. The construction of the imperial city is complicated, and occasional mistakes are inevitable, but the difference between the actual number and the file record is so great that I have to ask again. Where is the money for the 20,000 pieces of bricks that the Ministry of Revenue mobilized?"
Deng Ying put the confession on her knees and looked up at Bai Yuyang.
"Since ancient times, the construction of the imperial city, the preparation of foundation materials, and the transportation have taken more than ten years. From the construction of the platform to the construction of the double eaves, there are materials that are wasted due to the craftsmanship and the climate of the year. Although the craftsmen have a clear idea of the bricks and wood used in the construction, it is only an estimate. To calculate the actual cost of construction, you should not rely on what others say and ignore the records."
Bai Yuyang sneered after hearing this, "You mean this confession is not credible, right?"
"Then take a look at this."
After he finished speaking, he threw the booklet directly to Deng Ying's knees.
Deng Ying just lowered her head and glanced, and a chill ran down her spine.
Bai Yuyang said:
"This is a private note written by He Hong, a craftsman of Huangji Palace, in the tenth year of Zhenning. It records all the processes and materials used in the construction of the Huangji Palace platform in the tenth year of Zhenning. It is the same as the testimonies of other craftsmen, but there are still 20,000 pieces missing. Junior Supervisor Deng, you said that we should not value people's words but ignore the records. How do you explain this thing?"
Deng Ying remembered the man who wrote the inscription. He should have been 62 years old at the time. He was one of the earliest craftsmen to follow Zhang Zhanchun and also an old friend of Zhang Zhanchun for many years.
"Your Excellency is concerned about He Hong..."
"Come, bring He Hong up."
There was a dragging sound outside the hall, followed by a pungent smell of blood that blew into the hall with the wind.
Deng Ying turned around. The man was completely unable to walk. He was held by two yamen runners and fell to Deng Ying's side. His shirt had been stripped off and he was covered in blood. He was not conscious. When he saw Deng Ying, he just opened his mouth and said tremblingly: "Deng... Ying, tell Zhan Chun that I, He Hong, have wronged him... and now I want to hurt you again..."
Deng Ying looked at the injuries on his body, bent down and said, "It was Deng Ying who caused Elder He to suffer."
When He Hong heard him say this, his eyes turned red, he vomited a mouthful of blood foam from his mouth, and shook his head at Deng Ying with tears in his eyes.
Bai Yuyang raised his voice and said, "Master Deng, you are from the Imperial Household Department and you are in charge of the reconstruction of the Imperial Palace. His Majesty values you very much. I don't want to be too rude to you, but the evidence is here. If you still refuse to speak to me directly, I can only ask you in a different way."
Deng Ying didn't say anything.
He Hong looked up at him and said, "Just tell me... At this point, no one will blame you."
"Deng Ying."
Seeing that he was silent, Bai Yuyang called him again, "Are you unwilling to speak up after making up your mind?"
The words were followed by the sound of the wind and were thrown out of the hall.
Yang Lun clenched his hands secretly, and the imperial censors also stretched their necks.
Bai Yuyang lost his patience, "Come here, give him twenty strokes of the cane, and then continue asking questions."
"Minister Bai!"
"Minister Yang, you are only assisting the trial. Please do not interfere with the trial."
The cane had been prepared outside. The bailiffs brought in a torture bench, then went forward to lift up Deng Ying, pushed him onto the bench, and tied his hands and feet with ropes.
Deng Ying found that the yamen runners did not leave him any leeway, and the ropes hurt his old ankle injury, causing him excruciating pain.
But he didn't care much about these perceptions at this moment.
He just felt cold.
The chill came from his spine, wave after wave, drilling deep into his heart.
The caning punishment in the Ming Dynasty always had two colors.
The most serious case is that the power class humiliates the prisoners, while the most serious case is that the prisoners make their intentions clear to the power class.
Many civil officials who spoke frankly and angered the emperor would be punished by beating in court.
However, this kind of punishment may even become a scar of honor, branded in the record of the civil official's reputation.
But Deng Ying understood that this had nothing to do with him, and all he deserved to endure at this moment was humiliation.
Although he had been prepared for this, he still felt disappointed.
Seeing this, Yang Lun became anxious and stood up to eat again.
Zhang Luo said coldly: "Dressing respectably is reserved for the country's nobles. According to the law, there is no such grace for criminals."
Yang Lun could no longer bear it after hearing what he said, and he wanted to punch Zhang Luo directly.
"Zhang Luo, don't go too far. This is the court of the Ministry of Justice, not the prison of your imperial prison."
Zhang Luo had a blank expression on his face. "My department is in charge of the imperial prison, and we should work with the three departments to enforce the Ming Dynasty laws. But when can the Ministry of Revenue interfere in criminal laws? Also, since you are going to torture me, I can't wear this set of clothes. If I keep them on and they get into my flesh, it will only increase the injuries and hinder the next interrogation."
After saying this, he looked down at Deng Ying, "I am not entangled with you on personal grudges. This is to uphold the dignity of Ming law, and it is also for your own good. Do you understand?"
Deng Ying didn't look at him, closed her eyes and replied, "Yes."
Yang Lun had already stepped forward: "Zhang Luo you..."
"Lord Yang."
The man on the torture bench suddenly called him.
Yang Lun had no choice but to stop and look down at him, only to see him bury his head and close his eyes, and whispered, "Take it easy."
Yang Lun was so shocked that he was speechless.
The several imperial censors present suddenly felt complicated.
Seeing that Bai Yuyang didn't say anything, Qi Huaiyang said, "In that case, it sounds like the superior is telling you to do something wrong."
He looked at Deng Ying and said, "Take off your clothes."
Just as he finished speaking, a yamen runner suddenly came in and reported, "My Lords, there is an old man outside who passed this thing to you and asked me to present it immediately. He said it is related to today's trial."
Yang Lun hurriedly said, "Don't torture me yet, just show it to me."
Qi Huaiyang took the item presented by the yamen runner, glanced at it, raised his hand and handed it to Bai Yuyang, "Sir, it's an account book."
Hearing this, Deng Ying raised her head on the torture bench, looked at him, and suddenly struggled, "Master Bai, this is only related to Deng Ying. Deng Ying is willing to be punished! Please, Master..."
Bai Yuyang frowned and winked at the bailiff.
Deng Ying was suddenly hit on the spine. He was caught off guard and his body shook. The rest of his words were cut off in pain.
Bai Yuyang handed the account book to Zhang Luo.
"Deputy Envoy Zhang, please take a look too."
After saying that, he said to the outsiders: "Bring the people outside up."
Yang Lun originally didn't understand why Deng Ying suddenly lost her composure, but when he saw the people who came in with the yamen runners, he understood everything at once.
The man was wearing a fragrant straight-dress, had a white beard down to his belly, and walked unsteadily. It was Zhang Zhanchun.
He slowly stepped over the threshold, walked into the main hall, and bowed to Bai Yuyang.
Deng Ying looked at him sideways and called out in pain, "Teacher..."
Zhang Zhanchun didn't look at Deng Ying, and said in a deep voice, "Shut up."
Bai Yuyang stood up and bowed to Zhang Chun, then stood up and said, "I didn't expect that Mr. Zhang would come back to the capital after returning home for many years."
Zhang Zhanchun did not respond to him. He turned around, squatted down tremblingly, and reached out to silently untie the ropes on Deng Ying's hands and feet.
He was old, his hands were not strong enough, and he untied the clothes very slowly.
"teacher."
"Don't talk."
"But teacher..."
"I told you not to talk!"
He said, finally untying all the ropes with great effort, "Stand up and kneel down."
Deng Ying did not dare to disobey him and quickly stood up and knelt down.
Zhang Zhanchun stood up and said to Bai Yuyang, "This is the court of the Ministry of Justice. I shouldn't have said such a thing, but I'm afraid I won't have the chance to say it again, so I must be polite today."
He took a step forward and pointed at Deng Ying, "Tell your father that Fu Ling was originally the best student between him and me. I left Fu Ling to him, but he allowed you to humiliate him like this. The construction of the imperial city took forty years, and he was only on the project for ten years. How much does he know? Huh?"
He laughed dumbly and pointed outside the hall, "I heard that he refused to see Yang Lun for two days. Why, he himself refused to take action against my old friend, and he also forbade his own students to consider the friendship between fellow students? What a shameless person!"
His scolding made Bai Yuyang's head ache. He opened his mouth to say something, but heard Zhang Zhanchun's voice getting higher.
"No need to explain to me."
"Mr. Zhang..."
"Oh."
Zhang Chunzhan sneered, "Don't you want to know where the money for the 20,000 bricks went? The account book in your hand is the account for that year. It contains not only the accounts for the past ten years, but also the accounts for the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth years of Zhenning. Take a look first, and then I will be judged by you!"