Gao Ping originally thought that this was just an ordinary difficult case, but he didn't expect that after receiving it, he realized that it was not just an ordinary difficult case. This case was obviously very important. If he didn't do it well, he would not be able to keep his official position in the future.
Yang Bo was silent for a long time.
He waited until Gao Ping raised his eyes uneasily, then he lowered his head and said in a deep voice: "Of course, we will do what we have to do."
This was said simply, but the implication was self-evident. Gao Ping looked up suddenly and heard Yang Bo say calmly, "It's just a case."
It's just a case.
Gao Ping was stunned, but when he saw Yang Bo's eyes, he suddenly understood - Yang Shoufu meant what he said on the surface. This was a normal case and he should be tried as he should be, without mercy.
Seeing that Prime Minister Yang had expressed his rare opinion, the heavy stone in Gao Ping's heart immediately disappeared, and he quickly responded loudly with a serious expression.
Three days later, Gao Ping opened the court again to try the case. This time, the person being tried was Xu Fengqing, who had been escorted to the capital.
The people had been waiting for a long time, just waiting to see what the final result would be. As soon as the court session in the Ministry of Justice began, the whole street was packed with people. The other ministries adjacent to the Ministry of Justice were in great trouble. Even the Minister of Rites had to get off the sedan chair and walk, otherwise he could not enter the yamen at all.
Everyone knows that the more lively the scene, the bigger the incident will inevitably be.
Amidst the bustling crowd and under the gazes of countless people, Xu Fengqing was taken to the court located in the square outside the Ministry of Justice. As soon as he came out, he was blinded by the glaring sunlight and subconsciously stretched out his hand to block it. The officer next to him saw him raising his hand and thought he was going to do something, so he pushed him. He staggered to the front and his eyes met Gao Ping who was sitting in front of him.
The two men served as officials in the court together, and because they were from the same hometown, they had some interactions with each other in their early years.
But now, Gao Ping holds a high position as a minister and leads a palace of academicians, but he has become a prisoner. In a single thought, his fate has completely changed.
He pursed his lips, lowered his eyes, and stepped forward to salute.
Although he is a criminal, he has not been dismissed from his official position, so he should not have to kneel.
Gao Ping did not make things difficult for him. He just called out Zhang Tuiguan and read out the testimonies of the kidnappers and the madam of Juhaizhuang one by one.
The kidnapper had been caught long ago, and during the past few days, he had revealed many officials involved in the case. Magistrate Zhang originally thought that the Xu family had committed many evil deeds, but who knew that the deeds done by Juhai Manor were even more heinous. When he read them out loud at this moment, his entire scalp was tense and he gritted his teeth.
There was a roar among the people, as if a spring thunder had exploded.
"Are you a human being?! They even snatched a five or six-year-old child!" A woman almost burst into tears after hearing this: "Are you going to let the child's parents live?!"
"Forcing women of good character into prostitution! In broad daylight, in the open, they actually committed such a heinous act under the feet of the emperor. They deserve to die, deserve to die!" A scholar was filled with righteous indignation. He rolled up his sleeves and raised his hands to curse Xu Fengqing for aiding and abetting the tyrant.
Xu Fengqing was in a daze due to being scolded, and the people's saliva was almost drowning him. In fact, he had thought that there would be such a day, but when this day really came, he still couldn't help feeling scared and painful.
As Zhang the Magistrate began to read out the testimony of hiring a killer, the noise and cursing from the people grew louder and louder, almost blowing the roof off the house.
Gao Ping slammed the gavel hard, shouted for silence several times, and asked the officers to shout, and the situation was finally stabilized.
Xu Fengqing was already sweating profusely and his face was pale.
Gao Ping glanced at him with cold disgust and shouted, "Xu Fengqing! Madam Chen has accused you of colluding with Juhai Manor, condoning the trafficking of human beings, facilitating the trafficking of human beings under your rule, and even turning the tables and beating up the people who lost their children. Do you admit it?!"
Xu Fengqing's eyes widened. The things he had done were now being repeated again in front of so many people. Even he himself felt that he was guilty of a heinous crime.
After ten years of hard study, when he was an official, he also reminded himself to be a good official.
But why has it come to this
His throat was sore that even his tongue seemed to have trouble moving.
After a while, his mouth was filled with the taste of rust, he nodded with difficulty: "I am guilty."
That’s an admission!
The people below were immediately in an uproar. An old man in his 50s or 60s jumped up and shouted, "You bastard official! You bastard official!"
Xu Fengqing didn't dare to dodge or defend himself. He stood there with a pale face, like a burnt tree.
Gao Ping clenched the gavel in his hand and sneered: "You are a scholar who reads the books of sages and listens to the words of sages. How dare you act like a parent official of the people!"
Since Xu Fengqing admitted to condoning the kidnapper and hiring a killer to commit murder, Gao Ping saw that the clerk had already recorded everything and asked Xu Fengqing to sign and seal his name.
When the piece of paper was brought in front of him, it was a thin piece. Gao Ping looked at it and for some reason, he felt that he could not see a single word on it clearly and everything in front of him was blurry.
After a long while, he finally signed his name on it.
"Alas!" At this time, Lord Wang, who was sitting in the elegant room of Baoding Tower, was saying to Mr. Cui: "The evidence is irrefutable. There is no room for maneuver. Xu Fengqing will definitely die."
Xu Fengqing was doomed to die, but Mr. Cui didn't care at all.
After all, although they are allies, there are many kinds of allies. People like Xu Fengqing are pawns that should have been abandoned long ago.
He looked at Lord Wang in front of him seriously and reached out to pour him a cup of tea: "I don't know... what exactly do they want us to do? As Lord Wang said, this matter is already a done deal, and I'm afraid no one can influence the outcome. In this case..."
In that case, what can sending a letter to Princess Fenyang solve
Not to mention that Princess Fenyang has lost all her favor with Emperor Yuanfeng because of the troubles she caused one after another, and her life is difficult now. Even when the Fenyang Palace was at its peak and Prince Fenyang was still around, it would have been extremely difficult for her to play any role in such a big case.
Lord Wang lowered his eyes and shook his head: "Mr. Cui, please don't misunderstand. The Seventh Master has no other intentions. We all know the current situation. We just hope that the matter can be stopped at Juhai Manor and not spread further."
After all, if we continue investigating, we will end up finding Mr. Bai Qi, and if we find Mr. Bai Qi, we will inevitably reveal Mr. Bai Qi's identity.