It was approaching noon, and the sun overhead was like a burning fireball, steaming the entire petition scene. Last night's heavy rain was almost evaporated, and the entire petition scene was like a steamer.
The main judge's seat and the gallery in the court were all fine, as there were awnings to protect them so they didn't have to face the scorching sun.
Zhu Ping'an was not so lucky. Under the scorching sun, sweat on his face dripped down his chin from time to time.
It is indeed summer.
I miss modern air conditioning so much, or even a fan.
Ma Dan
Now I am even a little envious of Zhao Daying. With his bare chest, he must be much cooler than me.
However, Zhao Daying didn't think so. After noticing that Zhu Ping'an was looking at him, he felt that Zhu Ping'an was mocking the scar on his back, so he became even more angry towards Zhu Ping'an. "Go ahead and show off, but you'll cry next time."
"Zhu Ping'an, you impeached Zhao Daying for killing innocent people and claiming credit. What evidence do you have?" The presiding judge, Wang Xueyi, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice, looked at Zhao Daying, then turned his gaze to Zhu Ping'an, his eyes much stern, and asked as if he was interrogating him.
"Of course. Your Excellency, please order the witnesses Liu Mu, Liu Dadao, Liu Daqiang, Liu Dachui, Liu Dafu and Liu Dagang to come to the court." Zhu Ping'an replied with a bow.
witness
After Zhu Ping'an finished speaking, many people let out a surprised cry.
Many people did not expect that Zhu Ping'an would have witnesses. This was beyond many people's expectations. They had not received any news that Zhu Ping'an had witnesses before.
If there were witnesses, Zhao Daying would be in danger.
Many officials looked at Zhao Daying, but Zhao Daying's reaction was beyond everyone's expectations. After hearing the news that Zhu Ping'an requested the court to summon witnesses, Zhao Daying was not surprised or worried at all. Instead, he was even calmer than before.
"Please order the witnesses to be summoned. I am also curious about who the witnesses mentioned by Master Zhu are. I am not afraid of any slander, so I would like to take a good look at these witnesses."
Zhao Daying clasped his fists confidently, and not only did he not stop it, he was even more proactive than Zhu Ping'an in requesting the court to summon witnesses.
Afterwards, he looked at Zhu Ping'an provocatively.
Yo
Zhu Ping'an showed a look of surprise at Zhao Daying's reaction.
Seeing Zhu Ping'an's stunned reaction, Zhao Daying felt so happy that he let out a long sigh of relief. The smile on his face became even more intense, and he looked confident.
Seeing the reactions of Zhao Daying and Zhu Pingan, the military attachés in the audience felt relieved. It seemed that Zhao Daying had already dealt with it. Now, it was good, there was something interesting to watch. They were all nervous because of Zhu Pingan's constant questioning. Now, they could finally relax, drink a cup of tea, and watch the show.
then
The military attachés in the gallery picked up their teacups and drank tea while waiting for the show to begin.
The presiding judge Wang Xueyi readily followed his advice. He drew out a stick and asked an officer to hold the stick and inform Liu Mu, Liu Dadao and others outside the hall of the Ministry of Justice to come to the court.
But in fact, Zhao Daying was overthinking it. Zhu Ping'an was not surprised at Zhao Daying's confidence, but was surprised that Zhao Daying recovered so quickly after being slapped in the face.
I think the reason why Zhao Daying was so fearless was that he had already known the news about Liu Mu and Liu Dadao in advance. Although Zhu Ping'an wanted to hide the news about Liu Mu and Liu Dadao until Chen Qingshi gave Zhao Daying a surprise attack, he had already prepared for Zhao Daying to know the news about Liu Mu and Liu Dadao in advance.
The relationship between the Yan family and Jinyiwei commander Lu Bing has long been no secret since the Xia Yan incident, and Zhu Ping'an also knows a lot about Lu Bing from historical perspectives.
Lu Bing is neither a good person nor a bad person. Although he has great power, he is still a little timid. When Xia Yan was the Prime Minister, he did not dare to compete with Xia Yan. It was not until Xia Yan wanted to punish him that he colluded with Yan Song to overthrow Xia Yan. When Qiu Luan was favored by Emperor Jiajing and suppressed Yan Song, Lu Bing also pretended to flatter Qiu Luan and befriended him with money. It was not until Qiu Luan was critically ill that Lu Bing exposed Qiu Luan's evil intentions. Now that Yan Song is the Prime Minister, even though Lu Bing is extremely powerful, he dare not compete with Yan Song, but befriends Yan Song.
Shen Lian was a subordinate whom Lu Bing admired, but when Shen Lian impeached Yan Song, Lu Bing did not dare to rescue Shen Lian, as can be seen from this incident.
Therefore, as long as Yan Song's power is stable, Lu Bing will only befriend Yan Song and show goodwill to Yan Song.
Lu Bing was the highest commander of the Jinyiwei. If Lu Bing was on good terms with Yan Song, then the Jinyiwei would be on good terms with Yan Song. Now the Jinyiwei had suppressed the Dongchang and restored the glory of the Taizu era. The Jinyiwei had its agents and spies all over the world. As long as the Jinyiwei was willing, no matter if they were princes, ministers or ordinary people, there would be no secrets in front of the Jinyiwei.
Although Zhu Ping'an kept Liu Mu, Liu Dadao and others secret, he was not confident that he could hide it from the Jinyiwei. If he couldn't hide it from the Jinyiwei, then he couldn't hide it from the Yan Mansion, and naturally he couldn't hide it from Zhao Daying.
Therefore, Zhu Ping'an had made preparations for both situations when preparing for Chen Qing. At this moment, looking at Zhao Daying's fearless and confident look, Zhu Ping'an was just slightly stunned for a moment, then he curled the corners of his lips slightly without leaving a trace.
At this moment, outside the Ministry of Justice, Wang Shizhen, Zhang Siwei, Liu Mu, Liu Dadao and others were blocked outside the gate by the Embroidered Uniform Guards and soldiers.
Liu Mu and Liu Dadao were stopped outside the alley under martial law for a long time. They were stopped outside the alley before they even reached the Ministry of Justice. When Zhang Siwei and Wang Shizhen arrived, they recognized Liu Dadao and his companions. When they learned that they were stopped, they wanted to take them in with their official identities. However, not only did they not take Liu Dadao and his companions in, they were also stopped.
"I'm Zhang Siwei, an editor of the Hanlin Academy. Why can't even I go in?" Zhang Siwei, dressed in official uniform, walked forward and said to the Jinyiwei who was blocking the way.
"I am the censor of the Dali Temple. Let me in." Wang Shizhen also stepped forward and argued with the Jinyiwei who were blocking the way.
"I'm sorry, my lords. Anyone who has not received an official petition from the Ministry of Justice is not allowed to enter." The Jinyiwei stood in front of the door expressionlessly and shook his head.
"Then how did those two adults get in just now?" Zhang Siwei asked.
"Just now, you two gentlemen were holding official letters from the Ministry of Justice. If you two gentlemen also had official letters, I would not dare to stop you. If you don't have official letters, you two gentlemen, please go back." The Jinyiwei clasped his hands together, without any intention of refusing or making concessions.
This is differential treatment, Wang Shizhen and Zhang Siwei were both very angry.
Just now, when they heard that officials were allowed to sit in on the petition, they immediately changed into their official uniforms and hurried over, ready to support Zhu Pingan at the petition site. But they didn't expect that even sitting in on the petition was arranged in advance, and they couldn't enter without an official letter.
"We are here to accuse Zhao Daying of murder and taking credit for it. Let us in." Liu Dadao and others said anxiously.
"No one is allowed to enter without an official letter." The Jinyiwei looked at him coldly. He was not as polite to Liu Dadao and his men as he was to Zhang Siwei and Wang Shizhen. "I advise you to leave as soon as possible. If you dare to entangle with us again, you will be punished for disturbing the court."
Just when Liu Dadao and his men were at a loss, they suddenly heard an announcement from the Ministry of Justice, "The Lord has ordered Liu Mu and Liu Dadao... to appear in court." Then they saw an officer trotting out with a warrant in his hand.