prosperous age

After Wei Shiliang took his leave, Wei Guangde shook his head. In fact, if Weng Dali had strong enough connections in the court, or if he were in the central government, he might have had a real chance to escape.

To put it bluntly, whether such a wrongful conviction is overturned or not is entirely up to those in power.

Or rather, it was decided by the Wanli Emperor, himself, and the other two cabinet ministers and the Nine Ministers.

When Weng Dali had no vested interest in the case, he would naturally choose to handle it impartially.

But if there really is some connection, they might try to protect it.

Unless the emperor insists, it is generally possible to succeed.

This explains why it's so difficult to overturn some cases in later generations—because the connections between the parties involved are still intact, and they're still desperately trying to protect the person in question.

Weng Dali was not one of Wei Guangde's men. Zeng Shengwu wanted to uphold justice, but Wei Guangde went along with it, which led to the current situation.

This is an obvious case, which is why the results of the joint trial by the three judicial authorities in the afternoon were not submitted to the Cabinet.

There are still some connections with Weng Dali who are helping to pull strings, hoping that the final sentence for him will be lighter.

The case file must include recommendations on how to handle those responsible, and the cabinet's draft resolution reflects this stance.

If it's approved, there's no problem; if it's considered too lenient or too severe, it will be mentioned in the draft.

This attitude will naturally influence the emperor's judgment.

After all the guests had left, Wei Guangde summoned Zhang Ji and asked who had come to the National Government to see him that evening.

After looking at the list, Wei Guangde shook his head.

Two or three of them were likely Weng Dali's lobbyists. Although he was not in Beijing, his connections remained, so naturally he had people helping him.

It's obvious that these people have deep connections behind them.

However, the core purpose of dealing with Weng Dali this time was not anti-corruption, so Wei Guangde had no intention of following the clues to investigate further.

The next day, Wei Guangde entered the cabinet but still did not see the trial files submitted by the three judicial departments.

Wei Guangde could guess that the disagreement likely stemmed from differing opinions on how to handle Zhang Guowei and Weng Dali.

This case file, produced by the joint trial by the three judicial departments, essentially sets the tone for the final handling of the case.

If the decision is too lenient or too harsh, and those in higher positions are not satisfied, then everyone involved in the trial will be viewed negatively by those in power.

They not only have to deal with appeals from all sides, but also have to figure out the attitude of the higher-ups.

Many of Wei Guangde's close associates, even though they returned home very late last night, were still waiting there to inquire about news.

After processing two memorials in his duty room, Wei Guangde lost interest in continuing. He summoned Lu Bu and instructed him, "Go and find out the results of yesterday's joint trial by the three judicial departments."

He spoke with Wei Shiliang yesterday, and although he didn't explicitly state his stance, he must have revealed quite a bit.

He thought those people would have come up with a decision last night, but things didn't go as planned.

Wei Guangde's serious refusal, and his demand that Wei Shiliang not get involved, frightened Wei Shiliang.

When had Wei Guangde ever shown such an attitude? So when he returned last night, there were indeed people waiting for him at Wei Shiliang's residence, but he didn't dare to meet them and turned them down directly.

This is why the three departments failed to come up with a solution overnight, and they had to meet again at the Ministry of Justice this morning.

"This is very bad. None of the three elders have made a statement, but they are all hesitant to speak."

"Yes, I asked my colleagues, but when I came back I didn't see them at all."

"How about we deal with this seriously? This matter can't be delayed any longer; Minister Zeng is still waiting for the outcome."

The officials from the three departments involved in the investigation gathered in a duty room in the Ministry of Justice and discussed the matter in hushed tones. They realized that the case might be serious, but they were still hesitant to make a decision.

Because some of those relationships require a response, while others involve receiving money.

The punishment for the perpetrators was naturally death by a thousand cuts, which was beyond discussion. However, the punishment for Zhang Guowei, a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the Minister of War was truly difficult to discuss.

“If that doesn’t work, punish Zhang Guowei with caning, fifty strokes of the cane and two years of penal servitude. After all, he is a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.”

As for Elder Weng, well... a deduction of one year's salary, probably for no more than two years.

Finally, someone proposed what they considered to be a very severe punishment.

After all, this was a dereliction of duty, as everyone at the time assumed the innocent victims were adulterers who had murdered and robbed them.

On one side were ordinary people who had died, and on the other side was a high-ranking official of the second rank. Being fined was already incredibly humiliating.

Moreover, after this incident, Weng Dali's career was ruined. Although he himself had no room for advancement, his reputation among the people was certainly gone, and he would inevitably face criticism from the literati.

Within a day of the incident being exposed, it is said that storytellers in teahouses in the capital city adapted the story into a vernacular novel and promoted it extensively.

"Isn't it too light?"

Those in the Ministry of Justice who were familiar with Wei Shiliang hesitated, thinking that they hadn't even seen Vice Minister Wei last night, and were also filled with their Minister's righteous indignation.

"It's already too heavy. If it gets any heavier, the court will lose face."

Especially now that Chief Minister Wei has just been promoted, he probably wouldn't want any rumors circulating that could damage the court's reputation.

“I think sentencing Zhang Guowei to prison and punishing Minister Weng by deducting his salary is about right.”

"But what about Minister Zeng?"

"Report our discussion results and see what Lord Zeng says. Also, tell him our concerns, and he will understand."

"Hmm, I think that's feasible."

After some discussion, the officials of the three departments made a judgment that they believed to be correct.

The results of the execution of Zhu Guochen and other criminals by slow slicing, the punishment of Zhang Guowei by fifty strokes of the cane and two years of penal servitude, and the punishment of Weng Dali by a two-year salary deduction, were delivered to Zeng Shengwu's court.

Zeng Shengwu would certainly not punish derelict officials so easily. He was not familiar with Weng Dali, and even if he were, he would never be able to abuse his power for personal gain.

However, Zhang Siwei heard the opinions of the three men, especially their concerns about the impact on the court's reputation.

Wei Guangde intended to use this incident to launch a major campaign, ordering the Six Ministries to investigate long-standing cases. In reality, he wanted to use this as an excuse to escalate the matter and make it easier for him to appoint his own people to important official positions in the court.

Zeng Shengwu saw it, but did not express his opinion.

He was actually very opposed to the practice of eliminating dissidents after taking office. He believed that as long as one held a position and did not make mistakes or show incompetence, one should not be easily transferred.

However, he was of low status and his voice carried little weight. Although he was the Minister of Justice, the Ministry of Justice had a relatively weak voice in the court, and his position was also quite awkward.

During Zhang Juzheng's time, he was highly trusted.

But now that Zhang Juzheng is gone, it is difficult for him to gain Wei Guangde's trust, or rather, to be given important responsibilities.

He could never truly integrate into the Jiangxi Party circle.

At this moment, he was not considering the severity of the punishment, but rather that Wei Guangde wanted to escalate the matter further, intending to directly dismiss Weng Dali and initiate a new round of changes among court officials.

He shouldn't be like this.

So Zeng Shengwu suppressed his anger, read through the final disposal opinion in the case file again, and finally nodded.

If Wei Guangde insists, then let him do it; the Ministry of Justice won't take the lead.

In ancient times, officials protected each other, largely due to the intricate relationships among them, ostensibly for the sake of the court's prestige. Wei Guangde only saw the case file in the afternoon, noticing the signatures of the three chief judges and the seal of the Ministry of Justice.

Wei Guangde had strong objections to this outcome.

Zeng Shengwu clearly did not do as he wished, because it was reported by the Ministry of Justice, and he could not possibly be unaware of the outcome.

Since they knew this, and still reported it to higher authorities, that's something to ponder.

Wei Guangde expressed his opinion on the handling of the case to Zeng Shengwu yesterday, hoping to influence the final judgment in the case file.

In an instant, Wei Guangde had the idea of ​​relocating Zeng Shengwu.

The position of Minister of Justice has reached its limit, and he needs to be reassigned. So, we can only find a pretext to send him to Nanjing to manage some affairs.

Although it appears to be a lateral transfer, it is definitely a demotion, so we need to find a reason for Zeng Shengwu's oversight before we can proceed with this.

Wei Guangde slapped his forehead and muttered to himself, "Although the Ministry of Justice is not important, it really can't do without people."

Previously, Wei Shiliang handled these kinds of matters, and Wei Guangde only needed to inform him of the results.

Now that Wei Shiliang has been transferred to the Ministry of Revenue to assist Zhang Xueyan, there is truly no one available in the Ministry of Justice.

Now, even if he doesn't intend to control a department, Wei Guangde still needs to place a vice minister there to make things easier for him.

Otherwise, if none of the notes from the six ministries could satisfy him, being the Grand Secretary would be too frustrating.

Wei Guangde had no intention of watching any longer; his mind was already preoccupied with how to place people in the Six Ministries so that he could control them as easily as his own limbs without giving anyone a reason to criticize him.

Some ministerial positions should be vacated; they cannot be occupied entirely.

But only by establishing himself in the position of Vice Minister can he have a voice in the ministry.

Zhang Juzheng, who was still on his way back to his hometown, never expected that Zeng Shengwu, whom he had left in the capital to act as a mediator between him and Wei Guangde, had already completely lost power in Wei Guangde's eyes and had been marked as untrustworthy.

Although Zeng Shengwu and Wei Guangde were old friends, that was all.

Wei Guangde wouldn't touch him, but he also wouldn't dare to use him casually again.

Since he no longer trusted Zeng Shengwu, Wei Guangde quickly understood his thoughts.

"hehe."

Wei Guangde just chuckled at this. Yesterday morning, when he went to the Qianqing Palace, he had given Emperor Wanli a very thorough analysis of the case.

Furthermore, this was a tragic event that occurred in the fourth year of the Wanli Emperor's reign, and the young emperor must have felt as if a thorn was stuck in his heart.

He thought that if this case file were presented, he would either have to compromise or amend the verdict to increase the punishment, which would make the officials in the court feel insecure and fearful, and thus distance themselves from him.

Wei Guangde laid out the paper, picked up his pen, and began drafting the bill.

He did not suggest increasing the punishment for Weng Dali and Zhang Guowei, but instead lamented the cruel torture of being slowly sliced ​​to death suffered by Hehua and others who died unjustly.

Lingchi, the most severe form of torture, involves cutting flesh from bones, severing limbs, and then cutting the throat; it is commonly known as the punishment of being cut in half.

In fact, ancient books often do not use the term "lingchi" (凌迟), but rather "zhe" (磔刑).

As an extreme form of torture, it is terrifying and its cruelty is appalling. The victim must endure the pain of having flesh cut off and bones separated, limbs severed and body torn apart, before finally having their throat cut to end this torment that is worse than death.

Wei Guangde deliberately exaggerated the pain of slow slicing in order to awaken the sense of justice in Emperor Wanli's heart.

How can we let innocent people die so easily?

However, after much deliberation, Wei Guangde wrote: "Dismemberment is too cruel. I request Your Majesty's permission that this punishment should not be applied to any cruel criminal without conclusive evidence."

This punishment is truly against the will of Heaven; I believe it should be used sparingly or not at all.

After Wei Guangde finished writing the draft, he checked it twice more before he was satisfied.

"Reed cloth".

He called out to the door, and after the person came in, he instructed, "Give it to the palace eunuchs and send it directly to the Qianqing Palace. There's no need to go through the Directorate of Ceremonial."

It wasn't a formal memorial; it was just a way to inform the emperor in advance, so it could be delivered directly to him.

Next, we'll have to bet on Emperor Wanli's reaction.

Sure enough, half an hour after the case file was submitted, an eunuch came to summon him from the Qianqing Palace.

When Wei Guangde entered the Qianqing Palace, he was only standing in front of the main hall when the young eunuchs standing outside gave him meaningful glances.

Clearly, he was trying to convey some message to him.

Wei Guangde wasn't surprised at all; he simply nodded slightly to indicate that he understood.

This is the advantage of having someone in the palace. This eunuch was certainly not one of Feng Bao's men, but rather an informant planted in the Qianqing Palace. He was there to keep the emperor informed of what was happening around him; he was essentially an eyepiece.

Chen Ju did not hide this from Wei Guangde, fearing that problems might arise at a crucial moment.

After all, Wei Guangde is no ordinary man now; he is the current Grand Secretary.

In fact, not only in the Qianqing Palace, but also in the Grand Secretariat, there were Chen Ju's sons and grandsons.

Although he couldn't command these eunuchs, he could still fulfill normal requests.

This time, the case file was delivered to the Qianqing Palace, and Chen Ju's godson was asked to do it.

He paused at the door for only a moment, seemingly waiting for someone to go in and announce his arrival, but Wei Guangde could already hear the Wanli Emperor roaring inside.

"Holding a position without doing any work, shameless and irresponsible."

When Wei Guangde was summoned to the palace, Emperor Wanli did not directly berate him, but he clearly expressed his rejection of the conclusion reached by the Three Departments.

"Master Wei, tell me, Weng Dali directly caused the tragic deaths of three innocent people, who suffered the most excruciating torture of being slowly sliced ​​to death, yet he only received a simple salary reduction. Where is justice?"

Zeng Shengwu hadn't thought too much about it beforehand, so when the first case file came out, he interrogated all the officials involved in the case, including the prison officials who had been ostracized for opposing Weng Dali's insistence on his own way.

They naturally wouldn't say anything nice about Weng Dali, nor would they try to smear him; they would simply tell the truth, which was enough for everyone who had read the case file to understand that the root of this miscarriage of justice was Zhang Guowei, but the most important driving force was Weng Dali.

The Vice Minister of Justice should have been making a rational judgment, but Weng Dali chose to use torture to extract a confession and quickly resolve the case. Despite opposition from his colleagues, he persisted in his actions and could not escape punishment.

"I have already approved it; the punishment will be severe."

I do not trust the people in the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review. This case will be reconsidered and handled by the three departments organized by the Cabinet.

After speaking, Emperor Wanli waved his sleeve, and Zhang Jing picked up the dossier from the imperial desk and handed it to Wei Guangde with both hands.

After receiving the imperial decree, Wei Guangde left the Qianqing Palace and opened the document to take a look. Just as he had thought, the emperor's meaning was very clear: Weng Dali was not fit to be an official, and Zhang Guowei, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, should not return.

"If you're not allowed to return to the capital, then you'll be exiled to the frontier, with no time limit."

Wei Guangde muttered to himself, feeling that this seemed even more serious than killing him.

Although he survived, the harsh conditions of the border region were enough to give this pampered official a real hard time.

"Let him go to Liaodong. It's tough there, and there's no point in spending his money there."

Wei Guangde had made up his mind. Upon returning to the cabinet, he first summoned Zhang Siwei and Shen Shixing to discuss the matter, and only then did he convene the three ministries to make a decision. (End of Chapter)