Water Margin people

Chapter 1685 Questioning
In the blink of an eye, it was time for the grand court meeting.

All the officials entered the hall and waited. With a loud shout from the guards, Sun Lei walked into the hall with steady steps and sat on the dragon throne.

"Long live my emperor! Long live!"

All the officials saluted and called out to the emperor with worried looks on their faces.

"The system has been changed today. From now on, you should sit down when you attend court!"

Sun Lei waved his hand and said, the guards immediately put tables, chairs and benches in place, and also placed pens, ink, paper and inkstone on the table for the ministers to write and record.

The rule before the Tang Dynasty was that ministers could sit down to attend court after paying their respects. Whether they sat or kneeled, they sat opposite each other to discuss state affairs.

Starting from the Song Dynasty, the rules were changed so that ministers had to stand when attending court to show respect to the emperor, and even official hats were changed to prevent ministers from communicating privately.

The ministers were flattered when they saw the arranged tables and chairs. It had been many years since the emperor had respected his subjects so much. For a moment, they even found it hard to accept it and worried that there was something wrong.

"What are you all standing there for? Are you going to disobey my order?"

Lu Zhishen sat carelessly among the military officers guarding the place, then looked at the people behind him and spoke.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Wu Song, Ruan Xiaoer, Hua Rong and the others all bowed to Sun Lei, then sat down with a smile. This was originally the Juyi Hall. Didn't they sit here to drink and chat in Liangshanpo in the past?
Xiao Jiasui and Wen Huanzhang also sat down. Seeing that so many people were seated, the other officials took their seats one by one.

A team of maids came in and placed cups of tea in front of the officials.

"If you have anything to say, tell me now!"

Seeing that everyone was seated, Sun Lei smiled and said.

Soon, officials came out and talked about matters that required the emperor's decision.

It is about the development of Liaodong. As many as 100,000 people have arrived in Liaodong to open up wasteland, but Liaodong is bitterly cold. The ice and snow have not completely melted yet. There is still a month to spring, and the court needs to allocate oxen and farm tools for the spring as soon as possible.

Sun Lei looked at a memorial in front of him, which detailed how many oxen and farm tools were needed.

"Your report is not detailed enough. There are more than 100,000 people. Where are they assigned? How much land are they cultivating? How many farm tools are they allotted? You don't have any of this. How can I review it? Go back and reorganize it!"

Sun Lei waved his hand and said that the memorial was rejected.

Next were some things about spring plowing. The situation varied from place to place, but everyone was very interested in tractors.

"This thing is too heavy at the moment, and is only suitable for use in the great plains. It is somewhat inconvenient in mountainous and hilly areas. In addition, it requires learning to drive, and maintenance is even more of a problem. For now, it should only be used in the Central Plains."

Sun Lei thought for a while and said, the tractor is a good thing, but it is not very stable at present and is prone to malfunctions, which limits its promotion and it can only be used in the Central Plains.

All the officials quickly took up their pens to write down what was said. They keenly grasped the meaning of the emperor's words. Learning how to operate a tractor and how to repair a tractor was the key.

The court meeting lasted for an hour and the matter was almost discussed.

"Your Majesty, I have a script!"

Pei Xuan stood up and spoke.

Pei Xuan's words attracted everyone's attention. Everyone knew that Pei Xuan was impartial and just. Now that he was in charge of Liangshan City, the matter he reported must have been that incident.

"Say it!"

Sun Lei nodded.

"A few days ago, the imperial inspector of Liangshan City arrested several people who were involved in a fight on the street. They claimed to be Wen Zihao, the nephew of Prime Minister Wen, and villagers surnamed Ruan from Shijie Village... I have already found out that Wen Zihao is suspected of robbing a woman, and several people from Ruanjia Village are suspected of robbery and extortion!"

Pei Xuan spoke directly.

Everyone gasped. They knew Pei Xuan would expose this matter, but they didn't expect that both Wen Xiang and the Ruan family would be involved.

Wen Huanzhang and Ruan Xiaoer sat there expressionlessly, as if they hadn't heard anything. "The Zhao Song regime learned this pretty quickly. Are they now bullying the people?"

Sun Lei looked at Wen Huanzhang and Ruan Xiaoer and asked.

"Your Majesty, I am guilty."

Wen Huanzhang and Ruan Xiaoer immediately stood up and knelt down to confess their guilt. Regardless of whether they knew about this or not, the people who did it were doing it under their names, which caused extremely bad influence. What was even more serious was that after the incident, there were officials who covered up for them and suppressed the matter, which was suspected of forming a clique.

"I started my army in Liangshan to eliminate corrupt officials and overthrow the decadent Zhao Song Dynasty. Now that I have done my duty as a hero, I have become a corrupt official myself?"

Sun Lei looked at the officials and asked.

"I am guilty!"

All the officials and generals knelt down and confessed their crimes.

"I won't say anything is guilty, but if something goes wrong, we have to deal with it. You guys decide how to handle this matter."

Sun Lei waved his hand and said.

"Your Majesty, we should punish them severely to serve as a warning to others! However, this matter has nothing to do with Prime Minister Wen and General Ruan."

An official spoke up.

"Your Majesty, I have studied this case. I have heard that Zihao has been suspected of forcing women, but it also fits the local situation."

"As for the villagers of Shijie Village, they are just providing some convenience to the foreign merchants."

All the officials began to speak up for Wen Huanzhang and Ruan Xiaoer.

"So, we just need to sentence those people?"

Sun Lei looked at the officials and spoke without changing his tone.

The officials all said yes, that was their opinion, and some of them really wanted to help Wen Huanzhang and Ruan Xiaoer.

But most of them were still neutral. They spoke for Wen Huanzhang and Ruan Xiaoer only for their own sake. No one could guarantee that they would not encounter such a problem in the future. As long as a precedent was set today, the verdicts could be made accordingly in the future and they would be able to be protected.

Sun Lei sneered in his heart as he looked at the officials who spoke. It was just as he thought. People are selfish. When it comes to interests, they consciously stand together.

Sun Lei glanced at Lu Zhishen who was still sitting and gave him a look.

"I think the sentence should not be light. Although the two of them didn't know about this situation, it was their banner that was used, so they have the responsibility! If you say so, Zhao Ji can also say that he knew nothing!"

Lu Zhishen stood up and spoke.

As soon as these words were spoken, all the officials looked over. Lu Zhishen's identity was not ordinary. He was the number one figure in the military. Even if he was unwilling to help Wen Huanzhang, he had to help his good brother Ruan Xiaoer.

"Your Majesty, I think so too!"

Wu Song also stood up and spoke at this time.

Hua Rong and others looked at Lu Zhishen and Wu Song, then looked at Ruan Xiaoer who was kneeling on the ground, and finally looked at the emperor sitting on the dragon throne.

"Your Majesty is not a heartless person. Wen Xiang has worked hard for the regent, and Xiao Er has fought for Qi and made countless contributions! Although this matter is serious, it will not be punished severely. This is intentional!"

Several old men from Liangshan soon realized that this was a play put on by the emperor, Master Lu and others.

"I think this matter should be dealt with seriously and banned completely!"

Hua Rong and others also spoke up.

This immediately put those officials who had previously wanted to give a light sentence in a difficult position.