Tang Dynasty: A Guide to Avoiding Pitfalls for Li Er at the Start

Chapter 339 If you're a real man, come with me and smash that heartless bookstore!
"problem occurs."

Inside a small courtyard in Chang'an City.

The door to Xun Jue's study was pushed open from the outside.

His brows furrowed instantly, and he looked up at the tall, thin manager who had barged in, his tone as cold as ice: "I have said before that when I am reading, no one is allowed to disturb me."

As he finished speaking, he gently placed the book in his hand on the table, his gaze sharp as a knife, making the steward's heart tighten.

"Please forgive me, my lord!" The steward hurriedly knelt down, his voice filled with panic.

"An urgent report came from Wannian County: the coroner has finished examining the bodies of Qu Mei and Lin An!"

Xun Jue picked up the celadon teacup, his fingertips tracing the rim, his tone so calm it seemed he already knew everything: "But no external injuries were found?"

The steward looked up abruptly, his eyes wide with shock: "Young master, your predictions are truly divine! The coroner examined them three times, and there wasn't a single scratch on either of them. The Court of Judicial Review has already submitted its report, and judging from this, Wen He will be released from prison tomorrow!"

"It's not so much that I'm a prophet, but just a deduction based on common sense."

Xun Jue took a sip of tea and chuckled, “Think about it, if they really confessed under torture, how could those two have eaten on their own? Besides, Wen He isn’t stupid. He knew that people in the court were watching, so why would he leave any evidence of ‘torture’? Even if he did use force, it should have been done in a way that left no trace. But now it seems that he couldn’t even be bothered to do that.”

"I'm afraid Wen He thought of this trick when he went to Dali Temple. Now he must be confident that he will be able to get out soon."

The steward suddenly realized, and quickly got up, bowed and praised, "Young master, you are truly talented. You see things very clearly. That boy Wen He is still too green!"

After praising him, he frowned, his tone full of resentment: "But if we just let Wen He out of prison like this, wouldn't all our previous arrangements have been wasted? The Imperial Censor Fang's impeachment lacks solid evidence; not only will it fail to bring him down, but Wen He is also vindictive. If he finds out about us..."

"Found it? What could he possibly find out?"

Xun Jue put down his teacup, a mocking smile playing on his lips.

"Who delivered the poisoned food? It was that jailer named Old Zhou. And who bribed Old Zhou?" He deliberately looked up at the steward, his eyes carrying a hint.

The steward instantly understood, his worried expression fading into a smug smile: "Don't worry, my lord! That person disguised himself and left Chang'an on the night of the incident, and has probably already passed Tongguan. The entire process was done through intermediaries, so even if Wen He wanted to investigate, she wouldn't find a single clue!"

Xun Jue nodded in satisfaction, tapping his fingertips lightly on the table: "So, even if he wanted to take revenge, he wouldn't know where to start. Without evidence, even if he suspected the aristocratic families, he could only suffer in silence."

"Are we really going to let him out of prison like this?"

The person in charge was still unwilling to give up.

"We've gone through so much trouble, we can't just give up like this."

"Released from prison?"

Xun Jue sneered, picked up the book "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" from the table, and lightly ran his fingertips across the pages.

"It's just that the evidence of 'forced confession' is gone, but who can prove that Wen He didn't coerce or bribe? Who can prove that the two people's confessions weren't forced upon them by him? Although Fang Chengwen's impeachment is untenable, he is still a suspect."

He paused, his eyes turning smug: "Besides, he'll come out sooner or later, but he lost this first encounter."

This wasn't even a real confrontation for him.

He and Wen He had never met before, but he won this first move.

……

"I believe that even if there was no forced confession, we cannot rule out the possibility that Wen He coerced or bribed him. Now that the person is dead and there are no witnesses, it is natural that whatever Wen He says is true."

During the court meeting, Liu Dewei had just finished explaining the results of the investigation.

Fang Chengwen then stood up to refute him.

Upon hearing this, Li Daozong rolled up his sleeves and prepared to leave.

Seeing this, Li Shimin frowned and subtly gave Yuchi Gong a look.

Yuchi Gong understood and quickly stepped forward to stop him. He was extremely strong, and in his haste, he grabbed Li Daozong's arm and pulled him back.

With a sharp "rip," Li Daozong's brocade sleeves were forcibly torn off, revealing the plain lining underneath.

The hall fell silent for a moment, then a few suppressed laughs rang out.

Yuchi Gong looked at the torn sleeve in his hand, then at Li Daozong's ashen face. A rare blush appeared on his dark face. He quickly let go of the sleeve and coughed twice to cover his embarrassment: "Prince Ren, this is the imperial court. Be mindful of etiquette and do not get angry."

Li Daozong was trembling with anger. He pointed at Yuchi Gong but couldn't speak for a long time. In the end, he could only snort angrily, flick his sleeve, and retreat to the side, his eyes still staring fiercely at Fang Chengwen.

Fang Chengwen, however, seemed oblivious to the farce unfolding before him, and bowed calmly, saying, "Your Majesty, I am not holding a grudge against Wen He, but rather acting for the sake of justice! I have no connection with Wen He, nor any enmity between us, so why would I deliberately frame him? It is just that doubts remain in this case, and if we were to draw a conclusion now, I fear it would allow treacherous officials to slip through the cracks, thus damaging Your Majesty's wisdom!"

His words were presented in a grand and dignified manner, both dispelling any suspicion of "settling personal scores" and placing himself on the moral high ground of "sharing the Emperor's burdens and being loyal to the court."

This leaves others with no grounds for criticism.

After all, censors have the power to "report on hearsay," and even without concrete evidence, they can impeach officials based on "suspicious points."

Li Shimin's face grew increasingly gloomy as he sat on the throne, his fingertips tapping lightly on the armrest of the dragon chair, his heart filled with rage.

How could he not know that Fang Chengwen was acting under someone else's orders?

However, the other party was fixated on the argument that "the witness is dead and the doubts are hard to dispel," and also held the position of censor, so he was unable to directly refute it for a while.

Just then, Wei Zheng stepped out from the ranks of civil officials, bowed, and said, “Your Majesty, this old minister has a suggestion. This case arose from the censor’s impeachment. If the Dali Temple is the only one to investigate and make a conclusion, it may not be enough to silence public opinion. It would be better to have the Censorate also participate in the investigation, to verify the evidence and interrogate the relevant people together with the Dali Temple. If in the end there is still no concrete evidence that Wen He is involved in the case, then he can be completely exonerated. This will not only demonstrate Your Majesty’s fairness, but also convince the court.”

Li Shimin's heart stirred.

Wei Zheng's suggestion was just right. Involving the Censorate not only gave Fang Chengwen and his backers a way out, but also allowed them to use the Censorate's name to completely clear Wen He of suspicion and prevent anyone from using the "suspicion" as a pretext in the future.

Just as he was about to agree, a figure suddenly flashed past outside the hall. The eunuch Gao Yue quickly walked to the hall door, whispered a few words to the person, then turned around and quickly returned, bowing and saying, "Your Majesty, Xu Jingzong, the military advisor of the Hundred Cavalry Division, requests an audience."

"Hakuqisi?"

Inside the Taiji Hall, the assembled officials were in an uproar upon hearing the commotion. The officials standing at the end of the civil service line all craned their necks to look around, only to discover that Xu Jingzong, the military advisor of the Hundred Cavalry Division who always attended the morning court session, was nowhere to be seen today.

Li Shimin glanced sideways at Fang Chengwen, who remained calm and composed beside him, and slowly said, "Summon Xu Jingzong to the palace."

Fang Chengwen tightened his grip on the tablet, but his heart remained unmoved.

Even if the Hundred Riders arrive, so what?

Qu Mei and Lin An are dead, and the only witness is gone. Even if Wen He has the support of the Hundred Cavalry, he cannot produce any concrete evidence that he was not coerced or bribed.

Moreover, his reasons for impeaching Wen He were all based on justice, and Wen He had absolutely no chance of turning the tide in today's court meeting!

Soon, Xu Jingzong, dressed in the black uniform of the Hundred Cavalry, strode into the hall, bowed, and said in a hurried voice, "Your subject Xu Jingzong greets Your Majesty!"

"Minister Xu, are you late today? Is the Hundred Cavalry Command occupied with important matters?"

Li Shimin spoke calmly, but his gaze was fixed on him, clearly waiting for him to continue.

Xu Jingzong straightened up, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Majesty, a few days ago, the Hundred Cavalry Division received an anonymous report alleging that some of the Censors in the Censorate had accepted bribes and falsely accused their colleagues, using the pretext of 'impeaching illegal acts' to actually 'slander others' in order to enhance their own reputation! I was ordered to investigate secretly, which is why I am late today. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me!"

"slander!"

Fang Chengwen's expression changed drastically. He took a step forward and retorted sharply.

To his utter surprise, after Xu Jingzong entered the hall, he didn't mention Wen He's case at all, but instead turned his attention to him!

"Your Majesty clearly shows you!"

Fang Chengwen bowed quickly, his tone urgent.

“My impeachment of Wen He, the magistrate of Gaoyang County, is entirely true. It was all for the sake of the court's justice, without any personal motives, and I certainly did not accept bribes or falsely accuse my colleagues! Military Advisor Xu is making baseless accusations!”

Xu Jingzong seemed not to hear his explanation, raising his head to stare at Fang Chengwen with sharp eyes: "Imperial Censor Fang, I am not talking about the matter of Wen County Magistrate."

He paused, then his voice suddenly rose, making it clearly audible throughout the entire Taiji Hall: "I'm referring to the matter of your impeachment of Governor Du Yuanlang of Huazhou for 'embezzlement' three years ago!" "According to the investigation by the Hundred Cavalry Division, Du Yuanlang's so-called 'embezzlement' was completely fabricated. He merely accepted a cartload of dried goods as a gift from a friend, worth no more than twenty strings of cash, yet you impeached him on the grounds of 'embezzling public grain,' causing a great uproar throughout the city. Du Yuanlang was an honest man throughout his life and could not bear such slander. In the end, he suffered a stroke and passed away!"

These words caused an uproar in the Taiji Hall!

"What? Governor Du was framed?"

"Fang Chengwen actually did something like this?"

"No wonder he dared to impeach Wen County Magistrate so recklessly today; he has a history of such actions!"

The officials discussed amongst themselves, their eyes filled with disdain as they looked at Fang Chengwen.

Du Yuanlang had a remarkable political career during his tenure in Huazhou. However, he was suddenly impeached for corruption and eventually died in depression. This incident was discussed in the court, but at the time, Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin were locked in a fierce power struggle.

If I remember correctly, this Governor Du was a man of the King of Qin.

No wonder Li Jiancheng and the retired emperor dismissed him without even asking any questions when they learned of this.

There was an uproar among the people.

Du Ruhui, sitting at the head of the table, looked rather grim.

According to seniority, he should call that Du Yuanlang his uncle.

Fang Chengwen's face turned deathly pale in an instant, and his body trembled uncontrollably: "You...you're talking nonsense. It's true that Du Yuanlang accepted gifts. I did nothing wrong in impeaching him. He just had a fit of anger. It has nothing to do with me!"

"It has nothing to do with it?"

Xu Jingzong sneered, took out a scroll from his robes, and handed it to the eunuch.

“Your Majesty, these are the testimonies I have found. Du Yuanlang’s friends and officials of Huazhou Prefecture can all testify that the cart of dried goods was just a private gift and was by no means ‘embezzlement’. More importantly, I have also found that shortly after you impeached Du Yuanlang, you received an anonymous sum of money, amounting to as much as 500 strings of cash!”

In fact, the claim of "accepting bribes" was made up by Xu Jingzong on the spot.

Wen He had previously relayed a message to Xu Jingzong.

An imperial censor who can be used as a tool by the aristocratic class and impeach others at will is certainly not clean.

Order the Hundred Cavalry Division to immediately investigate Fang Chengwen's past impeachment cases.

Xu Jingzong investigated overnight and found that there were indeed suspicious points in Du Yuanlang's case.

As for the "five hundred strings of cash," it was purely a fabrication he made up to intimidate Fang Chengwen.

Since Fang Chengwen was able to slander Wen He, he would give him a taste of his own medicine!

But when Fang Chengwen heard these words, it was like being struck by lightning.

He impeached Du Yuanlang at the instigation of a gentry member, and he received a reward afterward. However, the reward was not "five hundred strings of cash," but a promise of "future promotion."

How could Xu Jingzong distort the truth like this!
"You, you, you, Xu Jingzong, you're slandering me! What five hundred taels of gold? Where did this five hundred taels of gold come from? It's just..."

In his haste, Fang Chengwen almost blurted it out.

Even though he stopped speaking, all eyes in the court were already on him.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I have been wronged!"

Fang Chengwen was almost in tears.

Li Shimin's gaze towards him was now filled with coldness.

"Take him down and hand him over to the Dali Temple for a thorough investigation!"

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty!"

Fang Chengwen wanted to explain, but the Imperial Guards outside the door had already rushed in and subdued him.

"This is my censor, my loyal minister. Wei Zheng, you should really put some order on the Censorate!"

Li Shimin gave a cold shout.

Now that there is no Grand Censor in the court, Wei Zheng, the Vice Censor-in-Chief, naturally has to step forward and take the blame.

at the same time.

In the bustling streets of Chang'an.

"Have you heard? The magistrate of Gaoyang County has been impeached. The censor who impeached him is a smearer."

Inside a tea stall where laborers were resting, a man dressed as a scoundrel was speaking vividly.

"Is it true? Is the censor slandering someone?"

"It's true, of course. It's said that the censor has been imprisoned in the Dali Temple."

“I’ve heard about it too, but it’s about the Chen family’s silk business. It’s said that the magistrate of Gaoyang County solved the case in one day and arrested the adulterous couple. But someone accused the magistrate of being tortured into confessing. When the coroner went to investigate, he found that no torture had been used at all.”

Another man dressed as a laborer chimed in.

"This matter involves not only the gentry but also those from Guanzhong. The magistrate of Gaoyang County opened a bookstore, charging three copper coins for a book and even asking him to teach children in the countryside. This has offended those people."

The brat from before clicked his tongue twice.

Someone in the crowd asked in confusion, "But I heard that the Xun family does the same thing. Where do they have the words of a sage?"

"What do you know? They're doing this to compete with Gaoyang County's Sanwei Study. Once the county's Sanwei Study is no longer viable, they'll suddenly raise the prices and cut off our children's path to education."

After the young scoundrel finished speaking, everyone present erupted in an uproar.

"It's actually like this!"

"Those aristocratic families are simply going too far!"

"They're ruining our child's future!"

The young scoundrel suddenly stood on the table and raised his arms, shouting.

"They want us to be their slaves for generations to come."

“They treat us like pigs and dogs, preventing our children from rising up, and wanting them to be oppressed by the aristocracy like you, until they don’t even have enough to eat.”

"Gentlemen, are you willing to be slaves for generations to come?"

"I don't want to!"

Someone in the crowd shouted something.

After a moment of silence, the surroundings fell silent.

Immediately, those around him echoed, "No way!"

"I don't want to!"

"If you're a real man, come with me and let's smash that heartless bookstore!"

"But don't bring any metal objects. There are sticks over there. Take them and come with me!"

When everyone turned around, they saw rows of sticks, each about the size of a bowl, neatly arranged not far away.

(End of this chapter)