The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 299 Confrontation
Li Xianmu walked out of the Huagai Hall and onto the palace path. He was all alone. He looked up and a cool autumn breeze brushed past his eyes, and autumn leaves fell in front of him.

A single falling leaf heralds the arrival of autumn!
He tied his hands, slowed his pace slightly, and stepped on the fallen autumn leaves. When he lifted his foot again, it had already turned into scattered leaves and stars.

The next day.

Since the cabinet issued its decree, the Gansu case of sham disaster relief has shocked the nation.

His Majesty entrusted the matter entirely to Grand Secretary Li Xianmu, ordering him to have the Three Judicial Offices investigate the case.

Upon receiving the imperial edict, Grand Secretary Li Xianmu immediately summoned the Minister of Justice, the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review, the Left Censor-in-Chief, the Right Censor-in-Chief, and the Director of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, who was in charge of the matter, to his seat to receive orders.

For a time, the entire capital and the whole country were drawn to this case, and even the matter of deposing the empress was temporarily overshadowed.

Some astute individuals even sensed a chilling undercurrent in Li Xianmu's grand gesture.

"Li Xianmu is drawing his sword!"

Ministry of official affairs.

The people transferred to the special task force by Li Xianmu were lined up on the left and right respectively. Right Vice Censor-in-Chief Zhao Zhen and the Director of the Anti-Corruption Bureau were naturally calm and composed, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review had an indifferent expression on his face, while the Minister of Justice and the Left Vice Censor-in-Chief looked rather ugly.

The Left Censor-in-Chief directly challenged the Right Censor-in-Chief, asking, "Vice Censor Zhao, since this involves the Censorate, why didn't you report to me first?"

Zhao Zhen chuckled softly upon hearing this, “Chief Censor, the Anti-Corruption Division’s affairs are not within the regulations of the Censorate, so it might be inappropriate to report to you. The Governor of Gansu is also under the Censorate, but he has never reported matters concerning Gansu to the Censorate.”

Upon hearing this, the Left Censor-in-Chief paused, his resentment growing even stronger.

Over the years, the Censorate has grown in size, serving as the governor-general of nineteen provinces and the anti-corruption bureau. The Left Censor-in-Chief, who was in charge of the Censorate, looked very powerful.

Only after sitting in this position did he realize that these people did not obey the management of the Censorate at all, and their high rank weakened his power in the Censorate.

After all, the young officials of the Censorate now have more powerful figures to rely on. There are nineteen governors of the second rank alone, so they don't need to put all their eggs in one basket with just a few.

Seeing that the Left Censor-in-Chief was at a loss, the Minister of Justice took the opportunity to speak up: "Grand Secretary Li, since the Anti-Corruption Division has already arrested a group of corrupt officials in Gansu, why not transfer them to the Ministry of Justice? This matter is indeed the responsibility of our Ministry of Justice."

During the Ming Dynasty, the Ministry of Justice, the Censorate, and the Court of Judicial Review were established as the core of the three judicial departments. The Ministry of Justice was in charge of adjudicating cases, the Court of Judicial Review was responsible for reviewing wrongful convictions, and the Censorate exercised supervisory power. The three departments had separate powers and checks and balances, and the Ministry of Justice had the greatest power and responsibility in the judiciary.

Of the five people present, the Minister of Justice was the only one who had the opportunity to stand on equal footing with Li Xianmu in this case.

"There's no need for the Grand Minister of Justice to worry about this. His Majesty has granted me full authority over this matter, so it's not something the Ministry of Justice can decide."

The Minister of Justice, naturally, would not give up easily, and spoke again, "The joint trial by the three judicial departments is a system of the dynasty. Does the Grand Secretary intend to act arbitrarily?"

Li Xianmu's eyes sharpened, and he said sternly, "Grand Minister of Justice, be careful with your words!"

The joint trial by the three judicial departments was a deliberation, but the final decision still had to be submitted to the Emperor. The Emperor's decree clearly stated that after the joint trial by the three judicial departments, the decision would be made by the Grand Secretary.

The purpose of summoning you all here today is for a joint trial by the three judicial departments. After each of you has expressed your opinions, I will make a judgment and then implement it!

Does the Grand Minister of Justice have any further questions?

If so, you may enter the palace to meet the Emperor; if not, remain seated and await orders.

The Minister of Justice's face changed color, but he didn't know what to say. He felt extremely embarrassed, realizing that Li Xianmu was here today, acting on behalf of the emperor.

The other people in the room also had different expressions. Seeing that no one spoke up, Li Xianmu turned to the head of the Anti-Corruption Bureau and said gently, "I will explain the specific situation to you superiors."

Things that circulate outside are naturally not as clear and concise as those in the case files.

As the story unfolded, the expressions on the faces of those present changed constantly, but just listening, everyone had a premonition that this was already an ironclad case, with no logical flaws to be found.

The person who wrote this case file must be a master investigator.

The two officials, the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review and the Left Censor-in-Chief, had a deeper understanding of this. As an auditing and supervisory body, they often relied on doubts within the case files to reinvestigate.

But this file...

It's fair to say there's no problem.

In this situation, unless someone goes to the capital to appeal to the emperor, they will have to bear certain responsibilities if they want a re-examination.

In particular, this is a major corruption case that has shocked the entire world. If a group of corrupt officials fail to overturn the verdict, their reputation will be ruined.

"That concludes the account of the Gansu fake disaster relief case. If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask. The Anti-Corruption Bureau is well-prepared."

"Since the Grand Minister of Justice has said so much, and is also the Minister of Justice, why don't you let the Grand Minister of Justice start?"

"Your Excellency, this matter involves so many court officials and is of great importance. It would be better to disperse today and hold a joint trial after careful consideration. If any mistakes are made in such a hasty manner, it would be extremely unfortunate."

Li Xianmu narrowed his eyes slightly. The usual evasive tactics in officialdom probably had another meaning behind them.

The Minister of Justice looked solemn and said, "Especially with the matter of the deposed empress causing such a great uproar in the court and among the people, how can the officials have the energy to deal with such a major case?"
If a mistake occurs, wouldn't we become a laughingstock?

Upon hearing this, the people in the room slowly sat up straight, their faces solemn, and the atmosphere in the room immediately became tense.

Some looked towards Li Xianmu, while others looked towards the Minister of Justice.

it has started!

In this battle against the cabinet, the Minister of Justice naturally sided with the Six Ministries and unequivocally recommended the abolition of the cabinet.

Now it's no longer being concealed.

He may not have had any ill intentions towards Li Xianmu, but since their positions were already on opposite sides, it was inevitable that a winner would have to be determined.

If Li Xianmu wanted to use the Gansu case to muddy the waters regarding the deposed empress, then he would absolutely not allow it.

The Minister of Justice alone would not dare to provoke Li Xianmu, but he knew that he was not fighting alone. Behind him were not only other second- or third-rank officials, but also a group of nobles and members of the imperial family.

There are many people who are dissatisfied with Li Xianmu's current power.
Although everyone's purposes were different, their goal was the same: to target all of Li Xianmu's people.

"Some rumors circulating in the court and among the people can make officials lose interest in their duties and even forget their own responsibilities. How can such people be entrusted with important tasks?"
The fact that the Grand Secretary concurrently served as Minister of Personnel was an oversight on his part.

Since the Grand Minister of Justice has made this discovery, why not compile a list of those in the Ministry of Justice whom you believe are unmotivated to do their jobs, and have an official from the Ministry of Personnel investigate them?

Let's see if they really can't handle the heavy workload of six departments!

(End of this chapter)