I play the role of Jiajing in Zongwu: What crime have I committed?

"Very well, I will certainly submit a memorial to His Majesty, impeaching your Eastern Depot!"

"random."

Cao Zhichun casually uttered two words, turned around, walked to the side, sat down, and slowly adjusted his cuffs.

"By the way, I also personally went to Binzhou to investigate this case, and His Majesty has granted me permission to attend the hearing today."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of everyone in the hall changed drastically.

Zheng Bichang's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and the corners of her mouth turned up almost imperceptibly.

He is different from Zhao Mengjing. Zhao Mengjing is "non-stick" and always tries to protect herself, but Zheng Bichang is ruthless and unscrupulous.

At this moment, his gaze swept over the kneeling clerk of the Binzhou prefectural government below the hall, and he already understood.

The Eastern Depot has arrested so many people; it certainly isn't just targeting the Duke of Qing's family.

Isn't it just about implicating innocent people?

Zheng is best at that.

If he can succeed in this, Zheng Bichang might be able to climb a few more steps in his career.

Thinking of this, Zheng Bichang's eyes flashed, and she immediately stepped forward, cupping her hands in a respectful gesture, saying, "Lord Xia, the most urgent matter right now is to focus on the trial. Perhaps we should set aside these minor details for the time being?"

"In my humble opinion, this case involves a wide range of people. The Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, and even the Binzhou Prefecture and the Governor's Office failed to notice it, which is a serious dereliction of duty!"

"If we don't thoroughly investigate and root out these corrupt officials who are occupying positions without doing their jobs, and punish them severely without leniency, how can we rectify the court and improve governance?"

His words were delivered with conviction, yet his gaze seemed to drift towards Cao Zhichun, clearly testing the Eastern Depot's attitude.

When he saw Cao Zhichun's lips curl into a slight smile, he immediately felt reassured.

Chapter 42 Implicate as many people as possible.

After listening to Zheng Bichang's words, Zhao Mengjing suddenly looked up and stared directly at Xia Dong, asking suspiciously.

"Lord Xia, such a shocking case, yet the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review know nothing about it, and neither the Binzhou Prefecture nor the Governor's Office has reported it."

I wonder if Lord Xia has discovered anything suspicious about this?

His question was cleverly worded; on the surface, he was inquiring about the progress of the case, but in reality, he was subtly pointing out a hidden agenda.

With his years of experience as an official, he could naturally see it clearly.

The Eastern Depot had already fabricated the charges; now it was just a formality, waiting for them to sign and close the case.

How could a newly established Eastern Depot dare to handle such a major case without anyone backing it up?

The mastermind behind this is self-evident.

His question, ostensibly about the case, was actually a veiled criticism of Xia Dong's ineffective handling of the case.

This was also a way of passing on a message to Cao Zhichun, which naturally led to the involvement of these "suspects" in the government offices.

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly froze, and everyone held their breath, waiting for Xia Dong's response.

Sure enough, after hearing Zhao Mengjing's words, Xia Dong's face instantly turned ashen.

She did indeed only investigate the Duke of Qing's problems, intending to stop there, but she never expected things to develop to this extent.

After all, according to past practice, when such a major case occurs, those government departments that are not deeply involved in the case but are suspected of dereliction of duty will at most receive a few mild reprimands and be let off the hook.

Just then, Cao Zhichun chuckled softly and said slowly, "It doesn't matter if we didn't find anything; we do have some clues here."

He raised his hand and waved it lightly, and several agents from the Eastern Depot immediately came forward with a thick stack of files, which they neatly placed on the desk.

"My lords, please take a look."

As the files were unfolded one by one, gasps of surprise filled the hall.

The case file was filled with records of officials from the Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, the prefectures, and the governors.

Even high-ranking generals from the Northern Army were among those listed.

What's even more alarming is that every single charge listed is a serious crime, with the lightest penalty being confiscation of property and extermination of the entire family.

Hu Ruzhen felt a chill run up from the soles of her feet.

This doesn't look like a trial.

This is clearly about to unleash a bloody storm in prison!

After quickly scanning the case file, Zhao Mengjing and Zheng Bichang immediately noticed the key points.

The list of people implicated in the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review contained eight or nine out of ten of them as confidants of Prince Yu's faction.

This discovery startled the two men, and they looked up at each other simultaneously, a glint of light flashing in their eyes.

Is it...

They both saw the same ambition in each other's eyes.

After carefully reading all the testimonies, Xia Dong's face was so gloomy it could drip water.

She slammed the case file on the table and glared at Cao Zhichun.

"Cao Zhichun, are you trying to use this opportunity to instigate a major prison and implicate innocent people?"

Cao Zhichun calmly straightened his sleeves and said with a sinister smile, "Lord Xia, you are mistaken."

"These people are all irrefutably guilty, with irrefutable evidence. How can they claim to be innocent?"

"What irrefutable evidence!"

Xia Dong, enraged, laughed coldly, "I will immediately go to see His Majesty and demand that he severely punish you, you treacherous lackey who has brought chaos to the court!"

Having said that, she angrily turned and headed straight for the palace.

The people in the hall looked at each other, waiting for Prince Yu's instructions. For a moment, there was complete silence.

Prince Yu, Xiao Jingting, solemnly flipped through the files, his fingers trembling slightly on the pages.

When he looked up at Zhu Qi, his eyes were filled with shock and admiration.

The contents of these files were exactly the same as what Zhu Qi had said in the secret room last night.

He clearly remembered what Zhu Qi had said at the time.

"Your Highness, this case should implicate as many people as possible, the wider the reach, the better."

"The Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, and the prefectural governments—none of them can be overlooked. As long as this matter is handled well, His Majesty will certainly not treat you unfairly."

At that moment, Zhu Qi seemed to sense something and happened to look up and meet Prince Yu's eyes.

He raised the corners of his lips slightly and nodded gently without making a sound.

Prince Yu took a deep breath, raised his eyes and looked around at everyone, his gaze finally landing on Hu Ruzhen and the others.

"Since Eunuch Cao has already done the first part for us, let us begin the trial."

"Today, we must get to the bottom of this matter."

"I will obey Your Highness's command!"

The officials from the three departments responded in unison and immediately took their positions to begin the trial.

The sound of gavels striking the courtroom filled the air, along with the sounds of interrogation, signing documents, and the clanging of chains.

At the same time, the Imperial Guards, who had been waiting outside the government office, surged into various parts of the city like a tide, their armor clanging and their horses' hooves thundering.

For a time, the entire capital was filled with a sense of unease and panic.

The Imperial Guards, carrying torches, swept through the streets and alleys, causing chaos and disorder wherever they went.

Squads of soldiers kicked open the doors of wealthy households and dragged the officials, who were still asleep, out of their beds.

Another group of men went straight to the major government offices and arrested the officials on duty on the spot.

The city gates were heavily guarded, and anyone trying to leave the city was subjected to strict checks.

This sudden and massive manhunt was like a long-planned storm that swept through the entire capital city in an instant.

Xia Dong strode out of the Dali Temple, mounted his horse, and galloped straight to the palace.

His face was ashen, and his eyes were blazing with fury.

At this moment, inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Zhu Houcong was leaning against a soft couch, joking and laughing with Consort Yue and Consort Hui.

Suddenly, Yan Song's deep and respectful voice came from outside the hall.

"Your Majesty, Xia Dong, the Chief Mirror Officer of the Suspended Mirror Bureau, requests an audience, saying he has important matters to report."

"Announce."

Upon hearing this, Lady Yue and Consort Hui quickly straightened their slightly disheveled robes, restrained their previous flirtatious demeanor, and sat upright to the side.

With a soft rustling of the beaded curtain, Xia Dong strode into the hall, his official boots making a dull thud on the golden bricks.

She knelt on one knee, clasped her hands in a gesture of respect, and said, "Xia Dong, the Chief Mirror Officer of the Suspended Mirror Bureau, pays her respects to Your Majesty."

"Rise, there's no need for such formalities."

Xia Dong suddenly stood up, his sleeves stirring up a gust of wind.

She straightened her back and stared intently at the emperor, clearly no longer caring about the proper etiquette between ruler and subject.

Zhu Houcong closed his eyes to rest, ignoring Xia Dong, and let Yue's slender fingers gently massage his temples.

Seeing this, Consort Hui smiled sweetly, picked up a rose-flavored pastry, and said softly, "Your Majesty, please try this..."

Zhu Houcong opened his mouth and bit down, even taking Huifei's fingertip into his mouth as well.

Consort Hui exclaimed in surprise, hurriedly withdrew her hand, and blushed like a peach blossom.

Xia Dong frowned upon witnessing this scene, a hint of disgust flashing in his eyes.

"His Majesty!"

She raised her voice, clasped her hands in a respectful bow, and said, "Your subject has important matters to report!"

"Speak."

"Your Majesty, I wish to impeach Cao Zhichun, the Director of the Eastern Depot, for three major crimes!"

Summer and winter, each word resounding.

"First, he abused his power to extract confessions through torture; second, he fabricated charges and instigated massive prisons; third, he overstepped his authority in handling cases, disrupting the imperial court."

"Oh? Is that so?"

Zhu Houcong did not open his eyes, but spoke casually.

"When the Eastern Depot was first established, Cao Zhichun and his associates were also trying to serve the country. Their intentions were good, but they lacked a sense of proportion."

"Alright then, taking advantage of this Qingguo case, let Cao Zhichun learn some rules from your Xuanjing Division. You may leave now."

Upon hearing this, Xia Dong's anger intensified.

"Your Majesty, I am not referring to Cao Zhichun alone, but to the Eastern Depot itself!"

She stepped forward, her voice growing increasingly impassioned.

"In this case, the Eastern Depot not only bypassed the Three Judicial Offices, but also arbitrarily arrested officials of the court and detained innocent people, rendering the Three Judicial Offices ineffective."

"If this continues, it will be detrimental to the stability of the country and the well-being of the people. We beseech Your Majesty to abolish the Eastern Depot!"

Chapter 43 The mountain peach blossoms are in full bloom

The hall fell silent.

Upon hearing this, Lady Yue and Consort Hui were so frightened that they turned pale and held their breath.

Zhu Houcong finally looked at Xia Dong directly, his gaze gradually turning cold, and the temperature in the hall seemed to drop sharply as well.

He slowly sat up straight, his fingers tapping lightly on the armrest of the dragon throne, producing a dull sound.

"Are you talking to me about the fate of the nation?"

Xia Dong straightened his back and met the emperor's gaze without flinching: "I am only risking my life to give this frank advice."