Chapter 168 Joint Trial of Three Divisions!
It was fine on August 14.
Tomorrow was the Mid-Autumn Festival, the extremely important sacrificial festival in the Dahan Country.
There was unrestrained lively atmosphere of sacrificial festival for the autumn harvest everywhere in Yunjing City. But the Curtilage of the Ministry of Penalty was full of coldness and graveness.
Today, the Ministry of Penalty would try the case about the Baiwei Building.
A large number of people heard the news. They came to the entrance of the Ministry of Penalty early in the morning. The front door of the Ministry of Penalty had been closed for a long time. But it was pulled open suddenly by jailers at 7:00 a.m. Then grave and serious officers and soldiers marched in step from the trial hall to the place where people stood. The trial hall was heavily guarded.
The crowd was in tumult. Chen Gong who was in official uniform walked from the back hall and sat behind the middle desk. He glanced at the people outside coldly and seriously. Although the distance between the crowd and Chen Gong was about a normal courtyard’s length, people kept silent suddenly when they saw him.
“He is Chen Gong!”
“How terrible his energy is!”
Few of them saw Chen Gong before. He was not as scaring as rumors said that he was like a demon with superhuman powers, but people were still frightened by his cold eyes and didn’t dare to speak more.
After Chen Gong sat down, another young man came from the back hall. The young man who was handsome smiled as if he came to attend an autumn outing. But the official uniform he wore was black and gold, which showed that his official rank wasn’t inferior to Chen Gong’s.
Ling Qinglan glanced at the people outside the Ministry of Penalty. Then he patted his folding fan and sat on Chen Gong’s right.
Then two middle-aged men in blue official uniforms came out from the back hall. They saluted to Chen Gong and sat in the two seats in Chen Gong’s left.
Chen Gong had a glimpse of Ling Qinglan, who was calm, and said in a sonorous voice.
“Seventy-six persons were wounded and five persons died in the case of the Baiwei Building! The case is quite severe and important. According to the law of the Dahan Country, three divisions will try the case! Ling Qinglan, the Officer of the Supreme Judiciary, Cui Ziliang and Sang He, senior officials of the Supervisory Ministry and I are here to try the case together to exemplify the justice. The Su Family has a connection with the Officer of the Supreme Judiciary, so the Officer of the Supreme Judiciary only has the right to speak but doesn’t have the right to vote. Do you have any problem with that?”
Then Cui Ziliang and Sang He got up immediately and replied simultaneously, “We have no problems.”
Ling Qinglan still smiled. His official rank was equal to that of Chen Gong, so he didn’t need to salute. After closing his folding fan, he nodded slightly and said with a smile, “I will listen to Lord Chen.”
“Well, take the prisoner…”
“Wait!”
Chen Gong was interrupted by a voice from the side door. He frowned and looked at the direction of the side door coldly.
A sixty-year-old man with a wrinkled face walked from the side door with a cold expression. He was in an official uniform with the pattern of cranes. There were shadows of people behind him. It seemed that he didn’t come alone.
Chen Gong was a little stunned. The old man was Ma Weiming, the biological father of Ma Ling. He was also the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
“Chen Gong, you have prevented me from seeing my son for half a month with the laws and rules of the Ministry of Penalty! I got the permission from the Majesty this time and can sit in on the case. Do you have any problem?”
Ma Weiming asked Chen Gong angrily regardless of the people outside. Cui Ziliang and Sang He were slightly shocked but Ling Qinglan wasn’t surprised at all.
Ma Weiming had several children, but Ma Ling was his only son. He had this son at forty and spoiled Ma Ling very much.
He got the news suddenly one day that his son died. Chen Gong was stubborn and had prevented him from seeing Ma Ling for half a month. Ma Ling’s corpse was put in the Ministry of Penalty. It was quite respectful for Ma Weiming to speak to Chen Gong like this.
“I don’t dare to object to the Majesty’s oral instruction. Provide a seat for Lord Ma.” Chen Gong ordered. Then a jailer carried an armchair to let Ma Weiming sit down. “Lord Ma, you just have the right to sit in on the case. Don’t interfere in it. Otherwise, even the Majesty can’t help you. I will never let off anyone who dares to despise the law of the Dahan Country!”
“…You!”
Ma Weiming was extremely angry. He pointed at Chen Gong and trembled. He had the highest official rank and had never been blamed by others like this. Even the Majesty must speak to him in a polite way, but Chen Gong… “Well, as long as I could revenge for my son, I don’t mind what Chen Gong said!” Ma Ling thought.
“Lord Chen, how is everything going?!”
Ma Jintian suddenly appeared behind Ma Weiming and said, “I am ordered by my father to sit in on the case and make sure that the case is tried with justice. Lord Chen, don’t mind…”
Seeing that Ma Jintian also came, Chen Gong felt that it was hard to deal with the case. But he replied in a cold and calm voice, “I don’t care how many people sit in on this case. But if you disturb the trial, I will drive all of you out!”
“Lord Chen tries the case. How can I dare to disturb it?” Ma Jintian joked. Actually, he had his own scheme.
Chen Gong had no reason to drive Ma Jintian out. Cui Ziliang sat on one side. He was really depressed and thought, “The trial hasn’t begun yet, but there are so many people here.”
Cui Ziliang was arranged by the First Prince personally. He thought that it must be a cushy job. But he knew now there was more to it!
Chen Gong showed a cold look. He wanted to say something, but there was another sound behind the side door.
Ma Jintian was puzzled and thought, “Is there anyone after him? There shouldn’t be.”
All the people looked at the side door. A young servant wheeled a wheelchair towards the hall of the Ministry of Penalty. The person in the wheelchair was sloppily dressed and was evilly smiling. He was Ling Li!
Why did he, a playboy, come to the trial?!
At this moment, even Chen Gong, who was calm in front of a great trouble, was a little surprised. Except Ling Qinglan, others were all stunned and couldn’t understand why Ling Li came.
Ling Qinglan frowned. He focused on Su Qingtan recently and didn’t contact with Ling Li. He also didn’t know why Ling Li came here today.
Ling Li looked disdainful and said listlessly, “What’s wrong? Ma Jintian, you can come here. Why can’t I? Anyway, my father is the King of the South. I am also the young king. Don’t I have the qualification to sit in on the case?”
Hearing that, people understood that this was also the battle among playboys.
Ma Jintian was quite angry and replied coldly, “Ling Li, if you stir up trouble toady, even your brother can’t save you.”
Ma Jintian offered suggestions to the Fifth Lord and came here to carry out his perfect scheme. He had never thought that Ling Li would come. If Ling Li stirred up trouble on purpose, Ma Jintian didn’t know how to tell the Fifth Lord.
Chen Gong also frowned and said coldly, “Ling Li, this is the Ministry of Penalty. You can’t stir up trouble here! Leave here quickly!”
Ling Li scrabbled around his ears, “Don’t worry! Lord Ma’s son died. Don’t I know the importance of the situation?”
Hearing that, Ma Weiming’s mouth twitched. Ling Li didn’t notice that and continued saying, “I just sit in on the case and won’t stir up trouble. If I really make trouble, I will have erectile problems in this life. What do you think of that?”
Everyone was shocked. Was Ling Li serious?
It was the worst oath for a playboy, so his oath carried conviction.
“Well, let him stay here. Lord Chen, start the trial quickly.” Ma Weiming said weakly. He didn’t want to fight with those playboys.
Since Ma Weiming didn’t care, Chen Gong didn’t continue driving Ling Li out. He shouted, “Take Su Huanli and Su Li… here!”
Ling Li sat there. He thought for a moment and then asked Ling Mo secretly, “How is everything prepared?”
Ling Mo bent over and stood behind Ling Li. Hearing what Ling Li said, he looked down and whispered, “I have fixed it up. Officers and soldiers as well as jailers inside and outside the trial hall are our people. If Miss Su Li is tortured at last, we can rescue her without being noticed by anyone.”
Ling Li nodded gently. It couldn’t be noticed by anyone. Then he inadvertently had a glimpse of the long jailers’ queue starting from the trial hall. He sighed slightly in heart. No matter what result of the trial was, Ling Li must be sure that Su Li was safe; otherwise, Ling Qinglan would lose his life.
Then a group of people in white prison uniforms were led in. Su Li was in handcuffs. She followed Su Huanli.
“I am Su Huanli! Lord Chen! I… am wronged!” Su Huanli’s voice trembled heavily.
His face was ghostly pale. Recently, he had been tormented slightly but the torment he had suffered in heart wasn’t less than that in body. He knelt down with a flop and trembled violently.
Su Li also knelt down and said in a frightened voice, “I am Su Li, Lord Chen.”
Then a group of waiters behind them knelt down. Some were badly battered. Some were thinner than before. It seemed that their life in prison was quite miserable.
“I will uphold justice and won’t let any murderer go. But I won’t let any innocent people be wronged.”
Chen Gong said calmly. He pounded the desk and asked seriously, “Su Huanli, what were you doing when Ma Ling was murdered?”
Su Huanli quivered and replied quickly, “I was busy with the Baiwei Building as usual. Everything had gone well since the Baiwei Building opened. I depended on it to support my family. It was impossible for me to poison. It was unreasonable!”
Cui Ziliang stood up and said coldly, “Killers don’t need any reason. Perhaps you thought that there were few people at the beginning, so you poisoned when the business of the Baiwei Building was prosperous.”
Hearing that, Su Huanli was stunned. He waved his hands anxiously and replied, “I was just a businessman. Why did I kill him?”
“You didn’t poison, but what about your daughter, Su Li?”
Cui Ziliang asked and then looked at Su Li viciously. He said, “As the senior official of the Supervisory Ministry, I know well about the case. Su Huanli, were the dishes and the stove in the back hall designed by Su Li?
“Yes… yes.”
Su Huanli nodded blankly. Seeing that Su Huanli gave the answer he wanted, Cui Ziliang continued immediately, “But the profit of the Baiwei Building was occupied by you. Your sons and daughters never got any profit. You even never bought a dress for your daughter. You were really mean! You never cared about them both in the Dasu Town and in Yunjing. So, your daughter had a grudge against you and wanted to ruin the Baiwei Building. Am I right?”
What… What?
Su Huanli was completely stunned and turned to look at Su Li.