The Dramatic Crown Princess Wants to Poison Me!
Chapter 573: Injustice Bell
The Duke of England was furious. He thought King Kang had come to offer his condolences with good intentions, but he didn’t expect him to say such inexplicable things. And he said them in front of Baoqing’s spirit tablet.
He said hatefully, "Huangfu Mian, don’t go too far!"
King Kang turned his head with a rather strange expression, "How am I being excessive by coming here to offer my condolences?"
"Lighting incense is enough, why say those things?"
King Kang raised his eyebrows and said, "This child, Baoqing, I watched him grow up. I was overwhelmed with emotion and said a bit too much, you can pretend you didn’t hear it. I’ve paid my respects, farewell!"
Prince Zhuang said, "Brother King Kang, please stay!"
King Kang said displeased, "What, do you intend to detain me?"
Prince Zhuang took a step forward and said, "Of course not, but Brother King Kang, surely, you didn’t say such a thing without reason. So, I want to ask, who is the real culprit?"
King Kang asked, "I heard that the Capital Guard and the Ministry of Justice officials handling the case have already reported the results, it’s those three Jianghu people?"
This wasn’t a secret, and they were to be executed tomorrow; the notice and portraits had already been posted.
King Kang shook his head and said, "In the Ministry of Justice, the one I trust for solving cases is Tang Jinlin. The Capital Guard is good at capturing people, but are they good at solving cases? Just because the suspects were caught by the Capital Guard, and the Ministry of Justice was informed first, the Junior Minister of the Ministry of Justice got involved? And the matter was handed over to them? If you want to know the truth, isn’t it more reliable to seek the Capital Governor?"
The Duke of England’s expression worsened, his face dark as water. He didn’t care who was in charge of the case; all he wanted was the murderer, just to get revenge for his grandson.
But it seemed things were not as they appeared.
He stepped forward and said, "Huangfu Mian, do you know something? If you do, please speak directly. Mr. Zhan will remember this favor!"
King Kang shook his head, "I don’t know the specifics, but it feels full of suspicions! If the Duke of England also finds it suspicious, why not take a look at the Capital City Government Office?"
"What do you mean?"
Why bring up the Capital Governor for no reason? This case wasn’t even being judged by the Capital Governor!
But it was clear King Kang didn’t want to say more; he just waved his hand, said farewell, and left.
The Duke of England and Prince Zhuang exchanged glances, neither understanding what King Kang meant.
This King Kang, in court, was merely a moderate prince, always behaving properly and honestly, avoiding expressing opinions as much as possible, speaking less when he could, keeping a very low profile.
Thus, when he had such a high-profile troublemaking son, Huangfu Jinxuan, it almost made many in the Capital City gape in disbelief.
Yet King Kang being a nice person hadn’t offended anyone, and although Huangfu Jinxuan loved causing trouble, he had never caused any fatalities. Additionally, with Prince Kang following behind, cleaning up his messes and paying silver, no major unsolvable issues had arisen.
They were both scoundrels; Huangfu Jinxuan had caused countless troubles from childhood, beating up not a thousand but eight hundred people, yet he was still living well. But his grandson had only hit one person, and now he lost his life for it?
Zhan Baoqing, of course, didn’t just beat up one person; he even bullied and dominated others, committing several murders. However, the Duke of England Mansion had money, power, and influence, so there were always people to settle these minor issues without bringing them before the Duke of England.
Moreover, a family elder always believes their grandson is the most intelligent and well-behaved, the best in the world.
King Kang had already left.
The Duke of England thought for a moment, called over the steward, and instructed him to go and have a look at the Capital City Government Office.
King Kang wouldn’t say such things without reason; there must be something happening over there.
However, the Duke of England had originally planned to personally go to the Ministry of Justice to demand a reassessment of the people behind Haotian Village, but he didn’t go personally. Instead, he summoned one of his personal attendants to go on his behalf.
Even though it was one of his personal attendants, representing him meant the Ministry of Justice would take it seriously.
He now suspected it was Prince Li pulling strings from behind.
Prince Li had already brought down his son-in-law, and now many in the court were gravitating towards him. Did he still want to step on him, calculated to kill his beloved grandson?
Even knowing that even if the Ministry of Justice really traced the mastermind and connected it to Prince Li, considering Prince Li’s current favor with the Emperor, even if the truth and evidence were clear, Prince Li might not face any consequences—perhaps merely a reprimand or house arrest for a few days.
Nonetheless, he had to investigate, to find peace of mind; to ensure his beloved grandson wouldn’t die in vain!
At the Capital City Government Office, Wen Yuanting had been handling case files all morning and was just about to take a break. He had arranged to meet with the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Tang Jinlin, for lunch and tea afterward.
Of course, it wasn’t just about tea.
With the incident of the Duke of England’s grandson’s murder, they found a moment of leisure.
But although the case wasn’t under their jurisdiction, it didn’t mean they weren’t paying attention, especially since it unexpectedly involved a Jianghu faction.
However, before he could enter the back hall and order lunch to be brought in, he heard a "dong dong dong" sound.
This sound was rhythmic, yet urgent, causing a moment of distraction.
Wen Yuanting was startled, "The Injustice Bell?!"
In front of the Capital City Government Office, there was a large bell. If there was an unjust case, this bell could be sounded, but the bell ringer would first be heavily punished with fifty strokes before getting to claim the injustice.
Otherwise, if everyone felt wronged and came to ring this bell, the Capital Governor would have too much to handle. After all, ringing this bell meant there was an injustice in the world, the order in prison was unclear, public opinion was unstable, the law was unjust, and the nation’s foundations were unsteady.
Not only would the Capital Governor personally review the case, but the details of the review would also be reported to the Emperor, who would make a judgment with his red pen, and then the case file would be preserved, recorded in the history of the current legal system.
Since this bell was erected here, from new to old, for nearly eight years now, it had only been struck twice. The first time, a man whose family’s farmland was forcibly seized by collusion between the government and wealthy households, and whose parents, wife, and children were all killed, struck the bell. He couldn’t endure the heavy strokes and succumbed after about thirty strokes.
The second time, an innkeeper accused of poisoning, who was actually framed because someone wanted to take over his inn, struck the bell. After the case was retried, the truth was revealed, but the hidden injuries from the fifty strokes couldn’t be healed, and he died within three years.
This was the third time.
Wen Yuanting’s face became grave; there was no time for lunch now. He immediately ordered, "Commence court!"
Soon, the doors of the Capital City Government Office swung open. Two lines of government officials stood by, creating an atmosphere of solemnity and awe, deterred people from looking directly.
The bell ringer turned out to be a teenage girl?