GBP Chapter 384 Yang Shaofeng: There's definitely something going on here!
Chapter 384 Yang Shaofeng: There's definitely something going on here!
"Master."
Holding the statistical results, Zhou Jingxin bowed to Yang Shaofeng and said, "Most of the officials involved in the case are from Ji'an, Jiangxi, while most of the gentry involved are from Yuyao, Zhejiang, and Jianyang, Fujian."
WTF?
Yang Shaofeng, looking completely bewildered, took the statistical results from Zhou Jingxin.
It's easy to understand why many of the gentry involved in the case came from Zhejiang and Fujian.
After all, Zhejiang and Fujian are both coastal provinces, which provides the conditions for smuggling.
But what's with the fact that many of the officials involved in the case are from Ji'an?
As dusk approached, Yang Shaofeng pondered for a while before finally instructing Zhou Jingxin, "That's enough for today, come back tomorrow."
"Tomorrow, compile a list of which officials and gentry have had contact with each other, find the officials who have had the most contact with the gentry, and identify the gentry who has had the most contact with each official."
Zhou Jingxin bowed in acceptance and left with the rest of the staff.
Yang Shaofeng, however, turned his gaze to Xia Yu.
"Xia Jianxiao, is there any information about Ji'an, Yuyao, and Jianyang?"
Xia Yu was stunned when Yang Shaofeng asked him that question.
Ji'an is in Jiangxi, and it used to be considered part of Chen Youliang's territory.
Yuyao is in Zhejiang, and it used to be considered part of Fang Guozhen's territory.
Jianyang is in Fujian, and it used to be Chen Youding's territory.
Could it be that the remnants of these three families have teamed up to cause trouble?
The key point is that this doesn't make sense.
Although Chen Youding and Chen Youliang have similar names, at first glance they seem to be compatriots or brothers of the same clan.
In reality, Chen Youding and Chen Youliang were neither related nor connected; they were enemies.
After thinking for a long time without coming up with a solution, Xia Yu could only shake his head helplessly.
"This humble servant is dull-witted and cannot figure out what connection these three places have."
Seeing that he couldn't rely on Xia Yu, Yang Shaofeng started to make his own plans.
In the late Ming Dynasty, there was an incredibly powerful and influential Donglin Party.
Could these three places be related to the Donglin Party?
Not right either.
Donglin Academy existed as early as the Northern Song Dynasty. It was located in Wuxi County, under the jurisdiction of Changzhou Prefecture of the Central Secretariat, and had no connection with Ji'an, Yuyao, or Jianyang.
It doesn't seem right either.
Is there any necessary connection between Donglin Academy and Donglin Party?
Actually not.
Who stipulated that members of the Donglin Party had to be graduates of the Donglin Academy?
What if the Donglin Party members were mainly gentry and students from Ji'an, Yuyao, and Jianyang?
Feeling increasingly confused, Yang Shaofeng simply picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said to Xia Yu, "Let's talk about it after the statistics are finished tomorrow."
As the saying goes, a snake cannot function without a head.
"It involves more than 600 officials and more than 2,000 gentry; it's impossible that everyone acted spontaneously."
“There will inevitably be someone in charge and someone responsible for liaison.”
"The officials who have the most contact with the gentry, and the gentry who have the most contact with the officials, are the two most suspicious."
Yang Shaofeng sneered and said, "Once we find the person in charge of the liaison, the person in charge will naturally come to light."
……
After continuous screening, Zhou Jingxin and 26 other students finally identified the name of an official.
Zhu Shouchen.
After all the forms were compiled, Zhu Shouchun was the official who had the most contact with the gentry.
He was born in Jianyang and became a Jinshi in the 20th year of the Zhizheng era. He is currently the magistrate of Yuyao County.
Yang Shaofeng smiled and waved the form in his hand at Xia Yu, "Proofreader Xia, how is it?"
Wow, he has to be a student from Ningyang County, that's awesome!
Xia Yu then cupped his hands to Yang Shaofeng and said, "This humble servant admires you."
I truly admire you this time.
More than 600 officials and more than 2,000 gentry.
There are nearly three thousand related case files.
But the prince consort found a clue from three thousand files with just a few forms.
For a moment, Xia Yu didn't know whether to praise the students from Ningyang County for being so amazing, or to scold his own inspectors for being so useless.
If I could successfully recruit a few to work as inspectors...
Thinking of this, Xia Yu couldn't help but let out a long sigh.
pity.
These students have already been targeted by the Emperor and His Highness the Crown Prince, and I really don't have the guts to compete with them for them.
After feeling a pang of regret, Xia Yu suddenly remembered the name Zhu Shouchun.
If it weren't for this dog, I wouldn't have needed to come to Ningyang County.
If he hadn't come to Ningyang County, he wouldn't have met Zhou Jingxin and other students from Ningyang County.
If I had never met the students of Ningyang County, I wouldn't feel such pain in my heart.
It's all Zhu Shouchen's fault.
As the saying goes, if you hold back for a moment, you'll only get angrier; if you back down, you'll only feel like you've lost out.
Feeling increasingly uncomfortable, Xia Yu simply began to hate Zhu Shouchun.
Xia Yu cupped his hands in greeting to Yang Shaofeng, "Your Highness, I will have Zhu Shouchun brought here immediately."
Yang Shaofeng was slightly taken aback and asked, "Bring him here? Bring him to the county government office for interrogation?"
Xia Yu said, "Yes, the superior said that if the Prince Consort is interested, he can conduct the trial directly or listen in."
Ok?
Yang Shaofeng immediately became wary.
Is Old Deng trying to trick me again?
In the matters concerning the Censorate, the Court of Judicial Review, the Ministry of Justice, and the provincial reforms, both he and Lao Deng could only be described as having fought to the point of mutual destruction.
If you're unhappy, then Old Deng is probably unhappy too.
So, is that old guy planning to trick me again?
However, I'm also really curious about who this Zhu Shouchen is, that he could stir up such a big storm in the Kongyin case.
So, is he interested in hearing cases or not?
While he was struggling with this, Yang Shaofeng suddenly felt that something was wrong.
Everyone knows that there were four major cases during the Hongwu era.
The Empty Seal Case, the Hu Weiyong Case, the Guo Huan Case, and the Lan Yu Case.
In addition, there is the North-South Ranking Case, which is not very well-known but has a longer-lasting and more serious impact than the previous four cases.
But, but!
Of these five notable cases, the Hu Weiyong case, the Guo Huan case, and the Lan Yu case are all named after the main perpetrators.
There is also a specific list of people involved in the North-South List Case, it seems to include names like Song Lian and Liu Sanwu?
Ironically, the earliest case involving blank seals did not involve any prominent figures.
There's definitely something fishy going on here!
After a brief moment of consideration, Yang Shaofeng could no longer contain his curiosity and said to Xia Yu with a smile, "In that case, I'll have to see what this Zhu Shouchen is all about."
Xia Yu bowed in agreement, then continued to ask, "May I ask, Your Highness, is the trial to be conducted in prison, or in the main hall?"
Whether the trial is conducted in prison or in a public hall, each method has its advantages and disadvantages.
The advantage of interrogation in prison is that all kinds of torture instruments can be used at will, which can make people confess quickly.
The downside is that it raises suspicions of coercing a confession through torture.
While interrogating him in the main hall would not involve the use of torture, and Zhu Shouchun's confession could even be directly submitted to the Dali Temple, getting him to talk would be a troublesome matter.
Yang Shaofeng pondered for a moment, then said, "Let's have the trial in the main hall."
It's a bit of a hassle, but it's better than leaving the impression of a forced confession.