At 4 minutes past the hour of the afternoon, around 2pm in modern times, the errand boys who had been ordered to go to the Ministry of War to get the heads finally returned.
Nearly two hours had passed since their departure.
The head is kept in two black lacquer box about two metres long and half a metre wide, the black lacquer box seems to be very heavy, the four agents to carry are very hard, heavy steps to the public hall, the black lacquer box outside the seal stamped with the seal of the Ministry of War.
When the black lacquer box carried in, Liu Mu, Liu Dazhou their eyes are red, tears in the eyes, clenched fists, neck veins are exposed, if not Zhu Pingan in time to calm them, I’m afraid that they will be out of control in the next second.
“The child’s mother ……Little dog ……Don’t be anxious, soon I’ll be able to take you back to our home.”Liu Dabao chanted in a low voice, his eyes staring tightly at the black lacquered box, his eyes were already moist as he thought of his murdered wife and son.
Liu Mu and the others were also staring tightly at the black lacquer box, thinking of their parents and family members as well as the townspeople and elders, they couldn’t help themselves, and their eyes were also glistening with tears.
Liu Mu and their feelings, Zhu Pingan can understand. People are not grass and trees, who can have no feelings, not to mention the most loved ones.
The heavy black lacquer box was placed side by side on the public hall, the heavy box, the ground was shaken when it was put down.
“Why is it so heavy?”
“Is this the Tartar head that Lord Zhao captured?”
A soft contempt in the public hall, some people are curious, some people are more shy to see the head, all the officials.
“In today’s case, inspecting the heads is a necessary step. Perhaps it will cause discomfort to all the adults, but as the saying goes, the coffin coffin, promotion and wealth. Lords, please bear with me. Come men, unseal and open the hall.”
The chief inquisitor in the public hall got up and arched his hand to the lords below the hall, and then had people unseal the seal and open the black lacquered wooden box.
“As ordered.”
Following the order, two Ministry of Justice officials came to the black lacquered wooden box and removed the seal.
Zhu Pingan’s gaze followed the movements of the two officials, watching without blinking as they removed the seal, and as they removed the seal, Zhu Pingan could not help but shake his head and sigh.
This seal was not right!
Judging from the way they unveiled the seal, it did not look like the seal had been glued on months ago, but rather like it had been glued on just a few hours ago. The seal was uncovered intact, the paste had not dried out, and there were faint damp marks on the box.
“Reporting back to the lord, the seal has been checked and verified, it is the seal of the Ministry of Military Affairs in September of the year Gengxu, with a pen note of fifty-nine items of the hundred households Zhao Dajing offering his head.”After the Ministry of Justice official unveiled the seal and checked the information on the seal, he reported back to the public hall.
“Circulate for verification with the lords.”After the presiding judge verified them in turn, he caused the seals to be circulated to all of them for verification.
“Hmm, that’s right.”
“That’s right, it’s exactly the head offered by Zhao Qianhu back then, the time and date as well as the seal of the Ministry of Military Affairs are determined to be correct.”
The officials nodded after reviewing the seal.
“There is one thing that my humble servant does not understand.”
After the seal was passed to Zhu Pingan, Zhu Pingan touched the seal with his hand and looked at the paste behind the seal, then took a step earlier and held up the seal and said.
“Eh?”Wang Xueyi, the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, turned his gaze towards Zhu Pingan.
“The date of the seal is September of the year Gengxu, why has this seal paste not yet dried after several months?”Zhu Pingan took the seal in his hand and held it up high and shook it, eyeing the main judge’s seat and asking aloud.
Huh, the paste really hasn’t dried yet?
At Zhu Pingan’s reminder, the officials in the gallery also noticed this and twisted the seal with their hands, rubbing a soft piece of paste off their fingers.
For a moment
The audience began to talk.
Seal paste is not dry, does not mean that this seal is just pasted on, if the seal is just pasted on that, then this wooden box within the first degree, can not guarantee that last year, Zhao Dae-yung offered the first degree of the batch.
It is entirely possible that they will be tampered with ……
Looking at the public hall under the rise of the first signs of doubt, the Ministry of Justice left minister Zhao Qiu stood up and explained to the crowd: “This problem, let this official to explain it. Lords, this black lacquered wooden box is stored within the Tartar head, we all know that this head will rot if left for a few days. In order to preserve the heads, I Ministry of War craftsmen in the wooden box full of stone powder, this specification wooden box can be placed in the heads of 30, in order to preserve the heads, to regularly replace the stone powder, in order to prevent the stone powder moisture. According to the system, each time the stone powder is replaced, there must be more than three chief ministers of the Ministry of War present, the clerks will record the replacement situation on the spot, and the chief ministers will confirm that there is no mistake and then sign with a seal to ensure that the first rank is consistent.”
After Zhao Qiu finished speaking, the Sheriff Zhang under the hall also promptly took out a booklet from his body and handed it over to the bookkeeper to be presented to the public hall.
“Your Excellency, if it wasn’t for Lord Zhao’s reminder, my humble servant almost forgot about this matter. This booklet is a record of the replacement of stone powder in the Ministry of War in the past six months. I was ordered to go to the Ministry of War to inspect the first rank, Lord Wang, the head of the Treasury Department of the Ministry of War, was worried that today’s hot weather would not be conducive to the storage of the first rank, in order to ensure that today’s inspection went smoothly, Lord Wang made a temporary replacement of the stone powder, in addition to me and others were present, Lord Wang, the head of the Ministry of War, Lord Liu, and Lord Zhao were present, and the three Lords signed their seals in turn after the stone powder was replaced.”
After Sheriff Zhang presented the booklet to the public hall, he first raised his voice in sin, then half-kneeled on the ground and loudly reported back.
“I don’t know if Lord Zhu has any other unanswered questions, this official will explain them to Lord Zhu together by the way.”Zhao Qiu looked sideways at Zhu Pingan and gave a cold smile, seemingly warm but actually sarcastic.
Singing in unison
they were emboldened by the fact that they had no fear
Well reasoned, evidence in place. The scepticism that had rung out in the public hall only moments ago had disappeared by now.
It seems that Zhao Qiu had long wanted to think of this and had prepared a response, Zhu Pingan sighed slightly in his heart at this.
Yes, Zhao Qiu had done his preparations well and his explanations were very convincing. In order to preserve the first rank, the stone powder had to be replaced at regular intervals; according to the regulations, more than three masters had to be present when the stone powder was replaced, and it was recorded in a book and signed with a seal.
Just now I also read the record of the replacement, the record is exhaustive, the last is also attached to the signature of the three masters with the seal, from the formal point of view can not find a little flaw.
The most afraid of cloak the system in the garb of hooliganism.
No solution! Take him no way!
“Many thanks, my lord, my humble servant has no other unanswered questions.”Zhu Pingan eyed Zhao Qiu, arched his hand and said faintly.
At this point, Zhao Dajing had completely put his heart in his stomach, looking at Zhu Pingan with a good deal of disdain.
Zhu Pingan, don’t you want heads, then I’ll give them to you, anyway, the Ministry of Military Affairs has more than enough, not to mention fifty-nine, even a hundred more can be taken. Oh, Zhu Pingan, let’s see what you still have to fight me with. Impeach me? Oh, I’ll let you eat it all!
