HLnovel Chapter 940 Case Closed 3
Chapter 940 Case Closed 3
In addition, considering Chen Zijun's loyalty and the sacrifices he made in accordance with the late emperor's entrustment, the emperor not only posthumously granted Chen Zijun the title of "Duke of Anguo" but also compensated him with a noble title.
Although the title of Earl does not grant him real power for the time being, it is enough for Ninth Master Chen to have a place to settle down after he and his clan return to the capital.
Master Chen Jiu, along with his clansmen and Fang Nanzhi, knelt down to receive the imperial decree, their bodies trembling with tears.
Fang Nanzhi supported him with concern, knowing that as people get older, they are most afraid of extreme joy or sorrow.
Either way, it could be fatal.
She whispered, "Grandpa, you can't get too excited. You still have a title. You have to be a duke and pass the title down to your descendants."
Normally, a noble title can be passed down for three generations.
With tears welling up in his eyes, Master Chen looked at her and suddenly grabbed her hand.
“That’s right. This title should be returned to the direct line. When the Princess of Yiyang has a child, if he can take the surname Chen, I will have to take care of him as he grows up.”
In the old man's view, the position of earl was earned by Chen Zijun with her life.
Naturally, it should be given to his own sons and grandsons.
I just don't know if the Princess of Yiyang would be interested in this title, or if she would be willing to give one of her children the surname Chen.
If you don't want to.
Grandpa Chen stared at Fang Nanzhi; this was Zixi's bloodline.
It was also left behind by the legitimate son.
We're not married yet. If we do get married and have children in the future, would you agree to give them to someone with the surname Chen?
Although it's not fair to do this, Chen Zixi was married off back then.
But what if there's hope in his heart? Then Master Chen Jiu stopped crying and his spirits lifted.
He must live well, until the day he sees a direct descendant of the Chen family grow up and become successful.
Fang Nanzhi was dumbfounded; she never expected the old man to think so far ahead.
She scratched her head, her thoughts involuntarily drifting off course.
The Princess of Yiyang is pregnant, and I heard that the county magistrate's son has been arrested; she'll probably be getting a divorce.
After the divorce, given the eldest princess's attitude, perhaps she would be willing to let her grandson take the surname Chen.
She was afraid Yiyang wouldn't agree, as she seemed to dislike the Chen family.
After the imperial edict was read aloud, the Minister of Justice began to determine the crimes and sentences.
Jin Laoqi and thirteen others were convicted of several crimes, including framing loyal officials, organizing assassinations of civilians, and intercepting and killing Dragon Guards. They were sentenced to be executed in the autumn.
Xiang Wencai revealed the county magistrate's whereabouts with malicious intent; he was sentenced to thirty strokes of the cane and exiled.
Chen Yong falsely accused the Grand Princess, but considering that she was of the Chen family bloodline, he showed leniency and was sentenced to three years.
All three hundred assassins have been captured and sentenced to military service.
This was something the Crown Prince single-handedly pushed for.
He was drawn to these people because they were highly skilled in martial arts and had pitiful backgrounds.
Those chosen as assassins were mostly orphans who were adopted at a young age and trained through rounds of training. Only those who survived became true assassins.
In other words, they never actively chose to become tools in the hands of others.
But the emperor initially disagreed.
No matter how pitiful they may be, their relationship with the powerful families is now inseparable. Who knows if they might one day betray the court and serve their former masters?
It was only because the Crown Prince was determined to use these people that their lives were spared.
Then there are the people involved, such as the village chief of Dali Village, the village head in charge of Dali Village, the brothel madam, and so on, who covered for the assassin.
And the county magistrate where Chen Yong was assassinated, the minor officials who participated in intercepting Chen Yong's journey to Beijing, and so on.
The sentences varied in severity depending on their actions.
Finally, there's Yao Xin. I don't know what he talked about with the princess, but when he came back, his whole demeanor changed.
He was also sentenced to exile.
He survived, but...
Fang Nanzhi sighed inwardly, unsure whether it was regret, confusion, or remorse.
The Ying family was sentenced to have their property confiscated for assassinating the crown prince. In fact, before Qing Min entered the capital, the local government troops had already taken control of the Ying family's old residence.
It's quite convenient to raid houses these days.
Jin Ke was demoted two ranks, and other sons of prominent families who served as officials in the court were also implicated and punished for failing to control their families.
They might be demoted or transferred.
These are all the visible losses; the losses suffered by the various powerful families in private are far greater.
Of the thirteen prominent families, apart from the Ying family, the other twelve families sent a considerable amount of land to the Ministry of Revenue. The Minister of Revenue has been walking with a brisk pace these past few days.
The farmland was concentrated in the area of Yongzhou Prefecture, Jinzhou Prefecture, and Quanzhou Prefecture.
The Ministry of Revenue suddenly had a much better budget.
After the verdict was handed down, Fang Nanzhi and her group also attended the hearing for the case of smuggling salt.
The Third Princess and the Dongyue Princess were demoted, stripped of their fiefdoms, and ordered to guard the imperial mausoleum for three years.
This punishment was already extremely severe for the princess.
If things were any stricter, they would be demoted to commoners; the emperor had at least given them a chance.
One is the emperor's biological daughter, and the other is his biological sister. Both are people the emperor cared about, but they are ultimately different.
As for the private salt smuggling forces that had been entrenched in Jinzhou and Quanzhou, they were all wiped out, and the main figures could not escape death.
The Ying family's property had already been confiscated, so there's no need to elaborate. Only two or three members of the Jin family confessed their crimes and gave up half of their property in Jinzhou Prefecture, which was considered to settle the matter.
It is worth mentioning that, despite her bad luck, Ying Shi did not reveal that she had briefly colluded with Prince Ning.
It must be said that Ying Tianwei has some brains. The Ying family is already finished. Saying these things will only add another person to kick someone when they're down.
By keeping this leverage, perhaps they can still protect some of their descendants.
Officials in both prefectures who were involved in the salt smuggling case were also beheaded or had their homes confiscated.
As for those small-time salt smugglers who were driven to desperation, the emperor pardoned their crimes.
There's a saying: "When officials force the people to rebel."
Although the two prefectures haven't reached Chengdu yet, they're close. If it weren't for the difficulty of making a living, the people wouldn't risk losing their heads to sell smuggled salt.
This is a dereliction of duty by the imperial court.
Finally, there was the case of the Third Princess's murder.
Mrs. He, accompanied by her two sons, wept in the courtroom.
"My son isn't even married yet, my dear husband, how could you just leave like this?"
"Father, I haven't been able to repay your kindness yet..."
“Woo woo woo!”
As for Old Master Fang, his blank and dazed expression only made him look even more pitiful.
However, because of her "noble status as a princess," she lost her mind in anger after being betrayed and committed murder in a fit of rage, which was "understandable." In this case, the third princess was ordered to pay 500 taels in compensation and to be confined to her quarters for self-reflection.
The Third Princess was originally going to the imperial mausoleum, so the confinement rule was practically unnecessary.
The Third Princess was sentenced to far less for murder than for selling smuggled salt.
This is a privilege of royalty.
Perhaps in the emperor's eyes, Fang Jin, though not a slave, had betrayed his master by relying on the Third Princess and then trying to please both sides, which was why he deserved to die.
It's also possible that Fang Jin sought refuge with Prince Ning, which displeased the emperor.
In short, the fact that his daughter committed murder shows the emperor's lack of concern.
Fang Nanzhi felt a heavy weight in her heart. Serving a ruler is like serving a tiger. The Third Princess is a ruler, the Emperor is a ruler, then Qingyan is a ruler too, right?
She was not very happy, but the He family mother and her two children were fine.
Firstly, after several years of turmoil, they really didn't have much affection for Fang Jin anymore.
Secondly, anyone who sues the princess knows how scary it is, fearing they'll be silenced. If they hadn't been forced into it... well, at least they survived and even got some money, which is pretty good.