Yan Li was originally frightened by Du Kefa's stare and wondered if he had offended Du Kefa.
Du Kefa had forced Dang Renhong to his death when he first became a minister of the Supreme Court, causing many ministers to regard him as a god of plague and not want to get close to him or offend him.
Yan Li was the same, but this time, he was appointed by Li Shimin as the judge of the three divisions, so he could only contact Du Kefa.
He wasn't worried about offending Du Kefa. He was a ten-thousand-year-old citizen of Chang 'an and a noble from Guanlong. His brother, Yan Lide, was a great craftsman who was responsible for repairing the palace of Chang' an.
"Lord Du?" Although Yan Li wasn't afraid of Du Kefa, he still felt uneasy being stared at.
A smile appeared on Du Kefa's face." I heard that Lord Yan is good at painting and is especially good at drawing characters.”
When Yan Liben heard Du Kefa praise the painting he was best at, he smiled and nodded proudly.
"I have a presumptuous request. I would like to ask Lord Yan to draw a painting for me and Princess Chang Le.”
"No problem, no problem. When I have time, I will definitely draw a scroll for Fuma and Princess.”Yan Li liked drawing, so he agreed readily.
"Thank you, Lord Yan."
As they spoke, the three of them arrived at the Supreme Court. Wei Zheng was a workaholic, so he immediately started the trial. He called the witnesses that Du Kefa had roughly interrogated yesterday to the court and slowly interrogated them.
Du Kefa and Yan Liben stood beside each other. There was almost no need to ask questions.
After two hours of interrogation, Li Chengqian brought his guards over. The Crown Prince paid his respects to the three judges and continued with the trial.
Wei Zheng asked very detailed questions and it took a lot of time.
After three days, they reviewed the witnesses and the victims, and then brought Dang Renhong to trial.
Dang Renhong no longer answered all questions like he did in the Ministry of Justice, refusing to admit to all kinds of accusations.
He knew that greed was a small matter. If he admitted to these murders and arson, he would definitely lose his life.
Although Dang Renhong quibbled, the evidence was irrefutable.
The Supreme Court sent over a new batch of victims and witness statements from Nan Ning Prefecture. The statements recorded Dang Renhong's detailed assets in Nan Ning Prefecture, which added up to more than 300,000 taels.
Wei Zheng sent bad people and constables to Nan Ning Prefecture to escort the officials of Nan Ning Prefecture to Chang 'an for trial.
According to the evidence, the officials of Nan Ning were in cahoots with Dang Renhong. They protected each other and bullied the people of Nan Ning, causing them to fall into deep trouble.
The case was heard every day, and every time it was heard, there would be a hundred commoners in the Supreme Court.
At first, Wei Zheng didn't care. After a few days of interrogation, he suddenly heard the people cursing and realized this.
He asked Du Kefa why there were commoners in the Supreme Court.
Du Kefa bluntly said that he had deliberately allowed the commoners to enter the Supreme Court to listen to the trial and gave his reasons.
" With the people watching the trial, the officials have to take it seriously. They cannot close the case hastily and muddle-headedly, nor can they force a confession out of torture.
In addition, I want to write this into the laws of the Great Tang and enforce it throughout the Great Tang. All cases had to be observed by the people.”
Du Kefa's move was based on the practice of later generations. He even thought about the jury system. But after careful consideration, he felt that the jury system was not suitable for the Tang Dynasty.
He was worried that if a local noble broke the law, the jury would be partially or even completely bribed, which would affect the fairness of justice.
Wei Zheng thought about it seriously and felt that letting the people watch the trial of the case was beneficial to the fairness of the law, so he supported Du Kefa to write this system into the new Great Tang Law.
Yan Liben listened to their argument and was surprised that Du Kefa and Wei Zheng could chat so happily.
As expected, they were all people who could fight Li Shiming head-on.
The commoners who entered the Supreme Court to hear the lawsuit, after leaving the Supreme Court, excitedly and angrily told their neighbors what they had seen and heard that day.
Gossip was always the fastest. The next morning, everyone in Chang 'an knew about the latest progress of the case and what crime Dang Renhong had committed.
The commoners wished that the imperial court would immediately skin Dang Renhong, this unpardonable corrupt official, alive.
Day after day passed, and in the blink of an eye, more than half a month had passed. The officials of Nan Ning Prefecture were taken into Chang 'an City, and Dang Renhong's assets were investigated in detail.
At the same time, the investigation of Feng Yi, who was in Dang Renhong's hometown and in the same state, had also ended.
Dang Renhong did not have any orphans or widows like Li Shimin had said. He only had his family to bully the villagers.
Although Dang Renhong refused to admit it, the officials of Nan Ning Prefecture had already confessed.
The case had been cleared up. Wei Zheng listed Dang Renhong's crimes one by one and wrote a memorial to report to Li Shimin.
In fact, Li Shimin was paying attention to the progress of the trial every day. In the past half a month, he was furious.
In the Zichen Hall, Li Shimin was holding Wei Pian's memorial. On the ground beside his feet was a file that recorded Dang Renhong's crimes.
Li Shiming's hands were trembling with anger." Are these all correct?”
" Although Dang Renhong refuses to admit it, the other officials have already pleaded guilty," Wei Zheng said in a deep voice." I can guarantee that I have not wronged Dang Renhong."”
"He is an old general of the Qin Clan, how could he dare to act so recklessly?”
Li Shimin closed his eyes, his eyelids twitching. After a long time, he opened his eyes and asked Wei Zheng,"What is the verdict?"
Wei Zheng's voice was heavy and murderous."Dang Renhong has committed countless crimes. If we don't kill him, it won't be enough to appease the people's anger.”
Li Shi Min was silent for a long time before looking at Du Kefa.
"According to the law, he should be cut into pieces," Du Kefa said coldly.”
Li Shi Min took a deep breath and waved his hand weakly." You can leave now. Let me think about it."”
Wei Zheng and Yan Liben turned around and retreated, but Du Kefa said,"I heard that Your Majesty once said something, and I have always remembered it deeply.”
Li Shimin looked up at Du Kefa, Wei Zheng and Yan Liben also turned their heads.
"His Majesty said: The monarch's boat is like the people's water. Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it.”
Li Shi Min's expression changed as he glared at Du Kefa.
Yan Liben was shocked. Du Kefa was using Li Shiming's army to force him to make a decision.
After Du Kefa finished speaking, he cupped his hands in front of Li Shiming,"I will take my leave."
Walking out of the hall, Yan Li realized that his forehead and back were covered in sweat. He looked at Wei Zheng and Du Kefa and suddenly felt that they were not the same kind of people.
The two of them looked normal, completely ignoring Li Shiming's anger.
How would His Majesty judge Dang Renhong? Yan Li Ben turned his head to look at the Purple Mansion Hall. He already had a guess in his heart.
Similarly, the people and officials of Chang 'an were guessing the consequences of Dang Renhong, waiting for Li Shimin's final execution.
Hou Junji found Zhangsun Wuji, Zhang Liang, Cheng Yaojin, and Qin Qiong, hoping that they would plead with Li Shimin to spare Dang Renhong's life.
Zhangsun Wuji shook his head, Zhang Liang remained silent, and Qin Qiong directly rejected. Cheng Yaojin was the most straightforward." This is a traitor!" he cursed angrily." I, Old Cheng, wish I could chop him up with my axe."”
Cheng Yaojin was born a commoner and was bullied by the officials of the Sui Dynasty when he was young. He hated corrupt officials.
The sun slowly set and rose again.
It was time for morning court.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。