Early the next morning, Li Hui took the guard of honor, a group of dozens of people, and went to Dali Temple on a mighty horse. Because of the Dali Temple's duty to judge and judge cases, there are many criminals in the prison, and the guards inside and outside the courtyard are extremely strict. There are hundreds of guards and soldiers guarding day and night, and the prison is even more heavily guarded, not only are prisoners unable to fly, but even strangers need corresponding clerical fish charms to enter and exit.

After Li Hui arrived outside the Dali Temple, a middle-aged man walked out quickly, claiming to be one of the Dali Zheng, and respectfully greeted him. Because this Feng Dali was leading, the soldiers were allowed to go. Of course, the guards and guards were not allowed to enter, so they could only wait outside. The cold wind was biting, and it was not easy to wait for the commission outside, so Li Hui ordered his subordinates to go to the nearest Lifang to find a wine restaurant and sit down, and then go to pick him up outside the Taiji Palace at dusk.

After the explanation was completed, Li Hui was about to enter with Feng Dali, and then he heard a few calls from a distance. He looked back and followed the prestige, and saw that Li Jing was urging the horse to come, with a hurried look on his face: "Cousin, wait for me!" ”

Obviously, the king of Tianshui still didn't know anything, and looked ignorant and curious: "Cousin, what happened?" I received a message from my uncle this morning, ordering me to supervise the ...... What a case. Fortunately, I asked more, and the palace told me that you are also responsible for supervising the case, otherwise I don't know what to do! I also asked Grandpa and Auntie, and they didn't know at all. What is this case? In such a hurry? ”

"It's a big case involving you, me and Yue Niang." Li Hui was very concise, "When you hear the prisoner's confession, you know whether you have heard about it." "Li Jing, like his brother Li Wei, has always liked martial arts and hated literature. Naturally, he often interacted not with literati, but with the children of the clan and the nobles who were also good at martial arts. Although they have nothing to do with each other, the literati also have people from big families, and there will always be some rumors in Chang'an City, but they haven't thought about it before.

Li Jing was stunned and wondered: "It has something to do with us?" We don't even have a pastime on weekdays, so what can connect us? He thought about it, but still couldn't get an answer, so he had to follow Li Hui and walk into the hall of the Dali Temple.

Dali Siqing, the Criminal Department Shangshu and the Imperial History Zhongcheng have already sat upright in the hall, and they got up to salute when they heard the sound. They also received the sage's dictation, and prepared a slightly lower position for Li Hui and Li Jing. Hu bed, Yin mattress, with a few are all available, just add another hidden bag, and then move a food table full of delicacies from the mountains and seas, you can comfortably "supervise the case while eating and drinking".

The two cousins glanced at each other: it seemed that the chief officer of the Third Division really regarded them as ordinary gentlemen, and only wanted to "entertain" them. In fact, the so-called "supervision of cases" is mostly just a formality, and only cases of rebellion that have really received attention need to be supervised by credible people one by one, and there is no room for mistakes. Whether this "case supervision" is a formality or a real experience depends on the attitude of the two of them, as well as their behavior today.

"Above the public court, naturally you can only put what should be placed, otherwise it will damage the majesty of the public court, and it seems to be inconsistent with etiquette." Li Hui raised his eyes slightly, "What do you think?" ”

"Yes, what does it look like here? Our two brothers are here to supervise the case, not to see the play. Li Jing replied very tacitly and shook his head, "Don't treat us as ordinary young men." We came to supervise the case at the behest of our uncle, and we must not disappoint our uncle. ”

After hearing this, the chief officer of the third division said a few words to apologize, and then ordered someone to remove those things that "should not be placed". The King of Xin'an County and the King of Tianshui County were finally able to sit behind the bookcase, behaving solemnly and solemnly. Li Hui asked for pen, ink, paper, and inkstone, intending to record the words he thought were important at any time. Li Jing glanced at him, and after a while, he slowly stretched out his hand and quietly pulled a piece of paper from his bookcase and spread it in front of his desk.

In fact, the trial was quite boring, and different prisoners said similar testimonies, sometimes passing the buck to each other, sometimes begging for mercy with tears streaming down their faces, and it was not long before the scene of their wanton slander and Li Hui became angry and angry. Immediately afterwards, the third division summoned Du Chongfeng and other witnesses, and after confirming the accuracy of all the testimonies, they determined the severity of the crimes of the prisoners involved in the case - the crime of backlash and insulting the king of Xin'an County was the most serious, and the person who insulted Princess Changning, the king of Xin'an County, the king of Tianshui County and other nobles of the clan was second.

"Assault and insulting the prince of the clan, slandering the lord and the king of the county, etc., are all crimes of great disrespect. But remembering that the king was not hurt, and that slander was not circulating, it was not to be judged for the sin of ten rebellions. After the trial of the three divisions, those who are convicted of the two crimes of counter-assault and rumor will be exiled for eight years and will not be allowed to enter the public office in the future; Those who insult the lord and the prince of the county shall be sentenced to three years of exile and shall not be allowed to enter the government in the future. After the punishment, Dali Siqing turned to look at Li Hui and Li Jing, "What do the two kings think?" ”

"In the case of the counterattack, Lone has no objection." Li Hui replied, patrolling the group of dejected people, "But the case of rumors, I think that it must not be so light." Do you think that 'the slander is not spreading'? Lone didn't think so. Whether these rumors are known to everyone is known to the people in Beijing can be found out by calling the people in Beijing. ”

"This ......" Dali Siqing, the Criminal Department Shangshu, and the Imperial History Zhongcheng looked at each other, "The Juzi in Beijing is not a criminal, and it is really inappropriate to detain thousands of people into Dali Temple, and it is not in line with the laws of our Tang Dynasty." The king was offended yesterday, and he could understand the king's displeasure with these moves. It's just that the criminal has already been tried and sentenced, so why implicate all the provincial tests? Why not let this case be closed? ”

Li Hui raised his eyebrows: "Lone can also understand the eagerness of the princes to close the case as soon as possible." This case seems to be too small, there is no need to labor the princes to try it, and it must be closed and submitted to the uncle—the princes have always thought so? However, my uncle specially ordered Gu and Jing Xing to supervise the case, why? Is it difficult for the princes to be unclear in their hearts? ”

The three chiefs were silent—they certainly knew very well that the sage did not want to end the case hastily—but it would be too far-fetched to say that such a case was a "conspiracy". It was only because his daughter and nephew were burdened by rumors that the saint reluctantly found a reason for them to come to trial because he was angry with the rumors. They tried the case clearly, and they also punished those who should be punished, and they were punished severely, isn't it enough?

Obviously, the king of Xin'an felt that it was far from enough: "Yes, the prisoner in the case of the counterattack was handled properly, and Gu did not feel indignant. It's just that the princes don't want to know, where did the rumors come from? After that, he looked at the first one who said that Princess Changning had taken a fancy to the prince's offering, and asked lightly: "Are you inspired to come up with such a rumor?" And, it is rumored that Prince Xian is a disciple of the Wang family of Qi County, and he is a person who has been shaded by King Yue, and he also thought of it? ”

If you can pass the guò county test and the government test, and get the qualifications of the state capitals, no matter how stupid you are, you will not be able to seize such a God-given opportunity. The two raised their heads for a moment, and immediately shouted, "No! No! It's not a rumor that I came up with, but ...... I had heard it at the conference before! "It is said that Wang Zixian is a disciple of the Wang family of Qi County, and there are other people! It is said that the prince is related to the king of Yue and the king of Pu, and there are other people! Students are just ...... I just connected these words and thought about them carefully......"

The King of Tianshui County, who was originally a little drowsy when he heard it, couldn't help but be stunned, and couldn't help but reprimand angrily: "What is the son of the Wang family of Qi County? Don't you even know that Wang Zixian is a child of the Langya Wang family? Could it be that all the people surnamed Wang in the world are related to the Wang family of Qi County? That's a ...... What nonsense! ”

Li Hui then asked: "Then where are you at the literary meeting, and who did you listen to?" Possible to identify it? Can anyone testify for you? If it is indiscriminately framed by others, the crime will be increased by one degree; If the truth is as you say, Gu will say a few good words for you, and reduce your sentence of exile by one or two years. ”

The two of them nodded hurriedly: "You can identify it!" There were other people there at the time!! "As long as the students are allowed to identify it carefully, the students will definitely recognize this fang!"

Yu Shi Zhongcheng took a deep look at the young county king, who lived in a simple place on weekdays, and said, "The king is only responsible for supervising the case. ”

The gaze of the criminal department Shangshu also moved between the two county kings, as if he had thought of something. Dali Siqing couldn't help but sigh: "The king doesn't need to ask anymore, I will continue to try this case and get to the bottom of it." ”

"Lone is indeed only responsible for supervising the case, please continue. However, this is not a casual implication, nor is it done out of selfish anger. It's just that the saint is waiting for the truth, and Lone doesn't want to be infamous in vain. Moreover, it is not necessary for the other actors to be summoned in the name of the criminal, it is enough to testify. Li Hui said, and was silent again.

Li Jing finally sniffed out something wrong from the few words he asked just now, and asked in a low voice: "Cousin, when will this case be tried before it will be concluded?" Will the culprit of the rumors be found? What are those people trying to tell such a fragile lie? Anyone who knows a little bit will find this lie ridiculous! ”

Li Hui pondered for a moment before replying, "...... I'm afraid that the world will not be chaotic. Jingxing, many people are only willing to believe what they want to believe. They don't care what the truth is. The harm of rumors, you and I have not been hurt, but for Yue Niang and Zixian, we must not ignore it. "A literati has a good name, but a woman needs a name - even if she is talented, even if she is a princess of the heavenly family, she can't escape the shackles of fame.

is clearly innocent, but he has been slandered for no reason, if he is not careful, he will have to carry such a stain for the rest of his life. As a close friend, as a brother, how can he tolerate it? If he doesn't find out the culprit and correct the name of Prince Xian and Princess Changning, he vows not to give up!

"Think about it...... I vaguely heard someone mention a sentence or two before, asking me why I suddenly recommended an unknown scholar, whether it was my own relative...... I didn't think much of it at the time, and a few words got past me. Li Jing thought for a while, and said, "There are still people who squeeze their eyebrows and say what happened to the Yan family's eldest man, and they didn't say it carefully at the time......

Li Hui secretly said in his heart that this was indeed the case, so he told him: "Interrogate those people carefully, where did they hear these nonsense, and then inquire where the rumors have spread." "Even if it reaches the Chengguo Mansion, Yan Zhan shouldn't be such a casual and gullible fool?

After that day, the rumors that were expected to end soon intensified. The group of lifters taken away by the Yang family's courtyard was just the beginning, and more and more lifters were taken by Jin Wuwei to Dali Temple to testify. Of course, many people were soon released, but many never walked out of the Dali Temple again.

For a time, all the people in the capital who went to the provincial examination for the Shike Provincial Examination were in danger, and they didn't dare to go to any literary and poetry meetings at will. Everyone kept thinking about who spread these rumors, and with the strength of nearly a thousand people, they could always think of clues. In addition, in order to correct their own name and clear their name for spreading rumors, the lifters who were temporarily locked in prison had to dig up layer after layer of people hidden in the depths until there was nowhere to hide-