On the night when Chen Tai and Wei Xin were stationed in the Jiangwutang and the arquebus workshop, a fire broke out in the storehouse and the arquebus workshop used to store the bottom files of the documents of the various workshops, and all the items inside were burned.

Because the arquebus workshop and the Franco machine gun workshop belonged to the places with the highest level of secrecy in the Ming Dynasty, there was no room for mistakes, so Li Yuntian built them in the camp of the Xiaowu army outside the city.

It is worth mentioning that the two workshops were only responsible for assembly, and the parts for the arquebus and Furlong guns were produced in the field, and they were made by several workshops working together, which allowed for the optimization of resources, the efficiency of work and the better secrecy.

On the second day of the fire, Wei Xin used his Jinyi guards to arrest a group of officials from the martial arts hall and arquebus workshop for torture.

Although Chen Tai was the presiding judge of the arquebus case, because Jiangwutang and the Gyeonggi Governor's Mansion had a love affair with incense, and many of the military households and soldiers of the Xiaowu Army were born in the Beijing Army, Emperor Xuande did not expect Chen Tai to handle this case well, and only relied on Wei Xin and Jinyiwei, who had nothing to do with Jiangwutang.

This means that Wei Xin and Jin Yiwei are the protagonists of the trial, and Chen Tai and the people from the Gyeonggi Governor's Office are just responsible for beating the side drums.

At Wei Xin's instructions, Jin Yiwei tortured the officials of the Wutang and arquebus workshops who were arrested, some of them could not stand the instructions of the execution of Jin Yiwei and slandered Li Yuntian for making arquebuses privately, with bad intentions, and some people would rather die than give in, no matter what, they did not frame Li Yuntian, so they were tortured to death.

In just two days, five officials died in the prison of the Gyeonggi Governor's Mansion, and there were more than ten people who were dying.

Anyway, Jinyi Wei was ordered by the emperor to run errands, if people died in their hands, they would only be naturally unlucky, who would dare to be dissatisfied with Emperor Xuande because of this?

Not only the officials of the martial arts hall and the arquebus workshop, but also several men from the Bafang Warehouse were also beaten by the Jinyi guard, who confessed against their will that Liu Hai was involved in hiding the arquebus.

What is particularly important is that the owner of the arquebus who hid it in the Bafang warehouse insisted that he was the arquebus that was transported at Li Yuntian's behest, which became an important piece of evidence in Li Yuntian's case involving arquebuses.

Since the arquebus case was an imperial case approved by Emperor Xuande, no one in the officialdom in the capital, including the Three Law Divisions, knew the progress of the case.

However, what made the government and the public in the capital feel more and more panicked was that as the arquebus case progressed, more and more officials and businessmen were implicated and were arrested by Jinyiwei and put in prison in the Gyeonggi Governor's Office, and some of them had little to do with Li Yuntian.

In other words, although Emperor Xuande wanted to keep the arquebus case under control, the scale of the case inevitably expanded as the situation developed.

There are not only the factors that the military attache of Jinyiwei wants to make meritorious service and receive awards, but also the personal grievances of some military attachés of Jinyiwei, and some people have privately bought off the Jinyiwei who tried the case, hoping to take the opportunity to get rid of the opponents in the officialdom or in the shopping mall.

The combination of these three factors has made the arquebus case involve a wider and wider range of people and scope, and there are gradually signs of getting out of control.

Faced with this scene in front of him, Chen Tai was helpless, he did not have the power to instruct Jinyiwei, so he couldn't stop Jinyiwei from arresting people everywhere, and he couldn't stop it, because Jinyiwei was on an errand in accordance with Emperor Xuande's imperial order and couldn't let go of anyone suspicious.

During this period, Li Yuntian lived a very leisurely life without being harassed in the slightest, reading books in the cell every day, and it was rare to relax for a while.

Neither Chen Tai nor Wei Xin had the intention of interrogating Li Yuntian, the reason was very simple, since Li Yuntian had already admitted to dereliction of duty, it was absolutely impossible for the two of them to make Li Yuntian admit to secretly possessing arms and rebelling, unless Li Yuntian was punished.

But Li Yuntian not only has great achievements in battle, but also has great prestige in the government and the opposition, plus he has a good friendship with the court's Chinese ministers and nobles, so even Wei Xin does not dare to lightly punish Li Yuntian, he must leave himself a way back, otherwise once Emperor Xuande dies, he will inevitably follow the bad luck.

Since Li Yuntian entered the prison of the Gyeonggi Governor's Mansion, the Zhenguo Mansion has closed its doors, neither Zhou Yuting nor Zhu Yuxin have taken a step out of the mansion, and they have not gone to the mansions of the powerful people in the capital to run around for Li Yuntian as people imagined.

What is particularly shocking to people is that the people of the Zhenguo Mansion have gone to the largest coffin in the capital to lay a good Nanmu coffin, and are secretly preparing for a funeral.

Obviously, this funeral in the Zhenguo Mansion was prepared for Li Yuntian, and no one would have thought that Zhou Yuting and Zhu Yuxin would sit back and watch Li Yuntian be imprisoned.

However, it was precisely this negative attitude of the Zhenguo Mansion that made those powerful people in the capital secretly sigh, how could they not see that there was a shadow of Emperor Xuande behind the arquebus case?

And Li Yuntian's self-surrender and the funeral organized by the Zhenguo Mansion all show that Li Yuntian has given up resistance and wants to be loyal to Emperor Xuande, and at the same time, it is also to take into account the overall situation of the court and avoid the arquebus case from getting out of control.

Obviously, there was no need for Li Yuntian to risk transporting those arquebuses to the capital, because the Xiaowu army camp outside the city was close to the capital, and if Li Yuntian wanted to rebel, he could directly mobilize the Xiaowu army.

Moreover, arquebuses have a huge disadvantage in close combat, especially in street fighting, and Li Yuntian should transport some ordinary knives and guns into the city instead of using the arquebus, which is strictly managed, and the role will be even greater.

But then again, if it was replaced by an ordinary knife and gun, it would not be possible to associate this matter with Li Yuntian, which was definitely not what Emperor Xuande wanted to see, so Fang Liang and Ah Qiu decided to start with an arquebus.

Since even the magnates in the capital can see the strangeness of the arquebus case, how could a person as smart as Li Yuntian not know the hidden secrets, and it is precisely because of this that Li Yuntian gave up resistance, and he has to feel embarrassed.

In the ninth year of Xuande, on the twenty-fifth day of the lunar month, after spending half a month in the prison of the Gyeonggi Governor's Office, Li Yuntian was finally taken away from his cell and went to the hall of the Gyeonggi Governor's Mansion to hear military affairs.

In the lobby, Chen Tai, Wei Xin and Hu Dahai sat behind the desk with solemn expressions, and on the chairs on the left and right sides of the hall sat the cabinet elders, military cabinet members, six department officials and five military governors, and the most powerful ministers in the Ming Dynasty gathered together, and they all looked at Li Yuntian who walked into the public hall quietly.

Because Li Yuntian was an important minister of the imperial court, and it involved the major crime of rebellion, Emperor Xuande decided to let the important ministers of the imperial court come to hear the case, as long as Li Yuntian's guilt was determined in the court, then he could naturally get rid of Li Yuntian, and at that time, the civil and military officials in the court would not be able to intercede for him.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the New Year is coming, and my father is here to greet you all of you in the early years." After standing firm in front of the hall, Li Yuntian smiled and greeted everyone present, I am afraid that he will spend the New Year in the prison of the Gyeonggi Governor's Mansion.

Hearing this, Yang Shiqi, Zhang Fu and others couldn't help but sigh secretly, they all knew in their hearts that Li Yuntian had been wronged, and judging from the current situation, it would be difficult for Li Yuntian, who had already admitted dereliction of duty, to get out of the arquebus case.

"Zhen Guogong, this governor asks you, did you know about the arquebuses hidden in the Bafang Warehouse beforehand?" After Li Yuntian saluted the people present, Chen Tai patted the shocked wood and asked in a deep voice with an expressionless face.

"Lord Dudu, my father only learned about the arquebus in the Bafang Warehouse after the fact, and he didn't know anything about it before." Li Yuntian bowed to Chen Tai when he heard this, and replied calmly.

"Zhenguo Gong, this governor has conclusive evidence to prove that you are related to that batch of arquebuses, you still truthfully recruited and confessed your crimes to the emperor, maybe the emperor read the credit you made to the Ming Dynasty, and you will be punished lightly."

Chen Tai groaned for a moment when he heard this, and looked at Li Yuntian with a stern expression, he had long known that Li Yuntian would not admit his guilt, and for an official like Li Yuntian, who was born as a scholar, his reputation was far more important than his life.

Therefore, Li Yuntian took the initiative to come to the Gyeonggi Governor's Mansion to bear the responsibility for dereliction of duty, and would rather be implicated in this incident and beheaded, but he would never admit the charge of rebellion, in that case, his reputation would be completely ruined, and he would become a rebellious minister and thief like Hu Weiyong and Lan Yu.

"Lord Governor, I am busy with official business this fair day, and I really don't know about those arquebuses." Li Yuntian had been prepared for this, and shook his head quietly, not surprised by this, he knew that the reason why the trial would be held today was that Chen Tai already had his "incriminating evidence" in his hands.

"Come on, spread Yang Fu!" Chen Tai did not expect Li Yuntian to admit that he had anything to do with the arquebuses, so he summoned witnesses to court step by step.

"Xiaomin Yang Fu knocks to meet all the adults." Yang Fu was the merchant who rented the warehouse of the Bafang Warehouse, a tall and thin man with a mustache on his chin, and after being taken to the court by two sergeants from the Gyeonggi Governor's Office, he quickly knelt in front of the hall to salute Chen Tai and the others.

Because Yang Fu honestly "confessed" his crimes before Jinyiwei was executed, claiming that he was instructed by Li Yuntian to hide the arquebuses, he was not punished and received preferential treatment in the prison, so he seemed to be in good spirits and his clothes were clean and tidy.

Li Yuntian didn't know Yang Fu's identity, but he was sure that he had never seen this person before, so he looked at Yang Fu quietly, wondering who Yang Fu was.

"Yang Fu, tell the adults here why are you involved in this case?" Under the concerned gaze of everyone at the scene, Chen Tai said to Yang Fu with a stern expression.

"Lord Yu, Xiaomin is a merchant who deals in ceramics and was arrested for assisting Zhen Guogong in hiding a batch of arquebuses in the Bafang Warehouse." Yang Fu kowtowed to Chen Tai when he heard this, and shouted loudly with a frightened expression, "My lord is clear, the reason why Xiaomin is forced to do this is that he is helpless, and Zhenguo Gong threatens Xiaomin's family, and Xiaomin has to do what he says." ”

As soon as these words came out, there was a commotion in the lobby, and Yang Shiqi, Zhang Fu and others present couldn't help but talk about each other, all feeling that things were a little ridiculous, Li Yuntian wanted to hide that batch of arquebuses, why did he need to threaten a businessman?

The corners of Li Yuntian's mouth showed a sneer, he originally thought that there would be some superb trap waiting for him, but he didn't expect that it would be such a superficial layout.

However, although this layout is superficial, because Yang Fu insisted that the arquebus was related to him, it was not easy for Li Yuntian to get out in the current situation.

"Do you know Zhen Guogong?" Chen Tai ignored the commotion at the scene and asked to himself.

"Of course I know, the matter of the batch of arquebuses that Zhen Guogong personally explained to Xiaomin." Hearing this, Yang Fu nodded hurriedly and replied busily.

"Then can you identify which one at the scene is the Duke of Zhenguo?" Chen Tai then asked in a deep voice.

"Lord Yu, this is the Duke of Zhenguo." Hearing this, Yang Fu turned his head to look at Li Yuntian who was standing aside, and said to Chen Tai in a loud voice.

"You said that Zhen Guogong wanted you to hide the batch of arquebuses, is there any evidence?" Seeing this, Chen Tai groaned for a moment and asked.

Yang Shiqi, Zhang Fu and others immediately looked at Yang Fu when they heard this, wanting to know what evidence Yang Fu had in his hand to prove that Li Yuntian was involved in the arquebus case.

"My lord, in order to win over the small people, the town of Guogong once promised to give the small people a high-ranking official position after the matter was completed, and gave the small people a piece of paper as evidence." Yang Fu hesitated for a moment when he heard this, and then said solemnly to Chen Tai.

"Where's the paperwork?" Chen Tai couldn't help but feel surprised, Yang Fu had never mentioned what documents Li Yuntian had given him since he was arrested in the prison of the Gyeonggi Governor's Office.

Yang Shiqi, Zhang Fu and the others at the scene couldn't help but glance at each other, and secretly felt ridiculous in their hearts, with Li Yuntian's prudence, could they leave such important evidence?

"Xiaomin knew that this matter was serious, so he sewed this paper voucher into his clothes and carried it with him, and asked the adults to make the decision for Xiaomin, who was indeed coerced by the Zhenguo Gong to do such a rebellious thing." Hearing this, Yang Fu reached out and tore open the corner of his robe, took out a piece of paper folded together from it, and held it high with both hands and handed it to Chen Tai.

As soon as Chen Tai waved his hand, a military attache from the Gyeonggi Governor's Mansion standing in front of the hall stepped forward and took the paper in Yang Fu's hand and gave it to him.

"Lord Yang, let's see if this is from the handiwork of Zhen Guogong!" After Chen Tai glanced at the contents of the paper, his face couldn't help but change, and he quietly handed the paper to Yang Shiqi, who was sitting on the left side of Jianyi's hand.

The paper not only said that Yang Fu would be given an official title in the future, but more importantly, the signature was Li Yuntian, and it was also stamped with the official seal of the chief instructor of the martial arts hall.

Although Chen Tai knew that the contents of this piece of paper were forged, he believed that the official seal of the chief instructor of the Lecture Martial Arts Hall would not be fake, which made things very tricky.

Yang Shiqi was taken aback after glancing at the paper, and hurriedly handed it to Yang Rong beside him, Yang Rong then gave it to Yang Pu and Chen Shan, and the four cabinet elders whispered while looking at it.

Seeing this situation, the important ministers at the scene couldn't help but glance at each other suspiciously, they didn't know what was going on, it made Yang Shiqi and these cabinet elders so cautious, could it be that the content on this piece of paper could not be written by Li Yuntian?

Li Yuntian's brows furrowed slightly, he often assisted Yang Shiqi and the other four pavilion elders in Wenyuan Pavilion to deal with official business, and the four of them should be quite familiar with his handwriting, but now they didn't even see that the font on the paper was fake, which means that the person who forged this official document must have imitated his font, and it was vivid, so that Yang Shiqi and the others couldn't distinguish it for a while!