Tianliangyuan

Chapter 414 Big Case!

Zhao Changqing quickly investigated the case thoroughly. Next, he needed to report it to the Ministry of Justice for approval, and then he could wait for the appropriate action.

The death penalty can only be carried out after approval from the Ministry of Justice.

This law was established by the Daxing Dynasty to prevent wrongful convictions and miscarriages of justice.

Of course, this case was ordered by His Majesty himself, so Zhao Changqing still had to report it to His Majesty.

Zhao Changqing felt there was no problem, after all, this was being carried out according to His Majesty's wishes.

On the other side, Xu Zhaozhao found Xu Junting: "You need to find your elder brother immediately and tell him that the Li Ye Zhao Changqing captured earlier was a fake, and the real Li Ye has already escaped from the capital."

"Ok?"

"Zhaozhao, this is a serious matter, you can't joke about it."

"Third Brother, take these two men and interrogate them thoroughly. If His Majesty asks, just say that you discovered them by accident while trying out new grain varieties outside..."

When the incident occurred in Beijing that night, Xu Junting was indeed not in Beijing, but at the Imperial Estate.

The two people Xu Zhaozhao handed over to him were tenant farmers from a farm about ten miles away from the imperial estate.

Xu Zhaozhao followed the clues and found the two people. She confirmed that they had indeed seen several carriages leaving the city on the day the turmoil broke out, just as the city gates were about to close. At the same time, she also heard someone addressing the young master.

Of course, most importantly, they saw the emblem of the carriage, which was no joke!

How did the emblem of Prince Fu's carriage suddenly appear?

Ordinary people naturally wouldn't recognize this.

Moreover, the emblem was located in a rather hidden spot, inside the curtain.

If it weren't for the person inside lifting the curtain to ask a question, these two farmers by the roadside wouldn't have seen that strange sign.

They didn't understand anything about car emblems, but they noted that it was a rather strange pattern, since they had never seen it before.

That pattern was exclusive to the royal family; how could ordinary people like them see it?

Based on this, Xu Zhaozhao determined that the real Li Ye had already fled the capital, and the one left behind was just a fake, in order to attract the court's attention.

After listening, Xu Junting felt something was amiss.

"Even though it's fake, there's no need to expose it!"

Xu Zhaozhao also realized this strange thing.

"Third Brother is right. Even if it's fake, we can fool people for a while. Why expose ourselves suddenly?"

The two suddenly thought of a possibility and quickly looked at each other.

"Oh no! I'll go find Lord Zhao right away, and you send someone to find my elder brother!"

Xu Zhaozhao nodded. This matter was likely to escalate further and further, beyond their control.

At this point, it's no longer a matter of who deserves credit and who takes responsibility.

Xu Zhaozhao immediately sent people to contact the nearest people she could reach, including Xu Jun'an, Li Zhangping, Cui Chong, and others. Anyone she encountered was to be sent to the East Gate as quickly as possible.

Because the incident occurred in Wannian County, and because Liu Qi had seized many things in Chang'an County, everyone's focus was on Wannian County.

The East Gate is located in Chang'an County, so it is easily overlooked.

After the uprising, the court thought it had made a great gain because a large number of Hu people and rebels were captured, as they had seized a lot of weapons and oil.

Therefore, the imperial court ordered the opening of the east gate yesterday.

The real Li Ye most likely ordered his men to leave the capital through the East Gate with important supplies.

A day and a night have passed, and the chances of catching up are slim, but we still need to find out what Li Ye transported out of the capital.

The fake Li Ye was arrested on the west side of the city, so everyone's attention naturally shifted westward. Who would have thought that something would happen at the east gate, which had been quiet for several days?

Xu Junan and Cui Chong both received the news, and Li Zhangping also arrived with his troops.

"You two go to the palace to report. I will take men to chase after them. Don't worry, there is only one official road leading out of the east city. If they want to go fast, they will definitely take the official road."

"But it might be different ten miles outside the city. They might unload their things and take the mountain path."

"Never mind that, I'll lead my men to chase after them first. If it's weapons and provisions, they certainly won't take the mountain roads, it's too slow, and our men will be able to catch up more easily."

Xu Junan frowned: "But what if it's gold or silver?"

The three were silent for a moment. Regardless, they still had to chase after them first.

Cui Chong decisively said, "General Li and I will go out to pursue them together. If we find anything unusual, we will split into two groups. Go and report to His Majesty. If possible, please allocate some more manpower to me."

"Alright. But you must be careful and bring plenty of men to avoid falling into the enemy's trap."

What if it's a trap to lure them out of the city?

After the riots, all sorts of possibilities will arise.

Therefore, Xu Jun'an directly assigned the three hundred men he had brought to Li Zhangping, saying, "You two be careful. After I inform His Majesty, I will immediately bring more troops to provide support."

"it is good!"

On the other side, Zhao Changqing was intercepted by Xu Junting at the palace gate.

"Lord Zhao, this case cannot be closed for the time being."

"What?" Zhao Changqing's eyes widened. This was His Majesty's order.

Exhausted and panting, Xu Junting finally managed to explain the whole story.

Sweat poured down Zhao Changqing's forehead.

Is it so exciting?

"Quickly, come with me to the palace to see His Majesty!"

Such an important matter must be reported as soon as possible.

As for the two farmers, they were already terrified and were being carried inside by Xie Xiaolin's men, one on each side.

At this moment, Emperor Yong'an was discussing with Qu Shiji and Cui Xuanming how to deal with the officials involved in the case.

These are all minor officials, but it is difficult to quell the resentment if they are not punished. However, if the punishment is too severe, it will inevitably affect the emperor's virtue.

"Your Majesty, Zhao Changqing, the Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture, and Xu Junting, the Baron of Kaiguo County, are requesting an audience, saying they have urgent matters to report."

"Xuan!"

Zhao Changqing practically stumbled in, completely losing his composure.

Xu Junting was in a better position than him, because he had just seen his older brother and probably knew the news and was making arrangements.

Emperor Yong'an frowned: "Such panic! What kind of behavior is this!"

"Your Majesty, please forgive me! The Li Ye I captured was an imposter. The real Li Ye has most likely already fled. And yesterday morning, he may have even transported a large amount of supplies, though we cannot yet determine what those supplies are."

His words were so disjointed and confusing that even Emperor Yong'an was bewildered.

Xu Junting had calmed down by now and slowly explained the whole story.

"It was only after I met those two farmers yesterday that I noticed something amiss. I then asked them to describe the strange pattern. I drew a royal carriage emblem, and the two of them nodded in unison, saying it was very similar, yet slightly different. It wasn't until my men drew the emblem of the Prince of Fu's carriage that they both nodded in confirmation."