Punished According to Law

"That's where Lord Wei's cleverness lies," Zhang Changshen smile. "I was also deceived at the time. If it weren't for the discovery of this matter during the interrogation of Wei Liniang, I'm afraid no one would have guessed that Lord Wei actually had his daughter, who had married into the Marquis of Suiping's Residence's household, carry out the attack."

He only investigated Wei Qiu and his Wei Family; how could he have found Wei Qiu's daughter, who had been married for over a decade?

Xiao Ge was stunned for a moment, then his face turned extremely ugly.

If it were merely a matter of Wei Qiu's daughter changing her offspring, although this was extremely taboo and unacceptable to the royal family and nobility, Wei Qiu's responsibility would be minimal since Lady Wei was a married woman; at most, he would be reprimanded, have his salary reduced, or be demoted.

However, if Wei Qiu harmed the families of his colleagues in the struggle for power, the crime would be much more serious. Wei Qiu and his Wei Family would have no choice but to be beheaded, have their property confiscated, and be exiled.

He opened the file and began to read the confessions.

As his gaze left the case file and his hands clenched, Grand Tutor Cen knelt down. "I beg Your Majesty to grant Liu Chengde justice."

Liu Chengde was one of his students, and it was he who recommended him to the emperor when the selection of the Minister of Ministry of Personnel was being considered.

Minister Wu also knelt down. "I hope Your Majesty will give Liu Chengde justice." He is the current Minister of Ministry of Personnel, so this matter is somewhat related to him.

Xiao Ge sighed and raised his hand to Zhang Changshen, gesturing, "Arrest and interrogate all the servants from the Wei Residence mentioned in the case file."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Zhang Changshen bowed.

"Have the Imperial Guards keep a close watch on Wei Qiu," Xiao Ge instructed the guards standing in the room.

The guard bowed and went out to deliver the message.

The Emperor ordered that Wei Qiu be "under guard," not imprisoned. After all, Wei Qiu had not yet been convicted. The Emperor and the Minister of Ministry of Justice would need to interrogate Wei Kang and the others before determining their guilt and taking action to arrest them.

Therefore, the Imperial Guards were only secretly monitoring Wei Qiu's movements to prevent him from doing anything reckless upon receiving the news.

Zhang Changshen very clear that once this matter began, it could only succeed and not fail, otherwise they would face Wei Qiu's counterattack. Moreover, they had to act quickly and absolutely could not let Wei Qiu notice anything, otherwise, if the Third Prince, whom he relied on, intervened to protect him, he might only receive a light punishment.

After all, it was a servant of the Wei Family who killed Minister Wen's grandson. At most, Wei Qiu was only demoted two ranks for failing to manage his household properly.

If you don't kill the snake, you'll only get hurt. We're all old foxes; we all know this principle well.

Before coming to the palace, Zhang Changshen had ordered people to investigate Wei Kang's whereabouts. When he arrived, he brought another group of people to wait nearby.

He emerged from the palace and, upon giving an order, his men swiftly took action.

Zhang Changshen had been handling cases for decades, and as the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, he had a large following, as well as countless men under his own command. He could simply ask someone in the marketplace who was on good terms with Wei Kang to lure Wei Kang out. Less than half an hour after he left the palace, Wei Kang would have been sent to the Court of Judicial Review.

Once inside the Court of Judicial Review, even the most resolute person can be pried open, let alone ordinary people like Wei Kang.

Before dinner time, Wei Kang and others' confessions appeared on Xiao Ge's desk.

As an emperor, he was playing a game of balancing acts. Although Xiao Ge had established a crown prince, in order to keep the crown prince in check, he allowed the other princes to cultivate some supporters in the court. He would also sometimes promote some officials based on his personal preferences.

However, in order to uphold the imperial authority, there was one principle that Xiao Ge would never violate: he would not employ criminals.

In his quest for promotion, Wei Qiu murdered the families of his colleagues. If he were not severely punished, the court would inevitably descend into chaos, and infighting would ensue.

He summoned several ministers and officials from the Ministry of Justice, and handed the case file to the Minister of Ministry of Justice: "Punish them according to the law."

Having no idea what was happening, Wei Qiu left the yamen and returned home, asking his wife, "Where's Liniang? Tell her to come out."

"She went out after breakfast this morning and hasn't come back. I've already sent people to look for her," said Mother Wei.

She was also dissatisfied with her troublemaking daughter. But she only had three children, and Wei Liniang was her only daughter. The others were born out of wedlock. Even if she caused trouble, she was still her own child; if she didn't protect her, who would?

Upon hearing that Lady Wei had run off again, Wei Qiu's face immediately darkened. "What kind of mother are you? Letting her run around like that? Didn't you see what people outside are saying about her? Even I was teased a bit at the yamen."

He said sternly, "Tell her to pack her things and go stay at the estate for a while."

"Why does she have to live on the estate? Who's she bothering at home?" Mother Wei, always protective of her child, immediately objected, turning to her son and asking, "Did your wife say something to make you kick your sister out?"

"Mother, we didn't have any!" the Wei Family sons cried out, feeling wronged.

Their wives naturally complained, after all, Lady Wei's reputation was extremely bad, seriously affecting the reputation of the women of the Wei Family. If it weren't for Wei Qiu being a high-ranking official of the third rank, all the engaged couples would have been jilted by now. And it would be even more difficult for those who weren't yet engaged to find a partner.

However, Wei Liniang was spoiled by her parents and had a strong personality. If anyone offended her, she would definitely cause a scene at the Wei Residence. They dared not treat her badly in public.

Mother Wei said to Wei Qiu, "Alright, I'll tell her not to go out. She should stay home quietly for the time being. She shouldn't go to the estate. It's one thing for others to mistreat our daughter, but what kind of order would it be if we sent her to the estate? There are few people there and it's chaotic. We wouldn't even know if something happened to her there."

Wei Liniang inherited her mother's personality. Mother Wei was extremely domineering; if you offended her, she could really go to the emperor to file a complaint, causing Wei Qiu to lose his official position. Therefore, Wei Qiu generally didn't dare to provoke her.

Hearing his wife say that, he had no choice but to say, "Alright, alright. We'll do it your way."

Just as they were about to call for dinner, the servant whom Mother Wei had sent out to look for Lady Wei returned and reported, "Madam, I've searched the whole city, but I still can't find Madam Wei."

Mother Wei glanced at her husband and instructed, "Let's eat first. Liniang must have gone to the Marquis's residence. Before she left, she said she needed to talk to Brother An about something. She'll be back in a little while."

Wei Qiu frowned again and asked his wife, "Have you visited the old lady of the Marquis of Suiping?"

Mother Wei retorted, "Why would I go visit her? As in-laws, if a child makes a mistake, we should just discipline them properly. But she went and made it known throughout the capital, causing you and me to be reprimanded by the Emperor and Empress Dowager. She's gone so far, and I'm going to visit her? She's dreaming."

Wei Qiu said with a stern face, "Tomorrow, you take Liniang with you. Liniang was wrong in this matter, and we should apologize first, at least to show the Emperor and Empress Dowager."

"Yes," Mother Wei said reluctantly.

"As for other matters, I will handle them myself," Wei Qiu said, softening his tone.

Mother Wei was then Gao Xing.

After decades of marriage, she knows her husband best. He may seem magnanimous on the surface, but he is actually very vindictive.

The Marquis of Suiping's Residence has humiliated him so badly; he will surely seek revenge. Zhao Yuanxun's nominal position is likely lost.