The fate was changed, the mistress of the Hou family was slapped in the face and made money to win

Chapter 509: Clues Found in Arson Case

There were dozens of prisoners in the prison of the Ministry of Justice, and there were a total of 40 to 50 jailers. This arson caused a total of 10 deaths and more than 20 injuries. Since the establishment of the Ministry of Justice, there has never been such a thing, and no one has dared to set fire in the Ministry of Justice. After the news of openly throwing burning kerosene to burn down the prison of the Ministry of Justice spread, the entire imperial city was shocked. Emperor Xiao was furious and directly questioned Pei Zhaozhi in the morning court. After Pei Zhaozhi stated very clearly that the Ministry of Justice was burned to silence people and the witness Chu Yisheng had died in the sea of ​​fire, Emperor Xiao's previous hesitation and scruples about the case were completely replaced by anger. He ordered the two cases to be investigated together, adding three more days. Within five days, not only must the old case of that year be investigated, but the arsonist must also be found. All officials involved in the disaster relief silver case were suspended from their posts for investigation and were subject to interrogation at any time. Once it was confirmed that they were involved, they would be severely punished. When Jiang Suining heard the news, she was resting in a side room in the backyard of the Ministry of Justice. Shen Yanxi was beside her. Seeing Jiang Suining was silent, he poured a cup of hot tea and handed it to her, saying, "What are you thinking about?" "I'm thinking that the arsonist is really desperate and has lost his mind." Although the fire killed Chu Yisheng, the witness, it also completely angered Emperor Xiao. Before, Emperor Xiao's attitude towards this case had always been a little vague, but now he has ordered a detailed investigation. If he doesn't find a result, he will definitely not give up. Thinking about it this way, it is really hard to say that burning the prison of the Ministry of Justice is a good move. Shen Yanxi's eyes sank slightly, "Maybe he is really desperate and wants to take a gamble. But no matter what, the current situation is not bad for us." "Indeed, Emperor Xiao's attitude is crucial. Now that he is furious, those officials involved can no longer evade and prevaricate like before. Maybe we can interrogate more things. As for the arsonist..." Jiang Suining pursed his lips and frowned. "I'm afraid those officials can't be so bold. But Xiao Ling..." "According to the imperial physician, he is still in a coma. I will find a way to find someone to sneak in and check. But if Xiao Ling is pretending to be unconscious, the Third Prince's mansion must be on guard. Moreover, the Third Prince was imprisoned inside and outside the mansion and there were imperial guards guarding him. It may not be so easy to find out the situation." "Whether he is really unconscious or pretending to be unconscious, it is impossible to suppress this case at this point. As for Xiao Ling, don't think about denying what he has done." Just as Jiang Suining and Shen Yanxi said, with the order of Emperor Xiao and the burning of the prison of the Ministry of Justice, there is no possibility of turning this case around. Pei Zhao ordered the yamen runners to act separately, and within one day, almost all the officials who had participated in the disaster relief case in Songjiang Prefecture were brought back. Some of those with higher status who were difficult to bring into the Ministry of Justice were also interrogated in the mansion. Among them was Liu Wenhong, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue. At first, the other party was stubborn and wanted to deny it. He cried out that he was wronged, but in the end, Pei Zhaozhi forced him to see Chu Yisheng's charred body. In fear, he finally confessed. He did know about the embezzlement of disaster relief silver, but he was a low-ranking official at the time and only helped to conceal it. He did not participate in other things. Pei Zhaozhi naturally would not completely believe this evasive confession, but as long as he admitted that there was indeed injustice in the case of embezzlement of disaster relief silver, it was enough. After Liu Wenhong signed and sealed, Pei Zhaozhi took his confession and interrogated other officials involved one by one. After a few days, almost half of them had confessed, but a small number of officials still said they were unaware. "These confessions are enough to prove that someone else embezzled the disaster relief money, but there is no mention of the third prince as the mastermind behind the scenes. The reason why Chu Yisheng was able to get the secret letter was probably because his boss was seriously ill, and he took over the house construction, so he got the promise. As for the officials in charge of escorting and disaster relief, the only one who could get the secret letter was probably the leading official at the time, but he died of illness last year." Pei Zhaozhi handed the organized confessions to Jiang Suining and Shen Yanxi and continued. "Although it cannot be used as ironclad evidence to prove that Xiao Ling secretly instructed, it is enough to prove that Lord Gu was indeed wronged. In addition, even if Feng Yimin is dead, the disaster relief money and the embezzled grain money from the Changping Warehouse were searched together. If the disaster relief money is fake, then the case of embezzlement of grain in the Changping Warehouse is naturally fake!" It's just a pity that he failed to bring Feng Yimin back to the imperial city, interrogate him to make a confession, and then let him testify in court. After all, he was careless. Jiang Suining and Shen Yanxi looked at each other, and Shen Yanxi said to Pei Zhaozhi: "How did you investigate the arson case?" "We have found some clues. In order to make the fire bigger, those people used a lot of kerosene. Kerosene is not so easy to get, except for one place..." Pei Zhaozhi paused and looked at the two of them, "You should know where it is." "Black market." Jiang Suining and Shen Yanxi said in unison. There is probably no other place that can have the ability and courage to sell such a large amount of kerosene except the black market. "That's right!" Pei Zhaozhi nodded. "So do we need to go to the black market to investigate the case now?" Shen Yanxi asked. He went to see Yan Qi before, but the other party never admitted that he had any relationship with the black market, and he never said a word when he mentioned the message. So he asked someone to send a blank letter to the black market, and since then, there has been no contact. If you want to go to the black market to investigate the case, this time may not be easier than the last time. Pei Zhaozhi shook his head. "It won't be that troublesome this time. The kerosene was shipped from the black market, but because of the huge quantity and the fact that it was a dangerous item, traces were left during the transportation." "The people I sent out followed the clues and found a man named Qiu Luo. A night watchman saw with his own eyes that two carts covered with black cloth were transported into Qiu Luo's outer house late at night, and a pungent smell could be faintly smelled. I have sent people to check. There are traces of jars piled up in his yard, and there is kerosene spilled in the corner. Now, Qiu Luo has been controlled. Although he still refuses to confess, his background has been found." At this point, Pei Zhaozhi kept it a secret. "Guess who Qiu Luo is." "Is he related to the third prince?" Jiang Suining asked. "Yes, his sister is a concubine of the third prince!"