CHAPTER 588: CHAPTER 588 PERSUASION

Marquis Dongxiang insisted on acting first and reporting later, and even the Minister of the Ministry of Justice had no choice.

He somewhat regretted rushing over to find Marquis Dongxiang in such a hurry.

If only he had waited to report until after the banquet, it wouldn’t have been a problem.

However, given Marquis Dongxiang’s relationship with the Emperor, it shouldn’t be a major issue, as the evidence was sufficient, only the procedure was inappropriate.

At most, the Emperor would scold Marquis Dongxiang a few times.

The Emperor had always wanted to scold him but couldn’t find the opportunity, as all the officials could see.

But this kind of flattery was hard to perform, otherwise, the Emperor’s lips would have long been calloused from scolding.

The Minister of the Ministry of Justice went directly to the Ministry, signed a search warrant, and with the blueprints of the offerings brought back by Young Master Qu, he ordered people to search Yongcheng Bo Mansion.

To raid Yongcheng Bo Mansion, even the Minister of the Ministry of Justice dared not.

After all, he was the Minister of Justice, and his main role was to investigate cases, and the most important thing in investigations is conclusive evidence.

To hastily raid an Uncle’s Mansion, if it was a misunderstanding, he, as the Minister of Justice, could not bear it.

The Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice took the blueprints, and the Minister said, "If you find the offerings in the painting, then raid Yongcheng Bo Mansion."

"What if they are not found?" the Vice Minister asked.

"... ."

"If not found, just surround Yongcheng Bo Mansion first, and await further instructions."

The Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice agreed.

He led people directly towards Yongcheng Bo Mansion.

Hmm.

Today was the day to welcome Beimo Cheng King.

Although Beimo was defeated in battle, it borrowed ten thousand soldiers and horses from Nanliang, and besieged the city again.

The court did not wish to start another war, so they treated Beimo Cheng King as an equal, to avoid intensifying conflicts, which could be seen as extending courtesy before force.

Many people were entering the palace for the banquet, and there were many sedan chairs and carriages bustling in the streets.

Over a hundred officials from the Ministry of Justice were marching through the streets, making quite a spectacle.

The carriage stopped, waiting for the government officials to pass.

Xingxing lifted the curtain, and Su Jin saw the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice on horseback.

Not planning to attend the banquet but going to arrest someone, this must be a major case.

Who was so unlucky, one wondered?

Once the officials passed, the carriage continued forward.

By the time the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice and his men arrived at Yongcheng Bo Mansion,

Elder Yong Cheng was just stepping out, with the eldest daughter of the mansion following by his side.

Lady Yongcheng was not present.

Her son had just been killed, and she had not yet emerged from her grief, having no heart to enter the palace to witness others’ cheer.

Seeing the Vice Minister and the soldiers surrounding the mansion, Elder Yong Cheng felt a chill down his back.

"What does Lord Lin intend with this?" Elder Yong Cheng’s face turned icy.

The Vice Minister didn’t say much, showing the warrant, "It’s a duty, I hope Elder Yong Cheng will forgive us."

With that, the Vice Minister waved his hand.

"Half of you stay, let no one go in or out!"

"The other half follow me inside the mansion for the search!"

The Vice Minister tried to enter the mansion, but Elder Yong Cheng blocked the way, face dark as iron, "Is a mere search warrant enough to intrude my mansion without considering my status as Elder Yong Cheng?!"

The Vice Minister replied, "Elder Yong Cheng, any grievance can wait until after the search."

"I am merely acting under orders."

Although Elder Yong Cheng held a noble rank, even a Prince must comply with a search warrant from the Ministry.

Elder Yong Cheng repeatedly obstructed, leaving the Vice Minister no choice but to resort to force.

Holding the warrant, Elder Yong Cheng’s resistance amounted to obstructing justice; if actual wrongdoing was uncovered, it would only aggravate the charges.

Two officials watched Elder Yong Cheng as the Vice Minister led his men inside for the search.

The entire Yongcheng Bo Mansion was thrown into a state of panic and unease.

The officials dispersed everywhere, searching for the offerings.

But after a long search, they found nothing.

The Vice Minister started to feel uneasy.

Acting first and reporting later was already an overstep; confirming Elder Yong Cheng had embezzled offerings would turn a crime into merit.

If nothing was found, it would be slander, enhancing the crime.

Though Marquis Dongxiang was shielding him, the Minister of the Ministry of Justice couldn’t escape punishment.

The court belonged to the Emperor, not to Marquis Dongxiang.

The Minister of the Ministry of Justice handled the case per court law, not Marquis Dongxiang’s preferences.

"Keep searching!" the Vice Minister ordered.

"Dig three feet into the ground if you must to find those items!"

Lady Chen Jiao of Yongcheng Bo Mansion angrily asked, "What exactly are you searching for?!"

No one answered her.

If Elder Yong Cheng truly embezzled the offerings, he would not dare flaunt them, they must still be in the mansion.

As the Vice Minister thought this, an official came over saying, "My lord, we’ve found it!"

The Vice Minister felt a weight lift from his shoulders.

He followed the official to the study.

In a hidden room of the study, the Vice Minister indeed saw the offerings from the blueprint.

"Take them away!" the Vice Minister ordered.

The officials carried the boxes out.

Elder Yong Cheng protested, "It’s bad enough to intrude my mansion, but now you’re robbing us too? When did the Ministry of Justice turn into bandits?"

The Vice Minister looked at Elder Yong Cheng.

Elder Yong Cheng was angry, but he was not afraid.

This display puzzled the Vice Minister further.

If these items were indeed offerings, Elder Yong Cheng shouldn’t have shown such an expression.

Opening the boxes, the Vice Minister examined the porcelain, finding no imperial markings.

His head started to ache.

All offerings must have special markings beneath the porcelain, but these did not.

Yet to claim they were not offerings, these items were all on the tribute list given to him by the Minister of the Ministry of Justice.

Though only half of them.

But these items were all unique and not inferior to those used by the Emperor.

The task given by the Minister, the Vice Minister was unsure if it was complete or not.

He dared not make a decision on his own, only stating, "Surround Yongcheng Bo Mansion!"

As for those boxes, the Vice Minister ordered them taken out of Yongcheng Bo Mansion.

On horseback, the Vice Minister felt his temples throb, "I’ll head to the palace first, you make sure those items are safely returned to the Ministry of Justice."

Meanwhile, Su Jin, after entering the palace by carriage, stopped at the carriage stand.

Just climbing out, she heard a voice calling, "Sister! Sister! I’m here!"

"It’s Young Master Su!" Xingxing exclaimed happily.

Young Master Su and the Ninth Prince ran over.

Su Jin looked at them, "You too have entered the palace?"

Young Master Su’s face soured, "What do you mean we too have entered the palace?"

"Sister, you don’t approve of us coming into the palace to play?"

Su Jin chuckled, "I’m curious how you convinced our parents to let you into the palace?"

"Convincing our parents was impossible," Young Master Su lifted his chin defiantly.

Xingxing looked at him, "Young Master, if you sneak into the palace and cause trouble, the Marquis will surely punish you when you return."

Young Master Su rolled his eyes, "Who said we sneaked into the palace?"

"I knew from the start our parents wouldn’t agree, so we convinced the Emperor a few days ago to let us attend the banquet," Young Master Su boasted.

"... ."

Su Jin’s mouth twitched.

This brother of hers really deserved a beating.

Now that he had grown bolder, daring to bypass his parents and go straight to the Emperor.

Wasn’t he afraid that Marquis Dongxiang would throw him to the Emperor?

Though that might be exactly what he wanted.

Su Jin, "... ."

"Alright, I won’t hold you back any longer, we’re off to play," Young Master Su said.

Su Jin warned him, "Don’t cause any trouble."

"I won’t cause trouble, we made an oath before leaving," Young Master Su said with dismay.

We even convinced the Emperor, yet got stuck with our own father.

If we cause any trouble, we wouldn’t just get a scolding; we wouldn’t be allowed to play outside for six months.

With such a heavy threat hanging over us, how dare we not behave?