Tang Dynasty Prison Administration

Chapter 134: Truly Entering the Core

All the officials, who had been slightly tense just moments before, smiled and took their seats. A soldier next to the emperor spoke with Gao Lishi, and after Gao Lishi spoke to the emperor, the emperor walked up the cloud steps with a joyful expression and said, "Continue the music and the dance."

It was as if the rebellion just now was just a drama in the eyes of the sage. At this moment, Su Wen realized that they did not take it seriously at all.

At this moment, the sage pointed at Su Wen and said softly, "My dear ministers, continue drinking. Fireworks and firecrackers will soon be set off."

After the sage finished speaking, he turned and stepped into the palace. The empress and the imperial concubine went up the cloud steps together and sat on chairs to watch the dancers on the stage.

When Su Wen arrived at the inner hall, he saw a corpse that had been beaten beyond recognition and was covered in blood and gore. Standing next to it was Li Zheng.

On the left and right sides stood more than ten ministers, who appeared to be high-ranking officials of the third rank or above.

After Su Wen entered the inner hall, the Emperor smiled slightly and said, "If it weren't for Minister Su's prior notice, which gave me and my ministers some warning, we would have really let this man named Shi Linfeng succeed."

Then, the emperor looked at Su Wen and said, "Minister Su, what do you think I should reward you with?"

Su Wen bowed and said, "This is my duty, Your Majesty, there is no need for reward."

The sage smiled slightly: "You have rendered a great service this time, and you should be rewarded!"

The emperor paced back and forth, pondered for a moment, and then slowly said, "I will continue to grant you the authority to act as you see fit. Any official below the fourth rank who commits a crime may be dealt with directly according to the law without my permission. Furthermore, from now on, I grant you permission to come directly to Xingqing Palace to discuss state affairs with me."

Upon hearing this, Yao Chong immediately stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, this is absolutely unacceptable. If we do this, Minister Su's power will become too great, and I fear..."

The emperor raised his hand to stop Yao Chong from speaking, then turned to Su Wen and said, "I believe that Minister Su will not abuse this power."

After the sage finished speaking, he looked at everyone and said slowly, "Look, Minister Su solved such a complicated and bizarre case in just a few days. He even turned the tables on the schemer and put on such a wonderful performance. I'm sure you all have no objections to the capabilities of the Prison Warden in the future."

Su Wen understood the emperor's unspoken meaning, and Gao Lishi immediately whispered, "Your Majesty, the fireworks display is about to begin. You may allow the ministers to go out and enjoy the fireworks."

The Emperor nodded and said, "By the way, I won't be attending the engagement banquet of Minister Su and Cui Lingyu in a few days. I will personally officiate the wedding next year. Minister Su can take a few days off to prepare for the engagement banquet."

At this point, the emperor stepped out of the palace and said, "My beloved ministers, come with me to watch the fireworks."

After he finished speaking, the ministers walked out of the gate one after another. Su Wen turned around and was about to leave when Li Zheng called out softly, "Minister Su, please forgive me for my rudeness the other day."

Su Wen bowed and said, "Governor Li, there is no need to apologize. It should be me apologizing to Governor Li. I originally wanted to tell you about this, but everyone in Chang'an knows your character. It is fortunate that you came to kill me the other day, otherwise I am afraid that Shi Linfeng might not have believed it."

Li Zheng said, "Minister Su has a great attitude. If you ever need my help in the future, please just say the word. I will definitely lend a hand as long as it is within my power."

Su Wen said, "In that case, I will thank Military Governor Li in advance."

Li Zheng smiled and said, "Minister Su, let's go watch the fireworks together, please!"

Su Wen said, "Please!"

After saying this, the two left the inner hall and went outside. They returned to their seats, drank a cup together, and then the sound of fireworks exploding rang out. Everyone looked up.

The beautiful sight of fireworks and firecrackers could be seen everywhere in Chang'an.

Cui Lingyu looked at Su Wen and said, "Su Lang, I'd like to offer you a toast."

Su Wen smiled and bowed to Cui Lingyu.

At this moment, everyone in the prison was gathered together drinking and eating meat.

In the entire prison, only Cheng Nianci held a jade token tightly in her hand, sitting alone on the ground at the entrance, watching the fireworks in the sky. She silently said in her heart: Father, Mother, don't worry. When the prison is built and officially opens, I will sue them and clear your name. Just wait patiently!

......

A few days later, Su Wen, dressed in a green wedding robe, rode a horse adorned with red ribbons, followed by people carrying various boxes, while various musical instruments were played in front of him, as he made his way to the Cui residence in a grand procession.

Because it was a marriage bestowed by a sage, the six rites of asking the name, accepting auspicious omens, and accepting betrothal were omitted, as the subsequent request for the wedding date was also removed. After all, the sage had already chosen the date for the wedding ceremony and the grand wedding.

Therefore, Su Wen only needs to pay the tax now.

The box being carried contained wild geese, 500,000 coins, chicken, duck, fish, meat, tea, wine, fruit, gold and jade artifacts, silk and satin, brocade and cloth, 120 shi of rice, 3 jin and 2 liang of candy, and some other miscellaneous items.

After all, the other party was Cui Lin's legitimate daughter from the Cui family of Boling. If it weren't for the emperor's bestowal of marriage, Cui Lingyu would not have been able to marry Su Wen. After all, Su Wen's parents died early, and he was a coroner. Under normal circumstances, Su Wen would not have been worthy of the Cui family's attention.

However, aristocratic families never consider these betrothal gifts when getting married. To be honest, this amount of money is just a drop in the ocean for the Cui family.

The reason why Cui agreed was also due to the sage's plan.

In other words, this was a political marriage from beginning to end. The emperor valued Su Wen because he needed top-notch criminal justice talent to help him weaken the power of the Longyou group and support the power of the Hebei group, thus creating a balance of power. This is the art of imperial power.

The Cui family needed Su Wen, or rather, not just the Cui family, but the entire Hebei group needed Su Wen's assistance, in order to successfully enter the court and share power with the Longyou group, instead of the current situation where Anlong is strong and Hebei is weak.

It could even be said that even if the Cui family didn't want to agree to the wedding, there was nothing they could do. After all, the Hebei Group would make the Cui family agree, since the Cui family, the Lu family, and other prominent families in Hebei all needed this opportunity.

The sage has opened a breach and given us a chance. If the Longyou Group gets there first, then the Hebei Group will never be able to recover.

Fortunately, Su Wen and Cui Lingyu had developed genuine feelings for each other, which meant that the wedding was not entirely a transaction of interests.

After the grand procession arrived at the Cui residence, they entered. Since it was a marriage bestowed by the emperor, Zhang Yue was there to act as the matchmaker. As members of the Hebei Group and the Qinghe Zhang Clan, their interests were aligned, so there was no objection to him being the matchmaker.

Moreover, Zhang Shuo is now the military governor of Hebei Province, and his position is not disgraceful to the Cui family of Qinghe. The Cui family and the Zhang family of Qinghe are two prominent families in the same area and have a history of intermarriage. Therefore, Zhang Shuo agreed to the matter.

The engagement and betrothal banquet were presided over by Zhang Shuo. Today, only close relatives from the Cui family were present. Since the betrothal banquet was not a formal wedding banquet, it was not necessary to invite too many people.

However, many prominent families and dignitaries still sent gifts to offer their congratulations.

Among them were many powerful families from the Longyou Group. Although they belonged to different groups, they were all powerful families, so their interests were similar.

This matter is very difficult to describe. The interests involved are extremely complex, as are the positions held by the parties involved. It is impossible to explain it thoroughly.