Chapter 68: Jia Zhen is Convicted and Severely Punished

The Capital Guard was further divided into the Infantry Garrison and the Five Patrol Garrisons, with the Infantry Garrison shouldering the responsibility of guarding the Inner City of the Capital of Divine Glory.

At this moment, the Ningguo Mansion was shrouded in a stern and forbidding atmosphere both inside and out.

Over a hundred soldiers from the Infantry Garrison, clad in full armor and brandishing sharp weapons, had tightly surrounded the Ningguo Mansion. The late spring sunlight shone upon their armor, yet cast a chilling gleam.

Lukedu stood in the main courtyard with a grim expression, behind him stood Peng Jizhong, whose face still bore the fading bruises of beatings.

Jia Zhen hurried over from the Tianshang Pavilion in Huifang Garden in a disheveled and faltering manner.

Catching sight of Lukedu and Peng Jizhong, sudden realization dawned upon him—this day's catastrophe had actually been triggered by Qin Keqing and Peng Jizhong!

His heart surged with a mixture of shock and fury, coupled with utter perplexity.

In his view, this was hardly a grave matter. How could it have alarmed Retired Emperor Jingning so swiftly? And why had Emperor Jingning issued an imperial edict commanding Lukedu, the Commander of the Capital Guard, to apprehend him?

"Lord... Lord Lu."

Trembling like a candle in the wind, Jia Zhen walked up to Lukedu with unsteady steps, his voice shaking.

An absurd sensation welled up within his chest.

His grandfather, Jia Daihua, had once served as the Commander of the Capital Guard, and his powerful patron, Wang Ziteng, had been the Commander of the Capital Guard not long ago. Never had he imagined that one day he would be surrounded and arrested in his own mansion by the Commander of the Capital Guard leading the Infantry Garrison.

Pointing at Peng Jizhong, Lukedu said to Jia Zhen, "This is Peng Jizhong from Qin Ye's household; you must be well acquainted with him. Because he has accused you of defying human relations and flouting the laws of the state, the Retired Emperor has issued an edict commanding me to arrest you. Offense taken!"

Without missing a beat, Lukedu barked the order, "Men, take him into custody!"

The words had barely left his lips when soldiers immediately stepped forward and bound Jia Zhen's arms behind his back.

Struggling, Jia Zhen shouted, "An injustice! A grave injustice! This scoundrel Peng Jizhong is making a false accusation! When have I ever defied human relations? When have I ever flouted the state laws?"

Unmoved, Lukedu demanded, "Yesterday, you ordered your arrogant servants to viciously beat Peng Jizhong en masse. Two of those insolent servants have already been captured; who are the others, and where are they now?"

Among the two detained servants was Lai Er, the chief steward of the Ningguo Mansion.

Hearing this, Jia Zhen's face turned even paler. Glancing sideways, he caught sight of Lai Er being held aside by the soldiers, his hands bound behind him and terror stamped across his face. Yet, putting up a bold front, he continued to cry grievance: "Please discern the truth, my Lord! When did I ever order my servants to assault Peng Jizhong in a mob? This fellow is plainly leveling false accusations! I beg a moment of your time to speak in private."

Denying him the chance to speak in private, Lukedu's expression hardened as he said in a deep voice, "The Retired Emperor has decreed that this case shall be jointly overseen by Lord Wang, the Minister of Rites who is concurrently acting as the Minister of Punishments, with myself assisting in judicial matters. Strict commands have been issued that this case must not be handled with favoritism; it is to be investigated thoroughly and reported immediately without the slightest delay. If you refuse to confess truthfully and instead resort to sophistry and denial, Lord Wang and I will explicitly state as much in our memorial, and your punishment shall be increased by a grade! You had better think very carefully!"

Jia Zhen's body trembled violently, his legs shaking like chaff in the wind. Gazing at the courtyard full of armored soldiers brandishing sharp weapons, he felt the cold gleam pierce his eyes with a threatening edge, as if he were about to be impaled the very next instant. Having never experienced such terror and coercion, his psychological defenses swiftly collapsed, and every ounce of courage drained away.

Tremblingly, he raised a hand and pointed toward Lai Er, his voice as faint as the buzzing of a gnat: "Yest... yesterday, that gang of servants... Lai Er knows about them..."

With these words, Jia Zhen, who was usually accustomed to lording it over others with haughty airs, shriveled up like a cicada in the cold autumn frost.

Stroke by stroke, Lukedu stroked the gilded chi-dragon design carved on the hilt of his saber, looking down at Jia Zhen with a cold sneer playing at the corners of his lips as he silently mocked inwardly: "Is this the descendant of Duke Ningguo, Jia Yan? Is this the grandson of the former Capital Guard Commander, Jia Daihua? To think he is such a coward! Hah!"

The Ministry of Punishments was the judicial and adjudicative organ of the Great Qing, responsible for accepting local appellate cases, reviewing major regional cases, and trying cases involving officials in the capital as well as those in the metropolitan prefecture. Situated in the southwest corner of the imperial palace, its yamen formed a solemn architectural layout alongside the Censorate and the Court of Judicial Review.

The offenses committed by Jia Zhen this time rightfully fell under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Punishments for trial.

The official directing the adjudication this time was Wang Tingyu, a trusted pillar of state deeply relied upon by Emperor Jingning.

Wang Tingyu currently held the positions of Attendant in the South Study, Minister of Rites, tutor to the imperial princes, and was concurrently acting as the Minister of Punishments. He had previously served as the Junior Vice Minister of Punishments and had presided over major cases.

It was worth noting that Wang Tingyu had already been appointed as the chief examiner for the upcoming imperial-favor metropolitan provincial examination of Shuntian Prefecture next month...

At the head of the Infantry Garrison soldiers, Lukedu strode forward with powerful steps, escorting Jia Zhen, Lai Er, and a group of unruly servants toward the yamen of the Ministry of Punishments. At their approach, a few sparrows resting on the eaves of the yamen seemed to sense the tense and oppressive atmosphere, fluttering upward in a flurry with startled cries and circling in the air as if playing a prelude to the impending trial.

With his hands tightly bound and his complexion ashen, Jia Zhen walked with a halting, stumbling gait, every step appearing arduous. He was like a walking corpse drained of its soul; all his former prestige and power had vanished into thin air at this moment.

Meanwhile, Wang Tingyu was seated in a room within the Ministry of Punishments.

The room was not particularly spacious. A red sandalwood desk stood in the center, piled high with case files and neat stacks of official documents, each bearing matters and cases, large or small. Beside the pile rested an inkstone made of Duan stone, its jade-warm texture holding freshly ground, thick pine-soot ink that emanated a faint fragrance.

Wang Tingyu sat upright in the official armchair behind the desk. His official robe was immaculate, and the embroidered crane upon it seemed lifelike, as if about to spread its wings and soar.

With firm, heavy footsteps, Lukedu reached the threshold, stood at attention, and cupped his fists in salute to Wang Tingyu within the room: "Lord Wang."

Rising to greet him without undue haste, Wang Tingyu smiled faintly: "Lord Lu, please come in."

Stepping into the room with a posture as straight as a pine, Lukedu spoke in a resonant voice, "The culprits from the Ningguo Mansion, headed by Jia Zhen, have all been brought in."

Wang Tingyu nodded slightly, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over the beads of sweat on Lukedu's forehead as he said warmly, "You have had a hard journey, Lord Lu."

With a faint smile, Lukedu replied, "You are too kind, Lord Wang."

Wang Tingyu's expression instantly turned solemn: "Both Sacred Majesties are closely following this case. We must swiftly conclude the trial and submit our memorial."

Cupping his fists once more, Lukedu said, "Lord Wang is directing the adjudication while I am merely assisting in judicial matters. I shall obey all your directives."

A slight smile touched the corners of Wang Tingyu's lips: "Lord Lu is being too modest."

It took a mere two days for the case of Jia Zhen to be fully tried.

Wang Tingyu and Lukedu jointly submitted a memorial to Retired Emperor Jingning.

After perusing the joint memorial of the two men and pondering for a moment, Emperor Jingning took up his vermilion brush and penned the rescript:

"Let it be ordered that:
1. Jia Zhen be stripped of his hereditary rank of Third-Rank General of Military Valor, and the imperial-built Ningguo Mansion be repossessed by the Ministry of Works this very day;
2. Jia Zhen receive eighty strokes of the heavy bamboo and be banished to the maritime frontiers to render service and atone for his crimes;
3. Lai Er and the five other wicked servants each receive one hundred strokes of the heavy bamboo and be exiled three thousand li away;
4. Jia Zhen compensate Peng Jizhong two hundred taels of silver for medicinal decoctions.

Let the Ministry of Punishments officially issue this case in the imperial gazette to admonish all nobility and warn them to take heed!
Respect this."

With the final stroke falling, the vermilion ink glistened like fresh blood.

Setting down his brush, Emperor Jingning's fingers grazed a luminous, warm piece of Hetian jade paperweight on his desk. The chi-dragon carved upon it seemed poised to leap off the stone, reminding him of Jia Daishan, with whom he had shared a profound bond of sovereign and subject, as well as Jia Daihua of the Ningguo Mansion, prompting a quiet sigh to escape his lips.