flstandardbreds Chapter 359: Ning Mo Zhai is in trouble
Chapter 359: Ning Mo Zhai is in trouble
On the long palace road, there were only Jiang Suining and Shen Yanxi at this moment.
The rising sunlight shines down from overhead, shrinking the shadows on the ground into a tiny ball, as if to eliminate all shadows and darkness, leaving only brightness.
Jiang Suining looked at Shen Yanxi absentmindedly.
Don't you want to listen to even a reminder to consider carefully?
She recalled the few times she had met Shen Yanxi in her previous life. Was Prime Minister Shen, who held power and was noble and indifferent, also like this in private in his previous life?
Jiang Suining suddenly felt a little regretful that she had not gotten to know Shen Yanxi well in her previous life.
When the word "regret" popped up in his mind, Jiang Suining was stunned for a moment, but then he smiled.
"Then ask when you want to. As for advising you to consider carefully, I won't say it. If I really cause you some trouble in the future... I can only ask Lord Shen to forgive me!"
Shen Yanxi's face regained its smile, and his eyes seemed to be filled with bright sunlight. "Between you and me, there is no need to talk about tolerance. No matter what happens, I will naturally stand by your side."
Half an incense stick later, Jiang Suining and Shen Yanxi arrived at the palace gate.
Yuanliang and Xier were standing together, looking anxiously in the direction of the palace gate.
When they saw Jiang Suining and Shen Yanxi walking out together, they immediately stepped forward.
"Miss, Yuanliang just said that something happened in Ning Mozhai!" Xier spoke quickly.
Shen Yanxi looked at Yuan Liang, "What's going on?"
"Master, Miss Jiang, someone just sent a message saying that banned books were found in Ning Mo Zhai. Now the matter has been reported to the government. They said that Ning Mo Zhai will be closed and the people involved will be dealt with seriously."
The young master had instructed before that all news concerning Miss Jiang must be reported in a timely manner without any delay, so the person who brought the news just now came directly to the palace gate.
But the young master was in the palace at that time. When he was thinking about whether to send someone to inform Miss Jiang, he saw Xier and realized that Miss Jiang had also entered the palace. So he could only wait at the palace gate with Xier.
"Banned books?" Jiang Suining frowned. "That's impossible. All the books in Ning Mo Zhai, whether purchased or printed, have been carefully checked and inspected. There is absolutely no way there are any banned books."
unless……
Jiang Suining and Shen Yanxi looked at each other, and they obviously thought of the same thing.
Unless someone deliberately framed him, the person who would take action against Ning Mozhai at this critical juncture would most likely be the third prince.
Yesterday, he had just used threats and bribes, and today, Ning Mo Zhai had an accident. If it was Xiao Ling's doing, then it seemed that he could no longer sit still.
Without wasting any time, Jiang Suining and his companions arrived at Ning Mo Zhai immediately.
When they arrived, Ning Mo Zhai had not yet been sealed by the government, but there was already a circle of scholars and common people outside watching the fun, and all the servants were detained inside. Although their hands and feet were not tied, several yamen runners nearby had drawn their swords against them, and the atmosphere was very serious.
As soon as Jiang Suining walked in and saw this scene, he frowned quickly.
It didn't look like they were checking for banned books, but rather like they were arresting a thief. They seemed afraid that the commotion wouldn't attract enough attention.
When they saw Jiang Suining come in, the guys who were originally worried and frightened seemed to have their minds fixed on something all of a sudden, and they all looked at her.
A man in dark green official uniform looked at Jiang Suining and asked, "Are you the person in charge of Ning Mo Zhai?"
After saying this, he scolded Jiang Suining directly without even waiting for him to speak.
"How dare you sell banned books in this study!"
"Sir, Ning Mo Zhai has never sold any banned books. This matter must be a misunderstanding." Jiang Suining spoke while observing the official uniform on the other person.
According to the law, the matter of banned books should be handed over to the Secretary General for handling. If the Secretary General is too busy to take care of it, the Hanlin Academy can also handle it. But the official uniform of the person in front of him was clearly from the Ministry of Justice.
"Stop talking nonsense. Since you are the person in charge, come back with me to be interrogated."
As he spoke, the official waved his hand at the bailiffs behind him, signaling them to come forward and arrest the man.
"Wait." Shen Yanxi stopped them. "From the moment we came in till now, we haven't even explained what the banned books are and how we found them, and you're going to arrest people right away?"
"When we get to the government office..."
"Which government office?" Shen Yanxi interrupted him coldly, glancing at the official's uniform. "If I'm not mistaken, you should be a sixth-rank official in the Ministry of Justice?"
"Yes, I am Bai Xinan, the head of the Ministry of Justice."
"That's strange. Even if there are really banned books, there are still the Secretariat and the Hanlin Academy. When will it be your turn as an official from the Ministry of Justice to get upset here?" Shen Yanxi looked at Bai Xinan coldly.
If he remembered correctly, there were not many people in the Ministry of Justice who supported the Third Prince, but there were indeed a few people in charge who followed the Third Prince's orders.
Shen Yanxi's words were very impolite, but Bai Xinan's expression did not change. It seemed that he had already prepared himself mentally and knew that he would offend Shen Yanxi.
He cupped his hands, lowered his head and spoke.
"Your Excellency Shen, I am only following orders. Although the Secretary General is responsible for confiscating banned books, the Ministry of Justice has the responsibility to investigate and investigate cases of all sizes. It should not be considered an overstepping of authority for me to be here. As for what banned books are and how they were discovered..."
Bai Xinan raised his head.
"These things should have been presented as evidence during the routine interrogation at the government office."
"What if I want to know now?" Shen Yanxi looked directly at Bai Xinan, his eyes revealing a fierce sense of oppression.
Bai Xinan frowned and subconsciously avoided Shen Yanxi's gaze. When he spoke again, his tone was a little more conciliatory.
"Since Lord Shen wants to know, I dare not hide it."
Bai Xinan glanced at the yamen runners behind him, and immediately one of them took out a wooden box.
"Sir Shen, this was found next to the innermost bookshelf in Ning Mo Zhai. There are books piled on top to cover it. These books appear to be poetry collections, but in fact they contain disrespectful remarks about the emperor and the royal family. The perpetrators must be killed!"
Bai Xinan frowned, looking indignant, but his eyes were calm. He glanced at Jiang Suining and continued speaking.
"As for how it was discovered, it was because a student accidentally discovered that there were banned books mixed in with the books sold by Ning Mo Zhai, and reported it to the government office. There were both witnesses and physical evidence, and Lord Shen was also a court official and was familiar with the law. In this case, couldn't Miss Jiang be taken to the government office for questioning?"
Shen Yanxi frowned, "Miss Jiang is my fiancée. I can be her guarantor. As for the so-called witnesses and material evidence you mentioned, they can all be faked."
"Sir Shen, I just brought him back to the government office for a routine questioning, not a conviction. Why are you doing this? Could it be..."
Bai Xinan looked directly at Shen Yanxi, his tone threatening.
"Aren't you afraid of being accused of partiality?"