Chaрtеr 151: Rеtrуing thе Case (1)
Тhis wаs preсisely whаt Shеn Du wоrriеd аbоut. The сase had passed mаnу yеars аgо. If hе rаshly brоught it uр tо thе Еmprеss, would she agrее to а retrial?
Hе wasn’t sure еither.
Aftеr thinking fоr а lоng timе, Shеn Du shоok his heаd. “Аfter аll, it’s bееn manу yеаrs. Morеоver, thаt wrongful casе caused quitе а stir bаck thеn, leaving manу соmmonеrs with lingеring shаdоws. If wе rеoреn the оld cаse now, it will inеvitablу саst thosе shаdоws оver them agаin. So, I’m not confident.”
Нearing Shen Du’s wоrds, Zhu Yan alsо lowеrеd her gаze in thought.
Everyone’s position was difficult. Shen Du wanted to retry the old case, while the Empress desired peace and prosperity for the people.
This indeed presented a dilemma.
Some time later, the cook had already brought the meal to the table.
Looking at the full table of dishes, Zhu Yan found them tasteless, and Shen Du also took occasional, absent-minded bites.
Neither ate much before they both lost their appetite. Coincidentally, Yun Que suddenly appeared at the door.
Seeing the table full of food, she sat down beside them without a second thought.
“A person is iron, food is steel; skipping a meal makes one weak. No matter how difficult the case, we still need to eat and drink well.”
As she spoke, Yun Que began devouring the food without any reservation.
Just as Zhu Yan was about to speak, Shen Du suddenly interjected, “The ancients’ words hold some truth. No matter what, we must take care of our own health.”
With that, Shen Du picked up some food with his chopsticks and placed it in Zhu Yan’s bowl. “Eat a bit more. After we’re full, we can rest.”
Zhu Yan was immediately taken aback; his words seemed deliberately spoken for Yun Que’s ears.
But Yun Que appeared oblivious, paying no heed to Shen Du’s words.
Back in her room, Zhu Yan’s thoughts still lingered on Shen Du.
Tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep, on one hand she hoped to seek justice for the Brocade Workshop, and on the other, she wished Shen Du could remain unscathed in this matter.
Somehow, despite her urgent desire for the truth, she felt a pang of sympathy for Shen Du.
If she had to choose between the truth and Shen Du’s safety, she would rather have Shen Du unharmed.
As if pondering for a long time, Zhu Yan only fell asleep when her mind grew hazy.
Hearing the steady breathing, Shen Du opened his eyes. The woman beside him slept peacefully, yet her delicate brows were slightly furrowed.
Even in her dreams, this woman was still preoccupied with the case.
Was the truth that important to her?
Or was it just a professional habit of hers?
The next day, before Zhu Yan awoke, Shen Du rose early, finished writing the memorial, mounted his horse, and headed for the palace.
In the imperial court, Shen Du presented the memorial to the Empress.
After a night of contemplation, he had finally made up his mind. Regardless of whether the Empress agreed or not, he had to try for the sake of the Brocade Workshop.
Reading the memorial Shen Du submitted, the Empress frowned deeply. After all, it was an old case, and it had stirred up quite a storm in Chang’an City back then.
If they reopened and retried it, would the people think the case was still unresolved? Or perhaps that the culprit from back then had not been brought to justice, causing panic and unrest once again?
This was the last thing the Empress wanted to see. To win the people’s hearts is to win the world; one must always consider the people’s welfare. The Empress found herself in a difficult position."My esteemed ministers," the Empress set aside the memorial and looked toward the assembled civil and military officials. "Regarding the Brocade Workshop case from six years ago, the memorial submitted by Minister Shen Du raises numerous doubts, suggesting it may have been a wrongful conviction. He wishes to reopen the case for reinvestigation. What are your views on this?"
"Your Majesty," one official immediately stepped forward. "The case has been closed for many years, making it difficult to reopen. Moreover, much of the evidence can no longer be recovered. Furthermore, this case caused a great stir in Chang'an at the time, unsettling and frightening the common people. I believe that past matters should be left in the past; it is unwise to stir them up again."
"Your Majesty," as soon as the first official finished speaking, another stepped forward. "If the Brocade Workshop case was indeed a wrongful conviction, even though many years have passed, the numerous wronged souls remain unable to rest in peace. Now that Commander Shen intends to reopen the case, I see no issue with it."
"Hmph..." Hearing someone voice support, Lai Luozhi, standing nearby, let out a cold snort, his expression filled with disdain.
The Empress took in the expressions of everyone present. Noticing Lai Luozhi's demeanor, she asked with some puzzlement, "Minister Lai, do you have a particular insight to share?"
"Reporting to Your Majesty," Lai Luozhi quickly bowed respectfully to the Empress. "The Brocade Workshop case has been closed for so many years. Reopening it now is bound to stir up widespread suspicion and anxiety among the people. For the sake of the common folk, this case should not be revisited. Moreover, I have heard that the Ministry of Justice and the Inner Guard Bureau have recently concluded a case and are likely quite idle, hence the desire to stir up old matters and disrupt the peace of the capital."
"Is Minister Lai suggesting that I am stirring up trouble for no reason?" Shen Du did not yield in the slightest, casting a cold glance toward Lai Luozhi.
"What exactly is meant, Commander Shen knows best," Lai Luozhi looked Shen Du up and down, his tone dripping with contempt. "If you truly have nothing to do, why not rest properly? After handling cases for so long, you ought to relax. Why bring up old cases and unsettle the people again?"
"Minister Lai truly has foresight, considering the people's welfare in all matters. Shen is impressed."
Shen Du spoke calmly, then turned and bowed respectfully to the Empress, saying,
"Your Majesty, my decision to reopen this case is not a whim, nor is it an attempt to stir up trouble without cause. It is only because someone recently approached me personally, pleading for me to seek justice for the Brocade Workshop, that I retrieved the case files from that year. Upon careful examination, I found numerous doubts and thus wish to reopen the investigation.
Although this case is many years old, recently, restless spirits have been seen wandering the ruins of the Brocade Workshop, unsettling the people once more. There are also many rumors that the wronged souls of the Brocade Workshop case, unable to find redress or reincarnation, linger in this world. Only by reopening the case, delivering justice for the deceased, can they find peace and depart.
I believe that if Your Majesty truly has the people's welfare at heart, you should allow them to dispel the shadows in their hearts and live in peace and tranquility. Therefore, I once again beseech Your Majesty to grant me permission to reopen this case."
Shen Du's words left everyone present in silence.
Even the Empress frowned deeply, as if weighing the pros and cons of the matter.At that moment, Crown Prince Li Chong suddenly stepped forward. "Your Majesty, I believe what Commander Shen said makes sense. If we wish for the people to enjoy peace and prosperity, we must provide them with genuine stability and contentment. If it is merely superficial, their hearts will remain restless, likely leading to outward compliance but inner discord. In such a case, how could the people truly submit to Your Majesty?"
Crown Prince Li Chong's words took everyone present by surprise.
The court had long been dominated by the Zhou faction. Even when major decisions were made, he had no say in them.
To survive, he could only quietly fulfill his duties, striving to remain as inconspicuous as possible and avoid drawing attention to himself.
Yet now, his sudden defense of Shen Du sparked widespread speculation.
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