Her trusted maidservant had already been executed by Li Chen.Her phoenix eyes held a cold glint, Zhao Qinglan sat like a goddess on the clouds, she looked at Li Chen and said: "Dong Mei is a maid clo...Chapter 421 Please Come Out of the Mountain

Although Qian Shiyan only took over as Minister of Punishment a few months ago, the two of them had been working at the Ministry of Punishment before.

The Ministry of Justice, as the empire's highest criminal law enforcement agency, wielded terrifying power.

And these two individuals, over the years, have used their power to interfere in cases, and even used criminal power for acts of revenge against personal enemies, countless times.

As long as they have money, even if they commit a capital crime, these two people can use all sorts of means to smooth things over.

Over the past decade or more, their crimes have been nothing short of appalling.

Take these two men, and the list of those who are indebted to them, all to the Dongchang prison.

Li Chen, who had completely lost trust in the Ministry of Justice, directly ordered Sanbao.

Whoever obstructs the petitioner will be dealt with according to the same standard as a comrade.

The Three Treasures immediately obeyed the order.

"Take Xu Changqing back and treat him well."

After Li Chen finished speaking, he flicked his sleeves and left the dark prison of the Ministry of Justice.

On the first day of the new year, the East Palace arrested and investigated officials from the Ministry of Punishment. Minister of Punishment Qian Shiyan and Right Attendant Ge Pingyi were implicated and had their homes searched. This incident led to the arrest of over twenty officials of various ranks in the Ministry of Punishment. All of them were apprehended directly by the Dongchang without exception.

Many officials were directly taken away from their homes and families during the Spring Festival.

This matter became the first political storm to sweep across the empire at the beginning of the new year.

The entire Ministry of Punishment was nearly wiped out, and the rest lived in fear.

However, the matter did not elicit any opposition from the Cabinet.

It seems the cabinet has already taken it for granted.

Three days later, the East Palace issued a batch of appointment letters. A new group of officials took office to replace the vacancies in the Ministry of Justice. The position of Right Assistant Minister of Punishment was recommended by the Right Assistant Minister of Works and Zhang Haichen, the magistrate of Zhili Prefecture, was transferred to take up the post.

But the position of Minister of Justice was not included in this batch of appointment letters.

For no other reason, Li Chen simply didn't have anyone else on hand.

"The Ministry of Justice, as one of the Six Ministries, holds considerable power and influence. Under the current political climate, the Minister's competence is secondary to their loyalty. At the very least, they must possess the ability to navigate the treacherous waters within the cabinet."

Inside the Xizheng Hall, Li Chen frowned as he chatted with Su Zhenting about this matter: "But right now, finding such a candidate is truly difficult."

Su Zheting smiled faintly and said, "Your Highness, it's not actually difficult."

"General, do you have a candidate in mind" Li Chen asked.

Su Zhen Ting bowed and said, "The rebels in Xishan Province have turned on each other, fighting to the death right now. They don't even need the imperial court to intervene; they will destroy themselves. Isn't this person who has helped Your Highness eliminate a major threat a suitable candidate"

Li Chen frowned.

Have a peaceful week.

This person is indeed capable.

He said it could be done without firing a single shot, and surprisingly, he actually pulled it off.

Currently, the over 100,000 rebel troops in Xishan province are embroiled in internal strife.

Li Chen could guess roughly how Zhou Ping'an did it. It was nothing more than using the power of several brothers within their Zhou family to pull off the scheme.

But speaking of it simply, to actually do it is really not easy.

In terms of qualifications, Zhou Ping'an is definitely sufficient as Minister of Punishment.

"This man is difficult to control," Li Chen said.

Su Zhenning didn't respond to that.

It's fine to mention it briefly, but talking too much can lead to mistakes.

"Regarding this matter, let me discuss it with him first before making a decision."

Li Chen waved his hand, deciding to postpone dealing with it for a while.

"I called the General here today mainly for another matter."

Li Chen held the brazier, saying calmly, "Wang Tenghuan will be returning to the inner court soon. In exchange, the Ministry of Punishment will no longer interfere. The relationship here is complicated, and there are elements of coincidence, but this palace doesn't want to just let them get away with it for free."

"A position in the cabinet is too important, so this palace wants...Please come out of retirement, Mirror Master, and take on the role of Grand Scholar of the Eastern Secretariat."e captain of the guard knows how to obey orders, how come you bunch of ministers, each with a rank higher than him by an unknown amount, don't have brains as useful as his!""All of you, get back to wh...