bestfiction Chapter 288 It would be better to let him commit suicide out of guilt.
Chapter 288 It would be better to let him commit suicide out of guilt.
The old official shouted as he frantically looked around, trying to find water to put out the fire, but the courtyard was so simple that there was no readily available water source.
The dark figures quickly retreated under the cover of fire, disappearing into the darkness.
The fire grew increasingly fierce, illuminating half the sky and attracting the attention of others in the Ministry of Justice.
People rushed to put out the fire with buckets of water, but the fire was too big. By the time the fire was finally extinguished, the twelve bodies had been burned to a crisp.
"What...what should we do?" A minor official looked at the unrecognizable corpse and anxiously wrung his hands.
Upon hearing the news, the Minister of Justice rushed over and, upon seeing this scene, his eyes darkened.
"What are you all standing there for!" the Minister of Justice said in a deep voice. "Go and call the coroner over, and see if we can find anything else."
The coroner hadn't expected the morgue to be flooded. Fearing the Minister of Justice would blame him for failing to examine the body during the day, he stammered, "Your Excellency, the body was too badly damaged... I..."
The Minister of Justice immediately understood.
He frowned and raised his hand to the coroner, "Alright, I understand."
Su Mu couldn't possibly kill people in the street; there must be something fishy about these deaths. However, now that the bodies have been burned, it's impossible to find any information from them.
The physical evidence was destroyed, but there was a large amount of eyewitness testimony.
This time, Su Mu is truly doomed.
The next morning, the Minister of Justice and officials from the Censorate interrogated Su Mu.
The atmosphere in the Ministry of Justice's main hall was oppressive. Su Mu was brought to the front of the hall. He was wearing prison clothes and shackles, but he still stood up straight and had a resolute look in his eyes.
Many people gathered in front of the hall to watch.
Yu Wan also arrived with Xi Zhu.
Yun Shang was tied up at the Ministry of Rites, and his presence would be too conspicuous.
Yu Wan would be better off dressing more casually and blending into the crowd.
The deaths of those twelve men in black clearly indicate that someone framed Su Mu. Su Mu is a good person and shouldn't be wronged like this.
Inside the hall, the Minister of Justice sat in the main seat, while officials from the Censorate beside him stared at Su Mu with serious expressions and piercing eyes.
The Minister of Justice slammed his gavel down and said sternly, "Su Mu, as the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, you should be abiding by the law, yet you committed murder in the street. Now that the evidence is conclusive, what else do you have to say?"
Su Mu raised his eyes, his expression calm. "My lord, I did not kill anyone."
“Those men in black suddenly rushed out and attacked me without saying a word. When I fought back, I only knocked them down without killing them.”
"For some unknown reason, they suddenly collapsed to the ground, and then the Imperial Guards appeared and took me away. There must be something going on here. I implore you, sir, to investigate thoroughly and not let the mastermind behind this succeed."
Su Mu spoke earnestly, his gaze frankly meeting that of the Minister of Justice and the officials of the Censorate.
The Minister of Justice snorted coldly and frowned, saying, "Many witnesses testify that you committed the crime on the spot. Are they all lying?"
After he finished speaking, he ordered the witness to be brought up.
Soon, the Ministry of Justice officials brought four or five people, including men and women, who all appeared to be ordinary citizens.
One of the slick-haired middle-aged men knelt down and pointed at Su Mu, saying, "Your Excellency! I saw it with my own eyes! He's the one who killed those innocent people!"
A woman standing nearby chimed in.
She said, trembling, "Yes, sir, I saw it too. This man was ruthless. Those men in black were completely helpless; they were just killed by him..."
Another young man quickly nodded, "My lord, I swear to heaven that everything I have said is true. It was Lord Su who beat those people to death."
"Common people?" Su Mu sneered. "Would ordinary people have such skills? If I hadn't fought back, I would have been beaten to death by those people by now."
The Minister of Justice coldly retorted, "So you killed them first, is that it?!"
Su Mu remained calm, meeting the Minister of Justice's angry glare, and said composedly, "At the time, I only subdued them, I did not take their lives. Moreover, these men in black acted in unison and were highly skilled, they were definitely not ordinary people, there must be a mastermind behind them."
"Who could be behind this?" The Vice Minister of the Censorate sneered.
Su Mu's gaze fell on these people's faces, and a mocking smile curled at the corner of his lips.
The Minister of Justice and the Vice Censor-in-Chief were immediately annoyed when they saw his smile.
The Minister of Justice's face darkened immediately. "What are you laughing at?"
Su Mu's gaze was filled with mockery. "I laugh at you. You wield great power, yet you cannot distinguish right from wrong, and you blindly believe these few witnesses whose arguments are full of holes."
"These so-called witnesses are vague in their statements and know nothing about key details. What kind of witnesses are they?"
The Imperial Censor's face darkened, and he angrily said, "Su Mu, stop trying to deny it! There are witnesses and physical evidence to prove that you killed someone in the street, yet you still dare to try to deny it. You are truly stubborn and incorrigible!"
Su Mu looked at the Censor-in-Chief, "Where is the physical evidence?"
"If I'm not mistaken, at this moment, those twelve corpses, which you call physical evidence, are no longer able to be examined, are they?"
Hearing Su Mu's words from the crowd, Yu Wan inwardly praised him.
It seems that Su Mu is also well aware of how the person behind the scenes intends to frame him.
The Minister of Justice's face turned extremely ugly.
"Su Mu".
"So, are you planning to deny it to the death?"
Su Mu smiled and moved slightly, the shackles on his body clanking.
"I didn't kill him, why should I confess?"
Su Mu smiled and moved slightly, the shackles on his body clanking.
“I didn’t kill him, so why should I confess? If you convict me based solely on this unfounded ‘evidence,’ I have nothing to say.”
As soon as he said this, voices of doubt arose from the surrounding crowd.
"Would Lord Su really kill someone in the street?"
"Lord Su is a rare and good official. If it weren't for him, my daughter's grievances would probably have nowhere to be heard..."
These whispers reached the ears of the Minister of Justice and the Vice Censor-in-Chief, and their expressions grew increasingly grim.
Su Mu, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, is very popular with the people. If Su Mu does not admit his guilt, they may not be able to convict him.
The Minister of Justice suppressed his anger and secretly pondered a solution.
The Empress Dowager's spies must be outside the hall right now.
If he cannot convict Su Mu, how will he explain it to Consort De?
The Censor-in-Chief gave the Minister of Justice a wink and whispered, "Minister Li, let's talk in private."
The two men rose and walked to the back of the hall. The Imperial Censor lowered his voice and said, "It seems that it is impossible for us to get Su Mu to confess."
"This case is probably going to be difficult to handle, perhaps we should..."
The Censor-in-Chief looked at the Minister of Justice and made a subtle gesture.
The Minister of Justice frowned slightly. "You mean..."
The Imperial Censor smiled and said, “You and I both know Su Mu’s personality. He’s stubborn and will stick to what he’s set his mind on. Even if we use torture to extract a confession, he might not change his mind. Why don’t we just let him ‘commit suicide out of guilt’?”
"Then we'll have him write a 'confession,' and we'll have a better explanation to give to the palace..."