allonlinenovel Chapter 191 Killing 9 Clans
Chapter 191 Killing 9 Clans
A tall, imposing man stood at the entrance of the palace, wearing a golden embroidered robe with four claws and a python pattern, exuding a powerful aura of oppression.
Madam Shen deduced his identity from his age and attire; he was clearly the Prince of Zhenbei who had recently arrived in the capital.
During the Great Zhou Dynasty, only members of the royal family and kings of different surnames bestowed by the emperor were allowed to wear four-clawed python robes.
The royal relatives' ages didn't match the people in front of them.
His identity is self-evident.
Madam Shen's face was as pale as gold paper.
After waiting and hoping for half a day, what they got was this god of death.
Her heart was in her throat, and she felt uneasy.
At this moment, Madam Shen heard Eunuch Cao report: "Your Majesty, you summoned the Prince of Zhenbei to the palace today. He is waiting outside the hall for your audience."
Madam Shen suddenly looked up. The Prince of Zhenbei had been summoned to the palace, not to denounce her.
Emperor Jing'an glanced at the Prince of Zhenbei and was about to have a eunuch take him to the Imperial Study.
The Prince of Zhenbei strode into the main hall with steady steps, cupped his hands and bowed to Emperor Jing'an: "Your Majesty, please proceed with the case. Your humble servant will wait here."
When Emperor Jing'an saw that the Prince of Zhenbei was specially dressed in the bestowed robes, a deep thought flashed in his eyes, so he ordered someone to watch from the side.
Madam Shen was on edge; the arrival of the Prince of Zhenbei added immense psychological pressure to her. It felt as if a knife was hanging over her head, ready to strike at any moment.
She knelt on the ground, her head bowed even lower, as if only in this way would the Prince of Zhenbei not notice her, much less report her.
But what Eunuch Cao said next terrified her so much that she almost lost her soul.
"Your Majesty, the Embroidered Uniform Guard has found evidence of crimes at the Marquis of Chengen's residence." Eunuch Cao presented the letter to Emperor Jing'an: "These are letters exchanged between the Marquis of Chengen and Li Yuan. In the letters, they conspired on how to lie about the disaster and how to buy and sell salt permits."
Immediately afterwards, Eunuch Cao placed two thick account books in front of Emperor Jing'an.
"The ledgers contain detailed records of their embezzlement of disaster relief funds over the years, as well as the sale of official positions and salt permits. With both witnesses and physical evidence, the Embroidered Uniform Guard has already raided the Marquis of Chengen's residence, and everyone in the mansion has been arrested and imprisoned."
Madam Shen was shocked. The Marquis and Li Yuan's letters were all destroyed after they were read. How could they possibly be hidden in the mansion?
Moreover, the account books never reached the Marquis's hands; all the money went to Prince Yu.
Upon realizing this, Madam Shen turned pale and immediately understood.
These pieces of evidence were fabricated by Prince Yu in order to frame the Marquis.
Marquis Chengen was heartbroken, his eyes as still as a pool of water, utterly devoid of emotion.
Whether he was charged with one more crime or one less, it made no difference to him; in the end, he would be executed by slow slicing anyway.
Wasn't the same fate as the Marquis of Yongyi?
Emperor Jing'an's sharp, eagle-like eyes swept over the Marquis of Cheng'en and his wife, his face contorted with anger as he flipped through the letter in his hand and then carefully examined the account book once more.
The more he looked, the gloomier his face became.
Emperor Jing'an sneered: "These are the officials who govern the Great Zhou Dynasty, these are the officials appointed by my court! They receive the court's salary but do not share my burdens or seek the well-being of the people. They use their power to exploit the people, seek personal gain, and line their own pockets."
Everyone was so frightened that they dared not breathe.
Emperor Jing'an slammed the account book heavily on the table with a "bang," and looked sharply at Marquis Cheng'en: "The crimes you have committed are enough for me to exterminate your entire family!"
Marquis Chengen's eyes trembled; he was truly afraid now.
Madam Shen was terrified. Shen Shaohuai had not yet come to pay his respects to Emperor Jing'an, so she had no choice but to beg for mercy with the longevity lock.
If Emperor Jing'an were to convict him, it would probably be too late.
Even with Princess Yizhen's longevity lock, she could not escape death.
Madam Shen opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but when she saw Emperor Jing'an's furious expression, all her words stuck in her throat.
Instead, it was the Marquis of Chengen who suddenly spoke up: "Your Majesty, the Marquis's family has been granted a title by the imperial court, and this sinful subject has inherited the title and received a salary from the court. However, he has not fulfilled his duties as a subject and has committed a heinous crime."
“When I recall the past, I remember what Princess Yizhen said to me, and I feel ashamed.”
"She said that the Emperor was born of the Empress Dowager and would inherit the throne. As your companion, I must be loyal to you and put you first in everything. I may not have much ability, but the only thing I need is to be upright. Only by being an honest official can I share your burdens,"
She said you were in a difficult situation and hoped that this sinful subject would treat you with utmost care. She also left this sinful subject a longevity lock, saying that if this sinful subject gave it to you, you would forgive this sinful subject's life.
“This sinful subject knows that his crimes are grave and unforgivable. Only death can restore order to the court. Furthermore, I know that under the laws of the Great Zhou, if one person commits a crime, his wife and children are implicated. Therefore, I should not ask you to show mercy and forgive my descendants.”
At this point, tears welled up in the eyes of the Marquis of Chengen: “My eldest son is exceptionally talented and upright, just like my late father. I humbly beg Your Majesty to consider our childhood friendship and forgive my children, so that my eldest son may serve the court in my place.”
When Emperor Jing'an heard Marquis Chengen mention his younger sister, his expression froze, the anger on his face dissipated, and he stared blankly at Marquis Chengen.
When the Marquis of Chengen was his study companion, the Empress Dowager was in a difficult situation. He and his siblings were even more cautious in their words and actions, fearing that they might implicate the Empress Dowager by saying or doing the wrong thing.
Although Yizhen was young, she was very knowledgeable and always protected her elder brother, the emperor.
He pinched her cheek and said, "You are my sister, and it is your elder brother's duty to protect you."
She replied, "The Empress Dowager said that we share both glory and loss. Brother, by protecting you, Yizhen is also protecting herself."
She protected him until he was eighteen.
She endured humiliation and sacrificed her life to give him the chance to return to the Great Zhou Dynasty.
By the time he could protect her and restore her to the dignity befitting a princess of the Great Zhou Dynasty, she was already gone.
Emperor Jing'an never expected that Yi Zhen would say such a thing to Marquis Cheng'en before going to Northern Qi.
His heart ached terribly, and he looked at Marquis Chengen with a chilling gaze: "You have failed Yizhen's expectations, and now you still have the nerve to ask me to forgive your children."
"Your Majesty, this sinful subject has been bewitched..."
"Longevity Lock".
"Longevity is locked in the hands of the eldest son of a disgraced official."
"Cao Chunxiang, pass on to Shen Shaohuai."
Eunuch Cao personally went out of the palace and brought Shen Shaohuai from the prison into the palace.
Shen Shaohuai knelt behind the Marquis of Chengen and took out a longevity lock from his sleeve, handing it to Eunuch Cao.
Eunuch Cao presented it to Emperor Jing'an.
Emperor Jing'an held a longevity lock made of gold, which was given to Yizhen by her maternal grandfather when she was born. She cherished it very much and never took it off, but she gave it to Marquis Cheng'en.
And they even made such a promise.
Emperor Jing'an stroked the longevity lock with his thumb and fell into a long silence.
Madam Shen felt a glimmer of hope. If Emperor Jing'an truly wanted to punish them, he would have already given his verdict. The more silent he remained, the more it indicated his hesitation. And the more he hesitated, the greater their chance of survival.
From Emperor Jing'an's expression, she could tell that Princess Yizhen held an extraordinary place in his heart.
"You are not the only one who can accompany the Emperor. Why did Princess Yizhen give you this longevity lock? Was it simply to make you loyal to the Emperor, and she gave you such a precious item?"
The Prince of Zhenbei glanced at the longevity lock in Emperor Jing'an's hand: "The grain and salt permits from Guanzhou and Qingzhou were given to you willingly by the people because they recognized you as an official appointed by the court?"
After a pause, he said in a cold voice, "Since things are so lively, I'll join in and report Shen Liu for kidnapping my daughter."