allonlinenovel Chapter 75 Liang Zhaoyi: As a woman, it is only natural for her to contribute to her family!
Chapter 75 Liang Zhaoyi: As a woman, it is only natural for her to contribute to her family!
Throughout his more than twenty years of life, Lin Shihe has maintained a steadfast will and acted with integrity, never going back on his word.
But if you were to ask him now if there was anything he wanted to back out of, he would say without hesitation that he wanted his brother to divorce the crown prince.
He was extremely unwilling to do so, and repeatedly regretted that he had been too soft-hearted and had been tricked by Emperor Longyun into sending his younger brother away.
Now, he is trapped in the palace all day, busy with political intrigues and schemes. He is no longer as free and unrestrained as before. Moreover, there are even some minor officials who dare to pretend to be the maternal relatives of the prince and criticize his younger brother in front of him.
What a joke! The Duke of Zhenguo's mansion has a century-long tradition of succession. They even managed to steal the royal family's prospective daughter-in-law and the future crown prince without any consequences. Now that their young master has become the crown princess, they are being shackled and have their status lowered.
Do they really think their elder brother is dead?
Lin Shiming, this smiling fox, rarely dared to openly challenge people in court, and Emperor Longyun was naturally eager to watch this spectacle. He even planned to signal Lu Yuxi to hold Lin Shiming down first, and release him after he had finished watching the show.
But to his surprise, when he turned around, he found that Lin Shiming had no intention of coming out at all. He was looking at his brother with an expression of adoration and excitement, as if Xi Shizi were clutching her heart.
This is the first time I've seen my brother stand up for me so directly!
Lin Shiming was deeply moved and clung tightly to Lu Yuxi's hand.
Lu Yuxi: "... ..."
Why weren't you this excited when I stood up for you?
The others wouldn't notice their little schemes for a while, because everyone's attention was still focused on Lin Shihe and Liang Juhong in the middle.
Despite Liang Juhong's high spirits in speaking up for Prince An and his audacity in criticizing Lin Shiming, he is actually nothing more than a cowardly bum.
His fifth-rank official position was arbitrarily granted by Emperor Longyun out of consideration for Consort Liang and Prince An. It could be said that this man's intelligence was directly inherited from Consort Liang and her son.
Seeing Lin Shihe reprimand him, his machismo and arrogance, which had been cultivated by his family and sycophants, instantly came to mind.
"Young Master Lin, so what if his Crown Princess comes from your Zhenguo Duke's Mansion? This humble official is not afraid of your powerful suppression and will definitely seek justice for His Highness Prince An!"
"Hiss—" The generals around him gasped, looking at this fearless man with indescribable disbelief.
Lin Shiming's reputation has grown considerably during this period, but the military officers have never forgotten the methods of this young master Lin, which are far superior to those of his younger brother.
A moment of silence for Liang Juhong!
Sure enough, Lin Shihe suddenly smiled gently, "Master Liang is indeed very courageous, I have heard a lot about that. Some time ago I heard that you referred to yourself as Prince An's 'uncle-grandfather' and spoke out for justice on many occasions, showing your chivalrous spirit. I wonder if this is true?"
Liang Juhong was flattered by the praise, and without thinking, he nodded, "That's certainly true!"
Lin Shihe's smile deepened.
"That's good."
"However, I remember that only the emperor's maternal family and the empress's maternal family can be considered relatives with the imperial heirs, right? The fact that Consort Liang has repeatedly and openly referred to herself as Prince An's 'uncle' in public is because Consort Liang has said too much about her ambition for the empress's position."
Lin Shihe paused, his expression meaningful.
"Or has His Highness Prince An already committed treason and is preparing to assassinate the emperor and seize the throne?"
Prince An, who was kneeling in front, was so frightened that he collapsed to the ground.
He was only vying for the throne; how could he dare to have such thoughts?
The crimes Lin Shiming just reported were all violations of the law. Even if they were verified, out of consideration for his royal bloodline, he would only be demoted to a commoner and imprisoned in the Imperial Clan Court.
But Lin Shihe's words immediately branded him with the heinous crime of regicide!
This is different! Killing a king is a capital offense punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family.
When the Qin family plotted to harm Crown Prince Hua Min, who was only the heir apparent at the time, the Third Prince did not directly intervene, but he was almost poisoned by Emperor Longyun in a fit of anger. It was only thanks to the Empress Dowager's protection that he was able to survive.
Not to mention that Lin Shihe is now talking about the crime of regicide!
This crime is so serious that even if the Empress Dowager were to rise from the dead, it wouldn't save the Emperor in the slightest.
For the first time in his life, Prince An experienced being dragged down by incompetent teammates.
"Father! Father, I would never have such a thought. Steward Liang only... only made a few slips of the tongue outside. I would never dare to lay a hand on you, Father!"
Liang Juhong, who was behind him, was also sweating profusely. His thoughts were in turmoil for a long time, and he had only one thought in his mind.
It seems that not only did he fail to save Prince An, but he also caused an even bigger disaster.
In a daze, he seemed to hear Lin Shi and the demonic voice again.
"Your Majesty, the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion has the trust of the royal ancestors and has protected the royal family for generations. At the same time, it has also been granted the power to directly deal with those who have committed the heinous crimes of treason and rebellion."
"Right now... Consort Liang's uncle has publicly admitted that he has repeatedly claimed to be so in front of the world. Therefore, it is clear that Prince An intended to commit treason. The evidence is conclusive. Today, I will carry out the dying wish of our royal ancestors to rid Your Majesty of this disloyal and unfilial wretch!"
As he spoke, Lin Shihe strode toward the Imperial Guards, intending to take their swords and execute Prince An on the spot.
This act of killing a prince on the spot without a word left Lin Shiming speechless with astonishment.
Good heavens, I've never been this bold before!
Prince An was so frightened that he almost lost control of his bladder. He scrambled and crawled towards the imperial platform, tears streaming down his face.
"Father, Father, I didn't! I have no such intention! Father, please save me..."
Emperor Longyun, seated at the head of the table, lowered his eyes and remained silent.
He was regretting why he had forgotten to fake it when Crown Prince Hua Min was in trouble. If he had also added some crimes of regicide to the Qin family, wouldn't he have been able to have Lin Yunyue kill the Empress Dowager directly?
Why did I have to endure this until today!
Seeing that Emperor Longyun remained silent, Prince An below was terrified. He watched helplessly as Lin Shihe picked up a knife and walked towards him, tears streaming down his face.
"Father...I never imagined this was a frame-up, a frame-up! Father, save me!"
Seeing that Prince An was about to die on the spot, some members of the imperial clan who couldn't bear to watch finally gritted their teeth and came out to stop Lin Shihe.
"Young Master Lin, the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion does indeed have the authority to execute those who commit treason and rebellion, but that authority can only be exercised against those with conclusive evidence. What Steward Liang said just now only proves that he himself has such an unrighteous and inhumane heart, but whether Prince An is the same cannot be proven by this single sentence!"
After all, he is a member of the royal family. We can't just let Lin Shihe be convicted and executed so easily!
Upon hearing this, Prince An, quick-witted, crawled forward.
“Father, Uncle Qi is right. This was not my intention. It was Liang Juhong who plotted rebellion! I am innocent. He is the one who harbored rebellious intentions!”
Lin Shihe sneered, "How could Liang Juhong, a mere fifth-rank official, possibly plot a rebellion? Without His Highness Prince An as a stepping stone, he wouldn't have the ability even if he lived ten more lifetimes."
Prince Qi felt a chill in his heart, knowing that Lin Shihe would not give up until he avenged his brother.
Sacrificing the pawn to save the king is the most important thing; it's crucial to calm Lin Shihe down.
"Your Majesty, Prince Lin, please hear me out. Whether Liang Juhong refers to himself as the prince's 'uncle' because Consort Liang covets the empress's position or because he harbors treasonous intentions is unknown."
"Moreover, even if he harbors rebellious intentions and wants to instigate Prince An, it is impossible to determine whether Prince An actually heard him say such things or truly had such intentions."
"Furthermore, there is a difference between having the intention to rebel and actually committing treason. Therefore, we should clarify the matter before making a conviction!"
As he spoke, he turned to look at Liang Juhong, who was already in a daze, and questioned him sternly.
"Master Liang, tell me, what exactly do you mean?!"
Liang Juhong was startled by the sound and shivered, then came to his senses.
He looked up and met Prince An's fierce gaze.
This means she's giving up on herself.
Liang Juhong felt ice-cold all over and stammered as he spoke.
"Yes, it is Consort Liang. She covets the position of Empress and has the ambition to usurp the throne. That is why I said this."
He doesn't want to die.
But the matter had reached a dead end, and he had to explain the meaning of the words "grandfather" that he had used before.
First and foremost, this matter must not implicate Prince An.
Given this premise, if I were to confess to the crime of treason on my own, although I have not yet taken any action and therefore will not be executed, I could still protect Consort Liang and Prince An. However, His Majesty would never tolerate a subject with disloyal intentions, and I would be doomed to die.
However, if all the blame is placed on Consort Liang, and the charge is "coveting the Empress's position," then it has nothing to do with the serious crime of treason, and can only be considered ordinary palace intrigue.
The matter of the inner palace is much less serious. Although it might cost Consort Liang her life and still affect her family, the impact would be much smaller than the former, and she herself wouldn't die!
As a woman, it is only natural for Consort Liang to contribute to her family!