Ci Jinzhi

Chapter 246: Discuss crime

He Qingxiao and his party did not deliberately conceal their whereabouts when they entered the city. Soon, the news that the imperial envoy who went to Dingbei to investigate returned to Beijing was known to those who were interested.

Xinyou is also one of the thoughtful people.

 She is waiting for a result.

When the death of his mother is revealed in front of the world, so that person has no reason to avoid it, what will he do?

This does not mean that she has high expectations for that person, but that when the result is not satisfactory, she will continue to work hard to achieve the desired result.

Xinyou opened her palm, and in her hand was a small ball of paper. This was a message sent to her by Lord He through his subordinates. The note contained very little content, only the word "smooth".

 She read these two simple words over and over again many times.

The trip to Dingbei went well. Will the result of the overthrow of Guchangbo Mansion go smoothly?

 Neither Xin You nor those caring people had to wait long for this result.

Of the four imperial envoys, He Qingxiao needless to say. His companion He Yushi was extremely serious and responsible. Mr. Chen from the Household Department wanted to make contributions and pave the way for an official career. The remaining **** wanted to be lazy and have no impact on the overall situation. Therefore, the personal and material evidence brought back from this trip to Dingbei is very comprehensive. Even if there are people in the three-division interrogation who support King Qing, they will not be able to save the day.

While the Ministry of Punishment, Dali Temple, and the Metropolitan Procuratorate were all busy, the Zongren Mansion was not idle either. The Zongren Mansion is also trying a case, the murder case of Queen Xin.

He Qingxiao mastered a lot of evidence when he went south. The guards of Guchangbo Mansion who stayed in the south to look for Mr. Xin were also secretly arrested. Zong Renling was smart and knew that Emperor Xingyuan had no mercy on King Qing, so he didn't have much scruples during the trial. .

 The two major cases went hand in hand, and when it entered mid-May, everything was finalized.

Pei Zuo, the Minister of Household Affairs, was greedy for money and money, and planned to massacre the people. The men over sixteen years old were executed by execution, and the women's family members were thrown into the Jiaofangsi and could never be redeemed. Wu Yanting, the commander of the Beijing camp, ordered his men to massacre the people and defected with his troops. He was wiped out half a month ago. Only a hundred soldiers fled without a trace, and they were executed everywhere. In addition, there are more than a hundred officials, including Pingcheng magistrate, Tongzhi, and others, each with his own crime and punishment.

 Gu Changbo murdered the queen, the evidence is conclusive, the family was ransacked, the title was stripped, the coffin was opened and the body was whipped. Anyone who participated in the murder of the queen in the Guchangbo Mansion was executed. The remaining men, headed by Dai Ze, the crown prince of Guchangbo, were sentenced to exile. They were not pardoned, and the female family members were relegated to the Jiaofangsi and never had their bodies redeemed.

As an imperial envoy for disaster relief, King Qing was perfunctory, greedy for money and money, and allowed Pei Zuo and others to harm the people. He was also the direct beneficiary of his uncle Gu Changbo's scheme, so he was demoted to a commoner and expelled from the capital. Prince Qing's biological mother took away the title of Concubine Shu and gave her three feet of white silk.

The Queen Mother didn't care whether the others lived or died. She stopped working when she heard that King Qing was demoted to a commoner.

“Emperor, Yi’er has been your favorite since childhood. Do you really have the heart to expel him from the royal family?”

Emperor Xingyuan was well prepared for the Queen Mother's trouble. When faced with the Queen Mother's questioning, he showed a depressed look: "My son doesn't want it either, but what Chen Yi did is so disappointing. If there is no appropriate punishment, the people will question the royal family. It will shake the foundation of my Daxia."

It would be too scary to shake the foundation of Great Xia. The Queen Mother softened her tone and said: "Being demoted to a commoner and expelled from the capital is too serious a punishment. There is no way to consider it as a moderate punishment. Isn't it clear from the investigation that the massacre of the people was caused by the audacity of Pei Zuo's corrupt officials? Yi'er actually didn't know about it, so it was considered dereliction of duty at best. As for the Queen's murder—"

When mentioning Empress Xin, the Queen Mother paused slightly and hid the disgust in her eyes: "At Yi'er's age, she doesn't know anything. Even if she makes mistakes, it's the fault of the Gu Changbo brothers and sisters. What's Yi'er's fault? The emperor shouldn’t blame him for this.”

"Chen Yi not only neglected his duties, but also accepted the property of Pei Zuo and others. He was short-sighted, greedy, and unworthy of his moral integrity. As for the queen, my son believes that he did not know about it, but he is the biggest beneficiary. If he only enjoys the benefits of success, If you don’t bear the risks of failure if you are profitable, there will be more people who take desperate risks in the future.”

Seeing that she couldn't talk to the emperor's son, the Queen Mother simply wiped away her tears: "Do you think the Ai family only loves Yi'er? The Ai family loves you. As an emperor, you only have two princes who are old enough to leave the palace and open a palace. If Yi'er is deposed, , then only Ping'er is left..."

The eldest prince Xiuwang is named Ping, and Chen Ping is his famous name. "The son knows that the mother is thinking about her son. Don't worry, mother, her son is still strong. In a few years, the little princes will also grow up..." Emperor Xingyuan sighed, "Then let's do this. Chen Yi will not be expelled from the capital. In the future, Living in the secluded garden and not allowed to go out, how does the queen feel about this?"

 The Queen Mother also knew that the matter was so big that it was impossible not to deal with King Qing. Seeing that Emperor Xingyuan gave in, he gave up and left with a sigh.

Emperor Xingyuan watched the Queen Mother leave, lowered his eyes and held the corners of his lips.

 He was filial to his mother and understood her. He had long expected that her mother would speak up for Chen Yi. It was his plan to imprison Chen Yi in Youyuan, and expelling him from Beijing was just to leave room for bargaining.

Prince Qing has been locked up in the Zongren Mansion. At first, he could get some news from the people around him, but gradually no one said anything to him anymore. Only the twinkling eyes made his heart sink.

When the edict read out the imperial edict, King Qing looked in disbelief: "Father, you demoted me to a commoner? Impossible, impossible!"

He walked out and saw a group of Jinlin Guards approaching. Two of them held down his shoulders, one on the left and the other on the right.

“I want to see my father, I want to see my father!” Prince Qing’s shouts went from the Zongren Mansion all the way to Youyuan. It wasn’t until the gate of Youyuan slowly closed that he realized that all this was true.

The father really abandoned him, what about the mother and concubine?

Thinking of his biological mother, King Qing's expression changed, and he rushed to the gate and blocked the way with two long knives intertwined.

A young Jinlin guard holding a knife said in a cold tone: "If Mr. Chen disobeys the imperial edict and steps out of the secluded garden, he will be killed without mercy!"

 Kill without mercy—The blood on King Qing’s face completely faded, and his knees weakened and he fell to the ground.

 “This is not true, father, mother and concubine—”

  King Qing was longing for the concubine Shu that he wanted to see. At this time, he was facing the white silk held by the **** who passed the decree.

“It shouldn’t be like this, it shouldn’t be like this—” Concubine Shu muttered and backed away step by step.

 She is still young and has not yet seen her son get married and have children, or sit in that position. What she chases and longs for has not yet come true.

 She doesn’t want to die!

 “I want to see the emperor!”

The **** who conveyed the order just wanted to complete the task smoothly, and advised in a gentle voice: "The thunder and rain are all your kindness. My queen, I'd better thank you quickly and get on your way. Originally, I wanted to expel the second prince from the capital, but the queen mother begged for mercy and was able to stay in Youyuan." It's human nature for you to be unwilling, but you should always think about the Second Prince."

Concubine Shu was stunned after hearing these words. She lowered her eyes and was silent for a long time. Her tone was no longer as fierce as before, and she was full of begging: "Father, please let me tidy up, and then I will be on my way."

With the gold bracelet that Concubine Shu thrust in his hand, the **** who sent the message nodded after thinking about Concubine Shu's past glory and her current fate, just like the fate of many people in this palace city who were frightened every step of the way despite not seeing the light of swords. (End of chapter)