first minister

The army triumphantly returned, the rebels were captured, the whole city celebrated, and people's hearts were at peace.

After the extreme excitement, in a peaceful and stable atmosphere, Prime Minister Wan Wenbi and Vice Minister Yang Weiguang walked slowly towards the central courtyard.

Behind the two of them were followers following from a distance.

That distance is the embodiment of their power.

"Ziming, do you think this public trial will go as planned?"

After walking a few steps, Wan Wenbi looked ahead and spoke softly.

Yang Weiguang smiled slightly and said, "Brother Gongfu, if you ask this, doesn't it mean you already have the answer in your mind?"

Wan Wenbi secretly cursed that he was as slippery as a loach, so he had to take the initiative and said: "I really can't think of any way to make these three people confess. It's hard!"

As the leader took the initiative to express his position, Yang Weiguang could no longer pretend to be stupid, and nodded in agreement, "Yes, if the public trial can convince people to convict, it is naturally a great thing, but if it cannot be done, it will be rejected by the other party." If you make an impassioned speech, you may gain more than you lose!"

Wan Wenbi said softly: "But that is a matter decided by Marquis Jianning, what can you and I do?"

Listening to these words that were obviously arrogant but also somewhat coaxing, Yang Weiguang smiled slightly and said, "Marquis Jianning is recognized as a man of unparalleled wit and unparalleled strategy. Maybe he can continue to write miracles this time?"

Wan Wenbi turned to look at him deeply and nodded, "Yes, I hope so."
-
With the recapture of Guangling, the surrender of Xiangyang, and the capture of the two thieves, even the most pessimistic people understand that the changes that have been continuously reversing in two or three months are basically coming to an end, and it is difficult for the court to There is another big iteration.

Although the massacre that occurred in the East Palace made the remaining clan members full of anger and anger.

But when they watched Mr. Yingying and Xiao Fengshan sitting in the carriage and walking through the streets amidst the scoldings of everyone, it seemed that the hearts of these noble clan members had been purified and baptized, and were filled with love and peace.

So after accepting their fate, those long-lost gatherings began to take place one after another.

It was rare for a group of clan members and nobles who had survived the disaster to gather together and talk about the national and family affairs that had been held back for a long time without communication.

The women were quarreling in the backyard room, while the men were drinking tea, drinking, and talking in the warm room in the front yard.

Usually the final destination of men's chats is women and politics. Today is not the right time to talk about women, so the topic naturally turns to government affairs.

After a lot of small talk, one person finally spoke about the big event that everyone was concerned about.

"Is there really going to be a public trial in Britain tomorrow? No, Lu Rusong and the others?"

"The prince, uncle, and duke have been put on public trial. This has never happened before in the dynasty, right?"

"Not only has it never happened before in this country, but throughout the history, this is also a pioneering move!"

"Will such an end happen to me in the future?"

"I'm afraid you're not qualified yet!"

A sneer sounded, and the newly promoted son of Lu Guogong and the head of the Qin family said coldly: "Although there have been no such public trials in the past, there have been few such appalling evil deeds in the past! Such people collude to kill the king and raise an army to rebel. , it will really be easier for them to cut them off with one knife.”

The head of the Qin family is one of the few people who stands in the camp of the new emperor among the nobles. He is also a member of the Holy Family Zhenglong. His words set the tone. The others did not dare to refute, so they could only follow him. The words started to speak.

"Actually, it's better to do this. Publicly discussing the crime will make it clear to the public, which will reduce suspicion and eliminate the path for those who try to advocate soul-recruiting for him."

"But the problem is, if we just list the crimes and the canonical punishments, it will be no different from what happened in the past!"

"A public trial is an interrogation, and the evidence should be presented. It can also allow defense. What's the point of only allowing one party to speak?"

"Think about it for yourself, is this possible? Then what if they shake out something else by then, what will happen?"

"That's why we think this matter is probably very difficult!"

Everyone was talking to each other, a figure stepped in, and everyone hurriedly came forward to greet him.

"I've met King Cheng!"

"My lord, Wan'an!"

King Cheng made a rare effort that day, but ended up suffering a big loss. He was so scared that he almost fell ill when he returned home. However, he finally relaxed after taking the reassurance given by his princess and dared to go out and do some activities.

Of course, he would not show shyness in front of everyone at this moment. He smiled and asked in an approachable manner as before: "What are you talking about? I see you are chatting so enthusiastically."

"Replying to the prince, we are talking about Marquis Jianning's request to interrogate those traitors!"

"In your opinion, your Majesty, this move may be effective?"

The smile on King Cheng's face suddenly solidified. He took a deep look at the person who asked the question and said decisively without hesitation: "I always believe in Marquis Jianning. Marquis Jianning will definitely continue to lead us to create magic!"

Everyone: .? ? ?

The head of the Qin family twitched the corner of his mouth, this damn licker is better than me.

But to be honest, he never imagined how his would-be son-in-law could achieve his goal.

So, looking at the beginning of winter around him, he sighed.

Sorrow!
-
The same sigh also sounded in the lobby of Jiang'anhou Mansion at this moment.

Because Su Yuanshang is still on his way back from Longshou Prefecture;

Wei Yuanzhi entered the center, and things suddenly became more complicated;

Wang Ruoshui became a traitor again and fled without trace;
In addition, Xia Jingyun had more things to do, switching between the Central Academy and the Ministry of Household Affairs. At this moment, only Feng Xiuyun, Gongsun Jing, and the newly joined Yanzhi were left in the originally bustling Jiang'anhou Mansion.

Looking at Feng Xiuyun who was serving tea and sighing worriedly, Yanzhi smiled slightly and said, "Sister, don't worry. When has the young master done anything for which he was not prepared? We should believe him."

Feng Xiuyun looked at her firm look and couldn't help but forcefully laugh, "With your temper, what man wouldn't like it!"

She listened to the sound of the early winter wind passing through the cracks in the window and door, and said softly: "I mainly think that it is not cost-effective for him to do this. If he succeeds, there will not be much benefit, but if he loses, he will provoke someone." Big trouble, why bother!”

Yanzhi shook his head, "You can't say that. My adoptive father told me the stories of past dynasties before. He said that there was a holy king in the previous dynasty. He was a good emperor who was well known to everyone and respected by all people. However, just because he was He killed his elder brother to become the leader. Throughout his life and even now, this has been criticized by political opponents and the world. It has become a stain that he cannot erase no matter how hard he tries. It has also led to many tragedies for his descendants to follow. We Now of course we know what happened, but outsiders don’t know, and future generations decades and centuries from now won’t know either. At that time, God knows whether this infamy will fall on His Majesty, the Empress, and even the Young Master. And if it happens to future generations. If the descendants of the royal family follow this example, wouldn’t it be setting a bad example?”

Feng Xiuyun nodded thoughtfully with a hint of surprise.

Gongsun Jing on the side sighed again.

Yanzhi smiled and asked, "What's wrong with Mr. Gongsun?"

Gongsun Jing said helplessly: "Before, I just thought that if the final public trial failed, it would not be a big deal. But after hearing what you said, it is actually so serious. Now I am really starting to worry."

Feng Xiuyun nodded, "Me too."

rouge:.
"For the current plan, I can only trust the young master."

"Yeah, I just have to believe him."

No matter how many people are optimistic about it or how many people are not optimistic about it, after two days of preparation, the trial took place on the third day as scheduled.

In the palace in the early morning, Concubine De personally arranged the imperial uniform for Dongfang Bai.

Dongfang Bai raised his head and said, "Mother, can uncle succeed today?"

Concubine De smiled softly, then squatted down, revealing her perfect figure inadvertently.

She and Dongfang Bai looked at each other, "Xie'er, do you know why your uncle did this?"

Dongfang Bai nodded, "The queen mother said that he was trying to help me clear my name."

Concubine De smiled and stroked his face gently, "Xie'er, you are now the emperor and the master of this world. You can no longer rely on uncle for everything like before. Uncle will also have problems. If he really fails to do what he wants, not only can we not blame him, but we must also find ways to help him do it, do you understand?"

Dongfang Bai hummed, "So, does the Queen Mother also find today's thing difficult?" Concubine De was already accustomed to Dongfang Bai's intelligence, "According to what he said, it should be possible, but I'm afraid something will happen in the middle. Let's do it Just be prepared and improvise."

Dongfang Bai nodded, took Concubine De's hand, and slowly walked towards Huangji Hall.

There are already some more decorations in the main hall.

A desk was placed under the steps in the middle, and several desks were placed on both sides. There were pens, inks, papers and inkstones on them, which were used to record documents from the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Punishment, Dali Temple, Zongzheng Mansion and other related ministries. Used.

Not long after, the courtiers and officials entered the palace. Because of the "busyness" today, many clan members and nobles who did not need to attend court on weekdays took the initiative or were called to attend the court meeting.

When they entered the hall and stood still, looking at the scene in front of them, their hearts were slightly shuddered.

Is Xia Jingyun so confident?

And some people who didn't wish Xia Jingyun well sneered secretly in their hearts, how arrogant!Be careful to shoot yourself in the foot!
Today is not the day for the customary court meeting, so everything revolves around this public trial.

After all the officials stood still, the palace gradually became quiet.

Jin Zhong unfolded an edict and read aloud:

"For 24 years, the late emperor Yu Jiyu was illuminated by holy candles, and all the people returned. Wherever the wind blew, the desolate corners changed their minds; when moved by benevolence, the wood and stone were happy. However, the thief Mingsu had been favored, and he showed no courtesy on the outside, but harbored evil within. The thief Lu Rusong has been favored by the country in his life; the thief Xiao Fengshan has been favored many times. He did not want to be grateful to the emperor, but planned for personal gain, relied on each other, and conspired to disobey the minister. In the end, he committed treason and violated human ethics. A great disaster. The country is in danger, and all the people are weeping."

"Fortunately, I have the help of loyal, wise, righteous and courageous people. With the loyalty of my subjects and the righteousness of my descendants, I will bring order to Zhongjing, break the army and capture the thieves in Sishui."

"Today, a court is set up in the court to judge all the treasons. Righteousness is judged in front of the hall, and all officials are righteous. Xia Jingyun, the Marquis of Jianning, is in charge of the trial of the case, to find out the whole story, to restore justice, to spread it to the court and the public, and to engrave the history of Qing Dynasty! this!"

Amidst the solemn silence, Xia Jingyun stepped out of the queue, came to the table and sat down, and gave a deep drink under the complicated eyes of the officials.

"Take the prisoner!"

Soon, a soldier from the Forbidden Army came up with a man.

The man was tall and tall, but he was wearing shackles and shackles. All the officials in the palace looked at him with relief.

"Who is in the hall?"

"Come back to my lord, the villain is Luo Xiaoqian, the commander of the Black Bingtai Black Cavalry."

"Where were you on the night the late emperor passed away?"

"The little man, along with the first master, escorted the late emperor secretly to the military camp twenty miles outside the city."

"Who is the general in charge of the camp? Why is the late emperor going? Who else is accompanying him?"

"The general in charge of the camp is the British Duke. Oh no, the traitor Lu Rusong. We don't know what the late emperor did. We just followed the command of the leader to escort him with the army, and then escorted him around the tent of the Chinese army. On the side of His Majesty's Majesty, I didn’t see anyone else traveling with me.”

"What happened that night?"

"After the villain arrived at the military camp safely with the army, His Majesty, accompanied by Lord Xuanhu, walked into the Chinese army's tent. Then Xiao Xiang Xiao Fengshan was tied up and taken in. After that, there seemed to be a noise inside. But not long after, the first master came out and brought another person into the tent. Soon, shouts came from the tent. When we rushed into the tent, we saw Qin Sichao holding a sharp sword and falling to the ground on his back. His Majesty was already He fell into a pool of blood."

There was an uproar in the court room.

Only then did everyone clearly understand what happened that night.

Xia Jingyun asked in a deep voice: "Is there any more?"

"I really don't know the rest."

"Is what you just said true?"

"Every word is true! If there is even the slightest bit of falsehood, thunder will strike! The villain is just following orders and has absolutely no intention of disobedience. Please be aware of this!"

Xia Jingyun nodded, "If it is found that you have not committed any crime, you should be innocent. You can go down first!"

"Thank you, my lord! Thank you, my lord!"

The black knight from the Black Ice Platform was taken down, and another person was brought up again.

This time, the visitor was not put on the shackles or shackled, but was watched over by two Forbidden Army sergeants, one on the left and the other on the right.

"Who is in the hall?"

"The last general, Zuo Siyong, the supervisor of the patrol camp, paid homage to the Queen Mother, paid homage to Your Majesty, and met Marquis Jianning."

"The scene you saw on the night the late Emperor passed away is exactly what you saw."

"Around the first watch of the day, the general was on duty at Yingdong Gate. Suddenly a small group of cavalry arrived, saying that the black cavalry from Heibingtai was returning to the capital. The general identified the waistband and opened the door to let them go. Because black cavalry often do this. I didn’t even take it to heart when things happened.”

He paused and then said: "About the second watch, it started to rain heavily, and there was another loud noise. At last, the general took a look and saw that it was the British traitor Lu Rusong who came with a team. When he arrived at the city gate, the general was surprised to see him leading troops into the capital without an order. At this time, Lu Rusong asked to see General Yang, saying that he had a big matter to discuss with General Yang. The general did not dare to neglect, so he went I invited the general, who went out of the city in person to talk to him, and then opened the door to let him go."

Xia Jingyun looked calm and continued: "Do you know what the two of them said?"

"The end will not know."

"Did you hide anything you just said?"

"Everything the general said is true, and there is absolutely no lie."

"Okay, you go down first."

In fact, after hearing this, people who originally disapproved of this public trial had their views quietly changed.

Although what the two witnesses said now is far from the truth, after hearing this information, they also cleared up a lot of the fog in their minds, and their suspicions and random thoughts were reduced a lot.

Presumably when these news follow them out of the palace and spread throughout the world, there will be much less criticism and suspicion.

Xia Jingyun continued: "Please, Uncle Shunyi."

Soon, Yang Yinghui, the current commander of the patrol battalion, came in and said, "I pay my respects to the Queen Mother and your Majesty."

Xia Jingyun looked at him and said, "Uncle Shunyi, please tell me everything you know about what happened on the night the late emperor died."

Yang Yinghui said: "That night, Wei Chen rushed to welcome the east gate. Now he took a look at the city wall and confirmed that it was Lu Rusong. He said that he wanted to discuss something important with me. When Wei Chen saw him coming with troops, Not daring to open the door rashly, he hung a basket from the city wall and saw His Majesty. After confirming that His Majesty was dead, Lu Rusong ordered the minister to open the door in the name of discussing with the central government. The minister had no choice but to let him go."

Xia Jingyun hummed, because Yang Yinghui had now joined them, so he did not ask in detail about the somewhat disgraceful things that followed for Yang Yinghui, but fortunately, all the officials in the court knew about what happened next. Well, no need to say more.

He looked around and said, "Everyone, based on the testimony of these witnesses, it is basically clear what happened that night. This was a premeditated act of regicide. The so-called Qin Sichao led an old servant to kill His Majesty is full of doubts. , completely unbearable to think about. Next, let us find out the truth of that day from the mouths of these three traitors! To redress the injustice, to expose their heinous crime! "

"Here comes someone! Bring the traitor, Xiao Fengshan!"

All the ministers and officials all turned their heads and looked outside the door.

Not long after, a figure slowly appeared outside the hall.

Xiao Fengshan stepped in and once again came to this court where he once covered the sky with one hand.

This time, his court clothes were changed into prison clothes, with more shackles and more desolation.

He looked ahead calmly, seeing for the first time in his life this young man whose name he had heard countless times.

And Xia Jingyun was also looking at him.

The two emperor's uncles finally stood face to face at this moment.

The current scene was a first meeting that neither of them had ever imagined.

The courtiers also held their breath at this moment, watching the upcoming battle between the two emperor uncles. (End of chapter)