usatvline Chapter 359 Palace Change 12
Chapter 359 Palace Change 12
With the appearance of the Tong family, the princelings gained a backbone.
In a few words, everyone wanted to convict Lin Miaoniang and confirm that she had set a trap to frame the Crown Prince.
"With the dead unable to testify, and now that Consort Lin is dead, only the Emperor saw what exactly happened at the time. Perhaps Consort Lin wanted the Emperor to see this scene."
"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince had no motive to kill Consort Lin, so why would he kill someone in the inner palace?"
With someone backing him up, the Crown Prince instantly straightened his back.
He loudly retorted, "Father, I have no grudge against Consort Lin and have no reason to kill her. On the contrary, she is seeking revenge and is making enemies of me at every turn. Do you remember what happened with Consort Xie last time? She must have framed me!"
It would have been better if that matter hadn't been brought up; the moment it was, the emperor's heart hardened even more.
This son has a huge appetite and great ambition. Does he really think the palace is his own?
"I have eyes and ears. No one can slander you for what you have said or done. Do you think that by joining forces with your court officials to defend yourself, I should forgive you?"
"Father, I did not kill anyone!"
"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore." The Emperor looked at Minister Tong and asked, "You just said that Consort Lin is from Guli Town. Do you have any evidence?"
"I have found out who trafficked her. She was trafficked to Tanzhou when she was six years old. After changing hands several times, she was finally bought by the madam of Wanhualou. She practiced dancing hard from a young age, which is how she became the Lin Jieyu she is today."
The slave trader said he bought Lin Jieyu from a passing vendor who claimed she was his daughter, and that he was selling her to pay off debts after his business failed.
However, I found the merchant and learned from him that he had tricked Lin Jieyu into coming to him on the road near Qingmu County.
"That doesn't prove she's from Guli Town."
"Yes, the vendor said that the little girl kept saying she wanted to go home. Her home address was the Lin family's house on Xitang Street in Guli Town. People with the same name could also be found in the household registration books of Qingmu County at that time."
Seeing that the opportunity was ripe, Zhao Kaizhi stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I believe we should thoroughly investigate Shen Lan. This woman has strange abilities. How could an orphan like her return to Bianjing to seek revenge in eleven years? How did she find out that evidence? Is there a master guiding her behind the scenes?"
Minister Tong echoed, "Lord Zhao's words make sense. Perhaps someone deliberately led Shen Lan into Bianjing, told her about her enemy's identity, and then conspired with Consort Lin to frame the Crown Prince, all in an attempt to seize the position of heir apparent."
Minister Tong had been instructed by his father before entering the palace.
After entering the palace, no matter what the emperor says, this case must be brought into the struggle for the throne; only in this way can the crown prince be protected.
The emperor may have begun to fear the crown prince, but he must hate even more the other princes killing each other in the struggle for the throne.
One of the ministers whispered, "Didn't Shen Lan return to the capital with Lord Xiao? I heard that she was also a forensic expert that Lord Xiao discovered when he was serving in Jianzhou."
"Young Master Xiao, surely he wouldn't go that far? He has no grudge against the Crown Prince."
Xiao Ji was not present at the time, but Master Xiao was.
He listened to the malicious people around him slandering his son, which gradually turned into suspicion towards the Xiao family, and he knew things were not going well.
Clearly, the Crown Prince's faction has begun to shift its focus.
At this point, he could neither refute nor prove himself, and would instead fall into their trap.
Lord Yuan couldn't stand it any longer and spoke up for Shen Lan.
"That young girl is so capable and has extraordinary skills. She is not like an ordinary woman."
She carries a deep-seated hatred and has had to rely on herself since childhood. Can you possibly understand the hardships she has endured?
You all talk the talk without understanding the pain. If your parents or relatives were harmed, wouldn't you want to take revenge?
As for your claim that she was manipulated by someone to frame the Crown Prince, please tell me, why did she consider the Crown Prince her enemy?
The ministers were left speechless by the question.
Lord Yuan wouldn't tolerate them.
"Doesn't Lin Jieyu's willingness to die to frame the Crown Prince further demonstrate that the Crown Prince is corrupt and lacks benevolence?"
Yuan's friends wished they could cover his mouth.
That's incredibly bold of them.
The Crown Prince is still in power. If the Emperor has no intention of deposing the Crown Prince, then Editor Yuan is in grave danger.
At this moment, an inconspicuous official stepped forward, knelt before the emperor, and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to report."
"explain."
“I have a distant relative who is skilled at arranging marriages for the dead. He said he has received a business deal to arrange a ghost marriage for the son of a certain minister in the court.”
But the deceased young master was not paired with a dead person, but with a living woman.
Because the young master had admired the woman during his lifetime, his mother wanted to marry her off to her deceased son, sealing her alive in a coffin and burying her with him.
But in the end, this plan fell through, and the tragedy was averted.
Minister Zhao was completely bewildered, but couldn't help but reprimand him: "Physician Bian, don't bring things that haven't happened to the Emperor into your fold."
Physician Bian sighed and said loudly, "The family I am referring to is the Tong family, and the young master is the second young master of the Tong family. The woman he has taken a liking to is Consort Lin, who had just entered the palace as a dancer at that time."
The tragedy did not occur because Consort Lin was clever enough to escape from her kidnappers, which led to her being taken into the emperor's harem later.
If, as you gentlemen say, Consort Lin harbors a grudge against the Crown Prince, it must be because she hates the Tong family, which in turn implicates the Crown Prince.
Your Majesty, I believe the Tong family has abused their power and disregarded human life. I implore Your Majesty to thoroughly investigate the Tong family!
This doctor, Bian, was usually unremarkable, but unexpectedly, he became a sensation.
There are very few officials in the court who dare to directly challenge the Tong family.
The emperor frowned and did not respond immediately.
Naturally, some people rushed to refute him, criticize him, and condemn Bian Langzhong as utterly worthless!
Bian Langzhong knelt on the ground with his head down, ignoring the accusations behind him.
"Do you have any evidence to prove that the Tong family disregards human life?"
“I have one.” Bian Langzhong’s hands trembled as he pulled a memorial from his sleeve and handed it over.
He took a deep breath and solemnly explained the evidence of the Tong family's crimes that he had secretly investigated over the years.
Disregarding human life is just a minor aspect of this issue.
When the emperor opened the memorial, which was a full finger's width thick, everyone held their breath.
Everyone in the Tong family was terrified.
"Minister Zhao, would you like to come and take a look?" the emperor asked, calling out his name.
This time, Zhao Kaizhi dared not speak rashly and cautiously replied, "Your Majesty, shouldn't such an important matter be jointly investigated by the Three Departments?"
"Ha, you don't dare to look? Well, aren't you just a lackey of the Tong family too?"
Zhao Kaizhi was so embarrassed by those words that he couldn't even lift his head, and awkwardly dug his toes into the ground.
"Let the three judicial departments conduct a joint trial then, but you, Minister of Justice, should step aside for now."
The emperor announced in public: "This thick stack of indictments contains dozens of clauses, all of which are capital offenses."
But the fact that such a crime was committed against the Minister of Revenue, whom I trusted most, is truly heartbreaking.
I hereby order Dong Minghua, Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, Huang Yuzhou, Grand Censor, and Xiao Ji, Chief Justice, to jointly preside over this case. Within seven days, you must ascertain the truth of the matter; otherwise, you will all lose your official positions!
The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review and the Grand Censor quickly accepted the task, and as for Xiao Ji, someone would convey the Emperor's decree to him.