my wife is wonderful

Chapter 300 Finale (I)

This case involved two princes, no, four princes, including the imprisoned eldest prince and the fifth prince who was shot by his own people outside Gaofeng City during the campaign against Yaomu.

For such a serious case, even if the emperor and the cabinet handed it over to the Dali Temple, the Supervisory Office and the Ministry of Justice for joint trial, Emperor Sheng Ning and several cabinet ministers would appear in the Dali Temple court during the trial.

Geng Xingshuang and Zhu Yan were victims. Although they were called to the Dali Temple early in the morning, they did not wait outside like the others. Instead, they were arranged to rest in the side rooms next to the court. They would only be called in when their cases were tried.

"Sister Shuang, are you nervous?" Zhu Yan asked her as he heard the court session starting nearby.

Geng Xingshuang shook her head, "It's okay, not too nervous."

Geng Xingshuang really didn't feel nervous. After lunch yesterday, Yang Qingmo roughly explained the possible procedures for today and what she needed to do. Moreover, although she still felt scared when she recalled the experience of being kidnapped, she was not afraid to recount it in full in court. After all, only in that way could the real culprit be convicted.

"What about you, are you nervous?"

Zhu Yan nodded, "I think it's okay too." Then she sighed, "If someone had told me before this incident actually happened that I would be kidnapped by bandits one day and that after being rescued, I would have to go to the Dali Temple and recount my experience as a victim and witness, I probably wouldn't have dared to even think about it. But when it really happened, I did something I never dared to think about before. Now I feel a little strange."

"Do you feel that you are very powerful? You feel that you are more powerful than you can imagine." Geng Xingshuang asked.

"Yes." Zhu Yan nodded. "I used to act confident, free and easy, and open-minded in public, but only I know that I am actually just an ordinary girl. I care about the same things that other girls care about, and I am not bolder or more detached than them about the things that they fear."

“So, sometimes, without going through some little things, I don’t realize how powerful I am.” Geng Xingshuang sighed.

"Are you praising yourself or me?"

"Both of us, same to you!"

The two of them were waiting here and preparing to go to court. At this time, Prince Shen, who had a broken leg, had been brought up to the lobby of the Dali Temple. At the same time, there were also ministers from the court who had conspired with Prince Shen to rebel, and people from Prince Shen's maternal family, the Dingguo Mansion. Of course, everyone in the Dingguo Mansion was thrown into prison after Prince Shen's rebellion. Duke Dingguo and his grandson Wu Qiyu had died in prison, the former due to illness, and the latter committed suicide in prison.

However, even so, there were still quite a few people left in the Duke Dingguo's Mansion, including men, women, old and young. Only the men of the Duke Dingguo's Mansion were brought to the court this time, with the exception of Zhu Ni, the wife of the granddaughter of the Duke Zhenguo's Mansion.

She and Zhang Kexin, the eighth daughter of the eldest prince's maternal family, were taken to the outside of the yamen to wait for summons.

It was already a fact that Prince Shen was plotting treason. By this time, Prince Shen naturally knew that the situation was hopeless and that it would be meaningless even if he denied it.

So when the Dali Temple Minister read out the crimes committed by Prince Shen one by one, and finally handed the confession to Prince Shen for him to sign, Prince Shen glanced at the Emperor who was sitting at the top listening to the trial. He seemed to want to act nonchalant, and even wanted to pull his lips to reveal a sarcastic smile, to show his calmness about "winners are kings and losers are bandits", and his open-mindedness about "life and death are indifferent", but that smile could not reach his eyes no matter what, and his kneeling posture could not be as straight as before. He thought that he did not want to appear as embarrassed as a stray dog ​​in front of these people, but...

Although he tried his best to conceal it, his hands were still shaking as he signed his name.

Perhaps he has regretted it, but he doesn't want to admit it. Perhaps even if he had the chance to do it all over again, he would still make the same choice.

But there is no maybe.

Emperor Sheng Ning did not kill him, but he also did not confine him in the imperial farm like the eldest prince. Although he had no freedom, he had enough food and drink.

Although his life was saved, he was unable to live or die. The Second Prince Wei Bing was sent to work as a laborer in a quarry outside the city.

Although the verdict was issued jointly by the Grand Justice, the Inspector General and the Minister of Justice, the treatment of Prince Shen should have been approved by the Emperor long ago.

The room where Geng Xingshuang and the others were staying was right next to the court. The verdict for Prince Shen was read out jointly by the Minister of the Dali Temple, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Supervisory Office, and the Minister of Justice. The voices were loud and clear, and Geng Xingshuang and Zhu Yan could hear it clearly.

"The emperor still left some room for us." Zhu Yan said in a low voice.

"Because the verdict doesn't state that there will be no pardon for life?" Geng Xingshuang also understood the key.

During the reign of Emperor Shengning, the second prince Wei Bing could only be a coolie in a quarry, but what if the new emperor ascended the throne and issued a general amnesty?
"But this also depends on the new emperor's intention." Zhu Yan's voice became smaller and smaller.

If the new emperor is unwilling to pardon his brother, then Wei Bing will have no room for maneuver in his life.

After the trial of Prince Shen's conspiracy to rebel was over, the trial of the Xie family's collusion with Yao Mu began.

Xie Kun, the head of the Xie family, is dead, and even other members of the Xie family with normal IQ were burned to ashes in the fire. Only a mentally retarded child, Xie Lei, was left. As for how Xie Lei survived, Xie Kun should have expected that after Prince Shen's rebellion failed and Prince Ping's plan became ineffective, and what they had done was discovered by Zhu Yue and others, Prince Ping would be ready to abandon his residence to protect his general. So after Xie Lei made a mistake, he was sent to a remote temple outside Xiaocheng as a punishment. This was done in a very secretive manner, and many members of the Xie family thought that Xie Lei was locked up in their own yard. This was also the way Xie Kun most often punished Xie Lei, and it did not arouse suspicion.

Geng Xingshuang listened to the interrogation next door. Perhaps Xie Kun was thinking that it would be best if his son could hide in the temple outside the city, not be discovered, and live a peaceful life.

But he probably also anticipated that the small temple outside the city would not be enough to protect Xie Lei for his entire life, so he prepared this backup plan.

In the court of Dali Temple, in front of Emperor Sheng Ning, several cabinet ministers, the Minister of Justice, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Inspectorate, the Chief Justice of Dali Temple and other officials, Xie Lei repeated the words he had recited several times without missing a word.

The presiding official, Dali Temple Minister Fan Kai, stole a glance at where Emperor Sheng Ning was.

Emperor Shengning had a blank expression on his face, neither angry nor sad.

Seeing that Fan Kai didn't say anything, the Minister of Justice Liu Chengxu couldn't help but gently poked his arm.

Zhu Qianyuan, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Inspectorate, was in poor health and had rarely been to the government office in the past two years. All affairs of the Inspectorate were previously handled by Shu Pingkuo, the Left Deputy Censor-in-Chief. Later, Shu Pingkuo was sent to inspect Mincheng and other southern cities. After returning, he immediately followed the Zhenyao Army to the expedition. The affairs of the Inspectorate were then handed over to Yang Shaojing, the Right Deputy Censor-in-Chief.

However, this time, one of the left and right deputy censors was implicated in the case and could not protect himself, while the other's son was a witness. Therefore, neither of them could represent the Inspectorate to jointly try the case with the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple. As a result, Zhu Qianyuan had to sit in the Dali Temple court despite his illness.

However, his health was poor and he had not been in charge of anything in the past two years, so the case was mostly handled by the Supreme Court and the Minister of Justice, and the Inspectorate could only be regarded as a witness. But now...

Zhu Qianyuan sighed lightly. As the Left Censor-in-Chief, he had to do something. Otherwise, it would be fine for him, but he was afraid that the Inspectorate would be looked down upon and talked about because of him.

After the bailiff handed over the account books and correspondence that Xie Lei had on him, the three presiding judges flipped through them. They had already read the contents, but they still had to follow the proper procedures for the trial.

After reading it, Zhu Qianyuan coughed lightly and asked, "I wonder if His Royal Highness Prince Ping can rest in the wing room?"

Although Prince Ping was notified to go to the Dali Temple for interrogation, he was a prince after all. Unlike Prince Shen who had attempted treason but failed, even if he was guilty, the extent of his guilt had not yet been determined. Naturally, he could not be left outside the palace and guarded by yamen runners like the others.

"Your Excellency, His Highness is waiting in the right wing. Do you need His Highness to move?"

The one who answered him was Qin Mu, the chief of Dali Temple. Although he said it quite politely, everyone in the room understood the underlying meaning.

Because many people don’t know what the emperor is thinking in his heart, whether it is a case of much thunder but little rain, and he will take it lightly, or is he really furious and will never tolerate it?

After all, it was the Xie family who colluded with Yaomu. The current evidence can only prove that Prince Ping was suspected of recruiting soldiers and horses and coveting the throne, but it cannot prove that the Xie family colluded with Yaomu and it was Prince Ping who instructed it. Prince Ping can completely push the biggest crime onto the dead Xie Kun, after all, there is no evidence!

The emperor has two sons, one was imprisoned and the other was sent to do hard labor. It is hard to say whether he would be willing to take harsh measures against this son, not to mention the imperial concubine and the Yongqing Marquis' Mansion.

The Minister of Justice Liu Chengxu glanced at the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Fan Kai. Although the glance was subtle, Fan Kai still keenly received the meaning in Liu Chengxu's eyes.

"Your Dali Temple is pretty good. Even a small temple chief is so brave?"

Fan Kai sat up straighter, no longer glancing at Emperor Sheng Ning, but nodded to Qin Mu, "Go and invite His Royal Highness Prince Ping!"

Liu Chengxu and Zhu Qianyuan looked at Fan Kai in surprise.

I thought this old guy would continue to be cunning, but I didn't expect him to be so tough this time.

What happened in the court could certainly not be hidden from King Ping. If King Ping was safe and sound this time, there was no guarantee that he would not bear a grudge.

After all, which prince would be brought to the Dali Temple for questioning?

The emperor said that the Dali Temple, the Inspectorate and the Ministry of Justice would jointly try the case, and he really gave them the power to try the case. From the beginning of the trial until now, no one, whether the emperor or the several ministers, has spoken a word.

Therefore, the matter of Prince Xuanping coming to the court to question the emperor could not be blamed on him.

Although this is unavoidable, there are more flexible ways to deal with it, but obviously, no one wants to waste time on this.

When Prince Ping was invited to the court, Fan Kai did not ask the bailiff to move the chair, so Prince Ping stood upright in the court, facing the three presiding judges.

Sitting on both sides were his father, the emperor, and important officials in the court.

These people watched together as he was interrogated like a criminal.

"I really want to see the Prince Ping's expression now. Is he still the same as before, easy-going and polite, without a trace of dissatisfaction or anger?"

Zhu Yan said in a low voice.

Before Geng Xingshuang could say anything, Fan Kai's voice was heard from the court next door.

"Your Highness, from what Xie Lei said, and the evidence he provided, such as the account books and letters, Your Highness has been in constant contact with the Governor of the Western Land, Xie Kun?"

There was silence in the hall for a while, and then the voice of King Ping was heard.

“I don’t know what Xie Lei said, but Master Fan, Xie Lei, the only legitimate son of the Xie family, was born mentally retarded. I think most people in the court know this, so please consider his words carefully.

As for the account books and letters that Lord Fan mentioned, I know nothing about them.”

Prince Ping denied it directly and looked calm, but also a little anxious. He looked at Emperor Shengning several times, as if he was worried that the emperor would not believe him.

This kind of reaction seems like the normal reaction of a truly innocent person who is being wrongly accused and is eager to clear himself of the charges.

Fan Kai nodded, seeming to agree with King Ping's statement. He stopped dwelling on this point and continued asking.

"Your Highness, on the day when the Second Prince started his rebellion last year, the guards of Prince Ping's Mansion and the bandits from the Black Scorpion Village in the west kidnapped Miss Zhu from the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion. On that day, the concubine of the palace, Geng, used her kinship to trick Miss Geng from the Anping Earl's Mansion into the palace. Then, Ye Xiucheng, an aide to the palace, personally escorted Miss Geng out of the palace and later handed her over to the bandits from the Sand Village in the west. Miss Geng was taken away from Ningdu by four bandits from the Sand Village. Your Highness, did you kidnap Miss Zhu and Miss Geng because General Zhu and Lieutenant General Yang discovered what you did with the Xie family, so you threatened them with General Zhu's daughter and Lieutenant General Yang's fiancée to make them give up reporting the matter to Your Majesty?"

Fan Kai's question was direct and sharp, and he spoke very quickly. Although his tone was questioning, it was firm, as if he would be guilty if he didn't answer immediately.

Zhu Yan in the next room tightly grasped Geng Xingshuang's hand, "Sister Shuang, we will be summoned to class soon!"

Geng Xingshuang also held her hand and said, "Well, seeing that the three adults are not the kind of people who drag their feet when trying a case, we will tell the whole story from beginning to end, and it should be over soon."

Although the two were nervous, they didn't want to leak any of King Ping's response.