I, the prince, only want to be deposed.

Chapter 141: Spring and Autumn Judgment, Crimes of Morality!
Amid the howling of ghosts and wolves, the Shi family began to beg for mercy loudly.

Seeing that Liu Ju was unmoved, they soon started to blame each other, and the truth of the whole matter gradually surfaced in the blame.

This matter was led by the two brothers Shi Hong and Shi Long, who are Shi Wanjun's father and uncle.

Although they returned to Lu from the capital, the two of them did not completely settle down.

Instead, he often regretted his momentary confusion. Not only did he miss the opportunity to marry Shi Wanjun into the Prince's Mansion, but he also offended the entire royal family, making it impossible for the Shi family to enter the royal family in the future.

Especially Shi Wanjun's father Shi Hong.

The Han Dynasty paid great attention to appearance when selecting officials. Although it did not require that all officials must be handsome men with thick eyebrows and big eyes, a disabled person like him who had become a cripple basically had no chance of becoming an official in the court.

before this.

Shi Hong was a man with a strong desire for progress. He moved the Shi family to Chang'an in order to seize the opportunity for advancement.

Shi Hong couldn't accept such a result in the end.

However, the royal family he had offended would never give him another chance, and his lame leg would never be restored. His life was completely ruined.

The huge regret and loss eroded his heart, causing him to numb himself with alcohol all day long.

Not only that, many members of the Shi family were also criticizing him openly or secretly. After all, as the head of the family, this action ruined not only his own future, but also the future of several generations of these Shi family members.

Under such circumstances, Shi Hong's mentality and mind were almost collapsed.

The incompetent man gradually began to vent his anger and dissatisfaction on his daughter Shi Wanjun:

"You're just a money-loser! If you were a little thicker-skinned, wouldn't you have stayed in the Prince's Mansion?"

"Useless rubbish! The prince ordered his men to throw you back, so why couldn't you use your own legs to chase after him? If you had chased after him and worn your legs out, wouldn't the prince have been able to sense your sincerity?"

"Why did I give birth to such an unfilial thing like you! What's wrong with the Zhang family? Isn't it just that the son of the Zhang family is a little slow-witted? With your fuss now, the people of Lu already know that the Shi family has offended the royal family, and now you are nitpicking and offending the Zhang family. Who in Lu will come to propose marriage in the future? Do you still intend to let me support you for the rest of your life?"

"Remember this, the Shi family's misfortune is all caused by you!"

"You are the scourge of the Shi family, and it is a misfortune for our family. How can I face the ancestors of the Shi family when I go to the underworld?"

"Loss of money!"

"Useless trash!"

"Unfilial thing!"

"You are the scourge of the Shi family, why don't you die soon!"

"..."

Shi Wanjun endured it all silently, staying in her room all day, silently wiping her tears.

Even so, Shi Hong always drank.

They would come to people’s homes to curse and humiliate them, and sometimes even get violent.

Even many members of the Shi family were like this. Many of them did not dare to disobey Shi Hong, but they were merciless to Shi Wanjun, a submissive girl, and all kinds of ugly words were heard.

Perhaps these tribesmen were just venting their dissatisfaction with Shi Hong, but the one who was hurt was Shi Wanjun.

until yesterday.

Shi Wanjun saw Liu Ju again, the prince who in her mind was far superior to the children of the Shi family and those young masters.

At that moment, she burst into tears.

But it was not because of Liu Ju's initial ruthlessness, nor was it because of admiration...

It's because of the inability to control one's own suffering.

She might have had some admiration for Liu Ju in her heart, but they had only met twice and it was far from the point of crying for him. At most, she just felt regret that she would never get another chance.

But she knew that all this had nothing to do with Liu Ju.

It was her father who made the wrong decision and completely severed this marriage. Even when the Shi family was in trouble because of this, the prince was kind enough to give their family a chance.

She knew in her heart that the prince had done his best for the Shi family.

At first, my uncle and mother were worried that after they did what the prince said, he would abandon them, but he did not. He did not even let the people of Lu know that Shi Jia was the one who betrayed them.

Otherwise, the historian might not even be able to return to Lu.

But she still doesn't understand what she did wrong.

Money-losing stuff... Useless trash... Unfilial thing... The scourge of the historian...

She obviously did nothing wrong.

When the Shi family and her father were in danger, she tried her best to make amends. She listened to her uncle and mother, went to the prince's mansion regardless of anything, and knelt in front of the prince to beg for mercy.

When her great-grandmother ordered her to learn the methods of serving men, she shamelessly memorized every word clearly.

When the prince went to South Vietnam, she would have made up her mind to die in South Vietnam if he had not ordered her to be kidnapped and taken back.

For the historian, for my father.

She had clearly tried her best, but why was it all her fault in the end...

When she saw Liu Ju again, tears welled up in her eyes, and she suddenly understood:
"Perhaps my biggest mistake was not giving birth to this child?"

"Father wants me to die early. Is it because after I die, the troubles of the Shi family will be gone, and father and the clansmen will be able to rest in peace?"

So that afternoon.

After welcoming Liu Ju into the city under the leadership of Prince Lu, Shi Wanjun quietly went to the river alone.

That night, no one in the Shi family noticed that Shi Wanjun did not return home, because no one cared about her for a long time, or had already regarded her as a dispensable "money-loser".

If she had successfully married the prince, the situation might have been completely different?
But now there is no if...

But at least the Shi family did not lie about this matter. They did not drown Shi Wanjun with their own hands. They just used a more cruel and blunt knife to force her to death little by little.

When the Shi family saw Shi Wanjun's body.

They may have regretted, felt remorse, or even felt compassion.

But the words of the old lady Shi finally brought them back to reality and gave them a glimmer of hope:
"It's come to this point. There's no point in saying anything. We just need to look forward."

"Wanjun's death may not be without value."

"You guys write a suicide note in Wanjun's name, expressing Shijia's regret for rejecting the marriage proposal, Wanjun's love and longing for the prince, and her determination to die for love. Try to make it sincere and heartfelt." "Then order someone to take the suicide note and report the death to the prince..."

Shi Hong and Shi Long did not understand what the old lady of the Shi family meant for a moment, and looked suspicious:

"Mother, this person is already dead, is this action really necessary?"

"You don't understand!"

The old lady of the Shi family leaned hard on her cane, looking at her two useless sons with resentment.
"Sometimes the dead are more useful than the living. If we talk about emotions, a living person can never be better than a dead person. If we can accomplish this, the Shi family will have a chance to turn things around. Go!"

that's it.

The last bit of value of Shi Wanjun was also squeezed out by the Shi family.

However, the Shi family miscalculated one step, and they met Liu Ju...

……

These slanderous words helped Liu Ju to build a complete picture of the incident.

Although there may still be some discrepancies in some of the details, Liu Ju still suspects that Shi Wanjun may not have committed suicide voluntarily, but the general outline should not be too different.

"..."

Liu Ju looked up at the old woman who had first broken free from the maid and knelt in front of him.

Although the old woman was lying limp on the ground at this moment, she was the calmest person in the Shi family. She did not beg for mercy, nor did she bite like others in order to survive.

She just quietly looked at these descendants of historians. In her old eyes, besides disappointment and despair, if you look closely, you can also see a hint of relief.

Liu Ju had to admit it.

This old lady is not simple.

Although she was so heartless that she even took advantage of Shi Wanjun's death, this was indeed the most powerful means in the world... Just like Li Guangli's sister, Lady Li, who was determined to leave regrets for Liu Che before her death. If it weren't for this means, there might not have been the future General Li Guangli.

at last.

The old woman also felt Liu Ju's gaze and slowly turned around.

At this moment, she actually smiled at Liu Ju's gaze, but it was a miserable smile:
"Your Highness, the biggest mistake I made in my life was underestimating you."

"Wanjun once told me that you are vastly different from all the young men she had met before. I didn't believe it then, but today, I can no longer disbelieve it."

"Now I will not beg for mercy for these people, nor am I worthy of begging for mercy for them."

"I am just like Wanjun. I have tried my best for them and even sacrificed my life for them."

"It's their own fault that they didn't live up to their expectations. They deserve this fate. They can't blame anyone else."

"Ha ha ha ha ha……"

As she laughed, the old woman looked at her lame son Shi Hong who had wet his pants:

"Bo Xing, come here."

"Mother……"

Shi Hong trembled, and first glanced at Liu Ju. Seeing that he had no objection, he hurriedly crawled to the old woman's side, dragging a trail of wet marks with a foul smell.

"Snapped!"

The old woman suddenly slapped Shi Hong in the face and cursed angrily:
"Unfilial son, listen to me, Wanjun is not a money-loser, not a waste, not a disaster for the Shi family, she has done more for the Shi family than any of you!"

"You... are the scourge of the Shi family!"

"As long as you are here, even if the Shi family doesn't perish today, it will perish tomorrow. If it doesn't perish tomorrow, it will perish the day after tomorrow. The person who deserves to die the most is you, the unfilial son!"

"After you die, I will not allow you to be buried in the Shi family's ancestral tomb. I will be the first one to disagree... I will never agree... I will not answer..."

next moment.

The old woman's voice stopped abruptly, and her dry, wrinkled hand dropped weakly.

"Mother!"

"Big Mother!"

Seeing this, the Shi family members came over one after another, and the sound of crying immediately filled the entire mourning hall.

I don’t know whether I was crying for the old woman or for myself in advance.

at the same time.

Liu Ju looked at Liu Guang, the Prime Minister of Lu State, and the Magistrate of Lu County with an expressionless face:

"It seems she still underestimates me... add another crime to them, morality."

The crime against ethics is when children harm their parents, younger brothers harm their older brothers, wives harm their husbands, and slaves harm their masters.

Should be crucified.

Crucifixion, destruction of the body after death.

In this case, there is nothing good to bury, let alone bury it in the ancestral tomb.

The legal provisions of the Han Dynasty were actually very imperfect, with all the laws totaling no more than a thousand. Therefore, many cases were often judged in the form of "Spring and Autumn Judgment".

To put it simply, the so-called "Spring and Autumn Judgment" means to use the ethical and moral standards in the "Spring and Autumn Annals" to judge cases.

Therefore, it is not unreasonable for Liu Ju to characterize the old woman's death due to anger at the historian's unfilial descendants as a "crime against moral standards". If you disagree, there are great scholars to argue for it.

"!"

Hearing this, Liu Guang, the prime minister of Lu State and the magistrate of Lu County all felt a chill running down their spines. They shuddered involuntarily and did not even dare to look Liu Ju in the eye.

"..."

Huo Guang also looked at Liu Ju in surprise, horrified.

He found that he was increasingly unable to understand this non-blood cousin.

For a second, he even vaguely saw the shadow of Liu Che on Liu Ju's face, and felt the same oppressive force from Liu Ju as he did from Liu Che.

At this moment, he suddenly felt a little scared.

The next time this cousin calls me "cousin", should I respond politely?
(End of this chapter)