I, the prince, only want to be deposed.

Chapter 279: Damn “deprivation of political rights for life”!
Before he finished speaking, Liu Ju's voice came from outside the hall:
"That's right. If you have nothing to hide, and I'm not a man-eating evil ghost, why are you panicking?"

Immediately afterwards, a team of armored and armed Qimen warriors filed in and checked every corner of the hall very carefully, rummaging through the drawers and cabinets like bandits, and then rudely drove out all the irrelevant people.

Ever since Liu Ju was assassinated in Houjing County Government Office last time, these Qimen warriors have been greatly frightened.

Fortunately, Liu Ju was safe and sound, otherwise, even if he had only suffered minor skin injuries, they would not be able to explain to the emperor, and by then it would not be as simple as just Gongsun Jingsheng and the leading general being punished.

Therefore, now they are extremely careful wherever they go, and they would like to dig three feet into the ground.

After this inspection, Liu Ju walked in accompanied by Gongsun Jingsheng, Wei Kang and others.

"Welcome Your Highness."

Wang Ding quickly bowed to Liu Ju.

Guan Changqing still leaned on the couch and just nodded slightly to Liu Ju:

"Your Highness has come to the Gentleman's Pavilion. I should have stood up to greet you, but I am too old to do so. Please forgive me, Your Highness."

The Han Dynasty also has a T0 version, and it has a legal basis, similar to the later Minors Protection Act and the Octogenarian Protection Act.

This law originated in the Western Zhou Dynasty and is clearly recorded in the "Book of Rites", which states that "the elderly, even if they are guilty, shall not be punished."

During the Han Dynasty, during the reign of Emperor Hui of Han, the scope of this decree was further defined.

It is stipulated that if a person is under ten years old or over seventy years old and commits a crime or even a capital crime, he or she must be reported to the court, which will grant a reduction in sentence or exemption.

This decree has continued to this day and Emperor Liu Che is still implementing it.

In terms of etiquette, there is also tolerance for the elderly who are over 70 years old. Such elderly people do not need to perform formalities when meeting the emperor. Not only can the emperor not blame them, but he must treat them with courtesy.

However, most people, regardless of the considerations, still try to perform formalities whenever possible.

Few people would rely on their old age to show off their seniority in front of the royal family. Even if they cannot stand up, they would still bow instead of nodding like Guan Changqing is doing now.

"You old immortal, Naiweng..."

When Gongsun Jingsheng saw Guan Changqing's appearance, he became furious and walked up to him to curse.

He didn't have any problem with the octogenarian, but he had a lot of problems with Guan Changqing as a person.

The officials who had been detained before have voluntarily submitted many confessions in the past few days. By linking together the clues they provided in the confessions, the problem ultimately pointed to the Hejian Palace, the Rihua Palace and the Junzi Pavilion that supported many Confucian scholars, especially Guan Changqing and Wang Ding.

The information obtained by Wei Kang through his recent intelligence network also corroborated the contents of these confessions.

However, the only thing that can be confirmed at the moment is the matter of "Lady Gouyi".

As for the assassination of Liu Ju, there is currently no conclusive evidence to prove that Guan Changqing and Wang Ding were involved.

This is understandable. Such a risky matter must be top secret, and it is inherently accidental. In addition, Houjing County Magistrate Jason and the assassins are all dead, so the clues are completely cut off. It is impossible to investigate even if you want to.

But even if I can't find out.

It was not difficult for Gongsun Jingsheng to see that the "Lady Gouyi" plan and the assassination plan were the same thing, just plan A and plan B.

Therefore, even without conclusive evidence, he had already determined that Guan Changqing and Wang Ding were the masterminds behind the incident.

"Hey, cousin, don't be impulsive and be polite with your words."

Liu Ju stopped Gongsun Jingsheng at this time and said with a smile,

"Don't forget, we are here to kill people and destroy their hearts, not to scold people. We need to win people over with virtue."

"Kill someone... and destroy their heart?"

Guan Changqing's face, which was already covered with age spots, wrinkled. Wang Dingze subconsciously looked at Guan Changqing, unable to hide the panic in his eyes. It was obvious that there was a difference of priority between the two of them.

"Please don't blame me, now that things have come to this, I believe you know better than me why I came here today."

Liu Ju found a place to sit down and said with a smile,
"As for the reason why you are targeting me, I have basically understood it. However, if you are willing to talk to me about the whole cause and effect of the incident, I don't mind listening to it. It can be used as a way to fill in the gaps."

"Your Highness, please forgive me. I have never targeted you. I really don't know what you are talking about. Please explain clearly."

Guan Changqing laughed when he heard this, and said in his unique leaky voice.

He was confident that Liu Ju would never be able to find any relevant evidence about the assassination, let alone conclusive evidence.

As for the matter between Guo Xuanzi and Fuxing Guiren, it was at most a case of deceiving the emperor. Even if he admitted it, it would not matter. For a man of his age, it was impossible to impose a severe punishment for such a crime. Even the emperor could only show leniency and the matter would be left unresolved.

"I knew you two would have this attitude, otherwise you should have sent someone to look for me a few days ago."

Liu Ju was not in a hurry, but continued to smile and said,
"In fact, if you two were brave enough to take responsibility and willing to die for your goals and beliefs, instead of turning a blind eye to those who were implicated in this matter, I might still have a little respect for you two in my heart, and maybe I would leave you with an intact body."

"You two are so callous. In order to save your own lives, which have already been buried up to your noses, you disregard the lives of others and hide like turtles. I just feel disgusted and hate you." "Now seeing your faces, I really feel sorry for my grandson, the King of Hejian."

"Since my great-grandfather, your family has treated you two as honored guests, given you the highest salary, recommended you to the court, and sought official positions for you. Guan Changqing, as far as I know, your position as prime minister was requested for you by my grandson after he succeeded to the throne, right? Wang Ding, your position as historian was also appointed by my grandson himself, right?"

"But now, he has been imprisoned by me. At such a young age, he will commit suicide for participating in the assassination of the crown prince. He has regarded you two as his role models and mentors since he was a child, and obeyed your words. But you have been hiding in this gentleman's hall and doing nothing. I'm afraid the story of Mr. Dongguo and the wolf is just like this, right?"

"Junzi Pavilion, Junzi Pavilion, what a good name."

"It turns out that all the people living in this museum are hypocrites like you."

"People like you are not worthy of being taught knowledge and morality, so I have decided temporarily that in addition to the punishment you deserve, I will also give you an additional punishment of 'deprivation of political rights for life' as a warning to others!"

"?"

After hearing Liu Ju's last words, Guan Changqing and Wang Ding looked at each other.

Guan Changqing then took the lead as a representative, sneered and asked in a leaky voice:
"Don't say that we are innocent. Even if we are guilty, we are already over 70 years old. If Your Highness wants to punish us, I'm afraid you still need to ask the emperor for his judgment... In addition, may I ask Your Highness, what does 'deprivation of political rights for life' mean? This crime has never been mentioned in Han law, and it is not recorded in the Spring and Autumn Annals."

After all, this word is very unfamiliar to them, let alone understanding the true meaning of these eight words.

Not only them, but also Gongsun Jingsheng, Wei Kang, Guo Zhen and others were all confused.

Please, Your Highness, can you speak some Chinese that we can understand?

"Haha, I thought you still had a trace of conscience in your hearts. After hearing this, you would first care about Hejian King Liu Shou and take the initiative to take the blame and plead for him. It seems that the Hejian King and his family really trusted the wrong person. You can't blame others for your current fate. You can only say that you deserve it."

Liu Ju shook his head and sneered in return.

These two old guys have refreshed his understanding of human nature.

Not only Hejian King Liu Shou, but also the deceased Houjing County Magistrate Jia Xun, and Guo Xuanzi who would rather die than give up the two old guys, were all blind. They actually had expectations for these two old guys... Liu Ju only felt pity for them at this moment.

"..."

After being exposed by Liu Ju, no matter how thick-skinned Guan Changqing and Wang Ding were, they finally couldn't hold it anymore. A hint of embarrassment appeared on their faces, but they still didn't feel any guilt.

Liu Ju did not have any expectations for them, but just explained to them:

"This is my new luxury package for adding to the Han Law. For you alone, the so-called 'deprivation of political rights for life' means that from today until eternity, you will no longer enjoy copyright and freedom of speech."

"The books you have compiled, annotated, and edited will never be signed with your names."

"No one may record the speech you have made, let alone spread it to anyone."

"There shall not be a single word about you in the history books."

"No one in this world will ever remember you again."

"You deserve this."

"!!!"

After hearing this explanation, Wang Ding’s eyes widened instantly, and his whole body seemed to be petrified. He stood there for a long time without being able to breathe.

"???"

Guan Zhangqing immediately lifted the quilt covering his body and struggled to get up from the couch. All the age spots on his face became hideous as his old face was twisted by fear. His hoarse voice was accompanied by a tearing sound:
"You can't do this to me! You have no right to do this to me!"

"You are just a prince. Only the emperor can decide how to punish me!"

"..."

Gongsun Jingsheng, Wei Kang, Guo Zhen and a group of Qimen warriors in the hall were all filled with awe at this moment.

They finally understood what Liu Ju meant by "destroying the heart".

When he first came in, he said that he was not a demon that ate people, but he was a demon that ate hearts. If he wanted to destroy a person's heart, he would swallow up the most precious thing in a person's heart in one gulp, leaving nothing behind!

And this pioneering move of "depriving political rights for life" is simply astonishing. He is truly a genius!

at the same time.

"Is that so?"

Liu Ju stood up, took one last look at Guan Changqing and Wang Ding, then turned and walked out.

"Cousin, make them decent. If they don't want to be decent, please help them be decent."

(End of this chapter)