Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 226 Bloodstained Mouth

Li Huan gripped the armrest tightly with his five fingers, his shoulder blades beneath his mourning clothes resembling a bow stretched to its limit.

"Xue, what makes you so certain that Princess Ping Le was trying to poison the Empress?!"

Xue Sui's iron chains swayed slightly, looking very heavy, but he wore a relaxed smile on his face.

"It was I who treated Her Majesty the Empress in the Qinghui Palace."

At this moment, Biyu also crawled forward on her knees and spoke up to confirm.

“Your Highness, what the concubine said is absolutely true! Princess Ping Le deceived my lady, saying that the snakeberry juice would only make the Empress fall into a drowsy state for a short while, and that if my lady could attend to her at her bedside, she would gain the favor of the Crown Prince… My lady has the Crown Prince in her heart and is single-mindedly trying to please the Empress. She made a mistake in a moment of confusion, and that’s how she caused such a huge disaster…”

"Enough!" Li Huan suddenly flung his sleeve, causing the confessions on the table to flutter wildly.

He didn't look at Biyu; his gaze was fixed on Xue Sui again.

"This box full of witnesses and evidence truly comes from Lord Lu and Grand Tutor Lu's clandestine investigation..."

Wen Jia bowed slightly: "That's exactly right."

Li Huan still didn't look at her.

That icy gaze fell directly on Xue Sui.

"Under the whole heaven, probably only the Seven Gates of the Big Dipper in the Old Mausoleum Swamp possess such means to distort the truth and forge evidence..."

He let out a low chuckle, biting his back teeth, trying to swallow the metallic taste between his teeth.

"Xue, how vicious you are!"

"I don't understand what Your Highness means?" Xue Sui raised his eyes and smiled slightly.

Li Huan also laughed, his eyes slightly red, his voice icy, "Why did you go to such lengths to humiliate me?"

Xue Sui lowered her head and stared at the marks left by the iron chain on her wrist, a faint smile playing on her lips. "I spoke frankly, only to save my life... If Your Highness is not pretending to be confused, then why not ask Princess Ping Le whose blood debt is enshrined in her Buddhist shrine?"

Li Huan's expression changed drastically.

In the deathly silence, Li Zhao leaned back in his chair with his eyes half-closed, his fingertips tapping lightly on the armrest, a cold interest swirling in his eyes.

"Gentlemen, with such irrefutable evidence before you, how long are you going to pretend to be deaf and dumb?"

The broken candlelight was reflected on the blue brick floor of Dali Temple.

This standoff is more like a desperate struggle by a trapped beast.

The officials of the three departments were all on high alert, their necks stiff. Some secretly wiped the cold sweat from their foreheads with their sleeves, some pretended to organize files, and others stared intently at Xue Sui below the steps, even their breathing was extremely soft.

Li Zhao slightly curved his lips, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.

"I await an explanation from you all, my lords, for all the civil and military officials and the people of the land."

Li Huan swept his clothes across the table, took two steps forward, stared directly at Li Zhao, and his lips were taut and sharp.

"Does His Highness the Crown Prince intend to muddy the waters of the court and dishonor the dignity of the royal family?"

Li Zhao: "Why do you deceive yourself, Your Majesty? I am doing this for the sake of strict discipline and clear laws, but you only see selfishness in my eyes."

Li Huan suddenly sneered twice and turned to leave.

Xie Yanzhan forced himself to straighten his back, exchanged glances with those around him, signaled to discuss the matter briefly, then cleared his throat and struck the gavel again.

"Silence! The three departments have made a decision—"

"The evidence from all sides is complex and difficult to clarify in a short time, requiring careful consideration. This temple and the three judicial departments will conduct an impartial investigation and handle the matter with caution. Xue will be temporarily detained in the Ministry of Justice prison until the truth is ascertained before a decision is made."

"Guards, take Xue back to the prison!"

The jailer strode forward expressionlessly, his rough hands gripping Xue Sui's slender arm, half-pushing, half-shoving...

The sound of chains echoed in the hall. When Xue Sui turned around, she didn't look at Li Zhao once. She straightened her back and strode forward. A breeze lifted the hem of her clothes, creating a scattering of fragmented light and shadow.

Li Zhao's lips curled up.

Watching helplessly as Xue Sui was led away by the jailers, the veins on his forehead heaved with each breath, and he barely managed to conceal the turbulent emotions surging in his eyes beneath the four gilded characters "明刑弼教" (Ming Xing Bi Jiao).

Li Huan, who stormed out of the Dali Temple in anger, calmed down and slowly began to understand what Xue Sui had said during their chess game in prison...

“The ko threats are mutually causal. The most wonderful thing about ko threats is that they force the opponent to hand over a piece to resolve the ko.”

It turns out that from the moment he personally slapped the half-broken jade onto the Ministry of Justice's file, there was no turning back.

Xue Liu's imprisonment was orchestrated by Xue Liu himself.

From that moment on, it was destined that he would have no way out...

The green flag of the Long Street Wine Shop fluttered in the wind, startling a flock of crows.

Who is the mantis and who is the oriole?

This game of chess will ultimately face an unknown fate; there will be no draw, and the outcome remains uncertain...
-
The following morning, after the court session, in the warm pavilion of the Zichen Palace, Emperor Chongzhao sat upright on a soft couch embroidered with dragon patterns. The five-clawed golden dragon embroidered on the bright yellow satin rose and fell slightly with his breathing.

The warm pavilion was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood. Xie Yanzhan, Xue Qingzhi, Wu Zhi, and other officials from the Three Departments, along with Censor Zhou from the Censorate, stood in two rows according to their rank, holding their breath and concentrating.

The emperor flipped through the documents in his hands, his long eyes gleaming coldly in the candlelight.

If there were only one Xue Sui to testify, this case could have been handled without him going to such lengths.

But now, with elders like Lu Jing and Lu Kefu involved, and both parties taking sides, impeachment memorials are piling up on his desk like snowflakes, giving him a huge headache...

As an emperor skilled in maintaining balance, he was well aware of the purpose behind these trusted ministers' mutual attacks.

Lu Kefu did this to preserve the old friendships of the Crown Prince, to clear his granddaughter's name, and to cleanse the Lu family's reputation.

Lu Jing, who had already retired from officialdom, was not only fighting for his son's two children with Ping Le, but also because of his stubborn nature, his inflexible and unyielding attitude.

These people are now bound by an invisible thread, becoming like chess pieces on a chessboard, unable to control their own destiny.

Emperor Chongzhao's hand, which was turning the pages, suddenly paused.

His gaze lingered on the three words "Old Mausoleum Marsh" on the joint trial file of the three judicial departments, then he slowly raised his head, glancing back and forth at Li Huan and Li Zhao standing below him.

"The Old Mausoleum Swamp is nothing but a filthy, uncivilized place, yet it has managed to cause such a commotion?"

Seeing that the emperor shared his views and believed that the detailed evidence, enough to overturn conventional wisdom, came from the old mausoleum, Li Huan raised his head slightly, his tone becoming increasingly certain.

"Your Majesty," he stepped forward, cupping his hands in a respectful greeting, "Little Xue disappeared at the age of eight and was adopted by someone in the Old Mausoleum Marsh. Ten years later, she returned to the capital and began to stir up trouble, causing unrest throughout the court and the country..."

“Your Highness, Prince Duan!” Li Zhao suddenly interrupted him, “Everyone knows that the Xiz delegation was ambushed by the Old Mausoleum. If the Xue family is loyal to the Old Mausoleum, why would they have a jade pendant from the Xiz Wolf Guard in their purse? Or are you suggesting that the Xue family is a double agent for both the Old Mausoleum and the Xiz Royal Court?”

He did not address the emperor as his elder brother, and his indifference bordered on contempt.

"The concubine personally chosen by Prince Duan, whom he first doted on, and then personally imprisoned?" Li Zhao sneered, his eyes indifferent. "Such a contradiction cannot help but make people suspect that Prince Duan deliberately threw mud at Jiulingzhao and the Xue family in order to protect others and cover up some unspeakable crimes..."

Li Huan's pupils suddenly contracted, and his fists clenched slightly.

"Your Highness, do not make false accusations!"

"Reporting to Father Emperor!" Li Zhao slightly lifted his sleeve and bowed with his hands clasped.

"Your Majesty, I have investigated. On the day the Yongfeng Granary caught fire, the wolf guard jade pendant of Murji, the commander of the Xiz Death Squad, disappeared without a trace. And the garrison commander in charge of fire control was none other than Prince Duan's confidant..."

Without pausing, he gave Li Huan a deep look.

Therefore, the jade pendant is most likely in the hands of Prince Duan—

Li Huan sensed the unusual danger, but was powerless to stop the situation from unfolding.

Li Zhao looked directly at him and spoke each word with conviction.

"Your subject boldly guesses that the jade pendant in Consort Xue's purse was a gift from Prince Duan. This would also confirm that what Consort Xue said is true."

Emperor Chongzhao's expression hardened, and he looked over coldly.

The officials in the hall all bowed their heads.

Li Huan suddenly bowed, his robes stirring up a sharp, gust of wind.

"Father! The Crown Prince has made hasty judgments without investigation, convicting people based on conjecture. He is clearly trying to use the Xue family case to eliminate dissidents... If we condone this kind of framing, everyone in the court will live in fear, and how can the foundation of the country be secure?"

"Shut up, all of you!" Emperor Chongzhao rubbed his throbbing forehead, unwilling to condone the brothers turning against each other and fighting amongst themselves in front of all his ministers.

"This case involves a wide range of people. The three judicial departments are ordered to conduct a thorough reinvestigation without any bias."

"Father Emperor—" Li Zhao was about to argue.

Emperor Chongzhao stood up and forcefully flicked his sleeves.

"You should all remain in your posts and not let your personal squabbles disrupt the order of the court!"

Having said that, the emperor left with a cold face.

Wang Chengxi hunched over and trotted to catch up, his hands trembling as he lifted the heavy curtain and followed the emperor to Hanzhang Hall.

Inside the Hanzhang Hall, curtains hung low, and Persian carpets were laid on the floor, creating a magnificent and opulent atmosphere.

Princess Tuya was curled up on the soft cushion, casually learning to weave a necklace. When she heard the emperor's arrival, her fingertips trembled slightly, and she quickly got up, tidied her appearance, and knelt on the ground.

"This humble woman pays her respects to Your Majesty the Emperor of Great Liang..."

The beaded curtain rustled softly. Emperor Chongzhao walked around the screen with his hands behind his back, his gaze falling on her, fixed intently on her.

A lotus-colored silk skirt swept across the blue bricks, a silver veil partially obscuring her face, outlining her brows and eyes in a barely visible way. A gemstone pendant on her forehead swayed gently, exuding a mysterious and alluring aura...

Princess Tuya was truly stunning.

Li Zhao: In these two episodes, I'm back on track.

Li Huan: What is the Crown Prince implying? I...I'm furious! I really want to prove it to myself right here and now.