I became the tyrant's only belief.

Chapter 304

"Eunuch Zhou." Chu Liuzheng smiled and bowed to Zhou Yuande, who was waiting at the door.

Zhou Yuande glanced at the two people behind her, a smile on his face: "His Majesty is waiting, please go in quickly."

Chu Liuzheng agreed and led Li Yuwan and Wang Qi inside.

The two knelt down to pay their respects.

Xiao Jingfan looked up from behind his desk, his gaze sweeping over the two men: "Rise, both of you, and take a seat."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Li Yuwan stood up with her younger brother and sat down on a chair nearby.

Wang Qi was a little nervous, placing his hands neatly on his knees, looking straight ahead, and sitting up straight.

Li Yuwan was also nervous and worried.

She clenched her fists, took deep breaths, and tried to calm herself down, waiting for the emperor to speak.

Xiao Jingfan finished reviewing the memorial in front of him before putting down his vermilion brush and looking at the two men: "Do you know why I summoned you two to see me alone?"

Wang Qi, unaware of this, turned to look at Li Yuwan.

Li Yuwan said respectfully, "This humble woman dares not presume to know Your Majesty's intentions; please enlighten me, Your Majesty."

Xiao Jingfan said, "The mastermind behind the illegal mining of iron ore is guilty, and the accomplices are also guilty."

If the Marquis of Zhongyong was the mastermind, then everyone in Dongjing Village was an accomplice, and would be exiled at best, and beheaded at worst.

My fears came true.

Li Yuwan clenched her fists, stood up and knelt down, pleading, "Dongjing Village has suffered a terrible calamity. Only Wang Qi is left alive. I beg Your Majesty to consider that Wang Qi reported this tragedy to the Emperor and that he is still young and has suffered a pitiful fate, and to grant him leniency."

Although Wang Qi didn't understand, he still knelt down and kowtowed three times with great sincerity.

"I will not hold a grudge against the dead. Sending people to collect the bones and build a tomb for Dongjingzhuang is already an act of mercy," Xiao Jingfan said in a deep voice. "Wang Qi's fate was pitiful, but he was guilty first. The two should not be confused."

[Tsk, what a tyrant! If he really wanted to punish Wang Qi in the Fengtian Hall, he would have done it all at once. Why wait until now?]

Chu Liuzheng pursed his lips, silently grumbling to himself.

Knowing that Marquis Zhongyong was a tough nut to crack, the tyrant started with the easier targets. He was deliberately trying to trick Miss Li.

Xiao Jingfan: "..."

Although those who served the emperor would more or less speculate about his intentions, at least he wasn't told. This woman, however, wasn't content with just guessing; she even started cursing him in her heart.

He suppressed his anger, picked up the teacup beside him, and took a sip.

We've decided to double the time for the spot checks later.

Chu Liuzheng was unaware of what awaited him and was worried about Li Yuwan and Wang Qi.

[With Miss Li's intelligence, she should be able to guess the tyrant's intentions, right?]

She observed Li Yuwan's expression and urged her on in her heart.

Don't hesitate, just tell them what happened!

Li Yuwan glanced at the young man kneeling beside her, pursed her lips, and said softly, "Your Majesty, I once learned of a secret while I was at the Marquis of Zhongyong's residence."

Xiao Jingfan raised an eyebrow and gave Chu Liuzheng a wink.

Chu Liuzheng waved his hand, dismissing all the palace servants. Li Yuwan didn't wait for the emperor to ask before saying, "The Prince of Li's heir was mistakenly killed by Li You's secret guards."

Xiao Jingfan thought she was about to say something, and was somewhat disappointed upon hearing this, but he didn't interrupt her. He simply listened as she continued:

"The Prince of Li sent his attendants to poison the porridge buckets in the Grand Tutor's mansion with strychnine. Fearing that his attendants would not be able to withstand the torture and would confess, he sent people to the Shuntian Prefecture prison to break the prisoners. However, the break-in failed and they were arrested instead. Fearing that the matter would be exposed and he would be implicated, the Prince of Li secretly sought help from Li You."

"Li You wanted to frame Prince Cheng for this incident and had his secret guards stage an assassination attempt on Prince Li. However, because the secret guards suffered from hearing problems, they misunderstood the orders and mistakenly killed Prince Li."

Xiao Jingfan already knew these inside details from Chu Liuzheng's inner thoughts, so he wasn't surprised.

However, he still asked, "How did you learn the inside story?"

Li Yuwan truthfully replied, "When I left home for Shisong County, I was accompanied and protected by a friend. That person was the secret guard who mistakenly killed the Prince of Li's heir."

Xiao Jingfan said, "Are you trying to exonerate this guard?"

"I dare not." Li Yuwan thought of the person she had buried with her own hands, and a surge of warmth welled up in her eyes. "Although there was a misunderstanding, my friend was only following orders. He died last night at the hands of the assassins sent by Li You. His death absolves him of his sins. I only want to tell the truth for him."

[Girl, please stop! The tyrant doesn't care at all how Prince Li's nephew died, okay? Before the tyrant runs out of patience, quickly say the most important thing!]

Chu Liuzheng urged inwardly; she really didn't want to come herself.

It's not always possible for her to have a double agent like Granny Qiao as an excuse!
Xiao Jingfan glanced at her secretly, then said to Li Yuwan, "You can say these things after we get to the Dali Temple. Someone, take her away—"

“Your Majesty, the secret I know is not this one.” Li Yuwan interrupted urgently, saying quickly, “Li You has been secretly dealing with Prince Li and helping him raise a private army. If I am not mistaken, those privately mined iron ore should have been sent to Prince Li’s fiefdom.”

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingfan's face darkened.

Even though he already knew from Chu Liuzheng's thoughts when they were in the Fengtian Hall, he was still furious!

Li Yuwan dared not look at him, and continued in one breath: "Li You has a private residence in the south of the city, with underground tunnels and traps. I don't know what is hidden inside, but such a great deal of effort must mean it is something extremely important."

Yes, yes, not only are there traps, but there are also buried explosives. Triggering the traps will ignite the explosives, blowing everything to smithereens.

Chu Liuzheng was finally able to wait for Li Yuwan to speak up; otherwise, she would have had to find a way to do it herself.

She glanced at Xiao Jingfan furtively.

[What is the tyrant thinking? Quickly send someone to inform Lord Xie, under no circumstances should he act rashly!]

[While the Imperial Guards are still ransacking the Marquis of Zhongyong's residence, quickly evacuate the people around that house and send someone to dismantle the traps and explosives in the tunnel!]

Upon hearing that there were explosives, Xiao Jingfan, who had been planning to think things over carefully, could no longer sit still. After asking Li Yuwan for the exact location of the house, he called Zhou Yuande in and ordered Lü Fei to lead his men to surround the house and evacuate the surrounding residents. No one was allowed to move without his orders.

Upon hearing that there was explosives, Zhou Yuande was so startled that he took two larger steps, moving with incredible speed.

Li Yuwan watched the portly eunuch come in and go, her heart filled with unease. She wondered if what she had said would satisfy the emperor enough to grant him mercy and spare Wang Qi.

Xiao Jingfan was barely satisfied and decided to let Wang Qi redeem himself by explaining the situation of the iron mine in detail. Li Yuwan would then record the details, bind them into a book, and assist the new magistrate in resuming the mining of the iron mine.

Knowing that he would not be exiled, Wang Qi was so happy that his mouth almost stretched to his ears.

As for why it was "almost"—the bruised and battered face made a big expression because it really hurt.

Li Yuwan was also happy.

She had originally planned to take Wang Qi back to Shisong County after this matter was settled, as that was where she and Wang Qi had grown up.

She left when she was twelve, not knowing what the future held. She secretly buried some silver in the valley, just to put her mind at ease. Now it can be dug up and is enough for the two siblings to start a new life.

As she was pondering this in her mind, she suddenly saw Xiao Anzi walk in and announce, "Your Majesty, Lord Hua has arrived."