Outside the Golden Palace, Jiang Sheng asked with some worry, "Big brother, will it really succeed? Won't something go wrong?"

Having failed too many times, one always feels unrealistic when facing success.

Not to mention his sister, Xu Mo himself was also somewhat dazed.

But after regaining his composure, he still said decisively, "Yes."

This wasn't an ambush, or even a plot; the Fang family brought this upon themselves. At most, they'll uncover the truth.

“I’m always worried that there’s a trap, a scheme.” Jiang Sheng scratched his head.

Zheng Ruqian laughed from the side, "Silly girl, if Fang Yuan dies, it's a good thing for us; if Fang Yuan doesn't die, it's an even better thing for us."

It's rare to find something that brings benefits regardless of whether you advance or retreat.

Even if Fang Yuan were truly dead, Xu Mo's act of reporting him would displease the imperial family, but that would be nothing more than displeasure.

As a victim of cheating in the imperial examinations, is he not even allowed to raise a question?

not to mention……

Is Fang Yuan really dead?

Before Jiang Jizong had even finished reading the memorial, the entire Golden Palace erupted in an uproar.

The emperor's brows were furrowed, and his eyes revealed neither joy nor anger.

Fang Huai-ren flew into a rage, “Nonsense! Jiang Jizong, what nonsense are you spouting? Your Majesty, this man is slandering me! He has malicious intentions and is trying to sow discord!”

As usual, the entire Golden Palace would have been filled with agreement, jubilation, and a united front against the attack.

But today, whether the matter was too serious or they had other intentions, no one except the head of the Fang family spoke up.

Tian Jia spoke up easily, "Fang Qing, please don't be in such a hurry. Speak your mind first."

“Your Majesty, this slander is extremely deliberate and is an attempt to take the lives of my entire clan.” Fang Huai-ren said with tears streaming down his face, “I cannot tolerate my family’s reputation being smeared. I am wronged and I will not accept this.”

It seems that everyone knows the seriousness of the crime of deceiving the emperor.

Tian Jia subtly raised an eyebrow.

Jiang Jizong was instructed by Xu Mo to only relay the petition and did not interrupt.

In politics, many things can be big or small, serious or minor.

To put it bluntly, it all depends on what the imperial family thinks, whether they can salvage the situation, and whether there's a way to back down gracefully.

Fang Huai-ren, with tears streaming down his face, first spoke of his grievances and then of his achievements, clearly aware of the seriousness of the situation.

He finally knelt on the ground, his voice firm and resolute, “Your Majesty, I have never deceived or concealed anything from you, nor would I dare to tamper with the criminal law. I have been framed and slandered. I beg Your Majesty to investigate.”

Logically, the Zhu and Tao families, along with other vassal families, should have knelt down and echoed their sentiments long ago.

But now, only the head of the Ju family has offered a helping hand, saying, "Please, Your Majesty, investigate this matter."

In the vast Golden Palace, dozens of court officials stood, one kneeling and another bowing.

Silence, deathly silence.

Jiang Jizong finally understood why Xu Mo wanted him to not say anything, not take any action, and not even worry.

It turns out that the Zhu family, along with the Tao family, had long been at odds with the Fang family.

Without a large following, the Ju family's assistance was tantamount to adding fuel to the fire, and the rise of the He family made the Fang family no longer unique.

The incident involving cheating in the imperial examinations caused the loss of military support and provided the perpetrators with a major weakness.

The Fang family, once at its peak, has now declined.

The Emperor's eyes held a complex expression, neither quite a sigh nor a sense of emotion. He gently tapped his right hand on the dragon table, and after a long while, he said, "Whether it's true or false, we'll know once we examine the body."

Upon hearing this, even Fang Huai-ren, who was unaware of Fang Yuan's secret arrangements, understood that the situation was hopeless.

The Zhu and Tao families betrayed the Fang family, perhaps orchestrated by that rebellious son.

Fang Huai-ren finally understood that if he stood up, he would have to shout and risk a fight to the death.

But when the head of the Zhu family stepped forward and secretly presented him with three jade pendants, he was completely stunned and dared not speak.

These three jade pendants were worn by the three illegitimate sons of the Fang family. They should be under control at this moment, as they could lose their lives at any time.

Humans value inheritance, and the continuation of offspring is of utmost importance.

He could no longer control the legitimate son, and now the illegitimate son was going to lose his life. What had he been striving for all his life?

Fang Huai-ren completely lost his strength and collapsed onto the throne, laughing and crying at the same time.

Exhuming a body for examination is not difficult. The body has not yet decomposed since it was just buried. If an experienced coroner is found, he can carefully remove the disguise on the face.

The Fang family's manipulation of the death penalty constitutes the crime of deceiving the emperor, an unforgivable offense.

According to the law, the punishment should extend to nine generations of relatives.

However, the Zhu family, the Tao family, and the He family were all among the nine clans to be executed, which covered almost half of Fengjing. If they were all executed, it would be terrible.

After much deliberation, the emperor decided to sentence the entire family to execution.

This entire family includes the Fang family's first and second branches, illegitimate sons and daughters, and the principal wife and concubines.

We are all in this together, and we are all in this together, and this is not a joke.

Fang Heng's father's glory can protect the second wife, but the blows brought by the second wife can also destroy Fang Heng.

It sounds very unfair, and I'm very angry.

However, the situation needs to be considered in light of the actual circumstances.

Whether it was Fang Huai-ren or Zhu Shi, apart from Wang Yu-yao who was staying there, almost the entire second branch of the Fang family was imprisoned, and their assets were inventoried and transferred to the national treasury.

When the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review was searching for those who had escaped, he discovered that Fang Heng was on the frontier.

Do you remember the General of Martial Valor mentioned in the letter? He was a fifth-rank military officer in the Dayu Dynasty, and it took more than thirty victories, large and small, to be awarded this title.

According to records, this young general was only fifteen years old, yet he was exceptionally brave and valiant. His Third Battalion instilled fear in the nearby Tartars, who dared not approach.

In these turbulent times, who dares to harm a general?

The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review stopped his subordinates who were about to arrest him and personally rushed into the capital to present Fang Heng's resume.

After a long pause, Tian Jia only said, "He has a resemblance to his father."

"Your Majesty, regarding the previous execution of the entire family..." The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review stammered.

The emperor turned around, coughed twice, and said, "Distance is too great; detain them slowly."

There is still at least a year before the Fang family's death sentence is reviewed and they are executed in the autumn. Fengjing is more than a month away from the northern border, so it is normal that they cannot be arrested and imprisoned directly.

Whether or not they will be captured in the future depends on whether their military achievements are significant enough.

The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review understood immediately and bowed as he withdrew.

When the news reached the second courtyard, Jiang Sheng breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank goodness, there really was no execution of the entire family, nor was Third Brother arrested immediately. Eldest Brother is truly a visionary."

"It's not that serious," Xu Mo chuckled. "The country is currently in a turbulent period, with the barbarians eyeing the Central Plains with covetous intent. Even if the emperor is incompetent, he can't bear to execute a talented general. At most, he'll postpone the execution and let him pay for his service."

“Isn’t that unfair to Third Brother?” Jiang Sheng pouted again. “His hard-earned military achievements will be lost because of the hateful Second Branch.”

"Don't worry," Xu Mo sighed softly, "The grievances of the eldest son's family will be heard by the world sooner or later."

At that point, it won't be about punishing Fang Heng, but about seeking justice for him.

The current practice of paying with one's life for merit is merely a delaying tactic.

"What time are you delaying?" Jiang Sheng asked casually.

Xu Mo paused slightly, "Aren't you curious about where Fang Yuan went?"