Wang Boyan's face turned pale instantly. He was furious and said, "Imperial Censor He, don't you dare make false accusations!"

He Ye raised his triangular eyes, which flashed with malice and ruthlessness, yet he put on a righteous and awe-inspiring appearance and said: "Lord Wang, do you really think that the eyes of heaven are clouded? If the Censorate did not have evidence, how dare the Censorate impeach the prime minister in the court?"

Wang Boyan's face turned pale, but he pretended to be calm and said, "Your Majesty, I am innocent!"

Zhao Huan deliberately said, "Minister He, are you mistaken? Minister Wang is a loyal minister of mine and a pillar of the Song Dynasty. How could he possibly do something to deceive the emperor?"

He, however, spoke with righteous indignation, as if Bao Gong had been reincarnated: "Your Majesty, whether or not we have wronged Minister Wang, we can find out by asking Imperial Censor Liu."

Liu Yanzong, who had already memorized his lines perfectly, adjusted his facial expression, looking as if he hated evil. He stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I received a letter from Shi Yuhong, the Chief Clerk of the Ministry of Justice, in the early hours of this morning."

Liu Yanzong carefully presented the letter, and Zhao Huan looked at it again, having already read it once before. His expression immediately darkened.

Wang Boyan was so frightened that he immediately knelt on the ground: "Your Majesty, I am innocent! This is a villain trying to frame me. Please investigate!"

Zhao Huan's face was ashen, and his tone was icy: "Summon Shi Yu Hong!"

Immediately, a eunuch went to summon Shi Yuhong, the chief official of the Ministry of Justice, and the atmosphere in the court became tense again.

The rank of the Chief Justice of the Ministry of Justice was very low compared to that of the Prime Minister, and the Ministry of Justice was under the jurisdiction of the Council of State Affairs. For the Chief Justice to report the Prime Minister was equivalent to reporting his own superior.

However, the matter was clearly not so simple. The Confucian scholar's case was not tried by the Censorate, but by the Court of Judicial Review, and the Ministry of Justice carried out the execution. If the emperor had seriously investigated this matter, he could have uncovered a long chain of events that would have shaken up the original judicial departments of the Song Dynasty.

It was originally thought that the emperor would turn a blind eye, since this matter was different from the corruption case and had not had a substantial impact on the court. All the emperor cared about was the face of the royal family. By finding someone to take the blame, it would still be said to the outside world that the Confucian scholar had been punished, and the emperor's face would not be damaged in any way.

But judging from the current situation, the Confucian scholar case is not just a matter of the emperor's face; someone is trying to use it to cause trouble.

Li Shaochen, the Minister of the Imperial Household, was on tenterhooks, wishing he could immediately kneel down and confess his guilt, begging the emperor for a lenient sentence.

Soon, Shi Yuhong was brought up.

"This humble servant kowtows to the Emperor!"

"Shi Yuhong, I ask you, is what you said in this letter true?"

"Your Majesty, everything I have said is true. If I have deceived you, may I be struck by lightning!"

His letter didn't just mention Wang Boyan. Even if a lowly official like him were to report someone, he could only report someone at the level of a vice minister of the Ministry of Justice or a vice minister of the Ministry of Justice. The level of a prime minister was something he couldn't even touch.

Even if he reported the Ministry of Justice official, he would likely be imprisoned on some charge by his superiors, and the report would never reach the emperor.

But it just so happens that it has arrived now. Not only has it arrived, but the Censorate has also made it public in the court, and a list has even reached the hands of the Censorate.

Clearly, this list was not provided by this minor official. Given his rank, he had no idea which higher-ups had given the instructions. The reason he stepped forward was probably at the emperor's behest, to use a lowly official to annoy these self-important prime ministers and to thoroughly undermine their arrogance.

Wang Boyan stubbornly refused to admit it: "Your Majesty, there are villains trying to frame me!"

Li Shaochen, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, was already pale with fright. Seeing that Wang Boyan refused to admit it, he also picked him up in one breath, but Wang Boyan still refused to admit it!

Seeing this, none of the other ministers dared to speak or get involved.

Liu Yanzong, however, had an air of "I've got you all figured out." He said, "Your Majesty, before the morning court session, I interrogated Wei Junhe, the Left Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. Here is a confession signed by Wei Junhe himself."

Wang Boyan and Li Shaochen were utterly shocked. After Zhao Huan finished reading the confession, he roared in fury: "Wang Boyan! Li Shaochen! How dare you! Wang Yun, how did you become the Minister of Justice?!"

Wang Boyan and Li Shaochen were so frightened that they immediately knelt on the ground: "Your subjects deserve to die!"

Wang Yun, the Minister of Justice, immediately knelt on the ground: "Your Majesty, please forgive me, I have failed in my duty!"

Zhao Huan crumpled the list into a paper ball and threw it at Wang Boyan's face: "My young minister! Is this how you serve me! I have been so sincere to you, and you dare to deceive me! Do you think you have lived up to my trust in you?!"

Wang Boyan bowed his head deeply: "Your Majesty, this guilty subject knows his crime and begs for punishment!"

Li Shaochen said, "Your Majesty, it was all instigated by Minister Wang. I was forced into this situation!"

Zhao Huan took a deep breath and said, "Remove Wang Boyan from his position as Junior Chancellor, imprison him in the Imperial Prison, and execute him in the autumn! Li Shaochen is guilty of the same crime!"

"Your Majesty, spare me! Your Majesty, spare me..."

The palace guards removed Wang Boyan's official hat, robes, and the seal of the Junior Chancellor. Li Shaochen was similarly stripped of his official hat and robes. The two were dragged out, and no amount of pleading could change their minds.

The emperor was furious and roared in the court: "My ministers! I am very suspicious. Who gave them the audacity to deceive me!"

The courtiers remained silent. The two top officials had been removed. This matter was not so simple. The emperor intended to use this incident to purge the judicial system and make way for the Censorate!

Seeing that the ministers remained silent, the emperor continued, "Princes are subject to the same laws as commoners! The Confucian scholars openly vandalized the government offices, and I have already shown mercy by not executing them all. If anyone else dares to cover it up, I will take their head!"

The courtiers bowed and said, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"

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