Chapter 151 Choose One

Hall of Mental Cultivation.

A gentle breeze blew in through the window, bringing a hint of chill.

Shangbao Siqing slumped on the ground, looking at the young man behind the desk in shock.

The young man was wearing soft black pajamas, with his long jet-black hair draped behind him. His chin was lazily supported by one hand, and there was a hint of fatigue on his face, as if he had just gotten out of bed.

He yawned and said to Xie Hui, "Show him the thing."

Xie Hui, who was waiting on the side, threw a doll in a black robe and it rolled to the feet of Shangbao Siqing.

Shangbao Siqing instinctively looked down, and when he saw what it was, his heart trembled.

How could this deadly thing be in the hands of the Jinyiwei?

Xiao Jingfan had always had trouble sleeping, and being woken up after finally falling asleep put him in a bad mood. He glanced at Shangbao Siqing and tapped his slender fingers on the table. "You're staking a figurine to curse me. How many heads do you have left to chop off?"

"I dare not." Shangbao Siqing crawled on the ground, his body shaking uncontrollably because of fear.

"I think there's nothing you dare not do." Xiao Jingfan threw a few booklets at him.

Shangbao Siqing was shaking even more violently.

Xiao Jingfan said coldly: "Pick it up and take a look."

Shangbao Siqing first looked up at him cautiously, then reached out to pick up the three booklets and looked closely at the folds.

At the same time, Zhou Yuande hurried in and reported, "Your Majesty, the assassin Lord Xie captured has confessed."

Upon hearing this, Shangbao Siqing immediately turned around, obviously wanting to know who was so cruel as to send an assassin to kill him.

The image of the servant's tragic death kept flashing before his eyes. If the Jinyiwei had not arrived in time, he would have become a corpse in the snow.

When he thought of this possibility, his teeth trembled uncontrollably, and he felt angry and scared.

Zhou Yuande glanced at him and said, "The one who ordered it is Prince Cheng."

"Prince Cheng?" The Minister of the Imperial Treasures looked puzzled. "Why would he send someone to kill me?"

Zhou Yuande squinted at him and said, "It's about a fatal incident four years ago."

"A life-threatening matter?" Shang Bao Si Qing was stunned. His eyes swept over the detailed record and seal book in his hand. Suddenly, an idea came to his mind and his face turned paler than the falling snow outside.

——It’s over! After all, truth cannot be hidden, and the matter of the blank imperial edict has finally been discovered by His Majesty.

He was originally wondering why the Jinyiwei appeared in time when the assassin attacked at night. It turned out that His Majesty had already found out about this matter, so he sent the Jinyiwei to monitor him and find evidence of his guilt.

He didn't even notice it!

Thinking of this, Shangbao Siqing felt his scalp tingling, and the look he gave Xiao Jingfan showed even more fear.

How could he have misjudged such a powerful figure? If he had handed the imperial edict to this person...

Before he could finish his thought, Xiao Jingfan said coldly, "Do you want to explain it yourself or do you want me to do it for you?"

The evidence is right in front of us, there is no point in making excuses.

The Minister of Shangbao bowed down and said: "I am guilty of death. Four years ago, I..."

He slowly recounted the incident four years ago that always appeared in his nightmares and woke him up in the middle of the night. He told him who was involved and what these people did, detail by detail.

Xiao Jingfan had been shocked by the inner voice once, and now when he heard Shangbao Siqing say it in person, he was not surprised, but full of anger. His dark eyes were as deep as a lake, and a storm was brewing in silence.

Xie Hui and Zhou Yuande were already dumbfounded, and even suspected that they were listening to some fairy tale.

The imperial edict with the seal was stolen, and two copies were stolen. One copy fell into the hands of Prince Cheng, and the other was in the hands of the remnants of the Fifth Prince. If they used these two edicts to cause trouble or even turned them into the late emperor's will to usurp the throne, wouldn't that be...

The two men couldn't help but break out in cold sweat on their backs and didn't dare to think any further.

The Shangbao Siqing was sweating from his forehead as he spoke. He wiped the sweat with his sleeve while stealing glances at the emperor, trying to see if he had any chance of seeking leniency.

The more I look at him, the colder I feel.

I have only seen this expression on Your Majesty's face on the first day of court. At that time, the royal steps were stained red with blood, which has not been wiped clean yet.

Xiao Jingfan paused while writing down the name, then looked up at Shang Bao Siqing, who had remained silent. "Have you finished explaining?"

Shangbao Siqing shrank his neck and nodded.

Xiao Jingfan put down his pen and blew on the wet ink on the paper. "Skinning, quartering, all five punishments, or lingchi. Choose one."

His nonchalant tone seemed as if he was not asking Shang Bao Si Qing to choose how he would die, but to choose a dish he liked from four dishes.

Shangbao Siqing really cried this time. Seeing that he had explained everything in such detail, couldn't he be given a quick death?

"Can't choose?" Seeing that he remained silent for a long time and just kept crying, Xiao Jingfan got tired of it and glanced at Xie Hui, "You choose for him."

Xie Hui's fingertips trembled as he looked at Shang Bao Si Qing's tearful face. After thinking for a moment, he said to him, "I would choose Ling..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Shangbao Siqing interrupted him crying, "Punch and quarter! I choose punch and quarter!"

Xie Hui is really cruel and vicious. He even wants to torture him to death. At least he should consider the friendship between colleagues!

Xie Hui raised his eyebrows and respected his choice for the sake of his colleague.

He bowed to Xiao Jingfan and said, "Your Majesty, I choose to be torn to pieces by a chariot."

Xiao Jingfan didn't care about Xie Hui's little trick and shouted to the air: "Ajiu."

A dark shadow flashed, and Xiao Jiu knelt on the ground: "Please give your orders, my lord."

The voice is very young, probably no more than twenty years old.

Zhou Yuande and Xie Hui had often seen secret guards and didn't think anything of it, but Shang Bao Siqing was frightened by the sudden appearance of the man in black. He thought it was another assassin, and his crying stopped, and he started hiccuping, one after another, and couldn't stop at all.

Xiao Jingfan had thought that anyone who dared to steal the imperial edict must be extremely daring, but he didn't expect him to be so useless. He waved his hand in disdain and said, "Lock him up in the dark cell and don't let him die."

Shangbao Siqing was stunned. He didn't have to be torn to pieces right now?

Why do I feel so happy all of a sudden?

Xie Hui looked at him sympathetically. Is this guy stupid?

He might be useful as a witness in the future, so they naturally won't let him die now, and they certainly won't let him off easily.

Not to mention the daily fear of being torn to pieces, even a saint could be tortured to insanity in that secret dungeon. After Shang Bao Si Qing entered...

Xie Hui couldn't bear to think any further. He watched Xiao Jiu knock Shang Bao Si Qing unconscious with a knife, carry him away, and silently lit a row of candles for him.

He turned to the emperor and asked, "Your Majesty, what should be done with the people in the Fan Mansion?"

Xiao Jingfan glanced at the puppet on the ground, covered in silver needles, feeling nauseous. He spoke listlessly, "Fan Chen attempted to kill the emperor with such a diabolical method as witchcraft. His crime is unavoidable and he shall be punished by being torn apart by a chariot. All male members of the Fan family, seven years and over, shall be beheaded on a chosen day. All female members, under seven years and under, shall be exiled to Nurgan with no right of redemption. All confiscated property shall be transferred to the national treasury. Anyone who dares to resist shall be killed without mercy."

Xie Hui was a little surprised that the nine clans were not executed, but he didn't say much and just took the order to do his job.

The hall was silent for a moment. Xiao Jingfan rubbed his temples, wanting to sleep but unable to. He rolled up the paper covered with names on the table and handed it to Zhou Yuande: "Follow the rules."

"I obey your order." Zhou Yuande took it with both hands, feeling that the light paper in his hand weighed a thousand pounds.