Chapter 282 Confinement of Siblings

Three days later, King Rui was escorted into Suzhou.

When he was brought before the emperor, he thought that a whole room of court officials would judge him.

But in the end, Xiao Jingheng dismissed his attendants and was left alone with him.

At that time, Xiao Jingheng sat in the first seat with a gloomy expression.

King Rui knelt down in the hall and greeted him.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you, my brother."

Xiao Jingheng said nothing. After a brief silence, he threw the evidence collected by the Dali Temple on the table to King Rui.

"Give me an explanation."

Prince Rui had a calm expression on his face, not even glancing at the evidence on the ground, and said:

"Since your Royal Brother has already found out, I have nothing to say."

Xiao Jingheng frowned, hating her for not fighting back and asked, "Why do you do this?"

Prince Rui bowed his head and replied in a deep voice, "I am here to help you, my brother, to clear the court of corrupt officials! Even if the Ning family is not restless now, can you guarantee that they will not defect in the future? Moreover, over the years, the Ning family has amassed millions of taels of wealth through corruption alone. Even the annual income of farmers, businessmen and industrialists in Suzhou is nothing compared to that."

Xiao Jingheng could not hide his anger, and shouted: "He is corrupt and has committed corruption and abuse of power. There are ways to deal with corruption and abuse of power. His merits and demerits are equal, so he should not be beheaded! But you made up so many false evidences and forced them to death! The Ning family is a hero who quelled the rebellion in Qi Dynasty. By doing this, aren't you trying to frame me?"

Prince Rui was silent for a while, then suddenly raised his head and stared at Xiao Jingheng with a sharp gaze.

"In fact, it would be fine if my brother didn't investigate this matter! The Ning family has made great contributions. Don't you think you are not afraid of them at all? I am just helping you, my brother, and I have done what you wanted to do but were not convenient to do!"

"presumptuous!"

Xiao Jingheng slammed the table with all his might and said angrily, "Are you going to be my master now?"

"I dare not."

"You don't dare? Do you think I don't know what you are thinking?"

Xiao Jingheng stood up with his sleeves untied, strode to the front of King Rui, and looked down at him.

"You were resentful of the Imperial Concubine for cutting down the peach tree that the late Emperor planted for Concubine Yu, and that pissed Concubine Yu off to death. Because of your mother, you are full of resentment towards the Ning family, right?"

When mentioning Concubine Yu, anger was clearly aroused in Prince Rui's eyes, and he growled angrily:

"Killing someone means paying for their life. Although the imperial concubine did not murder my mother herself, she was indeed the reason why my mother died. The hatred for killing my mother is irreconcilable. How can I not hate her?"

"Ridiculous! You are really ridiculous!" Xiao Jingheng said angrily: "I instructed the Queen to do this, and the Queen arranged it for the Imperial Concubine. Everything is caused by me, why don't you hate me?"

King Rui was speechless for a moment, "My brother..."

Xiao Jingheng became more and more excited and said:

"My mother was deposed by the late emperor, and it was Concubine Yu who saw her off. According to what you said, Concubine Yu also had a grudge against me for killing my mother, but do I have any resentment towards her, or towards you and me?

Over the years, I have always taken care of Concubine Yu with filial piety, and I have never treated you harshly. But you, for your own selfish desires, have disrupted the government and made me bear the stigma of being unkind and unjust! You are my younger brother, and you did such a thing, which really chilled my heart..."

When Xiao Jingheng mentioned the past, it also evoked memories of King Rui's childhood.

He recalled that when he was young, Xiao Jingheng's biological mother was despised by the previous emperor and was sentenced to death. At that time, rumors were flying around the palace, and as he was young and ignorant, he bullied Xiao Jingheng a lot.

Later, after Xiao Jingheng ascended the throne, Concubine Yu was in a constant state of panic, fearing that Xiao Jingheng would take revenge on them and their son.

But Xiao Jingheng did not bear grudges and showed the tolerance of a wise ruler. Not only did he not hold a grudge against the past, he was also particularly tolerant towards the mother and son.

At this moment, King Rui listened to Xiao Jingheng's heart-wrenching reprimand and blamed himself.

"Brother Emperor... I have no intention of letting you bear the blame..."

Seeing his red eyes, Xiao Jingheng helped him up from the cold ground, patted his shoulder meaningfully, and said helplessly:

"Do you know why I didn't put you in the Heavenly Prison, but instead had you brought to Suzhou to see me? And why is there no important official here today?"

King Rui was thinking about it, but he remained silent.

Xiao Jingheng looked directly into his eyes with red eyes, and said with true feelings:

"Because you are my brother! If this matter were to reach the court, those old officials would drown you with just a mouthful of spit! Not only you, but also your wives, concubines, and children would not be able to survive!"

"Royal brother..."

"I know you made the wrong decision. Although I am disappointed, I still took the trouble to protect you. Over the years, you and Jingyan are the only brothers who are close to me. After all, Prince Qi is the adopted son of the late emperor. No matter what, it can't compare to our blood-thicker-than-water brotherhood."

Hearing this, King Rui was very moved. His eyes flickered, and he did not dare to look directly into Xiao Jingheng's eyes.

"Brother Emperor...I am the one who has put you in a difficult position."

Xiao Jingheng sighed, "If you had told me earlier, I might have taken responsibility for you and not made a big fuss about it. But now that the Dali Temple has investigated this matter, the former dynasty will surely make a big fuss. If I condone you, it will only push you into an abyss of no return."

He was silent for a long time, as if he had made an extremely difficult decision, and said in a trembling voice:

"I have decided to confine you to the clan residence, and you cannot leave it, whether dead or alive. I will also have your mansion sealed immediately to silence the people. As for your wives, concubines, and children, I will make proper arrangements for them. And I will not let anyone know their whereabouts, so as to prevent them from being retaliated against."

King Rui came here with the determination to die.

After all, framing a loyal and honest person is an unforgivable crime no matter who is responsible.

He originally wanted to end his own life in exchange for a chance for his wife and children to live.

But he didn't expect that Xiao Jingheng would think so much about him, not only saving his life, but also making proper arrangements for his family.

He was a man of seven feet tall, but at this moment, he couldn't stop crying in front of Xiao Jingheng. He kowtowed three times on his knees and said in a choked voice:

"Your Majesty, I bow to thank you for your grace!"

Xiao Jingheng put his hand on his shoulder, unable to bear looking at him any longer.

"You go ahead."

Soon, guards came in and escorted Prince Rui back to the capital.

Jiang Deshun nodded and asked Xiao Jingheng, "Your Majesty, how are the families of King Rui going to be arranged?"

Xiao Jingheng swept away the sadness on his face, his face suddenly turned as cold as ice, and he said lightly:

"Take them out of Kyoto, find a quiet place, and send them to accompany the late emperor and enjoy his presence."

Jiang Deshun was shocked for a moment, but he still responded calmly, "I understand."

The noise in the palace faded away.

Xiao Jingheng returned to the first seat alone and sat down steadily.

He stroked the black jade ring on his thumb, and kept recalling the grateful look on King Rui's face just now, feeling endless joy in his heart.

King Rui was not killed, but was imprisoned, and his family was also saved.

The people of the world would say that Xiao Jingheng ruled the world with benevolence, but who would know that those members of King Rui’s family who were secretly protected and sent out were actually sent to the underworld?

Xiao Jingheng would of course kill all of King Rui's widow and orphans.

If we keep them here, are we waiting for them to come and avenge their father in the future?