Chapter 115 How do you intend to severely punish Bai Xiuming?
After waiting for quite a while, the line in front finally started moving.
When Achan was riding in a carriage past the city gate, she noticed that not far from the gate, there was an extremely luxurious carriage that had been split in two, with one horse pulling one half.
Judging by the carriage alone, the person blocking the road today must be at least a prince.
She thought that since the King of Xiling had fallen to such a lowly state, those who had previously fawned over him or were acquainted with him should keep their distance. She never expected that someone would actually go to great lengths for him.
Achan shared her doubts with Chen Hui, who shook her head: "They're not really working for the Prince of Xiling; they're probably testing the Emperor's attitude."
The Prince of Xiling was a rare prince with two surnames. He was stationed on the border and once held military power in Xiling.
Unfortunately, the old King Xiling passed away too soon, and the emperor intercepted him before he could hand over military power to his son. Now that the King Xiling has been escorted back to the capital, it is feared that the Great Xia royal family will no longer have this title.
If even the Prince of Xiling was dealt with so easily by the emperor, how could those princes with fiefdoms and real power not be worried?
You should know that besides the Prince of Xiling, there are two other princes with the character "二" (two). What must those two be thinking?
Achan didn't understand the power struggles within the royal family, but she understood one principle: whoever possesses the greatest power holds the right to decide.
That's how the demon race is. Perhaps the Great Xia royal family has other things to consider?
She only hoped that Bai Xiuming would get what he wanted; otherwise, she always felt that he would do something outrageous.
After entering the city, a team of six Mingjing Guards escorted Achan and the others back to Changping Ward.
When she finally saw the door of her own shop, she felt a sense of peace; she was finally home.
The guards from the Mingjing Guard then helped her unload the two carts of luggage and carry them into the house before taking their leave.
After closing the door, the two didn't rush to pack their luggage, but instead went to clean the room first, as someone would be staying there that night.
After all this time, the house smelled of dust.
Achan diligently went to fetch water, but before her hands even touched the bucket, Chen Hui lifted her up and put her on a chair, then found her a set of thick clothes to change into.
"You had a fever a couple of days ago, so avoid cold water and just sit here quietly without moving around."
Ah Chan hugged the clothes and emphasized, "I only had a slight fever, and I'm fine now."
A few days ago, while on the road, she happened to enter a state of introspection, and the chain binding her waist broke off by itself.
It seems that she helped Shen Qingwu and finally received feedback.
After the chain broke, she felt unwell as usual, but it didn't last long. This shows that her health did indeed improve with the removal of the chains.
Of course, it's also possible that the pile of nourishing spiritual fruits and medicines that Bai Xiuming gave him had an effect.
Chen Hui completely ignored A Chan, so she had no choice but to give up trying to persuade her and obediently went back to the front to change her clothes.
By the time she had finally finished changing her clothes, her room had already been cleaned.
Standing outside her room, Achan suddenly understood why Huiniang wouldn't let her do any work. She genuinely felt that Huiniang's fear of her getting a fever again was just an excuse; she clearly just disliked how slow she was at work!
The day after the two returned, the shop opened, and Mr. Xu, the owner next door, realized that she had come back.
Achan gave him a set of porcelain she had bought in Xiling, and he indeed loved it dearly.
Mr. Xu chatted with Achan at the shop entrance for a while, first asking her about her experiences in Xiling, and then sharing with her what had recently happened in the capital.
These are all trivial matters; according to Boss Xu, things in Beijing lately can only be described as calm and peaceful.
He sounded somewhat disappointed, as if he regretted not being able to watch any excitement.
Ah Chan didn't tell Boss Xu that the excitement he was looking forward to was just around the corner.
Meanwhile, in the imperial court, a heated debate was raging over how to deal with the Prince of Xiling.
Originally, the evidence against the Prince of Xiling was conclusive, and the matter would be settled once the emperor gave the order.
But this morning at court, several old princes who hadn't attended for years suddenly appeared in the court wearing their princely robes, including Prince Kang, who was quite prestigious among the imperial clan.
All the court officials sensed that these old princes had come with ill intentions, especially since Prince Ming had not yet attended court that day. However, the emperor seemed oblivious, and the court session proceeded as usual.
Only when no other ministers stepped forward in the court did Bai Xiuming stand up.
"Your Majesty, the Mingjing Division has recorded all of the crimes committed by the Prince of Xiling. Please review them."
The Grand Eunuch personally handed the memorial that Bai Xiuming had presented to the Emperor. After reading it, the Emperor's face darkened: "Colluding with the demon races of the four borders to steal from the imperial treasury, allowing local noble families to harm the people, and controlling the demon race to cause chaos, hehe, the princes of my Great Xia are truly something else!"
The emperor slammed down the memorial in his hand, but the ministers below were all secretly watching Bai Xiuming.
If they remembered correctly, the King of Xiling was Bai Xiuming's biological father.
Bai Xiuming, seemingly oblivious to the stares of those around him, calmly said, "Your Majesty, I request that you issue an edict to execute the Prince of Xiling, as a warning to others."
When Bai Xiuming finished speaking, there was a moment of silence in the court, but soon several important officials stood up.
The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review said, "I second that the Prince of Xiling is guilty of heinous crimes and should be executed immediately."
"Your Majesty, I object." The Minister of Justice stepped forward and, under the unfriendly gaze of the Minister of Justice, said, "Simply executing him will not serve as a deterrent. As a prince of the Great Xia Dynasty, the Prince of Xiling has colluded with the demon race, which is a serious crime of treason. He should be executed by dismemberment."
Well, I thought this person's opposition was to help the King of Xiling, but it turns out they just thought he died too easily.
"We second that proposal." The censors, who in the past would immediately jump out and say that the Minister of Justice was a cruel official when they heard about the punishment of dismemberment, all came out to express their agreement.
Normally, the court officials would argue over even the smallest things, but today they were surprisingly in agreement.
After all, they had no connection with the King of Xiling, and when there was no conflict of interest, they preferred to deal with these lawless princes according to the law.
Moreover, the evidence investigated by the Mingjing Division was shocking even to them. The collusion between the King of Xiling and the demon race had not been a year or two, but more than a decade.
One day, I might wake up to find that Xiling in the Great Xia Dynasty has become the territory of the demon race, which is simply horrifying.
"Since you all have said so, then..."
"Your Majesty, I object." Qi Hai, the Minister of War, stepped forward.
After news of the King of Xiling's collusion with the demon race reached the capital, Qi Hai had been claiming illness and staying at home. But today, his illness suddenly disappeared, and he was able to attend court.
"What does Minister Qi have to say?"
“Your Majesty, Bai Xiuming, the magistrate of the Mingjing Division who investigated this case, is the son of the Prince of Xiling. He harbored resentment towards the Prince of Xiling for more than ten years because of the death of his birth mother. The results of his investigation are not credible.”
Bai Xiuming said, "Minister Qi, I remember more than ten years ago you stood here and solemnly told His Majesty that the King of Xiling was bewitched by the demon race and killed my mother. He said that the circumstances were excusable and the crime could be forgiven. Do you acknowledge this statement?"
"I did say that." Qi Hai raised his head slightly.
"Hmm." Bai Xiuming took out another memorial. "Your Majesty, this is the confession obtained by Qin Heng, the commander of the Mingjing Division. The cat demon who colluded with the King of Xiling admitted that the King of Xiling was not bewitched by the demon race back then. He used the excuse of being bewitched by the demon race to murder the late Queen Consort in order to achieve his ulterior motives."
The Queen Consort of Xiling also admitted that the King of Xiling had bribed her father, Qi Hai, with the position of Queen Consort, and with Qi Hai's help, the King of Xiling successfully escaped punishment.
Qi Hai was startled and knelt down with a thud: "Your Majesty, I am innocent! I have been deceived."
Bai Xiuming scoffed lightly: "Lord Qi, your daughter didn't say that. To gain my trust, she even handed over the letters you exchanged. Judging from your conversation, you don't seem to be completely unaware of this."
After reading the second memorial, the emperor didn't even utter a word of reprimand, but directly ordered the imperial guards: "Drag them away."
Qi Hai collapsed to the ground and was dragged away by two imperial guards.
After today, there will probably be no more Qi family in the capital.
Having dealt with Qi Hai, they thought the matter was over, but then an old yet authoritative voice suddenly interrupted.
"Your Majesty, on behalf of the royal family, I oppose such a hasty execution of the Prince of Xiling."
After recognizing the speaker, a cold glint flashed in the emperor's eyes: "And what is Prince Kang's reason?"
Prince Kang, who was over seventy years old but looked only in his fifties, said slowly: "If the Prince of Xiling has really committed a serious crime, it is right to execute him, but I cannot believe the results of the Mingjing Division's investigation this time."
"Oh? Prince Kang is also questioning the findings of the Mingjing Division's investigation?" the Emperor asked.
Prince Kang turned and glanced at Bai Xiuming, who was dressed in a scarlet official robe and looked excessively young in the court, and said, "It is not that I do not trust the Mingjing Bureau, but that I do not trust Bai Xiuming. Since ancient times, it has been a serious crime for a son to accuse his father. Even though the Prince of Xiling has many shortcomings, he still cannot hide his love for his son. However, Bai Xiuming took the opportunity to accuse his father, which shows how despicable his character is."
I have also heard that while he was in Xiling, he intended to kill the King of Xiling. How can someone with such a cruel nature be trusted to interfere in the investigation of the King of Xiling?
Not only can we, the royal family, not be convinced, but we also cannot explain this to the people of the world.
Prince Kang spoke passionately for a while, then added, "Your Majesty, the Prince of Xiling has guarded Xiling for generations. Even if he has not made any great contributions, he has certainly worked hard. How can you so easily judge his crimes based on Bai Xiuming's framing?"
Bai Xiuming was practically being scolded by Prince Kang, but his face remained completely calm. He simply said, "The Commander was also present during the capture of the Prince of Xiling. Does Prince Kang not trust me, or even the Commander of my Mingjing Division?"
Prince Kang sneered, "Bai Xiuming, do you think I don't know what others don't? Qin Heng is your teacher, so naturally he will favor you. You can't believe what he says."
"If even the words of the Commander of the Mingjing Division cannot be trusted, then Prince Kang, whose words do you think are credible?" the Emperor asked.
"Your Majesty, upon closer examination, the Prince of Xiling is also a member of the imperial family. I believe that Your Majesty could appoint a respected elder from the imperial clan to oversee this case, with the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review taking the lead in a reinvestigation to find out whether the Prince of Xiling was framed."
After all, the demon clan member who was supposedly colluding with him was dead, and these so-called testimonies might have been fabricated by Bai Xiuming to frame the King of Xiling.
Prince Kang's suggestion made the Minister of Justice and the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review, who had been nominated by him, glance at him, thinking to themselves that this Minister of the Imperial Clan had quite the tricks up his sleeve.
First, they trampled on the Mingjing Division, and then they dragged them into the game. In order to seize the rights that the Mingjing Division had relinquished, they naturally had to stand on the side of the royal family.
Unfortunately, the old prince had been away from the court for too long, and he didn't know His Majesty very well.
Is there anything else?
"Your Majesty, please severely punish Bai Xiuming."
The emperor seemed to smile, but Prince Kang didn't see it clearly.
All he heard the emperor ask was, "How do you intend to severely punish Bai Xiuming?"
Prince Kang declared righteously, "Such a patricide is a crime deserving of death, and the Great Xia imperial family can never tolerate him. His cultivation should be stripped, and he should be demoted to a commoner to rectify the atmosphere of the imperial family."
"Do the other imperial uncles think the same way?" the emperor asked.
The other princes exchanged glances and nodded, saying, "Yes."
"Bai Xiuming, do you have something to say to Prince Kang?"
Bai Xiuming walked up to Prince Kang and asked him, "Does Prince Kang think I should commit patricide?"
Prince Kang looked at the approaching person and sneered, "Bai Xiuming, it's too late for you to make excuses now."
"I have no intention of making excuses. I simply want to tell Prince Kang that if I wanted him dead, he would never have been able to reach the capital alive. Do you know why?"
Prince Kang looked at Bai Xiuming coldly without saying a word.
Bai Xiuming lifted his official robe, suddenly turned around, and kicked the Prince of Kang in the chest. The Prince of Kang flew backward without any resistance and crashed heavily to the ground.
Prince Kang of the Three Realms didn't even have time to react.
Bai Xiuming's voice rang out lightly: "Because I am a fourth-level official, if I want to kill, even the commander cannot stop me."
The court was deathly silent, whether because of his words or his arrogant behavior, no one knew.
Some courtiers originally thought that with the Ming King absent today, Bai Xiuming would certainly be no match for these old princes, but they did not expect... as expected of the Ming King's son, his methods were just as brutal as the Ming King's, leaving people speechless.
"Bai Xiuming, how dare you plot against Prince Kang in front of His Majesty!" The other princes immediately shouted angrily, but when Bai Xiuming turned his head to look, they kept shrinking back, afraid of ending up like Prince Kang.
"Outrageous!" the emperor roared. "To resort to fists and kicks in the imperial court, what kind of decorum is this?"
"Your subject is guilty." Bai Xiu immediately knelt down and confessed his guilt.
"Considering your sincere attitude in admitting your mistake, I will fine you one year's salary."
"Your Majesty is merciful."
Before the court officials could even speak, the emperor and Bai Xiuming had already completed the entire process of confessing their crimes and receiving punishment.
As for Prince Kang, who was kicked out, he had already been carried away by the Imperial Guards. Judging from his struggle to crawl back into the palace and fight Bai Xiuming, he should be alright.
“Your Majesty, Bai Xiuming has become so arrogant, how can we let him off so easily! If all members of the imperial family follow his example, the country will be doomed.” Prince Kang fell down, and Prince Shun stepped forward again.
"Prince Shun is mistaken. I was just afraid that Prince Kang would not believe me, so I demonstrated it myself. You can rest assured that he was not injured."
"You..." Prince Shun was speechless. Does being uninjured mean you can kick someone at will? He may not be physically hurt, but he has lost face!
Bai Xiuming ignored Prince Shun and said to the emperor, "Your Majesty, I request that you thoroughly investigate Prince Kang."
"reason?"
"Your Majesty, I have discovered that Prince Kang and Prince Xiling are exchanging letters frequently. In these letters, Prince Kang shows great interest in fox spirits and inquires about them several times. I suspect that Prince Kang, through Prince Xiling, is also colluding with the demon race."
"Do you have any evidence?"
"not yet."
"Then investigate." The emperor glanced at the Minister of Justice. "This matter is entrusted to the Ministry of Justice. It must be thoroughly investigated. We cannot allow Prince Kang to suffer an unjust injustice."
The other princes gasped. Which of them could withstand an investigation? If the Ministry of Justice investigated, even if Prince Kang hadn't colluded with the demon race, his other misdeeds would be enough to get him into serious trouble.
They now understood that the emperor clearly intended to use Bai Xiuming to deal with them, his relatives who were not of one mind with him!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
