The emperor stared at Sun Zhi for a long time but couldn't remember who he was. Sun Zhi was just a seventh-rank official and had no qualifications to attend court.
After Liu Xi reminded him, the emperor vaguely remembered that this person was the historian of the Hanlin Academy, and Sun Zhi's daughter was the eldest prince's former princess.
The emperor thought Sun Zhi was coming to plead for the deposed princess, so he sternly rebuked him, "This is sheer nonsense! Today is the day for peace talks between our two countries. How can you be so presumptuous? Leave immediately!"
Sun Zhi turned a deaf ear to him. He pulled out a stack of letters from his bosom and held them high above his head. "I am guilty! Eleven years ago, I forged eighteen letters for Wu Xin, fabricating evidence that Duke Ji was colluding with the Chiyou tribe, causing the entire family of Duke Ji to be wrongly accused..."
There was a buzzing noise in the Hall of Supreme Harmony! Civil and military officials all had different expressions on their faces, whispering to each other, and the atmosphere was as lively as a vegetable market.
The jade seal in the emperor's hand fell on the dragon table, and a red mark, as bright as blood, was stained on the bright yellow scroll.
"Shut up! Shut up! Someone, drag him away!"
No one obeyed the emperor's order. Xiao Yan straightened his robe and stood up, looking at Sun Zhi calmly.
Sun Zhi knew that this was the only way for him and his daughter to survive, so he could only continue speaking despite the emperor's wrath.
"Eleven years ago, the Chiyou tribe launched a massive invasion of our border. Marshal Ji had been guarding the border for many years and could have held our frontier secure. However, Wu Xin colluded with the Chiyou tribe and leaked our border defense map, cutting off Marshal Ji's supplies and causing the loss of the northern border."
"The Chiyou tribe was about to march south, putting the capital in danger. Duke Ji knew something was amiss, yet he still dragged his aged body to request to go north to protect the people of the northern border."
"After that, Wu Xin brought a forged letter to the capital, slandering Duke Ji and Marshal Ji for treason. Your Majesty, you believed his slander and, despite the opposition of the entire court, sentenced the entire family of Duke Ji to death!"
"Eighty thousand Changhong soldiers died in the Northern Frontier to recapture the eight cities and defend the Xiao Kingdom's border, and all the credit goes to Wu Xin. Your Majesty is incompetent in judging people, framing loyal and honest people and favoring treacherous people..."
The emperor slumped down on the dragon throne, shaking with anger. With trembling hands, he hurled the teacup on the table at Sun Zhi. "How outrageous! This is sheer nonsense! Kill him! I'll kill him! Come on! Kill him and draw him into pieces!"
The teacup rolled to Sun Zhi's feet. The emperor's luck had run out and even his rage seemed so powerless.
"I swear on my life and my family's life that if I tell even a single lie, I will be willing to be tortured to death by slicing."
The furious emperor was like a clown on the dragon throne. The guards looked straight ahead and the eunuchs lowered their heads and hands. Only Liu Xi walked down the steps and picked up the teacup.
"Your Majesty, calm down and take care of your health. Your Highness the Crown Prince will handle these trivial matters."
The emperor turned his gaze towards Xiao Yan, pleadingly, "Ah Yan! This old case is a foregone conclusion. The nonsense of a minor seventh-rank official has no weight."
Xiao Yan said calmly, "Your Majesty, rest assured. I will investigate this matter thoroughly and will never let you bear the blame."
Elder Tian stroked his beard and pondered, "It's quite simple to investigate this matter. Lord Sun is just a minor historian and doesn't have access to the physical evidence from that time. If the contents of the letter are consistent with the physical evidence from that time, then what Lord Sun said is certainly true."
The case files were quickly retrieved, and when the two were compared, every word and sentence was identical.
Xiao Yan looked at the identical letter in his hand. Sun Zhi had deliberately kept an extra copy of the letter and kept it secret. Otherwise, a ghostwriter like him would have been killed by Wu Xin long ago.
"Since that's the case, then we'll have the three courts convene to review the case at the Duke of Nian's Mansion."
The emperor actually forced himself to stand up, holding onto the dragon table, and sternly said, "No! I don't agree! I am the emperor, and the crown prince only has the responsibility of regent. Or, Xiao Yan, do you want to rebel?"
As soon as these words were spoken, all the civil and military officials knelt on the ground. Xiao Yan looked at the emperor calmly and said, "Your Majesty, I have misunderstood. I dare not do that."
The emperor breathed a sigh of relief. "Hmph! I'm glad you know the limits. This matter ends here. Even if the letter is false, the loss of the northern border is true, and the Duke Ji's Mansion is guilty!"
Ji Yunhuan had stood in the center of the hall without her knowing. She was bulging with belly and did not kneel.
"Guilty? The Duke of Ji's family is full of loyal and brave people, what crime have they committed? Your Majesty, why is it that you are unwilling to re-examine the case from that year? In your dreams at night, have the souls of those who died unjustly, and the people who died in vain, ever come to your majesty? Doesn't your majesty feel a trace of guilt?"
"Back then, Your Majesty was determined to exterminate the entire Ji family, not even sparing the children. But the state has its own laws, and I managed to survive." Ji Yunhuan pulled down his sleeves, revealing the hideous "slave" mark on his forearm. "Wu Xin was just a knife in your hand. The sinner who destroyed the Ji Guogong Mansion and harmed tens of thousands of people in the Northern Frontier was you, Xiao Qiping!"
"How outrageous! How outrageous! How outrageous!" The emperor angrily slammed the dragon table. "Traitor, remnant of the Ji family, drag her away and beat her to death with sticks!"
Ji Yunhuan opened the system. The bowl of ginseng soup was just a cover. What could really make people speak the truth was the system's "truth serum". She wanted Xiao Qiping to admit his sins in person. For eternity, Xiao Qiping should be cursed even after his death!
The "Veritaserum" column lit up white, and the progress bar was shortening rapidly.
The emperor was stunned for a moment, then he laughed, and laughed very proudly, "People are dead, why would I be afraid of a bunch of dead people? I am the Son of Heaven, the supreme ruler. Whoever I want to die, must die!"
"The Grand Ancestor despised my mediocrity and even considered passing the throne to Ji Chengpeng! Ji Chengpeng commands a large army and is incredibly powerful; I must be on guard! Duke Ji deserves death, Ji Chengpeng deserves death, and the entire Ji family deserves death!"
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