Chapter 286: Redressing the Loyal Official
"Your Majesty, I am deeply saddened by this incident, but the facts of the case are not yet conclusive, and we cannot prove that Lord Pei is colluding with others. I ask Your Majesty to give Lord Pei a chance to explain."
After saying this, Shen Zhao reminded Pei Yuanyi who was still feeling self-blame and regret.
"Master Pei, you can tell His Majesty what happened."
Pei Yuanyi's face turned pale, and he held his head in pain. "I didn't collude with anyone, and I didn't mean to harm anyone. Those craftsmen died because of my negligence. They all lost their lives because of me. I deserve to die... I deserve to die..."
As he said this, he raised his arm and slapped himself hard.
The Left Assistant Minister's eyes were still red as he watched Pei Yuanyi slap himself.
He said sternly, "Master Pei, are you still going to act? Do you know that those craftsmen are the pillars of their families? Do you know how many families and lives have been harmed by your selfish desires?
"Why don't you tell the truth and hand over those thieves? Do you know that some of them have already hidden in Kyoto? Do you know how many civilians will be brutally killed by them?"
The Left Assistant Minister looked at Pei Yuanyi with bloodshot eyes.
He wished he could stab the beast to death with a sword. It was in vain that he had always regarded Pei Yuanyi as a role model for a filial official.
It was a waste of the craftsmen's kindness and respect for him.
Chen Zhao looked at Pei Yuanyi who had fallen into madness. This wouldn't do.
Only she could hear Li Yuwan's thoughts and knew that Pei Yuanyi was wronged.
But others don’t know.
"Master Pei!"
Chen Zhao's voice rose a few notches. "Do you know that if you still can't get over your self-blame now, and you are really labeled a traitor, then it will not only be you who will die, but also all nine members of your Pei family!"
This incident is enough for His Majesty to implicate all nine clans of the Pei family.
"General Chu, are you shielding Pei Yuanyi? He was the one who brought the people here, and the disaster was caused by those people. Isn't the case clear enough? Is it really that difficult to give an explanation to those who died in vain?"
Seeing General Chu repeatedly defending Pei Yuanyi, the Left Assistant Minister hated these people who protected each other.
If he cannot seek justice for the innocent craftsmen who died tragically today, he would be better off not being a minister.
Chen Zhao listened to Minister Zuo's thoughts and said in a gentle tone, "Minister Zuo, I know you love the people deeply and want to seek justice for those craftsmen. However, if you wrongly accuse innocent people, you will be heartbroken and regretful. You can't just look at the surface of things. Sometimes the truth is often hidden beneath the surface."
The Left Assistant Minister was certain that it was Pei Yuanyi who colluded with others to harm the craftsmen of Southern Chu.
He didn't listen to Shen Zhao's advice at all.
He kowtowed fiercely to the emperor.
"Bang, bang..."
After knocking his forehead for just a moment, he resolutely said, "I also ask Your Majesty to imprison Pei Yuanyi and force him to reveal the whereabouts of those thieves, avenge the craftsmen, and give an explanation to the people of Nanchu.
I am willing to risk my life to seek justice."
The emperor was already furious. If Chu Mu had not pleaded for him, Pei Yuanyi would have been imprisoned in the Sky Prison and severely tortured.
He also wanted to know how he, as an emperor, had wronged Pei Yuanyi.
"Come here, bring the traitor Pei Yuanyi to me and torture him until he reveals the whereabouts of the rebel! All members of the Pei family will be imprisoned pending trial."
Upon hearing this, Chen Zhao helplessly kicked Pei Yuanyi. "Sir Pei, I know you're filled with remorse and yearn for death. Do you intend to watch those innocent people perish? Think of your elderly parents, your infant grandson, your wife of decades, and your child, who has just embarked on a promising and promising career.
Do you also want them to die together with you because of your regret? "
Pei Yuanyi suddenly raised his head and tears burst out.
He deserves to die, but his Pei clan members cannot all die because of his fault.
"Your Majesty, I confess. I confess everything. Please punish me and spare my family."
Only then did Pei Yuanyi find his voice again from his grief.
All the ministers stared at Pei Yuanyi.
They also wanted to know whether Pei Yuanyi, who had always been honest and upright, loved by the people and regarded as a parent official by the people, had rebelled.
Li Yuwan glanced at Shen Zhao meaningfully.
Well...it seems that he is not that annoying anymore, but compared with Xie Yuheng, he is still a little less interesting.
Who in the family would understand? It was the first time I saw the man of my dreams in the mission world. Xie Yuheng’s appearance really touched my heart.
A younger wolfdog, my sister's favorite.
Hiss, hiss.
Shen Zhao looked at Li Yuwan strangely, then looked at Xie Yuheng sympathetically.
Xie Yuheng had been staring at his brother Chu. When he saw brother Chu looking at him, he immediately showed a firm look and said, "Brother Chu, you can rest assured. I will always be behind you!"
Shen Zhao silently withdrew his gaze. In fact, there was no need to do so!
Shen Zhao's gaze shifted back to Pei Yuanyi.
Pei Yuanyi recovered from his grief.
He continued tremblingly, "It has rained a lot recently, and with the sudden downpour over the past two days, the river has risen and part of the embankment has been washed away. I, the guilty minister, originally wanted to submit a petition to the court requesting funding.
I had already written the memorial that day, but it happened that General Chu and General Xie came to court despite being ill. It was from General Chu and General Xie that I learned that the soldiers in the camp in the capital were living such a miserable life.
Without even a place to shelter from the wind and rain, and without even a piece of warm clothing, the guilty minister quietly put the memorial away.
I want to wait and see if the Ministry of Revenue can still come up with money. The riverbank is about to be washed away, but winter is about to come, and the soldiers' homes and cotton clothes are equally important.
At this point, Pei Yuanyi was already in tears.
"I was wondering if I could get some money from the wealthy and powerful to build the river embankment. As I was looking at the moat beside the damaged embankment, I happened to meet a wealthy businessman from the south who offered to donate money and supplies to help the court repair the embankment."
The Left Vice Minister immediately retorted, "Since Lord Pei has taken the position of Vice Minister of Works, he must be quite a fool. He dares to believe anyone's words. Aren't you afraid that others may have ulterior motives? With such a lame excuse, you can't even fool a three-year-old child, and you dare to fool the entire court and His Majesty!"
Pei Yuanyi lowered his head in regret.
Everything he said was true, without a single word of falsehood.
Shen Zhao looked at the helpless Pei Yuanyi and felt depressed.
If she had not gone to court while sick that day, what happened today would not have happened.
But if he did not go to court despite his illness and put pressure on the Ministry of Revenue, how would the soldiers in the Beijing camp survive the cold winter?
Pei Yuanyi's current situation is closely related to her.
She couldn't bear to see Pei Yuanyi and hundreds of people in the Pei family die in vain.
We must not let the real murderer go unpunished.
"Master Pei, what else do you have to say? Is it really you who colluded with others to harm the court? Master Pei, tell me everything without leaving out any details. If it is really you, then the people who loved you in the past revere you as much as they do now. Death is not the solution to all problems.
Master Pei, will he bear eternal infamy even after his death? "
What Pei Yuanyi cares about most is the people.
Pei Yuanyi slowly raised his head and blamed himself:
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
