Chapter 63 Chapter 63 His Majesty actually did this to his wife...
Chu Yuanhe glanced over it and immediately threw the memorial to the ground.
One day after Li Che had endured torture, he suddenly cried out for injustice in prison. Later, he used some unknown means to persuade the jailer to pass on a message for him, and finally his cry for injustice reached Wang Ci Fu's ears.
Wang Ci Fu even went to meet Li Che in prison, but no one knows what the two talked about.
Later, Wang Ci Fu also thought that the case was full of doubts and ordered the three courts to re-examine it. The Wang family was one of the most powerful families in Daliang, with retainers all over the world, so it was possible for them to order the officials under them to do so. Finally, after the three courts re-examined the case, they commuted Li Che's death sentence to exile, and a memorial was written and sent to the emperor a few days ago.
When an official was convicted of a crime, he usually had to go through the emperor's final approval before execution. When the eunuchs classified the memorials, they would put the most important national affairs at the front. The eunuchs thought the memorial to change Li Che's sentence was not important, so they attached it to the end.
It was not until this moment that Chu Yuanhe casually flipped through it and saw this memorial.
Chu Yuanhe slammed the table, and several people in the hall fell silent at the same time, not daring to breathe.
Only the eldest princess dared to pick up the memorial. After reading it, she looked at her brother with a complicated expression. She had just learned about this matter and thought that her brother had known about it for a long time.
"Wang Yangzhi is really overreaching." The eldest princess rarely saw her brother angry, so she cautiously asked, "Do you want me to share your worries?"
She also understood that Chu Yuanhe was in a high position and had to protect his reputation while controlling the world. There were some things that he should not do personally.
"Zhejiang's officialdom has not yet been sorted out. If we move against the Wang family now, we will definitely alert the enemy. The money that has been taken by the aristocratic families will not be returned."
After his anger subsided, Chu Yuanhe quickly calmed down and summoned Huang, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department, to bring out the three chief officials who had proposed to overturn Li Heng's case. He found a reason to deal with all the irrelevant characters who were replaceable.
As for the matter of changing the verdict, Chu Yuanhe thought about it for a moment and wrote his own comments on the memorial.
Exile, huh? Better to live a miserable life than to die?
Okay, he agreed.
He will make Li Che regret this decision. Since he doesn't want to die, he will experience what it means to live a life worse than death.
It was the next day that Zhao Qingyi heard that Li Che's sentence had been changed from the initial hanging to exile three thousand miles northwest to do hard labor, and the date of exile was set for two days later.
After the divorce, Zhao Qingyi rarely thought about this person. When she suddenly heard this name from her maid, she thought it might be the right time to end things, so she asked Meng to go back to her own house to take a look.
The wall between the east and west mansions has been mostly built. No one from the second house, whether master or servant, can enter the East Zhao Mansion without Meng's permission, so Zhao Qingyi is relieved.
When I returned to the Zhao residence, the feeling that things had changed and time had passed gradually became real. The housekeeper also came back here and stayed there. She was responsible for taking care of the house.
Zhao Qingyi looked at the courtyard where she had lived for three years, and recalled the way Li Che threw down the divorce letter in front of her sickbed in her previous life. She simply dug out the Xiaying gauze dress that her cousin Meng Jiawen gave her on the day of her rebirth.
At that time, it was to celebrate Li Che's transfer back to Beijing, and they wanted her to wear this dress to welcome Li Che's return. Today, she wanted to settle some grudges, so she simply changed into it.
Just when she was changing clothes, a booklet fell from her. Tan Yue Qiaoyue was puzzled and picked it up curiously.
Zhao Qingyi suddenly remembered something, snatched it away and put it back into her arms. It was something that the other party had stuffed into her in a panic on the day of Zhang Wanyan's wedding, and she actually brought it out.
The maids looked at each other, biting their lips to suppress their laughter, and no one asked what the booklet was.
—
After the approval from the higher authorities, Li Che was taken to the Ministry of Justice and imprisoned. This was also the intention of Wang Ci Fu of the Cabinet. Here, it was easy for the Wang family to infiltrate.
Li Che changed into a clean prison uniform and was imprisoned in a cell at the deepest part of the corridor. At this moment, he was leaning against the wall with his eyes closed to rest. Apart from a few strands of hair scattered on his temples, which made him look a little messy, he looked indifferent and relaxed.
When the jailers who came to inspect him saw him, they couldn't help but discuss privately, "...I heard that he was tortured in the imperial prison, crying and screaming all day long, but suddenly one day he seemed like a completely different person, and calmly said he wanted to see Lord Wang."
"What's so strange about this? Maybe he wants to report his Yue family to Lord Wang in order to save his life..." Oh no, it's not the Yue family now.
But it is a fact that Li Che married a girl from the Zhao family. As a son-in-law, it is normal for him to know some unknown secrets of the Yue family. Otherwise, why would Wang Ci Fu go to the prison to see Li Che in person?
The jailers were just guessing, and when the sound of their discussion faded away, the people in the cell still kept their eyes closed.
Li Che's face was calm, and a sneer appeared on his pale lips.
I didn’t expect that he would be in prison for two lifetimes.
The past few decades of life have passed by in a hurry, and now when I think about it, it still feels like a dream.
In that life, he had a smooth life. He had a virtuous wife like Zhao Qingyi. After his father-in-law's family died out, the Zhao family's connections fell into his hands through his wife, and he became a hot new upstart in Shangjing.
Later, in just a dozen years, he was promoted smoothly from a mere sixth-rank Hanlin editor to the cabinet, and his son Li Jun also made a name for himself under Zhao Qingyi's education, and at the age of twenty, he became the top scorer in the imperial examination.
The poor family that had once fallen on hard times rose again and earned a place in the capital. His mother, Luo, became an old lady respected by everyone in this wealthy town. His sister, Li Susu, although her marriage had some twists and turns, finally became the wife of the Loyal and Brave Marquis.
And... and the beloved woman he had pampered for twenty years.
Li Che felt that he should still love her until his death.
His wife at home was gradually growing old due to the hard work, and her beauty was gone. However, his Man'er, who was almost forty years old, had enjoyed wealth and glory for half her life and had never suffered any hardship. She still retained the charm and lovely appearance of a girl. Her gentleness and thoughtfulness for twenty years always satisfied him.
Li Che felt that that year was the most glorious year for his Li family.
He became the Prime Minister, his son became the top scholar, and his wife suddenly fell seriously ill. Before her death, His Majesty bestowed a first-rank imperial edict on his wife, Zhao.
Zhao Qingyi finally made it through and she can now retire with honor.
Li Che wanted to marry Zhao Manyi as his co-wife. On the night of his wedding, he gave Zhao Manyi a letter of divorce.
As expected, the poison he had been administering to Zhao Qingyi for more than ten years had ruined her health. After learning the truth, she became furious and her last remaining breath was gone.
She has occupied the position of Mrs. Li for twenty years, and it is time to return it to Maner.
That night, Li Che rewarded Zhao Qingyi with a roll of straw mat, and gave Tan Yue and Qiao Yue each a cup of poisoned wine. From then on, he, Li Che, was the only master of this house. He, Jun Ge'er, and Man'er were a real family.
Li Che originally thought that the rest of his life would be bright, but on the day after he married Zhao Manyi, His Majesty issued an edict to summon him to the palace and calmly congratulated him on his wedding.
Along with the congratulations came piles of impeachment memorials.
Li Che knelt in the hall, listening to the censor who used to fawn over him, now criticizing him in his memorial as a beast worse than pigs and dogs.
Many old events that he thought he had dealt with were dug up. Li Che admitted that he had made mistakes during his twenty years as an official, but he had never done anything disloyal to the court, and he had not colluded with the enemy or committed treason.
But just a letter of suspicion made His Majesty so angry that he convicted him on the spot and threw him into prison without even asking any questions.
Collaboration with the enemy and treason is a serious crime punishable by the death of nine generations of the family. As expected, his mother, his sister and brother-in-law's family, even his newlywed wife Zhao Manyi and his legitimate son Li Jun were all imprisoned in an instant.
Li Che only saw his family once briefly in the imperial prison, after which he was held solitary in a dark water dungeon.
No one came to try him.
Li Che thought that if an official came to interrogate him, he could still find a way to defend himself and escape, but no one did.
He was locked in a water dungeon, with half of his body soaked in damp blood for three days. He was also starved for three days. Just when he thought he was about to die, the tightly closed and dark prison door finally opened.
A tall, dark figure walked in.
Li Che raised his head tremblingly, and all he could see was a piece of black brocade robe with a trim, and the corner of the robe was vaguely embroidered with... a five-clawed golden dragon.
Li Che, who was trapped in the water dungeon, suddenly woke up and was ecstatic. He kept crying out for injustice and begged His Majesty to investigate in detail to prove that he really had not colluded with the enemy and committed treason.
At most... at most he was just selling official positions and titles, and had a few lives on his hands.
But who among those in high positions has never committed murder?
It is not necessarily that Your Majesty will investigate everything, otherwise the officials and aristocratic families of Daliang would have been killed long ago. Without them, who would work for this dynasty?
Li Che was certain that even if the murders he had committed in the past were brought to light, His Majesty would only punish him lightly and warn him severely because he was the Prime Minister of the dynasty, and would not actually kill him.
The Jinyiwei untied the ropes that bound his hands and feet, and he was dragged before the emperor.
Li Che was extremely excited. After respectfully performing the ceremony, he waited for the emperor to ask questions. As soon as the emperor asked, he would blurt out the prepared words. However, all he got was a meaningless sentence.
"How did Zhao die?"
Li Che was puzzled as to why His Majesty was concerned about his deceased wife, but he still replied respectfully, "My humble wife was seriously ill and passed away."
He answered without any guilt. After a while, there was only a very faint laugh above his head, so light and quick that it was impossible to figure out the deeper meaning of the laugh.
"Li Che, Li Che, do you know why I only prioritize you among all the civil and military officials in the court?"
Li Che thought, is there any need to ask? Of course it is his ability, but he said modestly, "Your Majesty... Your Majesty does not know."
"Because you have a good wife." Twenty years have passed, and the emperor's voice is no longer as clear as when he was young. It reveals the calmness and elusiveness of a person who has experienced many things.
Li Che could only say yes. He admitted that he did marry a good wife. Without Zhao Qingyi's wholehearted support, it would probably take him a few more years to reach his current position.
The emperor asked again, "Do you know why you are in this imperial prison today?"
Li Che pondered for a moment and took the opportunity to confess his guilt. He said that he had failed the emperor's trust and made some minor mistakes. He would correct them in the future.
The emperor gave him another chance and asked him if there was anything else he wanted to explain.
Li Che racked his brains and shook his head, "No, no..."
Before he could finish his words, the emperor suddenly lifted him up and pressed him on a table covered with various torture instruments. At the same time, he pulled out the nearest bone scraper and pierced his ear with force. Blood spurted out instantly.
"ah!"
Li Che's howl was sharp and piercing. Everything happened too suddenly. The severe pain made him tremble all over, and cold sweat instantly soaked his prison uniform.
The emperor looked down at him from a high position, his voice no longer calm, but rather sinister and terrifying. "You're about to die, and you still won't tell the truth!"
"I tell you! I tell you!"
Li Che was extremely frightened because one of his ears was nailed to the table and his head could only be placed on the table in a twisted arc. He finally told the truth and talked about his wife's death.
But he only said half of it. He wanted to marry his beloved woman as his co-wife, but Zhao Qingyi refused. The sick and weak woman was so angry that she died.
Li Che didn't dare to tell anyone about the fact that he had drugged his wife. After all, many years had passed and there would be no evidence to prove it.
But just the few words he said were enough to anger the fickle emperor, and he slowly pulled out his bone scraper.
Li Che felt the pain spreading little by little, gasping for breath, not daring to move at all. If he moved, his ear would fall on the table and never come back.
Just as the scraper was completely pulled out, the emperor pressed against his head and stabbed his other ear fiercely.
The screams of a pig being slaughtered were heard again from the water dungeon. Li Che was in so much pain that he almost fainted. The Jinyiwei poured ice-cold salt water on him. The pain that was a hundred times greater was instantly magnified to a thousand times greater. At that moment, Li Che really wanted to die.
He didn't understand what he had done to anger the emperor so much that he had to make him do it himself, and use such torturous methods.
He shouted and cried. He was a man in his forties, but he was crying so hard that tears were streaming down his face. He looked very miserable.
The emperor is no longer an emperor, he is comparable to Yama Shura in the eighteen levels of hell!
"The beloved woman you mentioned is Zhao Manyi, your mistress of twenty years. You also have a son..."
"Yes... yes! I know I was wrong! I know I was wrong! I shouldn't have been fickle and shouldn't have lied to my wife!" Everything was revealed. Li Che had no need to quibble. He just wanted to end the pain quickly.
He thought that as long as he confessed quickly, the emperor would let him go. After all, this was just his family affair. Although he was immoral, he was far from threatening an entire dynasty. The emperor had no reason to kill him just because he had a concubine or a child born out of wedlock.
But he was wrong.
The emperor asked him in an incredulous tone, "These things...you told her?"
Li Che was in so much pain that his mind was almost confused. It took him a long time to recover. Who was the "she" that His Majesty was talking about?
The scraper pierced his bloody ear and twisted it half a circle.
"ah--"
The shrill screams once again echoed throughout the dungeon.
"I'm asking you, have you told her about these bad things?" The emperor suddenly grabbed his neck and questioned him hysterically.
Li Che wanted to nod frantically, but the movement involved his ears. He cried and admitted that he had told her, told her everything. Otherwise, with Zhao Qingyi's gentle and calm temperament, how could she die suddenly in great sorrow and anger.
In the darkness, the emperor's hand that was pinching his neck was trembling slightly, and the old scar at the base of his palm seemed to be torn apart inch by inch at this moment, and it would be impossible to heal.
"Li Che, how dare you still be alive?"
The emperor's voice became very soft again, so that only the two of them could hear it.
The hand slowly withdrew, and the emperor slowly untied the hair tie that Li Che used to tie his hair, and wrapped it around his neck bit by bit.
The scattered messy hair covered Li Che's terrified eyes, and he desperately pulled at the hairband around his neck.
...No, he doesn't want to die!
"Your Majesty, I know I'm wrong! I really do know I'm wrong... Ugh!"
The two ends of the hairband were crossed and wrapped around the emperor's palm before being tightened. In the dim hellfire, the emperor's eyes were red and filled with murderous intent.
"Since you want to lie to her, why don't you continue to lie to her? Why!"
“No…Ahhh—”
A strong feeling of suffocation came over him, and Li Che didn't care about his ears being nailed to the table. He struggled desperately.
But his struggle was undoubtedly like an ant trying to shake a tree, which was ridiculous.
"Why didn't you continue to lie? Why did you tell her the truth?!"
The emperor pulled hard on both ends of the hair tie, the bones of his hands exposed in the darkness clearly visible. "You can't even do such a small thing! What's the point of me keeping you here?"
"Do you think that if you tell her the truth and force her to death, your Li family will be able to live in peace and without worries?"
"Li Che, are you worthy?"
"No..." He struggled too hard and the ear was nailed to the table forever.
Li Che was as broken as a pig or a dog. His body rolled down.
The emperor then let go and watched him fall to the ground, holding his neck and gasping for breath.
Li Che was able to catch his breath, kicking his legs and backing away, looking at the emperor with an unprecedented fear in his eyes.
He seemed to understand something vaguely, but he didn't understand it.
How could it be...that woman whom he didn't even bother to look at, actually had such importance in the eyes of the emperor?
She just died, but he wanted the entire Li family to be buried with her!
The emperor's handsome face was filled with fierceness, and the dancing flames made his face look as gorgeous as Shura, beautiful yet ferocious. In Li Che's eyes, the emperor's appearance was always vague, and he never dared to face the emperor directly.
At this moment, Li Che also didn't dare.
He only dared to look at the emperor's hand as he pulled out the small, cicada-wing-thin bone scraper.
Li Che stared at his own bloody ear on the knife, and suddenly felt his legs go weak and his vision go black.
But he didn't dare to faint. If he fainted, a basin of salt water would be poured on him again. He didn't want to endure that kind of pain again.
The emperor raised his hand and nailed his ear to the wall at random, and then found a thin iron needle from the various torture instruments.
He walked up to Li Che with the iron needle and slowly squatted down. "Because of her, you have been rich and prosperous, and you have enjoyed a glorious life. Now that she is gone, shouldn't you do something?"
Li Che shivered and swore, "I, a sinner, will definitely set up a merit plaque for Qingyi, chant sutras and pray for her every day, and sincerely repent..."
"That's not sincere enough." The emperor's voice was deep, close to his bleeding ear. "In this life, you have a sharp eye. You took a fancy to the woman I like at first sight."
"You've enjoyed so many benefits that shouldn't belong to you because of her. Now that she's gone, you should repay her with gratitude..."
"It's just Li Che, what are you going to give her back?"
Every word penetrated Li Che's heart, and he was horrified.
Your Majesty, Your Majesty actually...actually did this to his wife...
No, no, no, what Your Majesty likes is Your Majesty’s woman, not his wife!
Li Che was terrified and quickly knelt down. "I know I'm wrong. I shouldn't have been so reckless as to compete with Your Majesty for a woman. This is all because of my blindness..."
Yes, he was blind. If he had known that Zhao Qingyi was the person His Majesty liked, he should have presented her to His Majesty.
The emperor laughed upon hearing this. "Blind? That's right, you have good eyesight, but you are also blind. You mistook fish eyes for pearls. In that case, I will leave you with these eyes."
The Jinyiwei brought charcoal fire, and the emperor inserted the silver needle into the charcoal fire and ordered him, "Take it out, poke out your eyes, and leave your eyeballs. I can give you a chance to live."
The last trace of blood faded from Li Che's face.
"Don't worry. If you poke the heated iron needle into your eyes, the flesh and blood will solidify instantly, allowing you to bring out intact flesh. The bleeding will also stop very quickly, so you won't die from excessive blood loss."
The emperor leaned close to his disheveled face and smiled, "Go ahead, what are you afraid of? Don't you want to sincerely repent?"
Li Che was shaking like a sieve, with great fear weighing on his heart, making him unable to utter a word.
"Why, are you mute?"
The emperor's idle smile faded, and a small knife appeared in his hand. "It's this tongue, you don't want it anymore?"
...What? He wants his tongue too!
Li Che suddenly came to his senses, turned around, crawled on the ground, and crawled madly towards the depths of the dungeon.
He would rather be trapped in a water dungeon for the rest of his life than face this crazy man!
The Jinyiwei stepped forward and kicked him hard on the knee with internal strength. The sound of bones shattering suddenly rang out, and the piercing pain spread to every inch of Li Che's body.
Li Che howled again and tried to escape by dragging his other leg, but the Jinyiwei simply stepped on that leg and broke it.
“Ahhhh—”
"Your Majesty, I deserve death, please grant me death!"
Li Che accepted his fate. He didn't want to live anymore. What was the point of living like this? He might as well die. Please, give him a quick death!
How could the emperor let him get his wish? Everything has just begun.
He would repay the pain that Li Che's family had inflicted on Zhao Qingyi a million times over!
“Heh, heh…”
The emperor laughed softly, his laughter was sad and miserable. The one who was truly blind was that woman Zhao Qingyi, who had to marry a useless person like Li Che.
In your next life, don’t get married again.
The emperor murmured in his heart and slowly stood up straight, "Master Li's screams are very pleasing to me. I will keep my tongue for now, but I will take a pair of eyes first."
After he gave the order, he turned and walked out of the dungeon, pausing briefly as he passed the next cell.
Luo, Li Susu, Zhao Manyi and Li Jun, the four of them hugged each other tightly, shivering and trembling. They could hear Li Che's screams clearly.
"Do you like it?"
The emperor's mood improved a little, and his laughter was hoarse. "His screams, are they nice to hear? If you like it, then pray that loser Li Che can hold on a little longer. When he dies, it will be your turn."
Don't be impatient, take them one by one.
The women were the first to lose their composure and screamed in fear, their screams merging perfectly with the shrill screams of Li Che next door after he was stabbed in the eyes...
Li Che suddenly opened his eyes, and cold sweat quietly slid down his forehead.
He slowly touched his eyes with trembling hands. They were still there, still there.
His ears, his legs, and his tongue were all there, and apart from the scars on his body, his limbs were relatively intact.
Just a dream.
He, Li Che, has been reborn. He will not fall into the same situation as in his previous life. He will definitely escape from this cell. He wants to live with dignity!
He also wants to... overthrow the Daliang Dynasty!
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