"Your Majesty, it is impossible for my grandson to do such a thing, and it is even more impossible for my granddaughter to do such a thing because she is still young." Marquis Annan found out that he was falsely accused.
"Someone must have framed me. Your Majesty, please investigate..."
"Your Majesty, I am not slandering you. I have evidence." Lord Qian stepped forward and took out a jade pendant.
"That kid even used this jade pendant to hit Master Fan's daughter on the head."
"Your Majesty, every word in my memorial is true, and there are witnesses to prove that those children are the Marquis of Annan's!"
"Your Majesty, what I have said is true..."
"I am also..."
"I am also..."
Everyone knelt down with a loud noise.
Their original intention in submitting the memorial was to ask His Majesty to reprimand Marquis Annan and dampen his enthusiasm.
As a result, this person turned the tables and accused them of slander. Isn't that deceiving the emperor?
Then this logic needs to be carefully judged.
Marquis Annan was bewildered.
How did his jade pendant end up in Mr. Qian's hands?
How come according to what they said, he has so many grandchildren???
"Your Majesty, I only have two grandchildren. Shihan attended a poetry reading yesterday, and my granddaughter is only two years old. How could they do such a thing? They are just slandering me!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the court officials began to discuss in low voices.
"How come there are only two? General Rong alone has four children. Did Marquis Annan expel General Rong... from the family?"
"No way. He's not some unfilial son who brought disgrace upon the family. How can I just expel him?"
"I heard that Marquis Annan dislikes his eldest son and is determined to give the title to his beloved second son."
"That loser? Can he compare to General Rong? Could it be that Marquis Annan was under a spell that made him want to do such a foolish thing?"
"Who says it's not true... I heard that when the family was divided, he left all the property to the second son, and General Rong only got a few thousand taels. Later, he took it back as a gift. If General Rong didn't have his mother's dowry, he would be a pauper now."
"Huh? General Rong isn't the child of Marquis Annan's wife?"
"No, he's a stepson. The current wife of the Marquis of Annan is his second wife..."
"No wonder! Tsk tsk tsk..."
Normally, he was used to saying "two grandsons", but after Annan Hou said it, he realized that something was wrong!
"No, Your Majesty... What I mean is that those children might be from the Baichuan family..." Marquis Annan broke out in a sweat.
"Father, you don't have to drag my child into this just to defend my second brother's child!" Rong Baichuan said coldly.
"As everyone knows, I have a distinguished guest at home, and they've been accompanying him these past few days. You're not saying it was my little Chaoxi, who's not even a year old and can barely walk, who caused such a ruckus in Goreland?"
The emperor narrowed his eyes upon hearing this: He actually framed Chao Xi!
"Why isn't it..."
"Marquis Annan, we didn't say they were your legitimate grandchildren. Those children are your nephews." Lord Qian interrupted Marquis Annan.
Great-nephew? Great-nephew! Those people who came to ask for money!
Damn! Aren’t they gone?!
And where did they get the jade pendant? How dare they steal from my own home?!
"That's enough!" The emperor covered his forehead.
The affairs of the harem during the New Year gave him a headache, and after reading meaningless memorials all night, the emperor now just wanted to go back and have a good sleep.
"It's not a big deal, what's the point of all the noise!"
"Convert the damage into cash. Mr. Zhang, please calculate the amount and make a list for Marquis Annan. You must pay it back before tomorrow."
"Yes." The new Minister of Rites Zhang stepped out calmly to take over the matter.
I was very nervous.
Why do you ask me to do this? I'm just a newcomer and haven't learned the intricacies of officialdom yet.
Will this offend anyone? How does "damage discounting" work?
How much is appropriate? If it’s more, will Marquis Annan hold a grudge against me?
If I give less, will the victim hate me?
Give me a hint, Your Majesty!
Why don’t you ask General Rong for advice? On one side is his father, and on the other side is his colleague.
If anyone is dissatisfied, I will say it was General Rong's intention.
Yes, that's it. General Rong is a favorite of His Majesty. He is not afraid of offending others, and no one dares to offend him.
The three steps back seemed like a lifetime.
Phew! The workplace is so difficult!
"Although nothing irreversible has happened by allowing my son to commit the crime, this case should be severely punished to serve as a warning to others and serve as a deterrent."
"Come here, punish the old Marquis Rong with thirty strokes of the cane."
The emperor glanced at Rong Baichuan and said, "Forget it. Considering your age, I'll just give you fifteen strokes of the cane."
Marquis Annan pursed his lips tightly but did not dare to cry out for justice.
The emperor has already reduced the punishment. To continue shouting would be ungrateful.
Marquis Annan could only allow himself to be dragged out by the palace servants.
The club hit Annan Hou again and again. Annan Hou's face turned pale with pain and his lips were bleeding from biting.
I only hated Rong Baichuan for not pleading for me.
He could have been spared from fifteen strokes of the cane with just one sentence.
He actually watched his own father being beaten!
He was not very fond of this son.
…
After the matter was settled, the emperor immediately announced the end of the court session and wanted to go back to sleep.
"Report..."
At this time, Ba Baili reported urgently and rushed to the Golden Palace.
All the court officials were shocked and rushed to report! What happened?
Your Majesty looks so grumpy! It's New Year's Day, so it must be a good thing.
Let’s pray together!
"Report, and East City urgent report—"
The eunuch took the urgent message and quickly returned to the hall.
The courtiers watched as it arrived in the emperor's hands.
He watched nervously as the emperor, with a murderous look on his face, watched Fuling slowly open the letter.
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