Chapter 132 The Emperor's Attitude
Late at night, Prince Duan’s Mansion.
"According to the news from the palace, Master Shen was caught cheating when he brought two exam papers to the emperor. Liang Yan and others have all been taken to the Mingxin Division." Murong Shili looked at several key ministers in front of him and said:
"The Mingxin Division enforces the law strictly. The prince will definitely not let go of this opportunity. We must guard against the prince taking advantage of the situation to drag others into it."
Everyone looked unhappy.
"I've said it before, this matter is very risky and the gains do not outweigh the losses. But Princess Anyang insisted on forcing the prince to help her son for a false reputation..." The Imperial Academy attendant frowned.
Murong Shili hated Princess Anyang in his heart, but he said gently:
"The Dong family is in marriage with me, so I should have helped them. But now that things have come to this, you should all think of a solution!"
Everyone praised, "Your Majesty is kind and righteous!"
"Lord Liang is a tight-lipped man and will definitely take on everything. In order for Lord Liang to have no worries, we should take care of his family." The Imperial Academy reader looked at Prince Duan and said.
Murong Shili nodded, "I plan to marry Liang Yan's daughter as my concubine. But I have to wait until the storm is over. Let everyone know the news secretly..."
Everyone agreed. If Prince Duan said so, Liang Yan would take care of everything.
At this moment...
The steward came to report, "Your Majesty, Princess Anyang wants to see you!"
The people of Prince Duan's party were speechless about this woman. But Murong Shili naturally couldn't refuse her, so he said:
"Please come in, Princess!"
As soon as Princess Anyang entered the palace, she cried out to Murong Shili:
"Prince Duan, my son has been captured by the Mingxin Division! Please help me save my son!"
Everyone in Prince Duan’s party: …
Murong Shili was filled with resentment. If it weren't for Dong Zefei, how could he have lost Liang Yan?
But he said very gently:
"The princess should be worried about you now. Will Dong Zefei confess to Mingxinsi that you arranged the cheating for him?"
Princess Anyang's wailing stopped. This...
"The princess should go and ask the Queen Mother for help as soon as possible, and don't let yourself be implicated in this matter." Murong Shili gave her advice:
"We have been caught red-handed. It is useless to deny it. Princess, it is best for you to sincerely admit your mistake in order to save yourself."
…
Early the next morning.
Princess Anyang hurried into the palace and knelt in front of the Empress Dowager's palace.
"Anyang, what are you doing? Come in quickly." The Queen Mother immediately asked someone to bring her in.
"Mother, I was confused for a moment and made a terrible mistake. Now Zefei is in prison, but he is my only son. Please help me..." Princess Anyang cried sadly.
After hearing the whole story, the Queen Mother couldn't help but shook her head:
"You are confused! Zefei is your son, the future Marquis of Yongning. He is born noble. Why does he need to take the imperial examination and compete with those commoners for a position?"
Princess Anyang cried bitterly, "Please, mother, have mercy on me. I only have this one son..."
Dong Zefei did not need to take the imperial examination, but he was greedy for fame and wanted to be known as a talented scholar.
…
Imperial Palace, Imperial Study.
"Your Majesty, this is the case file details after my overnight interrogation. There are nine people involved in this case, headed by Liang Yan." Chu Shouchen submitted the case file to the emperor for review:
"Liang Yan said that he was the mastermind and accepted bribes from Dong Zefei to cheat for him. But Dong Zefei confessed that it was his mother, Princess Anyang, who asked Prince Duan to help him plan all this, and he did not know Liang Yan. He said that the cheating was all the fault of Princess Anyang."
The emperor was so angry at Dong Zefei that he almost laughed when he looked at the case file in front of him.
Such a bastard, in order to exonerate himself, put all the blame on his own mother.
It's pitiful that the emperor's sister gave birth to such a son.
Of course, he couldn't possibly hold his son and sister accountable for such a case...
For the emperor, as long as the royal family members did not commit treason...
They are all small things.
He wanted to warn Prince Duan, not kill him.
"Don't worry about what Dong Zefei said. There is no need to expand this case." The emperor said lightly.
Chu Shouchen understood, "I obey your order!"
"Your Majesty, the Queen Mother sent a bowl of bird's nest and white fungus soup, saying that Her Royal Highness the Princess presented a rare bird's nest this morning. It is a nourishing and top-grade product, specially given to Your Majesty..." The eunuch came in to report.
The emperor nodded and said, "Present it."
He then looked at Chu Shouchen and said, "Liang Yan and others shall be sentenced to death. As for Dong Zefei, he shall be caned 30 times and exiled to Lingnan."
He was only given thirty strokes of the cane, to save his life.
Chu Shouchen bowed and accepted the order.
…
The next day, news of the cheating in the imperial examination spread, shocking the government and the public.
The Prince's party took this opportunity to attack Prince Duan's party.
There was a lot of noise in the morning court.
The people are also speculating on the outcome of this matter...
Wanjuan Study, terrace on the third floor.
"Dong Zefei actually cheated! No wonder he didn't dare to accept the challenge before, he really was cheating!" Xie Ruojiao was shocked.
Although there have been "rumors" for a long time, there is no real evidence after all, except that the princelings always use this to mock Dong Zefei...
Ordinary people were skeptical.
But this time he was caught red-handed...
"Song Heng, according to Daxia law, how is cheating judged?" Xie Ruojiao asked curiously.
Song Heng said, "In our dynasty, cheating in the imperial examination is a serious crime, and those involved will be sentenced to death."
"The Dong family has only captured Dong Zefei so far. It seems that the emperor will give him a lenient punishment." A hint of coldness flashed in Chi Moyan's eyes.
Song Heng did not refute. In the past, he believed that as long as there was solid evidence, the bad guys would be brought to justice.
But he has seen a lot now.
I gradually came to understand that the royal family and the common people could never be considered guilty of the same crime.
If even the emperor is like this, how can the officials in the court not protect and favor each other?
"Ah? A lighter punishment?" Xie Ruojiao was very angry. "Why should others be executed for cheating, but the Dong family can live? This is unfair!"
When Song Heng saw her like this, the heavy mood in his heart was dispelled a little.
Even though the world is unfair, there will always be people who speak out against injustice.
He is not the only one who is unwilling to compromise.
He cannot change the general trend, but he can enter the officialdom, start with himself, and uphold fairness and justice.
Jiang Rong listened to them quietly and nodded slightly, "It's really unfair."
When you cut the grass, how can you not remove the roots?
…
The next day, Mingxinsi’s verdict came down.
Liang Yan and others were executed immediately.
It also involved the discovery of an old case involving his provincial examination last year.
Last year’s chief examiner for Jiangbei, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, was also sentenced to immediate execution.
All the people involved in the case were sentenced to death, except Dong Zefei, who cheated twice, who was only caned and exiled...
Princess Anyang was still dissatisfied with this and lost her temper in the mansion:
"How can my son endure the suffering of exile! No, we must rescue my son. You go to the exile road and guard it, pretend to be bandits, and rescue Zefei."
As long as the person is rescued, he can still be fed and clothed in luxury, even if he cannot appear in public again. The crime of beheading was ultimately just a few beatings.
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