Yu Zhongxin was the Minister of Rites and Duke of Yu, so his case only needed to be heard privately by the Dali Temple.
So he didn't understand why the Grand Princess had this request.
The eldest princess said in a deep voice, "The Yu family has always been upright and honest. Even if they made a mistake, they would never hide it. Only by having this matter heard openly can we avoid bringing disgrace to the Yu family."
Old Duke Yu is indeed an upright and righteous man.
The emperor nodded in agreement.
"Aunt, I have agreed to this. I will hold a public trial at the Dali Temple, and I will personally attend the trial. I will definitely clear the name of the people of this world."
If he were to be present in person, the people would also feel that he attached great importance to the Spring Examination, and would have more faith in the court and in him as the emperor.
The emperor naturally did not want to miss such a good opportunity to establish his authority and credibility.
Sure enough, after this incident spread, the people all cheered and praised the emperor for his wisdom.
When Prince Chen saw this, his face became terribly gloomy. He really underestimated his royal brother.
He is quite good at winning over the people and students.
This emperor's mindset is indeed well learned, but I don't know if it is worth it to lose two generals in exchange for a certain amount of prestige.
"Father, is the Emperor trying to force Yu Zhongxin into a desperate situation?"
Song Yu frowned. Although he really wanted to bring Yu Zhongxin down, the emperor's move was too much in line with their wishes.
"Do you think we are the only ones who want Yu Zhongxin dead? The good emperor they honor has long been unable to tolerate him."
It was because Prince Chen saw through the emperor's intentions that he wanted to take action against Yu Zhongxin.
Regardless of whether the matter succeeds or not, the emperor will abandon Yu Zhongxin.
"The Emperor is afraid of the Yu family."
Song Yu understood it immediately. Since ancient times, emperors have always been suspicious of each other.
Now the Yu family and the Jiang family are in the court, one civil and one military, both are important officials in the court.
In addition, the two men enjoyed high prestige in the court and were loved by the people, even though they were loyal.
The emperor would also worry that they might one day think of rebelling.
I'm afraid that when Jiang Chuyuan becomes powerful in the future, Jiang Weizhen will not be able to keep the military power in his hands.
Song Yu snorted coldly, "How foolish! He doesn't realize that without the support of the Jiang and Yu families, his throne will soon be over."
"Actually, he didn't do anything wrong. No matter who is the emperor, he will not tolerate the Yu and Jiang families developing any further. They are loyal now, but who can guarantee that they won't have any plans in the future?"
Prince Chen agreed with the emperor's approach on this point. How many loyal ministers had been killed in history?
The people only lament that the emperor is incompetent, but they don’t know that this is a way to prevent problems before they happen.
The way of emperors has always been like this. The sins of these loyal ministers will not be committed now, but in the future.
He knew that the emperor needed an opportunity, and he happened to give him one.
To some extent, their goals are the same.
"The Grand Princess must have seen through the Emperor's thoughts, which is why she requested a public trial, right?"
Song Yu sighed. His own nephew wanted to deal with his own son. It was indeed the most ruthless family of the emperor.
There is only a struggle for power, and there is no family affection at all.
"My aunt is very intelligent, so how could she not understand? She made this request only to show her loyalty to the Emperor, hoping that the Emperor would spare Yu Zhongxin's life."
Prince Chen looked at the teacup in his hand. No matter what the outcome, the Grand Princess' move saved Yu Zhongxin's life.
Even if the evidence is conclusive after the trial, he will only be stripped of his position and exiled to the frontier.
However, considering the Grand Princess's old age, it is estimated that only the male members of the Yu family will be exiled to the frontier.
But Prince Chen wanted more than that. He wanted to make the Yu family disappear completely from the capital and make the Jiang family infamous.
"Have you met that Yang Lin?"
"Yes, everything has been arranged."
Song Yu replied that it would depend on the trial in three days. He hoped that the servant boy and Yang Lin would not let them down.
…
Ning'an Earl's Mansion
Yu Sanniang looked at her son while eating.
She asked tentatively.
"Yuan'er, I heard that the emperor wants to publicly try your uncle's case?"
"The Emperor is only an observer. The judge is Lord Lu."
"Aren't you the one who's conducting the trial? Aren't you the one who's been investigating all along?"
Yu Sanniang asked in surprise.
"My relationship with the Yu family is such that we have to avoid suspicion. Moreover, my position is not high enough to interrogate the Minister of Rites. I am only assisting in the investigation. The real judge is naturally the Supreme Court Minister."
Ning Yuan explained patiently, without showing any impatience because his mother did not understand the affairs of the court.
"Then...if there's a public trial, will your uncle be acquitted?"
Yu Sanniang lowered her eyebrows and did not dare to look at her son.
Ning Yuan has been trying cases for a long time and has a sharp eye. Yu Sanniang always feels guilty when facing him.
The reason she asked this was because it was the Grand Princess who requested this, although she said it in a high-sounding manner.
But Yu Shusanniang felt that she must have done this to save Yu Zhongxin.
She had been waiting for the Yu family to fall into misfortune, but she didn't want them to have another chance to turn things around.
"No, this matter involves serious consequences. Even if my uncle really knows nothing, as the Minister of Rites, he has an unshirkable responsibility for this matter. In short, he cannot keep his position as the Minister of Rites."
"You mean the best outcome is that your uncle will lose his official position?"
Yu Shulan's eyes lit up. This was really great. Without real power, it would seem that Yu Zhongxin would still dare to act arrogantly in front of her.
"Then what about Jiang Weizhen and Jiang Chuyuan? Will the emperor use him again?"
Ning Yuan looked at his mother suspiciously, frowning slightly. Why did he see a hint of excitement in his mother's eyes?
Shouldn't she be worried about her uncle and the others?
He said calmly, "We'll have to wait until the trial to find out. The evidence we have now is not enough to determine whether the Jiang family was involved."
"Then Tang Yi has such a close relationship with the Jiang family, how could he not be involved? And the first place in the first round of the imperial examination, I never thought it would be obtained in this way."
Yu Sanniang pretended to be regretful when she spoke, but what she said was just confirming the Jiang family's crimes.
"Tang Yi hasn't admitted to cheating. There are still many things that are unclear about this matter, so it's hard to jump to a conclusion."
Ning Yuan paused and continued.
"I believe in my uncle and my uncle. They are so upright that they would never do anything to cheat. Chu Yuan's talent is obvious to all of us."
Yu Sanniang was stunned, then realized that she had said the wrong thing, and hurriedly explained.
"Of course, I believe them. This public trial will definitely clear their name."
"It's really a disaster that came from nowhere. How could the Yu family suffer such an injustice?"
"Who says it isn't? I hope they can all get through it safely."
Ning Anbo sighed and said that he really hoped that they were okay.
After all, in his opinion, they are family and there is no conflict.
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