Chapter 247: Song Xiang is crowned king
The next morning, all civil and military officials gathered in the main hall. As soon as Song Yunchu stepped into the hall, a group of officials came forward to greet him one after another.
"Lord Song, you finally showed up. Where have you and His Majesty been these days? We were so worried."
The first person to speak was Gong Mingyuan. Seeing his eyes full of concern, Song Yunchu smiled and said, "It's a long story... Well, the missing people are obviously me and Your Majesty. Why do I see that you have lost some weight, Minister Gong?"
"You and His Majesty disappeared together, and there is no news from you. Naturally, I am worried."
"Your Majesty is blessed with great fortune and the protection of gods and Buddhas. I have also benefited from this good fortune. Now that Your Majesty and I have returned safely, please rest assured, my colleagues."
Song Yunchu had already made an agreement with Shen Yue and others that they would not need to mention what happened in Medicine King Valley to anyone after they returned, so as to prevent anyone from being curious and trying to investigate, thus disturbing the peace and tranquility of Medicine King Valley.
Even if family members asked, they would always answer that it was a hidden master who came to help. As for who the master was, they would just say that he was an old man who had retired from the world.
"As soon as I came back, I heard that the hunting grounds were attacked because Prince Yi colluded with the Rong people and attempted to rebel?"
When everyone heard Song Yunchu mention Prince Yi, they all showed indignation on their faces.
"This Prince Yi looks serious on weekdays, but he actually has a rebellious heart! If this conspiracy had not been exposed, we would not have known that he was so heartless!"
"It's not just Prince Yi. The remnants of the Rong Kingdom also betrayed the uncle and nephew of Master Lu. Master Lu's nephew Lu Xuan also betrayed General Xuanwei Wei Feng. When General Zhao sent people to capture him, he was a step too late and the guy escaped. Prince Yi's whereabouts are also unknown now. I wonder if there are any other followers in the court who have not been caught."
"After the Ministry of Justice's trial, we learned that Prince Yi had been secretly forming a clique and plotting evil..."
As everyone was discussing, they suddenly heard a palace servant shouting that the emperor had arrived. They hurriedly returned to their seats, straightened their posture and saluted.
Jun Li Luo said, "Everyone, please stand up." Everyone looked up and saw that his face was cold, and he was obviously angry because of Prince Yi's rebellion.
"Xin Yan, tell me what you have found out in the past few days."
The Minister of Justice who was named bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I have detained and interrogated the remnants of the Rong Kingdom separately. Their leaders and confidants said the same thing. Prince Yi has long been dissatisfied with Your Majesty and hates Prime Minister Song even more. Prime Minister Song was once assassinated by the people of the Rong Kingdom, and it was Prince Yi who instigated it. Prince Yi not only provided weapons and medicines to the remnants of the Rong Kingdom, but also hid them in the secret room of the palace for several days."
"The attack on the hunting ground was a conspiracy between Prince Yi and Scholar Lu and others. Scholar Lu's nephew, Lu Xuan, was also involved. He couldn't stand the torture and confessed a lot. It turned out that the former Dali Temple Minister Zhang Shucai, who was sentenced to death by Your Majesty, the scholar Sun who gathered people for fornication, and the former Taichang Temple Minister who was dismissed were all closely related to Prince Yi. Prince Yi had secretly formed a party a long time ago. It was only because the late emperor valued him when he was alive, and Your Majesty did not give him important tasks after he ascended the throne, that he resented Your Majesty."
"Most of Prince Yi's followers are at odds with Prime Minister Song, and they targeted Prime Minister Song many times with Prince Yi's instructions, including framing Prime Minister Song's subordinates, causing the Chu family shop to be wronged, and planting spies in the Mingjing Division to harm Prime Minister Song. What's even more outrageous is that Prince Yi once ordered people to cause trouble during Prime Minister Song's fight against the epidemic, attempting to kill Prime Minister Song in the west of the city."
"Lü Xuan has provided the list of Prince Yi's accomplices that he knows of. It is a foregone conclusion that Prince Yi has committed treason. Your Majesty, please decide how to deal with Prince Yi and his accomplices."
When the Minister of Justice finished speaking, everyone was in an uproar.
Although everyone knew that Prince Yi was plotting treason, no one expected him to have committed so many crimes.
Harming imperial officials, obstructing the imperial court's fight against the epidemic, being disloyal and disrespectful to the monarch... every single one of them is a serious crime!
"After the hunting grounds were attacked, Prime Minister Song and I discovered Prince Yi's whereabouts near Longlin Mountain, and were ambushed by him. This chilled me to the core, and now that I hear about his crimes, I am even more heartbroken."
Jun Li Luo lowered his eyes and looked at the list handed over by the Minister of Justice. His voice was angry and trembling. "He is my uncle. Although I didn't give him an important task, I treated him well. But he treated me like this!"
When Song Yunchu saw Jun Liluo start to act again, he quickly echoed: "Your Majesty, please don't be sad. Prince Yi is your uncle and has enjoyed all the honors and wealth, but he betrayed the emperor's grace and tried to shake the country. This is really treasonous! Even if your majesty values family affection, you must never forgive such a traitor."
"I second the motion."
General Zhao also spoke up, indignantly saying, "Thunderbolts and raindrops are all grace from the emperor. Prince Yi was first a minister and then the emperor's uncle. How could he harbor resentment towards Your Majesty just because he is not valued? Such a treacherous villain is not worthy of standing in the court, let alone receiving Your Majesty's mercy!"
"I second the motion."
After General Zhao, Gong Mingyuan quickly took over the conversation, "Your Majesty has always been kind and benevolent, but Prince Yi is a treacherous and evil person. Please do not be soft-hearted towards Prince Yi just because he is the emperor's uncle. In my opinion, Prince Yi's crime is unforgivable and his death is not a pity!"
"I second the motion. Your Majesty, please severely punish the traitors!"
As the seconding voices rang out, Jun Liluo's face showed pain, and then he seemed to have made up his mind and said in a deep voice: "You are all right. I will never forgive anyone who endangers the country, even if he is my uncle."
"Jun Tianyi has defied the emperor's grace and colluded with the enemy for treason. His title will be revoked immediately. The government will post bounties everywhere on the streets to bring the traitor to justice as soon as possible."
"Lü Hao and his nephew Lü Xuan will be executed immediately. All men of the Lü family will be exiled a thousand miles away as slaves, and the women, children, and servants will be driven out of the city."
"The rest of the gang will be handed over to the Ministry of Justice for punishment. For those who did not participate in the treason, their families can be exempted from punishment and simply expelled from the city."
Everyone said, "Your Majesty is wise."
"There is one more important matter that I want to inform you all."
Jun Li Luo spoke again, his voice cold and steady, "After being ambushed at the foot of Longlin Mountain, Prime Minister Song and I were trapped in a cave full of traps. In order to protect me, Prime Minister Song was injured by the traps. The next day, it was snowing all over the sky. I had a sudden heart attack. Prime Minister Song's internal injuries had not healed yet, but he held on and carried me through the wilderness in the wind and snow. If we hadn't met a hidden master who rescued us, Prime Minister Song and I probably wouldn't be able to appear in front of you today."
When Jun Li Luo said this, not only were all the officials stunned, even Song Yunchu found it a little unbelievable.
He dared to make up such a story... She didn't even dare to listen.
"Song Qing's loyalty to the emperor and patriotism are evident to all. If I had not shared the hardships with Song Qing, I would not have known that she would fight so hard for me, not even caring about her own life."
Jun Li Luo seemed to be feeling emotional. The next moment, he turned his gaze to Song Yunchu who was standing in front of all the officials, and his voice was steady and powerful.
"Right Prime Minister Song Yunchu has made great contributions in protecting the emperor. He is brave and loyal. He should be given a higher rank. I specially grant him a seal and confer him the title of King of a different surname, King Ning. He will assist me and help me to keep the country safe."
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