Chapter 766 Everyone Gathers, Trial Begins!
In the Imperial Study.
The arrival of Qiao Qinghe and Madam Zheng immediately attracted everyone's attention.
Especially the three kneeling on the ground: King Qi, King Chu, and Li Sanqi.
They grew up pampered and spoiled, when have they ever knelt for so long?
Emperor Xiaozhao said that once everyone had arrived, they knelt for half an hour.
Upon seeing the two arrive, all three breathed a long sigh of relief.
Now, everyone should be here, right?
Everyone else also turned to look at the two of them.
The officials from the three departments looked at Qiao Qinghe with scrutiny and inquiry, mixed with a hint of curiosity.
The other four people.
Li Jingyue remained calm, only glancing quickly at Qiao Qinghe and Madam Zheng before looking away, lowering her eyes and pretending not to exist.
When Marquis Yongning saw Qiao Qinghe, he frowned almost imperceptibly, and a flash of hatred quickly crossed his eyes.
Marquis Yongchang looked somewhat unnatural, and his eyes were also a little unfocused.
Only the Marquis of Enping gave the two a reassuring look when they entered.
Qiao Qinghe received a look from Marquis Enping and immediately felt reassured.
It seems that the Marquis of Enping was not entirely unprepared.
After Qiao Qinghe and Madam Zheng paid their respects to Emperor Xiaozhao, they were offered seats.
Just when everyone thought that everyone had arrived and it was time to get down to business, Emperor Xiaozhao suddenly went silent again.
Only then did the man realize that not everyone had arrived.
Sure enough, after a cup of tea, another group of people entered the Imperial Study.
If the group led by Marquis Enping were military generals, then this last group were civil officials.
The patriarch of the Zhong family, Zhong Hao, and the patriarch of the Liu family, Liu Wenyan, were the Minister of Rites and the Minister of Revenue, respectively...
Almost all the ministers of the second rank and above arrived.
The vast imperial study felt somewhat crowded after the last group of people entered.
The crowd stood on both sides, creating a scene resembling a small imperial court.
Of course, this is on the premise of ignoring the three princes and princesses kneeling in the middle, as well as Qiao Qinghe and Madam Zheng sitting next to Li Jingyue.
"Great! Everyone's here!"
Emperor Xiaozhao smiled and said, "There are two main things I have summoned you all to the palace today."
"First, settle the case of the deposed crown prince."
"Second, establish a new crown prince."
Emperor Xiaozhao spoke while observing the reactions of the crowd.
Seeing that everyone was focused on their own thoughts and no one spoke, he didn't mind and continued, "Let's talk about the first thing."
Emperor Xiaozhao looked at the row of people standing to his right and said, "The officials of the Three Departments, please tell us about the case of the deposed crown prince. What have you found out?"
The three chief officials of the three departments exchanged glances, and finally, Zhou Ting, the Minister of Justice, stepped forward.
"Your Majesty, regarding the case of the poisoning of the deposed crown prince, after investigation by the Dali Temple, assistance from the Jingzhou Prefecture, and subsequent joint trial by the Three Judicial Offices..."
Emperor Xiaozhao interrupted him coldly, saying, "Stop talking nonsense! Just tell me, who was present in the case of the poisoning of the deposed crown prince, and what did they do?"
"Don't leave a single one behind!"
Zhou Ting quickly bowed and agreed, then began to name names and state the charges: "The Prince of Chu used Princess Huaiyang to inquire about His Majesty's whereabouts. After learning that His Majesty had repeatedly shown leniency towards the deposed Crown Prince, he hinted to Princess Huaiyang to leak the information to the Princess Consort of Chu."
"Then, the Princess Consort of Chu instructed the Yongchang Marquis's Mansion to coerce the Wu family, the maternal family of the former Crown Princess, to file a lawsuit against the deposed Crown Prince for killing his wife."
"Because the case was dragged on and on, the Yongchang Marquis's mansion, having failed in its first attempt, once again forced the Wu family to poison the food of the deposed crown prince's family, killing the deposed crown prince and his wife."
Before Zhou Ting could finish speaking, the King of Chu cried out in anguish, "Injustice! Father! Your son did not use Seventh Sister to inquire about Father's whereabouts, nor did he imply to Seventh Sister to inform the Princess Consort of Chu, nor did he use the Yongchang Marquis's residence to plot against the deposed Crown Prince!"
"Father, please understand, I am innocent!"
No sooner had the King of Chu finished speaking than the Marquis of Yongchang knelt down with a thud, crying out in tears, "Your Majesty, I am innocent! Your Majesty absolutely did not plot to harm the deposed Crown Prince!"
“Your Majesty admits that you did indeed coerce the Wu family into filing a lawsuit against the deposed Crown Prince for killing his wife.”
"But I absolutely did not order anyone to kill the deposed crown prince!"
“My family has already produced an empress and a princess consort of Chu. I am also a military general who holds military power and is highly valued by His Majesty.”
"The Yongchang Marquis's mansion is already a prosperous and flourishing household. What reason would I have to commit the crime of murdering the deposed crown prince?"
"Moreover, the deposed crown prince is my own nephew!"
"Your Majesty, I have absolutely no reason to harm the deposed Crown Prince!"
"We beg Your Majesty to see the truth!"
After hearing what Marquis Yongchang said, King Chu felt he could add something more, so he immediately cried out sincerely, "Father, I have no ambition and no desire for the throne. Not to mention the harmless deposed crown prince, even the great threat King Qi, I have never used any underhanded tricks against him!"
"Moreover, the deposed crown prince is my own elder brother, born of the same mother. How could I possibly kill him?"
"This makes absolutely no sense!"
"Oh, there's more!"
The King of Chu seemed to remember something else and hurriedly said, "Your subject is a straightforward person! When I say I have no desire for the throne, I truly mean it! Otherwise, I wouldn't have publicly broken off my engagement with Princess Gaoping!"
“Princess Gaoping is the most favored fourth young lady of the Yongning Marquis’s mansion. If I marry her, wouldn’t I gain the support of the Yongning Marquis’s mansion?”
"And another thing, Lady Qinghe has also been offended by me!"
"As everyone knows, Lady Qinghe has a close relationship with the Marquis of Enping's mansion and the Duke of Jin's mansion, and is also very close to the Lady of Yongning's mansion and the Princess of Gaoping County."
"But I once argued with Lady Qinghe in public for the sake of a commoner woman!"
"These things are enough to show that I have no ambition."
"So, what reason would I, a son without ambition, have to harm the deposed crown prince?"
"Moreover, I do not have such cunning as to use Seventh Sister and kill someone by taking advantage of Princess Chu and the Yongchang Marquis's mansion."
"These are brain-taxing things, I can't think of them, and I'm not capable of doing them!"
"Father..."
The King of Chu has completely abandoned all shame in order to save his life!
His words silenced everyone present.
Is it really acceptable for someone to say they have no ambition?
How can you say you have no brains?
Is it acceptable for someone to voluntarily declare that they have no interest in the throne and completely withdraw from the struggle for it?
Everyone wore expressions that were hard to describe.
A few, seemingly unafraid of death, even secretly glanced at Emperor Xiaozhao, their eyes filled with deep sympathy.
The Emperor is pitiful too!
Of the two legitimate sons, one plotted rebellion first and was killed later.
One of them is a brainless idiot who has embarrassed himself in front of the entire court.
"Shut up!"
Emperor Xiaozhao's brows furrowed into a deep frown, and his eyes were filled with rage as he looked at the Prince of Chu. If it weren't for the fact that it wasn't the right time, he would have already ordered his men to drag this rebellious son away and give him thirty lashes!
"Father..."
"Didn't you hear me tell you to shut up?"
Emperor Xiaozhao glared at the Prince of Chu through gritted teeth, but finally couldn't hold back and coldly ordered, "Liu Xin, write this down. Once this matter is resolved, no matter the outcome, give this rebellious son thirty lashes!"
"Yes." Liu Xin looked at the King of Chu with sympathy.
He could have avoided a beating, but he insisted on asking for one.
Many people felt sorry for the King of Chu. To anger the emperor to this extent was something even the deposed crown prince had never done.
However, upon hearing this, the King of Chu was overjoyed and exclaimed happily, "Your subject accepts the decree and expresses his gratitude!"
Father is going to punish him with a rod!
After giving him a beating, he shouldn't die, right?!
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