After Su Bi ascended the throne, the first thing he did was to deal with Su Xu's affairs.
The ministers were arguing endlessly about how to deal with the issue.
On the one hand, they believed that when the new emperor ascended the throne, he should grant amnesty to the whole country. After all, Prince Rui was the emperor's brother. Although his crime was unforgivable, his life should still be spared.
On the other hand, some people believed that Prince Rui had plotted to murder the previous emperor and had no regard for human ethics. If he were to be pardoned from the death penalty, it would be against the will of heaven.
Before the ministers could come to a conclusion, they received the news that Concubine Sun Gui had committed suicide.
Concubine Sun Gui left a letter of confession, taking all the blame for poisoning the previous emperor, saying that Su Xu knew nothing about it, and pleaded with the new emperor to spare his life for the sake of their brotherly relationship.
Anyone with a discerning eye knew that Concubine Sun wanted to save Su Xu's life by dying. If she died, the charge of poisoning the late emperor would be settled, and Su Xu would at most be charged with treason.
Compared to murdering the previous emperor, the world is much more tolerant of the crime of treason for a prince's failed attempt to seize the throne. If the new emperor does not want to be accused of cruelty to his brothers, he will keep Su Xu alive to maintain his image as a benevolent monarch.
As expected, the new emperor finally stripped Su Xu of his title for the crime of treason, demoted him to a commoner, and imprisoned him in the Western Garden.
Considering that Princess Rui was innocent and her brother had made great contributions in protecting the emperor, he graciously allowed her to return home with Su Xuhe.
Sun Shangshu, the assistant minister of the Ministry of War and other members of Su Xu's party were all dismissed from their posts and exiled to Jizhou.
All officials and people praised the new emperor for his kindness, but Ning Xihua didn't think so.
Even she knows that you have to remove the roots before you can get rid of them. Why would Su Bi leave Su Xu as a time bomb here, waiting for him to do something weird again?
"You're not really going to let Su Xu go just like that, are you?"
Ning Xihua looked doubtful.
"Why, the Queen doesn't believe me?"
Su Bi asked her with a smile. He was just like before, never shying away from discussing the affairs of the previous dynasty with her, and had never addressed himself as "I" in front of her.
"I just feel that you are such a sinister...smart person, you must have a trick up your sleeve. After Concubine Sun died, you let Su Xu off so easily. This is not like your character."
Su Bi raised an eyebrow when he heard this, "What kind of personality do I have?"
If he meets a god, he kills the god; if he meets a Buddha, he kills the Buddha. No one can influence his thoughts and personality.
But she dared not tell the truth, she only sneered and flattered, "The emperor's heart of decisive killing!"
Su Bi raised the corner of his mouth but did not expose her.
"When I first ascended the throne, the world wanted a benevolent ruler, so I gave them one. But it won't be long before someone will beg me to give up my mercy and become a wise ruler who slaughters his brothers."
Ning Xihua curled her lips, knowing that someone as sinister as him would definitely do something bad in secret.
Su Bi hugged her waist and gritted his teeth in her ear, "The Queen seems a little dissatisfied?"
"I didn't, I wasn't, don't talk nonsense!"
Ning Xihua hastily denied it. She didn't want to be caught by him again and be tortured to the point of being unable to get out of bed.
"You did, I saw. As compensation..."
Su Bi didn't listen to her excuses, she just picked him up and carried him into the inner room.
Ning Xihua: ...Fuck, what a mistake, I’ve been controlled by him again!
…
A few days later, a secret suddenly began to spread in the teahouses and taverns of the capital, saying that the plague in Yizhou a few years ago was man-made, and the murderer behind it was the now imprisoned deposed king Su Xu.
The people of the capital suddenly remembered the scene when the new emperor was still the crown prince and a man from Yizhou stopped his driver in the street and cried out for justice in public.
Many people were watching at the time, and that person clearly said that the plague in Yizhou was man-made.
Later, a palace coup occurred, the previous emperor died, and the new emperor ascended the throne, and they forgot about this shocking case.
Could it be that the deposed king really did it? The people were talking about it, and the more they thought about it, the more they thought it was possible.
The scholars and students who liked to gather in Tingfeng Tower to discuss state affairs were even more determined.
"I have an uncle who is an aide to the Linhua Palace. It is said that on the day of the palace coup, the emperor had intended to personally report the plague in Yizhou to the late emperor, but before any result was known, the deposed prince Su Xu led his troops to force the palace!"
The student had a profound expression that said, "Please taste it carefully."
Everyone suddenly realized.
"No wonder the deposed king rebelled without any warning. He must have been guilty! He poisoned Yizhou and killed so many people. The late emperor would not tolerate him!"
"That's right. That bunch of old-fashioned ministers forced the emperor to spare the life of the deposed king in the name of mercy, but they never thought of being merciful to him. Who would be merciful to so many people who died in Yizhou?"
"I am from Yizhou! My grandfather died of the plague. At that time, nearly half of the houses in Yizhou hung white flags, and the sound of wailing could be heard throughout the city! If it weren't for the current emperor and the queen who saved the situation, Yizhou would probably be littered with corpses today!"
A student from Yizhou was even more emotional. Anyone who had experienced the plague personally would not just treat it as an anecdote.
Everyone was infected by his emotions and became excited.
"We who read the books of sages must not allow such people who bring disaster to the country and the people to go unpunished and live out the rest of their lives in peace!"
"Yes! Let's go together to petition the emperor, asking him to thoroughly investigate the Yizhou plague case and bring justice to the people of Yizhou!"
The crowd was furious, and for the sake of justice, they went to the palace gate to petition. On the way, some common people heard the whole story and joined them spontaneously, causing the petition team to become larger and larger.
In the palace, Su Bi was preparing to take Ning Xihua for a nap.
Chang Yi looked inside the house, but finally went in reluctantly to report.
"Your Majesty, a large number of people and students have gathered at the palace gate, petitioning for a thorough investigation of the Yizhou plague case."
Ning Xihua raised an eyebrow when he heard this. It turned out that Su Bi had a back-up plan here.
Su Bi patted Ning Xihua on the shoulder, turned around and ordered, "Call all the ministers to the palace to meet the emperor."
After saying that, he leaned over, hugged her, and prepared to go to the Yu Palace.
Ning Xihua pushed him away with an impatient look on her face.
Hurry up and don't delay her sleep!
This guy is not a human being when he gets angry. He tortures her every night.
Su Bi smiled and didn't get angry. She just whispered something in her ear and then left in a leisurely manner.
Ning Xihua was left alone on the couch, blushing, helpless and furious.
Not long after Su Bi left, Song Yi also came to report that Princess Kang Le wanted to see her.
Su Yue?
Ning Xihua understood, it seems that this feeling cannot be repaired.
Su Yue was a little nervous when she entered the palace, and she was ready to be harassed. After all, the two of them had been at odds since childhood, and not long ago she had even sung a different tune from Ning Xihua at the Beginning of Autumn banquet.
But now she has become the empress, the mother of the country and is favored by everyone, while she is just a married princess who has lost her support and has to make a living under her.
The reality made her let go of her past arrogance and domineering attitude, and she bowed her head to beg the person she once looked down upon the most.
"Your Majesty, I know that this request for an audience is somewhat presumptuous. But I still hope that Your Majesty will show mercy and speak a few good words to the Emperor, and spare my third brother... and spare the life of the deposed Prince Su Xu."