Chapter 580: When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter
The emperor remained silent for a long time, sitting there with an expressionless face, as if he had aged many years in an instant.
There was a sense of oppression in the air.
The evidence is conclusive, what else is there to say?
His imperial sister is so ambitious. She raises private soldiers and wants to be the emperor.
The emperor turned his head to the side, not wanting to look at the eldest princess again.
"I didn't have such thoughts before," the eldest princess suddenly said. "Ah Yan, I think you are a good emperor. I am very pleased to see you governing the Great Zhou better and better. Ah Yan, you are a wise ruler. But in recent years, your health has been getting worse and worse... You are good, but your sons are not. The third son looks humble, but he is ambitious. He looks tolerant, but he is actually vindictive. He looks thoughtful, but he is full of mistakes. And the sixth son is just a naughty child, too naive, and knows nothing. How can such a child be an emperor?"
"Actually, he is the most like you..." The eldest princess said, then suddenly thought of something and stopped talking abruptly.
But the emperor heard it.
He knew who the princess was talking about.
He would occasionally think of that child; in fact, that child looked the most like him.
Unfortunately, his mother's surname was Xiao.
He sometimes wondered if this was retribution, which was why none of his other sons were to his liking.
Neither the princess nor the emperor noticed that when they were talking about this, Wei Qing suddenly turned his head and looked at the princess. His eyes flashed with a coldness that quickly disappeared.
He lowered his head again, reducing his presence to a minimum.
"The third son is very filial." The emperor muttered, as if he wanted to explain something.
The princess continued with a sincere expression, "I can't bear to see the Great Zhou you've worked so hard to govern fall into decline again, so..."
"So you wanted to rebel for my sake. You raised private soldiers, stored armor, imposed heavy taxes, and made the people's lives miserable. Is this all for me?" Emperor Zhou suddenly showed a sarcastic smile and looked at the eldest princess.
The once close siblings eventually became enemies because of power.
The eldest princess knew that her emotional appeal was no longer effective, so she restrained her expression and looked at the emperor coldly.
"It seems that His Majesty will not forgive me, so I can only die to atone for my sin." The eldest princess said, and suddenly rushed towards the pillar.
With a loud bang, the eldest princess fell to the ground. There was a hole in her head and blood was gushing out. Her face was pale and she looked like she had lost her life.
The emperor stared blankly, without saying a word for a long time.
The eldest princess was hit so hard that she was only breathing her last breath. However, she was eventually rescued, sent back to the princess's mansion, and placed under house arrest.
The emperor did not take any action against the eldest princess, but the power of the eldest princess quickly collapsed.
All the ministers in the court who had any connection with the eldest princess were purged one by one, especially those who were related to the eldest princess by marriage, all of whom were dismissed and imprisoned.
For a time, everyone felt insecure.
Wangxian County is also a key location for investigation. There is a long list of people on the list, and all of them will be taken to the capital for trial.
Therefore, the three judicial departments, namely the Dali Temple, the Ministry of Justice, and the Supervisory Yuan, were extremely busy.
Wei Qing was so busy that even if he missed his wife and babies, he didn't even have time to see them.
Prince Rui's Palace.
While Wei Qing was investigating Wangxian County and fighting wits and courage with the eldest princess, Zhao Shu and Jinse also did a lot of things.
During this period, there was an autumn hunt.
Because the outside world was spreading the news that the emperor was in poor health, the emperor decided to participate in the hunt himself in order to prove his health.
Jinse also learned from the gods that the emperor would be assassinated during the autumn hunt. Jinse quickly told Zhao Shu about this and asked him to take this opportunity to make a contribution.
During the autumn hunt, Zhao Shu deliberately followed the emperor closely and was indeed attacked by an assassin.
Zhao Shu risked his life to block the fatal sword in front of the emperor, but he himself was seriously injured and almost died.
Because of this move, Zhao Shu regained the emperor's favor, gained the qualification to attend court, and participated in political affairs again.
The Third Prince's faction also breathed a sigh of relief and held their heads high again.
Unexpectedly, when things seemed to be getting better, something happened to the eldest princess.
Jinse was the eldest princess's adopted daughter, and the most favored one, so she was naturally greatly affected.
Zhao Shu actually wanted to distance himself from the matter, but he knew that there was a fairy beside Jinse who could tell her things that had not yet happened and had the ability to predict the future. Zhao Shu had tasted the sweetness of this ability, so he tried his best to protect Jinse.
Jinse thought that Zhao Shu loved her deeply and was very moved. She even wanted to get some information from the gods to help her husband.
The Dali Temple investigated Jinse several times but could not find any evidence that she was involved in the eldest princess's rebellion case, so Jinse temporarily escaped the connection.
In addition, all the servants in the Princess's Mansion were also detained in the Ministry of Justice's prison.
Hundreds of people were locked up in several cells, huddled together and trembling with fear.
The eldest princess's male favorites were locked up in one place.
One of them was in a corner, seemingly isolated.
His white clothes were dirty and his hair was very messy.
Several people took turns walking up to him and provoking him.
At that time, this man's status in the mansion was much higher than theirs, and the eldest princess treated him very specially. He could easily get things that they couldn't even ask for, so they were very jealous of him.
At this time, as fellow prisoners, it was natural for them to make some sarcastic remarks.
Moreover, he might have concealed the princess's rebellion and failed to report it, and his crime was even more serious than theirs.
However, Shen Qingliu did not take their provocation seriously and did not react at all.
Shen Qingliu closed his eyes and had no expression on his face, but the fingers tapping on his thigh revealed his anxiety, as if he was waiting for something.
After a few days, the prison door opened and a jailer walked up to Shen Qingliu.
"Follow me!"
Shen Qingliu stood up and followed the jailer out.
This trip was definitely not a good thing. Countless eyes fell on him, some gloating, some sympathetic.
Shen Qingliu followed the man out of the prison, turned several corners, and then entered a room.
Among them, someone was already waiting for him.
The man was tall and had a serious face. He gave his name: "Wu Yu."
Shen Qingliu's eyes lit up.
"Master Wu!"
During this period, Shen Qingliu felt like he was dreaming.
The eldest princess's power was like a behemoth. When Madam Wu said she wanted to overthrow her, Shen Qingliu felt it was difficult and that he would have to wait for a long time. However, he did not expect that this day would come so soon.
The eldest princess's crime of treason was exposed, and the princess's mansion underwent earth-shaking changes.
He was also imprisoned in a dungeon.
He was also a little worried. Would Madam Wu forget him? Would his relationship with the princess implicate him? Was Jiaojiao safe? Would he and Jiaojiao ever meet again?
He was tormented by those anxieties and was very surprised to see Wu Yu.
"I will arrange for you to meet your wife." Wei Qing said.
Shen Qingliu frowned: "Thank you, sir. Sir, will there be any problem if I leave like this?"
"Mr. Shen has done enough. I will take care of the rest." Wei Qing said, patting Shen Qingliu's shoulder, "Don't worry."
Shen Qingliu frowned and bowed deeply towards him: "Thank you very much, sir."
"You and your wife should stay in the capital for a while, and leave after the storm has passed." Wei Qing instructed.
Shen Qingliu nodded.
"I heard from my wife that you passed the imperial examination three years ago. Unfortunately, I can't help you restore your fame." Wei Qing said.
Shen Qingliu, a student who had passed the examination and even participated in the palace examination, unexpectedly became the eldest princess's male favorite.
This must have been done with the emperor's tacit approval.
The eldest princess fell, but the emperor would not go back on his word, so Shen Qingliu had no way to restore his reputation.
"Sir, fame, wealth and honor are like passing clouds to me. Now I just want to live a peaceful and stable life with my wife." Shen Qingliu said.
After Shen Qingliu said goodbye to Wei Qing, he got on the carriage that Wei Qing had arranged for him.
The carriage made a creaking sound as it moved along the road.
Shen Qingliu had ridden in a carriage countless times, but he had never felt as relaxed and full of anticipation as this time.
This carriage is the one that takes him out of the cage, towards freedom and a wider world.
The carriage finally stopped in front of a small courtyard.
Shen Qingliu got off the carriage and walked to the small courtyard.
He hesitated at the door for a moment, tidied his hair, brushed off the black dust on his body, and then knocked on the door.
After waiting for a while, the door opened.
The person who opened the door was indeed Xu Jiao, wearing peasant clothes, with her hair simply tied up, and a simple outfit.
Xu Jiao looked at Shen Qingliu and couldn't help wiping her eyes with her hands.
The two of them just stared at each other.
Shen Qingliu smiled, took a step closer to her, and hugged her tightly in his arms.
Xu Jiao also reached out and hugged him.
She traveled through mountains and rivers, across thousands of miles, and finally found her husband. They will be together forever and never be separated again.
The eldest princess's case affected not only the capital, but also Wangxian County.
The old officials were taken to the capital, new officials took office, and taxes were reduced.
In the mountains.
An old man with a hunched back was spreading out medicinal herbs to dry in the sun.
At this moment, a small figure ran over quickly.
"Grandpa! Grandpa!" Gou Wa shouted loudly.
The old man turned around and said with a cold face: "Why are you running so fast? There is a tiger chasing you!"
Gou Wa pulled his sleeve and said happily, "Grandpa, we can go down the mountain now."
The old man was stunned for a moment.
After a while, the village chief came to the place where Gou Wa was walking.
"What's going on?"
"The taxes have been reduced, so you don't have to hide in this mountain anymore! There are too many poisonous snakes on this mountain, and it's too dangerous to live here. Uncle Agui, come down the mountain with me." The village chief said happily.
"Taxes reduced?"
"Yes, there's a year's tax exemption! A few officials came yesterday and renovated your old house. Hurry up and pack up and go down the mountain."
The old man turned around to pack his things, looking dazed.
Taxes reduced?
Another year of tax exemption?
"Grandpa, we can eat white rice now!" Gou Wa said happily.
The old man suddenly thought of something. When the imperial envoy left, he said that he would not let Gou Wa repeat his father's fate!
The Imperial Envoy really did it!
The old man couldn't help but quicken his pace and walked into the room, his whole person becoming cheerful.
"Okay, pack up and go down the mountain!"
So happy and full of hope!
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