It was impossible for a high-ranking official like Xu Bingzhe to actually kill his wife and marry another.
That would be too risky.
Killing one's wife is a serious crime; not only will one lose face, but one will also lose their official position.
Although women in the Song Dynasty did not have the same high status as those in the Tang Dynasty, wives were still the mistress of the household, a much higher status than concubines, and could not be killed casually.
What do you expect the current empress to think?
So, everything He Liming said was a lie to Zhang Yue'e.
Zhang Yue'e was the daughter of an ordinary small merchant family. Back then, Xu Bingzhe was a poor scholar who couldn't afford to go to the capital to take the imperial examination. That's when he and Zhang Yue'e had a typical romance story from an ancient Chinese drama.
This melodramatic plot continues to this day: the man has become a high-ranking official, but now he despises his wife for being a haggard old woman.
Unfortunately, his wife was a shrew. Xu Bingzhe took several concubines, but they were all driven to suicide by his wife.
The couple's conflicts had been building up for some time.
Since the establishment of the Ministry of Commerce last year, merchants from Tokyo like Shangguan Hongru have started to make a fortune after aligning with the imperial court's policies.
The Shangguan family also began their upward climb, just as Xu Bingzhe was looking for beautiful women and money.
Just then, the Shangguan family wanted to curry favor with a high-ranking official, and the two sides hit it off immediately.
The Shangguan family then embarked on a path of using beautiful women to seduce Xu Bingzhe.
That's how this scene came about.
Xu Bingzhe never dreamed that his wife would reveal his embezzlement and collusion with the Jin army.
He had explained the implications to his wife: if the truth came out at this time, he would be beheaded and his entire clan would be exiled to the frontier.
He believed that his wife was in the same boat as him and would never tell anyone.
But he clearly underestimated what women can do when they go crazy.
He Liming organized Zhang Yue'e's statement and handed it over to Zhao Huan in its entirety.
Zhao Huan was astonished; this was more dramatic than any novel.
This incident also serves as a reminder of how important it is to find a reliable partner.
I've married a scumbag; I'll probably be swindled for the rest of my life.
Thinking about it this way, Zhao Huan felt truly happy.
At least his empress, Zhu Lian, was virtuous and modest, and his harem did not experience the melodramatic palace intrigues depicted in later Qing dynasty dramas.
Otherwise, given Zhao Huan's personality, he would have killed all women!
Zhao Huan still remembered that in orthodox history, after the fall of Tokyo, this Xu Bingzhe dug up the ground three times to plunder women for the Jin army.
After traveling back in time, the Jingkang Incident had not occurred, and the capital city of Tokyo had not fallen.
Zhao Huan couldn't punish Xu Bingzhe just because of what happened in another dimension.
But things are different now. Even though the Jingkang Incident did not happen, Xu Bingzhe still colluded with the Jurchen invaders!
Now Zhao Huan had a reason.
Just as Xu Bingzhe dressed up and prepared to go out to find a beauty, the gate of his mansion was kicked open by the Imperial Guards.
Subsequently, Xu Bingzhe was dragged away like a dead, fat pig.
Zhao Huan sat in the prison, drinking tea as he watched the Imperial Guards whip Xu Bingzhe mercilessly.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! I am innocent! I am innocent!"
Zhao Huan smiled slightly and said, "Keep fighting! Fight until he tells you!"
Xu Bingzhe now wished he could chop that bitch into pieces with a kitchen knife, but unfortunately he was already a prisoner.
After a brutal beating, the Imperial Guards began pricking his fingernails with their talismans.
Xu Bingzhe simply couldn't take it anymore.
"Your Majesty, I deserve to die! I beg Your Majesty to have mercy and spare me! I will tell you everything!"
"explain!"
"Your Majesty, it was Wu Min! It was Wu Min who made me do this!"
"Don't talk nonsense! Wu Min is loyal to the emperor and loves his country. If you dare to deceive me, I will exterminate your entire family! I will have you executed by slow slicing!"
"Your Majesty, what I said is true!"
“Before His Majesty ascended the throne, Wanyan Zongwang was still in Hebei, and Wu Min wrote a letter to him!”
"The court has treated him well, so why did he write a letter to Wanyan Zongwang?"
"To save his life! To save his life! The Jurchens are too powerful; he fears that once Tokyo falls, his life will be in danger!"
"Who else?"
"And...and Li Bangyan, Bai Shizhong, Wang Fu..."
The more he spoke, the uglier Zhao Huan's expression became.
Although he had already beheaded these people, he was still filled with anger.
The imperial court collects heavy taxes to support them, but when the country is in crisis, they don't even think about how to defend against foreign enemies; instead, they all prepare a way out for themselves.
This reminded Zhao Huan of Emperor Chongzhen at the end of the Ming Dynasty. Chongzhen was truly tragic!
This is a thousand times more shameful than negotiating peace!
Zhao Huan slammed his hand on the table and said, "Wang Kui'an, provide the Emperor Emeritus with a copy of his statement, so that the Emperor Emeritus can see what his favored ministers are really thinking!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
How could I not share this with Emperor Huizong?
Those people were promoted by him, so of course he had to be shown how terrible he was at recognizing and employing people!
Zhao Huan wanted to make Zhao Ji depressed, preferably to the point of vomiting blood!
The next morning at court, after the ministers had finished presenting their reports, everyone thought the court was about to adjourn.
Suddenly, the Imperial Censor He Ye stepped forward and declared loudly and righteously, "Your Majesty, I wish to impeach Wu Min!"
What's wrong with him now?
The ministers were puzzled. For more than a year, Wu Min had been like an ordinary passerby in the court, doing his job quietly and conscientiously.
What's wrong with you, you shameless bastard? What's gotten into you again?
Why did Censor He impeach Minister Wu?
"Your Majesty, Wu Min colluded with the Jurchen invaders, betrayed the country, and deserves to be executed by slow slicing!"
Just now, everyone was in the imperial court, discussing the progress, problems, and solutions for the upcoming agricultural, commercial, and transportation planning in a proper and amicable manner.
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