"Bring the manager of Liuyun Pavilion here," Xie Qiyu ordered coldly. Soon after, men from the Dali Temple escorted the manager of Liuyun Pavilion to the main hall.
The shopkeeper, his face bruised and swollen, knelt down with a thud, and his confession was quickly presented to Xie Qiyu.
Xie Qiyu carefully reviewed the confession and asked, "Manager Liu, you said your daughter was a maidservant to Lu Anrou and was beaten to death by Lu Anrou with a whip."
"You want revenge on Lu Anrou, but why did you have to choose yesterday of all times?"
The shopkeeper readily agreed, stubbornly replying, "Because I know that once Lu Anrou and that servant's affair is exposed, she will never be able to marry into the Prince Yi's mansion, and even Empress Dowager Du will no longer protect her."
People say that even a tiger fallen into a pit is bullied by dogs; only when Lu Anrou is in a vulnerable position do ordinary people have a chance to act.
Then the shopkeeper, Liu, kowtowed repeatedly, pleading, "Your Majesty, please do justice for my daughter! She was just a child who had just come of age, and she was beaten to death by Lu Anrou..."
As he spoke, he cried and wailed, tears streaming down his face, leaving even the kneeling ministers dumbfounded.
Things changed a bit too fast; before they could even process what had happened, another one came along.
Xie Qiyu tapped the confession lightly with his fingers. He weighed it in his mind. The old bald monk had pushed out a scapegoat, and all the links were connected properly. With his current abilities, he couldn't find any other mistakes by the old bald monk.
So this is the only way things can be, and the fact that we were able to find out at this level is thanks to the great help of his younger brother and sister-in-law.
"So, according to you, you killed Lu Anrou to get revenge, and then faked her hanging herself?" Xie Qiyu lifted his eyelids.
Manager Liu looked up, his eyes filled with unbearable grief, "Yes, Your Majesty, that's how it is."
As he spoke, he turned his head and looked deeply at the swirling snow outside, and began to wail and cry again, "My daughter, my poor daughter, I have avenged you. May you rest in peace in the afterlife."
Since the servants had just said that Lu Anrou would whip them at will, Manager Liu's testimony sounded perfectly reasonable to the ministers.
This is a father who loves his daughter dearly. He avenged her by taking revenge on Princess Anrou, who abused her status to commit evil deeds. This father has rid the people of a scourge.
Seeing the seemingly genuine grief on Manager Liu's face, Jiang Luoluo ground her teeth and muttered under her breath, "Oscar, you really deserve an Oscar."
Xie Yizhi had already gotten up from his seat and came behind her. He was now close to Jiang Luoluo, so he heard her words clearly.
"Oscar, the little golden man..." Xie Yizhi's mind had already wandered far away. Sure enough, sure enough, all the coincidences were proving that Jiang Luoluo was the same as him, from that world?
Jiang Luoluo marveled at the speed and number of spies that the Prince of Yan had anticipated the Empress Dowager Du's downfall in the main hall from the moment she entered the palace with her entourage.
So he quickly pushed Manager Liu out as a scapegoat. This time he couldn't completely bring down the Prince of Yan, so he would have to wait for the next time.
There's no need to bring up the secret door Jiang Luoluo discovered in Liuyun Pavilion, nor is there any need to mention the danger Lu Anrou encountered in Liuyun Pavilion.
This led the Prince of Yan to believe that they had not yet discovered him as the mastermind behind everything, thus lulling them into a false sense of security.
Xie Qiyu sat upright on the throne and spoke calmly: "Manager Liu murdered the princess without permission. Although he deserves his punishment, considering that he sought revenge for his daughter, he will be temporarily imprisoned and executed after spring."
Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the hall paused slightly, and none of the ministers dared to utter a sound, waiting quietly for his next words.
“Lu Anrou whipped a servant to death, disregarding human life, and should be punished. However, since the person has already passed away, her family property will be confiscated and she will be fined 100,000 taels of gold, which will be given to the servants who were harmed in the Princess’s mansion as compensation.”
Upon hearing this, the maids and servants' eyes reddened, and they couldn't help but look at each other and weep.
For them, this is not just financial compensation, but also a matter of justice.
"As for his maid Cuiliu, she aided and abetted the tyrant and was punished with fifty strokes of the cane."
Standing in the corner, Cui Liu's expression changed drastically, and she swayed as if she was about to faint at any moment.
Before she could completely give in, the Imperial Guards had already stepped forward and dragged her away.
Xie Qiyu glanced at the kneeling ministers, a slight smirk playing on his lips: "As for you ministers, you have listened to slander and failed to distinguish truth from falsehood, yet you have attempted to frame Prince Yi. I cannot tolerate this."
A fine of 100,000 taels of gold shall be imposed, to be turned over to the national treasur
These words shocked the entire hall.
The ministers' faces instantly turned extremely ugly, but they were helpless.
Although the 100,000 taels of gold did not kill them, it was undoubtedly a painful loss for them, like having their flesh cut off.
But now, let alone protest, they didn't even have the courage to get up. Empress Dowager Du had already slipped back to her bedchamber, leaving them alone.
The commotion they had just experienced had already left them drenched in cold sweat.
"Your Majesty is wise!" they gritted their teeth and forced out these four words.
At this moment, snowflakes fell softly outside the hall, the chill unabated, while inside the hall, undercurrents surged due to this dramatic change.
Suddenly, all the maids and servants who had been kneeling on the ground prostrated themselves, kowtowing and weeping with joy, shouting in unison, "Long live the Emperor! The Emperor is wise!"
Their blood, tears, and humiliation have finally been vindicated today.
Xie Qiyu waved his hand, signaling Manager Liu to take him away. Then he looked up and his gaze fell on Jiang Luoluo. He was truly fortunate to have such a younger brother and sister-in-law.
Jiang Luoluo had already turned around and was quietly looking at Xie Yizhi, her eyes filled with indescribable relief and joy at surviving a disaster.
Suddenly, she smiled and took a light step forward. Xie Yizhi's lips curled up, and without hesitation, he reached out and pulled her into a tight embrace.
She leaned against his warm chest, feeling his heartbeat steady and strong.
For her, it was enough that he was able to stand here unharmed.
The hall was silent for a moment, with only the wind and snow falling softly outside the window, as if it were isolated from the world.
Xie Qiyu watched the two embracing, a smile flashing in his eyes.
Dingdang, Mofeng, and Moyang, who were standing to the side, exchanged a secret glance and couldn't help but smirk.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
