Chapter 525: The Final Settlement
The prince had no idea that Fu Yue would despise him the moment he opened his mouth. He just wished he could have a close relationship with him. Not only did he help him up with his own hands, but he also spoke to him in a more intimate way.
However, when Fu Yue stepped back, he shook off the sleeve that had been touched by the prince with disgust and gave Xiao Yan a displeased look.
Is this the prince you chose?
Xiao Yan pretended not to notice and turned to the Crown Prince, saying, "We'll discuss General Fu's reward later. Right now, the most important thing is to order people to pacify the capital and quell the unrest outside as quickly as possible, lest the vassal kings mistakenly believe that the emperor is uneasy and take advantage of the situation to provoke trouble."
"Master Xiao is right. I will arrange it as soon as possible."
"There's one more thing." Xiao Yan glanced at the table. "Everything that happened tonight was caused by a disturbance at the palace banquet. Your Highness, please order the arrest of those responsible for this disturbance within the palace. This will appease the anger and fright of the lords and allow the Imperial Guards, the Black Armored Guards, and the soldiers who died defending the city to rest in peace."
The court officials in the palace: "..."
They were frightened, indeed, and someone had died outside.
But isn’t Xiao Yan the culprit?
But now that Xiao Yan has control of the military power, it is obvious that the "person causing trouble in the palace" cannot be him.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on Cui Lin, and a small number of them looked at Madam Xuan, whose face was as pale as a tree. Apart from the eldest son and daughter-in-law of the Cui family, who also had pale faces, and the Xuan family members who could not avoid them, everyone else had run away cleanly within ten feet, and there was not a single person in sight.
The Crown Prince naturally leaned towards Xiao Yan. "What Governor Xiao said is true. Cui Lin colluded with the Xuan Qin family, deceiving the emperor and causing chaos in the palace. He also attempted to frame the important officials for the death of the deposed queen. Come, arrest these two!"
The reckoning came so quickly that Cui Lin felt dizzy.
"This old minister is wronged!"
"Unjust?" Qian Baokun wanted to spit in his face. "Madam Xuan just admitted to having an affair with Minister Cui. Minister Cui is still as sharp as a knife. He sold his body to get this drama tonight. It caused chaos in the world and almost destroyed the Wei Dynasty. And you still dare to cry out for injustice?"
"you……"
Cui Lin was shaking with anger. Just as he was about to explain himself, he heard Xiao Yan's cold words.
"Whether it's a wrongful accusation or not will be determined by the Three Courts. All evidence and witnesses from tonight's incident will be handed over to the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple. They will then conduct a joint trial along with the old case from twenty years ago. No one will be wrongly accused."
Xiao Yan said this and looked up at Cui Lin.
"Of course, if Minister Cui is unwilling and feels that the three courts are unfair, he can also go to the Privy Council. This governor does not mind personally conducting the trial."
Cui Lin's face trembled and all the words were stuck in his throat.
"Father..." The eldest daughter-in-law of the Cui family turned pale and whispered, "The Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple are fair in their trials. Minister He and his men would never wrongly accuse anyone. This old case from twenty years ago has nothing to do with you. You were just confused for a moment about the palace affairs. There is nothing else wrong."
"The He family was fair in the past, and Governor Xiao will naturally not violate the He family's precepts. Why don't you go to the Ministry of Justice? After the case is concluded, you will be cleared of all charges..."
"You!" Cui Lin looked at her suddenly.
The eldest son of the Cui family was also in disbelief: "What nonsense are you talking about?!"
That's his father, how could she send him to the Ministry of Justice?!
The eldest daughter-in-law of the Cui family was pulled and staggered. When her knee hit the corner of the table, the blood on her lips faded away due to the pain.
But she just broke free from her husband's hand, lowered her eyes and whispered, "I'm only doing this for my father's good."
"Father was momentarily angry and, unbeknownst to me, believed some rumor. He thought the death of the deposed empress was linked to Governor Xiao. He was deceived into doing something foolish, which allowed others to exploit the situation and cause all the subsequent events. However, he never colluded with anyone to commit treason, and the Dragon Court Guard incident had nothing to do with him."
"Although His Majesty is seriously ill, the Crown Prince is wise and will probably be able to uncover the truth. Moreover, the Privy Council is a crucial place in the court and has more important matters to attend to."
"Father, it's better for you to trust Minister He and the others. They will handle tonight's incident impartially and will also investigate the truth of the old case in the Southland from twenty years ago and bring justice to everyone."
"you!"
The eldest son of the Cui family was furious and wanted to curse, but was interrupted by Liang Guangyi: "Mrs. Cui is right. Since Minister Cui's actions are criminal, they should be strictly investigated by the three courts. Minister Cui, what do you think?"
Cui Lin's face was grim, but his lips trembled as he whispered, "This old minister was confused for a moment and is willing to stand trial..."
"Father!" The eldest son of the Cui family was anxious and panicked.
Xiao Yan, on the other hand, gave Liang Guangyi a meaningful look and waved his hand, saying, "Come here, send Minister Cui and Madam Xuan to the Ministry of Justice."
Someone stepped forward and led the two away. Xiao Yan looked at the Minister of War, Xi Weifang, and said, "Your Highness, Xi Weifang is implicated in corruption within the Ministry of War and selling official positions and titles. I'm afraid the Ministry of Justice will have difficulty in bringing this case to justice..."
The prince was particularly self-aware: "Such evil thieves will naturally be handed over to the Privy Council for trial."
"Your Highness is wise," Xiao Yan said casually, then turned and said, "Canglang, take Xi Weifang away and seal off the entire Xi family. Imprison all male members of the Xi family and confine the female members to their residence. Bring people to search the Xi family residence. Also, send someone to the Ministry of War."
He raised his eyes and scanned the table:
"Minister Yuan?"
The Ministry of War had just replaced Hou Rui, who had conspired with the Lu family and was dismissed earlier. The new Minister Yuan Jiren, who had been in office for less than four months, stepped forward tremblingly.
"Don't worry, Governor Xiao. I will cooperate with the Privy Council to conduct a thorough investigation of the Ministry of War."
Xiao Yan said gently, "Thank you for your hard work, Minister Yuan."
Xi Weifang was old, and when Canglang and his men approached him, he was so scared that he stumbled and fell to the ground. He shouted "unfair" and "the old case in the South has nothing to do with him", but unfortunately no one paid attention to him. He kept struggling and was almost dragged out by the Black Armor Guards.
The bloodstains in the hall had not yet been cleared up, and even two ministers had been "gone". Others couldn't help but tremble when they saw Xiao Yan settling old scores.
Today's Xiao Yan is no longer the eunuch who had to endure in the past. He is a son of the He family and a confirmed Marquis of Xuanyi. He has military power in his hands and has an "unclear" relationship with the Longting Guards. Emperor An has "handed over" the government affairs to the prince because of his serious illness.
The court officials from the noble families were all on edge, fearing that Xiao Yan would call out their names next. However, Xiao Yan changed his previous aggressive attitude and bowed to the Crown Prince, saying softly:
"It's already late, and I still need to take care of things outside. I don't know how His Majesty is doing in the palace, Your Highness the Crown Prince?"
The prince suddenly shuddered and looked quickly at everyone in the hall.
"Minister He, Lord Chen, and Lord Cao, the case of Cui Lin and the old case of Nandi will be handed over to you three. You must find out the truth and give an explanation to the people of the world."
He Cheng from the Ministry of Justice, Chen Yu, the Minister of Justice, and Cao Dejiang all stepped forward and said, "We obey your order."
"General Yin, you are familiar with military affairs. I would like you to work with Governor Xiao to handle military affairs and pacify the capital as soon as possible."
"I obey your order."
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