Chapter 835: Trouble
Problems arose on the battlefield of Southern Qi. The involvement of various tribes in the western border caused the Emperor of Qi to give up the desire to negotiate peace. The war, which could have been ended as soon as possible, was suddenly delayed. Xiao Yan was trapped in the south and unable to withdraw his troops. The news that there was no support on the battlefield in the north suddenly spread in the capital.
The northwest was already difficult to defend. The previous hope of leading troops north to attack Beiling because the war in Southern Qi was over was gone, and the shadow of a possible defeat in the northwest war shrouded the entire capital.
The people in the court, who had been barely stabilized by the Queen's strong suppression, were in panic, and the people in the capital were even more shrouded in worry. Cao Dejiang and others frequently entered and exited the palace, and the Queen even ordered people to investigate the rumors outside. However, this move not only failed to appease the people in the court, but made people even more uneasy.
The aristocratic families took advantage of the chaos and the aristocratic officials led by Liang Guangyi suddenly launched an attack at the morning court, directly accusing Shi Qingrong and the Shi family of being wrongly murdered.
Tang Ning angrily said, "Guo Changming was assassinated, and he personally identified Shi Qingrong in public. How can it be said that he was wrongly murdered when there is irrefutable evidence?"
Min An stepped out from the crowd and said, "Your Majesty, what you said is wrong. When Your Majesty was investigating the Ministry of Justice, Guo Changming had already committed a crime. Before he was assassinated, he knew that his crime was unforgivable and had asked for protection from Lord Shi. I was there that day, but Lord Shi did not agree, so he held a grudge against him."
Cao Dejiang: "So, Lord Min, what you're saying is that you already knew about Guo Changming's crime?"
"Of course not!"
How could Min An fall into such an obvious verbal trap? He just said coldly:
"When Guo Changming came to Lord Shi, he simply said he'd committed a crime, saying he'd embezzled money from the Ministry of Justice over the years. If the Empress found out, his position as Minister would be in jeopardy. He wanted Lord Shi and I to cover up for him, but we naturally refused. He then threatened us, saying that if we didn't help, he would drag the Shi family down with him if anything happened to him."
"Guo Changming's wife was once a daughter of the Shi family. If he intended to frame the Shi family, he would not be able to get away with it. Lord Shi and I advised him to surrender himself. He only embezzled some money. At most, we can pool our money to help him make up for it. I believe the Queen will not punish him too harshly then."
"But Guo Changming was being vague and hesitant, refusing to comply with our instructions. Lord Shi sensed something was amiss and became angry, leading to a bitter breakup. Lord Shi and I had originally planned to investigate Guo Changming's activities, but the next day, news broke that Guo Changming had been assassinated, with Lord Shi implicated as the mastermind."
Min An finished explaining what happened between Guo Changming and them in a few words, then said indignantly:
"Guo Changming, as the Minister of Justice, would never do something like that in public. He pointed at Lord Shi out of resentment and anger at Lord Shi for not protecting him."
"Master Shi was framed and wrongly accused. Please, Queen, investigate and give Master Shi justice!"
After Min An finished speaking, other court officials from aristocratic families also stepped forward to defend Shi Qingrong.
Qian Baokun sensed something was wrong and stepped forward, sternly saying, "Absurd! Guo Changming himself testified against you, so how can you say it's a false accusation? And since you knew he was looking for Shi Qingrong, why didn't you say anything earlier? Now that Guo Changming is dead, you're trying to deny it and overturn Shi Qingrong's case?"
"We want to speak too, but when the Empress ordered the arrest of Lord Shi and the confiscation of the Shi family's property, did she ever give anyone else a chance to speak?"
The Fan family official sneered, "The Empress is acting arbitrarily. She imprisoned Lord Shi and trapped the entire family in their mansion based on a casual remark by that criminal Guo Changming. Lord Shi is a veteran of two dynasties, and the Shi family is a family of meritorious officials who have assisted the imperial family and helped establish the Wei Dynasty since the time of Emperor Taizu."
"The Queen arrested such a person without consulting anyone in the court. How could anyone dare to speak up? Aren't they afraid that the Queen will treat them the same way she treated the Shi family?"
Qian Baokun said sternly, "Don't talk nonsense. The evidence is solid!"
Liang Guangyi's face was calm and he looked up indifferently: "Conclusive evidence? Where did the evidence come from? Besides the words of that sinner Guo Changming, is there anything else?"
He held the jade tablet in his arms and spoke pointedly:
"Guo Changming's crimes are unforgivable, and he's related to the Shi family. He knew he couldn't escape, so he wanted to use the Shi family's influence to drag Shi Qingrong into the water, forcing the Shi family to protect his life. It's not impossible. He just didn't expect the Queen to be so decisive and take Shi Qingrong directly."
"Let's put aside his intentions for now and talk about the evidence. Besides the unclear words Guo Changming shouted that day, is there any other evidence that can prove that Shi Qingrong ordered the assassination, or that the Shi family is related to the Ministry of Justice case?"
Unlike Min An and the others who were shouting in anger, Liang Guangyi stood in the hall with a low voice and even a calm expression. However, every word he said silenced the court officials around him, and it was even more aggressive to the queen.
Seeing this, the court officials from the aristocratic families stood behind him one after another, and Min An and others breathed a sigh of relief.
They originally thought that Liang Guangyi didn't want the Liang family to get involved in the money-raising matter, and was even cold towards them. He was probably feeling grudges against them, and they were ready to do things without Liang Guangyi's help this time. But now it seems that Liang Guangyi is still the same Liang Guangyi.
No matter how dissatisfied he was with their actions, as long as it was beneficial to the family and could restore the family to its former glory, he would help them.
Min An and the others were delighted, thinking that with Liang Guangyi's help they could achieve twice the result with half the effort.
Liang Guangyi ignored their little thoughts and just looked calmly at the queen with a sullen face.
"As far as I know, Shi Qingrong has been protesting his innocence since he was imprisoned, refusing to confess. The Shi family hasn't found anything related to this incident. Two of Guo Changming's assassins did survive, but they were taken away by Commander Wu and have since disappeared."
"Her Majesty, what evidence did you obtain from the two assassins when you directly ordered the arrest of Shi Qingrong? If so, Her Majesty, please have it produced, or bring the two assassins here so that all the court officials can hear firsthand the crimes Shi Qingrong committed."
Tang Ning's face was grim: "The two assassins died shortly after being captured."
Someone from the noble family sneered: "Such an important witness is actually dead."
Tang Ning: "They left confessions before they died."
"What a joke! Who can tell if that confession is true or not?"
"presumptuous!"
"I dare not."
Min An said he didn't dare, but his face showed no sign of retreat: "When the assassin was captured, the Queen Mother ordered people to interrogate him privately. Without going through the three courts, she convicted the Shi family and ordered people to arrest Shi Qingrong."
"Let's not talk about whether those two assassins were real or fake. How did Wu Kui and the people from the Beijing Patrol Camp happen to pass by so coincidentally during the assassination that day? Now that the assassins are dead, who knows what they revealed before they died, and whether that confession was true or false."
"Isn't it too arbitrary and overbearing for Her Majesty to hold the Shi family hostage based solely on these things?"
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