"Oh! Prime Minister Li, don't you know what it means to use deception in war? Since the emperor is willing to come to me, then he must have the antidote to the bone-shedding powder."
Prime Minister Li's pupils suddenly dilated, and the assassin Black Duck laughed and slapped Prime Minister Li's face hard.
"Prime Minister Li, you don't need to be surprised, let alone hate me. Although we brothers are death warriors, death warriors are just suppressed thoughts, not without thoughts. You can't treat us as fools. At this time, the emperor has thrown such a big offer to us. They are the imperial guards, and they have given us the antidote. Why should we join you in harming the emperor? Moreover, the emperor forgave us for assassinating Concubine Hui because we killed so many brothers. We brothers will follow such a master."
Although Prime Minister Li was tied up, he remained neither humble nor arrogant. He glanced at Zhou Beichen coldly and mockingly.
"Little Emperor, now that things have come to this, and my people are being suppressed by yours, I know I won't be around for long. However, I'm not afraid to tell you that since these Black Ducks can clearly betray me, they will definitely betray you when there's a greater benefit. If you keep people like them around, how can you really sit securely on the throne?"
Prime Minister Li believed that if he had a hard time, those who betrayed him would definitely have a hard time, so he gave Zhou Beichen a love potion.
Hei Ya's body trembled violently, and he subconsciously looked up and looked at Zhou Beichen. If the emperor didn't believe him, everything would be over. However, he was the one who betrayed people first, so if the emperor didn't believe him, he couldn't blame him.
Zhou Beichen sneered, "As the saying goes, trust people when you employ them, and don't employ people when you doubt them. My dear Li, remember this: Black Duck's relationship with you is that you forced him, but his relationship with me is that I helped him in times of trouble."
"Little Emperor, you..."
Prime Minister Li twisted his body and tried to stand up. He was about to say something angrily when Black Duck suddenly kicked him in the vital point. Then, everyone heard a deafening cry, "Ah... my vital point, Black Duck, even if I become a ghost, I will not let you go. It is you who betrayed me."
Prime Minister Li's body twisted in pain. Zhou Beichen glanced at him with disgust, his face full of impatience.
"Prime Minister Li has deceived the emperor, assassinated the empress, and attempted rebellion. For all these serious crimes, he will be beheaded at noon tomorrow. All the men in the Li family will be exiled to the frontier, and all the women will be sent to the military camp to serve as prostitutes."
Prime Minister Li's legs went limp and he fell to the ground, as if he had lost all his strength. He had wanted to rush to the sky on his own, but he didn't expect to be knocked down so quickly. What a mistake, what a mistake.
Prime Minister Li looked several years older in an instant. When he was dragged away for support and took off his court crown, he looked like an old, trembling, and unsteady old man.
Zhou Beichen waved his hand and said, "Take him away, Prime Minister Li. Go to prison and reflect on your actions. It would be nice if you could be the emperor in your dreams for a few days."
Prime Minister Li lowered his head. At this moment, he still felt that his deployment was not good. As expected, one wrong move led to a complete loss.
He held his head high and chest out, and laughed twice.
"Little Emperor, although I, Li, was defeated by you, and was completely defeated, I never regret it. Since ancient times, the victors are kings and the losers are bandits. There is no right or wrong. I just want to tell you that you must guard this throne well, haha."
As he laughed, Prime Minister Li couldn't help but shed two lines of tears. He regretted and hated that he had used the wrong person.
Concubine Li, who was originally angry, could not hold back any more after seeing this scene. She struggled to break free from General Ye's restraints with tears and snot, ran towards Zhou Beichen crying and shouting, and without saying a word, hugged his thighs, and began to cry pitifully, begging for mercy.
As Prime Minister Li was being dragged away, a trace of relief and compassion flashed through his heart. After all, he had just resorted to all means and even gave up his daughter for the throne. Now, his daughter was willing to take all risks for him.
"Your Majesty, I know that the Li family is guilty and deserves death, but I beg Your Majesty to show mercy to Prime Minister Li for his hard work for the country for half his life. I beg Your Majesty to at least leave his body intact."
Zhou Beichen, who was about to get angry: "......"
He was slightly stunned, then said calmly, "You can't spare his life, but leaving his body intact is fine."
Imperial Noble Consort Li: “…”
Her tearful face was frozen there. If she had known that the emperor would agree so easily, she should have begged him to spare his life.
Zhou Beichen looked at her wandering eyes, changed the subject and continued.
"However, Prime Minister Li's crimes are truly heinous. Since his body has been preserved intact, he should be hanged and hung above the city gate. His body should be exposed for ten days as a warning to the world."
After saying this, Prime Minister Li's face became even uglier, and Imperial Noble Concubine Li's lips trembled slightly. She originally wanted to plead for mercy, letting her father die peacefully, letting him commit suicide or something, but in this way, it would be worse than beheading him.
She pulled Zhou Beichen's trouser legs, her cautious look making people feel pity, "Your Majesty, I want to..."
Zhou Beichen waved his hand, pushed the man away, and scolded him rudely, "That's enough, Imperial Noble Consort Li. My patience is limited. Not separating his head from his body is my greatest mercy. Don't challenge my bottom line again and again."
Concubine Li's face was immediately filled with fear. Zhou Beichen squatted down, lifted her chin, and spoke in a cold voice.
"Don't forget, you, the Second Prince, and the Third Prince are all in a difficult situation. You can't even protect yourselves, so don't worry about what happens to others."
Zhou Beichen pushed Prime Minister Li and the Royal Concubine away fiercely, then sat back on the dragon throne. With a glance of his tiger eyes, the hall was suddenly filled with oppression and a cold atmosphere. The ministers who had just knelt down had not yet stood up, their legs were numb. They could not care less and only hoped for a good result. Losing their jobs or going to jail were both good things. If the emperor was furious and beheaded them all, that would be the end of it.
Before they knew it, the backs of all the people in Prime Minister Li's party were soaked.
"Look up!"
A majestic voice exploded in the solemn and dignified hall. The ministers all looked up with blank expressions. Zhou Beichen did not speak, but glanced down one by one. He saw panic on the faces of most officials.
He sighed deeply in his heart. If he wanted to kill everyone, the court would have no one to use, which was naturally not possible.
He paused, still did not shout, but changed his expression and spoke gently to Chen Nian'an.
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