"Noble Concubine Hui, go back with Nuannuan first, and take Deshun back with you. He won't have to serve him during the few days he's recuperating."
Shen Nian'an nodded and bowed, "I understand, I'll take my leave!"
Zhou Beichen nodded. Over there, Deshun on the shelf was already sighing with tears streaming down his face. He was just a servant. How could he be so lucky to be treated so well by the emperor and the princess?
Right now, in front of everyone, the princess looked at him, her clear eyes full of concern. He felt that it would be great if he had a daughter like the princess.
It's a pity that he is destined not to have a daughter in this life. It would be nice if he could adopt the princess as his goddaughter. Deshun secretly glanced at Zhou Beichen, and his little heart immediately started pounding. Forget it, it's not possible. He still wants to live a few more years.
Deshun nodded on the shelf with tears in his eyes, "Your Majesty, I thank you for your concern and consideration. I will recover as soon as possible and return to serve you."
Zhou Beichen nodded again, thought for a moment, and then spoke again.
"Shu Fei, Xian Fei, you should take all the concubines back with you. And Li Huang Gui Fei, you should also go back to your Li'an Palace. No one is allowed to enter without the emperor's order."
"I'll take my leave!"
With the departure of everyone in the harem, only the ministers, Hei Ya, and the leaders of the Royal Guards and the Imperial Guard were left in the hall.
Looking at the ministers of the Prime Minister's faction who were obviously trembling but trying hard to keep their heads up, Zhou Beichen frowned, thought carefully, and decided to show some leniency.
He said calmly with murderous intent in his eyes.
"Everyone, get up."
The ministers of the Prime Minister’s party: “???”
I didn't expect that they still had a chance to rise up. Could it be that the emperor would not punish them? That's impossible. How could the emperor let them go so easily? They are accomplices of the rebellion. Even if they don't die, they must be skinned alive.
The ministers felt very depressed when they thought that the emperor might give them a severe punishment soon.
On the contrary, the ministers who had not taken sides felt very comfortable. They held their heads high and their faces were full of joy.
"Your Majesty, long live your Majesty!"
Compared with those ministers on the opposite side, his voice was much more cheerful.
Zhou Beichen smiled and said, "Lord Ye, Lord Du, Lord Shen, Lord Jin, and... you all did very well this time. Facing Prime Minister Li's threats and inducements, you were able to stick to your original intentions. This is truly remarkable. Serving the court faithfully in the future, you will naturally receive the rewards."
Several ministers not only readily accepted Zhou Beichen's promise, but also showed great joy and immediately knelt down to express their gratitude.
"Alright, you all stand up first. No need to kneel all the time. By the way, my dear minister, please carefully interrogate Prime Minister Li's family, his eldest son, and his first wife Du Ruolan. Do you think they were involved in this matter?"
Jinli, as the Minister of Justice who was promoted by Zhou Beichen, had always been full of gratitude to Zhou Beichen. He immediately stood out from the queue and happily accepted the task, "I will definitely investigate the matter as soon as possible and give an explanation to the emperor."
Du Aiqing suddenly opened his eyelids and looked at Zhou Beichen, his eyes gradually turning red. The emperor asked his confidants to investigate his daughter, probably because of him, the former imperial teacher.
He didn't say anything, but silently wiped his eyes with his sleeve.
Prime Minister Li and his party of ministers were upset and anxiously awaiting Zhou Beichen's trial. They were all like ants on a hot pan. If Zhou Beichen had not been by their side, they would have been so scared that they would have been walking around in circles.
When Zhou Beichen turned his gaze to them, almost all the ministers on the right side of the Golden Throne Hall trembled three times, and the emperor said in a cold voice.
"Who has been closest to Prime Minister Li these days? Stand up."
Zhou Beichen originally wanted to let everyone go, but then he thought, if he let them go so lightly, what dignity would he have as the emperor?
Seeing that no one came out, Zhou Beichen curled up the corner of his mouth into a cold smile, and tapped his fingers on the table continuously, making the already nervous minister even more confused.
One moment, two moments, three moments, still no one spoke. Zhou Beichen straightened his body, his tone indescribably calm.
"If you come forward now, I can show some mercy. If you let me find out, I will just throw him out and execute him!"
Zhou Beichen remained calm. It was clearly a murder, but he made it sound as easy as butchering a pig.
Several ministers shuddered and kept looking away, as if wondering whether they should go out or not. Censor Jiang made up his mind, thinking that no matter what, he would not end up well. He stood up and knelt on the ground, saying with fear and trepidation.
"Your Majesty, I am guilty and deserve to die. I have been close to Prime Minister Li recently. Please show some mercy, Your Majesty. Kill me but spare my family."
Zhou Beichen replied lightly, "Stop talking nonsense. I don't want to kill you. You are being sentimental."
Censor Jiang: “…”
Zhou Beichen looked up and continued to ask, "If anyone else comes forward, I can show some mercy."
This time, the audience was still completely silent. Zhou Beichen smiled gently, "Well, if you don't want to come out, then don't come out. Minister of Personnel, Minister of War, and..."
Thinking about the news reported by the shadow guard, Zhou Beichen changed the subject and said in an extremely stern tone, "All of you come out."
The people whose names were called out felt a pang in their hearts, and a thought flashed through their minds: it's over, this time they are really in danger. They walked out with their heads held high, knelt on the ground trembling, and prostrated themselves on the ground, confessing their guilt.
"Your Majesty, we are guilty and deserve death."
Zhou Beichen snorted coldly and threw the memorial in his hand at the head of Jiang Yushi who had just come out. "You are guilty. Come, take these ten people out and behead them immediately. As for Jiang Yushi, I consider that you have a repentant heart. Drag him out and give him 30 strokes of the cane. After that, no punishment will be imposed for the past."
Just as they were grateful to themselves for getting rid of Censor Jiang, the other ten ministers hated themselves so much. They thought that if they stood up, even if they didn't die, they would be skinned alive and end up in prison for life. They didn't expect that the emperor was planning to win over the hearts of the people.
They completely forgot that the emperor hated being lied to and fooled the most. Several ministers regretted it too late and were dragged out amidst cries of "Your Majesty, spare my lives". But Censor Jiang was still feeling lucky. He kowtowed calmly, thanked the emperor, and accepted his fate and followed the guards out. He was powerless to change the fate of life or death. It all depended on whether the emperor really wanted to use him.
If he really wanted to use it, the beating would not be too heavy, and he would be spared. If he didn't want to use it, he would probably be beaten to death in a short while.
After a while, the guard with the sword came back and reported, "Your Majesty, the man has been beheaded."
Zhou Beichen nodded calmly and contentedly without blinking.
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