43 Framed I beg Your Majesty to follow the ancient custom of killing the mother and keeping the son...
In the Xuanzheng Hall, the morning light is dim, and light and shadows wander between the jade steps and golden walls.
Civil and military officials stood on both sides, holding their breath and bowing their heads.
Minister Feng stepped out holding a jade tablet and said in a voice as loud as a bell: "Your Majesty, I have a memorial to submit! This matter concerns the country and the people, and I have no choice but to speak." The jade tablet trembled slightly between his fingers.
Xiao Chengjing's eyes dropped, and he stared at Minister Feng until his head dropped another three inches. Only then did he grind out a word from between his teeth: "Talk."
Minister Feng was silent for a moment, as if he was accumulating something, and then he bowed deeply.
"Your Majesty," he touched his forehead to the ground, his voice filled with a resolute determination. "I congratulate Your Majesty! The Empress Shufei's pregnancy is truly a blessing for the ancestral temple." At this point, his throat moved slightly, and his tone suddenly deepened. "However... The Empress Shufei was born in the Kingdom of Li and was once a hostage. Her bloodline is connected to foreign countries..." He raised his head and stared fixedly at the gold bricks in front of the throne. He was concerned that when the prince grew up, he would learn of his mother's family's past, which might cause him to harbor resentment or even shake the foundation of the country. To prevent future troubles..." He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his eyes were red. "I beg Your Majesty, regardless of your death, to follow the ancient custom of killing the mother and keeping the son!" After speaking, he lay down on the ground, motionless, as if awaiting the final decision.
Xiao Chengjing lowered his eyes and listened attentively, his knuckles occasionally tapping on the armrest of the dragon throne until the four words "leave the mother and leave the son" came out. His fingers hanging in the air suddenly froze, and all sounds stopped abruptly.
In the dead silence, he slowly stood up, his dragon robe trailing on the ground, and approached the prone Minister Feng step by step. His voice was as cold as ice: "Feng Xun." He called him by his name, his tone slow but dangerous, "Your impassioned speech today..." At this point, he paused, and as he leaned forward, he actually chuckled softly, "Is it for the purity of my Xiao family's royal heir, or is it for your own selfish desire to seize power and control the young master to rule the world?!"
"Your Majesty!" Minister Feng shuddered. "I have served two dynasties, my loyalty is evident to all!" He looked up, his eyes already red. "Your Majesty may blame me for being dull, but you cannot doubt my loyalty! Every word I say today comes from the heart, for the sake of the long-lasting foundation of the Daliang Empire! Your Majesty..."
"Loyal?" He looked down at the kneeling minister and asked softly, "Then I'd like to ask you, why is it that in the canal transport case, every detail can be traced back to the involvement of your Feng family members?"
Minister Feng was struck by lightning, his eyes filled with horror.
He knelt half a step, his voice suddenly rising: "Your Majesty!" He stretched out his hand, as if to grab something, "What has this grain transport case got to do with me? This must be a false accusation!"
Before he finished speaking, seven or eight officials in the hall came out almost at the same time and knelt on the ground in unison.
The leader stiffened his neck and shouted, "Your Majesty! Lord Feng is a loyal and dedicated minister who has served two dynasties. How could he do such an unlawful thing? There must be injustice here. I hope Your Majesty will investigate!"
The rest of the people followed suit and kowtowed. For a moment, cries of pleading for mercy were heard one after another.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Chengjing raised his eyebrows slightly and smiled instead of getting angry.
Sitting back on the throne leisurely, he waved to Cui Jinzhong nonchalantly.
Cui Jinzhong bowed and presented a book.
"False accusation?" Xiao Chengjing gently stroked the edge of the scroll, then with a sudden flick of his wrist, threw the confession squarely into Minister Feng's lap. "The head of the Cao family has already confessed, saying that you accepted a thousand taels of gold, facilitating the Cao family's embezzlement of grain and military pay. He also used the earrings to frame Concubine Shu and destabilize the palace! How dare you say it's a false accusation?!"
Minister Feng's eyes were bloodshot. He rushed forward and snatched up the book from the ground. His hands were shaking violently as his eyes scanned the pages frantically. "Forgery! A blatant forgery!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, clutching the testimony tightly in his palm, his knuckles crackling. "Your Majesty, please be wise! This must be the thief Cao who was tortured and made such false accusations! I... I have never even seen this man! How can Your Majesty convict me based on one side of the story?!"
"Your Majesty!" Several censors behind Minister Feng kowtowed heavily. "The canal transport case is extremely complex. How can we rely on the opinions of one person to decide the case? We are not just defending Feng Xun, but also the imperial court. We implore Your Majesty to conduct a thorough investigation and not dissuade the loyal and honest people!"
Xiao Chengjing slowly stood up and surveyed the entire court, "Feng Xun formed a clique for personal gain, colluded with powerful individuals, disrupted the grain transport system, and even framed concubines, shaking the foundation of the nation—the evidence is irrefutable, and there can be no leniency!" He waved his arm and issued a decisive order, "Effective immediately, he will be dismissed from office, his property confiscated, and exiled to Minyue, never to be recalled!"
Minister Feng seemed to have had all his bones and muscles pulled out, and he collapsed to the ground. His official hat rolled to the side, and his gray hair was loose, but he was completely unaware of it. He just stared with his old eyes, letting the tears flow down his face.
He suddenly reached out and grasped the edge of the imperial steps, wailing towards the lofty figure above him: "Your Majesty! Forty years! This old minister has served the Xiao family for a full forty years! Heaven and earth can bear witness to this!... Why won't you believe me? Why—!"
Why?
An icy sneer rose in Xiao Chengjing's heart.
A minister who has despised him for his impure blood since childhood and secretly mocked him for being unlike the previous emperor, a person who always gangs up on others based on their bloodline, is worthy of crying out for loyalty in front of him and is worthy of holding the power to refute government orders?
He waved his hand slightly, and the guards immediately stepped forward and dragged Minister Feng down.
The wailing gradually faded away.
The news of Minister Feng's downfall spread very quickly.
Shu Yao knew about it almost as soon as the news started.
Shu Yao had expected court officials to fight for the throne, but Xiao Chengjing's exile of Minister Feng was beyond her expectations.
I vaguely remember that Shen Jingshu is the granddaughter of Minister Feng, and her situation must be difficult at the moment.
She pondered for a moment, then finally got up and went to visit.
When she arrived at Shen Jingshu's palace, she saw Zhao Wan sitting next to Shen Jingshu on the couch, whispering comfort to her.
Shen Jingshu's eyes were red and she shed tears silently.
When Zhao Wan saw Shu Yao come in, she quickly waved and led her over: "Sister Yao, do you know? Sister Shu's grandfather was exiled by His Majesty."
Shu Yao nodded, but her eyes never left Shen Jingshu.
Shen Jingshu was a decent person. She never tried to harm her by competing for favor, but instead helped her in subtle ways.
Now, Shen Jingshu's grandfather has been convicted and exiled because of her...
Shu Yao couldn't help feeling guilty.
But she soon hardened her heart.
She had anticipated that Minister Feng would take action due to her pregnancy. However, his intention to kill the mother and save the child was clearly not a kind person. She was simply trying to find a way out of this situation. Furthermore, it was Xiao Chengjing who had exiled Minister Feng.
Seeing Shu Yao remain silent for a long time, Zhao Wan couldn't help but gently tug at her sleeve: "Sister Ayao, His Majesty..." She raised her face, her bright eyes wide open, "Can you please ask His Majesty for mercy on behalf of Sister Ashu? If you ask, maybe... maybe His Majesty will show some mercy!"
Upon hearing this, Shen Jingshu's face turned pale. She suddenly held Zhao Wan's hand and said in a sharp voice: "Awan, be careful with your words! His Majesty has made up his mind. How can the harem discuss it?" She quickly glanced at Shu Yao, then stared at Zhao Wan, "Empress Shufei has her own difficulties, not to mention that the harem is not allowed to interfere in politics! Don't be confused!" She said this quickly and heavily. It seemed like she was admonishing Zhao Wan, but in fact it was a reminder to Zhao Wan.
Defei was stunned by the reprimand. She looked at Shen Jingshu first, then at Shu Yao, with the corners of her eyes slightly red.
He pursed his lips in grievance, but ultimately said nothing more.
After sitting for a while reluctantly, Zhao Wan found an excuse to get up and say goodbye.
When he was leaving, the corners of his mouth were still turned down and his steps were a little slow.
Shu Yao raised her hand to wave away the palace maids on both sides, walked slowly over, and sat next to Shen Jingshu.
Gently holding Shen Jingshu's slightly cold hand, Shu Yao's eyes revealed a hint of just the right helplessness: "A Shu. How could I not know your difficulties?" Her voice was soft, "But because of this, there are some things I have to tell you clearly." She leaned forward slightly, with a frank and sincere heart, "Your Majesty treats me with what seems to be favor, but in fact, he has never changed any decision for me... Not to mention pleading for your grandfather, which concerns the important matters of the previous dynasty..."
Shu Yao's lips curled into a faint, bitter smile. "Even if I pleaded with His Majesty to retract the original imperial decree granting me the title of Consort... it would be in vain. His Majesty's decisions are never easily reversed for anyone or anything." She gently patted the back of Shen Jingshu's hand. "If I plead for mercy, it will not only be useless, but I'm afraid it will only backfire on me, making His Majesty suspect that you and I are in collusion. This matter... I really can't change it."
Shen Jingshu kept her head down and listened quietly.
After a long time, a tear fell.
Chen Jingshu slowly raised her hand and wiped away the tears brewing in her eyes. "How could I not know what Ah Yao said?" Her voice was slightly hoarse, and filled with deep fatigue. "Grandfather was a remnant of the previous emperor, and he was in charge of the government's rebuttal. He could clearly retire at the right time. But he couldn't bear to give up the false reputation of being a clean and upright minister, and repeatedly fought against the enemy with an egg against a stone. He thought that because of his seniority, His Majesty would tolerate him..." Her gaze fell on the sparse shadows outside the window, and her tone was insightful. "Now this ending, His Majesty has shown special favor because of our old friendship... I can't blame anyone else."
Hearing this, Shu Yao was secretly shocked.
Shen Jingshu's clarity far exceeded her understanding of ancient women.
"Ah Shu is very insightful. I've said too much." Shu Yao's tone was so soft that it was almost a whisper. "Since entering the palace, Ah Shu has treated me with every bit of care. I remember everything in my heart. I... I really want to help you, but I really can't do anything about exile." She paused, met Shen Jingshu's moist eyes with a sincere look, "Anything else, as long as I can do it, as long as you ask, I will definitely do my best!"
Shen Jingshu looked back at Shu Yao, and the complexity in her eyes gradually settled.
She raised her hand to wipe away her tears and returned to her usual gentle appearance.
"Ayao, thank you." She said softly, these three words were as heavy as a thousand pounds.
Shu Yao originally thought that the matter was over for the time being.
Unexpectedly, within three days, Yunxiu came to report that the virtuous concubine was seeking an audience outside.
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The author has something to say: Shen Jingshu is a good kid [smirk]
Girls shouldn't fight with each other [Let me know]
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