Chapter 11 is about to start its usual noisy and chaotic fun again...
The journey was quiet. Wei Xing, who was being escorted by the Imperial Guards, looked like a spoiled dog and aged considerably. However, he was already over sixty years old and would be able to retire and return to his hometown in a few years.
Unexpectedly, they suffered a setback at this crucial moment.
As it was already late at night, the group returned to the palace under the gloomy moonlight. Emperor Jing did not have the habit of having everyone stay up all night for interrogation, so he waved his hand and temporarily imprisoned Wei Xing, while the rest went back to rest and would continue the interrogation the next day.
Seventeen was so sleepy that his eyelids were practically glued shut, but the words that Eunuch Yuanfu had said in the carriage kept him going.
He knew how delicious the food in the palace was, and he was already starving. At this moment, the scene of dining with His Majesty that day came back to his mind, and his mind was filled with the delicious-looking and fragrant dishes.
As she thought about it, hunger and drowsiness came over her at the same time, and Seventeen felt like she was about to faint.
Fortunately, Emperor Jing was quick enough that the three of them hurriedly returned to the palace, where a table full of delicious food was already laid out on the round table in the private room.
Seventeen could smell the aroma from outside, swallowed hard, and felt her stomach rumble even louder.
Emperor Jing stared at him for a while, then finally took pity on him and said, "Go and eat, Yuanfu too, everyone is tired today."
Yuanfu didn't eat dinner either. Emperor Jing wasn't in the palace, so how could he dare to eat on his own? He was also starving.
Compared to the Seventeenth Prince's somewhat ravenous eating, the Emperor Jing's eating was exceptionally elegant, though the speed at which he picked up food also revealed that he was hungry.
The three of them finished their meal in silence. After the palace maids cleared away the dishes, the entire palace returned to quiet.
Seventeen let out a small hiccup, and Yuanfu quickly pushed him out, saying with a smile, "Then Your Majesty should rest early. This old servant will go outside with Seventeen to guard."
Emperor Jing nodded, and after he got up, the palace maids brought in a basin of water. After washing up, he took off his outer robe and went to bed to rest.
Seventeen quickly washed up and lay down on the bed. After eating and drinking her fill, she didn't feel so sleepy anymore.
So much happened today that Seventeen is still a little overwhelmed.
But after thinking for a while, he didn't seem to find anything strange, so he ignored the inexplicable feeling in his heart, closed his eyes and went to sleep.
......
The next morning, Seventeen woke up on time. The sky outside was still dark, but a few rays of the rising sun could be seen on the horizon.
After changing his clothes, he took Mingyue with him, pushed open the door to Emperor Jing's bedroom, and found that Eunuch Yuanfu had also finished getting ready and was standing at the door instructing a palace maid, seemingly to prepare breakfast.
"The seventeen guards have arrived."
Eunuch Yuanfu greeted him cheerfully, and Seventeen smiled and nodded at him, asking, "Has His Majesty woken up?"
"You're awake. His Majesty instructed that the Seventeenth Guard will accompany you to the Imperial Prison later."
Seventeen had already thought of it last night; he had discovered evidence, and he would definitely have to bring his own along when interrogating Wei Xing today.
"Okay, thank you, sir."
"Why are you being so polite with this old servant? Seventeenth Guard, is there anything you'd like to eat? Have them prepare it."
Grandpa Yuanfu spoke kindly, and Seventeen blinked, sensing that Grandpa Yuanfu's attitude towards her seemed to have undergone a subtle change.
"Just do it the way Your Majesty usually does."
The palace maid bowed and left. Eunuch Yuanfu, with his hands in his pockets, chuckled and said, "It's only been one night, and it's gotten quite cold again."
"Yes, the weather is very changeable at this time of year, making it easy to catch a cold."
Seventeen glanced at the distant horizon; the sun had already risen.
Because of the upcoming trial of Wei Xing, Emperor Jing ordered the cancellation of the morning court session early today. However, due to the importance of the matter, many ministers still came to the palace to keep watch.
Emperor Jing changed into a black casual robe, similar to the one Seventeen had seen before, but with subtle differences in style. However, it still featured exquisite gold trim and a menacing golden dragon on the hem.
Emperor Jing brought Yuanfu and the Seventeenth Prince to the Zhao Prison, where Chen An, the Minister of Justice, and Chen Jing, a fellow member of the Imperial Guard, were already waiting.
Chen An had already heard Chen Jing recount yesterday's events, and he felt somewhat panicked. He hadn't even noticed that Imperial Censor Li had lied to him, and he wondered if His Majesty would blame him.
"Greetings, Your Majesty."
"Rise."
Chen An and Chen Jing stood together because the Jinwu Guards were equivalent to the Dark Guards, except that one was in the shadows while the other stood openly beside Emperor Jing.
Seventeen glanced at Chen Jing, somewhat curious about this young commander of the Golden Guard.
In terms of position, Chen Jing and Coach Li should be in the same position, but Chen Jing is much younger than Coach Li, truly a young man of great talent.
Chen Jing noticed his gaze, turned to look at Seventeen and smiled. Seventeen also sensed the other party's friendly attitude and smiled and nodded in return.
Yuanfu stood guard outside, while the other three followed Emperor Jing into the Zhao Prison.
The Zhaoyu Prison remains damp and dark; stepping inside makes it difficult to breathe for even a moment. Many lives have been lost here.
Seventeen and Chen Jing walked on either side of Emperor Jing, while Chen An lagged a few steps behind.
Soon, the three of them arrived at the cell where Wei Xing was being held, led by the guards of the Zhaoyu Prison.
Upon closer inspection, Seventeen observed that Wei Xing appeared to have not slept all night, huddled listlessly by the stone bed, and upon closer inspection, his entire body seemed to be trembling.
He looked up after hearing footsteps, and when he saw Emperor Jing, his pupils constricted instantly, and he trembled even more violently.
The very observant guards immediately brought over a chair, and Chen An, who was behind them, took the chair and placed it behind Emperor Jing.
"You, you..."
Wei Xing seemed to have been shouting all night; not only did he look tired, but his voice was also somewhat hoarse.
Emperor Jing sat in his chair looking at him, his expression unreadable, but his words were icy cold.
"Wei Xing, do you need me to explain one by one the evidence of your crimes during your more than thirty years in power?"
Wei Xing shuddered, and the last glimmer of hope in his heart was completely shattered.
Emperor Jing actually knew everything! He had been on the throne for over thirty years, and he himself couldn't even remember the number of lives he had taken or the crimes he had committed.
Perhaps knowing his fate, the light in Wei Xing's eyes instantly went out. His lips moved, and he uttered a sentence: "Your Majesty is wise. This sinful subject submits to the law."
While others were still somewhat bewildered, Wei Xing had already been brought to justice? This puzzled Chen An, but he discreetly observed the expressions of Emperor Jing and Chen Jing, and took a small step back.
When Seventeen emerged from the Zhao prison, the dim environment instantly became bright, which made his eyes feel a little uncomfortable.
The news of Wei Xing's arrest spread throughout Yejing by the next day, thanks to the fact that many people witnessed it firsthand.
Before some people could react, the Imperial Guards stormed into the house and took them away.
So that morning, the people of Yejing saw many officials being taken away by fully armed soldiers. Among them were officials they remembered as good officials, as well as many who were rumored to be bad officials.
But the people's discussions only lasted until noon. Outside the palace gates, several soldiers were busy putting up some kind of sign.
The common people kept their distance and dared not approach to see. After all, the imperial city was majestic, and so many officials had been arrested. Who would dare to go?
It wasn't until after lunchtime that the sign at the palace gate was finally put up. There seemed to be a few pieces of paper pasted on it with some kind of message written on them, just like when the results of the imperial examinations were announced.
After the soldiers left, some brave civilians went closer to take a closer look and let out a gasp of surprise.
"What's wrong? What happened?"
"This...this is the charge against Lord Wei!"
Upon hearing this, the people who were still observing rushed forward, and everyone started discussing it animatedly.
"Good heavens! I only knew that Lord Wei was a tyrannical and domineering man, but it turns out that like father, like son!"
"Still calling me Lord Wei? This guy is clearly Wei the scoundrel!"
"So many... My God, Da Jing actually hid such a big corrupt official!"
"Fortunately, His Majesty is capable; he was able to uncover his entire scheme..."
Seventeen sat on the city wall, and because of his good hearing, he could clearly hear what the people were saying.
"Seventeen."
"His Majesty."
Emperor Jing walked over to the Seventeenth Prince with his hands behind his back. The Seventeenth Prince quickly stood up and bowed, but his wrists were grabbed. He looked up and saw that Emperor Jing seemed to be smiling.
"No need for formalities."
Emperor Jing glanced at the crowd gathered around the notice board, sighed softly, and asked, "Seventeenth, do you think it's beneath the dignity of the Great Jing Dynasty that I've listed all of Wei Xing's crimes to the people?"
Seventeen tilted his head and thought for a moment before saying, "No, if it were me, I would only think that His Majesty is wise."
In fact, when Emperor Jing proposed to make all of Wei Xing's crimes public, many ministers objected, and their opinions were all about saving face for the Jing Dynasty. However, he still overruled the objections and did it.
“I am no different from the people of the Great Jing. Since we are one, there should be no concealment.”
His gaze fell upon the common people below. Their faces showed surprise and anger, and some of those who had been humiliated by Wei Xing and his gang shed tears, but none of them blamed Emperor Jing for making his crimes public.
"Your Majesty's decision is certainly correct."
Seventeen smiled, but his thoughts drifted to another person. He hadn't seen Mingyue since he returned to the palace, and he couldn't help but feel some suspicion and worry.
"His Majesty......"
The voice calling out to Emperor Jing was soft, tinged with hesitation, but Emperor Jing seemed to be in a good mood, responding softly, "What is it?"
"I would like to ask, Your Majesty, is there a guard named Mingyue by your side?"
From an angle unseen by the Seventeenth Emperor, Jing clenched his hands behind his back, a dark glint flashing in his eyes, but it was quickly concealed.
"Yes, before...didn't I send him with you?"
"Yes, I would like to ask, where is Mingyue? I haven't seen him since I was kidnapped that day."
Seventeen spoke somewhat tactfully and hesitantly, unsure of Emperor Jing's temperament and whether his words might offend the emperor.
"He has been sent by me to do other things. Don't worry, he is aware of this operation as well."
The following sentence was clearly meant to comfort Seventeen and reassure him that he didn't need to worry.
Since His Majesty has said so, Seventeen can rest assured. It makes sense; Mingyue has been by His Majesty's side for many years and must be highly trusted by him. It's normal for her to be busy.
"Was the plan that Mingyue told me also ordered by His Majesty?"
Seventeen raised his head to look at Emperor Jing. Generally speaking, no one would look directly into the face of an emperor. However, Seventeen didn't quite understand, and Emperor Jing's attitude towards him had always been quite tolerant, which made him dare to look directly at him.
If Yuanfu sees them, they'll start chattering and making a ruckus again.
A note from the author:
----------------------
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com