Concubine Li De hurried to Xingqing Palace with her men.
As a result, he met Concubine Xiao Shufei who was also rushing over at the gate of Xingqing Palace.
"Sister Shufei, why are you here?"
Concubine Li De smiled like a flower. Whenever she was in front of others, she would show her best side and never let anyone see her in a state of disgrace.
Concubine Xiao Shu said expressionlessly, "You can come, but I can't?"
Concubine Li De covered her lips and smiled, "Sister Shufei is really good at joking. Sister, please go first."
Concubine Xiao Shufei didn't bother to be polite with her and walked into Xingqing Palace first.
Concubine Li De's face fell, and a cruel look flashed in her eyes. In the blink of an eye, everything returned to normal. What cruel look? It was like an illusion.
In the main hall, Princess Huyang was accusing the Li family of going too far.
Li Dalang cried out in pain, looking as if he had suffered internal injuries.
The moment Concubine Li De walked into the hall, Li Dalang suddenly burst into tears.
"My Lady, please help me. I'm about to be beaten to death."
Concubine Li De glared at him fiercely. "You're being too clever, giving others an advantage. You fool! You've made me have to clean up your mess, which is even more stupid."
Li Dalang cried a little softer, but he was still quite afraid of his sister Li Defei.
Princess Huyang was furious. She thought, "I didn't even cry, but you, a grown man like Li Dalang, actually had the nerve to cry."
You shameless bastard, do you really think I'm easy to bully?
Princess Huyang took out her handkerchief without saying a word, smeared ginger juice on it, and wiped her eyes. Tears immediately flowed out like a faucet.
"Father, Mother, please make the decision for your daughter. I bought Yuhua Lane from the Li family with integrity, and it's registered with the government.
The daughter spent a lot of money to renovate Yuhua Lane, but the bastard Li family became jealous when he saw that Yuhua Lane was profitable, and actually sent people to set fire to it in the middle of the night.
If my daughter hadn't been prepared, the entire Yuhua Alley would have been burned to ashes. And with the wind blowing last night, if the fire in Yuhua Alley had spread, half of the capital would have been engulfed in flames. Li Dalang is so heartless and insane, treating human lives like worthless grass, just for his own selfish interests. He deserves to die!
Princess Huyang wiped her eyes, tears rolling down her cheeks, she was extremely sad.
The emperor frowned and stared at Princess Huyang. He knew his own daughter well. Princess Huyang was a typical example of a person without any knowledge or skills. When she was a child in school, she was always the one who gave the teacher the most trouble.
When did Hu Yang start speaking so clearly and hitting Li Dalang's weak spot as soon as he opened his mouth?
This is the guidance of an expert.
The emperor snorted, "You bastard Huyang, how dare you make fun of me."
Given Huyang's character, he never mentioned money or losses, so there must be something fishy about this matter.
Gu Jiu had calculated everything, but he ignored the parents' understanding of their children.
She thought the emperor hated the princes and princesses and had never truly understood them as adults. However, she didn't know that the emperor knew their tempers very well.
But it's just a small problem and will not affect the overall situation.
Concubine Xiao Shufei said to the emperor, "Your Majesty, this matter is truly appalling. I believe it should be thoroughly investigated. If someone really set fire to the capital, they must be severely punished."
Setting fire to Yuhua Lane suddenly became setting fire to the capital city, which was a serious crime.
Li Dalang was anxious and quickly cried out for justice, "I am innocent! I never sent anyone to burn Yuhua Lane, let alone the capital. Please investigate, Your Majesty."
Concubine Li De wiped her eyes and said, "Your Majesty, this is all my fault. I neglected to discipline my family and even offended Princess Huyang. I deserve to die. Although my eldest brother has his shortcomings, I believe he would never do such a cruel thing. Your Majesty, please investigate this matter thoroughly and clear my eldest brother and the Li family's name."
Ugh!
Princess Huyang was furious and rolled up her sleeves to fight. At the critical moment, she remembered Gu Jiu's instructions and quickly changed the gesture of rolling up her sleeves to wiping her tears.
She burst into tears, "Father, Mother, although I am useless and always get into trouble, I never lie and always say what I mean.
When Li Dalang sold Yuhuaxiang, he didn't complain about the small amount of money. He was even glad to get rid of the burden in his hands.
Now that his daughter has invested a lot of money in renovating Yuhua Lane, he sees that there is money to be made and wants to destroy his daughter's livelihood in order to force her to give up Yuhua Lane.
It seems that the Li family will grab any profitable business in and outside the capital.
The daughter couldn't imagine how many families had been ruined over the years because the Li family had used various horrific means to steal their businesses.
This time, it was fortunate that my daughter was a princess, a princess of the emperor, and could still resist a little. Those families whose status was not as high as my daughter's, would they have the strength to resist the Li family at all? "
"My Lady Princess, I have no past or present grudges against you. Why are you framing me? Furthermore, the person who bought Yuhua Alley was clearly a Northwest merchant, not you, Princess?"
Li Dalang cried out loudly, feeling deeply saddened.
Princess Huyang glared. "Is it inconvenient for me to come forward and send a Northwest businessman to negotiate with you? Li Dalang, business is business. Once you sign, you can't go back on your word. But you, seeing that I'm making money, are playing evil and trying to seize my property. I'm not one of those powerless commoners. If you dare to steal my business, don't blame me for cutting off your hand."
"I am wronged. The princess keeps accusing me of stealing your business. Do you have any evidence? Just because you are the princess, you can't slander others without any evidence."
Li Dalang had an expression of being wronged.
Concubine Li De nodded repeatedly, wiping her tears and saying, "Your Majesty, I believe my eldest brother is a man of measure and would never do something as despicable as stealing someone else's business."
Princess Huyang burst into tears. "Does Empress Defei mean to say that I'm wrongly accusing a good person? Well, since you all refuse to believe me, I'll hand over the witnesses and evidence right away. Don't forget, the arsonists have all been apprehended and handed over to the Minister of the Imperial Household last night. Father, your summons to the Minister of the Imperial Household should have already clarified whether it was true or not."
Li Dalang was shocked.
He thought that if Manager Li was caught, Madam Zhao would resort to lynching.
As long as it was a lynching, he could easily say that he had confessed under torture and framed someone to get away with it.
Unexpectedly, Madam Zhao was so cruel that she actually handed the person over to the Junior Treasure Prison Secretary. What should I do now?
His eyes were in a panic as he secretly looked at Concubine Li De.
Concubine Li De had no expression on her face and did not respond to him.
Concubine Xiao Shufei said, "Your Majesty, since Huyang said there are witnesses and physical evidence, why not ask the Minister of Justice Xuan to come to you for an audience?"
The emperor, with a stern face, asked, "Where is the Minister of Justice?"
Chen Dachang bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the Minister of Prisons and the Minister of Households have requested an audience, both claiming to have important matters to report."
"Call the two of you to come to the audience."
"promise!"
The Minister of Prisons and the Minister of Households came to the main hall.
The Minister of the Imperial Household was the first to speak: "Your Majesty, last night the Ministry of the Imperial Household apprehended a group of scoundrels who were attempting to set fire to the capital. After interrogation, they have all confessed. Because other people are implicated and the matter is of great importance, I dare not make a unilateral decision. Your Majesty, please make the decision."
After saying this, he presented the case file.
The case file was placed before the emperor.
The emperor flipped through the files with a gloomy expression.
Li Dalang was trembling all over. Manager Li must have confessed.
How many people who have been sent to the Shaofu Prison can refuse to confess?
Even the executioners of the Jinwu Guards would seek advice from the Shaofu Prison Warden on how to interrogate prisoners quickly and effectively. It's easy to imagine that the Shaofu Prison Warden, while less well-known, was a place even more terrifying than the Jinwu Guards.
The Jinwu Guards supervised all officials, while the Shaofu was only in charge of the royal family and relatives by marriage.
The Li family is an in-law family. How can anything be possible if the Li family members fall into the hands of the Shaofu?
Li Dalang was trembling with fear, and cold sweat had already appeared on his forehead.
He secretly looked at Concubine Li De, who glanced at him quickly and told him not to move.
Li Dalang calmed down and kept comforting himself that as long as Concubine De was there, he would not die.
Once he gets through this, he will be a hero again tomorrow.
Next time, he will never be so reckless. He will make Gu Jiu suffer a fate worse than death and regret provoking him.
She dared to set up a trap to trap him and even plotted against him behind his back. The feud is over.
After the emperor finished reading the files, he asked the Shaofu Household Officer in a deep voice, "What else do you have to report?"
"Your Majesty, since the establishment of the loan department at the Ministry of Finance, everything has been running smoothly. In just two or three months, over a million taels of silver have been loaned out. However, some problems have arisen. Several victims have come to the Ministry of Finance to file complaints, and since these cases involve private usury, I have taken them on."
"It turns out these cases are truly appalling, involving three banks, each of which is guilty of numerous crimes. This matter is of grave importance, and I, a humble official, cannot make a decision, so I can only leave it to Your Majesty to handle."
After saying this, the Shaofu Housekeeper handed over the case file.
To avoid suspicion, Gu Jiu asked Qian Fu to collect the crimes of other banks. The Li family's bank was sandwiched between them, making it less conspicuous.
She handed over all the evidence, both human and physical, to the Shaofu Household Order.
The Shaofu Household Order had been waiting for an opportunity, but he didn't expect that the Li family would take the initiative to provoke Gu Jiu and give the opportunity to him.
The Shaofu household official acted decisively and took the opportunity to kick the man when he was down.
All materials were submitted and awaited the emperor's decision.
Under normal circumstances, the Li family's bank would not be so conspicuous.
But today, anything related to the Li family will be magnified several times, becoming extremely conspicuous and impossible to ignore.
Among several case files, the emperor saw Li's money house at a glance.
He just took it out and read it in silence.
The hall had become quiet at some point, the air growing increasingly still, as if it had stagnated.
Even Princess Huyang became nervous, fearing that something unexpected might happen.
Gu Jiu assured her that everything had been arranged. She only needed to catch Li Dalang and file a complaint, and others would take care of the rest.
Seeing the Shaofu Household Commander and the Shaofu Prison Warden, Princess Huyang felt relieved. She knew that Gu Jiu was still very reliable.
But now, she was inexplicably nervous again, fearing that something unexpected would happen, and that the emperor would punish her severely instead of punishing the Li family.
She was looking forward to the results, but also nervous that the results might not be as expected.
Sweat dripped down. Even with the ice basins placed in the hall, it was hard to relieve the heat.
The emperor stood up from the dragon throne, and everyone gasped.
The emperor walked down the steps and walked towards Princess Huyang step by step.
Princess Huyang's heart was in her throat, wondering if her father was going to beat her.
Just when she was extremely nervous, the emperor kicked Li Dalang with murderous intent, "You are worse than pigs and dogs. You rely on my favor to do whatever you want. You deserve to die!"
Li Dalang was so scared that he peed his pants.
Princess Huyang came back to life and her heart started beating again.
Concubine Xiao Shufei then breathed a sigh of relief. She was really scared to death just now.
Concubine Li De was panicked and, without caring about her dignity, she knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, this is all my fault. It was my failure to discipline my family properly that led to my family making such a big mistake. Your Majesty, please punish me severely."
She didn't know what was written in the case file, but she knew that the only thing she had to do at this time was to apologize, sincerely.
Then, she pointed at Li Dalang and cursed bitterly, "I have reminded you time and again that you must be loyal to your duties and always think of His Majesty and the court. You must not commit crimes. And you, what have you done? You have failed me and even failed His Majesty's cultivation. You are truly disappointing. You deserve to die!"
"Your humble servant deserves to die! Your humble servant deserves to die!"
Li Defei's accusation was like a signal, and Li Dalang woke up instantly.
He kowtowed repeatedly, slapping himself in the face one after another, regretting his actions. He kept saying, "I deserve to die, I deserve to die. I am worse than pigs and dogs, I deserve to die. But I have always been loyal to Your Majesty and Your Majesty, and I have never had any second thoughts. If I had any second thoughts, I would be struck by lightning."
The emperor sneered and swung his whip directly at Li Dalang. "You disregard human life, compete with the people for profit, force innocent people into prostitution, and turn innocent people into bandits. My kingdom is ruined by parasites like you. Even if you die ten thousand times, it will not be enough to repay you. Your so-called loyalty is just draining my kingdom. I will kill you today."
The emperor dropped the whip, drew the sword from the Han general's waist, and slashed at Li Dalang.
"Your Majesty!" Concubine Li De exclaimed, "Your Majesty, spare my life! He is, after all, my brother and the little prince's uncle!"
Concubine Li De no longer cared about her face or image. She burst into tears and knelt down before the emperor, begging desperately.
The emperor's knife had already fallen, and it was only one centimeter away from hitting Li Dalang's head.
Finally, the knife hit Li Dalang's shoulder.
In the heat of summer, wearing thin summer clothes, the sharpened broadsword chopped down, drawing blood.
Blood soaked his clothes, and half of Li Dalang's body was stained red with blood.
Blood flowed down his shoulders and arms, dripping onto the ground, forming a shocking puddle of blood.
Li Dalang gasped in pain, and his heart stopped beating the moment the sword fell.
It was not until Concubine Li De pleaded for him and stopped the knife in the emperor's hand that his heartbeat resumed.
Li Dalang didn't dare cry out in pain, or even make the slightest sound. He wished there was a crack in the ground so he could escape.
Concubine Li De grabbed the emperor's clothes and begged him bitterly, her expression was heartbreaking to see and heartbreaking to hear.
The emperor looked at her.
Concubine Li De's eyes were full of tears, which had ruined her makeup, making her look even more pitiful.
The emperor looked at Li Dalang again.
This glance made Concubine Li De's heart tighten.
"Your Majesty, it is my fault. I failed to discipline my family. Please punish me."
"My beloved concubine, please stand up. Why are you begging for mercy for this bastard who is worse than a pig or a dog?"
"But he is my brother after all."
"He is your brother, but don't forget the little prince."
The emperor spoke with great force.
Concubine Li De was stunned, opened her mouth, and looked sad and desperate.
"Your Majesty is right. I am the little prince's mother. Please, Your Majesty, spare his life for the sake of me and the little prince."
After saying this, Concubine Li De turned her head away, unable to bear to look any further.
The emperor was very decisive. "Drag this bastard out, strip him of his official uniform, and give him twenty lashes of the cane. If he's not dead, he's lucky."
The implication was that as long as Li Dalang could endure the beating, the past would be forgiven. Of course, he would also lose his official position.
Whether it was Princess Huyang's complaint or the money house incident, everything was settled at this point.
The Shaofu handled two cases. He arrested those who should be arrested and killed those who should be killed, but neither of them could implicate Li Dalang.
Li Dalang managed to escape death and was completely cleared from the case.
If Li Dalang died, he deserved it.
At the emperor's command, several big generals came in from outside, dragged the injured Li Dalang out, and executed him directly outside the hall.
Li Dalang was already injured and had lost too much blood. If the eunuchs carrying out the execution refused to give him a break, Li Dalang would be dead.
Concubine Li De was anxious and angry.
Her trusted eunuch quietly left the hall, stood in a corner of the courtyard, and gestured a number to the eunuch supervising the execution.
The eunuch supervising the execution nodded slightly, and his steps changed from turning feet inward to turning feet outward.
As soon as the eunuch who was carrying out the beating saw the outward-facing eight characters, he knew that the man was going to be let off.
Concubine Li De was willing to spend five thousand taels to buy their leniency, and they didn't mind giving Concubine Li De some face.
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