Chapter 36 is over!
Everyone knows that Li Jiying is the daughter of Li Xiaoci, and everyone also knows that she killed Duke Cao's only son.
Therefore, as soon as Li Xiaoci said this, all the officials in the court turned their eyes to him.
The poor people were naturally excited and gloating.
Since the death of their leader Song Guangyi, they have been depressed for a while.
Especially on the issue of supporting the Queen Mother's new policies, there were great internal differences, and people's hearts were not united. How could they compete with Li Xiang's party?
But unexpectedly, the Ministry of Justice suddenly made such a big mistake. Not only did they fail to catch the escaped criminal, but they also let her jump out and file a complaint to the emperor. Isn't this a blatant slap in the face of Li Xiang and others?
Good! This is really satisfying!
These guys are ready to take advantage of others' misfortune.
On the other hand, Li Xiang's party all looked haggard and dejected.
Li Mian, in particular, was already roaring in his heart: "I told you to keep your composure! Keep your composure! What are you doing jumping out here, you idiot?"
If there weren't so many eyes staring at him, he would have wanted to kick Li Xiaoci in the head.
It's a pity that his age no longer allows him to perform such difficult moves.
Chi Yan, who took in everyone's reactions, had a stern expression on her face, but she was actually looking forward to the next show.
The protagonist has appeared and the prologue is about to begin.
I hope you can give a wonderful performance.
She looked at Li Xiaoci and snorted coldly, "Li Xiaoci, do you know the rules of the Dengwen drum?"
Li Xiaoci regretted his words the moment he shouted them out. Hearing Chi Kui's questioning, he immediately broke out in a cold sweat. "Your Majesty, your Majesty, I understand. Anyone who beats the drum must have committed a grave injustice and must be brought before Your Majesty for trial."
“What if an official intervenes?”
Li Xiaoci's legs went weak. "If any official tries to stop me, I'll beat him to death."
"So when you said you wanted to arrest Li Jiying, did that mean you wanted to stop her from seeking justice?"
Li Xiaoci fell to his knees, feeling terrified, and said, "I dare not."
Chi Li smiled: "That's good."
He then looked at the ministers in the hall and said in a deep voice, "Call Li Jiying into the hall, and summon the three judicial departments of the Ministry of Justice, the Dali Temple, and the Metropolitan Procuratorate, as well as the female officials of the Sujisi and Yiluansi, to join the trial!"
The ministers in the hall were surprised. Gathering so many officials just to interrogate a woman who killed her husband, wasn't this an overreaction?
Li Xiaoci, who was kneeling on the ground, suddenly realized that Queen Mother Chi must know what Li Jiying wanted to sue, and she was coming for him!
His head suddenly dropped, sweat dripped down his cheeks, and he felt dizzy.
It’s over!
It’s really over now!
————
"Lady Yuzhao! The Queen Mother summons you to the palace to try Li Jiying's unjust case!"
The guard rushed into Wu's house and shouted.
Yuzhao and Wu Wenxiu were hiding in the shade under the eaves, tugging at the tails of grass to amuse birds and killing time. They were just lamenting that "I haven't exercised for a long time and my bones are lazy" when they heard the guard's words.
She immediately threw away the tail grass, grabbed her sword, and strode forward. "What did you say?"
"Last night, the Ministry of Justice prison was burned down, and all the prisoners escaped! Early this morning, the escaped Li Jiying came to the Imperial City and beat the drum to report the incident. The Empress Dowager took it very seriously and ordered the three judicial officials and the two female officials to conduct a joint trial!"
Yuzhao was stunned. So much information came pouring down on her that she couldn't digest it for a moment.
Wu Wenxiu understood immediately, and a joyful smile quickly appeared on her face. "So, you want to overturn the verdicts for those female prisoners?"
The guard scratched his head and said, "I don't know either."
Wu Wenxiu remembered Chi Ling telling her "yes", and she already had the answer in her heart. She only regretted that she could not participate in person, and felt very regretful.
I can only urge Yuzhao to go outside, "Good sister, please go quickly."
Yuzhao rode away on horseback.
Wu Wenxiu leaned against the door frame, his palms clasped tightly against the door, watching her retreating figure, silently praying in his heart, "I hope everything goes well."
On the other hand, Zhao Mingyue, who had returned to the palace, thought the same.
Chunying and Qiushi helped her change out of her tight clothes and put on princess clothes.
Zhao Mingyue straightened her wide sleeves and suddenly felt a little uncomfortable, as if they were in the way.
When I walked out of the bedroom, Xue Qi was waiting outside.
When he saw her, he gently requested, "Your Highness, please let me go with you."
Zhao Mingyue hesitated for a moment, "What if someone from the Ministry of Justice recognizes you?"
If they saw Xue Qi appear safely, there was no guarantee that the officials would not guess that the prison break was instigated by A Niang.
Xue Qi smiled faintly. "Princess, do you think the Ministry of Justice really dares to suspect the Empress Dowager? Even if they do, would they dare to point fingers in court?"
Zhao Mingyue was stunned, and then she thought that the Ministry of Justice had made a big mistake by letting the criminal escape. If they wanted to reduce the sentence, it would be better to downplay the harm of the incident rather than making it bigger and bigger until it could not be resolved.
Thinking about it this way, it is consistent with their interests!
"But Zhu Fangfang is Prime Minister Li's person. How could he miss this opportunity to deal with my mother?" She looked at Xue Qi expectantly, waiting for her answer.
She had discovered that Xue Qi was a completely different person from her, different from anyone she had known before.
She is now very interested in her.
Xue Qi couldn't help but see the burgeoning desire for exploration in her eyes. He simply smiled, "Princess, no group in this world is impenetrable. People who gather for profit will eventually fall apart because of profit. Human nature is always like this."
Zhao Mingyue frowned slightly. Is that how it is?
She had pondered before whether human nature was good or evil, but in the end, no matter good or evil, was it all defeated by the word "interest"?
Then he thought of the complaints of the prisoners in the Yiluansi and became angry again.
They were all people who were severely abused and forced to resist. What interests were behind those officials' unanimous opposition to pardoning them?
She really didn't understand how releasing these women would harm their interests!
Zhao Mingyue raised her head, her eyes full of determination.
"In that case, Xue Siji, please come with me."
————
Half an hour later, all the officials arrived.
Chi Lu was still sitting high on the throne, Zhao Mingyue was kneeling beside the throne, and Xue Qi was standing beside her.
Sitting in front of the large desk on the right were four attendants headed by Jin Suwei, as well as Yu Zhao and Ling Qiong from the Yiluansi.
Sitting in front of the large desk on the left were Li Mian, Minister of Justice Zhu Fangfang, and the chief officials of the Dali Temple and the Censorate.
The rest of the officials retreated behind the table.
There are pens, ink, paper and inkstone on the desk for taking notes.
At this time, the gate guard came in to report that Li Jiying had been brought in.
All the ministers in the hall raised their heads and looked towards the door, wanting to see who this woman who caused turmoil in the court was.
Li Xiaoci's face immediately darkened. If this rebellious girl really dared to "sue her father", she would definitely be nailed to the ground!
If he could tamper with the nail board so that she would die after rolling off the nail board and accompany Liu Ruiyun, then he would be safe.
All the ministers thought that Li Jiying must be a vicious woman with strong hands and feet and no knowledge of etiquette. Otherwise, how could she kill her husband and escape from the prison?
Who would have thought that the person who walked into the hall was a young woman who was badly beaten and covered with bruises.
Because she was a criminal, she had shackles on her hands, which made rattling noises as she walked.
Jin Suwei exclaimed in surprise, "Oh my God! Look at the wound on her neck, such severe strangulation marks, could it be that someone wants to kill her?"
The official on the other side retorted: "How do we know she didn't commit suicide out of fear of punishment?"
Ling Qiong slammed the table, "If you want to commit suicide out of fear of punishment, why bother to cry out for justice in front of the emperor? Stop your bullshit!"
"You—!" the official was furious. "How rude of a woman to speak so uncivilizedly!
Lingqiong wanted to curse again, but was held down by Yuzhao. They said that quarrels should be handled according to the occasion. The Queen Mother called them over, not to curse.
However, before the trial even began, officials on both sides had already shown signs of hostility. Li Mian, who had been observing calmly, had a feeling that something was wrong.
Empress Dowager Chi made such a big fuss, could it be that she just wanted to use Li Jiying to get rid of Li Xiaoci?
In any case, you have to be careful.
While all the officials were thinking about their own ideas, Li Jiying had already walked up to the emperor and knelt down.
"Commoner Li Jiying pays homage to His Majesty."
Chi Yan's expression softened. "Stand up. Since you've struck the drum to appeal, I must appeal for your grievances. Tell me everything you have."
Li Jiying slowly stood up, glanced at Chi Li nervously, and then quickly lowered his head.
She once fantasized that there would really be a day when she could stand before Empress Dowager Chi and all the officials and speak out her grievances.
But when this moment really came, she realized how excited she was.
Although he tried hard to suppress his emotions, his voice was still choked with sobs when he spoke, "Yes."
After a pause, she continued, "I know I've committed countless crimes, but I dare not speak out for myself. Today, I'm beating the drum to appeal for justice for my mother, who was murdered by my father, and for all the women in the world who have been bullied and abused by their husbands. I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly, return my mother, and bring justice to all women in the world!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the whole hall was in an uproar.
"She actually wants to sue her father, the Minister of Revenue, Li Xiaoci?"
"This girl seems to be the daughter of a concubine, right? A concubine is involved in business, so even if she was beaten and killed, what would happen? According to the law, at most she would be sentenced to a few years in prison. But she is suing her father as a son, which is truly a heinous crime!"
"Don't even mention concubines. Aren't wives bought with money? If Lord Li is at fault, it's only because he didn't educate his children properly, raising them to be so rebellious!"
In the mouths of these officials, wives and concubines seemed to be objects that could be disposed of at will.
If they dare to protest, it means they don't know their own identity and should be beaten to death.
Jin Suwei and others were so angry when they heard this that their hands holding the pen trembled and they wished they could splash the ink on their faces.
Li Xiaoci received support, and the fear in his heart disappeared immediately. He immediately stepped out from behind the table and shouted:
"Your Majesty, this woman is full of lies! I have never abused her aunt. On the contrary, it was her aunt who repeatedly contradicted me, and I was kind and indulgent. I didn't expect that this only made her and her mother more vicious and violent, and ultimately led to a tragedy, causing her to kill Duke Cao's only son!"
"As for her aunt's death, it was actually Liu Ruiyun who wanted to argue with me and fell to her death. I have nothing to do with it! This woman dared to collude with bandits to escape from prison and sue her own father. This clearly shows her immorality. I beg you to put her on the nail board. If she refuses to change her words after rolling over it, I will let her suffer all the punishments. This will surely make her tell the truth!"
Li Jiying turned and glared at him, his eyes filled with hatred. "Li Xiaoci, can you swear to heaven that you didn't kill my mother?"
Swear? Li Xiaoci sneered. Even if he swore, what would it matter? God is the Lord, and he still understands the superiority of men over women. Want him to pay for that woman Liu Ruiyun's life? Dream on!
At this time, Chi Lu, who was sitting at the head of the table, spoke up, "Why bother with so much trouble? It just so happens that some of your friends from the Li Mansion are visiting the palace. We can find out the truth by calling them over and asking them."
What friend? Li Xiaoci was shocked.
Looking up, I saw Chi Yan turning around and saying something to the maid beside her. The maid then shouted, "Call Liu Shanzhen and Wang Liu, servants of the Li Mansion, and Xu Qingzi, the abbot of Baiyun Monastery."
Hearing these familiar names, Li Xiaoci was filled with fear and felt the hairs on his body stand up.
He slowly turned his head to look at Li Mian and said in a trembling voice: "Dad——"
What, what should I do?
Wang Liu was really captured by Queen Mother Chi. This woman wanted him dead!
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