Chapter 38 No Way to Defend Yourself
The moment Chi Lan threw the memorial, Zhu Fangfang immediately stood up from the desk, walked to the center of the hall and knelt down.
He tried to straighten his back and spoke slowly, "On the fourth day of the eighth month, Prime Minister Li and Young Master Li held a secret meeting at the palace, inviting the nine ministries and six ministers to attend. At the meeting, he denounced Your Majesty for your disrespect for women, your cruel nature, your persecution of loyal ministers and good ministers, your promotion of ignorant female officials, and your resulting disruption of the Zhao dynasty."
"They also say that Empress Dowager Chi harbors evil intentions, and that Your Majesty is cowardly and incompetent, unable to convince the world. They say that only he, with both virtue and talent, can sit on the throne. They urge us to write a punitive manifesto, commanding the world to rebel against Your Majesty!"
Inside the hall, officials from the Poor Party who hadn't received an invitation cried out in shock, "How could Li Mian be so arrogant? He truly has such a wicked ambition!"
Li Mian: ...How come I didn’t know how rampant I was?
Naturally, he refused to bear this false accusation.
Li Mian shouted, "Your Majesty, this is slander! I have never intended to rebel, nor have I ever said such a thing!"
On the fourth day of August, he did invite officials from the six ministries to drink, and those present were all his trusted followers. He had no scruples and must have scolded Empress Dowager Chi a few times.
But if he wants to be the emperor himself, that is absolutely impossible!
As for why Zhu Fangfang suddenly changed sides and even turned against him, he couldn't figure it out.
Zhu Fangfang swore to the heavens, "I guarantee this with my life! I won't lie a single word! The other officials and I were deceived by Li Mian. We refused to be complicit in his corruption, and he threatened to confiscate our possessions and exterminate our entire families if we refused!"
Li Mian glared at Zhu Fangfang, "I didn't! Zhu Fangfang, you are deceiving the emperor!"
Zhu Fangfang turned around and gave him a sad smile. "Ask the officials from the six ministries and you'll know if I'm lying."
Li Mian turned his head and looked at the Minister of Rites. "Liu Yu, tell me, did I ever say I wanted to rebel?"
Upon hearing this, the Minister of Rites turned pale, stood up from behind the desk, and then knelt down.
"At the meeting that day, Prime Minister Li did indeed talk about rebellion and urged us to support him as emperor."
Li Mian's face suddenly darkened. How could it be possible? How could even Liu Yu be so foolish as to betray him?
Do they think that if they help Queen Mother Chi kill him, they can take his place? No, they will only die faster!
Unwilling to give up, he turned to look at the Minister of War and said anxiously, "You must know whether I said this or not. Please help me explain it!"
The Minister of War sighed deeply, his face darkening. He walked to the center of the hall, knelt, and said in a trembling voice, "Prime Minister Li did threaten me, asking me to mobilize troops to support him in taking the throne."
Li Mian couldn't believe it. His eyes went dark and he was so shocked that his eyeballs almost popped out.
Forget about Zhu Fangfang. There was just trouble in his Ministry of Justice, and he might have been threatened by Empress Dowager Chi. But why did the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of War also say this? Did they want to put him to death?
They are obviously in the same group!
Queen Mother Chi... What on earth did Queen Mother Chi do to them?
He looked up at Chi Li, who sat solemnly on the throne. Her black and white eyes were as cold as a wolf's. "Now that things have come to this, Li Mian, what else do you have to say?"
Li Mian's heart trembled, and under the hatred and anger, he actually felt a little fear.
Looking around, he saw that his former allies had turned against him. He almost couldn't control his emotions and collapsed to the ground like Li Xiaoci, but he finally held on.
"Your Majesty, are you going to convict me just because of these people's unfounded slander? I have served as Prime Minister for over twenty years, working from dawn to dusk to handle state affairs. Even if I have no merit, I have worked hard! If the late emperor were still alive, he would never sit idly by and watch me suffer such an injustice!"
The officials standing on the left were moved after hearing this and were eager to argue for Prime Minister Li.
Suddenly, Zhu Fangfang spoke up, "Prime Minister Li, if you're wronged, then I'm even more wronged! You ordered me to murder your granddaughter, Li Jiying, and that's a fact set in stone!"
"So you sent that man," Li Jiying shouted immediately, looking up to reveal the marks on his neck. "If I hadn't been lucky enough to survive, I wouldn't be here today to expose the ugly crimes of you and your son!"
Ling Qiong also stood up from the table and said angrily, "And Song Guangyi was also killed by you, Li Mian. Your trusted assassin, Qian Mingke, is still imprisoned in the Yiluansi! You have done so many evil things, your crimes are unforgivable, what are you still trying to argue about?"
After these three people questioned repeatedly, the officials on the left immediately fell silent and no longer had the intention to speak up to defend Li Mian.
Li Mian was also speechless, his face was pale, and he could not utter a word. He was filled with fear and panic.
At this time, Chi Lu, who was sitting at the head of the group, spoke up, "Li Mian and Li Xiaoci, father and son, are plotting rebellion and have committed countless evil deeds. They must be stripped of their positions as prime minister and minister of finance, thrown into prison, and await execution."
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Xiaoci, who was being held captive by the Golden Crow Guards, burst into tears. Li Mian felt chilled to the bone and felt as if the sky had fallen.
However, this was not the end. Chi Li continued, "If Li Mian wants to rebel, it is definitely not something that can be started by one person. Officials from all departments, if they know of anyone who is affiliated with Li's faction and intends to rebel, please submit a letter to report it."
As soon as these words were spoken, the Li Party officials standing on the left side of the court turned pale, and they felt even more sad when they heard Li Xiaoci's crying.
The poor family's faction immediately jumped out, pointing at an official and saying, "This man got promoted by giving gifts to Prime Minister Li. He is a member of the Li Party!"
"Of all the officials from the four great families of the capital, Li, Zhu, Liu, and Xiao, which one did not cleave to the Li Party?"
"That's right! These noble families have colluded with each other, controlling the government, selling official positions and titles, committing all sorts of evil. Now they dare to rebel against the emperor. They should all be killed!"
"Kill Li Mian and avenge Master Song Guangyi!"
As he spoke, an official rushed out and slapped Li Mian in the face, making him see stars and foam at the mouth.
"You, you guys--" Li Mian was so angry that he vomited blood when he saw that these officials who were usually trembling with fear in front of him and dared to slap him.
Unfortunately, before he could even curse, more male officials rushed up, pressed his old and thin body to the ground, and punches rained down on him.
When Li Xiangdang saw this, they all shrank back silently and dared not say a word.
Some people were smart enough to join in the fight against Li Mian, shouting, "I am not a member of Li's party!"
It’s a pity that I arrived too late and couldn’t squeeze in, so I could only settle for the next best thing and beat Li Xiaoci.
So Li Xiaoci cried even louder.
What a majestic hall, suddenly it became as noisy as a vegetable market, with crying and cursing mixed together.
Li Jiying, who was interrogated at the beginning, was left out.
She looked at the tragic scenes of Li Xiaoci and Li Mian being beaten by the crowd, and felt a sense of pleasure in her heart. She wished she could beat them to death immediately.
I just regret that my hands are shackled and I can't do it myself.
What’s even more hateful is that even if they died, they couldn’t bring back her dead mother.
Li Jiying felt a wave of melancholy in his heart. The screams of the two men became weaker and weaker, as if they were about to be beaten to death. He no longer felt happy.
It would be too easy for them to die like this!
As if hearing her thoughts, a stern voice came from the leader, "Enough! Do you all want to be beaten for fighting in the court?"
Upon hearing this, the officials who were enjoying the beating immediately stopped, dispersed, and knelt down to apologize.
Li Mian finally breathed a sigh of relief, put down his hands that were holding his head, and secretly felt lucky to have saved his life.
He was in pain all over, as if his bones were falling apart. He was coughing and spitting out blood, in which there was a tooth that had been knocked out.
He struggled and stood up tremblingly, looked at the officials who took action, and then looked at Zhu Fangfang.
He hated Chi Li and these fence-sitters, but what he hated even more was Zhu Fangfang who betrayed him.
His eyes pierced through with viciousness, "Empress Dowager Chi, what benefits did she promise you?"
When Zhu Fangfang saw his eyes, she immediately lowered her head, not daring to look him in the eye, but her thoughts went back to this morning.
At that time, he was extremely panicked when he learned that the prisoners in the prison had escaped. He changed into his official uniform early and planned to find Li Mian to discuss countermeasures.
As a result, as soon as she walked out of the door, she was stopped by Dan Ying, the head aunt in charge of Empress Dowager Chi.
Empress Dowager Chi wanted to summon him, so he had no choice but to enter the palace.
Sure enough, as soon as she saw him, Empress Dowager Chi began to hold the prison warden accountable for the prisoner's escape.
"Zhu Fangfang, I'll give you two options: one, go to jail until you die, or two, make meritorious contributions while serving your sentence. It's your choice."
Zhu Fangfang remained unmoved. She believed that as long as Li Mian was still around, she would definitely catch the prison robber and pull him out of jail.
"Your Majesty, I am willing to accept the punishment."
Empress Dowager Chi stared at him coldly. "So, you want to go to jail until you die? After all, you killed Li Mian's eldest son. You wouldn't expect your enemies to rescue you, would you?"
Zhu Fangfang was shocked. How did Empress Dowager Chi know about this old story?
Li Mian once had a child who was much smarter than Li Xiaoci, but unfortunately the child died in his teens. No one knew that he was the one who pushed the child into the pond and watched him drown in it.
Who made this kid catch him having an affair with Madam Li Mian!
But this happened decades ago. How did Empress Dowager Chi know about it?
He didn't dare to ask, and immediately changed his words, "I am willing to make meritorious contributions while serving my sentence!"
Chi Qi smiled with satisfaction and signaled the maid to hand him a secret letter.
When Zhu Fangfang saw it, her eyes widened.
This turned out to be a secret letter accusing Li Mian of plotting a rebellion, and six people from the six ministries and nine officials wrote their names at the end of the letter.
He immediately broke out in a sweat, realizing very clearly that going against Queen Mother Chi would only lead to death.
So, he also wrote his own name at the end of the letter and drafted a new memorial to impeach Li Mian.
Zhu Fangfang's thoughts returned to the present from this morning. She didn't dare to look up at Li Mian's eyes, but turned to look at the Minister of War.
Could it be that Empress Dowager Chi also caught him?
The Minister of War noticed his gaze and a look of depression flashed across his face.
Two days ago, someone from the Yiluansi sent him an invitation to meet him, asking him to recruit soldiers for the Yiluansi, and they required female soldiers.
He just thought it was ridiculous at the time. Asking him to spend money and effort to recruit soldiers? What kind of dream was Queen Mother Chi dreaming?
The year before last, when the border region was at war with the Western Qi Kingdom, he had embezzled 300,000 taels of the 500,000 taels of silver allocated for military supplies, and it was still not enough for the remaining expenses!
He responded with a few casual words and sent the person away.
Who would have thought that the next day, Empress Dowager Chi called him into the palace and exposed his evil deeds of corruption.
"One, go to jail until you die, two, make meritorious contributions while serving your sentence. Your choice."
The Minister of War was sweating profusely and quickly knelt on his knees, "Your Majesty, I will obey you!"
Then today, he stood up and accused Li Mian of treason. He had no choice, if he didn't do this, he would be the one to die!
Seeing Zhu Fangfang look away from his face, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart again.
Now that Empress Dowager Chi has a hold on me, my life will be difficult from now on. Even if I escape this disaster, I'm afraid I won't be able to escape the next one.
While the Minister of War was sighing, the Golden Crow Guards had already grabbed the arms of Li Mian and Li Xiaoci and dragged them out regardless of their wailing.
At this point, the Yiluansi finally successfully welcomed the third and fourth guests.
The second is naturally Qian Ming.
————
The show was over and Chi Li had seen enough.
The scene where Li Xiang's party turned against him and the officials beat up Li Mian and Li Xiaoci was quite funny.
Next, it’s time to make the closing remarks.
"Li Jiying, you have redressed your mother's injustice, which is truly filial and righteous. I will pardon you today. As for those female prisoners, although they were guilty of murdering their husbands and escaping prison, their circumstances are extenuating. I will pardon them all!"
After what happened just now, none of the officials dared to stand up and oppose, and they did not dare to investigate further as to who had broken into the prison.
Anyway, the Ministry of Justice has a lot of confusing cases, so this one is not a big deal.
But there are people who just don't believe this. Huo Ran stood up and said angrily:
"Your Majesty, a group of bandits armed with long knives and sharp arrows robbed the prison at night and set fire to the Ministry of Justice. How can such a serious crime be forgiven so lightly?"
"That group of people simply don't take the imperial court seriously. If they're not apprehended, they might commit a serious crime. Li Jiying and those female prisoners must not be let off easily. They must be tortured severely and forced to reveal the mastermind behind this!"
The real mastermind, Chi Li: You want to arrest me? You're really brave!
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