Seeing Jiang Ziyan kneeling on the ground, crying with tears in her eyes, Emperor Xuande felt sorry for her.
"Princess Chen, get up. This is none of your business."
Jiang Ziyan knelt still, shaking her head and saying, "Your Majesty, when I first entered the palace, I was terrified and persecuted by jealous villains. It was Chaoyun who always stayed with me, and today I am repaying her kindness. If Your Majesty does not spare her life, I will often kneel down and not get up."
In fact, Emperor Xuande didn't care whether Li Chaoyun lived or died.
So when he saw Jiang Ziyan like this, he felt relieved and he really couldn't bear to see Jiang Ziyan cry.
He was about to speak, but subconsciously glanced at Song Zan and his son, and it was obvious that he felt a little guilty.
After retracting his gaze, Emperor Xuande coughed twice. "Since you all think Li Chaoyun's crime doesn't deserve death, then I will show some mercy. However, Li Chaoyun can be spared the death penalty, but he cannot escape his punishment while still alive. He will be imprisoned in the Imperial Clan House for life."
As he said this, Emperor Xuande looked at Song Zan again.
He didn't know if it was his illusion, but he always felt that there was mockery in Song Zan's eyes.
Su Yuanzhou wanted to speak when he heard this, but Shen Zhixiu stopped him with a look.
There are plenty of ways to get rid of Li Chaoyun, so there is no need to refute the emperor's decision at this time.
Emperor Xuande then issued an order to take the three members of the Li family away and temporarily imprison them in the Ministry of Justice. The next day, Li Jingchuan and Princess Yongjia would be executed by slow slicing, while Li Chaoyun would be transferred to the Imperial Clan Court.
After the Li family members left, Su Qingyu felt much more relieved.
After a long period of planning, we have finally reached this point. When the Li family members are executed tomorrow, this matter will be settled.
Seeing that Hu Lu was still holding the late queen's body, Emperor Xuande ordered: "Send this body to Ganyang Palace. I will set aside a room specifically to enshrine Zi Ning's body."
Song Zan stood up upon hearing this and said, "Your Majesty, I request your permission to bring the late queen's body back to the Song family."
Then Song Zan knelt in the middle of the hall, and Song Hongshen knelt behind him.
This is also the purpose of their visit today. If it were not for this Buddha body, they would not have come here at all.
Emperor Xuande was still immersed in the joy of recovering the late empress's Buddha body. Suddenly, upon hearing Song Zan's words, he blurted out a rebuttal: "That's impossible. The Buddha body of Zi Ning has been recovered and should remain in the palace."
Song Zan raised his head and looked directly at Emperor Xuande, "Does your Majesty think this is appropriate?"
Emperor Xuande was puzzled. "What's inappropriate about this? Although she is from the Song family, she has already married me. A married woman should obey her husband. Song Zan, don't you understand?"
Song Zan twitched the corners of his lips slightly, suppressing the anger in his heart.
"Ganyang Palace is where His Majesty rests. Did you place the late Queen's body there so she could watch His Majesty being affectionate with another woman?"
Having said that, Song Zan glanced at Jiang Ziyan again and asked, "Your Majesty, do you think the late Queen would be happy to see this Empress Chen?"
"Of course, if Your Majesty can guarantee to cultivate his character in Ganyang Palace and not summon the concubines. Especially this Empress Chen, never set foot in Ganyang Palace, then this minister and the Song family will no longer have any objections."
Emperor Xuande was so angry that he scolded Song Zan, "What kind of words are you talking about? How dare you say such nonsense?"
Is this something you could say in front of the court officials and their wives? Song Zan was becoming more and more outrageous.
Seeing Emperor Xuande's anger rising, Song Zan suddenly softened his tone.
"Your Majesty, there is someone in the Marquis of Loyalty's Mansion that the late Queen cares about. I beg Your Majesty to help."
After saying this, he kowtowed deeply to Emperor Xuande.
If he continued to behave recklessly, Emperor Xuande might have scolded him again. But his sudden behavior made Emperor Xuande feel uncomfortable for a moment.
If we were to ask who treats Song Zining the best in this world, it would be her brother, Marquis Zhongyi.
When Emperor Xuande heard Song Zan say that there was someone in the Marquis of Loyalty's Mansion that the late empress cared about, he thought of the old lady of the Song family again.
"Alright, alright, stop looking so sad in front of me. I've approved this matter. The late queen's body will be sent to the Marquis of Loyalty's mansion."
Song Zan and Song Hong thanked him deeply, then stood up and returned to their seats.
Concubine Chen lowered her eyes and fell into deep thought. The Song family dared to be so presumptuous, wasn't it because the emperor cared about the late queen? Sooner or later, her Jiang family would be as powerful as the Song family.
Afterwards, Emperor Xuande began to issue orders to punish other people.
Censor Chen will be detained first, and will be handed over to the three courts for trial after the Ministry of Personnel presents evidence tomorrow.
Zhang Tianshi was transferred to Shuntian Prefecture, which first investigated his fraudulent crimes and then convicted him according to the Great Zhou Law based on the extent of the fraud.
Emperor Xuande finally looked at Li Hu. Secretly, he didn't want to keep this man any longer. Although Li Hu explained what happened in the past, Emperor Xuande's hatred for the King of War did not diminish.
Just as Yongjia said, Prince Zhan came to Beijing perhaps just under the guise of filial piety, but in reality he still wanted to take the opportunity to cause chaos.
Su Yuanzhou and Li Hu were both military generals, and Su Yuanzhou sympathized with Li Hu's situation.
So when he saw that the emperor intended to execute Li Hu, Su Yuanzhou spoke up first, "Your Majesty, Li Hu has made great contributions this time. Even if he has no merits, he has worked hard. I suggest that the court give him some pension to ensure his future life."
Shen Zhixiu also echoed, "Your Majesty, I agree with His Royal Highness Prince Ning's proposal. Doing so will also demonstrate the Emperor's broad-mindedness and magnanimity."
Seeing what the two men said, Emperor Xuande could only announce his decree and reward Li Hu handsomely. He then asked Li Hu what his future plans were.
Li Hu said that he wanted to go back to his hometown Yingtian Prefecture to visit, and the gold and silver rewarded by the emperor was just enough for his travel expenses.
When Shen Zhixiu heard that Li Hu was going south to his hometown, he said that the Shen family's farm outside the city was vacant and that Li Hu could stay there for a few days. He could rest for a few days, buy some local products, and then go south to his home.
Seeing that the emperor had truly spared Li Hu's life, Concubine Xian said nothing. Her drooping eyelashes just concealed the murderous intent in her eyes.
When Li Hu stepped aside, he also looked deeply at Concubine Xian, then instantly looked away.
The farce finally ended, and Emperor Xuande signaled everyone to disperse and leave the palace on their own.
He left with Consort Jiang Ziyan. After everyone had respectfully seen the Emperor off, they walked out of the hall.
After leaving the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Song Hongshen saw at a glance that the Crown Prince was talking to Prince Rong not far away.
Song Hongshen grinned and walked quickly to the side of Prince Rong.
"Your Majesty, when can I drink at Prince Rong's wedding?"
"This prince and Miss Honglian have met once. When she gets married, this prince must give her a generous gift."
Upon hearing this, Prince Rong's face immediately fell. He said goodbye to the Crown Prince and left quickly.
Song Hongshen shrugged, "The old prince passed away quickly. He is still strong and healthy."
After saying that, he ignored the prince and left behind Prince Rong.
The prince stared at Song Hongshen's back with his deep eyes, cold and sinister.
He did plot against Song Hongshen, but didn't succeed?
Song Hongshen, on the other hand, took revenge on him again and again.
"Have you found out? When does Song Hongshen plan to go south to Fujian?"
The prince asked the attendant beside him in a low voice.
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