Inside the imperial study, those who had been captured stood by and watched, while the onlookers were surrounded and interrogated. The emperor's face was icy, his eyes were filled with dark clouds, and the veins on the back of his hand gripping the armrest of the dragon throne bulged.
Faced with the law, the Chamberlain used filial piety to pressure him, and even the Emperor could no longer ignore the law and protect his most beloved eldest daughter.
He tried to speak several times, but then he heard the voice of the former Imperial Tutor, the Attendant-in-Ordinary, rise a few notches. The heavy words "law" pierced his ears, and the words of dissuasion stuck in his throat, unable to come out.
In the past, he couldn't protect the woman he loved; now, he still can't protect the daughter his true love bore for him.
He closed his eyes in anguish, with tears glistening in the corners of his eyes.
The Left Minister, who is also the head of the Wu family, was very anxious from the moment he entered the Imperial Study. First, he was anxious for "Wei Zixiao", and now he was anxious for himself.
Now that the eldest princess is pretending to be his sister's daughter, if the emperor can't be executed along with his entire family, can't the Wu family be executed as well?
He was unaware that Di Xiu had condoned this, otherwise he would have flipped the table immediately.
He forced himself to calm down, a cold glint flashing beneath his half-closed eyelids. He took a deep breath and began to consider the feasibility of selling Mu Ruoling at this moment.
He carefully moved to Di Xiu's side and said in a low voice, "I will protect the Wu family."
"Um."
Upon receiving the emperor's instruction, the Attendant-in-Ordinary rose and, together with the Minister of Justice, presided over the interrogation.
This is truly the most childish slander in history. The rough stitches, the unique incense used, and the naive and foolish mind of the planner made everyone feel as if their intelligence had been insulted.
Di Xiu actually felt that the size of the dragon robe was probably not suitable for him. As he practiced his skills, he grew about five centimeters taller and developed a thin layer of muscle.
Given the current situation, even if everyone were to lose their minds, they couldn't possibly save Mu Ruoling. But what can she do when she has such a good father? It all depends on how far the emperor can protect her.
The Grand Councilor and the Minister of Justice stood on either side, but it was the former who spoke first. He had served as the Minister of Justice and was also the Emperor's tutor. He was able to keep the Emperor in check, even though the Emperor couldn't control his tendency to protect others.
"May I ask, Your Highness, who placed this dragon robe into the Wei residence on your behalf?"
Mu Ruoling pursed her lips, a hint of dissatisfaction flashing in her eyes: "He's just following my orders, don't make things difficult for him."
Everyone: \u003d_\u003d|||
They felt that Princess Tiansheng might not understand the law and had not yet realized the seriousness of the problem, but no one said anything, lest she refuse to cooperate after learning the outcome and resolutely protect her.
The Minister of Justice bowed and said to the Emperor, "Your Majesty, I humbly request permission to access the records of palace personnel entering and leaving the palace."
"You! I told you, he only follows my orders." Mu Ruoling shouted sternly, but it was all bark and no bite.
The Minister of Justice was about to refute him with the relevant laws when the Chamberlain raised his hand to stop him and gave him a look. Whether the other party understood the law or not is unknown.
The court attendant simply called out to the emperor, who waved his hand and granted permission.
It's true that the emperor cares about his eldest daughter, but the life or death of the accomplices is not something he's concerned about protecting. Mu Ruoling, on the other hand, couldn't help but call out "Father Emperor," which she found very incomprehensible.
In her previous life, everyone around Mu Ruoling died. In this new life, she cares a lot about the people around her, except for Xuan Yan, who was originally on her side but then betrayed her.
The accomplice is a member of the Imperial Guard. He is young, skilled in martial arts, and handsome, but comes from a commoner background, making promotion difficult. Considering all these qualities, he is a shoo-in for the male n position.
Because his mother had contracted a rare disease, Mu Ruoling asked the imperial physician to treat her. He was so grateful to her that he was willing to live and die for her and even break the law for her.
Upon hearing that the Wei residence was heavily guarded and that it was only today, during the Qingming Festival, that they had the opportunity to take advantage of the situation, everyone frowned.
A princess, a thief for a thousand days... Never mind, I'm not going to talk about it anymore, it's boring.
When the two testimonies were combined and the loyal servants were interrogated, all the evidence came to light.
The Chamberlain glared angrily at Mu Ruoling and the Imperial Guard, and said to the Emperor, "Your Majesty, according to the laws of Tiansheng, framing someone is a crime of false accusation. All those who make false accusations shall be punished accordingly. I request Your Majesty to issue an edict to punish the Grand Princess for treason and for falsely accusing a third-rank official."
Mu Ruoling froze, her mind slowly processing the information. Fear appeared on her face a beat late in the morning. She retreated repeatedly, and as she shook her head, the hair ornament on her head slapped her face repeatedly.
"No, no, Father, save me! I only gave him a piece of clothing, why are you accusing me of treason?"
The emperor's gaze, heavy with sorrow, slowly swept across the indignant faces. These were all the wise ministers he had chosen to assist the monarch, yet now they were all forcing him to kill his own flesh and blood.
He knew his daughter had made a big mistake, but looking at her terrified, tearful young face, he couldn't help but soften.
The emperor, unable to contain himself, pleaded in a hoarse voice before his ministers for his daughter's life: "My lords, spare her life. She's still just a child."
Di Xiu lifted his eyelids and let out a soft snort.
"Your humble servant has other important matters to attend to and must take his leave now."
He feigned anger and stormed off. Although those present felt it was improper, they were quite understanding. Wei's father called out to him in a perfunctory manner, but did not apologize or offer any remorse on behalf of his son.
001 complained, "In both his past and present lives, including the time he spent as a ghost, he's almost thirty years old, but he's still a child."
"Oh dear, why are you leaving? I want to see how the emperor plans to protect the female lead."
In the study behind, the Grand Chamberlain had already begun to pressure the Emperor again by citing the founding Emperor and the Tiansheng Law.
The execution of nine generations of relatives was already somewhat questionable, and now they want to spare the culprit, setting a precedent that will allow everyone to rebel at will, since they won't die anyway.
But as they talked, everyone couldn't help but look at the Wu family head's expression, almost forgetting that he was also within the eldest princess's nine generations of relatives.
The emperor, as if grasping at a straw, eagerly asked him, "What does the Left Minister think?"
"Your Majesty, those who have committed wrongdoings should be punished, and those who have committed crimes should be executed. Everything will be settled according to the law."
The others were shocked by his righteous indignation and fearless spirit in upholding the law, even at the cost of his own life. Mu Ruoling was also full of surprise.
The emperor realized something was wrong and his eyes flashed with a fierce light.
The head of the Wu family looked around and said expressionlessly, "Treason is punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family. May I ask Minister Zhou (Minister of Justice), does the nine generations include the adoptive mother and her family?"
"This..." The Minister of Justice understood the implied meaning and was momentarily at a loss.
“In the past, Consort Chen gave birth to a stillborn child, while at the same time, the Empress gave birth to twin daughters, Princess Ruoling and Princess Ruoyin. Consort Chen has always lived a secluded life and rarely met outsiders, but the Chamberlain was the Emperor’s tutor in the past and often entered the palace, so he must have seen her.”
The Chamberlain carefully examined Mu Ruoling's features, recalling the Consort he had seen fifteen years ago. He suddenly looked at the Emperor and rebuked him, "Absurd! Your Majesty, all the children born to the concubines in the harem are sons of the Empress. Why do you need to resort to such methods?"
Taking advantage of the opportunity, the head of the Wu family pressed the Minister of Justice for an answer: "Minister Zhou, in this situation, do you think the Empress's nine generations of relatives are still considered?"
The Minister of Justice, feeling helpless, said under the emperor's murderous gaze, "It certainly doesn't count."
The head of the Wu family stood with his hands at his sides, concealing his achievements and fame.
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