Before the two had even left the hall, Yan Shiren's voice rang out again from outside, "Your subject, Yan Shiren, requests an audience."
Emperor Mingde instructed Liang Yunsi to invite the person in. When the palace doors opened, all the ministers looked at Yide. Was this the legendary Empress Yide, who was posthumously honored? She was indeed beautiful, and quite absurd indeed.
Yan Shiren did not look at the Empress and Yide. He lifted his official robe and entered the Taihe Hall. As soon as he entered, he took a few steps and knelt down. "Your Majesty, on behalf of the people of Jiangnan, I request that the Fourth Prince be punished!"
Upon hearing this, Yi De paused for a moment, but ultimately said nothing. She followed the Empress away, though she was gone, her henchmen remained.
Emperor Mingde frowned. Punish the Fourth Prince? That was his son with Yide. Yide had just returned, and it was inappropriate for him to punish her son.
However, Yan Shiren was both an important minister and a direct descendant of a powerful family in Jiangnan, so it was not appropriate for him to dismiss the man without distinguishing right from wrong. He sat on the dragon throne and asked in a deep voice, "Why do you say such things, Minister Yan?"
"Your Majesty, Your Highness the Crown Prince and I have built dikes and controlled the disaster, but the Fourth Prince, in order to frame the Crown Prince, has gone so far as to have the dikes destroyed and release the plague. Your Majesty did not see it, but I saw a doctor studying various plagues in a cave. My legs went weak with fear at the time."
He didn't beat around the bush or use any fancy words. He was just like a frightened ordinary person, speaking in a way that everyone could understand. Emperor Mingde couldn't even deliberately misinterpret the meaning of his words.
He slammed his fist on the table in a fit of rage and shouted, "Yan Shiren, do you know what crime it is to slander a prince?"
"Your Majesty, hundreds of thousands of people in Jiangnan testify that the Fourth Prince harbors evil intentions and is willing to sacrifice the lives of the people of Jiangnan to murder the Crown Prince. If Your Majesty protects the Fourth Prince, I am willing to kneel at the palace gate with hundreds of thousands of people in Jiangnan. If Your Majesty does not punish the Fourth Prince, I and the people will not rise!"
Emperor Mingde could not possibly misunderstand the meaning behind his words. It was impossible for hundreds of thousands of people in Jiangnan to kneel at the palace gate, but it was possible for all the prominent families in Jiangnan to kneel at the palace gate.
Jiangnan, a land of outstanding people and beautiful scenery, is renowned for its talented scholars and scholarly families. Their pens are more formidable than spears. "What evidence do you have?"
"Your Majesty has witnesses. I hope Your Majesty will remember your reputation before and after your death, and remember the foundation laid by Emperor Taizu, and will not protect the Fourth Prince." His words were utterly blunt and a naked threat. Despite being from a scholarly and powerful family, he was incredibly defiant. One moment he was a leading official advocating reform, and the next he was standing on the opposite side of the emperor.
Emperor Mingde understood that Zhao Bi had gone too far. Taking the fate of the Jiang family a few years ago as a reference, he was trying to kill the Yan family. No wonder the Yan family, and even the entire Jiangnan region, were targeting her.
Despite his understanding, Emperor Mingde was still extremely displeased. "Where is Minister Yan's witness? Bring him to me so I can see him."
Yan Shiren was well-prepared and not afraid of making things difficult for Emperor Mingde at this moment. He raised his voice and said, "Bring witnesses!"
With a creak, the gate opened again, and Qiu Chengshi escorted in the doctor from the Ouyang family, Yang Quan who had been imprisoned in the Yongwang Mansion, and the fake Zhao Bi.
When Yide went out just now, she did not see the fake Zhao Bi who was still alive. If she had seen him, she would not have left so easily. Yan Shiren has been in for so long, and the people of the revenge party and the old party have not said a word. It was Qiu Chengshi who brought the fake Zhao Bi after the Empress and Yide left.
Qin Ji stood beside Zhao Shu and paused for a moment when he saw the fake Zhao Bi through the crack in the wall. He whispered, "This person is still alive?"
"How can we let such an important person die so easily?"
Since a person is fake, they can also fake their death.
When Emperor Mingde saw the fake Zhao Bi, his face darkened with anger, for the fake Zhao Bi was bound tightly. "Qiu Tangshi, what are you doing?"
“Your Majesty, he is a fake Fourth Prince, not the real one.” Qiu Chengshi pointed to the doctor from the Ouyang family. “It was all his doing. He is Ouyang Ping’s nephew, whose real name is Ouyang Bufan. He is a skilled doctor and adept at disguise, almost indistinguishable from the real thing. If you don’t believe me, Your Majesty, you can ask him a few questions.”
Emperor Mingde was skeptical and conflicted. On the one hand, he felt that there was no such thing as a mysterious medical skill in the world, and even the highly skilled Physician Peng could not do it. On the other hand, he hoped that it was fake, after all, it was his own face that was lost because his son was tied up.
So he asked the fake Zhao Bi, "Where is the jade pendant with dragons playing in the water that I gave you back then?"
"This humble citizen is not the Fourth Prince and is unaware of the Jade Pendant with the Dragon Playing in the Water." The fake Zhao Bi had already succumbed to the methods of Yan Shiren and others. This time, he dared not go back on his word and make false accusations. After all, a fake is a fake, and it can never be made real.
The voice was also extremely similar, and Emperor Mingde was immediately alarmed. At the same time, a bad thought arose in his mind: what if someone was impersonating him?
No, no, no, he shook his head, not daring to think about it too deeply. It was too terrifying. With this absurd thought in mind, Yan Shiren and Qiu Tangshi didn't need to say anything more. Ouyang Bufan and the fake Zhao Bi were doomed.
"Your Majesty, such sorcery violates the laws of Heaven. We beg Your Majesty to act on behalf of Heaven and eliminate this future threat." Yan Shiren and Qiu Chengshi shouted in unison. Both of them were cunning foxes, so how could they not know what Emperor Mingde was afraid of?
Emperor Mingde pretended to ponder for a moment before saying, "Minister Qiu, please handle this matter." Over the years, he still trusted Qiu Chengshi the most, after all, Yan Shiren had just threatened him.
Yan Shiren didn't care. Zhao Bi had ordered the dikes to be breached and a plague to be released, which almost made the Yan family a sinner for all time. So he put aside the country and the world and the general trend. The most important thing to do now was to seek justice.
Upon receiving the order, Qiu Cheng asked Emperor Mingde, "What's the matter with the dike?"
Yan Shiren pointed at Yang Quan, whose mouth was gagged, and said, “Your Majesty, this man is a henchman of Lord Yang’s household. It was he who breached the dam, causing the flood to ravage Jiangnan twice, resulting in incalculable losses and heavy casualties among the people. After interrogation by me and several colleagues, he admitted that he was instructed by the Fourth Prince.”
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