Chapter 122: The Confrontation Between Two Phases in Prison
Li Yueyao knew that he was awake and teased him on purpose.
The two of them hugged each other and played on the bed for a while before getting up.
After packing up, they prepared to go out. Qian Lou and Yan Xin followed closely with their things.
The carriage headed eastward towards the Dali Temple.
Huan Zi'an had been waiting at the gate of Dali Temple for a long time. Without stopping for a moment, he took the two of them to the dungeon of Dali Temple.
The prison was dark and eerie, emitting a strange smell. Li Yueyao had a strong sense of smell and had to cover her mouth and nose with a handkerchief.
When I walked to the deepest part of the prison, I suddenly felt dead silent all around.
In the last cell, a tiny fire flickered, illuminating the silent room. A man sat cross-legged on the straw against the wall.
He was wearing prison clothes, his hair was disheveled, his eyes were closed, and his face could not be seen clearly in the dim light.
"Greetings, Left Prime Minister." Huan Zi'an bowed.
"I have become a prisoner of this level, you don't have to call me that." Gao Hongchen said lightly with his eyes closed.
"Until His Majesty makes a final judgment on you, you will remain the Left Prime Minister."
After hearing this, Gao Hongchen opened his eyes and saw Feng Shenyu and Li Yueyao beside Huan Zian.
"The Right Prime Minister and the Grand Princess are here. Why? Are they here to see my miserable state?"
Feng Shenyu curled his lips and said sarcastically:
"Without you in the court, and the Grand Master Zong taking leave, I'm very busy and don't have time to laugh at your joke."
"Is the Right Prime Minister here to show off his immense power and influence over the government?"
Gao Hongchen sneered.
Feng Shenyu was too lazy to argue with Gao Hongchen, so she crossed her arms and said casually:
"I heard you wouldn't speak, so I came to see what you're obsessed with."
"Hmph, the winner is the king and the loser is the bandit. There is nothing to be obsessed with."
Seeing Gao Hongchen was unmoved, Li Yueyao continued:
"Prime Minister Gao, you are quite free and easy, but have you ever thought about the hundreds of people in your Gao family?"
Gao Hongchen listened and remained silent.
"I know you have a bad relationship with your wife Zhuang Yunlu, and I don't like your legitimate sons and daughters, so I won't talk about them.
Your elderly mother has been bedridden since she learned that you resented her because of Concubine Rong, and she probably doesn't have much time left in prison.
If you don't think about others, you should think about her, right? "
Gao Hongchen opened his mouth, but in the end said nothing.
Feng Shenyu saw that talking about his family really couldn't make him speak, so he tried to test him:
"I know what you're thinking. Gao Tongrui has surrendered to us, and I will definitely promise him to save his life.
This way, your Gao family will have retained a trace of blood, and you will be worthy of your ancestors, right?"
Gao Hongchen smiled and said, "The one who knows me best is the Right Prime Minister."
"It seems that it's not that you don't love Gao Tongrui, but that you love him very much. You knew that what you did would bring disaster to your entire family, so you took him out of it in advance."
After saying this, Feng Shenyu smacked his lips and said, "Parents who love their children will make long-term plans for them."
Li Yueyao, who was listening nearby, said, "In that case, let's talk about your other son, the Seventh Prince Li Sheng."
Gao Hongchen really answered after hearing this: "Sheng'er, how is he...how is he?"
"The fate of a prince who confuses the royal bloodline can be imagined." Li Yueyao said lightly.
"He's still a child, he doesn't know anything... You can't..."
Gao Hongchen suddenly became a little excited.
When the two saw Gao Hongchen's reaction, they knew that the Seventh Prince was now his breakthrough point.
Although Huan Zi'an also knew about the Seventh Prince's affairs, the Emperor had not yet made a decision on how to deal with the Seventh Prince, and no one dared to ask Gao Hongchen about this matter.
Her Royal Highness Princess Jinyang is a member of the royal family. She is now personally inquiring about the matter, which must be due to the order of His Majesty.
"If you want to save him, just tell me what you know." Feng Shenyu said.
After hearing this, Gao Hongchen ignored Feng Shenyu and looked at Li Yueyao.
Li Yueyao nodded upon seeing this: "In exchange, I'll spare his life."
After a while, Gao Hongchen said dejectedly, "What do you want to know?"
"Who are your followers?" Feng Shenyu asked.
"Haven't you already wiped out all the people from the Ministry of Revenue and the Censorate?"
"What about the Jiangnan Chen family?"
"The Chen family came to me on their own, hoping that I could persuade His Majesty to open up trade at the border and reduce taxes on bulk goods.
He gave me silver twice, totaling 250,000 taels."
"Don't you know that Chen Fang is a spy?"
Gao Hongchen shook his head after hearing this.
"Let him see Chen Fang's confession." Feng Shenyu said to Huan Zian.
Huan Zian took out Chen Fang's confession from his arms and handed it to Gao Hongchen.
Gao Hongchen scoffed after reading it and said, "It's really like everyone is pushing down when the wall falls. All these trumped-up charges are pinned on me."
"We only came into contact after Chen Fang came to Beijing in April. We didn't know each other before and had no contact with each other.
I know nothing about the business dealings between the Chen family and Nanli written here."
Feng Shenyu then asked, "Do you know someone named Lei Jing?"
"Are you talking about the culprit behind the explosion in the weapons depot?"
"yes."
"I don't know him."
Feng Shenyu heard this and said, "So the explosion in the weapons depot wasn't your fault?"
"Didn't you all find out it was the work of the Nanli people?"
"I want to know if you have any relationship with the Nanli people?"
"No."
"Does Concubine Rong have anything to do with this matter?" Li Yueyao asked.
Gao Hongchen immediately shut down and remained silent.
Li Yueyao spoke again: "Come on, let's talk about Rongpin."
Gao Hongchen remained silent.
"I believe that after what happened that day, you must have noticed Rongpin's abnormality. You must have figured it out during these days in prison.
It must be unpleasant to be used as a tool."
Gao Hongchen defended himself by saying, "She had no choice."
Feng Shenyu smiled and said, "You really are deeply in love with her."
"It's nothing compared to your ten years of searching and waiting for the Grand Princess of Jinyang."
Gao Hongchen retorted.
"It seems that even if Concubine Rong is dead, she is still a thorn in your heart and no one else can touch her." Feng Shenyu said again.
"So what?"
Feng Shenyu continued, "You have the ambition of ruling the country, yet you indulge in romantic relationships. The result is that you get neither."
"How dare you, Right Prime Minister, criticize me? Aren't you in a position of great power, yet you are still obsessed with love?"
Feng Shenyu smiled and said, "You are wrong. I only like love, not power.
After this court business is over, I will prepare to retire and return home."
Gao Hongchen looked at Li Yueyao and smiled, "Your Highness, the Grand Princess of Jinyang is truly amazing. The Right Prime Minister is willing to retire for you at such a young age."
Li Yueyao listened and said indifferently: "You are wrong about this. I wish he could stay in the court to assist His Majesty.
Retirement is his personal wish. Whether I am there or not, he doesn't want to stay in the court.
Unlike you, Prime Minister Gao, who would do anything for Concubine Rong."
Feng Shenyu heard this, cleared his throat and said:
"Let's get back to the point. Let's talk about you and Concubine Rong. When did you know she was a Nanli spy?"
After a while, Gao Hongchen said, "I just found out that day at the palace."
"Wasn't there any clue before?"
Gao Hongchen shook his head.
Li Yueyao sighed and said, "That's right, she should act weak and unable to take care of herself in front of you, so that she can gain your sympathy.
It seems that your sincerity has been misplaced."
"All the people in Rongpin's palace have been arrested, but her capable nanny committed suicide.
Judging from her daily activities, she is the person responsible for communication outside the palace.
Do you have any impression of her?" Li Yueyao asked.
Gao Hongchen thought for a moment and said, "My communication with Rongpin is mostly through Aunt Hua.
But once she was late for my house, saying it was because she had been to Jiashanfang, and I don’t know anything else about her.
"Jiashanfang?!"
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