Chapter 881 Punishment does not apply to high-ranking officials, and etiquette does not apply to commoners.
Upon hearing Yuwen Ye ask this question, a glint of light flashed in Yan Shaoxuan's eyes.
He glanced at Yuwen Ye and said with a half-smile, "Your Highness Prince Qin, Vice Minister Pei was only imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice this morning. I haven't even seen him yet, as I've already received the imperial decree to go to the palace."
Yuwen Ye said, "I know you haven't started the interrogation yet, but since they captured Minister Pei in Feishuang Palace and a whole night has passed, it's impossible that they didn't ask him a single question."
"..."
"If they found out anything, they couldn't possibly keep it all from you, Minister of Justice."
"..."
As he spoke, Yuwen Ye's tone was perfectly calm, even with a slight smile on his lips, but his eyes were as sharp as a drawn sword, as if a few more glances could peel away a person's flesh. Yan Shaoxuan met his gaze in silence for a moment, then finally sighed softly and said, "No."
"Is it that they didn't ask, or that they didn't ask the question?"
"I couldn't get an answer."
"Did you find out anything else from that question?"
"It is said that after Minister Pei was captured by the guards in Feishuang Palace, he remained silent. Even His Majesty personally met with him but couldn't get any information out of him. So—"
"so,"
Yuwen Ye's expression finally turned cold: "The matter of interrogating Vice Minister Pei is entirely entrusted to you."
Yan Shaoxuan glanced at him and said, "It should be handed over to the Ministry of Justice."
Yuwen Ye was silent for a moment, then raised his head with a faint smile on his face and said, "Lord Yan, there is something I don't know if you have heard before."
"Your Highness, please speak."
Yuwen Ye looked at him and said, word by word, "Punishment does not apply to high-ranking officials, and etiquette does not apply to commoners."
"..."
Yan Shaoxuan's expression hardened slightly, then he smiled and said, "Your Highness Prince Qin is overthinking this. Such a case cannot be solved by torture. What His Majesty the Emperor wants is the truth."
Yuwen Ye said, "That would be best. But I'm also worried that some people don't want the truth to come to light."
"..."
"Therefore, the safety of Vice Minister Pei is of paramount importance."
"..."
Yan Shaoxuan finally understood what he meant. Although he had known for a long time that there was definitely more to this case than met with him, he had already felt immense pressure after meeting the emperor and hearing his words. Now, after meeting the Prince of Qin and hearing his words, he was even more troubled.
Seeing his somewhat troubled expression, Yuwen Ye said, "Vice Minister Pei is loyal to the country and a pillar of the nation. He will surely have a bright future."
"..."
"Therefore, please, Your Excellency, do not delay... his future."
"..."
"The same goes for the Minister."
"..."
Upon hearing his last words, Yan Shaoxuan was slightly taken aback. When he looked at Yuwen Ye again, his gaze became even more solemn. However, he said nothing, only cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, and then turned to take his leave.
Only after watching his figure disappear through the entrance of Qianqiu Palace did Shang Ruyi finally breathe a long sigh of relief. She immediately turned to look at Yuwen Ye: "He agreed?"
Yuwen Ye said, "He is a smart man."
Shang Ruyi nodded.
Back then, at the critical moment of dynastic change, Yan Shaoxuan dared to release Shen Shiyan ahead of time despite the pressure of being accused of deceiving the emperor. This shows that he not only has accurate vision but also extraordinary courage. This time, I believe he also knows which side he should choose to stand on.
After catching her breath, Shang Ruyi gritted her teeth and said, "So, the Crown Prince's target has been Young Master Pei from the very beginning."
Yuwen Ye glanced at her: "You're certain it's your elder brother?"
Shang Ruyi's tone was so firm that it brooked no argument: "There is no other possibility."
"Why?"
"As Lord Yan just said, the figure was found on the palace wall, and this palace wall is the inner wall, not the outer wall."
"So what?"
"His Majesty the Emperor's personal visit to Tangquan Palace must have been preceded by a thorough investigation. The guards there consist of two groups: one group is the palace staff who were originally stationed there, and the other group is the troops brought by General Ningyuan. Both groups are only equipped with knives and swords, and have no bows and arrows."
"..."
"Moreover, bows are different from swords and knives. They are not so easy to bring into the Hot Spring Palace. It is only possible that someone in the palace had prepared them beforehand."
"..."
"And the Crown Prince will be in charge of this tour."
"..."
"Besides, you just found out that the assassin appeared at Tangquan Palace, not that Father was assassinated."
"..."
"So he didn't intend to assassinate the Emperor, but rather needed the 'assassin' thing to drag Young Master Pei into it, and then through Young Master Pei, to implicate you as well."
At this point, Shang Ruyi's eyes grew even colder: "So, he really doesn't miss out on either seizing power or injuring people."
Seeing that her points were all reasonable, Yuwen Ye nodded slightly.
In fact, he already understood when Yan Shaoxuan confidently told them that the assassin appeared in the Tangquan Palace, not that the emperor was assassinated there. What was remarkable was that Shang Ruyi was able to analyze the person's origin from the location of the palace wall and the appearance of the bow and arrow.
He had heard people say "pregnancy makes you stupid for three years" before, but upon closer reflection, he realized it was simply because a child who doesn't understand anything and cries all day long can exhaust a mother, leaving her with no energy to think about anything else, thus making her "stupid".
However, with Tu She'er and Chang Wan by her side, and a wet nurse to take care of Xiao Yuanzi, Shang Ruyi naturally wouldn't be overwhelmed, which didn't diminish her intelligence and shrewdness.
Therefore, whether a mother is "foolish" or not simply depends on whether the father has the ability to make things easy for her.
At this moment, Shang Ruyi said again, "Since the bows and arrows were prepared in the Hot Spring Palace, we should be able to tell Father Emperor—"
Yuwen Ye shook his head: "No."
"Why?"
"Because they have already captured Pei Xingyuan."
"...!"
Shang Ruyi frowned again.
Right, she almost forgot that anyone inside the Tangquan Palace could do this. They could suspect the Crown Prince, but Pei Xingyuan could do the same. Besides, he was now a criminal. If they easily implicated the Crown Prince, it would only make Yuwen Yuan think they were deliberately framing him.
If that's the case, things will be even more complicated.
Shang Ruyi's brows furrowed deeply. She bit her lower lip and said in a low voice, "Then how should we save Young Master Pei?"
"..."
"Shouldn't we find out who Young Master Pei actually met, so that we can—"
Before she could finish speaking, Yuwen Ye suddenly leaned forward and whispered a few words in her ear. Shang Ruyi's eyes widened in disbelief as she turned to look at him: "You mean, the person Young Master Pei met was—"
Yuwen Ye nodded slightly.
Shang Ruyi froze for a moment, and after struggling for a while, she gasped: "No wonder he hasn't said a word since he was arrested."
"..."
"So, what should we do now?"
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