Chapter 339 The Xie family's wrongful conviction is cleared, and the legendary war king retires to his hometown.
What angered the old emperor most was that he had seen the truth about the Xie family case.
It was like an invisible slap in his face, stinging painfully, as if telling him how incompetent and foolish he was about the great injustice of the execution of the entire Xie family twenty years ago.
Lin Lingtian, observing the atmosphere before the storm, led Li Muqing and Lu Shenyan into the palace to pay homage to the emperor.
After listening to Lin Lingtian's account, and the evidence presented by Li Muqing, along with Lu Shenyan and Lu Jieshi's son as evidence.
The old emperor was furious and immediately ordered that Lu Jieshi, Cao Tu, Zhao You, Shang Youwei, and Li Gongming be stripped of their official hats. All officials associated with them were taken away and beheaded at Wumen.
The emperor ordered the confiscation of all these families' property, and all their relatives were exiled to the far northwest…
The fifth prince, who was involved in this incident, was also demoted to a commoner.
Consort Shang, who pleaded for mercy outside the gate, was demoted to a lower-ranking concubine and banished to the Cold Palace…
Since he's perfectly content being a prince and still wants to covet the throne, let him experience what it's like to lose the protection of the royal family, to be an ordinary citizen without wealth and honor.
After dragging the five old foxes and their gang away, the old emperor discovered that his court was missing half of its officials, and he was so angry that he almost fainted.
If it weren't for the Ninth Prince presenting so much evidence to purge the court today, the Xiao family's empire would probably have become someone else's dynasty in no time.
Seeing that the old emperor had not yet resolved the matter, Xiao Jingchen immediately took out the life-saving pill that Lin Luoxi had given him, stepped forward, and gave the emperor one to keep him conscious.
The case his father misjudged twenty years ago should naturally be cleared of the Xie family's name and the Xie family army's name by his muddle-headed father.
After taking the pills given to him by Xiao Jingchen, the old emperor felt the frustration in his chest dissipate, and his gaze towards Xiao Jingchen became even more satisfied.
It reminded the old emperor of the loving times he shared with his empress, and his gaze towards Xiao Jingchen was filled with affection.
This is his good son, who knows how to care for him, instead of wishing for his death and wanting his throne.
"Ahem... Father, it's time to clear the Xie family's name and the name of the 100,000 Xie family soldiers after the tragedy that happened twenty years ago..."
Xiao Jingchen got goosebumps from the old emperor's gaze and immediately reminded him that some things hadn't been dealt with yet.
"Yes, yes, Ninth Prince is right. Twenty years ago, I was foolish and listened to slander, which caused the Xie family and Xie family army to suffer an injustice. Now it is time to give them justice and clear their names..."
Whether it was due to his age or because this incident had made the old emperor see things more clearly, as soon as Xiao Jingchen spoke, the old emperor immediately admitted the mistakes he had made over the past twenty years.
He immediately ordered his eunuch, Fu, to draft an imperial edict, proclaiming it to the world so that all the people would know about the Xie family and their army, as well as the treacherous heroes who had colluded with the enemy…
The Xie family head was posthumously awarded the title of First-Rank Marquis of Loyalty and Righteousness, the young master of the Xie family was General Zhanlang, and the matriarch of the Xie family was posthumously awarded the title of Second-Rank Imperial Lady...
As the saying goes, once a person is gone, all those titles are meaningless. The old emperor did this for the sake of the world.
Everyone knows that the Xie family line died out after what happened twenty years ago.
The victim, Li Muqing, was brutally murdered for investigating the Xie family. However, the emperor bestowed upon her the title of Princess Jianing, a second-rank official, and awarded her 10,000 taels of silver, 100 acres of fertile land, and the opportunity to rebuild the residence of the Minister of Justice.
"Your Majesty, I, I have good news..." Seeing that the old emperor had already bestowed the title of Princess upon Li Muqing, Lin Lingtian shamelessly stepped forward, wanting to ask for a reward for Lin Luoxi and Lin Wenqian.
"Oh, what good news has come from the War King?" The old emperor felt much better and his complexion improved because of Xiao Jingchen's pill.
Seeing Lin Lingtian so hesitant was a rare sight, which piqued his interest.
"Yes, the old minister's son has been found..." Lin Lingtian originally wanted the emperor to appoint his son as heir apparent, but thinking of Lin Dayou's cowardly appearance, he decided against it.
On a whim, he thought of getting Lin Luoxi a princess title as well, but being a princess or a county princess in the royal family is not easy; one wrong move and she could become a victim, so he decided against it.
"Your Majesty, this old minister is getting old and it is time for me to retire and return to my hometown..." The political situation in the court was unpredictable, and he thought of his wife and children who were still in Wutong Village.
He spent a few days in Wutong Village and really liked the local customs. He had been in Beijing for too long and was tired of it; it was time to retire and return to his hometown to live out his days…
If even Dr. Yang, the former head of the Imperial Medical Academy, is willing to stay in Wutong Village, then so can he. In that time, he can enjoy his grandchildren.
Thinking of this, Lin Lingtian's gaze toward the old emperor became even more resolute.
"War King, this isn't good news at all, it's clearly..."
"As you've seen, the court today..."
The old emperor thought Lin Lingtian would ask him to bestow honors upon his child, and he felt a surge of anger.
But hearing Lin Lingtian's words put him in a difficult position. After purging those corrupt officials, the number of court officials had been reduced by half.
Lin Lingtian may have a short temper, but he is decisive and efficient, a pillar capable of upholding order in the court. He really doesn't want Lin Lingtian to retire so early.
"Your Majesty, the talented scholars of the world study diligently for ten years, hoping to one day serve the court."
"Now is the perfect time to recruit talented individuals. The court needs more capable people, and they need opportunities to showcase their abilities..."
Lin Lingtian didn't finish speaking, leaving the rest for the old emperor to decide.
He had followed this old emperor for many years and knew his temperament best. This old emperor was inherently suspicious and did not like others to teach him how to do things.
The more you explain things, the less likely you are to achieve the result he wants.
When Xiao Jingchen heard Lin Lingtian say he wanted to retire and return to his hometown, he was extremely anxious.
He didn't want Lin Lingtian to retire and leave the capital. He also wanted to spend more time with Lin Luoxi in the future to cultivate their relationship.
Besides, as long as Lin Lingtian remains a prince, no one in the court would object if he were to marry Lin Luoxi in the future.
"Since the War King is determined to leave, it is granted." The old emperor, unaware of Xiao Jingchen's inner thoughts, pondered for a moment and then waved his hand, agreeing to Lin Lingtian's request to retire and return to his hometown.
"Thank you for your great favor, Your Majesty!" Lin Lingtian hadn't expected things to go so smoothly. He happily expressed his gratitude and hurried back to the palace to pack his things.
Xiao Jingchen never expected that his father would be so out of sync with him. Seeing Lin Lingtian's happy expression, he looked like the sky had fallen, watching Lin Lingtian leave the council hall with light steps.
"Your Highness, wait for me..." Li Muqing saw Lin Lingtian and immediately bid farewell to the emperor before chasing after him.
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