Chapter 821: Serious Crime
As soon as Mei Guangtao's words came out, the entire court fell silent for a moment.
Luo Yanzhi couldn't help but scream out in surprise.
“How is this possible?!”
Mei Guangtao looked at him and said calmly, "This was confessed by the kidnappers themselves. They were at the scene when the Xixiang Pavilion caught fire. These are their confessions."
He pulled out a stack of confessions from his wide sleeves.
Immediately, a eunuch stepped forward, took the confession with both hands, and presented it to the emperor.
Luo Qinghan knew exactly what was in the confession.
He just took a quick glance and motioned the six ministers to take a look as well.
The confession was then transferred to the hands of the ministers.
They read through the contents of the confession one by one, and their expressions turned grim.
Luo Yanzhi didn't know what was written in the confession, but he could tell from the reactions of the elders that the confessions were very unfavorable to Duke Hong.
He didn't care about the life or death of Duke Hong, but he had just spoken up for Duke Hong when the news broke out that Duke Hong had committed arson and murder. The slap in the face came too quickly, leaving him feeling embarrassed.
He couldn't help but retort.
"Those kidnappers are desperate criminals. How can we trust their words?!"
Mei Guangtao: "These kidnappers are not ordinary desperadoes, they are actually assassins from the Blood Rain Tower."
This remark once again caused a small commotion among the officials.
When Emperor Sheng Yong was still in power, he issued an imperial decree to eradicate evil forces. Xueyu Tower was chosen as a key target and was forced not to show up.
I thought this civilian killer organization had disappeared, but I never expected that they were hiding right under the emperor's feet.
The officials present couldn't help but feel a chill down their spines when they thought about the fact that they had once lived in the same city with a group of killers, and that they might even have come into contact with the killers.
Luo Yanzhi stiffened his neck and said, "So what?"
Mei Guangtao: "Xixiang Pavilion is the base of Xueyu Tower in Shengjing City. The reason why Duke Hong set fire and killed people in Xixiang Pavilion was to silence them. He didn't want people to know that he was secretly colluding with Xueyu Tower."
If the previous words only surprised everyone, then these words really shocked their entire family!
A dignified Duke actually colluded with a gang of assassins. Who would believe this if it were told to others? !
This time, without waiting for Luo Yanzhi to ask again, Mei Guangtao directly pulled out an account book from his sleeve.
"This is the account provided by Ye Jiuming, the head of Xueyu Tower. In this account book, it is clearly stated how much money Xueyu Tower gave to Duke Hong. It is at least three million taels per year, which is thirty million taels in ten years. In addition, there are also fields, real estate, antiques, calligraphy and paintings, etc. The amount is astonishing."
The account book was taken over by the eunuch and presented to the emperor.
With the irrefutable evidence before him, Luo Yanzhi could no longer utter any words to refute.
He just felt a burning pain on his face.
If he had known that the other party had irrefutable evidence in his hands, he should not have rushed out to speak for Duke Hong.
Not only did he lose face in front of the civil and military officials, but he also seemed to be in cahoots with Duke Hong.
He shut his mouth angrily, retreated to the corner awkwardly, and dared not say another word.
After Luo Qinghan looked at the account book, he gave instructions in a calm voice.
"Duke Hong colluded with Xueyu Tower, accepted bribes, committed arson and murder. His crimes are serious. He will be detained by the Dali Temple for the time being. All the family members in the Duke Hong's mansion will be placed under surveillance. After the property in the Duke Hong's mansion is investigated, the case will be handed over to the three courts for joint trial."
All the officials bowed and nodded.
With the matter of Duke Hong in mind, everything else became a piece of cake.
The noisy morning court finally ended.
When the officials walked out of the council hall, they had different moods.
Some people felt surprised, some felt uneasy, and some were thinking hard about something.
Luo Yanzhi walked the fastest.
He had lost face this morning and now he didn't want to see anyone and just wanted to leave here as soon as possible.
However, Luo Yechen refused to let him go and deliberately shouted in a particularly loud voice.
"Prince Jingxian, please walk slower! I have something to tell you!"
This shout immediately attracted the attention of everyone around.
Luo Yanzhi was almost embarrassed to death being stared at by so many people.
He could only stop, try to pretend that nothing was wrong, and bowed to the other party.
"What advice do you have, brother?"
Luo Yechen smiled smugly while enjoying his embarrassment.
"It's actually nothing serious. I just want to remind you to be careful with your words in the future and don't say anything out loud. You should know that there is no prince below the county king. Do you understand what I mean?"
Luo Yanzhi gnashed his teeth in hatred, but still had to put on a forced smile.
"I was impulsive just now. I thought Duke Hong was wrongly accused, but I didn't expect the truth to be like that. I have learned a lesson this time and will never speak up for others again."
Luo Yechen acted like a good brother and gave earnest advice.
"You are too naive. You always think that everyone in the world is a good person, but you forget that you can't judge a person by his appearance. Some people look bright and beautiful on the surface, but they are actually rotten inside."
When he said the last sentence, Luo Yechen deliberately patted the other person's shoulder, which seemed to indicate something.
Luo Yanzhi was so angry that he almost vomited blood.
He used to think that Luo Yechen was just a fool, but he didn't expect that this fool would dare to mock him openly or secretly!
Officials passing by bowed to Luo Yechen one after another, appearing quite respectful. As for Luo Yanzhi, he was selectively ignored by the officials.
We all have eyes that show that the emperor does not have a good impression of Prince Jingxian. In comparison, the King of Ying is obviously more favored by the emperor.
Isn't it that those who work in government circles are best at changing their stance according to the situation?
Since the King of England has a better future, everyone would naturally prefer to sell him a good deal.
Luo Yechen really enjoyed the feeling of being complimented.
He greeted the officials, acted like a big brother in front of Luo Yanzhi, and then left triumphantly.
Luo Yanzhi clenched his hands into fists hidden in his sleeves. Because he used too much force, the veins on the back of his hands bulged.
He will repay the humiliation he suffered today tenfold tomorrow!
What happened in the court soon spread to Changle Palace.
When the Empress Dowager heard that Duke Hong was imprisoned in the Dali Temple, she almost fainted from anger.
Ms. Kong quickly took out a pill, dissolved it in warm water, and carefully fed it to the Empress Dowager.
After taking the medicine, the Empress Dowager's heartbeat finally stopped being so rapid and her breathing gradually became more normal, but her face still looked very ugly.
With Lu Xinyao's help, she sat up with difficulty.
"Please ask the emperor to come over. I have something to say to him."
Ms. Kong responded respectfully and quickly left Changle Palace.
She went to the imperial study to ask for an audience with the emperor.
When the emperor heard that the Empress Dowager wanted to see him, he said it calmly.
"I'll go after I finish dealing with these memorials in my hand."
Even though Ms. Kong was extremely anxious, she did not dare to rush and could only stand quietly by the side and wait.
(End of this chapter)
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