Chapter 172 The intention of rebellion is obvious
There were fifty Royal Guards who entered the warehouse, and each of them came out carrying a large amount of weapons.
"Your Majesty, Prince Chen has hidden weapons in the storehouse and is planning a rebellion!"
Qi Yanzhou denied it immediately.
"Your Majesty, I don't have any. These weapons do not belong to me!"
The emperor wanted to appear serious, but the corners of his mouth couldn't stop curling up.
He snorted coldly, "The weapons were found in your warehouse, and you said they weren't yours? Who would believe me?"
Qin Zheng really wanted to speak for Qi Yanzhou, but when he thought of his son's warning, he shut up.
Qi Yanzhou looked at Ye Chutang, his eyes as cold as ice knives.
"Why did you hide the dowry in the dowry box and frame me for treason?"
Showing discord was also the plan of both of them.
Ye Chutang quickly shook his head, "I didn't, my dowry was stolen by the 'ghost thief' a long time ago, and these were prepared by Ye Jingchuan, I know nothing about it."
"There was no news at all, and you said it was stolen?"
"Your Highness, do you remember that when we were leaving the Shangshu Mansion, Ye Anling deliberately made trouble? She just wanted to tell everyone that the Shangshu Mansion was robbed by the 'ghost thieves' and my 128 loads of dowry were all rags, but she was stopped by Ye Jingchuan."
After Ye Chutang finished speaking, he looked towards the emperor.
"Your Majesty, although my dowry is shabby, it definitely won't contain any weapons!"
The emperor nodded in agreement.
"You are right. Minister Ye is a civil official. Even if he wants to frame King Chen, he can't get weapons."
"Your Majesty is wise!"
Qi Yanzhou knelt on one knee and said, "Your Majesty, please investigate thoroughly..."
Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by the royal guards holding weapons.
"Your Majesty, the weapon was not found in the dowry box. Prince Chen hid it under calligraphy and paintings. There is a lot of dust on it, and it is obvious that it has been there for a long time."
After saying this, he handed a dusty bow and arrow to the emperor.
The emperor touched the bow arm and found his fingertips were covered with dust.
"Lord Chen, do you have anything else to say?"
Qi Yanzhou's face turned pale and he knelt on the ground.
"I am innocent. Please, Your Majesty, investigate the weapons issue thoroughly!"
"I will investigate thoroughly as you wish!"
The emperor looked at the commander of the imperial guards and shouted angrily, "Investigate Tangzhou Courtyard thoroughly! Investigate Prince Chen's Mansion thoroughly!"
"I obey your order!"
"Wait, go get the troops from the military division to come over and surround Prince Chen's mansion. Not even a fly is allowed to fly out!"
"I obey your command!"
After the commander of the Imperial Guards left, the emperor, with a stern face, ordered the Imperial Guards to investigate Tangzhou Courtyard.
Not long after, the letter hidden in the beam was found.
The secret room was also discovered, but the Royal Guards did not find the entrance mechanism.
The emperor couldn't hide the joy on his face.
After he took the letter, he handed it to Qin Zheng without even looking at it.
"Everyone, please read what is written in the letter. Don't say that I have wronged Prince Chen!"
After saying that, he kicked Qi Yanzhou.
"Go open the secret room!"
Qi Yanzhou stood up and looked at Ye Chutang angrily.
"Why is there a letter in the wedding room? You put it there, right?"
"I don't know what King Chen is talking about."
"What a fool I don't know!"
Qi Yanzhou clenched his back teeth, wishing he could eat Ye Chutang alive.
"Your Majesty, the letter is not mine, and I have no intention of rebelling!"
The emperor raised his lips mockingly, "I only believe in evidence. Prince Chen, go open the secret room."
After Qi Yanzhou was pushed into the bridal chamber by the Imperial Guards, several ministers had already finished reading the letters in their hands.
With shock and confusion in their eyes, they continued to pass the letter around.
Soon, they all finished reading the letter.
Qin Shou collected the letter and handed it to the emperor.
After receiving it, the emperor clapped his hands with the letter in a happy mood.
"My dear ministers, tell me, what is written in the letter?"
Qin Zheng was the prime minister, and he took the lead and said, "Your Majesty, these letters are evidence that Minister Ye is colluding with the crown prince and the second prince."
Hearing this, the emperor's expression froze instantly.
"What did you say?"
Without waiting for Qin Zheng to answer, he immediately opened the letter in his hand and read it carefully.
After confirming that the letter was a collusion between Ye Jingchuan and his two sons, he glared at Ye Chutang.
Impulsive, he immediately asked, "What's up with these letters?"
Ye Chutang would certainly not admit that he had swapped the letters, nor would he admit that he had put them in the bridal chamber.
She looked at the emperor with an innocent face.
"I have never seen the letter, so I don't know what's going on."
When the emperor suspected that Ye Chutang had tricked him, the imperial guards who went to the secret room came back with the voodoo doll.
"Your Majesty, Prince Chen's intention to rebel is obvious!"
Qi Yanzhou, who was following behind, chuckled.
"Ye Chutang, you are trying to kill me in three ways. Why?"
Ye Chutang looked at Qi Yanzhou's explosive acting skills and secretly gave him a thumbs up.
She bit her lip, looking hurt, "I didn't!"
The Dali Temple Minister is the emperor's man.
His face changed drastically when he saw the emperor's birthday written on the voodoo doll.
"Prince Chen, you have such a vicious mind that you actually cursed the emperor!"
"This voodoo doll was found in your secret room. What does it have to do with Miss Ye?"
"You secretly hid so many weapons, used witchcraft to harm the emperor, and yet you said you didn't want to rebel!"
Qi Yanzhou insisted that he was framed.
"Your Majesty, the Chen Palace has been loyal and patriotic for generations, and the sun and the moon can testify to this. If I wanted to rebel, I would not return to the capital alone from southern Xinjiang."
The emperor looked at Qi Yanzhou mockingly and sneered.
"The time for rebellion has not yet arrived, so you naturally dare not lead your troops into the capital!"
"I just didn't know people well. I am innocent!"
"Whether you are guilty or not is not up to me to decide. The evidence and the officials have the final say!"
After the emperor finished speaking, he gave orders to the imperial guards.
"Leave fifty men to continue searching Tangzhou Courtyard, and the rest will follow me back to the front yard."
Now that the evidence is conclusive, he will convict Qi Yanzhou of treason in front of all the officials and execute the entire Qi family!
As for Ye Jingchuan’s letters about forming a clique for personal gain, we will settle the score with him later.
Seeing that the situation was so serious, Qin Zheng wanted to speak up for Qi Yanzhou, but was stopped by him with his eyes.
He had no choice but to follow the emperor back to the front yard in trepidation.
At this moment, the entire Prince Chen's Mansion has been surrounded by the Imperial Guards.
All the servants in the palace were locked up in the inner courtyard.
The Qi family was squeezed into a corner of the main hall by the Imperial Guards and was kept under strict surveillance.
The officials and their families were frightened by the scene. They lowered their heads, not daring to look around, and were very anxious.
"Looking at this situation, the emperor has found the letter of treason, and Prince Chen's Mansion is doomed."
"I don't believe that Prince Chen would collaborate with the enemy. Even if there is a letter, he was framed."
"Do you think the Prince Chen's Mansion is a place where anyone can come in and leave a letter of treason?"
"Normally there is no chance, but today is the wedding of King Chen, there are many people, and there are many loopholes to exploit."
"Why don't you just say that the person who framed King Chen was Ye Chutang."
While the officials were discussing this, the troops from the Military Affairs Department arrived.
They replaced the imperial guards outside the palace.
The Royal Guards rushed into the palace and began to thoroughly investigate the entire Prince Chen's Mansion.
In the Qi family, only the old prince, Concubine Chen and Qi Yanzhou knew about the plan of self-exile.
Others were frightened by the massive search by the Imperial Guards.
"Master, will there be any trouble in Prince Chen's Mansion?"
Before the old prince could answer, the emperor and his entourage returned to the front yard.
Qi Yanzhou was grabbed by the arms by two imperial guards and taken to the main hall in an awkward posture.
Seeing this scene, the Qi family members felt as if their hearts had sunk into an ice cellar and their faces turned pale.
Afterwards, a large number of weapons were thrown in front of the main hall.
Looking at the weapons piled up like a mountain, the guests' eyes widened in shock.
Even those who had supported Qi Yanzhou before could not say that he had no intention of rebellion.
The old prince was good at acting and tears welled up in an instant.
He fell to his knees before the emperor.
"Your Majesty, please understand. The Qi family has no intention of rebelling. These weapons do not belong to Prince Chen's Mansion!"
The emperor looked at the tearful old Prince Chen and threw the voodoo doll in his hand in front of him.
"Open your dog eyes and look, what is this?"
The guests who were nearby immediately stretched their necks to look at the ground.
What the emperor threw was a human-shaped puppet.
The puppet was wearing bright yellow clothes, and the note with his birth date was pierced with long needles.
Someone shouted, "Witchcraft!"
"This birth date belongs to... the emperor. Does Prince Chen really want to rebel?"
"Hidden weapons, letters of communication with the enemy, and witchcraft and incantations, it's Sima Zhao's intention!"
The old prince slumped on the ground and asked Qi Yanzhou in a trembling voice.
"Zhou'er, what's going on?"
"Father, these are not the property of Prince Chen's Mansion. Someone has framed us."
The emperor's face darkened and he snorted coldly.
"The weapons were found in your storeroom, and the voodoo doll was found in your secret room. There's no point in your quibbling!"
After saying this, he looked at the guests in the courtyard and asked, "Prince Chen is plotting to murder the king and is planning a rebellion. What do you think should be done?"
Qi Yanzhou immediately brought up the matter of the letter of treason.
"Your Majesty, the reason for the thorough investigation of Prince Chen's Mansion was that the maidservant who came with the Shangshu Mansion said that she saw a letter from me that colluded with the enemy. But what they found was evidence that Shangshu Ye was colluding with the Crown Prince and the Second Prince. This is clearly a frame-up by Shangshu Ye, but he put the letter in the wrong place."
All officials also felt that today's incident was caused by Ye Jingchuan.
Otherwise it doesn’t make sense, it’s too much of a coincidence!
Of course, they also knew very well that Ye Jingchuan dared to do this because of the emperor's instructions.
So everyone kept quiet and watched the show in silence to avoid getting into trouble.
The Crown Prince and the Second Prince both came to the wedding banquet, and their faces changed slightly when they heard Qi Yanzhou's words.
The two cursed Ye Jingchuan in their hearts.
Bastard, not only is he indecisive, but he even left some evidence behind!
They walked quickly in front of the emperor, "Father, I don't have any!"
Qi Yanzhou: "The ministers who went to Tangzhou Courtyard just now have read the letter. The emperor has also read it. He will not allow the crown prince and the second prince to quibble."
The prince suddenly had an idea and said, "Prince Chen, it must be you who, after knowing that the letter of collusion with the enemy was exposed, immediately had someone forge a letter of forming a clique for personal gain and then turned the tables on me!"
Prime Minister Qin Zheng interrupted.
"The maidservant who came with the dowry said that the letters were in the storeroom, but these letters were found in the bridal chamber. Moreover, the handwriting on the letters is indeed that of the Crown Prince and the Second Prince. There is no mistake."
He didn't help King Chen, he was just telling the truth.
The Crown Prince and the Second Prince had no idea what evidence Ye Jingchuan had left on them, and they became very nervous when faced with Qin Zheng's aggressive pressure.
"The Prime Minister is a civil official, don't you know that handwriting can be imitated?"
"I am the chief among the civil officials, so I can naturally tell the difference..."
The emperor only wanted to wipe out the entire Qi family and didn't want any further complications, so he immediately interrupted Qin Zheng.
"Prime Minister Qin, I will investigate the Crown Prince and the Second Prince's clique, and we will first deal with Prince Chen's rebellion today!"
Qin Zheng bowed and saluted, "I obey your command."
After saying that, he looked at Qi Yanzhou and asked, "Your Highness said that the weapons and witchcraft were all framed by Minister Ye. Do you have any evidence?"
Qi Yanzhou naturally couldn't produce any evidence.
"The evidence needs to be investigated by the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple!"
The Dali Temple official snorted coldly, "The evidence is irrefutable, how else can we investigate?"
Ye Chutang, who had been silent, finally spoke.
"We need to investigate the source of the weapons, the fabric of the voodoo dolls, and the missing letters of treason."
As soon as she finished speaking, Concubine Chen said loudly: "Your Majesty, the fabric on this puppet is specially made for dragon robes, and it is only available in the palace!"
After saying that, she picked up the voodoo doll and handed it to the emperor.
"Your Majesty, this cloth is the same as the dragon robe you are wearing. The one who really wants to harm you is the one in the palace who has access to the dragon robe!"
The weaving method of the dragon robe is very complicated and can only be woven on the special looms made in the palace.
The emperor looked at the same cloth as his dragon robe and became so angry that his temples began to throb.
That idiot Ye Jingchuan actually used a dragon robe to make a voodoo doll. Was he afraid that others wouldn't know that Prince Chen was framed?
No, how could Ye Jingchuan have the fabric to make a dragon robe?
He thought about how all the clothes in the Needlework Bureau had been stolen, and he uttered two words through his teeth.
"Ghost Thief!"
The sound was not loud, but everyone around the emperor heard it.
The old prince, who was slumped on the ground, regained his color in his eyes and immediately stood up and knelt.
"Your Majesty is wise. The 'Ghost Thief' is omnipotent. He must have put the weapons and the voodoo doll into Zhou'er's yard to frame him!"
The emperor didn't expect that such a good plan would turn out like this, and he was so angry that his heart ached.
Fortunately, he asked Ye Jingchuan to put more than 10,000 weapons in the dowry box.
Even if there were no letters of treason and witchcraft, it would be enough to confiscate the Chen Palace and exterminate the entire clan!
"The weapons are covered in dust. It's obvious that they've been in the storeroom for a long time. Don't think you can just blame it on the 'ghost thief'."
Qi Yanzhou looked at the weapons piled up like a mountain and said, "Your Majesty, there are only three thousand of these weapons at most. Even if all the people in Prince Chen's Palace are experts, they can't defeat the Imperial Guards and the masters of the Imperial Palace."
The emperor kicked the weapon.
"Don't you know how many weapons the King of Chen has hidden?"
He said to the commander of the Imperial Guards, "Bring all the weapons here and see how Prince Chen will argue!"
The commander of the Imperial Guards leaned close to the emperor's ear and whispered, "Your Majesty, that's all."
impossible!
The emperor almost shouted these three words.
"Are you sure? Have you checked everything?"
Could the weapons have been stolen by a "ghost thief"?
"These are all the warehouses. I don't know if there are other weapons hidden in Prince Chen's mansion."
The emperor's eyes fell on Qi Yanzhou, and he felt more and more that the "ghost thief" was his man.
The letters of treason have changed, the witchcraft dolls have changed, and the weapons of rebellion have become fewer!
At this time, more Royal Guards came over with weapons.
It was thrown to the ground with a clang.
A look of joy appeared on the emperor's face. "Prince Chen, do you have anything else to say?"
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