Chapter 418: Unforgivable Crime
Jiang Wan raised her eyes slightly. Since someone as ambitious as Ji Xun could be so open-minded, how could she, as the queen, deny her obligations?
"Ji Xunde is unworthy of his position and is dismissed from his position as Prime Minister.
Considering that he had made great contributions to the country and had sacrificed his relatives for the sake of justice, he was allowed to offset his mistakes with his merits.
Go home and enjoy your retirement for now, and we’ll talk about what happens in the future later.”
After hearing his wife's decision, Li Chengxiu immediately nodded in agreement. He was also worried that Old Ji, who was obsessed with power, would get upset and hang himself.
So I quickly found a few more paragraphs.
"Old Ji, you go back first, and let your son, Little Ji, come up.
Don't worry, I'll keep my word. I said I'd reserve a place for Ji Minzhi in the court, and I will!
After all, I have such a big plate of dumplings, so I don't need his clove of garlic. In the three departments and six ministries, up and down the court, which trough can't tie up an extra cow or horse?
Don't worry, ok?
Don't be too depressed, go home and be happy.
No, I'll ask my dad to take you out for a walk. My father-in-law is good at finding fun for himself now. You can just follow..."
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I understand. I dare not trouble Your Majesty any more. I thank you for your grace!"
Ji Xun took advantage of the moment when the emperor took a breath, kowtowed to the ground, and forced himself to express his gratitude, interrupting the other party's chatter.
Although I know that the emperor's intention is good, it would be better if he didn't leave.
Perhaps at first, Ji Xun felt disheartened and hopeless after leaving the court reluctantly, but now, hearing the emperor's promise to let his stubborn son shine, his heart, which had been cold just now, immediately warmed up again.
Why would he want to enjoy his retirement after he returns? The right thing to do is to teach that stubborn second son a lesson!
He had already ruined his eldest son, so he had to polish his second son no matter what. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to close his eyes in peace when he died!
After Old Ji was properly settled, the Emperor and Empress turned their attention to Marquis Ji'an and Marquis Jingbian. They were a little confused about how to deal with these two brothers.
It’s a bit far-fetched to say that these two people are not guilty.
They had indeed participated in various rebellious activities, and were the ones who led the charge. If it weren't for their noble and meritorious service, the mighty general alone wouldn't have been able to mobilize many troops into the imperial city.
But if we insist that these two people are guilty, they do seem a bit pitiful.
After all, they had no intention of rebelling at the beginning and were indeed the ones being used. The most important thing was that they switched sides at the most critical moment and fought with their men at the risk of their lives, which could barely be considered as meritorious service.
If these two were severely punished, it would probably chill the hearts of the veteran ministers. But if they weren't, where would the royal dignity be? If someone were to exploit this loophole and emulate them in the future, it would be a real mess!
The Queen sighed.
"You two are guilty of serious crimes. You should be aware of this, right? Regardless of the dynasty, those who dare to rebel are usually killed with their entire family. Even more serious cases will result in the extermination of all nine generations of the clan!"
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty knows..."
Ji Anhou was so miserable that he wanted to roll on the ground and cry. No wonder his father always told him when he was alive, "Don't be greedy for small gains, don't be greedy for small gains, because greed for small gains can easily lead to big losses." Look, he didn't listen to the old man's advice, and now he is suffering!
The more he thought about it, the more panicked he became, the more frightened, uncomfortable, regretful and annoyed he became. He immediately beat his chest and burst into tears.
"Please have mercy, Queen!
Both I and Marquis Jingbian know we were wrong. From now on, we will definitely live an honest life guarding the hundreds of acres of land at home and will never dare to wander around again!
Your Majesty, please have mercy on me!"
"My brother is right, I think so too! Please, Queen, have mercy on me. I promise I will never say a word again. I will do whatever the royal family tells me to do!"
Please, Your Majesty, have mercy on us. Please, Your Majesty, have mercy on us. Please, spare our lives! We will never do it again, never again!
Marquis Jingbian also followed his cousin's tune, crying and begging for mercy, looking really pitiful.
Instead, the emperor and the empress looked like a pair of villains forcing an honest person.
This scene almost made the Queen laugh out of anger. She turned her eyes to the old fox who was kneeling on the side and seemed to have suddenly become deaf and blind, and bared her teeth coldly.
"What advice did you give them?"
"I don't have any!"
The answer was crisp and clear, and it sounded as if he had just nodded.
"I'm already in a state of panic, so who else can I offer advice to? This is all due to their own sincere repentance, and has nothing to do with others."
Haha, there’s no way I’d believe your nonsense!
She stretched out her delicate hand and slammed the table.
"Stop howling. I'm not trying to beat around the bush with you. Based on your crimes, I deserve to take the lives of your entire family!
But the Emperor is accustomed to benevolence, and I am not a murderous person, so I will allow you to make meritorious contributions while serving your sentence, just like Ji Xun did."
This means that we are willing to give them a way out!
The Zhang brothers' eyes suddenly lit up, and they kowtowed even harder to express their gratitude.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
"Thank you, Queen!"
"Don't rush to thank me yet, I haven't finished what I want to say. Although the death penalty for both of you can be spared, your crimes will not be forgiven!"
The queen pointed at Ji Xun who was kneeling on the other side. Her voice was steady but a satisfied smile flashed in her eyes.
"Just now, Ji Xun used his position as the head of the government to absolve his family of joint responsibility. So, may I ask you two marquises, what are you prepared to give in exchange for the safety of your families?"
…
Marquis Ji'an turned his head to look at the military advisor. The grown man was so embarrassed that his eyes were filled with tears.
"Your Majesty, after your cousin and I arrived in the capital, we were both granted the title of Marquis and given a sinecure position in the Five Cities Military Department. Your Majesty, can I use that sinecure position to pay off my debt?"
Even he himself felt that this was shameless, so he stammered with a lack of confidence. As expected, the emperor touched his nose and snorted coldly, then asked in a very speechless manner.
"Do you think your two humble officials are comparable to Old Ji's First-Rank position? Are you embarrassed?"
"No, I'm sorry..."
The queen continued in a gentle tone.
"Even if Ji Xun has lost his position as prime minister, his title is still there, and he is still a marquis."
Very good, this is equivalent to making it clear.
"elder brother,"
Marquis Jingbian reached out and tugged at his cousin's sleeve, asking in a very low voice.
"Think about it quickly, is there anything valuable in our house?
I got this title with my head hanging on my belt. It is an honor I fought for for many years following the late emperor through mountains of corpses and seas of blood. I don’t want the emperor to take it back!
Brother, think of a plan quickly!"
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