Chapter 187 Dealing with Qi Lingwei
Ji Shian's eyes were a little vague. He pursed his lips and was about to find an excuse to fool Su Yuan.
Then he saw his brother's wife, who had left Baihua Tower halfway and told him that she had something to do, slowly walked in.
He bowed to Emperor Feng Wu and said calmly:
"His Majesty."
"My official robe was stained with dirt, so I went to clean it up, which is why I am late."
Emperor Fengwu glanced over Su Yuan, finally stopping at the wet spot on her chest, and nodded slightly:
"Um."
…
It was noon, the time when officials from various departments were having lunch.
The Duke of Qi and several other parents who had committed crimes, with their subordinates looking at them like monkeys and with hot faces, followed the Imperial Guards towards the Qinxian Hall.
All of them hold important positions, but now His Majesty has sent the Imperial Guards to summon them to the office.
The Royal Guards!
We are not fools. Any normal person who is summoned by the Imperial Guards would know at a glance that someone has committed trouble.
While feeling extremely ashamed, several people were also feeling uneasy.
I secretly wondered if I had not done something well and that His Majesty had caught me by the tail?
Duke Qi and his companions were in a state of confusion as they arrived at the Qinxian Palace. As soon as they entered the palace, they saw the daughters of various families tied up and gagged in the middle of the palace. Their pupils shrank, and they quickly walked to the dragon table and knelt down:
"Your humble servant greets His Majesty."
Emperor Fengwu sat upright on the dragon throne and heard the kowtow.
She closed her eyes slightly, as if she didn't hear anything, and her whole body exuded an indifference that kept people at a distance.
After a while, there was another sound of footsteps coming from the palace gate. As people got closer, Lu Shengling, wearing a first-grade purple robe, entered the palace.
He glanced calmly at the people kneeling on the ground, especially when he saw Lu Shengxue from the second house.
Lu Shengling's brows were furrowed under the mask. He lifted his robe and knelt calmly. His voice was clear and a little hoarse:
"Your humble servant greets His Majesty."
Emperor Fengwu slowly raised his eyelids, glanced indifferently at the people below him, and said in a vague and indifferent voice:
"Everyone is here. Do you know why I summoned you?"
Everyone shook their heads, especially the timid Dali Temple Shaoqing, who was trembling all over and said in panic:
"I don't know/I don't know."
Emperor Fengwu raised his eyebrows, raised his chin slightly and pointed at Qi Lingwei and others in the center, speaking in a long and slow tone:
"Oh, I don't know? Everyone in the palace knows him, right?"
The empress snorted with a half-smile, pointed her finger at Su Yuan standing beside her, and said:
"Su Yuan, you come and tell these people why."
Su Yuan was stunned for a moment when his name was suddenly called, then he nodded and said "yes", his voice without any emotion, avoiding the trivial and focusing on the important:
"During the national mourning period, the ladies were caught by the imperial guards while visiting prostitutes in Baihua Tower."
As soon as these words came out.
The Duke of Qi's head buzzed with a thud and his body couldn't help but go limp.
The people next to her were even more frightened than her, and some began to kowtow and cry for mercy:
"Your Majesty, it is my fault. I failed to discipline my children. Please forgive me."
"Your Majesty, my daughter is still young. Please be lenient with her."
"Wuwuwu——, Your Majesty, I only have this one granddaughter. I am willing to take all the blame for her."
Emperor Fengwu listened to the noise and crying in the hall.
She rubbed her temples irritably, her eyes slightly turned, and she looked at the purple-robed man kneeling on the far right with an ambiguous look:
"Lord Lu, now that the Marquis of Wu'an Mansion is yours, how do you think Lu Shengxue of the Lu family should be dealt with?"
Lu Shengling's tone was as cold as iron, and he uttered a few words concisely and skillfully:
"Visiting a prostitute during a period of national mourning is punishable by death."
He did not say how to deal with the matter, and he knew that Emperor Fengqi's question was just to use his mouth to warn others.
Those kneeling in this hall are all important officials of the court. Their complicated in-laws and disciples make up half of the court. No matter how angry Emperor Fengwu is, he can't just kill them all in a rage, right?
As expected, the old fox who pretended to be deaf and dumb, Duke Qi, could not kneel down immediately after hearing what Lu Shengling said:
"Your Majesty, this Tai Feng Jun passed away not long ago, it is not easy to kill people and shed blood!"
Emperor Fengwu raised his eyebrows and asked in a trailing tone:
"Oh, Duke Qi does have some truth in what he said. Then tell me how to punish him."
Duke Qi clenched his hands under his sleeves and made a ruthless suggestion:
"Why not give him a few dozen lashes and confine him to his home to copy Buddhist scriptures for Tai Feng Jun? This will not only teach the younger generation a lesson, but also pray for Tai Feng Jun. What do you think of this idea, Your Majesty?"
Emperor Fengwu tapped the handle of the dragon throne with his fingers, lowered his eyes and thought for a moment, then said in a low voice, word by word:
"Well, Duke Qi is right. It is hard to escape the death penalty, but it is hard to escape the punishment of life. Then each of them will be punished with fifty lashes and confined to their homes for a year."
"As for you, my dear ministers, as the head of your family, you have failed to discipline the younger generation in your family. You are responsible for failing to supervise and educate them. You will be fined half a year's salary."
Emperor Fengwu decided today's event with just two simple sentences.
When the people below heard that they were going to be beaten with fifty sticks, their eyes went dark and their heads started buzzing.
But Emperor Fengwu just pardoned the death penalty.
They could only swallow the fifty lashes of the cane that could cost their daughter/granddaughter half her life in secret and dared not to beg for mercy.
After all, you're not buying vegetables at the market, so you can't bargain.
If their gossip angered the smiling but dagger-hiding Emperor Fengwu, even if she didn't get angry now, she would find an opportunity to settle the old score later.
Thinking of this, Duke Qi, the Junior Official of the Dali Temple and others forced a smile on their faces and nodded:
"Yes, Your Majesty is wise."
"Your Majesty has the final say on everything. I have no complaints."
Emperor Feng Shu waved his hand at the imperial guards at the door, signaling them to pull everyone down, and then smiled faintly at everyone:
"Now that this matter is over, everyone can go back to your duties!"
"yes."
…
Fengyi Palace.
"What, the little bastard is missing?"
Qi Fengjun had just laid down on the couch and was about to take a nap when he heard his trusted servant Jia Gongshi come hurriedly reporting that all the assassins had died.
Feng Shu and his personal attendants were nowhere to be seen. He narrowed his eyes and said with a gloomy face:
“Block the news about the imperial mausoleum and send people to secretly search for Feng Shu. This time we must get rid of that little bastard. Otherwise, when he returns to the palace, he will be protected by the Fengyu Guards and will be unable to move around under your majesty’s watchful eyes.
Furthermore, if he comes back to complain about me, causing His Majesty to become suspicious and pay attention to this little bitch, wouldn’t that be like shooting oneself in the foot?”
Jia Quan nodded:
"Yes, I will do it right away."
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