The ministers present, regardless of which faction they followed, were all well aware of the reason why the Prince of Libei was convicted. Rather than saying that he was convicted because he was found guilty of treason, it would be more accurate to say that Feng Guche intentionally used this excuse to suppress the Prince of Libei.
Therefore, none of them were willing to be the first to express their personal opinions. Even though the people of Prime Minister Shen's faction were well aware of what was happening today, they were not in a hurry to reveal themselves.
Feng Guche looked at the silent ministers with satisfaction. He was about to turn around and continue to persuade the Empress Dowager when he heard her speak again in a serious voice.
Although the Empress Dowager's voice sounded old and tired, her majestic aura remained undiminished.
"Prime Minister Shen, as a pillar of the court, I hereby order you to share your views on this case."
Upon hearing this, many people in the audience immediately changed their expressions. Even Zhu Qin, who was still kneeling on the ground, showed a rare look of panic on his face.
Prime Minister Shen calmly rose and walked to the center, standing beside Zhu Qin, saying, "I believe that although these letters were sent to the palace anonymously, if the contents of the letters are true, then the case of the Prince of Libei should indeed be reinvestigated."
"Although a long time has passed, if the Libei King's family is innocent, it should be thoroughly investigated to clear their name. As for treacherous officials like Song Jiang who have ulterior motives, they must be executed to eliminate their followers and serve as a warning to others."
As he spoke, Prime Minister Shen knelt down and bowed deeply to Feng Guche.
Because of Prime Minister Shen's words, Feng Guche's face turned extremely ugly. His sharp, hawk-like eyes stared at him fiercely, but he couldn't lash out directly because of the Empress Dowager standing beside him.
The Empress Dowager seemed quite pleased with Prime Minister Shen's words, nodded, and ordered him and Zhu Qin, who was also kneeling on the ground, to get up.
"You may all rise. Lord Mu, you were once a fierce general under the King of Libei. What do you think of this matter?"
As soon as the Empress Dowager finished speaking, Marquis Mu, who came from a military background, immediately stood up nimbly and strode forward with the upright and fearless demeanor of a soldier.
"I was deeply influenced by the teachings of the King of Libei back then. I have never believed that the King of Libei, who is so loyal, righteous and awe-inspiring, would commit treason. However, since the case has been settled back then, I dare not speak rashly."
"Now that evidence has finally emerged to prove the innocence of the King of Libei, I also believe that this case should be reinvestigated to restore justice and clear the King of Libei's name."
Lord Mu also knelt down. His words were even more direct and disregarded the emperor's face than those of Prime Minister Shen. Feng Guche's face darkened further, and he clenched his hands tightly around the chair as if he were gritting his teeth.
Just as Lord Mu stood up, Zhu Qin, who was always adept at reading Feng Guche's expressions, understood that Feng Guche had no intention of reinvestigating the matter.
Zhu Qin thought for a moment, frowned, and turned to Prime Minister Shen and Lord Mu to ask, "But Prime Minister Shen just said that if these secret letters are real, then it would be reasonable to reinvestigate the case of the Prince of Libei."
"But how can we be sure that the contents of this anonymous letter are true?" Zhu Qin had now completely sorted out his thoughts, and his aura suddenly became aggressive again.
As expected, Feng Guche's expression improved considerably after Zhu Qin spoke, and many ministers sitting below the stage secretly breathed a sigh of relief. However, another group of ministers frowned and became somewhat worried.
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