Chapter 131: Walking into a Trap
Zhao Shuning strode in with a layer of frost on his face.
If you look closely, you can see a red and swollen slap mark on her face.
"You may not know this yet, but Lu Zhiran has been in the Ninth Princess' Changle Palace for the past three days. This morning, the Emperor publicly vindicated her. Earlier, Cousin Yi openly slandered her, causing her to lose her innocence. Lord Lu, in a rage, reported my uncle, who was demoted one rank and fined for six months! All the officials in the court were also reprimanded by the Emperor. You still don't understand the situation and are talking nonsense, which will only bring disaster to the Marquisate."
After hearing what Zhao Shuning said, Jiang and Chu Yunqing were dumbfounded, and Chu Yian's eyes darkened a little.
This incident caused a huge uproar in the city, but in the end, Lu Zhiran, who was at the center of public opinion, escaped unscathed without getting even a speck of stain on her. Was it really just luck?
I’m afraid not.
Chu Yunqing kept muttering, "How is this possible? How is this possible?"
But no one paid any attention to her.
Zhao Shuning turned to look at Chu Yian, "Yian, Prince Jin also discovered a gold mine in Linghou Village, right?"
Chu Yian came back to his senses and nodded with difficulty.
"You saw it with your own eyes?"
Chu Yian nodded again, "I saw it with my own eyes. It is a genuine gold mine. The gold content is very impressive, visible to the naked eye."
The last bit of hope in Zhao Shuning's heart was gone.
After court today, Xiao Yanqing went to pay his respects to Concubine Li.
These things came from his mouth.
Concubine Li cursed angrily, "It's all because of Lu Zhiran again! First it was the shelter outside the city, then it was the Helianshan gold mine. Every time Xiao Yanci achieved great success, it was because of her. If I don't get rid of this woman, I will never be able to let go of the hatred in my heart!"
Concubine Li thought of Zhao Shuning's mistake in Ciguang Temple and became angry. She raised her hand and slapped her. Half of her face was numb.
She didn't dare to defend herself, but she hated Lu Zhiran in her heart.
Chu Yunqing's eyes lit up when he heard the word gold mine.
"Discovered a gold mine? That's a great achievement. Brother, are you going to be promoted again?"
No one answered her stupid question.
Zhao Shuning looked at Chu Yian with a serious expression, "Yian, we need to sit down and have a good discussion. We can't let the situation continue to develop."
Chu Yian nodded slowly.
They share the same fate with the Sixth Prince, so they must find a way to save themselves.
Even though there was already a rift between him and Zhao Shuning, he had to admit that on such a major matter, only by discussing with Zhao Shuning could he come up with an effective strategy.
"Go to the outer study."
The two of them said goodbye to Jiang and left together.
Chu Yunqing still hadn't figured out the situation. "Mom, why are they ignoring me? Is my brother going to get a promotion?"
Jiang was also so stupid that she couldn't bear to look at it anymore.
"You...you should just stay in the mansion and do some housework. Don't worry about anything else!"
Don't come and make trouble.
Feeling that he was being disliked, Chu Yunqing was very dissatisfied and snorted heavily.
I don’t know how many people suffered from insomnia that night.
Lu Zhiran also didn't go to bed yet.
She was busy in the study for a long time and finally sorted and organized everything.
"Let Lin Xiao deliver it to His Royal Highness Prince Jin."
This thing is the real gift she gave to Fang Chengchuan.
If Fang Chengchuan falls, Xiao Yanci can take advantage of the situation to help his own people up.
It is not enough to accumulate prestige among the people, you must also have your own people in the court.
The Dali Temple is brightly lit tonight, and Dali Temple Minister Song Shanhui is personally in charge, strictly interrogating the survivors.
But the other party was very stubborn. Not only was he unwilling to speak, he also tried to bite his tongue to commit suicide several times. The interrogation process was very difficult.
Because the torture was too severe, a witness died and the interrogation was forced to be interrupted.
The trial lasted for three consecutive days, but there was still no progress. In the court, Qin Zhongju deliberately asked questions with words full of ridicule and mockery. Song Shanhui was so frustrated that he was speechless.
That night, Song Shanhui tortured them again, but still failed to pry open their mouths. He couldn't help but feel anxious.
If he messed up the case, Qin Zhongju would definitely take the opportunity to report him, and he would not be able to explain himself to the emperor.
Fu Zicheng volunteered to take charge of the case. Song Shanhui was worried that there was no one to take responsibility, so he agreed.
Song Shanhui said, "You must give me a result within two days, otherwise you will be held accountable."
Fu Zicheng nodded repeatedly.
Unexpectedly, chaos broke out in the Dali Temple on the first night he took over the case.
"There's a fire, there's a fire, put it out!"
With this urgent cry, the entire Dali Temple was in an uproar. All the jailers rushed to put out the fire, and no one paid attention to the cell where the wanted criminal was held.
At this moment, a stealthy figure quickly approached the cell and skillfully opened the door lock.
He revealed a short knife from his sleeve, and a murderous intent flashed in his eyes.
Just as he raised the knife to slit the men's throats, the men who had already collapsed on the ground, breathing more out than in, suddenly opened their eyes, and their eyes were clear.
Looking more closely, they were not the people he was looking for at all.
This is clearly a trap that invites you into a trap.
The black-clothed man's face changed drastically, and a hint of determination flashed in his eyes. He was about to bite the poison sac to end his life, but the next moment, his jaw was removed, his legs were kicked hard, and his hands were tied behind his back. He was tied up tightly like a turtle and could not move.
Xiao Yanci walked out slowly from the shadows, with a cold look in his eyes.
Tonight, Fang Chengchuan's eyelids kept twitching.
The person he sent out did not return all night, and his heart sank little by little.
The next day, he went to court with dark circles under his eyes, and his whole body looked a little dazed.
At the morning court, Qin Zhongju found fault again and asked about the progress of the mountain bandit case.
"If Lord Song is unable to handle the case, please hand the person over to our Ministry of Justice as soon as possible to avoid delaying the case."
Song Shanhui's face looked grim, and he didn't know how to refute for a moment.
At this moment, Fu Zicheng stepped out and spoke loudly, "Regarding this case, I have a report to make."
Fang Chengchuan's heart skipped a beat.
Emperor Defeng glanced at him and said, "Speak."
Fu Zicheng's voice was high and mighty. "Your Majesty, there was a sudden fire at the Dali Temple last night, and someone took advantage of the chaos to sneak into the prison, intending to kill and silence a key witness in the case. Fortunately, Lord Song was very perceptive and instructed me to take precautions early on. He caught the witness in the trap and successfully captured him. After a night of severe torture, I finally managed to pry open his mouth and identify the mastermind behind the incident. This is a case file, and I hope Your Majesty will review it."
Fu Zicheng handed over the memorial in his hand.
Song Shanhui was confused, he had no idea about this.
But he soon realized that it was Fu Zicheng who was making fun of him. He immediately straightened his face and put on an arrogant look as if he had already known everything.
Emperor Defeng finished reading it quickly, and a layer of frost suddenly covered his face.
He slammed his big hand on the dragon throne and swept his sharp eyes across the faces of everyone in the hall.
"I never thought that there would be such audacious people among my subordinates! They are so bold! If you are the one who did this, please come forward and I will show mercy. If not, don't blame me for being merciless!"
The hall was silent.
No one spoke, no one looked up, and no one stood up.
Everyone couldn't help but wonder who would be unlucky today.
Some people were already sweating profusely.
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