"Has Your Majesty decided to ask Di Rong's delegation to question Princess Erya in the letter of credence?" Zhuge Yu got straight to the point, and Li Shengxuan did not beat around the bush. He nodded and said, "Yes, the letter of credence has been drafted. When Di Rong's delegation leaves, When it comes to Beijing, it will be made public.”
"I'm brave, there may be something wrong with the credentials." Zhuge Yu said seriously: "Although Di Rong's tribe is only a small place, its geographical location is special, right at the junction of the three kingdoms of Dajing, Miluo and Persia..."
He did not continue, but Li Shengxuan knew clearly in his heart that if he turned against Di Rong's tribe due to the question of credential questioning and forced him to form an alliance with Miluo or Persia, he would probably lose more than he gained, and the situation would not be optimistic.
However, the relationship between the two countries has always been getting stronger from strength to strength. Once they bow their heads, it will cause immeasurable consequences. If Di Rong is allowed to pour a basin of dirty water on Fang Zilan, the world will feel that the capital is in the wrong, and hidden dangers will be laid from then on. No matter how he responds, he will be easily criticized.
"I have made up my mind regarding the certificate of credence." Li Shengxuan said firmly, but Zhuge Yu refused to give in. "In this case, how will your Majesty decide the murder of Princess Rongan?"
Li Shengxuan's expression froze, remembering Fang Chongzheng's almost heartfelt words that day——
"Even if there is indeed witchcraft in the world, it would be extremely difficult to prove that someone uses it to control other people's behavior. Moreover, if such claims are allowed to spread in the world, people will definitely panic. If things go on like this, if someone has ulterior motives, If people take advantage of it, the art of witchcraft will become popular, and whether it is true or false, it will easily become an excuse for committing crimes."
"Therefore, I believe that the precedent of using witchcraft to clear away the name of murder must not be set."
Even though Li Shengxuan had always been wary of the Fang family and didn't like Fang Chongzheng very much, he had to admit that Fang Chongzheng had been in the position of prime minister for several dynasties and was far-sighted and far-sighted.
Even Fang Chongzheng has said this, and others are probably even worse and will not believe that witchcraft can control people's hearts. In this case, Fang Zilan must die.
"What are you hesitating about, Your Majesty?" Zhuge Yu's voice suddenly sounded, pulling Li Shengxuan back from his thoughts. His expression was dark and unclear, "If I said that I wanted to save Fang Zilan's life, would you think I was crazy?"
Zhuge Yu's expression froze, "Your Majesty..."
"I understand that as the monarch of the capital, I can and cannot do anything." Li Shengxuan stopped Zhuge Yu's words, with an inexplicable astringency in his voice, "But I am just a selfish mortal. .”
Zhuge Yu's hands hidden in his sleeves clenched into fists. What he was most worried about finally happened. He closed his eyes slightly, calmed his expression, and asked, "Did the Prime Minister say anything to His Majesty when he came to the palace to have an audience?"
Li Shengxuan was silent for a moment and told Zhuge Yu the contents related to the art of witchcraft and Gu. He nodded in agreement, "What the prime minister said is very reasonable. This kind of precedent must not be set."
"So, you also think that Fang Zilan is the real murderer of Princess Rongan and must die?" Li Shengxuan couldn't help but ask. Zhuge Yu remained silent for a long time and then said: "I don't think so."
He changed his self-identification, and the relationship between the two was no longer a clear-cut monarch-subordinate relationship. "Although I have known Sister Lan for only a few years, I almost never make mistakes when I see her act."
He paused and changed his voice almost abruptly, "I wonder if your majesty still remembers that the two princesses Di Rong were robbed and killed when they came to Beijing last year?"
"I remember." Li Shengxuan nodded, and Zhuge Yu continued: "At that time, Wu Sheng, Yang Zhiqing and other adults were killed one after another, and people in the capital were panicked for a while. However, since the wedding of King Yucheng, no similar cases have happened again. The Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager let the news go out, and the people praised King Yucheng as a lucky star who was alive, and the joy of the wedding shocked the troublemaker."
"I have heard about this." Li Shengxuan said thoughtfully, "Zhuge Yu, what exactly do you want to say?"
"The murderer has not yet been apprehended, so how could he stop without any reason? After thinking about it, I know that someone must have done something behind the scenes to prevent the murder from happening." Zhuge Yu looked solemn, "The person who stopped the murderer was Fang Zilan."
Li Shengxuan was startled, and Zhuge Yu continued speaking on his own, "Your Majesty knows that she is inextricably linked to the Ghost Sect, and the Zhuge family is also worried about it. But when chaos arose, she chose the big one." Beijing."
"She..." Li Shengxuan looked complicated, and his compassion became stronger. If Fang Chongzheng's suggestion is followed, will Fang Zilan have a way to survive?
Li Shengxuan recalled what Fang Chongzheng said when he came to the palace that day. Those were the words that he could not tell Zhuge Yu.
Fang Chongzheng frankly admitted that Fang Zilan was the third young lady of the Fang family. His concubine's daughter accidentally killed Princess Rongan against her will. He was also responsible for poor upbringing, and the entire Fang family was willing to share the blame.
After hearing these words, Li Shengxuan hesitated in his heart. Although the current emperor, whether he was his father or brother, was suspicious of him because of his status as a former member of the Fang family in the Prime Minister's Office, Fang Chongzheng acted with integrity and nothing was left to anyone.
In addition, after he married Fang Ziqin, his understanding of the Fang family was different from before. If he were to deal with the Fang family today, he would first feel inappropriate.
However, what he didn't expect was that Fang Chongzheng took advantage of his hesitation to move forward step by step, paving the way out of the deal one by one, and proposed prisoner exchange. After that, the Fang family left the capital and invited Su Heng back to ensure the stability of the imperial court.
If not, Fang Chongzheng is willing to die to apologize and exchange his own life for Fang Zilan's life...
The Fang family is a wealthy businessman, the prime minister is in a high position in the court, and the queen honors her mother. If they are expelled from the capital, I am afraid it will not be as small as the current Fang Zilan incident, but only worse. Nothing less.
Fang Chongzheng had seen through everything and knew that Li Shengxuan would not refuse outright, so he followed the temptation and put him into a dilemma.
For reasons of love and justice, both public and private, Li Shengxuan seemed to have no reason to refuse.
However, if the prisoner exchange was exposed, what would cause an uproar would not be the murder of the Duke of Yue, or the fact that the Fang family was expelled from the capital.
But when the emperor neglected his duty and was immoral, the whole world was angry and attacked him in groups.
Not to mention whether the Empress Dowager will return to Beijing to support King Yucheng Li Qiyou in seizing the throne, Prince Yuning Ji Ningtian, who remains in Beijing, is the first to lose his composure.
So much so that Li Shengxuan once suspected that Fang Chongzheng's proposal was the result of discussions with Ji Ningtian in advance, in order to push him down from his supreme position and never recover...
"Your Majesty?" Zhuge Yu's voice brought Li Shengxuan back from his thoughts, and he composed himself, "What did you just say?"
"It's nothing." Zhuge Yu shook his head. It wasn't that he couldn't see Li Shengxuan's wavering. On the contrary, he was just as shaken as Li Shengxuan.
