"Palace Master Han, thanks to you this time, if you hadn't blocked Uncle Zhenyuan at the right time, he would have escaped."
Lu Bing came to Han Yun, held his hands and said.
"The capital is only so big. Now that the city gate is closed, where can he escape to?"
Han Yun shook his head.
"Oh, it's different. He hid in the houses of other princes and ministers, and we couldn't search him easily. Otherwise, Qiu Yuan wouldn't have been hiding for so long.
No matter what, I still want to thank Palace Master Han, the Sixth Prince, Master Chai and Princess Nian'an. I will truthfully report your contributions to Your Majesty.
I'll take Uncle Zhenyuan back first. We'll see you tomorrow. "
"Farewell."
After everyone parted, Han Yun and the other three people hugged Xiao Yuxin and returned to the palace.
After arriving at the palace, Han Yun said while drinking tea,
"Will Uncle Zhenyuan confess the prince?"
When Wang Fugui heard this, he sneered, shook his head and said,
"If Uncle Zhenyuan is smart, he can just put all the blame on the Minister of Rites. He can be regarded as harboring criminals at most, but it depends on how Lu Bing convicts him. If it is determined that there is collusion, then the Nine Clan will be punished. It is a serious crime. If it is a cover-up and harboring, then it is exile, the family members are enslaved, and the property is confiscated.
Besides, even if Uncle Zhenyuan and the Minister of Rites confessed to the prince, Lu Bing would not report it.
Even if Lu Bing reported it, the emperor could still say that they framed the prince.
The old man can do whatever he wants to protect him. Whoever the old man wants to kill, you will die even if you are not guilty.
This time it was obvious that the emperor did not want to delve into the prince's responsibility, so that was almost the end of it. "
Chai Yuan looked a little unhappy, but he was not a pedantic person and was well versed in officialdom. He could only nod helplessly.
"That's fine, but in this way, we have ruined the prince's good deeds. The prince will definitely be reprimanded tomorrow."
"Well, you, Mr. Chai, also have a part in this."
Wang Fugui would not miss any opportunity to win over Chai Yuan and alienate the prince.
"I know, let's see what His Majesty says tomorrow."
"good."
The next day, the court meeting.
Wang Fugui got up early and went to attend the court meeting, which usually started before dawn, while Han Yun had to wait until dawn before going to the Imperial Guard camp.
At the court meeting, Lu Bing was the first to stand up.
"Your Majesty, I captured the guilty minister Qiu Yuan and his accomplice Zhen Yuanbo yesterday night."
"Oh? Qiu Yuan caught him?"
The emperor said this and glanced at the prince. His eyes seemed to say two words,
waste!
The prince quickly lowered his head to avoid looking at him.
"Where was it caught? Why was Uncle Zhenyuan involved?" m.
The emperor asked calmly.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, yesterday the Sixth Prince, Lord Chai, Princess Nian'an and Palace Master Han took Annan Hou's young sister to the temple fair.
At the temple fair, the son of Uncle Zhenyuan was playing with Princess Pingyang, the eldest daughter of Prince Gong, and met Palace Master Han. The son of Uncle Zhenyuan provoked Master Han and insulted the young sister of Marquis Anan. Palace Master Han couldn't bear it anymore, so he taught Prince Zhenyuan a lesson.
Palace Master Han, with his sharp eyes and extraordinary intelligence, saw that Prince Zhenyuan had a ghost in his heart. After some interrogation, Prince Zhenyuan told Qiu Yuan, the Minister of Rites, to hide him in his private residence.
At that moment, Palace Master Han, the Sixth Prince, Master Chai and Princess Nian'an went to the imperial city and arrested Qiu Yuan. Then, the Sixth Prince and Master Chai escorted the prisoner to the imperial prison and handed the prisoner over to Wei Chen.
Wei Chen led people to arrest people at Uncle Zhenyuan's house. Unexpectedly, Uncle Zhenyuan received the message, packed up his belongings and prepared to abscond with his family.
Fortunately, Palace Master Han was there in advance and blocked them at home, allowing his soldiers to arrest Uncle Zhenyuan's family without any bloodshed or effort.
Yesterday night, I interrogated overnight. Both Qiu Yuan and Uncle Zhenyuan confessed to their crimes. They admitted that they colluded with each other to bribe the demon clan and assassinate Your Majesty. "
After speaking, Lu Bing took out the paper from his arms and presented it with both hands.
"Your Majesty, this is the confession of both of them."
Eunuch Cao immediately stepped forward, took the confession, walked to the emperor with small steps, and placed it on the table.
The emperor picked up the testimony, looked at it, and said,
"Well, since the prisoner has confessed and the evidence is conclusive, let's hand it over to Dali Temple for trial, and let him be interrogated and executed tomorrow."
The Dali Temple officials below twitched at the corners of their mouths when they heard this. You always ordered to be interrogated and beheaded. What a waste of time for us to do a trial.
Isn't this the final word from you?
In ancient times, the Ministry of Punishment was equivalent to the Ministry of Public Security, Dali Temple was equivalent to the court, and Yushitai was equivalent to the Procuratorate. Each performed its own duties. Major cases were tried by the three divisions to ensure fairness.
But this time the emperor made an arbitrary decision and gave the order directly.
"Xuan, Qiu Yuan, the Minister of Rites, and Huang An, the Bo of Zhenyuan, colluded with the demon clan to assassinate me. The crime is extremely heinous and unpardonable. They will be executed tomorrow. All their property will be confiscated and their family members will be sent to the frontier as slaves."
"Your Majesty is holy."
The ministers below shouted.
It stands to reason that stabbing a driver is a heinous crime and should punish the nine clans, or even the whole family if it fails. However, the emperor knew that the two of them were just accomplices, and the mastermind was still standing below, so he was given a lighter sentence.
"His Majesty."
Lu Bing said again,
"In this case, the Sixth Prince, Master Chai, Palace Master Han and Princess Nian'an played the most important roles. Please make your decision, Your Majesty."
The Sixth Prince and the others helped Lu Bing yesterday, so Lu Bing naturally wanted to repay them in return.
The emperor nodded,
"Unexpectedly, Palace Master Han helped the court catch the criminal after only one day here. He is really my lucky star. Lao Liu and Chai Yuan have also made great achievements in the past two years.
Merit must be rewarded, and the ability of the sixth prince is obvious to all. I propose that the sixth prince, Wang Hao, has both political integrity and talent, and can serve as the Minister of Household Affairs. What do you think of it? "
Hearing this, a minister next to the prince was about to stand up and object. The prince turned around and glared at the minister, who immediately understood and retreated to his original position.
"Oh? Does Guo Aiqing have something to say?"
The emperor looked at the minister.
When the man heard this, he immediately said,
"I...I feel that the Sixth Prince can indeed take on important responsibilities. I just want to say that Lord Chai and Palace Master Han must have the rewards."
"Then why did you stand back again?"
There was a sneer on the emperor's lips.
The minister broke out in a cold sweat and said quickly,
"I suddenly remembered that with your majesty's wisdom, you will naturally not forget it. I shouldn't mention it too much. I hope your majesty will forgive me."
"In the court, you can naturally speak your mind freely. You will not be punished for your words. You have to brainstorm to find the best solution."
All ministers agreed.
The emperor continued,
"Prince."
"My son is here."
"You made a big mistake this time and neglected your duties. You were even more slack in arresting the criminal Qiu Yuan and did nothing.
During this period of time, you should not go to the cabinet to assist. Instead, go to the Imperial Guard camp and worship Han Yun as your teacher. Learn from him how to discern everything and how to lead and train the guards. "
"My son... I obey."
The prince's face was full of respect and humility.
Some people died, but not completely...
