Su Ye, dressed in white, was like a messenger in the dark night, leading a group of people to appear at the entrance of the small village.
The moonlight shone on his body, reflecting his determined look.
He looked straight at the old man with burning eyes, as if he could see through the doubts in his heart.
Su Ye got off his horse, walked straight to the old man, smiled slightly, and said in a sincere tone:
"Mr. Chen, I understand the fears and doubts in your heart. But please believe that I, Su Ye, have no malicious intentions in this trip. On the contrary, I am here to help you and jointly uncover the truth about the case of the Minister of Rites thirty years ago. "
Hearing this, a flash of fluctuation flashed in the old man's eyes.
He looked at Su Ye in white clothes who appeared in front of him overnight, his lips trembling slightly, as if he wanted to say something.
But after much hesitation, his words took a turn:
"I don't know what you mean by this."
Su Ye knew that Chen Siwen would not let down his guard so easily and reveal the secrets he had guarded for more than thirty years.
He stretched out his hand and said politely:
"It's a cold night, why don't we go inside and talk?"
The old man seemed to want to refuse, but he was also vaguely expecting what Su Ye would say, so he nodded.
Mo Yize stood guard outside the door with his royal guards to protect their safety.
As soon as he entered the house, Su Ye threw a pot of good wine towards the old man.
According to insiders, Chen Siwen was a well-known drunkard in the Ministry of Rites back then.
After living in the countryside for decades, he could never refuse this fine wine.
Sure enough, the old man's words of rejection were swallowed back alive by the temptation of the overflowing wine.
He took the wine bottle and sniffed it gently, a trace of long-lost satisfaction flashed in his eyes.
"Good wine."
The old man praised it and tasted it carefully.
Su Ye knew that this wine would be a stepping stone to break Chen Siwen's defenses.
He did not ask the old man's identity or what he knew, but just said to himself:
"The case of the Minister of Rites involved too many innocent people. Old sir, did you know that in that case, an official named Zhao Zhixin was framed because he refused to succumb to the power of the Assistant Minister Chen Mu? lethal."
Chen Siwen paused with the wine glass in his hand, a trace of pain and helplessness flashing in his eyes.
Zhao Zhixin was Chen Siwen's best friend back then, but he became someone else's scapegoat in that case and died tragically in prison.
When the old man heard this, his expression changed and he almost dropped the wine bottle in his hand.
He raised his head and looked at Su Ye, his lips moved slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but stopped.
Su Ye struck while the iron was hot and continued:
"Old sir, you must remember that that case involved many innocent people. Fortunately, His Majesty now intends to re-investigate that case and vindicate those innocent people."
Hearing this, Chen Siwen's eyes flashed. He looked at Su Ye, was silent for a moment, and finally said:
"That case of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood involved so many innocent people, but what can be done? Even if His Majesty wants to re-investigate now, I'm afraid it will be difficult and the truth will not be revealed to the world."
After saying that, he took a sip of wine, seeming to suppress the turbulent waves in his heart:
"I finally forgot it, so what's the point of bringing it up again now?"
Su Ye's eyes were firm, staring at Chen Siwen closely, and his tone was direct:
"No one will forget, your Majesty has not forgotten, and you yourself have not forgotten."
After finishing speaking, he looked around at the dilapidated furnishings and the files held tightly in the old man's hands:
"Otherwise, you wouldn't have hid in this small village and never given up for thirty years."
The old man's eyes flickered, and Su Ye's words were like a sharp sword, piercing the deepest secret in his heart.
His lips tightened and his throat moved.
Su Ye suddenly stood up at this moment, seeming extremely disappointed:
"This junior is sincere. If your husband doesn't want to help, I don't dare to force him. But I will keep your thoughts in mind and do my best."
After saying that, he turned around and left without hesitation.
The old man watched as Su Ye's back gradually disappeared, his vision gradually blurred by tears.
For some reason, Su Ye's tall figure gradually overlapped with that of the Minister of Rites who had been kind to him back then.
So high-spirited, so unrepentant.
Chen Siwen suddenly raised the wine bottle and drank it in one gulp.
After drinking, the wine bottle in his hand fell to the ground, but he seemed not to notice it.
Deep in my heart, the past is like smoke and I can’t bear to look back.
He knew that what Su Ye said was true, and it was an eternal pain in his heart.
At that time, the case of the Minister of Rites had a wide range of implications. Countless loyal people were wronged, and Zhao Zhixin was one of them.
Thinking of his friend's tragic death in prison, the old man felt pain in his heart like a knife.
He sat there all night until the sound of horse hooves sounded outside.
It was Su Ye and his group who were about to leave.
The old man suddenly woke up and chased after him regardless.
The sun has risen outside the house, and the golden sunshine is shining on the earth.
Warm as spring, like a force being reawakened in the old man's heart.
He caught up with Su Ye and grabbed his arm tightly, his voice trembling:
"Prime Minister Su, I am willing to help you uncover the truth of that case."
Su Ye turned around, a hint of relief flashed in his eyes.
He held the old man's hand tightly and said sincerely:
"Mr. Chen, your decision is a great support for me. I believe that with your help, we will be able to uncover the truth about the case of the Minister of Rites and seek justice for those innocent people."
Chen Siwen nodded, his eyes firm.
He knew that this was a mission he had to complete for the rest of his life.
The past thirty years ago haunted him like a nightmare.
Now that he finally had the chance to uncover the truth, how could he not go all out?
He handed the file in his hand to Su Ye:
"Prime Minister Su, this is the file that I risked my life to secretly back up."
Afterwards, Chen Siwen no longer hesitated and recounted the past events that had been buried in his heart for more than thirty years:
It turns out that Li Yicheng, the Minister of Rites at that time, was wrongly accused. It was all a conspiracy set up by Chen Mu, the assistant minister.
All of this was a conspiracy carefully planned by Chen Mu, the assistant minister, in order to cover up his crimes.
Li Yicheng couldn't bear to see Chen Mu bullying others and doing evil, so he often wrote to the late emperor to impeach Chen Mu.
Chen Mu hated him so much that he joined several people who also hated Li Yicheng.
They created a complete chain of evidence to accuse Li Yicheng of corruption.
This conspiracy not only caused Li Yicheng to suffer injustice.
In order to cover up the facts in complicated clues, and to get rid of all the people on Li Yicheng's side.
Chen Mu tried his best to implicate half of the court.
Among them was Yan Lingshan's father, who was also framed by Chen Mu.
Speaking of this, Chen Siwen recalled the bloody moment,
A trace of sadness flashed in the old man's eyes, and his lips trembled:
"That case caused me to lose my best friend and also allowed me to witness with my own eyes the tragic fate of loyal people."
Su Ye clenched his fists and his heart was filled with anger.
