Facing the furious Chen Mu, Su Ye was still dressed in white, standing still with firm eyes:
"Chen Mu, you hold the position of assistant minister and enjoy the country's favor, but for your own selfish desires, you framed Zhongliang and put the people of our country in dire straits. Do you dare to say that you didn't do all this?"
Chen Mu’s eyes flickered and he spoke forcefully:
"I, Chen Mu, have served Yan State all my life, how could I do such a thing? You, Su Ye, are just an outsider, who have the right to accuse me here?"
The atmosphere in the court became increasingly tense, with the ministers whispering to each other and discussing in low voices.
At this time, Yan Lichu stood up, his eyes burning:
"Chen Mu, as a veteran of three dynasties, you should have dedicated your life to the country and died. However, you have been greedy for profit and framed Zhongliang. I am really heartbroken. Today, I want to clear the name of Yan Lingshan's father and let the world see it clearly. Your true face."
Chen Mu's expression became more and more gloomy. He stared at Su Ye and Yan Lichu fiercely, secretly planning a countermeasure in his heart.
Suddenly, he looked up to the sky and laughed:
"Your Majesty, according to the laws of Dayan, everyone gets what they have stolen. This file and Chen Siwen's testimony are not enough to slander the important officials of the imperial court. Unless you can come up with the stolen money that I embezzled, there is still insufficient evidence in this case!"
He knew that Yan Lichu had been convinced by Su Ye, so he pointed the finger at them because of insufficient evidence.
Yan Lichu didn't expect that something unexpected would happen. He was shocked and slapped the desk:
"Where is the Minister of Punishment?"
The Minister of Punishment walked out tremblingly in full view of everyone.
Looking at Yan Lichu, who was burning with anger, and then at Chen Mu, who had a profound look in his eyes, he knelt down and said:
"Your Majesty, what the Assistant Minister said is indeed true. According to the laws of the First Emperor of Great Yan, corruption cases involving important court officials of second rank and above must include both the person and the person with the stolen goods, otherwise it will be deemed as insufficient evidence."
As he said that, feeling the biting and cold atmosphere around him, the Minister of Punishment lowered his head and could only try to smooth things over:
"But the existing evidence is enough to prove that the Minister of Rites was wrongly accused of the corruption case. All innocent people, including Yan Lingshan's father, can be vindicated today!"
The implication is that the empress should give up when she sees fit and not push her hard.
Yan Lichu was even more angry. Just as he was about to speak, Su Ye stood up:
"What the Minister of Punishment said is absolutely true. Today's matter is because I am not familiar with the laws of Yan State. Your Majesty can choose another day to try again."
These words gave Yan Lichu a step up and reminded her that the future is long.
Yan Lichu took a deep breath, suppressed the anger in his heart, and nodded:
"In that case, let's follow what Prime Minister Su said and set a date for another trial."
She turned to Chen Mu:
"Chen Mu, as an assistant minister, it is really heartbreaking that you committed such a crime. I will give you a chance. If you can prove your innocence, I can forgive you."
Chen Mu looked gloomy. He didn't think that Su Ye was helping him, but that he was forced by the situation.
He looked at Yan Lichu, a hint of ferocity flashed in his eyes, and then he forcibly calmed down:
"Your Majesty, I, Chen Mu, have been loyal to the country throughout my life and have never had any selfish motives. What happened today was just a misunderstanding. Your Majesty, please be careful."
Yan Lichu sneered and said nothing.
She had already made up her mind, but she still needed further evidence to prove Chen Mu's crime.
She turned to Su Ye:
"Prime Minister Su, I will leave this matter to you to investigate. You must find out the truth and give an explanation to Yan Lingshan's father."
Su Ye accepted the order and said seriously: "Your Majesty, don't worry, I will do my best to find out the truth."
He stared at Chen Mu with burning eyes, a trace of firm determination flashing in his eyes.
The atmosphere in the court became increasingly tense, with the ministers whispering to each other and discussing in low voices.
They all knew that today's matter would never end so easily.
Chen Mu's position has been shaken, and Yan Lichu's determination is even firmer.
A war concerning the fate of the country is quietly brewing.
After going to court, all the ministers left quickly, fearing that they would be involved in the affairs of the court if they were too late.
Yan Lichu left Su Ye behind and asked in confusion:
"Why did you stop me today?"
The day before yesterday, it was clearly Su Ye who proposed to overthrow the auxiliary minister in one fell swoop, but why did he give up so easily in the end?
Su Ye sighed secretly, the empress was still too impulsive, he explained:
"I understand that all this is a conspiracy between the Minister of Punishment and Chen Mu. If the conditions for convicting the court officials were so stringent, the Minister of Rites would never be unjustly beheaded."
Yan Lichu was even more puzzled:
"What does Prime Minister Su mean?"
Su Ye walked to the window, looked at the gloomy night outside the window, and said slowly:
"They must be prepared to bring out the laws of the late emperor. We currently have insufficient evidence, and a head-on confrontation will only make them more vigilant, which will be detrimental to our investigation."
Yan Lichu frowned: "Then what should we do now?"
Su Ye turned around with firm eyes:
"Your Majesty, what we need now is to be patient and wait for the opportunity. Today in the court, we have made Chen Mu feel the pressure. He will definitely panic and start making preparations. And we need to take this opportunity to step up the collection of evidence. , take him down in one fell swoop.”
When Yan Lichu heard this, her heart suddenly became enlightened, and she nodded:
"You're right, we can't rush it. Since they want to play the legal game, let's let them see what the real law is."
Su Ye smiled, cupped his hands and said:
"Your Majesty is wise. As long as we act according to the plan, we will definitely be able to capture Chen Mu without any help."
In the days that followed, things seemed calm in the court, but in fact there was an undercurrent.
Chen Mu felt the pressure from Yan Lichu and Su Ye, and began to move around, trying to find countermeasures.
He already completely hated Su Ye who was targeting him everywhere, and wished he could get rid of him immediately.
What Chen Mu didn't know was that every move he made was under the strict supervision of Su Ye and Yan Lichu.
On a dark and windy night, Chen Mu was meeting Duke Zhou in his mansion.
Suddenly, the servants in the mansion were making a lot of noise, waking him up from his sleep.
He opened the door angrily and yelled:
"What's the fuss about!?"
The servants hurriedly knelt down and reported tremblingly:
"Sir, there is a fire in the courtyard and it has burned to the west wing. My subordinates are doing their best to put out the fire."
When Chen Mu heard this, his face instantly turned pale and he immediately woke up from his drowsiness.
The inner room of the west wing is connected to his most important secret room!
The servants didn't know the importance of that room, but Chen Mu didn't dare to slack off.
He immediately put on his coat and hurried over.
Fortunately, the fire was not big, and when Chen Mu arrived, it had already been extinguished by his servants.
But the west wing still carried thick smoke from the fire, and even the interior was burned black.
Chen Mu walked into the room cursing and took out a box from the secret compartment in the secret room.
This is his most important wealth and life, and he cannot let any mistakes happen because of these stupid servants.
Chen Mu returned to his room with the box in his arms, closed the door, and prepared to find a place to store it.
But they didn't realize that behind their door, a figure of a man in black suddenly appeared.
