Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 133 Broken
Zhao Rucheng forced out a smile that was uglier than crying.

"Your Highness, let's move to the inner hall first and talk it over. Is that okay? It's warm inside, let's sit down and discuss it slowly."

Li Fuyin's eyes were firm.

"Sir, you should treat me the same way as the people file complaints and sign confessions. The laws of our Liang Dynasty are magnificent and the system is strict. Don't you know how to receive and report complaints?"

Zhao Rucheng said: "This... Dengwen Drum Court also has its own rules..."

Li Fuyin slowly stopped what she was doing, raised her hands, and looked at him coldly.

"I heard that if there is no blood on the drum, it cannot be presented to the emperor. Now, can it be presented to the emperor?"

The palms were already worn out, and blood was stained on the drumsticks.

Miserable.

Zhao Rucheng's calves trembled when he saw this.

"Yes."

He glanced in the direction of Chengtian Gate.

"Come here. Take the complainant to the custody room, record the grievance, seal the evidence, and report it to His Majesty for your personal review..."

The drumbeats suddenly stopped.

Wen Jia then let go of the drumstick, turned around, and slowly walked down the stairs.

The black hair spread on the mourning clothes, like ink pouring down. A bloodstained sleeve fluttered in the wind.

She bowed to the crowd.

"I, Li Fuyin, would like to express my gratitude to all the villagers. I will never forget this kindness. Thanks to all of you for speaking out for justice, I firmly believe that justice is in the heart of the people."

She was in mourning, and wore no make-up or hairpins or jewelry, but her appearance was beautiful and charming. Her graceful bow revealed endless sadness, just like a stone thrown into people's hearts.

Have the people ever seen such a friendly and tough princess?

For a moment, the crowd fell silent, and everyone looked at him with admiration.

Wen Jia slowly lowered his arms, and the blood on his hands dripped onto the ground.

In the crowd, Lu Youan suddenly pushed away his entourage, but stopped when he saw Wen Jia's face.

A little girl rushed forward, supported Wen Jia with red eyes, wrapped her bloody palm with a handkerchief, and tears burst out of her eyes.

"Princess, you are bleeding. Why are you bleeding so much? It hurts so much."

Li Fuyin smiled gently, looked up and saw Lu Youan in the crowd.

Their eyes met, and her smile froze instantly.

Then slowly moved his eyes away.

Lu Youan's brows were furrowed, his eyes full of worry and concern. He seemed to have a thousand words to say, but they were bound by invisible shackles at his throat, and he stood there helplessly.

The past is like a dream.

Once you miss it, it will be eternal night.

From then on, they were close yet far away, they could only look at each other but could no longer hug each other.
-
Early morning court session in the Golden Palace.

Emperor Chongzhao was feeling annoyed as he listened to a group of ministers arguing endlessly. Then he heard the eunuch come to report that Princess Wenjia was beating the drum at Chengtian Gate to file a complaint with the emperor. He was so furious that his face turned blue with anger.

He did not lose his temper immediately, but let his minister rest for a while. Then he returned to the inner hall and became furious.

"How can this be my daughter? She is clearly my enemy."

"Where's the queen? Why don't you let her come and deal with it? As the head of the harem, how does she discipline the princess?"

In his eyes, Wen Jia's complaint was not a major event in the court, but a matter of infighting in the harem, and the queen should bear the responsibility.

When Emperor Chongzhao smashed the second teacup, Empress Xie came in.

"Your Majesty, calm down."

Emperor Chongzhao's eyes widened with anger, and he slammed the table fiercely: "Calm down, calm down, how can I calm down? She has brought shame to the royal family. She went to Chengtian Gate to beat the drum, gathered people to make noise, and incited people. Where is the dignity of the royal family?"

"She has absolutely no respect for the emperor or father. I will punish her severely!"

Empress Xie knew that the emperor was afraid of losing face and what he wanted was also face.

She stood still and listened.

After Emperor Chongzhao had vented his anger, he slowly approached and gave soft advice.

"If Your Majesty ignores the public outrage and insists on criticizing Wen Jia, I am afraid that the people will be upset and public opinion will rise, which will tarnish Your Majesty's holy name. I am even more afraid that someone will take advantage of the opportunity to create momentum and cause unrest in the court..."

Emperor Chongzhao glared at her in dissatisfaction, tapped the ground with his finger, and roared, "She is my daughter, and she doesn't listen to me. Is she going to rebel?"

Queen Xie sneered in her heart.

Does the emperor also know that Wen Jia is his daughter?
When has he ever treated Wen Jia as his daughter?

Empress Xie lowered her eyebrows and closed her eyes, and said softly: "Wen Jia has a miserable life. Her mother was banished to the cold palace because of her, and the mother and daughter were separated. Later, she married the prince consort, but it was also the wrong person... She finally gave birth to a daughter at great risk of her life, but her body was also frail and she had to take medicine all the time. Now the prince consort is gone, and she has become a widow. How can she not be sad and resentful..."

She glanced at the emperor with a meaningful look. "If she really doesn't care and causes a catastrophe, it will be even more difficult to resolve..."

After saying this, he sighed slightly and spoke with a serious look.

"The rise and fall of the royal family is not afraid of temporary disputes, but the boiling resentment of the people and the sharp pen of history. Your Majesty is a benevolent monarch, so you have to endure this momentary anger..."

After being persuaded by Empress Xie, Emperor Chongzhao gradually calmed down.

No matter how wrong Wen Jia was, he couldn't really put her in jail.

At the moment, the main thing is to comfort them.

He rubbed his temple with a headache.

"I'll leave this matter to you. No matter what, calm her down first. As for the grudge between her and Pingle..."

After hesitating for a moment, Emperor Chongzhao said in a cold voice: "No matter how wrong Pingle is, she is still her sister. How can she commit treason and sue the royal relatives in front of so many people, causing an uproar and attracting public discussion? Where is my face and the dignity of Daliang..."

He became angrier and angrier as he spoke.

Upon seeing this, Empress Xie hurried to comfort her.

"It is normal for Wen Jia to be impulsive in the moment, because of the grief of losing her husband and her loved ones. Your Majesty should put the overall situation first and pardon her recklessness, so as to demonstrate your magnanimity and benevolence..."

Emperor Chongzhao waved his hands impatiently.

"Go and appease her, and don't cause any more trouble like today. I still have court affairs to attend to, so remember, this matter must be handled thoroughly."

Empress Xie bowed slightly and saluted, "Yes."

Before the voice fell, a burst of sad crying was heard outside the hall.

Wang Chengxi came in cautiously, "Your Majesty, the Imperial Concubine wishes to see you..."

Queen Xie's eyes sank slightly.

This Xiao Lingrong really knows how to pick the right time.

She stared at the emperor's slightly tired expression, and a cold look flashed across her face.

These days, Concubine Xiao has come to apologize for Pingle many times, crying and complaining, kneeling and kowtowing, and has tried everything, but Emperor Chongzhao always treated her coldly. I wonder what tricks he will play this time.

Suddenly, there was the sound of a golden hairpin falling to the ground outside the hall.

Concubine Xiao's crying became more and more miserable.

Emperor Chongzhao glanced at the queen and said, "Let her in!"

The sound of crying outside the palace suddenly became closer. Concubine Xiao rushed in with her hair loose and fell to her knees on the ground. A rich and sweet fragrance emanated from the Su embroidery sachet around her waist.

"Your Majesty! Pingle has had a high fever for two days and has not eaten a single grain of rice. The imperial physician said that it was because of fear that she had damaged her liver and that medicine was ineffective... At this critical moment, you must take good care of Wen Jia. The imperial physician said that Pingle cannot stand any more stimulation. Your Majesty... You must save our daughter..."

The corners of Queen Xie's lips curved slightly.

Emperor Chongzhao had a gloomy face, but his anger had not dissipated.

Concubine Xiao burst into tears and kept crying, "Wen Jia has always been a coward. This time he did such a shocking and stupid thing. It must have been instigated by that bitch in the cold palace..."

"My noble concubine, be careful with your words!" Empress Xie suddenly slammed the table, the ring on her finger making a sharp sound on the table, "Wen Jia's birth mother was personally appointed by His Majesty. She is the legitimate Consort Zhaoyi. His Majesty has not yet issued an official decree to depose her. You are not allowed to speak obscenely to her!"

Concubine Xiao looked up suddenly and saw that Empress Xie was also in the hall.

She wiped her tears again, bowed reluctantly to thank the queen, and looked at the emperor sadly.

"I heard from someone that when Wen Jia was recuperating in Puji Temple, he went to the other courtyard to look for Xue Liu who had returned from the old mausoleum. He has become very different since then. There must be something strange going on..."

Empress Xie snorted heavily and interrupted her, "Noble Concubine Xiao! What time is it? Instead of thinking about sharing His Majesty's worries, you are just making random accusations and stirring up trouble. What are you thinking?"

Seeing that the emperor remained silent, Concubine Xiao bit her lip and continued to cry and exaggerate.

"Your Majesty, Hong Xing came to report that Ping Le was mumbling in her sickness and was calling for father. Do you have the heart to let her struggle in agony on her sickbed?"

"Your Majesty." Empress Xie smiled in anger and spoke slowly, "This matter is of great importance. Don't lose your decisiveness because of your momentary compassion."

Emperor Chongzhao looked at Concubine Xiao's tear-stained face and frowned slightly.

"The Queen will take care of this matter. Go back to your bedroom and have a good rest. Don't behave like this again."

Concubine Xiao knelt before Emperor Chongzhao, hugged his thighs tightly, and her body trembled slightly.

"What about Pingle? Your Majesty doesn't care about Pingle's safety? Wenjia is a new widow, and Pingle is also alone. Lu Youan ignored Pingle's serious illness, left a divorce letter, and left with the child. Pingle is in so much pain, it hurts so much... Your Majesty, I'm afraid our daughter will die in the princess's mansion..."

Emperor Chongzhao suddenly coughed violently, and Wang Chengxi hurriedly held up a handkerchief.

"Noble Concubine Xiao!" Empress Xie shouted, "Your Majesty has given an oral order, why don't you leave now!"

Emperor Chongzhao finally closed his eyes slowly and suppressed the reluctance in his heart.

"I have made up my mind! Please leave."

Xue Sui: The crying baby gets candy.

Li Zhao: Do ​​you want to cry?
Xue Sui: I’ll kill you!