My father ordered me to kill the emperor, but His Majesty bestowed a princess upon me instead.

The first thing that got into a heated debate before the court assembly wasn't whether the emperor could still use the imperial seal on his own.

It was Gu Qinghe sitting there.

The Ministry of Rites arranged a chair for the mother.

It is located on the right side of Xuanzheng Hall.

A screen stands in front.

Mountains and rivers are embroidered on the screen.

It looks very prestigious.

After sitting down, I couldn't see anything.

The Vice Minister of Rites explained:

"Madam Gu is in poor health."

"And he is not a court official."

"Listening to opinions from behind a screen is in accordance with etiquette."

The mother sat on the soft chair and looked at the screen for a while.

"Who made that decision?"

"The Ministry of Rites, together with the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs."

"What's the reason?"

"Men and women are different."

"Where is Zhaoyue?"

"Aunt Zhaoyue is also behind the screen."

"Wang Heng?"

"Sinful women are not allowed to enter the temple."

The mother nodded.

"What about those who returned to their hometowns in Jiangbei?"

The Vice Minister of Rites pointed outside the hall.

"Ordinary people have no official positions."

"You may receive the proclamation at the Danchi."

well.

The officials inside were talking about how the people died.

The common people stood outside listening to what was being said about them.

The woman is behind the screen.

Sinners are not allowed to enter the temple.

In the end, all those who could see each other were people who had sealed the accounts back then.

The mother said to the eunuchs carrying the chair:

"Go forward."

The eunuch dared not move.

She looked at me.

"An'er".

"Your subject is here."

"lift."

The Vice Minister of Rites said urgently:

"Lord Shen!"

"This is the seating arrangement for court meetings; it cannot be changed without authorization!"

Ah Liu and I each supported one side.

My mother's soft chair wasn't heavy.

Ah Liu still asked in a low voice:

"Young master, where are we taking him?"

"Lower Rank"

"Isn't it too close?"

"Her letters from eleven years ago have all been delivered here."

"It's reasonable to be closer to people."

We moved the soft chair to the left front of the steps.

In contrast to the former officials of the Central Secretariat.

Zhaoyue was also helped out by Xiao Lingyi.

Do not sit behind the screen.

Sitting next to my mother.

Wang Heng still did not enter the palace.

She is awaiting trial.

Testimony should be kept separate from speeches delivered in court.

But she was carried outside the palace gate.

The door is not closed.

She could hear every single word spoken.

It will be brought in only when verification is required.

There were twelve witnesses to the reinstatement of Jiangbei residents.

Three people from Qingfeng.

Five people from Qingzhou.

Three people from Yong'an.

One person in Qingxia.

The Ministry of Rites had originally prepared kneeling mats for them.

Bai Zhi had everyone replace the stools with benches.

The Vice Minister of Rites' face had turned pale.

"How can commoners sit alongside officials during court discussions?"

Bai Zhi asked, "Do they hear more clearly when they're standing?"

"This is about hierarchy."

"When the grain was taken from their granaries."

"Why didn't you ask about seniority first?"

The Vice Minister of Rites remained silent.

The emperor had not yet arrived, but the Song physician had arrived first.

He ignored the seating arrangement and only looked at the soft couch behind the steps.

"Move forward half a zhang."

The official from the Ministry of Rites frowned: "This is against etiquette."

"His Majesty can only sit for half an hour at most today." Physician Song put his medicine box on the table. "If you want to spend half an hour behind the screen, you must first sign a notice of delay in treatment."

Nobody was willing to sign.

The soft couch was then moved forward.

The temporary palace decree stipulated that if the emperor was unable to attend court discussions involving sealing cases, killings, or imprisoning members of the imperial clan due to illness, three witnesses were required.

He insisted on coming today.

The curtain wasn't completely drawn, so at least everyone could see his face.

As soon as his mother saw him come in, her first words were:

"Did you ask us to put the screen up?"

The emperor said, "No."

The Vice Minister of Rites immediately knelt down.

"I was merely acting in accordance with propriety—"

"withdraw."

The emperor said.

The screen was removed.

The mountains and rivers were rolled up.

Inside the hall, they could finally see each other.

The list of candidates for the court assembly was placed on the first table.

It's not based on official rank.

According to the matter.

First table:

Six thousand shi of grain in Jiangbei.

Second table:

Changning was sealed off for eleven years.

Third table:

The emperor's seal.

Next to each table are listed the person who handled the case, the victim, the witness, and the person under investigation.

It's not about who has the higher rank or who speaks first.

Whoever did it, speak first.

The first list was delivered to the mother.

She only glanced at it.

"Few people."

The Vice Minister of the Chancellery asked, "Who is missing?"

"Shen Lie".

"General Shen is not in the capital."

"You can write your name too."

"This court's discussions will only take place within the court's inner court."

"Of the six thousand shi (a unit of grain), four thousand were sent to the southwest."

His mother looked at him.

"Finish the grain discussion."

"Besides, the military tent isn't here."

He had no choice but to be appointed as the Vice Minister of the Chancellery.

Shen Lie.

Write after your name:

I am not here.

The military camp in Qingxia held a meeting simultaneously.

The reasons will be stated by the individual in writing.

The second one missing is Wang Song.

He is in prison.

The Ministry of Rites originally believed that he was already guilty and no longer needed to participate in court discussions.

The mother still allowed Jia.

"He is guilty."

"That doesn't mean all the blame lies with him."

"Wang Song is not here."

"Some people will write that they did things on his orders."

The emperor said, "Add."

The third thing that's rare is the death of people.

The exact number of deaths in the Jiangbei region remains unknown.

The death toll from the epidemic is false.

The return-home register is fake.

The actual number of grain warehouses was also altered.

The Ministry of Rites prepared a total estimate.

Four thousand six hundred to seven thousand people.

After seeing it, the mother immediately ordered it to be taken down.

"An estimate can be written."

"It cannot be placed before the deceased's name."

The Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat frowned.

"Without a total amount, how can we discuss compensation?"

Write down what is known first.

"Twenty-three people from Qingfeng."

"Thirty-six people in the Yong'an epidemic prevention vehicle."

"The Qingzhou Saltworks can detect the dead."

"Those who fill in the riverbanks."

Write them one by one.

"When will it take to finish writing?"

The mother said, "Write until no one can write anymore."

Among the twelve people who had returned to their original residence outside the hall, an old man stood up.

"Four members of my family died."

There are only two in the register.

The Vice Minister of the Chancellery asked, "Is there any proof?"

The old man took out four old wooden plaques from his pocket.

Both pieces have names.

The two pieces were engraved only with the family's birth order.

"The county government said that those without names don't count."

He said, "When it's time to eat grain."

"They all have mouths."

No one in the hall responded.

Bai Zhi pressed down the four wooden plaques side by side.

"Two people with household registration were first entered into the register of the dead."

"Only the two ranked individuals will have separate family identification pages; go to Qingfeng to find the neighbors."

No name will not be deleted.

Only the family members said that they were in no hurry to cover it up.

The mother glanced at it and nodded.

The emperor finished reviewing the first round of names.

"How long will this discussion last today?"

The mother asked, "Is Your Majesty tired?"

"I'm just asking."

"Then let's finish writing down the sources of the facts."

"What if you can't finish writing it in three days?"

"Don't stamp it."

The emperor looked unwell.

"Gu Qinghe".

"Um."

"You've only been gone a few days."

"So you think you can control my seal?"

The mother said, "I don't care."

"Let those who have been imprisoned see this."

The emperor looked at the twelve witnesses who had been reinstated.

Some of them dared not look up.

Some people looked directly at the imperial steps.

The emperor suddenly asked:

"Among you."

"Who thinks I shouldn't use the imperial seal alone anymore?"

No one stood up immediately.

This is a huge problem.

Answering incorrectly could mean big trouble for the whole family.

A moment later, Cao Shun from Qingfeng got up.

He had already returned to his hometown.

After the list of candidates for the court council was released, he was invited to attend again.

"In my opinion..."

"The mark of murder cannot be made by one person alone."

The emperor asked, "What about ordinary decrees?"

Cao Shun was stunned.

He only knows how to read the river engineering grain register.

I don't know how many ordinary government orders are included.

I was just about to explain for him.

The mother said first, "Let him only answer what he knows."

Cao Shundao:

"That's all I know."

"That garment worn by Jia San."

"As long as one person acknowledges it."

"And so I became Class A3."

"Later, all three booklets were examined together."

"I am Cao Shun."

He looked at the emperor's private seal on the imperial desk.

"Human life should be treated the same way."

The emperor did not get angry.

The only question asked was: "What if all three are wrong?"

Cao Shun held back for a long time.

"Then let the fourth department do the cursing."

Gu Xingzhi, who had been standing by the pillar, finally spoke.

"If there are three identical errors, keep the original record and proceed with the fourth verification."

Cao Shun looked at him and said, "You put it more elegantly than I do."

Gu Xingzhi said, "The meaning is the same."

Ah Liu stood behind me and whispered:

"That sounds like something a young woman would say."

Bai Zhi heard it.

"I won't use insults."

"I said review."

Ah Liu said, "It means the same thing."

Bai Zhi looked at him.

Ah Liu immediately shut up.

The first round of court deliberations did not determine the emperor's seal.

Only one thing was decided.

The witness does not sit behind the screen.

The people will not kneel to listen to their own death.

A sinner cannot bear the burden for everyone.

The number of dead cannot be limited to a single total.

The Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat felt that these were merely seating arrangements and lists of names.

The national affairs were not truly resolved.

The mother said:

"Let those who are meant to see it see it first."

"The words at the end are less likely to be forged."

Noon is approaching.

The first military tent catalog from Qingxia was delivered via three mutual verification relay stations.

The cover does not mention the young master.

There is no Shen family army.

Write only:

Old grain treasury of the Southwest Army.

First person responsible:

Shen Lie.

Upon seeing this, the emperor's finger stopped on the imperial desk.

"Did he really write that?"

The scout delivering the message said, "Written by the general himself."

The mother asked, "Did you write down the reasons?"

"I wrote it."

After the screen was removed, the twelve people who had returned to their original status outside the hall saw the imperial steps for the first time.

It was also the first time I had seen those officials who had written down the names of those who died from the epidemic.

An elderly man from Qingfeng suddenly asked:

"Who wrote about my death back then?"

The Ministry of Rites wanted to stop them.

Xiao Lingyi raised her hand.

"Let him ask."

Nobody recognizes it.

The old man then held up his resume page.

"I am not sitting here today to express my gratitude."

"I've come to see who can outrun my life."

These words were even more painful for the woman in the hall than her mother carrying the chair.

Because the chair can be moved back.

Now that a living person has entered, it is no longer easy to simply shove them back behind the screen.

"How many pages?"

"Thirteen pages."

Ah Liu whispered:

General Shen is usually a man of few words.

"There's quite a bit to write."

I think so too.

The more you dare not say something to someone's face.

It's usually the easier it is to write, the longer it can be.