Nong Nu Jiao

"Yan Qingci, stop making trouble."

Emperor Shengwu was displeased and frowned as he spoke.

"Yes." Yan Qingci's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly lowered his head to agree, then explained reluctantly, "Father, your son would never do anything to betray the country and collude with the enemy."

"Look, is this your handwriting?"

Emperor Shengwu shook the letter in his hand.

He already knew what was going on.

Wang Deming delivered the letter to Yan Qingci.

Yan Qingci flipped through the letters, her hands trembling slightly, and looked up in surprise.

"Father, the handwriting on this letter is... is..."

He looked like he recognized him but didn't dare to say so.

"Whose is it?"

Emperor Shengwu raised his voice and demanded.

"It's Lord Lu Huaiyou!"

Yan Qingci glanced back at Lu Huaiyou, signaling him with her eyes not to argue, but to admit the truth.

This was his last move.

If the previous arguments are ineffective, then Lu Huaiyou will have no choice but to take the blame for everything.

Lu Huaiyou suddenly raised his head, his expression changed drastically, and his eyes were filled with fear and hatred.

He knew that Yan Qingci would eventually push him out to take the blame.

"Lu Huaiyou?"

Emperor Shengwu's gaze fell upon him.

Lu Huaiyou's face was ashen. He walked to the center of the main hall and knelt down.

"Your Majesty, I dare not deceive you. This matter was not committed by me alone. I was instructed by His Highness the Second Prince to commit such a heinous crime. I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly!"

He is now condemned to death, no, his whole family is condemned to death.

Then why did he still cover up for Yan Qingci?

The moment Yan Qingci pushed him out to take the blame, she should have thought that since his whole family was going to die, what did he have to be afraid of?

"Lu Huaiyou, what nonsense are you spouting? You've been colluding with foreign enemies. You must take responsibility for your actions and confess to the Emperor. The Emperor is always wise and benevolent; he will not implicate your family because of your crimes."

Yan Qingci's words were spoken with righteous indignation.

"Treason is a capital offense punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family. Is Second Brother really going to make that decision for Father?"

Yan Chenghui asked in a calm voice.

Lu Huaiyou's heartstrings snapped: "Your Majesty, it is true that I wrote these secret letters on your behalf, but they were all ordered by the Second Prince himself. For years, the Second Prince has been plotting to seize the position of Crown Prince. This act of collusion with the enemy is aimed at causing His Highness the Crown Prince's death in the border war. I was merely acting under orders; I am guilty, but I am not the mastermind. I beg Your Majesty to spare my family!"

His wife and concubines have given birth to three sons and two daughters for him over the years.

It doesn't matter if he dies; what matters is preserving the Lu family bloodline.

"Lu Huaiyou, you are a wolf in sheep's clothing, framing and slandering me. You know that colluding with the enemy is a capital offense, yet you deliberately implicate me!" Yan Qingci said sternly, trying his best to refute, "Father, he did everything. From beginning to end, I knew nothing about it."

"Calm down."

Emperor Shengwu, standing high above, could see everything clearly.

His second prince is acting out of guilt.

"Yes." Yan Qingci calmed down and lowered his head, saying, "Father, as a prince, I hold a noble position and enjoy great favor. Why would I betray my country and ruin my future by colluding with the enemy? Lu Huaiyou is clearly desperate and deliberately framing me! Please, Father, see the truth!"

"Everyone in the court knows that I have a very close relationship with the Second Prince, and this is something the Second Prince cannot deny."

Lu Huaiyou stared straight ahead and said coldly.

"So what if we're too close? That's because I haven't seen through your true colors." Yan Qingci said, "You say I instructed you to do all this, what proof do you have?"

Lu Huaiyou was already in dire straits, being relentlessly pressured by the Second Prince, who then turned on him, causing him to break down completely.

"Evidence? I have no need to cover for you now!" He kowtowed and asked the emperor, "Your Majesty, if I were to expose other crimes committed by the Second Prince, could I beg Your Majesty to spare my family?"

"Tell me about it."

Emperor Shengwu sat up straight.

All eyes of the court officials were on Lu Huaiyou.

Yan Chenghui watched coldly as Yan Qingci and Lu Huaiyou fought like dogs.

"Lu Huaiyou, how dare you speak nonsense, I..."

Yan Qingci had already guessed what he wanted to say.

"Second Prince, shut up and move aside."

Emperor Shengwu gave the instructions from above.

Yan Qingci dared not act rashly and could only lower his head and step aside, taking the opportunity to glare fiercely at Lu Huaiyou.

Lu Huaiyou remained unmoved, kneeling ramrod straight: "Cen Qingshan made great contributions to the flood control efforts, yet he was falsely accused of embezzling funds from river works and projects. The people loved him, but he was also framed for stealing the dragon vein and the nation's fortune. During a ritual in his residence, a voodoo doll with His Majesty's birth date and time inscribed on it was unearthed, supposedly used to curse the Emperor. The entire Cen family was unjustly exiled because of these crimes! This great injustice was orchestrated by the Second Prince!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Golden Palace fell silent, and all the civil and military officials were so shocked that they couldn't speak.

The Cen family was so powerful back then, but they were exiled just like that.

Was he wronged?

Yan Chenghui glanced at Lu Huaiyou.

He originally intended to bring up the Cen family matter after the two men were released from prison.

Unexpectedly, Lu Huaiyou confessed himself, which saved him the trouble.

It's a little regrettable that Jiaojiao and her older brother aren't here.

They probably want to uncover the truth themselves.

"The false accounts for river management were fabricated by the Second Prince's men, and he personally supervised them. The alteration of celestial phenomena and the fabrication of dragon pulse collisions were also spread by the Second Prince's men. The talismanic puppet inscribed with His Majesty's birth date was planted at the Second Prince's behest, and he later led men to dig it up!"

"There is physical evidence regarding this matter, and many witnesses are still alive. When I buried the sorcery, a servant saw me. In addition, the officials of the Imperial Observatory who accepted bribes and the clerks who handled the falsified accounts should still be alive. Your Majesty can send people to investigate!"

To save his family's lives, Lu Huaiyou went all out and revealed everything.

"Father, the evidence in Cen Qingshan's case was irrefutable back then, and the court and the public have long since reached a conclusion. Lu Huaiyou is desperate and maliciously framed me. Father, you must not believe him!"

Yan Qingci's face turned pale, but he was still unwilling to submit to the law.

"Father, even if Lord Lu doesn't speak, I intend to speak about this matter as well." Yan Chenghui spoke calmly at this moment: "What Lord Lu said is all true. I have already investigated the evidence and have witnesses."

"Oh?"

Emperor Shengwu raised an eyebrow.

He really didn't want to clear Cen Qingshan's name, but Xiao Yulou was already contemplating suicide because of it, and he knew that he couldn't delay any longer.

"The embezzlement ledgers used to convict you back then were all forged and altered," Yan Chenghui said. "I have already traced the true ledgers, and someone will bring them to you later so that Your Majesty can review them personally. In addition, I have several witnesses who will also need to wait a moment."

He did not intend to bring up the matter today, so he did not bring any people or items.

"Let's wait a bit."

Emperor Shengwu raised his chin and took a deep breath.

Then give Xiao Yulou an explanation.

Huai Jiao is already so old, he doesn't believe Xiao Yulou can still go with Cen Qingshan!

"Yes."

Yan Chenghui responded.

In the time it takes for two incense sticks to burn, Yun Que had already arranged everything.

Dozens of elderly men entered the hall one after another, including veteran river workers, flood survivors, and village leaders, and they all knelt down and kowtowed.

They can testify that Cen Qingshan worked tirelessly day and night to control the floods, and all the money was used for flood control and disaster relief. He never took a single penny for himself, and his own clothes were all old and worn. He hadn't bought a new set of clothes for several years.

Immediately afterwards, Yan Chenghui presented a confession bearing his signature and fingerprint, along with a ledger of embezzled silver: "The so-called astrological anomalies and damage to the dragon veins were actually the result of my second brother bribing three officials in charge of the Imperial Observatory to tamper with the astrological records and fabricate ominous omens. This is the confession of the officials who accepted the bribes."

Yan Chenghui raised his voice with a deep look in his eyes: "Finally, there is the witchcraft case. During the ancestral worship ceremony of the Cen family, when there were many people in the mansion, Lu Huaiyou took the opportunity to sneak into the corner of the garden ancestral hall and buried a witchcraft puppet with his father's birth date and time engraved on it. A servant witnessed it."

The servant was brought in and prostrated himself, saying, "I personally witnessed Lord Lu burying something deep in the flowerbed, acting suspiciously. At that time, things happened in a hurry, and we were detained by the soldiers. No one listened to me when I spoke."

In fact, when something serious happened to the Cen family later, they dared not say anything more.

If it weren't for His Highness the Crown Prince intervening, he would never have dared to mention this matter in his entire life.

With both witnesses and physical evidence, there is no room for argument.

All the stigma that was imposed on Cen Qingshan back then was completely overturned at this moment.

The entire hall was filled with commotion, and everyone looked surprised.

Yan Qingci looked dejected and could not utter another word.

Lu Huaiyou slumped to the ground, panting heavily.

"Your Majesty, I have said everything I have to say. Please make your decision."

Yan Chenghui bowed again.

"Minister Cen was loyal to the emperor and loved the people throughout his life. He made great contributions to flood control and saved countless people from suffering. I have wronged him." Emperor Shengwu revealed a hint of regret at just the right moment.

"His Majesty has also been deceived by treacherous people..."

"Yes, His Majesty was unaware of it either..."

"Who could have imagined things would turn out this way..."

Court officials stepped forward to offer words of comfort.

Emperor Shengwu raised his hand, signaling for the officials to be quiet.

"I hereby proclaim to the world that I have exonerated Minister Cen, restored him to his original post, and returned all titles and property to the Cen family."

"The Cen family members who were implicated in the past are pardoned and allowed to return to the capital, with appropriate consideration for reinstatement. This is to appease loyal officials and uphold the law!"

"Your Majesty is wise!"

Yan Chenghui knelt down.

He has finally cleared his father-in-law's name, and Jiaojiao will be overjoyed to return to the Eastern Palace today.

"Your Majesty is wise!"

All the officials followed suit, kneeling and shouting in unison.

Emperor Shengwu's gaze fell on Yan Qingci.

"You have disregarded your brothers, framed a loyal minister, colluded with foreign enemies, and wreaked havoc on the border. Your crimes are numerous and unforgivable. Effective immediately, Yan Qingci is hereby demoted to a commoner and exiled to the southern frontier, never to return to the capital."

Yan Qingci was completely exhausted and collapsed to the ground, her eyes filled with despair.

commoners...

Never to return to the capital...

Does he have no chance to turn things around?

"No, Father, you can't do this to me. You've demoted me to a commoner. Of your remaining princes, who can stand against Yan Chenghui in the court? Aren't you afraid? Aren't you afraid that without any rivals in the court, Yan Chenghui will be free to seize your throne..."

"Utter nonsense, drag him away!"

Emperor Shengwu rebuked him.

Yan Chenghui lowered his eyes and remained silent. Even as Yan Qingci was leaving, he still wanted to plant a thorn in his father's heart.

"Lu Huaiyou acted as an accomplice to evil, aided and abetted the wicked, personally framed loyal officials, drafted secret letters of treason, and handled all the crimes, committing countless evil deeds. Considering that you confessed all your crimes in court and exposed the mastermind, thus performing meritorious service to atone for your crimes, you are spared the death penalty of slow slicing. You are sentenced to immediate execution, all your family property is confiscated, and your clansmen are exiled three thousand miles away."

Emperor Shengwu coldly stared at Lu Huaiyou, who was kneeling on the ground.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Lu Huaiyou kowtowed deeply, crying and trembling all over.

In such a situation, it's already a blessing to be able to save the lives of the whole family.