klisemfg Chapter 220: Is Shen Jinmo really so loyal?
Chapter 220: Is Shen Jinmo really so loyal?
The imperial guard who had returned from the prince's residence knelt on the ground and presented the tray with evidence: "Your Majesty, I searched the prince's residence and found a letter and 10,000 taels of silver in the secret compartment."
"The letter records in detail the entire process of the Eighth Prince poisoning and the method of escaping after poisoning. The Eighth Prince also marked those core steps with a red pen, which is completely consistent with the information we know now."
And this so-called information mainly coincides with Xia Hong's cognition.
"I have just asked someone to verify that this cinnabar is the same as the one that the emperor bestowed on the princes this year."
As these words fell, the eunuch who had just collected Xia Cheng's remains handed over a note that had been twisted into a state of disfigurement.
Through the pieces of paper that were pieced together, one could vaguely make out the outlines of the characters "马" (horse) and "域" (domain).
After Xia Hong looked at the evidence himself, he asked the eunuch to bring a tray for all the ministers in the hall to have a look.
The intention was obvious. If the envelope contained the possibility of framing someone, then the note that Xia Cheng carried with him and intended to destroy it was beyond reproach.
After several ministers who had a say had finished knocking, Xia Hong pointed in the direction of Xun Xiang and said, "Xun Xiang, look at this handwriting. Was it written by one person?"
Xun Xiang put the two handwritings together, compared them carefully and reported: "Your Majesty, these two handwritings are not from the same hand."
"Ah."
Xia Hong responded in a deep voice and said nothing more.
With his eyes slightly closed, Xia Hong silently indulged in the passage of time.
This silence was naturally to allow Li Yuan to think clearly about the current situation.
There was no trace of worry in his closed brows. Even though Xia Hong no longer trusted Li Yuan, he did not believe that Li Yuan would choose Xia Ling at the risk of losing his life under the current situation.
Xia Hong not only didn't believe it.
He can't accept it yet.
Now even Li Yuan, the man whom he had spent years destroying his hopes and who had integrated killing and obedience to fate into his blood, could betray him overnight.
Is Shen Jinmo really so loyal?
Li Yuan lowered his head and pieced together all the information in front of him.
Judging from the evidence presented now, Xia Cheng, the witness who linked everyone to the crime, is dead, leaving behind two pieces of evidence pointing to different people.
The words of the dead are always more credible than those of the living, so these two pieces of evidence are irrefutable evidence.
He was sure that he had never handed over the blood-draining poison and the method of escape to Xia Cheng in written form, so this was a framed piece of evidence.
With this physical evidence, the final blame will definitely fall on Donggong.
But whether it would fall on him or Xia Ling, Xia Hong gave him the choice.
As for the other piece of evidence, according to Xun Xianggang's conclusion, it did not directly point to Xia Ling.
Judging from the trend of public opinion in the palace during this period, the only person who could be pointed at is Zhong Luoyue.
The two moves made today were equivalent to cutting off Xia Ling's hands and feet, turning him into a human pig with no power to fight back.
Looking up in the direction of Xia Ling, Li Yuan clearly saw the comforting look Xia Ling gave him.
The time has come.
Xia Ling would rather take all the blame himself than hurt Li Yuan in the slightest.
Their eyes met, Li Yuan smiled and shook his head, returning his most steadfast and only sincerity to Xia Ling without reservation.
Seeing Xia Ling's eyes turn red, Li Yuan felt extremely sad.
His Xia Ling deserves the best of everything in the world.
Since this world won’t give it to you.
Then Li Yuan will come to grab it for Xia Yu.
Having made up his mind, Li Yuan withdrew his gaze, lowered his head, and faced everything in front of him with absolute calmness.
He, Li Yuan, is just a worthless life. If his death can buy Xia Ling a chance to live, then his death will be worthwhile.
Zhong Luoyue and Chunyu were brought into the palace. Eunuch Lin held a red lacquered tray in his hand, which contained a white porcelain bottle and a letter in an envelope that had been burned by fire.
"Your Majesty, I have just asked Doctor Shu to check the poison in this white porcelain bottle, and it is indeed blood-depleting."
"And this letter written by Chunyu used Concubine Qiu as a handle to threaten Xia Cheng to bear all the responsibilities. When I arrived, Chunyu was preparing to destroy the evidence."
Xia Hong still didn't speak. He calmly looked at the pile of evidence, silently waiting for Li Yuan to wake up.
After another cup of tea, the imperial guards who had returned from the East Palace also knelt in front of the crowd.
On the tray was a white porcelain bottle and a stack of papers wrapped in an envelope.
Li Yuan looked up at the strange yet familiar envelope, smiled, and continued to keep his head down.
Patience exhausted, Li Yuan's silence was tantamount to resistance.
The angry eyes fell on Li Yuan and gradually turned into murderous intent.
If a chess piece is unwilling to work for its master, its only outcome is death.
All the civil and military officials in the court looked at the evidence laid out in plain sight without saying a word, nor was there any need for words.
The fact that all the implicated people and evidence were presented to the court officials at such a speed meant that Xia Hong, the chess player, had already prepared everything.
Today's gathering in the court was nothing more than Xia Hong waving his folding fan himself, sweeping away the fog, placing the victory or defeat in front of all the court officials, and also sending a warning to their hearts.
On the surface, Xia Hongming allowed everyone to participate in the dispute between legitimate and illegitimate children, but he used an iron fist to tell all court officials what the consequences would be if they participated in the dispute.
With Xia Hong's permission, Xun Xiang looked at all the evidence one by one, took out a silver note from his sleeve and placed it on the tray.
He knew clearly what Xia Hong wanted now:
"Your Majesty, the banknotes in my hand were seized from the groom who committed suicide. From the evidence we have now, it seems that the groom was bribed by the Eighth Prince."
"When I was interrogating the palace servants, I learned that the Queen's personal nanny Chunyu had contacted the young eunuch beside the Eighth Prince many times, and a palace maid saw Chunyu leaving Fengyi Palace with a stack of banknotes."
When Chun Yu heard the evidence, she immediately knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, I am innocent. There are so many people in the palace who know me. If I really wanted to do such a thing, how could I do it myself?"
Eunuch Lin noticed that Xia Hong's breathing was a little heavier: "This matter is hidden. If it is really arranged by the master, then he must let his confidants do it."
It's time to stop there. Whether Chunyu chooses to die alone or to drag Zhong Luoyue to death with her, all depends on her decision.
The smile on Zhong Luoyue's lips was a little bitter, and she looked at Xia Hong with disappointment.
From the moment Zhong Yuanyuan walked out of Xianyun Palace, Zhong Luoyue knew that her position as queen was no longer stable.
She is going to return the position of mistress of the harem and mother of the country to Xia Hong's lover.
No matter how well Zhong Luoyue does, she is just a substitute controlled by Xia Hong.