vrcanaries Chapter 536: All the things done by Xiao Guiren have been found out (28 reward points)
Chapter 536: All the things done by Xiao Guiren have been found out (28 reward points)
But what did Nian Nian do wrong?
Nian Nian was just trying to protect his reputation and prevent people from saying that he was a lustful and incompetent ruler who was unfilial to his mother.
Of course, those who are wrong are those who criticize Nian Nian!
In the end, the emperor just left Zhongcui Palace in silence.
When the news spread, many people were shocked!
They originally thought that His Majesty would be furious with Concubine Xian for being so bold.
I didn’t expect... that His Majesty would leave like this?
Or was it that for the sake of the Fourth Prince, His Majesty did not get angry on the spot, but kept the matter in mind, and that the Virtuous Concubine would fall out of favor from now on?
It didn't take long for the crowd to guess. After the morning court session the next day, they knew the answer...
Many ministers' daughters, sisters, and granddaughters were in the palace.
But the harem has always been one person per person, and His Majesty's favor is limited. Shen Zhinian's favor has blocked the way for many people.
Finally, she was suspected of murdering the Empress Dowager, and the Shen family was also under investigation by the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple. Of course, they had to seize this opportunity to step on her!
In this way, the women sent into the harem by his family might have a chance to come to the fore.
However, who knows... His Majesty seems to be in a particularly bad mood today.
All the ministers who targeted Shen Zhinian were severely reprimanded by him!
Some of those who were just holding down their positions and doing nothing, and were ineffective in their work, were demoted or punished by Nangong Xuanyu.
For a time, all the court officials were silent, fearing that they would fail to achieve their goal and get themselves into trouble...
Even the Duke Dingguo's Mansion had nothing to say.
After all, His Majesty has already made clear his intention to thoroughly investigate the matter. What else do they want?
Moreover, Duke Dingguo could vaguely sense that His Majesty was clearly trying to use the Empress Dowager's poisoning to rectify the court.
The Duke Dingguo's Mansion was a thorn in his side. If he jumped out at this time, wouldn't he be handing the knife to His Majesty?
Duke Dingguo was just watching, but he received a secret letter from Concubine Shu from the palace.
The letter said that it was because she failed to judge people well and nurtured a tiger to cause trouble, which led to the fact that Concubine Xian's favor and status in the harem were unmatched.
The fourth prince, born to Concubine Xian, was deeply loved by the emperor.
If this continues, where will there be room for her and the third prince in the harem?
The opportunity to get rid of Concubine Xian is hard to come by!
As long as she is charged with the crime of murdering the empress dowager, even if Concubine Xian is in favor, she will have no way out!
Without the protection of his mother, who is still a heinous criminal, the Fourth Prince has nothing to fear!
It's hard for Duke Dingguo not to be moved...
The smartest person in the Liu family is actually not Duke Dingguo, but Queen Mother Liu.
Although the other party was just a woman, Duke Dingguo would discuss every important matter with Empress Dowager Liu and listen to her opinions.
However... Empress Dowager Liu is still in a coma. Whether to take this opportunity to prove the guilt of Concubine Xian can only be decided by Duke Dingguo.
What Concubine Shu said makes a lot of sense.
With Concubine Xian's favor at its peak, it is not impossible for His Majesty to make the Fourth Prince the Crown Prince.
He surrendered his military power in exchange for Concubine Shu raising the Third Prince, and he would never allow anyone to stand in the way of the Third Prince!
then……
Under the manipulation of Duke Dingguo, a lot of evidence pointed to the Shen family.
Including when and where the Shen family secretly purchased the poison, and how they delivered it to the palace and handed it over to Shen Zhinian.
In order to clear themselves, the Dingguo Mansion did not send the "evidence" directly to the emperor. All the "evidence" was found out by the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple.
Duke Dingguo had thought about making a big deal out of this matter and using public opinion to force the emperor to execute Concubine Xian!
But after thinking about it carefully... everything is too much. If the Duke Dingguo's Mansion wanted to force Concubine Xian to death, it would arouse the emperor's suspicion.
If the emperor were to vent his anger on Concubine Shu and the third prince because he had to sentence Concubine Xian to death, it would be a loss.
Anyway, with all the "evidence" in front of us, no one can save Concubine Xian, so it's better to let nature take its course.
Little did they know... Duke Dingguo had calculated everything, but he was smart for a lifetime and foolish for a moment...
If someone else did this, it might really succeed and cause Shen Zhinian and the Shen family to fall into trouble.
But the Duke Dingguo's Mansion...Nangong Xuanyu has been wary of them for a long time.
In addition, the fact that the Duke of Zhenguo raised private soldiers in the past alerted the emperor, and he ordered the Dragon Armor Army to secretly keep an eye on the Duke of Dingguo's Mansion and pay attention to any abnormalities they might have.
Nangong Xuanyu knew exactly how Duke Dingguo forged evidence and framed Shen Zhinian and the Shen family.
The emperor looked at the intelligence presented by the Dragon Armor Army and sneered, "I don't know what the virtuous concubine did wrong to make the dignified Duke Dingguo not tolerate even a weak woman!"
Did Duke Dingguo think that without Concubine Xian, Concubine Shu’s status in his heart would return to what it was before?
joke!
Li Changde was also horrified when he saw the false evidence!
The ability of the Duke of Dingguo's Mansion is indeed not to be underestimated. They made the "evidence" so real. If His Majesty had not sent the Dragon Armor Army to monitor the Duke of Dingguo's Mansion, these "evidences" would have spread, and the Concubine Xian would not be able to clear herself even if she jumped into the Yellow River...
Li Changde could imagine how much His Majesty felt sorry for Concubine Xian at this moment.
He asked cautiously, "Your Majesty, how do you plan to deal with this matter?"
A violent storm was brewing in Nangong Xuanyu's deep eyes!
After a long time... a long time... everything turned into forbearance.
The Queen Mother was still unconscious. If he took action against Duke Dingguo's Mansion at this time, no matter what the truth was, public opinion would be in an uproar.
Besides, now is not the time to eliminate the Duke Dingguo's Mansion.
The emperor closed his deep eyes, and when he opened them again, there was a calm look in his eyes: "...Suppress all the evidence."
"Send another person from the border to give Duke Dingguo a finger!"
Whose finger?
Of course it’s Liu Shizhang’s!
Li Changde understood that this was a warning from His Majesty to the Duke of Dingguo’s Mansion: “Yes!”
finally--
This massive investigation lasted for a full half month.
Countless officials were affected, and countless families were implicated. The situation in the court and the harem changed.
The Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple finally presented the final result to the emperor.
The Shen family and Concubine Xian are indeed innocent.
They had never participated in poisoning the Empress Dowager, and it was all just slander by Concubine Xiao.
The poison that Concubine Xiao gave to the Empress Dowager was sent to the palace by her cousin through a eunuch who emptied toilets in the Xinzheku.
Following this line of investigation, the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple discovered many unknown things.
For example, Li Cairong, who was beside Concubine Xiao, was not only good at dressing up, but also good at disguise.
The "Fuqiu" that the palace people saw at first was actually a palace maid who had been disguised by her.
It also uncovered a lot of old and rotten things...
The emperor looked at the confessions presented by the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple, and his expression became increasingly gloomy!