Wang Qiang, Li Yan, and the coroner all participated in the murder of the woman. However, Wang Qiang and the others were born in the same year and month as the emperor. In order to deter others born on special occasions, the emperor deliberately imposed a severe punishment. The coroner was not born on that occasion, and the punishment was very fair. He was also born in the same year and month as the emperor. If he admitted to accepting bribes, would the emperor be furious and execute him as well?
Wang Qiang and Li Yan are already dead. As for the matter of accepting bribes, that stinking village woman is only speculating and has no evidence. Since she doesn't admit it, there's nothing she can do: "Your Majesty, I only judged the case based on the coroner's findings and did not accept any bribes."
"Li Fan, you're lying!" The middle-aged woman glared at Li Fan, her eyes blazing with anger.
“Madam, if a girl is not yet of marriageable age but is already not a virgin, it is enough to prove that she is promiscuous. It makes perfect sense that she seduced five men and extorted money from them. My judgment is correct. Of course, the coroner lied, and I did not notice, which is my dereliction of duty.” Li Fan was calm and composed, speaking with conviction and righteous indignation. He was almost convinced by his own words.
“Lord Li, if you don’t want people to know, then don’t do it in the first place. No matter how well you hide it, it will eventually be exposed. As officials, we are responsible for judging cases for the people. Our first priority is to be fair and impartial and not to lie to the Emperor. Do you dare to swear to Heaven that you have not accepted a single bribe?”
Lord Ma had seen countless people, and he could quickly understand the nature of each person after a short interaction. His impression of Li Fan was that he was glib and incompetent. As a seventh-rank county magistrate, Li Fan certainly wouldn't handle cases properly; making friends with scoundrels was his specialty. Wang Qiang and Li Yan seemed to be birds of a feather with Li Fan. If they asked him to handle a case, how could they not offer bribes?
Li Fan's eyes flickered. As the eldest grandson of the Prime Minister's family, he would not joke with his own life. Making a solemn oath to the heavens would be cold and cruel to himself, but if he did not make one, Lord Ma and the Emperor would suspect him. What should he do?
Various pros and cons flashed through Li Fan's mind. After a fierce internal struggle, Li Fan gritted his teeth and said, "I, Li Fan, hereby swear that I have not accepted any bribes from Wang Qiang and his men. If I am lying, may I be struck by lightning and die a horrible death!"
All the oaths were empty promises, just a way to deceive people. If the emperor wanted to hear them, he would recite them. Although he was cursing himself a little, they would never come true. It was much easier than being beheaded by the emperor.
Lord Ma looked at Li Fan, a slight smile playing on his lips, a smile that carried an indescribable chill and coldness that sent a shiver down Li Fan's spine. Just as Li Fan was about to ask Lord Ma what he was laughing at, the latter spoke first: "Someone, bring the food up."
A guard strode into the imperial study, carrying a tray laden with various jewels and ornaments that shone brilliantly under the glow of the luminous pearls.
Li Fan staggered a few steps, almost falling to the ground, his eyes fixed on the contents of the tray, utterly shocked. How could this be? How did they find these things?
Lord Ma was satisfied with Li Fan's reaction and looked at him calmly: "Lord Li, these jewels were found in your villa. According to the servants in your villa, these are bribes given to you by Wang Qiang and his men. Do you still want to deny it?"
Li Fan knelt down with a thud, a fine layer of sweat beading on his forehead, his head pounding repeatedly as he kowtowed: "Your Majesty, spare me! This humble servant was confused for a moment, and after seeing the coroner's report, I thought there was no mistake, so I pronounced the verdict. Your Majesty, spare me, spare me..."
With just a simple sentence, he cleverly shifted the blame onto the coroner, absolving him of most of the responsibility. Even if the emperor wanted to blame him, he wouldn't behead him.
"Do you know that I despise officials who accept bribes the most?" The emperor's tone was stern, his sharp eyes reflecting a cold glint, exuding an imposing aura without anger.
Li Fan was terrified. He kowtowed even louder, his voice trembling slightly: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I will never dare to do it again. Please give me another chance."
"Lord Li, you not only ruled against the case, but you also lied just now, committing the crime of deceiving the emperor!"
Lord Ma's casual words struck like a thunderbolt, leaving Li Fan stunned and unable to move for a long time. Yes, he had lied, he had deceived the Emperor, and the Emperor would certainly not let him off the hook. What should he do? What should he do?
"Your Majesty, Prime Minister Li is requesting an audience outside." The eunuch's distinctive high-pitched voice rang out from outside. Li Fan's eyes lit up. His grandfather had arrived; he was saved!
The emperor glanced at the door and said, "Tell Prime Minister Li that I am busy and have no time to see him."
A casual remark was like a bucket of cold water poured over Li Fan, chilling him to the bone. His lips trembled, and his body shook uncontrollably. Did the Emperor intend to severely punish him by refusing to see his grandfather? Would he behead him like he did Wang Qiang and the others?
What should I do? How can I save myself?
Amidst his turmoil, the emperor's majestic voice rang out from above: "Li Fan accepted bribes and wrongfully judged a case. He is unfit to be an official. He is hereby dismissed from his post, demoted to a commoner, and exiled to the frontier. He shall never return to the capital in this lifetime."
The emperor's voice was cold and icy, but to Li Fan it sounded like heavenly music. He had been demoted to a commoner and exiled to the frontier. It didn't matter, it didn't matter. He had been given a way to live. It was good that he was still alive. It was good that he was alive.
Seeing Li Fan collapsed on the ground with a look of joy on his face, the emperor felt a wave of disgust. Li Fan was the grandson of Prime Minister Li and the cousin of Prince Zhan. He had some reservations about Li Fan, considering that Li Fan had accepted bribes but had not directly harmed anyone. That's why he gave Li Fan such a severe punishment, to see if those born in the year and month of Yang would still dare to do whatever they wanted because of their status.
Unwittingly, a sense of utter horror rose in the emperor's heart. These people born in the year and month of Yang were pouring into the court and the army in large numbers. Could it be that someone had deliberately orchestrated this?
He quickly dismissed the idea. The ritual to consult the heavens was being performed in full view of everyone, so there was no way he could tamper with it. He was overthinking it. However, he should indeed send people to observe these people more closely to avoid any further mistakes.
If they disrupt the Azure Flame, although they may avoid a natural disaster, they will incur consequences that would outweigh the gains.
Chapter 218: The affair is exposed
When the news reached the Holy King's Mansion, Dongfang Heng and Shen Lixue were sitting in the courtyard enjoying tea. The warm sunlight shone on them, making them feel indescribably comfortable and at ease.
Dongfang Heng lightly pinched the teacup with his white jade fingers, his obsidian-like eyes flashing with a cold, eerie light: "Wang Qiang, Li Yan and the other four were beheaded, and Li Fan was demoted to a commoner and exiled to the frontier. The Emperor handled it quite fairly."
"It's because your plan was brilliant and didn't reveal the slightest flaw that His Majesty handled it so fairly." Shen Lixue looked at Dongfang Heng and smiled meaningfully.
"What do you mean by that?" Dongfang Heng coughed a few times awkwardly, his deep gaze drifting around.
"It's nothing," Shen Lixue said calmly. "It's just that Li Yan, Wang Qiang, and the other three were charged with raping a woman for the first time and were brought to Li Fan's court. Although the matter didn't escalate, there are quite a few people who know about it. They were placed in the military because of their birth year and month, so their status is special."
“The military is governed by strict laws, and they are someone’s secret weapon. They have received special training and know the importance of things. If there is a problem, they will definitely take precautions. Even if they want women, they would not risk raping a second woman ten days after the storm has not subsided. The wonderful show that I and Lord Ma of the Ministry of Justice saw was all your doing, wasn’t it, Prince An?”
At first, Shen Lixue suspected that the Crown Prince had set a trap. But after thinking about it carefully, she realized that the Crown Prince's side consisted mostly of civil officials and very few military officers. The five people in question were all soldiers. Only soldiers could quickly figure out their habits and temperaments and devise a plan that would be flawless.
The Crown Prince has been assisting the Emperor in handling state affairs and rarely manages the military. Even if he wanted to scheme against those five people, it would take him some time. However, as a general, Dongfang Heng commands the three armies and can easily mobilize some soldiers to plot against them.
Dongfang Heng lowered his eyelids. Arresting people, giving testimony, and sentencing were all done by others, and had nothing to do with him. His plan was flawless. As clever and cautious as the emperor, even Lord Ma did not see the slightest flaw. He did not expect that Shen Lixue would see through it.
"She's so clever and quick-witted, no wonder she's my wife, Dongfang Heng's wife." Dongfang Heng gently embraced Shen Lixue with his strong arms, a helpless smile flickering in his obsidian-like eyes. He rested his smooth chin on Shen Lixue's shoulder and sighed softly, "I have my reasons for doing this."
Dongfang Zhan is ambitious and eager to ascend the throne. He uses magic to seize military power from the heavens and places his own people in the army. All of this proves that he wants to infiltrate Qingyan's various fortresses and departments, and is preparing to turn Qingyan into his own world without anyone noticing.
He took a principal wife and a concubine, but he did not give up his desire for Shen Lixue. He still coveted her. At present, he and Dongfang Heng were evenly matched. He did not have military power and his influence was not as great as Dongfang Heng's. He was no match for Dongfang Heng in a head-on confrontation. Therefore, he planned to use a roundabout tactic to first eliminate the crown prince, ascend the throne and become the emperor above all others, and control the fate of the entire Qingyan. As the Prince of An, Dongfang Heng was his subject. No matter how much power he had, he was not a threat.
Dongfang Heng could not allow him to ascend the throne and was always watching for his weaknesses.
Upon accidentally learning that Li Yan's birthday was unusual, and that Wang Qiang and his gang had murdered a young woman, he ordered a thorough investigation of the five men. They discovered that the five had a perverse hobby of gathering together to toy with women, so he began to devise a plan.
First, someone casually reveals to the middle-aged woman that Li Fan will appear on a specific street at dusk. The woman, wanting justice for her daughter, will go there to wait for him. When she sees Li Fan, she will beat him up. Just then, Lord Ma will be off duty and will surely come forward to inquire and handle the matter, which will take some time as it gets dark.
The young woman he sent lured Li Yan and Wang Qiang to the road that Lord Ma would inevitably take home. Lord Ma returned home in a sedan chair and witnessed the spectacular scene: five strong men raping a weak woman. With the testimony of the middle-aged woman whose daughter had died, no matter how eloquent Li Yan and Wang Qiang were, they could not escape their crimes.
Li Fan accepted bribes and made unfair judgments, so he will definitely be implicated, and the entire Prime Minister Li's residence will be affected to some extent.
Shen Lixue's appearance was an accident, but it made the whole situation more perfect and seamless.
"So, the second woman really did seduce Li Yan, Wang Qiang, and the other four?" Shen Lixue's lips curled slightly, a half-smile playing on her lips. There was a tiny bit of truth in the five men's testimonies, but no one would believe it.