Commander Lei's gaze darkened slightly as he frantically searched for a way to escape punishment. The poison had been seized from him, making it extremely difficult to escape punishment, but not entirely impossible...
"Your Majesty, spare my life! The Gu poison was raised by Grand Commandant Lei, and the poison was administered by Prime Minister Shen. It has nothing to do with me. I was momentarily blinded by greed and helped Grand Commandant Lei give false testimony..."
Although they had guessed that Grand Commandant Lei and Lei Hong had been arrested because they had found clues, seeing the small Gu gu in the Gu dish with their own eyes made Minister Qian and the others' legs go weak, and they knelt down on the ground, crying and begging, shattering Grand Commandant Lei's dream of getting off the hook.
"Your Majesty, spare our lives! We did not personally harm Prince Liang or Duke Wu. We were just standing outside and saw nothing. Grand Commandant Lei said that Duke Wu committed suicide out of fear of punishment. We thought he was a first-rank official and wouldn't lie, so we believed him..."
One by one, the officials knelt on the ground, weeping and pleading their grievances, blaming all the blame on Grand Commandant Lei.
The emperor watched them turn on each other with a cold eye, a mocking smile playing on his lips.
Commander Lei knelt on the ground, looking at their disgraceful behavior, and smiled coldly: "I didn't ask you to help me with false testimony, you did it voluntarily!"
The poison he had secretly cultivated was discovered, and the evidence was irrefutable. Coupled with the testimonies of the ministers, he could not escape the charges of poisoning the Prince of Liang and framing the Duke of Wu. The Grand Commandant's mansion was finished. But these people were his accomplices. He shared the good times and the bad. Since they had testified against him, he had to give something in return. He didn't want to go to the underworld alone. He would take a few people down with him so that he would never be lonely on the way.
The emperor's sharp gaze turned coldly to Grand Commandant Lei, the Qingyan Grand Commandant, a veteran of two dynasties, who killed his brother, framed his loyal minister, treated him like a fool, and kept it from him for fifteen years. Heh, what audacity!
"Grand Commandant Lei used poison to harm Prince Liang and framed Duke Wu. His intentions are malicious. Tomorrow at noon, he will be cut in half at the waist. As for his family members, they will all be executed without exception!"
The emperor's sharp gaze, like an arrow, pierced the trembling, fearful ministers: "As for you, those who knew the truth but failed to report it, deliberately concealing it, your entire families shall be executed!"
The ministers felt a sudden shock, their minds went completely blank. The Emperor was going to execute them! He was going to execute them! Their actions reacted before their thoughts could process them; they knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly and begging for mercy: "Your Majesty, spare our lives! Spare our lives..."
Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow. A ruler hates being deceived the most. These ministers have lied to the emperor for fifteen years and still want the emperor to pardon their crimes. How utterly foolish.
With a flick of his sleeve, the emperor roared, "Take him away, lock him in the dungeon, and execute him at noon tomorrow!"
The guards entered the imperial study and dragged away Grand Commandant Lei, Lei Hong, Minister Qian who was wailing and pleading for mercy, and other ministers.
The emperor looked down at Shen Minghui, who was the only one left in the center of the room, and said: "Shen Minghui poisoned the Prince of Liang, a heinous crime. Considering that you took the initiative to confess and eliminated the evil minister of the country, you have made a contribution. You are demoted to a commoner and will never be allowed to enter the court again!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Shen Minghui bowed tremblingly, his body hunched over.
Eunuch Zhao walked over, sighed inwardly, and removed his official hat and robes.
"Thank you for sparing my life, Your Majesty. I take my leave!" Shen Minghui bowed to the emperor again, turned around, glanced at Shen Lixue, and staggered out. After not seeing him for a night, he had grown many white hairs and his body was hunched over.
The emperor looked at Shen Lixue, his expression calm: "The truth of the case of Prince Liang's wrongful death has come to light. Lixue is a meritorious official. What reward do you want?"
Shen Lixue curtsied and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty. It was Prince Zhan who led the guards to search the Grand Commandant's residence. I dare not take credit for it!"
Dongfang Zhan smiled slightly: "It was Li Xue who found the Gu poison, so you are naturally a meritorious contributor!"
The emperor lowered his eyelids, neither taking credit nor being arrogant, showing good character: "Don't refuse. The Liang King's great revenge has been avenged, and the Wu Duke's injustice has been redressed. You are all meritorious officials. Zhan Wang and Li Xue will each be rewarded with a thousand taels of gold and a thousand bolts of silk!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Shen Lixue couldn't refuse the emperor's reward, so she curtsied in gratitude.
"Your Majesty, it's time for court!" Eunuch Zhao walked over and gently reminded him.
"This subject takes her leave!" The emperor's court session could not be delayed, so Shen Lixue tactfully took her leave.
The carriage from the Prince of Zhan's residence was parked outside the palace gates. Dongfang Heng did not get out of the carriage; he was resting inside. Seeing Shen Lixue walk in looking tired, he handed her a soft cushion: "Is the matter resolved?"
"Grand Commandant Lei will be executed at noon tomorrow!" Shen Lixue nodded, leaned against the cushion, and lay down on the blanket. With the matter resolved, the tension in her heart eased. Coupled with not having slept all night, she was extremely tired. She lay down on the blanket and closed her eyes: "I'll sleep for a while. Remember to wake me up when we get to the War King's Mansion!"
"Okay!" Dongfang Heng replied softly, his jade-like fingers gently brushing the stray hairs from her forehead to the side, his movements as tender as if he were cherishing a precious treasure.
Shen Lixue completely relaxed, and her consciousness quickly faded.
In the hazy light, a faint scent of pine resin lingered around my nose, and I heard screams that rose and fell in waves: "I don't want to go to jail..."
"My favorite jewelry, sob sob..."
"Where is the master? I need to see the master..."
"I'm just staying at the Grand Commandant's residence, I'm not a member of the Grand Commandant's household, why are you arresting me..."
A familiar scream rang out, and Shen Lixue instantly regained consciousness, abruptly opening her eyes and gazing out through the half-open curtains with a cold expression.
As dawn broke, at the entrance of the Grand Commandant's mansion, Old Madam Lei, Madam Lei, Lei Cong, Shen Yingxue, and others walked cautiously in a line under the watchful eyes of the guards. Perhaps because they had been forcibly dragged from their beds, their hair was disheveled, their faces filled with terror, and they were crying out. They were only wearing white inner garments with outer garments draped diagonally over them, not yet fully dressed.
One by one, guards emerged from the mansion, carrying or lifting valuable boxes, porcelain, and jewelry boxes, cart after cart, pulling them away from the Grand Commandant's mansion, causing Madam Lei and the others to weep softly.
Shen Lixue smiled and said, "The Grand Commandant's mansion is being raided!"
“Grand Commandant Lei has been sentenced to have his entire family executed, so he has no reason to exist anymore. Of course, the Grand Commandant’s mansion should be raided!” Dongfang Heng also sat up, resting his chin lightly on her shoulder, his sharp gaze looking through the curtains at the chaotic Grand Commandant’s mansion.
Shen Yingxue's hair was disheveled as she screamed loudly. She was just the niece of the Grand Commandant's family, and she didn't have the surname Lei, so she wasn't considered a member of the Grand Commandant's family. They had made a big mistake, but it had nothing to do with her. She didn't want to die with them.
She tried her best to break through the guards and rush out, but they blocked her without mercy: "In the Grand Commandant's mansion, you are a member of the Grand Commandant's mansion. What are you babbling about? Hurry up and go!"
"Hurry up, stop dawdling!" the guards gently scolded a small figure who was walking slowly.
Shen Yelei suddenly looked up, glaring hatefully at the guards: "What are you yelling about? Do you know who I am? I'm Shen Yelei, the eldest son of the Prime Minister's mansion. If you know what's good for you, be polite to me. Once I see my father, I'll put in a good word for you, and I guarantee you'll be promoted and made rich. If you dare to disrespect me, hmph..."
Shen Yelei's small eyes flashed with intense anger: "I'll make you wish you were dead!"
"So you're that little bastard from the Prime Minister's mansion..." The guards were taken aback at first, then burst into laughter.
The guards despised spoiled young masters who abused their fathers' status. Shen Yelei clearly belonged to this category. Even now, as a convict, he was still so smug, which showed how arrogant and domineering he was when he was the legitimate son.
"Your biological father was burned to death, and your adoptive father also committed a serious crime and was demoted to a commoner. How ridiculous that you still dare to bully others by taking advantage of his status..." a guard mocked.
"He's used to being a high and mighty young master, and he sees everyone as a servant..." another guard mocked.
"Young Master Shen, your biological father is waiting for you in the underworld, and your adoptive father is begging on the streets while waiting for you. Which one do you want to go to?"
"They'll definitely look for their adoptive father first, then their biological father," the guards laughed, their eyes full of mockery.