Shen Lixue smiled and said, "Many guards heard what you just said and can all testify to it!"
"That was just a story I made up when I was bored. The guards are all young and didn't witness the scene back then, so they can't be witnesses!" Lei Hong looked at Shen Lixue's gloomy face, his heart full of smugness. So what if they knew the truth about the death of Duke Wu? They had no evidence, so they couldn't punish him or overturn the case for Duke Wu.
"Lei Hong, don't be so smug. I'll find a way to reveal the truth!" Shen Lixue said through gritted teeth, enunciating each word clearly.
"Then I'll wait and see what Princess Lixue's brilliant method will be!" Lei Hong smiled strangely, his eyes full of mockery. He looked at Shen Minghui with a cold, icy gaze and threatened him inwardly: "Your daughter is a cold-hearted and ruthless person. You were also involved in what happened back then. If you tell the truth, she won't plead for you, and you won't escape death either!" As long as the ministers from back then keep their mouths shut, the Emperor will be unable to make a judgment.
Shen Minghui lowered his eyelids and remained silent. He tried his best to please Shen Lixue, but she ignored him and even spoke ill of him. Although he held onto a sliver of hope, he had to admit that what Lei Hong said was true. If the matter reached the Emperor, he would surely die for his serious crime.
Lin Yan stepped forward and gave Lei Hong a cold look: "Take him away!"
Looking back at Shen Lixue, Lin Yan's gaze softened: "Lixue, are you alright?"
"I'm fine." Shen Lixue glanced at the smug Lei Hong: "Cousin Yan, take them to the palace. I have a way to explain the truth and let the Emperor know that Grandfather was innocent!"
---Aside---
(*^__^*) Hehe... The revenge against the scum is in progress! If you have any votes, please give me a few as a reward, lalala...
Chapter 129: Search of the Grand Commandant's Residence
The Imperial Study in the palace features glazed tiles, white jade screens, and golden pillars.
The emperor, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe, stood with his hands behind his back, listening quietly to Shen Lixue's account. His sharp gaze looked down at Shen Minghui in the center of the room. Lei Hong asked, "You used witchcraft to kill Prince Liang and framed Duke Wu?"
Lei Hong bowed and said loudly, "Your Majesty, this is pure nonsense. Fifteen years ago, many ministers witnessed that Prince Liang was poisoned by Duke Wu."
Shen Lixue frowned deeply: "Did Minister Lei personally witness Duke Wu poisoning Prince Liang?"
"At the time, only Prince Liang and Duke Wu were in the guest room. Prince Liang was poisoned, so the one who poisoned him was naturally Duke Wu." Lei Hong downplayed the seriousness of the matter and argued vehemently, "If Duke Wu did not harm Prince Liang, why would he commit suicide out of fear of punishment?"
"Minister Lei, Duke Wu did not commit suicide out of fear of punishment, but was framed!" Shen Lixue emphasized the words "framed," her gaze towards Lei Hong was as cold as ice. He showed no remorse for framing others, and even had the audacity to slander him again. How could there be such a shameless person in the world?
"Does the princess have any evidence to prove that Duke Wu was framed?" Lei Hong raised an eyebrow at Shen Lixue, his eyes filled with provocation.
Shen Lixue curled her lips into a cold smile: "Just now at the Prime Minister's residence, Minister Lei personally admitted to poisoning Prince Liang and framing Duke Wu. My guards heard everything clearly!"
"Really?" Lei Hong frowned, looking completely bewildered. "But I don't remember saying anything like that!"
"Minister Lei, you really have a bad memory. Should I call the guards in to remind you?" He has done something utterly immoral, yet he shows no remorse and even takes pride in it. He is truly shameless.
“Those guards are all the princess’s men, so they will naturally say what the princess wants.” Lei Hong straightened his body, his eyes filled with sarcasm: “I offended the princess unintentionally, and the princess holds a grudge and wants to teach me a lesson. She can just say so. I will stand firmly in front of the princess and let her beat and scold me. Why does the princess have to use such a despicable and shameless method to frame me?”
Lei Hong, a cunning old fox who had been in the imperial court for many years, cleared himself of any wrongdoing in just a few words, portraying Shen Lixue as a selfish, willful, and vicious girl.
Shen Lixue sneered silently. Lei Hong's ability to distort the truth was truly unparalleled. However, she would not easily admit defeat, nor did she intend to let him off easily.
“Minister Lei, there are twenty-one guards outside. Twenty of them are guards from the Prince of Zhan’s residence, and the other one, named Zi Mo, is a guard from the Prince of An. Their masters are the Prince of Zhan and the Prince of An, not me. Do you think they would lie to the Emperor and deceive him, just like I do?”
Lei Hong's face instantly darkened. Both the Prince of War and the Prince of An were members of the Eastern royal family. The actions of the guards in their residences represented their intentions. If he insisted that the guards had deceived the emperor in accordance with Shen Lixue's wishes, he would be accusing the Prince of War and the Prince of An of deceiving the emperor. However, if he did not say so, he would be confirming the crimes of poisoning the Prince of Liang and framing the Duke of Wu.
Shen Lixue is truly quick-witted and eloquent.
"That's not what I meant." Seeing the emperor looking at him coldly, Lei Hong's heart pounded like a drum, his eyes filled with uncertainty. Had the emperor noticed something? Or did he believe Shen Lixue's words?
"What does Minister Lei mean?" Seeing that Lei Hong's mind was starting to panic, Shen Lixue didn't give him any time to breathe and pressed him step by step.
Lei Hong's heart leaped into his throat. Accusing the guards implied suspicion of the War King and the Prince of An; not accusing them, however, would be an indirect admission of poisoning the Prince of Liang and framing the Duke of Wu. He was truly in a dilemma. Shen Lixue had presented him with a major problem. His eyes flickered as he desperately searched for a suitable reason: "What I mean is..."
"Your Majesty, Grand Commandant Lei, Minister Qian, and others have arrived!" Eunuch Zhao suddenly announced from outside, interrupting Lei Hong.
Lei Hong's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, instantly relaxed. His father had arrived and would surely come up with a way to deal with the situation; he was safe.
Shen Lixue raised her lips in a cold smile. Commander Lei's arrival was truly timely!
"Summon them!" The emperor flicked his sleeves and sat down on the golden chair.
"Grand Commandant Lei, Minister Qian... come to pay their respects!" Accompanied by the eunuch's distinctive voice, Grand Commandant Lei, Minister Qian, and several other ministers entered the imperial study one by one and respectfully bowed to the emperor.
"My dear ministers, do you know why I have summoned you here?" The emperor's majestic voice resounded throughout the room.
The ministers exchanged puzzled glances and said in unison, "Your Majesty, we do not know. Please enlighten us!" They were handling matters at their respective residences when they were summoned to the palace, and they truly did not know why the emperor had summoned them.
"It's because of the case of Prince Liang and Duke Wu fifteen years ago!" The emperor's sharp gaze swept over all the ministers. They were all present when the incident occurred and claimed to have witnessed Duke Wu commit suicide out of fear of punishment.
The ministers were taken aback, a hint of panic flashing in their eyes. They secretly exchanged messages: Fifteen years had passed since that incident, why would the Emperor suddenly bring it up again?
"Princess Lixue has found evidence that Prince Liang was poisoned to death by outsiders, who then framed Duke Wu!"
The emperor's voice was calm, but the ministers felt as if a thunderbolt had struck them, leaving them stunned and unable to move for a long time. It took them a while to recover, their eyes flickering, their heads quickly lowered, and their arms trembling slightly.
The matter was handled swiftly and decisively, leaving no trace whatsoever. The Ministry of Justice investigated for half a year but found no clues. Fifteen years later, how could Shen Lixue possibly find any evidence?
Grand Commandant Lei stepped forward, his eyelids lowered, and he spoke with absolute certainty: "Your Majesty, I personally witnessed the Duke of Wu commit suicide out of fear of punishment. He should not have been framed!"
Qian Shangai quickly came to her senses and echoed Grand Commandant Lei's words: "Yes, Your Majesty, we also witnessed Duke Wu committing suicide with our own eyes. There is no question of framing him!"
"Yes, yes..." With Grand Commandant Lei and Minister Qian taking the lead, the ministers also became bolder and united to deny framing Duke Wu.
Poisoning a prince and framing loyal officials is an unprecedented crime. If the emperor knew the truth, he would be furious. They would have no chance of survival. They would deny everything and try to live as long as possible.
The emperor raised an eyebrow and looked at Grand Commandant Lei, Minister Qian, and the others, his sharp gaze deep and intense.
Shen Lixue's cold gaze swept over the assembled ministers. "My lords, the truth will out. You can hide it for a while, but not forever. It will be revealed sooner or later. There were two people who poisoned the Prince of Liang: the poisoner and the mastermind. They should be punished severely."
"You gentlemen did not personally poison the Prince of Liang, nor did you frame the Duke of Wu. You simply chose to remain silent to avoid trouble, which means you knew but did not report. According to the Qingyan Law, you will not be punished too severely."
"His Majesty is a wise ruler and will not indiscriminately kill innocent people. He summoned you all here to give you a chance. Those who take the initiative to admit their mistakes will be treated leniently. If you remain stubborn and continue to make excuses, your crime will change from failing to report to being an accomplice. I don't need to say more about the consequences; you all know them..."