Chapter 469 Death Penalty!

While Emperor Yongyuan was distracted, Li Xuan, who was eavesdropping outside the palace, shook his head and laughed.

Li Xuan had never taught Princess Ankang how to report Zhang Jian for deceiving the emperor.

But he had never expected that Zhang Jian would be so stupid that he would do such a thing to exaggerate his miserable condition.

If it happened in front of others, it would be fine. But if he did it in front of Emperor Yongyuan, he would definitely be charged with deceiving the emperor.

Even Li Xuan knew that deceiving the emperor was a capital crime.

"Well, there's no need to investigate the case. Just let the Chang'an County Magistrate kill himself."

Li Xuan was speechless. It was a waste of his and Xiao Cui's visit yesterday.

If they had known that the Chang'an County Magistrate was so stupid, they would not have bothered with this effort.

In the Taiji Palace, the old eunuch holding a long whip walked down in a few steps and went straight to Zhang Jian, the Chang'an County Magistrate.

Zhang Jian was now tied with a lot of bandages, and his head and hands were tied tightly.

"Wait, wait..."

Zhang Jian retreated in panic, but it was useless and he was caught.

The old eunuch tore off the bandage on Zhang Jian's body.

As a result, Zhang Jian had no other scars on his body except for a red and swollen finger on his right hand.

Such a blatant behavior, coupled with the solid evidence of deceiving the emperor, caused an uproar in the court.

Zhang Zhixian closed his eyes with a headache and cursed in his heart:

"Stupid, act more realistically!"

Zhang Zhixian was helpless with a pig teammate like Zhang Jian.

He is a waste when doing great things!

If it were Zhang Zhixian, he would definitely make the injury real, how could he leave such a big flaw.

Zhang Jian thought he was too smart and thought others were too stupid.

Who could be fooled by such a clumsy method?

And not long after, Xu Lang was also summoned.

In front of Emperor Yongyuan, Xu Lang described the situation yesterday in detail.

Of course, he described it from the perspective of Princess Ankang.

After all, the same thing can be described very differently from different perspectives.

Zhang Jian, the person involved, was so frightened that his face turned pale, and his body shook involuntarily, and he frequently looked at Zhang Zhixian for help.

But the head of the Zhang family just pretended not to see it, with a gloomy face and no reaction.

On the other hand, the nobles saw that the development of the matter was becoming more and more interesting, and gradually began to interrupt.

"Your Majesty, the magistrate of Chang'an County has no respect for the king's law, deceives the emperor and deceives the superiors, and should be beheaded according to the law." Hu Guogong Qin Zongyong said with a smile.

When the civil officials were noisy before, the nobles frowned, but now that they have also joined in, they are all smiling and starting to add insult to injury, accusing Zhang Jian of a crime.

Among the civil officials, many people looked at Zhang Zhixian silently.

In the end, Zhang Zhixian also helplessly winked.

Zhang Jian was stupid, but it was not the time to throw away this chess piece.

At least not now.

The position of Chang'an County Magistrate is very important. Zhang Jian must be kicked out after Zhang Zhixian has made arrangements.

Otherwise, if he is driven out by Emperor Yongyuan now, he may not be able to hold the position of Chang'an County Magistrate firmly in the hands of the Zhang family.

As one of the two counties in the capital, the oil and water alone is an income that cannot be ignored for the Zhang family, not to mention the more important political significance.

For Zhang Zhixian, even if it is the crime of deceiving the emperor, it does not necessarily mean death.

There are too many ways to save a person.

Even the words of Emperor Yongyuan to Princess Ankang before are the same.

Will Emperor Yongyuan really take Princess Ankang's life if Princess Ankang lies in the court today?

Don't underestimate the face of politicians, it is so thick that it is shocking.

In the face of practical interests, what is face.

A qualified politician is to turn everything into his own interests, and then tie them together tightly, so that he can become this huge interest body itself, and finally become an irreplaceable existence.

As long as the price is right, Zhang Zhixian is willing to keep Zhang Jian.

But if the price exceeds his expectations, he can only abandon Zhang Jian for the benefit of the Zhang family.

After all, the position of Chang'an County Magistrate does not necessarily have to be held by Zhang Jian alone to be controlled by the Zhang family.

"Your Majesty, this matter is complicated and it is difficult to judge right and wrong. I am afraid that we need to investigate carefully before we can make a conclusion."

"Yes, Your Majesty. Now both sides have their own opinions, and it is really difficult to distinguish right from wrong. It is better to let the Censorate find out the truth."

"The crime is very serious and we must be careful. It is better to let the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple handle the case together."

In a few words, the civil servants have raised the case to the point where a three-court trial is required.

The three-court trial is indeed cautious, but the procedures are also complicated, and I don't know how long it will take.

At this time, Duke Hu Qin Zongyong mocked without any disguise:

"That's not what you said before."

"Why was His Highness Ankang sentenced so cleanly and severely punished when he was found guilty?"

"When it comes to the turn of this little Chang'an magistrate, you are all cautious?"

"Strange, strange, it's really strange and incomprehensible."

Qin Zongyong said in a sarcastic tone.

All the officials in the court didn't know what was going on.

Qin Zongyong said this just to satirize the despicable behavior of civil servants who looked at people and served them according to their own preferences.

Emperor Yongyuan also said in a low voice: "The magistrate of Chang'an County deceived the emperor and ignored the superiors. The evidence is conclusive. How else do you want to investigate, dear ministers?"

As soon as these words came out, the civil servants were speechless and could not say anything more.

"But since you want to investigate so much, it's not impossible."

"I am also curious, were the evil deeds Ankang mentioned earlier committed by the Chang'an County magistrate alone, or did he have other accomplices?"

"When the time comes, they will all be punished and beheaded, and justice will be given to the people."

"The magistrate of Chang'an will write down the capital crime of deceiving the emperor first. I will see if he can be exempted from the capital crime by then."

After hearing this, although the faces of the civil servants were not very good-looking, they secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

At least now he has a chance, which is better than Zhang Jian being pushed directly out of the Meridian Gate to ask for help.

When the time comes for the three courts to interrogate, there is still a high chance that they can save Zhang Jian.

But at this moment, Emperor Yongyuan continued:

"This case involves Princess Ankang. In addition to the Ministry of Punishment, Yushitai and Dali Temple, the Ministry of Internal Affairs also participated in the investigation, and the final conclusion was made by all parties."

The civil servants, who were quite confident at first, immediately changed their expressions when they heard this.

"His Majesty!"

But before he could say anything more, Emperor Yongyuan stood up and waved his hand:

"This matter has been decided as such, and I will see the result within three days."

"Come here, take Chang'an County Magistrate Zhang Jian into custody pending trial."

"Retreat!"

After Emperor Yongyuan finished speaking, he left the Taiji Palace, leaving only the civil and military officials in the court looking at each other.

At that moment, several eunuchs in colorful clothes came in and took Zhang Jian away. They were so frightened that his legs went weak for a while, and he screamed that he was wronged until he could no longer hear any sound.

The nobles were happy to watch the show, but the civil servants were all panicked, and many people gathered around Zhang Zhixian.

"Mr. Zhang, Your Majesty wants the eunuchs to interfere in the government affairs. What should we do?"

No wonder they were so panicked. The total power above the court was so small. If others came to share a piece of the pie, wouldn't they have less in their bowls?

The foundation of nobility is in the army, and civilian officials are not as responsive to eunuchs leaving the palace to intervene in government affairs.

Zhang Zhixian coldly swept away the people gathered around him, without saying a word, and silently walked out of the Tai Chi Palace, attracting many people to follow him quickly.

Princess Ankang also didn't expect that the meeting would break up at the drop of a hat. They were still arguing before, but now everyone has gone back to their respective homes.

At this time, several people from the civil service line came forward and saluted Princess Ankang:

"Your Highness, I wonder where the poem you mentioned earlier came from?"

"It's the phrase 'I am sad and sad, and my tears are stained with red tassels'."

Princess Ankang sighed naturally when she heard that they were asking about this matter, then looked outside the Tai Chi Palace and said inscrutably:

"It's just a random sentence, not really a poem."

Princess Ankang had deceived the fifth prince several times before, and now she was familiar with the situation, and it only took an instant for her to get into the mood.

Seeing Princess Ankang suddenly looking like a melancholic poet, these officials also showed admiration.

"Your Highness, you have such a caring heart for the country and the people, and you have such talent. You will surely be able to write poems that will last forever in the future. We really look forward to this day."

Most of these civil servants have some writing in their stomachs. They couldn't help but be surprised when they heard Princess Ankang casually say such a poem.

But now that they see that Princess Ankang seems to be really interested in redressing the grievances of the people, these people are even more impressed.

After these few exchanged a few words with Princess Ankang, they said goodbye and left.

This exchange made Princess Ankang feel a little emotional.

Among the previous denunciations of myself, there were also voices from these few people.

But as soon as the court was over, they came to praise their poems, and the exchanges were quite harmonious, and it really felt like there was a distinction between public and private matters.

To a certain extent, Princess Ankang and these people really have their own ideas.

Although Daxing's ministers were nominally loyal to Emperor Yongyuan, the name was just the name, and the reality was another matter.

At least for now, there is still an obvious conflict between the interests of Emperor Yongyuan and the civil servants.

And after those civil servants left, someone from the distinguished party came to greet Princess Ankang. It was Qin Zongyong, Duke of Hu State.

"His Highness is calm in the face of danger. Those mad dogs that were biting and biting so randomly before did not change His Highness's expression. This really impressed me."

Princess Ankang couldn't help but smile awkwardly when she heard that Qin Zongyong directly called the censor and the admonishment doctor "mad dogs".

In this court, these few princes are the only ones who dare to speak so openly.

Otherwise, no matter how high-ranking the official is, he will still be punished by someone who insults his colleagues.

Princess Ankang followed Qin Zongyong's words and responded with a smile.

"Your Highness, I wonder how you learned about the good deeds done by the Chang'an County Magistrate?"

When Qin Zongyong asked about this matter, Princess Ankang replied without changing her expression:

"Oh, to be honest with Mr. Hu, when I left the palace before, I encountered money gangs who oppressed the people. Later, I heard about a lot of evil things they did."

"A few days ago when I was out of the palace, I accidentally heard rumors that the Chang'an County Magistrate was colluding with the Money Gang. As a result, I checked..."

"It's really shocking!"

Princess Ankang shook her head and sighed, her acting was really real.

"Oh, there is such a thing."

Qin Zongyong also sighed and cursed the Money Gang and the Chang'an County Magistrate.

"Your Highness, you don't have to be afraid of those losers who only bark in the court. At least I will definitely support you."

"The court bugs like Zhang Jian should have been eliminated long ago!"

"In the future, if there is anything I can help you with, please, Your Highness, just ask and don't be polite."

Seeing Qin Zongyong's enthusiasm, Princess Ankang also smiled and replied:

"Then Ankang would like to thank you in advance."

Counting today, Princess Ankang and Qin Zongyong have only had two contacts.

But whether it was at the Double Ninth Festival banquet or now, Qin Zongyong was the first to show goodwill to Princess Ankang.

No matter what Qin Zongyong's purpose is, Princess Ankang naturally has no reason to be evil with this Hu State.

More importantly, Qin Zongyong is also the eighth prince's grandfather.

Princess Ankang made good friends with the eighth prince again.

Therefore, Princess Ankang hopes from the bottom of her heart that Qin Zongyong is a trustworthy person.

After chatting for a few more words, Princess Ankang and Qin Zongyong said goodbye to each other in a pleasant atmosphere.

The other princes on the noble side were not so enthusiastic, but they nodded to Princess Ankang and their attitude was quite friendly.

Princess Ankang is the protagonist in the court today, so she naturally attracts everyone's attention.

And her method of counterattacking the Chang'an County Magistrate on the spot was also impressive.

These ministers have been with Emperor Yongyuan for decades and are all familiar with each other.

Although Emperor Yongyuan usually maintained a calm expression on his face, but from the detailed observation, it is not difficult to draw the conclusion that he was quite surprised by Princess Ankang's performance today.

This kind of detail can't help but make the princes in the court even more impressed by Princess Ankang.

Yu'er, who was waiting outside the palace, saw Princess Ankang walking out majestically and knew that everything was going well for her inside.

Li Xuan, on the other hand, knew everything that happened in Tai Chi Palace through perception.

Speaking of which, it was a good thing that they were careful and prepared in advance yesterday.

Otherwise, if you accept the move in a hurry, you may not be able to cope with today's events so easily.

"Your Highness, are you okay?"

Yu'er stepped forward and confirmed.

"I'm fine, but that county magistrate is in trouble. He has already stepped into the gate of hell."

Princess Ankang said with a smile.

Zhang Jian has now been convicted of deceiving the emperor and was taken away by the colorful eunuchs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs just now.

Whether he can survive in the end depends on the efforts of Zhang Zhixian and his colleagues.

But Li Xuan estimated that this guy might be in danger.

At this time, Xu Lang, who had gone to the palace to testify and had been waiting aside, said:

"Your Highness, the steward has asked me to deliver a message."

Then, Xu Lang covered his mouth and lowered his voice and said to the three little ones:

"His Majesty ordered His Majesty to continue to go out of the palace to collect evidence of the Chang'an County Magistrate's collusion with the money gang. It is best to find his accomplices."

Finally, Xu Lang added:

"The more, the merrier."

The three little ones looked at each other silently, and they all heard the implication of Emperor Yongyuan's words.

Among them, Li Xuan and Princess Ankang have a deeper understanding than Yu'er.

"Good guy, there's no need to check for any lack of preparation for war." Li Xuan grinned.

Princess Ankang asked Xu Lang bluntly:

"Well, does my father have any suspicion?"

"How about you make a list for me."

Xu Lang coughed a few times, a little surprised that Princess Ankang was so smart.

"Don't get me wrong, Your Highness. Your Majesty really hopes that Your Highness will investigate carefully and bring justice to the people of Chang'an County with the truth."

Xu Lang explained seriously, for fear that Princess Ankang would misunderstand again.

Li Xuan frowned and thought to himself: "It seems that it is difficult to defeat the opponent even if the evidence is not conclusive. No wonder we used poor preparations as a breakthrough."

Emperor Yongyuan did not have enough control over the court, so he needed to have solid evidence to bring down the person he wanted to deal with without fail.

"In that case, let's continue leaving the palace."

Princess Ankang said in a brisk tone.

They had been called over to attend the court meeting on the way, and now after the court meeting, it was just time for lunch.

Princess Ankang is so motivated, others will naturally not hold back.

Soon, the three little ones got on the carriage and left the palace.

But this time, not long after they came out, the carriage stopped on the road not far from the imperial city.

Outside the carriage, Xu Lang, who was driving, reported through the curtain:

"Your Highness, someone is blocking the way."

Then, Xu Lang's voice suddenly sounded in the three little ears as thin as a mosquito:

"He's a master."