Yang Zhen responded to Rao Huchen's questions honestly without any exaggeration.
He also knew that something big had happened.
But he couldn't hide it. He was not the only one who saw Li Xia last night. Dozens of people drank together. There was nothing he could do.
"And after that?"
"After that... I led the people to the wine warehouse to put out the fire. I really didn't know anything."
"Is that true?" Rao Huchen asked.
Yang Zhen quickly lowered his head and said, "That's true."
Rao Huchen turned around, turned to Jia Sidao, and asked, "How did Mr. Jia know about this?"
"The right minister said that." Jia Sidao said calmly.
Cheng Yuanfeng nodded helplessly.
Rao Huchen asked again: "But why could Prime Minister Jia testify against Li Xia in the first place?"
"I have a grudge against him, so I guessed it was him." Jia Sidao looked like a rogue and said, "After checking, it turned out to be the case. What does Rao Shenzheng think?"
"The evidence is still insufficient." Rao Huchen said sternly: "At the moment, we can only confirm that Li Xia led two hundred people into the palace to strengthen the defense. The scene was too chaotic and he was separated from Yang Zhen. But it can be said that what Li Xia did is what Yang Zhen did.
You can do whatever you want..."
Yang Zhen's face changed drastically, and he knelt down to Xie Daoqing in panic.
"Queen! I don't have it!"
"Get up, Sir, I'm just giving you an example."
This was not a court meeting, but a secret meeting. Everyone only talked about important matters, and soon no one cared about Yang Zhen anymore.
To investigate, we have to wait for the new emperor to succeed to the throne.
Rao Chentou then continued: "Xiang Jia can only speculate. If it is speculated that Li Xia can do it, all the guards and generals in the palace could do it last night."
Jia Sidao looked at Ye Mengding and raised his chin.
The meaning is very simple - "You tell me about Li Xia."
This was Jia Sidao's exchange for Ye Mengding.
He will no longer mention the case of King Rong, and will no longer frame Ye Mengding. Instead, Ye Mengding will confess that Li Xia sent people to encourage him to enter the palace.
Because officialdom is the biggest rule.
Now that the officialdom has collapsed, the situation is too easy to get out of control, so new rules must be established. Rao Huchen was the most fair, so this became the new rule.
It's not that Jia Sidao was afraid of Rao Huchen, on the contrary, he hated Rao Huchen.
I think that the other party only knows how to uphold justice all day long, but does not know how to adapt and speaks out to harm the country.
But this time, Jia Sidao was wronged. The official who trusted him was assassinated, and some people spread rumors and framed him.
In times of chaos, those who have been wronged need Rao Huchen to uphold justice and win back their reputation.
Rao Huchen is more serious and not as easy to fool as the officials.
Okay, then tell the facts and evidence.
The geese left their mark. After such a big incident, it was impossible for Li Xia not to leave traces behind.
…
Ye Mengding was still a little hesitant.
He knew that Jia Sidao would have to deal with him sooner or later.
But at least help King Zhong up first. Then he will be the emperor's master. Once you have a name, you can deal with Jia Sidao. Why worry?
As for the moment, the emperor's throne is vacant, and Jia Sidao has the strongest chancellor he has fought with, and he may actually support the clan at any time. Fortunately, he was persuaded by Cheng Yuanfeng and we can still have a good talk.
Then we can only sell Li Xia.
"Li Xia, indeed sent someone to contact..."
At this point, there was a sudden commotion outside the palace.
Ye Mengding faintly heard something, and immediately changed his face, turned around and shouted: "What happened?!"
After a while, a chamberlain came into the palace.
"Queen, the Sichuan envoy Li Xia is asking for an audience outside the palace gate. He must meet Your Majesty..."
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty!" Some officials cried loudly, "He actually wants to see Your Majesty..."
"That's enough, stop howling, Ding Guoben, who are you howling for?"
"Isn't Li Xia coming to the palace?"
Xie Daoqing was startled, wiped away his tears quickly, and asked, "How do you think we should deal with this?"
Cheng Yuanfeng was even more tired, but he still spoke first and said: "I think it is appropriate to invite Li Xia into the palace alone to explain the facts clearly."
"No, just in case..."
"enough."
"I second the proposal." Rao Huchen also responded.
"What does Mr. Jia think?"
Jia Sidao glanced at Cheng Yuanfeng, knowing that Cheng Yuanfeng could not completely believe him without evidence.
"That's fine, but you have to search yourself carefully."
~~
Rao Huchen squinted his eyes and looked carefully at Li Xia who was walking towards the hall.
He also suspected that Li Xia had rebellious intentions, and afterwards he felt a little guilty about it.
The human heart is the most difficult to distinguish. Who can tell whether he is a loyal minister who has been framed or a traitor who is harboring evil intentions?
Duke Zhou was afraid of the day of rumors, but Wang Mang was humble and did not usurp the throne.
After looking at it for a long time, Li Xia's eyes were always calm and his steps were calm.
…
"Your Majesty, Li Xia, have you seen your majesty...is she the queen?"
"It's me."
"You traitor, come here! Why don't you take it down?!"
"..."
"stop!"
After a while of shouting, Cheng Yuanfeng stabilized the situation again.
"Everyone, shut up! Today is not a court meeting. Put away your tricks! Let's discuss the matter."
Jia Sidao had to participate in these shouts and shouts because some ministers were used to it. This kind of moment has not ended yet.
Rao Huchen, on the other hand, continued to scold the ministers, and finally said: "Are you afraid that he will rebel? If he is really a traitor, I will be the first to stop him!"
Only then did Li Xia ask: "I wonder what you guys mean?"
"Li Xia, I asked directly, did you enter the palace last night?"
"Hmm? I left Lin'an yesterday evening, and I'm just coming back now. Why have I ever entered the palace?"
"You still dare to quibble?! You and Yang Zhen drank at the church last night, and dozens of people saw you!"
Li Xia was surprised and said: "I left the city from Houchaomen yesterday evening, and thousands of people from Lin'an saw me with their own eyes. I just came back, and thousands of people saw me with their own eyes. How can I drink with Dingfan?"
Yang Zhen was stunned.
He opened his mouth and looked at Li Xia blankly.
Li Xia just shook her head slightly at him.
Yang Zhen was confused for a moment, then lowered his head and began to think to himself.
All the ministers looked at each other in confusion.
Rao Huchen said: "Yang Zhen, you..."
Jia Sidao said succinctly: "It's nothing more than an investigation. Please check with me."
Cheng Yuanfeng nodded, waved his hand, and an official left the palace to investigate.
Li Xia then looked at Jia Sidao.
This is the first time they have had close contact with each other since they had murderous intentions.
Jia Sidao thought for a while and asked personally: "Did you really leave Lin'an yesterday evening?"
"That's the way it is."
"Were you on the boat at the time?"
"That's the way it is."
"Are you on board today?"
Li Xia said: "Not only the people of Lin'an, but also many people downstream, and by the way, the soldiers guarding the city have all seen me with their own eyes."
"good!"
Jia Sidao touched his palm and said coldly: "In that case, I still believe you."
"In that case." Rao Huchen pointed at Yang Zhen and asked, "Did you remember it wrong?"
"This... maybe I was drunk and misremembered..."
"You remember it wrong for just one person, but also for dozens of soldiers?!"
"this……"
"There's no need to ask him again." Jia Sidao raised his hand to stop and said, "That's because Li Xia turned back after getting on the boat yesterday, so he just laid out suspicions."
"I don't know why Mr. Jia said this. But we can check this matter and check whether there are boats coming back and forth."
"Okay, then you came back from swimming and entered Jiahui Gate, right? It's not far from the teaching ground, and the time is just right..."
"That's enough." Rao Huchen shouted and said solemnly: "The important matters of the country are not child's play. Can Prime Minister Jia stop talking nonsense? We will wait until the investigation is found out!"
He didn't believe Li Xia, but thought that Li Xia was either drinking with Yang Zhen or really left.
As for what Jia Sidao said about swimming back, he thought it was just nonsense.
Cheng Yuanfeng remained silent, twirling his beard in deep thought.
When a ship approaches Lin'an City from the Qiantang River, the defenders must verify that it is not going back and forth by small boat.
What Jia Sidao said about swimming back is not impossible, but it feels too ridiculous.
Now that I think about it, the whole deduction seems ridiculous.
It is possible for Li Xia to do it, but if every step is just one minute short of success, it would be too reluctant... so reluctant that no one can do it.
"We will discuss this matter after the investigation is clear." Cheng Yuanfeng raised his hand and said in a deep voice: "Li Xia, since you left Lin'an, why did you come back?"
Li Xia said: "When I left yesterday, I got on the boat first. I didn't notice that my concubine was summoned to the palace by Ji Xiuyi. I came back to pick her up today..."
"absurd!"
"Really, my beloved concubine Tang An'an was indeed summoned to the palace yesterday."
"Your concubine is not here, and you didn't notice it yesterday?!"
Li Xia said: "Isn't it common for things to go wrong while busy?"
Everyone was stunned.
Cheng Yuanfeng shook his head and suddenly understood why Jia Sidao's deduction felt unrealistic.
It's so delicate that there's no room for error, so it's incredible.
Jia Sidao turned his head and glanced at everyone's expressions.
He knew that all his deductions were reasonable, but it was difficult to do these things, and everyone was disbelieving.
"The sky thunders down, Duke Zhou comes out? I, Jia Sidao, am not a fool. I will not spread such rumors. There must be someone secretly stirring things up in Lin'an City last night. You gentlemen, ask yourself, can you do this? Who in Lin'an City can do this?"
To this point?"
Everyone looked at Li Xia again, suspicion in their eyes again.
Li Xia asked, "Dare I ask, what happened to Lin'an City?"
There was actually someone who seriously explained the cause and effect to Li Xia.
When Li Xia heard that the Guan family had passed away, he didn't cry like others, he was just stunned for a moment...that's all.
But this is also the truest reaction in everyone's hearts.
Today is just a secret discussion, so we won't be punished for it.
Finally, Li Xia answered Jia Sidao's questions seriously.
"So, in Lin'an City, only Mr. Jia and I may be able to do it, and by the way, there are also Mongolian craftsmen."
"..."
Jia Sidao shook his head and sneered.
He didn't lose, but he was fed up with Li Xia's nonsense.
He doesn't acknowledge what he has done and treats others as if they are fools.
Today in the main hall, it seems like a group of idiots are wrangling.
At this time, officials came in and confirmed to Cheng Yuanfeng that many people in Lin'an City had seen Li Xia leaving and entering the city on the boat.
Yang Zhen was stunned, looked at Jia Sidao, then looked at Li Xia, and murmured.
"I really remembered it wrong...the lieutenants in the army also listened to my nonsense."
He had thought about it. Once it was confirmed that Li Xia was regicide, he would be finished.
I just confessed honestly because I had no choice but to choose the lesser of two evils.
But now, just looking at Li Xia's calm and composed look, he finally got lucky.
"Why did you confess just now? Someone forced you to do it?" Cheng Yuanfeng asked.
…
This sentence still came out.
But Jia Sidao didn't stop him this time.
But he just smiled silently, because it was during the official mourning period, so he didn't show it. He just lowered his head and smiled alone.
I also made a decision in my heart.
There is no need to beg for justice from a pedantic minister like Hu Chen. A fool will not understand those deductions.
There is no need to compromise with Cheng Yuanfeng anymore. This is a wallflower who wants to be on the safe side but also wants to fight for power. If he takes a step forward, he will take a step back, and vice versa.
In the end, it all comes down to strength.
"enough!"
Jia Sidao shouted: "Today is the foundation of the country. Why don't you wait until the main hall to chat about concubines and drinking? Have you forgotten about Your Majesty?!"
The ministers in the palace, most of whom were members of Jia Sidao's party, stepped out one after another and surrounded Li Xia and Yang Zhen.
Fan Wenhu, in particular, raised his head towards Li Xia, his eyes full of arrogance.
Unlike the palace commander, he has a rogue spirit just like Jia Sidao.
Cheng Yuanfeng and Ye Mengding were both shocked.
Just now Jia Sidao was easy to talk to, but they really got carried away and thought about turning the case over and pinning more charges on Jia Sidao.
How should I put it... This whole night, everyone was like this, waiting to see which side would be more ruthless, and then compromise on which side.
Doing things is like adding salt to a dish, constantly thinking about it.
I want to be safe, but I also want to fight for power.
Jia Sidao had enough of this, strode forward, saluted Xie Daoqing and said: "Queen, I think that no matter what, Li Xia is suspected of regicide, and King Zhong is suspected of harboring. Regardless of the truth, King Zhong is no longer suitable.
To succeed to the throne, please choose a virtuous member of the clan."
He didn't go to see Li Xia.
Li Xia is in the palace and cannot escape.
As long as the foundation of the country is determined, he, Jia Sidao, still has the power to assist the emperor and mobilize the troops of the world, so he can do anything.
It's nothing more than a bad reputation.
Could it be worse than deploying troops without establishing a new king?
"No!"
Ye Mengding was shocked when he heard this.
He quickly glanced at Li Xia, then looked at Jia Sidao, and finally gritted his teeth and made up his mind, not daring to waver again.
"I believe that Li Xia is suspected of regicide, but the loyal king will never protect him. Li Xia must have colluded with Pang Xie, and it was indeed Pang Xie who committed the murder..."
~~
Li Xia was not surprised.
Such is the atmosphere. There are never fixed friends or fixed enemies in the temple. They are changing every moment.
The wind blows and the grass undulates.
The situation also has its ups and downs, and people's hearts will change accordingly.
Tonight, when he pressed Ye Mengding harder, Ye Mengding was determined to get rid of Jia Sidao, but as soon as Jia Sidao exerted his strength, the situation was reversed.
that is it.
This was in Lin'an, where Li Xia had less authority than Jia Sidao.
All his methods were actually to make up for the gap in strength, and he tried his best to achieve this.
In the court, it seems that this is all that can be done.
But Li Xia was not panicked.
He looked at Cheng Yuanfeng.
Cheng Yuanfeng was still thinking with his eyes closed...
Of course he wants to get rid of Jia Sidao, but so far, Li Xia has not seen the strength to shake Jia Sidao, that is, the central power;
Of course I want to avenge His Majesty, and so far, the most suspected person is indeed Li Xia. Although the speculations in Funing Palace have not been mentioned in the palace today because there is no evidence, the suspicion is indeed there.
Do you want to establish a loyal king? This is not a question of whether you want to or not. The concern is whether the loyal king has protected the regicide, and the concern is that the easy transfer will cause the country's foundation to be shaken, so it is in a dilemma.
The dilemma is simply that I want to give His Majesty an explanation in my heart, and at the same time, I want to stabilize the country.
Jia Sidao knew Cheng Yuanfeng so well that he pushed Li Xia out to explain this, and now he started to use the stability of the country to force him...
Thinking of this, Cheng Yuanfeng sighed helplessly again.
"To report to the queen, I think it is appropriate to establish a loyal king and take Li Xia under custody until the investigation is complete."
Fan Wenhu sneered and said: "I have never heard of anyone who is suspected of regicide and needs to be investigated!"
"Li Xia is the Commander-in-Chief of Shu!" Rao Huchen said: "The officials have never dismissed Li Xia as Commander-in-Chief of Shu. Just based on a few words..."
"Brother Zongzhao! Don't mess with state affairs. Today is the day to determine the foundation of the state." Cheng Yuanfeng shouted lowly.
At this time.
Dong Songchen hurriedly entered the palace from the rear and reported to Xie Daoqing.
"Queen, Mrs. Cixian would like to meet with you..."
This is actually inappropriate.
But today was not a formal court meeting. The official's biological mother wanted to meet with the ministers, but the ministers refused.
~~
Quan Manniang was first sad because of the death of Zhao Yurui. She fell into a coma for a while last night. When she woke up, she heard that the emperor's son was gone, and she was even more sad.
Losing two sons in a row at old age, with white hair and black hair...
She could no longer walk at this time. She was helped in by several palace attendants. After arriving at the palace, Quan Yongjian, who was behind her, stepped forward to help her.
When the officials saw this, they couldn't help but burst into tears.
"Mrs. Cixian..."
"I'm waiting... I'm sorry to the officials!"
"My condolences, old lady..."
"..."
Jia Sidao looked around and saw that Quan Yongjian was there. He couldn't help but feel more confident. He wiped his tears and bowed deeply.
"Old Madam... I feel so ashamed of myself! I couldn't protect Your Majesty last night..."
Quan Manniang could no longer walk, so she stopped, her eyes were empty, and she murmured: "Sidao, come here."
Jia Sidao stood up quickly and came forward wiping his tears.
"Old lady..."
Quan Manniang was leaning on a cane and raised her old hand to help Jia Sidao's shoulders.
Then,
"Snapped!"
In front of the ministers and the queen, Jia Sidao was slapped on the face.
The main hall was silent for a long time...
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
These are today’s two chapters. Tomorrow’s update will be tomorrow evening~~