On the throne, looking at Xue Xuan with a calm face, Zhu Qiyu was also slightly surprised.
So far, this court meeting has basically been under his control, but Xue Xuan's confession was beyond his expectation.
Frowning, Zhu Qiyu asked.
"What does Xue Qing mean by this?"
In addition to the emperor, all the clan officials present were also surprised.
Especially Ningyang Hou and Luo Tong were so shocked that they couldn't believe it.
Is this old man Xue crazy?
Among the ranks of civil servants, Yang Shan, the minister of Honglu Temple, almost instantly felt the intimidating gaze from the ranks of military ministers.
Immediately afterwards, thin drops of cold sweat broke out on his head.
You know, this Xue Xuan is different from others.
Because he came from a Confucian family, he abided by etiquette, law and ethics, and he was influential in the court but was not reused.
So besides Xu Bin, the first person Yang Shan looked for was Xue Xuan.
In other words, this old master knows much more than the fact that they want to make a fuss about the case of King Zhennan.
He never expected that Xue Xuan would say these words at this time.
But in any case, it was a court meeting at this time, and Xue Xuan was still the minister of Dali Temple, one of the nine ministers.
What he wanted to say, no one in the whole court except the emperor could stop him.
Xue Xuan breathed a sigh of relief, and strode into the hall amidst the gazes of countless people with their own thoughts. After bowing four times, he spoke.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me, this matter has to be discussed a few days ago."
"At that time, King Guangtong and others had just arrived in Beijing and visited the residences of several relatives. After that, Yang Shan, the minister of Honglu Temple, came to the residence of the minister and handed over all the details of the case to the minister, asking for his assistance.
The case will be retried in the DPRK."
"As the minister of Dali Temple, I should not have accepted the trial privately, but Yang Shan said that the matter was very important and might be leaked out. King Zhennan responded in advance, so two days later, he arranged for King Guangtong and King Yangzong to come to my residence.
Also accompanying us is Chen Mao, the Marquis of Ningyang."
A few short words had already started a low discussion in the court, and Chen Mao's face became even more gloomy and scary.
Several courtiers who were close to Yang Shan unconsciously stood further away.
However, Xue Xuan didn't care. He paused for a moment and continued amidst the discussion.
"In the palace at that time, King Guangtong and others once again described the case in detail and presented the key evidence. Marquis Ningyang even provided guarantee on the spot. The matter has been thoroughly investigated and all I have to do is to try it in court.
That’s how fair the trial is.”
"I was still hesitant and did not agree, but on New Year's Eve, Yang Shan came to visit again, accompanied by his consort, Captain Jiao Jing."
"The two of them said that if this case is revealed, it will definitely cause the court to discuss the Tian family and His Majesty. Therefore, there must be someone in the court who is obstructing the redress of injustice. I hope that I will be fair and help you."
"Therefore, I promised them that if the circumstances of this case are true, I will withstand the pressure from all parties and make sure the injustice is overturned."
"besides……"
The old man's tone was calm, as if he was talking about something that had nothing to do with him.
But some people can't sit still anymore.
With everyone's eyes on him, Yang Shan quickly stepped out of the queue and spoke.
"Your Majesty, this is a false accusation. Although I have visited Xue Siqing's residence, I have never brought anyone there, let alone mentioned any case. Your Majesty knows clearly that this must be Xue Xuan, who made it temporarily in order to clear himself of the charges.
Your Majesty, please do not believe those false claims."
Although Jiao Jing is the Prince Consort, he has no errands and is no longer qualified to attend court, so he is not here.
So the only one who stood up immediately was Ningyang Hou Chen Mao.
The old Marquis had a dark face and said coldly.
"Xue Xuan, do you know what you are talking nonsense about? Have I ever been to your mansion, and have I ever acted as a guarantee?"
Facing the two people's questioning, Xue Xuan still looked calm and said.
"Rights and wrongs have their own merits. You and I are not the only ones who know about this matter. King Guangtong and King Yangzong were also there at the time. They will know it in the first instance."
As he said that, Xue Xuan glanced at Yang Shan and Chen Mao, with a hint of clarity in his cloudy old eyes, and sneered and said.
"Yang Siqing and Chen Hou are so anxious to argue, maybe they are afraid that I will tell you that Yang Shan brought Jiao Jing here to discuss with me!"
Marquis Ningyang and Yang Shan looked stagnant and were speechless.
Xue Xuan shook her head, raised her voice, and spoke loudly to the emperor.
"Your Majesty, the Prince Consort Jiao Jing and Yang Shan came to the minister's residence at that time. In addition to discussing the case, they also talked about another matter."
"Jiao Jing said, now that the war has ceased, but the emperor has been unable to return south for a long time, there must be some sycophants in the court who will hinder this."
"He has made an agreement with Cheng'an Marquis Guo Sheng to reveal the case at the Zhengdan Banquet. He will use the power of the case to stir up public opinion between the government and the public, promote court discussions, welcome back the emperor, and ask for his help."
Xue Xuan said it more tactfully, but everyone understood that the so-called sycophantic minister was just an excuse. What Jiao Jing and others really wanted to persecute was the emperor!
Therefore, as Xue Xuan's words fell, the originally noisy discussion in the court became strangely quiet, except for the Marquis of Cheng'an, Guo Sheng, who turned pale.
On the throne, the emperor's face was expressionless, but everyone could feel the huge waves hidden under this calmness.
However, it's not over yet, Xue Xuan continued.
"I still had my original attitude at that time. If there was any injustice in this case, as the minister of Dali Temple, it is my duty to clear up the injustice. As long as the case is true, I will definitely try to find out the truth."
"Then there was a big fuss at the Zhengdan banquet. His Majesty ordered his ministers to assist in the interrogation. There were official appraisal documents from the Ministry of Punishment and Dali Temple and witness testimonies. Although the minister had doubts, the King of Zhennan was empty-handed at the time and could not produce evidence to prove what he said.
Therefore, I, together with Luo Tong and Ning Yanghou, will finalize the case."
"Now that it is proven to be false, I am willing to take the blame!"
The old man was straightforward and knelt down on the ground, looking like he was begging for forgiveness.
Zhu Qiyu was on the throne and couldn't help but let out a sigh.
Others could not understand Xue Xuan's behavior, but after the self-narration just now, Zhu Qiyu understood why Xue Xuan did what he did.
Because he is such a stubborn person who accepts death!
Back then, he was able to fight for a military concubine against the powerful Wang Zhen, which shows that in his heart, justice is more important than anything else.
Strictly speaking, everyone present, including King Zhennan and King Guangtong, did not care about the truth of this case. They only cared about whether the final confirmed truth was in their own interests and whether they could get it.
What article are you going to write?
But Old Master Xue is different, he cares about the truth!
He could use this case to cooperate with Marquis Ningyang and others to promote the return of the Emperor, because that was what he wanted to do originally, and they came together because of the same purpose.
But it doesn't mean that Xue Xuan will approve of their method of forging an unjust case!
If the facts of the case are true, he is trying to set things right and clear up the grievances. But if the facts of the case are not true, it is just a complete conspiracy and intrigue.
This kind of thing, even if it is for a correct purpose, the old gentleman would not do it.
He has practiced Confucianism all his life and only follows one principle in his actions, which is to be upright and upright.
If you act with a clear conscience, there is nothing wrong with others.
This was Xue Xuan's principle, so he dared to point this case directly at the Emperor and the Supreme Emperor, and he also dared to tell the whole story frankly in court.
He is a pure man who sticks to the truth in his heart and has no regrets even if he dies.
Yes, Xue Xuan was already ready to accept all the consequences from the moment he said these words.
He asked himself what he had done, and he had a clear conscience.
But he tried the wrong case and did the wrong thing.
If this case is true, then what he did in the palace, even if it was outrageous, is understandable.
But the case is not true, so his initial accusation against the Emperor was groundless speculation and undermined the Emperor's sanctity.
He has his own sense of right and wrong. Even if others don't punish him, Xue Xuan will punish him himself.
Such people are actually not suitable to stay in the court.
But the problem is...
Zhu Qiyu knew in his heart that this case did not need to be such a big deal.
With the help of the power of Dongchang and Jinyiwei all over the capital, we had actually found the suspect a few days ago and obtained the evidence to overturn the case, which can be presented at the court hearing.
It was Shu Liang who was ordered to secretly tell the King of Zhennan that he should just complain about injustice in court, but not produce any concrete evidence.
From a procedural perspective, except for being a little faster, Xue Xuan actually did nothing wrong.
As for the truth that Xue Xuan cares about most, it may not really be what is presented to everyone now...
After hesitating for a moment, Zhu Qiyu looked past Xue Xuan, focused his eyes on Ningyang Hou and others, and said with a slightly cold expression.
"Yang Shan, the minister of Honglu Temple, Chen Mao, the Marquis of Ningyang, Guo Sheng, the Marquis of Cheng'an, and what Xue Xuan just said, do you have any excuses?"