Entering the palace to pay homage, all the officials were silent.

Thousands of courtiers walked into the palace gate in silence. Next to the courtroom, there was a supervisory censor holding a pen and paper, staring seriously at the officials passing in front of them.

If the officials in the team make any noise, dress inappropriately, or behave contrary to court etiquette, they will be recorded on paper by the supervising censor and reported to the censor's desk. If they turn back, they will be punished, whether serious or minor.

For example, fines and salary deductions may be imposed. In serious cases, the person may be impeached by the court, removed from office, or demoted.

Gu Qing, wearing court uniform, walked at the front of the team with a solemn and dignified expression.

All the officials entered the Tai Chi Hall and stood in their respective positions according to their civil and military ranks. They waited for about an hour after burning incense. The eunuchs entered the hall and shouted loudly, shouting that the emperor looked at the court and all the officials were greeted by the emperor.

Li Heng wore a dragon robe and a crown on his head. Twelve long crowns of pearls and jade hung down from the crown board, covering Li Heng's expression. He could not see the emperor's joy and anger, which made the officials look at him in fear.

Amidst the shouts of the eunuchs, the officials bowed to Li Heng. Li Heng waved slightly, and then glanced at Gu Qing, who was at the front of the court. Li Heng's eyes suddenly narrowed, and his originally lazy expression also changed.

I cheered up and got very energetic.

"I didn't expect Gu Qing to come to the court today, it's very rare, haha." Li Heng took the initiative to lighten the atmosphere with a joking tone.

Regardless of whether it was funny or not, the officials all twitched their lips to express their support.

Gu Qing also smiled and said: "I have always been lazy and lazy, so Your Majesty made me laugh."

Li Heng was indeed very flattering. He smiled coquettishly and glanced at the eunuch next to him. The eunuch understood and stepped forward to shout at the officials.

After the eunuch finished speaking, he took two steps back, but no one in the palace spoke.

Everyone's eyes were focused on Gu Qing, who was at the front of the class.

Everyone knew that it was rare for Gu Qing to go to court. Today, for the first time, he was attending the court meeting. There must be something important to report, so the officials wisely let Gu Qing speak first.

Unexpectedly, Gu Qing stood silently in the courtroom, his eyes half-closed, as if he had come all the way to sleep in the Golden Palace, and there was no movement for a long time.

There was silence in the hall for a long time, and even Li Heng became a little anxious.

I finally came here and I'm just waiting for you to make a move, but you're just talking.

Gu Qing said nothing. The monarchs and ministers in the palace waited for a long time, and when the atmosphere became increasingly awkward, someone finally spoke.

Li Xian, the Minister of Justice, stood up first and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to report."

Li Heng breathed a sigh of relief. No matter who it was, it would be nice if someone could talk to him, otherwise it would be too depressing.

"Li Qing can play."

Li Xian said slowly: "There has been a lot of uproar in Chang'an recently. Liu Shengqian, the steward of Prince Yong's Mansion, is suspected of murdering refugees outside the city. The result has been concluded."

Li Heng's face looked a little ugly: "Let's talk about the results."

"Yesterday, the Criminal Department, Dali Temple, and Yushitai conducted a search of Liu Shengqian's residence in Prince Yong's Mansion, and found ironclad evidence proving that Liu Shengqian was the real culprit who murdered the refugees. A bloody dagger was found in his residence, and at the same time, the house

The shoes inside exactly match the shoe prints on the refugees' faces. There are also the testimonies of the soldiers who were on duty at Yanxing Gate that day, as well as several footprints extracted from the crime scene by the moat. They are all related to Liu Shengqian. The case has been solved. Liu Shengqian

He fled without a trace."

Li Heng snorted and said: "If it weren't for the noise caused by the refugees outside the city, this matter wouldn't be worth mentioning in court. Now that the case has been solved, the Ministry of Punishment will issue a sea arrest document to arrest Liu Shengqian. At the same time, Jingzhao

The government should also post notices detailing the case and appease the refugees..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Song Gensheng, the Yin of the Jingzhao Prefecture who had been silent in the courtroom, suddenly stood up and said: "Your Majesty, I have something to express regarding this case."

Li Heng's eyelids twitched. The court meeting had been normal until just now. However, the moment Song Gensheng stood up, Li Heng knew that things were finally not simple.

Everyone in the court knew that Song Gensheng was Gu Qing's man. Today, Gu Qing attended the court meeting for the first time, and Song Gensheng went out to play for the first time. It was obvious that there was an agreement between the two, and Gu Qing came to support Song Gensheng today.

Li Heng tried his best to show a pleasant look and said with a smile: "Song Qing, if you have anything to do, just let me know."

Song Gensheng said calmly: "When Jingzhao Mansion was investigating the case of Liu Shengqian's murder of refugees, in order to capture the criminal Liu Shengqian, I sent many officers from Jingzhao Mansion to various places in Guanzhong and Henan to investigate Liu Shengqian's ancestral home and birthplace.

They were all under surveillance and interrogation. I also sent officers to guard the various farms and courtyards under the name of King Yong. I was ashamed that Liu Shengqian did not get it. However, when the officers of Jingzhao Mansion were stationed at each farm and courtyard, they heard unexpectedly.

As for many other things..."

"What happened?"

Under the gaze of the monarchs and ministers in the palace, Song Gensheng's waist that had been bowing suddenly straightened up slowly, and his tone gradually became colder.

"Check, there are more than fifty farms and courtyards under the name of King Yong distributed in Guanzhong and Henan. Among them, the farm was involved in the murder case..." Song Gensheng paused and said word by word: "...there are more than fifty in total, that is,

It is said that every farm and courtyard under King Yong's name has a bloody murder case."

As soon as these words came out, the hall suddenly went into an uproar. The emperor and his ministers looked at Song Gensheng with shocked expressions on their faces. For a long time, there was a noise in the hall.

Li Heng sat in silence for a long time without making a sound. Most of the courtiers were whispering to each other, but the princes and princes couldn't help but jump out, pointed at Song Gensheng and yelled at him, scolding him for slandering the royal family.

cut.

The various noises in the Golden Palace became louder and louder. Li Heng still sat there without any reaction. Song Gensheng looked indifferent and turned a blind eye to the scoldings of the princes and princes.

Gu Qing, who had been silent for a long time, finally stood up. He walked out of the courtroom and turned to face the palace door. He spoke like thunder and shouted in a deep voice: "My servants, please be silent——!"

The hall instantly fell silent. The courtiers looked at Gu Qing's expressionless face and fell into silence. Even the princes and princes who were filled with indignation did not dare to speak anymore. They hunched their shoulders and shut their mouths obediently.

One sentence, four words, can stop thousands of courtiers in the Golden Palace.

This is the power of powerful ministers.

After the palace became quiet, Gu Qing turned to look at Song Gensheng and said calmly: "Yin of the Song Dynasty, please continue."

Song Gensheng didn't care about the reaction of the emperor and his ministers, so he continued: "After investigation, it was found that there were many farms and courtyards under the name of Prince Yong's Mansion. There were more than fifty in Guanzhong and Henan Province alone. As for Shannan, Jiangnan and other places, Jingzhao Mansion's official

It is limited and has not been investigated. But just in the Yongwang Villa in Guanzhong and Henan Province, there are murders almost everywhere, and the victims are all local farmers. Many murders even involve the entire family being wiped out. It is so tragic that people and gods are angry..."

Li Heng finally couldn't help but said: "Yin of the Song Dynasty, there is no joke in the Golden Palace. You must be responsible for what you say. Is there any evidence for the murder case involving Yongwang Villa?"

Song Gensheng heard the threat in Li Heng's words, but he was not afraid and said firmly: "Yes."

Li Heng's heart skipped a beat and he subconsciously looked at Gu Qing.

It doesn't matter what Song Gensheng said. An ordinary Jingzhao governor would not have the courage to expose the royal clan in front of the palace, but Song Gensheng was different. Behind him was Gu Qing, and Li Heng had already inquired about the two of them.

They grew up together and have a close friendship, just like brothers.

So, what Song Gensheng said must have been at the instigation of Gu Qing.

From the murder case involving the steward of Prince Yong's Mansion, to the ferment of public opinion between the government and the public inside and outside Chang'an City, to the complication of the case today, Prince Yong was dragged into the water and fell into the center of the storm. Behind all this, there seemed to be a pair of invisible hands, silently

Pushing silently.

Are those invisible big hands Gu Qing?

How bad is the hatred between Gu Qing and King Yong that makes him have to kill King Yong?

As the emperor, Li Heng thought more deeply.

He was still unable to judge Gu Qing's intention at this time. Whether he killed King Yong because of personal grudges or for other reasons. Personal grudges were better to say. If Gu Qing had the idea of ​​​​eliminating the royal family members and taking advantage of the royal family members in the name of justice, he could not judge.

If each kiss is operated on, Li Tang's country will be in danger.

"Yin of the Song Dynasty, those in the Golden Palace should not make false claims to deceive the king. If you say you have evidence, show it. The farmland under King Yong's name is very large, and he needs farmers to cultivate and harvest for him. Besides, King Yong has always been kind to others.

How could you kill the farmers who own the farm? It doesn’t make sense.” A prince couldn’t help but stood up and refuted.

Song Gensheng said coldly: "I have evidence. He is waiting for orders outside Chengtian Gate. King Yong's so-called benevolence is just a show to outsiders. In fact, he is extremely cruel and violent to the farmers on his own farm, killing them at every turn.

If you want evidence, please give your Majesty's permission to announce the people waiting outside Chengtianmen into the palace, and everything will be judged by itself."

Everyone's eyes were fixed on Li Heng.

Li Heng was riding a tiger at this time. He knew that if the people waiting for orders outside Chengtian Gate were announced to the palace, no matter whether it was real evidence or false evidence, King Yong would be unlucky today. Since Gu Qing and Song Gensheng dared to bring the evidence to the court

, indicating that they have made foolproof preparations, and the evidence produced must be irrefutable.

However, no matter how partial he is to King Yong in his heart, what can Li Heng do with so many pairs of eyes staring at him at this moment? If he refuses, will the emperor still need to trust him?

After a long silence, Li Heng finally said with difficulty: "Xuan...Xuan enter the palace."

The evidence soon entered Tai Chi Hall.

There were about ten people entering the hall, all dressed as farmers. They stood in the hall in ragged clothes, hanging their heads and wringing their hands in embarrassment, looking panicked. Several middle-aged farmers were holding a large pile of paper in their hands, and the officials could vaguely see the paper.

It is densely covered with words.

Song Gensheng turned around and looked at the dozen or so farmers and said, "Who are you? Please tell yourself first."

The leader, a gray-haired old man, said tremblingly: "Lao Chen and others are all serfs on the farm under the name of King Yong. Lao Chen is from Jing County, Guanzhong, and the others are from Qingzhou, Puzhou, Shangzhou and other places."

Song Gensheng emphasized his tone and said: "Serf? Not a farmer?"

The old man sighed: "Yes, three years ago, I sold the land passed down by my ancestors to King Yong at a discount. Since there was no land to cultivate and I had no place to rely on, I had no choice but to voluntarily demote myself, sell myself as a slave, and farm for His Highness King Yong for generations."

Song Gensheng pursed his lips. The topic of land was too important to mention at this time. What he wanted to talk about was a murder case.

So Song Gensheng then asked: "How does King Yong treat you serfs?"

The old man suddenly choked up and said in a sob: "The law in Yongwang Farm is very strict. At that time, more than a hundred households in the old village cultivated land for Yongwang. Three to five years later, more than ten people in the village have been killed by the farm manager.

, there are many reasons. Those who are a little lazy and restful, those who are disobedient, and those who are aggressive and refuse to obey will all be beaten and killed. The old granddaughter is only twelve years old, just because she works as a maid in the Yongwang Farm.

When I was there, I accidentally broke a dish and was beaten to death by the steward with a stick..."

As he spoke, the old man burst into tears.

All the officials in the palace were silent.
To be continued...