Liu Yang's brows, which had relaxed for a moment, suddenly frowned again. He didn't bother to ask further questions, and immediately asked Wang Yue to call Princess Liu Xuan of Huaiyang into the palace.
Liu Xuanfang was twenty-five years old, in her prime, rich in temperament, noble and elegant, and her appearance was similar to that of her mother Zhou Shufei. However, at this time, Liu Xuan could not maintain her usual nobility and elegance, and her eyebrows were slightly frowned.
With a worried look on his face.
"Meet the Crown Prince!" Liu Xuan bowed and saluted.
"Okay, no need to be polite!" Liu Yang looked at her, waved his hand, and said, "Sit down first and let's eat together!"
Hearing this, Liu Xuan shook her head, and finally showed a little anxiety in her words: "Zhang Jing was captured by the eagle dog of Wude Division. How can I eat? Second brother, can you?"
"No need to say more, I know your purpose! However, I don't know the specific situation yet. I have sent people to investigate. There will be news soon!" Liu Yang reached out to stop Liu Xuan and comforted: "Zhang Jing is guilty.
What’s going on, do you know?”
Liu Xuan shook her head: "The people from Wude Division just said they were under orders and took Zhang Jing away in front of me without any explanation!"
"It's not a trivial matter!" Liu Yang's expression became serious after hearing his description: "Otherwise, no matter how rampant the military officials are, they would not dare to go to your princess's house to act arrogantly!"
"Second brother!" Liu Xuan called again.
"Don't worry, just sit here for a while and wait for the news!" Liu Yang said solemnly.
Seeing this, even though Liu Xuan was in a hurry, she had to hold it in, but even when she was sitting there, she was still a little distracted. Liu Yang looked at it and signaled to Xiao Chuo, who then stood up and stepped forward to hug Liu Xuan's arms.
Shoulders, words of comfort.
Generally speaking, it is not difficult for the prince to know anything, unless there is stronger resistance from above. But obviously, Emperor Liu did not issue a hush-hush order on the matter of the consort Zhang Jing.
When the prince came to ask questions, Wude Si explained and answered truthfully, so Liu Yang soon received a reply, which even included a detailed description of Zhang Jing's crimes.
After reading some of the information provided by Wu Desi, Liu Yang couldn't help but look annoyed. He almost subconsciously smashed the food table and shouted: "Damn it! Hateful!"
"Second brother!" Seeing Liu Yang's reaction, Liu Xuan's heart trembled and she asked nervously: "What's going on? How is Zhang Jing?"
Liu Yang looked at Liu Xuan, and showed her the information in Wang Yue's hand, then kept a straight face and said nothing. Liu Xuan hurriedly took the list, and soon her face turned pale: "How could this be?"
Liu Xuan looked in disbelief and followed up: "Second brother, this must be the crime of Luo Zhi, the ruthless official of Wude Division, who framed Zhang Jing!"
"Fifth sister, you have always been smart, have you lost your basic judgment? Zhang Jing, consort, without conclusive evidence, how dare the people of Wude Division do this?" Liu Yang said coldly: "What he committed is simply appalling.
, disgrace the royal family!"
Liu Xuan's eyes were a little red and she said: "Impossible! Zhang Jing has always been kind, gentle and kind to others. He is a gentleman and can't do this."
"Gold and jade are on the outside, but failure is on the inside!" Liu Yang was a little angry, staring at Liu Xuan and said: "Fifth sister, you are the person beside Zhang Jing, are you not aware of what he is doing outside?"
"I, I" Liu Xuan was a little speechless about this. It's not that no one had made insinuations to Liu Xuan, but they were all ignored by Liu Xuan.
Seeing her like this, Liu Yang couldn't help but shake his head and sighed: "Fifth sister, I'm afraid I can't help you with this matter!"
"Second brother!" Hearing this, Liu Xuan became a little anxious: "You are the prince. If you are willing to help and intercede on my behalf, maybe dad will be merciful and forgive me!"
Liu Yang heard the words and smiled bitterly: "Today, I was reprimanded by my father. It spread all over the palace. Didn't you hear about it? In this situation, if I say anything, I am afraid that not only will I not be able to save Zhang Jing, but I will
Exacerbating dad’s anger!”
Hearing what Liu Yang said, Liu Xuan stared at Liu Yang blankly, her tears finally falling down one drop at a time. She knew that Liu Yang would not trick her, and there was no need.
"Is there no other way?"
"At least I can't help it!" Xiao Chuo's words suddenly appeared in his mind. After a moment's hesitation, Liu Yang shook his head and said: "What he committed is too serious. Even if I deal with it, he must be arrested and punished accordingly."
!”
"Second brother can advise those officials, but can't he intercede for the prince-in-law?" Liu Xuan said. Obviously, she had heard about Liu Yang's remonstrance.
Hearing what she said, Liu Yang's expression became colder and he said: "I am speaking out for the sake of justice and the decency of the court, not for those who deserve what they deserve!"
Liu Xuan was silent for a long time, then choked up and said, "Father won't kill Zhang Jing, right?"
"It's hard to know!" Liu Yang replied after pondering for a moment.
"I don't ask for forgiveness for his sins. I only hope to spare his life and give him a chance to repent and redeem his sins. I will strictly discipline him in the future! My sister has never asked you for anything. Can my second brother?"
Before Liu Xuan finished speaking, Liu Yang said decisively: "If it's other matters, I have no excuses. This is the only thing I can't do for personal gain. Otherwise, how can I win over people's hearts? The imperial court is reforming the official system and cracking down on illegal crimes.
Especially the powerful people who bully others. If he is given a chance to repent, who will show mercy to the officials, businessmen and people who were harmed by him, and who will make decisions for them?"
However, observing Liu Xuan's somewhat miserable expression, Liu Yang finally softened his heart. He usually cared about these younger brothers and sisters, and at this time, he could not help but feel a little compassion.
After thinking for a while, he said: "Fifth sister, listen to my brother's advice, you'd better not get involved in this matter, let alone ask dad. That will only be counterproductive and completely force dad to the point of annihilating relatives. Go back to the house and wait for news.
Bar"
Listening to Liu Yang's comfort, Liu Xuan could not feel the slightest warmth. She was not a dull person and could not understand Liu Yang's meaning. Obviously, Zhang Jing was in danger this time.
"Sorry for bothering you, second brother. Please continue to eat. My sister has excused herself!" Liu Xuan stood up slowly, bowed, turned and left.
Looking at Liu Xuan's disappointed back, Liu Yang deliberately stopped her, but did not make a sound. After she completely disappeared from sight, he sighed: "What a pity!"
Seeing this, Xiao Chuo said softly: "Your Highness did the right thing! What Zhang Jing did is outrageous, and he deserves to die!"
In fact, after Liu Yang learned about Zhang Jing's crime, he had already silently sentenced him to death in his heart. Emperor Liu would never let him go. Under normal circumstances, there might be a small chance, but with the current situation of the court,
Given the situation, as long as the crime is true and the evidence is conclusive, Zhang Jing has no chance of survival. This can be seen from the fact that Emperor Liu asked Wu Desi to arrest him directly instead of handing it over to Zongzheng Temple.
"I just pity the fifth sister! She is soft on the outside and strong on the inside, how can she be hit by this!" Liu Yang shook his head.
Xiao Chuo couldn't help but sigh: "At the beginning, when the princess chose her son-in-law, it was a popular rumor among the people, but now it seems that she has been entrusted to an unfair person!"
"Alas" was another heavy sigh.
As expected by Liu Yang, after three full days of investigation, interrogation, and evidence collection, and after receiving a detailed report from the Wude Division, Emperor Liu decisively issued an edict. His consort, Zhang Jing, had committed a heinous crime and was sentenced to death.
As soon as this edict was issued, all the rumors and rumors were put to rest immediately, and all the nobles and bureaucrats who were staring at the matter withdrew their gazes. The old emperor was so cold-hearted and determined that even his son-in-law was willing to kill him, not to mention that other people were still honest.
Avoid trouble.
As soon as the edict was made public, Princess Liu Xuan of Huaiyang could not sit still at all. She broke into the palace decisively, went to the emperor and begged Emperor Liu for mercy. But obviously, Emperor Liu's decision would not be affected by Liu Xuan's plea.
changing.
In the Chui Gong Palace, looking at Liu Xuan who was kneeling on the ground and begging, Emperor Liu's old face did not waver at all, and he said softly: "Go back to your princess mansion! There is no room for maneuver in Zhang Jing's matter. The national law is like a mountain, and there is no room for maneuver."
If I kill him, I can’t explain it to the world, he can only die!”
"The national law is like a mountain?" After hearing this, Liu Xuan straightened up her body, put away her weak posture, and looked directly at Emperor Liu: "Does everything your majesty does comply with the national law?"
"What do you mean?" Emperor Liu narrowed his eyes slightly.
Liu Xuan raised her voice: "Your Majesty wants to kill Zhang Jing, isn't it because he wants to use his consort's head to frighten his officials and show his selflessness by killing his relatives with justice? In the past few months, so many people have been killed, are they all deserved?
Isn’t it a matter of a single word or an official approval from His Majesty?”
Faced with Liu Xuan's bold question, Emperor Liu was a little surprised. He looked at his daughter carefully and said, "I always thought you were cute and quiet, but I never thought you could be so knowledgeable and have such a fierce side!"
As he said that, Emperor Liu's tone turned cold: "Since you said so, I have to kill this beast even more to avoid giving up halfway and being inconsistent!"
Liu Xuan looked at Emperor Liu, who looked at him without avoiding it. Seeing his cold expression, Liu Xuan choked up and said, "Dad, are you really so heartless?"
Emperor Liu said calmly: "In your eyes, don't I just be a ruthless, unsentimental person?"
Liu Xuan was silent, stood up slowly, wiped away the tears on her face, bowed and said softly: "My daughter understands! If the consort dies, he will go with him!"
"You!" Emperor Liu couldn't suppress his anger and said, "Is such a wolf-hearted person worthy of you? If Zhang Jing dies, there are so many talented people in the world, you can choose from them!"
"I never thought that dad could say such a thing!" Liu Xuan looked sad and said goodbye: "My daughter has resigned."
After saying that, he turned around and left in despair. Emperor Liu looked at her leaving back, his face twitched slightly, and there were some waves in his eyes.
Seeing this, Yan Tuo asked for instructions in a low voice: "Guan family, what about the consort?"
"What kind of prince-in-law!" Emperor Liu retorted, and then, his eyes returned to indifference, and he said calmly: "Pass the imperial edict and execute the person on time!"