Outside Dali Temple, a middle-aged man named Wu Daniu, wearing coarse linen and linen clothes, with a look of sorrow on his face, beat the drum of injustice fiercely.
There are two stretchers behind him.
A middle-aged woman with a sallow complexion was lying on it. There was a foul smell of feces and urine, and people who smelled it from a distance couldn't help but cover their mouths and noses.
On top of the other was a little girl of about eleven or twelve years old with a pale face and weak breath. She looked so pitiful that everyone who saw her couldn't help but feel pity for her.
Wu Daniu was beating the drum and crying.
"It's unjust! The little people are unjust!"
"I bought the salt from His Highness the Ninth Prince, hoping to improve my life. Who would have thought that after eating it, my old lady and little kid would end up with diarrhea and almost lose their lives?"
"Fortunately, the little old man came home a little late. If he had eaten the salt from Laoshizi like them, he might have ended up with the same fate!"
"The Ninth Prince is a prince, how can he do such an immoral thing? The young man is really unjust, why should I ask the great master to make the decision?"
Now none of the official officials from Dali Temple have come. This man clearly told the people walking on the street. Many people stopped when they heard this.
"Is there something wrong with eating Xiaogong salt? No, my family also bought it. Isn't there nothing wrong with it?"
"Isn't that right? Nothing happened to my family. Besides, how could His Highness the Ninth Prince do such a thing?"
"His Royal Highness the Ninth Prince loves the people as his own son and has never defrauded ordinary people of their money. I don't believe he would do such a thing!"
…
Because Li Changfeng has a very good reputation, most people do not believe this kind of thing and are skeptical of Wu Daniu's words.
But soon some unfamiliar faces appeared in the crowd, all with angry expressions on their faces.
"He, a small commoner, dares to frame the prince of the dynasty because of his heart and courage? There must be something wrong with the salt!"
"That's right. The Wang family's coarse salt has been sold at the same price for so many years. The Ninth Prince's refined salt with such good quality suddenly dropped in price so much. How could it not be fishy?"
"Salt is something that everyone needs to eat. The amount is so large. How can the Ninth Prince do a loss-making business? It's no wonder that there is no problem!"
"Besides, with the sales volume of Xiaogong Salt now being so large, it's not impossible that one or two batches may have problems!"
I have to say that what these people say makes sense at first glance. Many ordinary people do not have the ability to distinguish between true and false, and they lead the way.
"It's not impossible!"
"The price reduction this time is indeed too severe. You must know that Xiaogong salt used to be a precious commodity that only powerful men could afford!"
"Hey, I didn't expect His Highness the Ninth Prince to do such a thing!"
…
While we were talking, someone else came to Dali Temple with a patient who looked like he had been poisoned by salt. They all said that the illness was caused by eating Xiaogong salt.
With the Wang family deliberately adding fuel to the flames, the incident soon spread throughout the capital, and many people who did not know the truth began to accuse Li Changfeng of being greedy.
When it came to the most favored Ninth Prince Li Changfeng, the Minister of Dali Temple did not dare to make an easy decision and immediately sent someone to report the matter to the palace and Li Changfeng.
After Li Changfeng got the news, he was not surprised at all.
As one of the eight great aristocratic families, it would be strange for the Wang family to just swallow this breath.
He should still eat and drink as usual, and he didn't feel anxious at all.
If Emperor Qianwu can't deal with such a trivial matter, he doesn't need to be the emperor anymore.
the other side.
Emperor Qianwu was also not surprised when he received the news.
He only has one word.
"check!"
Gao Dali nodded, and immediately used all the power of Dongchang, with the cooperation of the six doors, to launch the investigation with thunderous momentum.
Soon, the three generations of these people were clearly traced by Gao Dali. How they framed them was also found out.
But when the clue pointed to the Wang family, it was broken.
Gao Dali didn't care and immediately reported the investigation results to Emperor Qianwu. Emperor Qianwu said calmly: "Bring him to Caishikou and bring relevant witnesses for a public trial."
Gao Dali understood what Emperor Qianwu meant, which was to clear Xiaogong Salt's name and clear out Li Changfeng's tampering with the Xiaogong Salt merchant.
He immediately sent people to beat gongs and drums on the streets of the capital, indicating that there would be a public trial at Caishikou tomorrow to give everyone an explanation.
At the same time, he sent a large number of experts to isolate and protect the plaintiff and relevant witnesses.
A public trial involving the prince was considered a big event, and everyone became extremely interested after hearing about it.
The powerful ministers in the capital knew that the contest between the royal family and the Wang family had officially begun, and they were all very curious.
Even Li Changfeng became interested after learning about this.
"Public trial? I didn't expect that my father would come up with such a method. It's really interesting. As the defendant, how can I do it if I don't go?"
Li Changfeng laughed and decided to go in person.
The next day.
The people from Dali Temple have not yet arrived, but Caishikou is already crowded with people, including ordinary people and dignitaries, and the venue that has been set up in advance is packed with water.
People communicated in small groups.
"I didn't expect that His Majesty would want a public trial!"
"Yeah, things are a bit big this time!"
"It is said that His Highness the Ninth Prince's Xiaogong Salt has something wrong with it. There are reports of people with noses and eyes. Why do the people I know who eat Xiaogong Salt have nothing to do with it?"
"Maybe it's a coincidence. There's no smoke without fire. There might be something wrong with His Highness the Ninth Prince's salt tribute!"
"Impossible, I don't believe His Highness the Ninth Prince is that kind of person!"
"The facts are in front of us, what's impossible?"
Nearly half of the people do not believe Li Changfeng, which shows that the Wang family has made great efforts to create this public controversy.
Soon, officials from Dali Temple arrived.
What was surprising was that in addition to the plaintiff, there were hundreds of people, escorted by Dali Temple officials, walking towards the public trial.
Everyone was very surprised.
Why are there so many people?
What do these people do?
In the eyes of everyone's doubts, the Dali Temple Minister sat firmly on the high hall, slapped the gavel tree, and shouted: "Bring the accuser!"
Soon, Wu Daniu, who was pale and frightened, was brought to the front. He quickly knelt on the ground and worshiped: "Sir, you have to make decisions for the little people!"
Before the Minister of Dali Temple could speak, a powerful voice came from afar.
"How can a case be tried in Dali Temple without a defendant? His Highness the Ninth Prince is here!"
Everyone followed the sound and saw Li Changfeng walking over steadily, protected by Zhang Haihui and other experts.