When the word "cut" fell, Ding Wei's last hope was shattered.
He collapsed to the ground with a thud and never stood up again.
"Tear off his official uniform and throw him to death row!"
Kou Zhun ordered coldly.
Immediately, some imperial guards came forward and took off Ding Wei's official uniform.
The moment the official uniform left his body, Ding Wei finally felt the approach of death and the fear of death.
Huge fear enveloped his whole body, causing him to shout out words to save himself, "Mother, please help me..."
Kou Ji whispered: "I'm afraid she can't save you, because she can't save herself."
Ding Wei said in shock: "How could..."
Kou Ji smiled thoughtfully and said: "Do you think the people in the Imperial City Department will never make mistakes? Or maybe you think the people in the Equipment Supervision Department are invincible?"
Ding Wei's eyes widened and he exclaimed: "Did you catch him alive?"
As soon as these words came out, Ding Wei immediately shut his mouth.
He realized that when the fear of death enveloped his whole body, he panicked and said the wrong thing.
When Kou Zhun, Zhao Zhen, and the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty heard this, their expressions changed again and again.
Listening to Ding Wei's words, people from the Imperial City Department and the Equipment Supervisor also intervened in this matter.
As for the person who can command the Imperial City Department and the Equipment Supervisor, so far, the only one is Liu E.
In other words, Liu E was also involved in this matter.
Kou Zhun narrowed his eyes for a moment and asked coldly: "What's going on?"
Ding Wei gritted his teeth and said no more.
He has already said the wrong thing, and he cannot say the wrong thing again.
His only chance of survival now lies with Liu E.
If Liu E is implicated, how can Liu E save him if Liu E herself is unable to protect herself?
Li Zhaoliang stared at Ding Wei, smiled coldly, and snorted: "He doesn't want to talk, let me tell you. Since my troops were defeated in Huaizhou, I escaped all the way to the border of Yinzhou under the protection of the remaining troops. of the Great Wall.
But before they could cross the Great Wall, they were ambushed by a group of people.
My remnant troops fought hard to kill a group of people who ambushed me. I personally checked and found that they were all from the Imperial City Division.
Under the pursuit of the Imperial City Division, my remaining troops were exhausted and had to temporarily take shelter among the Gao Kingdom's army.
But I didn't expect that someone would still assassinate me while I was hiding in Gao Guogong's army.
The person who assassinated me was the person from the equipment supervisor."
Kou Zhun said solemnly: "Do you have any evidence, and have you ever captured anyone alive?"
Li Zhaoliang opened his clothes, revealing the scars on his chest, and whispered: "This is the certificate!"
Gao Chugong clasped his fists and said, "I can vouch for the fact that the person who assassinated Li Zhaoliang was undoubtedly a person from the Equipment Supervisor. That thief assassinated Li Zhaoliang in front of me.
In order to expel that thief, I lost more than forty chapters."
Before Kou Zhun could continue to ask, Gao Chugong added: "Not only can I testify to this matter, but also Zhe Wei Zhong and Zhong Shiheng who accompanied me in the expedition to Xixia."
"We haven't captured anyone alive, but it's still hard to do."
Kou Zhun groaned and said, "However, since there are several witnesses, it is necessary to take Ding Wei with him and go to the Queen Mother to ask clearly."
It is no small matter to accuse the Queen Mother.
It was necessary to work with all the officials and the clan leader to attack Liu E.
Kou Zhun asked Zhao Yuanyan what he meant, and Zhao Yuanyan agreed without even thinking about it.
For Zhao Yuanyan, both Kou Zhun and Liu E were stumbling blocks under his feet.
Sooner or later he will have to eliminate these two people, otherwise his ambition will not be realized.
Now that there is an opportunity to deal with Liu E, Zhao Yuanyan will naturally not miss it.
Although the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty had been scolded to pieces by Kou Zhun just now, their attitudes on this matter were surprisingly consistent.
Not only did they not refute Kou Zhun's words, but after Kou Zhun opened his mouth, they all went to Liu E to ask clearly.
Defying the royal family and the Queen Mother seems to be the common hobby of all officials.
In front of this hobby, all personal grudges seem to be worth mentioning.
Among all the people present, only Zhao Zhen and Cao Lili looked a little ugly.
In Zhao Zhen's eyes, no matter whether Liu E made a mistake or not, or how big a mistake she made, she was still his mother.
It is impossible for him to go to his mother with all the officials to question him.
In Cao Li's eyes, Liu E was the object of his allegiance.
Seeing that Liu E was about to be questioned by officials, he felt that Liu E was about to get cold feet, so he felt a little uncomfortable.
As the saying goes, if the lips are dead, the teeth are cold.
If Liu E were to fall, Cao Li would not be able to sit still in his position in the Privy Council.
But the attitude of the officials was surprisingly unanimous, and neither Zhao Zhen nor Cao Li could stop it.
After the officials discussed it, Kou Zhun and Zhao Yuanyan led the officials into the palace and appeared in front of Liu E's bedroom.
But before I even knocked on the door, I was stopped.
The person who stopped them was Zhao Zhen's biological mother, Mrs. Li.
When Kou Zhun, Zhao Yuanyan and others saw Concubine Li, they all saluted, "I'd like to see Concubine Li..."
Concubine Li put on airs and said calmly: "My dear friends, you don't need to be polite."
Concubine Li looked around at the officials and asked calmly: "Dear ladies, why are you approaching my sister's chamber in such a menacing manner?"
Kou Zhun cupped his hands and said: "Back to the Queen Mother, there is a public case in the court, and the Queen Mother needs to come forward to explain it."
Concubine Li frowned and said: "This is a public case between the DPRK and China. It should be properly handled by all your beloved ministers. Why do you want to ask my sister?"
Kou Zhun said seriously: "The matter involves the Queen Mother, so naturally the Queen Mother needs to come forward."
Concubine Li stared at Kou Zhun and said in a deep voice: "I'm afraid that will disappoint Master Kou. The imperial doctor just examined and treated my sister and said that she was seriously ill and needed to rest in bed without seeing the wind or the light.
If Master Kou wants to see his sister, he can only wait until she recovers from her illness."
Kou Zhun said solemnly: "The matter is of great importance, I can only offend."
Concubine Li narrowed her eyes and said: "Sister said that while she is recuperating, she will no longer interfere in the affairs of the court, and she will not appear in the Zishi Hall. All affairs in the court will be handled by the three prime ministers in the whole screen."
"Toffee..."
Kou Zhun opened his mouth unwillingly.
Concubine Li stared and shouted: "Sister has already given in to this point, does Taishi Kou still want to push harder? Does Taishi Kou really want to fight to the death with a few of us sisters?"
Kou Zhun frowned and said: "I don't understand what the concubine means. I am loyal to the Song Dynasty and have never had any second thoughts. I have never done anything to disgrace the Song Dynasty, nor have I forced you to do anything. I really don't understand, the concubine."
Where did this come from?”
Concubine Li said coldly: "Isn't what you are doing now considered persecution? When the late Emperor passed away, he promised you and your sister the power to take charge of the affairs of the country. Now you have forced your sister to live in seclusion in the palace and no longer interfere in state affairs.
You alone have the final say on all affairs in the court, big and small.
Even if you are not satisfied with this, you still want to lead hundreds of officials to force your sister.
Do you think this palace can’t accommodate your sister, me, or even the official family?
Do you want to eliminate us one by one and then pave the way for you to ascend the throne?"
Kou Zhun frowned and said, "I have no such intention."
Mrs. Li snorted coldly: "You said you didn't mean it, but you are doing it."
"Old minister..."
"Enough!"
Concubine Li scolded and said: "If you have the courage, just lead the troops into the palace, imitate Taizu's feats in the past, and bully my orphans and widowed mother. Otherwise, you will never even think of stepping into the door of my sister's palace."
Kou Zhun's face darkened and he cupped his hands, "Old minister, I'm offended..."
Kou Zhun turned around and said to the officials behind him: "Let's go..."
The officials were unwilling, but faced with this situation, they had nothing to do.
He could only follow Kou Zhun and walk outside the palace.
Liu E took a step back, and stepped back to the corner, leaving no room for herself to retreat, and also no room for Kou Zhun to go further.
I have to admit that Liu E's move to cut off a strong man's wrist was really cruel.
It made Kou Zhun unable to deal with it.
Kou Ji couldn't deal with it either.
In fact, although the officials did not see Liu E, they still achieved their goal.
After all, with Liu E's status, even if she committed a heinous crime, no one could convict her of death and could only imprison her in the palace.
Now Liu E has taken the lead in self-imprisonment, which is regarded as self-punishment.
Even if the officials saw Liu E, they could not come up with other ways to punish Liu E.
However, although the officials achieved their goals, they still felt a little unhappy in their hearts.
Killing an enemy yourself gives you a greater sense of accomplishment than if the enemy hangs himself.
Kou Zhun and others left.
Concubine Li turned around and entered Liu E's bedroom.
In the palace, Liu E was sitting on a finely carved phoenix chair with a gloomy look on her face.
There was no trace of illness in her body.
When she saw Mrs. Li entering the palace, she asked in a low voice: "How?"
Concubine Li said softly: "Sister, Kou Zhun and others have retreated. Your trouble is gone."
Liu E clenched her fists and said fiercely: "Ding Wei, this idiot, really succeeds more than fails. If he hadn't stupidly betrayed the Ai family, why would the Ai family be like this?"
"Bang!"
"Now that the only power in the Ai family's hands has been handed over, it will be difficult to go to Chui Gong Hall in the future. That old man Kou Zhun is in power, and I don't know how he will bully our sisters."
"hateful!"
Liu E beat her chest and said: "If I had known that Ding Wei was so stupid, the Ai family should not have used him."
After Liu E pretended to faint and exited the Daqing Palace, she sent people to pay close attention to the movements of the court.
Naturally, he knew about Li Zhaoliang's beating of the Dengwen drum and the confrontation between Li Zhaoliang and Ding Wei in court.
She originally thought that Ding Wei was smart enough to take all the blame and take the blame for her.
When she gets out of this matter, she will naturally rescue Ding Wei.
But he didn't expect that Ding Wei was so stupid that he confessed her in public.
As a result, she had to cut off her wrists, give up her authority in the court, and imprison herself in the palace to avoid disaster. She also invited Concubine Li to ward off the disaster for her.
"Now that the matter is over, my sister shouldn't blame Ding Wei. Ding Wei is already a dead man anyway. Having his head chopped off can help my sister vent her anger.
Now we sisters should be like when we first entered the palace, slowly dormant and then wait for the opportunity to move.
With Zhen'er by our side, we will be able to turn over sooner or later."
Concubine Li said to Liu E seriously.
Liu E narrowed her eyes slightly, stared at Concubine Li and said, "You can actually say these words? You are very smart..."
Concubine Li smiled bitterly and said: "Sister, please don't be ashamed of me. My sister didn't say these words. It was what my sister said when she entered the palace. It's just that many years have passed and you have forgotten, but my sister still remembers it."
Liu E thought for a moment, nodded slightly and said: "The Aijia remembered...these words were indeed said by the Aijia...but the following words were not said by the Aijia..."
If Liu E hadn't known that Concubine Li doted on Zhao Zhen too much, she wouldn't have tolerated anyone saying anything bad about Zhao Zhen.
Liu E must tell Concubine Li loudly.
Don't even think about having Zhao Zhen by your side. He is just an unfamiliar white-eyed wolf. He is closer to the ancestors and grandsons of the Kou family than to us...
Liu E complained a few words in her heart, and seemed to remember something. She squinted her eyes and called out to Guo Huai.
Guo Huai appeared in front of her.
Liu E ordered: "The Ai family once had three capable men, Lu Yijian, Ding Wei, and Cao Lili. Lu Yijian betrayed the Ai family, and Ding Wei even framed the Ai family for injustice. So Cao Liang, the Ai family must be careful.
Just be careful.
I'm afraid the Ai family won't be able to leave the palace for a long time. Please help the Ai family go and test Cao Yong's loyalty to the Ai family."
When Guo Huai heard this, he was overjoyed.
"My slave understands..."
In Liu E's eyes, Guo Huai went to Cao Lili's house to help him test Cao Lili's loyalty.
But in Guo Huai's eyes, he went to Cao Li's house to make a fortune.
How could he not be happy.
…
Kou Zhun left the palace and returned to the Dengwen Drum. He did not mention Liu E again, nor did he let Ding Wei mention Liu E again.
He had Ding Wei's mouth sealed and Ding Wei put on death row.
Three days later, he was executed immediately.
After Kou Zhun dealt with Ding Wei, he also cleared Li Zhaoliang's name, and then returned to the Kou Mansion with Kou Ji amidst the cheers of the Li family members and the praise of the people.
As soon as you enter the mansion.
Kou Zhun took Kou Ji to his study. After sitting down, Kou Zhun let out a long sigh and said, "Ji'er, you and I must be extra careful in the court from now on."
Kou Ji raised his eyebrows and said, "Grandpa, what do you mean?"
Kou Zhun stared at Kou Ji and gritted his teeth and said: "When Emperor Yelu Longxu of the Liao Dynasty offered a sky-high price to buy you from the Song Dynasty, you had already become the target of public criticism. And it won't be long before I will also become the target of public criticism."
Kou Ji pondered for a moment and said in a deep voice: "Grandpa said that Mrs. Li's words today will make you fall into the spotlight."
Kou Zhun nodded, "Since Liu E has been dormant in the palace, I have been the only regent in the court. All matters in the court, big and small, must be approved by me before they will take effect.
My power has already gone straight to the government."
After a pause, Kou Zhun lowered his voice and said: "Even more powerful than the official!"
Kou Ji asked: "Grandpa is talking about the late emperor..."
Kou Zhun nodded heavily and said: "That's right... I have more power than the late emperor had when he was alive!"