Wu Zetian raised her hand to stop him and said indifferently, "The princess of the Imperial Family barged into the Justice Department and interfered with the investigation. This is too improper. You go, don't let her make trouble again!"
Lai Junchen was startled and hurriedly raised his head to look at Wu Zetian. He saw that the haze on her face had disappeared in an instant. At this moment, there was no anger on her face. It was impossible to tell whether she was happy or angry. He couldn't help but be stunned for a moment before agreeing, "Yes! This subject … obeys! "
Lai Junchen got up and hurried to the court. He acted as if he had just heard the news and rushed over. He said that he didn't personally handle the case and didn't know the details. He also promised that he would personally review the case of Yang Fan to give an explanation to the princess. After a lot of persuasion, he finally made Princess Taiping give in.
Princess Taiping also understood that even if she overturned the case, it was impossible to take Yang Fan away immediately. Since Yang Fan was carrying the crime of 'rebellion', it could only be pardoned by the Emperor. Now that her goal had been achieved, she naturally didn't want to tangle with Lai Junchen anymore.
Lai Junchen sent Princess Taiping to the entrance of the main hall. He didn't even bother to send her out of the main door and hurriedly ran back to the back hall. When Lai Junchen arrived at the back hall, he was instantly dumbfounded. The chairs were empty. Wu Zetian, Shangguan Wan'er, Wu Youyi and the others were long gone.
Lai Junchen stood there with a gloomy expression on his face. He didn't say anything for a long time.
Lai Zixun chased after him and said in annoyance and embarrassment, "Deputy Minister, this is really strange. Why did Princess Taiping suddenly come here? How could this Yang Fan get her to come out? She is also very daring. Isn't she afraid that she would attract suspicion? Even Xue Huaiyi couldn't do anything. Does she think that she is amazing just because she is a princess? "
Lai Junchen slowly spat out a mouthful of turbid air. He lowered his sleeves and said in a low voice, "Zixun, things are not good …"
Lai Zixun was shocked and asked, "Deputy Minister, why do you say this?"
Lai Junchen didn't say anything. He slowly walked to the seat and sat down. He said to Lai Zijin, "You, sit down!"
Lai Zixun couldn't help but feel anxious when she saw his expression. She hurriedly walked to the front of the seat and sat down. She stared at Lai Junchen anxiously and asked, "Lieutenant Minister, what happened exactly?"
Lai Junchen leaned against the back of the chair and closed his eyes to meditate for some time. Only then did he open his eyes lightly and said to Lai Zijin, "Zixun, you and I were originally two ruffians in Chang 'an City. Later on, it was also by chance that I was recognized by His Majesty. Only then did I have the glory I have today. After that, I transferred you to the capital and gave you a bright future … "
Lai Zixun hurriedly stood up and said, "Yes! My future and riches are all bestowed to me by elder brother. Zixun has always engraved it in my heart. In this lifetime, Zixun will follow Elder Brother. For Elder Brother, Zixun is willing to sacrifice my life for him! "
Lai Junchen laughed and said, "Haha … we're all brothers, you're treating me like an outsider. There's no need to sacrifice your life for me. However, you'll have to suffer some grievances for now. "
Lai Zixun blinked his eyes and said blankly, "Suffer … suffer what grievances?"
Lai Junchen stood up and slowly walked to Lai Zixun's side. He placed his hands on Lai Zixun's shoulders and faced him. He stared into Lai Zixun's eyes and said in a deep voice, "Now, we can either die together, or we can't even return to Chang 'an City to be ruffians. Or you can bear everything first and suffer some hardships. When everything is calm, I'll save you. What do you think? "
Lai Zixun's expression instantly changed. He stammered, "Cousin, what … what exactly happened?"
…
Summer was about to end, but the autumn tiger was still very strong. This was especially so after being exposed to the sun for too long.
Lai Junchen knelt on the ground without his hat, groveling under the stone steps of the Martial Achievement Hall. The sun shone on his body and his forehead was dripping with sweat. Lai Zixun knelt beside him and was tied up. Perhaps the ropes were too tight, and after being exposed to the sun, his face was red to the point of turning purple.
Some palace servants who were going in and out passed by them. The two of them didn't even raise their heads and only knelt with their foreheads touching the ground. The ground below their foreheads was already wet.
Inside the palace, Wu Zetian finished processing the memorials that Shanghai Wan 'er had filtered out and then drank a bowl of iced fermented rice. At this time, Wan-er took a memorial that had been left beside her for a long time and said softly, "Everyone, this is Lai Junchen's memorial to ask for forgiveness."
Wu Zetian lay on her side on the spacious bed and closed her eyes slightly. She said, "Read it!"
Shanghai Wan 'er read Lai Junchen's memorial to her. The content of Lai Junchen's memorial was very simple. It said that after he personally tried it, it was proven that Yang Fan was indeed the victim of Zhu Bin's revenge. As for Lai Zixun, he was greedy and didn't distinguish the truth from the falsehood. Now he was tied up under the stone steps and respectfully awaited the Emperor's judgment. And he himself, of course, was also here to ask for forgiveness.
Shanghai Wan 'er hated Lai Junchen to the bone. She couldn't wait for him to kneel on the stone steps and suffer more. But the moment this memorial was sent to the Emperor, Yang Fan would have to be locked up in prison for a while longer. Although this matter had been caused by Princess Taiping and the Emperor already knew what was going on, Shanghai Wan' er still wasn't sure how to deal with it.
After all, there was a precedent of Princess Taiping's husband being imprisoned in prison and starving to death even though he didn't participate in the rebellion. Although that was before the Emperor ascended the throne and she wanted to kill one to warn the others, the Emperor's thoughts were constantly changing recently. Even Shanghai Wan 'er, who had been by her side for many years, couldn't understand her thoughts.
Shanghai Wan 'er finished reading the memorial and saw Wu Zetian lying on her side on the bed. Under her white hair, her face was old and her face was calm like water. It was as if she had already fallen asleep. She couldn't help but call softly, "Everyone?"
Wu Zetian let out a long sigh and ordered, "Send Lai Zixun … to Aizhou!"
"It's settled!"
When Shanghai Wan 'er heard that Wu Zetian had sent Lai Zixun away, she knew that this case had been turned over. She couldn't help but be overjoyed. Only one out of a hundred could survive after entering the Senate. And the one out of a hundred who survived had always been banished to the army. No one had ever walked out safely. Yang Fan was the first person to be acquitted since the establishment of the Senate!
Shanghai Wan 'er hurriedly suppressed the excitement in her heart and agreed softly.
She didn't leave. The Emperor must have other orders.
As expected, Wu Zetian was silent for a moment and continued, "Yang Fan is released from prison. Let him go home to rest for a few days. As for the arrangements … let's talk about it later."
Shanghai Wan 'er hurriedly agreed again. Right now, as long as her husband was released from prison safely, even if he didn't become an official and only became a rich man, she would still be happy. No matter what, Yang Fan was imprisoned because of the crime of 'rebellion'. This was a thorn in his heart. It was also a thorn in the Emperor's heart. It was impractical to immediately summon him back to the Emperor's side and continue to be a trusted general in charge of the Emperor's safety.
After Shanghai Wan 'er agreed, she still stood there and continued to wait. But after waiting for a long time, Wu Zetian didn't give any further instructions. Shanghai Wan' er was a little surprised, but she didn't dare to ask. She could only bow and slowly walked out of the hall.
Lai Junchen and Lai Zixun were kneeling in front of the hall. They were about to faint from being roasted. Shanghai Wan 'er slowly walked to them and stood still. Lai Junchen first smelled a faint fragrance of extremely high quality. After that, he saw a corner of a robe. The robe was of a man's style, revealing a pair of exquisite little boots that exuded a sense of delicacy.
He immediately lowered his head even more and heard Shanghai Wan 'er saying, "The Emperor has a decree. Lai Zixun is to be banished to Aizhou. Yang Fan is to be released from prison! "
Lai Junchen hurriedly nodded and said, "This subject obeys the decree!"
Lai Zixun was originally hot and thirsty, and he was extremely exhausted. After hearing this, his vision turned dark and he almost fainted.
The Emperor banished officials to different places. There was a lot of knowledge in how far and where they were banished to. Experienced officials could even analyze the Emperor's attitude towards the officials from the place where they were banished.
The Emperor wanted to temporarily transfer him out of the circle of troubles and wait for things to calm down before using him again. Or, he wanted to give him a small punishment and let him suffer some hardship in the place to reflect on his mistakes. Or, he wanted to remove him from office and see if he could come back again. Or … he wanted to announce the death of his political life.
Aizhou!
Aizhou!
His life was finished! It was hard to say whether he could live or not.
Aizhou belonged to the Annan Protectorate, and its location was Thanh Hóa, Vietnam in the future. At that time, most of the Lingnan region was an undeveloped land where miasma and plague ran rampant, not to mention Aizhou. Being sent to Lingnan was already a narrow escape. Being sent to the faraway Aizhou was practically a death sentence.
Lai Junchen listened on the ground. After waiting for a long time, he still didn't hear Shanghai Wan 'er say anything. He raised his head slightly and stole a glance. There was no one in front of him. He didn't know when, but Shanghai Wan' er had actually returned to the hall.
Lai Junchen was at a loss. Finished? That was it?
He originally thought that Wu Zetian would at least give him some punishment, but … there was no follow-up. He wasn't afraid of the Emperor's punishment. Rather, he was afraid that the Emperor wouldn't have any attitude towards him. All the plans and excuses he had made were now useless. More importantly, it was impossible for the Emperor to not pursue the matter. What should he do?
Lai Junchen knelt there, at a loss of what to do.
At this time, Lai Zixun said in a sobbing tone, "Deputy Minister, Zixun …"
Lai Junchen stopped him with a stern gaze. Lai Junchen fell silent for a moment and kowtowed. "This subject accepts the decree. Thanks for the grace!"
Lai Junchen climbed up from the ground and helped Lai Zixun, who was tied up and had difficulty standing up. He slowly walked a few steps away, still feeling uneasy in his heart. After pondering for a while, he walked back to the side of the hall. After a moment of hesitation, he smiled and said to Little Hai who was standing at the door, "Eunuch Hai …"
Little Hai jumped in fright and hurriedly said, "Aiyo, this servant doesn't deserve to be addressed as Deputy Minister. Deputy Minister, if there's anything, just tell me. "
Lai Junchen smiled and said, "It's like this. A few days ago, the Emperor issued an oral order for the Imperial Censorate to execute a group of criminals. Now that there's no official decree or official document, this subject would like to ask the Emperor's instructions to … make preparations. "
Little Hai politely said, "Then … Deputy Minister, please wait a moment. Allow this servant to go and inform the Emperor."
Lai Junchen hurriedly bowed. "Thank you, Eunuch Hai!"
After a short period of time, Little Hai walked out again. Lai Junchen hurriedly asked, "Eunuch Hai, what instructions does His Majesty have?"
Little Hai said with difficulty, "Deputy Minister, everyone is asleep. This servant doesn't dare to disturb them. Do you think we should …"
Lai Junchen was startled. He seemed to have lost something as he said, "Alright! Many thanks, Eunuch Hai! "
Lai Junchen's footsteps were heavy. After walking for a long distance, he still turned back to look at the palace gate, hoping that the Emperor would send someone to chase after him. No matter what the Emperor's decree was, even if it was to order him to release all the imprisoned officials, there would at least be a conclusion. Such an unfathomable heavenly will caused him to feel terrified and uneasy …
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