novelkee Chapter 483 Poison
Chapter 483 Poison
The magistrate's words immediately caused a sensation.
Li Leshan suddenly stood up.
He wanted to shut the magistrate up, but it was too late.
After all, from the moment the magistrate revealed the truth about the wise king, the matter could not be resolved peacefully without giving the people a reasonable explanation.
His attempt to silence the magistrate at this critical juncture will only escalate the situation further.
Meanwhile, the people at the execution ground were also talking amongst themselves.
"We're suffering from famine here, and the wise prince couldn't bear to see the people go hungry. He emptied his own coffers and donated over ten thousand taels of silver to us. How could such a kind and benevolent person collude with these corrupt officials to bully us common people?"
"That's absolutely right. Let's put aside the wise prince for now and just talk about His Majesty. He is a wise and benevolent ruler who cares deeply for his people. He said before that no matter if they are members of the royal family, relatives of the empress, or ministers, as long as they violate the laws of Northern Qi, they will all be severely punished. There will be absolutely no leniency because of their status. How could such a diligent and benevolent emperor protect the wise prince who has broken the law?"
"Yes, it must be that corrupt official who is afraid of death and deliberately framed our wise king."
"Quickly cut off his head, stop him from spouting nonsense and deceiving us."
"Kill him, kill him!"
The prefect was alarmed: "The Prince Xian is Feng Zhihuan's cousin. If it weren't for the Prince Xian protecting him, how would he have dared to encroach on your ancestral land, forcibly seize your daughters, and embezzle the relief grain and silver?"
"He even inflated grain prices, making it unaffordable for you to buy grain. You could only keep selling your land to him and doing his work for free in exchange for a steamed bun."
"Hahaha, the Prince Xian embezzled over ten thousand taels of silver, but only returned ten thousand taels to you, and you are still grateful to him."
The people were shocked that the wise prince had embezzled over 100,000 taels of silver from them.
The 10,000 taels of silver donated to them was less than 10% of the silver they had embezzled.
From the crowd, a scholar dressed in a blue robe bowed and said, "Your Highness, please review this case again. If Prince Xian did not protect Feng Zhihuan, then we can clear Prince Xian's name. If the magistrate's statement is true, please seek justice for the people."
After saying this, the scholar lifted his robe and knelt down.
The people knelt down one after another: "Please, Your Highness, investigate the case again."
Li Leshan clenched his fists; what he feared most was likely to happen.
He looked at the vast crowd kneeling on the ground, then turned to Zhao Yi beside him: "Your Highness..."
Zhao Yi turned to look at him: "Lord Li, in your opinion, how should this case be resolved?"
Li Leshan didn't know how to solve the problem either.
This is a very tricky matter.
An investigation revealed that the matter of the virtuous king could not be concealed.
If no investigation is conducted, the matter has already escalated to this point, and public opinion cannot be suppressed.
Li Leshan asked, "Do you have a solution?"
“Yes.” Zhao Yi said solemnly, “It’s not a foolproof plan, but it will minimize the impact.”
"Your Highness upholds the dignity and authority of the royal family domestically and prioritizes the people's welfare externally, never harboring any selfish motives." Li Leshan looked at the agitated crowd and said through gritted teeth, "This humble official believes in you."
Zhao Yi stood up.
The crowd fell silent instantly.
"There's more to the story of the collusion between Prince Xian and Feng Zhihuan than meets the eye," Zhao Yi explained, glancing around at everyone. "Even when the Lin family, Prince Xian's maternal relatives, committed crimes, Prince Xian didn't protect them. Why would he protect a distant relative like the Feng family?"
"It was just Feng Zhihuan who used his status as a relative of the Prince Xian to win over important officials in the court for protection and to coerce local officials to work for him."
"His Majesty has always been impartial in establishing laws and regulations and governing the people. After investigating Feng Zhihuan's case, he immediately issued an edict to arrest important officials such as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice and the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, confiscating their property and beheading them. Local officials were also punished without exception."
"Even if the wise prince was kept in the dark and his identity was exploited by those with ulterior motives, His Majesty punished him for negligence, confined him to his quarters, and stripped him of the real power he held."
Li Leshan was stunned. Could the Prince Xian be exonerated in this way?
The common people looked at each other, unsure whether to believe Zhao Yi.
At this moment, the leading scholar said, "We may not know the wise king, and we may not believe him, but we believe in you. Everything you have done in Yongqing County has been for the benefit of our people."
"Yes, yes, we believe you too. After all, ruining the reputation of the Wise Prince would be very beneficial to you. You really don't need to cover for the Wise Prince."
However, a small number of people still remain skeptical.
Before they could raise any questions, Zhao Yi spoke up again: "This matter is of great importance. I'm afraid my few words alone will not convince everyone here. I will imprison the magistrate and thoroughly investigate this case again tomorrow."
This approach appeased the people.
Zhao Yi said to Li Leshan, "Lord Li, it will be difficult to convince the public if the prefect is not re-examined. He shall be detained by your men, and you shall personally preside over the trial tomorrow."
Li Leshan frowned.
Zhao Yi's words conveyed the same message: he did not want to get involved in the case of the Prince Xian.
Li Leshan understood Zhao Yi's desire to avoid suspicion and agreed: "This subordinate obeys."
He ordered his attendants to take the magistrate away.
After all the executions were completed, Zhao Yi looked at the disheveled Li Leshan and arranged his whereabouts.
"Lord Li, you will be staying at the Prefect's residence for the next few days."
"Your Highness, I have to preside over the trial of the magistrate tomorrow, and there are still many things I don't understand about this case. I have a favor to ask: could you stay overnight at the prefect's residence tonight and answer my questions?"
Li Leshan was wary of Zhao Yi's underhanded tactics and planned to keep him under his watchful eye.
"Okay." Zhao Yi did not refuse.
Li Leshan looked at Jiang Chao and Jiang Mu, who were following behind Zhao Yi.
How could Zhao Yi not understand Li Leshan's thoughts?
Before Li Leshan could ask for anyone, he took the initiative to say, "Jiang Chao and Jiang Mu, you two stay here too and help Lord Li prepare the dossier."
Jiang Chao and Jiang Mu agreed.
Li Leshan realized that his little scheme had been seen through, and scratched his philtrum somewhat awkwardly: "Thank you for your trouble, Your Highness."
*
The group returned to the prefectural governor's residence.
Li Leshan first went to the side room that Zhao Yi had prepared for him to wash up.
He used a whistling arrow to lure the Northern Qi emperor's secret guards, and succinctly told them what had happened at the execution ground: "You are to secretly transfer the magistrate, and take turns guarding him tonight, and do not let anyone have contact with him."
The guards accepted the order and prepared to leave.
"Wait a minute," Li Leshan said in a deep voice, "Also, arrange for someone to keep a close eye on the plum garden."
"Yes." The guard left.
After Li Leshan finished his bath, he changed into the clothes prepared by Zhao Yi, ate the food brought by the maid, and then went to the storeroom.
This is a place where the government specifically stores all kinds of files and documents.
When he arrived, Zhao Yi, Jiang Chao, and Jiang Mu had already prepared the dossier.
Two tall stacks were piled on the table.
Zhao Yi said, "All the files related to Feng Zhihuan are here. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me."
Li Leshan bowed and casually picked up a file to look it up.
By the time he finished reading all the files, it was already late at night.
Li Leshan pinched the bridge of his nose and patted his neck to ease his discomfort before looking at Zhao Yi, who was sitting by the window reading a book: "Your Highness, I've thought of a way to exonerate the Prince Xian..."
"Knock Knock-"
A knock came at the door, and an urgent voice came from outside: "Lord Li, the magistrate has been poisoned."