freenovelworld Chapter 454: Hypocrisy
Chapter 454: Hypocrisy
Wang Xi's voice was not loud, but he did not deliberately avoid people, so the people in the row of court officials in front of him all heard roughly what he said.
Emperor Qianwu frowned and asked, "Commit suicide?"
Wang Xi bent his waist even lower: "Yes, on the big tree facing the Xihua Gate!"
Xiao Tingshan was sitting at the back and could not hear what was happening until the court officials standing in front of him started to discuss it.
"This is outrageous! Where did this unruly person come from? How dare he cause trouble in the palace!"
"What's wrong with the guards at Xihua Gate? How could they allow such a thing to happen?"
“Although this behavior is unacceptable, if it were an ordinary citizen, there would be grievances.”
"Yes, if there was no great injustice, why would he be hanged in front of the palace gate in this way? Could it be that he didn't consider his descendants?"
"..."
Emperor Qianwu's face was sullen, and he glanced at Wang Xi: "Speak in detail."
"Yes, the guard at Xihua Gate just reported that a couple in their forties were hanged on the big tree diagonally opposite Xihua Gate."
Xihuamen is located on the street that is considered the busiest street adjacent to the imperial palace, and many people pass by here on ordinary days.
Therefore, this hanging can be said to have attracted a lot of people to watch.
"In addition to this, the two of them... also left a line of words on the ground in blood." Wang Xi said carefully.
"Just say [Heaven is unfair, Song Tingshan is hypocritical and cruel, and killed my son. I beg Your Majesty to give me and my wife justice! I am willing to die to atone for my sins!]"
As soon as these words were spoken, Emperor Qianwu was furious. His eagle-like sharp eyes looked straight down the jade steps and landed accurately on Xiao Tingshan.
Wang Xi glanced at Xiao Tingshan in the audience and stepped aside.
"Your Majesty, this couple would rather die. I think they must have suffered a great injustice!"
"Lord Han, be careful with your words. Maybe someone knows your majesty's intention today and wants to fight with Lord Song."
"Humph, Lord Wu, are you willing to throw away your life for a seventh-rank official position?"
"It is also possible that your Majesty's actions have affected the interests of certain people, so someone is deliberately trying to sabotage it!"
"We are just two poor people with nowhere to go. Why are you trying to beat around the bush?"
For a moment, the court officials were divided into two factions and started a fierce debate.
Some people sincerely seek justice for the people, while others seek selfish gain, and even more seek partisanship.
But no matter which one it was, the hanging of two civilians in front of Xihua Gate was tantamount to a provocation to the imperial power.
Of course, it also means hatred towards Xiao Tingshan.
There was a hint of gloom in Xiao Heyu's eyes. It was obvious that he had not expected such a change to occur.
"Bring up the body." Emperor Qianwu said in a cold voice.
Soon, several guards appeared in the hall carrying a couple who were dressed simply and neatly.
The two men had their eyes and brows closed, obviously dead.
If you look closely, you can see deep marks on the two men's necks.
"Your Majesty, a letter was found on the two men." The guard handed the letter to Emperor Qianwu.
After reading it, Emperor Qianwu said in a deep voice: "Xiao Tingshan, do you know these two people?"
Xiao Tingshan took a few steps forward, his eyes fell on the two neatly arranged corpses, and his heart was stirred.
These two people are not strangers, but Huang Ying's parents...
When his plan was exposed and he failed to win over Shen Shuyi, these two people questioned him heartbreakingly.
But he never took these two people seriously. They were powerless and penniless. Even if they wanted to sue him, there was no way they could win the case. It was like an ant trying to shake a tree.
But he never expected that these two people would commit suicide in front of the palace gate in such a way at such a critical moment.
Xiao Tingshan pondered for a moment and responded, "Your Majesty, I do know these two people."
"Oh? Tell me!"
"I was born with poison in my womb, so I am weak. I have been looking for famous doctors, hoping to seek help from Mr. Liancheng, the ghost doctor. As everyone knows, Mr. Liancheng once lost a daughter, so I have been looking for this girl. Later, I found the daughter of these two in a village..."
"Because she looks a lot like Mr. Liancheng's daughter, I asked the couple about her. Unexpectedly, when they saw that I was dressed in noble clothes, they deliberately deceived me and used their daughter to pretend that she was Mr. Liancheng's daughter..."
Xiao Tingshan spoke without any guilt, which made Zhao Baokun and Zhao Baopeng, who knew the inside story, very angry.
Fortunately, Zhao Baokun always smiles when others see him, and he kept his head down, so others couldn't notice anything.
Zhao Baopeng had a wooden expression on his face, and his slightly dark complexion gave no hint of anything.
In the end, Xiao Tingshan spoke eloquently, turning black into white. Not only did he clear himself of all blame, but he also portrayed Huang Ying's parents as people who were greedy for money and sold their daughter for fame.
The court officials frowned as they listened, unable to tell the truth from the falsehood.
Although Xiao Tingshan seemed calm, his heart was beating fast. After all, he didn't know what was written in the letter in Emperor Qianwu's hand...
But no matter what it is, it will definitely be different from what he said.
Emperor Qianwu listened to the discussions of his ministers, his eyes fixed on the two corpses, his mind unfathomable.
"So, it was these two villains who framed you?" Emperor Qianwu said in a cold voice.
Xiao Tingshan knelt in the hall: "I was indeed deceived by these two people before. I brought their daughter to the capital and even wanted to meet Mr. Liancheng. I didn't expect that due to some mistakes, this girl was implicated by me and died in the capital..."
"These two have repeatedly come to my house to ask for money and property. I have already paid them a thousand taels, but they were greedy and continued to argue with my servants. They were thrown out. I didn't expect...these two held a grudge against me..."
Xiao Tingshan spoke sincerely, and his gentle face still showed a clear and calm look.
Emperor Qianwu's face was cold and hard, and he sneered: "What Minister Song said is completely different from what is in this letter!"
Xiao Tingshan's heart trembled, but his expression remained calm. He said slowly, "Your Majesty, these two people are illiterate. If they were not instigated by someone, how could this letter come from their hands?"
Emperor Qianwu said coldly, "You are right. This letter was indeed written by these two people. The whole story is explained in great detail! Not only that, there are also handprints of countless villagers in Moxi Village on this letter!"
"I know I am guilty. Even if I have not murdered the daughters of these two men, the incident was caused by me. I cannot shirk my responsibility and am willing to be punished. However, I have never murdered this person's life. I ask Your Majesty to clear my name." Xiao Tingshan knelt in the hall, retreating to advance, and did not make any more excuses.
Emperor Qianwu looked solemnly and examined him deeply.
After a while, Emperor Qianwu said in a deep voice: "Xie Jingchi, I order you to give me an answer within five days!"
Xie Jingchi raised his eyes slightly and replied, "I obey your order."
"Song Tingshan's appointment will be put on hold for now. We will make further arrangements once this matter is fully clarified."
Xiao Tingshan's heart sank and he clenched his fists, feeling unwilling. However, no matter how unwilling he was, he could not change Emperor Qianwu's decision.
Seeing this, Wang Taifu hesitated for a moment, stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, today I came across an article titled "On Water Control". This article is meaningful, has novel viewpoints, and is unconventional. Your Majesty might want to take a look at it."