NFBE Chapter 433 Forcing Him to Rebel
Chapter 433 Forcing Him to Rebel
Shen spoke each word calmly, but her tone was full of sarcasm and contempt, making the Li family steward feel as if he were being scolded to his nose, his face burning as if he had been slapped hard several times.
In fact, after Shen finished speaking, the surrounding people all spoke up for her.
The crowd erupted in uproar, with everyone expressing strong dissatisfaction and condemnation of the Li family's actions.
The steward of the Li family was berated mercilessly, and when he tried to leave, he was surrounded by the crowd.
The angry crowd was agitated, and some even started throwing vegetable leaves at the steward.
“I recognize this person. It seems he was the one who came to the Yun family to propose marriage last time. He said it was a proposal, but every word he said was a threat. Poor Yun family girl, she almost married into such a family.”
"Bah! What kind of noble and prestigious family has it? Who knows what kind of black-hearted monsters and demons live there!"
The steward of the Li family was pelted with rotten vegetable leaves and spittle, looking utterly disheveled. He had to beg for mercy before finally escaping back to the Li residence.
When Li Zhuoyue saw the butler's appearance, her face turned pale and then red.
He's not stupid; at this point, he would realize that he's been tricked by the Shen mother and daughter!
Both King Qi and Li Zhuoyue were seething with anger.
But the two of them couldn't care less about that at the moment, because Yun Shang was moving too fast. For three consecutive days, new evidence was presented to the emperor every day.
The earliest incident was clearly more than a decade ago, yet Yun Shang, through some unknown supernatural power, managed to find the orphans of the victims from that time, and together with those who had been directly or indirectly persecuted by Li Chongyi over the years, they filed a petition with the emperor outside the capital.
These people appeared suddenly at the gate of the imperial city; there were more than two hundred of them.
It wouldn't be accurate to say it happened suddenly. These people were probably sent to Shengjing by Yunshang in advance and hidden in secret. Before dawn today, these people gathered outside the imperial city from all directions of Shengjing.
Today happens to be the day of the grand court assembly, and the court officials who came to the palace to attend court are stuck outside the imperial city, unable to move forward or backward.
More than two hundred people, their faces filled with grief, knelt in unison outside the imperial city, their cries shaking the heavens.
They held up blood-written letters accusing Li Chongyi of numerous evil deeds, from disregarding human life to embezzlement and bribery, from allowing his relatives to forcibly abduct women to wantonly seizing farmland—each and every one of these crimes was written in blood.
The court officials looked at each other in bewilderment, not daring to even leave their carriages, for fear of incurring the wrath of these people and being torn to pieces.
Emperor Wenjing only got up when he received the news. Upon hearing the news, he immediately ordered the eunuchs to help him dress properly and rushed to the palace gate in a great hurry.
He ascended the palace gate, looking down at the chaotic crowd. After a moment of silence, he was suddenly overcome with grief and cried out in anguish, "It is my incompetence that I could not protect you!"
This cry, filled with sorrow and remorse, struck like a heavy hammer, instantly silencing the noisy crowd.
"The Li family assisted me in ascending the throne and has devoted themselves to the country for many years. I trusted them implicitly, but I never expected that they would do such abusive things to the people behind my back! I was deceived by treacherous officials, and it is truly my fault!"
"I was deceived by treacherous officials; it is my fault!"
With tears welling up in his eyes, Emperor Wenjing looked at the crowd below and said loudly, "Rest assured, everyone. I now know that Li Chongyi is a treacherous villain, and I will never allow him to harm my people again."
"By imperial decree, Right Chancellor Li Chongyi has controlled the government for many years, forming cliques for personal gain, embezzling public funds, and harming the people. His crimes are unforgivable."
"Immediately strip him of all official positions and titles, confiscate his property, and execute him to uphold the law and restore justice to the people!"
"By imperial decree, the criminal Li Chongyi shall be immediately escorted to the Meridian Gate and beheaded at noon!"
Emperor Wenjing's voice echoed throughout the imperial city, resounding with authority.
Upon hearing this, the people kneeling on the ground were first stunned, then burst into a deafening cheer, with cries and cheers mingling together, soaring into the sky.
Some elderly people were so moved that tears streamed down their faces as they kowtowed repeatedly in the direction of the palace, murmuring, "Your Majesty is wise! Your Majesty is wise!"
The courtiers were all stunned.
So, this is the order to punish Li Chongyi?
Officials who were not involved with Li Chongyi were quite surprised that Emperor Wenjing acted so swiftly this time.
However, they did not think that Emperor Wenjing had done anything wrong. The way to deal with Li Chongyi was to cut him off quickly and not give the Right Party any chance to escape.
Meanwhile, the officials in the court who were secretly colluding with Li Chongyi, and those belonging to the right faction, were terrified, their faces ashen and their legs trembling.
They all secretly sent people away to deliver messages to the Prince of Qi's residence.
King Qi did not attend court today.
He caught a cold a couple of days ago, and due to excessive worry, his condition became quite serious. The imperial physician instructed him to rest in bed and avoid thinking too much.
But how could the King of Qi not think about it?
Yun Shang had a mountain of evidence against him, and members of powerful families came to his door every day, pressuring him to make a decision as if they were collecting debts.
King Qi did indeed covet the throne, but he couldn't bear the thought of someone actually committing patricide and seizing power.
He felt guilty, but what he was more worried about was that if he really did such a treasonous thing, even if the uprising succeeded, he would still be considered to have been illegitimate in his position.
Moreover, this weakness will be held by powerful families, and his future situation will not be much better than that of his father, the emperor.
Therefore, the King of Qi remained hesitant.
However, the powerful families did not care at all whether the King of Qi would be criticized by the world for murdering his father and seizing the throne. They only wanted to replace him with an emperor who would obey their wishes.
If the Prince of Qi continues to hesitate, they would not mind supporting another prince.
This is the King of Qi's last chance.
Li Zhuoyue has been helping Prince Qi handle various trivial matters at the Prince's residence these past few days.
He was the first to learn that the emperor had ordered Li Chongyi to be beheaded at noon today, which meant there were less than three hours left.
One after another, members of powerful families came to urge him on, and Li Zhuoyue realized that this was the last chance for the Prince of Qi.
He disregarded the fact that King Qi was still lying on his sickbed and reported the matter to him.
"Your Highness, the Emperor has issued an edict to dismiss Li Chongyi from his post, confiscate his property, and behead him at noon in front of the Meridian Gate!"
King Qi, who was already having a restless sleep, suddenly sat up in bed upon hearing this, his face turning deathly pale.
Her already frail body was now even more unsteady: "How could it be so fast?"
Li Zhuoyue's expression was solemn. "Yun Shang somehow found the people who have been persecuted by Li Chongyi over the years. This morning, they surrounded the imperial city and cried out for justice. The officials who were going to court were surrounded and could not move forward or backward. When the emperor learned of this, he announced in public that Li Chongyi would be beheaded and his head displayed to the public."
"Yun Shang!" King Qi gritted his teeth, his bloodshot eyes filled with malice. "I should have killed him long ago!"
"The moment we learned of his existence, we should have eliminated him at all costs!"
King Qi roared in anger, but it was too late for him to regret it now.
Li Zhuoyue looked at Prince Qi with worry, "Your Highness, the powerful families are forcing you to make a choice, what... will you do?"