Xue Shao and Princess Taiping entered the Vientiane Divine Palace and found that today's situation was really extraordinary. The emperor's heir and the king of Luling have already come, and the two generals of the Luoshui army, Dang Jinbi and Guo Dafeng, have also come, plus Xue Shao and his wife, these are today's "defendants".

Wu Zetian personally served as the presiding judge, accompanied by Prime Minister Cen Changqian and Li Zhaode, and Di Renjie, the secretary of the Criminal Department and Prime Minister Di Renjie, who was in charge of criminal law, and several important officials also came to the Imperial History Observatory, the most notable of which was the new Imperial History Zhongcheng Song Jing.

It can be said that the most important ministers in the Great Zhou Dynasty are now all present.

Li Xian, the king of Luling, who has been a frightened bird for many years, still doesn't know what happened, and his face turned white with fright when he saw that this frame looked like he was going to try the case. The imperial heir Li Dan was also a little confused and panicked, but he had just experienced a lot of wind and waves, and he was much calmer than King Luling.

Those prime ministers and ministers, all holding their breath and staring as if they were facing a great enemy. The atmosphere in the court was very tense and depressing.

"It's all here."

The public hall was very quiet, and Wu Zetian's voice was very abrupt, even a little scary.

"Weichen see Your Majesty!" All the ministers came forward to pay respects.

"It's all flat." There was almost no emotion in Wu Zetian's voice, and he only said, "According to the prior arrangement, each will be tried separately." ”

"Yes!" Di Renjie and the others all agreed to the promise, and then walked to Xue Shao, the "defendants".

Among them, Song Jing walked in front of Xue Shao and bowed his hand, "Please come with me." ”

Xue Shao didn't say much, and followed Song Jing away. Accompanied by several scribes and officials from the Imperial Historical Observatory, the two came and walked into a room in the Vientiane Shrine. The public was on guard outdoors with a knife, and Song Jing took the scribe to temporarily pull up a public case in the room, and the four treasures of the study were opened.

"Xue Gong, can you start?" Song Jing asked in a businesslike tone.

"Yes." Xue Shao was calm.

"That's good." Song Jing said, "This hall began to ask questions. From now on, every word and deed of all of us will be documented in detail. ”

"Let's get started!" Xue Shao said indifferently.

"This parish asks you, how were you doing yesterday?" This was Song Jing's first question.

Xue Shao told the truth in 1510, starting from the early morning when he entered the palace with Princess Taiping to pay New Year's greetings to the emperor, until he entered the palace again to ask to see the empress, and got the handbook from the empress and went to Lijingmen. At this time, Song Jing shouted to stop.

"Xue Gong, you have to tell this hall. Why did you ask Hou Sizhi to send your horses home and bring such words to Her Royal Highness Princess Taiping? Song Jing asked.

Xue Shao couldn't help but smile slightly, Song Jing was really careful. He replied: "Because I have a tacit understanding with Princess Taiping, she knows that I will never stay up all night on the second day of the first lunar month. ”

"Why?" Song Jing asked.

Xue Shao replied: "Because on this day, my brother and third brother will move their families, as well as Shangguan Wan'er's mother and daughter, as well as Mrs. Huayang and the demon girl, will come to my house for a reunion. This is the most important day of the year for my family to reunite, and I will stay at home with my family and friends unless I am away from war or the Emperor is sent to me. ”

"Then why did you take the initiative to go back and forth to Junchen's mansion?" Song Jing asked again.

"It is precisely because of the Divine Emperor's rebuke that I am going to find evidence." Xue Shao said, "In order to get out smoothly after getting the evidence, I specially sent that message to Princess Taiping." We have always had a tacit understanding between husband and wife, and she really sent her retainer Yang Siqiao to lead the tribe to find me, and then I successfully returned home with the evidence. ”

"What kind of evidence?" Song Jing asked.

Xue Shao replied: "Twenty-seven women, a paper house deed, a box of gold and a box of jewelry. ”

"What does this prove?" Song Jing asked.

"Those twenty-seven women are all the wives and daughters of others who came to Junchen from other ministers or noble families. Among them is a concubine of Ashina Hu Sero, who came to Junchen to fall in love with her early on, and once asked Ashina Hu Sero in person. Ashina Hu Thro did not allow it, and Lai Junchen mobilized his henchmen to sue Ashina Hu Thro for rebellion and threw him into prison. After that, Lai Junchen arrested the woman. Last night, Yang Siqiao rescued the woman from Junchen's room, and she had already been violated. Xue Shao replied, "As for the gold jewelry and the house deed, it was a bribe given to me by Lai Junchen." ”

"Did you take it?" Song Jing asked.

"Yes, I took it."

"Why do you accept it when you know it's a bribe?"

"I'm here to paralyze Junchen." Xue Shao replied: "If I hadn't accepted these bribes at that time, Lai Junchen wouldn't have given me the opportunity to meet those murdered women, and there would be no way to collect evidence." I have already agreed with Princess Taiping that I will enter the palace today and use this bribe as evidence and hand it over to the God Emperor in person. Unexpectedly, Junchen took a step ahead of me and sued me first. So there was this scene in front of me. ”

"The process and reason for accepting the bribe are just your words. The parish is not in a position to judge at this time. Song Jing said, "This hall will ask you another thing, have you enjoyed the women who came to serve you sent by Junchen?" ”

"Nope." Xue Shao smiled, "To tell you the truth, I have no interest in other people's wives and daughters. There is only one who comes to Junchen, who specializes in such tastes. ”

"But the parish heard another confession." Song Jing said, "Some people say that you and these women hid in the secret room and had fun, and the sound of beauty rang all night. ”

Xue Shao smiled, "At that time, Lai Junchen was lying on the door and peeping inside, and I asked those women to sing and dance to hide people's eyes and ears until Lai Junchen left." Throughout, I have never been skin-to-skin with any woman. Those women are all human witnesses, and Song Yushi knew it in the first instance. If Song Yushi can't even believe them, they can also call Tong Shi in the palace to come to help with the physical examination, and they have their own ways to find out whether Xue has had a good time with them. ”

"Okay." Song Jing stood up, "Just ask Xue Gong to sit here for a while and don't leave." Song is going to check! ”

"Please."

Song Jing really went. Xue Shao was secretly amused, and said in his heart that this guy was still so one-sided and unkind. The more carefully he checked, the more he could prove my innocence.

Song Jing went for a long time before coming back, and he didn't tell Xue Shao what the result of the investigation was, but said, "Xue Gong, we have to continue to ask about the case." ”

"Yes." Xue Shao was very calm.

Song Jing looked at Xue Shao deeply and asked, "Someone accused you of colluding with the King of Luling and the imperial heir, intending to launch the Luoshui army to rebel. What do you have to say? ”

"Ridiculous." Xue Shao said, "I personally brought King Luling back to the capital, but since I handed him over to the palace, I have only seen him once at yesterday's palace royal banquet. Yesterday, there were also the Divine Emperor and Liang Wang Wu Sansi and others present in person, could it be that I could still conspire against King Luling in front of them? ”

Song Jing didn't interject, but quickly recounted Xue Shao's words with notes.

Xue Shao continued: "As for the imperial heir, except for a while in the palace yesterday, the last time I saw him was when he was thrown into Lijingmen Prison. At that time, the Divine Emperor, Li Zhaode and others were also present, could I still have a secret discussion with him? ”

"The two commanders of the Luoshui army, Dang Jinbi and Guo Dafeng, have never seen them privately since I returned from the western expedition to Tibet. The only two meetings were at the court meeting of the Shuowang Dynasty, and they met in a hurry. Xue Shao said, "The above four people, as long as there is any evidence that Xue has met with him in private and secretly talked about confidential information, I am willing to admit my crime." Otherwise, it's slander and false accusation! ”

Song Jing nodded and motioned for himself to write it all down, and then asked, "Does Xue Gong have anything else to add?" ”

"Yes." Xue Shao said, "I suggest that the judicial department of the imperial court interrogate the twenty-seven women I brought out from the Junchen Mansion in detail. Almost every one of them has an unjust case behind them. It was the unjust case of Lai Junchen framing the minister of the dynasty and forcibly taking other people's wives and daughters. ”

"The parish will handle it impartially." Song Jing just said, "If Xue Gong has nothing else to add, today's interrogation will be over for the time being." I also ask Xue Gong to wait here for a while, while the hall will report his resignation to His Majesty the Divine Emperor. ”

"Song Yushi, just please."

So Xue Shao began to wait again.

This time he waited for a long time, Xue Shaodu had eaten two meals in the room, and he was really bored, so he asked a scribe in the room to play a few games with him. He was tired of playing the game, so he simply lay down and fell asleep.

slept directly into the night, and Xue Shao was woken up by Song Jing.

"Gong Xue, Your Majesty has announced your Hajj."

"Okay." Xue Shao got up, opened his big mouth and raised his arms to stretch a big lazy waist, and then asked for water to wash his face.

Song Jing laughed on the sidelines.

"What are you laughing at?" Xue Shao asked.

Song Jing said: "In such a predicament, Xue Gong can still sleep calmly, it is really magnificent. ”

"Stop being a sycophant." Xue Shao smiled indifferently, "I had a dinner at home last night and slept late. I'm really sleepy. ”

Song Jing smiled disapprovingly, said no more, and after Xue Shao washed up, he led him to the empress's imperial study.

It was similar to the scene this morning, Princess Taiping, King Luling, and the imperial heir were all present.

Wu Zetian sat on the main seat and held a large stack of copywriting materials in his hand, still expressionless. After seeing Xue Shao come in, she opened her mouth and said: "Everyone present today invited me to interrogate in detail, all because I ruled the country by law in the Great Zhou. Since someone has made a denunciation, the court must file a case for investigation and detailed interrogation. Now, after a full day of interrogation, everyone has already given their own confessions. After consulting with the Prime Minister, the Criminal Department, and the important ministers of the Imperial Historical Tower, I unanimously decided to ......"

All the people listened with bated breath.

Wu Zetian deliberately paused, and then observed the expressions of everyone present.

Li Xian, the king of Luling, looked at the empress with wide eyes, and after meeting the empress's gaze, he hurriedly lowered his head and stared at his toes. The imperial heir, Li Dan, frowned lightly and his face was stunned, as if he was a little numb. Princess Taiping gritted her teeth and frowned with an angry face, as if someone had snatched her beloved toy when she was a child.

Dang Jinbi and Guo Dafeng stood side by side in a standard military posture, looking at their noses and noses, looking at their hearts, and their eyes were not squinting, neither humble nor overbearing.

Xue Shao, with an expressionless face and clear eyes, stood straight and motionless like a pine.

"Judgment-" Wu Zetian raised his voice a little, "This is a foul accusation!" ”

"Your Majesty Shengming!" And they all sang the promise together.

Li Xian knelt on the ground, or it was more appropriate to be paralyzed. His ass was raised high, his forehead was already on the ground, and he shouted, "Long live my emperor, long live, long live!" ”

Since the king of Luling has taken the lead, the others have no choice but to kneel down together as concocted, and the mountain shouts long live.

"Zhongqing, flat." Wu Zetian's tone was still calm, and he only said, "The law has its own justice, and justice is in the hearts of the people." The ministers have been wronged and defiled, and the laws of me and the Great Zhou naturally have to give you justice. ”

"Your Majesty!" Song Jing stood up and said loudly: "What about the justice of the twenty-seven wronged women and their husbands' families? ”

"As I have said, the law is just, and justice is in the hearts of the people." Wu Zetian's expression was very serious, and he said almost word by word, "Order, the imperial court will immediately file a case to investigate and try the case of Lai Junchen's slander against others and corruption and perversion of the law." It was led by Di Renjie, the Shangshu of the Criminal Department, and assisted by Song Jing in the Imperial History and Yi Li Siba, the general of the Right Qianniu Guard. We must work together to find out about this case as soon as possible, and the truth will be revealed! ”