0p0 Chapter 261: Severe Punishment
Chapter 261: Severe Punishment
She was magnanimous enough to reluctantly let the Empress hold a grudge against her for what had happened to her before.
Perhaps because she had resolved a matter on her mind, Lin Rusi's mood improved, and she hummed softly.
Sure enough, the next morning, Li Jingyang went to court.
He took out the envelope, and all the ministers saw it. Upon seeing these things, the emperor's heart sank even further.
He was well aware of the collusion among officials in the court, and he also knew that there were always things he couldn't see or control.
Moreover, the people in the city were already furious about Yuan Shao's actions, and the emperor had known about it for a long time.
He had long suspected that Yuan Shao was the culprit, but he lacked evidence. Besides, he couldn't easily offend the Yuan family, and he also needed an explanation from the Empress.
That was just right. Someone even suggested that Li Jingyang investigate the matter personally, so we went along with it and let Li Jingyang investigate.
If they were to take action, they would certainly not protect the Empress, even though they had prepared themselves mentally for this.
But to my surprise, it actually happened right before my eyes, and the Empress was involved.
If such a sordid affair gets out, where will the emperor's face be?
The emperor quickly tore the envelope in his hand, panting heavily, his face looking rather grim.
"The Empress's behavior is improper; she has committed such an act and can no longer serve as a role model for the harem. We beg Your Majesty to punish her!"
"As the mother of the nation, how could she harm the people and help the murderer escape? Your Majesty, please punish her severely!"
"Your Majesty, please punish me!"
"Your Majesty, please punish me!"
……
Ministers who were not on the same side as the Empress in normal times now stepped forward to request permission to serve.
Everyone understands the principle of "when a wall falls, everyone pushes it down."
Moreover, those who usually clashed with the Empress's faction were naturally quick to kick someone when they were down.
At this moment, the emperor's face became even more unpleasant, and his expression turned extremely ugly.
"From this day forward, the Empress is stripped of her power in the harem, and the Imperial Concubine will assume her duties. Furthermore, the Empress has been confined to the palace for her misconduct! This order is to be carried out immediately!"
The emperor spoke slowly and deliberately, his teeth clenched, and his smile had completely vanished.
Although he was somewhat displeased with the Empress's recent actions, the Empress was, after all, the head of the palace and represented her reputation.
Unexpectedly, she wrote this threatening letter so directly, and even more so, she did it in a rather shady way.
What an idiot!
Now that this had happened, it was clearly a slap in the face for him. The furious emperor was unwilling to say more and directly ordered the palace servants to pass on the order.
After this incident, he clearly lost the will to continue the morning court session and could only adjourn it early.
After the court session, Li Jingyang told Lin Rusi about the matter directly.
Hearing this, the latter's eyes sparkled with a smile, but at the same time, she seemed to realize something and couldn't help but turn around to look at them.
Lin Rusi frowned, seemingly conflicted and filled with emotion.
After a long pause, she raised her head again: "But Your Highness, will things really go so smoothly this time? Or even..."
She murmured to herself, then added, "So easy...it feels a little strange to me, it's just too effortless."
The matter was resolved in just a few quick moves, without much effort?
Lin Rusi found it really strange, and she couldn't help but become wary.
Moreover, she always felt that the Empress wouldn't let it go so easily; that woman was cunning and petty, and probably had a backup plan.
Thinking this, she suddenly felt uneasy.
Li Jingyang was aware of what she was saying, so he smiled in response.
"That's because His Majesty has long had objections to this matter."
"Ok?"
Lin Rusi became even more curious. She moved closer and asked, somewhat puzzled, "Your Highness, what do you mean by this?"
Seeing this, Li Jingyang then explained, "That's because the Emperor has long been dissatisfied with the Empress, and naturally he wouldn't let her be arrogant. He originally wanted to use our help to make the Empress suffer, but he didn't expect that the Empress would go so far."
"If it weren't for the Empress's recent actions, the Emperor might have shown some leniency and wouldn't have allowed us to continue the investigation. What a pity..."
Li Jingyang didn't finish his sentence. He should have said something like, "It's a pity they sent beauties into the palace, causing the emperor and empress to drift apart."
If Lin Rusi still doesn't understand what he means after all this, then she's truly stupid.
In other words, the emperor was the mastermind behind it all; he had long wanted the empress to be punished for this matter.
It seems there's a reason why things are going so smoothly.
In the end, Yuan Shao not only broke all the rules but also killed someone, so he was naturally sentenced to death and executed in the autumn.
Lin Rusi merely clicked her tongue at this. He had taken three lives; executing him would be too lenient, a quick death would be enough.
Meanwhile, the news had spread throughout the city, and the people cheered, especially those who had suffered persecution at the hands of Yuan Shao during this period.
Many people came to Lin Rusi's door to express their gratitude.
Lin Rusi breathed a long sigh of relief at this result.
On the other hand, the Yuan family was not surprised, and Lord Yuan soon learned of the matter.
His face turned completely black, and in a fit of rage, he smashed the ceramics in his house, causing the servants to tremble in fear.
It should be noted that Young Master Yuan not only bullied the common people in the city, but also the servants and lackeys who worked in his mansion suffered a lot of persecution from him.
Now that Yuan Shao has been punished, they are naturally happy, but who dares to show it in front of Lord Yuan?
Lord Yuan's face darkened: "Who exactly investigated this matter?"
The guard beside him replied somewhat nervously, "My lord, although it was Prince Jinglie who investigated this matter, it was Princess Jinglie who sued the young master, which made the matter bigger and attracted the emperor's attention."
"Princess Jinglie?" Upon hearing these words, Lord Yuan murmured to himself, as if he had seen that woman before.
So what if she is Princess Jinglie?
She caused him to lose his son, so he'll make that woman pay with her life!
Thinking this, Lord Yuan's face grew even uglier. He stood up slightly, pondered for a moment, and then came up with an idea.
He beckoned to the guard: "Go do something for me!"
The guards were apprehensive, but they quickly approached and set off immediately after Lord Yuan finished speaking.
Meanwhile, Lin Rusi was unaware of these things.
After resolving the matter with Yuan Shao, Lin Rusi took Wanxia and Wanqi and invited the Shen sisters out for a nice meal.
The restaurant owner recognized him; he knew he was Princess Jinglie. A few days ago, Yuan Shao had smashed a lot of bowls, chopsticks, tables, and chairs at his restaurant.
Now he is extremely grateful to Lin Rusi, and he didn't even accept payment for the meal from her.
They even cooked two of her signature dishes for her. Seeing how warm the people were, Lin Rusi felt a warmth in her heart and couldn't help but smile.
Fortunately, she can also help the people.