The Emperor looked at Xiao Xi Tian, who stood beside him, with a gratified expression. "Xi Tian, you should attend court with us too..."
If it weren't for Xiao Xi Tian helping him record the surveillance and capture the evidence of Consort Hui and Marquis Jingnan's crimes, the Emperor truly wouldn't have known what to do.
Especially since she and Heng'er had called General Gu back in advance to protect the safety of all the citizens in the capital. Such merit could be recorded in the annals of the Great Liang Kingdom...
"Understood, Your Majesty!~" Xiao Xi Tian replied with a smile.
On the way to the Golden Palace, Consort Hui's eyes widened in terror and despair, muttering incessantly, "This... this isn't real, it's not real. His Majesty was clearly controlled by Gu worms, how could he suddenly wake up?"
"Enough nonsense, hurry up!~" Kong Xing Zhuo shoved her hard, frowning. "You venomous woman, you actually used such wicked Gu worms to harm His Majesty, and colluded with Marquis Jingnan and the Fourth Prince to rebel. Your numerous crimes are unforgivable. Today is your end..."
Marquis Jingnan walked silently to the side, head bowed, not uttering a word.
Xiao Yue, however, trembled uncontrollably, her face ashen. "I, I, I... I don't want to die yet. Commander Kong, please, please help me speak a word!~"
Kong Xing Zhuo: "..."
Help you speak?
Stuttering like that, it's better to shut up!
Inside the Golden Palace, the Emperor, now wearing his bright yellow dragon robe, sat upright on the dragon throne...
His weathered face was filled with majesty, and the aura and kingly dominance emanating from him were a stark contrast to his sickly appearance just a few days ago.
A large group of officials stood in the hall. Prime Minister Yang, holding his ivory tablet, stood at the forefront of the civil officials...
When Consort Hui was brought in and saw Prime Minister Yang, she almost dropped her jaw.
"You, weren't you banished to the southern border?" Consort Hui shrieked.
Prime Minister Yang curled his lips and smiled slightly. "Seeing this humble minister suddenly, are you disappointed, Your Highness? This humble minister is perfectly fine staying in the capital, why would I run to the southern border?"
Consort Hui: "..."
Liars, all of you are liars.
When Eunuch Zhao saw that the prisoners had been brought up, he called out, "Court!~"
The ministers knelt on the ground at the sound, shouting in unison, "Long live Your Majesty, long live, long live, long live..."
Xiao Xi Tian and Xiao Jin Heng stood on either side of the Emperor, looking down at everyone below the high platform, feeling quite proud...
For a nation to achieve lasting peace and stability, rebellion and usurpation are unavoidable. The Great Liang Kingdom's progress to this point, besides the Emperor's resourcefulness, also relied on the support and counsel of its veteran officials...
The Emperor raised his hand. "All my esteemed officials, please rise!~"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
After the ministers stood up, Prime Minister Yang took out a small booklet and approached the center of the hall. "Your Majesty, this booklet records all the crimes of Marquis Jingnan, Consort Hui, and the Fourth Prince. May this humble minister read it now?"
Xiao Xi Tian took a careful look. The booklet in Prime Minister Yang's hand was as thick as a dictionary...
It was evident how detestable Consort Hui and her group of rebels were.
The Emperor's gaze was firm, his voice like a booming bell. "Read it! Read it clearly and loudly, so all the ministers can hear how they disrupted the court and preyed on the common people..."
"This humble minister obeys the imperial decree!~"
Prime Minister Yang cleared his throat, opened the booklet, and began to read aloud.
Just reading Marquis Jingnan's crimes alone took Prime Minister Yang a quarter of an hour.
Xiao Xi Tian started to feel sleepy listening. She stood behind the Emperor drowsily, covering her small mouth and yawning.
Seeing this, Xiao Jin Heng smiled and said, "Tired? After they are dealt with, I'll escort you back to your residence to rest!~"
Last night, the capital had experienced a bloody battle, and everyone in the imperial palace had been on edge, with no one getting any rest...
This morning, they still had to expedite the interrogation of the prisoners. It was estimated that the sentencing wouldn't be completed until the afternoon.
"I'm not tired, I'm just a little hungry!~" Xiao Xi Tian rubbed her stomach.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Jin Heng quietly took a cob of roasted corn from his sleeve and handed it to Xiao Xi Tian. "I got this from the Imperial Kitchen this morning. You can have it to tide you over..."
"But, but we're having court now!" Xiao Xi Tian blinked her big eyes.
Eating corn in front of so many people, wouldn't that be improper?
Xiao Jin Heng reached out and patted her head. "It's alright, I'll eat with you..."
With that, Xiao Jin Heng took out another cob of corn from his sleeve and began to eat it slowly.
The Emperor, who was concentrating on the court proceedings, suddenly heard the sound of 'crunch, crunch' from behind him and looked back curiously...
Good heavens, these two little buns were actually eating.
Eunuch Zhao's face paled in panic, and he quickly whispered into the Emperor's ear, "Your, Your Majesty, the Princess and the Crown Prince have been busy all night. Children get hungry easily, please don't blame them..."
The Emperor: "???"
When did I ever intend to blame them?
I'm also hungry, alright?
"Is there any more corn?" The Emperor glared at Xiao Jin Heng and asked in a deep voice.
Xiao Jin Heng: "..."
What is it, does Father Emperor want to snatch his corn?
"No, none left!~" Xiao Jin Heng twitched his lips.
The Emperor frowned, looking somewhat disappointed. "Eunuch Zhao, go and bring me a basin of corn, and distribute it to the ministers so they can eat while they listen..."
If they don't eat enough, how can they have the strength to interrogate the criminals?
And so, under the astonished gazes of the ministers, two young eunuchs carried a large basin of boiled corn into the Golden Palace and distributed it to everyone one by one...
The atmosphere of the morning court today was a bit unusual. The Emperor sat on the dragon throne with his legs crossed, finishing the corn in his hand with a crunch, then dug his ear. "Prime Minister Yang, how much is left to read?"
With so many crimes, if they read it all, it would probably be dark by then...
Prime Minister Yang spat on his finger, turned a page of the booklet, and said, "Your, Your Majesty, there are still over a hundred thousand characters left. Do you still wish to continue listening?"
The Emperor: "..."
There were still over a hundred thousand characters? He didn't have the patience to listen any longer.
Anyway, Consort Hui and the others had committed capital offenses. It would be better to directly pronounce the verdict.
"Stop reading!~"
The Emperor waved his hand irritably, stood up, and said, "Marquis Jingnan raised a rebellion, engaged in corruption and bribery, amassed wealth extensively, secretly mined gold and silver, showed no regard for the law, and committed heinous crimes. From this moment on, all the property of Marquis Jingnan's mansion will be confiscated, and his nine generations of relatives will be implicated. Execute immediately..."
As he spoke, the Emperor looked at Consort Hui again. "Consort Hui used vicious methods to frame me and the Crown Prince, manipulated Gu worms at Fahua Nunnery, and brought disaster to the nation and the people. Heaven cannot tolerate this. Take her out and behead her publicly, and hang her head before the palace gate as a warning to all!~"
Upon hearing this, Consort Hui, whose face was filled with panic, rolled her eyes and fainted from fright.