There is a god in the sky

Chapter 366 Joint Trial by the Three Judicial Offices 7

Xiao Ji looked at Imperial Censor Huang with a half-smile, "Lord Huang seems very unwilling for the Tong family to be convicted."

"What do you mean by that? Do you think I burned down the study?"

"I wouldn't dare, I just want to tell Lord Huang that this world still belongs to His Majesty, and his subjects are also His Majesty's subjects. They need to understand their own positions and not stand on the wrong side."

Imperial Censor Huang was not intimidated at all and praised Xiao Ji with a smile.

"I like young people like you, with courage and drive! But His Majesty is getting old, and Lord Xiao is really not leaving himself a way out."

Imperial Censor Huang turned and got into the sedan chair, waving to Xiao Ji.

Xiao Ji watched him leave and said to Shen Lan, "Are they so confident because they think the Crown Prince can win?"

"The Crown Prince is young, but the power behind him should not be underestimated. It won't be so easy for the Emperor to depose him."

"Therefore, the Tong family must perish!"

The Emperor was also thinking about this matter at this very moment.

Having reigned on the throne for decades, he had long since gained experience in how to maintain a balance of power among his court officials.

He allowed the princeling faction to grow stronger before because he thought that since the prince would succeed to the throne in the future, it would be good to cultivate his own people first.

But now he regrets it. Human greed is insatiable, and the crown prince's abilities cannot support such a large team.

But the situation has already reached this point, and it is indeed difficult to depose the crown prince at this time.

It was the case in Guli Town that tore a hole in the situation, and Shen Lan's lawsuit against the Tong family gave him a ready-made reason.

"If you can't find evidence, fabricate it; if you can't find witnesses, buy them. Do I need to teach you that?"

Commander Zhao, kneeling in the imperial study, said with his head bowed, "Your Majesty, I believe there is already progress on Xiao Ji's case. Perhaps we should wait and see."

"Two days have passed. How much evidence can he possibly have? But with a joint trial by the three judicial departments, he's the only one who can be relied upon."

"The son of Imperial Censor Huang is studying at Yishan Academy and is waiting for the Tong family to arrange his future, so naturally he will not defect."

Manipulating the imperial examinations and accepting huge bribes were the fundamental reasons why the emperor could not tolerate the Tong family.

He wasn't afraid of the Tong family's greed for money or their lust for power, but selling official positions was undermining his foundation, how could he tolerate that?

"After investigating for so long, you still haven't found out what Tong Yiwen's trump card is. It's probably not going smoothly with Marquis Pingyang either."

Eunuch Wu announced from outside the door: "Your Majesty, Prince Zheng has entered the palace."

The emperor had been unwell and had not summoned the Prince of Zheng.

But after ignoring him for so many days, it's time to see him.

"Summon him in, and give the order that a banquet will be held in the palace tonight to entertain Prince Zheng..."

The emperor suddenly stopped.

He discovered that there wasn't even a person in charge of the entire harem.

The Empress was seriously ill, Consort Li had died, and Consort Xie had also died. The best concubines in the harem were either old or sick, and were no longer of any importance.

Eunuch Wu understood the Emperor's thoughts and suggested, "Your Majesty, I recently met Consort De, and she asked me to pay my respects to you."

"Consort De, how is her health?"

"Her Majesty spends her days worshipping Buddha and is in good health; she just doesn't like to go out much."

The emperor sighed. "Fine, go and issue an edict to temporarily put Consort De in charge of all affairs in the inner palace, and have Li Ge assist her."

Eunuch Wu bowed his head in agreement and withdrew.

When King Zheng arrived, Commander Zhao took his leave, thinking to himself: This harem has ultimately become someone's hunting ground.

King Zheng came with the eldest princess.

He and the emperor weren't particularly close; the emperor only treated him politely out of consideration for the princess.

King Zheng knelt before the emperor, choking with sobs, and hugged his legs, crying, "Your Majesty, it has been so many years, I have missed you."

The emperor rolled his eyes in exasperation and gently kicked him away.

"Stop being sarcastic, get up and let me take a good look at you."

King Zheng was obese and had a goatee on his chin, which made him look quite comical.

"It seems life is quite good in Tanzhou. Look at you, so carefree and plump."

King Zheng chuckled and said, "Isn't this all thanks to Your Majesty's grace, allowing me to live a carefree life?"

The eldest princess joked, "You two brothers haven't seen each other for many years, so don't be so polite."

The eldest princess came to the palace today to confirm one thing.

"I heard that the Empress is seriously ill and has not shown her face for many days. May I go and see her?"

She had already heard about what was happening in the palace, and now many people outside suspected that the Empress was being held under house arrest by the Emperor.

"Let's go check on her; we don't know when she'll wake up today."

Prince Zheng asked with concern, "How did my sister-in-law become so ill? What ailment has the imperial physician diagnosed?"

"Excessive thinking has affected the internal organs, damaging the heart and lungs, and requires several days of rest."

Upon hearing his words, the eldest princess felt that the empress might truly be ill.

But these events are too coincidental, making one suspect that there is something fishy going on.

The eldest princess stood up and said, "Then Prince Zheng will stay here to keep His Majesty company. I will go to Kunning Palace to take a look."

Li Ge stood at the entrance of Kunning Palace to greet the Princess. The two smiled at each other and walked in one after the other.

The eldest princess looked around and found that Kunning Palace was in good order, with the palace servants doing their own things without any chaos.

Apart from the absence of the female protagonist, everything here seems to be the same as before.

"You're quite capable, managing to handle everyone in Kunning Palace?"

"The situation is currently under control. As long as the Empress doesn't wake up, there won't be any major problems."

The eldest princess praised, "I knew it was your doing, but it's a pity I haven't had the chance to come to the palace and meet you."

"This is the first grand gift that your servant is presenting to the Princess and Prince Zheng. I wonder if you two like it?"

The princess smiled at him and put her hand on his arm. "Since there's a first great gift, isn't there a second one?"

"Of course, a servant must always show his sincerity."

Li Ge led her into the inner room.

The queen lay on the bed, looking very weak, pale, and with her brows furrowed.

The eldest princess stood by the bed for a while, trying to wake her, but she was unsuccessful.

Can she hear our conversation?

"I don't know."

The eldest princess raised an eyebrow. "What exactly is the state of her health? Will it continue to deteriorate, or is there any hope of a cure?"

Li Ge gave an ambiguous answer: "The human body is very complex. Even the imperial physicians cannot give an accurate answer, so this servant knows even less."

The person on the bed suddenly moved their fingers.

The eldest princess leaned closer and whispered the empress's name, then saw her eyelashes flutter and her eyes slowly open.

She smiled and asked with concern as always, "It's good that you're awake. How are you feeling?"

The empress's strength was waning, but her malevolent aura was growing stronger.

Upon seeing the eldest princess, she reached out and grabbed her sleeve, saying urgently, "Elder sister, someone wants to harm me!"

"How could that be? Are you delirious from your illness?"

The Empress caught sight of Li Ge beside the Eldest Princess and gasped for breath, "It's him! It's him! Eldest sister, kill him!"

"Him? Who is he?"

The princess glanced back and blinked. "There's no one behind me."

"Ah..." The Empress screamed, clutching her chest and coughing violently. Her gaze towards the Princess changed from affection to fear.

"You...you..."

The eldest princess laughed, but her laughter was malicious.

"Don't think too much about it. Just focus on getting better. Maybe by the time you're fully recovered, everything will be settled."