Shen Mingyuan looked at the crowd below and suddenly let out a sneering laugh. Several members of the Xue family immediately knelt down in unison. The leader, seeing that Shen Mingyuan didn't say a word for a long time but was just looking at the letter in his hand with great interest, gritted his teeth and said bravely, "Your Majesty, my family has always acted with caution. How could we possibly do such a thing? Please conduct a thorough investigation, Your Majesty."
Shen Mingzhu frowned.
What did Shen Mingyuan mean? Was he going to suddenly change his stance and do a favor for the Zhou family behind the Xue family by sparing them?
She remained calm on the surface, but there was a hint of displeasure in her eyes. She subconsciously glanced at Xie Lang and saw that he was looking at Shen Mingyuan intently. The two of them seemed to be communicating with each other with just a look.
When did Shen Mingyuan get involved with Xie Lang?
Shen Mingzhu subconsciously moved towards Xie Lang and tugged at his sleeve, trying to catch his inner thoughts.
[So annoying! Why are Shen Mingyuan's men so slow? They're so indecisive.]
[Shen Mingzhu didn't get a good rest last night. She still can't go back now. Sigh.]
"Don't be impatient."
Seeing Shen Mingzhu tugging at his sleeve, Xie Lang thought she was getting impatient. So he leaned over and whispered in her ear, "The crucial evidence hasn't arrived yet."
Shen Mingzhu raised her eyebrows slightly, suppressing the surprise in her eyes, and just nodded without saying a word.
"Your Majesty."
Another official stepped forward. He took a distant look at Prime Minister Zhou, who was looking calm, and then said, "I beg Your Majesty to conduct a thorough investigation. How can we wrong Lord Xue just based on the words of the Princess Royal?"
"Lord Xue is an important official in the court. If we were to punish him just based on a booklet today, wouldn't it chill the hearts of the senior officials in the court?"
As he said this, he even took out a handkerchief to wipe his tears, looking quite aggrieved.
Shen Mingzhu watched the scene with great interest and said unhurriedly, "I don't agree with what this official said."
"What do you mean by 'just based on a booklet' and 'one - sided words'? What was presented to Your Majesty is the detailed records of the official salt over the years. The losses during transportation have been increasing over the years. There was even a major incident where the official salt was robbed by local bandits at a certain place, but no one reported it to the higher - ups."
The official's face changed, but he still continued to argue, "But this is clearly because the bandits were too arrogant. It should have..."
"What should have?" Shen Mingzhu smiled, her eyes as cold as a blade. The official shivered all over under her gaze. "I think this official has been in the capital for too long and doesn't know how serious the crime of stealing official salt is at all. Bandits just want money; they don't dare to risk their lives."
"This is not a time of chaos." Shen Mingzhu said calmly, "You can't act recklessly."
There was mutual protection among the officials in this matter. Naturally, no one dared to report it. Even if they knew something was wrong, they turned a blind eye and didn't dare to confront the people behind it.
Shen Mingzhu guessed that her father knew about this, but the noble families were so intertwined that it was very difficult to make up one's mind to deal with these people.
When her father was alive, these people were not as bold as they were now. So the two sides reached a tacit understanding and achieved this strange balance. It wasn't until Shen Mingyuan came to power that these people finally couldn't control their ambition and greed and began to act more and more boldly.
Seeing that Shen Mingzhu was scolding him in front of so many people, the official's face changed greatly. He said anxiously, "This is a matter of the court. How can a woman interfere?"
Hearing this, Shen Mingzhu suddenly sneered, "A woman? Me?"
Xie Lang looked up at him coldly, stepped forward to protect Shen Mingzhu, and said, "Who do you think you are! How dare you talk to Her Highness like that!"
"Xie Lang!"
General Xie, who had been giving Xie Lang a hard time, was in a hurry. He never expected that his son would dare to offend so many people at once. So he stepped forward and said, "Shut up! If you say another word, I won't recognize you as my unfilial son today!"
Hearing this, there was a hint of mockery in Xie Lang's eyes. He said, "What do you mean by this? If I continue to speak, you won't recognize me as your son today?"
"Yes!"
General Xie was so angry that he felt dizzy when he saw the cold look in Xie Lang's eyes. He immediately said, "Get out of here!"
Shen Mingzhu subconsciously stepped forward. This time, it was her turn to stand in front of Xie Lang. She said, "Where is this? This is not the Xie family. It's not a place for General Xie to discipline his son!"
As she reached out, Shen Mingzhu accidentally touched Xie Lang's hand.
[This is a good opportunity to break away from the Xie family.]
Shen Mingzhu was stunned. She didn't expect Xie Lang to have such a plan.
General Xie didn't dare to vent his anger on Shen Mingzhu, so he said directly to Xie Lang, "Are you going to leave today or not?"
If he didn't leave, God knows how many more troubles this unfilial son would cause!
He subconsciously glanced at Shen Mingyuan, then knelt down respectfully and said, "It's my fault for failing to educate my son well. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."
After saying that, he looked at Xie Lang with a warning look in his eyes.
"I'm not leaving."
Xie Lang was calm and composed. The usual playboy smile appeared on his face again.
General Xie was so angry that he almost fell backward. He covered his chest and said, "From today on, I don't have you as a son!"
"Okay."
Xie Lang was quite determined. His eyes were full of coldness when he looked at General Xie.
He looked at the man in front of him silently. There was not a single ripple in his heart. All his expectations had been exhausted long ago. When Xie Lang looked at General Xie, there was not even a trace of emotional fluctuation. He just felt that it should have been like this a long time ago.
General Xie was stunned for a moment. Anger welled up in his eyes. Just as he was about to step forward, he heard the eunuch outside shrill, "Lord Zhou is here!"
Shen Mingyuan said calmly, "Let him in."
After saying that, he glanced at the Xue family members, whose faces were no longer as pale as at the beginning, and said with a smile, "Didn't Lord Xue say there was no evidence? Now I've brought it for you."
The person from the Xue family instantly went limp. He looked at Shen Mingyuan in disbelief.
No! How could this happen! The Emperor didn't say a word just now! It turned out that he was just waiting for someone to come!
Shen Mingzhu also looked up at Shen Mingyuan in surprise. She saw that he was looking at her steadily, with a hint of indescribable gloom in his eyes. When he saw her looking at him, he slightly curled his lips and forced out a gentle smile.
She was silent for a moment, then turned her head away and looked at Zhou Chengyu and the people behind him.
The witnesses were those fake "bandits". Now, as they told the story one by one in front of all the court officials, everyone just kept their mouths shut and didn't even dare to look at Shen Mingyuan's expression.
After they finished speaking, Shen Mingyuan said, "Since this is the case, where is the Ministry of Justice? Detain all those involved in this matter. Zhou Chengyu, you are ordered to... "
After giving a series of instructions, Shen Mingyuan looked at the official who had helped the Xue family just now and said, "You offended the Princess Royal and despised the dignity of the royal family."
"Someone, drag him out and beat him fifty times with a rod. Dismiss him from his official position."
"Court is adjourned."
Shen Mingzhu and Xie Lang walked side by side. They took a distant look at Shen Mingyuan.
It seemed that she still had to meet Shen Mingyuan later.