sbdcsierra Chapter 497 Bastard
Chapter 497 Bastard
"You two adults have come all the way through wind, rain and snow. You should go inside and report." Gu Jianchu said softly.
The Dali Temple Minister repeatedly refused, "This humble servant is covered in frost and weather, and I'm afraid that he will give the emperor and the empress a cold. It's just right for me to stand here and report."
"Since the two adults are unwilling to come in, Yunhe, you go to the small kitchen and bring two bowls of sweet water to warm them up. Also, bring a charcoal brazier and place it next to the two adults so that they can warm themselves. It would be bad if they catch a cold." Gu Jianchu gave the order immediately.
The Dali Temple Minister reported back, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, after a period of investigation, the causes of death of all the corpses dug up from the back mountain have been determined, and their identities have been found. Their families and whereabouts have been informed."
"Five of the women bled to death after their hands and feet were chopped off. Another five were strangled to death and then had their hands and feet chopped off. The remaining six, according to the coroner's inquest, died of poisoning. This was because Cao Li had given them a so-called obedient drug, which caused frequent attacks, and there was no antidote. As a result, the attacks became frequent and they died. Fearing a miscarriage of justice, I specifically consulted Imperial Physician Lin and Medical Woman Zhou, and they both said that frequent attacks of this drug would be fatal. Later, I interrogated Cao Li again, and he confessed in the same way, and his testimony matched perfectly."
As the Dali Temple Minister said this, he held the memorial in his hands in front of his chest and had Yunhe present it to the Emperor and Empress.
He recorded all the pulse cases he investigated and Cao Li's confession in a book and sent them to the emperor one by one.
While the Empress was reading the memorials, the Minister of Justice reported, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I have questioned the women sent to Prince Li's residence. Some of them were deceived by Cao Li, and some were deceived by Cao Li's subordinates. After the past few days of surveillance by Lord Zhongfeng, all of Cao Li's subordinates who illegally deceived those women have been apprehended. After interrogation, they all confessed. The facts of the case are clear, and there are no other secrets. All those involved have been arrested. Your Majesty and Your Majesty will make the final decision."
After reading the memorial written by the Minister of Justice, Xie Ci'an angrily slammed it on the table, his eyes filled with an uncontrollable chill. "Cao Li's crimes are extremely heinous. The evidence of his crimes will be made public, and he will be torn apart by five horses at the vegetable market tomorrow. As for Cao Li's accomplices, although they didn't commit murder or arson or other heinous crimes, they are not innocent either. They will be punished with fifty strokes of the cane at the vegetable market and exiled three thousand miles away."
The Dali Temple Minister and the Ministry of Justice Minister looked at each other.
It seems that the emperor has left them a way out, but there is no way out at all. Fifty beatings with the stick and then direct exile are no different from taking their lives. They may die on the way without even reaching the place of exile.
However, these people have committed so many heinous crimes that they deserve to end up like this. I cannot sympathize with them.
After dealing with these matters, the Minister of Justice looked weakly at the two people sitting at the table on the kang, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, what should we do with those women? We can't keep them in Prince Li's Mansion forever. I'm afraid this is not a long-term solution."
Gu Jianchu tapped the table with his fingers. This was indeed not a long-term solution. It was hard for the Minister of Justice to still think of those women instead of directly expelling them from Prince Li's Mansion. "How are they doing?"
The Minister of Justice naturally knew what Gu Jianchu was asking. "After Dr. Zhou's treatment, some women with mild symptoms are no longer in serious condition. However, Dr. Zhou said that some people who have been taking poison for too long still need to take the antidote for a while to completely clear the remaining poison from their bodies."
"Although these women also defrauded many wives of officials, they were ultimately pitiful victims. If we must settle this account, it is Cao Li's fault. After all, they never touched the money they received. After the snow stops, I will arrange for someone to contact the nunnery and my sister's embroidery workshop to ask if they can accept people. If those women are willing to go, they can go to these places. If not, give them some money and let them go home. It is better than sending them back to where they came from, which would also be a second injury to them."
"It's snowing heavily outside right now. Let them rest in the Prince Li's Mansion for the time being and don't worry about other things." After saying this, Gu Jianchu looked at Xie Ci'an and said, "Your Majesty, what do you think of my handling of this matter?"
"Okay." Xie Ci'an nodded with satisfaction.
This is naturally the best arrangement for those women.
"Your Majesty is kind-hearted. I will arrange someone to handle this matter now." The Dali Temple Minister said flatteringly.
The Minister of Justice at the side could not help but frown, looking at the Supreme Court Justice with an indescribable look in his eyes, and said in a low voice, "You are such a lackey."
The Dali Temple Minister forced a broad smile and replied in a very low voice, "How can I be a lackey? I am clearly trying to please the Empress."
After dealing with these things, the two men left the hall one after another. Two palace maids in Kunning Hall prepared umbrellas and hot water bottles for them in advance. Another young eunuch personally led the two out of the palace and only left after they reached the corridor with the eunuch.
After confirming that there were no outsiders, the Dali Temple Minister couldn't help but sigh and said, "I'm not a lackey. I truly admire the Empress. Many people can't do what the Empress does. Moreover, there is only the Empress in the harem now. Judging from the Emperor's attitude, there will be no new people entering the palace. The Empress is currently pregnant with a prince, and once the child is born, it will be the Crown Prince. The situation is too clear."
"How many men are truly loyal? They are just looking for something new now. Or maybe the emperor is using this as an excuse to deliberately clear out the spies sent into the palace by the ministers, and then welcome new people into the palace after a while." The Minister of Justice retorted.
The Dali Temple Minister smiled and patted the shoulder of the Minister of Justice. "Lord Liu, you usually seem quite smart. Why are you so confused now? Even if a man is not loyal, sooner or later he will only hear the laughter of the new and not the tears of the old. Even if it happens, by then, the Empress will have established her foothold in the harem and will not be afraid of anything. The prince has been born, and she has established herself. The emperor's favor is dispensable. Only power is in her hands. What's more, the Empress's reputation among the people is also very good. There are even people who have built a temple for the Empress to worship. So no woman can shake the Empress's position, no matter how favored she is."
"But I see that even if a woman appears in the future, she will not be able to surpass the Queen in front of the Emperor. The Emperor and the Queen are his first wives."