Chapter 264: Confiscation of property and expulsion of account
"Xi'er was very thoughtful. I was negligent. I will ask Li Zan to plan this matter and draft a memorial."
"Oh, if you don't think carefully, your whole family would have been wiped out long ago. It turns out that you are not the one who committed the crime of deceiving the emperor. This is too irresponsible." After hearing this, Mengxi felt quite dissatisfied, but after all, he was the son of the emperor, so it was not easy to complain.
After drinking a sip of tea, she talked to the prince about the appearance and function of protective clothing. The prince was extremely excited after listening, and discussed with Mengxi how to write memorials, how to convey information, and the specific arrangements for going south, etc. As the saying goes, if you want to leave, you have to leave on the third, sixth, or ninth day. Finally, the two decided to set off south on August 19. The prince then stood up and said goodbye, and he and Mengxi got busy separately.
On August 16, the Crown Prince and Li Zan came to Canghai Cottage with the new intelligence they had collected over the past two days. Li Du and Ouyang Di also came with them to discuss the specific problems that arose in the implementation of Mengxi's plan. They were talking excitedly when Zhichun came in and replied:
"Miss, the third shopkeeper Li Yi came to report that something happened at Yichun Hall."
Everyone in the hall was startled. Li Du and Ouyang Di's expressions changed immediately. Without waiting for Meng Xi to speak, they asked at the same time:
"What happened? Where is Li Yiren?"
"I saw Li Yi's face turned pale with fear, so I brought him in without asking any questions. He is standing at the door."
"Please pass it in quickly."
After a while, Li Yi was brought in. As soon as he entered the door, he fell to his knees and said:
"Master, the chief shopkeeper, something bad has happened. Yichuntang has been sealed off by the imperial court!"
When these words came out, Lian Mengxi was so shocked that he sat up straight, a thin layer of sweat oozing out of his forehead. Just as he was about to speak, he heard the prince say:
"He was sealed by the imperial court! I just came here after the court session ended, how come I didn't hear my father mention it!"
The Crown Prince was also frightened and broke out in a cold sweat. Could it be that Prince Yan falsely passed on the imperial edict to deal with Yichuntang? Impossible, he didn't have that courage. But his father would never use people as a trick to issue an edict to deal with Yichuntang, unless... someone forced the palace. Could there be a huge change in the palace!
"Your Highness, the eunuch in the palace just reported the Empress Dowager's decree."
Upon hearing that it was the Queen Mother's decree, the Crown Prince heaved a sigh of relief and then asked:
"What did the imperial decree say?"
"The imperial decree said that the Medicine God was originally the second wife of the Xiao family and lived in the Xiao Mansion in Pingyang. However, she lied that she was ill in the south and did not go to the palace to treat the empress dowager. She committed the great crime of deceiving the emperor and exterminating her clan. The order was to search Yichun Hall and arrest the entire Medicine God family. Fortunately, the second shopkeeper Li Gang asked for the imperial decree issued by the emperor that 'no one should harass Yichun Hall'. The person in charge of searching the medicine hall saw it and did not dare to disobey the imperial decree. However, they sealed the place and said that it was decided by the emperor and the empress dowager. The second shopkeeper and the shop assistants were taken away. I escaped because I just came back from work and mixed in the crowd of people watching the excitement."
After hearing this, the prince's forehead was bulging with veins, and he slammed the table angrily:
"Xiao Jun, this king and you cannot coexist!"
Mengxi was shocked and said to the prince:
"Brother, calm down. Second Master would never do such a thing. I think there must be some misunderstanding here."
"Xi'er, he divorced you first, and now he betrays you, and you're still speaking for him!"
After the prince finished speaking, he saw Mengxi's body shaking and his face turned pale, so he quickly lowered his voice and said:
"Besides your confidant, me, and Li Zan, only Xiao Jun knows about this matter. Li Zan will never reveal it to anyone."
Li Zan on the side echoed repeatedly, but heard Meng Xi said stubbornly:
"I believe in the Second Master. He will never harm me."
Seeing Mengxi defending the Second Master like this, the prince's eyes flashed with resentment, and he said:
"Xi'er, there are many things in this world where love turns into hate. Don't be too obsessed. Being trapped by love will only hurt yourself."
Mengxi was about to speak when she heard Li Yi say:
"Your Highness, I also think that this was not done by Second Master Xiao. When I came here, I heard on the way that the Xiao family was also stripped of their title of aristocratic family because their master deceived the emperor and failed the grace of heaven. Their property was ransacked and all the members of the Xiao family were arrested. I heard this and went to see it on purpose. The old lady of the Xiao Mansion, the eldest master, the second master, etc. were all put on prison carts and sent to the prison. There was a huge crowd of people watching the excitement in front of the Xiao Mansion. The second wife of the Xiao Mansion was married by a concubine and had a humble status... The rumors that the Xiao family was deceived by Master Li had spread all over Pingyang, and the Xiao family's properties in Pingyang were also sealed. The Xiao family is completely finished this time. Now the streets are full of notices to arrest the master, the chief shopkeeper, and the first and third masters of Xiao."
After hearing this, the prince was stunned for a moment, his face turned pale, and he murmured:
"Who leaked the news? God is really trying to kill me!"
When Li Zan saw this, he bowed and advised:
"Your Highness, you must never underestimate yourself. The saints said that when God wants to give a man a great responsibility, he must first make his heart and mind suffer and his muscles and bones work hard... and make him do things that are against his will. This is a test from God for you. Think about the King of Yan's actions against God and disregard for the lives of millions of people in Da Qi. How can we hand over the country's important tools to this person? The God of Medicine has been hiding in the Xiao family and has been safe for two years. Before the Xiao family was convicted, God handed her to your Highness, leaving you a glimmer of hope. God is also helping you. Your Highness's plan now is to find out His Majesty's attitude towards this matter as soon as possible, and take the God of Medicine to the south quickly. As long as the people are stable, they will support you, and your Highness's crisis will be resolved."
After Li Zan finished speaking, Meng Xi continued:
"Mr. Li is right. Especially at this time, big brother must be more confident and act calmly. I believe that big brother will be fine."
Li Du, who had been silent, suddenly remembered something, slapped his forehead and said:
"Master, I remember now. Yesterday, the Second Master went to Yichun Hall to look for you. He looked very anxious. I hated him for writing you a letter of divorce, but he still wanted to keep in touch with you. I wanted to have him kicked out. Yesterday afternoon, he left another letter for me to pass on to you. I didn't want you to have anything to do with him anymore, so I didn't mention this to you. Now I think that the Second Master must have known that the news had leaked out of the Xiao Mansion, so he was in a hurry to send you the letter."
"Where's the letter from Master Er?"
"In Yichun Hall, I didn't bring it here."
"you……"
Facing Li Du, who had gone astray because of his loyalty, Mengxi couldn't say anything good about him for a moment, but she felt warm in her heart because of Xiao Jun's concern for her. Then she thought of him being trapped in a cage, and her face turned pale again in an instant.
During the silence, Li Zan slapped his thigh and said:
"Your Highness, when Shopkeeper Li said that, I also remembered that Xiao Jun came to me yesterday and said that he had something urgent to see you. It happened that Your Highness was in the palace, so I wanted to pass on his message. He only said that he wanted to talk to you in person. I waited for nearly an hour, and then I heard that you left the palace and went directly to the military camp. I advised him that the day after tomorrow is the old lady's birthday, and Your Highness will definitely be able to go. It won't be too late to talk then. Xiao Jun only said that he would go to the military camp to find you, and then there was no news. I guess Xiao Jun didn't go to the military camp..."
"Could it be the Third Master?"
Without waiting for Li Zan to finish, Meng Xi muttered to herself in disbelief. Everyone's eyes turned to her. Li Zan stopped talking and asked:
"Third Master? Miss Li is talking about Xiao Yun."
"I have talked to Third Master about this, but he is an upright person and would never do such a thing."
The master trusted the Xiao family too much, and he would be killed by the Xiao family sooner or later. Li Du's face changed when he heard this, and he turned around and asked:
"Li Yi, when you saw the prisoner car of the Xiao Mansion, was the Third Master inside?"
"Didn't I just say that the eldest and third masters of the Xiao family have run away, and notices have been posted all over the streets to catch them?"
Everyone's heart sank when they heard this. Seeing Mengxi's pale face, no one wanted to say anything. After a long while, Mengxi looked up at the prince and said:
"Brother, I am a little girl in the harem, and I don't know much about the affairs of the court. Please don't laugh at me if I tell you. I don't know whether this imperial edict is more important or the imperial decree is more important. If this imperial decree was issued directly by the Prince of Yan and the Empress Dowager without telling Your Majesty, can you ask Your Majesty to issue an imperial edict to revoke it?"
"Xi'er, you don't know that in our dynasty, the empress dowager . The imperial edict is more important than the imperial decree. The imperial edict of the empress dowager is usually only used in the harem. For crimes like this, the emperor should personally issue an edict. Even if the imperial edict is issued, it must be stamped with the emperor's jade seal. Now it seems that the prince of Yan has made a desperate bet. I'm afraid he has concealed it from the emperor and directly seized the Xiao family with the imperial edict. Now the matter is done, and the emperor cannot regret it."
"Isn't this equivalent to the Queen Mother interfering in government affairs? Can't Your Majesty just issue an imperial decree to revoke this imperial decree?"
" Xi'er is overthinking. Although the imperial edict is more important than the imperial decree, the royal family also has to pay attention to filial piety. If today's imperial decree is not carried out, father can go to the Cining Palace to coordinate and ask the empress dowager to cancel the imperial decree. However, the imperial decree has been announced to the world and known to all the people. Without sufficient reason, Your Majesty cannot overturn it without authorization. Otherwise, it will be regarded as a great act of unfilial piety and become a laughing stock of the royal family."
"Good reason!"
After hearing this, Mengxi's eyes lit up and he said:
"Brother, I sent a letter to the south on August 12, asking the people in the branch to pretend to be the God of Medicine and appear in the south to treat the plague. I think in a few days, the memorial about the God of Medicine appearing in the south will be transmitted to Pingyang. At that time, it can be proved that the Xiao family did not deceive the emperor. Brother, can you please ask the emperor to reopen the case and revoke the imperial decree?"
"Xi'er is right, but I'm afraid it's too late. The King of Yan is ruthless and his goal is to eliminate the Xiao family. It's a rare opportunity, how can he let it go easily? I think he will act within a day or two and execute all the members of the Xiao family. Even if he is wrong and the case is overturned in the future, at most he will kill a few minions and posthumously confer a posthumous title. The Xiao family will eventually be eliminated. There have been many such unjust imprisonments since ancient times. How many people dare to question the crimes of the royal family!"
No, it was she who deceived the emperor, not him. She should bear all the consequences. She would rather die for him! The Xiao family was not hers to take care of. It would have nothing to do with her if they all died. But when she thought about being separated from Xiao Jun, Mengxi felt that she couldn't breathe. When she heard this, her face turned pale. She pressed her hands tightly against her chest. She swayed and almost fell down. Zhiqiu held her up and said in a crying voice:
"Miss, calm down. With the Crown Prince and Master Li here, the Second Master will be fine. You must stay calm..."
After letting out a long sigh, Mengxi calmed down and regained his usual calmness. He patted Zhiqiu and said:
"I'm fine, don't make a fuss."
After saying this, he looked up and said to the prince:
"Brother, I am willing to go to court with the King of Yan. I will turn myself in now. The King of Yan and His Majesty have never seen me. I beg you to mediate and testify in court to prove that I am not the brother you kowtow to, nor the Medicine God. With the testimony of the people of Yichun Hall and you, even if we cannot overturn the imperial decree, at least we can drag this case until the report from the south arrives, and everything will be solved."
Seeing Mengxi risking his life to save Xiao Jun, the prince was shocked, his hands trembled slightly, and he looked at Mengxi woodenly, unable to speak for a moment.
