Chapter 29 : The Trial

Inside the Hall of Nurturing Heart, the Emperor's face was sullen, sitting behind the imperial case, occasionally coughing twice, the chamberlain hurriedly brought tea to serve, but he was impatiently blocked away.

Below the sitting of several ministers pretending not to see anything, a silence in the temple, mixed with light to almost ignore the smell of medicine from the incense burner slowly wafted out, the charcoal in the fire pot "splitting" sound, the warmth is thick, such as spring, but it is difficult to hide the silence in the oppression and cold.

In seems to be long to after several years of waiting in the spring and autumn, the temple door finally open, a chamberlain hurriedly came in to report: "emperor, witch Pan adults back, is waiting outside the temple."

There was a small ** in the hall, the gazes of the crowd converged on the emperor, only to hear a wave of anger in his tone, "Declare her to come into the hall."

Not long after, the crowd saw Wu Pan as if she was a peacock unfurling her beautiful tail feathers, striding in with a haughty demeanour, without the slightest hint of panic or fear.

"I pay my respects to the emperor, long live the emperor." Pei Si Yan did not look at the ministers and bent her knees to salute.

"Woo Pan, someone has revealed that you have embezzled the disaster relief food and silver, and the evidence is solid, do you have any defence?" The emperor shouted, a fierce anger swept through his eyes.

"Your majesty, I acted openly and honestly, I am dedicated to the people, how could I possibly do the thing of embezzlement, it must be someone who planted the evidence to frame me!" The emperor did not say rise, Pei Si Yan still kneeling on the ground, she raised her head and swept her gaze across the presence of auxiliary ministers, Feng Taishi, the six ministers and the royal historian, the Secretary of the Da Lisi, the corner of her mouth hooked up a touch of fearless arc.

There was a slight look of triumph on the face of the Empress Dowager Feng, "Wufan, is it necessary to show you the evidence before you are willing to admit your guilt?"

The emperor frowned slightly, looked at Feng Taishi and said, "Declare all the evidence and witnesses to the temple!"

The guards brought a fat rolling man in, Pei Si Yan felt that this man was very familiar, but for a moment she couldn't recall where she had seen him before.

"Grass, grass people He Ban ... pay respects to the emperor, all the adults." The man knelt beside Pei Si Yan, panicked and hung his head low, not daring to look at any of the people present.

Pei Si Yan then remembered, wasn't this guy the same rice shop owner that he had caught when he was in Xiyan County?

The Emperor took a sip of tea and ordered, "Say everything you know again."

"Yes ..." He Ban's voice trembled more and more, as if there was an uncontrollable fear in his heart, "Lord Wuban came to find the grass people, saying that he wanted to buy some rice in case of an emergency, and because he bought a lot of it, the grass people sold it to her at a five taels of silver per stone The price was sold to her, and then ... Lord Wuban said that if one day, the matter of buying rice was revealed, to have the grass people say to the people outside that she had bought it at thirty taels per stone."

Pei Siyan let out a light laugh, why didn't he himself put this thing full of lies into the dungeon and beat it half to death in the first place!

"According to the testimonies of the people who came to expose," the Secretary of the Da Lisi then spoke, "Lord Wuban took the disaster relief rice for himself and sold it at thirty taels per stone, and in order to prevent the matter from being exposed deliberately coerced He Ban to buy the rice at a low price and distribute it to the disaster victims, profiting from the difference in the price of the rice. "

"A bunch of nonsense!" Pei Siyan coldly smiled, gaze through the cold disgust, "Your Majesty, the disaster relief rice is from the Qinghe County to the West Yan County on the way to be swapped into mouldy rice, I fear to cause turmoil, this matter will be temporarily suppressed, to twenty-five taels per stone price from the hands of He Ban and others to buy rice, is not at all what he said this situation!"

"Do you have evidence to prove it?" The Secretary of the Da Lisi asked.

Pei Siyan froze, handing over money with one hand and handing over goods with the other, in addition to his own side people and He Ban, where else would know, "There is no ... but the people in charge of the granary can prove that the rice is mouldy."

"It is said that the rice market in the counties around Qinghe Xiyan was originally as high as forty taels per stone, but since a sudden batch of rice from an unknown source came onto the market, it dropped to thirty taels," Taishi Feng interjected once again, "Furthermore, how can Wuban's ability afford to buy twenty-five taels of rice per stone? I wonder what Lord Wu Pan has to say in defence of this?"

Pei Si Yan looked at Eunuch Feng with a smile on her face and asked rhetorically, "I do wonder how Eunuch Feng knew about the Tantai family's situation?"

"This is not for you to be concerned about, answering old me's query first is the only way."

"How can one not be concerned?" Pei Si Yan said seriously, "It's like if a thief who steals property enters your home, would you let it go and allow the thief to steal?"

The atmosphere in the hall produced a subtle change, the gazes of the crowd coincidentally landed on Imperial Master Feng, who was quite embarrassed. The Emperor's face was even more unsightly, the chamberlain standing beside him could clearly hear the sound of heavy breathing, the Emperor seemed to be holding back a wave of anger from erupting.

Pei Si Yan noticed the Emperor's expression and shifted the topic back to the main topic, "The tenth house of the Tantai family is a merchant, and the business is not a small one, coupled with the fact that once upon a time, my father-sama has always been loving to me, and from time to time, he would buy back precious jewellery and give it to my ministers, so my ministers have the ability to buy the rice at the price of twenty-five taels."

The Imperial Historian nodded, "I have investigated the business dealings of the Tantai family, there is nothing suspicious, the yearly profit is in the middle to upper class in the Imperial Capital, if we add in the fact that Lord Wuban is pledging his jewellery as collateral, it is feasible."

Seeing the mockery on Wuluo's lips, Elder Feng couldn't help but ask again, "I heard that the Tantai family's various houses don't have a cordial relationship with each other, so how did Lord Wuban borrow the money from the ten houses?"

Pei Si Yan tilted her head to look at Imperial Master Feng and laughed, "Imperial Master Feng has never stepped foot in the Tantai residence, so how do you know that the relationship between the various houses is not harmonious? Taishi, you are an important minister of the country, you should speak with a basis, don't make wild guesses and be laughed at."

"The rumours are spreading in the marketplace ..."

"You believe in the rumours in the streets, Lord Feng?" Wuluo nonchalantly interrupted the words of the Feng Taishi, "If there are rumours in the streets that you, Taishi Feng, are corrupt and deceiving your superiors and subordinates, can this also be used as evidence to convict you?"

"You!" Feng Taishi was furious, almost about to slap the table and get up, in the way of the presence of the emperor, he had to restrain himself a little.

Wuluo lightly smiled at the Feng Taishi, slowly sipping hot tea, his demeanour elegant and modest.

"Lord Feng, apart from a few individuals, my Tantai family is united," Pei Si Yan saw the two finish their tit-for-tat before slowly speaking, "Please do not listen to the rumours. I have an IOU here, borrowing twenty thousand taels of silver from the ten houses." Saying this, she pulled out a letter from her sleeve and handed it to the chamberlain.

The chamberlain presented it to the Emperor to read and then let the ministers present go through it one by one.

The corner of Pei Si Yan's mouth floated out a flickering smile, on the way back to the imperial capital, Li Qing Dye forged an IOU and handed it over to her to cope with an emergency, on the IOU, the signature of the 10th house's head, Tantai Xian, was mimicked by Li Qing Dye in such a way that it could be faked as a real one. By now, Li Qingye had probably returned to the Tantai family and colluded with Tantai Xian.

"I don't know what other questions the Emperor and ministers have?"

The Secretary of the Da Lisi asked, "Can Lord Wu Pan find out who switched the relief rice?"

"Although I've already started looking into it, Xiyan County is busy with affairs and doesn't have enough manpower to track it down," Pei Siyan replied, "But I think the mastermind behind it and the person who denounced it are definitely not out of the picture."

The emperor rubbed his forehead and asked tiredly, "What do you all think?"

Wuluo looked at Feng Taishi who was about to open his mouth to speak, grabbed in front of him and said, "Your Majesty, I feel that there are still many doubts about this matter, can not just listen to the vouchers words as well as ..." He also looked at the Taishi who was sitting on the opposite seat, " Speculation on the conclusion, temporarily waiting for Hong big man from the West Yan County investigation back before hearing, I think this is the most fair."

Pei Si Yan's gaze swept back and forth between Wuluo and the Imperial Master Feng twice, there seemed to be a swashbuckling aura between them, had any friction arisen between the two in the two months she had been away from the capital?

"I agree with Lord Wu Luo." Wuluo, who had been silent, interrupted Pei Si Yan's thoughts.

Seeing that the two auxiliary ministers had already stated that the trial would be postponed, the Imperial Historian and the Secretary of the Da Lisi likewise agreed. After Wu Li pretended to be in discomfort and coughed a few times, he also agreed.

"Fine, wait for Hong Pei to return from Xiyan County before finalising the case." The Emperor said, "All the Secretaries will go back first. Wu Pan, get up and stay in the palace for the time being."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Pei Si Yan answered, then waited for the other ministers to leave the Yang Xin Hall before following them out.

He Ban was escorted by two guards, and when he saw a stern look from Lord Wu Pan, he was instantly scared to death and hung his head down in panic.

"I know who bribed you to tell lies, wait for Royal Secretary Hong to come back, it's not too late for you to reveal the truth and point out the mastermind behind the scene, otherwise ... I really don't know what I will do in a fit of anger ... "

Pei Si Yan's whisper seemed like a poisonous snake spitting red letters, He Ban felt a chill in his back, as if that poisonous snake was slowly climbing up his neck along his back, strangling him to death at any time.

Pei Si Yan smiled pleasantly at him and turned towards a side door towards her temporary residence along with the palace maid.

Feng Taishi held a bellyful of fire and walked to the palace gates alone, about to climb into his own carriage, saw Wuluo leisurely wandering along, his heart's anger grew even more, and with a flutter of his sleeve, he walked up to stop the others on their way.

"Does Lord Feng have something to do?" Wu Luo calmly asked.

"Lord Wuluo," the Emperor was not there, and Taishi Feng relaxed a lot, his posture was like a different person from the temple, "even if you are one of the four great auxiliary ministers, you are definitely not allowed to falsely accuse me!"

Wuluo facing the domineering Feng Taishi, still calm as water: "Lord Feng, please think clearly who is the first to bully, although this official is not a person who is vindictive, but now also can not just sit back and do nothing, let some people do whatever they want to do. It is like the analogy that Lord Wu Pan made earlier, would you tolerate a thief stealing in your own home?"

Feng Taishi's face was red and white, trembling with anger.

"If there is nothing else for Eunuch Feng to do, this official will not accompany you." After finishing his speech, Wuluo sat in his own sedan chair and left.

Eunuch Feng glared in the direction Wuluo left and gritted his teeth, "Hmph, Chu Qingyue, just feel free to not put old me in your eyes right now! When the second prince ascends to the throne, it will be the time when the entire long house of your Wuluo family is annihilated!"