amaotonovel Chapter 302 Is this the official of my Qianwu Dynasty?
Chapter 302 Is this the official of my Qianwu Dynasty?
Yin Fei knelt limply on the ground, as if her spine had been pulled out.
Completely disregarding her noble status as a concubine, she kowtowed respectfully to Li Chengqian, her forehead touching the ground with a dull sound.
"Your Majesty, You'er is truly unaware of the rebellion. This entire conspiracy was orchestrated by me alone."
"I have worked hard for many years and thought I would be able to achieve something."
"But Your Majesty is wise and powerful, and you understand everything in the world."
"You easily saw through my conspiracy, causing my plan to fail before it could even begin to make a fuss."
"This was all due to your Majesty's wise action, which prevented me from making that unforgivable mistake."
"You'er was simply dragged into this situation by me. Your Majesty, please forgive You'er for the sake of our brotherly love. I will bear all the blame and leave it to Your Majesty to deal with."
Seeing that Li Chengqian had no expression on his face and no intention of responding, Yin Fei bit her lower lip and twisted her body with difficulty on her knees to face Li Shimin.
"Your Majesty! I beg you to consider my years of dedicated service and punish only me!"
"Give You'er a chance to live! Let him live!"
Yin Fei's voice was filled with tears and pleading.
"Please, Your Majesty! You'er is also your own flesh and blood!"
After saying this, Concubine Yin knocked her head heavily on the ground, again and again, until her forehead was red, swollen and broken. She lay on the ground like this, not daring to breathe, quietly waiting for Li Shimin's response.
Li Shimin still kept his eyes closed, showing no sign of paying any attention to what was happening before him.
Li Chengqian's gaze first stayed on Concubine Yin for a moment, then slowly moved to Fang Xuanling, with dissatisfaction in his eyes, and then he glanced at all the civil and military officials present one by one.
His hands tightly grasped the gold-bronze belt that symbolized the majesty of the emperor. His knuckles turned white and trembled slightly from the force.
Finally, his eyes fell on Li You, who was tied to a stone pillar and looked miserable.
"Li You, come here and tell me honestly, where did you go wrong?"
Li You's originally tense nerves relaxed a little after hearing Li Chengqian's words, and a hint of joy flashed in his eyes involuntarily.
"Brother Your Majesty, I was wrong to kill Quan Wanji in the street. I now deeply understand that I was wrong, and I swear I will never do it again! Please, Brother Your Majesty, please forgive me just this once!"
Li Chengqian pointed his finger coldly at Fang Xuanling.
"Prime Minister Fang, please tell me, where exactly did Li You go wrong?"
Fang Xuanling lowered his head slightly, the wrinkles on his forehead became deeper because of his furrowed brows, like ravines. He kept his lips tightly closed and remained silent.
Li Chengqian walked slowly towards Fang Xuanling with steady steps, his hands behind his back. The sound of his belt dragging on the ground was particularly clear in the silent environment. Every sound struck everyone's heart, making everyone terrified and sweating.
He walked forward step by step, passing by civil officials and military generals. Wherever he went, everyone trembled slightly unconsciously, and some even felt their legs go weak and they almost fell down.
When he reached Liang Ji, a doctor of the Ministry of Rites, his steps stopped abruptly.
Liang Ji is 49 years old this year. As an official of the fifth rank or above, he should be calm and steady in his work.
But at this moment, under Li Chengqian's gaze, he was completely shrouded in fear.
His body was shaking uncontrollably and violently, the amplitude getting stronger and stronger.
Li Chengqian raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a kind but chilling smile.
"I haven't even started asking questions yet, and you're shaking like crazy. What's the matter? Are you hiding something?"
Upon hearing this, Liang Ji knelt down on the ground without hesitation. Although it was a pleasant autumn day, cold sweat was pouring down his forehead, dripping onto the blue bricks under his feet.
"Your Majesty, I...I dare not. I am simply captivated by Your Majesty's divine majesty."
His voice was trembling so badly that he could barely form a sentence, and each word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth.
Li Chengqian gazed down at Liang Ji, who was kneeling on the ground, and said, "Come, tell me what crime Li You has committed."
Liang Ji's throat rolled with nervousness, and he swallowed hard. After hesitating for a long time, he finally mustered up his courage and said in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, as His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi said, kill the Chief Secretary of Qi in the street."
Li Chengqian frowned slightly, and then pointed to the official next to Liang Ji.
When the official saw this, he was so frightened that his face turned pale, his legs went weak, and he immediately knelt down.
"Your Majesty, it is just as His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi said."
Li Chengqian looked at the officials on both sides in turn, pointing at each one and coldly saying two words: "Come, speak."
None of the officials dared to disobey and they all knelt on the ground, saying "Just as His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi said" or "Your Majesty, I second the proposal."
Li Chengqian pointed at more than a dozen officials in a row. They all knelt on the ground trembling with fear, their bodies curled up, not daring to raise their heads or breathe. They could only wait anxiously for Li Chengqian's next words.
Li Chengqian listened to this stereotyped answer, and his anger suddenly rose up. He slammed the belt in his hand against the bricks on the ground.
The belt made a loud noise when it collided with the stone bricks, like a thunderclap. Many people were frightened and shrank subconsciously.
In an instant, everyone knelt on the ground and shouted in unison: "Your Majesty, please forgive me!"
Li Chengqian closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to calm the raging anger in his heart.
After a moment, he slowly opened his eyes, his gaze cold as he looked around at the ministers kneeling around him, and shouted, "Look, look!"
"Is this the official from my Qianwu reign?"
"Did my Qianwu Dynasty support a bunch of good-for-nothings like you?"