After hearing this, Li Shenshi stood there in a daze without saying anything.
How could Zheng Xin, who was sitting in the center, allow him to delay any longer? He sneered and said, "Li Shenshi, what tricks do you still want to play? I am saying this today. If you confess now, maybe only you will be punished. If you still resist, your whole family may not be unaffected!"
Li Shenshi panicked when he heard this and said hurriedly, "No, no, no! There is nothing to hide from the criminal. It's just..."
"Just what?" Zheng Xin asked coldly.
"But there are too many people here and they are gossipy. The evil deeds of the criminal official are related to the dignity of the literati and the reputation of the court. If Your Highness has mercy, please dismiss the officials and other irrelevant people who are hearing the case. The criminal official will confess." Li Shenshi said.
After seeing Li Shenshi speak just a few words, Qiu Yizi seemed to have aged by ten years, and a lonely look appeared on his face, as if he would die after saying these few words.
This made Qiu Yizhi feel compassionate. She was about to plead with Zheng Xin for Li Shenshi, but she heard the great prince in front of the emperor say, "Li Shenshi, what do you mean by this? If I don't listen to you, do I have no compassion?"
Li Shenshi was shocked when he heard this and said hurriedly: "Offending the officials is not what I mean..."
Before he finished speaking, Zheng Xin continued, "You think too highly of yourself. How could the dirty things you did behind the scenes bring trouble to the entire court and the entire literati? It's just a stain on the white wall, which can be wiped off with a wave of your sleeve! Don't hold on to any luck, tell me the truth!"
Li Shenshi finally realized that today's hurdle would be extremely difficult to overcome, so he sighed deeply and said, "It is because the offender was not well-trained and did not practice what the saints said, 'be cautious when alone'. He was not firm in his beliefs and created a scandal. In order to cover up this mistake, he gradually came to this situation today."
Zheng Xin was of course not satisfied with Li Shenshi's empty words, so he asked, "Don't use fancy words to describe me, be more specific and sincere."
Li Shenshi listened and shook his head vigorously, saying, "Since His Majesty wants me to say it, I am not afraid of dirtying His Majesty's ears." He sighed and said, "Speaking of which, it is still the fault of the official to pretend to be cultured. Usually, I always like to travel around. The place where the 'Liaochen Palace' is located is very beautiful. I often go there and chat with the old Taoist nun there when I have nothing to do."
He continued as he recalled, "I remember that it was more than ten years ago when the old nun died. Since I had some old acquaintances with this nun, I couldn't help but go to her house to pay my respects. But I didn't expect that Miao Zhen, who was kneeling in the hall, lured me into the meditation room under the pretext that the old nun had left me a suicide note before her death, and seduced me in every way. At first, I was able to restrain myself, but in the end, I couldn't stand her temptation. I forgot the teachings of the saints for a moment and did something shameful. From then on, it was out of control..."
He was halfway through his words when he heard Miao Zhen say, "Master Li, your words are a bit biased, aren't they? Why are you putting all the blame on me? I remember when I was still a little nun under my master's lap, Master Li flirted with me several times and even said that he wanted me to return to secular life and become your concubine. Is that true?"
After hearing this, Li Shenshi's old face flushed red and he stammered, "You...you...you are talking nonsense, you are slandering me!"
But Zheng Xin refuted: "Li Shenshi, although Miao Zhen is a demon, she is also a person who dares to act and take responsibility. If you were determined, you could have run away when she tried to seduce you. How could you give in so easily?"
Li Shenshi quickly kowtowed and said, "Your Highness, you may not know that Miao Zhen is good at using witchcraft. The criminal was drugged with wisteria flowers and could not move. That's how he fell into her trap."
Zheng Xin's eyes lit up immediately after hearing this, and he asked, "Oh? There is such a miraculous medicine?"
He was about to ask in detail when Qiu Yizi interrupted, "Master Li, please stop pretending to be a gentleman here. I was also drugged by the demon Miao Zhen, how did I get away with it? Besides, didn't you also seduce Yang Ying'er, who is right here in the court, under the pretext of seeking justice for her? You signed and sealed this in black and white, do you dare to deny it? Do you have to prove your identity again in front of this audience?"
"No, no, no!" Li Shenshi refused repeatedly, only then he realized that he had confessed. The little dignity that Li Shenshi had left had been completely destroyed by Qiu Yizi's series of questions.
At this moment, Li Shenshi calmed down and said in a gentle tone: "Master Qiu is right. I am indeed not a gentleman, but a despicable villain. Your Highness, please deal with a despicable villain like me as you wish, and I will not complain at all!"
After hearing this, Zheng Xin said, "You have done such a shameful thing. Not only have you violated the law of the country, but you have also sinned against the orthodox teachings. Even if the court shows mercy and does not punish you, you will never be able to gain a foothold in the literati circle again."
Li Shenshi nodded continuously after hearing this.
Seeing that he had been completely convinced by him, Zheng Xin felt extremely relieved and continued, "But I heard from Lord Qiu that you are quite law-abiding in governing the county and have done some things to promote benefits and eliminate disadvantages. You are indeed worthy of sympathy, so I might as well point out a way out for you."
After hearing this, Li Shenshi's eyes lit up instantly, and he kowtowed and thanked him, "Thank you very much, Your Highness, for your grace. Thank you very much, Your Highness, for your grace."
Zheng Xin felt more and more pleased when he heard an imperial official pleading with him. However, he remembered that this case was decided by his father. Before he left, the emperor had specifically instructed that the case must be handled strictly and that he must not show favoritism easily.
So he quickly said, "If you commit such a punishment, your career and future will be ruined. As for whether you can save your life, it is still uncertain. There is only one way, leaving your Li family behind, maybe some of your nephews, nieces, and grandchildren will study hard and get a good rank in the imperial examination. Maybe your family will have a chance to turn things around."
Li Shenshi was not a fool. He knew what Zheng Xin meant, that he would be held solely responsible for the case, and his clan members would not be implicated. This was already a great favor. So he kowtowed and repeated, "Thank you, Your Highness, for your grace. Thank you, Your Highness, for your grace."
"Alright! You have to answer my questions truthfully!" Zheng Xin said sternly, "You committed the crime in the middle of the night. Is there someone behind you who ordered you to do it?"
Li Shenshi had already prepared to answer any questions, but when he heard Zheng Xin ask this question, he was still stunned. He was silent for a long time before saying, "No... No. It was all the criminal official who acted on his own initiative."
Yin Chengliang and Cai Min, who were sitting nearby, felt relieved when they heard his answer, and their shoulders, which had been unconsciously raised due to nervousness, relaxed.
But this angered Zheng Xin. He slapped the table in front of him with his open palm and shouted, "Li Shenshi, you are so good. I have said so much, but it's all in vain. Let me tell you, I am also a man who followed the emperor to lead troops in battle. I don't have so much softness. I have many ways to make you a good and humble man who can neither live nor die!"
Li Shenshi was immediately anxious after hearing this, and hurriedly explained: "Your Highness, please calm down, Your Highness, please calm down. It was indeed the criminal official who made the decision to go to the Yang sisters' home in the middle of the night. However..."
"But what?" Zheng Xin asked.
Li Shenshi quickly replied, "However, there is indeed someone who strictly ordered the criminal to cover up this case. The criminal was just following his orders, so he came up with the idea of causing trouble for the Yang sisters."
When Zheng Xin heard that he was relieved, he said, "If you are telling the truth, then in terms of the facts of the case, you are only guilty of conspiracy and treason, which is a greatly reduced crime."
Li Shenshi secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but then he heard Zheng Xin say, "How do we know that you are not making up stories to protect yourself? If there is no real evidence, how can people be convinced?"
After hearing this, Li Shenshi suddenly stood up and pointed at Yuezhou Governor Cai Min who was sitting in the hall, and said, "Lord Cai, a gentleman is open and honest. Why didn't you tell Your Highness how you asked me to settle Bi Xiuwen's case before leaving office?"
After hearing this, Cai Min jumped up from his seat and yelled at the top of his voice, "Li Shenshi, don't slander me. Everyone has his own responsibility. What do the good things you did in Shanyin County have to do with me?"
He turned around and bowed deeply to Zheng Xin, saying, "Your Highness, this is clearly a false accusation made by a criminal official who is about to die. I hope Your Highness will understand and not let a good man be wronged." As he spoke, countless beads of sweat broke out on his head.
Zheng Xin wanted these officials to blame each other, so he said coldly: "Li Shenshi, did you hear what Lord Cai said? Falsely accusing an official of the imperial court is also a capital crime, so don't risk breaking the law."
Cai Min thought Zheng Xin was speaking for her, so she quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes. Li Shenshi, you have to produce evidence, otherwise you are framing me for nothing. Even if His Highness has mercy on you and spared you, I will report the facts and punish you!"
Li Shenshi was a man who wanted to survive. Such threats from Cai Min did not scare him at all. Instead, they made him determined to break off completely with his former boss. He said coldly, "Master Cai, you are really shrewd. You dismissed your followers and then talked to me about confidential matters. You really didn't leave any evidence."
Cai Min wiped the sweat off his head with his sleeve and said, "Sir Li, everything depends on evidence. Since you can't produce any evidence, it's a false accusation! But I see that you are guilty of a serious crime, so I have no reason to add another charge of framing an official appointed by the court. Just treat it as a passing rumor and forget it!"
"Hahaha!" Li Shenshi suddenly laughed up to the sky. "Lord Cai, you are very magnanimous. However, I am a dying man, and there is no need for me to suffer for you for the welfare of future generations. I will not say anything, I just want to ask you a question, do you dare to answer truthfully?"
Cai Min was also aware that Li Shenshi knew a lot of his confidential matters. Even if what he said turned out to be unfounded, if the officials in the room heard it and spread it among the scholars, then his fame would be over.
So he didn't respond to Li Shenshi's words at all, but turned to Zheng Xin and said, "Your Highness, you have heard it all, Li Shenshi also said that he has no evidence. There is a saying that 'a man who is about to die will speak well'. This Li Shenshi is still barking at Yao when he is about to die, he really deserves to die. Please understand your Highness."
"Hahaha." Zheng Xin couldn't help laughing out loud, "It seems that Lord Cai is really upright and has a clear conscience. He even compared himself to Emperor Yao. In this case, Lord Cai should also have the magnanimity of Yao and Shun to abdicate and listen to what Li Shenshi has to say. It won't take up much of your time, right?" (To be continued)