Shen Chen considered himself to be a grateful person. Over the years, if Chu Jingxing had not been aggressive and finally wanted to take his life, he would not have attacked Chu Jingxing.
Moreover, Chu Jingxing had obviously lost his mind in order to deal with him, and even began to collude with outsiders in an attempt to seize power.
It was Prince Linjiang who personally promised to take Chu Jingxing's life, and the plan was made by Prince Linjiang's subordinates. Prince Linjiang made the decision himself, but Princess Linjiang refused to hate Prince Linjiang and put all the blame on him alone.
He could have endured it.
He always remembered the kindness that Princess Linjiang showed him when she raised him.
But no matter how much affection there was, it was all worn away by the endless frame-ups and petty tricks.
His eyebrows and eyes were cold. Seeing that Old Master Liu and Old Master Liu were trembling and waiting for him to speak, he said in a deep voice: "This matter... ... is it only you who know about it?"
Old Master Liu carefully observed his expression and knew that this matter touched his heart. He was delighted and quickly responded: "This matter is of great importance. We dare not disclose it to outsiders."
Shen Chen nodded to Han Bo, and waited until Han Bo put away the letter before he said softly, "In that case, I have received Old Master Liu's kindness."
Old Master Liu and his son looked at each other, and both of them felt relieved. They smiled and said to Shen Chen, "If there is a day in the future when we are needed to testify, we will not dare to refuse."
This is to tell Shen Chen that even if they have to confront King Linjiang face to face, they dare and can do it.
Shen Chen did not comment and talked about other things: "These are still too far away, but now there is something that needs your testimony. Since you already know that Liu Biping is a heinous criminal and unforgivable. You also know Liu Biping's many secrets, then I would like to ask you to sacrifice your relatives for the greater good."
This was exactly the purpose of the Liu family's trip. Old Master Liu did not hesitate at all and replied to Shen Chen solemnly: "Don't worry, I know what to do."
Shen Chen nodded, glanced at the sky, and asked someone to send them out.
Compared to when they came here, the rain was even heavier. The sedan bearers' calves were submerged in the water. Mr. Liu helped Old Master Liu get on the sedan, and then he braved the rain and got on the sedan behind. When they got home, he helped Old Master Liu get off the sedan and whispered, "Dad, why did the Marquis let us go back and not let us wait in the Governor's Mansion for questioning? Isn't he afraid that something might happen here?"
Old Master Liu looked at the accumulated water in the courtyard and laughed, then shook his head bitterly: "Now, what changes can we make?"
Mr. Liu also bowed his head and remained silent.
After a while, Old Master Liu regained his usual shrewdness. He glanced at him and said, "Don't be so dull. Go and prepare first. If Shen Chen is arrested, he will have to explain to the people of Fujian and the officials. The charges will surely come down soon. The evidence we presented to him before may be useful again soon. You should watch it carefully. Don't be negligent or omissions, or it will involve our own affairs!"
Old Master Liu guessed correctly. That afternoon, to the arriving Censors, Shen Chen announced the reason for arresting Liu Biping - Liu Biping colluded with pirates, embezzled funds, and intended to steal military rations shipped to Zhejiang.
As soon as this charge was made, the Fujian officialdom fell silent, and no one even spoke for Liu Biping. The imperial envoy was not a fool. Since he was so sure, he must have evidence. What's more, the four major families all sided with the imperial envoy, said nothing, and even allowed the imperial envoy to do his bidding. This was enough to explain the matter.
Sure enough, within two or three days, an official from Zhejiang came - Gu Shaoze, the Lieutenant General of Taizhou, Zhejiang, who was ordered by the Governor of Zhejiang to investigate the theft of food and wages.
The Fujian officials then realized that the batch of military rations sent to Fujian a few days ago had problems in the middle of the journey and was intercepted by the notorious pirate group Qunshan. If it weren't for the tight defenses in Zhejiang and the dispatch of people to pick it up on the way, this batch of food and wages would have already gone into Qunshan's pocket and been transported to Japan.
Collude with pirates! Steal food and money!
In the face of a war, no matter what the crime is, it is a heinous crime punishable by the execution of all nine generations of the family. Liu Biping was involved in such a thing... ... No wonder the imperial envoy dared to lead the guards overnight and unite the four major families to control the city gates and prevent the governor's guards from entering the city.
It turned out that it was because Liu Biping committed such a serious crime!
There was an uproar in the Fujian officialdom.
At the same time, everyone in the Liu family's old house opened a clan temple and stated clearly that Liu Biping was a traitor. Other members of the Liu family were unwilling to be associated with him and share the same temple, so they expelled Liu Biping from the Liu family.
The Liu family is a local patriarch, and it is rare for them to open their ancestral hall once a year.
Apart from the marriages of the children of the direct lineage and major events such as ancestor worship, ancestral halls were rarely opened. When they opened the ancestral hall and invited many clansmen, it was a major event that shocked Rongcheng and the scene was grand.
Even the Liu family themselves stood up and accused Liu Biping of treason, which further shocked the Fujian officialdom.
Two days later, Meng Jiming, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, who was secretly sent to Fujian by the court to supervise the case, arrived in Rongcheng and began to investigate the case thoroughly.
Liu Biping protested his innocence in prison and denied all evidence that he had colluded with Qunshan.
The letter was not written by him, and Qunshan and others were his wanted persons. He pointed out that Shen Chen had ulterior motives and was deliberately taking revenge and framing him.
However, Shen Chen had anticipated that after Old Master Liu removed him from the family tree at the ancestral hall, he once again accused him of colluding with the Peng and Yi families to secretly seize military supplies sent by the court to the coast and resell them to pirates at high prices. He also produced account books and evidence.
The next day, Meng Jiming began to arrest people. All Fujian officials whose names were recorded in the account book were not spared.
By this point, everyone knew that Liu Biping's downfall was only a matter of time.
On the sixth day of the case, there was a new development - Liu Biping's wife, who had disappeared for a long time, appeared. She appeared in front of the imperial envoy Meng Jiming and accused Liu Biping of colluding with the Peng and Yi families, and was also involved with Xia Song and others from that year.
She also pointed out that Xia Song had secretly given Liu Biping a child. This child had a special identity. He was an orphan of the Ming family who survived the Ming family incident!
Meng Jiming was shocked. He didn't expect that there would be such an unexpected gain at this point in the case.
Madam Liu said that Liu Biping got the child from a family with the surname Lu. Xia Song knew that there was something fishy going on with the Ming family and condoned the actions of the King of Chu, and felt guilty about it. Therefore, after learning that the child adopted by the Lu family was the orphan of the Ming family, he placed the child in the hands of Liu Biping to raise.
It was to suppress the matter, for fear that the child would retaliate in the future.