"Tongue twisting, nose cutting, eye gouging, hand and foot amputation, steaming, boiling, combing, burning, and even craftsmen turning them into human pigs..." Emperor Xuanren twisted the beads in his hands slowly, "Princess, these punishments you use are many times more severe than the punishments of the country."
—Wei Tingyu had never told Xiaocao about these tortures. There was really no need to pollute her ears with these things. You know, when Wei Shizi looked at his wife, he also wore a filter. In his eyes, she was pure and kind, soft-hearted, and made people feel warm and comfortable like the spring sunshine. Ming Zhixin, on the other hand, was completely the other extreme, a rat in the gutter and a stink bug in the dark. He naturally would not let such a person arouse the emotions of his own Xuan'er.
Since the founding of the Qi Dynasty, there have been few severe punishments. Of course, this mainly refers to the treatment of physical injuries. Just like what Ming Zhixin likes to play, even during the interrogation process, there will be no physical defects. And for those who are finally beheaded, when the bodies are collected, the body and head will be sewn together and then buried, maintaining basic respect for the dead.
Therefore, Ming Zhixin's actions not only shocked the civil and military officials in the court, but also angered Emperor Xuanren.
"Prince Cheng, what do you say?" Emperor Xuanren repeated what he had just said.
Although he seemed calm, the fear in King Cheng's heart was growing stronger. "Father, Your Majesty, I, your son, do not know..."
"Not aware of it?" Emperor Xuanren grabbed the teacup and threw it at Prince Cheng below. Obviously, this sentence directly ignited the emperor's anger. Even when Emperor Xuanren lost his temper, he rarely smashed things.
Prince Cheng watched the teacup flying towards him but did not dare to dodge. He just subconsciously closed his eyes and slightly turned his body to the side.
Fortunately, the cup did not hit him, but just brushed past his head and flew past him, falling to the ground and breaking into pieces.
Tea was spilled along the way, and Emperor Xuanren's hands were naturally wet. Eunuch Hong hurriedly handed him a handkerchief to wipe his hands. While wiping, Emperor Xuanren said coldly, "Ming is your princess. She has done so many evil things. Even if not all of them are in your palace, you don't know that there are more or fewer people in your palace? Are you taking me for granted and fooling me, or are you stupid and useless, without any control over your own palace, so you let her do whatever she wants
Or is it that the Ming family is just a cover, and those people from the Ming family who come in and out of your palace are actually looking for you?"
These last words made Prince Cheng shudder, “No, absolutely not. I really don’t know about those people. Father, please believe me…” Prince Cheng hurriedly distanced himself from the matter. The entire Ming family had been punished. If he had any close connection with those people, he would be courting death. He had to admit that he was a fool and a waste, and he must not have anything to do with them.
Emperor Xuanren looked at Prince Cheng expressionlessly, making it impossible to tell his emotions.
Prince Cheng was getting more and more panicked, but he dared not keep silent at this time. "Father, I am away most of the time, and I rarely ask about the affairs of the palace. Ming is the princess after all, and she gave birth to a legitimate son. She is in charge of all the affairs of the inner house. I really didn't know that she was so cunning and vicious. Father, please believe me, I really didn't know. Otherwise, how could you condone her evil deeds? I would have dealt with her long ago. Father..."
In panic, he even started to cry, looking miserable and pitiful.
The other ministers dared not breathe when Emperor Xuanren smashed the cups in anger, especially Prince Heng, who wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into. After all, it involved the Ming family, his in-laws. The Ming family used to be his absolute supporters, and now they even kept people there. He couldn't guarantee that the anger wouldn't burn him.
Emperor Xuanren did not say anything. The more he spoke, the more uneasy people felt. Prince Cheng could not say anything more and just knelt on the ground, trembling.
"Wei Tingyu."
"I'm here." Wei Tingyu stood up.
"Immediately lead the troops to surround Prince Cheng's mansion and arrest Ming and all the people related to him. If there is any resistance, kill them on the spot."
"Yes." Wei Tingyu stepped out.
Ming Zhixin's fate is already obvious. No one can save her, and of course, no one will protect her.
Ming Zhixin will be punished, but Prince Cheng will certainly not escape either. Although, according to the secret investigation by Kaiping Guards, there is currently no evidence to prove that Prince Cheng has any connection with those left behind by the Ming family - as he himself said, he spent a lot of time outside, making friends with court officials, and building up personal connections, and rarely asked about the palace. But all of this may just be to make things convenient for Ming Zhixin and to exonerate himself at the same time - he will definitely not escape the crime of poor supervision.
Moreover, if Prince Cheng "admits" that he is stupid and incompetent, then all his jobs will be taken away from him. In the future, it will never be his turn to take charge of any important matters, and the trust of court officials in him will naturally be greatly reduced.
With this calculation, there may not be any substantial damage, but the invisible losses are huge.
As expected, Emperor Xuanren not only dismissed him from his job, but also reduced his salary, which was cut in half. He became the last among all the princes, even worse off than Prince Heng. Although he did not send him back to reflect on his mistakes, he made him study with the young princes every day, which was quite humiliating.