Cheng Ping obviously didn't care about the displeasure implied in his friend's question. Without further ado, he grabbed Pei Xiaoyuan's arm with his five fingers, looked around to make sure there was no one around, and forcibly dragged him to the place where he had just hidden. Then he let go and whispered, "I want to ask you something. I haven't seen you for a few days. I asked around and found out that you and the princess were staying here for a while. I couldn't wait, so I came to ask you myself."
"Does the Saint have any other intentions in offering sacrifices to the ancestors this time?"
Chengping asked without any hesitation.
The sunlight filtered through the gaps in the treetops, imprinted on Chengping's eyes, causing his gaze to flicker slightly.
Pei Xiaoyuan looked at him for a moment and said, "Isn't it a royal custom to offer sacrifices to ancestors on the first day of the eleventh month? It's the same every year. You were a hostage in Chang'an and came here again a few years ago. You should know this. Why are you asking this question?"
Cheng Ping smiled and said, "You were not at the court meeting a few days ago, but you must know what happened. The Imperial Counselor Su Shiming and others first impeached Wei Juren for allowing his relatives to occupy the farmland of good people, and then impeached Liu Ceye's grandson for fighting for the right to rule and beating someone to death in the street, and then paying a few dollars to settle the matter. These are all old things that happened many years ago, and no one mentioned them a long time ago. Now the victim suddenly ran to the government office to file a complaint, and even let the censors know, and openly spoke for the victim in the court—"
That’s fine, but what’s most worthy of consideration is the saint’s reaction.
He asked Liu Ceye to investigate these two matters and ordered him to report back after the next court meeting, which was the royal ancestor worship ceremony.
Not only that, those people also impeached Xue Mian, the governor of Liangzhou and the governor of Shannan Road, saying that after he came to Chang'an, he pretended to be ill and delayed leaving, and he must have other intentions. The emperor's handling of the matter at that time was also extremely unexpected. He sent someone to accompany the imperial physician to Xue's house for diagnosis. When the imperial physician arrived, Xue Mian was drunk because he had a banquet all night last night. His family couldn't wake him up no matter how they called him. He was carried to the palace and poured cold water on his head, and then he woke up. Although he made all kinds of excuses, saying that he had qi bi disease, when the disease occurred, his waist and feet were so painful that he couldn't walk, and because the climate in Chang'an was suitable for him to recuperate, he was reluctant to leave. But how could the saint believe his excuses? He was still furious. If it weren't for his ancestors' merits and the pleadings of others for him, he would have been stripped of his position and thrown into prison on the spot. Although his anger subsided a little later and he retained his title, he was still beaten with the cane thirty times in public, leaving his skin torn and flesh bruised, which was a horrible sight, and he was ordered to leave the capital within three days. By today, he had already left.
From the previous incident of the son-in-law being assassinated, which everyone was suspicious of, to the Liu family, the Wei family, and the Xue family, all three families were attacked on the same day.
Not a single sentence was directed at the prince, but everything was clearly directed at the prince.
After the court meeting that day, during these days, the officials in the Southern Court seemed to be doing the same as usual. However, everyone had a feeling that something big might be about to happen.
"The Saint has really made up his mind to depose the Crown Prince, right?"
After Chengping asked, he stared at Pei Xiaoyuan closely.
"I really have nothing to say about this matter." Pei Xiaoyuan answered him.
"How could the saint tell me what he was thinking? Besides, no matter whether he had any thoughts about this, it is not your business. From beginning to end, it has nothing to do with you!"