After the cannon fodder father and daughter married into the family, the whole family regretted it

The Marquis of Southwest led his troops to disobey the imperial army, raised private soldiers, and formed a clique for personal gain, so he could not escape death.

But because he surrendered, admitted his mistakes in time, cooperated in the confession, found the Miao people, and finally saved his youngest son and the women in his family.

As for the eldest son and the second son, they must die with him.

Lord Jiang and Lord Cheng formed a clique for personal gain, accepted bribes, and smuggled weapons, all of which were capital offenses. Their homes were raided and their families were sentenced to exile.

At this point, the Southwest matter seemed to be over.

But after the court session, the Minister of Justice met with the emperor in private and listed the doubtful points in the case.

For example, since the prince consort believed that he could not escape the death penalty and was willing to commit suicide to apologize, why didn't he write down that he imitated the third princess's handwriting?

You can’t say that you don’t have enough time to write it, right?

In addition, the Third Princess has a strong personality and everyone in the Princess's Mansion belongs to her. It is really far-fetched to say that she knows nothing about the Prince Consort's affairs.

And those who thoroughly investigated the Southwest Army included not only the Fourth Prince's men, but also those from the Princess's Mansion.

In the case, one could roughly assume that he was the son-in-law, but in reality...

Just because there are no clues to these doubts doesn’t mean there are no more suspicions.

The emperor was also very clear about this. He nodded and said, "Give all the clues in your hand to Lord Yan."

After Cen Huo died, Deputy General Yan successfully took over and became the real commander of the imperial guards.

The Minister of Justice understood that the case was only closed on the surface, and the emperor still wanted to continue investigating.

Inexplicably, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Your Majesty, the Fourth Prince..."

Although all the evidence now points to the Fourth Prince, he has also pleaded guilty and accepted punishment.

But what if the hidden truth is discovered later?

The emperor sneered: "Why do you think the fourth brother is so honest?"

He silently accepted the guilt and really thought that the Fourth Prince was a vegetarian.

Eunuch Fu gave a secret memorial to the Minister of Justice. After reading it, the latter's face changed drastically and he said nothing more about the matter.

It seems that His Majesty had already discovered something was wrong, and he took advantage of the situation to put the blame on the Fourth Prince, probably to reassure others.

After all, in the eyes of everyone, the Fourth Prince had been demoted to a commoner, and the case was truly solved.

Not long after the Minister of Justice left the Imperial Study, the Crown Prince arrived.

Qing Yan volunteered, saying that he was free recently and wanted to escort the Fourth Prince out of the palace.

The emperor rolled his eyes at him and said, "If you have something to say, just say it."

The prince is not really idle. Doing something like this to take advantage of others' misfortune will not only bring him no benefit but also make him easily get a reputation for being mean.

Qing Yan's face was expressionless. "Father, I heard that you want to go to the southwest in person to take a look. When will you leave? Can you arrange for someone to govern the southwest?"

The emperor understood as soon as he heard it.

Where did this kid get the news that he intended to make him regent? Is he here to urge him to leave? Is he impatient to take power?

If it were another emperor or prince, if they spoke like this, the prince would definitely be accused of rebellion and being ambitious.

You think I'm not dead yet, but you're so eager to take over. Isn't it a bit ugly?

But the emperor understood the prince and knew his character, and he did not value power very much.

The emperor frowned: "What do you want to do?"

"Don't interfere in Chen's case. I will handle it myself." The emperor suddenly said.

If he traveled to the southwest, the court would be under the control of the prince, and Chen Xiang's case would naturally fall into the hands of the prince.

"Your Majesty, I will handle it according to the law." Qing Yan did not hide it, this was his purpose.

The emperor actually believed what he said, as his own son was sometimes stubborn.

If it is really found out that there is something wrong with Prime Minister Chen, the prince will not do anything for Fang Nanzhi's sake.

"Prince, you have grown up now and should know that sometimes laws cannot solve all problems." The emperor sighed. He had wanted to say this for a long time.

The prince was in poor health before, but now that he has recovered, he should teach the prince how to be a real king.

"Do you know that there is a law that allows all sins except those punishable by death to be redeemed with money? What is that for?"

This is the way out for the aristocratic families, princes and nobles.

In other words, it is a signal.

People with power and influence can use their power and money to atone for their sins, and even if they really commit a crime, they cannot be easily punished.

This in itself is a kind of tolerance towards the aristocratic families and scholars all over the world.

A kind of grace.

"If you treat them as ordinary people, they will naturally want a new prince or king who can treat them well."

The emperor spoke frankly.

Why is it that even though the Crown Prince is extremely intelligent, smart and capable, those court officials still keep making small moves in private?

That's why.

Who doesn’t want to enjoy privileges and protection for themselves and their descendants after achieving success?

The prince was determined to break this, which would affect their interests, so of course they did not like the prince.

"I know you are arrogant and cold, indifferent to everything. And because of this indifference, you believe that everyone in the world should be the same."

No one knows a son better than his father. If you say that the prince has a pure heart, cares about the world, and cares about the people, he does not have such feelings.

The prince is more like, standing in the position of crown prince, who can calmly and clearly know his responsibilities and must fulfill them.

As for why it was completed, perhaps it is not important to the prince.

To put it more clearly, he was neither sad nor happy about the fact that the position in the Eastern Palace was given to Qingyan, but he would not let go of things that belonged to him, even if he didn't care.

Once you get it, you have to be responsible.

"But this kind of thinking will only push the courtiers further away. As the crown prince, you must learn to utilize the law, utilize the courtiers, and utilize everything you can to achieve your goals."

The emperor's words were cruel.

The mind of an emperor is inherently ruthless.

He believed that the prince would understand.

Qing Yan has always been quick to understand things. Even when he was young, he knew how his father controlled the government.

But he didn't think that was right.

"Father, you think the law is useless because you only regard it as a tool, and never as the true law."

“Many provisions in the law reflect the selfishness of those in power and need to be completely discarded.”

“If the law is unjust, make a just law.”

Qing Yan's tone was firm.

The emperor's face darkened. What he had just said was completely like talking to a deaf person.

Is it the law that matters? It is the balance!

"Could it be that you still want the law to govern everyone in the world, and that the imperial power and the aristocratic families must also be suppressed under the law?"

"Laws are the foundation of governing a country, the emperor is the helmsman of the country, and the noble families and court officials should all be the crew members." Qing Yan's voice was flat, but the words he said could poke a hole in the sky.

The emperor was greatly shocked.

After a long moment, he pointed at the prince with trembling voice, "Get out! Get out now!"

Qing Yan turned around and left without any hesitation.

The emperor couldn't help asking again, "Let the emperor take the helm. Which direction do you want the ship to go?"