Golden Branch

Zhou Jiming caused a bloody storm in the capital.

He acts in an extreme and brutal way.

But, he is also really capable.

It took less than a month from the incident to tracking down the real culprit behind the incident.

"It's actually the family of the wife of the Crown Prince of Cheng'en Mansion?"

As a top official, Wang Heng is well-informed.

Even if Lou Yu was not in the capital, without this powerful source of information, Wang Heng still had other channels of information.

Almost the next moment after Zhou Jiming found out the truth, when Zhou Jiming went to Taiji Palace to deliver the task, Wang Heng received a report that was almost the truth.

She held the note in her hand and scratched a mark on the words "Duke Cheng'en's Mansion" with her fingernails.

Like the Feng'en Mansion, the Cheng'en Mansion was granted the title because the family had a queen, and was the top-level foreign relative of the Dayu Dynasty.

What’s even more coincidental is that both families have the surname Li.

It’s just that they are not from the same county.

The Cheng'en Mansion was the Zhaojun Li family, while the Feng'en Mansion was the Guanlong Li family.

The two families have the same surname but different clans. One is the clan of the former emperor's wife, and the other is the clan of the current emperor's wife.

In the early years, when the former emperor tried to suppress the current saint, the two major relatives fought hard.

At that time, the Cheng'en Mansion had the support of the former emperor and strongly supported the King of Chu, who was of their own blood, to ascend to the throne, and often found fault with the saint and the Feng'en Mansion.

Unfortunately, after a few years, the feng shui turned to the saint's side.

After the former emperor abdicated, the Cheng'en Mansion was also liquidated.

Almost all the male members of the clan were dismissed from their official positions.

The very few "fish that slipped through the net" were just decorations used by the saints to appease the retired emperor and empress.

He only holds an official position but has no real power.

He only retained the title of Duke Cheng'en, which barely prevented the Li family from collapsing.

There is no way. Although the saint is decisive in killing, he should not act too excessively.

He used drastic measures, shooting his brother to death, imprisoning his biological father, and cutting off most of the branches of the hostile forces.

If we wipe out all the people in the Cheng'en Mansion, it will be easy to rebound.

If the Empress Dowager was forced to commit suicide, the Emperor would be furious and want to fight to the death.

The saint is not afraid, but it is better to avoid such unnecessary trouble.

It's just an empty shell, and keeping it to appease the former emperor and some "centrists" who are not the former emperor's confidants will bring more benefits than disadvantages!

After careful consideration, the saint finally spared the Cheng'en Mansion.

As for the Cheng'en Mansion, knowing that it had lost power, it dared not be arrogant anymore. Everyone in the mansion kept a low profile and lived cautiously.

Seeing that Duke Cheng'en was so understanding, the Saint was satisfied and threw it aside.

I never expected that the Cheng'en Mansion was pretending to surrender, but actually harboring rebellious intentions.

"..."

The saint looked at the dozen confessions and witnesses submitted by Zhou Jiming. His expression was cold and a murderous look flashed in his eyes.

"Is the evidence conclusive?" the saint asked softly.

"I have verified both the witnesses and the physical evidence, and they are indeed correct!"

Zhou Jiming knelt on the bluestone floor of the hall and answered firmly.

The saint nodded slowly, good, great!

He is truly worthy of being Ye Ye's trusted minister. Ye Ye was trapped in the Daming Palace for four or five years, but the Li family was still so loyal to him.

In order to become the emperor, he was willing to risk the lives of his entire family.

For such loyal ministers, the saints must "fulfill" their loyalty.

"Issue the decree: Li is guilty of treason and his title of Duke of Cheng'en is stripped from him. All those in the palace will be punished according to the law."

The saint's meaning was very clear. Since the Cheng'en Mansion dared to assassinate the emperor, it must bear the consequences of confiscation of property, beheading, exile, etc.

This not only requires severe punishment of the main culprits, but also requires all to be held accountable.

The entire Li family, even their in-laws, should be beheaded or have their property confiscated.

The Saint will not show mercy this time. Not even for the Emperor's sake!

“…Duke Cheng’en’s Mansion is finished!”

Zhou Jiming lowered his head and listened silently to the sage's orders.

He secretly sighed in his heart: The Li family is also stupid. They have not been able to see through the situation for several years.

The saints have given them grace to survive.

Unexpectedly, they were not satisfied and insisted on seeking their own death.

Now look what happened. Not only did he lose his title and official position, but he couldn’t even save the lives of his entire family.

The Li family was overthrown!

Although he secretly criticized it, Zhou Jiming did not sympathize with it. He even felt a little "grateful" to the Cheng'en Mansion.

If the Li family had not sought death, Zhou Jiming would not have had the opportunity to show his abilities in front of the saint.

It is actually not difficult to find the mastermind behind the incident based on not many clues in less than a month.

As the saying goes, "A passing goose leaves traces." As long as you do something, you will leave clues.

Many officials from Jingzhao Prefecture and Dali Temple were able to track down the real culprit by following the clues.

The best thing about Zhou Jiming is that he not only identified the real murderer, but also obtained very solid and detailed evidence.

Witnesses and physical evidence.

Confession, letter.

The evidence is overwhelming and cannot be refuted.

This is the kind of talent a saint needs. Being ruthless is nothing. Being well-reasoned and airtight is what matters.

Zhou Jiming did it.

The saints looked at him with satisfaction and appreciation.

After the real culprit is identified, the next step is to punish him according to the law.

Zhou Jiming continued to be busy.

Duke Cheng'en and his son, the Crown Prince, as the main culprits, were directly sentenced to death.

The other adult males of the Li family were either beheaded or exiled.

Underage males were also exiled.

No pardon even if pardoned!

All the women were taken into custody in the Ye Ting and Jiaofangsi.

The relatives of the Li family who were involved in this matter were also severely punished.

In the following days, many districts in the capital were filled with crying.

The bloodstains on the bluestone floor of Caishikou had been washed again and again, but the strong smell of blood still lingered.

The emperor in the Daming Palace fell ill. The emperor and the empress went to visit him in person and gave him medicine, but they did not change the verdict.

The Li family and his in-laws still could not escape the fate of the overthrow of the entire clan.

The Empress Dowager completely collapsed. She attempted suicide several times, but was rescued each time by the palace maids arranged by Empress Li.

Queen Li didn't really care about her cheap mother-in-law and didn't want her to die.

In fact, Queen Li had long hated her for not dying.

But even if I have to die, I can't do it at this time.

Otherwise, it is easy to leave room for gossip and spread rumors.

The saint not only shot his brother to death and imprisoned his biological father, but also forced his stepmother to death!

Queen Li didn't want her wise and brave husband to be smeared with such dirty water!

After the turmoil in the Li family is over, the Empress Dowager can die however she wants.

Queen Li appears gentle and virtuous, but in her heart she is as cruel as a saint.

When the time came for the Empress Dowager to die, even if she didn't want to die, Empress Li would see her off!

The retired emperor and his wife in the Daming Palace, one was pretending to be sick, and the other was really sick. The entire Longshouyuan was filled with a gloomy atmosphere.

This haze swept across the entire capital until the end of December.

With the New Year approaching, Zhou Jiming killed for a month before finally stopping.

The dark clouds that had been hanging over the capital finally slowly dissipated.

……

"It's finally over!"

Wang Heng sat in the carriage, gently lifted a corner of the curtain, and looked at the scenery outside through the gap.

Winter is already desolate, and the layout of Chang'an itself is separated into the city and the streets.

On the spacious Suzaku Street, there were no rows of shops as in later generations, but instead rows of high walls.

There were only carriages and pedestrians coming and going, but no bustling business.

After a month or two of bitter wind and rain, Suzaku Street seemed to have become deserted.

Passersby coming and going either look nervous or are in a hurry.

No one joked around, and no one dared to ride a horse in the street.

Occasionally, carriages would meet at the intersection, but there would be no quarrels or disputes. Instead, they would all resolve the issue privately and in a low-key manner.

Although these scenes are not yet so serious that everyone is in danger, they are less noisy than in the past.

Such an atmosphere is somewhat depressing.

Wang Heng watched coldly, sighing secretly, but she could do nothing.

Fortunately, things are over and the old year is about to pass.

When the New Year comes, the capital will become prosperous and stable again.

"Princess, we've arrived at the Marquis of Changle's Mansion!"

Just as Wang Heng was lost in thought, the carriage stopped.

The driver turned around and replied respectfully.

"Ok!"

Wang Heng responded.

The servant accompanying the carriage had already jumped off the carriage, put the bench in place, stood aside, and helped Wang Heng get off.

"Princess?!"

The gatekeeper of the Changle Marquis Mansion was originally hiding in the sun with his sleeves rolled up.

Seeing the familiar four-wheeled carriage, he vaguely guessed who the visitor was.

They hurried over and just in time saw a slender figure getting off the carriage.

Several doormen hurriedly stepped in to pay their respects, "Your servants pay their respects to the princess!"

"No gift!"

Wang Heng waved her hand casually and strode into the Marquis' Mansion without waiting for the doorman to pass on the message.

Early this morning, Wang Heng received a message from the Marquis' Mansion:

At five o'clock in the morning, Wang Mian took action!

Wang Mian's due date is at the end of the month, but she is carrying twins, and the imperial physician has already predicted: Madam Wang will give birth prematurely!

To date, Wang Mian has been pregnant for more than eight months.

It started suddenly, which was barely a good thing.

Wang Heng was very worried. After receiving the news, she ordered someone to take her princess's business card and knock on the door.

When we walked all the way to Chongrenfang where the Marquis' Mansion was located, the gate had just opened.

"Meet the princess!"

"Please Princess Jinan!"

"Princess!"

Wang Heng had been to the Changle Marquis Mansion several times and was quite familiar with it.

She didn't need the servants of the Marquis' Mansion to lead the way. She followed the corridor and came directly to the courtyard of Xiao Wuji and Wang Mian.

The main courtyard on the east side of the Marquis' Mansion is also the prince's territory.

When we arrived in the yard, several people dressed as noble ladies came to greet us.

Wang Heng took a quick glance and recognized them as the wife of the Marquis of Changle, as well as the ladies and prostitutes from other quarters.

Yes, they are Amian’s mother-in-law, aunt, cousin, etc., all female members of the marquis’s family.

She might be a very nice person on weekdays, eating Wang Mian's food, but she looked down on Wang Mian because she was a peasant girl.

However, Xiao Wuzhi loves and protects his wife, and Wang Mian is a person who dares to be "jealous" in front of the queen.

The women of the Xiao family have been jumping around for the past few years. They have suffered countless setbacks and learned countless lessons. Finally, they "accepted their fate" -

They couldn't defeat Wang, a mere farmhand!

Moreover, they are not truly evil, but just some extremely calculating people.

In daily life, they would just bicker and quarrel, but when it came to the critical moment of Wang Mian's delivery, they would never dare to make trouble.

Even if Xiao Wuji is not in the capital, they still have to consider Wang Mian's good friend Princess Langya.

No sooner had Wang launched her attack than Princess Langya arrived at the Marquis of Changle's residence within an hour...