Becoming a stepmother of three children gives me space

The people responsible for the kidnapping were all thugs on the streets of Beijing.

Unlike the loyal guards and the slaves who were indentured to sell their bodies, they were all seeking wealth and did not need to be frightened when they were caught in court.

He confessed all the facts of his crimes, including peeping at a widow bathing at the age of ten and stealing chickens from the village at the age of twelve. He also had to continue to confess the bad things he did when he was 16.

Zhao An interrupted impatiently,

"This has nothing to do with the case. Turn yourself in to the Dali Temple. Now tell me, the Chief Principal, who ordered you there?"

The hooligans stammered, their faces bewildered. Although they had seen the man's face, they did not know his identity. The eldest princess loosened her clenched fists.

Fortunately, fortunately,

They don't know anyone and have no evidence, so even if someone suspects them, it's not a problem.

The princess was too happy too soon. A middle-aged man was thrown into the hall by the secret guards. The thugs showed joy on their faces and pointed at the man:

"It's him!"

"He was the one who paid us to arrest someone."

The steward's face changed drastically, and he whispered in the princess's ear:

"Your Highness...that's the purchasing manager of the palace. He's the one who's in charge of finding the personnel."

Some of the onlookers recognized the middle-aged man.

"He is the purchasing manager of Princess Fuqing's mansion."

"It was him who came to buy meat from me and refused to pay."

"He ruined the grocery store next door to my house. He paid them only one ounce for something that cost five ounces of silver."

"kill him!"

"kill him."

The people were all ruthless. They always had rotten eggs and vegetable leaves with them when they went out. They threw them at the manager, leaving the scene in a mess.

Some even rushed in to beat people up. If the City Defense Department had not been prepared, the middle-aged manager might have been beaten to death on the spot.

Zhao An wiped the sweat from his forehead and asked the princess:

"Do you know the person here?"

Denial was definitely not an option. She looked at the butler, who stood up and said:

"Your Excellency, this man was the purchasing manager for the palace, but he was kicked out of the palace a while ago because of his dishonest behavior."

If he was caught lying, he would take the blame and the princess would not be implicated. The butler narrowed his eyes and stared at the steward. The threat in his eyes was as real as substance.

The steward looked at him in horror, feeling that he had been abandoned.

The arm cannot twist the thigh. If he tells the truth, not only will he be in danger, but his family will also be implicated.

Besides,

The butler did not look for him directly, but went through the maid. Not to mention the princess, even the butler probably couldn't bring her down.

"I plead guilty..."

He knelt on the ground and admitted all the charges. Zhao An breathed a sigh of relief.

If the eldest princess is involved, leading to a royal scandal and riots among the people, there will be no way to resolve it.

"Daxia law states that kidnapping without causing any casualties will result in seven years' imprisonment and 20 taels of silver in compensation..."

There was nothing wrong with his judgment, but the people were extremely dissatisfied.

"Shadow!"

"The steward of the Princess's Mansion must have been instructed by someone. Find out the truth and seek justice."

"It was Princess Fuqing who ordered this. The officials are protecting each other, and we refuse to accept it."

"Dissatisfied!"

"Dissatisfied!"

The people are timid, not fools. The purchasing manager doesn't pay for things he buys because he wants money. What's the benefit of kidnapping unrelated children?

It must be the princess's order.

They didn't know what the Zongzheng Temple was for, but the eldest princess just called the Zongzheng Emperor uncle, which meant he was a relative, so Zhao An must be protecting him.

Zhao An was in a panic. If the people rioted and beat him to death, even if they were all beheaded, he would die too. It would not be worth it.

He looked at Luo Chengdong for help.

The people do not trust me, and speaking rashly will easily intensify the conflict. It is better for the Dali Temple to intervene.

"quiet!"

Luo Chengdong couldn't really just ignore it. If the public trial really caused trouble, he would also be in trouble:

"My fellow villagers, please listen to me."

He had a good reputation in the capital, and the people calmed down.

"The court must have evidence to judge a case. If we hastily convict someone without evidence, it will cause great chaos... I promise here that as long as there is evidence, we will investigate thoroughly!"

The indignant people calmed down. Luo Chengdong was right. If a conviction was forced without evidence, more officials would follow suit, and the ones who would suffer would inevitably be ordinary people without power.

In the final analysis, there is no evidence. Even if the sky is broken, the government will not punish the princess. There is no point in continuing to make trouble.

"Your Excellency has a point."

"We are willing to believe your Excellency."

The common people were easily fooled, but Xiao Yunxi would not let them off easily. The secret guards in the crowd took advantage of the chaos and shouted:

"Although there is no way to prove that the eldest princess was responsible, the beneficiary of this incident is Princess Gaoyang. Please punish her severely!"

"Punish Princess Gaoyang severely!"

"Punish Princess Gaoyang severely!"

"Punish Princess Gaoyang severely!"

Tens of thousands of people shouted,

The eldest princess clenched her fists, staring at Xiao Yunxi with eyes that looked like they were filled with poison. The damn bitch did it on purpose! She was trying to force Gao Yang to death.

Xiao Yunxi smiled in response. "Thinking you can get away with just finding someone else to take the blame?" "Since you want to shirk responsibility, let your daughter shoulder more of the responsibility!"

"This official promises to impose a severe punishment."

Luo Chengdong took the lead in expressing his opinion, and Zhao An had to bite the bullet and follow suit:

"This sect leader will definitely not protect..."

The two chief officers made a promise that Princess Gaoyang would not be able to escape. The eldest princess did not expect that after doing so much, she did not help Gaoyang get rid of the guilt, but instead increased the punishment!

She couldn't speak carelessly now, as it would arouse the people's resentment and would be even more dangerous.

"My Lord...I am suing the Grand Princess."

Just as Zhao An and Luo Chengdong were discussing how to punish them, the crowd was pushed aside and a woman knelt in the hall, holding up the petition.

"I, Rong Qianqian, am suing Princess Fuqing for poisoning civilians, causing tragic deaths, and persecuting the Rong family, leading to the death of my mother. Please, sir, seek justice."

Xiao Yunxi was stunned. Was this female hero here to help?

I just don't know if she has any substantial evidence to sue the eldest princess. If there is evidence, she must help and crush the eldest princess completely.

The incident at the Dali Temple was reported to the palace immediately. The emperor's face turned from black to purple, and from purple to black.

He didn't care how many people died, but he couldn't destroy the royal reputation, let alone his reputation as an emperor.

"check!"

"Tell Zhao An to get to the bottom of this!"

“No one will be tolerated if it involves anyone.”

The emperor was angry, and Dabao was a little disappointed. After all, the emperor still wanted to protect the eldest princess. If he really wanted to punish her, the Dali Temple should be the presiding judge.

The case was handed over to Zhao An. In the final analysis, it was an internal matter of the royal family. The greatest punishment for internal matters of the royal family was deprivation of the title.

He remembered what his mother had said: if there were privileges before the law, there would be more and more unfair things happening and the people would lose trust in the court.

In peacetime, the common people would at most complain, but when faced with external forces, rebellion, or disasters, they would be the last straw that broke the camel's back for the imperial court.

"Grandpa Emperor, your grandson feels that this is inappropriate."