Fu Delu spread the impeachment memorial compiled by the Drum Court Envoy, along with the marriage-in-law document and all collected evidence, on the imperial desk.
The signature on the marriage-in-law document for Wei Mingze was identical to the handwriting on Wei Mingze's imperial examination papers.
The Emperor threw the marriage-in-law document at Wei Mingze and was the first to question, "Wei Mingze, do you confess?"
Wei Mingze was startled, his eyes momentarily blinded by the marriage-in-law document before him, and he crawled forward a few steps.
Just as he was about to answer, he saw the Imperial Guards escorting Yang Daji, Madam Zhao, Wei Tian, as well as Wang Quan and the thief Fang Qing, into the hall.
As soon as Madam Zhao entered, she knelt on the ground with a thud and spoke first.
"Your Majesty, please see clearly, Su Xiuer is a wicked woman. Back then, she only had eyes for my eldest son's exceptional talent. When my husband passed away and our family was in poverty and distress, she forced my eldest son to marry into her family. Now that my eldest son has become the top scholar, she's clinging to him again. She's a scoundrel!"
Su Xiuer turned her head and looked at Madam Zhao with a cold laugh, "Madam Zhao, even if I forced you, did your family not use the silver I earned from slaughtering pigs? Even if I am wicked, if you didn't agree at the time, why didn't you sue me?"
"If you didn't want to sue, and truly had integrity, then don't eat the grain and meat I sent to your home, and your son shouldn't have used my silver to study. To put down the bowl and curse the mother, then kick the bowl because it's dirty, you're truly an old cucumber pretending to be young, utterly shameless."
"Pfft!"
The hall was filled with refined people; even if they weren't, they wouldn't dare to swear in front of the Emperor.
As soon as Su Xiuer's vulgar and shrewish words came out, some people couldn't hold back their laughter.
The Emperor's lips also unconsciously curved into a smile. He felt that Su Xiuer's words were crude but not unreasonable, yet he still gave a light cough to show his authority.
Fu Delu, suppressing his laughter, shouted at the top of his lungs, "Silence."
Although Fu Delu had spoken, he showed no intention of scolding Su Xiuer.
Madam Zhao felt it was unfair, but this was indeed the fact. She thought for a long time but couldn't find anything to refute it.
She could only weakly repeat, "It's not like that, it's not like that..."
It was better not to have said anything.
The Emperor frowned and glanced at Fu Delu.
Fu Delu immediately understood and took a step forward, glanced at Yang Daji and the others, and then shouted again, "We are investigating a case before the Emperor. Confession will lead to leniency. Anyone who dares to conceal further will face the death penalty."
As soon as these words were spoken, Yang Daji, who had already been scared half to death, immediately kowtowed and confessed.
"Your Majesty, on the fifth day of the month, Madam Zhao gave me five taels of silver and asked me to pretend to flirt with Madam Su. But I didn't do anything, and was instead kicked by Madam Su, breaking my ribs. They still hurt."
As he spoke, he clutched his chest in discomfort.
The thief Fang Qing followed closely, "Your Majesty, the second steward of the Minister of War's estate, Wang Quan, gave me twenty taels of silver and asked me to steal Madam Su's pouch and lure her to the ruined temple outside the city. When I left, I did indeed see Wang Quan lurking around the ruined temple."
Speaking of this, Fang Qing's face showed a hint of lingering fear.
"Your Majesty, I only used three taels of the twenty taels of silver. The rest was snatched back by Madam Su. Madam Su even lifted me up and threw me to the ground. My backside still hurts. I beg Your Majesty for mercy."
"Pfft!"
Someone, it was unclear who, couldn't help but laugh out loud again.
Every time someone tried to harm Madam Su, they ended up getting hurt themselves.
This Madam Su was truly like a living Yama King; whoever harmed her would have bad luck.
Those who didn't know the inside story and thought Su Xiuer had really been given sixty board beatings, now that they saw Su Xiuer was awake, seemed to have found the reason.
No wonder Su Xiuer could still curse after being given sixty board beatings; she was truly strong.
The Emperor also had a faint smile in his eyes. The more he looked at Su Xiuer, the more he liked her.
Having been on the throne for so long, he had forgotten how many years it had been since he had seen such a vibrant person.
In this way, the Emperor's dislike for Wei Mingze and the others grew.
He spoke with authority, "The human and material evidence are all here. Wei Mingze, Duan Zhenzhu, what else do you have to say?"
Duan Zhenzhu's body trembled, and she subconsciously looked at Duan Gehong.
Duan Gehong narrowed his eyes. Experience was the best teacher. He kowtowed first and answered for Duan Zhenzhu.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me. It is all my fault for not disciplining my daughter properly. Zhenzhu always believed that she and Scholar Wei were in love. Zhenzhu has always been kind. Even if she did something wrong, I believe she must have been instigated by someone."
"Duan Gehong, did I ask you?" the Emperor reprimanded coldly.
"This subject deserves death!" Duan Gehong was so frightened that he immediately prostrated himself, and at the same time, he gave Duan Zhenzhu a look.
No one could die but oneself. Duan Zhenzhu immediately got the hint and followed suit, kowtowing and saying.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me. This subject was deceived by Scholar Wei. He said that Madam Su used kindness to bind him and refuse to leave. This subject was angry and did indeed instruct the steward of the estate, Wang Quan, to teach Madam Su a lesson. However, this subject truly did not know that Wang Quan set the fire to silence her. It must be that Wang Quan was trying to please this subject."
"This subject did indeed use dogs to scare Madam Su's young child. But Madam Su and her son were not injured. This subject's dog was instead disemboweled by her, and even this subject was injured on the neck by her."
Duan Zhenzhu said this, sticking out her neck to prove her innocence. There was indeed a healing wound on her neck that was not yet fully healed.
Duan Zhenzhu's words almost perfectly confirmed the saying that whoever harmed Su Xiuer would suffer misfortune.
No one was foolish. As soon as Su Xiuer spoke, they understood that she was only admitting to minor offenses and not major ones.
The Emperor, with a stern face, looked at Wang Quan, "What do you have to say?"
Wang Quan's complexion changed drastically. He understood that the Duan father and daughter were sacrificing him to protect themselves.
He opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but upon meeting Duan Gehong's sinister gaze, he immediately cowered.
As a family-born servant, the lives of his entire family were in the hands of the Duan family. If he refused to confess, his whole family would not survive.
This was also why large families liked to heavily rely on family-born servants; it was convenient for them to take the blame at critical moments.
After struggling, Wang Quan lowered his eyelids and kowtowed heavily, "This subject confesses. To please the young lady and Scholar Wei, I privately bribed Fang Qing and set fire to the ruined temple, intending to kill Madam Su to silence her."
"And you, Wei Mingze?" Su Xiuer's accusation did not strike at the root of Duan Gehong's power, and Shen Hui only wanted to make Duan Gehong anxious and uneasy. Therefore, the Emperor was not concerned about this outcome. He turned to Wei Mingze, his gaze darkening slightly.
He had personally selected the top scholar, and Wei Mingze's poor character meant his judgment was flawed.
Wei Mingze felt a killing intent and flinched.
Just as he was about to speak, he saw his mother rush forward again, kowtowing her head, "Your Majesty, drugging Su Xiuer was all my doing. Forcing my eldest son to marry Miss Duan was also done by me. My eldest son is filial, so he dared not disobey this subject. I hope Your Majesty will spare him his crimes, considering my eldest son's filial piety."
"Mother!" Wei Mingze looked at Madam Zhao, his voice choked with emotion.
Madam Zhao, with tears in her eyes, shook her head at Wei Mingze.
Wei Mingze was the hope of their Wei family. Only by protecting Wei Mingze could their Wei family have a chance to rise again.
This was the strategy Madam Zhao had devised on the way to the palace. They didn't think there was anything wrong with these words.
The entire family had pooled their resources to support their eldest son's studies. Once the eldest son achieved success, the whole family would prosper.
Madam Zhao gritted her teeth, reached out, and held Wei Tian's trembling hand, "Your Majesty, this subject confesses."
Reminded by Madam Zhao, Wei Tian also kowtowed unwillingly, "This subject also confesses."
Wei Mingze looked at his mother and brother, who were shielding him and taking the blame for him. He opened his mouth but ultimately remained silent for a long time. His hands, hanging by his sides, clenched into fists, hiding resentment and regret.
The Emperor, with his sharp eyes, saw through everything and said coldly, "It's interesting to take responsibility proactively and take the blame for others."
As these words were spoken, the hall instantly became tense again.
After a moment, the Emperor chuckled softly, as if he had reached a conclusion.
He first looked at Duan Zhenzhu, "You said you were deceived by Wei Mingze and didn't know Wang Quan set the fire? But it's true that you used dogs to scare children, and it's true that you helped Wei Mingze conceal the marriage-in-law. Your so-called kindness was merely relying on the power of the Minister's Estate."
He paused, not allowing Duan Zhenzhu to argue, and then looked at Wang Quan, "Since you admit to setting the fire privately, I will spare you the death penalty in consideration of your voluntary confession. You will receive forty board beatings, be exiled three thousand li, and will never be allowed to return to the capital."
His life was spared, and Wang Quan's body relaxed. He kowtowed heavily, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your mercy."
Next, the Emperor's gaze fell on Madam Zhao and her son. "You claim that drugging and forced marriage were all your doing? Wei Mingze is already the top scholar. If he truly didn't want it, why would he let you manipulate him? However, you were eager to protect your son, and it shows some maternal instinct. I will allow you to bear half of his guilt. Madam Zhao, thirty board beatings, exiled two thousand li; Wei Tian, for colluding in the crime, twenty board beatings, exiled one thousand li."
Madam Zhao's face turned pale, but still hoping to rely on her eldest son for a comeback, she could only pull her younger son to kowtow and thank the Emperor.
However, the Emperor's gaze quickly locked onto Wei Mingze, his tone more severe than before.
"Wei Mingze, it is true that you married into the Su family and were supported by them for three years. It is true that you were treacherous and climbed onto the powerful. It is true that you indulged your family in evil deeds while feigning innocence! I personally selected you as the top scholar, thinking you were a pillar of talent, but I never expected you to be an ungrateful, immoral wretch!"
"Your title as top scholar is hereby revoked, and you are demoted to commoner. You will receive twenty board beatings, divorce from Madam Su effective immediately, and must return the promised thousand taels of silver in compensation. You are forbidden from participating in the imperial examinations for life!"
As the verdict was announced, Wei Mingze was struck as if by lightning.
Madam Zhao and Wei Tian were stunned.
They could bear any punishment, but they could not accept never being able to take the imperial examinations again.
Wei Mingze suddenly looked up, "Your Majesty, this subject studied diligently for over ten years..."
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