ebookland Chapter 478: Killing the chicken to scare the monkey (2)
Chapter 478: Killing the chicken to scare the monkey (2)
Having said this, Zhang Jianding stopped again.
If this matter were to be made public, Zhang Jianding would obviously have no way to survive.
But at the same time, Zhang Yi was also very clear that this matter would not be told unless he was the one to tell it.
He knew in his heart that the emperor must have known about this, otherwise she would not have come here today.
On the surface, the emperor came here to give you a chance.
But in fact, the emperor came here just to call for punishment.
No one else knows what the lord has done with Ma Meizi, but the emperor can never be concealed from him.
"What? It's hard to say? Then why not let me tell you." Chen Wanruo said lightly.
Then he directed to Xiaochun beside him, "Let them all come in!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Xiaochun said respectfully.
In front of outsiders, Xiaochun always calls Chen Wanruo "The Emperor".
Only in front of her family would she call Chen Wanruo "Miss".
As Xiaochun left, Zhang Jianding's ominous premonition became even stronger.
Sure enough, after a while, they saw Ma Meizi, trembling and pale, walking towards them.
Seeing this, Zhang Jianding, who had just dusted off his body, suddenly collapsed on the ground again.
"Ma Meizi, let me ask you, do you admit your guilt?"
After hearing this, Ma Meizi knelt down in front of Chen Wanruo with a thump without saying anything else.
He kept begging for mercy:
"Your Majesty, I know I was wrong. I was bewildered for a moment. I know I was wrong."
Having said that, he kept kowtowed to Chen Wanruo.
At this moment, she didn't dare to argue anymore. She knew very well in her heart that if she didn't beg for mercy, death would be waiting for her.
Ma Meizi was accompanied by Chen Hongan, as well as Chen Baoyu and Chen Baoyong, a brother and sister.
The original confiscation of Zhang's house had already caused quite a stir, and when Chen Wanruo came in, the stir only increased.
The Zhang residence has been surrounded.
"Come on, tell me, what have you done wrong?" Chen Wanruo asked calmly.
After asking this question, Ma Meizi immediately understood the purpose of Chen Wanruo's action.
Rumors are spread by oneself. If you want to stop them, you have to stop them yourself.
Thinking of this, Ma Meizi told Zhang Jianding everything about how she had received money from him before without saying anything.
In addition, he also confessed all his previous abuses against Chen Wanming.
"I am guilty of this crime, and I deserve death. Now I only ask the emperor to be magnanimous and spare my life."
As soon as these words were spoken, the villagers at the door immediately started talking.
"Today she was still spreading rumors in Mingxiang Pavilion, saying this and that about the emperor. It seems she was just performing a one-man show."
"Isn't it? I was saying it, the emperor is so kind, how could he do such a thing?"
"Yes, since the emperor ascended the throne, he has exempted many of us common people from taxes."
"And in the northwest, everyone knows how kind the emperor is. I heard that the flood disaster in the southwest has also been resolved..."
"..."
The villagers' discussions were all heard by Chen Baoyu and his sister.
Looking at the back of the person sitting upright on the chair, Chen Baoyu realized for the first time the gap between them.
If we talk about age, Chen Wanruo is actually not that much older than me.
However, what she did was a level that she would never be able to achieve in her lifetime.
Although she had never been to the battlefield, she had an uncle who was a general.
Influenced by him, she knew a lot about what happened on the battlefield.
She didn't even know how she got through those days.
Thinking of this, her heart ached immensely.
As a woman, she must have had a hard life, right?
But she had never heard her complain like this before.
Listening to the discussions of the villagers behind him, Chen Baoyu felt for the first time how proud he was to have such a sister.
At this time, Zhang Jianding was already at a loss.
Ever since Ma Meizi came in, his eyes have never left her.
Seeing her broken palm, what else is there to understand?
Even though she told the truth, she still looked like this, let alone me?
Thinking of this, Zhang Jianding immediately crawled towards Chen Wanruo and begged:
"Your Majesty, I have said it all. I have confessed the truth. I only ask Your Majesty to let me go and spare my life."
"Forgive you? Do you deserve it? Tell me, how many chances have I given you? Have you cherished them? I've said that it's all too late. You didn't cherish the chances I gave you, let alone now."
After saying this, Chen Wanruo immediately ordered Sun Bizhi who was standing beside her: "Action!"
Others might not understand these two short words, but Sun Bizhi, who fought on the battlefield with her, naturally understood.
He raised his right hand, and two guards came towards Zhang Jianding.
Seeing this, Zhang Jianding showed a hint of panic in his eyes.
It's the kind of panic that comes with the imminent death.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please...please..." At this time, Zhang Jianding had already grabbed the corner of Chen Wanruo's trousers.
But this time, Chen Wanruo was determined.
He pulled his foot back fiercely, then said, "Take it away!"
He had done nothing wrong in the past, but the fact that he arranged for Ma Meizi was enough to make him eligible for death.
Upon seeing this, Emperor Zhang Yi also knelt down towards Chen Wanruo.
"Are you also planning to plead for him?" Chen Wanruo said calmly.
"Your Majesty, Lord Zhang has good intentions, but..."
"I know very well whether he has a bad heart or not. I only know that I gave him chances time and time again, but he didn't seize them."
"I came here today. Do you really think I have nothing to do? No, after all, I still want to give him a chance, but what about him? To be honest, he disappoints me."
"I don't know what kind of person he is, but what I need is a good official who serves the country and the people. What about him? Has he done that? He is against me just because I am a woman."
"There are villagers outside this palace. Since I ascended the throne, I have opened warehouses to provide disaster relief and reduce the people's tax burden. Which one of them is not for the benefit of the people? As an important official of the court, he has put the wrong focus."
"Such a person, even if he has not committed a heinous crime, deserves death."
These words made Zhang Jianding, who already felt hopeless, even more ashamed.
If he thought hard, he would realize that even he himself didn't know what he had been doing during this period of time.
Looking back on what I have done during this period, it is as if I was possessed by a ghost and my days were spent in a daze.
After hearing what Chen Wanruo said today, he realized that he really had failed the oath he made when he stood at attention during the imperial examination.
Zhang Yi, who was kneeling on the ground, did not speak for a long time after hearing this.