The minister who submitted the memorial was Yu Fei, a loyal official for whom history is remarkably free of any stain.
He came from a poor family and was upright and incorruptible.
When he went to the capital to pay homage to the emperor, he was falsely accused and imprisoned because he refused to give gifts to powerful officials.
Fortunately, Duan Xuanyu had returned by then and gained some power, so he rescued him.
Yu Fei's fate in history was also tragic, because he frequently impeached members of the imperial family and relatives.
He represents the poor and is dedicated to opposing the powerful and influential.
When Duan Xuanyu was alive, he could still protect him.
Once Duan Xuanyu died, he was quickly framed, imprisoned, and his family was exterminated.
Let alone his own wife, children, and elderly parents.
Even his students and friends were attacked.
When the officers searched his house, they found very few valuables; only the main room was securely locked.
Upon opening it, he found only the python robe and sword that Duan Xuanyu had given him.
If Duan Xuanyu had lived longer, he would have achieved even more.
This time, his memorial was another impeachment.
Impeaching the Prince Sheng... who is the son of Duan Xuanyu killed last time.
This Prince Sheng is truly perverted when it comes to matters of conduct with women.
He is bisexual.
Last month, he spotted a handsome peddler selling rouge on the street.
He invited the peddler to become his and the Crown Princess's male concubine... Yes, the Crown Princess also played with him.
The peddler said he had no interest in such things; he had a loving wife who was five months pregnant, and an elderly father.
Although the family lived a simple life, they were very happy.
Therefore, she declined the crown prince's invitation.
The Crown Prince and Crown Princess then proceeded to "murder his wife in broad daylight"!
In the middle of the day, someone beat a pregnant woman to death in the street!
Then they simply kidnapped the peddler and brought him to their mansion!
This peddler was also a very virtuous and loyal man.
To avenge his wife, he stabbed the crown prince.
It wasn't fatal; it only injured the crown prince's arm.
The prince was furious and had the peddler steamed to death.
That wasn't all; he even rolled the peddler into meatballs and forced the peddler's father to eat them.
The peddler's father couldn't bear to eat his own child and committed suicide in agony.
A once happy family was destroyed in such a humiliating way.
Su Mian frowned and cursed again, "Pervert!"
Take a closer look at the case dates.
This matter was investigated and clarified a month ago, and the people are extremely indignant.
However, many ministers were wary of Prince Sheng's power and obstructed the matter in various ways, preventing higher-ups from learning about it.
Until Prince Sheng suddenly fell ill and died yesterday... This time, only one day has passed, and the memorial has finally arrived.
Duan Xuanyu closed the memorial.
An imperial edict was written.
He wanted to steam the crown prince's child, who was only six months old—his nephew—to death.
They were then rolled into meatballs and given as a reward to the Crown Prince and his wife.
Su Mian's young son asked, "[Could this be the real reason, according to historical accounts, that he steamed and killed the descendants of the Duan family?]"
Su Mian sat cross-legged on the dragon bed, propping her chin up with one hand, gazing at Duan Xuanyu.
He nodded thoughtfully. "Perhaps."
From a modern perspective, killing this innocent child is extremely cruel.
But if we don't kill them, how can we appease public anger?
[Yes, that's a way of showing love for the people, making the perpetrators feel the same emotional pain the victims experienced—that's what truly teaches a lesson.]
Su Mian, however, was a little worried. "To be honest, although what the Prince Sheng did was cruel and perverse, it's still not enough to wipe out his entire family."
"Furthermore, his wife, the Crown Princess, is also a powerful figure in the capital, and her father has been seizing properties from ordinary people... but this still doesn't warrant the extermination of his entire family."
"Unless there's a rebellion..."
However... judging from Duan Xuanyu's confident demeanor, she guessed he knew what he was doing.
Let's see what he does next.
Duan Xuanyu quickly finished writing the imperial edict.
He used to dislike being disturbed, so he generally didn't allow people to come to his bedchamber.
But he has a copper bell here, which can summon Xiang Yi immediately.
He picked up the copper bell, and soon Xiang Yi came in.
Xiang Yi didn't dare ask him why he came back so quickly... Maybe he had never left at all, pretending to leave while secretly observing who had rebellious intentions.
He also noticed that the Emperor's attire was rather strange this time... but he figured it was probably the Empress's hometown clothing!
The last time I saw the Empress in the game, she was wearing similar strange clothes.
Although it's odd, it looks very convenient and lightweight.
Anyway, he didn't ask any more questions.
Duan Xuanyu ordered him to quickly deliver the imperial decree: the body must be steamed alive, and the prince must be brought to the palace within an hour to "express gratitude."
It was, after all, a reward.
Xiang Yi immediately set off on horseback to deliver the imperial decree!
While waiting, Duan Xuanyu wrote several more imperial edicts.
The plan was to take Prince Sheng as the center and the entire family as the radius... and then systematically defeat them one by one.
One hour later.
The crown prince went to the palace to express his gratitude.
Duan Xuanyu made him kneel outside the curtain.
Duan Xuanyu looked at the trembling figure behind the curtain and slowly asked, "Have you eaten?"
The prince wept and said, "It's a gift from the Emperor; I dare not refuse it."
Duan Xuanyu sneered, "If you dare to eat your own child today, you'll dare to eat me tomorrow! Guards, execute him!"
The prince paused in his sobs, then quickly changed his tune. "I haven't eaten! I haven't eaten! I secretly sent my child to my maternal grandparents' house!"
Duan Xuanyu: "You dare to deceive the emperor and defy his decree? You are to be executed!"
Su Mian couldn't help but applaud Duan Xuanyu after hearing this.
It was called an interrogation.
Actually, we still need to find a reason to frame him.
So this is what it is:
The trial for wrongful conviction has begun!
As the prince was dragged away by the guards, he was still shouting, "... Injustice! I am innocent!"
Shouting this nonsense.
He's the one who framed you; doesn't he know you're innocent?
You might as well be like your father, venting your anger by cursing a few times before you die.
After the crown prince was dealt with, time was running out.
Duan Xuanyu didn't have time to see anyone else.
He instructed Xiang Yi to deliver the imperial edict he had just written to several trusted ministers.
He also revealed the true crimes of Prince Sheng.
"Besides slaughtering innocent civilians in broad daylight and boiling them for food, there was another..."
"Because of Prince Sheng's sudden death, I went to Prince Sheng's residence to visit the heir, but he was wrapped in a blanket and refused to come out."
"I went over and pulled back the covers..."
how?
According to his character description... a lot of commoners, both men and women, were found under his blanket?
Duan Xuanyu: "He's actually wearing a dragon robe!"
Su Mian couldn't say anything, so she just clapped.
System: [How come he has so many clever schemes to slaughter entire families?]
Su Mian: "They're just playing around with wrongful convictions."
Xiang Yi memorized every word. "Yes, Your Majesty."
Xiang Yi left carrying a stack of imperial edicts.
After his short time in the clothing ended, Duan Xuanyu changed back into his original clothes.
-
What he didn't know was that the news of the execution of Prince Sheng spread like wildfire throughout the Beijing that very day.
Lanterns and decorations were hung throughout the villages, and the people were overjoyed, spontaneously kneeling and bowing towards the imperial palace.
The peddler's family graves were adorned with incense, candles, and offerings.
This extreme method of suppression silenced that particular group.
The corrupt practices of the powerful and influential were completely eradicated in a single day.