Adhere to the gentleman's principles

Chapter 213: The Emperor is Kind and Forgiving

In the Wen Mansion, the sun shines through the leaves, casting mottled shadows in the courtyard. Wen Yongxing walked with steady steps, just returning from the morning court. As soon as he entered the mansion, he caught a glimpse of Wen Weixi sitting quietly in the pavilion, with a brush dancing in his hand, as if he was painting something.

Wen Yongxing walked forward curiously and took a closer look. He found that the scroll was actually a lifelike image of a man. He stared at it for a moment and suddenly felt that he looked familiar.

"Is this Prime Minister Xu? The painting is quite lifelike." Wen Yongxing said softly.

When Wen Weixi heard her father's voice, she raised her head quickly, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, and then she smiled: "Dad, you're back."

Wen Yongxing nodded, his eyes still on the painting. He said thoughtfully: "Xi'er, Xu Gong is now nearly forty years old, much older than you. You are in your prime, only nineteen years old. Compared with him, the difference between you is like that between father and daughter. Xu Gong is handsome and elegant, but time is not forgiving. Moreover, he has relatives such as nephews and sons, who are about the same age as you. So, Xi'er, don't put all your true feelings on him."

Wen Weixi lowered her head slightly, a blush appeared on her face, and she responded softly: "Daddy is right, I understand." However, she couldn't help but feel a complex emotion in her heart. Perhaps, for this young woman, love is so elusive and cannot be measured by common sense. Although she knew that what her father said was reasonable, how could she easily give up the feelings deep in her heart?

A breeze blew by, blowing up the gauze curtains around the pavilion, making them flutter gently. Wen Weixi looked at the painting in front of him silently, as if he was lost in thought...

Wen Weixi said softly, "Dad, I understand your thoughts. With my status and position, I really don't dare to have too many extravagant expectations of Prime Minister Xu. He is extremely talented, famous, and you are of the same generation. He can be regarded as a role model in the world. But I am just an ordinary woman, how dare I marry him? That time I met Prime Minister Xu by chance, his elegant demeanor, words and deeds were deeply engraved in my heart, but that's all. I know it well, I only admire him, and I don't have any other unreasonable thoughts. In my eyes, he is like a monument to be admired, a model worthy of learning and emulation."

Wen Yongxing looked at his daughter and sighed inwardly. He knew that his daughter was smart, sensible and well-behaved since she was young, and much more mature than her peers.

-

A month ago, Shen Congwen's case was temporarily put on hold to wait for Xiao Zhengshu to wake up. Now that Xiao Zhengshu has finally woken up, the case should be retried. Xiao Xuanjing looked at the civil and military officials in the court and asked, "What do you think about Shen Congwen's case?"

One of the ministers stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, Shen Congwen stayed in the Second Prince's room all day that day. Apart from him, who else could have harmed Your Highness?" After saying this, the minister glanced at the others with pride.

However, Xiao Zhengshu, who was sitting next to him, just glanced at the minister who was speaking and did not make any comments.

Xiao Xuanjing nodded, then turned his gaze to Fan Qingzhu and asked, "Master Fan, what do you think about this matter?" A month ago, Xiao Xuanjing had already handed this case to him. The reason for choosing Fan Qingzhu was simple. As the Minister of Personnel, Fan Qingzhu was always known for his integrity and impartiality. Such a person was the best candidate to try this case.

Fan Qingzhu replied respectfully: "Your Majesty, I firmly believe that Shen Congwen is not the one who hurt the Second Prince. Last night, I thoroughly checked the people in the Second Prince's house and carefully checked the clothes he wore that day. The result was shocking - there was a five-inch wound on the clothes, and the location was right on the Second Prince's abdomen.

After careful inspection, it was found that the wound was caused by the half-edged scimitar of Handan Chi. Although Shen Congwen was somewhat proficient in martial arts, this kind of scimitar was not common in the Wei Dynasty and was difficult for ordinary people to wield. In addition, judging from the shape of the wound on the Second Prince, it can be inferred that the wounder must be a Handan Chi person. More importantly, according to the time when the bloodstain dried, it should have been caused before Shen Congwen met the Second Prince a month ago. These have been confirmed by the medical examiners. "

At this time, someone stood up and questioned: "Master Fan, we all know that you are good friends with Shen Congwen, but now that the Second Prince is seriously injured, how can you guarantee that he is definitely not the murderer? Are you going to protect him just because you are so close to each other?"

Faced with such questioning, Xiao Xuanjing's face darkened and he said sternly: "I have also known Shen Congwen for a long time. Could it be that Lord He's words mean that I am also biased? I naturally know the truth of the matter." His eyes were like torches, sweeping across everyone in the hall, making those who had ill intentions feel fearful.

Xiao Xuanjing looked at Xiao Zhengshu with cold eyes and said sternly: "I asked you to stay in Youzhou, thinking that you would take this opportunity to reflect on your mistakes, but now it seems that you have no intention of repenting in the past six months! In this case, from today on, the Prince of Yue's Mansion will be sealed off, and you are not allowed to take a single step out without my order! You should reflect on yourself here!"

Li Ziyan, who was standing by, silently observed everything that was happening before his eyes, and gradually came to a realization in his heart. It turned out that Xiao Xuanjing had long known that Shen Congwen had not harmed Xiao Zhengshu, and this farce was just a carefully designed scheme.

The purpose is to give a warning to those ministers who usually behave improperly and recklessly - although the emperor is kind and tolerant, it does not mean that he turns a blind eye to everything; he can choose to ignore those trivial matters, but it does not mean that he is weak and can be bullied. Now that Xiao Zhengshu has been punished, it is to tell everyone that they must be cautious and careful when doing things under the feet of the emperor, and must not act recklessly.