Mind Reading: The villain wins after hearing the princess's inner voice

Tao Jingyu still shook his head uncertainly.

"After this is done, how about arranging for your son to work in the Ministry of War?"

Li Rui's words were very tempting, and Tao Jingyu was deeply moved.

No matter how disappointing your son is, he is still your own son.

My eldest brother didn't even bother to help me find a reliable job, and this is something that is on his mind.

"Okay, I agree. I hope Brother Li will take care of me in the future."

Tao Jingyu politely bowed, indicating his willingness to do as the other party requested.

"Haha, no problem, don't worry, brother. Our good days are still to come."

Tao Zhihong, who was hiding under the window outside the house, heard the conversation inside with his own ears. He secretly clenched his fists and tried hard to control the anger in his heart.

It turns out that you can’t expect this second brother to have any conscience.

When it comes to interests, if one is even slightly coaxed by others, one will not be able to withstand the test.

My second brother, like his stepmother Fang, is a selfish, short-sighted, and brainless fool who doesn't even realize he's being treated like a useless pawn.

As for Li Rui, who plotted against him, he had known him for many years.

At that time, he was a soldier at the border and met Li Rui, who was also a soldier there.

At the beginning, they were assigned to serve together and shared the joys and sorrows for a while.

Later, due to his good performance, he was valued by the general at that time and transferred to the cavalry battalion, separated from Li Rui.

A few years later, he had become a deputy general. He unexpectedly received news from Li Rui that he was injured in his left hand and could no longer serve as a soldier.

Li Rui even came to him specifically to plead, saying that his family was in difficult conditions and that life would not be easy once he returned home.

Because of their relationship of being together through thick and thin, he helped Li Rui and used his connections to transfer Li Rui to the capital to serve as a minor official in a government office under the Ministry of War.

Later, he stopped fighting and returned to the capital. Li Rui would occasionally meet him and drink together.

Who could have thought that such a person would have ill intentions towards him.

This time, he wanted to put Li Rui in a sack and take him away.

After listening to the conversation inside, he changed his mind.

The person standing behind Li Rui should be a prince in the court.

By touching Li Rui tonight, he was also indirectly telling that person that he had already noticed something.

In that case, he has to change his strategy.

He kept his daughter's warning in mind.

We can't just let Li Rui go for no reason. What should he do?

Thinking that what his daughter said had been verified again, Tao Zhihong was convinced from the bottom of his heart that his daughter was extraordinary.

His daughter is really amazing. She knows everything about such secret things. He thinks she is even more amazing than the Xiaoyu Guards under His Majesty who are good at gathering information.

It must be the spirit of the family's ancestors appearing to protect and warn the family.

No matter how his daughter knew this important news, he would always seek help from her and find out as much information as possible inside and outside the capital.

Hearing the noise in the house, Tao Zhihong quickly flew to the roof.

At this moment, the door of the east wing opened.

Li Rui walked out and Tao Jingyu saw him off warmly.

Before getting on the carriage, Li Rui repeatedly instructed, "Tomorrow morning, disguise yourself as your elder brother and ride out on horseback. From now on, don't come to this house again. Leave the rest to me. You don't need to worry about anything else."

Tao Jingyu solemnly expressed his understanding.

Soon after, the carriage drove out of the yard and the door was closed from the inside.

In the darkness, a group of people flew out of the yard and followed the moving carriage closely.

When the carriage passed through a long alley and turned onto the main road, it was suddenly attacked.

The coachman was knocked unconscious instantly, and Li Rui, who was sitting in the carriage, just became alert when he passed out in a dizziness.

After lifting the curtain and confirming that it was Li Rui, Tieshan, the guard of the General's Mansion, waved his hand, and two masked men in black jumped onto the carriage, put the person into a sack, carried him up and disappeared into the night.

Tao Zhihong and other people looked at the receding figure, and his depressed heart felt a little better.

Tomorrow morning, he wants to see what monsters and demons are causing the chaos.

the next day.

Civil and military officials filed in, walked in an orderly manner on the imperial road leading to the palace, and came to the court to pay homage.

above the hall.

Emperor Jianchang was dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe and sat high on the dragon throne.

As the sharp but steady voice of the eunuch Zhao Chong sounded, "If you have something to report, please do so. If not, please adjourn." All the officials in the court immediately quieted down, and the morning court officially began.

Lin Shirong, the Imperial Censor of the Inspectorate, immediately stepped out and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to report."

He presented the memorial with both hands with a serious expression.

Zhao Chong, holding a whisk in his arms, trotted down the imperial steps quickly and steadily, took the memorial and presented it to Emperor Jianchang.

Emperor Jianchang opened the memorial and threw it to the ground after reading its contents. "Tao Zhihong, as an official appointed by the imperial court, you dared to openly keep a male lover. After being seen with your own eyes and criticized by others, you made wild remarks, claiming that the imperial court had no right to interfere."

Tao Zhihong immediately stood out of the line with a solemn expression, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I am busy training new soldiers in the camp outside the capital all day long, so I don't have time to keep any male favorites. It's really sudden. I am innocent. Please find out the reason and clear my name."

After hearing his words, the anger on Emperor Jianchang's face lessened a little.

He said in a cold voice, "Lin Shirong, what evidence do you have to prove that Tao Aiqing has done something immoral?"

Lin Shirong, the Imperial Censor, was well-known in the court for his stubborn and stubborn temper.

As the Imperial Censor in charge of supervising all officials, he had an overly stubborn temper, and most court officials were afraid of being targeted by him.

"Your Majesty, someone has seen General Tao with his own eyes. He often comes out of a house in Liushu Hutong. After a long time, he was recognized as him."

"The neighbors all know that the owner of that house is a prostitute who has just been redeemed. They also often see General Tao coming in and out of that house. What else do they not understand?"

"Then please ask Censor Lin to call for a witness!"

Tao Zhihong looked sharply at Lin Shirong who was standing next to him, and he insisted that the other party bring out the witness.

"If there are no witnesses, I have reason to suspect that Censor Lin is deliberately slandering my reputation."

Tao Zhihong was neither arrogant nor humble, and spoke calmly to Lin Shirong.

Tao Zhihong looked sharply at Lin Shirong who was standing next to him, and he insisted that the other party bring out the witness.

"If there are no witnesses, I have reason to suspect that Censor Lin is deliberately slandering my reputation."

Tao Zhihong was neither arrogant nor humble, and spoke calmly to Lin Shirong.

Lin Shirong thought about the evidence in his hands and his attitude was very confident.

"Your Majesty, I did not falsely accuse General Tao. Please give me some time. When the witnesses arrive, everyone will understand that what I said is not a lie."

After hearing this, Emperor Jianchang allowed Lin Shirong to invite witnesses to the court without hesitation.

Censor Lin Shirong immediately walked up to Zhao Chong and told him in a low voice who the witness was.

Soon, Zhao Chong immediately ordered the Imperial Guards to go to the palace gate to summon the witnesses for an audience.

The atmosphere in the solemn court was heavy.

Many ministers looked at Tao Zhihong with suspicion.

See, it's his daughter's fault for not taking everyone seriously, and now she's in trouble.

People know that Princess Anle is the apple of His Majesty's eye and cannot be touched because of His Majesty's protection. Now, she turns around to deal with her father.

As for what Censor Lin said about Tao Zhihong keeping a male lover, they did not believe it.

If General Tao really had this hobby, he wouldn't have concealed it so well. It should have come out long ago. How could it be hidden until now and then discovered?

It is obvious that someone is targeting the great general.

They have little interaction with the generals, so it is better for them to just watch from the sidelines.

Mr. Tao Zhihong stood there quietly, waiting for the witnesses to enter the hall.

Palace entrance.

The witness was Li Hugua, a yamen runner who lived in Liushu Hutong and was in charge of guarding the prison cells at the Ministry of Justice.

Seeing the Imperial Guards rushing out of the palace, Li Hugua was so nervous that his legs were shaking.

"Are you Li Hugua?"

"It's... me!" Li Hugua was so nervous that he stuttered as soon as he opened his mouth to speak.

"Please follow us to the Golden Palace!"

Li Hugua took a deep breath, clenched his hands, and nodded heavily.

In this way, he entered the palace gate tremblingly under the guidance of the Imperial Guards.

Not long after they left, a mysterious figure also disappeared.

At this time, Tingya Pavilion, a place for people to have fun in the capital, was surrounded by a group of Xiaoyu Guards.

Everyone in the capital knows that Tingya Pavilion not only has courtesans but also handsome young men.

This is the only brothel where both men and women can come and enjoy themselves.

A Xiaoyu Guard knocked hard on the door.

The person inside had been busy all night and came to open the door in a daze when he heard someone knocking at the door.

The moment the door opened, the Xiaoyu Guards dressed in black rushed forward and captured the person who opened the door.

The madam of Tingyaguan rushed over after receiving the news.

"How dare you! Do you know who owns Tingya Hall? How dare you barge in so casually?"

The newly appointed deputy commander of Xiaoyuwei ignored the other party's shouting and led his men into the rooms inside to strictly search for suspicious persons.

When they came to one of the rooms.

I lifted the sheets on the bed and saw two men lying together.

They woke up from their sleep and were shocked to see Xiao Yuwei.

"Why am I here?" Li Rui sat up in a daze after being woken up, and asked in surprise when he saw the unfamiliar environment.

The other man lying with him saw him wake up, his eyes turned red, and he said aggrievedly, "Husband, you went too far last night. I still feel a little uncomfortable now."

The man acted pitifully and acted like a spoiled child towards Li Rui.

Li Rui rolled to the ground in panic as if he was frightened.

"Who are you? Why are we..."

After seeing Xiao Yuwei, his face changed drastically.

Oh no, he was tricked.

The people from Xiaoyuwei thought he was behaving suspiciously and were unwilling to let him go. Without waiting for him to put on his clothes, they immediately pinned his hands behind his back and took him down.

Li Rui was anxious to get away, so how could he be willing to follow Xiao Yuwei? He had no choice but to reveal his identity.

As for why he came here inexplicably, he kept silent.

A Xiaoyu Guard who was responsible for capturing him reported the matter to the deputy commander.

The newly appointed deputy commander received news that they were responsible for investigating the attack on the Ninth Prince's hunting ground and had made some progress.

The personnel in charge of the on-site investigation found a fallen handkerchief in a dense forest in the royal hunting ground. The handkerchief was embroidered with plum blossoms and bamboo leaves representing Tingya Pavilion.

After the report was submitted, the superiors ordered the arrest of the suspect and the closure of Tingya Hall.

This Li Rui is very suspicious, let's arrest him and interrogate him first.

Just like that, Li Rui was caught. He wanted to speak again, but the people from Xiaoyuwei disliked his noise and blocked his mouth with a rag.

above the hall.

Li Hugua was trembling all over as he was taken to the hall for the morning court session.

"Your humble servant... Li Hu... Gua kowtows to the emperor. Long live the emperor!"

"Li Hugua, you don't have to be afraid. Just report to His Majesty and other officials truthfully what you know about General Tao keeping a male favorite." Censor Lin urged Li Hugua to testify as soon as possible.

Li Hugua looked so nervous that cold sweat broke out all over his body.

Last night, he and others finished their shift and were on their way home from the office when they met someone on the way.

He appeared here because of that person.

Seeing Li Hugua hesitating and being so nervous that he couldn't speak, Censor Lin became anxious.

He found Li Hugua based on the information provided by the informant.

In the letter he wrote to him, the informant swore that as long as he brought the witnesses before His Majesty, he would be able to expose Tao Zhihong's immoral behavior.

"Li Hugua, as an official in the Ministry of Justice, just tell me what you have to say. Don't be afraid. His Majesty will support you if anything goes wrong."

Just when Censor Lin was getting a little anxious, Minister of Rites Gao Huaizhen stepped forward to help him.

Li Hugua finally mustered up his courage, knelt on the ground, put his hands on the ground, and whispered in a low voice without raising his head: "Your Majesty, I live in Liushu Hutong. Some time ago, my family suddenly ran out of food. My old mother was anxious to cook, so I went out to my neighbor Qingfeng's house to borrow some rice for emergency. Who knew that I would encounter such an unbearable scene..."

After hearing this, Emperor Jianchang looked at Tao Zhihong with an unfathomable look.

Minister of Rites Gao Huaizhen stepped out again and sighed regretfully, "I guess this little brother Li must have witnessed the scene of the great general and his neighbor, the young master Qingfeng, fooling around together."

"General Tao, you really shouldn't have done such a dissolute thing and even come to the throne room to make trouble!"

"General Tao, as a pillar of the country, you actually did such a dissolute thing and even made a scene in front of His Majesty in the Golden Palace. It is really heartbreaking." Gao Huaizhen, the Minister of Rites, one of the six ministries, is over 60 years old with gray hair. He looks like an elegant old man. He is worried about the lack of virtue of the country's most trusted ministers.

Censor Lin turned his head to look at the person kneeling on the ground, and took the opportunity to remind him, "Mr. Li, please tell us in detail what you saw in Master Qingfeng's house."

Li Hugua tried to calm his trembling heart and whispered, "I saw Master Tao and Master Qingfeng sleeping together that day."

After hearing this, Emperor Jianchang closed his majestic eyes in disappointment.

"My dear Tao, you disappoint me so much."

This is his most trusted minister. If it happened to someone else, his personal moral flaws might not be a big deal, but not for Lord Tao.

He is a great general who protects the country. If his hobby of keeping male favorites gets out, it will shake the morale of the army.

How could the soldiers in the camp outside the capital accept and trust a general who loves to keep male favorites to lead them?