After being reborn with Sister Zha, I was stunned!

Su and Ye watched in silence.

I sighed in my heart that His Majesty's attitude towards Madam Mu was indeed different.

I would like to ask, among all the civil and military officials in the court, how many can get the personal support of His Majesty?

However, His Majesty may also be trying to show that he is both kind and powerful, so that he can easily turn against Shen later...

Emperors always have their own methods.

"Your Majesty, I dare not stand up. Longju Pavilion has been destroyed. I and my granddaughter-in-law know we are guilty and come here to apologize." The lady lowered her eyes and said loudly.

The two people who were watching coldly from the side had smiles on their lips.

Apologize? It's too late!

They have already linked the affairs of Longju Pavilion to the country and the people.

In your Majesty's eyes, is there anything more important than the country and the people?

However, the next moment, Qin Zhong angrily said, "Who said you two are guilty? That's ridiculous!"

After saying that, he personally helped the lady up and signaled Shen Qingyin to stand up.

He turned around and ordered the palace servants: "Go and bring two bowls of calming soup."

Su and Ye were stunned for a moment.

Why doesn't this look like an attempt to punish the Shen family...

"Your Majesty, the burning of Longju Pavilion is a very bad omen! The only way to resolve this problem is to severely punish the Shen family and the culprit, Old Madam Shen!" Ye Qingchen, the director of the Imperial Observatory, mentioned it again.

He wondered if his voice was too soft at that time, and the place where he was kneeling was quite far away from His Majesty, so His Majesty didn't hear it clearly?

The Minister of Rites Su He also had the same suspicion. He echoed loudly, "That's right, Your Majesty. I heard that the Bixi Garden was given to Shen by the Madam. It was Shen who failed to take good care of it and allowed her grandmother to set fire to it, which led to the destruction of Longju Pavilion. Your Majesty should severely punish Shen--"

As Su He was speaking, a slap landed heavily on his face.

The one who took action was actually His Majesty the Emperor!

"Bastards, you two bastards, you are still talking nonsense! Who gave you the courage?" Qin Zhong looked at the two of them with anger.

He raised his hand and slapped Ye Qingchen in the face again.

The two were completely dumbfounded.

After all this talk, was the word "bastard" used to refer to the two of them?

"Your Majesty, the calming soup is here." A palace servant came in with the calming soup.

Qin Zhong's expression eased slightly, he walked back to the dragon chair and sat down, then said to Madam Mu and Shen Qingyin:

"I think you two are frightened. Drink some calming soup quickly."

Madam Mu and Shen Qingyin looked at each other, with a hint of surprise in their eyes.

I didn't expect that His Majesty the Emperor would protect and care about them so much, and I couldn't help but feel moved.

The two of them thanked the emperor and drank the calming soup from the palace servant.

Qin Zhong watched the two of them finish drinking, then continued to sigh and said:

"I just heard about the fire at Bixi Garden, and I am very worried. The general is fighting the enemy at the border. If anything happens to you two, how can I explain it to the general?"

"Not only can I not explain to the general, I can't explain to the hundreds of thousands of soldiers of my Beixin Dynasty either. Fortunately, you two are fine. I am so scared—"

Having said this, Qin Zhong turned his gaze back to Su and Ye.

"You two idiots, what are you talking about? It's all nonsense! If the Imperial Astronomical Observatory can predict the celestial phenomena so accurately, why can't it predict when the drought in the Central Plains will end? The soldiers are fighting in the front, and if I punish their relatives for no reason behind them, wouldn't I be a tyrant? That would be a disaster!"

"Longju Pavilion is just where I lived for a while. It's no big deal if it burns down. Besides, this is definitely not what Madam Tai and Shen wanted. How can we easily blame them?"

Su and Ye were sweating profusely. They bowed their heads and begged for mercy: "Your Majesty, please forgive us. We know we were wrong and will never speak nonsense again in the future..."

"Since you know you're wrong, I'll give you a light punishment and a stern warning. I hope you two can learn from it." Qin Zhong said coldly.

"Come here, drag these two out and give them twenty strokes of the cane."

Immediately, palace guards came in and dragged the two men out.

Not long after, a burst of wailing and shouting came from outside the palace...

Prince An's Mansion.

A guard hurried into the hall and Qin Jinshu stood up immediately.

"Tell me quickly, what is the situation in the palace? Has the emperor punished anyone?"

The guard gasped and said, "Reply, reply Princess, the emperor lost his temper and ordered, ordered twenty strokes of the cane..."

Qin Jinshu was surprised and asked, "Spine cane?"

Unexpectedly, the emperor was even angrier than she thought.

Shen Qingyin was actually sentenced to caning!

Twenty strokes of the cane would kill half of a man.

Not to mention Shen Qingyin, a woman.

Moreover, she had sent someone to the palace early in the morning to ask the eunuchs in charge of the execution in Mingzheng Hall to be more severe in the execution today...

"Second brother, it's safe this time. Shen Qingyin will definitely die." Qin Jinshu looked happy.

"Second brother, you are really capable. When it comes to state affairs, His Majesty really doesn't show mercy—"

Qin Zhihao also showed a hint of pride.

The guard saw the two of them like this and looked terrified: "Princess, I'm wrong... I didn't explain it clearly..."

Qin Jinshu was stunned: "What do you mean? Not a spinal cane? What is it, a hip cane?"

"It's the caning... The emperor sentenced Lord Su and Lord Ye to twenty strokes of the cane, not that Shen..." The guard's voice was so low that it was almost inaudible.

Qin Jinshu heard it clearly: "What? Nonsense, how is it possible?"

Qin Zhihao's expression also changed: "Impossible, it doesn't make sense!"

Even if the emperor does not punish Shen Qingyin for the time being, there is no reason for him to punish Su and Ye instead.

He reached out and grabbed the guard by the collar: "Have you found out everything?"

The guard was so scared that his face turned pale: "It was the news from the little guard beside the emperor, it must be, it must be right..."

Qin Zhihao slowly loosened his hand.

What Xiao Weizi said must be correct, but, why?

"Also, the old lady of the Shen family has been taken to Jingzhao Prefecture for trial. Do you want to--" The guard made a gesture of wiping his neck.

Qin Zhihao frowned and scolded: "Idiot, why do you care about what that old lady does!"

So what if she told everything in court?

The people he sent to pretend to be Shen Zhinian's colleagues had already been sent out of the capital when the old lady entered Bixiyuan.

The two people who went to help the old lady kill Su Wenjin were just strolling around Bixiyuan, pretending to do so. In fact, they were going to find out the truth about the fire, not really helping her kill anyone.

All these things have nothing to do with Prince An's Mansion...

The lobby of Jingzhao Mansion.

The old lady knelt in the middle.

"Mighty..." The sound of killing sticks rang out from both sides.

Pei Xiren slammed the gavel, and the old lady was instantly frightened.

"Mrs. Shen, do you plead guilty?" Pei Xiren asked in a cold voice.

"I, I don't know what crime I have committed..." Although she was trembling all over, the old lady still gritted her teeth and refused to admit it.

Pei Xiren smiled and said, "Mrs. Shen, I advise you to confess as soon as possible. Your accomplice has been caught on the spot. If you continue to be stubborn, you will only suffer physical pain. You are old, and I am afraid that you can't bear it. You will die on the spot under the torture!"