Disguised as a man, she became the biggest villain in the book.

Chapter 210 The Whereabouts of the Ji Family

"I implore Your Majesty to issue an immediate decree: The Ji family is audacious, corrupt, and has formed cliques for personal gain, plotting a rebellion. They even dared to poison and assassinate court officials at a banquet. Their crimes are unforgivable."

“Now that the evidence is conclusive, and considering that his family has rendered meritorious service to the court, the head of the Ji family has been dismissed from his post, the entire family has been exiled to the Northwest, and their property has been confiscated, as a warning to others,” Zheng Luoqi said, bowing.

Zheng Luoqi stood there indifferently, showing no interest in whether Ji Beichen was being controlled. After all, regardless of the truth, the fact remained that Ji Beichen was working for Chen Xianlin.

At this moment, Zheng Luoqi's only thought was to wipe out the Ji family in one fell swoop to prevent future troubles.

Seeing that Zheng Luoqi had spoken, He Jinyu immediately burst into tears and cried to the emperor, "Your Majesty! That Young Master Ji is truly audacious, daring to openly poison me at my banquet."

"Today should have been a joyous day for my wedding, but I never expected it to turn into a day of great calamity. I implore Your Majesty to uphold justice for me!" With that, he knelt down without hesitation.

In this way, the two of them put pressure on Xue Huaiyu one after another.

The imperial physicians standing by were caught in a dilemma. They didn't know whether they should kneel or not, nor did they dare to interrupt. After much hesitation, they finally decided to kneel down as well, but they all kept their heads down, silent and trembling.

Kneeling on the ground, Ji Beichen was filled with panic and desperately shook his head, saying, "Your Majesty, this is absolutely impossible! My Ji family has always been law-abiding, honest and upright, and has never done anything corrupt, illegal, or involved in factionalism."

"This must be a deliberate frame-up by someone! Your Majesty, please investigate thoroughly!" Suddenly, he turned his head sharply, glaring fiercely at Zheng Luoqi, and roared through gritted teeth, "It's you! It must be you who did this! If you have the guts, come at me! Why involve my family? Why are you so ruthless?"

Zheng Luoqi glanced at Ji Beichen, then turned to Xue Huaiyu and said, "Your Majesty, Young Master Ji has taken too much Wushi Powder and is now delirious. He is speaking recklessly and even tried to slander officials of the court."

Zheng Luoqi frowned slightly, a pained expression on her face, and continued to advise Xue Huaiyu: "Your Majesty, the Ji family has committed a serious crime, and the evidence is irrefutable."

"But not only do they show no remorse, they also attempt to deny their crimes. Such heinous behavior deserves even greater punishment! If they are not severely punished, how can we demonstrate the majesty of our dynasty's laws? And how can we win the hearts and minds of the people?"

Xue Huaiyu was also in a dilemma. His expression kept changing. His gaze shifted between the Ji family and the irrefutable evidence in front of him. On one hand, there was the long-standing entanglement of interests with the Ji family, which was hard to let go of; on the other hand, there was the mountain of irrefutable evidence.

Xue Huaiyu realized that Zheng Luoqi had come prepared today and was determined to bring down the Ji family!

Just as Xue Huaiyu was caught in a dilemma and wavering, Zhang Gonggong, who was beside him, suddenly leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Your Majesty, Consort De is requesting an audience outside the palace."

Xue Huaiyu was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, then frowned, his face showing displeasure, and muttered softly, "What is she doing here at this time? She's just causing trouble! Never mind, let her in."

Xue Huaiyu wanted to know what Chen Xianlin was up to, how she had gotten the news of the Ji family's troubles so quickly. The incident had just happened today, and she, a person living in the inner palace, had received the news so soon.

A sinister glint flashed in Xue Huaiyu's eyes as he thought to himself: It seems the Chen family wants to follow in the footsteps of the Wen family!

Before long, light footsteps could be heard, and Chen Xianlin slowly walked into the main hall under the guidance of a eunuch.

Today, Chen Xianlin was dressed in a gorgeous outfit, her flowing robes exuding an air of nobility. She wore an exquisite jeweled crown, adorned with dazzling pearls and jade. Her face was lightly powdered, which further accentuated her delicate eyebrows, captivating eyes, and radiant beauty.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!" Chen Xianlin bowed respectfully.

"My beloved consort, no need for formalities. What brings you here so suddenly?" Xue Huaiyu, sitting on the dragon throne, frowned slightly, his expression somewhat gloomy. Clearly, he was not in a good mood, and even his tone of voice was not pleasant.

Chen Xianlin slowly rose, her lips parted slightly: "Your Majesty, I have come here specifically to present something to Your Majesty." With that, she gently waved her hand, signaling the person behind her to present the item.

Xue Huaiyu looked closely and saw a eunuch carefully carrying something forward. After placing it on the imperial desk, he realized that it was an imperial edict.

This imperial edict looked quite old; the writing, though weathered by time, was still clearly legible. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be an edict from the founding emperor, Xue Huaiyu's grandfather!

The origin of this imperial edict is quite interesting. It was originally a life-saving edict bestowed upon the Ji family by the founding emperor during his reign. Now, it was secretly brought into the palace by Scholar Ji and given to Chen Xianlin.

Scholar Ji was Ji Beichen's grandfather and a veteran official who served three dynasties. General Pei was also among the veteran officials who served three dynasties.

During the reign of Emperor Taizu, both of them held only insignificant, minor official positions.

At that time, Scholar Ji and General Pei were close friends. However, as the situation changed, they drifted apart due to their differing political affiliations. General Pei firmly stood on the side of the late emperor, while Scholar Ji favored the late emperor's elder brother.

Both men initially believed they would inevitably fall out due to their differing allegiances. However, things took an unexpected turn. With his keen insight and ability to read between the lines, Scholar Ji discerned that the founding emperor harbored a deeper affection for the late emperor.

Not long after Scholar Ji joined the struggle for the throne, the late emperor's elder brother, whom Scholar Ji favored, soon became a victim in the struggle.

Because the Ji family withdrew in time, they were not purged by the later emperor after he ascended the throne, and from then on, the Ji family became a neutral party.

On one occasion, Emperor Taizu encountered danger during an autumn hunt and was saved by Scholar Ji, who was accompanying him. To repay Scholar Ji for saving his life, Emperor Taizu asked Scholar Ji to make a request.

Faced with such a rare opportunity, Scholar Ji, after careful consideration, worried that his descendants might not be able to resist various temptations in the future and thus be drawn into similar turmoil.

Scholar Ji then requested an imperial edict from the founding emperor that could save the Ji family's lives.

This imperial edict has finally come in handy.

Some were happy while others were sad. Ji Beichen was happy because his family's lives were saved, but Xue Huaiyu was still unhappy. This imperial decree could only save the Ji family's lives, but the Ji family's official positions were gone!

Since the Ji family held no official positions and could not gain a foothold in the imperial court, it wouldn't benefit Xue Huaiyu either! The more Xue Huaiyu looked at the imperial edict, the more useless it seemed.

Zheng Luoqi hadn't expected an imperial edict from the founding emperor to appear out of nowhere, but so what? The death penalty could be avoided, but punishment was inevitable. The Ji family's lives were spared, but it was impossible for them to continue to serve in the court.

After that, Xue Huaiyu simply ordered Ji Xueshi to be dismissed from his post, and the entire Ji family was demoted to commoners. After some turmoil, the lives of the Ji family were finally saved, but Ji Beichen did not fare so well.

Ji Beichen's crime was too serious. Even if Xue Huaiyu wanted Ji Beichen to go back alive, Zheng Luoqi would not let Ji Beichen return unharmed. After all, he could escape the death penalty but not the punishment. Ji Beichen was still sent to the dungeon and tortured.

Since Ji Beichen has been sent to the dungeon, how he dies is up to Zheng Luoqi. Zheng Luoqi has no intention of letting Ji Beichen off so easily.

The entire Ji family has now been reduced to commoners, and no one can save Ji Beichen anymore.

Furthermore, the Ji family has already begun preparing to move away from the capital and has no intention of rescuing Ji Beichen.

This time, it can be said that Ji Beichen's self-destructive actions have jeopardized the future of the entire Ji family. In order to protect himself, Scholar Ji ultimately chose to abandon Ji Beichen.

The Ji family is so large that it's impossible for them to fail without Ji Beichen. The Ji family has many grandsons. Scholar Ji is very clear-headed. He knows who exactly attacked the Ji family, and he doesn't want to send all the other members of the Ji family to the brink of disaster because of Ji Beichen.

Scholar Ji was very familiar with the way the Prime Minister's office operated. He knew that the Prime Minister might eliminate any potential threats, but now that he had lost his power, he was powerless to contend with the Prime Minister.

After weighing the pros and cons, he decided to lead his clan away from the capital, a place rife with trouble. If the Ji family never appeared before the Prime Minister again, perhaps they would have a sliver of hope to survive.

So on the very day the imperial decree was issued, the entire Ji family sprang into action. Everyone hurriedly packed their belongings and valuables, and for a time, the entire mansion was in a state of chaos.

When Scholar Ji finally left the capital, he only glanced at the city gate from afar. He sighed deeply, as if his heart was filled with endless emotions and helplessness.

After a moment, Scholar Ji seemed to have made a difficult decision, his eyes hardening. He gritted his teeth, turned around resolutely, and loudly ordered the Ji family members behind him, "Let's go! It's all his own fault!" With that, he led his clansmen on their journey without looking back.

A few days later, news came from the dungeon that Ji Beichen had succumbed to torture and died...