"The Ministers and Princes gather to meet Your Majesty!"

"Minister Li Ji greets Your Majesty!"

The two slowly stepped forward and saluted, saying in unison.

"Excuse me!"

Li Shimin glanced up at the two of them, and when he saw Hou Junji, he deliberately paused for a moment before speaking.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

After the two of them finished saluting, they stood up, sorted out their clothes, and looked at Li Shimin with brushes, naturally waiting for Li Shimin to speak.

"General Li will sit aside for a while, and I will say a few words to General Hou first." Li Shimin smiled at Li Ji and said politely.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" After Li Ji finished speaking, he walked to the side and sat down.

"General Hou, I have something here that I would like you to take a look at." Li Shimin said as he handed the confession on the table to Guo Ren to Hou Junji.

Hou Junji didn't know what it was, so he took it with a smile, took a closer look, and was suddenly startled, and his face instantly turned pale.

"Your Majesty, this ...... These are all Zhang Zhen's words, and they can't be taken seriously! ”

"Since you said that this is Zhang Zhen's one-sided statement, you can't take it seriously, then I ask you, why did your face become so ugly?"

"This ......," Hou Junji plopped down and knelt on the ground, "Your Majesty, these are all Zhang Zhen's slander of the old ministers, the old ministers have always been loyal to the court and His Majesty, and they have never done these hurtful things!" ”

"Even now, you still dare to quibble, Hou Junji, do you really think that I am a fool who can only listen to one side of the story?" Li Shimin looked at Hou Junji, who was kneeling on the ground, and asked very disdainfully.

"Your Majesty, you have to listen to Weichen's explanation, all of this is Zhang Zhen framing me, I haven't done this at all." Hou Junji refused to admit the incriminating evidence on his confession.

"Haven't done it? It is clearly and clearly written that in February of the first year of Zhenguan, he accepted a bribe of 500 taels to help the behind-the-scenes boss of the Kyushu Commercial Bank quietly dispose of the boss of the Sihai Commercial Bank; In April of the same year, you and Zhang Zhen forcibly insulted the newly married daughter-in-law of the Zhu family in the Full Moon Building, forced her to jump off the building, and then died in an accident; In the second year of Zhenguan, you teamed up with Zhang Zhen to pit 26 shops in the West Market and forcibly demanded 90,000 taels of silver; Which of these piles and pieces of each one was not done by you together? Li Shimin picked up the paper with the confession written on it and read it aloud to Hou Junji.

Hou Junji's head slowly lowered, the brilliance in his eyes slowly eclipsed, and the whole person was no longer as radiant as when he first came in.

"Your Majesty, these are all old ministers who are confused for a while, please ask Your Majesty to spare the ministers for the sake of the old ministers who have made a lot of contributions to Your Majesty over the years." Hou Junji's face is thick enough, and he actually broke his love with Li Shimin.

"Hou Junji, I ask you, how many years have you been with me?" Li Shimin looked at Hou Junji and still had not the slightest remorse, and felt very disappointed.

After listening to Li Shimin's question, Hou Junji said without thinking: "Weichen has been following His Majesty for nearly 20 years, and I remember that the minister was still in Wagangzhai at that time. ”

"Yes, almost twenty years have passed in a flash, and you and I have changed from young men to what we are now, time flies so fast." Listening to Hou Junji's words, Li Shimin was full of emotion.

"I don't know when you started to change? has become no longer the chivalrous and courageous "little white ape" who dares to fight, and has become what it is now. ”

Hou Junji probably also remembered the events when they were young, fighting together in the south and the north, and was immersed in memories.

"Your Majesty, don't say it, it's Weichen who is sorry for you, probably because he was used to the hard days before, and since he had brocade clothes and jade food, the minister also forgot his original oath. Wechen is guilty, Wechen is willing to apologize with death. Hou Junji had red eyes, lay on the ground, and kowtowed heavily to Li Shimin.

"Boom! Boom! Boom! ”

Hou Junji's head hit the floor with a loud sound, and after a while, blood came out of his forehead. But he still slammed as if he didn't feel anything.

"If you knew today, why bother in the first place?" Li Shimin shook his head and sighed.

"Okay, you don't have to kowtow hard here, if you really recognize your mistakes, then you can obediently go to the prison of the Criminal Department to confess your guilt, and honestly explain everything you have done." Li Shimin asked Guo Ren on the side to stop Hou Junji and prevent him from continuing to kowtow.

"General Li Ji, you also know about Hou Junji's affairs, and I will leave the matter to you in the future, you take someone to Hou Junji's house to search carefully, and check all the people's fat and ointment he has looted over the years, as well as the things that have been corrupted and bribed." Li Shimin no longer looked at Hou Junji, and said to Li Ji, who had watched the play for a long time.

"Obey the order!"

Li Ji looked at Hou Junji, who had a gloomy expression and a bloodstain, shook his head, and felt the same emotion in his heart, Hou Junji's ability is still good, and he has indeed made a lot of contributions to Datang over the years, but his mistake is that he should not forget his original intention and lose himself.

"General Hou, come with me, I have been an official in the same dynasty for so many years, let me personally send you to the Criminal Department." Li Ji walked up to Hou Junji and said, with regret and a hint of spurning in his voice.

Hou Junji shook off Guo Ren, who was supporting him, didn't say anything, arched his hand at Li Shimin, and then turned around and left behind Li Ji.

Looking at the back of the two leaving, Li Shimin didn't speak for a long time, looking angry and sad.

The brother who followed him to fight the world has now embarked on the road of no return, and he is not comfortable being the emperor.

"Your Majesty, don't worry, Hou Junji has come to this point, it is his own choice, I can't complain about Your Majesty." Guo Ren saw that Li Shimin was depressed, so he comforted.

"You're right, everyone should bear the consequences of what they do, otherwise what is the justice in this world? How are we different from the people we hated at the beginning? Although Li Shimin said this in his mouth, he still felt a little sad in his heart.

The atmosphere in the Liangyi Hall was a little heavy, Guo Ren was behind Li Shimin, gently beating his back, and only said after a while: "Your Majesty, from the perspective of the old slave, the most sad and sad thing now is the Wang Xiannan family, this fire not only made his previous efforts in vain, but also made him lose his relatives." ”

"You're right, what is this pain of mine compared to these real victims? I hope that Wang Xiannan will not be depressed because of this incident. Li Shimin nodded, and his eyes looked in the direction outside the palace.

At this moment, Wang Dazhui is wearing linen and filial piety to handle the funeral for his sister, and in the temporary funeral shed, the faces of Wang Dazhui's family are very heavy.

(End of chapter)