A few days later, Empress Wu went down to the court early and waited for the advice of the mysterious man in today's copper trate, he had killed too many people over the years, and the officials who had fallen from the horse were one after another, so that he did not know who would be the next one to "save himself".

Shangguan Wan'er opened the copper slot as usual, and sure enough, the strange ribbon was still so dazzling, she picked it up and handed it to Empress Wu.

"Her Royal Highness the Queen Mother, this is a sign of grievances."

Empress Wu slowly opened it with a hint of doubt, and as she slowly read the Empress Wu, she was like a dead case.

Then he sat down slowly, "Come on, pass on the magistrate of Heyang County!" ”

The eunuch in the distance nodded, "No." ”

"And the people who went to this grievance file also brought it."

Shangguan Wan'er was in a trance, Empress Wu was usually very calm, even if she killed someone, she would not be moved, and she began to wonder what was written in the grievance file that made Empress Wu furious.

After an hour, the man who had written the letter to redress his grievances walked into the hall in a shabby gray robe and stood quietly.

After a while, the magistrate of Heyang County, whose face turned pale and panted with fright, came late.

"Weichen Heyang County Magistrate Shen Qing see Her Royal Highness the Queen Mother!" Shen Qing knelt directly on the ground and saluted, he was so panicked in his heart that he couldn't do it, his sesame mung bean junior official was now recruited into the palace, and his intuition told him that it was absolutely no good thing, and he thought about the bad things he had done in the past few years, so that he trembled unconsciously.

The ragged man beside him saluted very calmly: "Grass people Li Yu see Her Royal Highness the Queen Mother." ”

Empress Wu glanced at him and asked, "Has your family been given a surname?" ”

"Yes, Her Royal Highness."

It seems that it is a declining aristocracy, and the Empress Wu is too lazy to ask any more.

"Li Yu, what you wrote is true?" Empress Wu asked slowly.

Shen Qing on the side directly felt half cold, and he was so panicked that he couldn't do it, Li Yu? Who is it, redress of grievances? Finished! It's all over!

Li Yu replied: "Please also ask Her Royal Highness the Queen Mother to listen to me." ”

"But it doesn't hurt to say it."

Li Yu nodded and said: "I was born in an ordinary family that relied on selling firewood, my father Li Tie, there are two younger sisters in the family, my mother died of illness, my father remarried the daughter of the Wang family who did the cloth business in Heyang County, and a new brother was added to the family. ”

Empress Wu showed a strange pity on her face and said gently, "What happened later? ”

"Later, my stepmother took the lead, and the situation of my two younger sisters and I plummeted, and everything in the family was inclined to my half-brother, who could only eat half a cent a day, and there were no new clothes to wear during the New Year's holidays, and even my studies were delayed.

I thought that I would be able to get a name for myself and leave that house in the future, but one day when I came back from my companion study, I found that my sisters were gone. ”

Empress Wu looked at Shen Qing coldly, "Lord Shen, have you remembered something?" ”

Shen Qing's eyes flickered, his forehead was full of sweat, and he said, "Too.." Her Royal Highness the Queen Mother! Weichen doesn't know anything, and this Li Yu Weichen doesn't know either! ”

"Hmmm! Li Yu, you continued. ”

Li Yu continued with a trace of sadness on his face: "I repeatedly asked my stepmother and said that my sisters were sent to the draft girl, I was very angry at that time, what the draft girl said is not a good thing, no matter how good it is in this deep palace, it is not as good as being free and unrestricted outside, but thinking that I can't give my sisters a good life, I didn't entangle with my stepmother anymore, and turned around and rushed to Chang'an in the hope of meeting my sisters halfway."

"Chang'an?" Empress Wu had a hint of suspicion on her face, "This has happened for so long, why did you come to redress your grievances now?" ”

Li Yu explained: "Her Royal Highness the Queen Mother, I and other poor people, in the past few years, we have been inseparable from conscription and military service, and it was only some time ago that the grass people returned to their hometown in Heyang. ”

Speaking of conscription, military service, Empress Wu nodded, at his age, he should have been temporarily conscripted for military service after conscription.

"And then, what about later?"

Li Yu couldn't help but sigh in amazement, "On Chang'an Road, I didn't meet my sisters, and I didn't see them after looking for them for half a month in Chang'an. ”

"That's not right, draft girl, the top candidates will announce the list, and the losers will be repatriated to their hometowns." She looked at Shen Qing, "Lord Shen, tell me about it." ”

Shen Qing was confused, draft girl, that was all during the reign of the first emperor, he lowered his head and struggled to think about the year name, suddenly raised his head and said, "Weichen remembers, it is... It was the first year of Kaiyao, and it was the last year of the draft girl, yes, there was a famine in Chang'an the next year..."

"It's been seven years since then, Lord Shen has a good memory." Empress Wu said in an unusually flat tone.

Li Yu continued, "After searching for something unsuccessful, I returned to Heyang County and went to Yamen to inquire about the news, but I was driven out. ”

"Oh?" Empress Wu glared at Shen Qing angrily, "Lord Shen is so powerful!" ”

Lord Shen hurriedly kowtowed and admitted his mistake, "Weichen should be damned!" Damn it! ”

"Go on."

Li Yu glanced at Shen Qing and thought for a moment before saying: "After some inquiry, I learned that the draft girls will be sent to Chang'an after being screened by each county, and my two younger sisters were not selected at all, and most of the ones who were not selected returned home, but the sisters did not come back at all." ”

"Did it happen on the way home?" Empress Wu asked anxiously.

"No, Her Royal Highness the Queen Mother, I was a companion in a wealthy businessman, and I overheard that the undrafted girls were very popular among these officials and wealthy businessmen, and they used their money to buy some women from poor families back to Canada as prostitutes, and they grew up for their fun!

And in addition to my stepmother's fueling all this, it is this Shen Qing who makes a profit from it! Li Yu pointed at Shen Qing and said angrily.

After listening to the unconsciously bent fingers of Empress Wu, she clenched the tray on the edge of the bed, and her eyelids fluttered.

Human trafficking is expressly prohibited, she didn't expect this kind of thing to happen among the people, she naturally empathizes with her as a woman, how could she not be one of the victims of the patriarchal society, she suppressed her anger in her heart, just one side of the word is not enough, she wants to thoroughly investigate this matter.

"Come on, pass on the Dali Temple Qing and Tianguan Shangshu, Qiuguan Shangshu!"

Shen Qing was lying on the ground and trembling, Dali Temple, the Criminal Department and the Ministry of Officials, it was difficult for him not to die this time! He has been an official for many years, and who can be innocent in the officialdom, and a single piece of corruption and bribery is enough for him to be beheaded!

Li Yu on the side looked at the floor with straight eyes, didn't dare to raise his head, and froze in place.

After a while, the three officials came to the main hall, and they had heard the rumors before they came, and they already had a bottom in their hearts.

The first to speak was Wang Si, the Qing of Dali Temple, who touched his beard and thought for a moment and said: "Her Royal Highness the Queen Mother, the minister suggests that you first check the geometry of Shen Qing's family property, and then check the people involved in the whole incident. ”

Lu Wen, the white-haired waiter of the Criminal Department on the side, said: "Her Royal Highness the Queen Mother, the minister thinks that Shen Qing should be put into the cell first to prevent him from destroying the evidence, and immediately send someone to Heyang County to collect the evidence of the crime!" ”

Zhang Ze, the servant of the ministry, stood aside and didn't say a word, just quietly glanced at Shen Qing.

Shen Qing immediately shouted: "Her Royal Highness the Queen Mother, Weichen pleads guilty!" ”