So, Duke Weiguo knew that pleading was useless, and thus solemnly said to Emperor Qi.
"Everything was done by this old minister alone, it has nothing to do with the Ninth Prince or anyone else. I beg Your Majesty to grant this old minister death and spare them."
"Father."
"Grandfather!"
The three people in the great hall at this moment had lost all their previous arrogance and coercion. Wei Dalang, in particular, was crying so hard that his eyes were swollen.
Elder Xu looked at him with disdain. To put it bluntly, Duke Weiguo was indeed tough and ruthless, but unfortunately, his descendants were not promising, each one more foolish than the last, which was why they were caught and brought down in one fell swoop.
As he was thinking, he heard Emperor Qi say without any mercy.
"It's too late to say these things now. Convey my decree: the Ninth Prince, in collusion with the Wei family, attempted rebellion, failed to assassinate me, and then tried to frame the First Prince. Fortunately, I saw through it. Therefore, bestow a cup of poisoned wine upon Noble Consort Wei and the Ninth Prince, and the Wei family and Wei Dalang shall be subjected to the punishment of being torn apart by chariots. All other Wei family members and those who colluded with them shall be confiscated, those who should be punished shall be punished, and those who should be exiled shall be exiled. This matter shall be handed over to Prime Minister Bai, Elder Xu, and Lin Wang to handle and conclude as quickly as possible."
"Yes, this old minister obeys the decree!"
"Yes, this old minister obeys the decree!"
"Yes, this minister obeys the decree!"
After hearing Emperor Qi's judgment, the court officials who had been attached to the Ninth Prince and the Wei family were all sweating profusely, fearing that they would be implicated.
Duke Weiguo had long been mentally prepared for such an outcome.
On the contrary, Wei Dalang's crying was a headache for everyone.
Suddenly, a burst of laughter was heard. The Ninth Prince, who had been kneeling on the ground and unable to believe it, now staggered to his feet.
He was not convinced by the emperor's judgment.
Although it was said that the victor takes all, he had dealt with himself and his mother's punishment without batting an eye.
"Everyone says this king most resembles Father Emperor among the princes. Indeed, I kill my father, you kill your son, and neither of us hesitated."
Hearing the Ninth Prince's words, Emperor Qi's veins bulged, and he stared at him intently before saying word by word.
"I have given you countless opportunities. Unfortunately, you did not cherish them. If you and your mother and the Wei family were not so greedy, you would have been my most favored prince. Hmph, the outcome today is all your own doing."
"Hahaha, our own doing? Father Emperor is truly adept at shirking responsibility! To secure your throne, you first feigned favor towards me and my mother, making us harbor ambitions of usurpation, then repeatedly showed weakness to lure us into a trap, and then set up this earth-shattering scheme to legitimately eliminate us. You are truly meticulous."
Every word was an accusation of Emperor Qi's heartlessness, and then he spoke recklessly.
"The successive deaths of Consort Min and His Imperial Grandfather back then, I wonder if you were involved!"
As he said this, his eyes looked at Xiao Tingyi.
As if to say, a dying man speaks the truth.
After speaking, he took out a bottle of medicine, tilted his head back, and drank it down. He smashed the bottle, and it shattered.
"I don't need you to grant me death; I will end myself. I only hope that in the next life, I will not be born into an imperial family again. With a father like you, I feel disgusted!"
Before he finished speaking, blood flowed from the corners of his mouth.
The Ninth Prince, before his death, looked at everyone with a mocking gaze and said,
"My fate today may not be your tomorrow. I will wait for you in the underworld to see how you all serve this wise ruler!"
With that, he breathed his last.
When Wei Dalang saw this scene, he was so frightened that he couldn't even cry. Instead, Duke Weiguo suddenly shouted.
"Good! Worthy of being the blood of my Wei family!"
With that, while no one was paying attention, he rammed his neck into the sword that was resting on his shoulder and committed suicide.
Blood flowed everywhere. As he died, he glared fiercely at Emperor Qi. The First Prince saw this and suddenly stepped forward to block him, saying to Emperor Qi.
"Father Emperor, do not be afraid. This is their own doing!"
Emperor Qi, after hearing his words, finally woke up from his shock.
He clenched and unclenched his fists, his eyes closed tightly. After a while, he opened them and said.
"Drag them away. Bury the Ninth Prince. As for Duke Weiguo, chop him up and feed him to the dogs!"
At this moment, his hatred for the Wei family could not be concealed. If they had not instigated from behind, the father-son bond between the Ninth Prince and him would not have been severed so cleanly.
The guards stepped forward and dragged the two corpses away, while Wei Dalang, with his mouth gagged, was also dragged away.
The court officials prostrated themselves in the blood, shouting, "Long live His Majesty, long live, long live!"
Emperor Qi, hearing these words, felt a surge of blood and could not help but fall to the ground, losing consciousness.
If it weren't for the First Prince's timely grasp of his hand, his back of the head would have hit the ground heavily.
"Father Emperor, Father Emperor! Quickly summon the imperial physicians, quickly!"
In an instant, the drama of the Ninth Prince and the Wei family forcing the emperor's hand ended with Emperor Qi's collapse.
Soon, Duke Weiguo's mansion was surrounded.
Inside the mansion were only the old Madam Wei and the half-mad Wei Lanxuan, with the rest being servants.
The old, the weak, the women, and the children. Prime Minister Bai and Elder Xu did not make things too difficult for them.
"In half an hour, they will be taken to prison. The women in the mansion do not need to be searched."
"Yes!"
Prime Minister Bai's order was clearly giving them a breathing room. Since they were all to be exiled, money would be needed for bribes.
Giving them half an hour to prepare and not searching them meant allowing them to hide their valuables or banknotes first.
"You are indeed benevolent."
Elder Xu said. In fact, if it were him, he would have done the same.
One old and one mad, how could they cause trouble? It was good enough that they were alive.
"There is also a grandson of the Wei family who is traveling with an enlightened master. What should we do? Should we arrest him or not?"
"His Majesty's order is for the entire Wei clan, so we must arrest him. After we catch him, we will investigate. If he was not involved, he will also be exiled, and he can take care of these surviving women and children."
"Yes, this is a good plan."
As they were talking, Lin Wang walked over.
He was the one who personally led the people to search the Wei family's residence, so Duke Weiguo's study was of utmost importance.
Giving Madam Wei and Wei Lanxuan an opportunity did not mean neglecting the study, so the secrets within the study were soon plundered.
Inside were not only the account books of the grain tribute from the漕运司 (Cao Yun Si - Directorate of Grain Transport) every year, but also the illicit profits sent to him and the Ninth Prince over the years, including but not limited to private salt, private iron, private mines, and even private smuggling.
It was unexpectedly discovered that Duke Weiguo also seemed to have some clandestine dealings with the Crane Feather family of Linggui Kingdom, but this required careful investigation.
If the evidence was conclusive, then the Wei family intended to collude with the enemy and betray the country!
Or, they had colluded with foreign powers, attempting to harm Da Jin.
These acts of wickedness had all touched Emperor Qi's sore spot. If he had not collapsed from anger at this moment, he would have personally gone to whip the corpses to vent his hatred.