in2ebook Chapter 571 Confrontation Before the Palace
Chapter 571 Confrontation Before the Palace
There was another long silence, long enough for the maid's footsteps to approach before Chen Wenfang realized that the person had truly left.
"What are you doing, my lady? It's freezing cold, and you're up in the middle of the night. You've annoyed me so much that I had to get up and leave all my warmth behind." The maid shivered, looking impatient.
Chen Wenfang replied gently, "Perhaps the meat I ate this afternoon wasn't very good; I have a bit of a stomachache. Please don't take offense."
The maid rolled her eyes, turned her head away, and ignored her. She simply waited quietly for her to come out from under the eaves, without even trying to help her up.
Chen Wenfang limped out of the toilet step by step and went back inside to lie down.
Chu Yi also received a reply from Qi Ziying and learned about the situation in Hejia Village.
"Brother, what do we do now? There are several thousand people in Hejia Village. It might not be so easy to break through," Cheng Xiang asked.
"They're all wicked people, what's the big deal about daring to break in? We'll find a way to wipe them all out! Who knows what kind of den of wolves they are?" Chu Yi said fiercely.
Cheng Xiang couldn't help but shiver; this young master seemed to be getting colder and colder.
Chu Yi, perceptive as ever, noticed this and chuckled, "Are you aware of the evil deeds committed by the Qinglan Sect?"
Cheng Xiang replied listlessly, "I've heard about it."
"So what do you think should be done?"
Cheng Xiang hesitated for a moment, then said with some reluctance, "There are many children inside, they are all still young and shouldn't be implicated."
Chu Yi sighed, perhaps thinking of his own childhood, and said, "I will find a way to properly take care of those children who don't remember anything. Don't worry, I'm not one to kill people. But if I let those bad people go, what will happen to the good people? Remember, no matter when, right is right and wrong is wrong. If you do something bad, you will be punished, regardless of age. This is the way of heaven."
Cheng Xiang recalled the women he had rescued from prison, and felt a pang of sadness, though he couldn't help feeling annoyed at his own soft heart.
Three days later, while Zhao Lue was making arrangements to rescue Chen Wenfang, Wang Erniu arrived in the capital. He brought a cartload of Liao soldiers and the head of the clan chief into the palace, attracting the attention of countless officials.
He then placed his carriage outside the main hall and entered the palace alone, confronting the Li family in court. He Tianxia was also summoned to the palace by the emperor.
"General Wang, you have worked hard to protect Youzhou." Zhao Jian looked at Wang Erniu, who stood tall and proud, with admiration. He was indeed worthy of being his general. "This great victory in Youzhou is thanks to you. You have brought glory to our Great Song Dynasty. You are truly a military genius."
"Your Majesty, this is my duty," Wang Erniu replied modestly, his gaze sweeping over Li Jin kneeling beside him, a flash of displeasure in his eyes, but he pretended not to notice.
Before Zhao Jian could speak, He Tianxia, who was standing to the side, couldn't wait to step forward and said, "Your Majesty, although General Wang is a pillar of the nation, human lives are at stake. If he has made a mistake, he should be held accountable. Otherwise, those innocent people who died will not find peace even in the afterlife."
Zhao Jian looked at He Tianxia with some displeasure, wondering when it had become his turn to take the lead.
Yu Long stepped forward and said, “What Commander He said makes sense. Prince Zhao is currently investigating a case of selling official positions and embezzlement. Why don’t you, Lord He, first clarify the matter of selling official positions? Or, Commander He, could you prove your innocence and give us, the ministers, an explanation?”
Zhao Jian remained silent, watching with great interest as his ministers fought amongst themselves.
Zhao Jian's sudden change of expression made He Tianxia a little flustered. He couldn't help but look at Zhao Lue. Their eyes met, and Zhao Lue gave him a reassuring look without revealing his true feelings.
He Tianxia then stood up and replied, “Your Majesty, I have already spoken with Prince Zhao. It was indeed my fault to buy and sell official positions. However, the Song treasury is empty and the military pay is tight. I had no other choice but to resort to this desperate measure. Please forgive me, Your Majesty.”
Zhao Jian did not utter a word, but merely glanced at Zhao Lue on the other side.
Zhao Lue then stood up and stepped forward, saying, "Your Majesty, I have confirmed that Lord He has indeed embezzled and sold official positions, and the amount involved is substantial."
This statement is highly questionable. If Zhao Jian wanted to investigate further, he could certainly dig deeper. If he didn't want to investigate, he could simply let it go. Zhao Lue cleverly handed over command to his superiors and deflected responsibility for his own actions.
Zhao Jian smiled slightly and turned his head away. "This matter can perhaps be discussed later. You should act according to the rules."
This means they're letting him off the hook. Yu Long was anxious. When did Prince Zhao and Lord He reach an agreement and start cooperating?
Zhao Guangjun looked at them and smiled thoughtfully.
The others exchanged meaningful glances.
The shrewd and calculating Prince De and Prince Ningxian remained silent, their eyes half-closed, as if they were asleep.
"Your Majesty, how can this be? In the past ten years, there have been nearly a thousand or even tens of thousands of officials who have bought and sold their official positions. If each person pays 20,000 taels of silver, that's no less than ten million taels of silver. How dare you say that such a huge amount is only used for military pay?" Yu Long looked at him with righteous indignation and fearlessness, and accused him.
He Tianxia's face was dark and unreadable, but he still smiled obsequiously at the emperor, "But since I was appointed, the hundreds of thousands of imperial guards under my command have never paid a single penny of salary to the national treasury, right, my colleagues in the Ministry of Revenue?"
The officials looked embarrassed and turned their faces away, confirming that what he said was true. Yu Long was somewhat desperate, and Zhao Jian said impatiently, "Let's discuss this later!"
He Tianxia lowered his head in satisfaction, his expression revealing his true feelings.
“Now that Lord He’s matter is settled, let’s talk about the Li family’s injustice. The Li family has appealed to the emperor and filed a petition with the emperor. The evidence is conclusive. Even if General Wang is currently enjoying the emperor’s favor and has made such a great contribution, can this murder be wiped clean?” Tian Ji, the vice minister of the Ministry of Personnel, stepped forward.
That was He Tianxia's man. Wang Erniu narrowed his eyes and looked over without making a sound. He Tianxia gave him a very friendly look. After all, Wang Erniu's reply to him was just a meeting to talk, and he hadn't given him a definite answer yet. He could also show some goodwill.
“Perhaps General Wang had some difficulties that forced him to commit such a heinous act. I think that given General Wang’s character, the Li family is very likely to be making a false accusation.” He Tianxia stroked his beard, seemingly trying to exonerate Wang Erniu, but in reality, he was solidifying his guilt, speaking in a somewhat veiled manner.
Yu Long was disgusted by his words, her face turning ashen as she rolled her eyes at the group of people. But she was beautiful, and although she seemed angry, it was actually a beautiful woman's feigned anger, which drew Zhao Guangjun's sidelong glance.
Lu Wenji was on good terms with him and worked in the Ministry of Justice. He knew that Wang Erniu was close to him, especially his personal guard Wang Feng. He had heard that Wang Feng's younger brother, Wang Shan, had died in the Battle of Youzhou. Wang Feng had secretly returned to the capital and contacted Yu Long, but for some reason, he hadn't appeared with Wang Erniu. Now, seeing that Yu Long was willing to speak up for Wang Erniu, he felt somewhat isolated and couldn't help but feel restless.