in2ebook Chapter 192 A brute, a thief, a sick man, a cripple
Chapter 192 A brute, a thief, a sick man, a cripple
Princess Huizhen was still furious when she left. She angrily broke off two ixora flowers from a flowerpot by the roadside, and nearly fell over from the shock.
After everyone left, Cheng Yan had nothing else to do, so he went back to keep his wife company during her afternoon rest.
In the afternoon, when the Dali Temple held its trial, he and his wife picked up their brushes and painted a picture of her sitting by the window reading a book.
The world is full of complicated matters, and he always hoped that none of them would happen to them, so they lived a leisurely life of welcoming the morning sun and watching the sunset.
It's a pity that they are living in this mundane world, and many things cannot be avoided.
In the afternoon, the Dali Temple held a trial to hear the case of the burning of Fanghua Pavilion. Zhang Hui tried the Dali Temple's criminal law, but in the end he was afraid and told the whole story of when Liang Xize came to him and what he did.
He also pointed out that when Liang Xize met him that day, someone else saw him go to a courtyard where Liang Xize was temporarily staying.
Some people have even seen Liang Xize coming and going from this place. Inside, there is a set of gold teacups that he didn't have time to put away, which must have been something Liang Xize brought back from Xiliang.
There are witnesses and physical evidence, and even the cause and process of the incident are clear.
It turned out that he had made a suggestive remark about Princess Yizhen that day, which resulted in him having a cup of tea thrown at him, being beaten by the people from the Court of State Ceremonial, and being imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice for several days. He held a grudge against them.
Upon learning that Princess Huizhen's Yachun Pavilion and Fang Shixin's Fanghua Pavilion were in conflict, he sent people to investigate. They discovered that Zhang Hui, a member of the Zhang family who had a grudge against Empress Dowager Cheng Yan's lineage, was working at Fanghua Pavilion. This led to the incident of burning down Fanghua Pavilion and framing Princess Huizhen.
In order for Zhang Hui to be willing to die, Liang Xize also promised that after the deed was done, he would send some members of the Zhang family to Xiliang so that the Zhang family could start over in Xiliang.
If Zhang Hui had testified and then committed suicide by hitting his head against a pillar, Princess Huizhen would truly have been unable to clear her name even with nine mouths.
As for Zhang Hui's sudden change of heart and dragging Qin Yizhen into the mess, it was simply because Qin Yizhen suddenly appeared, and he did it on a whim.
Zhang Hui's elder brother, Zhang Yao, looked remorseful: "Before the incident, he was happily telling me that he had found a way out for the Zhang family. I wondered what kind of way out he could have. I never expected that he would be so heartless as to do such a thing."
“Lord Li, although our Zhang family may have flaws in private morality, our loyalty to His Majesty and to Eastern Qin is as clear as day. How could we possibly have any intention of betraying him? If I were to find out about this, I would absolutely not agree to it.”
Zhang Yao spoke with righteous indignation and high moral character, truly displaying a sincere heart as clear as the sun and moon, and asking Heaven and Earth to bear witness.
Minister Li of the Court of Judicial Review narrowed his eyes: "You mean, this was all done by Zhang Hui alone, and has nothing to do with the Zhang family?"
"Your Excellency is wise; this is indeed the case."
Lord Li scoffed inwardly. Anyone with a brain would know what the Zhang family was up to. Zhang Hui was willing to risk his life to create a way out for the Zhang family, so why wouldn't he be in league with the rest of the Zhang family?
The Zhang brothers had also planned ahead: if anything went wrong, they would claim that it was all Zhang Hui's doing and that they knew nothing about it, thus exonerating themselves.
In fact, they were really overestimating the situation. Zhang Hui colluded with Liang Xize, set fire to the market, and framed the princess, which was already a crime of treason. Even if the rest of the Zhang family didn't know, they would probably be implicated.
It's hard to say whether they'll survive.
“This is all slander!” Standing next to Liang Xize was an envoy from Xiliang. After listening for a while, he simply refused to admit it. “Our king is so upright and honest. I think this is all a conspiracy by you to slander our king.”
"People of Eastern Qin, don't go too far! Do you intend to use this opportunity to provoke a conflict between our two countries?"
"No, no." Since the matter involved a foreign prince, and Minister Min of the Court of State Ceremonial was also present, he immediately replied upon hearing this.
"The envoy has said the wrong thing. The King of Xiliang is causing trouble in my Dongqin territory, instigating the people to rebel, plotting to murder the princess, and setting fire to the streets. He wants to make my Dongqin restless. I think it is Xiliang who wants to start a war with my Dongqin."
"You bullshit!"
“You’re clearly talking nonsense.” Lord Min shook his short beard, thought for a moment, and sighed. “Fine, fine. If you insist on saying that, then so be it. Let’s fight if you want. It just so happens that the Marquis of Pingxi is currently unemployed in Qindu. I will write a letter to him requesting him to lead his troops to pacify the west. I think he would be very happy to do so.”
When Lord Min said this, everyone present gasped, feeling both impressed and relieved, and in their hearts they called him a ruthless man.
You won't admit your mistake and say I framed you, huh? Fine, I just want to beat you up. I'll send a large army to pacify the west right now. Let's fight then.
They'll hit you whenever they want, without even choosing a day.
The Western Liang envoy's face turned white and then green. He was furious to the extreme, but also filled with fear. Last time, when Marquis Cheng Yan of Pingxi led his army to pacify the west, Western Liang ceded territory and paid reparations, and sent the favored Prince Ze as a hostage, which finally calmed the war.
Nowadays, they have the bigger fists. You think I'm going to hit you? Fine, I'll really hit you without any excuses.
"You...you...you brutes! You brutes!" The hands of the Western Liang envoys were trembling, some angry and some frightened.
"Xiliang traitor!"
In this era of four kingdoms standing in a tripartite balance, mutual insults have become the norm. Today I call you a "brute from Eastern Qin," tomorrow I call you a "traitor from Western Liang," and the day after tomorrow "sick man from Southern Qi" and "crippled man from Northern Wei" will appear.
Don't be fooled by the people of Dongqin's constant talk of "etiquette" and their self-proclaimed status as a land of propriety. In reality, very few people in the entire country truly practice "etiquette" for you. You disagree? Then we'll just beat you up.
You can tell by the fact that the entire Honglu Temple dared to gang up on Liang Xize.
It's clear that the people of Eastern Qin were truly reckless.
As for Xiliang, they couldn't win battles, so they resorted to many underhanded tactics, earning them the nicknames of "dog thief" and "bandit."
The Southern Qi dynasty was not good at fighting; there were few capable generals in the entire court. However, it emphasized "benevolent governance," which won the hearts of the people. Moreover, it sent money to various countries every year, and thus managed to get by in this mediocre way.
The Northern Wei were indeed skilled warriors. Nearly half of their land was grassland, and they were all excellent horsemen. It was just a pity that they had been riding and training horses since childhood, and almost everyone had fallen a few times. Therefore, some of them had some leg problems after dismounting.
He deserves the name of a cripple.
The Eastern Qin was tyrannical, the Northern Wei was ruthless, the Western Liang was constantly stirring up trouble, and the Southern Qi was just saying, "Oh dear, stop fighting, a gentleman uses words, not fists."
This is the current situation in the four countries.
"Reckless man!"
"Thief!"
"Alright, alright!" Minister Li of the Court of Judicial Review was exasperated and hurriedly slammed his gavel. "Gentlemen, gentlemen, this is the courtroom of the Court of Judicial Review."
Please be careful, okay?
If you want to hurl insults at each other, go back to the Court of State Ceremonial and do whatever you want. Can't you at least leave some good image for the people?