The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

Chapter 248 Qian Wanhe was arrested

Qian Wanhe was originally calm, composed, and nonchalant.

The moment the door was opened and he saw the Marquis of Zhenbei standing there, his aura and indifference disappeared in an instant.

If someone else had come today, Qian Wanhe would not have taken him seriously at all.

But if the person who came was Marquis Zhenbei, the situation would be different.

The Marquis of Zhenbei would not appear at the gate of his Chenguo Mansion casually, unless something really big happened.

For some reason, Qian Wanhe suddenly remembered what the housekeeper had just said about Pingzhou, and a sudden bad premonition filled him.

Judging from the current situation, something might have really happened in Pingzhou.

Qian Wanhe suddenly felt a sense of suffocation. He had been so arrogant all his life, but today he finally showed his weakness.

Marquis Zhenbei looked at Qian Wanhe with a smile, but his attitude, which was different from before, made people feel even more uneasy.

"Why, Duke Chen, you haven't seen me for a long time, don't you recognize me?"

"We haven't seen each other for many years. Don't you even say hello when you meet?"

The Marquis of Zhenbei looked at Qian Wanhe in front of him and could not hide the contempt in his heart. This man who had been living a life of luxury all day long was now much older than him, who had been fighting on the battlefield all day long.

If it weren't for the extravagant clothes he was wearing, which made him look presentable, he would be no different from an ordinary old man in the market.

Qian Wanhe was, after all, an old fox who had been in the officialdom for many years. After a brief panic, he quickly calmed down.

He looked at the Marquis of Zhenbei and said with a smile, "Old friend, we haven't seen each other for many years. I wonder what brought you here today?"

"I'm honored and delighted to have you here, but you, the leader of the troops, surrounded my residence without giving any reason. Isn't that a bit too rude?"

Faced with Qian Wanhe's shameless accusations, Zhenbei Hou had long been accustomed to it. After all, so far, Qian Wanhe was the most shameless person Zhenbei Hou had ever met, and no one could compare to him.

"We haven't seen each other for many years. Being able to meet in this way is worthwhile for us to have met each other."

The Marquis of Zhenbei rode on his horse, looking down at Qian Wanhe. He wanted to destroy the Duke of Chen's mansion and capture Qian Wanhe with his own hands. This was what the Marquis of Zhenbei had wanted to do many years ago.

After waiting for so many years, thanks to my precious daughter, my dream finally came true.

At this moment, the Marquis of Zhenbei felt proud and in an extremely good mood. After all, Qian Wanhe, this old bastard, had done many things to disgust him.

Back then, under pressure from the late emperor, he had to release Qian Wanhe. This incident had become a huge stone weighing on the heart of the Marquis of Zhenbei. Now that this big stone has been removed, it would be strange if he was not in a good mood.

The Marquis of Zhenbei now feels more and more that his precious daughter is a lucky star.

Since Shen Tianjiao became regent, the atmosphere in the court has gradually improved. Not only that, but also Li Bin, Li Hong, and Qian Wanhe, who is now in front of him, have been caught one after another. These people are plotting rebellion with ulterior motives.

Putting aside state affairs, the Zhenbei Marquisate was also blessed. Although he and his eldest son were poisoned, they were discovered in time by Shen Tianjiao and are now fine.

The second son also made great contributions in this matter of Qian Wanhe.

The more he thought about it, the more proud the Zhenbei Marquis felt, and his proud expression was clearly visible on his face.

This really made Qian Wanhe angry again. Seeing the smug look on Zhenbei Hou's face at this moment, he felt very upset.

"My Lord, you should at least explain why this is happening."

Qian Wanhe suppressed the anger in his heart and asked Marquis Zhenbei.

No matter what, he had to find out what happened first. Only when he knew what happened could he come up with a plan to deal with it.

Zhenbei Hou snorted lightly and said, "It's not a big deal."

Hearing what Zhenbei Hou said, Qian Wanhe breathed a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to take the opportunity to make trouble, he heard Zhenbei Hou say again: "It's just that something happened in your hometown of Pingzhou."

Qian Wanhe almost fainted because of the heavy breathing in the way Zhenbei Hou spoke.

Sure enough, something really happened in my hometown of Pingzhou, but I don’t know what happened.

Judging from the current situation, I'm afraid that the iron mine incident has been discovered?

Qian Wanhe breathed a sigh of relief. If the iron mine matter was discovered, it would indeed be a troublesome matter, but it would not cost him and the Qian family their lives.

As long as that matter is not discovered, there is nothing to be afraid of. As long as the green mountains remain, there will be no fear of running out of firewood.

At worst, I can just wait a little longer and accumulate strength to make a comeback.

But before Qian Wanhe could completely breathe a sigh of relief, the Marquis of Zhenbei continued, "The head of your Qian family in Pingzhou was arrested yesterday, and someone found many valuable things in his residence in Qingfeng Mountain."

"These things are extremely important. They are enough to send you and all the people in the Qian family to meet the ancestors of the Qian family."

These words from the Marquis of Zhenbei were extremely destructive, and they made Qian Wanhe's legs so weak that he wanted to collapse to the ground.

Fortunately, the butler on the side acted quickly enough, otherwise Qian Wanhe would have fainted like his two sons.

Qian Wanhe's heart completely fell from the clouds to the dust.

Apart from him, Qian Yaozu, and Qian Siye, no one else actually knew that Qian Siye was the real head of the Qian family in Pingzhou.

The head of the Qian family who lives in Qingfeng Mountain that the Marquis of Zhenbei just mentioned, isn’t he talking about Fourth Master Qian?

If they even know this, then they must also know about the Qian family's collusion with the Xirong people.

Now the Qian family is really finished. They can’t even meet their ancestors.

Marquis Zhenbei watched the ever-changing expressions on Qian Wanhe's face with great interest. Qian Wanhe was a man who had harmed others all his life, and it was really retribution for him to end up like this today.

"Come here, please invite our Duke Chen to the Ministry of Punishment for a visit."

As soon as the Marquis of Zhenbei gave the order, someone came up to capture Qian Wanhe.

What kind of place is the Ministry of Punishment? It is a place where anyone who goes in will be skinned alive. If you go in, can you come out alive?

Qian Wanhe, who had been frightened to the point of being stunned, suddenly came to his senses. He shook off the hands of the guards who were arresting him and roared at the Marquis of Zhenbei, "Shen Lin, you dare to arrest this duke without any evidence. I want to see the emperor."

Seeing Qian Wanhe, who was still unrepentant even when facing death, the Marquis of Zhenbei lost his good temper.

The Marquis of Zhenbei looked at Qian Wanhe and said, "If you want to meet His Majesty, you should also ask Him whether He is willing to see you."

"You are a shameless and despicable traitor, a traitor who secretly colluded with the Western Rong and plotted rebellion. And you still want to meet a stranger? Do you have the qualifications?"

"I'm afraid that before you even enter the palace, His Majesty's order to execute you will arrive, and you will be executed on your way."

"I'm telling you, I'm here to arrest you today on orders from His Majesty and the Queen."

"His Majesty has said that you must be arrested today. Once the people from Pingzhou arrive, we will reunite your family."

"You, you, you're lying!" Qian Wanhe pointed at the Marquis of Zhenbei in horror and said, "Everyone knows that the one who is now acting as regent for His Majesty is your daughter, the Marquis of Zhenbei!"

"Hey, it seems you are not scared silly, your mind is still very clear."

"Yes, to tell you the truth, I came here on the Queen's orders. What can you do about it?"

Ever since Shen Tianjiao stood up, the Marquis of Zhenbei now speaks with confidence.

So what if it was his daughter who issued the imperial order? His daughter, Shen Tianjiao, was now legitimately acting as regent for Li Rui. Was there any difference between her orders and Li Rui's?

The answer is, no!

Looking at the unconcealed Marquis of Zhenbei, Qian Wanhe knew very well that he was really going to be doomed this time, but this did not prevent him from struggling a little before he died.

"The imperial order from Shen Tianjiao doesn't count. Only the imperial order from His Majesty himself counts."

"The Queen's order doesn't count, humph!"

The Marquis of Zhenbei sneered at Qian Wanhe and said, "Why doesn't the Queen's order count?"

"The Emperor personally announced the Empress's appointment as Regent in front of all the civil and military officials in Zhenghe Hall. He also issued an edict stating that the Empress represented him and that any orders issued by the Empress would be as if issued by him personally."

"Why, even now, you still can't forget your rebellious heart, are you still thinking about rebelling?"

Marquis Zhenbei gave a look, and the guards responsible for capturing Qian Wanhe did not delay. They took one on each side and carried Qian Wanhe away.

And when Qian Wanhe was talking nonsense, he consciously took out a handkerchief and accurately blocked his mouth, making him lose the right to speak.

No longer able to hear Qian Wanhe's chattering, the Marquis of Zhenbei looked at the two guards who had taken Qian Wanhe away with great satisfaction. They were truly teachable children.

Qian Wanhe was taken away, and the people gathered at the gate of Duke Chen's Mansion all seemed to have lost their souls. Some fainted, some stood there stupidly, and no one was normal.

The Marquis of Zhenbei turned around and ordered, "From now on, no one who rebels against the Duke of Chen's Mansion will be allowed to enter or leave."

In Zhenghe Hall, Shen Tianjiao and other court officials were still waiting for news from the Marquis of Zhenbei.

Suddenly, a eunuch rushed in in a panic.

The eunuch running into the Zhenghe Hall in such an impolite manner at this time could only mean one thing, that is, something big had happened in the harem.

It is human nature to like gossip, and even these courtiers who usually seem to be pretentious are no exception.

When they saw the eunuch rushing in in such a panic, the first thing that came to their minds was that something had happened to their frail and sickly emperor, whom they had not seen for many days.

"Your Majesty, please move aside. I have something important to report."

The eunuch was running so hard that he was out of breath and his breathing was unsteady when he spoke.

Shen Tianjiao raised her eyes to glance at the eunuch, and said in a cold voice with a blank expression: "If you have anything to say, just say it here. There is no need to hide it."

The eunuch secretly looked up at Shen Tianjiao, hesitating for a long time before saying, "Reporting to the Queen, it is, it is Concubine Mei, she..."

"What's wrong with her? Could it be that she heard that her father was colluding with others to murder the Marquis of Zhenbei and was exposed, so she is going to make trouble again?"

"Go back and tell her that I have important government affairs to attend to right now and I don't have time to argue with her here."

"After her father's affairs are thoroughly investigated, I will make my own decision. Let her behave herself. If she causes any trouble now, I will not be able to save her."

Shen Tianjiao suppressed her anger, shook her head, and waved her hand to let the eunuch leave.

"Your Majesty, Concubine Mei isn't making a fuss about her father, but rather, rather..." The eunuch stuttered and hesitated for a moment before mustering up the courage to speak, "Concubine Mei was having an affair with someone in the palace today, and the guards caught her."

"She is currently being held captive in her Zhilan Palace. Your servants have gone to ask His Majesty how to handle this matter."

"Your Majesty was furious and nearly fainted from anger. Your Majesty has ordered that this matter be handed over to you, Your Majesty the Queen."

Shen Tianjiao was stunned, and so were the court officials below. No one had expected to hear the gossip that the emperor was cheating so openly in the Zhenghe Hall.

Everyone was secretly watching each other. After all, the Empress had personally allowed the eunuch to say this, and everyone had heard it, so they shouldn't be collectively in trouble, right?

"What did you say?" Shen Tianjiao's voice rose in anger. "What did He Wanying do? She had an affair with someone in broad daylight?"

"Good, good, well done, really well done. The He family really raised a good daughter."

"How could such a distinguished family of scholars and propriety raise such a shameless and immoral daughter?"

"Ever since she entered the palace, neither the Emperor nor I have ever treated her unfairly. She is truly becoming more and more arrogant due to her favor."

Seeing Shen Tianjiao trembling with anger, Wang Yunzhi quickly stepped forward to persuade her, "Your Majesty, please don't be angry. It's really not worth getting angry over such a person. You must take care of yourself and focus on state affairs."

"Please, Queen, take care of yourself and prioritize state affairs."

All the court officials followed Wang Yunzhi's words.

"I'm fine." Shen Tianjiao calmed down and looked at the eunuch and asked, "Who is the man who had an affair with He Wanying?"

"It's Ling Xifeng, the former head of the Ministry of Punishment." This time the eunuch answered very straightforwardly.

"What?" Shen Tianjiao raised her voice again, "Ling Xifeng?"

"Shouldn't Ling Xifeng and the others be in the prison of the Ministry of Punishment right now?"

"How could someone in prison appear in the harem at this time?"

"Is the security of the Ministry of Punishment's prison so lax now?"

"Go, call Quan Zheng to me. I want to hear his explanation in person."

"If it is really his fault that he released Ling Xifeng, I will definitely punish him for neglecting his duties and neglecting his duties."

Shen Tianjiao was furious at this time. She picked up the paperweight beside her and threw it away.

All the civil and military officials in the court were intimidated by Shen Tianjiao's anger, and no one dared to say a word.