Chapter 75: Required Person

After dealing with these, the wailing outside the palace gate gradually subsided. Shen Changhe strode into the palace and bowed to report to the emperor on the dragon throne.

"Your Majesty, he confessed that the silver was stolen from an official in the Ministry of Revenue, and he helped launder the money."

By transporting these gold bars back to the Western Regions without leaving a trace and giving half of them to that person, they can avoid the surveillance of the court. It is a win-win situation for both parties.

The emperor's majestic face turned extremely cold upon hearing this, "My dear ministers, are you still unwilling to tell the truth?"

The three officials of the Ministry of Revenue still said that they were wronged, and no one dared to admit it. The emperor sneered, "It seems that he won't cry until he sees the coffin. Lord Shen, whoever he is pointing at, just drag him down and chop him off."

"Yes," Shen Changhe responded, and with a wave of his hand, officers and soldiers immediately came in and pulled Mr. Zhang up from the ground.

Everyone was shocked. They never thought it would be the Zhang family, and they never thought that Lord Zhang would be so courageous!

Lord Zhang's face went blank for a moment, and he was dragged out before he could even react. He looked up at the emperor sitting on the dragon throne, then he reacted with surprise.

"Impossible, Your Majesty, it's not me, definitely not me. Someone must have deliberately framed me. Even if you give me a hundred guts, I would not dare to do anything to collude with the enemy."

"Your Majesty..." He never thought that today's incident would implicate him. "Your Majesty, I request a confrontation in the palace. I refuse to obey."

He had a look of horror on his face and struggled hard, his black hat and court robes were torn into a mess.

The second prince was stunned at this moment!

Wang Ganzhi is collaborating with the enemy? Did Lord Zhang embezzle the treasury silver?

Weren't we coming here for Xiao Yuan today? Why are his people the ones who suffered in the end?

His face turned pale and blue, and when Lord Zhang begged him to help plead for mercy, he felt even more guilty and timid. He tried his best to shrink into the crowd, not daring to look at the emperor's face.

"etc."

Xiao Yuan suddenly spoke up and stopped the soldiers. He glanced coldly at Lord Zhang and said to the emperor.

"Father, I think we should not just listen to the one-sided words of the people from the Western Regions. There is no evidence and no other witnesses. If that's the case, then we should execute the officials of the Daliang court. If they were instigated by others and deliberately framed us, then we would be doing what they want and become a joke."

The royal family of the Western Regions has evil intentions. What they say and who they identify must be confirmed.

Lord Zhang saw hope again, and quickly broke free from the soldiers and crawled forward, "Yes, Your Majesty, I dare to guarantee with my life that this was not done by me."

"Your life and property are no longer safe." The emperor shouted angrily with a sullen face.

Today, he has completely lost face as the Emperor of Daliang.

"Then I will guarantee it with my entire clan. Please, Your Majesty, please investigate."

He kowtowed hard, and the only sound in the entire Fengtian Hall was the dull sound of his head hitting the ground.

Unfortunately, no one from the former bureaucrats or party members spoke up to help him.

Xiao Yuan swept his heavy gaze over Lord Zhang and gave Ling Chenyi a look without leaving a trace.

Ling Chenyi immediately stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I have a suggestion. You may consider it."

The emperor glanced at him and said, "Speak."

"The Western Regions and Daliang have been at odds for a long time. As the Fourth Prince said, the Western Regions people's accusations do not constitute conclusive evidence. If we kill Daliang's court officials for this reason, it would be inappropriate and even become a laughing stock for those small countries."

"I think we can temporarily detain Lord Zhang and put the entire Zhang family under house arrest, and have Lord Shen, the commander of the Imperial Guards, investigate. If he can find evidence, Your Majesty can execute him at any time!!"

The emperor frowned slightly and said nothing for a while. Then the officials led by Ling Chenyi came out to agree.

"My dear Shen, what do you think?" The emperor asked the question to Shen Wen, who had been silent since before.

Shen Wen frowned slightly and spoke slowly, "Your Majesty, I think what the Fourth Prince and Prince Ling said... makes sense. After all, Mr. Zhang is a senior official in my Ministry of Revenue, so it is indeed a bit hasty to do so."

The emperor nodded and said, "Since Lord Shen has said so, then follow Lord Ling's wishes and detain him for the time being. If evidence is found, all of the three clans of the Zhang family will be executed."

"Yes." Shen Changhe stepped out and responded, waving his hand and asking someone to take Lord Zhang away for the time being.

The emperor had been sitting for a long time and was already physically and mentally exhausted. His legs were now a little stiff. The eunuch behind him immediately helped him up and then left the Fengtian Hall.

This majestic and upright figure now seemed to have aged ten years in the eyes of the ministers.

Something flashed across Xiao Yuan's eyes and quickly disappeared. He knew that the pressure on his father was not only the country of Daliang, but also the life-and-death struggle between his two sons.

Following the eunuch's loud shout to dismiss the court, the civil and military officials finally dared to move with stiff steps and leave the Fengtian Hall.

Today is really a turbulent day!

"Xiao Yuan." Xiao Ze strode out of Fengtian Hall and caught up with Xiao Yuan who was about to leave at the foot of the imperial steps. His face turned green and his eyes were fierce. "You really have a good method. Second brother admires you very much."

"Fourth brother, there are more things that deserve second brother's admiration." Xiao Yuan glanced at him coldly and left.

Xiao Ze unwillingly chased after him a few more steps and asked, "When did you know that the Wang and Zhang families were colluding with the enemy and committing treason?"

Even his master was completely unaware of it, but Xiao Yuan knew about it. Doesn't that mean that his every move was under Xiao Yuan's control?

Thinking of this, a chill ran up from Xiao Ze's back to his head, chilling him to the bone.

Xiao Yuan raised his eyebrows and tilted his head to look at Xiao Ze, "Second brother, why do you think I knew about it in advance? Why don't you think that I, the fourth brother, framed you?"

Xiao Ze was stunned for a moment, and when he wanted to say something, Xiao Yuan no longer paid attention to him and walked away.

He was so angry that his teeth were itching!

If he had won today, he would have ridiculed him severely and added insult to injury, but he didn't seem to take it to heart, as if he had never taken him seriously or regarded him as an opponent.

He knew that he was narrow-minded, and he hated Xiao Yuan's outstanding demeanor even more.

After they were some distance away from Fengtian Palace, Ling Chenyi said calmly, "The Emperor said he would exterminate all three clans of the Zhang family. This time, I'm sure Master Zhang will be unable to sit still."

"Tell Shen Changhe to keep a close eye on the movements in the prison, especially the people in the palace. If anyone meets Lord Zhang privately, tell him to turn a blind eye and report to me afterwards."

Ling Chenyi nodded. "If he was really involved in the death of Concubine Shu, he should have sent a letter to the people behind the scenes asking for help in the past two days. Xiao Yuan, are you really ready to accept the consequences?"

Ling Chenyi's eyes were filled with worry. In the past, the Qi family was more prosperous than the Shen family today, and the younger generations of the Qi family were very talented, which had caused the emperor to be wary of them for several years.

If we look into it more deeply, the death of Concubine Shu and the sudden decline of the Qi family are most likely related to the man in the Golden Palace.

Xiao Yuan's eyes darkened in an instant, his thin lips were tightly pursed, and his face turned slightly pale.

"The worst outcome is always better than being kept in the dark and deceiving yourself."

From the moment he ordered the Minister of Revenue to take the silver from the treasury and frame the Zhang family, he had already made all the preparations. Even if it was him, even if the father and son turned against each other, he had to get a result.

Ling Chenyi sighed softly and stopped talking until he reached the carriage. Then he whispered, "If...it's really the Emperor's uncle, we must be prepared to fight to the death."

The current peace is just an illusion. If this layer of harmony between father and son is torn off in the near future, given the emperor's uncle's temperament, he will probably not allow Xiao Yuan to live.

"But it's hard to say. After all, it's true that the Emperor's uncle doted on Madam Shufei, and he has been doing his best for you over the years."

After all, he is his biological son, perhaps... the emperor will not be so cruel.

Xiao Yuan had a grim expression. He stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the father and son of the Shen family walking out of the palace gate, with a cold curve on his lips.

"Chen Yi, you should never put your life and death in the hands of others. My mother is a living example of this."

If she had not been blinded by emotions and never been on guard, how could she have died at such a young age.

"You're right." Ling Chenyi sighed heavily and patted Xiao Yuan on the shoulder. "No matter what you want to do, I will help you."

Even if I take away my uncle's throne!

The Shen family father and son had already walked over, and Xiao Yuan's sullen expression slightly subsided. "You go back first, I have something else to do."

Ling Chenyi raised his eyebrows, and when he looked up he saw the father and son of the Shen family. The gloom on his face immediately disappeared, replaced by a playful look.

"Today's success is all thanks to the help of Lord Shen. You should thank your future father-in-law."

Xiao Yuan glanced at him calmly without saying anything, but his cold brows softened a little.

"I'm leaving." Ling Chenyi got into the carriage, and the driver pulled the reins and left.

At this time, the Shen family father and son also arrived in front of him. Xiao Yuan took a step forward and said, "General Shen, thank you for your presence today."

He seldom smiled, and at this moment his stern face seemed gentle.

Shen Wen stopped and bowed before saying, "This old minister is just discussing the matter at hand and does not understand what the Fourth Prince means."

Xiao Yuan curled his lips and smiled, "It doesn't matter if you don't understand, as long as you and I have the same goal."

Shen Wen smiled and continued to pretend to be ignorant. All he wanted was for Xiao Ze to be in trouble. As for other things, he was not interested.

"He'er has been ordered to take charge of the Second Prince's case these days. To avoid verbal disputes, it's better for the Fourth Prince to stay away from him."

His meaning was very clear. Today he was just speaking the truth and had no intention of taking sides.

Xiao Yuan smiled gently, without any anger, "Thank you, Captain Shen, for your reminder."

"..." Shen Wen raised his eyes and glanced at Xiao Yuan. He had no idea when the Fourth Prince had become so shameless.

He coughed lightly and asked directly, "Now that everything is over, when does the Fourth Prince plan to release my son-in-law?"

After these words were spoken, Shen Changhe on the side was shocked. As expected, Xiao Yuan's originally warm expression suddenly turned gloomy and cold.

His guess was confirmed, Shen Wen refused to give in, "My daughter's engagement day has arrived, I hope the Fourth Prince will do me a favor and return her to my Shen Mansion."

Xiao Yuan clenched his fingers tightly in his sleeves, and the crisp sound of his joints could be heard faintly. After a long while, he tried hard to calm down his surging anger and said with a forced smile.