Chapter 263 Who are those wealthy businessmen?

Seeing that Hou Yuanji didn't speak for a long time, the emperor narrowed his eyes slightly.

The queen's hands hidden in her sleeves also clenched slightly.

The look he cast on Hou Yuanji was already filled with a hint of murderous intent.

Does he really know something?

wrong!

The people sent to search his luggage found nothing related to the tunnel.

Moreover, the most suspicious people who appeared in Fanzhou during that period were only that couple.

If Hou Yuanji really had some connection with them, it is not impossible that he gave the things to them.

The emperor's eyes turned cold and he said, "Bold Marquis Yuanji, do you acknowledge your guilt for what happened in Fanzhou?"

Hou Yuanji has been with Lu Wanyin for so long, and has been frightened by Lu Wanyin's various "surprises" since he left the capital.

Even shortly before returning to Beijing, he had been living under the high pressure of being killed by Lu Wanyin for so long.

His current mental state is no longer what it was when he first left Beijing.

In just a few breaths, Hou Yuanji had already thought of a way to deal with it.

He pretended to be panicked and knelt down: "I know my crime, I did not intend to conceal it from Your Majesty."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present had different expressions.

Mr. Hou’s face turned pale.

He only has this one grandson, and he has been spoiled over the years, making him a dandy character.

Fortunately, this person was also discerning and knew what not to do and who not to offend, so nothing serious happened.

But now...

Old Master Hou sighed and was ready to spend all his wealth, resign from his official position and return home, but he had to save Hou Yuanji's life.

The Queen and Duke Xuan of Qi looked at each other, both with excitement in their eyes.

After searching for so long, I finally found some clues.

Before Hou Yuanji returned to the capital, Duke Xuan of Qi could not find any clues about the tunnel for a long time, and his actions became more and more exaggerated, which attracted the attention of the emperor.

When summoned to Qi Xuanhou, he swore, "Your Majesty, I feel that the death of the Fanzhou prefect is suspicious and seems to be related to the secret passage outside Fanzhou. I dare to speculate that the Fanzhou prefect must have discovered some clues, which led to his being silenced by those thieves."

"And, Your Majesty, no normal person would go to a place like the Wilderness unless they know Your Majesty will find out about them sooner or later. That's why they think of hiding in the Wilderness for a while."

"Your Majesty, Hou Yuanji must be thoroughly investigated. If it weren't for him, those two wouldn't have been able to leave Fanzhou so easily as wealthy businessmen."

The emperor didn't believe it at the time, but now it seems that there are indeed many doubts.

The emperor waved his hand and said, "My dear minister, please feel free to speak. The Hou family has been loyal to me for generations. For the sake of the old man, I will handle the matter as appropriate."

Hou Yuanji took a deep breath, his face filled with panic, but he said what he had already prepared: "I had no choice but to help that wealthy couple."

The queen's eyes lit up.

There is indeed a problem.

At this moment, Wang Fugui's gaze on the two pots began to become uncertain.

That's not right!

During that time, Hou Yuanji was still in Hulukou, having just escaped an earthquake. He wouldn't have sent people all the way to steal their two pots.

It’s even less likely to be for those two chickens.

It’s such a long journey, the chicken would have gone bad by now.

Hou Yuanji stared at the ground and didn't dare to look up, so naturally he didn't know what Wang Fugui was looking at.

He continued, "I was seriously injured in the Hulukou earthquake. Many of my bones were broken, and all my money was lost in the mountains. I went to the bank to withdraw some silver and bought some cotton clothes and quilts, but I couldn't find any place to find a miracle doctor in Yaowang Valley. Fortunately, the wealthy couple knew a miracle doctor who cured my injuries."

The emperor looked at him calmly: "Oh, so it seems that you are also forced to do this, my dear. Did they put forward any conditions?"

“There are conditions.”

Hou Yuanji said with a bitter face: "They heard that there is a group of very difficult bandits on the road to the wilderness. After knowing that we are going to the wilderness as well, they asked to go with us. They said..."

Seeing Hou Yuanji's embarrassed expression, the emperor tapped his hand on the table and said, "You can speak freely."

Hou Yuanji swallowed his saliva and said, "They said that Your Majesty is wise and powerful, and that the bandits haven't come out to cause trouble for a long time. So - they want to use the power of the court to deter the bandits from robbing their goods."

He immediately kowtowed after he finished speaking: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I know very well that I shouldn't abuse my power for personal gain and undermine the dignity of the government. I beg Your Majesty to punish me."

this……

No one expected that the deal Hou Yuanji was talking about was actually this.

What is this?

Also convicted of abuse of power for personal gain

Hou Yuanji worked hard to send people to the edge of the wilderness, but almost died in an earthquake.

All the bones in my body are broken, and they are just taking advantage of the situation. It is not an excessive request.

If Hou Yuanji is convicted for this in front of Mr. Hou, would that be justifiable?

Old Master Hou looked at the emperor in astonishment.

Isn't it said that some thieves colluded with Hou Yuanji, stole the imperial palace and the houses in the capital, and then hid in the tunnels of Fanzhou?

The incidents of thieves everywhere in the capital city had caused a lot of uproar.

The palace is better off, the Wang family is the worst off, they are still eating coarse food.

This matter had been investigated for such a long time, but there was no trace of it until a village outside Fanzhou collapsed and the experts sent by the emperor to monitor the movements of the exiles discovered the tunnel.

After several guesses, under the guidance of Duke Xuan of Qi, everyone thought that they were the ones who did it.

Only then did they trace back to Hou Yuanji, who was in Fanzhou.

As a result, this

The Queen was obviously very disappointed. She exchanged glances with Marquis Xuan of Qi, then turned to look at Wu Fan: "Every word you said is true."

She always felt that this matter was not that simple.

Wu Fan was standing obediently in the corner as a background board.

There are so many important people in this room, how can he have a say?

Just as his scalp was tingling from Wang Fugui's constantly changing gaze, the queen suddenly called his name.

Wu Fan hurried forward and knelt beside Hou Yuanji.

He didn't even dare to meet Hou Yuanji's gaze, and replied respectfully: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, everything you said is true."

"When we first arrived in Fanzhou, my lord sought out the best doctor in the city and went to see him every day. Unfortunately, his condition didn't improve and the pain was severe. It wasn't until the two of us staying at the inn and a friend who had a miraculous doctor came to our aid that we finally recovered."

Everyone present was silent.

Except for Mr. Hou, all these people have paid special attention to the intelligence of Fanzhou.

It is true that Hou Yuanji went to the clinic every day after entering the city.

It really wasn't cured.

According to the information brought by the spies, although Hou Yuanji could walk much better, his cries became more miserable every time he received medical treatment.

The doctors and patients in the entire clinic, and even the people who often pass by the clinic, can testify to this.

He did look everywhere for the miracle doctor in Yaowang Valley.

A few days before entering the city, those escorts almost broke down the doors of all the medical clinics in Fanzhou.

Noticing the expressions of the others, the old and wise Mr. Hou straightened his back.

He felt that he had to put the idea of ​​going home to farm on the sidelines for the time being.

It's just to protect a few people in the wilderness.

It's just a trivial matter, but he is not worthy of punishing the eldest son of the Marquis family.