Chapter 246 The Thousand-Faced Gentleman's Life Was Spared

At the same time, the Emperor, citing unfinished state affairs, entrusted the task of testing the students to Grand Tutor Pan, and returned to the Imperial Study first.

Standing here, the emperor felt uncomfortable, as if countless eyes were staring at him. He said coldly, "Cao De."

"Your servant is here." Chief Steward Cao knew the Emperor was about to lose his temper.

"Where is he?" the emperor asked coldly.

"Your Majesty, Commander Shang has secretly imprisoned the Thousand-Faced Gentleman, who is awaiting Your Majesty's judgment at any time."

"Secrets? What secrets do I have left? As the Grand Eunuch, you didn't even know that there were disloyal people in the palace selling information. What use are you to me?" The Emperor said angrily.

Cao De was so frightened that he knelt on the ground. "Your Majesty, please calm down. Don't get angry and ruin your health. I know I'm guilty. I have found out that the person who contacted General Su is named Wu Changshou. He has been taken into custody. I found out that he used to serve Prince Kang. After Prince Kang was demoted to the Northwest, the servants in Prince Kang's mansion were scattered. Then he entered the palace and became a eunuch. I didn't know that he would know General Su."

What Cao De said was true, but he misinterpreted the original meaning, because Wu Changshou was his mortal enemy.

Prince Kang has been in the Northwest for many years, and he hasn't caused any trouble yet. Wu Changshou is only passing on messages now for money. Who in the palace isn't scheming for money?

"Investigate for me how many spies they have around me, how they got into my study to steal the exam questions, and what else they stole besides the exam questions." Upon hearing the name of Prince Kang, the emperor felt a chill run down his spine. Xie Kang was the first person to rebel against him, and he had only spared his life out of brotherly affection, demoting him to the Northwest instead. Was he still not going to behave himself?

Why would Su Dehai be in contact with Prince Kang's people? Could Su Dehai also be Xie Kang's man?

He has been supporting Su Dehai all these years and has handed over military power on the border to him. Would he still have any disloyal intentions?

At this moment, Xie Shang also arrived, saying, "Your subject greets Your Majesty."

The emperor stared at him with a cold gaze, "Now that you're here, come with me to interrogate the prisoners."

Xie Shang replied respectfully, "Yes."

Upon arriving at the dungeon, Xie Shang saw the Thousand-Faced Gentleman.

The Thousand-Faced Gentleman is now handcuffed and shackled. Everything here is made of cold iron, and it can't be opened without a key.

When Commander Shang met the Emperor and the Crown Prince, he said, "Greetings, Your Majesty, Your Highness the Crown Prince."

"Did he confess? Who is his master?" the Emperor asked him coldly.

Shang Hongdao said, "I used severe torture on him, but he didn't say a word. He just said that he would kill me if I wanted to. People in this line of work believe in the code of honor. He has passed out now."

“I have never encountered such a tough nut to crack before. He may really be just a江湖人 (jianghu person, a person from the martial arts world). In fact, I have heard some of the rules of the jianghu. People like him are willing to risk their lives for money. Whoever gives them money, they will recognize as their master.”

"What's the point of money if you're dead?" The emperor didn't understand; he thought life was the most important thing a person could have.

“I think they are dead, but they must have families. The money should all be in their family’s hands. If we find out who is behind this, we will find their family members.”

Xie Shang found it somewhat interesting. "Father, I think it's better to keep him alive than to kill him. He might be able to be of use to us. Our Great Zhou Dynasty needs such extraordinary talents."

"What are you planning to do?" the emperor asked him in a deep voice. His son had always been bold.

Xie Shang glanced at Cao De and Shang Hong, and the emperor sneered, "If my surroundings are full of spies planted by others, I won't need to sleep."

In other words, the emperor trusted Chief Eunuch Cao and Commander Shang, and later, when Xie Shang entered the palace, he also had a group of his own people working for him.

Xie Shang said, "Actually, we already know the answer, so why do we need him to explain? Even if he confesses that the Su family planted spies in the palace, Father probably won't bring him to the Su family for a confrontation. We can't touch the Su family for the time being."

In fact, the story of Wang Yuanwai framing Jiang Taifu is untenable. How could a merchant devise such a meticulous plan to harm a high-ranking official? The Emperor simply wanted all the scholars in the country to hear about it and give them an answer.

All the students care about is the result, and that's enough.

As for who will redress Jiang Huai's grievances, that is not within the Emperor's consideration.

Jiang Huai is lucky to be alive today.

The Emperor narrowed his eyes slightly. "Continue."

"The Su family has held considerable military power for decades. When our grandfather was still alive, he handed over the military power on the border to General Su. I think our grandfather wanted General Su to help us protect our country. Our Xie family has never mistreated the Su family. We have given them honor, money, and reputation."

Now that General Su has passed away, the military power on the border has fallen into the hands of Su Dehai, and perhaps many years later, it will be completely handed over to Su Xuan, passing down from generation to generation. If they are truly devoted to the Great Zhou and have no ulterior motives, I believe the Su family will receive all the honors they deserve. However, if the Su family truly has ulterior motives, we absolutely cannot tolerate it.”

Xie Shang's eyes flashed with a sharp edge. "The Su family has been living comfortably on the border for so many years, and they have become increasingly presumptuous. I think that since the Su family father and son are returning to the capital this time, we should take this opportunity to teach them a lesson."

The military pay sent by the imperial court to the border every year was not entirely for the Su family, but for the tens of thousands of soldiers on the border. Over the years, when the emperor investigated the Su family's accounts, he only did a cursory check and did not delve into the details. This emboldened the Su family, and they became increasingly disregardful of others.

The Emperor's gaze deepened, then a meaningful smile appeared on his lips. "Go back!"

Xie Shang was stunned, only to see the emperor turn around and leave the dungeon.

Xie Shang said to Shang Hong, "I will entrust the Thousand-Faced Gentleman to Commander Shang's care. I do not want him to die in prison, nor do I want him to have a chance to escape."

Shang Hong immediately became extremely vigilant and said respectfully, "Your Highness, rest assured, once he falls into my hands, he has no chance of escaping."

His Highness the Crown Prince is the next ruler of the Great Zhou Dynasty and their provider. Who would dare to have any disloyal intentions? It's just that the Su family has become accustomed to a carefree and comfortable life on the border and wants to come back to find some sense of existence.

Xie Shang followed the Emperor back to the Imperial Study. The Emperor gave him a cold look and said, "Grand Tutor Jiang is fine now. He is still your Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince. Go back to your studies and learn how to be a qualified monarch."

"Your subject will," Xie Shang replied.

"He's learned it in just half a month. Grand Tutor Jiang is so amazing. He taught the Crown Prince the way of being a ruler so quickly." The Emperor walked directly into the Imperial Study and picked up the memorials on the table to begin reviewing them.

Xie Shang just felt that his father was really diligent!

"Knowing people and using them well, making the best use of their talents, and making the most of their talents—this is the way of the king. Ministers are like soldiers, and the emperor is like a general. Whether or not we can win this battle depends entirely on how the general deploys his troops and arranges his formations..." Xie Shang spoke eloquently.

The Emperor smiled and said, "Whether it's Grand Tutor Jiang or Grand Tutor Pan, there's one thing they'll never teach you."

"Father, please enlighten me," Xie Shang humbly asked for guidance.