Chapter 268 The Su family was merely Xie Shang's appetizer; General Su was punished.

Upon hearing this, the emperor was speechless and ordered, "Wake up Su Dehai."

"Yes." Xie Shang ordered his men to bring several large buckets of water and pour them over Su Dehai.

Soon, Su Dehai woke up and saw that he was in front of the emperor. He got up and was soaked to the bone.

"Your Majesty? Where am I? What has happened?" Su Dehai knelt on the ground.

The Emperor asked General Su, "Minister Su, how are you feeling? Do you remember what happened at the Crown Prince's residence?" This was a question posed by the questioner, who knew how much wine he had drunk.

Su Dehai had some recollection in his mind. He was drinking while watching the dancers perform. The more he watched, the more he felt that the dancers were graceful and charming. He felt unbearably hot and aroused, as if the dancers were deliberately seducing him. So he went into the dance floor and danced with them. The more he danced, the more excited he became. An uncontrollable excitement rose in his heart. The feeling was blissful and unforgettable.

Seeing him in a daze, the Emperor continued, "Minister Su..."

"Your Majesty, I don't remember clearly. Did I know what happened last night?" In fact, he had already been woken up by Su Xuan and knew what had happened on the way. Su Xuan had told him to continue pretending to be drunk, and that Your Majesty would not punish him too severely for what happened while he was drunk.

Censor Zhu added, "I was also present at the time and personally witnessed General Su running into the dance floor and harassing the dancers. The ministers also saw it. General Su tried to brush it off by saying he couldn't remember?"

"Ah! Is that so? This general was drunk and really doesn't remember anything." Su Dehai insisted on saying this.

"Su Dehai!" the emperor roared. "Do you know your crime?"

"I am innocent! I didn't mean it! I was drunk and confused." Su Dehai immediately knelt on the ground. "I was drunk and really don't remember anything."

"Where is the Court of Justice?" the emperor demanded sternly.

1

"Your subject is here." Lu Yun was terrified.

The emperor asked, "According to the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty, what crime should be imposed on officials of the court who have committed moral failings?"

"Your Majesty, according to the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty, if an official's moral character is damaged, he may be dismissed from his post, have his salary deducted, be exiled, imprisoned, or even sentenced to death if the circumstances are serious and cause severe consequences..." Lu Yun slowly explained.

Upon hearing this, Su Dehai quickly said, "Your Majesty, I was really drunk. I didn't know anything. I'm innocent!"

Su Xuan could no longer stand and knelt before the Emperor. "Your Majesty," he said, "my father was not in his right mind at the time. I suspect he was drugged, which is why he did those absurd things. I beg Your Majesty to investigate."

"This is utter nonsense! I was also drinking at the Crown Prince's residence, and no one drugged me." Minister Tang also said, "It was clearly General Su who got drunk and couldn't control himself, almost making a terrible mistake. If he hadn't been stopped, he would have taken off his clothes and pushed the dancer down. We all saw it. He didn't look like he had been drugged at all. He was clearly shameless and brazen."

"General Su said your father was drugged. Can you provide evidence, or even find the person who drugged him?" Minister Tang said.

Su Xuan was speechless for a moment. He really had no evidence, and he didn't even have time to look for evidence. Who wanted to harm his father? This time it couldn't be Jiang Fenghua, because she was giving birth.

That day, the Crown Prince sent Wu Changshou's corpse to the Su residence as a warning, and today he caused my father to go mad at the banquet. Could it really be the Crown Prince's doing? He's about to start dealing with the Su family.

It seems that this time, my father is doomed.

He knelt on the ground, clenching his fingers. Xie Shang hadn't even secured his position as crown prince yet, and he dared to set his sights on the Su family. Did he really think that once he became crown prince, he would never be replaced?

Su Xuan hated this feeling of powerlessness. He felt like he was being slaughtered. He wanted to be the executioner who slaughtered others, not the one being slaughtered.

The Su family guarded the nation's borders for the Xie family, yet he dared to betray his own father.

Xie Shang, you just wait and see. The day I make you beg me for mercy, do you think you can rest easy after defeating the Hu tribe?

In fact, Xie Shang had already found someone to replace the Su family in the border region. He just needed an opportunity to get the person in charge.

Xie Shang and Jiang Fenghua shared the same idea: he wanted to force Su Xuan to rebel so that he could have a legitimate reason to take action against the Su family.

Only then can he give the soldiers and the people a reasonable explanation.

The Emperor said, “Su Dehai, I will withhold your salary for a year and punish you by making you spend a year in seclusion at your residence in Shengjing to reflect on your mistakes. After that, you can return to your post at the border. During this time, you should stay in your residence to cultivate your character. Do you have any objections?”

Su Dehai said, "Your Majesty, I must return to the border to train the soldiers. I cannot abandon the affairs of the border, and the border cannot do without me!" He was reluctant to leave his Mandarin Duck Pond and the beauties in it. He had been back in Shengjing for several months and could no longer restrain himself, as if he were addicted.

Xie Shang said, “Your Majesty, during General Su’s time in Shengjing, the border affairs indeed needed a capable person to take charge. I recommend General Peng Fei of the Western Suburbs Camp to temporarily take over his post at the border. Although General Peng is young, he made great contributions and has extraordinary abilities in defeating the barbarian tribes with me this time.”

After much deliberation, the Emperor knew exactly what the Crown Prince wanted to do: he wanted to gradually dismantle the Su family's power.

"Su Xuan, listen to my command," the Emperor said.

"I hereby order you to temporarily assume your father's duties and guard the border for me." Shang'er's haste in placing people in the frontier will only backfire.

"Your subject obeys the decree." Unexpectedly, this misfortune turned into a blessing in disguise. The Emperor was still afraid of the Su family and would never allow the Crown Prince to touch them.

Xie Shang stared at the Emperor, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes.

Su Xuan said, "If Your Highness truly admires General Peng, I can send him to the border as a deputy general. After all, it would be a waste to keep a talent like General Peng in Shengjing to train new soldiers."

"Since the reign of the Holy Ancestor Emperor, General Su has guarded the borders of the Great Zhou Dynasty and resisted foreign enemies. His meritorious service is great, and I respect him greatly. General Su's conduct is flawed, which has tarnished the holy name of General Su. However, Young General Su has the heroic spirit of his grandfather. I hereby congratulate Young General Su on obtaining the position of General. General, you must guard the borders well, so that I will have no worries." Xie Shang's eyes were deep, his voice was cold and deep, and his aura was imposing.

Su Xuan was stunned, then he said respectfully, "Your Majesty, I am apprehensive, but I will certainly not fail in my mission."

-

After seeing off the ministers, the emperor kept Xie Shang behind and said in a deep voice, "The crown prince is still one step behind!"

"If it weren't for Father Emperor holding me back, I might not have lost this move," Xie Shang said in a deep voice.

"I have tried this move before, and it has always been a risky move." The emperor's face was dark and inscrutable. "You should know that the Su family has been in the border region for decades, and their power is deeply entrenched. It is very difficult to infiltrate them. I have sent people there before, and the officials appointed there have all faced death nine times out of ten. They were unable to perform their duties for various reasons, either dying, being injured, or falling ill."

Xie Shang said coldly, "Even so, I do not believe that our royal family can be led by the nose by the Su family."

The emperor sneered, "To repel external aggression, we must first pacify the internal situation. I have given you a year; let's see what you can achieve in this year."

Xie Shang's eyes lit up. "Father, you did this on purpose."

"I'm tired, and I don't have the energy for this anymore. I need to catch up on my sleep. You can preside over the morning court session." The emperor said this and walked towards the inner palace.

Xie Shang's heart was surging with emotion, and he said loudly, "Thank you, Father Emperor, I will take my leave now."

After the Crown Prince left, Chief Eunuch Cao personally helped the Emperor to bed. Seeing the Emperor smiling, he said, "The Crown Prince has really grown up! This servant sees him so passionate about being the Crown Prince."

"Shang'er has been keeping a close eye on the Su family, it seems he really wants to take action against them. Back then, he was really getting involved with the Su family's daughter. Humph! I thought he would be blinded by the Su family's women." The emperor felt that the Su family was just Xie Shang's appetizer.

"Back then, the Emperor did not allow the Crown Prince to marry Su Tingwan as his principal wife, wasn't it also to guard against the growing power of the Su family? There is a saying among the people, 'Old ginger is spicier,' and the Crown Prince is still young, so naturally he is not as thoughtful as His Majesty."