Chapter 124 Suppression and Capture

Anhe didn't even glance at him, and said, "His Majesty doesn't want to hear such nonsense."

The thin civil official, having been scolded, dared not utter another word and slunk back to his place in the ranks.

Zhao Liangxu noticed that the others didn't seem surprised at all; in fact, they seemed to have expected it, as if... this kind of suggestion had happened many times before.

Li Ying was too lazy to reply to the civil official, so An He handled it for her, and no one reacted too strongly.

At most, he'd show some resentment on his face.

Anhe, on the other hand, was quite blunt and said whatever came to mind.

Then, a few people stepped forward to discuss matters concerning granaries or water conservancy, which were not related to peace and stability for the time being. Li Ying then sat on the dragon throne without any regard for appearances, listening to several ministers explain the details and propose methods of governance, only to be rebuked by others.

"I have something to report."

The argument was interrupted when Zhou Feng suddenly spoke up.

Li Ying sat up, stretched out her hand, and with a flick of her sleeve, struck a pose as if she were listening attentively.

Before he could figure out how to steer the conversation toward Zhou Feng, Zhou Feng himself jumped out first.

"What are your thoughts, General Zhou?"

"In my opinion, whether it is matters of granaries or water conservancy, we need to send specialists to understand the situation and prescribe the right solutions. My colleagues in the court are capable of undertaking this important task..."

“But,” Zhou Feng looked up at An He, “those skilled in these two matters were confiscated by Eunuch An on trumped-up charges, which is a misfortune for the country. Eunuch An, as the Director of the Directorate of Ceremonial, is autocratic and acts arbitrarily, which has led to the current situation where we have no one to employ. Yet Eunuch An shows no remorse or remorse.”

Zhou Feng was referring to the civil officials whose property was confiscated by Anhe, and those civil officials who had colluded with Zhao Chengxin.

As for their expertise in water conservancy and other related matters, these few civil officials had only written two or three articles on water management, holding idle official positions and proving unfit for important tasks.

Zhou Feng was simply using this to target An He. It was a fact that the civil official colluded with Zhao Chengxin. Zhou Feng was guilty, and since he hadn't managed to kill An He these past few days, he felt uneasy and decided to turn the tables on him.

It was a habit for Zhou Feng to confront An He at the morning court session; he wanted to use this to calm his inner unease.

An He heard Zhou Feng's accusation and his face showed a half-smile.

"Does General Zhou think we've done something wrong?"

"Regarding the matters of flood control and opening granaries, I do not believe that those few criminals have any ability. Although there are not many people in the court who are skilled in this matter, I am loyal to His Majesty. It is impossible for me to wrong the pillars of the country without even investigating. I am apprehensive about what General Zhou said."

Anhe held the whisk in his hand, leaning slightly forward, appearing humble and fearful.

But when he stood next to Li Ying and looked down at Zhou Feng, his demeanor was more contemptuous than humble.

"General Zhou, this matter was entrusted to us by His Majesty. How could there be any mistake?"

Anhe then passed the conversation to Li Ying.

Li Ying coughed lightly and sat up straight.

Li Ying frowned, glanced at An He, and then quickly looked away.

He was no longer the carefree man he once was. He sat upright on the dragon throne and said, "I would like to ask General Zhou about this matter..." He deliberately suppressed his youthful voice, and his dragon robe and imposing manner did indeed convey a sense of majesty.

Although his words were somewhat forced and unconvincing, Li Yingxue's study of the "Imperial Instructions" still had an effect. Under these circumstances, his change in attitude led to a sudden shift in the atmosphere within the hall, drawing the attention of those below.

Before he could finish speaking, Li Ying's sudden serious demeanor surprised those below.

Everyone felt something was off, as they had almost never seen Li Ying seriously participate in state affairs during the morning court session.

But straightening her expression was a minor matter; what caught everyone's attention was that Li Ying echoed An He's words.

In the past, Anhe always managed the rhythm of the morning court, while His Majesty was drowsy and rarely spoke.

Today, Anhe suddenly changed his attitude, relinquishing his right to speak and even shamelessly claiming that his actions were all instructed by His Majesty.

If he were truly obedient to His Majesty and a good servant, that would truly make them laugh their heads off.

Everyone in the capital calls him "Nine Thousand Years Old," and Anhe accepts it with a smile. Hasn't he done enough things that overstepped imperial authority? Now he's even trying to find a plausible reason for himself.

However, everyone noticed that Anhe did not stop the interruption; instead, he actually kept quiet and listened attentively to His Majesty's words.

That's strange.

Then everyone heard what Li Ying had said before.

Li Ying shook her head, sighed, and said, "General Zhou, do you know why those criminals you spoke up for earlier had their homes confiscated and were imprisoned?"

Zhou Feng was puzzled, and he was also puzzled by Li Ying's words and actions today.

"I do not know."

It was indeed quite a coincidence that those civil officials... were all connected to him, and Anhe must have found out something.

But what does this have to do with His Majesty? Anhe couldn't possibly tell Li Ying about this, could he?

How could he possibly allow his puppets to participate in state affairs?

Li Ying interrupted Zhou Feng's thoughts: "I never imagined that the Southern Zhou would produce someone who colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country."

A single sentence brought an unusual silence to the hall.

Zhao Liangxu then realized that the morning court session had become somewhat serious.

Once these words are spoken, even the most absurd ones must be carefully considered and pondered in their minds before being uttered.

Even though Li Ying usually doesn't speak or participate, given his status, his words require the court officials to think carefully.

Why...why would His Majesty say that? Could there really be some clue?

Zhou Feng was shocked, but he didn't show it on his face: "Your Majesty! Are you saying that those people colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country? Who told you this? I don't know!"

Li Ying said, "I had Eunuch An investigate this."

These words left Zhou Feng and his ministers speechless once again.

Perhaps they found the remark funny.

It's hard for anyone not to see that Li Ying had never been involved in state affairs before, but now he suddenly claims that he ordered An He to investigate in private.

"Your Majesty..." Zhou Feng started to say something, but Li Ying interrupted him: "General Zhou, you stood up for several disgraced officials, and I appreciate your integrity..."

Li Ying said somewhat strangely.

He rarely interacted with his ministers during the morning court session, and now, when he laid out his words, they felt particularly stiff. When the word "upright" was uttered, both Li Ying and An He paused for a moment.

The two of them had to control their expressions while standing there, because all the officials would look up at them, but Zhao Liangxu did not have to.

She lowered her head even further in the corner.

I feel like laughing for no reason.

Li Ying's lips twitched, so she simply stopped talking and cut straight to the point: "It's a pity that I misjudged him. I didn't know that General Zhou not only cared about his colleagues, but also about my throne. He even went so far as to collude with the enemy. You destroyed Northern Zhou for me, but you colluded with Northern Zhou. It's ridiculous!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the others, still in a state of great shock, froze upon hearing what Li Ying had said.

"Take him down!"

Upon hearing this, the hidden guards among the servants immediately took action. Zhou Feng had no time to think, nor could he understand why Li Ying knew about this, nor did he expect that he would be attacked like this at the morning court. He subconsciously wanted to break through the encirclement of the guards.

It was obviously unrealistic for Zhou Feng to fight his way back to the Zhou residence from here. Zhou Feng wanted to seize the weapons, and his targets were the two men at the head of the table.

If he can capture Li Ying, he can threaten everyone to make way.

Unfortunately, Zhou Feng's skills and plans were no match for An He's preparations made overnight.

Zhou Feng naturally wouldn't bring any weapons to court, and the secret guards wouldn't let him take them away. Even if Zhou Feng was highly skilled, he couldn't defeat a pre-planned attack.

The suppression was almost a joke, all happening in just a few words. Zhou Feng was formidable, but even two fists can't fight against dozens of hands.

The others in the hall were startled by the sudden appearance of the hidden guards and scattered. Zhao Liangxu's usual keen observation came in handy.

Everyone was stunned, and panicked when the guards activated their weapons. However, a few people's expressions changed after hearing Li Ying's words, and they showed fear on their faces.

Something clearly doesn't look right.

It seems there are still some who slipped through the net.

The palace was in chaos. The main gate had been sealed off, and the other ministers had all hidden to the side, fearing that the fighting would injure them.

In times of crisis, these people disregard social status and hierarchy; even the eunuch played by Zhao Liangxu would hide among them.

Zhou Feng's knees slammed against the ground with a dull thud. He was pinned to the center of the hall by his hands behind his back by the guards, but he still stubbornly smirked and argued, "What does Your Majesty mean by this? Could it be that the tragic tragedies caused by suspicion between rulers and ministers throughout history are about to be repeated today? I have fought for Southern Zhou for years, and I have become a thorn in Your Majesty's side?"

He said bitterly, "Your Majesty's words and actions today are different from usual. Perhaps you have been misled and deceived by some treacherous people. How many times in history have treacherous eunuchs abused their power and wronged loyal ministers?"

These words were addressed not only to Li Ying, but also to the ministers standing nearby.

In any case, he did not carry a sword or knife to court, as weapons were never allowed to be worn during the morning court session. He could easily claim that his earlier resistance was merely an act of desperation, and that Li Ying's arrest of him without any evidence would inevitably arouse suspicion among others.

But... he felt uneasy.

It's unclear what Anhe said to Li Ying to get her to cooperate with him. His behavior today can be described as extremely radical and reckless. Could it be that he has already made thorough preparations?

The courtiers also began to have doubts because of Zhou Feng's words.

Indeed, there was no evidence whatsoever. Those secret guards who had been planted in the hall beforehand were clearly targeting Zhou Feng. In this light, it seemed more like An He wanted to use this slander to eliminate the biggest threat.

"Your Majesty, please reconsider!"

One person stood up and spoke, which then sparked more voices.

"Your Majesty, there is currently no evidence. How can we accept An He's baseless words and treat a meritorious official in this way? Such treatment would truly dishearten the people and our ancestors!"

Some of Zhou Feng's supporters stepped forward to dissuade him.

This scene is truly absurd.

As they were speaking passionately, Li Ying interrupted them with a single sentence: "Who told you that I did this without any basis?"

He turned to An He and said, "Eunuch An, what about what I told you to investigate?"

Anhe lowered his head, looking extremely loyal: "Yes, Your Majesty, the evidence has been waiting outside the palace for a long time."

Then Anhe stood up, stepped forward, and instructed the people outside the hall: "Bring the person up."

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Author's Note: I'm taking tomorrow off to prepare for an interview (tears welling up). Please wait patiently for the update the day after tomorrow [please!].