Chapter 929 Condemnation

"Lou Yingxiong, do you know your crime!"

Yuwen Yuan suddenly roared, his voice like a tiger's howl, shaking the entire Xuanzheng Hall. Lou Yingxiong seemed to have been struck hard, collapsing to the ground and hastily kneeling and kowtowing: "Your Majesty, I, I—"

Yuwen Yuan finally stopped suppressing his anger and said coldly, "Do you have anything else to say?"

"..."

"They privately kept assassins to intercept and kill serious criminals of the imperial court, and then killed people to cover their tracks!"

"..."

"Is this how you serve the court? Is this how you serve me?!"

"..."

"If Lü Qianfeng hadn't discovered these people this time, who do you plan to have them kill next time? High-ranking officials of the court? Or even me?!"

Normally, Lou Yingxiong might have argued back, but when he saw Lü Qianfeng walk in, he had a vague feeling that things had been exposed. He could also tell from Lü Qianfeng's words how badly things had been exposed—not only had all the people he had hidden in that manor been arrested, but evidence had also been obtained. In addition, when Lü Qianfeng was speaking, he saw Yuwen Yuan looking at a document on the imperial desk, which was probably the confession signed by those people.

This time, I have no way to refute it.

However, the murderous intent contained in those last words still terrified him. Lou Yingxiong kowtowed repeatedly, his forehead hitting the cold, hard floor, soon drawing blood that stained most of his face. But he continued to kowtow, saying, "Your Majesty, I deserve to die, but Your Majesty is wise. I would never dare to harbor any rebellious intentions!"

Yuwen Qian, standing to the side, looked shocked, incredulous, and deeply saddened.

He said, "General Ningyuan, is it really you?"

"..."

"Why did you do this? Pei Xingyuan colluded with the traitor Wanggangzhai and plotted against the Emperor at Tangquan Palace, which is already a capital offense. Why go to such lengths?"

"...!"

Upon hearing this, Lou Yingxiong seemed to realize something in his panic. He raised his head and met Yuwen Qian's flickering gaze, and immediately said, "Your Highness, I haven't told you these things because—I was worried that His Majesty was too kind-hearted, and Your Highness was even more concerned about brotherhood. Pei Xingyuan plotted rebellion, but not only was he not immediately punished, but his family was not even punished. I'm afraid this matter will be left unresolved."

"So what?"

"The crime of treason is unforgivable. It is a small matter to spare one person, but if this sets a precedent and other people with disloyal intentions think that this matter can be turned into a small matter and then forgotten, will the emperor's safety still be guaranteed in the future?!"

Yuwen Qian said in a deep voice, "Even if it's for the Emperor's safety, is this something you, as a subject, should do?"

Lou Yingxiong gave him a deep look, then turned to look at Yuwen Yuan, who was high above him with a cold and sharp gaze. He slammed his head heavily on the ground, splattering blood everywhere on the already blood-stained floor. He said in a deep voice, "Your subject deserves to die!"

"..."

Yuwen Yuan stared at him without saying a word, his anger unabated.

Indeed, Lou Yingxiong's interception and killing of Pei Xingyuan could be attributed to his fear that he would easily forgive this serious criminal. However, regardless of the circumstances, this was his decision as the emperor. How could he tolerate a subject's private decision and even more so, his private punishment?

Moreover, it's hard to say whether his attempt to intercept Pei Xingyuan was for his own safety, for his own benefit, or for some other reason.

Thinking of this, Yuwen Yuan looked at the Crown Prince, whose face was filled with grief.

At the same time, Yuwen Qian knelt down with a thud: "Father, please punish your son!"

Yuwen Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly: "Oh? What crime have you committed?"

Yuwen Qian lowered his head, heartbroken, and said, “General Ningyuan is my father-in-law, and I should have been responsible for supervising him. However, not only did I fail to discover his actions, but I also wholeheartedly recommended him to send troops to Luoyang, disregarding the safety of the court. It was my oversight. I beg Your Majesty to punish me!”

"..."

Yuwen Yuan's already furrowed brows furrowed again.

He was indeed angry, indeed burning with rage, but the greatest rage had already burned in his heart when he first saw the confession presented by Lü Qianfeng. Although the subsequent suppression did not extinguish this rage, it eventually faded away with the passage of time and the words of others.

Instead, a little bit of clarity emerged.

Indeed, Lou Yingxiong did something wrong, but he was, after all, the Crown Prince's father-in-law.

Moreover, Yuwen Yuan had a vague feeling that what the Duke of Wushan had done before was to clear himself of the blame for negligence while putting General Ningyuan in a precarious position. Therefore, Lou Yingxiong's actions this time also made the Duke of Wushan a suspect. In the end, it was a fire breaking out in the Crown Prince's own backyard. The Crown Princess, the Crown Prince's concubine, and their families were vying for credit, which led to this scandal.

Thinking of this, Yuwen Yuan said gravely, "You are indeed guilty of oversight. I—"

His voice grew lower and lower, becoming hoarse and choked up, as if he didn't know what to say next.

For a moment, everyone in the hall held their breath.

Just then, Eunuch Yu walked to the gate and said softly, "Your Majesty, the Prince of Qin is outside requesting an audience."

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Qian's eyes sharpened, but he said nothing, only lowering his head. Yuwen Yuan's words, which were already somewhat stuck in his throat, were also cut off. He let out a heavy breath and said, "Let him in."

Eunuch Yu immediately turned and went out, and a moment later he saw Yuwen Ye's tall figure walk in from outside.

He knelt and bowed, saying, "Your subject greets Your Majesty."

Yuwen Yuan took another deep breath and said, "You've come."

Yuwen Ye said, "Father summoned me, and I dared not neglect it. But," he paused, glancing at General Ningyuan, whose forehead was bleeding profusely and whose face was stained red, then at the Crown Prince kneeling beside him, and continued, "I was unaware that Father was addressing my elder brother and General Lou; I should excuse myself—"

"No need,"

Yuwen Yuan said in a deep voice, "There are some things I would like to show you as well."

As he spoke, he picked up the confession in front of him and handed it to Eunuch Yu. Eunuch Yu took it and presented it to Yuwen Ye. He stood up and quickly glanced through it, then his brows furrowed deeply.

Then he looked at Lou Yingxiong: "General Ningyuan, did you really send someone to intercept and kill Vice Minister Pei?"

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Qian's gaze deepened.

From the beginning, they all addressed Pei Xingyuan as Pei Xingyuan, but Yuwen Ye still referred to him as "Vice Minister" here, emphasizing that he was still an official of the court. It should be noted that murdering a prisoner is one crime, but plotting against a court official is another.