Chapter 21 Chapter 21 How could His Majesty appear here...
On the other side, outside the gate of the capital.
When Zheng Xiuyuan, Mo Yu and others arrived here, the traces of fighting on the ground had already been cleaned up by Mo Yu's people, and now there was no trace of them at all.
At this time, the city gates were wide open and there was no obstruction on the way, but there was no sign of the imperial guards guarding the city.
Seeing this scene, Zheng Zhong immediately said excitedly: "Father, I knew that Uncle Li would be able to easily deal with these guards. He hasn't returned for a long time, I'm afraid he is looking for a place to dispose of the body."
Zheng Xiuyuan glared at him. Mo Yu was still here, yet he was so outspoken. But Mo Yu was now on the same boat with them, so it didn't matter if he knew.
But Zheng Li had always been cautious in his actions. How could he leave the city gates open and leave alone? If the task was accomplished, he should return home to report it. A trace of uneasiness flashed through Zheng Xiuyuan's heart.
But he trusted Zheng Li very much and thought that the other party would never betray the family. However, he didn't know that Zheng Li had already died at the hands of someone else.
Huichun and Moyu exchanged glances, each noticing the fleeting smile in the other's eyes. Zheng Li had already been killed and his body buried. It was unclear where this idiot Zheng Zhong got his confidence from.
Suddenly, a carriage approached from a distance. It didn't look particularly luxurious from the outside, but it was so late at night, so daring to drive straight towards the capital. It was obvious who it was.
As the carriage got closer, Zheng Xiuyuan was the first to come to the front of the carriage, followed closely by the others.
There was a young swordsman driving in front, but the people in the carriage did not move at all.
Seeing the groom so extraordinary, Zheng Xiuyuan wondered what tricks the idiot Prince Huai had used to win him back. Perhaps the late emperor had secretly given him something. After all, it was because of that item that the Zheng family had been controlled by Prince Huai for so many years.
Unlike Zheng Xiuyuan, Mo Yu and the others guessed that the person in the carriage was Mu Congmo, but they did not recognize the young swordsman in front of them, which made them a little suspicious.
It wasn't until Zheng Xiuyuan spoke first, his tone respectful: "Excuse me, is this His Royal Highness the Prince of Huai here?"
The swordsman driving the car didn't even glance at him. He was holding a rope in his hand and had an exquisite long sword on his waist. It was Pohong, and this person was Hongting.
It wasn't that he was deliberately denying Zheng Xiuyuan face, but he was rather resentful. His own son had clearly only asked him to take care of the Demon Lord matter, yet now he was being dragged into this labor camp by Mu Congmo, who also kept asking him about Gu Shiyan's affairs and habits.
He had complaints in his heart and would not pay attention to the other party, but Mu Congmo was not angry. Apart from making him work, the other party was quite nice to him.
Zheng Xiuyuan, seeing that a mere groom could insult him, sneered in his heart, "Prince Huai hasn't even become emperor yet, but he's already acting like one."
But he didn't show it on his face. He still needed the other person's help and couldn't afford to offend him at this moment. So he patiently spoke again, "My dear brother, may I ask if the person sitting inside is His Royal Highness the Prince of Huai?"
His tone was respectful and kind, and he even forced a smile on his face. But Hongting was startled, feeling that he had seen something unclean.
Just as Zheng Xiuyuan was about to explode, a voice suddenly rang out from within the carriage. The voice was quiet, yet it carried an irrefutable majesty: "I never knew when Lord Zheng had become so close to the Prince of Huai. He actually dared to disobey the decree that no prince could enter the capital without an imperial decree, and came to the capital just to see you."
"My dear minister, you have ignored the curfew and personally come to the city gate to greet me. Such friendship is truly touching."
It was Mu Congmo's voice. Hong Ting, noticing the irony in his tone, laughed out loud. Zheng Xiuyuan, standing beside him, wasn't in the same good spirits. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead, his legs trembled, and he collapsed to his knees, feeling completely powerless.
When he heard Mu Congmo's majestic voice, he knew that he had lost this round, completely lost.
Mu Congmo opened the curtain inside the carriage and stepped out. Everyone in front of him knelt down in unison. The Zheng Qing brothers, like their father, had no color on their faces.
"It seems that the Duke is very confused about the fact that I am still alive." Seeing Zheng Xiuyuan silent and trembling, Mu Congmo continued to speak. Since he had offended him, he should just bear it.
"Your Majesty, this matter was all planned by my family and has nothing to do with the Zheng family. I hope Your Majesty will understand." Zheng Xiuyuan was already disheartened at this time. All he could do was take all the responsibility on himself and try to save his family.
If he hadn't met Gu Shiyan, Mu Congmo would have been beheaded just as they had predicted. Mu Congmo wouldn't do as he wished. He stood with his hands behind his back, pacing back and forth in front of Zheng Xiuyuan, seemingly lost in thought.
When Zheng Xiuyuan saw Mu Congmo's actions, a glimmer of hope rose in his heart, but the next second, Mu Congmo's words made him fall into the abyss.
"Treason is a grave crime punishable by the death of nine generations of the family. Your Excellency, having served through three dynasties, wouldn't you be unfamiliar with the Daliang Code? If you truly don't understand it, I can send the Minister of Rites to read it to you day and night."
"In this way, Your Excellency can see how the Zheng family, which has been glorious for thousands of years, has been reduced to dust in your hands." Mu Congmo knew very well how much the other party valued the family's glory, so every word he spoke was like a sharp sword.
"If Your Majesty really does this, aren't you afraid of the public opinion of the world? If Your Majesty really kills all of my Zheng family, how will Your Majesty get rid of the reputation of tyranny in the future?" Zheng Xiuyuan was hysterical and tried to change Mu Congmo's mind.
"Today, the Zheng family was exterminated. Tomorrow, it will be the Li family and the Wang family. Your Majesty, aren't you afraid that this action will chill the hearts of the ministers?" Zheng Xiuyuan began to threaten Mu Congmo. "Such an action will surely cause unrest in the court."
Mu Congmo only chuckled after hearing this, and looked at Zheng Xiuyuan as if he were a fool: "Thunder, lightning, rain and dew are all the grace of the king. Besides, when have I ever cared about my reputation?"
After saying this, he glanced at Zheng Xiuyuan again and continued, "Instead of worrying about me, Your Excellency should think carefully about how the world's students will describe the Zheng family after today. How will you face your ancestors in the afterlife?"
Afterwards, Mu Congmo waved his hand and returned to the carriage. At his signal, the Shadow Dragon Guards in the dark took the Zheng family, father and son, away.
As for where it was taken, no one knows.
After this, Hong Ting's impression of Mu Congmo improved. People in the Jianghu liked those who were open and honest. Mu Congmo didn't care much about the world's opinions, but he cared about people's livelihood. He was a good emperor.
Mo Yu and Hui Chun hurried forward, kneeling on one knee to pay their respects. Mo Yu bowed his head the entire time, not daring to show any disrespect even though Mu Congmo was sitting upright in the carriage.
On the other hand, Huichun lowered his head but secretly raised it from time to time to look at Hongting.
"Is everything in the capital peaceful lately?" Mu Congmo's somewhat tired voice came from the carriage. The two of them did not dare to slack off at all.
Mo Yu respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, I and my men have been monitoring the various noble families in the capital day and night, paying particular attention to the Duke of Han's residence. Recently, aside from some unusual activity at the Duke of Han's residence, the rest of the world has been operating peacefully. However, the Prime Minister may have noticed Your Majesty's absence from the capital."
"I didn't intend to hide it from him, so I expected him to find out." Mu Congmo said indifferently. These things were nothing in his eyes.
Seeing that Mu Congmo didn't care, Mo Yu changed the subject: "I just saw that Duke Han was very surprised by Your Majesty's appearance. May I ask what trouble Your Majesty encountered during your trip to Jiangnan?"
Mo Yu was still worried about Chang Ye and Yong Zhou at this time. Although he was the commander of the Shadow Dragon Guard, he still could not inquire about the whereabouts of the two, otherwise he would be challenging the authority of the monarch.
As an emperor, there was no need to explain his plans to his subordinates, and naturally he would not reveal the whereabouts of the two.
Unexpectedly, Mu Congmo just sneered after hearing this, "Of course he thinks he can rest easy. He was able to convince the Demon Lord to take action personally, so he must have put in a lot of effort."
Mo Yu and the others were shocked upon hearing this. Was it actually a Free and Easy Realm Venerable who had personally taken action? This did explain why Zheng Xiuyuan, who was usually so cautious, had acted so boldly today.
A venerable person in the realm of freedom should not have participated in the affairs of the imperial court, let alone risking the wrath of the world to assassinate the emperor. Even the Buddhist master Jingkong, with the title of abbot of the Huguo Temple, would not have participated in the affairs of the imperial court.
It wasn't surprising that the opponent was the infamous Demon Lord. However, what made people curious was how much the Zheng family had paid to invite the Demon Lord to personally take action. As for how Mu Congmo escaped from the Demon Lord, that was beyond the reach of their subordinates.
"Your Majesty, please forgive us for failing to rescue you in time." Mo Yu and the other man said in unison. Although they did not go to the south of the Yangtze River with Mu Congmo this time, if something really happened to Mu Congmo, they would also be to blame.
Hongting didn't quite understand this. This matter had nothing to do with them, so why did these two people ask for forgiveness? At that time, he didn't understand the majesty of imperial power.
Mu Congmo smiled, and this smile made the two kneeling on the ground even more panicked. They had served Mu Congmo for so many years, but they had never seen him smile. As an emperor, Mu Congmo never showed his emotions.
Before the two could think about it, Mu Congmo spoke: "This time in Jiangnan, I met Yue Zun of Yunliang Qianchi. He rescued me and finally defeated Mo Zun and brought him back to Yunliang Qianchi."
Mu Congmo had already decided on Gu Shiyan, so he began to establish his authority on his behalf. If anything happened in the future, his subordinates would also consider Gu Shiyan's situation because he had saved his life in the past.
Although the two were puzzled, they did not dare to ask further questions. Why did Yue Zun suddenly appear in Jiangnan, and why did he rescue His Majesty? Whether he had ulterior motives or was just an accident, all these remained to be considered.
Mu Congmo was about to return to the palace to rest and recuperate, waiting until tomorrow to hear the case of Prince Huai and Duke Han. After all, this matter involved so many people, and at tomorrow's court meeting, the ministers would probably argue fiercely over it.
Hong Ting had been Mu Congmo's groom and bodyguard all the way, and now that his subordinates had arrived, he naturally didn't want to stay. He quickly gave up his seat at the wheel, and Mo Yu, seeing through his thoughts, stood up to take his place.
At this moment, an arrow suddenly shot straight towards Mu Congmo from a distance. The three reacted and prepared to intercept it, but the arrow had already reached Mu Congmo and could not be stopped at all.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
