"Your Highness the Prince of Han... Your Highness the Prince of Qin..."
Duke E opened his mouth, his voice was dry and hoarse, and the rest of the words were stuck in his throat and he could no longer speak.
The death of his son in battle was certainly heartbreaking, but the emperor's own flesh and blood fell into the hands of the rebels and even faced the horrific situation of being "boiled to death". The prince's family was captured and his property was burned.
The weight of this matter and the huge waves it may cause are by no means comparable to the death of a son in a duke's mansion.
Your Majesty's anger and pain are probably being forcibly suppressed at this moment and may erupt at any time.
The timing of their collision was like throwing firewood into a volcano.
Why didn't Wei Qian, the Prince's Groom, tell them the news from Xijing?
Duke Lu reacted a bit faster, the grief and anger on his face was instantly replaced by panic, and he banged his forehead heavily on the gold brick, making a dull sound:
"Your Majesty, calm down! This old minister...this old minister was foolish! Overwhelmed by the loss of my beloved son, I was so furious that I didn't even realize the calamity that had befallen your Highnesses! This old minister deserves death! This old minister is to blame!"
His voice was shaking and crying, but this time it was more of fear than sadness.
Duke E also woke up as if from a dream and kowtowed: "Your Majesty! Your servants... Your servants were negligent! We did not know that the royal family had suffered such a tragedy. We only cared about our own personal grudges and offended Your Majesty. We deserve death! Your Majesty, please take care of yourself!"
Emperor Yongchang's chest heaved violently several times. His cold gaze swept over the two people crawling on the ground. Finally, he closed his eyes tiredly and took a deep breath.
He waved his hand, his voice hoarse and deeply weary from forced suppression:
"That's enough! I understand. Your son... sacrificed his life for his country. The Ministry of War will investigate according to the law, assess his merits and demerits, and determine compensation. I... will not let the descendants of loyal ministers feel disheartened."
He paused, his tone emphasizing an unquestionable majesty. "But the situation in Weizhou is changing rapidly on the battlefield. The right and wrong are under the detailed investigation of the Ministry of War and the Censorate. How can you be allowed to roar in front of the emperor and presumptuously discuss military affairs? Withdraw!"
The last two words hit the two dukes' hearts like a heavy hammer.
"Yes! Yes! We will take our leave! Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace!"
The Duke of E and the Duke of Lu were as if they had been pardoned. They crawled to their feet, not even daring to wipe the cold sweat from their foreheads.
He bent over, walked backwards, and almost ran out of the imperial study.
He was afraid that any delay would anger the emperor who was on the verge of great grief and anger.
The heavy palace door slowly closed behind them, isolating them from the outside world.
In the imperial study, the only sounds left were Emperor Yongchang's heavy breathing and deathly silence.
Cui Kaiji stood by with his hands hanging down, his eyes on his nose, his nose on his heart, not daring to breathe.
He knew that his scolding was not only to help the emperor out of trouble, but also to wake up the two dukes who did not know the seriousness of the matter.
He even temporarily suppressed the direct accusations against Zhao Muyun.
Zhao Muyun was really lucky. The news from Xijing at this time blocked his fire.
However, the news that the King of Han had been captured and the King of Qin's family had been abducted was like two huge rocks pressing on the emperor's heart and on the sky above this imperial study, brewing an even more terrible storm.
Zhao Muyun's problem, the Crown Prince's actions, and the imminent danger facing the Prince...
Everything was like a tangled mess, waiting for the exhausted emperor to sort it out and make a decision.
Emperor Yongchang slowly opened his eyes and his gaze fell on the urgent report from Xijing on the imperial desk, which was stained with blood and burn marks. His eyes were as sharp as a knife, but with a hint of unspeakable pain and bottomless chill.
He picked up the report, his fingers unconsciously stroking the words on it, his voice so low that it seemed to come from the underworld:
"Issue an order to Yang Dingguo to capture Li Jingang. I will cut him into pieces."
Every word seemed to be squeezed out from between teeth, full of blood.
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