There was dead silence in the Golden Palace.
The bloody conspiracy that Zhao Muyun revealed in public was like a huge rock thrown into a calm lake, which caused not ripples but huge waves!
Wei Qian looked at Emperor Yongchang and then at the crown prince in fear.
His fate is in the hands of others and he has no control over it.
All eyes were focused on the dragon throne.
Emperor Yongchang had a blank expression on his face, and his fingers tapped the armrests unconsciously, making a dull thumping sound, like a death-prompting drumbeat.
His deep gaze swept across the frightened Wei Qian, the ashen-faced Crown Prince Yin Zhao, and the ministers with different expressions, and finally stopped at Zhao Muyun, who was kneeling in the hall with his wounds grimacingly exposed.
"Zhao Qing..."
The emperor's voice finally rang out, breaking the suffocating silence. With a strange calmness, yet imbued with the pressure of impending storms, he spoke, "Do you have any concrete evidence for what you say?"
"Here's the evidence!"
Zhao Muyun's voice was resounding as he once again raised the two blood-stained confessions and the poisoned dagger. "Your Majesty, please immediately order the three courts to conduct a joint investigation and verify the authenticity! If even one word is false, I will willingly accept the crime of deceiving the emperor and will not hesitate to die!"
"Your Majesty! He...he framed me! That confession must have been obtained through torture! The murder weapon...the murder weapon must have been forged by him!"
Wei Qian screamed at the top of his lungs as if he had grabbed the last straw.
"shut up!"
Emperor Yongchang slammed the armrest of the dragon throne, and the sound suddenly rose, like thunder!
The entire hall trembled!
"Wei Qian! You still dare to quibble after all this? Someone, come here!"
"exist!"
The golden-armored warriors in front of the hall responded in unison, their voices as loud as a bell.
"Strip Wei Qian of his official hat and robes, and throw him into the Heavenly Prison! Hand him over to the Ministry of Justice, the Supreme Court, and the Censorate for strict interrogation!"
The emperor's decree fell like an ice-cold guillotine, with unquestionable determination!
"Your Majesty! I am innocent! Your Highness the Crown Prince! Your Highness the Crown Prince, please save me!"
Wei Qian completely collapsed, tears streaming down his face, looking at the prince in despair.
Crown Prince Yinzhao's face turned pale instantly, his fists in his sleeves clenched so hard that they made a creaking sound, his nails almost digging into his flesh.
He suppressed his immense anger and panic, took a deep breath, stepped out of the line and bowed, his voice trembling slightly.
"Your Majesty, be wise! I only knew Wei Qian was diligent, but I didn't know he was so audacious as to commit such a rebellious act!"
"Your Highness, I have also made mistakes in my oversight. Please punish me, Father!"
He decisively chose to cut ties and completely shift the blame.
Emperor Yongchang glanced at the prince coldly, his eyes full of meaning.
The emperor did not continue to pursue the prince, but instead turned his gaze to Zhao Muyun again, his tone slowing down, but with a deeper pressure:
"Zhao Qing is a man of commendable loyalty and bravery. Yet, you were framed by treacherous officials and nearly met with disaster. I am deeply saddened! I will give you an explanation for this case! However..."
He changed the subject, his gaze sweeping over the officials who had previously impeached Zhao Muyun, especially Gu Dingming and Lu Bingjun. "What about the impeachment by the Censorate and the Ministry of Personnel for usurping power and raising troops?"
Gu Dingming, Lu Bingjun and others were startled, and cold sweat instantly soaked their backs.
Could it be that the emperor wants to use the storm stirred up by Zhao Muyun to settle accounts with them all?
Zhao Muyun clasped his fists again and said in a steady voice:
"Your Majesty! My actions may have been imperative, but they were all for the protection of the country and the people. I have absolutely no selfish motives!"
"Border warfare is ever-changing. If every matter requires official documents to be sent back and forth between the imperial court, the opportunity for battle would have been missed!"
"Now that Xiazhou has been recovered, if official appointments and dismissals are carried out according to established rules, there may be chaos. Therefore, I have exercised my discretion and selected a capable person to take over temporarily. The list of names and achievements has already been submitted to the Ministry of Personnel for record!"
"As for expanding the army, it's to counter the Li Jingang rebels and the Northern Di threat! All military expenditures are traceable in the account books and the records of the military governor's treasury. There is absolutely no hidden funds!"
"My heart is as clear as the sun and the moon! If Your Majesty doubts me, I will immediately surrender my military power and seal and go to the Dali Temple for trial!"
"I only ask Your Majesty to quickly dispatch reinforcements to Shuozhou! Prince Loufan and Prince Zhelan's 30,000 cavalry have broken through the Xichuan grasslands and are heading straight for the Shuozhou border!"
"The remnants of Li Hu's army in Xiazhou have revived, gathering 10,000 troops from Longxi to threaten Xiazhou. If Shuozhou is lost, the gates to the northern border will be wide open, and Dayin will be in danger!"
He once again tied his personal safety to the survival of Shuozhou!
"Thirty thousand Tartar cavalry?"
"Ten thousand rebels?"
“The court was in uproar again!
This news is even more shocking than Wei Qian’s assassination!
Emergency at the border!
This is the major issue that truly concerns the fate of the country!
Emperor Yongchang's eyes flashed with brilliance!
Zhao Muyun revealed the military intelligence of Shuozhou in public. This was a naked conspiracy!
Force him to express his stance! Force him to support!
If he doesn't save Shuozhou, he will be destroying his own Great Wall. If he sits back and watches the northern border fall, he will surely lose the support of the people and shock the government and the public!
If he rescues him, he will have to rely on Zhao Muyun, which is equivalent to tacitly acknowledging Zhao Muyun's status in the Seven States of Shuoyin and all his previous acts of usurpation!
What a Zhao Muyun! Using his body as bait, his injuries as evidence, and using national affairs as a threat!
He turned an impeachment storm against him into an accusation of loyalty to the country and an urgent request for reinforcements!
The emperor took a deep breath, his face showing solemnity and anger:
"How dare the Loufan King and the Zhelan King act so recklessly! The Li Hu tribe is still ruthless! The border is in crisis, and national affairs are of paramount importance!"
He stood up suddenly and glanced at the ministers with a dignified look:
"Order the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Ministry of Works! Immediately allocate food, military equipment, and military pay to provide urgent assistance to Shuozhou!"
"Order the Minister of War and Commander-in-Chief of the Western Capital, Yang Dingguo; the Jiedushi of Hedong, Pei Lun; the Jiedushi of Guannei, Tian Zun; and the General of the Central Army, Li Chenghua, to suppress the rebellion as soon as possible and dispatch troops to support Shuozhou."
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