Chapter 182 Everyone Has Secrets
The embers crackled and popped in the charcoal brazier.
Yu Nian opened her eyes, but there was no one beside her; Chunyu Han had already gone to court.
Unable to withstand Yu Nian's constant nagging, Lao Liu was forced to clock in at work early.
[Granddaughter, can't a man get some sleep? Didn't you prepare the golden silk armor for Chunyu Han? He died from a hidden arrow in his past life, so this will definitely protect him. What are you worried about?]
"We've defended against the hidden arrows, but what if we can't dodge the open attacks?"
Ever since the people from the Western Regions came, whenever Chunyu Han was not by Yu Nian's side, she felt her heart wavering.
Can't you have a little more faith in your man? He's a skilled marksman, after all.
Yu Nian: ...
That's what they say, but it sounds a bit strange.
In the imperial palace, the Xiongnu problem on the frontier remained a major headache, leaving the emperor somewhat helpless.
We wanted to send the Duke of Zhenguo, but that old scoundrel claimed to be sick and took leave, not even attending court.
The Bai family, the Empress's lineage, is becoming increasingly arrogant. If it weren't for the fact that the Xiongnu hadn't been eliminated, he would truly wish that the Duke of Zhenguo would rest in peace on the battlefield and never have to return.
"If you have nothing else to say, you may leave the court."
"Your Majesty, I have something to report."
Li Mingjin stepped forward and spoke loudly.
"speak."
The emperor also agreed to dine with the imperial concubine, though his tone was somewhat impatient.
"Father, please look."
Li Mingjin ordered the eunuch to present the half of the jade pendant engraved with the character "十" (ten).
"Your subject has received a report exposing that Regent Chunyu is actually Han Ye, the son of the treacherous minister Han Mingyang. This half of the jade pendant is the evidence."
In his previous life, Chunyu Han raised an army with the intention of rebelling. Li Mingjin and Yu Zhirou cooperated to take Chunyu Han's life. Until Chunyu Han died, Li Mingjin never knew his true background.
Unexpectedly, Chunyu Han's helper in this life betrayed him, and the crime of deceiving the emperor could take his life without bloodshed.
Prime Minister Yu's brow twitched. No one among the veteran officials present knew the name Han Mingyang.
The once-famous General Who Conquers the West lost his entire army of 30,000 men because he disobeyed military orders and delayed military operations.
Even his own Han family army was surrounded by enemy forces, ran out of ammunition and food, and ultimately froze to death at the pass they were stationed at.
The retired emperor was furious and confiscated the entire Han family's property. It was the dead of winter, and the blood from the execution ground at Xuanhua Gate froze into a layer of crimson ice on the platform.
Weren't all the members of the Han family dead? How could his son-in-law be a descendant of a disgraced official!
The emperor's gaze was unfathomable as he scanned the jade pendant.
Since the Crown Prince dared to say this, it meant he had more than just this one piece of evidence. The Emperor looked at Chunyu Han.
"Minister Chunyu?"
In the main hall, the eyes of all the civil and military officials instantly focused on Chunyu Han.
Could this eunuch, who was deeply favored by the emperor, be the descendant of a treacherous minister who deceived the emperor?
Chunyu Han stood before the hall, his gaze deep and indifferent, his face showing no sign of panic, appearing detached from the world.
"I am indeed the son of Han Mingyang."
Chunyu Han spoke slowly, his chin slightly raised; he was absolutely not ashamed to admit that he was a member of the Han family.
It's a bit of a pity that, due to the passage of time—nearly twenty years—he ultimately failed to uncover the truth.
But Chunyu Han was convinced that his father would never disobey military orders and disregard the lives of so many people.
When Prime Minister Yu heard Chunyu Han's words, his heart sank. It was all over.
Chunyu Han's frank admission surprised Li Mingjin. He hadn't even become a witness yet, but he had already revealed the truth, saving Li Mingjin some trouble.
"Where are the Imperial Guards? Seize this son of a treacherous official who has deceived the emperor!"
Li Mingjin was already thinking, "This time, I'll take down the prime minister and his entire family too."
The Imperial Guards stepped forward and surrounded Chunyu Han.
Chunyu Han remained unmoved. He had only given the jade pendant to Wu Yao. The appearance of the jade pendant shook Chunyu Han's plans.
Chunyu Han was no longer sure if he would receive support if the outside world sent a signal.
Just before the Imperial Guards were about to take action, the Emperor spoke in a majestic voice.
"All of you, stand back! My Imperial Guards seem to obey the Crown Prince quite a bit?"
Upon hearing the emperor's words, Li Mingjin realized that he had inadvertently let slip what he had said.
"Your subject dares not."
The emperor glanced at the crown prince, then looked at Chunyu Han.
"You are General Han's son, good, good indeed."
The emperor stood up and said "good" twice, his tone as light and cheerful as when he had praised Chunyu Han's spear skills the other day.
The court officials were all bewildered, but they all lowered their heads and dared not speak. Even Prime Minister Yu could not fathom what the emperor intended to do.
"Bring up the case file of Han Mingyang, which I transferred from Tianlu Pavilion to the Imperial Study."
Chunyu Han's eyes flickered slightly upon hearing this. It turned out that the files he had been searching for for so long without any results had been secretly retrieved by the Emperor.
Li Mingjin had a bad feeling, so he just took Chunyu Han's hand and asked why he was looking at those old files.
"Back then, I had not yet ascended the throne, and although I knew some details, I was powerless to do anything about it. Since this matter has been brought up again today, I will hand it over to the Eastern Depot to clear General Han's name."
The emperor's gaze toward Chunyu Han was complex, a mixture of guilt and hope.
Han Mingyang was a supporter of the emperor when he was a prince. If it weren't for that incident, the current empress would be Han Mingyang's sister.
The execution of his beloved's entire family, and the emperor's inability to do anything about it, was a deep-seated sorrow unknown to anyone in his heart.
"Father, Chunyu Han has committed the crime of deceiving the emperor!"
As things spiraled out of control, Li Mingjin was shocked to discover that his father was hiding such a big secret.
"Considering that Minister Chunyu has served the court faithfully for many years, his death sentence can be waived. Now that the Xiongnu are in turmoil, you shall personally lead the army to fight them. Court adjourned!"
This sentence completely panicked Li Mingjin. Letting Chunyu Han take command was tantamount to giving him military power so that he could cause trouble!
Seeing that Li Mingjin was about to speak, Yu Huaifeng immediately took the lead, knelt down, and shouted.
"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
The officials naturally echoed this sentiment, saying that there was much trouble today and it would be beneficial to adjourn the court early.
Li Mingjin's words were: "Please, Father, reconsider."
It was already drowned out by the cheers of the crowd.
Things took one turn after another, and even Chunyu Han himself found it hard to believe.
The emperor summoned Chunyu Han to the imperial study and told him to go find the Duke of Zhenguo and retrieve the half of the tiger tally. Before leaving, the emperor said something to Chunyu Han.
"I have failed the Han family and your aunt. If you win the battle for me, I will forgive your past mistakes and, as an exception, bestow upon you the title of a king of a different surname."
As Chunyu Han left the Imperial Study, he encountered Consort Lu, who had come to pay her respects.
He had never paid attention to this person before, but upon meeting her today, he was surprised to find that her features bore a striking resemblance to his aunt.
As they passed each other, Consort Lu thanked Chunyu Han.
Xie Chunyu Han's family gave her sister a way out. When identifying the body, she realized that it was not Lu Mingzhu. She was overjoyed that her sister would finally not have to suffer like her.
Above the Forbidden City, the secrets intertwined within each person converged into a dark cloud, densely covering the sky.
Look at the sky, it's going to snow again...
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