Shen Xu stretched her feet out of the quilt. The cold feeling made her more awake. "In the battle of Dongyi City, Guangcheng Hou abandoned the city and fled, losing his prestige in the Black Sail Army.
General Yuewei defended Dongyi City to the death and became a legendary female general. Both the Dongyi people and the Black Sail Army were convinced of her.
After the old patriarch retired, he took in and recruited many disciples in order to promote the Song family's martial arts.
At that time, the Black Sail Army was almost entirely composed of disciples and followers of the Song family, and many aspiring people joined the army just to catch a glimpse of General Yuewei.
Meanwhile, my uncle had already gained some fame by the time he was twelve or thirteen, having fought alongside his sister on the battlefield. He was also the only son of the Song family, and his younger brother would inherit his sister's legacy, meaning that control of the Black Sail Army would most likely fall into his hands.
Compared to the wealth and prosperity of the distant capital, the Li family's plan makes perfect sense from a profit perspective."
Song Lin frowned, "So, they just used my uncle as a tool to consolidate their power."
Shen Xu said indifferently: "This is how the upper class society is. Every woman from an aristocratic family has her own value in exchange for benefits. To be precise, for a century-old family to grow stronger, everyone must contribute to it.
In Yanyang, there are no imperial examinations; becoming an official depends entirely on recommendations, and commoners can only change their fate by joining the army. In Haoyue, although imperial examinations can change one's fate, military power is mostly controlled by the nobles. Even if one passes the military examination, no matter how powerful one's martial arts skills are, one cannot become a general unless one becomes the son-in-law of a high-ranking official.
"Xiu Xiu, I don't know whether I should be glad or sad. I used to think that meeting you and being with you was the greatest blessing in my life. But..." He was silent for a moment, then put his arm around her shoulders, "I really regret becoming Young Master Jiang. I don't belong here.
You are the eldest daughter of the General's Mansion. Perhaps the General's Mansion cultivated you to make you valuable for exchange. But now, I just want to put aside all interests and be with you. Let's leave Yong'an City."
Shen Xu coldly rejected him, "There are wars everywhere right now. If we leave Yong'an City, we will become civilians and wander around with the war. I don't want to live a precarious life with you."
Song Lin looked at the person in his arms whose eyes were as cold as snow, in a daze. Was his Xiuxiu complaining that he was not ambitious enough, or was she reluctant to give up his position as the son of Guangcheng Hou?
How is that possible? She is second only to the emperor in Haoyue Kingdom and has seen all kinds of wealth and glory.
He was silent for a while before he sighed softly: "Okay, I'll find a way."
At this moment, the maid outside the door knocked cautiously and said, "Young Master Jiang, the Marquis has sent someone to summon you to the palace to discuss an important matter."
"Go back." Shen Xu raised his eyebrows, showing a relieved expression, and stood up to help him get dressed, but he was hugged by him and tucked the quilt in.
"Xiu Xiu, sleep a little longer. Don't disappear without a word in the future, and don't run around for your uncle's affairs anymore." Song Lin put on his clothes by himself, kissed her forehead with an unsatisfied look, opened the door and told the maid to add some calming incense to the incense burner and not to disturb her rest.
The maid just agreed and respectfully escorted him out of the general's mansion.
When Song Lin rushed to the palace, Jiang Yulou and Censor Xu were already there. Ye Fan arrived late in a hurry. When he met him, he looked him up and down and called him Brother Lin warmly.
Song Lin smelled the subtle scent of sea ash and the slightly strong smell of blood on him, and couldn't help but feel confused.
He also did not come back all night. Could it be that he went to the same place as Xiuxiu?
"Brother Ye, where have you been? Why haven't I seen you for a long time?"
"Oh, nothing. Sister Wan'er said she wasn't feeling well, so I sent her a bowl of tonic." Yan Ze waved his hand, looking calm.
"I heard from the people in your house that you didn't come home last night. Where did you go?"
Only Censor Xu coughed impatiently, interrupting their conversation.
He produced the evidence Xu Wanrong had given him and reported, "Prime Minister Liu forged official documents from the Beihai Kingdom in an attempt to gain control of the army. His intentions are self-evident."
Murong Yao took the evidence handed over by Censor Xu and was delighted. "Now, the evidence is irrefutable. My uncle should have nothing to say!"
Jiang Yulou frowned slightly, worried that with just a piece of official document, the Liu family would find excuses and it would be difficult to convict them. "Your Majesty, I'm afraid it's impossible to convict him with just a document. It would be better to have some concrete evidence."
"Ye Fan, I asked you to investigate the matter of the fan. Have you made any progress?"
Yan Ze presented the fan and repeated the story that Shen Xu had taught him in advance, "Your Majesty, what you want now is not evidence, but an opportunity to catch everyone off guard. Evidence and other things will eventually come."
Jiang Yulou was slightly stunned and suggested, "Your Majesty, Fan'er is right. After all, Prime Minister Liu controls the military power of the Western Wilderness Army. This matter should not be delayed. If we cannot defeat the enemy in one blow, we must catch him off guard.
To prevent the news from leaking out, starting today, the Yulin Guards should double their troops, strictly control entry and exit at every checkpoint, and always keep an eye on the movements in the Western Wasteland."
Censor Xu added, "We should also pay attention to the strict defense of Xiling City. We should also deal with Princess Lin."
"The important figures of the Liu family are all in Yong'an City. As long as your majesty issues an order, I will go through fire and water for them." Yan Ze gave a few words of advice, as if he was going to take the lead in dealing with the Liu family.
What you said implies that you won't reach any conclusion even if you discuss it here. You might as well just arrest the person first. After all, Prime Minister Liu's life and property are in Yong'an City, so it's better to kill him first and report to the emperor later.
At this moment, Murong Yao no longer hesitated. "In this case, I will rely entirely on you nobles. After we seize the military power of the Western Wilderness, I will definitely reward you handsomely."
Song Lin pursed his lips and said nothing. With the war with the southern border imminent, it was not a wise move for these people to be so impatient to put the Liu family, who held military power, in jail.
That night, Prime Minister Liu and several important officials of the Liu family were summoned to the palace for a meeting. Murong Yao detained several of his uncles on the charge that Prime Minister Liu was colluding with the Beihai Kingdom to rebel. Since the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice were all close confidants of the Liu family, several of them were directly escorted to the Inspectorate under the jurisdiction of Censor Xu.
Lord Liu knew that Censor Xu had a clear purpose and that if he fell into Censor Xu's hands, he would undoubtedly be in great danger. He wanted to send someone to deliver the message, but was intercepted by the Yulin Guards.
The Yulin Guard quickly blocked the news and secretly dealt with many officials involved in the incident in just one or two days.
The Inspectorate announced evidence that several important officials of the Liu family colluded with the Beihai Kingdom to plot a rebellion, claiming that they were currently under investigation, while Prime Minister Liu had a sudden illness and was being treated in the palace, making it inconvenient to visit.
Sensing something strange, the Liu family members immediately asked to meet with Prime Minister Liu, but were all stopped outside the palace.
There was a lot of discussion in the court, and many people ran to Empress Dowager Liu's bedroom to ask, but Empress Dowager Liu had already been controlled and refused to see guests.
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