Chapter 580 Tenderness Tames the Mad Dog
"Your Majesty! The thieves are truly audacious!! Last night, the Ningguo Duke's Mansion, along with the Su Mansion, the Ji Mansion, and six other mansions, were all wiped out! Since the founding of the dynasty, there has never been such a shocking case! I urge Your Majesty to quickly find out the culprit and set the record straight!"
A shrewd glint flashed in the emperor's eyes, but he understood perfectly: "Such a thing has happened! It's truly shocking! Where are the Minister of Justice and the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review?"
"Your subject is here!"
"Your subject is here!"
"I order you to investigate this matter thoroughly and bring justice to the Yun family!"
The Minister of Justice and the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of understanding in each other's eyes. How could the massacre of this entire family be such a coincidence? It just so happens to be the family of the noble family of Yun, who had opposed the Emperor a few days ago.
This morning they sent people to the crime scene, and they had a general idea of what was going on. They all said it was bandits causing trouble, and the tools used in the crime at the scene did indeed belong to bandits.
The guards on night watch last night said they saw bandits enter the city, but the city guards on duty changed shifts and used the excuse of changing shifts to deflect the matter, saying they had failed in their duties last night.
Hearing the emperor's words today, which only told them to investigate quickly without giving a specific timeframe, the two men understood the situation.
The emperor must know what happened, and he must be protecting the person behind it.
The two men reported back to the emperor, when suddenly one of them stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty! Last night at the first watch, I heard that someone saw Marquis Wu’an transfer five hundred soldiers from the capital garrison. I wonder if this matter is related to Marquis Wu’an? This morning, Marquis Wu’an also did not go on duty. Marquis Wu’an and Duke Ningguo have had many disagreements. Your Majesty, I suspect that this matter is inextricably linked to Marquis Wu’an. I request that Your Majesty summon Marquis Wu’an for a talk.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than Old Qin stepped forward: "Your Majesty, last night five hundred elite soldiers from the Beijing Garrison went out of the city for training. There is a training exercise every two months. I wonder if Imperial Censor Liu has any advice for the Beijing Garrison's military preparations?"
Imperial Censor Liu flicked his sleeves and said, "It is known that the Duke of Ningguo and the Marquis of Wu'an were at odds a few days ago. Last night, the Marquis of Wu'an led his troops and the Duke of Ningguo and his family were brutally murdered. I suspect that the Marquis of Wu'an is involved in this matter!"
Li Mingxiu rubbed his slightly pale temples: "Last night, around midnight, Marquis Wu'an and Duke Qi were drinking at my Crown Prince's residence. They're both hungover today. Marquis Wu'an took leave a few days ago and hasn't come to work. The three of us stayed together last night. Does Imperial Censor Liu suspect that the massacre of several families is related to me and Duke Qi?"
Qi Rong glanced coldly at Imperial Censor Liu: "You can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. Imperial Censor Liu, don't make accusations without evidence, or I'll impeach you for framing a colleague!"
Imperial Censor Liu snorted again: "The Crown Prince and the Duke of Qi invited the Marquis of Wu'an to drink in the middle of the night? Isn't it a bit illogical to be out of the ordinary at this hour?"
Old Qin snorted: "So what if it's the third watch of the night? What's wrong with that? Hasn't Imperial Censor Liu ever had his share of wine and women at the fourth watch of the night?"
Imperial Censor Liu, his face flushed with anger, pointed at the unruly Qin: "You! You! What nonsense are you spouting!"
Old Qin shrugged: "There's no evidence, no witnesses, and you're just making baseless accusations. What nonsense am I spouting? Do you want to see what nonsense you're spouting? You mentioned the First Prince's residence where Marquis Wu'an was drunk, why are you so fixated on this person?"
Imperial Censor Liu pointed at Old Qin: "Duke of Qin! You!"
Seeing Liu Yushi's anger, the emperor slammed his hand on the memorial on the table: "Enough, stop arguing! The Court of Judicial Review and the Ministry of Justice will jointly investigate! Don't speculate on things without evidence! If you have something to report, speak up; if not, leave the court!"
As soon as the emperor finished speaking, he flicked his sleeves and headed towards the inner palace.
He left behind a group of people looking at each other in bewilderment.
Many people in the court realized that the matter was likely related to the emperor and the Marquis of Wu'an. However, the current emperor was not like the previous emperors who would be swayed by their ministers, so most people wisely kept quiet.
The emperor strode toward the empress's palace, sat down opposite her, and took a big gulp of water: "Tsk, this child, I thought he would only deal with the Ji family, but who knew he would deal with these families as well. This is a bit troublesome. You don't know, just now in court, that Imperial Censor Liu almost pointed his finger at me and said that my eldest and second eldest brothers were protecting people."
The Empress paused in her sewing of the purse: "You mean those families have all been dealt with?"
The emperor put down his teacup and sighed softly: "I thought this child was just angry and wanted to vent his anger. Besides, I have indeed tolerated these people for quite a while, so I was thinking of turning a blind eye. I didn't expect this child to be so ruthless and deal with them all."
The Empress looked somewhat dazed and put down the purse in her hand: "What are the people in the court saying?"
The emperor waved his hand: "Without evidence or witnesses, what can we say? Last night, the eldest and second eldest probably went directly to the sixth eldest and had him dragged to the eldest eldest's residence. Today, they're saying the three of them drank until midnight."
The Empress patted the Emperor's hand: "They are all good children, Your Majesty, you must protect them."
The emperor replied, "Of course. They are my own children. If I don't protect them, who will? They have all suffered along the way. Now that they have ascended to the throne, if I can't let them be more unrestrained, then there's really no point in being emperor. I'd rather not have one."
The Empress sighed, "I always thought Changning was a kind and gentle child, but I never expected her to be so ruthless this time."
The emperor nodded slightly, sighed, and thought to himself that Xiao Liu was also fierce on the battlefield, able to charge in and out of the enemy army several times, always showing a reckless spirit. But the reason he was like this beside them was probably only because of Shu'er, a gentle touch that kept the mad dog in check.
This child was born with a wild streak.
This incident involves a power struggle among various factions in the court, and he cannot make any moves against anyone. The child is holding back his anger, and Shu'er's health has been ruined because of these people, which is why the child has gone mad.
Last night, he received news that after dealing with the Ji family, Changning went to several other residences. He was taken aback. At first, he wanted to stop them, but then he thought that eliminating these other families wouldn't be a big problem for him.
Now that the new recruits have been trained, those old hands can be moved!
Let her be.
At this moment, Lin Changning was washing up at the First Prince's residence. After changing his clothes and confirming that he no longer smelled of blood, he sighed softly and asked the eunuch beside him, "Has anything major happened in court today?"
The eunuch glanced at Lin Changning and said respectfully, "Reporting to the Marquis, last night at the third watch, after you and my master got drunk, a group of bandits entered the capital, robbed several families of their money, and then killed the people."
Lin Changning nodded: "What did the court say?"
The eunuch paused for a moment: "This? Perhaps we should wait until my master returns from court and then inform the Marquis? This servant is truly not quite sure."
Lin Changning sighed: "Never mind, I'm going back to the palace. Have someone prepare my horse."
The eunuch hesitated for a moment: "Isn't Your Excellency waiting for my master to return?"
Lin Changning shook his head: "No, the princess is still waiting for me. When the eldest prince returns, just tell him I've returned to the palace."
Just then, Qi Rong and Li Mingxiu came in from outside: "Go back to the palace? Go back to what palace? Haven't you caused enough trouble already? Be quiet for a few days before going back. The Censorate is watching you now. Be careful. Stay here with me for a while."
Qi Rong also advised, "The matter hasn't escalated yet. If we investigate carefully, we'll find some clues. You stay here for now, and we'll find a way to bring Ashu and Yue'er out of the palace."
Lin Changning shook his head: "I told Ashu I would go back today. If I don't go back, she will worry."
Li Mingxiu sat next to Lin Changning and couldn't help but point at him: "You, when you did that last night, didn't you think about whether A-Shu would worry? You were really audacious! If we hadn't covered for you in time last night, and all the factions had been won over, you really were going to be an enemy of the entire court! Do you know how many messes your second brother and I have cleaned up for you?"
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