Situ Yao nodded, but the solemn expression on his face still did not fade.
"Although we already know that the private soldiers are Situ Zhao's men, we have no evidence at all. There is no way to prove that these private soldiers are actually raised by Situ Zhao."
Situ Yao's words made the atmosphere darken again, and several of his men fell silent.
At dawn the next day, Situ Yao ordered people to escort the leader of the private army and those soldiers out.
"Take them to the city gate and make it public that they are Situ Zhao's private soldiers. I don't believe that Situ Zhao will deny it under pressure!" Situ Yao was arranging today's plan. He had already made a decision in his mind.
The leader of the private soldiers stood on the top of the city wall with his mouth stuffed.
"This is the leader of Situ Zhao's private soldiers!" Situ Yao had just finished speaking when Situ Zhao and his men appeared under the city wall.
"Your Highness, please don't slander me. How could these be my private soldiers? Where do you have any evidence?" Situ Zhao shouted confidently at Situ Yao on the city wall, his words full of innocence.
"You still don't repent even when you are about to die. It's just a pointless struggle." Situ Yao retorted coldly.
The matter was brought to the attention of the emperor. Many civil and military officials gathered in front of the emperor's palace, waiting to see who would win or lose in this matter. Everyone was just watching the show.
"Tell me in front of the emperor, whose private army are you leading?" Situ Yao took the piece of cloth from the leader's mouth.
The leader kept his mouth shut and refused to reveal who he obeyed. After a stalemate, he bit his tongue and committed suicide.
As soon as he went out, Situ Yao saw Su Mengyan who had been waiting for his news.
Su Mengyan heard everything that happened inside clearly at the door. As soon as Situ Yao came out, Su Mengyan went up to him and patted his back to comfort him.
"It's okay, forget it, there will be opportunities in the future!" Su Mengyan said in a calm tone. She had long been accustomed to the emperor's partiality. In fact, she had already thought about what happened today, but she did not expect that the emperor would be so excessive and even ordered Situ Yao to conduct a thorough investigation. Su Mengyan could not help but feel a little unfair for her own Situ Yao.
No one spoke along the way. In fact, Su Mengyan was already furious, and she couldn't help complaining when she returned to the East Palace.
"This eccentric emperor is just like that. Don't take it to heart. We can still deal with Situ Zhao when we find a chance in the future!" Su Mengyan comforted.
"Don't say that. Be careful with your words next time. You are talking to the emperor now. Do you know that walls have ears?" Situ Yao reminded Su Mengyan angrily.
After being yelled at by Situ Yao, Su Mengyan curled her lips, glared, turned around and stopped talking to Situ Yao.
Although Situ Yao scolded Su Mengyan and looked angry on the surface, he was actually happy in his heart that Su Mengyan was on his side.
Situ Zhao pushed the official who followed him forward.
"Tell me yourself, who is the one who keeps these private soldiers?"
The official stepped forward tremblingly and said to Situ Yao, "Your Highness, the private soldiers you arrested were all my own. I threatened the leader just now, so he didn't dare to admit that he was my man. But now that things have come to this, Situ Zhao has already found out, so I won't hide it anymore."
"Huh? How could this happen?" Situ Yao found it hard to believe that Situ Zhao had just casually found someone to take the blame in such a short time.
"If you are threatened by Situ Zhao, just tell me and I will definitely stand up for you!" Situ Yao looked at the official.
"No! No one threatened me. It was just my own private soldiers who were discovered by Lord Situ Zhao. These things led to misunderstandings, so naturally I have to come forward to clarify them. Please understand, Your Highness. Please punish me, Your Majesty!" The official still refused to give in, which made Situ Zhao breathe a sigh of relief.
When he knew that Situ Yao went to the Ministry of Justice to investigate someone, he had already arrested the entire family of the official under his command, a total of more than ten people, young and old, and threatened the official to take responsibility for his crimes.
I explained the whole story to the officials and told them what to say if asked.
They also threatened the officials that if the matter was exposed, the lives of more than ten people in their family would disappear overnight.
But as long as he took the responsibility, Situ Zhao would do his best to protect their family, send them out of the capital, and settle them down properly. He also promised to give their family enough money to last them several lifetimes and provide the children with the best environment to grow up in.
Such coercion and inducement can only force officials to choose to take the blame for him.
"I beg your Majesty to understand this matter. It is definitely not that simple! Situ Zhao is not a pushover!" The current situation made Situ Yao a little anxious. He knelt on the ground and begged the emperor to understand.
"Your Highness, since someone has already confessed, why do you insist on putting the blame on me? Your Majesty, I believe I can be convicted directly. I must punish those who maintain private soldiers without mercy!"
Seeing this, Situ Zhao spoke sincerely to the emperor, but inadvertently turned his head and gave Situ Yao a slightly contemptuous smile.
Looking at the scene in front of him, the emperor actually knew in his heart that this official was pushed out by Situ Zhao to take the blame. After all, he knew very well what kind of person Situ Zhao was. However, he had an inexplicable admiration for Situ Zhao, so he wanted to protect Situ Zhao.
"Situ Yao, since someone has already taken the blame, there's no need to investigate this matter any further. As for this official, punish him severely! Take him out and behead him immediately to serve as a warning to others."
The emperor's preference for Situ Zhao was already known to everyone, but such blatant disregard for the law still made people feel a little uncomfortable.
"But father, this Situ Zhao has evil intentions..." Situ Yao was interrupted by the emperor's words before he could finish his words. He just wanted to turn a blind eye to Situ Zhao's behavior this time, but since Situ Yao was so persistent, he could only punish him casually.
"Of course Situ Zhao was wrong. He was not strict in governing his subordinates! Just keep him under house arrest for two months and reflect on his mistakes seriously. This will not happen again!" The emperor's punishment of Situ Zhao was impeccable and it also silenced many people.
"Yes!" Situ Zhao looked extremely sad on the surface, but he was already overjoyed in his heart. He knew even more firmly that the emperor was definitely protecting him. He thought that he could do whatever he wanted in the future!
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