Chengqian Palace.
Just as the emperor was about to attend the morning court session, Zhang Shunde announced that someone from the Eastern Palace had arrived.
Thinking of how Ye Jingchen had clung to his leg and cried his heart out yesterday, the emperor couldn't help but feel a little worried.
What came was fragrant grass.
"His Highness the Crown Prince was awakened by a nightmare last night and had a fever that lasted for half the night. His fever has just subsided. May Your Majesty go and see him?" Fangcao asked anxiously after kneeling down.
Although the emperor loved his son dearly, attending court was ultimately more important.
Moreover, there is a major event at today's morning court session.
"Since he is ill, his studies will be waived today. Let him rest well. I will visit him when I have time."
After the emperor finished speaking, he hurried off to court.
Fangcao failed to persuade the emperor and returned to the Eastern Palace dejectedly.
Compared to Fangcao's frustration, Ye Jingchen, having achieved his goal, was overjoyed and began to catch up on sleep with a satisfied heart.
The old doctor refused to collude with him, and after being silently threatened, he fed him a pill.
It was this medicine that caused his body to suddenly start to heat up, fooling all the palace servants in the Eastern Palace.
After tossing and turning most of the night, he was exhausted and just waiting for the emperor to give in so he could steal a moment of peace.
He was the main character of the Wenhua Hall. Since he could not attend classes, there was naturally no need for the Wenhua Hall to hold classes. The palace servants of the Eastern Palace would inform the attendants, lecturers, and several companions.
Yesterday, the news of the assassination attempt on the Crown Prince spread throughout the entire capital city, and naturally, the other three attendants also received the news at their homes.
All three families were terrified, because their own children had almost been caught up in the assassination attempt.
Those who have risen to their current high positions, whether they are the Minister of Rites, the Marquis of Zhongyong, or the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, are not naive or simple-minded. They quickly sensed that something was amiss.
Even if they had some doubts, firstly, their child was not involved in the crisis, and secondly, His Highness the Crown Prince had specially borrowed the guards from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion to escort the child home, which was quite thoughtful, and they still owed the Crown Prince a favor.
However, neither of them was particularly happy about it.
This displeasure was naturally directed at the emperor.
The emperor was willing to risk his own son in his power struggle with the Jiang family because he had many sons and didn't care much about them. But the children in their family were precious, so why should they be used as bait?
So at the morning court the next day, all three families were on high alert, determined to make the emperor uncomfortable.
This morning court session was destined to be anything but peaceful.
Enraged by the assassination attempt on the crown prince, the emperor ordered a thorough investigation.
The Imperial Guards, the Imperial Household Department, and the Imperial City Guard conducted a thorough search everywhere, making a huge show of force and working day and night. This made everyone in the Imperial City feel insecure, and many people dared not close their eyes all night, fearing that they would be come knocking on their door.
When the morning court session began, the search finally came to a temporary end, and the results of the search were reported to the emperor.
The emperor had always wanted to target the powerful families, and naturally he also had some information about the shady businesses these families operated behind the scenes. This search was mainly aimed at the Jiang family's businesses.
Many of the Jiang family's pawnshops, casinos, and brothels in the capital were shut down, including Zuixianlou, because the Crown Prince had just visited it before the assassination attempt.
The emperor said that these properties were related to the assassins who tried to kill the crown prince. The assassins were all dead, so there was no way to verify the story. There were no witnesses, and the emperor could fabricate any physical evidence he wanted.
These shady businesses implicated a string of government officials.
The emperor flew into a rage in the Golden Palace. Seeing this, the three families naturally dared not provoke the emperor at such a time and deliberately caused trouble.
But if they don't look for it, plenty of others will.
"His Highness the Crown Prince was assassinated after leaving the Duke of Zhenguo's residence. If we consider suspicion, the Duke of Zhenguo's residence is the most suspicious and should be thoroughly investigated!" As the Emperor was criticizing the officials who colluded with powerful families, the Vice Minister of War stepped forward to offer his advice.
Immediately afterwards, the Minister of Justice submitted another memorial, saying, "Your Majesty, Jiang He committed suicide last night in the Ministry of Justice prison out of fear of punishment. Before his death, he confessed and signed a confession, claiming that he was deceived by the heir of the Duke of Zhenguo, which led him to commit the grave mistake of colluding with the enemy and betraying the country. The real colluder with the Northern Barbarians was the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, and he was merely acting as their messenger."
The Minister of Justice's words caused an uproar throughout the court.
Both are serious crimes of treason and collusion with the enemy, but the severity of the crimes differs greatly between a illegitimate son of a noble family and a general who governs the country.
If the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion is truly colluding with the Northern Barbarians, then Dayuan is in grave danger!
What followed was a remark from the deputy commander of the Imperial Guard that became the final straw that broke the camel's back.
"Your Majesty, I discovered a waist token on the body of an assassin who attempted to kill His Highness the Crown Prince yesterday. It belongs to the Xie Family Army under the command of the Duke of Zhenguo!" The deputy commander presented the waist token.
The commander of the Imperial Guard was startled and tried to stop it, but it was too late!
The renowned Xie Family Army soldiers wore uniform waist badges made of a special material that could not be forged.
The emperor looked at the waist token, his hand, hidden in his sleeve, unconsciously clenching.
The Xie family army's real name is actually Shenwei Army.
The name is very imposing, but everyone subconsciously ignores it. Everyone calls that army the Xie Family Army, simply because although the Divine Might Army has existed since the founding of the Great Abyss, it was only under the control of the Duke of Zhenguo that it became famous throughout the world.
It's unclear when exactly, but the Divine Might Army of Dayuan became known among the common people and court officials as the Xie Family Army of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion.
Every time the emperor heard others calling out "Xie Family Army," he felt an indescribable anger and a sense of impending doom.
At this moment, when all the clues point to one result, the sense of oppression reaches its peak.
"Your Majesty, the evidence is conclusive. Please immediately order a thorough investigation of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion!"
"Your Majesty, since the Duke of Zhenguo is suspected of colluding with the enemy and betraying the country, he is no longer suitable to continue guarding the northern frontier. Please issue an edict to recall the Duke of Zhenguo!"
"The heir of the Duke of Zhenguo should already be on his way back to the capital. We should immediately send troops to escort him back to the capital!"
The courtiers were indignant.
Every mouth tells the story of the crimes committed by the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.
The emperor agreed with their views, but dared not speak out easily.
It's all because of Xie's army.
The emperor was well aware that Xie's army now only recognized people, not military seals.
As early as when the late emperor trusted the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion and delegated power to it, the Shenwei Army gradually slipped out of his control.
If it weren't for this, where would Xie Shaoling get the confidence to ignore his goodwill multiple times and even humiliate him in front of him, saying that he was not a wise ruler?
This humiliation was like a fishbone stuck in the throat; the emperor would never forget it for the rest of his life!
But now is not the time for revenge. The Duke of Zhenguo is still in the northern frontier, commanding an army of 100,000. He cannot act rashly now.
He needs to be steady and not rush things; he must first separate the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion from the Divine Might Army.
The Duke of Zhenguo's mansion must be eliminated, but the Divine Might Army cannot be lost.
He intends to proceed gradually.
The emperor's anger slowly dissipated, replaced by calm, a calmness that, in the eyes of his courtiers, appeared unfathomable.
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