"Your Majesty, Li Bao is arrogant and domineering and cannot be used. I beg Your Majesty to immediately revoke Li Bao's military power and imprison him in the imperial prison to rectify his excessive behavior!"
Zhao Huan roared, "Guards! Go and bring Li Bao back to me! Throw him in the imperial prison!"
"Your Majesty, you mustn't!"
The one who stepped forward was Marshal Zong Ze of the Military Governor's Office.
Zong Ze said, "Li Bao is a calm and collected person. His killing of Cai Yongling without authorization must have some hidden reason. We should investigate before making a judgment."
Zhao Gou stepped forward: "Marshal Zong, it is a fact that Li Bao committed murder. Cai Yongling was appointed by His Majesty as the Prefect of Quanzhou, a fourth-rank official of the court. Even if he was guilty, it is not up to Li Bao to kill indiscriminately! He is showing contempt for the authority of the court!"
Yu Yunwen stepped forward, took out a secret letter from his sleeve, and presented it, saying, "Your Majesty, why not see what Li Bao has to say?"
Zhao Huan's expression softened slightly, but he still seemed very angry.
"What is this, Lord Yu?"
“This was sent back to the capital by Li Bao overnight and reported to my residence. Commander Li was worried that it might disturb His Majesty, so he sent it to me.”
Shao Chengzhang took the secret letter from Yu Yunwen and presented it to Zhao Huan.
After reading it, Zhao Huan looked at the ministers, who were already indignant, and said, "Read it!"
Shao Chengzhang then read Li Baomi's letter again.
Zhang Shuye said, "The country has its laws. Even if Cai Yongling is guilty, Li Bao cannot be executed arbitrarily. This is an act of overstepping his bounds. I beg Your Majesty to investigate this matter thoroughly!"
Zhang Shuye was known in the court for his uprightness and incorruptibility, which is why Zhao Huan entrusted him with the task of compiling the "New Laws of the Great Song Dynasty".
Now even he thinks Li Bao is guilty, so you can imagine what others think.
For example, Zhou Chao disliked those arrogant and domineering soldiers the most. He said very sharply, "Your Majesty, if you allow Li Bao to go on this trip, there will surely be a disaster like that of the former Tang dynasty's regional military governors in the future!"
"Your Majesty, I beg you to thoroughly investigate Li Bao!"
Qin Hui stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, according to the laws of the Song Dynasty’s military court, Commander Li has not violated military law. As the saying goes, ‘An army marches on its stomach.’ The Privy Council’s documents have been in place for more than half a month, yet Quanzhou has not received a single grain of military rations. This is to disregard the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in Guangzhou and delay military operations. Anyone who does this should be executed!”
Another senior official of the Control Yuan, Duan Zhijie, also stepped forward: "Your Majesty, I believe that Cai Yongling should be executed. In the face of national crisis, even a commoner can be courageous. We, who have inherited the teachings of our ancestors and stand in the imperial court, should set an example. Moreover, the current unrest in Guangzhou is at a critical juncture. We must prioritize stability at the front and not add to the chaos later."
Zhao Huan sat down again, his tone softening: "Prime Minister Li, what do you think?"
Li Gang said, “Your Majesty, Cai Yongling deserves death. Commander Li’s execution was to uphold military discipline, but Cai Yongling was, after all, the prefect appointed by Your Majesty, and should not be killed indiscriminately. I believe that Commander Li’s merits and demerits cancel each other out.”
Zhao Huan's gaze fell on Liu Yanzong, who immediately stepped forward eagerly.
Liu Yanzong thought to himself: Li Bao, you bastard, you really dared to make a move. But the emperor won't blame you; he'll even reward you. Don't be fooled by the emperor's anger now; it's all an act for the ministers. The evidence of Cai Yongling's huge embezzled funds has long been thoroughly obtained by the Censorate.
P.S.: That's all for today. I couldn't manage to schedule it properly, so I apologize to everyone.
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