Emperor Xiaoxuan raised his hand and threw all the letters at Song Maozhang, saying, "Explain to me what these are!"
"this……"
Song Maozhang knelt on the ground, his hands trembling as he picked up one of the letters.
The document records his interactions with the Rong and Yi peoples of the northern frontier.
"This jade pendant seems to be a token of the royal family of the Rongyi tribes in the Northern Frontier. How could it appear in the Marquis's residence?" A sharp-eyed guest recognized the jade pendant in the cloth bag and exclaimed in surprise!
"Your Majesty, it's not like that! I swear on my life that I have absolutely not communicated with the barbarians in the northern frontier. I beg you to investigate thoroughly!" Song Maozhang knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly.
He was truly terrified at this point.
It shouldn't be like this...
These things should have been found in the Shen family's house, right?
Why would they appear at the Marquis's residence?
Could it be that...
Did the Shen family already have something in mind? Did they turn the tables on them?
Impossible. How could the Shen family have foreseen such a secretive matter?
So what exactly went wrong?
"Lord Song, the evidence is conclusive, yet you still try to deny it? It is clearly your Song family that has colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country, yet you still turn around and slander our Duke's Mansion?" Shen Chongde sneered.
"No wonder your Song family went to great lengths to marry my daughter back then."
"Even when Song Yu was keeping a mistress, his whole family helped cover it up. They can do such shameless things. They probably have been having an affair with the Northern Frontier for a long time. They thought that by marrying my daughter, they could take advantage of their proximity to us and find out some military secrets from our family!"
"You Song family deserve to be punished!"
Shen Chongde's voice was rough and his angry shout was like a tiger's roar, which made Song Maozhang tremble with fear.
"It seems Lord Song is crying wolf, it seems the Song family is about to become history." Zhou Xuance chuckled, his affection remaining indifferent throughout.
Stay out of it.
Yet they always manage to stab you in the back at crucial moments!
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, my loyalty to you is as clear as day. Our Song family has truly given everything for this great undertaking, and I believe you know this better than anyone else," Song Maozhang pleaded, kneeling on the ground.
Emperor Xiaoxuan said coldly, "The evidence is conclusive. How do you want me to handle this?"
"These letters have nothing to do with me, nor are they in my handwriting."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Xuance suddenly burst out laughing.
How could he laugh in such a serious setting?
Shen Zhiyi was speechless. He was probably the only one in the world who dared to act so presumptuously. Sure enough, Emperor Xiaoxuan glared at him and said, "Xuan Ce, don't be ridiculous."
“Brother, I just find it funny. Colluding with the enemy is a serious crime that can bring disaster to one’s entire family. Who would be foolish enough to use their own handwriting to communicate with an enemy country? If it wasn’t your stuff, how could it have been found in the Marquis’s residence?”
"This is a slander against me!"
"Who is it!" Zhou Xuance pressed closer.
Song Maozhang stammered, but dared not speak.
He cannot say:
He wanted to slander the Duke's Mansion, but he dragged the Song family into it.
After much deliberation, he could only kneel before Emperor Xiaoxuan and plead, "Your Majesty, I truly have no idea how these things ended up in the Marquis's residence. I beg you to investigate thoroughly and clear my name."
Emperor Xiaoxuan looked serious but remained silent.
“Your Majesty, if you feel that this evidence is insufficient to deal with the Song family, or if there are still doubts about this matter, why not hand over Lord Song to your younger brother to handle?”
“I have my own methods of interrogation to deal with spies from enemy countries, and I am sure I can get them to tell the truth.”
Zhou Xuance spoke in the most relaxed tone, yet uttered the most chilling words.
Those methods are things that very few people can tolerate.
Song Maozhang's face turned deathly pale. He tried to speak again, but Emperor Xiaoxuan gave him a look, and a guard grabbed his arm. "Your Majesty, I did all this for the sake of the great cause, for Your Majesty's sake, Your Majesty..."
Before he could finish speaking, Emperor Xiaoxuan gave him a cold look, and the tall attendant immediately stuffed something into his mouth. He looked at the guards and said, "What are you still standing there for? Drag him away immediately!"
"The Song family colluded with foreign powers in an attempt to slander a high-ranking official of the imperial court, resulting in the imprisonment of the entire Song family!"
Emperor Xiaoxuan's words seemed to have scared Song Maozhang out of his wits.
His face was deathly pale, and his eyes were filled with disbelief.
Pain, shock...
A scene of utter horror and despair!
Emperor Xiaoxuan looked at the Shen family members, instructed Gao Daban to bestow some gifts to appease them, and then looked at Shen Chongde, saying, "My dear minister, you have been wronged."
"It's not that I feel wronged, it's just that I find it a bit ridiculous. The Duke's family has been loyal and virtuous for generations, but I never thought that one day they would be slandered as traitors."
Shen Chongde had some difficulty walking, so Emperor Xiaoxuan quickly had his attendant Gao Da support him.
"It is I who have wronged you, my dear minister. I did not even consider that you have a leg ailment and are sharing the burden of the country..." Emperor Xiaoxuan frowned and looked at the Crown Prince. "Now that you have begun to oversee the country, you should take good care of the Duke of Zhenguo and help him share his burdens."
"Your Majesty and the Crown Prince thank you. My leg is an old ailment, but I still have the strength to handle military affairs. Your Highness has just assumed the presidency and is very busy with state affairs. I dare not trouble Your Highness with my matters."
Emperor Xiaoxuan simply smiled and said, "Then I'll have to trouble you, my dear minister."
"It is my duty to share Your Majesty's burdens."
...
Those few words made Chen Zhiyi's heart pound wildly.
After the Shen family suffered such humiliation, the Emperor, after offering a few words of comfort, still wanted the Crown Prince to get involved and divide his father's military power.
The father didn't back down an inch.
Both sides were all smiles and pleasantries, but even a fool could see the tension between them.
The Crown Prince then stepped forward and looked at Shen Jingchuan, "Young Master, I have not yet congratulated you on your wedding. This pair of jade ruyi is a gift I prepared for you. I hope you and your wife will have a happy and prosperous life."
Shen Jingchuan and Wen Qing kowtowed to thank the Crown Prince.
The guests offered their congratulations as if nothing had happened.
The Emperor and the Crown Prince did not linger; they drank a couple of cups of wine and then returned to the palace.
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