Coincidentally, the eunuch was woken up by the generals pinching his philtrum. Upon seeing the fate of his personal guards, he almost fainted again.
But Li Dayong stopped him, "Alright, sir, stop fainting. You serve the Emperor, and you didn't steal the military tally, so I won't do anything to you."
"But remember, you have to tell the truth when you get back, otherwise I might have to argue with you."
The eunuch almost wet his pants, nodding his head rapidly.
Li Dayong waved his hand, and the guards made way at the door. The eunuch scrambled out, leading a group of young eunuchs who didn't know what had happened, and rushed towards the camp gate.
He was quite dedicated; he never put down the imperial edict in his hand...
Several lieutenants and deputy generals looked at the dismembered body of the Marquis of Dingbei, and then at the Marquis's personal guards bound outside the door; their faces were as pale as paper.
"General, you've caused a huge disaster! The Marquis isn't here, what are we going to do?"
"Yes, General. Quickly send men into the city to find Lord Li and the Princess, and see if they can cover for you!"
"No, no, you should hurry up and take your men north. Once you see the Marquis, everything will be fine."
It must be said that the deputy generals were genuinely concerned for Li Dayong and offered all the solutions they could think of.
But Li Dayong didn't care. He ordered his personal guards to pack the body of the Marquis of Dingbei into a box, and then threw it, along with the Marquis's personal guards, outside the camp gate.
They were just waiting for someone from the Marquis of Dingbei's family or the imperial court to come and take these living and dead people away.
"Gentlemen, I know you mean well. But my killing of Marquis Dingbei wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision; I've wanted to kill him for a long time! His theft of the military tally gave me a good excuse, and naturally, I couldn't let it pass!"
You've wanted to kill him for a long time?
Several lieutenants and deputy generals grinned as they listened.
Before they could ask any questions, Li Dayong plopped down next to the table, even pouring himself a glass of iced tea, and slowly drank it while speaking.
"You all know that there are rumors going around in the city that the princess should be killed and sacrificed to pray for rain, right? It's that beast, Marquis Dingbei, who instigated it. And you can probably guess who his master is!"
The deputy generals and vice-generals did not respond, but their expressions said it all.
The only person in the world who can command a marquis to be his lackey is that one in the palace.
Li Dayong sneered, "The Marquis and the Fourth General have been fighting desperately with their brothers outside for more than ten years, especially this year when they fought a decisive battle against the barbarians. At such a critical moment, the court only provided a few grains of military rations."
"It was all borrowed from others by our Li family through begging and pleading that we were able to ensure that our brothers wouldn't have to starve while fighting the barbarians!"
"That's how it is. Not only is that person not grateful, but he's also plotting to kill our Li family's daughter! It's outrageous!"
"Now you want us to send troops to wipe out the sons of the Li family? You're dreaming! Do you think the Li family is made of clay, to be slaughtered at will!"
Several lieutenants and deputy generals sighed inwardly. How could they not know about these things? They had cursed each other in private as well.
But despite their criticism, they never considered "rebellion"!
Just now, he disobeyed the imperial decree and executed a marquis. This will not be easily forgiven, no matter where he goes.
They all have families and relatives; what if they get implicated...?
Just as he thought of this, Li Dayong gave an order, and more than a dozen personal guards rushed in.
"I'm sorry, brothers. This decision was mine, and I will take full responsibility for the consequences. I'll have to trouble you to stay inside for a few days!"
"In this way, even if the court blames you in the future, you won't face too much hardship. This will also fulfill our brotherhood and the bond you formed with the Marquis over the years."
Several deputy generals and lieutenants were anxious. They were afraid, but they couldn't just hide away and push everything onto Li Dayong.
Unfortunately, Li Dayong ignored their orders and directly ordered his personal guards to take action.
Once the room was finally quiet, Li Dayong wrote a letter and sent it to the Earl's mansion by express horse...
Meanwhile, the eunuch, still shaken, ran back to the palace in a state of constant anxiety, and burst into tears as soon as he entered.
The person who was shouting at him just a moment ago was now dead in the blink of an eye. His eyes were wide open. Who wouldn't be scared?
The Emperor and the Crown Prince looked at the crumpled imperial edict and the eunuch who was crying half to death and covered in blood, and they couldn't believe it for a long time.
"You mean, what happened to Marquis Dingbei? Was he killed?!"
The eunuch kowtowed frantically, "Killed him, really killed him! This servant saw with his own eyes how far the head rolled! The Marquis of Dingbei snatched the military tally, and as soon as he had it in his hand, his head flew off! Fly off!"
Seeing that his usually dutiful apprentice had gone a bit mad, Steward Yi quickly took out a snuff bottle and let him sniff it.
The eunuch shuddered, becoming much more alert, and was finally able to recount the events carefully and clearly, from beginning to end...
"Bang!" The Emperor immediately smashed the teapot and shouted, "Insolence! You damned dog of a servant, how dare you disobey my imperial decree! This is rebellion! This is rebellion!"
The Crown Prince quickly stepped forward to pat his back and ordered Chief Eunuch Yi to dismiss all the palace servants who were serving him.
"Father, please calm down. Your health is important! Everything can be resolved, but you mustn't upset yourself. Your son can't live without you!"
The Emperor was furious and was about to start scolding, but the Crown Prince added another sentence.
"Your Majesty, I have only been back in the palace for a short time and have not yet had the chance to be filial to Your Majesty. Your Majesty must not be upset and suffer any harm. Your Majesty cannot bear it!"
Regardless of whether these words were true or false, this dependence and closeness truly made the emperor feel much better, but he was still sharp-tongued.
"Are you afraid that if I die, no one will support you?"
The crown prince smiled bitterly, playing the role of a good son who had been wronged by his father and could not defend himself.
But this interruption helped the emperor regain some composure.
The Crown Prince slowly served the Emperor tea and said, "Father, there is indeed a rule that troops cannot be dispatched if the commander-in-chief is absent and the military tally is not in order."
"Moreover, Marquis Dingbei was a good-for-nothing. As a military marquis, how could he dare to seize the military tally? Now that he has been killed, there is no way to seek justice for him."
"Father, don't be angry. Marquis Xinting will be returning with his troops soon. When that happens, you can have him punish those ruffians. Then you can take back the military power. That way, you won't have to get involved and those ignorant people won't misunderstand and think you're discarding them after you've served your purpose!"
Has the Marquis of Xinting returned?
The emperor remembered his arrangements, a cold glint flashed in his eyes, and his last bit of anger vanished.
News from the north will likely arrive soon, at which point they will seize military power. Without their leader, those people will be at their mercy!
The Crown Prince saw his father's expression but lowered his eyes as if he knew nothing. Then, filled with remorse, he pleaded.
"Father, back in the days at Broken Gold Beach, I encountered difficulties twice, and it was Li Jiayi who came to my rescue. I've always wanted to repay that favor..."
"If he doesn't disembark from the ship and poses no threat to the safety of the new capital, could you please spare him this time for the sake of your son's reputation?"
"Your Majesty, I will tell the public that I instructed him to find some treasures in the south to prepare for Your Majesty's birthday celebration..."
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