Female General (Twenty-three)
The drum for reporting was hung in the palace, and people could report directly to the emperor. If ordinary people suffered great injustice and had no place to appeal, they could beat the drum to express their grievances and alert the emperor.
The scorching sun was high in the sky, hanging over the top of Tianling City, as if it was going to melt the heaven and earth into a piece of gold and iron.
The drum body seemed to be made of black iron, silently absorbing the heat under the scorching sun.
At this moment, a figure was seen striding out from the smoke and running straight towards the drum.
Gou Su was still wearing the red and white martial arts robe, but the edges of the robe had been worn white, and there were a few dark brown old marks on the shoulders and collar.
She reached out and gripped the thick drumstick tightly.
The handle of the hammer is rough and heavy, with palm marks embedded in the wood along with the wood grain.
Please, she thought.
She held her breath and gathered her strength, then swung the drumstick violently, using all her strength to smash it hard against the taut drumhead.
“Bang!”
The drum surface vibrated, like thunder exploding from the ground, and the muffled sound penetrated the summer heat and soared into the sky.
On the drum surface, dark blood stains accumulated over the years began to vibrate slightly, and countless wronged souls that had been buried in the dust were suddenly awakened by the sound waves.
“Bang!”
Beads of sweat rolled down her forehead, temples, and neck, soaking the collar and back of her martial arts robe. Dark sweat stains quickly spread across the off-white fabric.
“Bang!”
A drop of sweat rolled into her eyes, stinging her so much that she suddenly closed her eyes, but she didn't stop.
She gritted her teeth, almost bleeding, and raised the drumstick high again, again and again...
As the sound of drums hit the towering city walls, waves of shouts of arresting people came.
Gou Su had long anticipated that as long as she appeared at the gate of the imperial city, the one who arrived before justice would be the one intending to swallow up her guilt.
But she also made up her mind that this time, justice would be her own!
Several fierce imperial guards rushed forward, paying no attention to the difference between high and low. They clamped her shoulders and arms with their iron-like hands. The cold touch of the chain instantly wrapped around her wrist, and the heavy weight almost crushed her.
She raised her head suddenly, her sweaty hair stuck to her pale cheeks, but her burning eyes pierced through the cold jungle of armor and were fixed on the depths of the open palace gate.
Gou Su straightened his back, letting the chains drag him, letting the sweat and saliva scatter, making barely audible sounds on the hot stone slabs.
"Wang Pu's case of collaborating with the enemy and betraying the country, and murdering court officials, is truly unjust! I humbly implore Your Majesty to investigate the matter, apprehend the true culprit, and exonerate him!"
Gou Su raised solitary questions to this glorious and prosperous world, his eyes bloodshot as he allowed the black-armored imperial guards to drag him step by step towards the unfathomable palace gate.
"What?" the emperor exclaimed, his fingers dangling over the chess pot suddenly tightening, his knuckles turning white. "Is General Zhaowu beating the drum to report to the emperor?"
"Your Majesty, that is exactly what happened." The eunuch in charge nodded and explained the situation in detail. "The general frankly admitted that there is a hidden story behind the crime of the guilty minister Wang Pu. I implore Your Majesty to re-examine the case."
"She's just a criminal. I was about to order her arrest, but she walked right into my trap." The emperor's brow twitched, a hint of disdain in his eyes. Then he made a move and asked, "What do you think, Prime Minister?"
Wang Xuhan's hand stopped in mid-air, his robe sleeves moved slightly without wind, and then he slowly withdrew his hand, rubbing his fingertips on the edge of the chessboard twice before he raised his eyes to meet the emperor's gaze.
"It's all up to Your Majesty." Wang Xuhan spoke, his voice was not loud, but very clear.
The Emperor bowed slightly, his movements remaining calm, only his Adam's apple twitching ever so slightly. He continued to play his chess game, "Who does she intend to sue?"
"The third son of the Huang family, the current Minister of War, Huang Heng."
As soon as these words were spoken, the corners of the emperor's lips seemed to curl up ever so slightly, but it disappeared in an instant, as fast as an illusion.
He lowered his eyes and looked back at the chessboard. "I issued an order in the morning meeting, and she filed a complaint at noon. Is she questioning my decision?"
The eunuch in charge was filled with fear, but he was furious, thinking that the disaster would bring disaster upon himself, so he bent his waist even lower.
He was about to open his mouth to apologize, but Wang Xuhan, who seemed to be indifferent, took the lead.
"Your Majesty, General Zhaowu is very popular among the people. Refusing to see her would only damage your reputation. She knew the journey was dangerous, yet she still went to the court, determined to die. If there is any injustice, would Your Majesty personally redress her injustice? Wouldn't that be a story that will go down in history?"
Upon hearing this, the emperor's gaze lingered on Wang Xuhan's face for a few breaths.
"But I just issued the order to ban officials, and less than half a day later you are personally punishing them. Isn't this just shooting yourself in the foot?"
"No, no." He lowered his eyes and looked back at the chessboard. His slender fingers tapped the white piece he had just placed, slowly and steadily. "Your Majesty has been deceived by a villain. Now you have come to your senses and learned your lesson. You should punish the guilty ministers and promote the capable ones."
You could hear a pin drop in the hall; it was so quiet that it was suffocating.
After a moment, the emperor raised his head and said in a voice as steady as a rock: "The sound of the drum means to appeal for justice. I summon the Minister of Justice to see me."
"yes."
"By the way, General, is there anything I can ask for?"
"Your Majesty, the general frankly stated that he would need the assistance of several witnesses in court."
"Oh? Who?"
"Three servants from the General's Mansion, and the owner of Liuxiangju."
As soon as the word "familiar" came out, Wang Xuhan's fingertips trembled slightly. He immediately pretended to be calm, reached into the chess pot, and picked up another white chess piece.
However, the emperor was frank and asked, "Liu Xiangju? The person you are talking about is Chu Mo?"
"Exactly."
The emperor immediately became interested after hearing this answer. He leaned back slightly and leaned on the table: "Isn't this man the grandson of Chu Shaopu? He was recommended by you, my dear minister, and he is a talented man. How could he not think straight and resign his post? How ridiculous..."
Wang Xuhan said nothing, just staring at the chessboard.
"But it's also true. It's only natural for one to have no desire to be an official after such a tragedy happened to their family." The emperor jokingly said this as he loosened his grip and slammed the warm chess piece back into the pot with a crisp sound. "Then this case will be handed over to the Dali Temple for trial. We must get to the bottom of it!"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The oral order had been given, and the eunuch in charge was about to leave, but the deep voice echoed again in the lonely hall.
Wang Xuhan suddenly said, "Your Majesty, I beg you to grant my permission to personally attend the Dali Temple to hear this case."
For some reason, the emperor's eyes occasionally flashed with cunning, and he said, "After all these years, you still care about him so much."
"Yes, I trust him so much, so I am always there for him in all his affairs."
Wang Xuhan sat quietly with his hands hanging down, his eyes lowered. Only the slightly tense knuckles beneath his robe sleeves revealed that his heart was already in turmoil.
---
The imperial edict was issued as quickly as possible, and the Dali Temple Minister immediately received the order to conduct the trial.
The main hall of the Dali Temple was deep and solemn in the afternoon. The bluestone floor tiles reflected the flickering candlelight, and in the center, a Xiezhi was glaring down angrily.
The Chief Justice of the Dali Temple sat behind the ebony desk, his knuckles slightly white from gripping the gavel. Below the stairs, although Gou Su was held tightly by the arms by two jailers, his back was straight.
Her eyes were like torches, piercing directly at Huang Heng, who was wearing an official robe opposite her.
Huang Heng was summoned so suddenly that he couldn't even put on his official hat. His face turned pale and he pretended to be fearless. He avoided the gaze and only stared at the complaint on the table.
Xiao Lin, Mu You and Achou stood solemnly with their heads bowed, not daring to make a sound.
All that could be heard was the dripping of a copper clock outside the hall. The air was as stagnant as iron, making one feel stuffy in the chest.
Even though Xiao Lin and the others had made preparations early, just standing in this courtroom, a feeling of anxiety swept over his body without warning.
"The Prime Minister has arrived—!"
Suddenly, a steady voice was heard outside the hall, the sound like tearing silk, instantly piercing the silence.
Everyone was startled and their eyes turned to the door.
Although Xiao Lin was summoned to the Dali Temple, he never expected that the prime minister would be in charge of the trial, and his mind was in a state of confusion.
Wang Xuhan was seen wearing a dark purple python robe, his expression as calm as water, walking slowly in, followed by a gray-robed follower holding a scroll.
The Grand Court Minister hurriedly stepped down from the stage, and the others all bowed their heads in greeting.
Only Chu Mo was left, and he raised his eyes seemingly unintentionally.
Wang Xuhan's gaze seemed to pass by the hall inadvertently, and just happened to meet his sight briefly in the air.
It was so fast that it seemed like an illusion, and then they separated.
He walked straight to the seat of honor set aside for him at the side of the hall without looking around.
Under the guidance of his attendants, Wang Xuhan sat down calmly, his sleeves flicking lightly as he said calmly, "Everyone, please continue. I will just sit in and listen."
The sound was not loud, but it was like a heavy stone dropped into a cold pond, making the atmosphere in the hall suddenly become even darker.
As the Prime Minister listened to the trial, the Dali Temple's face tightened, and the knuckles of his crossed knuckles in salute were slightly blue.
At the bottom of the stairs, Gou Su's burning gaze suddenly turned to the uninvited guest, with an added layer of frost in his surprise and suspicion.
Why was the Prime Minister here in person? Could he be here to protect Huang Heng?
This is bad.
What was worse than Wang Xuhan’s personal presence was that when Gou Su was sweating profusely, the gavel in the hands of the Dali Temple Minister fell down with a loud bang.
She was charged with a crime and was determined to do her best even if the prime minister was behind the plot.
"Your Majesty, Gou Su, you are accusing our new Minister of War Huang Heng of treason and patricide. Do you have any witnesses or physical evidence?" The Grand Court Minister sat high up in the Ming Hall, his voice as resounding as a bell, awakening the ears.
"Of course, everything is ready." Gou Su knelt at the foot of the stairs with a determined look and slowly explained his reasoning. "Sir, please order that Master Huang's body be brought to court."
The Chief Justice of the Dali Temple gave a wink to the person beside him, and within half an incense stick of time, Huang Zhi's well-sealed body was carried to the lobby along with the coroner.
The body has arrived and one of the physical evidences has appeared.
Gou Su's hands were trapped in the wooden shackles, making it difficult for him to move. He exchanged glances with Chu Mo and kowtowed, pleading, "Sir, please explain to me what is strange about Mr. Huang's corpse. Boss Chu, please explain it to me."
The Dali Temple Minister acquiesced, but Wang Xuhan's old eyes revealed a sharp look.
Then, Chu Mo stepped forward steadily, brushed aside the white hair at the back of his neck, and spoke clearly, "Sir, please look, the front of Mr. Huang's neck was cut open by a sharp knife, and there are also small wounds on the back of his neck. I and the coroner examined the wound and found a poisonous substance, oleander."
"What a joke." Huang Heng couldn't help laughing as he listened, full of contempt. "The document presented by the coroner clearly states that my father died of blood loss. Now you want to punish me for talking to me about this trivial poison?"
"Yes, it is true. Lord Huang's fatal injury was the sword wound on his throat. But we can also see whether this sword is held by someone or someone is interfering." The anger in Gou Su's heart became more and more uncontrollable with Huang Heng's harsh sophistry, and he could only suppress it with heavy breathing.
She continued, "There are several fresh marks on the window sill of the study where the murder took place, caused by fine scratches. The Third Young Master is a scheming man. He knew he couldn't possibly frame someone himself, so he set up a trap, using several hidden arrows to fire in quick succession. He manipulated Mr. Huang's path to the ground, causing him to fall onto the knife stand you had set!"
"Nonsense!" Huang Heng's face suddenly changed, his usual polite demeanor shattered. "Just based on a few scratches, you're saying it was me? Where's the evidence? Where's the law?"
Upon seeing this, Xiao Lin immediately held up a hidden arrow with both hands, shutting down Huang Heng's argument: "Sir, this is evidence. I found it by the window of the study where you died."
The Dali Temple Minister was intimidating without being angry. He took the exquisite sleeve arrow from Xiao Lin's palm, held it in front of his eyes to examine it carefully, and then handed it to Wang Xuhan.
But it is obvious that a hidden arrow is not enough to make Huang Heng confess his guilt.
He continued to shout, "It's just a sleeve arrow, who can't buy it? Besides, this kind of weapon is very common in the military camp!"
"Sleeve arrows are common, but this kind of specification is unique." Seeing Huang Heng's indifference, Gou Su no longer cared about their old friendship and pointed out, "In the military camp, such exquisite weapons as sleeve arrows are rarely used. After all, their power is limited and the cost is high, so they are not the best choice. Moreover, the sleeve arrows stored in the army are all stored inside the armor. How could the cuffs be so narrow? This kind of weapon must be used by ordinary people!"
Huang Heng was almost biting his teeth, but he remained stubborn. "Even if... that's the case, how can you prove that this set of sleeve arrows belongs to me?"
"Indeed, this sleeve arrow has an exquisite mechanism and cost a fortune. I can only judge it to belong to a wealthy family, and I dare not conclude that it belongs to Master Huang." Chu Mo suddenly took a half step forward and took out a piece of parchment from his sleeve. "However, there is evidence that Master Huang was poisoned by oleander."
The opera became more and more exciting, and Wang Xuhan became more and more interested in listening to it.
The Dali Temple Minister took the parchment presented by Chu Mo, spread it on the desk, and glanced at it.
The ink on the paper clearly shows how much gold was spent, how much poison was purchased, and who the two parties in the transaction were.
What made his guilt certain was the signature of Huang Heng's confidant and Huang Heng's private seal in the lower left corner.
As the Dali Temple judge reviewed the documents, Gou Su approached Huang Heng, whose lips were pale. Every word he said was stern: "You ordered your trusted subordinates to secretly purchase poison for you, but you never expected that the drugstore owner would keep a written receipt according to the law, and even stamped it with your personal seal? And your confidant did not tell you about this. If he had told you earlier, I'm afraid there would be another body today!"
"If you still refuse to confess, you can summon this confidant to the court to confront you face to face."
Huang Heng sneered, his face clearly drained of blood, but in just a moment, he forced himself to straighten his waist, and gripped the edge of his robe tightly with his knuckles until the veins bulged, almost crushing the brocade.
Wang Xuhan remained calm, took a sip of tea, and waited for the farce to end.
He suddenly raised his gaze, piercing the Dali Temple official sitting in the hall. "So what? I lost my private seal a while ago! My Lord, it's clearly the so-called confidant she mentioned who has harbored evil intentions and is plotting to kill his master! What has this to do with me?"
Up to now, all the evidences have not been able to pry him open, and he refuses to plead guilty.
At this point, Gou Su finally recognized his true face and the ugliness hidden beneath the mask of his childhood benefactor.
She was extremely disappointed and made her last move.
She said, "Okay, since you don't admit to the crime of patricide, then let's talk about the crime of treason."
Huang Heng's expression grew increasingly ugly, and his nostrils twitched unconsciously.
Without waiting for Gou Su to explain in detail, Ah Chou immediately stepped back a few steps, moved a large wooden box from the corner, and swung an axe to smash the lock.
"Please look, sir, what is this?"
The Dali Temple Minister immediately became alert, jumped up from the table and ran straight to the wooden box.
Just a glance and his voice couldn't help but tremble: "Where did you find so much face?"
Yes, the things piled in this wooden box were none other than the noodles that were accidentally discovered at the Huang family that day.
Perhaps it was because the Dali Temple was dark, the face looked even more terrifying than the last time I saw it.
Mu You plucked up the courage to search through it carefully, and finally found the piece he wanted among the cold pieces of dough, and showed it to the Dali Temple Minister without reservation.
Gou Su arrived late and continued to explain, "This box of human skin masks was found in the Huang Mansion. They are so exquisitely crafted that they are very expensive. However, one of them looks exactly like Wang Pu!"
"Oh, General, you said this item was found in the Huang Mansion. How can you prove that it was made by me?"
Indeed, Huang Heng did not plead guilty.
But Gou Su knew his roguery well and had thought of a countermeasure early on.
She raised her head and sneered, her tongue touching her cheek, and said decisively: "I never thought that a piece of shit like you could be so stubborn?"
"you!"
"Don't you understand now? The human skin mask is custom-made to fit the disguised person perfectly! A whole box of masks, why is it made up of Zhang Wang Pu's face? You must know better than me! It's because you're the one collaborating with the enemy! You're also the one pretending!"
"That's nonsense! I clearly..."
"You're still quibbling? Perhaps you don't know that the Fu Jue gang that was detained forged the transaction document. The one you held was a fake! Zhen Zhen's copy was hidden away by them! If you still refuse to confess, I will immediately take the real deed for verification. Once the two are compared, we'll immediately know who signed the contract!"
Gou Su was furious, and his voice gradually turned into a roar, as if he wanted to use all his strength to seek revenge for the injustice of the deceased Wang Pu from Huang Heng.
Now the evidence is irrefutable, and no matter how Huang Heng argues, it will be a dead end.
Gou Su's hands were immobile, but his mouth was like a sharp sword. He leaned close to Huang Heng and whispered, "The crime of patricide won't kill you, but treason is more likely to kill your entire clan... Huang Heng, you should have expected this to happen. You should have exchanged your life for his own..."
Huang Heng looked straight into Gou Su's eyes without any fear.
There was dead silence in the courtroom.
His whole body was stiff, and cold sweat silently slid down from his forehead, rolling down his cheeks, leaving wet marks.
"Come here! Take down the criminal Huang Heng!" The Dali Temple Minister gave an order, and was about to end this good show.
However, Huang Heng suddenly leaned forward, his sleeves fluttering, and a cold light burst out, rushing towards the defenseless Ah Chou behind him.
"Don't come over here! No one, don't move! If anyone dares to move, I'll kill him!"
He held the dagger tightly in his right hand, with the sharp blade pointing directly at Ah Chou's throat, sinking deep into the flesh, and blood was about to be drawn.
"How dare you! The Dali Temple is not a place for you to be so arrogant!"
"Get me a horse! Quick! The fastest horse! Now! Immediately!" His eyes were as red as blood as he stared at the Dali Temple official sitting high above him. "Don't move! Don't talk nonsense! Otherwise--"
He increased the strength in his hands, and the edge of the dagger sank slightly into the flesh. A drop of blood suddenly seeped out and slowly slid down along the cold edge of the blade.
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