Chapter 510: Emperor An retreats again and again until he reaches a desperate situation
There are too many ways for the plague to spread. Even if the body is buried or flooded, the disease will continue to spread through the land and water, and if you are not careful, it will harm countless people.
Rongjiang is originally in Shezhou. Once the plague spreads, Shezhou will be the first to be affected. Any Shezhou official who knows the news should be more fearful and cautious than other places, but they dare to conclude that the plague is gone based on a "rumor".
Unless they knew that the source of the plague had been completely "cut off" in Rongjiang City.
There are nearly 10,000 people in Rongjiang. What means can make them so sure, even convinced that there will not be any trace of the epidemic spreading?
...burning Rongjiang and massacring the city.
All those who might have been carrying the plague died in Rongjiang City, burned to charred bones, so naturally, there would be no more plague...
Prince Ji's words made all those who wanted to understand the key to the matter shudder and feel cold all over.
Xiao Yan glanced at King Ji and saw that he had a serious expression on his face. Although he did not try to be flattering or submissive when he looked at him, he did not show any arrogance either. His face was full of sorrow.
He raised his lips in an ambiguous way, then looked up coldly: "Your Majesty, do you want another trial?"
Emperor An's face was stiff and his lips moved.
Trial?
What is he examining?
They kept arguing with each other, not giving him any chance to judge.
Things have come to this point. Everything that should and shouldn't be said has been said. What else is there to judge him for?
Facing Xiao Yan's extremely disgusting face, the severe pain in Emperor An's mind that had previously dissipated a little resurfaced, and the dense feeling like ant bites in his body made him even more restless.
Emperor An tried his best to remain calm and said:
"I had no idea there were such audacious people in the court. Back then, the disaster relief work was entrusted to the Lu family because of the late emperor's trust in them. But who would have thought that Lu Chongyuan and others would disregard the late emperor's trust? The chaos in the southern officialdom must have been caused by Lu Chongyuan and others. However, Lu Chongyuan is now dead, so it may be difficult to investigate the truth..."
Seeing that Emperor An was trying to shirk responsibility, Qian Baokun wanted to put the blame entirely on the Lu family and brush the matter off.
He felt a chill in his heart and took a half step forward: "But I remember that the Lu family still has a bastard son, Lu Jiuan, who is still alive. He had escaped from the capital before the Lu family was imprisoned."
"At that time, the Lu family had already harbored rebellious intentions. Lu Chongyuan ordered that bastard to leave the capital and go to Prince Pingshan's mansion to stockpile grain and buy horses with Prince Pingshan. Such an ambitious person must have received instructions from Lu Chongyuan."
"Lu Chongyuan is a cautious person. Since he can entrust the future of the Lu family to him, the bastard must be extremely important in Lu Chongyuan's eyes. He must know about the past. As long as we capture him and bring him back to the capital, we will definitely learn the truth of twenty years ago."
Upon hearing this, Emperor An said, "I have ordered Liu Tong'en to capture him..."
As soon as he said this, he remembered something and his face suddenly turned pale.
No.
wrong.
He not only asked Liu Tong'en to go, but also asked Xiao Yan to send someone.
Because Liu Tong'en had repeatedly "troubled" Xiao Yan before, holding on to the words Lu Chongyuan said before his death, and even felt that Lu Chongyuan went against his wishes and was dissatisfied with him, he asked Xiao Yan to take on the task of capturing Lu Jiuan.
Emperor An's palms were shaking, and he was regretting it so much that his intestines were almost turning green. Why didn't he believe Liu Tong'en's words at the beginning? Even if he had been a little more suspicious and cautious, he wouldn't have ended up in the situation he is in today, being surrounded and forced here by Xiao Yan and his men.
Emperor An's face turned extremely pale, and he was extremely panicked. The restlessness that he had suppressed before became even stronger, and his limbs had begun to tremble slightly.
He felt extremely uncomfortable and whispered while suppressing his discomfort:
"It's difficult to investigate these matters until Lu Jiuan is brought back to justice. Although these people have said so much, it is related to the entire Southern Region officialdom and is also related to the disaster relief twenty years ago. It would be better to wait until they are brought back and the truth is revealed before taking any action..."
"Your Majesty, what does your majesty plan to do?" Xiao Yan's eyebrows were sharp.
Emperor An gritted his teeth and said, "Of course, we will handle this impartially and punish the guilty."
"What about the innocent?"
"Not guilty..."
Emperor An's face froze. If the guilty person was someone else, then the innocent ones would naturally be Crown Prince Li and He Wenzhuo.
Xiao Yan's expression was cold. "I'm asking Your Majesty, how do you plan to clear my father's name?"
Emperor An held on tightly to the handle of the dragon throne, like a wolf forced into a desperate situation, and had to retreat again and again.
"Although He Wenzhuo may have died in vain in Rongjiang, the He family's conspiracy to rebel was determined by the late emperor, and the evidence is irrefutable. I cannot go against the late emperor's will. However, if it is found that the events of twenty years ago had nothing to do with He Wenzhuo, I can pardon him individually, just like the Lu family's side branches, and not pursue the crimes of He Wenzhuo and his entire lineage..."
He paused, looked at the expressionless Xiao Yan and the black-armored guards behind him who were staring at him covetously, and took another half step back.
"Of course, I have met He Wenzhuo before. He was a man who understood loyalty, filial piety, propriety, and righteousness, and was thorough in everything he did. He died before the He family plotted rebellion. If it is truly found that he died defending Rongjiang, protecting the people of Rongjiang and quelling the epidemic, he would have made great contributions to the Great Wei."
"I can issue an edict to posthumously confer the title on him, place his tablet in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and share the world's offerings with the imperial family, so that his descendants can enjoy his protection and not be implicated with the He family."
As soon as Emperor An finished speaking, not only others, but even Qian Baokun and the others were surprised.
Xiao Yan acted today because he was the son of He Wenzhuo. If Emperor An really pardoned He Wenzhuo as he said and did not pursue the crime of his lineage, then Xiao Yan's crime of leading troops to surround the palace today would also not be pursued. Moreover, he posthumously conferred a title on He Wenzhuo, which was clearly an attempt to appease Xiao Yan.
Emperor An was bowing to Xiao Yan.
Liang Guangyi and the others originally wanted to ask Xiao Yan to stop while he was ahead, but they had offended Xiao Yan before and were afraid that speaking up would only provoke him to take action.
At this moment, Feng Qiuli considerately took half a step forward.
"Lord Xiao..."
He paused as soon as he spoke. "No, I should call you He Langjun. What you are doing today is to clear your father's name and seek justice for the people of Rongjiang who died unjustly. His Majesty has already promised to issue an order for a thorough investigation of this case, and he will not let those involved off lightly."
"I heard about the He family's Third Master's reputation for loyalty and integrity when I was a child. I'm sure you wouldn't want him to be tarnished after his death, earning the infamy of being a traitor and a rebel who disrupted the government."
"Why don't you have your men withdraw first? Once the matter is fully investigated, His Majesty will give you and the Third Master of the He Family an explanation."
As Feng Qiuli spoke, she looked at Emperor An and said, "Your Majesty, Governor Xiao seeks only justice. He has no other choice but to take this risk tonight."
"He was set up first, then wronged. He was forced to abdicate. Now that the truth has been revealed, why don't you, Your Majesty, issue an edict to pardon Governor Xiao for his reckless behavior? This will allow Governor Xiao to withdraw with his men in peace while Your Majesty investigates the situation in the Southland."
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