Chapter 494 What? My life is not a life?
The Hateful Prince said, "I find it strange and suspicious that the ghost is telling me this. Furthermore, officials from three places have tragically died one after another, yet the provincial government has been concealing the truth and not reporting it. I'm afraid there's something fishy going on, so I sent more people to Shezhou to investigate. Who knew that this investigation would uncover shocking news?"
Emperor An's heart skipped a beat when he heard about the three places in Shezhou. The words "the wronged spirits are seeking revenge" and "retribution is coming" made several thoughts flash through his mind.
His face changed instantly, but before he could open his mouth to stop him, Prince Hate spoke up.
"Twenty years ago, floods struck the South. The court sent relief workers, but the relief ship sank en route. The disaster in the South worsened, and public outrage erupted into riots. Surprisingly, all the officials who perished were among those who had previously been involved in the relief effort."
"They might be government officials in the worst-hit areas, or those who handled the paperwork and accounting for disaster relief funds, or even the military commanders who helped the people in Beijing quell the rebellion in the south twenty years ago, or the officials who salvaged the bodies of the officers and soldiers aboard the ship."
"These people who died tragically had all risen to prominence due to their contributions to disaster relief efforts, and they were promoted one after another after that disaster..."
Emperor An's hands trembled.
Liang Guangyi's expression also changed instantly. He suddenly stepped forward and said, "How could such a heinous thing happen? Harassing court officials is truly abhorrent. I hate the Prince of the County. Such important matters should be reported to His Majesty in detail, without any mistakes or omissions."
He looked up at Emperor An, without any more aggressiveness, and took the initiative to give in:
"Your Majesty, it is getting late. It is better to adjourn the banquet first and then ask the King of Zan about the Nandi in detail."
Cui Lin didn't know much about what happened back then. Seeing Liang Guangyi suddenly change his tone, he hurriedly said, "Grand Master, the matter of Xiao Yan has not yet been fully investigated..."
"The tragic death of the Southern officials is important."
"But……"
"Cui Lin!"
Liang Guangyi rarely scolded other court officials from aristocratic families in public like this, and he even called people by their names. He always looked calm and indifferent. Even when he was threatening Emperor An against Xiao Yan just now, his face did not show any sign of anger.
But when he looked at Cui Lin at this moment, there was an undisguised pressure in his eyes.
"The deposed empress is dead. Whether Xiao Yan colluded with her can be investigated later, and Your Majesty will never show favoritism to him. However, the murder of a Southern official is a major matter in the court, and now it involves ghosts and gods. As the current Shangshu, you should understand the seriousness of the matter!"
Cui Lin's face tightened, and he suddenly remembered how Liang Guangyi looked like when he was at the peak of his power in the court a long time ago. At that time, not to mention him, even Lu Chongyuan had to avoid him. Although he didn't know why Liang Guangyi suddenly changed his words, Cui Lin was still afraid.
After seeing Cui Lin shut up, Liang Guangyi raised his head and asked, "Your Majesty?"
Emperor An's heart was beating violently and his face was flushed. Eunuch Feng, who was closest to him, could even feel cold sweat on the palm of Emperor An's hand that was holding his arm.
"The Grand Tutor is right. The affairs of the South are more important. Prince Hate should stay, and the others should leave first..."
“Wait!”
Cao Dejiang suddenly stood up and said, "If this is about the affairs of the Southern Region, why did Your Majesty ask us to leave? Moreover, this matter not only concerns the Southern Region's officialdom, but also the old disaster relief incident from twenty years ago. Since Prince Zan has already said most of what he wants to say, why not let him finish?"
"This old minister is also extremely curious. What happened to cause those officials to die tragically, and why did their families not seek to find out the truth and avenge the dead, but instead go crazy and cry out for retribution?"
Qian Baokun had known about the Rongjiang tragedy for a long time. He had endured it for so long, and finally saw the opportunity for this matter to see the light of day again.
Even though he didn't know why Prince Zang was involved in this matter, it didn't stop him from stopping Emperor An and trying to conceal it privately.
Qian Baokun also stood up. "Lord Cao is right. Just now, when we were trying Governor Xiao, Minister Cui and Grand Tutor Liang kept trying to stop us from leaving. They wouldn't even wait a moment, eager to convict him immediately. Now that this concerns the Southern Land officialdom, and so many lives are at stake, why aren't Grand Tutor Liang and Minister Cui anxious anymore?"
Liang Guangyi was speechless: "Things are different..."
"What's the difference?"
Xiao Yan, who had been silent all this time, suddenly sneered:
"Because I'm a eunuch, I deserve to be tried in court. You've pressured me into death in front of everyone, relying on just a few slanderous words."
"If it were someone else now, it would be worth discussing slowly and investigating in detail. Why is this Governor's life not a life?"
Xiao Yan's appearance was already outstanding, and when his eyebrows and eyes turned gray during this incident, even though he didn't speak harshly, his gaze was particularly captivating.
"The events in the South are already known to everyone. Zhaohui is located in the northwest, and rumors have already spread to Shezhou and the other three regions. What the abhorrent prince just said in the palace cannot be concealed. If we cannot thoroughly investigate this matter in front of the court officials attending the banquet tonight and uncover the truth behind the tragic deaths of the officials in Shezhou and the other three regions, it will tarnish your majesty's reputation and shake the foundation of the court."
"If those officials truly deserved this, then that would be fine. But if they were murdered to such an extent, shouldn't Grand Tutor Liang urge Your Majesty to give an explanation to the people of the world?"
The hall was silent for a moment, and everyone felt that Xiao Yan's words were familiar.
After he reacted, his eyes suddenly became strange when he looked at Liang Guangyi.
Aren’t these the same words that Grand Tutor Liang said when he forced Your Majesty to conduct a strict interrogation of Xiao Yan?
Except for changing "Xiao Yan and the deposed queen's mother and son colluded" to "the tragic death of officials in the south", everything else is exactly the same, not even a single word has been changed.
"cough."
Even though he was extremely nervous, Qian Baokun almost couldn't help laughing out loud.
Cao Dejiang scratched his palm, looked at Liang Guangyi's suddenly pale face, and glanced at Xiao Yan unhappily.
This guy still had the mind to make people laugh at this time, almost ruining the solemn atmosphere he had worked so hard to create!
Xiao Yan looked up at Liang Guangyi. "Grand Tutor Liang has always been considerate of Your Majesty and dedicated himself to the Great Wei, wishing he could die for it. I think he knows what's important and wouldn't want Your Majesty to be talked about or bear an undeserved bad reputation. Don't you agree?"
Liang Guangyi: "..."
Xiao Yan turned around again: "Minister Cui, what do you think?"
Cui Lin: “…”
He thinks shit.
There was an inexplicably strange atmosphere in the hall.
Seeing the two men remain silent, Xiao Yan glanced at the shocked Emperor An before addressing Prince Zeng, "It seems that Grand Tutor Liang and Minister Cui both agree with what this Governor has said and believe that Your Majesty should investigate this matter. So, Prince Zeng, please continue. This is something that concerns the entire Southern Region officialdom and is related to the disaster relief case. Your Majesty will not shirk responsibility."
"you……"
Emperor An opened his mouth and was about to scold Xiao Yan for being presumptuous and for making decisions for him without his permission.
Then Cao Dejiang suddenly spoke from below, "I remember that twenty years ago, Your Majesty was also ordered to go to the South to provide disaster relief. Now that this matter is at stake, and the lives of so many officials are at stake, I believe Your Majesty is unwilling to tarnish his holy name."
Emperor An's curse got stuck in his throat.
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