Yan Lin also noticed that there seemed to be some hidden activities in the Eastern Palace recently. He had already ordered people to investigate, but there were no results yet. Yan Huisheng worked in secrecy with deep roots, which couldn’t be exposed in a short time.
However, now that the strategists are suggesting it may be connected to the Duke Residence, they can investigate in the direction of the Duke Residence.
The Duke Residence is now without Zhou Gu. In the Residence, there was only an old Duke and Princess Sheng An, both of whom are old and sometimes powerless due to age. As long as his subordinates put in the effort to investigate, there should be opportunities to find clues.
Therefore, he immediately sent people to investigate.
Just as Yan Lin guessed, the Duke Residence, despite being cautious, was not entirely impregnable. In particular, when investigating the Duke Residence, it was not possible to avoid checking not only the residents within the palace, but also those outside, especially the three brothers in the army.
In just two days of investigation, a major event was discovered.
The military camp under the control of the Duke Residence seemed to be missing two hundred thousand soldiers, and the Duke Residence had secretly ordered people to gather military pay and food supplies.
From ancient times, any unusual movement of soldiers was seen as a serious taboo.
Yan Lin was overjoyed, and he immediately wrote a report that night stating that the Duke Residence was secretly moving troops without permission, which he submitted to the Imperial Court early the next morning.
When the report was submitted, the whole court was shocked.
Out of three hundred thousand soldiers, two hundred thousand had suddenly disappeared. Where did they go?
The Emperor, without any intel, turned pale. The elderly Duke never attended morning court, and so wasn’t present at the Hall. His gaze fell on Yan Huisheng.
Unmoved, Yan Huisheng bowed to the Emperor, "Father, I also have a report regarding my second brother bribing Lin Sheng, the governor of Heyun County, and his deputy, Zhang Yu, to move troops without permission, killing Su Rong and the Ning siblings. Zhang Yu, for crossing boundaries and moving troops, has now been arrested and brought into the capital."
The courtiers were shocked once again, their gaze shifting from Yan Huisheng to Yan Lin.
Yan Lin gritted his teeth, refusing to admit it at all costs, "I did not, the Crown Prince is framing me."
"Whether it’s framing or not, we have to look at the evidence," Yan Huisheng said, "Even if my second brother denies it, it’s useless."
"Who’s denying it?" Yan Lin said grudgingly, "It seems that the Crown Prince knows about the Duke Residence’s troop movement. This is what needs an explanation to the Father Emperor and the court ministers."
Yan Huisheng responded, "An explanation will naturally be provided for this matter; my second brother need not worry about it."
He then presented another report to the Emperor, "This is a letter sent from Marquis Nanping who had a swift horse deliver it to the capital. It just arrived, so it is still warming my hands. Please have a look, Father Emperor."
He did not mention the contents of the letter and only passed it along.
The eunuch took the letter and handed it to the Emperor on the ninth step.
The Emperor opened the letter and once he read it, his face turned pale, even paler than when he heard that the Duke Residence had secretly moved troops. He asked Yan Huisheng instantly, "Is this true?"
Yan Huisheng sighed helplessly, "Father Emperor, this is a major matter. Surely Marquis Nanping would not dare to lie? Otherwise, he would be guilty of deceiving the Emperor."
The Emperor’s hand shook slightly as he asked, "So you received this news earlier? Therefore, the troops from the Duke Residence, were they moved by you?"
Yan Huisheng nodded, "Since Father Emperor has entrusted me with complete responsibility for the Jibei matter, naturally I have the authority to move troops in response," He glanced at Yan Lin pointedly, "Considering that the Pingxi General’s Residence in Jibei belongs to my second brother’s in-laws, I did not dare to be careless. Therefore, upon receiving the supposed news, I kept it under wraps, waiting for Marquis Nanping’s letter."
The father and son’s back and forth questions and answers left the Imperial Court baffled. Yan Lin had a vague feeling that things were not going well, but he couldn’t figure out why. However, the moment he mentioned his in-laws, Yan Lin had a bad feeling about it.
Indeed, upon hearing the news, the Emperor angrily pelted Yan Lin’s head with the report and shouted, "Yan Lin, do you know that the Pingxi General’s Residence in Jibei has rebelled?"
Yan Lin was taken aback and blurted out, "Father Emperor, this is impossible!"
He knew that the Pingxi General’s Residence in Jibei was harboring thoughts of rebellion, but it shouldn’t be so soon. What time is it now? Is it the right time for the Pingxi General’s Residence in Jibei to rebel? He really didn’t get any piece of news.
He was hit square in the forehead by the report, a red patch forming on his forehead. He was full of panic, genuine panic.
He had planned to utilize the Pingxi General’s Residence in Jibei, but not like this. Overwhelmed with confusion, he wondered why the Pingxi General’s Residence would choose to rebel at this point?
"Pick up the report and read it yourself," The Emperor said, glimpsing Yan Lin’s panic-stricken face. He knew that Yan Lin was uninformed, which comforted him slightly. If his own son had the knowledge and conspired with Pingxi General’s Residence to deceive him, the Emperor would kill him on the spot.
Yan Lin bent down, his slightly trembling hands picking up the letter from Marquis Nanping. The letter’s content was simple, stating only one thing: the Pingxi General’s Residence in Jibei had begun a rebellion, mobilizing no less than 200,000 soldiers, besieging Nanping City, and forcing Nanping City to surrender. If Nanping City refused to surrender, the Jibei Army threatened to destroy the city. They requested the Emperor to quickly dispatch reinforcements to Nanping.
Yan Lin couldn’t believe it, "This is impossible, how could the Pingxi General’s Residence suddenly rebel?" He looked at the Emperor, his face pale, "Father Emperor, doesn’t General Zhang always have your respect? I...I don’t know what’s going on." 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦
The Emperor’s face darkened, "Are you telling the truth?"
"I swear I am telling the truth." Yan Lin, knowing he was finished, resented Zhang Ping for rebelling so suddenly without giving any signs beforehand.
"Alright, for the time being, I will believe that you didn’t know," The Emperor’s gaze turned cold, he glanced at Yan Huisheng, "When did you receive this news?"
He was also not satisfied with the Crown Prince and was angry, how dare he secretly mobilize soldiers for such a significant event without informing him.
"I received the news seven days ago." Yan Huisheng said, "I concealed it to prevent my second brother from doing something reckless."
The Emperor was taken aback.
Yan Lin was extremely resentful towards Yan Huisheng, "You...what does this have to do with me?"
"Such a statement is improper. The Pingxi General’s Residence has been in close contact with my second brother for many years. I didn’t know whether my second brother would join forces with the Pingxi General’s Residence to plot a rebellion, so for the sake of prudence, I didn’t disclose this matter to the Imperial Court until Marquis Nanping’s letter arrived today," Yan Huisheng looked at Yan Lin, "Second brother, dare you say that if you had received the news earlier, you wouldn’t have had second thoughts?"
Yan Lin almost choked on his words, but he could not admit it at any cost, otherwise he would be finished, "I didn’t. As the son of the Father Emperor and Prince of Daliang, how could I conspire against Daliang?"
Yan Huisheng responded, "Turns out my second brother is knowledgeable, but for so many years, my second brother hasn’t done much for the court and the country’s good. Most of your actions have been for your own personal gain and power."
Yan Lin retorted forcefully, his face pale, "Don’t slander me."
Yan Huisheng remained expressionless, "There’s no need for my second brother to waste words with me. I have evidence of my second brother’s actions over many years. Once Zhang Yu is brought to the capital and questioned, everything will become clear."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
