Chapter 162 Why can't I understand?
Jiang Yu watched out of the corner of her eye as the Empress Dowager and Prince Rui disappeared through the door of the Imperial Study. She thought to herself, "This must be why the Emperor respects the Empress Dowager and dotes on Prince Rui."
Both of them were aware of their place and did not participate in politics at all.
"Smack!"
With a sharp crack, the emperor slammed his teacup down in front of Prince Kang, stood up, and glared at him, panting heavily, clearly furious. But he didn't utter a word, only stared angrily.
"Father, spare my life!" King Kang kowtowed, tears streaming down his face, and said, "Your son was deceived. It was Tang Boyang, it was all Tang Boyang's doing!"
"Was it planned by Tang Boyang?" the emperor asked.
“Yes,” King Kang said, tears streaming down his face. “My queen deliberately approached me. It was all planned by Tang Boyang.”
"Smack!"
A pile of memorials was dumped on Prince Kang. "Tang Boyang has a knife to your throat, forcing you to do such a treasonous thing?"
"Your Majesty, I know my sins." Prince Kang sobbed, his forehead touching the ground. "Your Majesty, I was bewitched, Father, I know I was wrong, sob sob..."
The emperor looked at him with a dark expression, and after a while said, "Summon Tang Boyang."
Zhao Fuquan hurriedly went out to arrange for someone to deliver the imperial decree. The emperor's gaze shifted to Jiang Yu, and he asked, "Since you had already suspected that he had embezzled military supplies, why didn't you report it earlier?"
Jiang Yu immediately knelt down, knowing that the emperor was furious and that she had been the target of his anger.
"Your Majesty, I have no concrete evidence and dare not report this, lest I slander His Highness Prince Kang."
Jiang Yu is now completely certain that if she hadn't possessed enough evidence to thoroughly discredit Prince Kang before reporting the matter, she would have faced even greater resentment.
Although the current emperor is usually reasonable, he can also become emotional and find a scapegoat when he is furious or feels that he has lost face.
The emperor clenched his fist tightly, looked down at Jiang Yu for a while, then looked at Marquis Chengen and asked, "How did Marquis Chengen receive the letter?"
Marquis Chengen knew he was being targeted for revenge, so he stood up and knelt down, saying, "Niujiaoshan is a suitable location for training troops, and I am there to train them."
He naturally wouldn't say that he received a letter from Jiang Yu and then led his troops to "suppress the bandits." A general who mobilizes troops without authorization is, to put it bluntly, guilty of a serious crime, especially since he was in charge of the main camp in the suburbs of Beijing.
The emperor naturally did not believe him. His gaze lingered between Marquis Chengen and Jiang Yu for a moment before he said, "Get up."
Jiang Yu and Marquis Chengen stood up. At that moment, a eunuch came in to report that Tang Boyang had arrived. The emperor's face darkened further. "Let him in."
The young eunuch withdrew, and then Tang Boyang entered. His face was filled with sorrow, his lips were bloodless, and his entire being exuded grief.
Seeing Tang Boyang like this, Jiang Yu thought to herself, "They're all such good actors!"
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects." Tang Boyang knelt down, then looked at the bound and kneeling Prince Kang with a shocked expression, as if he had no idea what Prince Kang had done.
Although his performance was seamless, no one present believed him; he had no idea what King Kang had done.
"Heh!" The emperor chuckled coldly twice, then said to Prince Kang, "Say what you just said again."
King Kang raised his head, wiped away his tears with his sleeve, and said, "Your subject was misled by Tang Boyang, which is why I did such a thing."
Tang Boyang looked completely bewildered. He asked the Prince of Kang, "Your Highness, what are you talking about? What have I done to entice you to do?"
King Kang was furious, as if he wanted to devour Tang Boyang. "Father-in-law, wasn't it you who let our daughter get close to me and then marry me, and who often told me to make plans early? You were the one who brought up the matter of embezzling military supplies. You planned everything. You were the one who recruited the people on Niujiao Mountain."
"This...this..." Tang Boyang was shocked and confused. "Your Highness, what are you talking about? What embezzlement of military supplies, what people on Niujiao Mountain? I don't understand."
"You..." King Kang looked so angry that he couldn't speak. He kowtowed to the emperor, "Father, I have no way to defend myself. Tang Boyang's actions were meticulous, and I have no evidence! I know that I have committed an unforgivable crime, but if it weren't for Tang Boyang's instigation, I wouldn't... I wouldn't!"
At this point, he suddenly turned to look at Jiang Yu, "Jiang Yu, you're the one who uncovered the embezzlement of military supplies. You must have evidence that Tang Boyang plotted this."
All eyes in the imperial study were on Jiang Yu. She rose calmly, bowed to the emperor, and said, "Your Majesty, I do indeed suspect Tang Boyang of embezzlement of military supplies. However, I currently have no evidence and am investigating."
"Jiang Yu, you're spouting nonsense!" Tang Boyang looked at Jiang Yu in disbelief. "I still don't know what happened, how can you say such a thing?"
He then looked at the Duke of Chu, "Duke of Chu, I have no grudge against your Duke of Chu's mansion, why are you slandering me?"
The Duke of Chu looked at him calmly and said, "My Duke of Chu's mansion has no grudge against you. Jiang Yu is just stating the facts."
"You..." Tang Boyang was so angry that he couldn't speak. He kowtowed to the emperor, "Your Majesty, I am innocent! I am innocent!"
The emperor ignored him and instead looked at Jiang Yu, asking, "Where have you found out?"
Jiang Yu: "I have handed over the investigation to Li Zhengze regarding whether Tang Boyang was involved in this matter."
The emperor was taken aback; he couldn't remember who Li Zhengze was. Zhao Fuquan quickly reminded him, "The heir of the Marquis of Jinyang is named Li Zhengze."
At this moment, Jiang Yu said again, "I was previously organizing the files in the archives with Li Zhengze."
The emperor nodded knowingly, and then said, "Summon the Marquis of Jinyang and his heir."
The young eunuch hurriedly went out to deliver the imperial decree, and the emperor waved for Jiang Yu to sit down. Jiang Yu returned to her seat, and as she sat down, her eyes met those of the Duke of Chu for a moment. She saw the doubt in the Duke of Chu's eyes.
He must have been wondering how the Marquis of Jinyang and his son had gotten involved, Jiang Yu gave her a reassuring smile. The reason Li Zhengze was involved was because Li Zhengze had previously said he would assist her.
Moreover, after spending half a year with him, she knew that although Li Zhengze was somewhat of a playboy, he wasn't inherently bad. Furthermore, the Marquis of Jinyang had a good reputation, so she decided to give Li Zhengze a hand. This was both currying favor with the Marquis of Jinyang and developing her own network of connections.
Although Li Zhengze is somewhat unambitious, he will be the future Marquis of Jinyang and will inherit the connections of the Marquis of Jinyang's family. As long as he works hard, he will be a very good partner.
........
Marquis of Jinyang's Residence
Marquis Jinyang naturally had his own connections, and he already knew that Jiang Yu had done something enormous and was reprimanding Li Zhengze.
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