The hall fell silent instantly.
What followed was an even more chaotic commotion than before, with almost all the ministers participating in the discussion this time.
"What Lord Tang said makes sense. These treacherous officials dare to assassinate even high-ranking officials of the court. They might really go mad and break into the palace."
"The palace is guarded by the Imperial Guards. Who could possibly break into the palace and carry out an assassination? They would never return."
"But we must be wary of them. These people hiding in the capital are always a threat..."
Those who were frightened by Tang Huan's words were already showing signs of panic.
However, some people also loudly criticized Tang Huan.
"Nonsense, you're stirring up trouble! Tang Huan, do you know how much chaos you're causing by saying these things? Don't escalate an assassination attempt against you to this extent."
"Indeed, although Lord Tang is a renowned poet, he has always acted eccentrically. I had heard about this before, and perhaps he offended someone in private and is now being retaliated against."
"In short, Your Majesty, please rest assured that the palace is absolutely safe."
The crowd was abuzz with discussion; the morning court session was noisier than a vegetable market.
Tang Huan stood there with her head down, not intending to speak immediately, but simply letting everyone argue for a while before continuing.
After receiving the Empress's message yesterday that she wanted him to attend the morning court session today, he began to ponder what the Empress's intention was in doing so.
Based on recent events, it could only be an assassination.
The renovation of the South District is still in its initial stage and no results have been seen yet, so it's unlikely to be because of this incident.
So what could the Empress do in order to assassinate him?
Tang Huan was unaware of the complex situation within the imperial court, but he was willing to do something for the Empress.
What he needs to do now is to make this matter as big as possible, so that no one can ignore it, so that the Empress can do something about it.
After arguing for a few minutes, Li Lianying noticed the change in Wu Lanxi's expression and immediately called out loudly, "Ministers, please be quiet."
After Li Lianying shouted several times, the noise gradually subsided.
Wu Lanxi looked at Tang Huan at the end of the hall and asked, "Tang Huan, the adults seem to have different opinions on this matter. What do you think?"
They've arrived.
Upon hearing the voice, Tang Huan slowly raised his head and said righteously, "Perhaps some people think I am exaggerating or making things up, but in my opinion, this matter is far more serious than it appears on the surface."
Tang Huan stepped out of the ranks and asked an official beside him, "May I ask, sir, when is the curfew in the capital?"
"The curfew usually begins at 9 PM, and the exact time varies every day, but the difference is not significant, only about 15 minutes."
Having received a reply, Tang Huan continued walking forward. He then randomly selected a minister and asked, "Then I would like to ask, how did the eight assassins manage to sneak into my residence in the middle of the night?"
The minister was speechless for a moment.
Tang Huan smiled and shook his head. Only then did he realize that he had walked to the front of the procession and was surrounded by his ministers.
Just then, Liu Danqing, the Minister of Works, stood beside him. He chuckled and said, "Lord Liu, let's assume that the assassins were highly skilled and managed to secretly evade the guards patrolling after curfew. However, my guards engaged them in a fierce battle that lasted for nearly a quarter of an hour. Guess what happened?"
"The fierce fighting lasted for nearly fifteen minutes without attracting anyone's attention. I wonder where the soldiers on night patrol were?"
"The assassins managed to evade the patrols and inspections of the Imperial Guards by sheer luck. As a result, during the fifteen minutes that my residence fought the assassins to the death, the Imperial Guards did not arrive either. Even now, several days have passed, and they still do not know what has happened."
Tang Huan looked around the main hall and said, "May I ask you gentlemen, do you think this is just a small matter? If you think the assassination was just revenge for a personal grudge I had, then I have nothing to say. But I must remind you today that the problem may be more serious than I think."
After he finished speaking, there was a deathly silence.
If the problem is really as Tang Huan described, then it is an extremely serious problem.
No one dared to come forward to refute it. If they did, and it was confirmed that the Imperial Guards were indeed guilty, they would likely be branded as accomplices.
Wu Lanxi said with a stern face, "Qian Yongning, explain this matter."
General Qian Yongning of the Imperial Guard stepped out from the crowd with trepidation, explaining with a pained expression, "Your Majesty, I did not hear any report..."
"So you think Lord Tang is lying? Do you want me to hand over those assassins' corpses before you'll believe me?"
Qian Yongning's expression changed, and he quickly said, "Your Majesty, I will immediately investigate this matter thoroughly. Everyone in charge of the Changfeng Street area that night will be subject to a rigorous investigation."
Wu Lanxi glanced at her coldly, "I hope you won't disappoint me."
Qian Yongning, with a sullen face, silently retreated back into the ranks.
In the ensuing silence, Wu Lanxi spoke again: "Sun Yuanzhou."
From the crowd, a man in his forties or fifties stepped forward. His expression grew increasingly terrified, and he immediately knelt on the ground.
"His Majesty!"
Wu Lanxi looked at Sun Yuanzhou and said in a deep voice, "You are responsible for working with the Imperial Guards to thoroughly investigate this matter. I will only give you three days."
"Your subject obeys!" As the Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture, Sun Yuanzhou felt immense pressure.
Suddenly, he noticed someone approaching him, and then stood up with the person's help.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a smiling face.
Tang Huan grasped the hands of the Prefect of Jingzhao and comforted him, "Lord Sun, there's no need to worry too much. I believe this matter will be thoroughly investigated, and I trust that you and General Qian of the Imperial Guard will not betray His Majesty's trust."
With Tang Huan's incident, everything else seemed insignificant.
After Tang Huan returned to the group, he began to doze off and no longer participated in the group's conversations and reports.
In a daze, he noticed that Wu Lanxi was looking in his direction with a meaningful gaze before leaving with Lin Wan'er.
The morning court session has ended.
Tang Huan retrieved his robe from Xiao Shen and stretched at the entrance of the Golden Palace.
Soon, a group of officials surrounded Tang Huan, asking him about the details of the assassination attempt and showing their concern for him.
This matter cannot be discussed in detail, since Tang Huan was not at the residence at the time. He made an excuse to send everyone away and did not talk about it further.
After seeing everyone else off, Tang Huan waited for Wang Tianze.
The two stood side by side, watching the ministers depart.
"Lord Tang, you've set a fire for His Majesty today."
"Arson? I didn't set any fires, I was just worried about the safety of the capital."
Wang Tianze laughed and said, "This fire is burning the Imperial Guards. For the next while, Qian Yongning will probably be too busy to take care of himself."
"Is there something wrong with this person?" Tang Huan discovered that this made Wang Tianze feel very good.
"It's not that there's a problem, but he's quite close to Minister Cui."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
