"Abandon the 100,000 troops in the southwest!" Ning Yin was genuinely surprised. Seeing that others were drawn to him by his suddenly loud voice, he quickly coughed and said, "General Cheng is eating vegetables. Is he really that powerful?"
Firstly, his kung fu was naturally better than his. He couldn't even fight back against him. Secondly, his family background was not inferior to his. His appearance was even more outstanding. With someone like that around, Yuexiaxian would naturally look down on him... What was he thinking!!!
"Hmm, very impressive. If he was in the northwest, the Northwest Campaign wouldn't have lasted so long. Are you interested in the Crown Princess?" Cheng Ze Rui said in a deep voice, "There's no chance for the two of you."
"I'm not interested in him." Ning Yin said.
He was interested in the prince. He had only heard that the prince was often ill, and had never seen him even though he had entered the palace with his mother many times. He never thought that he was such a handsome man. But if he wanted to marry, he must marry someone who only had him in her heart. Naturally, he wanted to be the legal wife. He couldn't take it away from others, and there was no point in forcing his way in.
Cheng Ze Rui looked at him and said, "You wouldn't ask someone for no reason... Forget it, I'm afraid the matter in the northwest won't end well. Stay away from me for the next few days to avoid getting yourself implicated."
"Zhao Binzhi, would he dare?!" Ning Yin said. Under Cheng Ze Rui's glare, he lowered his head and said, "General, what I mean is that the events in the northwest are clearly not your fault, but the fault of the commander-in-chief. If you punish meritorious officials and reward those who have committed mistakes, it will truly chill the hearts of thousands of soldiers. I will be absent that day. If I were here, I would definitely testify on your behalf."
"Fortunately you're not here. Otherwise, with your hatred of evil, you'd probably be in big trouble." Cheng Ze Rui said, "Don't get involved in this matter. If Your Majesty really wants to kill me without knowing right from wrong, I'll prove my innocence with my blood."
"General, why are you so stubborn..." Ning Yin met his gaze and lowered his head in hesitation, "I understand."
Although he was afraid of Cheng Ze Rui, this man was definitely a real man and a true hero in the battlefield. No matter what, he could not let such a man die unjustly with all his merits.
The Northwest incident was of grave importance. Emperor Mingcheng ordered the Ministry of Justice and the Imperial Court to jointly investigate. Countless witnesses testified, including Northwest Grand Marshal Zhao Binzhi and General Cheng Zerui, both of whom gave statements. However, within two days, Cheng Zerui was arrested by the Ministry of Justice and imprisoned. The results of the investigation were presented to Emperor Mingcheng, who looked at them and said, "Did General Cheng really frame the Grand Marshal?"
The Minister of Justice knelt deeply on the ground and said, "Your Majesty, please understand. We dare not speak nonsense."
"In that case, arrest the man and execute him in three days to reassure the Grand Marshal." Emperor Ming Cheng said as he looked at the contents of the memorial.
"Yes." The Minister of Justice accepted the order.
The matter was settled. In the Crown Prince's Mansion, Xiao Tang placed a chess piece opposite Lin Su: "It seems that Your Majesty still chooses to trust Zhao Binzhi."
"It's not that I believe him, but he can control such people easily." Lin Su held the chess piece in his hand. "Even if he really delays the military operation, His Majesty only wants the outcome of the northwest war. He will be executed in three days. What are you going to do?"
"Zhao Binzhi is adept at manipulating power, and he has many close connections within the court. Your Majesty may or may not believe him in this matter. He won't gamble on your Majesty's wishes, but will instead start with hard evidence." Xiao Tang pulled out a folded piece of paper and pushed it in front of Lin Su. "The Crown Prince's Mansion sent a gift to the Northwest Marshal's Mansion, but the Empress directly used her connections within the court, including those in the Supreme Court and the Ministry of Justice. She can only be guilty of stealing this kind of evidence."
Lin Su took the paper, looked at the list on it, gestured for someone to bring a pen and ink, and picked out a few names and handed them over. Xiao Tang looked at the newly added names and frowned, "Are they too?"
"Gan Bo and Zhao Binzhi have ancient ancestors. Although they seem to have nothing to do with each other, they actually support each other. As for Yao Kang and others, when the Zhao family was still a wealthy family in Jiangnan, they gave money to students who had no money to go to Beijing to take the imperial examinations. Some passed the exam, and some failed. The only ones who were able to gain a firm position were the remaining few." Lin Su said.
"I haven't found any such connection." Xiao Tang pondered as he looked at the names. "The Crown Princess is showing off her talent like this. Isn't she really afraid that this Crown Prince will be wary of her?"
"Don't be afraid." Lin Su picked up a white piece from the chessboard and said, "Your Highness, instead of distracting me here, why don't you play chess properly? Making a move secretly like this is not what a gentleman does."
Xiao Tang's face flushed slightly. He put the paper away, coughed, and said, "I didn't do that. Falsely accusing the Crown Prince is a serious crime."
He played chess with this man all morning, but didn't win a single game. He was about to lose again. He finally placed a chess piece, but he was noticed by him.
"Just tell me and I'll give it to you." Lin Su said, looking at his face.
"No need." Xiao Tang said stubbornly.
It's so meaningless to give in, as if he can't afford to lose.
Then Xiao Tang lost miserably again. Looking at the horrible situation on the chessboard, he began to pack up his pieces: "I'm not going to play anymore."
"Okay, it's almost time for dinner." Lin Su put the chess piece back in his hand. "After dinner, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince should go to work. If you don't want to play, then don't play."
Xiao Tang felt unhappy. This guy had been winning all morning and now he wanted to run away. "No, let's play another round!"
He doesn't believe he can't win.
Lin Su looked at him calmly: "Then let's make a deal in advance. You are not allowed to get angry if you lose."
"How could I be such a stingy person?" Xiao Tang gritted his teeth and said, "One more round, win or lose, and today's game is over."
"Okay, Your Highness the Crown Prince is very generous." Lin Su said with a smile.
He wanted to make a move, so Lin Su naturally played with him. At the beginning, Xiao Tang was still in a crushing position. He was a little overwhelmed, but starting from the first piece, the situation gradually turned around. Lin Su's expression turned serious, but Xiao Tang pressed on and pursued the victory, not daring to relax his mind even a little bit. It was not until the last piece fell and the situation was in his favor that he breathed a sigh of relief: "Win."
Although I only won by one and a half points, a win is a win.
He couldn't hide the joy on his face. Lin Su packed up the chess pieces and said, "That was a mistake just now. Let's play another game."
Xiao Tang reached out and pressed the chessboard, saying, "A win is a win. I have to accept the loss. We agreed to have dinner together regardless of winning or losing. How can I go back on my word so easily?"
"Okay, I admit defeat." Lin Su raised his hand and said, "I admit defeat."
Having beaten this little guy all morning, he should be in a good mood in the afternoon. At a glance, no one would know that he did it on purpose.
Xiao Tang's eyebrows curved: "You really lost."
"Let's play again someday. I want to win back." Lin Su said as he packed up the chess pieces.
Xiao Tang felt that he might not want to play chess again in the short term. It was a rare opportunity to win against this man, so he naturally wanted to keep it in his pocket. "Let's talk about it next time when I'm free."
"Your Highness the Crown Prince won't be free until a year later, right? Don't be afraid, maybe you can win next time." Lin Su said with a smile.
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