Chapter 114 Chapter 114
After Xie Qingya said this, not even the sound of crying could be heard in the hall for a moment.
Although it was expected.
But the people in the palace never expected that the King of Nannan would be so direct.
It can even be called straightforward.
Only a few people looked at Xie Qingya with complicated expressions.
Especially Qu Boyuan.
He looked at this former proud student of his with a very complicated look in his eyes.
Xie Qingya ignored them.
After he finished speaking, he took out the second piece of evidence and hung it high above his head.
This evidence was the proof that Quan Fangtong had accepted bribes and enriched himself over the years. It also contained several of his properties and certificates for his collection of cultural relics and antiques...
These are the things that Xie Qingya has secretly sent people to verify over the years.
The number of people involved and the amount of money involved are enough to make people's eyes water.
The little noble was well prepared.
As soon as Xie Qingya held the evidence high above his head, he immediately walked down and took the evidence from the person.
He first submitted it to Liu Xie for review.
Although he already knew that Quan Fang was greedy by nature, and he had also heard from his cousin how much bribes he had received over the years, but when he really flipped through the pages, Liu Xie was still so angry that his blood boiled, and the handsome face of the young man behind the twelve crowns also turned red.
"Bullshit!"
He lost his temper for the first time at the morning court.
When all the officials saw this, they were horrified and dared not utter a word.
Even though Liu Xie no longer had real power, he was still an emperor known to all people in the world.
Even if Cao Da came in front of him at this time, he would not dare to be too presumptuous.
All officials lowered their eyes and listened to the holy teachings.
"Minister Zhou, you are the Minister of Revenue, please come and see if this evidence is reasonable." Liu Xie said this while holding back his anger, and then asked the little noble to go down and hand the evidence to Zhou Shanming.
Zhou Shanming bowed slightly, took the book with both hands and began to flip through it. With every page he turned, his expression changed.
"What does Minister Zhou think?" Liu Xie asked him in a deep voice.
Just as Zhou Shanming was about to reply, there was another commotion behind him.
Liu Xie was sitting high up, so he could almost see Cao Da's figure at a glance.
Seeing Cao Da wearing the dragon robe that was forced upon him and walking among the officials, many officials lowered their heads when they saw him.
He still had a smile on his face and walked slowly towards me.
From time to time, he would greet familiar officials around him with a smile.
Those officials whom he called naturally responded one after another.
Liu Xie, who was originally full of anger, saw Cao Da appear at the moment.
The instinct he had developed over the years made him shrink back subconsciously the moment he saw Cao Da, and the anger that had originally appeared on his face had already solidified.
Fortunately, he has the little nobleman by his side.
Although the young noble was also afraid of Cao Da, when he received the look from Prince Nan'an, he immediately pulled Liu Xie's sleeve gently.
Only then did Liu Xie come to his senses.
He immediately looked towards Xie Qingya nervously.
Seeing that his cousin nodded to him calmly, with a reassuring look in his eyes, Liu Xie's fear of Cao Da finally faded a little.
This is their best chance to take down Caoda.
His cousin and Lord Mei have been lying in wait for this day. He absolutely cannot make any mistakes at this time and ruin their plans!
Liu Xie thought so.
He clenched his hands tightly and sat down again.
Although he was still afraid of Cao Da, he did not show any timidity at this time.
Cao Da has already walked to the front among all the officials.
He walked directly to Xie Qingya and stopped beside him. He did not greet Liu Xie right away, but smiled and said, "It's so lively."
"Hasn't the Prince of Nan'an been ill at home? How come he has time to attend the morning court today?" He smiled and turned his head to greet Xie Qingya.
Her eyes fell on him and she let out an "ouch".
"Why is the Prince of Nan'an dressed like this out of nowhere? It's not something that would make people jump with fear. I would have thought something had happened again."
As soon as he said this.
Many people present changed their expressions.
Xie Qingya also turned his head to look at Cao Da.
Looking at the mocking smile on Cao Da's face, Xie Qingya naturally knew that he was deliberately trying to provoke him.
My hand unconsciously pinched the amulet in my sleeve.
The amulet and handkerchief that Xu Duanyi found at the beginning have now returned to him.
When he entered the palace today, for some unknown reason, he brought this old amulet with him.
Just like every time he went to the battlefield.
At this time, he was holding the amulet and looking at Cao Da calmly.
He was not irritated.
On the contrary, when Chen Xing saw Cao Da appeared, his face, which had just been filled with joy when he saw Shen Fu, was almost immediately filled with anger.
Without thinking, he just wanted to rush towards Cao Da!
Until Shen Fu grabbed his arm.
This would have to change in the past.
Shen Fu naturally couldn't catch Chen Xing.
But things were different now. Chen Xing was so thin that only a layer of skin and bones were left. Shen Fu naturally pulled him over without much effort.
Chen Xing turned his head, his eyes red and his face full of anxiety.
He tried to speak with a hoarse voice, but all he could come out was "ahhhh" sound.
This was also the first time he spoke since entering the hall today.
Shen Fu's eyes reddened again when he heard this voice, but he still held Chen Xing's arm tightly and said to him in a low voice, "Don't worry, I'm here, as well as the Prince of Nan'an."
"We can definitely work this out."
After hearing this, Chen Xing's intense emotions calmed down a little.
Cao Da seemed to have just noticed the presence of Chen Xing in the court. He turned his head and when he saw Chen Xing, he exclaimed "Ouch!", "You scared me."
"Who is this? He looks weird and scary." He touched his chest, looking frightened.
As soon as these words came out.
Shen Fu and Xie Qingya both looked at Cao Da sharply at the same time.
Cao Da ignored Xie Qingya and looked directly at Shen Fu and asked, "Why, Minister Shen, is this your friend?"
In recent years, Shen Fu has never participated in party and political disputes.
He was neither Liu Xie's man, nor Empress Dowager Zhaoyu's man, nor Cao Da's man.
He just does his own thing.
If this had happened in the past, Shen Fu would have either responded with a few cold words or simply not responded at all.
But today, he looked at Cao Da coldly and asked, "Today, the Prince of Nan'an reported that four years ago, a man named Quan secretly replaced military supplies, causing our soldiers to die in the Battle of Nagano."
"I would like to ask Master Cao, what is the relationship between this Quan Fangtong and you?"
"Did you make him leave Beijing to take up his post in Jiangning? And was it you who paved the way for him to be promoted to Jiangning Textile Factory Director within two years?"
Shen Fu's voice is much colder than that of ordinary people.
At this time, he directly questioned Cao Da in the main hall in front of all the officials, which completely separated the decency that was maintained between them.
Cao Da was indeed somewhat surprised and couldn't help but look at Shen Fu once more.
But the words he said were calm, as if he was confident of what he had said: "Which adult is Quan? We usually meet so many people, how can we remember any Quan or dog?"
Shen Fu had a cold face and wanted to speak.
Xie Qingya's voice was heard first in the hall: "Oh? Really? Master Cao is so old that he can't even remember his own brother?"
As soon as Xie Qingya said this.
The hall was silent at first, and then the discussion started again.
This time even those officials who were afraid of Cao Da could not help but discuss the matter in whispers.
As for Cao Da, the moment Xie Qingya said this, he suddenly turned his head and looked at him.
The nonchalance on his face was replaced by horror.
In the hall, other officials also asked questions.
"Prince Nan'an, what brother? Are you saying that Quan Fangtong is the younger brother of Cao Zhangyin?"
"You must be kidding. These two people don't have the same last name."
"But if Prince Nan'an said so, then Quan Fangtong does look somewhat similar to Master Cao..."
There was endless discussion about this matter in the palace.
Xie Qingya said nothing, still looking coldly at Cao Da beside him.
And Cao Da, under his gaze...
After the initial shock subsided, his expression became completely gloomy.
Especially when he saw Xie Qingya looking at him, there was a mocking and scornful look on his face, just like he had before.
Such an expression——
How could Cao Da, who had been used to being second to none over the years, bear this? His face darkened again.
Just as he was about to open his mouth to speak.
Xie Qingya just pursed his lips, turned away, and said to the emperor who was sitting on the throne: "Quan Fangtong is the half-brother of Cao Zhangyin."
He dropped such a heavy bomb first.
Cao Da's face turned completely dark, and the discussions in the hall became even more heated.
But Xie Qingya's words did not stop there.
He continued, "Back then, our Cao Zhangyin was just a child from a remote mountain village in Shandong. He lost his mother when he was four years old. Within two years, his father remarried a concubine. From then on, the miserable life of our Cao Zhangyin began."
Cao Da really didn't expect this.
Xie Qingya actually found out all these things.
He had been very cautious these years. Apart from Chen Li and Chai Shou who were by his side, only Quan Fang and himself knew about the relationship between them.
He didn't know how Xie Qingya knew all this.
Who told him?
Chen Li? Chai Shou? Or Quan Fangtong?
Cao Da didn't know.
He didn't have the mood to think about these things at the moment.
He looked at Xie Qingya with a cold and sinister face. How could Cao Da be happy when his past was exposed, and it was such a past?
The calmness that came with me is long gone.
He looked at Xie Qingya coldly, his eyes full of anger, and the first thing he said was: "Shut up!"
But how could Xie Qingya possibly listen to him?
He didn't even look at Cao Da. Amid the murmurs of surprise, he continued to speak slowly, "When Cao Zhangyin was six years old, his stepmother became pregnant and unfortunately had a miscarriage. That winter, Cao Zhangyin's father, despite the fact that Cao Zhangyin was his eldest son, sold Cao Zhangyin to a eunuch who was buying palace maids at the time at the instigation of his stepmother. From then on, Cao Zhangyin followed him all the way north and entered the palace."
"Xie! Qing! Ya!"
Cao Da's eyes were bloodshot and his voice was filled with hatred that penetrated his bones.
Many people couldn't help but shudder when they saw Cao Da's appearance. Liu Xie, who knew Cao Da's temper well, turned pale and subconsciously shrank back.
Only Xie Qingya remained the same as before.
Even seeing Cao Da who was enraged at the moment, he turned his head and smiled at him: "Master Cao, am I right?"
When has Cao Da ever been provoked like this?
He glared at Xie Qingya and subconsciously raised his arms, just like he did when he was disciplining his subordinates in the past.
But Xie Qingya was not one of his obedient subordinates.
Cao Da knew his sharpness and methods better than anyone else, otherwise they would not have been kept in the dark for so many years.
Now he was caught off guard and killed by him.
The raised arm finally dropped down.
He looked at Xie Qingya with a cold face, but in the end he did not deny it.
"Yes, so what?"
"He is a half-brother whom I have never met before. What do you think I can do for him, Prince Nan'an?"
The situation was indeed worse than he had imagined.
Cao Da really didn't expect that Xie Qingya could actually find out the relationship between him and Quan Fangtong.
This also broke his initial calmness.
But who can prove what he did for Quan Fangtong? Whether it was transferring Quan Fangtong out of the capital or letting him take the position of Jiangning Textile Factory, he didn't do it personally.
Xie Qingya hasn't found out about the only time he appeared in person.
Otherwise, he wouldn't be the only one here.
Xie Qingya looked at him and asked, "Then Master Cao refused to admit that the transfer of Quan Fangtong out of the capital had anything to do with you?"
Cao Da looked at him and sneered: "Why should I admit to something I didn't do?"
"Just because he's my brother, it doesn't mean that I'm responsible for all his murders and arson, right? I stay in the palace all day and I don't see him very often in a year. Even if he did something in my name, you can't blame me for everything."
Before Xie Qingya could continue speaking, Cao Da changed the subject and talked about the purpose of his visit today: "Since you are talking about Quan Fangtong, I also have something to ask the King of Nan'an."
Xie Qingya raised his eyebrows and raised his hand, making a "please" gesture, and said gracefully: "Master Cao, please speak."
"Yesterday, everyone in the family died in the same house. Everyone in the mansion was killed in the house."
Cao Da looked at Xie Qingya's face carefully and asked, "As far as I know, Quan Fangtong has been in the capital for more than half a month, and he has been living a happy life without any problems. Why did he suffer such a disaster just a few days after the prince came back?"
"Yesterday, everyone died together. Today, the prince first accused him of being the culprit of the Battle of Nagano, and then tried to put it on me—"
"I would like to ask Prince Nan'an, where were you yesterday?"
Almost as soon as Cao Da said this, the hall suddenly became quiet again, and everyone's eyes fell on the two of them.
Liu Xie, Mei Xuezheng, and Qu Boyuan clenched their fists tightly, with worried expressions on their faces.
Even Shen Fu and others frowned.
Chen Xing let out an “ah” and tried to come over.
Cao Da heard the voice and sneered again, "Don't talk, you idiot. There are no four treasures of the study for you to write with here. Besides, you are the King of Nan'an's man. Who knows whether what you said is true or false?"
When Shen Fu heard him say this, his face suddenly darkened: "Master Cao, don't be so harsh!"
Cao Da said "Oh" as if he just remembered something, and apologized with a smile: "I forgot that this brother is a good friend of Minister Shen. Okay, I take back what I just said."
"But I still say the same thing. This brother's words cannot be used as evidence unless the King of Nan'an has other witnesses."
"As for the nonsense in the palace, Prince Nan'an, there is no need to say it. My people were at the gate of Prince Nan'an's palace yesterday, but they didn't see you coming back."
"On the contrary, it was my men who fought against the black-clothed man who killed Quan Fangtong. My men said that the black-clothed man who killed Quan Fangtong was very similar in stature and build to the prince."
"Most importantly—"
He squinted at Xie Qingya and said, "He also knew that the man in black had injuries on his body."
"Can you please explain where you were yesterday, my Lord? Or just take off your coat and let us see if you have any signs of injury?"
His words completely blocked Xie Qingya's escape route.
When Liu Xie heard this, his expression changed completely.
He placed his hands on the dragon-patterned armrests of the throne and tried to speak.
But Xie Qingya spoke first: "Oh?"
Xie Qingya looked at Cao Da, who was still in the same state as before, not panicking at all: "I didn't know that Master Cao had actually planted people outside my house?"
Cao Dasi didn't feel that she had done anything wrong.
He looked at the man with a matter-of-fact look on his face: "The Dongxi Factory and the Jinyi Guard originally had the responsibility to supervise the officials and protect the people. Not to mention the King of Nan'an, even the other ministers, I am also under someone's supervision."
As Cao Da spoke, he glanced behind him.
The officials he stared at either shrank their heads or frowned and clenched their fists, with unsightly expressions on their faces.
How could Xie Qingya not know what Cao Da meant?
Cao Da controls the Dongxi Factory and the Jinyiwei, which means he controls the lives of many officials.
No one can guarantee that he or she has no secrets.
It is with these that Cao Da has secured his current position.
At this moment, Xie Qingya's expression finally darkened a little.
Cao Da looked at the reactions of his ministers and looked away with satisfaction.
Seeing Xie Qingya's gloomy face, he felt even more relieved: "Why doesn't Prince Nan'an speak? Is he speechless?"
Lu Qin, who had been standing beside Xie Qingya since he came in and had not left, frowned and suddenly spoke: "I..."
In front, Qu Boyuan was just about to speak.
But the two voices were drowned out by a loud voice outside.
"Prince Nan'an was with me yesterday."
This voice suddenly rang out in the hall, immediately touching the hearts of many people.
Almost everyone, whether they cared about the matter or not, looked behind them at this moment.
Even Xie Qingya is the same.
He listened to the voice which was not familiar but not strange either, turned his head and looked behind him. His eyes met with Shen Yu in the crowd. Both of them turned their heads away and looked forward without making a sound.
The officials once again gave way.
All the officials in the crowd looked behind them, and Cao Da also frowned and looked behind him.
This book is compiled exclusively for you by the LK team.
Not only did the officials cry out in surprise, but even Cao Da's previously smug face froze at this moment.
"Prince Xiao."
"Master Xiao."
…
Respectful calls echoed one after another in the hall.
Xiao Yuanxing nodded to everyone and walked slowly forward. His gaze stayed on Xie Qingya for a moment, but soon he retracted his gaze without making a sound.
"His Majesty."
When they reached Xie Qingya and Cao Da, Xiao Yuanxing first bowed and greeted Liu Xie.
Liu Xie was also very surprised when he looked at him.
He subconsciously glanced at his cousin first.
But his cousin didn't look at him at this time, so he had to suppress his shock and quickly let Xiao Yuanxing get up first.
After Xiao Yuanxing thanked him, he greeted Cao Da beside him: "Master Cao."
Cao Da looked at Xiao Yuanxing, who looked the same as before, frowning. Just as he was about to speak, Qu Boyuan couldn't help but speak first: "Master Xiao, you just said that the Prince of Nan'an was with you yesterday. Is this true?"
Xiao Yuanxing nodded: "Of course I take it seriously."
"Prince Xiao, think it over before you speak." Cao Da lowered his voice, his expression much uglier than before.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuanxing frowned and asked in surprise, "Why do you have to think it through? What I said is the truth."
Upon hearing this, Cao Da frowned even more.
He looked at Xiao Yuanxing, then at Xie Qingya, and for a moment he could not tell whether what Xiao Yuanxing said was true or false.
It doesn't matter whether it's true or not.
Cao Da was very upset because his original plan was disrupted.
"Why didn't I know before that Prince Xiao and Prince Nannan had such a good relationship and even had a private relationship... Does the Empress Dowager know about this?" He looked at Xiao Yuanxing and deliberately mentioned the Empress Dowager Zhaoyu.
Xiao Yuanxing, however, remained calm and collected.
Hearing this, he simply said, "Meeting in private means we have a personal relationship? Why didn't Master Cao ask me why I went to see him yesterday?"
This attitude made Cao Da a little surprised. This book is exclusively compiled by the LK team for you. He asked consciously, "What to do?"
Xiao Yuanxing glanced at Xie Qingya with a neutral look before he frowned and said, "I was trying to teach him a lesson. I was a good cousin who had never suffered any hardship since childhood. After she went to Yutian, she was dragged down by him and almost lost her life!"
"If you don't believe me, you can just ask Prince Nan'an to take off his shirt. I stabbed him with a plum blossom dart yesterday, and the injury should still be there."
Cao Da had been listening with a frown on his face.
When he heard the word "Plum Blossom Dart", his eyes widened immediately and his expression changed.
He knew that the weapon that killed Quan Fangtong was the plum blossom dart!
If Xie Qingya was the man in black yesterday, then the injuries on his body could only have been caused by the plum blossom dart!
But why Xiao Yuanxing——
Thinking of something, Cao Da's heart suddenly sank. He looked at the two people's eyes and narrowed them a little.
"It's not good. I'm going to take off my clothes in front of more than a hundred eyes in front of me." Xie Qingya's voice echoed in the hall.
At this moment, he lost the coldness he had shown when he made the previous report, and returned to his usual playboy self.
Xiao Yuanxing naturally would not answer him like this.
But Qu Boyuan couldn't stay any longer.
Not caring that it was still morning court, he shouted, "Just take it off if I tell you to? What's more important, face or this matter?" After he said that, he strode towards the people, trying to attack Xie Qingya directly so that he would stop being shy!
"Hey, old man, what are you doing? I'll do it myself!" This book is exclusively compiled for you by the LK team. Xie Qingya was frightened by his display. He shouted something and immediately took a few steps back.
As if he had no other choice but to pull his left shoulder down a little.
The wound on top had not yet healed completely, and everyone could see the situation over there at a glance.
Qu Boyuan was still worried and called out to Shen Fu, "Fenghua, come over here and take a look. Is this the trace of the plum blossom dart?"
Shen Fu did not refuse. He walked over, took a look, and then nodded.
Seeing him nod, Qu Boyuan finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had just acted in a hurry, but now that he was so close and looking at his former proud student, he didn't know what to say for a moment.
He didn't know what to say.
The same is true for Xie Qingya.
He also didn't expect that the old man was still so worried about him.
It's not that I didn't feel touched.
But now was not the time to talk about this. After Xie Qingya put on his clothes again, he looked at Cao Da and raised his eyebrows and said, "Master Cao, are you sure that the person your people saw was me?"
What can Cao Da say?
He didn't know when Xiao Yuanxing and Xie Qingya had colluded with each other. This was beyond his initial understanding and preparation.
But at this moment, what else can he say?
If anyone were to speak up for Xie Qingya today, he would be able to find a solution.
It happened to be this Xiao Yuanxing.
I guess it's because of that girl from the Xu family again!
Cao Da gnashed his teeth in hatred in his heart, but he couldn't say anything.
He could only keep a cold face and say sinisterly: "Since Master Xiao has testified for you, we naturally can't say anything more."
Xie Qingya nodded.
"Since Master Cao has nothing to say, I do have something to say."
After saying this, seeing Cao Da frowning and looking at him, Xie Qingya did not look at him again, but continued to face forward and said loudly: "I have something here that can prove that it was Master Cao himself who helped Quan Fang to leave the capital and stabilize Jiangning!"
"In addition, I have a booklet that records the bribes received by Cao Zhangyin over the years."
"The amount of money involved is staggering."
"Although Cao Zhangyin has the merit of assisting the emperor, he is the first and only minister to achieve this. I heard that there are officials in Shandong who want to build a palace for Cao Zhangyin."
"It's really eye-catching to see all these things."
"If everyone is like Cao Zhangyin, abusing their power to enrich themselves, what will be the future of our Great Xia?"
"Your Majesty, I ask you to look into this matter carefully!"
As Xie Qingya spoke, he suddenly lifted up his robe and knelt down again.
Cao Da looked at Xie Qingya and flew into a rage: "Xie Qingya, you——"
But before he could finish his words, the sound of people kneeling down one after another rang out behind him: Qu Boyuan, Shen Fu, Chen Xing, Shen Yu, Mei Xuezheng...
These people knelt down almost at the same time.
Afterwards, people like Zhou Shanming, Lu Qin and others also knelt down one after another.
Not long after, even the Chief Minister of the Cabinet, Sun Hongde, who had never been very involved in affairs of state, and the old scholars of the Hanlin Academy knelt down.
After these two men knelt, the rest of the people looked at each other and knelt as well.
In just a short while.
In this hall, most of the people were kneeling sparsely, so that those who were left standing became uneasy.
He looked like he wanted to kneel, but was hesitant and didn't dare to do so.
"you!"
Cao Da was so angry at this scene that his blood boiled.
But as soon as he shouted, he was drowned out by the voices of these people again: "Your Majesty, please look into this matter!"
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