143 Extra 1

◎The truth is revealed (Yongding Marquis Mansion)◎

Extra 1

Today was the day for the imperial court to hold court. On the steps of Fengtian Gate, the officials were all in high spirits. Many of them had seen the prisoner van that was brought in from outside the capital a few days ago, and many more wanted to see something new and hear about this inspiring victory.

At the morning court, Zhan Yue and Fu Xiao were the protagonists.

Zhan Yue was a second-rank commander of the Nine Gates. He had been in the northwest for a year. The position of the commander of the Nine Gates was very important, and someone else had long since taken over. It was impossible for him to resume the position after returning to Beijing. Moreover, Zhan Yue had won a great victory in the northwest, and the emperor had already thought about his reward. It was not excessive to give him a marquisate.

In addition, the Minister of War Dong Lie was old and weak, and had been involved with Zhao Youcheng in the past. After the rebellion of Marquis Pingyang was exposed, Dong Lie repeatedly asked to resign from the post of Minister of War on the grounds of old age without waiting for Emperor Zhanghe to speak. In the case of Marquis Pingyang, more than ten officials were involved. Although Dong Lie had some private conduct when he was the Minister of War, he had no problems in terms of major principles.

Seeing that Dong Lie was quite sensible, Emperor Zhanghe approved his resignation and did not take any further action against him.

At this point, anyone with a discerning eye could see who Dong Lie was giving way to.

Sure enough, at the morning court session, Emperor Zhanghe not only bestowed the title of Marquis Wuying on Zhan Yue, but also ordered him to take over the position of Minister of War and officially enter the cabinet.

Zhan Yue was always calm and collected, he accepted the order and thanked the emperor politely.

Then it was Fu Xiao's turn. Emperor Zhang He was also very impressed with the only son of Yongding Marquis and praised him, saying, "A general's family will never produce bad sons."

"You are brave and resolute, and you dare to go deep into the Turkic royal court. Compared with Zhan Yanqing, you have worked hard and made great contributions," Emperor Zhanghe smiled. "The last time you went to the battlefield for the first time, you made great contributions. I asked Zhan Yanqing what reward to give you."

"Zhan Yanqing has asked for a third-rank imperial decree for your wife," Emperor Zhanghe said. "This time I ask you in person, what do you want?"

Fu Xiao knelt down with a thud, and he kowtowed to the emperor, saying in a deep voice: "I have fulfilled the expectations of my father and brothers, and I do not want to ask for anything for myself."

"I only ask Your Majesty to make the decision and re-examine the case of the Yongding Marquis Mansion, so that the heroic soul can see the light of day again."

Emperor Zhanghe's calm voice came from the unreachable steps. He asked, "From what you said, there was an injustice in the case of Marquis Yongding?"

"Your Majesty, please be wise!" Fu Xiao knelt upright, "My father and brother were falsely accused of colluding with the Turks in the past. They could not defend themselves and died with regrets."

"But I have been in the northwest for a few years and have personally witnessed Marquis Anding secretly colluding with the Turks. Duke Han and the prince of Marquis Yongning can both testify to this. Marquis Anding was my father's deputy general and followed my father for many years. Who was the colluder and why did my father die on the way to the capital?"

"Your Majesty, please review this case. I only want to get to the bottom of the truth to comfort the souls of my father and brother in heaven."

Fu Xiao supported himself and knelt upright, looking lonely and desolate.

There was no sound in the court. All the ministers held their breath, waiting for the emperor to make a decision.

Emperor Zhanghe stared at him for a long time, then said solemnly, "Approve your request. The case of Marquis Yongding will be re-prepared for a joint trial by the three courts."

A man doesn't shed tears easily, but Fu Xiao's tears rolled down at this moment: "Your Majesty is wise and wise. On behalf of the heroic spirits of the Yongding Marquis' Mansion in the past, I bow to your Majesty."

He kowtowed respectfully, his eyes bloodshot and full of sorrow.

More than thirty years have passed since his father and brother were wronged and suffered. During these thirty years, his only sister, in order to protect him, did not hesitate to be treated as a concubine and had already left him.

He is left alone, shouldering the heavy responsibility of "reviving the truth and reviving the Fu family". He has grown from a toddler to the battlefield general he is today.

The moonlight in the northwest, the gravel on the hillside, the sound of swords and horses fighting on the battlefield...it all hits my ears like a heavy hammer.

Fu Xiao met the gaze of Zhan Yue who was standing on the steps and smiled at him.

Dad, second brother, and sister, did you all see it? Did Yanqing and I disappoint you?

The case of Yongding Hou remained unsolved for more than 30 years, and most of the people involved had died in the previous emperor's reign. The person who sued Yongding Hou for collusion with the enemy was Wei Yushi Taizhongcheng, who claimed to have a handwritten letter of communication between Yongding Hou and the Turks.

This handwritten letter is the key evidence of the death of Marquis Yongding. It is still kept in the Ministry of Justice and is not difficult to read. However, this witness died in the third year of Zhanghe.

The Minister of Justice An Yang was inevitably in a dilemma. This was a case without a beginning or an end back then, so how should he investigate it now?

Fortunately, Fu Xiao's years in the northwest were not in vain, and he really found some clues. Since the day when the court came down, Fu Xiao submitted it, and there was also some evidence that Jiashan had obtained from Li before.

After seeing these evidences, the Minister of Justice, the Minister of the Supreme Court, and the Chief Censor of the Censorate took stock and immediately brought the Marquis of Anding, who had been imprisoned since returning to the capital, to the court for questioning.

Lin Yan, the Marquis of Anding, is no longer the same person he used to be. Ever since Zhan Yue stripped him of his military power, he knew that things were not good. He was walking on the edge of a knife, and he had expected this day to come, so he remained calm and answered whatever was asked.

Having come to this point, he was very clear about his final fate and only hoped to die with dignity.

The Minister of Justice Anyang was a shrewd and capable official who got to the point with every question, but the Marquis of Anding's answer still shocked Anyang.

When presenting the confession of Marquis Anding, Anyang didn't even dare to look at the emperor's expression.

Emperor Zhang He had always been good at cultivating his Qi, and was a monarch who never showed his emotions. But when he saw this confession, his face turned as cold as ice, and his anger was evident.

"Well, what a great Marquis of Anding!" Emperor Zhang He stood up from the dragon chair and threw the confession to the ground fiercely. "He has been colluding with the enemy for more than 30 years. The iron mines in the northwest have almost been dug up by him! I and the late emperor were so foolish as to trust such a heartless person!"

"If Fu Xiao hadn't proposed a retrial of the case, how long would I have been kept in the dark?"

Emperor Zhanghe said: "These evildoers have no respect for the emperor or the country. They framed loyal people. They should be executed with their entire family!"

Anyang, who was standing by, had already anticipated the king's reaction and did not dare to say anything.

Zhao Youze took a step forward, picked up the confession thrown on the ground, and read it word by word. As for the matter of collaborating with the enemy, it was ironclad, and Anding Hou had already confessed without hesitation.

As for the case of Marquis Yongding, the testimony also clearly stated the whole story.

More than 30 years ago, Lin Yan accidentally discovered an unexploited iron mine in the northwest. Since Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, most dynasties have implemented a salt and iron monopoly system, strictly prohibiting private iron casting. If iron ore and salt mines are discovered, they can only be mined by the court, otherwise they will be severely punished.

Lin Yan was blinded by greed and did not report the discovery of the iron mine to the court.

At that time, the northwest was governed by Marquis Yongding. Lin Yan could hide the truth from the late emperor who was far away in the capital, but he could not hide the truth from Marquis Yongding who was right in front of him.

Yongding Hou followed the clues and although he had not yet found out who was behind the mining, he sent people to find out the whereabouts of the iron ore and prepared to report it to the late emperor. However, the staff under Yongding Hou were careless and leaked the news to Lin Yanxiaode, who was the deputy general at the time.

Lin Yan knew very well what a serious crime private iron mining was, so he decided to go all out and bribed the aide with huge benefits.

The aide was originally a clerk under the Yongding Marquis. He was very familiar with the Yongding Marquis' handwriting and easily imitated a letter between the Yongding Marquis and the Turkic general.

Afterwards, Lin Yan sent a letter to the eunuch Liu Ban to surrender. Yongding Hou Fu Yan was the uncle of Prince Xiaohuai, and Prince Xiaohuai had had an affair with Liu Ban in his early years. Lin Yan knew that Liu Ban wanted to cut off Prince Xiaohuai's wings.

Sure enough, the two hit it off immediately. On the way to escorting Marquis Yongding to the capital, Liu Ban sent a young eunuch to kill him. Countless severe punishments were imposed on Marquis Yongding, which resulted in Marquis Yongding not being able to make it to the capital to meet the late emperor.

Later, Lin Yan gained countless benefits from this iron mine. Although his military ability was not as good as that of Yongding Hou, or even that of Han Guogong who succeeded Yongding Hou, he made a huge fortune in the northwest by mining, and also traded salt and iron with the Turks in private in exchange for stability on the border.

The confession also wrote: "I know that this is like trying to pull chestnuts out of the fire, and it won't last long, so I have been thinking about cutting off contact with the Turks. But the Qin Wang and his son suddenly contacted me, saying that they had something on me, and if I couldn't use it for their own benefit, they would present it to His Majesty. But if I was willing to help him ascend the throne, not only would he forgive my past with the Turks, but he would also let me continue to control the military power in the northwest, and even make me a vassal king. I knew that the Qin Wang's words were false, but I had to fight with the tiger. I have sold out my country for many years, deceived the emperor, and I know that I am guilty of death, but the Qin Wang is ambitious, how can I continue to let him deceive the world. Even if the Qin Wang and his son are dead, they should not escape the law. I hope that Lord An will face His Majesty on my behalf and don't let His Majesty be deceived."

Anyang recorded these words word for word, but he did not dare to ask what should be done with the King of Qin's reputation after his death.

After all, the people cried a lot because of the brotherhood between Emperor Zhanghe and King Qin.

After reading the confession, Zhao Youze sighed softly.

Emperor Zhanghe's face was grim. He said, "Announce this confession to the world and immediately remove the bodies of the King of Qin and his son from the imperial mausoleum. There will be no more King of Qin in my reign."

"Yes," Anyang bowed and said loudly, "Your Majesty's holy candlelight is a blessing to the world."

Emperor Zhang He sneered, "Stop flattering me. What were you thinking of showing me this confession overnight? Do you think I don't know?"

"You are thinking that I was moved by Fu Xiao during the morning court today. You are afraid that my passion will fade away tomorrow. You think I will make a big deal out of a small matter, right?" Emperor Zhang He said with a bad look on his face.

Anyang said hurriedly: "I dare not. I have always known that Your Majesty is a wise emperor."

"Hmph." Emperor Zhanghe said, "Kneel down with my decree in hand."

Anyang said, "Yes."

After Anyang left, Zhao Youze obediently stepped forward and said, "I will help your father draft an edict."

"What decree are you drafting?" Emperor Zhang He was still angry after reading the confession, so he glanced at him.

"It's the decree to re-confer the title of Marquis of Yongding," Zhao Youze smiled, "Since Marquis Fu was wrongly convicted, it's too innocent to strip him of his title."

"Now that Fu Xiao has made great contributions, Father can take this opportunity to return the jade intact to Zhao, and just win over Fu Xiao," Zhao Youze said, "That's what Father thinks, right?"

Emperor Zhang He groaned and said, "I originally intended to leave this opportunity to win the hearts of the people to you."

"Fu Xiao has the talent of a commander, and the northwest is the old territory of the Yongding Marquis lineage. It would be most appropriate to send him to succeed Lin Yan and guard the northwest." Emperor Zhang He said.

Zhao Youze said, "Father, you love me, and I understand that. But the Marquis of Yongding has been wronged for so long, and Yuankang sincerely hopes that the clouds will be cleared and the sun will shine. Father, please come."

Emperor Zhang He thought for a moment and sighed, "Forget it. The innocent souls have been buried for decades, so let them be brought to light as soon as possible."

The next day, the whole story of the Yongding Marquis case was laid out in a clear and honest manner. Emperor Zhanghe re-granted the title of Yongding Marquis to Fu Xiao, and also appointed him as the second-rank governor-general, in charge of the military affairs of the four northern towns.