As expected, there was an undercurrent in the Golden Palace that day.
As soon as the emperor sat on the throne, the Imperial Censor Zhou Yan could not wait to step forward and accuse Pei Yuan.
"Your Majesty, I have a report to make!"
He looked sharply at Pei Yuan who was standing at the head of the military officers. "Yesterday, Xie Xiang was assassinated. The arrows used by the assassin were weapons from the northern border. And General Pei happened to be returning to the capital with 100,000 border troops recently. This matter is too strange."
There was an uproar in the hall, and everyone turned their eyes to Pei Yuan.
Another minister came out and echoed, "Your Majesty, it is unreasonable for General Pei to lead the army back to the capital without the imperial order. Now that such an assassination of an important official has occurred, I can't help but wonder... Is General Pei trying to gain power over others?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the whole court was in an uproar.
Some were wary, some were enjoying the show, and some were frowning in deep thought.
Pei Yuan looked around at everyone present, and finally snorted coldly: "This general has been ordered by the emperor to return to the capital to report on his duties. A hundred thousand troops are stationed thirty miles outside the city. How can it be said that they have 'self-reliant troops'?"
"Then how do you explain the weapons of the Northern Territory?" Zhou Yan asked aggressively, "Apart from General Pei's men, who else can mobilize the weapons of the Northern Territory?"
Immediately afterwards, officials from the Crown Prince's party came out of the court and pointed their spearheads directly at Pei Yuan:
"I heard that General Pei had an argument with Prime Minister Xie at the city gate, and even put a sword on Prime Minister Xie's neck. Everyone saw it."
"Bringing troops into the capital is a big taboo, and now it is involved in an assassination case, so it must be investigated thoroughly!"
Just when the court was on the verge of a showdown, an official from the Dingguo Mansion, that is, from the tutelage of Shen Qingluan's grandfather, stood up and said:
"Your Majesty, there is one thing I don't understand. If it was General Pei who really sent someone to assassinate him, why did he use the weapons from the northern border, which is such obvious evidence? Could it be that General Pei, who has been fighting for several years, would make such a stupid mistake?"
After these words were spoken, several officials nodded in agreement. "Yes, this is clearly a frame-up. Although the weapons in the North are special, a few of them have been lost to the public."
"Ridiculous!" Zhou sternly retorted, "The weapons in the North are strictly controlled. How can ordinary people get them?"
"Quiet!"
Faced with the different opinions in the court, the emperor just felt a headache.
His gaze slowly moved to the fifty-year-old Duke Dingguo Qin Zhengnian, "What do you think of this matter, Duke Dingguo?"
Qin Zhengnian stroked his gray beard and looked around the court with a steady gaze, "Your Majesty, I think there are three points that need to be clarified in this case. First, although the weapons in the northern border are special, there are frequent border battles, and it is inevitable that some of them will be lost;
Second, if General Pei really wanted to assassinate, why would he use his own weapons to prove his guilt?
Thirdly…”
He paused meaningfully, "Prime Minister Xie was assassinated yesterday, which happened to be the day when General Pei was summoned back to the capital. This timing is too much of a coincidence."
As soon as these words fell, there was an uproar in the hall.
The old Duke's words were impartial, and even the officials of the Crown Prince's party could not help but frown secretly. For a moment, they could not find any words to refute.
At this moment, a clear voice suddenly sounded from outside the hall:
"Father, I, your son, would like to ask for your permission to thoroughly investigate this case!"
Everyone turned around and saw Chu Qingluan, dressed in crimson court robes, walking slowly towards them. The morning sun shone through the palace door onto her. A phoenix embroidered with gold thread on her clothes was flapping its wings as if ready to fly, and every step she took carried an inviolable dignity.
Even the cinnabar mole on her forehead was as red as blood, shining brightly in the morning light, making her skin look even whiter than snow. She raised her eyes slightly, and all the civil and military officials in the court held their breath involuntarily.
"Your son pays respect to your father!"
She bowed gracefully, her voice as cold as jade, "General Pei has been guarding the border for many years and has made many military achievements. If he is wrongly accused because of such a suspicious case, wouldn't it make the border soldiers feel disheartened?"
On the side, Crown Prince Chu Lang clenched the tablet in his hand when he saw this. This was because Chu Qingluan was wearing court clothes, and her whole demeanor was even more majestic than when she left Beijing.
"You are wrong, my sister." The prince finally found his voice: "The evidence in this case is irrefutable, why bother..."
"Brother, why are you so anxious?" Chu Qingluan turned around. "It's only been a day since Xie Xiangyi was assassinated. The Ministry of Justice has not yet conducted a detailed investigation, and the Dali Temple has not yet asked about it. Brother, you are so anxious to convict General Pei. Are you afraid that I will find out something that I shouldn't?"
The prince's face turned pale. "Don't be careful with your words. Prime Minister Xie is a pillar of the court. His safety is related to the turmoil of the court. I just don't want to cause any more trouble."
Chu Qingluan glanced at him, and said with sarcasm: "So in the eyes of the emperor, Prime Minister Xie's life is life, and General Pei's innocence can be trampled on at will?"
The prince was speechless, with his mouth open and cold sweat oozing from his forehead.
At this time, the Right Prime Minister Gu Tingyuan, who had been silent all this time, suddenly stepped out and reported, "Your Majesty, the princess and General Pei have a long-standing friendship, so they should avoid suspicion."
The prince heaved a sigh of relief when he saw someone come to the rescue. At the same time, he silently took a few steps back to reduce his presence.
He was completely unable to resist the imperial sister's aura.
At this time, the court officials heard Prime Minister Gu's speech and nodded in agreement.
"Your Majesty, what Prime Minister Gu said makes sense. General Pei was once the princess's companion, and later a guard in the princess's mansion. Although he is now a general in charge of 100,000 troops, the princess should really avoid suspicion at this time."
Chu Qingluan chuckled upon hearing this, her eyes as frosty as ice: "Prime Minister Gu, you are wrong."
She walked slowly to Gu Tingyuan, and every step seemed to carry an intimidating pressure: "If we talk about avoiding suspicion, Prime Minister Gu should be more careful in what he says and does."
Gu Tingyuan was stunned, his heartbeat quickened, and he said calmly, "Princess, why do you say that?"
Chu Qingluan pulled out a secret letter from her sleeve. "Three days ago, the batch of 'silk' that the Gu family's caravan delivered to Jiangnan City turned out to contain inferior and moldy Shu brocade. Shouldn't Prime Minister Gu explain why the quality of this royal tribute is so worrying? Could it be that Prime Minister Gu really used his power to enrich himself and pass off inferior goods as good ones?"
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