Chapter 305 The Top Scholar 12
He regretted underestimating Princess Rouyuan, regretted his own insatiable greed, and regretted that even knowing Prince Fu was unreliable, he still harbored the idea of ascending the throne himself. He also regretted not seeing the true nature of those around him...
However, he did not die.
He must live to face the emperor's punishment!
Wu Meng raised his arm and shouted: "I know that you were all tricked into joining the army by General An, thinking that you were joining the regular army, which is why you were led by him to do this huge mistake!"
The Emperor has decreed that anyone who lays down their weapons at this time will be pardoned for all past offenses!
With a clatter and clang, everyone immediately dropped their weapons.
At this moment, the Imperial Guards who had been lying in ambush in the palace emerged from the shadows and surrounded all of them.
...
The capital was in chaos for a few days after all.
The officials involved in the rebellion all had their homes ransacked and all their property confiscated.
Many other families were implicated, their property was confiscated, but their lives were spared. They should be thankful that the emperor was not a bloodthirsty man!
Of course, for every unlucky person, there is a lucky one.
Take Wu Meng, for example!
She left the princess's residence and went out for a stroll. In just a few months, she became not only a third-rank general of the Imperial Guard, but was also granted the title of Marquis of Loyalty and Righteousness by the emperor. Even her residence was bestowed upon her by the emperor.
Weren't the Duke and Duchess of Li always afraid that this son would surpass the legitimate son and so they suppressed him?
Well, they built their own mansion.
It was still a powerful marquis's mansion.
For a time, Wu Meng became a celebrity in the capital.
Today, the Duke of Liguo went to the Marquis of Zhongyi’s residence again to see his son, but the gatekeeper gave the same answer as always.
"My lord, please don't make things difficult for me. I'm just a gatekeeper. The Marquis isn't in the manor, and I can't conjure up a Marquis for you."
"Then where did your lord go?"
"Heavens above! How could the Marquis possibly tell a mere servant where he's going? This servant has no idea!"
"Find someone who knows."
"Lord Duke, this is even more difficult than asking us to conjure up a Marquis for you!"
Our manor was just bestowed upon us by His Majesty. Besides the two of us gatekeepers, there's only one cook. Where can I find someone who knows how to cook for you?"
The Duke of Li was panting with anger. Damn it, why does this kid keep changing his mind?
"Then I, Your Majesty, will go inside and wait!"
"My dear Duke, there are only three servants in your household, and two of them are already standing before you. Once you enter, there won't even be anyone to serve you tea. If you'd like to wait, you can wait here at the gatehouse. At least there are two of us here to serve you tea."
The gatekeeper speaks in a roundabout way, and I don't know where his accent is from; it sounds really awkward.
The Duke of Liguo had no intention of actually waiting at the gatehouse, so he had no choice but to leave dejectedly.
After he left, the two gatekeepers straightened their backs.
"Bah! You think you can even step foot in our Marquis's mansion? Dream on! Don't you even remember how you treated our Marquis before!"
Another gatekeeper nudged him, "Brother, keep your voice down. Just do what the Marquis ordered, and don't say anything more. Don't get yourself into trouble!"
The man was obedient; as soon as his younger brother spoke, he actually shut up.
This is the third time that the Duke of Liguo has come, and Wu Meng has not been to the residence on any of the three occasions.
Where is he?
Ning Yan looked at the man in front of her helplessly and said, "You are now a Martial Guard General. Father Emperor has appointed you to be in charge of the security of the capital. What do you mean by always running to my place?"
"If you maintain order in the capital, my area will be safe."
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I would also like to serve as the commander of the princess's guards."
"Nonsense! What rank is the Commander of the Imperial Guards? You're currently a third-rank official. If you work harder, you might be promoted another rank sometime soon. Only when you become a higher-ranking official will your family dare not bully you or your mother!"
Wu Meng: "Ke Chen will always be that person's son. He was born to be superior to me. If I don't do what he asks me to do, then I am being unfilial!"
"Then if you become my bodyguard commander, you won't have to listen to the Duke of Li!"
Wu Meng suddenly raised his head, "Princess, I...I lied just now. I want to be the prince consort!"
Ning Yan: ...No, young man, no one would agree to you talking like that, right? It's like you only want to become the prince consort so that I can protect you.
“But I already have a consort.”
"Isn't he about to die?"
I heard that the princess has locked Pei Chengyuan and Princess Jiahe up together and made them cut off pieces of each other's flesh, weighing them on a scale. The person who cuts off an ounce or two will get food.
How long can someone live if they keep cutting and cutting like this?
Ning Yan was amused by his words. Wasn't he blatantly telling her that he had spies in the mansion?
"Aren't you afraid that I'll also cut you up?"
"Don't worry, I'm not stupid. I would never do anything to betray the princess."
“But if you marry a princess, you will no longer be able to go to the battlefield.”
"I wanted to go to the battlefield to become an official, and I wanted to become an official so that I could protect my aunt. Now that I can protect my aunt, why should I go to the battlefield?" He's not some particularly despicable person!
Ning Yan: "No matter how nicely you put it, I will not agree."
Wu Meng felt a little disappointed, but he was not discouraged at all. "Then I will come again tomorrow."
He put down the gifts he brought and left.
Ning Yan: ...No, why are you coming tomorrow?
Wan Zi covered her mouth and chuckled as she watched her sullen master.
"You brat, what are you laughing at? Be careful, or I'll punish you."
"This servant laughs at General Wu for being quite persistent; he has already sent gifts to the princess for four consecutive days."
"Let me see what he sent today."
After saying that, she opened all the boxes on the table without waiting for Ning Yan's consent.
"Princess, look! This gold and jade bracelet is so beautiful, and there's also a jade-carved peony."
Ning Yan glanced at it and realized that the peony was only placed there to complement the bracelet. This single peony was worth a thousand taels of silver.
Indeed, there really is a difference between putting your heart into something and not putting your heart into it.
"Princess, if we keep sending them like this, I'm afraid General Wu will soon be penniless."
Ning Yan glared at the maid, picked up the bracelet and played with it in her hand. The gold wire on the bracelet was made into a dragon and phoenix pattern, which was very exquisite and beautiful, and it was obviously very valuable.
In a good mood, Ning Yan put on a pair of bracelets and went with several maids to the room where Pei Chengyuan and Jiahe were being held.
They've been locked up for seven days, and they're still alive. But the smell of blood in the room is too strong, so Ning Yan instinctively covered her nose with a handkerchief.
As soon as the two men saw her enter, they immediately crawled over and begged for mercy, "Princess, please let us go. We know we were wrong, and we will never dare to do it again."
No, you don't know you're wrong, you know you're going to die.
"Ugh, get away from me right now, you're so ugly!"
Pei Chengyuan's face was missing a piece of flesh the size of a pigeon's egg, and his clothes were tattered, revealing wounds of varying sizes in many places. Jiahe's clothes were gone, and his arms and legs were covered with wounds, some scabbed over, others still bleeding, which was indeed quite gruesome.
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