Chapter 239 Traitor
Shen Zhengsheng and Lu Yongzhu were escorted into the palace, and Wen Chengye personally searched them.
Inside the imperial study, the atmosphere was so solemn that it seemed as if water could be squeezed out of it.
Shen Zhengsheng and Lu Yongzhu knelt in the hall and respectfully saluted Emperor Sheng. When they raised their heads again, both of them looked grim.
You know, both of them are famous generals in the Great Sheng Dynasty. They have fought bloody battles for their country for so many years and are full of blood and pride.
But today, he was escorted into the palace like a serious criminal and was searched arbitrarily by Wen Chengye. What a humiliation it was.
Emperor Sheng was still sitting firmly behind the desk, his face as cold as ice, and he did not let the two men stand up.
Between the two of them, Shen Zhengsheng was the backbone, so Lu Yongzhu remained silent at this time, but Shen Zhengsheng took a deep breath and spoke respectfully:
"Your Majesty, it has been said since ancient times that 'thunder, lightning, rain and dew are all grace from the emperor'. As subjects, we should obey your instructions and accept them calmly."
"But at this moment, I am in a state of panic, as if I were on the edge of an abyss."
"I only ask for Your Majesty's mercy. Even if you have to sentence me to death, I hope Your Majesty can clearly state what crime I have committed, so that I can die a worthy death and be able to feel Your Majesty's virtue and remember Your Majesty's majesty in my grave."
After saying this, Shen Zhengsheng prostrated himself on the ground, followed closely by Lu Yongzhu.
Emperor Sheng lowered his eyes and looked at the two of them, his face gloomy, and asked in a cold voice: "Generals, do you really not know?"
Seeing that Shen Zhengsheng and Lu Yongzhu both shook their heads, Emperor Sheng suddenly waved his sleeves and swept away all the letters on the table.
Hualalalal——
"Look, what this is."
Everyone in the hall was shocked.
Shen Zhengsheng and Lu Yongzhu immediately reached for the letters in front of them. After reading one of the letters in their hands, their expressions changed completely.
"Your Majesty, where did this... this letter come from? It reads like..."
Shen Zhengsheng looked up in disbelief, only to see Emperor Sheng looking at Zhao Huailang on the side.
He then turned his head and saw Zhao Huailang step forward and said in a calm voice: “General Shen, isn’t this what’s in your study?”
Shen Zhengsheng was stunned when he heard this, and his heroic face was full of confusion.
But soon, he seemed to understand that this was the "culprit" who had sent troops to surround the Shen Mansion and took him to the palace. His face turned pale and he said quickly:
"Your Majesty, I don't recognize this thing at all!"
"The person who received this letter must be a traitor to the country. I have spent half my life in the military, devoted myself to the emperor, and finally returned with my arm broken. How could I possibly do such a treasonous thing?"
"I hope Your Majesty will see clearly and restore my innocence!"
After the initial confusion dissipated, the fear and anger of being wrongly accused surged up.
Shen Zhengsheng's voice was excited, and his only remaining hand was clenched into a fist, but in front of Emperor Sheng, he could only suppress his unwillingness and resentment in his heart, and his face was flushed at this moment.
Lu Yongzhu also looked incredulous.
He knelt up straight and said in a loud voice: "Your Majesty, I have seen with my own eyes that General Shen leads the troops in every battle and is never afraid of swords and spears, just to spread Your Majesty's reputation far and wide."
"Your Highness just said that these letters belonged to General Shen's study. If that is the case, I would like to ask how these letters came into your hands?"
Zhao Huailang had anticipated the reactions of Shen Lu and the others long before he started the attack, so he looked calm at the moment and said truthfully:
"To be honest with you two generals, this letter was personally handed to me by General Shen's adopted daughter, Gu Xizhi."
"By the way, Miss Gu... can be considered General Lu's daughter-in-law, right?"
When they suddenly heard Gu Xizhi's name, Shen Zhengsheng and Lu Yongzhu raised their heads in surprise.
But after a moment, Shen Zhengsheng said seriously: “If this is the case, the prince may have been deceived by Gu Xizhi.”
"She is extremely cunning. If it weren't for Lu Yunzheng's decision to break off the engagement, I'm afraid I would still be deceived by her."
"At this time last year, Gu Xizhi and I had already broken up. These letters were forged by Gu Xizhi to retaliate against me—"
"General Shen."
Zhao Huailang interrupted in a deep voice, looking at Jia Shaobo who was already trembling and sweating, and said bluntly:
"Lord Jia has verified that these letters... are authentic."
“How is this possible!?”
Shen Zhengsheng suddenly raised his voice and looked at Jia Shaobo for confirmation with sharp eyes.
Jia Shaobo clutched his sleeves, frightened to the point of tears.
Oh my God, what a shocking scene he could have created with such a greedy cat!
"Yes...it's true."
Jia Shaobo responded with a stutter.
But at this time, Lu Yongzhu couldn't help but frowned and murmured:
"The letter that Gu Xizhi gave me is real? How...how is this possible? Unless..."
At this point, Lu Yongzhu seemed to have thought of something, his eyes suddenly widened, and he asked quickly:
"Master Jia, have you noticed how old these letters are? When were they written?"
Upon hearing this, Jia Shaobo immediately showed shame on his face and shook his head, "General Lu, I am not very knowledgeable and skilled, so it is difficult for me to determine when this letter was written."
After hearing this, Lu Yongzhu's eyes lit up and he hurriedly said respectfully to Emperor Sheng:
"Your Majesty, the battle in which General Shen lost his arm was because the Right Deputy General Gu Changshen was greedy for merit and advanced alone. He himself died in that battle."
"At that time, General Shen's life was in danger, and I really had no time to care about other things. Later, when the general was out of danger, I immediately started to investigate the matter thoroughly."
"However, when I sent people to Gu's house, Gu Changshen's wife and daughter had already packed up the relics. I checked and found nothing suspicious."
"Not long after, Gu Changshen's wife died of grief, leaving their young daughter alone."
"Your Majesty, General Shen's adopted daughter, Gu Xizhi, is the daughter of Right Deputy General Gu Changshen!"
"If this letter is genuine and was written by Gu Xizhi, I have to suspect that the person who actually collaborated with the enemy and betrayed the country was the former Right Deputy General Gu Changshen!"
As soon as these words came out, Shen Zhengsheng's face showed a trance.
He subconsciously touched his broken arm, and suddenly raised his head and said, "Your Majesty, this matter is of great importance. Now the prince and I are at a stalemate with each other."
"I beg Your Majesty to grant me permission to summon Gu Xizhi to your presence and ask her the truth."
"Only in this way can we find out what happened and clear my name, thus proving my loyalty to Your Majesty."
After hearing this, Zhao Huailang became more calm.
The situation had gone as he had expected, and he was planning to have Gu Xizhi testify before the emperor, so he sent Lu Yao to pick her up.
After several contacts, based on Gu Xizhi's performance in front of him, he knew that even in the presence of the emperor, Gu Xizhi could handle some things and leave the rest to him.
Thinking of this, Zhao Huailang was about to agree, but at this moment, Wen Chengye's report came from outside the hall:
"Your Majesty, Princess Rui has sent someone to urgently look for Prince Rui."
There was silence in the hall for a moment.
Zhao Huailang frowned suddenly.
Zhen family? What's her matter?
Didn't I tell her to stay in the house with Mu'er today and not go anywhere?
Such a crucial moment...
Zhao Huailang's mind flashed with Zhen's charming face. He hesitated for a moment, fearing that Emperor Sheng would be dissatisfied with Zhen because of this, so he finally said:
"Father, maybe it's about Mu'er..."
When Emperor Sheng heard this, he looked at Zhao Huailang deeply, then waved his hand and tilted his head and said:
"Fushun, go check, why hasn't Xiuzhi arrived yet?"
Eunuch Fushun responded and left the imperial study right after Zhao Huailang.
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