196. Reversal
at this time.
In the imperial court.
Wei Xiuming sat on the dragon throne, his gaze sweeping over the officials, but he did not see Xie Wenling. His brows furrowed even more.
He didn't know why Xie Wenling was inexplicably absent from the morning court session today, and hadn't even asked for leave.
This is unreasonable, very unreasonable.
It's worth noting that Xie Wenling is a workaholic who works tirelessly regardless of wind, rain, colds, or fevers.
He is extremely passionate about his work and incredibly dedicated.
Wei Xiuming was a little worried that something unexpected had happened.
However, reality didn't allow him to think too much.
When the Marquis of Beiding saw that the old prime minister was also absent, he immediately stepped forward and knelt down, his voice loud and clear: "Your Majesty! I heard that the prime minister has recovered from his illness, but I don't know why he did not attend court today. It is clear that the prime minister has no respect for the court!"
"I believe that his unexcused absence from the morning court session today is clearly because he has something to hide!"
"I have already presented all the charges against the Prime Minister yesterday. I humbly request Your Majesty to dismiss him from his post and thoroughly investigate his crimes!"
The ministers following the Duke of Anguo echoed his sentiments. Just as Wei Xiuming was about to speak, a furious shout suddenly came from outside the hall: "Who dares to touch me!"
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw the old prime minister leading Xie Wenling in.
The old prime minister was pale, but his eyes were fierce.
Xie Wenling stood tall and composed, but for some reason, he was wearing casual clothes.
The old prime minister knelt down as soon as he entered the hall, holding up the envelope: "Your Majesty! I want to impeach the Duke of Anguo! The Duke of Anguo claims that he will support the heir of the Prince of Shu to ascend the throne, and even said that he would murder the prince!"
Duke Anguo's face instantly turned ashen, and he abruptly stepped forward: "Your Majesty! This old bastard is spouting nonsense! When did I ever say such a thing? He must have fabricated evidence to try and implicate me!"
"Forgery?" The old prime minister sneered, coughing up a mouthful of blood. "That day, you were at a banquet at the Prince of Shu's residence, completely drunk, and in front of the Prince of Shu's son, you said that His Majesty has few heirs now, and that once you become prime minister, you will support the prince to ascend the throne and guarantee his stability in the country? There were even servants present who could testify. Do you dare to say there wasn't any?"
Duke Anguo naturally denied it to the death: "Your Majesty! I absolutely did not say such a thing! Even if I did, it was the Prime Minister who bribed a servant to frame me!"
Xie Wenling then stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, I can bear witness."
"Furthermore, I have also discovered that the Duke of Anguo has been frequently meeting in secret with the Prince of Shu's residence recently, and his whereabouts are suspicious."
"Furthermore, I have other evidence to prove that the Duke of Anguo formed cliques for personal gain and framed others."
"Nonsense!" Duke Anguo roared. "Xie Wenling, you're in cahoots with the old prime minister to try and harm me!"
The old prime minister immediately retorted, "Nonsense? Then why did you always avoid court officials when you secretly met with the Prince of Shu's heir? Why did you instruct your servants to keep it a secret? The other day you even had your steward deliver a hundred taels of gold to the Prince of Shu's heir's residence, saying it was to help the heir succeed. What do you mean by that?"
Duke Anguo understood that there was no point in arguing with them. Until they presented solid evidence, the only important thing was which side Wei Xiuming was on.
Then he turned to Wei Xiuming and kowtowed: "Your Majesty! I have been wronged! These are all lies they have fabricated!"
Wei Xiuming sat on the dragon throne, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest, his gaze sweeping back and forth between the Duke of Anguo, the old prime minister, and Xie Wenling: "Duke of Anguo, you say you are wronged, do you have any evidence?"
Duke Anguo: "Your Majesty, if you want to condemn someone, you can always find a pretext. If a baseless accusation can be used as evidence, wouldn't the world be in chaos? I am utterly loyal to Your Majesty and have no disloyal intentions whatsoever!"
The old prime minister immediately said, "The inability to prove oneself is a sign of a guilty conscience! Your Majesty, the Duke of Anguo's treasonous intentions are obvious. If he is not severely punished, it may lead to disaster!"
Xie Wenling then said, "Your Majesty, I believe that we should immediately summon the people from the Prince of Shu's residence to the palace for questioning. The truth will be known immediately upon questioning."
Upon hearing this, Duke Anguo was taken aback at first, then his face lit up with wild joy. He scrambled to his feet, patted his chest, and exclaimed, "Your Majesty is wise! I have long said that I have been wronged! Summon the Prince of Shu's heir and his servants for a confrontation. Let everyone see how this old bastard fabricated lies to frame me!"
He was full of confidence—the Prince of Shu's residence was his ally, the Prince of Shu was waiting for his support, and those servants were also from the Prince of Shu's residence, so how could they possibly betray him?
Today's confrontation will surely expose the old prime minister's conspiracy. At that time, he will not only be able to clear his name, but also turn the tables on the old prime minister and get rid of him completely!
When the old prime minister heard Xie Wenling suggest a confrontation, his expression changed instantly. He turned sharply to glare at Xie Wenling, and taking advantage of the crowd's inattention, he lowered his voice and gritted his teeth, saying, "Are you crazy? The Prince of Shu's residence belongs to the Duke of Anguo. Are you trying to kill us by having them come here for a confrontation?"
Thinking he was about to betray him at a crucial moment, he immediately threatened, "Don't forget the county princess is still in my hands!"
Xie Wenling remained calm: "Prime Minister, rest assured, today's events will only proceed as we intend. I have my own plans."
The old prime minister was still puzzled, but seeing Xie Wenling's determined gaze, which did not seem fake, he could only suppress his doubts and stand aside with a cold face, waiting to see how the people from the Prince of Shu's residence would perform.
Before long, the guards led in Wei Changxing, the heir apparent of the Shu King, and Lord Wang from the Shu King's residence.
Wei Changxing was wearing a brocade robe, and his face still had a bit of a childish look. He had just been summoned from the manor and looked completely bewildered.
Lord Wang, on the other hand, had a solemn expression, hurried steps, and avoided eye contact with Duke Anguo.
Upon seeing the two, Duke Anguo immediately stepped forward and greeted them warmly: "Lord Wang! Prince! You've finally arrived! Tell His Majesty that I never uttered a word of treason at the banquet in the mansion that day; it was all fabricated by the old Prime Minister!"
But Lord Wang ignored him and instead knelt down with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly to Wei Xiuming: "Your Majesty! I am guilty! I have come today to expose the Duke of Anguo!"
“On that day at the banquet, Duke Anguo was indeed drunk. He grabbed my hand and said, ‘Now that Your Majesty has few heirs, why not kill the prince and support the heir apparent to ascend the throne? Then I will be the prime minister and you will be the grand tutor, and we will share wealth and honor!’”
"I was so frightened at the time that I dared not utter a sound. Later, I heard that he had also secretly hoarded grain and had ulterior motives. After much thought, I still felt that I could not hide this from Your Majesty. I implore Your Majesty to severely punish the Duke of Anguo!"
The smile on Duke Anguo's face froze instantly, as if he had been struck by lightning. He pointed at Lord Wang, his voice trembling, "Lord Wang! What... what nonsense are you spouting! How can you distort the truth? Have you forgotten that the Prince of Shu's residence still needs my support?"
“Support?” Lord Wang sneered and pulled out a letter from his pocket. “Your Majesty, this is a letter from the Duke of Anguo to the Crown Prince. It says that he wants to ‘use the Crown Prince’s name to seize power.’”
"They also said that after things are done, they will marry Miss Lin to the Crown Prince as his wife to solidify the relationship!"
"He even tricked me into signing the marriage certificate between Miss Lin and the Heir Apparent. I was confused for a moment and signed it, but the more I thought about it, the more wrong it seemed. I simply cannot stand by and watch what the Duke of Anguo has done!"
"I only learned today that he was using the Crown Prince as a pawn. How can I possibly continue to aid and abet evil?"
Upon hearing "Miss Lin" and "Princess Consort," Wei Changxing's eyes widened instantly, and he exclaimed in shock, "What? When did I get a fiancée? I had no idea about this! Duke Anguo, how could you make such a decision for me without my consent?"
He genuinely didn't know about this.
He had been wondering why the Duke of Anguo had suddenly come to his aid, but now it seemed there was an engagement he himself was unaware of.
He had already sensed the Duke of Anguo's ambition, and today, with Lord Wang exposing the truth, he was both angry and afraid. He hurriedly kowtowed to Wei Xiuming: "Your Majesty! I am loyal to Your Majesty and have absolutely no intention of treason! I know nothing about the Duke of Anguo's actions. I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly!"
Duke Anguo panicked completely. He looked at the betraying Lord Wang and then at Wei Changxing, who was trying to distance himself from the situation: "No... impossible! How could you do this? Aren't we allies? Have you forgotten our previous agreement? What benefit do you get from doing this?"
"Allies?" The old prime minister finally couldn't help but sneer, "Duke Anguo, you are too naive! How could the Prince of Shu's residence be your ally? They are pushing you out to take the blame now only to protect themselves!"
Xie Wenling spoke up at the opportune moment, his tone calm but every word piercing: "The Prime Minister is right. Duke Anguo, you have hoarded grain and fodder, plotted rebellion, and even tried to use the heir as a pawn. Now that the evidence is overwhelming, what else do you have to say?"
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