"Here you go!"
The soldiers all stood up, but at this moment they all looked fearful.
"Your name is Xu Hai, right?"
The second prince took a few steps forward, stood in front of Xu Hai, and looked him up and down with a smile.
"yes!"
Xu Hai clasped his hands in a fist salute and bowed again.
Seeing the Second Prince's expression, Xu Hai breathed a sigh of relief.
The fact that he's smiling, not angry, means he's not completely finished yet.
Under normal circumstances, the Second Prince should ask about what happened here, and Xu Hai has already prepared a story.
This explanation would absolve him of all suspicion and portray him as a loyal patriot. Before the situation became clear, he would neither offend Sun Jian nor cause himself any trouble.
But to everyone's surprise, Xu Hai was dumbfounded the next moment.
The Second Prince didn't ask about the cause and course of Xu Hai's case at all. With the same smiling expression, he waved to the guards behind him and said, "Guards, take him to the prison and send him to the Ministry of Justice for trial."
"ah?"
Xu Hai felt as if struck by lightning.
His eyes widened in utter bewilderment!
"Yes, sir!"
Before he could even recover, the guards behind the Second Prince had already stepped forward on orders, captured Xu Hai, and pinned him to the ground.
"Innocent! I've been wronged, Your Highness!"
Xu Hai tried to struggle and explain the situation, but the Second Prince wouldn't listen at all.
He maintained his smiling expression, didn't turn his head, and waved his hand, signaling the guards to take the person away.
"Your Highness, I'm innocent! I was only doing this for you..."
Xu Hai's calls still lingered in my ears.
He could not resist, nor dared to resist.
Rebelling against the prince would surely mean certain death, and might even implicate one's family.
But whether or not one can appeal a grievance depends on whether their master will listen.
Not only was Xu Hai, who was taken away, bewildered, but everyone else was stunned.
Xu Hai was dealt with just like that?
Without even asking the reason, they directly imprisoned a Right Guard General. This is simply outrageous!
Is there anyone in the world who would protect someone like this?
At that moment, they felt as if they were wearing a tight band around their necks, and many of them trembled, afraid of getting into trouble.
"General Sun, who else do you think should be imprisoned?"
The second prince glanced around at the crowd and noticed that they all looked terrified and trembling with fear. Without turning his head, he spoke to Sun Jian.
Sun Jian was also dumbfounded.
If the Second Prince hadn't said those words, he wouldn't have realized what was going on...
"Your Highness, you're doing this..."
Sun Jian's implication was very clear: the Second Prince's decision to imprison the Lieutenant General of the Imperial Guard was obviously inappropriate.
Although Xu Hai was a disgusting person, and he himself wished he could kill him.
But he had a valid reason and evidence. After all, the other party attacked first. Even if he crippled the other party, it would still be considered self-defense, and he would always have a reason to defend himself.
The Second Prince's actions, seemingly to stand up for Sun Jian, might actually be a trap for him.
As the saying goes, one should always be wary of others.
The imperial court also had the Military Supervisory Office, the Capital Prefecture Office, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Ministry of Justice.
If the Second Prince abuses his power and gets himself involved, things could get even more complicated.
Having survived several assassination attempts, Sun Jian no longer viewed things simply by looking at what appeared to be advantageous...
"Oh, you mean the jail time?"
The second prince still wore that smiling expression; he instantly understood Sun Jian's concerns.
He waved his hand and said to Sun Jian, "Don't worry, I am in charge of the Ministry of Justice. I have just received the report on today's events. The cause and effect are very clear. I am handling this matter in accordance with the laws of the Great Han Dynasty and there is absolutely no suspicion of favoritism or malpractice."
"I see..."
Sun Jian's eyes flickered, and most of his concerns were dispelled.
Could it be that the second prince is genuinely trying to help me?
But what's his motive? Is he trying to use this opportunity to win me over?
As the Crown Prince's tutor, he was completely opposed to him in the power struggle.
It can't be that he and the Crown Prince were on good terms, and that they were respectful and courteous to each other, right?
That's utter nonsense. Li Gancheng and Li Chengru have been locked in a fierce battle for a long time, a fight to the death.
Using such methods to win him over is clearly too clumsy and not in the manner of a prince.
"Then who do you think still needs to be imprisoned?"
The second prince continued to press for answers.
"No...that's all. They're all Xu Hai's subordinates. Ignorance is no excuse. Let them off the hook."
Sun Jian glanced around at everyone. The culprit had already been executed, so there was little point in arresting these people.
"Okay, I understand."
The second prince still wore that same smiling expression as he looked at the soldiers.
"Listen up, General Sun is magnanimous and will not hold today's incident against us, but our army is strictly disciplined and we must be careful."
“You will each go to the military command and receive twenty strokes of the cane. That will be the end of this matter.”
"As for the culprit Xu Jiang and the soldiers who attacked General Sun earlier, they will all be thoroughly investigated and dealt with by the Military Supervisor!"
"Yes...yes!"
The soldiers breathed a sigh of relief.
Today's incident resulted in twenty strokes of the cane, which is worth it; at least I won't go to jail.
The soldiers knelt and bowed again before dispersing, leaving only a few of Xu Jiang's former subordinates to return to their posts at the city gate.
Sun Jian couldn't believe it; the fierce battle that had just taken place had vanished into thin air.
The matter has now come to this point, and it can be considered resolved.
Regardless of the Second Prince Li Chengru's motives, he should still thank him.
Sun Jian bowed respectfully, saying, "Thank you for today's matter, Your Highness."
"It was just a small favor."
The second prince walked up to Sun Jian and patted him on the shoulder.
"Your Highness is indeed well-informed. In such a short time, Your Highness not only arrived with your men, but also learned the whole story."
Sun Jian's words still carried a hint of doubt, which the Second Prince could certainly tell.
The Second Prince smiled slightly and said, "I was already nearby when I heard about what happened here, so I rushed over. A soldier on the way told me the gist of the story, and I guessed the rest."
The second prince's explanation made sense, so Sun Jian stopped pursuing the matter.
“I will always remember your kindness in helping me out of this predicament.”
Sun Jian had to say some polite words, after all, the other party had helped him solve a problem, and judging from the current situation, it didn't seem like a trap.
"General Sun, you're too kind."
"General Sun will surely be a pillar of our great cause in the future. I have also heard of your deeds. You have truly surpassed your teacher."
"General Sun, are you still going out of the city today?"
The second prince asked Sun Jian with a smile.
Sun Jian nodded.
"Yes, by His Majesty's decree, we are to go out of the city to the Imperial Estate."
"Oh, I see."
The Second Prince nodded with interest, and after a moment's thought, said, "When will General Sun return to the city? My residence is not far from here. General Sun can come to my residence for a chat after he returns to the city."
Sun Jian thought to himself, "This kid really knows how to manipulate human nature."
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