Xie Wei had long since experienced Chu Yuan's keen insight.
Hearing this, he was already used to it. "That's right, I just received news that Xue Yuan went to the palace to file a complaint and even obtained an imperial edict to escort the Marquis of Yan to the palace!"
"Why?" Chu Yuan asked in astonishment. Weren't the matters in Tongzhou and the letter resolved?
Xie Wei pondered, his face as cold as ice: "This matter was my oversight. I thought that once I dealt with Gong Chengyi and destroyed that half-letter, I could rest easy. Little did I know that Gong Chengyi's men had played a trick on us—"
He secretly made an identical copy of the letter and sent it to Xue Yuan!
Within the Tongzhou military camp, there were also men secretly working for the Prince of Pingnan. The two sides quickly reached an agreement, exploiting the Emperor's past weakness—the fear instilled by the rebels—to launch a ruthless attack on the Yan residence.
So that's how it is...
Chu Yuan's heart sank to the bottom of the water, regretting that she hadn't killed Gong Chengyi's men sooner!
But now that things have come to this, there's no use in hindsight; all we can do is try our best to solve the current predicament.
When the two arrived, Yan Mu and Xue Yuan were arguing vehemently, one inside the door and the other outside.
"Xue Yuan, do you have to be so aggressive? I never said I wouldn't go to the palace with you. It's just that Yan Ling will be of legal age tomorrow, and she hasn't returned yet. Isn't it normal for parents to be worried? Wait for Yan Ling to return. I won't even flinch if it means going through fire and water for her!"
Xue Yuan sneered, "That's just sophistry! Who wants to go through fire and water with you? Stop cursing me!"
Yan Mu, have you not yet grasped the current situation?
Once you enter the palace, whether you live or die is another matter. Why worry about whether you've reached adulthood or not?
Once the Emperor has convicted your Yan family of treason, what good will it do if your son returns? He'll still be torn apart by five horses along with you.
If you ask me, I'd rather just run away; maybe I could survive a few more years!
Xue Yuan didn't know where Yan Ling was, but if that kid was hiding nearby right now, he might actually do as he said and run away out of guilt.
At that time, the charges against the Yan family for fleeing in fear of punishment will be confirmed.
Don't think that only Yan Mu disobeyed the imperial decree. Anyone in the Yan family who breaks the rules will be a death warrant for the Yan family!
"It's so late, Duke Dingguo is in high spirits. Could it be that you've come to congratulate the Crown Prince of Yan on his coming-of-age ceremony ahead of time?" Xie Wei got off the carriage, feigning ignorance as he asked the question.
His face wore a forced smile, but his eyes revealed a sharp glint in his eyes.
Because he had just heard Yan Mu say something: "Isn't it normal for parents to worry about their children?"
Yes, Xue Yuan is a parent, just like everyone else.
But he really wasn't worried about himself at all. Not only was he not worried, but he was also ruthless enough to aim the arrow straight at his heart!
Thinking of this, Xie Wei's voice became even colder, devoid of any warmth, "With such a grand display, anyone who didn't know better would think that Marquis Yan had committed some heinous crime of having his property confiscated and his entire clan exterminated!"
Shen Lang issued an edict stating only that "Yan Mu is to be summoned to the palace," not that he was to be arrested.
Xue Yuan was only permitted to take action if Yan Mu disobeyed the imperial decree and showed signs of rebellion. At present, Yan Mu has not put up any forceful resistance; at most, he can only be described as stalling.
Moreover, the reason given for his dawdling was that his son hadn't come home late at night, which was somewhat understandable.
Under such circumstances, it would not be easy for Xue Yuan to forcibly arrest people or arbitrarily label them.
So his mood took a sharp turn for the worse, and he became somewhat impatient. He coldly retorted to Xie Wei, "I think it's more like Young Master Xie has more leisure time, isn't it? Why not stay at the Young Master's residence in the middle of the night? Did you wander over to the gate of the Yan residence?"
"No." Xie Wei pursed his lips. "Xie Mou was attracted by the Duke's grand presence."
"You—" Such blatant sarcasm almost made Xue Yuan lose his composure.
On second thought, he realized he didn't need to waste his breath on Xie Wei. No matter how eloquent Xie Wei was, could he be more powerful than an imperial edict?
Suddenly, he held the imperial edict above his head. "Seeing the imperial edict is like seeing the Emperor himself. I just read the edict to Marquis Yan, but he kept changing his mind and refused to come to the palace with me to pay homage to the Emperor. What, is Marquis Yan planning to defy the imperial edict?"
Yan Mu was slightly startled and subconsciously took a step back.
He had no intention of disobeying the imperial decree, nor had he ever thought of rebelling, but the emperor did not believe him and was determined to guard against the Yan family.
Is it possible that emperors throughout history have always been suspicious of generals who hold military power?
Just as Yan Mu felt a chill in his heart and was about to give up, Xie Wei rushed forward and grabbed Yan Mu's arm, saying gently, "My lord, hold on."
Even if it's not for his own sake, he should persist for Yan Ling, for the entire Yan family, and for the Yan family army.
They should not be branded as traitors under any circumstances.
Soldiers who are loyal to their country and care for the people should not and cannot be smeared and slandered like this!
Their eyes met, and in that brief moment, Yan Mu understood what Xie Wei was thinking. He was jolted awake, but he quickly regained his composure.
He can stand up straight without Xie Wei's help.
The latter, with his ink-painting-like eyebrows and eyes, raised them slightly, exuding an aura of a thousand troops: "Since the Duke of Dingguo insists that he came on the Emperor's orders and read out the imperial edict, why didn't he give the edict to the Marquis of Yan? According to custom, when an imperial edict is read out, it is given to the person concerned for proper worship, and its contents can be examined on the spot. The Duke of Dingguo is now domineeringly refusing to let anyone see it. Could it be that there is something wrong with the contents of the edict?"
"Insolence! Xie Wei, what is your punishment for slandering me like this?!"
Facing Xue Yuan's angry shout, Xie Wei didn't even blink. "Whether it's slander or not, let the Duke of Dingguo unfold the imperial edict, and we'll all see for ourselves, won't we?"
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