Chaotian Hall.
The military officials were arguing endlessly.
The prince was determined to execute Queen Yun and the king and his men immediately.
However, the Dali Temple submitted a memorial to suspend the death sentence of Queen Yun and to re-investigate the case of Marquis Zhenguo's treason.
"Ridiculous! It's hard to tell whether the so-called confession is true or not. Even if it is true, so what? It will only make Queen Yun's crime more serious."
"When the Marquis of Zhenguo was defeated in the northern border, causing the deaths of 100,000 soldiers, he should have died to atone for his crime!"
"What a way to apologize with death." Xie Shu stepped out in a scarlet robe and glared at the Minister of Personnel who was advising him: "If it weren't for the Queen's delay in the delivery of food and grass, and the delay in military operations, how could a hundred thousand loyal soldiers die in battle on the border."
"The Zhenguo Marquis's Mansion is full of loyal and brave people. Their loyalty has been humiliated. If this matter is not thoroughly investigated, it will chill the hearts of all the officers and soldiers in the court."
"The words of the Minister of Personnel show that he has the intention to destroy our Great Yong. He is truly a treacherous traitor!"
The official's face suddenly changed: "Xie Shu, stop framing me! The confession has been scattered all over the city, and it's obvious that there is something fishy. How can a mere piece of paper and black and white be used as proof? This is how you judge cases in the Dali Temple!"
"Black words on paper cannot be trusted. What if it is written in blood by Queen Yun herself?"
As soon as Xie Shu's voice came out, the whole court fell silent.
The prince, who had been sitting in the hall rubbing his brows, opened his eyes and looked down with an unfathomable expression.
Xie Shu took out the blood letter from his arms. The prince's eyebrows jumped. The young eunuch quickly took out the blood letter and presented it to him.
The prince only glanced at it a few times and confirmed that it was indeed consistent with the content of the confession letter circulated in the market, and his anger increased a little.
He looked at Xie Shu and said, "Xie Shaoqing, since you have this blood letter in your hand, why didn't you hand it over to the court earlier? Those confessions in the capital were not your fault!"
Xie Shu held the tablet and bowed his head: "Your Highness, I just returned to the capital from Izumo Temple last night. This blood letter was tied to the end of an arrow and shot to the city. When I received this blood letter, there were also Longwei soldiers beside me who can serve as witnesses."
The prince's eye twitched, and he looked at the silent General Huo Yi.
In other words, all the military officers were probably aware of this blood letter.
"General Huo, is what Shaoqing Xie said true?"
Huo Yi stepped out, his resolute face showing no emotion: "It is true."
The prince's eyes were gloomy.
The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became extremely solemn.
Everyone knew that if the Marquis of Zhenguo's Mansion was simply wronged, it would not matter, because the Yun family and the Mu family were basically wiped out anyway.
The crux of the problem is that the friendship between the then Marquis Zhenguo Mansion and the former crown prince was deep. The former crown prince was stripped of his crown prince position and charged with treason, and one of the evidences was his collusion with the Marquis Zhenguo Mansion.
Once the Marquis of Zhenguo Mansion overturns the verdict, wouldn’t the next case be the case of treason committed by the former crown prince?
If the former crown prince had not plotted rebellion, the Eastern Palace had not burned itself down, and Xiao Chenyan had not been stripped of his status as the eldest grandson of the emperor, how could it be possible for the current crown prince to ascend to the throne?
The court officials felt mixed emotions, some felt it was ridiculous, but at the same time they also felt that this day had finally come.
King Yan has been lying dormant in the northern border for ten days. His return to the capital heralds the coming storm!
At this moment, an urgent report came from outside the palace:
"The King of Disgust has arrived—"
The ministers in the hall were startled and turned around subconsciously.
The prince almost got up from his chair.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, a tall figure stepped into the hall, wearing a golden crown on his head, a jade belt around his waist, and a dark court robe, which made him look even more like a dragon and a phoenix.
The man walked into the hall calmly and greeted calmly: "Your Highness, I am Xiao Chenyan, and I pay my respects to the Crown Prince."
After the greeting, he walked directly to the row of military officers and stood still.
The court officials had different expressions.
The prince's eyes were changing constantly, and he subconsciously moved his butt back a little until he sat firmly on the chair.
Although he felt certain about it, he couldn't help but feel nervous inside.
"King Yan is finally willing to go to court today?" The prince said in a cold voice.
Xiao Chenyan looked normal: "I was ill a few days ago. Thanks to the Crown Prince's marriage proposal, I am blessed to have a virtuous wife and am getting better."
These words were like a slap in the face of the prince.
It all started with that arranged marriage.
The Minister of Personnel saw that the Crown Prince looked unhappy, and immediately said, "Queen Yun is the daughter of Princess Yan. He has committed numerous crimes, and exterminating all three clans is not too much. Princess Yan is his daughter, how can she be called a virtuous woman?"
Xiao Chenyan glanced at this person and said, "If he cannot be called virtuous, then why did the prince grant me this marriage?"
The Minister of Personnel's face turned red, and some of the military officers even sneered.
The prince glared at the Minister of Personnel and said, "Since Princess Yan has married Prince Yan, she will no longer have anything to do with Queen Yun."
The Minister of Personnel nodded in agreement.
Without waiting for him to leave, Xiao Chenyan spoke again: "What the Minister of Personnel said is not wrong."
The Minister of Personnel was shocked and thought something was wrong.
"If it weren't for the Crown Prince's arrangement of the marriage, Queen Yun and I would not have become father-in-law and son-in-law. He has committed numerous crimes, and those who are unaware of the situation would think that the Crown Prince and I are birds of the same feather."
"To prove the innocence of the prince and the king, I ask the prince to order a thorough investigation of Queen Yun."
In an instant, the prince felt as if he was being roasted on a pillar of fire.
The Minister of Personnel turned pale and did not dare to look up to meet the prince's gaze.
If the prince does not conduct a thorough investigation, it would be tantamount to admitting that he had connections with Queen Yun. All of this was ruined by that one arranged marriage!
Just when the atmosphere was at a stalemate, a white-faced eunuch walked in.
The visitor was Eunuch Wang, a close attendant to the Emperor.
"Pass on His Majesty's oral instructions."
After these four words were spoken, all the ministers in the hall knelt down to listen to the order. The prince also stood up from the dragon throne and knelt down to listen to the announcement.
"The treacherous officials such as Queen Yun and Wang Yu disrupted the government, took bribes and perverted the law. They were thrown out of the Meridian Gate and executed by slow slicing. The rest of the accomplices were beheaded in public to serve as a warning to others."
"The family and three clans were exiled."
"The Queen has embezzled a huge amount of dirty silver. I have ordered the King of Disgust to go to the Dali Temple and ask him to recover it within ten days. If the stolen silver is not found after ten days, she will be punished according to military law."
After the oral order was announced, the ministers were silent, with different expressions.
The prince heaved a sigh of relief in his heart.
Eunuch Wang looked in the direction of Xiao Chenyan, "Your Highness Prince Yan, His Majesty has specially issued a decree that the crime committed by Queen Yun this time does not involve Princess Yan. Are you still not accepting the decree?"
The man's voice sounded faintly: "I accept your order. Thank you for your grace."
Eunuch Wang breathed a sigh of relief, and after announcing the decree, he returned to serve the old emperor.
After this decree came down, the officials of the Crown Prince's lineage all felt relieved and looked proud.
His Majesty has been ignoring state affairs and indulging in his studies. Although this incident has alarmed him, fortunately, His Majesty still stands on the side of the Crown Prince.
If Empress Yun was sentenced to death, it would be impossible to overturn the verdict for the Marquis Zhenguo Mansion.
It was even more impossible to recover the dirty silver that Yun Hou had embezzled within ten days. With such a hot potato falling on their shoulders, they were waiting to see Xiao Chenyan's good show.
Even the prince's difficulty in raising money in order to clear himself of corruption was solved.
If it only takes ten days, are you still worried that you won't have anything good to eat with Xiao Chenyan?
"Since your majesty has issued the decree, today's morning court session will be dismissed. Prince Yan, I am waiting for your good wishes--"
Before the prince could finish his words, Xiao Chenyan turned around and left.
In an instant, the prince's face turned purple and he left in anger.
You are such a good guy, Xiao Chenyan. I am waiting to see what you will do in ten days!
Upon seeing this, all the court officials withdrew from the court.
Xiao Chenyan was a man of swift and decisive character, so he walked much faster than those court officials.
After the court session, the military officials left either alone or in groups of three or five.
When coming out of Chaotian Hall, no matter whether going on duty or leaving the palace, one had to pass through Yuzhao Gate.
Afterwards, all the officials saw that His Royal Highness Prince Yan, who had left earlier, was standing in front of the Yuzhao Gate.
Shi Yuanzheng, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Personnel, was whispering with his colleagues when he saw the official next to him turn pale and point tremblingly at the front.
He subconsciously glanced over at Chen, and his smile froze on his face as the man's tall shadow loomed over him.
Almost in an instant, everyone stayed away from him.
"Yan, Yan King?" Shi Shilang stammered, "What are you going to do?"
Xiao Chenyan looked down at the other person with an unpredictable look in his eyes: "Is the Minister's surname Shi? This mouth really stinks."
Minister Shi's face turned red, and he dared not say a word because of the aura surrounding Xiao Chenyan.
Xie Shu walked over slowly, accompanied by the Dali Temple's staff. Seeing this, the staff in the Dali Temple widened their eyes:
"Didn't King Yan leave? Why is he with Minister Shi? What is he going to do later..."
The next moment, a cracking sound accompanied by a shrill scream resounded throughout Yuzhao Gate.
Shi Shi rolled on the ground, holding his mouth. His lower jaw was crushed!
After the instigator took action, he didn't even look at him, and acted as if he had just casually crushed a grasshopper.
All the officials were dumbfounded, and everyone in the Dali Temple gasped.
"This is the palace. How dare he, King Yan, he, he..."
Xie Shu looked at the man's back as he strode away, his stubbornness like a cold blade, cutting through the wind and snow.
He tilted his head to look at the incredulous Xiao Liao and asked calmly, "Why doesn't he dare?"
"He is Xiao Chenyan."
Even though he was given the word "hate", even though he fell from the clouds into the mud, even though the wind and snow in the north were freezing, and the iron cavalry and weapons were treacherous, he crawled out of that living hell and stood up.
Today, he is no longer the stray dog who was driven out of the capital alone. He is now a vicious wolf with sharpened claws and fangs, ready to bite anyone he wants.
How could these drunkards in Kyoto, who were dreaming and soaking in a jar of honey, become his enemies?
When the evil wolf comes, the termite will die.
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