Chapter 190 But if I hide it from him, it would be so unfair to him!
The atmosphere in the Hall of Mental Cultivation was solemn and dignified.
Jin Zhi, dressed in black, knelt on one knee and reported the situation to Zhang Chengyan with a respectful look.
Zhang Chengyan closed his eyes slightly, his expression indifferent, but after hearing the latter part, he could no longer suppress the smile on his face, and the corners of his mouth slightly raised, "Okay!"
This time, not only did they successfully eliminate the serious threat from the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion, but they also unexpectedly gained an astonishing amount of wealth. It was really killing two birds with one stone!
The Duke of Zhenguo was indeed a wolf in arms, secretly hoarding huge amounts of silver and gold.
A rough estimate of the value of these two items alone is as much as three million taels.
Not to mention the mountains of jewels and priceless calligraphy and paintings in the warehouse. All added up, it is estimated that they are worth at least tens of millions of taels of silver!
"Besides these valuables, have you found anything else?"
Upon hearing this, Jin Zhi took out an ancient token from his sleeve pocket and presented it with both hands, "Your Majesty, this is the golden token of immunity from death that the late emperor once bestowed upon the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion. It was found in the study. In addition, some letters and other items from the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion were also found."
As soon as he finished speaking, Wang De walked in quickly, followed by a young eunuch.
The two of them worked together to lift a heavy box.
The box was neatly filled with various items searched from the study of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion.
After Jin Zhi knocked Xie Anran unconscious last night, he searched the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion carefully, leaving no corner unsearched, and only stopped after he was sure that there were no secret rooms or dark rooms in the mansion.
Zhang Chengyan reached out his hand, took the gold medal of immunity from death, and shook it casually in his hand, "Even if the Duke of Zhenguo really came to me with this thing to beg me, I would never recognize it. The late emperor is the late emperor, and I am me. This is a different time."
After that, he threw the gold medal aside and ordered indifferently, "Take it and melt it."
When mentioning the late emperor, there was no respect in Zhang Chengyan's eyes.
When the late emperor was obsessed with women and neglected state affairs, in Zhang Chengyan's mind, the image of the emperor who once stood tall and proud had collapsed.
Instead, he is an ordinary man whose body and will have been hollowed out by alcohol and sex!
Such a person is not worthy of continuing to sit on the throne!
What's more, the late queen deliberately allowed the princes to fight with each other, causing chaos in the court and brothers killing each other.
Those bloody scenes became a nightmare that would haunt him throughout his life.
Jin Zhi finished his report and did not want to stay any longer. "Your Majesty, there are still some follow-up matters that need to be dealt with in the Zhenguo Mansion. I will take my leave first."
"Well, go ahead. You have made great contributions this time, and I will definitely reward you handsomely in the future."
"It is my great honor to share the emperor's worries." After Jin Zhi thanked the emperor for his grace, he stood up and quickly retreated.
Zhang Chengyan leaned back on the couch, and the gloom in his heart dissipated a lot when he thought of the Duke Zhenguo's Mansion reduced to a scorched earth.
Over the years, the Duke of Zhenguo has relied on his power and prestige to suppress the emperor in every way, and even dared to interfere in the harem.
Now, this great threat has finally been completely eradicated and can no longer pose a threat to him!
He was in a good mood. He flicked his sleeves, stood up and strode towards the side hall.
In order to show his "importance" and "consideration" for the Duke of Zhenguo, he specially arranged the Duke of Zhenguo to live next to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
The side hall was filled with a strong medicinal aroma.
The Duke of Zhenguo lay weakly on the bed, his limbs tied, unable to move or speak. Only his eyes could move, filled with fear and unwillingness.
Hearing the footsteps, the Duke of Zhenguo opened his mouth with great effort, trying to make a sound, but he could only open and close his mouth in vain, and could not make even the slightest sound.
Zhang Chengyan slowly walked to the bedside, looked down at him, and waved his hand, "Everyone, leave."
The palace servants in the hall left quickly.
In a blink of an eye, they were the only two left in the huge side hall.
When their eyes met, the scene was extremely similar to that day in the hunting ground.
However, at that time they were each riding a tall horse, and although there was a difference in status between the king and his subjects, on the surface they could still look at each other as equals.
But now, the situation has reversed, and the winner takes all.
The Duke of Zhenguo fell from being a high-ranking nobleman to being a stray dog, helplessly lying on the bed, barely surviving.
"Duke Zhenguo, I'm here to see you."
Zhang Chengyan looked at his withered face and felt cheerful. "But there is a piece of bad news that I must tell you. Two days ago, there was a northwest wind in the capital, which caused several floods."
Hearing this, the Duke of Zhenguo widened his eyes in horror, and he had already thought of something.
Zhang Chengyan spoke word by word, "What a pity. The Zhenguogong Mansion was also among them. A fire broke out last night, burning down the entire mansion. All fifty-six people died in the fire without a single survivor."
The Duke of Zhenguo vomited blood and stared at Zhang Chengyan.
His turbid eyes were filled with resentment and unwillingness, and filled with shocking hatred, he wished he could eat Zhang Chengyan alive on the spot!
"Duke Zhenguo, why are you looking at me like that? You know that when the northwest wind blows, it is most likely to cause a flood. Last night, everyone in the mansion went to bed at midnight, and no one found us. Otherwise, maybe someone could have come out alive."
Zhang Chengyan looked into his eyes and felt even more relieved. "But don't worry and recover from your injuries. I have arranged for Jin Zhi to handle the follow-up matters. It's a pity that you have broken your limbs and cannot go to see them off for the last time. I will arrange for someone to bury you, and after you die, you can go underground to reunite with them."
The Duke of Zhenguo opened his mouth in anger and vomited blood.
Fifty-six people!
Everyone in his Xie family is dead!
How painful it would be to die in a fire!
His son Xie Anran, who had immense talent, was actually... actually burned to death in fire!
Zhang Chengyan saw that he seemed to be dying, so he called the imperial physician, "Quick, go and see what happened to the Duke of Zhenguo. It's my fault for telling him about the fire in the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion yesterday."
He shook his head and sighed, "But if I hide it from him, it would be so unfair to him."
How unfair!
The Duke of Zhenguo stared at Zhang Chengyan.
Seeing how hypocritical he is, I wish I could go up and die together with him!
It’s a pity that he is now a useless person and can’t even turn his head!
The imperial doctors came forward to treat him.
It took a full hour of effort to save the Duke of Zhenguo's life.
Zhang Chengyan was very satisfied, "You guys did a great job, you'll all be rewarded later!"
After all the doctors left, the smile on his face disappeared instantly, and he returned to his usual stern look, "Wang Decai, move the Duke of Zhenguo to another place, don't let him die here, it's too unlucky."
He strode back to the Palace of Tranquil Longevity, and as soon as he entered the door, he saw Bai Wutong.
She still looked like a little bird, "Your Majesty, I heard that there was a fire in the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion. Is it true?"
"It's true." Zhang Chengyan was in a very good mood and put his arm around her shoulders. "Now, in the entire Zhenguo Mansion, only the Zhenguo Duke is still alive. But he almost died when he heard the news just now. It is expected that he will die in a while."
Bai Wutong bit her lip and pleaded in a low voice, "Your Majesty, can you let me meet the Duke of Zhenguo?"
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