Chapter 254 Trust is so fragile
When the emperor is angry, blood can flow like a river.
Although Xiao Qing has not yet reached such a level of power, she is, after all, the emperor.
Fu Mingyi quickly got up and came out from behind the table, knelt down, and said, "Your Majesty, please calm down."
Wang Xiang was almost in sync with Fu Mingyi.
In an instant, all the officials knelt down.
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger."
Many of the military officers present couldn't help but tense up, their expressions shifting.
In their eyes, the bright red fireworks, in both color and smell, carried traces of three years ago.
That was a memory etched into my bones, a memory of blood and fire.
Especially for military generals from the north, some of them would unconsciously reach for their waists.
Wang Xiang was actually a little stunned.
The duties of the Imperial Guard and the city defense forces are different.
The Imperial Guard was in charge of security within the Imperial City, especially the safety of the Emperor himself.
The city defense garrison was responsible for maintaining order within Nanhua City, outside the imperial city.
Today, because the emperor is hunting at Mengshan Villa, most of the Imperial Guards have been stationed here.
Meanwhile, the Imperial Guard's main camp on the outskirts of the city contained more troops preparing to protect the imperial city, as well as soldiers training the Imperial Guard.
The only person who could set off these fireworks was Commander Zhao Youchen, who was traveling with Zheng Fangxiu.
Wang Xiang thought about it deeply, glancing at the people from the Sun and Li families.
In this lifetime, as long as one has been in and out of power in the imperial court for a long time, one will have seen all kinds of storms.
The Heavenly and Earthly Emperors were weak in their methods and did not have a strong ability to govern the local areas.
Therefore, the powerful families in the south, who occupied wealthy areas and had little restraint, generally acted domineeringly, arrogantly, and as they pleased.
After the capital moved south, although the power dynamics in the court changed frequently, their style of doing things remained largely the same.
Wang Xiang saw this and tried to advise them, but to little avail.
This is not a problem of a particular family, nor is it a problem of a single generation.
In his early years, Wang Xiang relied on the influence of various powerful families, and naturally he had to repay them in return.
Of course, there were no words of gratitude after that; they supported each other and were considered a community of shared interests.
If the young emperor never reaches Nanding, Wang Xiang feels that his career will be limited to the south.
This isn't necessarily a bad thing. At least the powerful families in the south all acknowledge him as King Xiang. With him in charge of the rice-producing region of the south, wealth and glory are within his grasp.
To put it bluntly, even a local tyrant wouldn't amount to much.
But things are unpredictable.
Who could have imagined that the northern barbarians would invade, and the mighty Xiao Dynasty couldn't even protect its capital, with the entire Beiping court being moved to Nanhua?
The young Grand Tutor faced obstacles at every turn.
The powerful families, eager to make their move, repeatedly lobbied.
Wang Xiang saw another possibility.
A higher achievement, a more far-reaching influence, and a more beautiful posthumous reputation.
Wang Xiang was a civil official and a capable minister.
He found it hard to resist such temptation.
Therefore, he acted more cautiously and wanted to surpass Fu Mingyi, the Grand Tutor, to become the first, and preferably the only, person standing beside the young emperor.
Clearly, his ability to be cautious does not mean that all aristocratic families are equally cautious.
At this moment, seeing Xiao Qing's cold anger, he was displeased with both the Sun and Li families.
They panic at the slightest thing and act without any restraint.
This kind of teammate must have been raised in a pigsty, right?
While the Sun and Li families were trying to gauge Wang Xiang's attitude, Wang Xiang was also weighing whether he needed to give the Sun and Li families, who were clearly on the decline, another helping hand.
Or perhaps it's time to find a new partner?
Over the years, the Sun and Li families have made their fortune.
Some things were indeed done too far.
It will always be criticized.
Xiao Qing looked at Lord Li.
His name seems to be Li Bo. Although he holds the position of Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, he seems to be a self-reliant "Wang faction" person. He usually has a confident look on his face and doesn't seem to be as close to his superior as he is to Wang Xiang.
"Li Bo, Lord Zheng was in a hurry to handle the case just now and did not explain the details in a timely manner. However, Sun Cheng is your son-in-law, and Madam Sun, that is, your daughter, just confessed without hesitation, which you also witnessed. What do you think of this matter?"
Li Bo lowered his body even further, feeling extremely cautious.
Sun Cheng is indeed his son-in-law, but he is also a son of the Sun family.
Is the son-in-law closer to the mother or the son?
But the young emperor didn't ask the Sun family, yet he seized on him and questioned them.
Perhaps they were after the hat on his head?
"This...this..."
Li Bo is clearly not a quick-witted person.
His brain was practically turned into mush by now.
With his old patron, Prime Minister Wang, remaining indifferent, and his old partner, the Sun family, keeping a close eye on him, he was also facing a difficult situation.
Li Bo didn't know how to answer in a way that would both protect his official position and preserve his relationship with the Sun family.
He subconsciously looked up at the young emperor's face, seemingly trying to gauge his next move.
It was only at this moment that he clearly realized that the little emperor had grown up.
Three years have passed since then. The frail young emperor of that time, though not as imposing as he once was, and no longer as domineering and decisive in his actions, now exudes the oppressive aura of supreme imperial power in his eyes.
He dared not meet the emperor's gaze, and quickly looked away, lowering his head.
Xiao Qing sneered.
"Lord Li can't explain it clearly, so why don't you, Lord Sun, tell me? I'm also curious, Lord Zheng and Commander Zhao went together to retrieve the evidence left by Sun Cheng, who exactly is so concerned about them that it caused this firework display to go off in half the sky!"
Lord Sun was equally trembling with fear, his forehead hitting the ground, feeling very uncertain.
Sun Cheng was the son of his third brother. Although his third brother did not enter officialdom, he took good care of him and could live a comfortable life even if he did nothing.
Sun Cheng resembled his third brother the most; not to mention his father, even he himself usually favored him.
He had wanted to refute the two children's lawsuit against Sun Cheng as soon as he heard it, but as things progressed, he didn't have a chance to speak.
He had already sent a message home, partly to let his third brother prepare and destroy the evidence, and partly to tell Sun Cheng to go out and lay low.
This practice is extremely common among aristocratic families.
But to his utter surprise, Sun Cheng died at the Li family's house for some unknown reason, supposedly by suicide.
He didn't even have time to think about whether it was suicide or not, or why he would commit suicide in the Li family's house!
Immediately afterwards, Sun Cheng's wife presented the relics left behind by Sun Cheng.
Then, Zheng Fangxiu went to retrieve it, and fireworks lit up the sky...
Everything is in chaos.
It feels like everything is out of control.
One mystery after another surrounded him, each one so close to him.
At this moment, the emperor asked him what he thought.
What does he think?
He wasn't stupid; he understood what setting off fireworks meant.
The emperor asked this question because he suspected that the Sun family was responsible for this outcome!
He himself was afraid it was true!
Li Bo lost his brain, but he probably didn't just lose his head!
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty did not know... Your Majesty is guilty!" He kowtowed heavily.
What else can I say?
We just hope that Brother Wang Xiang can see if there's any way to help them.
If Wang Xiang stands idly by and does nothing...
He gritted his teeth.
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