Chapter 25
Lin Wuyong stared at the man sitting in front of him with red eyes, and scenes of bloodshed and tragedy uncontrollably flooded his mind.
A few days ago, he was ordered by Ling Zhouli to go to the southern border and used the bloodiest means to reclaim that wild and desolate land, all to consolidate the power of the regent. However, when he returned victorious, what awaited him was not a reward, but a bolt from the blue. Ling Zhouli, on the grounds that his "methods were too cruel and might incite a greater popular uprising," sent troops to surround his residence on his way back to the capital, threatening the lives of his wife and children to force him to hand over the secret letters and evidence obtained from the southern border!
He was bewildered and had no time to react. Right before his eyes, his wife, who was being held hostage by swords, resolutely committed suicide by cutting her own throat to avoid becoming a bargaining chip for him. His young son, who had just turned ten, panicked and rushed into the guard's blade in extreme fear and stimulated by his mother's blood, and died a tragic and innocent death!
Ling Zhouli watched helplessly as his wife and children died tragically, but instead of being moved, he revealed murderous intent in his eyes when Ling Zhouli was lost in grief. He personally drew his sword to eliminate Ling Zhouli. If it weren't for his trusted bodyguards who risked their lives to protect him and cut a bloody path for him, Ling Zhouli would have already died!
He fled back to the capital in a panic, only to be met with an arrest warrant issued by the Regent's Palace, accusing him of "deceiving the emperor," "initiating border conflicts without authorization," and "massacre"! How absurd! How ironic!
The day before yesterday, the arrow nailed to the beam had several yellowed secret letters tied to its tip. The letters were irrefutable evidence of the correspondence between Regent Ling Zhouli and the Princess of Southern Xinjiang. Every word in the letters was about raising Gu poison and plotting a rebellion.
I see!
The reason why Ling Zhouli was so eager to kill him as soon as he returned to the capital was because he suspected that Ling Zhouli had intercepted these potentially fatal pieces of evidence of treason. Therefore, he wanted to kill him to silence him and eliminate any future troubles!
At this moment, it was pointless to investigate why Ling Zhouli suspected him. He had only one thought in his mind: to follow the path indicated by the archer and forever condemn Ling Zhouli to the pillory of treason!
Just as he was about to rise and present the evidence, Jiang Chengen seemed to suddenly realize something and hissed, "Your Majesty, this old minister is innocent! The disaster relief funds from Jiangling... were not embezzled by this old minister, but... were secretly transferred to the Beijiang camp on the orders of the Regent!" He suddenly pointed at Ling Zhouli, "He instructed this old minister to misappropriate the disaster relief funds to use as provisions and military supplies for his private Beijiang army!"
"Acting under orders"?!
In the past, when the emperor was young, the regent acted as regent, and no one dared to question his actions with a simple "by order." But now, it is clear to everyone that the young emperor is swiftly reclaiming power, and the hearts of the people in the court have already begun to stir, with most quietly leaning towards this unfathomable new ruler.
Moreover, in recent years, the Regent has become increasingly arrogant, neglecting his duties in governing the country and frequently allowing his cronies to overstep their authority. At this moment, where does Jiang Chengen's claim of "acting on the Regent's orders" come from? Whose "laws" does it represent? The subtlety and danger involved sent a chill down the spines of all the officials present!
Pei Yun remained seated on the dragon throne, the sorrowful smile on his lips unchanged, as if he were merely watching a play that had nothing to do with him. But his silence did not mean that others would remain silent!
Those political enemies who had a long-standing grudge against Jiang Chengen, the court officials who had long been fed up with the regent's years of tyranny, and the opportunists who had keenly sensed the shift in the wind and were eager to pledge their loyalty to the new emperor... at this moment, like vultures smelling blood, they had finally found the perfect target to tear apart!
"Your Majesty! Vice Minister Jiang's words are treasonous! The Regent is loyal to the country; how could he commit such a rebellious act as misappropriating huge sums of disaster relief funds and plunging the people into misery? It must be Jiang Chengen who is desperate and resorting to false accusations!"
"Nonsense! If Minister Jiang hadn't been driven to the brink, how could he have dared to testify against the Regent in court? There must be something fishy about this! Your Majesty, I request a thorough investigation of the Beijiang military's accounts!"
"The Regent has ruled for many years and has made great contributions! How can we allow such a wicked minister to slander him!"
"High merit? Hmph! I think it's because his merit is too great and he's too powerful to control! The people of Jiangling are starving, yet Beijiang is hoarding military funds! What are his intentions?!"
......
A fierce verbal battle ensued, with spittle flying everywhere! The usually dignified and respectable officials had torn off their veils of kindness and, for their own positions and interests, launched a naked attack and tearing each other apart in the court, creating an extremely chaotic scene.
Amidst this chaos, Minister of War Lin Wuyong finally revealed his deadly fangs. He stepped forward from the crowd, holding a thick memorial and several secret letters aloft, his voice booming and drowning out all the arguments: "Your Majesty! Your subject Lin Wuyong impeaches Regent Prince Ling Zhouli for colluding with remnants of the Southern Frontier and plotting a rebellion. The evidence is conclusive, and I implore Your Majesty to review it!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the eunuchs who were already prepared stepped forward, took the heavy "evidence," and presented it to the emperor. Lin Wuyong even read aloud part of the contents of the letter in court.
The court fell into a deathly silence, which was then followed by an even more violent uproar!
"My God! Treason?!"
"Such a thing?!"
"The evidence is right here, how can we deny it?!"
"The Regent... how dare he?!"
......
Amidst the cacophony of opinions and chaos, the entire Zichen Palace resembled a boiling cauldron of porridge, buzzing and bubbling, with everyone filled with unease. Countless gazes, some filled with shock, some with anger, some with fear, and some with schadenfreude, were all focused on the Regent, the center of the storm, beside the imperial steps.
Surprisingly, Ling Zhouli remained unfazed by the overwhelming evidence. He didn't even look at the "evidence" being read aloud; he simply brushed off non-existent dust from the cuffs of his python robe, as if the heinous crime that could wipe out nine generations of a family was nothing more than a boring farce.
With the military tally in hand, he controls the elite troops of the capital region, and Beijiang is his stronghold, where he commands tens of thousands of fierce soldiers. What can the court do against him, no matter how many impeachments or pieces of evidence there are? This young brat has set up this trap, merely to lure the enemy into a snare? Ha, still so naive.
If he wanted to rebel, he could do so today. He would only be branded a "traitor" and a "rebellious minister." As long as... as long as the woman in Rongxi Palace was carrying his child... he could reinstate a "new emperor" at any time.
And this little emperor who thinks he has everything in his hands, along with all these noisy fools in the hall, will be reduced to dust!
Thinking of this, his last trace of concern vanished. He met Pei Yun's gaze, his voice not loud, but clearly drowning out the noise in the hall, carrying a condescending mockery.
"The matter of the Jiangling funds was due to the corruption and illegality of that old scoundrel Jiang Chengen, who secretly transferred the funds to frame me. As for the Southern Frontier..." He sneered, his eyes sweeping disdainfully over the "evidence" in Lin Wuyong's hand. "Since the establishment of the Yin royal family, the Southern Frontier has been cut off from all contact. How could I 'collude' with them? This so-called 'evidence' is nothing but fabricated by those with ulterior motives to sow discord within the imperial family and disrupt the court. Your Majesty is young and too easily deceived by treacherous officials."
With just a few casual words, he dismissed all the overwhelming evidence and heinous crimes, his arrogant attitude and boastful words completely tearing away the last veil of pretense.
Pei Yun casually picked up the letter on the imperial desk containing the accusation of "collusion with the Southern Frontier" with his long, slender fingers, a hint of nonchalant laziness in his gestures. He raised his eyes, his gaze calm and unwavering as he looked down, his voice as soft as a gentle breeze across the hall, "Uncle... is this a rebellion?"
"Hmph!" Ling Zhouli let out a disdainful snort. He no longer concealed his anger and shouted sharply towards the outside of the hall. His voice was like the clang of metal on metal, making the hall reverberate: "Guards! Seize them all for me!"
"Clang—clang!"
The palace gates burst open with a deafening roar, and heavy footsteps echoed across the ground like muffled thunder. Instantly, countless imperial guards clad in cold iron armor and wielding sharp blades surged in like a tidal wave, their swords flashing and their menacing aura filling the entire Zichen Palace.
The heavy palace doors slammed shut as the soldiers poured in, cutting off the last ray of sunlight. The palace was instantly plunged into a gloomy darkness, with only the cold glint of weapons reflecting on the terrified faces of the courtiers.
The air inside the hall froze instantly, becoming so heavy it was suffocating.
"Rebellion! Rebellion! Ling Zhouli! You traitorous scoundrel! You have defied human ethics! You will die a horrible death!!" An old minister with white hair and beard trembled with anger, pointing at Ling Zhouli with a hoarse voice as he cursed.
"Your Highness, spare me! Spare me! This humble official... This humble official is willing to serve Your Highness and the new ruler!" Some other cowardly officials were already terrified and collapsed to the ground. Those officials who had been cheering for the regent were now scrambling to prostrate themselves on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly, and shouting their loyalty with all their might, afraid that if they were a step too slow, their heads would roll.
The solemn Zichen Palace was instantly transformed into a battlefield filled with fear, curses, pleas for mercy, and betrayal!
Amidst this utter chaos and despair, only Pei Yun, seated on his throne, remained like a detached deity. He sat firmly on the dragon throne from beginning to end, his posture unchanged. Even the letter of "evidence" he held in his hand remained in its original position, as if the bloody coup and the impending slaughter within the palace had nothing to do with him.
Ling Zhouli ignored the wailing and cursing inside the hall. Like a Yama, the ruler of life and death, he swept his sinister gaze across the crowd below. Finally, his gaze settled on Jiang Xianheng, the commander of the Imperial Guards.
"Jiang Xianheng!" Ling Zhouli's voice carried an undeniable command and a hint of impatient killing intent. "What are you all standing there for? Move! Clean up those gossipy, dim-witted fools for me, leave no one alive!"
His gaze then turned to Jiang Chengen and Lin Wuyong, who were slumped on the ground, their faces ashen. A cruel smile curled at the corner of his mouth, as if he were pronouncing a pre-written verdict: "Jiang Chengen, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, has embezzled a huge sum of money from the imperial court's disaster relief funds. The evidence is conclusive. Execute him on the spot!"
"Deputy General Lin Wuyong colluded with the royal family of Southern Xinjiang, framed a prince, and, fearing exposure, went mad and massacred people in Southern Xinjiang, intending to raise an army in rebellion. His crimes are heinous, disrupting the court. Today, he even led his rebels to storm the Zichen Palace, causing countless deaths and injuries to court officials... Even the Emperor..." He paused, his gaze fixed on Pei Yun, who was sitting upright, "was also harmed by his rebel army, unfortunately... dying unjustly in the Dragon Court!"
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