"They are worried about my poison and have put all their energy into finding an antidote for me. Naturally, they can't take care of anything else." Sikong Zhan took out an orange from his sleeve like a magic trick and handed it to Lin Jinghan. He actually wanted her to peel the orange for him in front of the emperor and these ministers!
Lin Jinghan cooperated very well. She took the orange and without even looking at the emperor and the ministers, she began to peel the orange seriously with her white hands.
The emperor originally wanted to take Lin Jinghan's interference in politics and take her down. Now, Sikong Zhan acted like this, which clearly showed that he wanted to protect Lin Jinghan. If he forcibly took Lin Jinghan down again, he would definitely confront Sikong Zhan directly, which was very unwise.
Moreover, which official in the world would dare to peel and eat an orange in front of the emperor as if nothing had happened? This simply shows that he doesn't take the emperor seriously! If Sikong Zhan dares to do this, he must not be afraid that he will use this as an excuse to cause trouble.
Moreover, the Prince of Jingnan was incredibly powerful, had outstanding military achievements, and had just won a great victory. If he were to be punished for such a minor matter, the 300,000 Jingnan soldiers would likely mutiny. Therefore, he had to charge Sikong Zhan with treason or deceiving the emperor. Only such a capital crime would be enough to bring him down!
The emperor made up his mind. In order to save face, he asked the palace servants to peel fruit for him. He also rewarded several ministers with some fruit and tea, and also gave some to Sikong Zhan.
The ministers were already thirsty, and there was no rush to argue with Prince Jingnan, so they simply thanked the emperor and started eating and drinking.
Lin Jinghan didn't even look at the fruit brought by the palace servants, but just concentrated on feeding oranges to Sikong Zhan.
"You've been standing here for so long, you must be tired, right?" Sikong Zhan didn't care about that. He picked up the fruit that the palace servant was holding and handed it to Lin Jinghan. "These grapes are tribute from Yanbei. They're not bad. Try them."
The two of them once again showed their affection in public, and everyone around them looked at them sideways...
After everyone regained their fighting strength, the ministers seemed unaffected by the previous episode. Ji Fang continued with the previous topic:
"Whatever the reason, the Jingnan Army deliberately concealed the facts and must be punished to serve as a warning to others."
Sikong Zhan's whole body was filled with coldness, and he didn't even eat the fruit in his mouth. He stared coldly at Ji Fang and said slowly:
"My Jingnan Army has 300,000 loyal men and women. They fought hard against Nanzhao for Donglin, suffering tens of thousands of casualties. We finally achieved victory. Nanzhao's peace envoys will arrive in Donglin's capital soon. The Jingnan Army should have received the Emperor's rewards upon returning to the capital. Lord Ji has ignored the Jingnan Army's contributions and insisted on using this small oversight to make a fuss. Isn't this going to chill the hearts of all the soldiers? Isn't this going to put the Emperor in a position of being unsympathetic and disloyal?"
Although Sikong Zhan spoke slowly, every word and sentence was powerful, which made Ji Fang and others feel a chill down their spines.
Ji Fang was only concerned with convicting King Jingnan and the Jingnan Army of their crimes, but he ignored the fact that the law does not hold everyone responsible, let alone the Jingnan Army, which had just won a victory.
"When I founded the country in Donglin, I have clearly defined rewards and punishments. Lord Ji, you have spoken out of turn. You will be punished for one year as a warning to others." Sikong Zhan had said so much, and Ji Fang had already completely surrendered. The emperor could no longer sit back and relax, so he had to scold him, which was also a punishment for Ji Fang and a way to shut Sikong Zhan up.
Of course, it was not enough to just punish Ji Fang lightly. The emperor knew that he could not do anything to Sikong Zhan this time, so he had to make concessions:
"Although the Jingnan Army was negligent this time, it was also due to some reasons. In the matter of suppressing the bandits, the merits and demerits should be offset."
Wiping out the bandits in Jile Village can be considered a great achievement. If it were really a reward, his already not-so-full treasury would probably be emptied. In this way, today's operation cannot be considered a failure.
Moreover, he would wait a few days to see what happened in Bugui Mountain. If he could get evidence that Sikong Zhan was illegally mining iron ore, he could capture Sikong Zhan directly and he would be the final winner. If that didn't work, he could even let Sikong Zhan die from the poison!
In short, there are plenty of ways to deal with Sikong Zhan later. For now, let him be proud for a while. The emperor comforted himself in this way.
However, they had not done anything to Lin Jinghan before because they wanted to punish Sikong Zhan. Now, since they could not do anything to Sikong Zhan, they would keep Lin Jinghan first and implement the next plan.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Sikong Zhan bowed as usual, without a trace of gratitude on his face.
The emperor didn't care about Sikong Zhan's attitude and said seriously: "Princess Jingnan, you are interfering in government affairs. Come, arrest Princess Jingnan!"
As soon as the emperor finished speaking, the guards who had been waiting outside rushed in and walked straight towards Lin Jinghan.
Sikong Zhan was not surprised at all. He pulled Lin Jinghan closer to him and said in surprise:
"Your Majesty, what does this mean? My princess just reported what she knew truthfully, just to testify for Wen Yao. How can this be considered interfering in state affairs?"
Testify? The emperor and the ministers stared at Sikong Zhan: Can you force an explanation like this?
"Could it be that in my Donglin Kingdom, women are not allowed to testify for others?" Lin Jinghan muttered in a low voice, and everyone present heard it clearly.
"How could that be? Princess, you are worrying too much. In our Donglin Kingdom, there is no law that stipulates that women cannot testify for others. Princess, don't worry." Sikong Zhan comforted softly.
The two of them sang the same tune and directly defined Lin Jinghan's previous remarks as testimony.
"Is that so? Then Jinghan is relieved." Lin Jinghan nodded and winked at Sikong Zhan playfully. Suddenly, she saw Sikong Zhan touching his nose, a hint of hesitation flashed across his face. Then he looked at the emperor and said aggrievedly:
"Your Majesty, I wonder if, according to the laws of our Donglin Kingdom, I have been wronged and can seek redress for my wrongs?"
Justice? What justice? This couple is so shameless, who can let them suffer injustice? The ministers were powerless to complain.
The emperor rubbed his brows and waved to the guards, signaling them to leave. The guards were at a loss, but seeing this, they breathed a sigh of relief and decisively withdrew.
"Who dares to let the princess suffer injustice! Tell me, I will take care of it for you!" Sikong Zhan sat up straight and said seriously.
"Your Highness, don't you remember? On the second day of our wedding, Jinghan went to the palace to express her gratitude and was poisoned. As a result, Your Highness also suffered from the poison attack..." Lin Jinghan picked up the handkerchief and rubbed her eyes, wiping away the non-existent tears.
"I remember now, that's what happened." Sikong Zhan suddenly realized and turned to look at the emperor.
"Your Majesty, I remember you once promised to let me personally investigate this matter thoroughly."
Without waiting for the emperor's reply, Sikong Zhan continued:
"It's all my fault that I was not in good health. I actually delayed such an important matter. Fortunately, I am much better now. I can finally find the person who poisoned the princess myself."
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