Chapter 1230 Headache
The shout was like a muffled thunderclap, suddenly exploding in the passageways on both sides of the palace gate, instantly stunning everyone. The people around Su Changjing immediately retreated. He barely opened his eyes and saw a tall, even enormous, figure slowly walking towards them.
This sheer size, even without lifting a finger, already created an invisible sense of oppression, rendering everyone trembling with fear.
Even Su Changjing and Shang Shoufei subconsciously held their breath and took two steps back.
The one who walked over was none other than General Shen Tu Tai.
As he walked over, the originally wide passageway seemed to narrow, and the soldiers who were crowded on both sides retreated. Only a few who knew him came forward and whispered, "Brother Shentu."
"General..."
Shen Tu Tai raised his hand to stop them: "No need to say anything."
He strode up to Shang Shoufei and Su Changjing, glanced at their disheveled appearance, and said, "Lord Shang, Lord Su, the Thousand Bull Guard and the Valiant Guard are the elite forces of the Twelve Guards. How can they kill each other?"
Upon hearing this, both men forgot that Shen Tu Tai's rank was not in a position to interfere with them, and instinctively wanted to accuse the other. Su Changjing even said with red eyes, "It was Shang Shoufei who provoked us first."
Shang Shoufei said, "You're talking nonsense!"
Seeing that the two were about to start arguing again, Shen Tu Tai raised his hand to stop them, saying, "You don't need to tell me these things. If you have something to say, talk to the General."
Upon hearing this, Shang Shoufei and Su Changjing were stunned for a moment. When they looked up again, they saw a tall and handsome figure slowly approaching from behind Shen Tu Tai.
It is Yuwen Ye.
His face was expressionless, his eyes cold and stern. When he swept his gaze over these people, they all felt a chill run down their spines. Shang Shoufei and Su Changjing immediately sobered up. Looking at the mess around them and on their own bodies, they hurriedly knelt down and said, "Greetings, Your Highness Prince Qin."
Yuwen Ye walked up to the two men with his hands behind his back and said coldly, "Well done."
Although these two were not from his Qin King camp, they belonged to the Twelve Guards and were under his jurisdiction. At this moment, they dared not breathe loudly. However, Yuwen Ye did not continue to criticize and scold them. Instead, he waited for a moment before saying, "Now, go and report to the Emperor. After the Emperor gives his instructions, I will punish you."
As soon as they finished speaking, Shang Shoufei and Su Changjing heard hurried footsteps behind them. When they turned around, they saw Eunuch Yu leading several eunuchs and two servants toward them.
When Eunuch Yu arrived at the palace gate and saw this scene, he frowned, but still immediately bowed to Yuwen Ye and said, "Your Highness Prince Qin, the Emperor summons you, along with the Left General of the Thousand Ox Guard and the Right General of the Valiant Guard, to the Liangyi Hall to meet the Emperor."
Yuwen Ye snorted coldly: "Let's go."
Shang Shoufei and Su Changjing hurriedly stood up, but Yuwen Ye stopped and said to Shen Tu Tai, "Take these people away first, and put anyone who has fought in custody. I will question them when I return."
"yes."
Shen Tu Tai glanced coldly at the crowd and waved his hand, saying, "Come with me."
At his command, most of the Right Valiant Guards rose and followed him. Su Changjing immediately frowned, wanting to say something but hesitating. After all, Yuwen Ye was the Grand General of the Twelve Guards, and how he dealt with the Valiant Guards was within his authority. He could not stop him. He could only say to a few of his trusted confidants, "Go."
Those men did as he was told and followed Shen Tu Tai.
Yuwen Ye then said calmly, "Let's go, His Majesty is still waiting in the Liangyi Hall."
Su Changjing silently followed.
As they walked further in, Yu Gonggong, being old, walked slowly, even though he tried his best to quicken his pace. Yuwen Ye was not impatient and walked slowly half a step ahead of him, asking as they walked, "Yu Gonggong, did Father Emperor just find out about this place?"
Eunuch Yu said, "That's right. As soon as the news reached the Liangyi Palace, the Emperor was furious and immediately sent me here to deliver the message."
Yuwen Ye frowned.
It should be noted that although the palace is large and the distance between the palace gate and the Liangyi Hall is quite long, it is still not as long as the distance he traveled from the Qin Prince's residence to the palace gate. Moreover, he had someone send a message to Shen Tu Tai and had specially stopped to wait for him for a while. Logically speaking, when they arrived, Yuwen Yuan should have already summoned Shang Shoufei and Su Changjing for questioning.
Seeing Yuwen Ye frown, Eunuch Yu said softly, "His Majesty's headache has flared up. The Imperial Physician has been treating His Majesty, so it took a while for the news to reach the Liangyi Hall."
"oh?"
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Ye frowned even more deeply: "How could your headache suddenly flare up?"
As he walked, Eunuch Yu said with a wry smile, "In the past six months since His Highness Prince Qin went on his campaign, the Emperor's condition... well, his headaches have been flaring up much more often than before. Many times, we servants are afraid that the court officials will come to pay their respects."
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Ye's eyes flickered slightly: "Who came to pay their respects today?"
Eunuch Yu said, "Minister Tao."
Tao He, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, was the cousin of Consort Tao Wanyin.
He was also Pei Xingyuan's colleague in the Ministry of Revenue.
Yuwen Ye asked, "Why is he here?"
Eunuch Yu chuckled awkwardly and said, "Well, this servant doesn't know."
Yuwen Ye glanced at him, but his eyes darted to Shang Shoufei and Su Changjing who were following behind him. He could still say that what he said before was his concern for his father as a son, but if he inquired further, it would be suspected of speculating on the emperor's intentions. Although Eunuch Yu was close to him, he dared not be confused about certain matters.
Yuwen Ye didn't say anything more and continued walking forward. Before long, he finally arrived at the Liangyi Hall.
The doors and windows were tightly shut, and even from a distance, one could feel an invisible sense of oppression emanating from the tall roof and thick pillars. Shang Shoufei and Su Changjing both subconsciously held their breath. They had both calmed down considerably along the way, but their regret was even stronger. Yuwen Ye, on the other hand, stood calmly at the door, waiting for Eunuch Yu to go in and announce their arrival. After a while, he came out and said to everyone, "Please."
Yuwen Ye led the two of them into the Liangyi Hall.
As soon as you enter the gate, you can smell a faint medicinal fragrance in the warm air. Although it is already past May and the weather is gradually warming up, the Qin Prince's Mansion has long removed all the braziers and stoves. There are not even any left in Xiao Yuangan's room. However, there are five braziers in Yuwen Yuan's bedroom. There is one in each of the four corners of the hall, and another one is placed beside him, which is warm and cozy.
As Yuwen Ye drew closer, he saw that his father was wearing a heavy brocade robe and had a headband tied around his head. Perhaps he had just been in pain again, for his temples were damp with cold sweat, and his eyes were slightly dark. His heavy breathing sounded like the panting of a restless yet helpless beast in the silent hall.
Yuwen Ye stepped forward, kowtowed, and said, "Your subject greets Your Majesty."
Shang Shoufei and Su Changjing behind him also knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "Your humble servants pay their respects to Your Majesty."
The warm air suddenly turned slightly cold, and an even colder gaze rose up to look at the three of them. Especially when he saw the messy injuries on Shang Shoufei and Su Changjing's faces, a series of gritted teeth rang out in the silence. Yuwen Yuan said in a deep voice, "How dare you lead a brawl, right under my nose!"
Shang Shoufei and Su Changjing immediately kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Your humble servants deserve to die! Your humble servants deserve to die!"
Yuwen Yuan asked, "Who made the first move?"
Su Changjing immediately replied, "Your Majesty, it was a member of the Left Thousand Bull Guard."
Shang Shoufei was a step too slow to speak, and in his anger, he immediately knelt up, almost jumping off the ground, and pointed at Su Changjing, saying, "You're talking nonsense! Your Majesty, it was the Imperial Guards who attacked first!"
"It was clearly you who started the insults, that's why we fought back."
"You attacked first!"
Seeing the two start arguing again, the noise filled the entire Liangyi Hall, almost lifting the roof off. Even Eunuch Yu couldn't help but frown at the noise. He cautiously glanced at His Majesty the Emperor. Sure enough, Yuwen Yuan, who was already suffering from a headache, felt his head throb even more after hearing the commotion. His face turned ashen, and he slammed his fist on the table: "Shut up, all of you!"
This low shout silenced both of them.
Eunuch Yu stepped forward: "My lords, the Emperor summoned you here to clarify matters, not to continue the fight before him."
The two men hurriedly knelt on the ground, saying, "Your humble servants know their crime."
Yuwen Yuan held onto the table with one hand and supported his forehead with the other. He felt as if an invisible hand was holding a knife and drilling into his forehead, almost tearing his insides into a bloody mess. He gritted his teeth and endured the excruciating pain, his cold gaze sweeping over the two people before finally settling on Yuwen Ye's lowered eyes.
He let out a deep breath: "King Qin, do you know your crime?"
"...!"
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Ye hadn't even reacted when the two people kneeling on the ground simultaneously trembled and instinctively looked at each other. But the next moment, they both turned their faces to the other side.
But, in the instant their eyes met, they both saw the same joy in each other's eyes.
They suddenly remembered that although they were actually in the Crown Prince's camp, in terms of official positions, they both belonged to the Twelve Guards and were under Yuwen Ye's command. If they committed a crime, the first person the emperor would hold accountable was the General of the Twelve Guards.
In an instant, both of their hearts began to pound.
Then they heard Yuwen Ye say in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, I have failed in my duties and beg you to punish me."
Shang Shoufei knelt low on the ground, trying his best to hide the barely suppressed smile on his face, while Su Changjing, on the other side, although he did not laugh, his heart was pounding like thunder, and he also felt a surge of joy.
What troubled them most lately was the Qin King's meteoric rise to power. Even though the emperor wanted to transfer Shen Tu Tai and Pei Xing Yuan, it didn't hurt him at all. But they never expected that the two sides would fight each other and drag the Qin King into the mess.
If the emperor takes this opportunity to severely punish the King of Qin—
Just as the two were lost in thought, Yuwen Yuan's deep voice rang out again: "You two, go out first."
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