Chapter 1202 Disgraced Official
Yuwen Yuan looked at him for a while, his gaze seemingly scrutinizing him, checking if his son, who had been fighting bloody battles on the battlefield for several months, had sustained any injuries or illnesses.
It's like they're scrutinizing...
After a long pause, he said, "You've worked hard."
Yuwen Ye lowered his head and said, "It is my duty to expand the territory for Father Emperor, and I dare not complain about the hardship."
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Yuan's thick, dark eyebrows furrowed.
When Yuwen Cheng returned from Luoyang ahead of time and handed Xiao Yuansui over to him, he knew all too well that his youngest son, who had suffered a series of defeats, was incapable of achieving such a great victory. However, when he realized how generous the rewards would be for such a great victory, how much territory Yuwen Ye's civil and military officials would occupy in the court, and that Yuwen Ye had even opened the Luoyang treasury without authorization, he realized that his son's ambitions might be even greater than what he had already seized. After pondering for an entire night, he finally accepted Yuwen Cheng's battle report.
Now, facing his son who had captured Xiao Yuansui's 100,000-strong army at Hulao Pass with only 3,000 men, causing the morale of Luoyang to collapse and allowing the prosperous and wealthy Eastern Capital to return to his hands without bloodshed, Yuwen Yuan suddenly felt a heaviness in his heart.
A brief, yet extremely oppressive silence fell over the main hall.
Everyone could tell that the imperial edict was mainly intended to reward the Princess Consort of Qin. However, it was impossible for His Highness the Prince of Qin, who had made such great contributions at Hulao Pass, to be "settled" with just some gold and silver rewards. Naturally, His Majesty the Emperor would also bestow upon him a higher rank.
But as the King of Qin, the General of the Heavenly Strategy, the Governor of Yongzhou, and the Grand Chancellor of the Shaanxi East Circuit... what other titles does he need?
Just then, a voice rang out in the hall: "Congratulations, Your Highness Prince Qin!"
Yuwen Ye turned his head and saw a man stepping out from the ranks of civil officials. It was Zhou Ying, the Grand Master of Ceremonies. He bowed respectfully to Yuwen Ye and said, "Your Majesty, the Prince of Qin's victory at Hulao Pass is truly a great achievement."
Upon seeing him, Yuwen Ye's eyes narrowed slightly.
He hadn't forgotten that Zhou Ying was usually a man of few words, but when a group of people "besieged" Shang Ruyi at Dayan Temple, he was the most enthusiastic, and his words were like knives. Now that he had stepped forward, it was very clear what he wanted to do.
Yuwen Ye said calmly, "Hmm."
Everyone's expression changed slightly.
No matter how great one's achievements, one should still be humble when praised for one's "hard work and great contributions." Yuwen Ye's simple "hmm" was enough to label himself as someone who had made great contributions.
Zhou Ying frowned, clearly realizing that the other party knew his ways, so he simply stopped arguing and said, "But Your Highness has another merit, which you have not mentioned."
Yuwen Ye raised an eyebrow: "Oh?"
Zhou Ying raised his hand and pointed directly at the person following behind him, saying, "Your Highness, in this battle, you also captured the traitor who attempted to assassinate the Emperor. This is also a great achievement!"
Upon hearing this, a commotion immediately erupted in the hall.
In fact, as soon as they entered the Taiji Hall, in addition to recognizing the Qin King and Qin Queen as the leaders, everyone immediately recognized Pei Xingyuan, the most familiar-looking person among the crowd following behind them, who was the head of the Ministry of Revenue!
It's important to understand that he was initially arrested for the assassination attempt at Tangquan Palace. Even after Lou Yingxiong's downfall, the fact that he was rescued by the rebels of Wanggang Village almost confirmed his identity as a traitor. To this day, Pei Xu, the Grand Secretary, remains unemployed, and other members of the Pei family have been implicated to varying degrees.
Now, he actually followed the King of Qin and the Queen of Qin into the Taiji Hall in a grand manner!
At this moment, Zhou Ying pointed him out, and the expressions of the officials in the hall immediately changed. Some whispered among themselves, while others remained silent, simply watching the show with composure. Just then, a man suddenly stepped forward from the ranks, pointed at Pei Xingyuan, and said, "Guards, quickly arrest this traitor!"
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Ye and the others frowned.
You must understand, this is the Taiji Hall, the emperor's court. No one except the emperor has the authority to issue orders and summon troops.
However, no sooner had he finished speaking than a group of warriors actually arrived at the entrance of the main hall!
Judging from their attire, they were members of the Right Valiant Guard.
Shang Ruyi's heart sank, and she vaguely sensed that something was wrong. Almost at the same time these people appeared, Liang Youying rushed to Pei Xingyuan and shielded him behind her. Pei Xingyuan looked down at her, and although he was somewhat alarmed, his eyes were filled with uncontrollable joy, and he could not even control the corners of his mouth.
He smiled at Liang Youying.
It was Yuwen Ye's cough that brought him back to his senses a little.
Pei Xingyuan turned his head and glanced at the unfamiliar young man who was giving orders. At the same time, Yuwen Ye flicked his sleeve, and his long robe made a heavy groan, which sounded like muffled thunder in the hall.
He said in a deep voice, "Who dares!"
The group of warriors had already hesitated to step into the hall before the emperor spoke, and now, facing the victorious Prince Qin, they dared not make any rash moves. They cautiously glanced at the young man who had given them the order, his expression filled with resentment as he looked at Yuwen Ye.
Yuwen Ye turned his head to look at him: "Who are you?"
The young man was probably in his early twenties, with thick eyebrows and large eyes, and could be considered handsome, but his overly prominent jaw made him look somewhat stubborn and obstinate. Although his eyes were cold, he still bowed respectfully out of respect for his status and said, "Your Highness Prince Qin, I am Su Changjing."
Su Changjing, this name sounds familiar.
But the people are strangers.
Just as Yuwen Ye was frowning and scrutinizing the man, Shang Ruyi walked quickly to his side and whispered, "He is the eldest son of Su Ji, the governor of Kuozhou."
Upon hearing Su Ji's name, Yuwen Ye frowned.
Yes, he almost forgot that when Yuwen Qian first returned to the Yuwen family, they had suspected that he had some kind of relationship with Yu Dingxing's daughter. But at the time, Yuwen Qian only said that Miss Mingzhu was already engaged to the eldest son of Su Ji, the governor of Kuozhou, thus dispelling their suspicions.
It was only later that he learned that the person standing behind him was not Yu Mingzhu, but Yu Mingyue.
But now, Su Changjing has reappeared here, and he can command the Right Valiant Guard with just a few words, which means...
Just as tensions were running high in the hall, yet no one moved, the person on the dragon throne finally stirred slightly. Yuwen Yuan said in a deep voice, "All of you, step back."
As soon as he spoke, the Right Valiant Guards immediately retreated.
Su Changjing hurriedly looked up at him, but Yuwen Yuan waved his hand gently, signaling him to be quiet, and then said, "The Prince of Qin has been fighting for months and still doesn't know that he is Su Changjing, the Right Valiant Guard General whom I have newly appointed."
"..."
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Ye looked at Su Changjing and saw another burly figure standing next to him.
Duke of Wushan, Yu Dingxing.
At this moment, his blind eye was covered by a crimson eye patch. Although the hideous wound could not be seen, the remaining eye carried the angry expression of both eyes, making him look even more ferocious. Even if he stood there motionless and just looked at them, he looked like a fierce god standing behind Su Changjing.
At that moment, Yuwen Ye and Shang Ruyi immediately understood.
The former Right Valiant Guard General Song Yu murdered the Prince of Qin and his wife in Fufeng, and later "committed suicide out of fear of punishment." The position had been vacant ever since. Yuwen Yuan handed over all the soldiers of the two guards to the Left Valiant Guard General Yu Dingxing, firstly to stabilize morale, and secondly to trust his in-law. However, since Yu Dingxing lost an eye, he had been unable to command the two armies. Before the battle of Luoyang, Yuwen Yuan had already been considering appointing another general to command the Right Valiant Guard.
Now, bringing Yu Dingxing's son-in-law into this position is clearly a deliberate arrangement.
Naturally, they all stood there—
Yuwen Ye's gaze slowly fell on the crown prince behind Yu Dingxing, who stood tall and elegant, yet remained silent, as if he were an outsider.
Because of the great distance and the layers of obstruction, he could not even make out the other party's appearance clearly, only a vague outline, like a larger and more indistinct deity behind the fierce god Yu Dingxing.
Yuwen Qian's eyes were clear and shallow; only at this moment did he glance at him.
These two pairs of eyes, one strong and one gentle, seemed to conceal countless flashes of swords and shadows in the instant they met.
Yuwen Ye chuckled lightly, then slowly raised his head and said to Yuwen Yuan, "So you are the Right Valiant Guard General. No wonder you can arrest people in the imperial court."
Yuwen Yuan's thin lips pursed slightly.
Su Changjing, however, refused to back down, saying, "Your Highness, please forgive me. The Right Valiant Guard, commanding the palace guards, is naturally responsible for protecting His Majesty the Emperor's safety. Now, the suspects who attempted to assassinate the Emperor are right here in the court, and there is more than one of them. If I don't order their arrest, should I wait for them to make their move?"
At this point, he took a step forward, directly approaching Pei Xingyuan: "If His Majesty's health is harmed, will these traitors bear the responsibility for this heinous crime, or will Your Highness Prince Qin bear it?"
"..."
This question stumped Yuwen Ye.
Because the emperor's health is not something anyone can bear, not even his own son. The moment this question was posed, Yuwen Ye found himself in a dilemma.
Just as Yuwen Ye narrowed his eyes and looked at him with a dangerous gaze, a soft laugh rang out in the court.
The laughter was lighthearted, even somewhat mocking, which felt strange in the tense atmosphere. Everyone's eyes turned to the person who laughed.
It was Pei Xingyuan.
He raised his hand and gently pried Liang Youying's arm away with two fingers, then gestured for her not to worry. He stepped forward and kowtowed to Yuwen Yuan, saying, "Your Majesty, I, Pei Xingyuan, bow again and wish Your Majesty a long life."
Yuwen Yuan stared at him in silence for a while, then said, "Do you know your crime?"
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