Chapter 245 The Emperor's Ultimate Goal!
The next morning, the morning court session began.
All the court officials stood on either side of the main hall, divided into civil and military officials. Usually, the court assemblies would begin with arguments starting from this line, but today, there were not only no arguments, but not even a sound.
The court was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
In the silence, a loud bang suddenly rang out.
The emperor, seated on his dragon throne, slammed his hand on the table and pointed at a man below, roaring, "Drag this lawless traitor away and behead him!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than Ci Feiwei walked in.
And the person they wanted to capture was none other than the most eye-catching and imposing Duke of Sheng, Yuwen Yuan, who stood among the assembled officials!
He had already been transferred to Taiyuan. Especially after the battle of Yanmen County, Shanxi and other places became the main targets of Ashina Shali's revenge for that arrow, and he sent troops to harass them several times. Therefore, after the New Year, this Shanxi Pacification Ambassador quickly set off and returned to Taiyuan to lead the army to resist the southward invasion of the Turks.
Unexpectedly, he secretly returned to the Eastern Capital at this time and appeared among the officials at the morning court session.
Everyone was shocked. At this moment, upon hearing that the emperor was going to execute him, the ministers were also alarmed. Several ministers immediately stepped forward, knelt down before Chu Yang, and repeatedly said, "Your Majesty, please spare the life of the Duke of Sheng."
"Yes, Your Majesty. Duke Sheng has made outstanding contributions in resisting the Turks and suppressing the rebellion at Longmen. He cannot be killed like this."
"Your Majesty, please inquire about the reasons before making the execution."
Hearing their desperate pleas, Wang Shaoji, standing among the officials, sneered and said, "Gentlemen, you make it sound so simple. Yuwen Yuan was ordered to guard Taiyuan, and now, without either an imperial edict or a court order, he dares to return to Luoyang on his own. What is this? This is dereliction of duty, this is deceiving the emperor! If the emperor doesn't execute him as a warning to others, does he expect all the soldiers guarding the borders to follow suit?"
The ministers wanted to say something, but couldn't bring themselves to say it.
Indeed, as long as Yuwen Yuan stood here, it would be considered dereliction of duty, a capital offense, with virtually no room for maneuver.
Just then, a person slowly walked out of the queue and stood in the very center of the hall.
It was none other than Dong Bizheng, the Duke of Shenwu.
He said respectfully, “Your Majesty, the Duke of Sheng has abandoned his post and committed the crime of deceiving the emperor. He deserves to die. Since we are going to die anyway, we might as well hear what he has to say before he dies, so that he can die knowing why.”
Chu Yang narrowed his phoenix eyes slightly, then looked at Yuwen Yuan, whose arms had been restrained by two Flying Guards, yet he still stood tall and showed no fear. After a long silence, he said, "Alright. Let's hear what you have to say."
After saying that, he waved his hand gently.
The two guards immediately released Yuwen Yuan and stepped aside, while Yuwen Yuan immediately stood in the center of the hall and kowtowed to Chu Yang, saying, "This old minister deserves death."
Chu Yang said lazily, "There's no need for such nonsense. Just explain why you came back to die in a few words, and then you can go."
Yuwen Yuan calmly replied, "This old minister has returned to court for the sake of my son."
Chu Yang raised an eyebrow slightly.
The officials in the court also showed strange expressions on their faces.
Half a month ago, the emperor had the body of Kou Yunliang, the military supervisor whom he had personally appointed, crushed to ashes. Although this was not a formal execution, everyone knew about it, so it was no secret. This made the truth behind the case of the Grand General of the State beheading the military supervisor even more elusive. Now, the Duke of Sheng's son's unauthorized return to the capital has made the case even more complicated.
Chu Yang sneered and said, "So, it's for the Grand General who assists the state."
Upon hearing the words "Grand General Who Assists the State," those already strange expressions turned even more shocked.
Even now, the emperor still refers to Yuwen Ye as the Grand General Who Assists the State, which means—
However, before everyone could think about it, Yuwen Yuan's deep voice rang out in the hall, so loud it was almost deafening.
He said, "This old minister is willing to die to prove my son's innocence."
Many people gasped in shock.
Chu Yang, sitting on the dragon throne, first straightened up, but after thinking for a moment, he immediately leaned back, placing one hand on the table and tapping the surface lightly with his fingertips, as if he were weighing something.
After a long pause, he narrowed his eyes and looked at Yuwen Yuan, then sneered, "You mean you're willing to die for his life?"
"yes."
"According to you, regardless of his innocence, as long as you die, I will spare his life. Where is the dignity of the law? Where is justice? Is the court a place where one can exchange one's life for another?"
Yuwen Yuan immediately replied, "This old minister is confused."
"You're really confused!"
Chu Yang said, "I have already investigated Yuwen Ye's case. Those who deserve to die should die, those who deserve to be released should be released, and those who deserve to be rewarded should be rewarded. Why do you need to do this?"
Yuwen Yuan then said, "This old minister is muddle-headed."
Chu Yang sneered again, "If I don't kill you and let you live, how will you save your son's life?"
Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the court suddenly changed.
The civil and military officials all showed surprised expressions, and when they looked at Chu Yang again, many of them had a look of sudden realization in their eyes.
But no one spoke.
Yuwen Yuan quickly replied, "If this old minister is fortunate enough to survive, but has already committed a crime, I am willing to be demoted three ranks and remain in Taiyuan to defend the court against the Turks, devoting myself to the cause until my dying breath!"
Upon hearing this, some people already let out a low gasp of surprise.
He was demoted three ranks but remained in Taiyuan. In other words, from today onwards, he would no longer lead the imperial army but would continue to defend against the Turkic attacks. All he could rely on was his own army, that of the Duke of Sheng!
This is no ordinary punishment or demerit!
This is a move that completely weakens oneself in order to demonstrate loyalty to the court!
Even Wang Shaoji, who was standing aside waiting to mock him at any moment, showed a hint of surprise. He no longer needed to say anything.
In fact, he had already discerned the emperor's tone. The emperor was unlikely to actually execute the Duke of Sheng for such a trivial matter as leaving his post and returning to court without permission. Wang Shaoji's meddling was merely an attempt to exacerbate his crime and force the emperor to impose a heavier punishment on him.
Unexpectedly, Yuwen Yuan immediately imposed the heaviest punishment on himself.
In this situation, they have no choice but to release Yuwen Ye.
But this was the emperor's ultimate goal!
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Meanwhile, outside the gate of Dali Temple on the other side, Shang Ruyi led Tushe'er and Chang Wan to stand in the wind and snow. Although the wind was biting cold, she did not feel very cold because she was wearing a thick fur coat. On the contrary, a passionate emotion was surging in her chest, which made her completely unafraid of the wind and snow in front of her. She was only staring intently at the gate of Dali Temple.
Aren't you coming out yet?
At this point, there should be a result.
Tu She'er felt really sorry for her. Although she was holding an umbrella, it couldn't keep out the raging wind and snow. She was afraid that Shang Ruyi, who had just recovered from her serious injuries, would catch a cold again. She said softly, "Miss, let's find a place to shelter from the wind and snow. I'm afraid you'll catch a cold like this."
Shang Ruyi shook her head: "I'm fine."
On the other side, Chang Wan said worriedly, "Young Madam, are you sure the Second Young Master will be able to come out today?"
Shang Ruyi said, "It should be possible."
Chang Wan said, "Why? This servant doesn't understand."
"..."
"Although the Duke has returned, this time he hasn't returned for another crime—"
She swallowed the word "crime" as she spoke, for as a servant she could not speak ill of her master. Then she asked, "Why do you think the Second Young Master can still be released, Madam?"
Shang Ruyi glanced at her and said with a faint smile, "His Majesty has been waiting for these two weeks because he wants the Duke to 'commit a crime'."
Both maids looked surprised.
Shang Ruyi didn't say anything more, but smiled and turned to look at the entrance of Dali Temple. At this moment, the wind and snow seemed to have lessened, and the dark cloud that had been pressing down on them for more than half a month seemed to have thinned out a lot. Light shone through, faintly, and even her heart felt much brighter.
At that moment, she came to a realization.
In fact, from the moment Chu Yang had Kou Yunliang reduced to ashes, Yuwen Ye had to release him, but he kept him detained, which was to pressure the Duke of Sheng.
But how could the Duke of Sheng, being so shrewd, not see through the emperor's thoughts?
And so, he was "trapped".
He returned to Luoyang for no reason. The criminal had deceived the emperor, so he was punished for his crime and demoted three ranks. He was still allowed to stay in Taiyuan and use his own troops to resist the Turks. The court benefited and the emperor weakened this thorn in his side.
This can be described as killing two birds with one stone.
In this way, even if Yuwen Ye's great achievements in the expedition to Xingluocang were acknowledged, his position as Grand General of the State was preserved, and he even won praise from the people, the weakening of the Yuwen family was an established fact that could not be changed no matter what.
Thinking of this, Shang Ruyi suddenly felt a chill rise from her heart.
In her eyes, Chu Yang had always had two faces. One was the image she had never seen, but which had already taken shape: the image of a cruel, bloodthirsty, and licentious tyrant in the eyes of the world. The other was the image of a banished immortal who was holding an umbrella in the misty rain and smiling at her.
But she never imagined that Chu Yang was also a master of political maneuvering.
His intelligence, which had already astonished her countless times, made her realize once again that his intelligence far exceeded her imagination.
This person is too blessed by heaven.
That's too much...
Just as she was feeling sentimental, the gate of the Dali Temple suddenly let out a long hiss, and then the gate was opened.
Shang Ruyi hurriedly raised her head.
At that moment, the dark clouds overhead seemed to dissipate, and a ray of sunlight shone down, illuminating a tall and robust figure emerging from the doorway. Although his face was pale and somewhat haggard, he was upright and vigorous, like a jade tree in the wind. As he walked towards her, a joyful and gentle light slowly shone in his bright eyes…
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