Chapter 930 His crime deserves death!
Blood streamed down Lou Yingxiong's forehead, flowing from the corner of his mouth into his mouth. When he opened his mouth, it was filled with crimson blood, making him look like a person vomiting blood and on the verge of death. He struggled to say, "I—"
He also realized that Yuwen Ye's words were adding to his guilt. Although he had no room to defend himself, he still mumbled and did not respond to Yuwen Ye.
Yuwen Ye then turned his head and said, "Lord Lü."
Lu Qianfeng was probably surprised that he would be singled out, and asked somewhat unexpectedly, "What are your orders, Your Highness?"
Yuwen Ye asked, "How did you find out about General Lou's estate? Could there be some misunderstanding?"
"...!"
Lu Qianfeng stared at him with wide eyes in surprise, but seeing Yuwen Ye looking at him with a calm and puzzled expression, he seemed to understand something. Yuwen Yuan also said, "That's right, I haven't had a chance to ask yet. You searched the city for so many days without finding any clues, so why did you find that manor last night?"
Lu Qianfeng immediately turned to Yuwen Yuan and said, "Your Majesty, it is precisely because I could not find that group of people in the city and found the bodies of those who were silenced outside the city that I concluded that the assassins who intercepted and killed Minister Pei came from outside the city."
"oh?"
"However, the area outside the city is too large, making the search more difficult."
"So how did you find that village?"
“Your Majesty, I believe that people need food, clothing, shelter, and transportation to live in this world. Regardless of where these people come from or who keeps them, eating and clothing are the most important things. The only clues I have are those corpses and the clothes they were wearing. I had people take the fabric from those corpses to the cloth shops and tailors in the city to inquire and compare them. However, because Chang'an is too big and there are too many shops, we didn’t get any results for several days. Fortunately, we finally found a clue yesterday.”
"You found a shop that makes clothes for those assassins?"
"Indeed. Moreover, by observing the size, number of sets, and destinations of the clothes delivered each season, I was able to determine the number and location of the assassins, which enabled me to lead my men to surround the manor last night and capture them."
At this point, Lü Qianfeng looked at Yuwen Ye again: "And these people have all admitted that they are guards privately kept by General Lou, and the accounts between them and the General's Mansion have also been investigated."
Yuwen Ye sighed softly and said, "Lord Lü is indeed shrewd; I admire him."
Lü Qianfeng immediately replied, "Your Highness is too kind."
Yuwen Yuan said to Lü Qianfeng, "It's rare to see someone so dedicated to their work. Guards, appoint Lü Qianfeng as the Left General of the Imperial Guard and reward him with a thousand taels of gold."
Lu Qianfeng was both surprised and delighted. He had been feeling uneasy after submitting his statement. Although it was his duty, he knew that by exposing Lou Yingxiong's affair, he had completely offended the Crown Prince and his future would be bleak. However, when the Prince of Qin came over, a few questions brought his merits to the forefront, and Yuwen Yuan immediately promoted him.
Besides, the clue was originally given to me by Mu Xian...
Thinking of this, Lü Qianfeng immediately knelt down and kowtowed: "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty!"
Yuwen Yuan nodded. Although Lü Qianfeng had indeed handled the task very well, he didn't feel much joy at this moment. He simply waved his hand to dismiss him. Lü Qianfeng breathed a sigh of relief, got up, and left. However, as he passed by Yuwen Ye, he gave him a slight nod.
Once he left, the hall fell silent again.
Yuwen Ye sighed again, glancing helplessly at Lou Yingxiong: "It seems there's no misunderstanding here."
"..."
"General Lou, you really shouldn't have done that!"
Yuwen Yuan gave Lou Yingxiong, who was kneeling on the ground and dared not raise his head, a deep look, and then said, "Prince Qin, what do you think should be done about this matter?"
Yuwen Ye hesitated for a moment, then looked up at Yuwen Yuan and said, "This matter is of great importance, and I dare not speak rashly."
Yuwen Yuan said, "I told you to say it, so no matter what you say, it's not nonsense."
At this moment, Lou Yingxiong's face turned deathly pale, and he looked at him trembling as if awaiting death. Yuwen Ye thought for a moment and said, "General Lou has been privately raising assassins, plotting rebellion, and intercepting and killing court officials. According to the law, his crime deserves death!"
Yuwen Qian glanced at him.
Yuwen Yuan seemed somewhat surprised that he would so bluntly state "his crime deserves death," but before he could respond, Yuwen Ye immediately added, "However—"
Yuwen Yuan asked, "But what?"
Yuwen Ye said, "However, Pei Xingyuan's imprisonment was caused by the Tangquan Palace case, and General Lou was the one who arrested him. The case is still not closed. Although he was ambushed, he was fortunate to be rescued. The truth of this case will eventually come to light. Therefore, I believe that no one involved in this case should die, and they should not be let off easily."
"..."
"Otherwise, I'm afraid the truth of this case will remain elusive."
Yuwen Yuan's eyes suddenly became deep.
Before this, his suspicions about Lou Yingxiong's purpose in intercepting Pei Xingyuan were all about the conflict between the Crown Prince and the Prince of Qin. As the Crown Prince's father-in-law, Lou Yingxiong might have taken a risk to eliminate the other party's right-hand man. However, Yuwen Ye's words reminded him that this matter was also related to the case of Tangquan Palace.
Is it to get rid of Pei Xingyuan, or to ensure that the truth of this case will never be found?
After all, Jiang Yan and Liang Youying have already run away, Jiang Yu can't get the truth out of them, and Su Qinglan has also been deceived. If Pei Xingyuan dies, the truth of this case will probably be lost forever!
If it really is about the case of the Hot Spring Palace, then what is the truth behind it?
Yuwen Yuan's hand, which was resting on the imperial desk, gradually clenched. His dark, large fist cracked, and the knuckles made a series of sharp, thumping sounds. Each sound was like a thunderclap, and the hearts of those in the hall began to race.
After an unknown amount of time, Yuwen Yuan finally spoke, saying, "Lou Yingxiong, do you have anything to say?"
At this moment, Lou Yingxiong's face was deathly pale. The only strength he had left supported him as he knelt on the ground, but he couldn't even lift his head. He trembled and said, "Your humble servant, your humble servant—"
"Someone come here!"
Before he could finish speaking, Yuwen Yuan suddenly shouted, "Lock Lou Yingxiong in jail and keep him under strict guard!"
"yes!"
Two guards immediately entered the main hall and escorted Lou Yingxiong, who was already limp as a rag doll, out.
Yuwen Qian remained kneeling with his head down until Lou Yingxiong left the Xuanzheng Hall and the doors closed behind him once more. Only then did he slowly raise his head, meeting Yuwen Yuan's sharp gaze. Yuwen Yuan said in a deep voice, "Recommending virtuous officials for the country is the responsibility of a subject and a son, yet you, as the Crown Prince, have been so negligent—"
Yuwen Qian said, "Your subject deserves to die ten thousand times over!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com