He seemed to want to vent all the sorrow that had been suppressed for nine years through these few words. It was so intense, so tragic, and with the determination to fight to the death.
These words had been buried in his heart for nine years. He had no idea how many times he had said them in his dreams at noon, but every time he woke up, they were all empty.
He was afraid that if he missed this opportunity, he would never have the chance to speak it out again.
During these nine years, he had been living in an endless nightmare. Every time he closed his eyes, he would go back to that time. He dreamed that he and his comrades had defended Tailing City together, dreamed that the city was broken, dreamed that they were buried alive together, and dreamed that he was struggling in the ground...
Once, he thought he would never wait for this day, but he finally waited for it! The man's tragic voice spread far away with the night wind, echoing in this empty palace.
Not far away, Prince Kang Chuyou walked towards this side from the direction of Qianqing Gate and heard everything Yu Cunzheng said clearly.
His tall body shook violently and his steps paused slightly.
Yu Cunzheng's shoulders were shaking as he spoke excitedly, "Even when there was no rescue, even when there was no food or people, Lord Gu held on, even when the soldiers and civilians had to eat cowhide and peel tree bark."
"We even managed to intercept the Vietnamese army's food supplies, which allowed us to hold out for another half a month..."
Back then, when they were about to starve to death in the city, it was Dingyuan Hou Gu Ce who led his soldiers to seize the Yue army's food and grass. Otherwise, Tailing City would not have lasted until February. I'm afraid that before they could "surrender to the enemy", all the soldiers and civilians in the city would have died in the first month of the year!
Those who were not there had no idea how tragic it was. Some people in the city committed suicide due to hunger, and some even resorted to cutting their own flesh to feed their children. At that time, everyone was wondering if they had been abandoned by the imperial court...
As the general of Yangzhou, Gu Ce had the opportunity to abandon the city and leave, but he did not. He fought with the soldiers and civilians in the city until the last moment...
Yu Cunzheng had a lot more to say, but was interrupted by someone's harsh voice: "Ridiculous!"
Chu You couldn't listen any longer, and a cold light flashed in his eagle eyes.
Everyone's eyes rushed in his direction.
Chu Yi stared at Chu You who was approaching steadily, with the corners of his beautiful mouth slightly raised, revealing a gentle smile, but the smile did not reach his eyes.
Chu You walked quickly towards the south study, scanning everyone with sharp eyes, and said loudly: "Can you believe the words of a deserter?"
"He just said that to avoid punishment. Desertion is a capital crime!"
Chu You stopped a few steps away from Duke Weiguo and asked condescendingly, "Duke Weiguo, you brought this man here, right? So, you must know exactly who he is. As a Duke, it's impossible for you not to know the crime of harboring a deserter!!"
Chu You's voice was colder and sharper than ten thousand years of ice, and it was overwhelming, like a long sword unsheathed, releasing a murderous aura.
Facing the aggressive Chu You, Duke Wei, who had experienced three dynasties and seen many storms, remained calm and looked at him frankly and fearlessly.
Duke Wei casually brushed off his sleeves and asked proudly, "King Kang, are you trying to punish me?"
Chu You: “…”
Duke Weiguo stared at Chu You without his gaze wavering, and he was even smiling.
He sneered and called him by his name arrogantly, "Chu You, who do you think you are? You are just a prince, and you want to punish me?"
In the Great Jing Dynasty, apart from the emperor and Fengyang, perhaps only the Duke of Weiguo dared to call King Kang's name like this.
Fang Huairui laughed without any scruples, crossed his arms over his chest, and casually helped Duke Weiguo to finish off the opponent: "It's not your turn, Prince Kang."
Chu You gritted his teeth and glared at the two people who were singing the same tune, his eyes were sharp and cold.
Duke Wei took a step closer to Chu You with his chest puffed out. "Chu You, let's talk about the facts. We are talking about the Gu Ce case, but you are holding on to the desertion issue. Don't you want the truth of what happened back then to be revealed?"
The two were only two feet apart, and sparks flew when their eyes met.
"Ha," Duke Weiguo suddenly laughed, "I almost forgot that you were also in Sishui County, Yangzhou, right? Was it in Tailing City?"
He asked knowingly, and without waiting for Chu You to answer, he continued, "From Gu Ce to the common people, almost everyone in Tailing City died."
"This doesn't seem like a massacre in the city, but rather a cover-up." As he spoke, the Duke of Wei's smile deepened, and he spoke sharply, "What do you think?"
His gaze pierced towards Chu You like a sharp sword, as if he was rebuking, questioning, and testing.
At this moment, the Duke of Weiguo did not suppress his momentum at all, and he was as indestructible as a mountain pressing down on his head.
Everyone was silent, watching the confrontation between King Kang and Duke Wei.
To put it bluntly, this is not just a matter of winning or losing between these two people, but also involves the aristocratic family behind King Kang, and the emperor and eldest prince behind the Duke of Weiguo.
"Bold!" Chu You's face darkened and his veins bulged.
The candlelight from the lantern reflected on Chu You's face with deep features. His tall nose cast a shadow on one cheek, making him look sinister. His eyes were even colder than the night.
His well-defined chin raised slightly, and his voice became even colder: "Wei Shen, you lied to exonerate Gu Ce, and you also want to wrongly accuse me!"
Duke Weiguo continued to look Chu You in the face, not flinching at all, and said in a sonorous and powerful voice: "Since you feel wronged, why don't you allow me to reopen the case?"
"Whether what Yu Cunzheng said is true or false, you haven't verified it yet, so why are you denying it?"
"..." Chu You was speechless for a moment, his eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Humph!" After being silent for a while, Prime Minister Xiao suddenly walked to the side of Chu You, clearly standing on the same front with him, "Duke Weiguo, treason is treason. The two countries have already reached a conclusion. Facts speak louder than words! Why do you disregard right and wrong and confuse right and wrong?!"
"Has it been 'decided long ago', or do you want to make the best of a bad situation?!" Duke Weiguo was more than half a head taller than Prime Minister Xiao. When he approached Prime Minister Xiao, his tall shadow was cast on the other party, bringing with it an oppressive aura.
"If you say you want to overturn the verdict, then every criminal will come and clamor that they are innocent and demand an overturn of the verdict!" Xiao Shoufu still refused to give in, and said confidently, "My Lord, a thief will not admit that he is a thief!"
"Well said. A thief will not admit that he is a thief, and King Kang will not admit that he is guilty!" Duke Wei sneered, "But if he is not guilty, why not allow the case to be investigated further?"
"In my opinion, King Kang must be hiding something!"
These two men, one a civil official and the other a military official, are both very important figures in the court. At this moment, each side holds their own position and refuses to give in to the other.
No one could convince the other, and no one was willing to show weakness to the other.
“……” Wang Nan stared at Yu Cunzheng blankly, unable to utter a word for a long time.
Over the years, he has always firmly believed that Gu Ce was guilty, but since Yu Cunzheng appeared just now, a crack has appeared in his rock-hard determination.
Yu Cunzheng was a deserter. According to the law, deserters should be put to death. As King Kang said, Yu Cunzheng also needed to make meritorious deeds in order to escape punishment.
But Wang Nan knew Yu Cunzheng, and they had once risked their lives to protect each other on the battlefield. Because of their old friendship, he did not believe that Yu Cunzheng was the kind of person King Kang said.
What was the truth of nine years ago? ! With a creak, the tightly closed door of the South Study opened, interrupting the sparkling atmosphere.
Everyone turned and looked towards the South Study, and saw the emperor walking out.
Everyone shut their mouths and fell silent.
Suppressing the myriad thoughts in their minds, everyone including Wang Nan and Yu Cunzheng bowed in unison:
"Your Highness."
The door of the South Study was open. When everyone lowered their heads, they could vaguely see a hint of green clothing. Even though they only saw a corner, several people guessed that Princess Fengyang was also inside.
The emperor stood with his hands behind his back, and the five-clawed golden dragon embroidered with gold thread on his bright yellow dragon robe sparkled in the moonlight and lamplight.
"I have heard everything you said just now," the emperor said while stroking his beard slowly. "Since both sides have their own opinions and it is difficult to reach a conclusion, then we should re-examine the Yangzhou case nine years ago."
"Whether it was Gu Ce who committed treason or the seventh brother who concealed something, we should investigate it thoroughly. I will not wrongly accuse any innocent person."
"Prime Minister, do you think so?"
The emperor looked at Prime Minister Xiao with a smile on his face. His expression was as gentle as usual. He smiled slightly, but with the irrefutable aura and strength of an emperor.
These words are also said in a very high-sounding manner, and there is nothing wrong with them.
Prime Minister Xiao pursed his lips tightly, his heart sinking slightly.
The Duke of Weiguo had just been arguing with King Kang, and it was probably because of this that they had been tricked by the Emperor and the Duke of Weiguo.
Having said that, if they still insist on opposing the emperor's re-investigation of Gu Ce's case, it would be tantamount to indirectly proving that Prince Kang has something to hide.
At this point, there is no other choice.
Prime Minister Xiao quickly weighed the pros and cons and said with difficulty: "Your Majesty is wise..."
The corners of Chu You's mouth curled up into a fierce arc, his eyes became even colder, and he glanced coldly at Chief Minister Xiao. The whole person seemed to be shrouded in a thick haze.
He had never known that his royal brother was so eloquent before. It was obvious that the emperor was determined to overturn Gu Ce's verdict, but he spoke as if he was wholeheartedly doing this for his royal brother.
The emperor glanced at the crowd slowly, taking everyone's silence as a sign of agreement, and said calmly: "Since all of you have no objection, let's do it this way."
At this point, it’s final.
"Your Majesty is wise." Chu Yi was the first to bow to the emperor. His posture was still elegant, and his eyes were as bright as the silver moon in the night sky.
Duke Weiguo then clasped his fists and said in a loud voice: "Your Majesty is wise. Long live the Majesty!"
Other nobles and generals also shouted "Long live the emperor" in unison. Their shouts were so uniform and audible that they seemed to carry the power of thunder.
However, within just a stick of incense, their mentality had changed drastically. Their hearts were filled with excitement. Some had red eyes, some had tears in their eyes, and some clenched their teeth.
In their minds, they kept repeating what Yu Cunzheng had just said.
No one can understand the despair and tragedy of being isolated and helpless better than those who have walked out of the battlefield. It is like a knife stabbing deeply into their hearts, making them feel bloody and in unbearable pain.
It is natural for generals to fight for their country, and it is also an honor to die for their country, but they cannot bear the stigma of treason!
A solemn and tragic atmosphere enveloped the entire palace.
This night was destined to be uneasy. In the early morning, official documents were posted at each city gate, indicating that the emperor had ordered a thorough investigation of the Gu Ce case nine years ago.
This was also a statement from the emperor that the case would be investigated openly and in front of the people of the world, without any falsehood.
So, the people who went in and out of the city gate early in the morning saw the official document, and they gathered three layers inside and three layers outside the bulletin board, making it a bustling scene.
Among the onlookers, there were literate people and illiterate people.
Those who were not illiterate grabbed others and asked them to help read the document.
The battle between Dajing and Yue State nine years ago was a pain for all the people of Dajing.
That year, a total of 80,000 soldiers and civilians of Dajing died. Many families were separated from their wives and children, and many families lost their able-bodied men and lived a hard life.
Even though the late emperor had not explicitly accused Gu Ce of treason, everyone in the country, from the elderly to children, knew that it was Gu Ce who surrendered to the enemy and opened the city gates, which led to the killing of the Vietnamese army and caused Dajing to be defeated in that battle.
Everyone called Gu Ce a traitor, despicable and shameless person with no integrity. They called him a traitor to the country and the people. They accused him of crimes that were so severe that even death a thousand times would not be enough to atone for his sins.
This heavy sin was all borne by Gu Ce alone.
But what if...
Is Gu Ce innocent? The people were very excited. Some people cried out for Gu Ce, some said they would wait and see, and some firmly believed that Gu Ce was guilty. Everyone started a heated discussion, and the noise was as noisy as a pot of boiling water.
Outside the crowd, a boy of eight or nine years old grabbed the corner of the clothes of a middle-aged man in a green robe and screamed, "Dad, I want to eat that rice cake, buy me that rice cake!"
The middle-aged man frowned and said unhappily, "Li Hao, didn't you just say you wanted to come down and watch the fun?"
"Anyway, I want to eat rice cakes!" The boy Li Hao said stubbornly, looking up.
An old female voice came from a green-covered carriage next to them: "Zhao Di, take your brother to buy rice cakes."
Another young female voice quickly responded, and a young woman in her twenties with a pretty face in blue clothes got off the carriage. Li Zhaodi took Li Hao's hand and said flatteringly, "Brother Hao, I'll take you to buy it."
When Li Hao returned to his father with the hot rice cake, his father was still looking at the official document in front of him. Li Zhaodi asked casually, "Dad, what are you looking at? What does this document say?"
Li Zhaodi was illiterate, so she could only ask her father. She only heard the people around her talking about "consulting" and "overturning the verdict" and so on, which made her completely confused.
"They said they wanted to rehabilitate Gu Ce..." Father Li's eyes were fixed on the official document in front of him, and his gaze almost burned two holes in the document.
"Rehabilitation? What redress?"
"That damn girl came to the capital and did nothing else but make all this mess!" Father Li said gritting his teeth, his rough face distorted, his eyes flashing with deep disgust.
Li Zhaodi pursed her plump but slightly pale lips, with a complicated expression.
Of course she knew who the "dead girl" her father was talking about was. It was the second sister who had lived in their family for fourteen years.
It was not until last year that she found out that her second sister was not her biological sister, but that Gu Yunyan, the daughter of the Marquis's Mansion, was her biological sister.
The crowd in front was still discussing the official documents enthusiastically, and even more people gathered around.
A silver-haired old woman said in a high-pitched voice: "This must be the eldest prince who wants to vindicate the former Dingyuan Marquis Gu Ce. I saw the eldest prince with my own eyes at Wancao Hall yesterday!"
The old woman had a look of pride on her face and her eyes sparkled. She felt that this was enough for her to brag about for the rest of her life.
A plump middle-aged woman curiously pulled the silver-haired old woman and asked, "Old sister, what does the eldest prince look like?"
The old woman raised her chin and said, "He is as handsome as a banished immortal. He is so handsome, so handsome!"
She used many words, but could only repeatedly emphasize how handsome the eldest prince was.
Father Li snorted coldly: "What do you mean by exiled immortal? You must be blind. How could a prince like that skinny little girl?"
A square-faced young man in green clothes got off the carriage and urged impatiently, "Hurry up, my master is waiting for you."
The young man in blue pointed in a direction, and a young man in a blue robe, about seventeen or eighteen years old, walked out of a restaurant not far ahead. He was young, handsome, and had an upright figure.
Father Li immediately put on a warm smile, narrowed his cloudy eyes, and asked eagerly: "Is that Mr. Fang?" The Mr. Fang who ordered people to bring them to the capital? ! "Let's go." The young man in blue nodded perfunctorily and quickly led Father Li and others to the direction of Fang Mingfeng.
The green-covered carriage also followed closely behind them.
Fang Mingfeng, standing at the entrance of the restaurant, looked from a distance at Mr. Li and his group as they gradually approached.
Mr. Li was of medium height. He wore a half-new sky-blue robe and a black silk belt around his waist. There were a few strands of gray hair on his temples, but he looked fairly clean.
Fang Mingfeng's gaze then fell on Father Li's fingers rubbing constantly on his robe and his wandering eyes, and a hint of contempt flashed across his eyes.
This person's behavior is crude and vulgar, and his inner self is empty. It is no wonder that such a person who is not presentable can raise someone like Gu Feiyan who is frivolous, artificial, and cold-hearted.
"Mr. Fang." Father Li bowed respectfully to Fang Mingfeng, not daring to look directly at him.
He used to work for the Gu family for many years, and later went to Yuzhou to manage the farm for various reasons, so he still understood all kinds of rules and etiquette.
Fang Mingfeng quickly withdrew his gaze and didn't even look at Li Zhaodi and Li Hao, the brother and sister, who were standing behind Li's father.
He stroked his sleeves gently and said indifferently: "I have someone prepare a house in the west of the city. You can live there first. When I need you, I will send someone to call you."
After a pause, he slowed down his speech and warned: "Other than that, you'd better behave yourself."
His expression and tone were calm and indifferent from beginning to end, as if he was looking at them, but also as if they were not even in his sight. He exuded the arrogant bearing of a nobleman, looking high and mighty, making people feel that he was out of reach.
"Yes, Mr. Fang." Father Li agreed and nodded humbly. "Don't worry, we will follow your arrangements."
Li Zhaodi was a little distracted, staring at Fang Mingfeng blankly, and suddenly remembered that the old woman had just praised the eldest prince as a banished immortal.
It turns out that there is such a handsome and noble young man in the capital. The banished immortal from heaven should be like Mr. Fang in front of him.
A slight blush appeared on Li Zhaodi's cheeks, and she subconsciously held her brother's hand tighter. She felt uncomfortable in her heart, feeling sour, bitter and depressed.
Thinking of her vulgar late husband, she bit her lower lip and couldn't help thinking: If only she was the one who was replaced back then...
(End of this chapter)
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