Chapter 65 Chapter 65 It's really worthy of its reputation
Outside the main hall.
Guo Huai first saw Duan Wenpei walking towards him and hurriedly trotted to meet him.
Before he could get close, he heard an angry shout from behind him, "Wei Yangbo! Did you arrange for the old man selling vegetables on the long street?" The Right Censor-in-Chief, who could barely stand just now, was now like a lit firecracker, shouting and crackling non-stop.
"You're despicable! Even if I disagree with you politically, you should consider that we share His Majesty's concerns and not embarrass me." He bowed towards the hall and snorted coldly, "How can you, Lord? I haven't even entered the palace yet, and you've already sent people to stage this drama! You wanted to show it to His Majesty, to the world. Now that your wish has been fulfilled, are you satisfied?"
"But Lord, don't forget how my Li family achieved its current glory. You've embarrassed me before the whole world. The princess and His Majesty will not forgive you!"
He held onto the red pillar in front of the hall, his eyes cold and gloomy, staring at Duan Wenpei as if he were poisoned, wishing he could devour his flesh and blood.
Duan Wenpei walked up the stairs with a normal expression, looking down at the Right Censor-in-Chief whose hair was slightly graying.
"Master Li has been traveling all this time. I think his brain must have been disturbed."
Li Junji thought Duan Wenpei would at least explain a few words, but he never expected that he would start by scolding him.
Are you crazy?
He was the Right Censor-in-Chief, and he had never been scolded like this before, especially since his position was held by a commoner like Duan Wenpei, who rose to the top of the nobility by doing dirty work for the emperor.
He was furious, then wept bitterly as he knelt down in the direction of the hall, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I am guilty. I deserve death, and my death is not a pity. But before I die, please, Your Majesty, examine everything carefully and punish Wei Yangbo for disobeying Your Majesty's will, bending the law for personal gain, and committing the crime of disrespect!"
As night fell, the palace maids hung lanterns in the corridors of the palace. A breeze blew, and the lanterns swayed, and the corridors were filled with mottled light and shadows, flickering.
In the deathly silence, only Li Junji's body trembled slightly after his roar.
Like green leaves falling in the wind, they look fresh, but in fact they will turn yellow after just a few days.
Duan Wenpei raised his hand to touch his ears which were almost deafened by the noise, and slowly moved a few steps to the side.
He looked at Guo Huai, who was also covering his ears with his hands, and calmly reminded him, "It's not appropriate to let Lord Li act like a lunatic here. It's getting late. Please ask Eunuch Guo to go in and ask when His Majesty will summon him."
Guo Huai was a shrewd man. Seeing Li Junji crying and cursing, gasping for breath, he knew that the time was almost up.
She hurriedly flicked her whisk and said with a forced smile, "My Lord, please wait a moment. I will go and ask."
Just as he was about to push the door open, the vermilion palace door slowly opened from the inside.
A gorgeous woman in palace attire came out, holding a pipa. Seeing the scene in the corridor, she lowered her eyes slightly and said softly to Duan Wenpei and Li Junji, "My Lord, Your Majesty, please come in."
A palace maid took the pipa from her hand and put a fox fur cloak on her.
Guo Huai responded with, "Farewell, Her Majesty the Concubine Shu." Then he led Duan Wenpei and the other two into the main hall.
The palace door closed, and Concubine Shu, who walked down the stairs, looked back with a flicker in her eyes.
"Was that Wei Yangbo just now?"
The palace maid said yes.
"It really lives up to its reputation." Concubine Shu sighed.
"Go wait at the palace gate. When you see Master Bo coming out, tell him that I want to have a chat with him."
The palace maid took the order and left. It was a chilly night, so Concubine Shu tightened her cloak, stroked her flat belly, and carefully got into the sedan chair.
*
Inside the main hall, Emperor Xuanwu was sitting cross-legged on the dragon couch in his casual attire, flipping through the memorials that had piled up like a mountain beside him.
As soon as he saw Li Junji coming in, without waiting for him to kneel down to pay his respects, the emperor waved his hand and memorials flew everywhere like snowflakes.
Li Junji's expression changed slightly, and he crawled down to his knees.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, calm down!"
Duan Wenpei also knelt down, bowing slightly and saying calmly, "Your Majesty, please calm down."
"Calm down?"
The emperor sneered, "One of you came to the capital without being summoned, and the other disregarded my orders. Tell me, how can I calm my anger? Speak!"
"Why don't you say anything now?"
"Li Junji, take a look at these, these, and these," Emperor Xuanwu gathered up the scattered memorials on the dragon couch, picked them up in his hand, and smashed them against Li Junji's forehead. "All of them, all of them are impeaching you!"
"Well, since I ascended the throne, the number of memorials from younger generations paying respects to me has never been as high as the number of memorials criticizing you!"
"Weren't you screaming and jumping outside just now? Death penalty? In my opinion, even if I cut you into pieces, it would not be enough to quench my wrath!"
The young emperor had a strong hand, and the hard shell of the memorial knocked bloody marks on Li Junji's forehead. The blood flowed down his cheek, dripped onto the shiny gold brick, and soon disappeared.
Ever since Li Zhan became the princess, Li Junji has always regarded himself as a royal relative, and the emperor has always been very polite to him. He never expected this day.
He used his hands and feet, crawled forward like a sieve, and knelt at the feet of the emperor.
"His Majesty!"
"All the faults are mine alone. Please don't get angry and hurt the dragon's body!"
He knelt down to pick up the scattered memorials at his feet, sorted them out, and placed them on the emperor's dragon couch. Reaching for the emperor's dragon boots, he spoke earnestly, "Your Majesty, I have no other choice. My wife sent a pigeon saying that my son has displeased Her Royal Highness the Princess, causing a great uproar in the city. I still remember when Your Majesty took my hand and said that Her Royal Highness had suffered a difficult childhood and that you wanted my son to marry you because you were impressed by his character and talent, and because you hoped he would serve Her Royal Highness well and bring more smiles to her face."
Speaking of deep feelings, Li Junji almost shed tears, "Your Majesty's intention, how could this old minister not understand? It is because you trust me and my son that you entrusted the happiness of Her Royal Highness to him. Before I left, this old minister gave you many warnings and instructions, but who knew that this boy would betray your grace like this? When I think of Her Royal Highness's heartbreak, my heart feels like it's being eaten by thousands of ants. Forgive me for being so bold. Regardless of the relationship between the monarch and the minister, let's just talk about the moral principles. Her Royal Highness is just like my daughter. This son is so unrepentant. Even if there are mountains of swords and seas of fire ahead, I will return to the capital and personally force him to come before Your Majesty to apologize!"
"Your Majesty, Heaven can bear witness to my heart, Your Majesty!"
He shouted at the top of his lungs, tears streaming down his face, as if he were really an old father who couldn't bear to see his "daughter" suffer any injustice.
Duan Wenpei curled the corners of his lips and lowered his eyelids to hide the fleeting gleam of sarcasm in his eyes.
Li Junji is indeed an old fox. He has figured out the emperor's thoughts and knows his weaknesses.
Sure enough, Emperor Xuanwu paused when he was about to kick Li Junji away, frowned, looked at his old face which was filled with tears, blood and snot, and waved him away with some disgust.
"That's enough! This is disgraceful!"
The emperor's voice was cold, but the anger on his face had faded a lot.
Guo Huai observed the emperor's expression and stepped forward to pick up the teapot on the table. He poured a cup of tea and brought it to Emperor Xuanwu. "Your Majesty, Lord Li is indeed wrong, but his love for Your Majesty and Her Royal Highness the Princess is so touching that even a eunuch like me can be moved by it."
Emperor Xuanwu glanced at him, took the teacup and took a sip, then said noncommittally, "Hmph, if he didn't even have this kind of heart, why would I have listened to him talk for so long?"
Guo Huai smiled and agreed, "Your Majesty is wise."
After drinking the tea, Emperor Xuanwu's face became mellow, as if ice had just melted. He raised his hand and asked the two kneeling men to stand up. "Don't kneel anymore. Come closer and answer me."
Li Junji stood up tremblingly and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of Duan Wenpei walking towards me, and only saw his angular profile.
Just now, why didn't this person take advantage of the emperor's anger and add fuel to the fire by stepping on him?
"As soon as you entered the palace, you clamored to see me. Tell me, what did you find out in Shu this time?"
Before Li Junji could think about why Duan Wenpei did not take advantage of the situation to slander him, Emperor Xuanwu had already asked.
Li Junji did not dare to delay and hurriedly took out a booklet wrapped in oilcloth from his arms. Guo Huai stepped forward to take it, opened it carefully, and presented it to Emperor Xuanwu.
"I am ashamed to say that after more than a month in Shu, I have only found this account book."
Emperor Xuanwu took Guo Huai's hand and turned the pages one by one. The further he read, the uglier his expression became.
After reading it, the emperor became furious. He stood up suddenly and waved his hand. The newly compiled memorial fell to the ground, along with the pot of boiling hot tea.
The teapot shattered and hot water splashed, hitting Duan Wenpei's arms exactly.
The dark green robe sleeves were instantly soaked, and heat rose. Duan Wenpei frowned and suppressed the murderous intent surging in his mind.
Emperor Xuanwu seemed to have not expected to burn Duan Wenpei. His eyes flashed and he shouted at Guo Huai, "What are you standing there for? Call the imperial physician!"
He took a few steps forward, his face filled with concern for Duan Wenpei. "Huaizhou, I accidentally hurt you. Truly, the things recorded in this account book have made me angry..."
As he spoke, the emperor handed over the account book in his hand without asking about Duan Wenpei's injuries.
Duan Wenpei took it without changing his expression, as if the pot of tea had not been poured on him. He held the old account book and read it quickly. By the time he finished reading, a thin layer of sweat had appeared on his forehead.
"The Zhao family has become so rampant. What are your plans, Your Majesty?"
"Your Majesty, the imperial physician is here." Guo Huai reported.
Emperor Xuanwu nodded and said, "Huaizhou, let's talk about this later. Let the imperial physician take a look at your..."
"Your Majesty, the Zhao family has no respect for the emperor and father. They privately collect taxes, cultivate land to pay grain, recruit soldiers, and trade firearms. All of these are serious crimes of treason. Your Majesty, please make a decision as soon as possible!" Duan Wenpei stood there without moving.
No one knew better than Li Junji what was recorded in the account book. Although he had no idea what Duan Wenpei was up to, he glanced at Duan Wenpei's darkened robe sleeves and echoed, "Your Majesty, please make a decision soon!"
The two people's voices echoed in the huge palace.
As wisps of ambergris smoke drifted up, time seemed to stand still, and the sound of quicksand from the clepsydra was particularly clear in the silent hall.
Emperor Xuanwu did not speak, his gaze shifting back and forth between the two people below him.
Finally, the picture stopped at Duan Wenpei's burned arm.
"Mr. Duan," he asked tentatively, "Do you know what you are talking about?"
The emperor's question sounded a bit strange. Li Junji, who was confused, quietly raised his head to see the reaction of the person beside him, but he only saw Duan Wenpei's back as straight as a pine tree and his knuckles that were whitened by being squeezed.
He sighed and shook his head, feeling a chill on his back.
Even with such burns, he can still remain calm. The rumors are true. He is cold-hearted and cruel to himself.
"I know. However, I also know that all land under heaven belongs to the king, and all the people in the world are his subjects."
"No matter who it is, as long as he is disloyal to Your Majesty, I will help Your Majesty eliminate him."
His voice was calm and he spoke slowly and steadily, yet he had a power that could calm people's hearts.
Emperor Xuanwu studied him for a moment, then slowly stepped forward and placed his hand on his shoulder. "Huaizhou, I'm relieved to hear you say that. But," he changed the subject, "this account book records more than just the Zhao family. Huaizhou, why did you only mention the Zhao family and not a single word about Prince Yi's Mansion?"
There was a dull pain in his shoulder, and it felt like needles pricking his arm. Duan Wenpei clenched the account book in his hand and had to look up to meet the emperor's gaze.
"Prince Yi is your Majesty's younger brother. Although I have doubts, I dare not make any rash comments."
Emperor Xuanwu was somewhat dissatisfied with this answer. "It's okay. I allow you to speak."
The ministers in the court were all aware of Emperor Xuanwu's thoughts. Seeing Duan Wenpei hesitate to speak, Li Junji became anxious and said, "Your Majesty, in my opinion..."
"I want to hear what he says!"
Li Junji choked and turned to look at Duan Wenpei, whose face was a little pale.
He wanted to hear what this kid had to say...
"Strike the snake at its most vulnerable part." Duan Wenpei held the account book high above his head and presented it to Emperor Xuanwu. "Your Majesty, if you want to remove the thorn in your heart, you must first make it relax its vigilance. Your Majesty knows that when His Royal Highness Prince Yi ascended to the throne, he took with him the Fuhu Army left by the previous emperor."
"A mere few thousand Fuhu troops, I don't even take them seriously..."
"Your Majesty, Shu is strategically located, easy to defend but difficult to attack. We must dismantle it from within, not from the outside. Furthermore, Prince Yi is your Majesty's brother, after all. Convicting him based solely on that account book will not quell the wrath of the world."
Emperor Xuanwu sneered, "It seems that Huaizhou has already come up with a plan."
Duan Wenpei bowed and said, "I am willing to serve as a vanguard and clear the obstacles for Your Majesty to enter Shu. Please allow me to enter Shu."
*
Two solitary lights passed through the towering palace walls, like tiny ants under the night sky.
After coming out of the hall, Li Junji let out all the breath he had been holding. He half leaned on the eunuch, not knowing what he was thinking.
It was not until he was almost at the palace gate that he called out to Duan Wenpei who was walking in front of him.
"Wei Yangbo, why do you insist on entering Shu?"
"Your Majesty has long desired to eliminate the Zhao family and Prince Yi, simply awaiting the right moment. Now that I have found the account books, while not complete proof, they give Your Majesty a legitimate reason to act. All we need to do is marshal our forces and march forth, and we can march straight into Shu. If it weren't for Lord Bo's proposal to invade Shu, Your Majesty wouldn't have hesitated, much less hesitated in making the decision."
In the pitch black, nothing could be seen clearly except the outline of a human figure. Seeing that Duan Wenpei didn't respond, Li Junji continued, "My Lord, you should be well aware that His Majesty will not allow you to enter Shu based on your relationship with the Yong'an Marquisate. You want to maintain His Majesty's favor, but why take such a risky move? This will only arouse His Majesty's suspicion."
After he finished speaking, the dusk remained dead silent. Just when Li Junji thought Duan Wenpei would not speak again, the cold wind carried his usual flat voice, "Don't worry about my affairs, Master Li. If you have the time, Master Li should think about how to persuade your son to take him to the princess's mansion to apologize."
"You, you, you... you brat!"
Li Junji was so angry that he blew his beard and glared.
The only answer Li Junji got was a figure walking away.
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