Chapter 23 Chapter 23 I'm just angry on behalf of your uncle...
The morning court was disrupted by the emperor's actions.
Although the officials instructed by Princess Jingyi were uneasy, they could only hold it in and look for another opportunity.
When it comes to the assassination at Tianxiang Tower, the emperor is most concerned about the theft of the armory.
Cheng Guang didn't dare to hide anything and bowed to report, "I have already determined that the assassin is from the Zhao family in Shu. As for the theft of the armory, I haven't figured it out yet... but it is definitely related to the assassination. We must wait for news from the censor."
After saying this, he glanced sideways at Duan Wenpei and said, "Perhaps, Lord, you have found out far more than I have..."
The assassin was targeting Duan Wenpei, and Duan Wenpei would not tolerate him for both public and private reasons. Cheng Guang was not a very capable person, but he was smart. He immediately shared the pressure and responsibility with Li Junji, who was far away in Shu, and Duan Wenpei, who worked in the Ministry of Justice.
Huang Yu cursed inwardly as "old fox" and felt worried about his friend. He had heard from Xie Jin that he had not found anything useful.
"Oh?" The emperor turned to look at Duan Wenpei, "Did Mr. Duan find out anything?"
Everyone looked at Duan Wenpei, who was dressed in a crimson official uniform.
He stood there with an upright posture, his face calm, everything passing before his eyes was not stained by any dust.
"Your Majesty, there is something to be gained."
He held the tablet and made a report without any excessive bending of his back. Cheng Guang sighed and couldn't help but think of the gossip circulating among the officials... Duan Wenpei was not from a common family, but a descendant of a prominent clan!
"The day after Liu Chong was killed, I led my men to search the entire Liu residence. Not a single one of the more than ten members of the Liu family survived, not even Liu Chong's two young sons. Only a rattle made of a unique material was found in the side room. Upon closer inspection, we discovered that rattles of this material were often sold by Hu merchants."
Seeing him pause, an official was puzzled. "Master, do you suspect this is related to the murderer? Isn't that too paranoid?"
Since the previous emperor ushered in the prosperous era, there has been an endless stream of merchants coming to and from the Western Regions. As an official in Kyoto, it was not uncommon for Liu Chong to buy two for his own children.
As soon as this was said, many officials echoed it. If this could be considered a gain, wouldn't it be too hasty?
Duan Wenpei waved his sleeves and raised his hand, taking two slow steps forward. He turned back to look at the officials who had questioned him and said, "Why are you so anxious? I haven't finished what I'm saying yet."
"Afterwards, I took the coroner to the funeral home to perform an autopsy. We discovered that, except for the two children, everyone else had been killed by a single stab wound to the throat. The adults' faces showed no sign of pain at being killed; instead, they were filled with disbelief."
"Why do you think this is the case?"
His deep eyes stared at the person who had questioned him just now. The person felt guilty and was afraid to look him in the eye.
"Could it be that...the murderer knew Liu Chong?"
The speaker was Qin Shang, the Minister of Justice. When the emperor appointed Duan Wenpei to the Ministry of Justice, he was the first to stand up and oppose it.
Duan Wenpei smiled in response, "That's exactly what I was speculating."
"Hmph!" Qin Shang was not grateful. "I thought what the Earl had found out was just a guess. It's really a waste of Your Majesty's trust in the Earl!"
He had been an official for more than twenty years and looked down on those who were appointed to the six ministries by virtue of the emperor's favor.
Cheng Guang was secretly happy to hear that someone was making things difficult for Duan Wenpei, but he didn't show it on his face.
Yong'an Hou secretly rolled his eyes at Qin Shang, secretly cursing him for being stubborn, and said, "Let Huaizhou finish what he has to say."
He said it so suddenly that everyone fell silent.
Duan Wenpei lowered his eyelids, thinking back to the first time they met, when Yong'an Hou had said, "Wenpei, my dear nephew"...
Really...
It's quite sudden!
He looked ahead and continued, "Yes, because we haven't found any strong evidence, we can't infer that the rattle is related to the murderer, nor can we prove that the murderer is familiar with Liu Chong, but..."
"But what?" Cheng Guang pressed the corners of his mouth and smiled until his eyes narrowed into slits.
Duan Wenpei didn't look at him. He straightened the tablet in his hand and calmly said to Emperor Xuanwu, "I have already found out that the assassin who tried to assassinate me is from the Zhao family in Shu. The fourth son of the Zhao family, Zhao Huaijue, even disguised himself as an attendant of a Hu merchant and sneaked into the capital."
One stone can cause a thousand ripples.
The officials who had spoken with such certainty just now just stared, not daring to say a word.
Cheng Guang was a little bit incredulous, but he knew Duan Wenpei would not lie. "Zhao family? Went to Beijing?"
Qin Shang glanced at him disapprovingly and corrected him, "It wasn't the Zhao family that entered the capital. It was Zhao Huaijue who disguised himself and sneaked into the capital. I got this news from the Minister of Justice. Lord Jingzhao Yin, don't you think it's ironic?"
His voice was loud and resonant, echoing throughout the entire hall.
Cheng Guang finally reacted, his knees buckling as he knelt down in front of the throne. "Your Majesty! I...I really don't know. I deserve the death penalty! But...forgive my ignorance, is this related to Liu Chong's death and the theft of the armory?"
He still wanted to struggle.
Huang Yu thought he was being rather foolish and stepped forward to explain. "How could you forget, Lord Cheng? In the eighteenth year of the previous emperor's reign, Liu Chong held a key position in the Northern Suppression Army. He slew the northern bandit leader Ma Jiao and was promoted to Left General. He was eventually transferred to the capital to guard the armory."
Cheng Guang's head was buzzing and his shoulders suddenly slumped.
Back then, the Zhenbei Army was stationed near Shu, and the generals in the army had close ties with the Zhao family, so they must have been acquaintances. And Zhao Huaijue was disguised as a companion of the Hu merchant, so everything seemed to make sense...
"But Your Majesty, these are just speculations..."
No one responded to him on the throne. All the ministers lowered their heads, feeling puzzled.
I haven't heard of the Zhao family in Shu for many years!
Shu has been a land of high mountains and dangerous roads since ancient times. As early as the beginning of Emperor Taizu's conquest of the country, the Zhao family put all their efforts into helping Emperor Taizu build a fortress leading to the west from Shu, and also helped Emperor Taizu quell the rebellion of the Qiang clan in the northwest. They were great contributors to the founding of the country.
When Emperor Taizu established the capital, the head of the Zhao family was granted the title of Marquis of Zhenbei and his family moved to the capital. His sons and daughters all became officials in the court, and the family was at its peak.
But... before Emperor Taizu passed away, the head of the Zhao family wrote a letter, expressing his willingness to give up the prosperity of Kyoto and return to his roots; Emperor Taizu was unwilling at first, but the head of the Zhao family went to the palace overnight to plead his case, and actually persuaded Emperor Taizu to issue an order to let the Zhao family return to Shu.
After this departure, like birds returning to the forest and fish returning to the sea, the Zhao family gradually disappeared from the emperor's sight, and Shu became the territory of the Zhao family.
Emperor Xuanwu stroked the dark pattern of the five-clawed golden dragon on the cuff of his dragon robe, and light and shadow flickered in his eyes.
Under the caisson in the main hall, those kneeling or standing on the shining gold bricks were not living people, but chess pieces that he could move at will... Just as he wanted to test the strength of Shu, he sent the King of Wings, whom he hated the most, to Shu.
So, King Yi and the Zhao family are colluding with each other?
The emperor's gaze slid across the faces below the stairs, and finally stopped on the calm Duan Wenpei and the surprised Yong'an Hou.
Perhaps, some people acted so well that they wrote and performed this play so well that they could fool him!
"Cheng Guang, get up." The emperor spoke in a calm voice, unable to tell whether he was happy or angry.
Cheng Guangru was pardoned, and he quickly thanked the emperor for his grace, then got up and said, "Your Majesty, I..."
Emperor Xuanwu raised his hand to stop him from saying the following, "I know that Jingyi is married to Li Zhan, and Li Junji has been traveling abroad for many years. As their uncle, you naturally have to do the work yourself and supervise their important affairs. I will not blame you for any negligence."
He had even thought of an excuse to exonerate himself. Duan Wenpei wanted to shake his head but finally held back.
The emperor continued, "Although this is speculation, it's not groundless. Since Huaizhou has discovered that the fourth son of the Zhao family ordered the assassination, the Ministry of Justice will apprehend the suspect, with the assistance of the Jingzhao Yin. We must ensure that Zhao Huaijue is apprehended. This will clarify the rules and uphold the law."
Cheng Guang burst into tears, his eyes widening. "Your Majesty, rest assured. I will do my best!"
Duan Wenpei felt it was very dirty and moved away from him. "Your Majesty, I understand."
*
After the court was dismissed, Marquis Yong'an tried several times to catch up with Duan Wenpei to say a few words, but his legs were too slow to keep up, so he could only watch Duan Wenpei walk farther and farther away, until a eunuch came running over and said something to him, and then they hurried back to the palace.
"That seems to be the eunuch serving in front of the emperor. Does Your Majesty have something to say to the Earl?" An official stopped to watch.
"I guess so. Your Majesty must be feeling uneasy when it comes to Shu and the armory." Someone grabbed him and told him not to look.
Yong'an Hou listened and sighed twice.
He was just a little curious.
The Zhao family's ancestors had a close relationship with the Yong'an Marquisate. I heard that the Zhao family's head and my ancestor were sworn brothers. Is the Zhao family's appearance in Kyoto good or bad for the Yong'an Marquisate?
*
"That's great!"
Not long after she returned to the Bo Mansion, Yin Ruizhu sent someone to tell her that Madam Yin's birthday was approaching and she wanted to go to the Big Buddha Temple to burn incense and pray for blessings in half a month, and asked her to go with her.
Her words were sincere and unusual, as if she was afraid that she would not be able to move freely after getting married.
Nan Xu sent the maid away, already thinking about how to tell Duan Wenpei about this.
Just as he was thinking about it, Yu Ming brought in the list of servants in the Bo Mansion. There were three thick stacks, which were astonishing.
"Why so many?"
Yuxiang came in from outside and placed the dried fruits in his hand in front of Nanxu. He also asked the maid to make a pot of tea. The three of them, master and servant, sat opposite each other on the Arhat bed and looked through the fruits one by one.
When asked about this, Yu Ming was a little angry, "I asked Songguo and the others who are responsible for recording, and they said that many people in this mansion are married."
"Madam, look, Mrs. Li, who's in charge of shopping, is the sister-in-law of Mrs. Xiao, who's in charge of flowers and plants." Yu Ming compared the two books and pointed them out to Nan Xu. "And this one, the one in charge of delivering swill and sweeping the floor, is Mrs. Xiao's younger brother."
There were so many things like this that Nan Xu was stunned.
This small mansion has become a place for these servants to stay!
Is Liu Hui, the guy next to Duan Wenpei, just there to eat and do nothing?
"Madam, calm down!"
Liu came back quickly and happened to hear Nan Xu chewing a piece of dried fruit. His heart trembled when he heard it, as if he was the dried fruit.
"I'm not angry." Nan Xu took a sip of tea, feeling very puzzled. "I'm just angry on behalf of your uncle."
Her mouth was numb, and she picked up the teacup to moisten her lips. "You know the details of these people, but you do this. Do you think your uncle's salary is not enough?"
Liu Hui put his hands in his sleeves and didn't know how to start.
Tell me, how much can you say? As a subordinate, he has no say in the matter, and his master hasn't given him any details.
If you don't tell me, Madam is now the mistress of the house. Wouldn't it be suspected that she is deceiving her master?
There were two villains fighting in Liu Hui's heart, and just as they were about to decide the winner, he suddenly heard footsteps outside.
He breathed a sigh of relief and hurried out to call him "Master".
Nan Xu's mouth twitched.
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