"evidence?"
Xiao Che's lips curled into a cold smile, as if he had heard the most ridiculous joke in the world. He looked at Captain Zhang Ling, who was howling like a mad dog on the ground, his eyes showing no anger, only a cat-and-mouse-like mockery.
"The evidence you desire, I naturally possess."
As he spoke, he slowly and deliberately took out another item from his pocket.
It wasn't a scroll, but a thick ledger with a dark blue silk cover...
The appearance of this ledger cast an ominous shadow over everyone present. Especially the arrested officers; the moment they saw the ledger, the color drained from their faces even faster, and their eyes revealed an even more extreme fear than when they had been called out earlier.
A deadly, utterly transparent chill gripped their hearts.
Just then, a series of hurried and chaotic footsteps, accompanied by the clanging of armor, came from outside the camp gate.
"Stop! All of you, stop right now!"
A loud shout, full of energy yet brimming with barely concealed anger and anxiety, resounded like thunder over the Imperial Guard camp!
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Regent Xiao Yuan, dressed in a prince's robe embroidered with a four-clawed dragon, striding in surrounded by guards from the royal palace and several trusted ministers.
He had clearly heard about the unusual activity at the Imperial Guard camp and knew he could no longer sit still, so he rushed over to "save the day".
He immediately saw the bloodstains and kneeling Imperial Guards on the training ground, and even more so his trusted generals who were being held down by the Dragon Scale Guards. His anger was almost bursting out!
"Nonsense! Utter nonsense!"
Xiao Yuan ignored everyone and walked straight up to Xiao Che, his face bearing an expression of "deep sorrow." He attempted to use his dual status as "head of the imperial clan" and "royal uncle" to exert moral pressure.
"Your Majesty!" he questioned loudly, his voice filled with grief and indignation at the nation's plight. "The Imperial Guards are the pillars of the nation, protecting the capital and holding the safety of the country in their hands! How can Your Majesty launch such a massive attack and destroy the Great Wall of defense over a minor assassination attempt?!"
He pointed at the arrested officers and continued in a stern voice, “These are all brave generals who have risked their lives for our Great Liang, the pillars of the nation! Your Majesty, without interrogation or investigation of evidence, has made a large-scale arrest and indiscriminate killing based solely on a list of dubious origin! If this were to spread, wouldn’t it chill the hearts of all the soldiers in the land? This is an act that shakes the very foundation of the nation! Your Majesty!”
These words were powerful and resounding, filled with righteous indignation.
He directly accused Xiao Che of the enormous crime of "shaking the foundation of the country," attempting to use "ancestral rules" and "legitimacy" to suppress the emperor.
The moment the arrested officers saw the Regent arrive, a spark of hope rekindled in their eyes. They saw a savior and began to loudly proclaim their innocence.
"Your Highness, save us! We've been wronged!"
"His Majesty listened to slander and indiscriminately killed loyal officials! We beg Your Highness to do justice for us!"
For a time, the entire Imperial Guard camp seemed to have become a tragic drama of denouncing the tyrannical emperor and loyal ministers pleading for help.
Faced with this overwhelming outcry and the Regent's aggressive questioning, Xiao Che's face remained as calm as a bottomless pool of cold water.
He did not argue with Xiao Yuan, nor did he refute those seemingly high-sounding accusations.
He simply watched his good uncle quietly, watching him perform and placing himself on a moral high ground.
Only when all the noise gradually subsided did he slowly raise the dark blue ledger in his hand.
Then, under the astonished and uncertain gazes of everyone, especially the Regent, he raised his arm and casually tossed the thick ledger in front of Xiao Yuan.
"Smack!"
The ledger fell onto the hard bluestone slab with a dull, crisp sound.
The sound, though not loud, was like an invisible slap in the face of the Regent, instantly silencing the noisy training ground.
"Didn't Uncle Wang want evidence?" Xiao Che's voice was cold and calm, yet it carried a power that pierced through people's hearts. "Open it and take a look."
At this moment, Xiao Yuan's ominous premonition reached its peak. He stared intently at the account book at his feet, feeling as if it were a venomous snake ready to devour him, making him afraid to reach out and touch it.
"What?" A mocking smile curled at the corner of Xiao Che's lips. "Uncle Wang... dare not?"
These words were like a needle, piercing Xiao Yuan's proud pride.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, he knew he had no way out.
He slowly bent down, and the moment his fingers touched the cover of the ledger, he felt a chilling coldness.
He took a deep breath and suddenly flipped open the ledger!
With just one glance, the color drained from Xiao Yuan's face, leaving him deathly pale!
That was no ordinary ledger!
That was a book recording sins and betrayals... a directory of hell!
The very first page prominently featured the name of Commandant Zhang Ling!
Below, written in neat small regular script, is clearly recorded:
"In the autumn of the twenty-eighth year of the Yongle reign, he accepted five thousand taels of silver from the Prince's mansion and placed three of the captain's trusted confidants in positions of power..."
"In the spring of the twenty-ninth year of the Yongle reign, fifty sets of fine iron armor from the armory were sold for ten thousand taels of silver, of which thirty percent was turned over to the Prince's Palace..."
Every single item, every single detail—time, place, people, amount—was recorded with crystal clarity, so detailed it was chilling!
Xiao Yuan's hands began to tremble uncontrollably. He frantically flipped through the pages; Wu Qi, Chen Tai… the names of every core member who had just been arrested were clearly visible on them!
They accepted bribes from the Regent's Palace, placed their cronies in power, resold military equipment, and even... they knew everything about their secret communications with certain generals on the border!
This is hardly an account book!
This is clearly a web of sin, interwoven with money, power, and betrayal! And his Regent's Palace is the giant venomous spider that occupies the very center of this web!
"No... impossible... this is impossible..." Xiao Yuan muttered to himself in a daze, his face as pale as a dead man.
The arrested officers, after seeing the contents of the ledger, collapsed to the ground as if all their strength had been drained, their eyes filled with endless despair and death.
They knew it was over.
It's completely over!
With this, not only would pleading for justice be impossible, but even a god descending to earth couldn't save their lives!
The entire training ground was deathly silent.
All the previous commotion, cries for justice, and questioning seem so pale and ridiculous in the face of this irrefutable ledger.
Xiao Che slowly, step by step, walked down from the command platform and stood before his already tottering imperial uncle.
He looked down at him, his voice icy cold, yet clearly carrying to every corner.
"Uncle Wang."
"Now, do you still think they... are innocent?"
Regent Xiao Yuan abruptly raised his head, staring intently at Xiao Che's young yet terrifyingly deep face. He looked at the account book, the origin of which he himself didn't know, and felt a chill run through him, as if he had fallen into an ice cave.
At this moment, he realized for the first time that the sickly nephew in front of him, whom he had always thought he could easily manipulate, was far more cunning and ruthless than he had imagined!
When did he begin his investigation?
How could he have woven such a tight and seamless net right under his nose?
A terrifying thought flashed through Xiao Yuan's mind like lightning.
This was not a spur-of-the-moment cleanup.
This is not an attempt to launch an attack under false pretenses.
This is... a long-planned... decisive blow aimed at myself!
He had already secretly laid a trap for himself!
Meanwhile, he was still gloating over his self-righteous assassination attempt that night.
ridiculous!
This is absolutely ridiculous!
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