The next morning.
The civil and military officials lined up in several long lines in the council hall. The emperor's face was a little pale, and the eunuch in charge led the emperor all the way to the dragon chair and sat down.
When there are too many people, it is inevitable to talk in a low voice.
Looking at the emperor's current face, his body is not as good as before, and the people below can't help but worry a little more about the establishment of the reserve.
The emperor coughed twice, and the eunuch in charge immediately choked his throat and said, "Xuan-General Xue Changfeng has an audience—"
After a while, Xue Changfeng came up in court clothes.
Yuanzhi turned back slightly to meet his eyes for a moment, and Wei Yuanting, who was standing in the opposite row, could see this little movement. Although it has been several days since the incident, and the emperor has been over-cultivating for a few days, everyone present knows whether the Xue family is still standing or the general trend is gone, it depends on today.
Shang Xu stood at the front of the line, not saying a word, and his eyes didn't show any abnormality - he has always been like this, unless there was a dispute in the court, Shang Xu would generally not speak.
But often as long as he opens his mouth, things will definitely come to a conclusion, and the effect is outstanding, and the emperor is deeply reliant.
"My minister, Xue Changfeng, meet the Holy Highness." Xue Changfeng's voice was loud, and he knelt down and saluted.
The emperor's health was indeed not well. At this moment, he wanted to speak, but his chest was full of stuffiness. He resisted the urge to cough and was about to speak, but Liu Yunshan, the secretary of the middle school, robbed him.
"The eldest prince was killed in the Northern Army, and the whole country was extremely grieved. General Xue's ineffective protection gave the villains a chance. I urge the emperor to punish him severely!" Liu Yunshan stood up and said.
The emperor glanced at him and clenched his hand into a fist to his mouth, but he couldn't hold it back and coughed twice.
Wei Yuanting first glanced at Liu Yunshan, and then glanced behind him for a while, and Ren Gui, the doctor of the censor, immediately understood, and then stood up: "I thought it was just a severe punishment, which is too hasty! The throne is currently pending, whether the first prince was killed because someone was fighting for it. To save the throne and kill the killer, I hope the emperor will investigate!"
Xue Changfeng knelt on the ground, but was not called up by the emperor. He didn't say a word, as if he was watching a play, and only waited until the group in front of him had finished saying what he had to say before he could exert his strength.
After Ren Gui finished speaking, Wei Yuanting added unhurriedly: "Reporting to the sage, I think this matter is quite meaningful, but whether or not it is related to General Xue, General Xue's protection is not good, and it is a dereliction of duty."
Xue Changfeng knew about Ren Gui and Wei Yuanting's anger out of their nostrils, and so did the emperor.
But now Zhongshu Shilang is also involved, and the three of them are determined to deal with Xue Changfeng's crime... I am afraid they are taking the opportunity to bring down Xue Changfeng and no longer hide the fact that they have formed partisans.
The emperor has not spoken yet. But most of the time he is also like this. First listen to what the ministers have to say. The more people talk, the clearer things will become. Especially about the issue of the courtiers forming a party, as long as you listen more, it will be clear who is with whom. .
After Wei Yuanting finished speaking, Yuanzhi, the right prime minister in front, stepped out of the queue unhurriedly.
What Yuanzhi wants to say, the ministers below the court and the emperor above are almost clear to everyone. He will definitely speak for Xue Changfeng, this is not something that is unpredictable. Just as Wei Yuanting stood on the Queen's side, Yuanzhi and Xue Changfeng were Wu Zaofei for a day or two.
Yuanzhi smiled and said calmly as always: "I think that General Xue's crime of protecting unfavorable nature is unforgivable... But this matter is not only that, but it should be investigated and dealt with who deliberately murdered the eldest prince. There are many involved, but If you don't find out who is behind the scenes and kill him as an example, there will even be people who covet the throne!"
Although this sentence did not plead for Xue Changfeng, it was considered to be avoided. Going a little deeper, perhaps it was to give Xue Changfeng a chance to commit crimes.
Listening to the following people talking, the emperor only felt a sudden pain in his forehead, a sigh of suffocation in his chest, and a tickling in his throat from time to time.
The emperor did not speak, but everyone in the hall was waiting for him to speak. He coughed twice, his eyes suddenly sharpened, and then stood up from the dragon chair and walked all the way down the hall, looking at the courtiers who came out of the hall and Xue Changfeng kneeling on the ground. He looked at it for a while as he walked, and the courtiers did not dare to speak out, nor did they dare to discuss in private.
The atmosphere was tense for a while, and the emperor suddenly said: "Every one of you is right, and everyone is eager to establish the reserve." When he said this, he faced the dragon chair, turned around suddenly, and his voice was indifferent. Dabut almost roared and scolded: "I'm not dead yet!"
As soon as this roar came out, everyone in the hall knelt down: "Your Majesty, calm down—"
"Xue Changfeng."
"The minister is here."
"Xue Changfeng is not good for protecting the prince. He was removed from the post of General Dingbei, and he was banned from the general's residence. The murder of the first prince will be strictly investigated by Wei Yuanting. We must find out the mastermind behind the scenes. I will never let it go!"
These words made Wei Yuanting show an expected smile. Although Xue Changfeng didn't raise his head, he still looked at Xue Changfeng with a little smugness.
It doesn't matter to Wei Yuanting who did the murder of the first prince. The most important thing is that since the prince who is most likely to compete for the crown prince has died, it is the most important thing to be able to pull Xue Changfeng off his horse.
Xue Changfeng said solemnly: "My minister, thank you."
Wei Yuanting went on to say: "The minister must live up to it..." "But the minister has a word to say."
Before Wei Yuanting finished speaking, Xue Changfeng continued. He interrupted Wei Yuanting's words in this way, which really made Wei Yuanting lose face, but in front of civil and military officials, especially the emperor, Wei Yuanting could only smile slightly, and held back the second half of the sentence.
The emperor walked back to the dragon chair and sat down. He was so angry just now, but now he has recovered his calm. Hearing Xue Changfeng's words, he gently waved his hand: "Get up and talk."
If it weren't for Xue Changfeng, but other ministers, the emperor's anger would not have been so fast. But it was Xue Changfeng, he couldn't have done too much.
Xue Changfeng's father, Xue Yuanshan, was originally a general of the previous dynasty and had great military exploits. Especially when the current emperor was still a prince, he married his beloved daughter Xue Jin to him, which was equivalent to showing his position.
Xue Yuanshan's contribution to his ability to become the emperor is indisputable.
But it is precisely because of this that the situation where the Xue family can only cover the sky is inevitable.
Xue Changfeng stands from the ground
He got up and said, "Your Majesty. Regarding the murder of the eldest prince, this minister has already investigated clearly. The murderer has committed suicide in fear of the crime, and the body is now outside the city."
"Oh?"
"The murderer is Gouzi's lieutenant, Guo Linchong." Xue Changfeng said, and glanced at Shang Xu intentionally or unintentionally.
Shang Xu's face was expressionless, as if he didn't have any emotion because of this sentence. It’s not only a couple of years that everyone has been an official in the same dynasty. Anyone can do a good job of this superficial skill, so even if the discussion is quiet, Xue Changfeng can guess that he should be sitting on a needle in his heart now.
Wei Yuanting did not rush to refute, on the contrary, the doctor of the censor continued to speak quickly: "General Xue said this, doesn't he want to hand over his subordinates to take the blame? This is too..."
If he didn't finish speaking, he would naturally be handed over to Zhongshu Shilang to finish it on his behalf. One or two of these same-party tactics are very skilled. However, before the waiter of the middle book could answer, Yuanzhi spoke first: "I think that what Sir Ren said is very true, if General Xue instigates his subordinates to take the blame, I forgive me for guessing," he said, looking at Xiang Xue Changfeng continued, "Could it be that General Xue is the mastermind behind the scenes, so he is so anxious to find someone to blame?"
As soon as this statement came out, the audience was in an uproar.
This statement was completely unexpected. Yuanzhi and Xue Changfeng became friends, and all the court officials knew it, even the emperor was like a mirror in his heart. But now these words to put Xue Changfeng to death came from Yuanzhi's mouth.
Are the two of them at odds? Many people speculate so.
Even Wei Yuanting thought about it for a moment. But after a moment, he knew that it was impossible. If Yuanzhi and Xue Changfeng were still on the same side, then this was for...
"Don't be in a hurry, everyone, and wait for me to finish." Xue Changfeng said calmly, "Your Majesty, the evidence of Guo Linchong's murder of the eldest prince is conclusive, and your suspicions are justified. However, during the investigation, this minister accidentally discovered The person behind Guo Linchong's instigation."
Saying that, he took out a letter and a jade pendant from the court clothes, and bowed to present it. The eunuch in charge immediately stepped forward to get the result and presented it to the emperor. The emperor opened the letter and read it, Xue Changfeng said: "Four years ago, during the battle of Yanhangu, it was the spies of Sui who mixed in with our army to steal information, which caused the war to fail, and even nearly fell into Shangzhou by the state of Sui. , and Guo Linchong, who happened to be teachers from the same school."
He said, looked at Shang Xu, and continued: "And they are two outstanding disciples of Lord Zuo Xiangshang. The letter presented to the emperor earlier is iron proof. The person in the letter called himself Zhong An, who was the same person who was there four years ago. The famous spy, after being verified by the minister, now Cao Zhongan is one of the few famous generals in Sui Kingdom. This letter was cut from the congratulatory gift on the birthday of Shang Da, and that jade pendant is exactly what Guo Linchong wears. There is also the same jade pendant on Cao Zhongan... and Lord Shang should also have this jade pendant."
Everyone thought that whether Xue Changfeng was the master or not, the responsibility was taken. But Xue Changfeng's remarks actually caused him to counterattack, and the situation instantly pointed at Shang Xu.
Shang Xu raised his head and glanced at Xue Changfeng with deep meaning in his eyes. But Xue Changfeng looked away and didn't look at him.
Seeing the current situation, a courtier who had not spoken for a long time suddenly stepped forward and said: "It is difficult to verify the source of the letter, and it has always been best to forge it. Even if the content of the letter says so, it is difficult to determine whether someone is planting the blame. , Shang, Xiang and two dynasties and elders, this matter must be carefully investigated."
"This statement makes sense." The emperor read the letter and handed it to the eunuch in charge. He looked at Shang Xu and asked, "Mr. Shang, do you have something to say?"
Shang Xu has never said a word today, he took a step out of the queue, bowed deeply to the emperor, and said, "Let's put aside whether the evidence is true or false, based on this alone, it can be said that Wei Chen is the one who murdered the eldest prince. Fierce, I am afraid it is unfair. Wei Chen is the teacher of the eldest prince, so he naturally trains him carefully. I hope that the eldest prince can one day be crowned the emperor, how can he instruct people to kill people, and I hope the emperor will investigate."
After speaking, he knelt down and kowtowed deeply.
Xue Changfeng had long expected that he would say this, so he continued: "If the Minister of Commerce was dedicated to serving the country, naturally he would not have committed such a rebellion, but what if the Minister of Commerce had treasonous intentions long ago?"
"General Xue is too alarmist." Wei Yuanting said rudely. His hunch was right, Yuanzhi would say that, purely for the sake of - if you want to eradicate the roots, you must first raise it and then suppress it.
Xue Changfeng ignored it, and continued on his own: "If the emperor has doubts, he only needs to check the prime minister's residence and find evidence. I believe that the prime minister will prove his innocence, and naturally he will not refuse. If the prime minister is innocent, then I would like to use the head on the item to make amends for the Shang Xiang."
"Since General Xue is so sure..." the emperor said, "This matter is no trivial matter, so the right minister Yuanzhi and General Wei will go to inspect the left minister's mansion.
"Sir, obey the order."
"Retreat."
After retreating, the eunuch in charge quietly left Yuan Zhi behind. Yuanzhi was taken to the side hall, and the emperor sat on the couch drinking tea, but his face was even worse than when he went to court just now. Obviously, if it wasn't for the murder of the eldest prince, the emperor would have to train for a few more days to recover.
"Prime Minister of the Right." The emperor saw Yuanzhi coming, and he was the first to say, "What do you think about today's affairs?"
This is an understatement. If you say it to a courtier who has nothing to do with the matter, it is just a casual question; but if you ask him now, I am afraid there is some questioning here.
Yuanzhi bowed slightly and replied, "Today's matter... I think that General Xue must have verified it before he dares to say such a thing."
"What the right minister means is that Shang Xu is indeed collaborating with the enemy and betraying the country?"
"This minister does not dare to speak falsely, everything will be decided by the emperor after the search."
Yuanzhi's words were perfect, the emperor paused, picked up the tea on the table, lifted the lid of the cup and stroked it, and then said, "I remember that the commander of the imperial guards in the palace is Xue Changfeng's former department."
"Exactly."
"Xue Changfeng's protection this time is not good. Maybe it's because of his age. I want him to rest and rest, so let his old department go to the general's mansion for protection."
Hearing this, Yuanzhi was startled, but he didn't dare to have any doubts on his face, so he could only follow the emperor's words and asked: "The palace is forbidden here..."
The emperor looked at the eunuch in charge and said to him, "Go, let Wei Yuanting recommend someone to serve as the commander of the guards."
"Yes."
"Prime Minister of the Right..." The emperor continued, "I rely heavily on you, don't let me down."
"Yes."
"Go down."