The Jinwu guard shouted "Lord Zhao", and the last glimmer of hope that Lord Wu'an had disappeared without a trace.
While asking for recognition, he also recognized the person opposite him in the light of the fire. It was General Cao Yi of the Jinwu Guard. He had been to his house for a banquet and not only knew him, but also Zhao Qinghui.
Moreover, they discovered that he intended to suffocate his own son. If he really died, it would be fine, but now that he was still alive, it would cause endless trouble.
Cao Yi looked embarrassed and bowed to Lord Wu'an: "I didn't know it was Lord Zhao who was here for fun. I'm sorry for the offense. Please forgive me, Lord Zhao."
Duke Wu'an's face turned pale: "General Cao was just too eager to investigate the case. This is just a misunderstanding."
Cao Yi turned to his subordinates and said, "Misunderstanding, it's all misunderstanding."
After saying this, he bowed to Lord Wu'an and said, "I have work to do, so I'll leave you now."
Duke Wu'an forced a smile and nodded, "General Cao, please come to my humble abode and have a rest when you are free."
Cao Yi: "Of course, of course."
He immediately evacuated with his subordinates.
Duke Wu'an glanced at his dying son with a guilty conscience. His murder of his own son had already been discovered by the Jinwu Guards, so he could not do it again. He even tried his best to save him, otherwise once he died, everyone would know that it was him who did it.
Besides, after all, he was killing his own son whom he loved dearly for more than ten years. He acted with such ruthlessness that the Jinwu Guards were distracted and exhausted, making it difficult for them to muster up again.
Duke Wu'an managed to calm himself down, and after much thought, he wrapped his son in a quilt, called his attendants, stuffed him into the carriage, and quietly returned to the mansion under the cover of night. He also secretly summoned a doctor and asked for medicine, and after tossing and turning for half the night, he finally saved Zhao Qinghui's life.
He placed his son in the wing room in the front yard without telling Mrs. Ruan. It was not because he was afraid of her, but because he did not want that stupid woman to cause more trouble at this time. Besides, he had not yet figured out how to deal with his son - he had become a half-human, half-ghost. It would be a shame for him to stay alive. He could only deal with it after he was out of touch.
Fortunately, Jinwu Guard General Cao Yi has a good personal relationship with him, so he was able to escape successfully today. I guess he didn't dare to go out and gossip about him out of consideration for their relationship.
Duke Wu'an was in a state of confusion. For a moment he consoled himself by thinking that this scandal might not get out. But at another moment he remembered his irreconcilable hatred for the King of Qi and wished he could immediately lead his troops into the King of Qi's mansion and tear him into pieces.
The Prince of Qi did this secretly, and he had been investigating privately for a year without finding any solid evidence. It was impossible for Jingzhao Prefecture and the Ministry of Justice to rashly convict a prince, so Duke Wu'an had planned to swallow the loss first, and settle the score with the Crown Prince Yu Ji after the emperor's death.
He thought his son had been killed long ago, but he didn't know that the King of Qi was so arrogant that he even had a backup plan!
This is intolerable, now that the power of the Divine Wing Army is in his hands, the King of Qi is a tiger without fangs and claws, and there is no need to be afraid of him. It's just that he is unable to take action due to the emperor's constraints.
Duke Wu'an secretly planned all night and did not fall asleep until dawn.
He expected that the Jinwu Guards would be intimidated by his power and would not dare to reveal his privacy. However, he did not know that there is no wall that is impenetrable. Besides Cao Yi, there were more than a dozen Jinwu Guards present. With more than a dozen living people and more than a dozen mouths, who could control them
Especially such sensational and immoral news, which spread all over the city like wings.
When Duke Wu'an woke up, the scandal in his mansion had spread throughout the streets and alleys of Chang'an City, and there were even seventeen or eighteen different versions of the story.
Some said that Zhao Qinghui was not the biological son of Duke Wu'an, but that his wife could not stand her husband's homosexuality, so she had an affair with a servant and got pregnant. It happened that Zhao Jun, who was still the crown prince at that time, needed an heir, so she accepted him reluctantly. Others said that Zhao Qinghui had the same habit as his father, and it was one willing to fight and the other willing to be beaten, but unfortunately the scandal was discovered by the Jinwu Guards.
A widely circulated saying is that Duke Wu'an had been looking for his son with great fanfare a year ago, but it was just the thief crying "stop thief". In fact, the old beast had been coveting the beauty of his own son for a long time, and after raising him to this age, he finally couldn't contain himself and lied that he had someone kidnap him, but in fact he had secretly imprisoned him and made him his own concubine, and had been raping him for a year. If he hadn't been discovered by the patrolling Jinwu Guards, he would have continued to rape him.
The people in Chang'an thought about it and decided that this was the most popular explanation, so most of them believed it to be the truth. There was no shortage of people who could see after the event, and someone said, "The way the old witch looked at her son was wrong. She was lustful and I'm afraid she had dirty thoughts in mind."
Someone else commented: "How can anyone raise a son like him? I remember seeing him taking his son to see the lanterns during the Lantern Festival one year. He held his son in his arms, pinching his buttocks and kissing his face as they walked. The prince Zhao was still a little kid. Tsk, he is worse than an animal."
When these rumors reached the residence of Duke Wu'an, he was so angry that he drew his sword and chopped two tables and a couch.
The incident caused a sensation, and the Censorate, which had heard the news, certainly could not sit idly by. On the next day, at the court meeting, Duke Wu'an claimed to be ill and did not attend the meeting, staying at home to avoid the storm. Sure enough, an imperial censor reported him that day.
This matter could be big or small, so even the emperor rushed back to Penglai Palace from Mount Li to preside over the court meeting that day.
Although military generals did not value personal morality as much as civil officials, the scandal of incest between father and son was too horrifying.
What's more, Duke Wu'an is the newly appointed commander-in-chief of the Divine Wing Army. How can he command his soldiers if he allows such rumors to spread
Someone said: "This is unheard of, maybe it's just a rumor. I beg your majesty to order the Censorate to investigate this matter thoroughly and clear the name of Duke Wu'an."
The prince's heart skipped a beat. No matter how sensational this matter was, it was Zhao Jun's family affair after all. It was only natural that the censor would report it to the emperor. The emperor reprimanded him, and he stayed at home to think for a while. When there was something new in the city, he would go and fool around.
However, once a thorough investigation is conducted, no one knows how many incidents will be involved.
This person said that he wanted to clear Duke Wu'an's name, but in reality he was relentless and wanted to pursue the matter to the end.
But this person's identity is not ordinary - not only is he from the Qinghe Cui family, he also serves as the Palace Censor and is the son-in-law of the eldest princess. In addition to his powerful words, he is also well-known in the court and the country for his integrity and aloofness. He never forms a clique for personal gain, and the emperor has always trusted this son-in-law.
As soon as he said this, other officials echoed him, saying, "This is indeed unbelievable. Lord Wu'an is not the kind of person who would do such a thing. There must be something fishy going on."
The emperor frowned and pondered for a while before nodding and ordering the Censorate to thoroughly investigate the "rumors".
As soon as the court was dismissed, the emperor sent a eunuch to the Prince of Qi's palace to summon the three sons to the palace to "discuss matters" immediately.
Huan Xuan seemed to have expected this, for before the eunuch arrived at the door, he had already changed into court robes and ordered his men to prepare his horses. As soon as the messenger arrived, he went to Penglai Palace.
As usual, the emperor summoned his son to the side hall of the Greenhouse Hall of his sleeping palace.
As soon as Huan Xuan entered the hall, before he had time to salute, something flew towards him, hit him on the forehead, and then fell on the golden brick floor with a "clang".
Huan Xuan knew without even looking that it was the Divine Wing Army Tiger Talisman.
"I really underestimated you!" The emperor said coldly, his eyes burning with anger and something hard to describe, as if he was on guard, yet also a little relieved.
Perhaps even he couldn't tell what his mood was.
Huan Xuan bowed and said: "My son has acted recklessly. Please punish me, Father."
The emperor laughed in anger: "You still know how to act recklessly. The prince of Zhao offended you, and you have already avenged him by killing him and skinning him alive. I will not pursue you. How could you kill all the people in the mansion of Duke Wu'an for a concubine?"
Huan Xuan said quietly: "Lu was my son's chosen wife, but she was murdered by a traitor before she even got married. This hatred is irreconcilable."
The emperor was so angry that his face turned red. He pointed at the tip of his nose and trembled: "This rebellious son, this rebellious son..."
Huan Xuan knelt on the ground like a rock, motionless.
The emperor threw away his cane and sat down on the couch dejectedly. "Now that you have taken your revenge, you should let go of what has happened. Do you want to wait for a hunter girl for the rest of your life?"
The three words "Hunter Woman" pierced Huan Xuan's heart like a needle. His heart shrank and he almost couldn't breathe for a moment.
He always used to call her that, as if someone from a poor and humble background didn't even deserve a name.
He lowered his eyes and said, "My son will never marry again. I hope you will be safe."
The emperor choked, then sneered: "Very good, very good, our Huan family has another romantic!"
His eyes wandered over the face of his third son, and he couldn't help but think of his other son, who was trying to commit suicide for a woman. But that woman was Xiao Ling after all. Even though he regarded her as a serious threat, he had to acknowledge her ability. It was not unfair for his eldest son to fall for her.
But what about this one in front of me
It was ridiculous enough to find a substitute for Ruan Sanniang, but he ended up being deeply in love with that substitute and even said that he would never marry in his life - when Ruan Sanniang was promised to the prince, he fled to the northwest in anger, but he never said that he would not marry anyone but her.
I don't know what kind of enchantment this hunter girl is, a fox spirit that could have bewitched him so much.
But he knew how stubborn his son was. He must have made up his mind to say such words.
The emperor could not help but pick up his walking stick and then threw it on the ground.
Even if he beat him to death, what would happen? He couldn't tie him up and bring him into the bridal chamber.
The emperor was angry for a long time, and finally waved his hand: "You have to clean up the mess you made. Go away. I get angry just by looking at you."
Huan Xuan bowed and said, "Take care, father. I'm leaving now." Then he left.
…
The Censorate, under the order of the Emperor, thoroughly investigated the "rumors" about the Wu'an Mansion and soon found out that the rumor that Wu'an had imprisoned his own son was indeed nonsense. Zhao Qinghui was kidnapped by bandits outside the city during the Mid-Autumn Festival last year and sold to a Nanfeng Pavilion in Yangzhou. Somehow he ended up being bought by a salt merchant and sent to the capital to please senior officials in the court, but he happened to end up in the bed of Wu'an Mansion.
Since it is a thorough investigation, the salt merchants, the owner of Nanfeng Pavilion, and the brokers who acted as matchmakers should all be investigated.
The more we investigate, the more we uncover.
It turned out that Duke Wu'an not only accepted huge bribes from salt merchants in private, but was even connected with bandits who minted copper coins privately in the Jianghuai area.
Privately minting copper coins was a serious crime. This practice was rampant in the south of the Yangtze River and could not be eradicated despite repeated bans. It was like a rotten sore in the government. As a military general, Duke Wu'an accepted bribes and even the emperor turned a blind eye. However, when his collusion with bandits to privately mint copper coins was exposed, the emperor was powerless even if he wanted to protect him.
The emperor was furious and dismissed Duke Wu'an from his post and put him in prison, and ordered the imperial censor to go to the south of the Yangtze River to investigate the case of illegal minting.
More than a month passed, and the case of illegal casting had not yet been solved. At the same time, another strange thing happened in the city - a seventy-year-old woman stood in front of Chengtian Gate and beat the drum to appeal for justice for her son, accusing Wu'an Gong of imprisoning and raping a Jinshi scholar and killing people ten years ago.