Old Marshal Qiu hollered, "Tie Zheng! Be careful with your words! Such a grave crime, such a grave one. Where is the proof for you to speak so casually? "
As he scolded, he hurriedly exchanged glances with Tie Zheng.
Tie Zheng panted heavily, his veins bulging, but he finally calmed down. Gritting his teeth, he glared at Yang Botao, ready to bite him if he had the chance.
"Your Majesty … this old official … has come late …" A panting voice came from the entrance of the hall. An old man with white hair and beard was hunched, coughing as he was helped in.
It was the Empire of Yutang's military Grand Commandant, Fang Qingtian.
However, this pillar of Yutang for so many years was now so old that he needed someone to support him even when he walked. On his face that was filled with age spots, there were scars all over it.
They were the eternal mementos left behind by the old general's battle formation, a testament to the glory of the old general's battle formation.
The one who helped Old Grand Commandant Fang Qingtian in was the old Grand Commandant's assistant, his prized disciple, Fu Baoguo, who supervised the Board of War and held great authority!
"Bring a chair here!" His Majesty ordered.
Even when Fang Qingtian sat down, he was still panting, feeling uneasy. He said, "This old official … is ashamed that I can't bow and was instead bestowed a seat by Your Majesty. I am extremely ashamed."
His Majesty was moved as he said, "Today's matter is of great importance. It's my fault for troubling Old Grand Commandant to attend the meeting. My dear minister, please don't blame yourself."
"May I ask Your Majesty, why have you summoned this official here today?" Fang Qingtian asked.
His Majesty heaved a heavy sigh.
The officials knew that this was the real climax of the day. All of them held their breaths in anticipation of what would happen next.
Only Tie Zheng was still glaring at Yang Botao like he was looking at an irreconcilable enemy.
Yang Botao dared to meet his gaze at first, but he had turned his head away later on.
"Sigh, too many things have happened recently, especially the ambush of the Nine Supremes. It can be said to be the death of the Empire of Yutang …" His Majesty's first words were a heavy topic.
Yang Botao's expression changed, a tinge of panic evident in his eyes.
He clearly did not expect His Majesty the Emperor to bring this matter up so directly. He was greatly surprised!
"Before this … so many things have happened. I thought that after the great purge, most of the spies were gone. But now it seems that I was too optimistic, and now there are even more problems …"
His Majesty looked at Yang Botao and said, "Last night, Yutang's northern troop's marshal, Yang Botao, was assassinated. The assassin said publicly that it was to avenge the Nine Supremes. This is no trivial matter …"
All the civil and military officials in the imperial court were silent, deathly silent.
The old Grand Commandant's wrinkled face slowly raised his eyes, which had long been covered by wrinkles, and glanced at Yang Botao.
This glance seemed calm and indifferent, but Yang Botao broke out in a cold sweat.
Although he was old, his ambition was still there, and his prestige did not diminish as it was in the past!
"Yang Botao, explain."
Old Grand Commandant Fang Qingtian said faintly as he slowly closed his eyes. His entire body was like a rotten piece of wood, without the slightest bit of vitality.
In spite of this, those who were familiar with him knew that the old Grand Commandant was using his lifetime's ultimate skill – Ingenious Volition.
This was the old Grand Commandant's unique skill. There was rarely a record of it failing. The mystical aspect of this arcane skill was that it could listen to the slightest emotional fluctuation in the speaker's heart. In other words, any lies or falsehoods would be exposed before the old Grand Commandant's Ingenious Volition.
Yang Botao stood up, his head and face still stained with blood as he spoke in a hoarse voice filled with grief and indignation, "Last night, I was assassinated in my residence. The assassin did flaunt the name of the Nine Supremes Lords, but everyone present knew that it was only a ploy by a scoundrel … This official's first mission in the imperial court today was to ask Your Majesty to uphold justice for this official, to remove this stain! Who would have thought … "
Yang Botao said sadly, "I was beaten up by Marshal Tie Zheng indiscriminately the moment I came to the imperial court. A few of my colleagues pretended to stop the fight, but they were actually taking the opportunity to restrain me, allowing Tie Zheng to beat me up …"
"When the old Grand Commandant arrived and His Majesty started the meeting, the first order of business was to ask me, Yang Botao, to defend myself!"
"I was first assassinated, then beaten up, then isolated, and now I'm asked to defend myself!"
"I, Yang Botao, have joined the army since I was young, I've been at the forefront of all battles. I've gone through over seven hundred battles, big and small, to achieve this position. Your Majesty's boundless grace, Yang Botao worries day and night, afraid that I can't repay your grace …"
"In the northern battlefield, I, Yang Botao, fought day and night, my life and death were nothing to me. Although I didn't contribute to the country and couldn't expand our territory, I made sure that our land was not lost when facing the enemy's army …"
"To this day, I'm covered in wounds, physically and mentally exhausted."
Yang Botao choked, his eyes glistening with tears. "I have nothing to say about my past contributions. However, today, His Majesty, the old Grand Commandant, my colleagues, the civil and military officials all think that I'm guilty, that the assassin's words are the truth. It's true that I, Yang Botao, have murdered the Nine Supremes Lords …"
"At this moment, in this situation, how can I, Yang Botao, defend myself? There's really nothing I can say. However, I'm passionate and loyal, I've never felt guilty. I can't be slandered like this and not defend myself. I, Yang Botao, have a clean reputation, I can't be humiliated like this! "
"Since I can't be tolerated by the world, I can only die to prove my innocence! I hope that there'll be a day when the truth is clear! "
Yang Botao's expression was fierce, his grief and indignation at its peak. With a sudden roar, he dashed to the door of the palace. With a clang, he snatched the sword of the guard on duty and swung it at his own neck without hesitation.
"Yang Botao shall serve Your Majesty in my next life!"
With a shout, the sword was already at his neck.
There was a sudden flash of a silhouette.
Fu Baoguo, who was beside the old Grand Commandant, flashed like a phantom and grabbed the blade of the sword, stopping it in its tracks.
In spite of this, Yang Botao's neck was already bleeding profusely.
A deep bloody gash appeared on his neck. If it had been half an inch deeper, he would have lost his life, and there would have been no way to save him.
It was not difficult to imagine the severity of Yang Botao's act of suicide!
Although Fu Baoguo had stopped Yang Botao's suicide by grabbing the blade of the sword, his right hand was already drenched in blood. He hollered angrily, "Everything is unclear now. I only asked you to defend yourself and you're seeking death! Yang Botao, you've disappointed me! "
His right hand continued to exert force, snatching the sword back and flinging it away with a swoosh.
The sword was stabbed into the ground outside the palace door with a clang, still swaying. The blade of the sword was cold, blood dripping slowly from the blade.
The crowd of officials looked at the long sword swaying endlessly at the entrance of the hall. Everyone was silent.
Yang Botao's face was filled with grief and indignation. Suddenly, he wailed, his tears gushing like a fountain. "How can I, Yang Botao, live in this world after enduring such humiliation? It's better to die and be clean!"
Fu Baoguo heaved a long sigh and turned to kneel in the direction of the throne. "Your Majesty, there may be something fishy about this matter … It needs to be handled carefully. Even if Yang Botao is really guilty, he needs to be tried fairly to uphold the imperial law. To force him in front of the palace like this, it goes against the law … Your Majesty, please reconsider! "
As Yang Botao bled profusely, Fu Baoguo pleaded with tears of blood.
His Majesty was moved as well, but he did not say a word.
Old Grand Commandant Fang Qingtian was still sitting steadily, not even his eyelids twitching.
Qiu Jianhan and Leng Daoyin stared at Yang Botao with piercing gazes, their gazes icy, no different from before.
Tie Zheng, on the other hand, snorted and mumbled, "Pretentious, disgusting!"
After a while, His Majesty frowned and said in a low voice, "This matter is related to the ambush of the Nine Supremes. It's more serious than the crime of treason. Old Marshal Qiu and Leng, the Grand Tutor, the Grand Tutor, and the Prime Minister are ordered to investigate this matter. The Grand Commandant will be in charge of the coordination. This case must be investigated thoroughly. Don't let it go unjustly, don't let the souls of the dead rest in hatred. It's hard to distinguish right from wrong! "
The sudden change in the court meeting was extremely abrupt. The ministers did not even have time to react to the sudden internal strife in the military, and the civil officials did not say anything out of the ordinary.
After all, to them, the military's infighting was a mess, killing each other. No matter who was defeated or defeated, the civil officials would be happy to see it.
"This matter has been decided. You may leave now, my ministers. The Grand Commandant and Marshal Qiu and Marshal Leng shall stay and talk to me. "
…
After the imperial court meeting.
Tie Zheng snorted coldly and was the first to leave without hesitation. As he walked, he cursed under his breath, "Disgusting! Trash! What a good act. F * ck, if you really want to die, why didn't you just sever your own heart meridians? Why didn't you just shatter your own skull? Why did you have to rush to the palace door to snatch the sword and then come back to commit suicide? What the hell … Do you really think everyone is blind? "
The other two burly generals caught up to Tie Zheng with large strides. "Old Tie, it looks like you know about this matter. Tell us about it."
"I'm in a hurry!"
Tie Zheng said furiously, "Are the both of you blind or deaf? Are you so stupid that you can't tell? Don't you understand? If you're really blind and deaf, would you be able to hear even if your father were to tell you? Your father doesn't have time for you two idiots! "
The two generals said angrily, "Tie Zheng, we've never offended you. Why are you venting your anger at us? We only want to know the truth. If you're willing to tell us, then tell us. If you're not, then forget it. You keep calling yourself 'your father'. What are you pretending for? "
Tie Zheng pretended not to hear them and continued to walk. His legs were long and the two generals behind him were indignant, catching up to him in a couple of strides and asking again. Only then did they hear Tie Zheng say angrily, "What else is there to say? The ambush of the Nine Supremes Lords is Yutang's heartache. With the Nine Supremes Lords' remarkable abilities, if it wasn't for the ambush and the betrayal of the traitor, how could all of them be in trouble? Now that Supreme Wind has appeared personally to testify against Yang Botao, he even wants to interrogate him! His Majesty is obviously senile and can't tell right from wrong. He even said that black and white are clear and justice is in the hearts of the people. Interrogation is unnecessary and will only disappoint the souls of the heroes … "
Before he could finish, his mouth was covered by the other general beside him. "You bastard, do you really not want to live anymore? Don't f * cking say it in front of us even if you don't want to live anymore …"
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