Minister Sun's old face revealed a type of dejection and defeat. He looked deeply at Grand Secretary Wang, saying with pain, "Chu Zhou City is gone …"
Boom!
A bolt of lightning struck Wang Shoufu's head.
The Dali Monastery Chancellor added, "The King of Zhenbei is dead …"
Boom!
Two bolts of lightning struck Wang Shoufu's head, leaving him dumbfounded.
Another rank four official said angrily, "The King of Zhenbei has massacred the city …"
Boom! Boom!
Boom! Wang Shoufu felt as if his head had been struck by lightning. His mind went blank, and he even lost the ability to control his emotions.
In the eyes of Minister Sun and the others, Grand Secretary Wang sat behind the table in a daze, his eyes unfocused, expression lifeless, as if he was a lifeless paper person.
The Chu Zhou City is gone?
The King of Zhenbei is dead?
The King of Zhenbei massacred the Chu Zhou City?
Why am I the last to know about such an important piece of news?
After a long time had passed, Grand Secretary Wang's brain recovered from its shutdown state. He recovered his ability to think, doubts automatically appearing in his mind one after another.
Grand Secretary Wang who had been in and out of the sea of officials for many years took a deep breath, his gaze deep and sharp. "Tell me in detail, Sir Sun, starting with you."
Minister Sun nodded but didn't say anything. He looked out of the study and shouted, "Constable Chen!"
Constable Chen crossed the threshold and entered the study room.
Minister Sun heaved a sigh and said, "Let the person in question speak."
The Dali Monastery Chancellor shook his head and smiled. "You and I are thinking the same thing."
He immediately went out of the study and had the servants of the mansion call in the officials of the Supreme Court who were waiting outside the mansion.
When the Dali Monastery prime minister entered the study, Constable Chen saw Wang Shoufu staring at him. He nodded slightly and cupped his fists at the officials.
"Prime Minister, everyone, our journey to the north was not smooth. We were ambushed by three rank four Barbarians when we were in Jiang State. At that time, Yang Jinluo was the only fourth-ranked martial artist in the diplomatic corps. "
Wang Shoufu's face was full of astonishment as he scrutinized him. "How did you escape from the ambush?"
Constable Chen replied,
"Actually, the diplomatic mission was almost annihilated on the official ship. At that time, Xu Yinluo suddenly summoned us for a discussion, saying that we should change to the land route. They claimed that if they did not change their route by land, they would most likely be ambushed when they passed by Flowstone Beach tomorrow. After arguing for a while, we decided to listen to Xu Yinluo. We should take the land route. The next day, Yang Jinluo took a boat to probe the situation. As expected, he was ambushed. The ambusher was Lord Tang Shan of the Northern Demon Tribe's Jiao Tribe. "
Wang Shoufu nodded slightly. "This person has a meticulous mind and is as sharp as a cunning rabbit. When he was chosen as the leader, most of the officials in the court actually recognized his ability."
"It's a pity that we still couldn't avoid being intercepted. In the end, they still found us. At that time, three fourth-ranked martial artists surrounded the diplomatic mission. Yang Jinluo couldn't do anything alone. "Constable Chen revealed a grateful expression as he said this.
"At the critical moment, it was Xu Yinluo who stepped forward bravely and single-handedly blocked the two fourth-ranked martial artists, giving us the opportunity to escape. It was also after that time that we separated from Xu Yinluo. We only reunited when Chuzhou City was destroyed … "
Wang Shoufu raised his hand and interrupted him. He asked, "What was the reason for the barbarians to ambush the diplomatic mission? Where did Xu Qi 'an go? "
Constable Chen frowned and said uncertainly, "It seemed to be for the Princess. As for Xu Yinluo, he left the diplomatic mission and went north alone. We split up. "
"Seemed?" Wang Shoufu squinted his eyes and said in a slightly doubtful tone.
"This is Xu Yinluo's deduction, not mine." Constable Chen cupped his fists and emphasized.
Wang Shoufu nodded slowly. The doubt in his eyes dissipated. He seriously considered the reason for the barbarians to kidnap the Princess.
Seeing this, Constable Chen continued, "After that, we arrived at Chuzhou City. Because of Que Yongxiu's obstruction, we didn't find anything for many days. Until that day … "
From Constable Chen's narration, Wang Shoufu learned about the earth-shattering battle that took place in Chuzhou City.
After a long silence, Wang Shoufu said, "During this process, where was Xu Yinluo?"
When he asked this question, his eyes were looking at the Dali Monastery prime minister.
The Dali Monastery prime minister understood tacitly. He bowed and said,
"Xu Yinluo sneaked into the Northern Region alone and cooperated with Tenzō Shōnin and Li Miaozhen to find the only survivor, Minister Zheng. When the battle took place in the city, he should have just parted ways with Minister Zheng. "
"Hmm." Wang Shoufu nodded and looked at Constable Chen. "What did Xu Yinluo speculate about the identity of that mysterious expert?"
"The Cabinet Secretary attaches great importance to Xu Qi 'an's speculations. When I mentioned the Princess, he no longer questioned me when I said that it was Xu Yinluo's speculation …" Constable Chen replied,
"When I mentioned the mysterious expert, Xu Yinluo sneered and said one sentence."
All the officials, including Wang Shoufu, immediately looked at Constable Chen.
Taking a deep breath, Constable Chen said in a low voice, "Xu Yinluo said that the nobles in the imperial court are all demons and ghosts."
This sentence was undoubtedly disrespectful to the officials present, so Constable Chen lowered his head and didn't dare to speak again. He also didn't dare to look at the expressions of the Cabinet Secretary and the other officials.
Xu Qi 'an's words meant that he suspected that the mysterious expert was someone in the imperial court, or was related to someone in the imperial court … Sun Shangshu's heart trembled, and his hair stood on end.
He had experienced ups and downs in the officialdom for many years. He believed that he had a clear understanding of the situation in the imperial court and the people in the imperial court.
But Sun Shangshu had just gone through it in his mind. Who would be able to "command" such a top expert? He couldn't find a candidate.
If Xu Qi 'an dared to say so, it meant that he was quite confident. But he could only confirm that the mysterious expert was related to someone in the imperial court. As for who it was, he couldn't confirm … Wang Shoufu's eyes flashed. He suddenly thought of Xu Erlang. Si Mu and he had a good impression of each other. Perhaps he could use Xu Erlang to test Xu Qi' an.
"Could it be Wei Yuan?" The high official of the Dali Monastery said in a low voice.
Wang Shoufu and Sun Shangshu's expressions changed slightly. The other officials, Constable Chen, Dali Monastery prime minister, and the others, all looked confused.
Wei Yuan was just an ordinary person. He didn't know why the high official of the Dali Monastery would say such a thing.
"That's obviously impossible." The high official of the Dali Monastery shook his head.
What he meant was that Wei Yuan hadn't left the capital. A few days ago, he was still in the imperial study attending the minor court meeting. And with the officials and His Majesty's familiarity with Wei Yuan, there was no way that someone could disguise themselves as him.
Some could imitate Wei Yuan's face, and some could imitate Wei Yuan's appearance, but they couldn't imitate Wei Yuan's smell.
"Why didn't the cabinet receive the diplomatic mission's letter?" Wang Shoufu looked at the Dali Monastery prime minister.
The latter cupped his fists and said, "The diplomatic mission thinks that we shouldn't send an urgent letter. This will give His Majesty time to think about how to exonerate the King of Zhenbei. "
"The diplomatic mission has already met with His Majesty, but I still haven't received any news. This means that His Majesty has ordered us to keep quiet." Wang Shoufu snorted and said.
"So, His Majesty won't be at a loss?"
He laughed at the poor strategy of the diplomatic mission and sighed. "If that's the case, we don't have to worry about the identity of the mysterious man. What we should think about is what we want to achieve with this incident. And also, how to deal with it. "
A level six official said in a deep voice, "The King of Zhenbei has killed three hundred and eighty thousand people in the Chu Zhou City. If we don't deal with this properly, we will be recorded in the history books and go down in history."
Another official added, "If we force His Majesty to convict the King of Zhenbei, it will not only be a waste of the books we have read, but it will also make us famous. It's killing two birds with one stone."
The last official said expressionlessly, "I'm not doing this for anything else, just for the pride in my heart."
These officials must have come to find me through Zheng Xinghuai … Wang Shoufu let out a breath and said, "Quickly go find out and verify the information.
"Quickly go find out and verify the information. When it's time to go on duty, gather the other dukes and enter the palace together to meet the emperor."
…
After lunch, under the leadership of Wang Shoufu, the officials gathered at the north gate of the imperial study. They were stopped by the Yulin Guard.
As if they had already expected this, a checkpoint was set up at the palace gate. No one was allowed to enter or leave, and the officials were stopped outside.
"Get out, we want an audience."
"The King of Zhenbei is insane and deserved to die. However, his death is not yet decided. We want to seek justice for the three hundred and eighty thousand people in the Chu Zhou City. "
An official shouted with awe-inspiring righteousness, as if he was the embodiment of justice.
"As a prince, he slaughtered the people. His death is not to be regretted. Duke Huai should be demoted to a commoner and his corpse exposed in the wilderness to give the world an explanation. "
The crowd was impassioned. Dressed in all kinds of official robes, the beasts began to charge at the checkpoint.
"Impudent!"
The Yulin Guard's chiliarch glared at the officials and loudly berated, "You dare trespass the palace. Kill without mercy!"
"Bah!"
The grizzled Chief Minister Zheng spat at him. Not only was he not afraid, but he was also seething with anger. "This old man is standing here today. Cut me if you have the guts."
The Yulin Guard's chiliarch avoided the spit, his scalp tingling.
He really didn't dare to draw his knife and cut people. Although trespassing the palace was a capital offense, rules were rules, and reality was reality. In the past, there were examples of officials breaking into the palace in anger.
The correct approach was to stop them with all his might. He would rather be beaten than draw his knife against these old scholars, or else the outcome would be very miserable.
Who were these people in front of him?
The current Grand Secretary of the court, the Six Ministers, the Assistant Minister, the Hanlin Academy's noble officials, the Six Subjects' Imperial Censors … these were the names used to describe these people.
Fortunately, the soldiers' bodies were strong and sturdy. Blocking these old things was no problem. They were spat at, kicked, and slapped, but they didn't retreat half a step.
Only, what gave people a headache was that the more the Yulin Guard didn't yield, the more aggressive the officials became. In the beginning, it was still a dozen or so court bigwigs making trouble. Gradually, other minor officials from the Imperial Yamen also joined in on the fun.
The city gate was noisy, and both sides were in a deadlock.
At this time, an elegant carriage stopped on a distant street. The door curtain was lifted, and a handsome young man with red lips and white teeth squeezed out.
"Erlang …"
A woman's gentle voice came from inside the carriage. Simu Wang stuck out her elegant face and said in a low voice, "Although this action will offend His Majesty, it's a good opportunity for you to truly make a name for yourself. Moreover, didn't the people gathered at the palace gate have the same idea?
"Speak freely. If you can make everyone in court praise you, and make my father change his opinion of you, what worries do you have that you won't be able to rise to the top in the future?"
After deliberately spreading the news, everyone in the Imperial Yamen knew about the King of Zhenbei's massacre of the city.
When Simu Wang heard this, she gave Xu Erlang some advice, suggesting that he also join in.
Whether your father changes his opinion of me or not, what does it have to do with me … Xu Erlang muttered in his heart and said seriously, "I didn't come here to make a name for myself. I only came for the faith in my heart, for the people."
Simu Wang smiled sweetly. Just as she was about to speak, she suddenly heard Xu Erlang stutter, "Big … Big Brother?!"
Miss Wang was shocked. She lifted the curtain a little and looked in the direction of Xu Erlang's gaze. Not far away, Xu Qi 'an, who was wearing a silver gongzi official uniform, slowly walked over.
"Big Brother, why are you here?" Xu Erlang was shocked.
"Why are you here?" Xu Qi 'an asked in return. He turned his head and looked at Simu Wang indifferently.
The latter forced a polite smile and quickly lowered the curtain.
Xu Qi 'an took off his saber and slapped Xu Erlang's butt. He said angrily, "Xu Cijiu, you're amazing. Big Brother is still a loner right now, troubled by the fact that he can't find a wife. But you, on the other hand, hooked up with the Wang family's young lady. "
"What nonsense are you talking about, Big Brother?" Xu Erlang was a little angry and embarrassed. He said with a red face, "Miss Wang and I become friends through poetry and talk about the past and the present. We are friends of gentlemen."
'Is that how friends of gentlemen are used?' 'Friends of Guan and Bao, right?' Xu Qi 'an thought.' We'll talk about her at home. What are you doing here? '
Hearing this, Xu Erlang's expression turned serious. "I just heard that the diplomatic mission returned to the capital and brought back the remains of the King of Zhenbei, as well as the fact that he advanced to the second rank and massacred the entire city for his own selfish desires. Big Brother, tell me, is it true? "
Xu Qi 'an retracted his frivolous attitude and nodded silently.
Xu Erlang felt a pain in his chest. He staggered two steps back and his eyes instantly turned red.
He did not believe it at first, but the scene in front of him, the curses of the civil officials, and his big brother's words all told him that it was the bloody truth.
Xu Qi 'an patted his little brother's shoulder and looked at the officials. "Judging from the words of that person in the palace, it seems that they don't want to convict the King of Zhenbei. Civil officials are good at writing, but their glib tongues are lacking. "
"Big Brother, wait for me. I'll be back soon."
Killing his own people for the sake of 380,000 lives. Throughout history, there are very few people as cruel and cruel as him. 'If I can't express my feelings today, I, Xu Xinnian, will have wasted my 19 years of studying the books of sages …'
Finally, when he was outside the crowd, Xu Xinnian gathered his Qi in his Dantian. His expression was slightly ferocious as he shouted angrily, "All of you, get out of the way!"
The noise suddenly disappeared, and the scene became quiet.
The civil officials frowned and turned around. It turned out to be Hanlin Academy's Scholar of Merit, Xu Cijiu.
In the minds of many people, they could not help but recall the scene of Xu Cijiu's sharp words during the Buddhist duel, which infuriated the Buddhist Reverend Jing Chen.
The crowd silently opened up a path.
Wang Shoufu tilted his head slightly and looked at Xu Xinnian expressionlessly. Although his expression was cold, he did not shift his gaze away, as if he had some expectations for him.
Xu Xinnian ignored the gazes around him. He took a deep breath and said loudly, "Today, I heard that Duke Huai, for his own selfishness, massacred the entire city and exterminated the people. As a mother, I am truly displeased, so I came here …"
As time passed, the sun gradually moved to the west. At the entrance of the palace, only Xu Erlang's voice could be heard.
This scolding lasted for a whole four hours.
Furthermore, his scolding was very good. He scolded in classical Chinese and recited the declaration on the spot. He scolded in classical Chinese and could recite it backwards. He scolded in a roundabout way, he scolded in the vernacular, and he scolded in a strange manner.
His vocabulary was so rich that it left people speechless. Yet, he avoided the sensitive point of the imperial family and did not leave any room for discussion.
More and more civil officials gathered. From old officials to new officials, all of them looked at Xu Erlang with eyes full of respect.
It was an eye-opener!
If there was a subject in the imperial court that tested one's scolding ability, they would be willing to call Xu Xinnian the top scholar.
Even Wang Shoufu, who had experienced decades of criticism in the imperial court, had the thought of taking this child under his wing and he would be invincible in the imperial court.
The Featherwood Guards were scolded to the point of lowering their heads. Their faces were dispirited and their hearts were begging for this fellow to leave soon.
"Your excellency Xu, moisten your throat …"
A civil official served tea. In these four hours, Xu Xinnian had moistened his throat several times.
The civil officials willingly served him tea and water, only asking him to continue. If your excellency Xu left because of thirst, it would be a huge loss to them.
Xu Xinnian pursed his lips, returned the teacup, and was about to continue speaking.
"Shut up, don't scold anymore, don't scold anymore …"
At this time, the old eunuch rushed out with a group of eunuchs, flustered and exasperated.
"You, you, you … you are simply impudent. In the six hundred years since Daibun was founded, when has there ever been someone like you, blocking the palace gate and scolding for four hours?" The old eunuch stomped his feet in anger.
Xu Xinnian said indifferently, "Eunuch, don't talk to me. I hate nonsense the most."
The civil officials with sharp minds almost couldn't hold back their laughter. The corner of Wang Shoufu's mouth twitched. It seemed that he didn't want to see Xu Xinnian continue to offend the Yuanjing Emperor's companions. He immediately stepped out and said in a low voice.
"Is His Majesty willing to see us?"
The old eunuch nodded and said, "His Majesty said that he only wants to see the Grand Secretary. The others quickly withdraw and are not allowed to gather at the palace gate."
The civil officials were quite excited and their faces revealed joy. For a moment, their gazes towards Xu Xinnian were filled with recognition and appreciation that hadn't been there before.
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