With the posthumous edict in hand, he was invincible!
Jing Rong entered the palace with the late emperor's posthumous edict.
Qin Shiyu stood beside him.
The two entered the Imperial Hall with solemn expressions.
"Greetings, Your Majesty/Imperial Father."
Reverent and respectful!
Qizhen Emperor sat behind the table on the high platform, his brows furrowed as he looked at his son, whom he had not seen for several months. He clearly resembled him when he was young, but at this moment, his eyes were solemn and respectful.
He looked like a loyal subject who had come to pay his respects.
Not his son!
He knew that Jing Rong was too obedient.
So obedient that he always obeyed and never refuted!
This son of his was sent out of the palace to be fostered at a young age, so he lacked the arrogance of a prince. If one did not know his identity, one would think that he was just an ordinary young master with a simple and elegant demeanor.
The hall was silent for a long time.
No one said a word.
Finally …
Qizhen Emperor looked at Qin Shiyu sternly and asked in an accusatory tone, "Lord Qin, do you know the crime of passing a fake imperial edict?"
What was to come would come!
Qin Shiyu did not quibble.
He immediately lifted his robe and knelt down, "This humble subject passed a fake imperial edict. My crime is unforgivable."
"You recognized it quite quickly."
"This subject knows his crime and does not dare to make excuses."
"Then tell me, why did you pass a fake imperial edict?"
"This humble subject was trying to save Prince Rong's life." Qin Shiyu said, "If Your Majesty's oral edict had arrived a step later, Prince Rong would have already been arrested by War Secretary Ji's people outside the city on the charge of 'rebellion against the imperial edict'. Prince Rong's life might even be in danger. After considering the severity of the matter, this subject could only pass a fake imperial edict at the risk of being beheaded. That was how I was able to bring Prince Rong safely back to the capital."
Qizhen Emperor snorted coldly, "According to what you said, I should reward you."
"Escorting Prince Rong back to the capital is this subject's duty. I dare not claim credit."
"Peng!"
Qizhen Emperor slammed his large hand on the table, enraged.
"Qin Shiyu, we have indulged you time and time again. At that time, you suspended your authority over me and found the mistakes in the 'Lin Capital Case'. You knelt outside the Nanzhe Gate for several days, and all the civil and military officials in the court spoke up, so we had no choice but to agree to re-investigate. Now, you have the guts to pass a fake imperial edict. Do you know that we can order people to drag you to the Meridian Gate to be beheaded right now?"
The sound was as loud as a bell!
His voice reverberated in the hall, and it was somewhat ear-piercing.
Qin Shiyu wasn't afraid at all, and he looked like he was ready to be dealt with.
Jing Rong did not plead for mercy on her behalf. Instead, he stood there coldly.
He had a look of "it's none of my business".
However, he knew in his heart that the Qizhen Emperor would not punish Qin Shiyu.
No matter what, Qin Shiyu was an old minister, a retired general who had repeatedly made great contributions to the battlefield. If he was really dragged to the Meridian Gate to be beheaded, it would be a small gain but a great loss.
Qi Zhen Emperor had his own considerations!
After adjusting himself for a while, he finally restrained his anger.
He could only let out a long sigh. "Forget it. Although you were in the wrong, you also contributed. We will not pursue this matter any further."
How kind!
Qin Shiyu stood up, cupped his hands and bowed, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
"That's enough. You may leave."
"This subject takes his leave."
Then, Qin Shiyu glanced at Jing Rong and silently retreated.
The hall regained its calm.
After Qi Zhen Emperor had calmed down, he looked at Jing Rong and said in a deep voice, "We have issued two secret edicts for you to return to the capital. I originally thought that it would be extremely difficult, but you did not disappoint us."
Jing Rong bowed his head. "This son does not dare to not respond to Imperial Father's edict."
"Fortunately, you have the late Emperor's posthumous edict. Otherwise, we would not have been able to issue an edict for you to enter the capital."
"This son understands."
After he finished speaking!
Jing Rong handed over his imperial edict.
The Qizhen Emperor took it.
He opened the edict, and the contents were reflected in his eyes.
On the first day of the ninth month in the 37th year of the reign of Qianzhi, the barbarians have been at the border for more than a hundred years, and have been paying tribute for more than ten years. Therefore, they have made friends. In the future, if the barbarians rebel, provoke, kill, and cause trouble, this edict shall be issued to dispatch troops.
A life-saving elixir!
The Qizhen Emperor examined the authenticity of the edict. The jade seal on it was real.
"The edict seal is real. This is indeed a posthumous edict left behind by the late Emperor. I did not expect that the late Emperor had already predicted this and issued this edict decades ago, just in case. With this edict in hand, the thirty-year truce agreement with the barbarians can be nullified. We can also issue an edict to dispatch troops to take down the barbarians in one fell swoop."
With the edict in hand, he was invincible!
Jing Rong did not speak, only agreeing.
However, the Qizhen Emperor was suspicious. "But where did you get this edict from?"
"It was from Marquis Kang. When the late Emperor wrote this edict, he handed it to him. On the way back to the capital, this son made a trip to Jingzhou. Marquis Kang knew that this son was in a difficult situation, and that the barbarians had started to cause trouble at the border a few months ago. He handed this edict over, hoping that it would help this son return to the capital smoothly. In fact, it did help this son."
"Marquis Kang?" The Qizhen Emperor repeated. "I did not expect that he still had this trick up his sleeve after leaving Jingzhou for so many years."
"The late Emperor's edict is greater than the heavens. Imperial Father's worries about the barbarians causing trouble at the border have finally been resolved."
The Qizhen Emperor nodded. It had indeed resolved one of his worries!
But —
He put down the edict and closed it.
"In front of everyone in the imperial court, We have decreed that if you cannot find out where the Yufu disaster relief funds went, you are not allowed to return to the capital. Now that you have delivered the late Emperor's edict and resolved the problem of the barbarians for Us, We will consider that your merits are sufficient to make up for your mistakes. There is no need for you to return to Yufu."
"Thank you, Imperial Father."
Jing Rong cupped his hands and bowed.
The Qizhen Emperor's eyes darkened. "Then you should know the real reason why We have summoned you back to the capital."
"This son knows."
"Now that everyone in the imperial court has turned against Jing Yi, and you have no one to defend you, you will definitely be surrounded by enemies in the imperial court. We know that Jing Yi has great influence and originally planned to appoint him as the Crown Prince after the situation in the imperial court has stabilized. However, he was too impatient. First, he joined the Ministry of Personnel and the Minister of Transmission to complain that you interfered with the transfer of officials in the Ministry of Personnel, and then he incited the officials to elect him as the Crown Prince. How can We hand over Great Lin to him if he is so eager for quick success?"
This kind of person would most likely become the second Ying Zheng!
However, the Qizhen Emperor did not reveal his true thoughts.
To put it bluntly, he suspected that the Crown Prince's siege of the palace had something to do with Jing Yi. Moreover, everything that had happened afterwards, such as Jing Rong's assassination, the assassin dying in the Supreme Court, the Ministry of Personnel's petition, and the officials' election …
All of these made the Qizhen Emperor wary of Jing Yi.
That was why he wanted Jing Rong to return to the capital.
Jing Rong did not expose the Qizhen Emperor's true thoughts. He only said, "It is natural for Imperial Father to be worried, but this son understands Imperial Father's intentions."
"Then what do you think?"
"The late Emperor has issued a posthumous edict to send troops to exterminate the barbarians. Since Imperial Father has the intention to suppress Jing Yi, why not make use of this edict?"
"Speak clearly."
"Send someone to lead the troops."
Huh?
The Qizhen Emperor asked, "Who?"
"Ji Huan!"
He uttered two words.
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