Hearing His Majesty's voice grow louder and louder, the officials were alarmed. It was rare to see His Majesty so angry, and even rarer to reprimand Chen Pingping. Chen Pingping's expression did not change. "On my way back to the capital, someone in the court tried to kidnap the spy from Northern Qi, Si Lili. Si Lili is related to the assassination attempt on the son of the Fan family. This is a serious matter, and after receiving the report, I took a detour to escort the spy back. That's why I was delayed for some time."
"Ah, so that's how it is. That's all." The Emperor softly grunted. He had raised the matter high and then lightly let it fall.
The ministers were initially shocked, thinking that His Majesty didn't seem to like even Chen Daren very much. Then, they realized that the matter of returning late was, in the end, improper, and His Majesty was using this matter to settle this debt. But then they remembered what Chen Pingping had said about Si Lili. This was the first time the officials had heard of someone trying to break a prisoner out, and they couldn't help but be shocked. They wondered if there really was a high-ranking official colluding with Northern Qi to confuse the court.
"Put the matter of Si Lili aside for now. First, investigate the case of the son of the Prime Minister." The Emperor looked at Chen Pingping coldly.
Chen Pingping straightened in his wheelchair and looked at Lin Ruofu again. He smiled. "These two cases are actually... one."
"What do you mean?" Not only the Emperor, but the other officials were also interested. Only Lin Ruofu seemed to have thought of something, and his expression became very unsightly.
"The Prime Minister was worried about the death of his son. There are some things I shouldn't say, but as an official, I dare not hide anything from His Majesty. Please forgive me for speaking out of turn."
The Emperor frowned. "Let's hear it."
Chen Pingping clenched his withered hand into a fist and covered his mouth with blue veins. He coughed a few times, as if coughing up all the phlegm in his chest. "When the second son of the Prime Minister, Lin Gong, was killed, he was with Wu Bo 'an."
"Who is this Wu Bo 'an?" The Emperor frowned. "Speak clearly."
Most of the officials in the room knew of Wu Bo'an's reputation in the capital's officialdom. However, they had always thought that this strategist was swinging between the Crown Prince and the Second Prince. Who would have thought that he was with the son of the Prime Minister? Now that they looked at the Prime Minister again, they couldn't help but feel a little worried. After all, they were all civil servants. If Wu Bo'an was bitten by the mad dog Wu Bo'an, they would all lose face.
At this time, Lin Ruofu was sitting on a round stool. His eyes were still red and swollen, but he didn't seem to be worried.
"A few days ago, I investigated the assassination attempt on Fan Xian's son. Si Lili confessed that the person who contacted Northern Qi was Wu Bo 'an, and that the person who let the western barbarian archers into the capital was General Fang Daren of the City Patrol. The leader of the cavalry outside Cangzhou who attempted to break out the prisoners was a subordinate of Fang Daren's distant cousin, General Xiu of Wuzhou. Now, it seems that the mastermind of this incident was Wu Bo' an. Fang Xiu and Fang Daren were both executors, responsible for receiving the Northern Qi assassins and silencing them. As for the matter of the archers' bodies being cremated first, there are currently no clues."
"What are you trying to say?"
"I don't mean anything else. I'm just curious as to why the second young master of Lin Ruofu would be in the manor at the foot of Cang Mountain with the mastermind behind the assassination attempt on Fan Xian's son."
Hearing this, the officials were in an uproar. Guo You, the Minister of Rites, was the first to defend the Prime Minister. "Let's not talk about whether Si Lili could not stand the torture and made a wild accusation. Even if Wu Bo 'an had something to do with the previous case." He turned to the Emperor and apologized. "Your Majesty, please don't blame me. It was because Wu Bo 'an was a scholar twenty years ago. He was famous in the capital and had a wide circle of friends. It was normal for the second young master of Lin Ruofu to be in the same place as him. How could you slander the deceased because of this? The Prime Minister's pain of losing his son has not yet subsided, and yet Chen Fan is spouting such nonsense. It is really … unbearable! Unbearable! "
Lin Ruofu stood up and bowed to the Emperor. "My son was unfilial," he said in a pained voice. "He acted rashly and met with misfortune. But if you say he had such a disloyal heart, I absolutely do not believe it." He continued, "I have also met Wu Bo 'an. He is indeed a talented man. I have also traveled with him to the famous sights around the capital. If he was acquainted with Wu Bo' an, then it would be related to the murder case. Wouldn't I be unable to escape the suspicion?"
"Correct." An official also shook his head. "I have also met Wu Bo 'an. Looking at his face, he seems quite upright. If he really is a cruel and unscrupulous person, then what does it have to do with the second young master of Lin Ruofu? You should be careful with what you say. "
Lin Ruofu's face was filled with emotion. "If I have anything to do with this matter, then the heavens will hate me, the heavens will hate me!" Hearing the Prime Minister's heavy words, the officials knelt down with him. Seeing the officials kneeling, the Emperor rested his chin on his hand and glanced at Chen Pingping. His eyes were full of smiles. In the blink of an eye, the Emperor's face turned frosty. He motioned for the officials to rise and sternly said, "Chen Pingping has already apologized. He has not finished yet. Allow him to continue."
It was always like this in the court. Chen Pingping dominated the court, and the civil officials always liked to group together. Chen Pingping glanced at Lin Ruofu and said, "Prime Minister, please calm your anger. I just feel puzzled. The Overwatch Council searched the capital for a day and a night, but they still could not find Wu Bo 'an. Yet the young master was able to drink and chat with this strategist under the grape trellis. Naturally, I want to understand. "
"Whether or not Wu Bo 'an was the mastermind behind the previous case is still unknown. Perhaps he and the second young master of Lin Ruofu had arranged to go to the Cang Mountains to enjoy the scenery. Chen Pingping, we will discuss this matter later." The Emperor suddenly spoke coldly, stopping Chen Pingping's statement.
Seeing that the Emperor was on their side, the officials let out a sigh of relief. But Lin Ruofu's heart was struck by the words "discuss later". A wave of coldness welled up in his heart. He knew that the Emperor was warning him not to make a fuss.
This was a kind of exchange, one that did not require the aid of words, but was understood by both sides. Lin Ruofu trusted Yuan Hongdao's judgment. Gong 'er's death had nothing to do with the Fan family, so he remained silent and accepted the truth. After all, if the Overwatch Council pursued the matter of Wu Bo 'an's collusion with Northern Qi, it would be considered treason, and he feared that he would lose his position as Prime Minister.
"Earlier, you said that these two cases were one. What do you mean by that?"
Chen Pingping looked at the officials with an expressionless face. The officials were afraid of the cold look in his eyes and coughed uncomfortably. He said quietly, "After the Ministry of Justice and the Council examined the wounds of the deceased and the scene at the time, they determined that the culprit was Sigu Jian from Dongyi City. Therefore, I concluded that the two cases were one."
Hearing the words "Sigu Jian", even the officials who did not know martial arts were moved. It was no wonder that when they recounted the attack on the Cang Mountain Manor, they heard that there was only one culprit, yet he was able to silently kill a dozen masters, and each one was fatal. Only Lin Ruofu's expression did not change, as if he had known about this a long time ago.
"Hmm?" The Emperor furrowed his brows. Although he did not care about the four Great Grandmasters, these transcendent martial arts experts were an existence that was difficult for the dignity of the imperial court to tolerate.
"Because a few days ago, among the assassins killed by the Fan clan's son, there were two female assassins. According to the Council's records, these two female assassins should have been under the tutelage of Sigu Jian from Dongyi City, but we do not know if they were his disciples or grand-disciples. A month ago, there were reports from the Council that Sigu Jian was not in Dongyi City. In my opinion, the sword fanatic should have come to Qing. "
The Emperor slowly closed his eyes and asked coldly, "Why did he not kill the Fan clan's children, but instead find Wu … Bo 'an?"
"Everyone knows that Sigu Jian is a sword fanatic. When his disciples assassinated someone else and were killed in retaliation, he would probably admire the other party's methods and would not view them as enemies. Furthermore, this person loathed schemes and plots and strictly forbade his disciples from involving themselves in the struggles of the country. If Wu Bo 'an had not promised some benefits and persuaded the two female assassins, they would not have died. I'm afraid that in his heart, only Wu Bo' an is his true enemy."
Chen Pingping spoke lightly. He lied without batting an eyelid.
After a long time, the Emperor's dignified voice rang out in the palace. "The capital's magistrate, Mei Zhili, pleads guilty. His salary will be reduced for a year. The Overwatch Council will be stationed in the City Patrol Division to investigate, and Jiao Ziheng will be relieved of his duties. The Ministry of Justice will continue to investigate two additional murder cases. After the cases are concluded, an edict will be issued to Dongyi City to hand over the culprit."
Having said this, he went up to Lin Ruofu and said a few words of comfort, then left the room.
The officials retreated, and a serving girl came forward to push Chen Pingping's wheelchair into the inner palace. The officials were not surprised by this. They had never imagined that they would one day receive such favor from Chen Pingping. That was why they were so tightly united in all matters, big or small. Fighting against the power of the Overwatch Council was the same as fighting against the Emperor's personal power. This was the traditional concept of the civil officials since the founding of the Qing Kingdom. It seemed to have been deeply ingrained in their heads and could never be shaken off.
The officials even thought maliciously that perhaps it was because Chen Pingping was paralyzed and had no children that the Emperor trusted him so unreservedly.
…
…
In the quiet depths of the palace, there were no eunuchs or serving girls. Only the Emperor and Chen Pingping sat facing each other.
The Emperor raised his teacup and took a sip. He seemed to feel that the temperature of the tea was not quite right. He frowned and smashed the cup in front of Chen Pingping's wheelchair. Crack! The porcelain cup shattered into pieces, and the tea soaked the bottom of Chen Pingping's trousers. His legs were not good, and he could not avoid it. Different from before, the Emperor's voice was particularly cold and oppressive. "Sigu Jian? This answer is a bit preposterous. "
It was as if Chen Pingping did not see the scene in front of him. With a face full of smiles, he replied respectfully, "I dare not hide this from you, Your Majesty. That wound was mournful and had a sense of loss. The Ministry of Justice and the Council all agreed on this."
The Emperor curled the corners of his lips and looked at him with a smile. Suddenly, a strange light flashed through his eyes. He asked in a loud voice, "Is Lao Wu in the capital?"
Chen Pingping slowly raised his head and opened his lips. A moment later, he said, "Correct. Sir Wu is currently in Jingdou."
The Emperor seemed a bit tired. He rubbed the space between his brows and lightly said, "Just how many things are you hiding from me?" He then sighed and said, "Never mind. Since you even dare to hide the couplet, then you must hide it from the people under heaven. Don't let those people know of Lao Wu's existence."
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