"Your Majesty, Lord Zhang truly was foolish, but fortunately, it was not too late. In the end, he repented. This letter is proof. I hope that Your Majesty will look at this and deal with him again. "
Raising his robe, Wang Chong stepped forward.
"Your Majesty, absolutely not! A single letter cannot prove anything. Moreover, it is an indisputable fact that Zhang Shougui had bribed an angel, bribed an army supervisor, and lied about military intelligence. If he could remain unscathed after committing the crime of deceiving the sovereign, wouldn't there be countless imitators in the future? Nothing can be accomplished without rules. A country has its laws, and a family has its rules. I hope that Your Majesty will deal with this matter according to the laws of the Tang Dynasty! "
"Correct! I hope that Your Majesty will uphold the laws of the Tang Dynasty and deal with this matter severely! "
"I hope that Your Majesty will heavily punish Zhang Shougui!"
… …
The Confucian civil officials in the court would not let Zhang Shougui's weakness slip by so easily. Ye Haicheng immediately stepped forward to make his case, and the other civil officials began to echo his sentiments, asking the Holy Emperor to heavily punish him.
On the side, Wang Chong inwardly sneered at this sight. These Confucian civil officials were only struggling on the verge of death. The calamity of the Tang Dynasty was upon them, and Zhang Shougui was one of the best Great Generals of the Tang Dynasty. No matter what, Wang Chong had to protect him. This was both to return a favor to Zhang Shougui and for the sake of the Tang Dynasty. How could he let them succeed so easily?
As expected, the civil officials had barely spoken when a voice resounded through the hall. But this time, it was not Wang Chong, The King of Song, or anyone else, but the unmoving Holy Emperor.
"We already know of this matter. Although Zhang Shougui's false report is unforgivable, it has not reached the level of deceiving the sovereign."
The Holy Emperor's expression was dignified, but his first words sent a chill through everyone's hearts.
"We did not receive a memorial from Niu Xiantong to conceal the military situation. Instead, we told the whole story of the battle of the Huang River. We did not even conceal the fact that he accepted bribes. The gold yuan certificates I received from Zhang Shougui have already been offered up, and We have given them to the Bureau of Revenue to be used as grain for the Bureau of Military Personnel. As for Zhang Shougui, although he promptly repented and did not make a grave mistake, he still had such thoughts and cannot be forgiven! "
The words of the Holy Emperor made the hearts of Ye Haicheng and the others turn cold. At a time like this, the heavier the Holy Emperor's words were, the lighter they would be in the end. However, the Holy Emperor had already spoken. No matter how unwilling they were, they could not say anything else.
"However, Zhang Shougui is still a meritorious minister of the Tang dynasty, having made great contributions. Thus, We have decided to use Zhang Shougui's old contributions to atone for his crimes, stripping Zhang Shougui of his post as Andong Protector-General and making him temporary Andong Protector-General. In addition, he will be fined five years of salary and will not be able to be promoted for the next five years!"
"Long live the Emperor!"
Upon hearing the Holy Emperor's decision, everyone bowed and paid their respects.
The Holy Emperor had never lightly expressed his opinions, but when it came to the Holy Emperor's decision, everyone had to abide by it, no matter what the final result was. Because this was the final decision.
"Wang Chong, I just knew that you would never disappoint us!"
The crisis over Zhang Shougui had finally been averted. The King of Song turned his head in Wang Chong's direction, a strange look in his eyes. Ever since his return from Khorasan, Wang Chong had resolved at least two crises. In this aspect, Wang Chong had become the stabilizing force of the military in the court. As long as he was present, no storm would be able to break through to the various corners of the Tang dynasty.
Moreover, even the King of Song had praised Wang Chong's strategy.
In every dynasty, the crime of deceiving the sovereign was no minor matter. Whether or not Zhang Shougui had done it, the mere thought of doing so was already a heresy, and he had truly bribed Niu Xiantong. For this alone, the Holy Emperor would not forgive him. But Wang Chong's cleverness lay in the fact that he had grasped Zhang Shougui's obsession with the position of Prime Minister.
In truth, ten-some years ago, if Wang Chong's grandfather Duke Jiu had not stopped him, Zhang Shougui would have become Prime Minister. Moreover, if the Holy Emperor had been a little more resolute, Zhang Shougui would have become Prime Minister, and none of this would have happened. From this point, the Holy Emperor felt guilty. This was also the crux to Zhang Shougui's survival in this crisis.
From the war of the southwest to the Battle of Talas, in the short span of a year, Wang Chong had become extremely mature. He was completely capable of holding his own, not just on the battlefield, but also in the Imperial Court.
The army could not be crippled, and Wang Chong had become the greatest hope and pillar of the army!
The court session quickly concluded, and with a wave of his sleeve, Wang Chong walked out of the hall with a smile on his lips.
"Lord Zhang, a wise man submits to circumstances. After this incident, you should be more vigilant!"
Wang Chong raised his head and glanced northeast as he said to himself.
Zhang Shougui's arrogance and conceit were renowned throughout the world. When he had Niu Xiantong write a letter to him and advise him to admit his wrongs, Wang Chong had almost immediately received the letter and received a harsh rebuke. One could easily imagine Zhang Shougui's foul temper. But even so, Wang Chong had been confident from the start that this matter would be perfectly resolved.
The reason was very simple.
Although Zhang Shougui was conceited, he was no fool. Deceiving the sovereign was no minor matter, and Zhang Shougui could not possibly endure such a major incident.
"I hope that you can learn from your mistakes!"
Wang Chong chuckled and quickly left.
But behind him, not even Wang Chong noticed that someone was staring hatefully at him, an extremely nasty expression on their face. In truth, this matter was not caused by the Confucians, but by the Prime Minister of the Tang Dynasty, Li Linfu. What Zhang Shougui had been constantly thinking about was precisely his position.
By helping Zhang Shougui avert danger, Wang Chong had unquestionably made himself an enemy of him. One could easily imagine what Li Linfu was feeling.
"Lord Prime Minister, let's go!"
A voice suddenly came from the side. An official had walked over without anyone noticing.
"Haha, Lord Zhang, please!"
Li Linfu smiled faintly, like a spring breeze, and the hatred in his eyes quickly dissipated.
… …
The Imperial City of the Tang Dynasty towered with majesty and grandeur.
When Wang Chong walked out of the Imperial Palace, dressed in a crimson imperial robe, the atmosphere was completely different from that of the Imperial Court.
"Milord!"
Outside the Imperial City, a luxurious carriage of gold and silver stood. Next to the carriage, a figure stood up and went to greet Wang Chong. But it was not Zhang Que, who Wang Chong usually brought with him, but The Eagle. He was wrapped in a black robe. Ever since Wang Chong had left him in the capital and put him in charge of building an intelligence force, The Eagle had become much sharper and more capable. He was like a long saber that had been washed away, revealing its original sharpness.
"How is it?"
Upon seeing The Eagle, Wang Chong's pupils constricted as he immediately asked.
Although they were separated by a single wall, the atmosphere inside and outside the palace was completely different. And for Wang Chong, the moment he walked out of the palace gate, the matter in the Imperial Court had concluded, but the 'war' outside the Imperial Court had only just begun.
"Is everything ready?"
Wang Chong glanced at The Eagle and sternly said. His expression was solemn, completely different from when he had been in the Imperial Court.
From Khorasan to the capital, he had always wanted to uncover the mastermind behind the curtains, and now, the truth was finally on the verge of coming to light. That person was finally about to reveal himself.
"Milord, according to Milord's orders, everything has been taken care of! In a few more days, we will be able to see 'him'! "
The Eagle sternly said. In his heart, he was no less anxious than Wang Chong.
In the hearts of the Eagle, Zhang Que, and everyone else, Wang Chong's status was far above all else, even their own. Anyone who dared to treat Wang Chong like this, dared to treat the Tang dynasty like this, would never be forgiven.
"Very good!"
With a wave of his sleeve, Wang Chong swiftly walked forward.
"Then let us wait a few more days!"
With these words, Wang Chong swiftly boarded the carriage and vanished.
"Hyah!"
The Eagle also took the driver's seat, and with a crack of his whip, the carriage began to move toward the eastern part of the city.
Flapflap!
As Wang Chong's carriage left the Imperial City and began to head toward the eastern part of the city, a small but extremely fast eagle shot out like a bolt of lightning toward the northeast.
"Milord, look!"
Several days later, in Youzhou to the northwest, an officer of the Andong Protectorate army rushed into the protectorate headquarters and solemnly handed over a letter. Zhang Shougui took it, and with a single glance, his face immediately paled.
He even broke out in a cold sweat!
In his decades in the army, Zhang Shougui had participated in hundreds of battles and faced countless life-threatening dangers, but none of them had been as dangerous as the matter recorded on this thin piece of paper. For a moment, even though nothing had happened around him, Zhang Shougui felt like he had escaped death, that he had just escaped from the gates of hell.
If he had not listened to Wang Chong's suggestion, the civil officials in the Imperial Court would have impeached him, and his decades of hard work would have been for naught.
"How could it be like this!"
Zhang Shougui muttered to himself as he recalled that youth in the capital.
This time, Wang Chong had truly saved his life.
"Investigate! Investigate for me! I want to know just who leaked the matter between me and Niu Xiantong! "
Zhang Shougui crushed the letter into a ball, unable to restrain his rage.
The incident in the capital had truly shocked him, but what shocked him the most was that someone in Youzhou had actually dared to betray him, and it had even been one of his close subordinates!
"Yes, Milord."
The general quickly left, and with Zhang Shougui's order, the lands of Youzhou began to tremble in an unprecedented manner.
… …
"Bastard!"
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