As soon as Prince Yue spoke, the situation in the tent became very delicate.
/p
An official with a long beard cupped his hands and said, "Replying to Your Majesty, this official has a suggestion: Suo Chuoluo's tribe believes in the Ox God. Every five years, the tribe will choose a good-looking calf as the Ox God's holy body to be worshipped. Every year, the tribe will have a special ceremony to worship it. If the tribe uses the Ox God as a tribute to the Imperial Court, it is reasonable to send five thousand people to escort it."
/p
Another official also stepped forward, "If you want to know whether the five thousand soldiers of Suo Chuoluo's tribe have evil intentions, just look at their weapons and armor."
/p
The official from the Ministry of Works, who had a moustache, said, "Sir Zheng is right. If we are escorting soldiers, we should use the Phoenix Wing Forehead Helmets as armor. The Phoenix Wing Forehead Helmets are made of the iconic mountain elves, fish scales, and willow leaves. The armor pieces are embroidered on leather or woven fabric. Although they are beautiful, they are somewhat lacking when used in battle. If it is really like what the criminal Suo Chuoluo said, these five thousand soldiers should be mainly escorts and should wear the Phoenix Wing Headgear. "
/p
The long-bearded official asked Tang Xiangguo, "Minister, you are brave and brave. I wonder if you can see the armor of the soldiers clearly when you are escorting the Imperial Court to destroy the enemy?"
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Crown Prince He Shuo sneered, "I think Tang Xiangguo can't answer. I know the soldiers I brought with me very well. These five thousand people are wearing the Phoenix Wing Headgear that is in line with the regulations of the Imperial Court!"
/p
I looked at my poor cheap father with a drop of cold sweat on his forehead. He steadied himself and said calmly, "Assistant Minister Hu, it is a waste of your talent to stay in the Ministry of Works for too long. You are so interested in etiquette and clothing. Why don't you take a part-time position in the Ministry of Rites? That will fulfill your ambition."
/p
Assistant Minister Hu, who had a handlebar mustache, almost blew his mustache and glared. He said somewhat angrily, "The university has clouds and objects, there is a beginning and an end to everything. Right now, we are just discussing the matter as it is. First, we will settle this case of rebellion. Prime Minister Tang, you cannot distinguish between public and private matters.
/p
Tang Xiangguo flicked his sleeve and coldly said, "Ben Xiang will stay in the tent to protect His Majesty. Although I am far away from the blood arena, I have to control the overall situation and protect His Majesty. Da Qi's loyal and righteous soldiers are fighting against all the bandits. "
/p
"Did the thief leave anyone alive?"
/p
Tang Xiangguo said, "If we are talking about surviving, it is all thanks to Prince Yue's elite troops and good generals. After the battle, our own people only suffered light or heavy injuries, but those rebels and rebels were wiped out completely."
/p
I was startled. How did the fire of treason in the Imperial Court reach Prince Yue? Turning his head to look at his prince, he found that his eyes under the mask were calm. He opened his mouth and said, "Although this prince's elite soldiers are strong, they still know the rules. If there are no survivors, this prince will definitely punish him on behalf of the Prime Minister for disobeying military orders. "
/p
Since the Prince of Yue had already said so, the other officials also did not want to implicate the imperial family's generals at this critical juncture. An official stepped forward and said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, this official has something to say: this rebellion is really sudden. At this time, we should first defend against a strong enemy. To pacify the internal affairs, we must first resist the external forces. Whether the Prince of Yue's subordinates disobeyed military orders or acted according to urgency, this matter will be determined in the future. This matter is urgent. We should first uproot the mastermind behind this rebellion. Only then can we ensure that Da Qi's royal court is peaceful and prosperous. "
/p
Another minister asked, "Tang Xiangguo, may this humble minister be so bold as to ask: if there are no survivors, then it's fine. Swords and sabers have no eyes on the battlefield. After all, it is reasonable for our soldiers to risk their lives to kill such treacherous criminals. But what about the corpse? If it is really as Assistant Minister Hu said, then it is possible to identify the armor used by the culprit's corpse. "
/p
"The corpse is just outside. It is scattered all over the place. If you want to examine it, all the daren present can go and take a look."
/p
The Emperor was one to take advantage of the situation. He ordered his ministers to go out and do some work. "Since that is the case, Beloved Minister Hu and Beloved Minister Xu will go out and take a look for Zhen. See if the five thousand soldiers that Suo Chuoluo and Shuo brought were really just escorts."
/p
The two of them accepted the order and left.
/p
I originally thought that after listening for half a day, it would be time for me to rest for a while. Unexpectedly, the Emperor closed his eyes and rested on the Dragon Throne. He didn't open his mouth, and we, as ministers, didn't dare to move. It was a pity that I had just been beaten so miserably. At this moment, the pain seemed to have drilled into my bones. I couldn't stand steadily and couldn't help but tremble.
/p
Without batting an eyelid, Prince Yue reached out to support me. Only then did I feel better. At the very least, I was able to stand up straight. Lowering my head, I glanced at the Emperor from the corner of my eyes. Suppressing my voice to a deathly whisper, I asked Prince Yue, "Your Majesty is openly trying this case of rebellion. What are your intentions?"
/p
"Our court's major cases have always been overtly dealt with."
/p
I didn't agree. This was a rebellion. Anyone with a heart would want to avoid arousing suspicion. "Prince Yue, don't deceive me. His Majesty has summoned everyone to this tent. It isn't just for the sake of overtly investigating this case." There must be some sort of action.
/p
Prince Yue turned his eyes towards me. With a light smile, he said, "You are a clear-minded person. Then let me ask you, if you have a candy to reward to someone, and this person has performed a meritorious service in front of you, then will you reward him overtly or covertly?"
/p
I said, "Naturally, I will reward him overtly. Not only will I reward him for his meritorious service, but it will also show that I am a person who is fair in meting out rewards and punishments."
/p
"Then if this person uses your candy as a chicken feather arrow, and goes to form a clique or even attempt to rebel, will you take back the candy overtly or covertly?"
/p
Since I've already said it like that, I'm not a fool. This time, I didn't know which daring person had thoroughly offended the Emperor. The Emperor was suppressing his earth-shattering anger and was waiting to punish that person! Moreover, this anger was like a single spark starting a prairie fire. I was afraid that he would take advantage of this opportunity to set the Imperial Court on fire.
/p
Set it on fire, set it on fire. It wasn't easy being an Emperor.
/p
Not long after, the two people who had gone out to investigate returned. The mustached man, Hu daren, cupped his hands towards the Emperor and replied, "Replying to Your Majesty, this old official and Xu daren had just carefully examined the corpses of the thieves. We found that they were indeed wearing Phoenix Wing Headgear. The patterns on the armor plates were used as tools to prove it."
/p
Xu daren responded and expressed his position, "Yes."
/p
Crown Prince He Shuo asked, "Tang Xiangguo, do you have anything else to say?"
/p
Everyone in the hall turned to look at Tang Xiangguo, but I saw that he was not flustered at all. Coldly and angrily, I said, "From what I can see, you bunch of courtiers have been blinded by panic! What does it matter what kind of armor the thieves wore? Even if they were topless, without armor or helmet, and bare-handed, they are still traitors who killed their way into the Emperor's City! It's true that they rebelled, it's true that they committed crimes. How can the fact that they were innocent be washed away because of armor? "
/p
His voice was loud and clear!
/p
Tang Xiangguo's cold eyes swept over the several officials who had just spoken. Without waiting for them to formulate a countermeasure, he opened his mouth and said, "Daren, you all think that this rebellion is because I, Tang, wrongly accused Suo Chao Luo's case. You all think that this Tang is just an unworthy scholar protected by the ancestors. But now, I have come to ask you all, have you ever heard of the story of White Clothes Crossing the River?"
/p
How could the people present not have heard of it? They all stopped talking. Tang Xiangguo saw that he had the upper hand in the court, so he continued in a loud voice, "White Clothes Crossing the River is also known as the Battle of Jiangling. There are many stories in the streets that often call it the Battle of Jingzhou. That year, Sun Quan and his official Lu Meng planned together. Lu Meng and Lu Xun jointly carried out a great battle against the most famous general of Shu Han, Guan Yu. At that time, Lu Meng pretended to be ill and Lu Xun was guarding the border. Guan Yu was arrogant and underestimated the enemy. He did not guard against Jiangdong and transferred most of the troops and horses from Jingzhou. Lu Meng sent soldiers to disguise themselves as merchants and deceived the garrison of Jingzhou. They marched straight into Jingzhou and crossed the river in white clothes. Without shedding a drop of blood, they seized Jingzhou. Jingzhou won the battle against Sun Wu. Not only did they obtain the complete Yangtze River defense line, but they also paid a small price to inflict heavy losses on the main force of Shu Han. Thus, Jingzhou remained the longest state among the Three Kingdoms. "
/p
Tang Xiangguo paused and continued in anger, "Now you want to eliminate the suspicion of Suo Chaoluo's troops just because they are wearing non-combat helmets. But who knows that Suo Chaoluo and Shuo are the younger generation Lu Xun and the troops they lead are the White Clothes Crossing the River! They are just waiting for us to let down our guard so that they can take advantage of the situation and mess up Da Qi's country! "
/p
Tang Xiangguo's eyes were instantly filled with tears. He turned around and slowly knelt down in front of the Emperor on the dragon throne, "Your Majesty, the crimes committed by this traitor are all serious crimes of disrespect and nine familial extermination. How could there be people in the imperial court who would speak up for him to absolve himself of his crimes?! Your Majesty, this official asks Your Majesty to issue a decree to purge the traitors who are involved in the imperial court, so that our Da Qi can be clear and orderly! "After he finished speaking, he kowtowed heavily.
/p
Suo Chaoluo and Shuo also quickly said, "This official believes that the innocent will be innocent. I hope Your Majesty can judge clearly." After he finished speaking, he also kowtowed heavily as if in a fit of pique. He held back his strength and kowtowed even louder than Tang Min.
/p
The few officials who spoke at the beginning trembled in their hearts and knelt down to plead innocence. The Emperor waved his hand impatiently and did not ask them to get up. He only said to Tang Xiangguo, "After listening to your speech, I know that you are a good official. Stand up and speak."
/p
The Emperor had heard so much of Suo Chaoluo and Shuo's arguments before. Most of the officials had speculated that the Emperor was siding with He Shuo's heir. Besides, He Shuo's heir did not seem to have any intention of rebellion. Therefore, they pointed out the suspicious points of the case. However, those who stood here were all old foxes favored by the Emperor. No one dared to directly say that He Shuo's heir was innocent.
/p
The Emperor patted the armrest of the Dragon Throne and sighed, "Tang Xiangguo said it right just now. Bai Yi entered the river. Even if it is really Bai Yi, he is still a traitorous traitor. Tang Xiangguo, let Zhen ask you, you said that the traitor Suo Chonluo is Bai Yi, Suo Chonluo and Shuo is the younger generation Lu Xun, then their master is their rebellion, then who is Sun Quan hiding behind them? "
/p
After the Emperor's reprimand, the people in the Hall did not dare to interrupt. They heard Tang Xiangguo sigh and slowly said, "Your Majesty is wise and wise. This humble official blushes with shame. But the person behind the scenes, this official only dares to guess …"
/p
The Emperor said, "Say it. Even if it is just a guess, tell me your original guess." There was a hint of threat in his tone.
/p
Tang Xiangguo raised his head with a determined heart. The left side of his mouth was curled up with a mocking smile, but the right side of his face was flat and indifferent. His smile was pursed, leaving only a thin line of his mouth. It looked a bit mean.
/p
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