"This sinner, Qu Zhisheng, greets Your Majesty!"
Inside the Taiji Palace, Qu Zhisheng respectfully bowed to Li Shimin, formally asking for forgiveness on behalf of Gao Chang.
Upon hearing this, Li Shimin said loudly, "Gao Chang blocked the Silk Road for no reason, and I sent an army to suppress him. Do you have any complaints in your heart?"
"Please investigate. Gao Chang blocked the Silk Road because my father was coerced by Satoshi Tani. It was not Gao Chang's intention." Qu Zhisheng immediately shifted the blame to Satoshi Tani. Currently, the number one opponent of the Tang dynasty was the Western Turks. Targeting the Western Turks was a politically correct thing to do.
"Satoshi Tani is simply too bold. He dares to provoke the Tang dynasty without permission. Does he really think I can't do anything to him?" Li Shimin said angrily.
"Your Majesty, although Satoshi Tani is the mastermind behind the scenes, Gao Chang is willing to be ordered by Satoshi Tani and is willing to be an accomplice. His crime is unforgivable." Linghu Defen, the minister of the Ministry of Rites, said loudly.
Upon hearing this, Qu Zhisheng's eyes narrowed. Then, he stood up straight and said, "Although Satoshi Tani coerced my father to be enemies with the Tang dynasty, the son has to pay for the father's debt. This sinner is willing to be punished on behalf of my father."
Seeing Qu Zhisheng admit his crime, Li Shimin looked at Qu Zhisheng again and said with satisfaction, "Out of filial piety, I will pardon your crime. When the Tang Army besieged Gao Chang, you showed signs of taking the initiative to surrender. You have contributed greatly to prevent the two countries from war. I confer you the title of Left Wuwei General and Jincheng County Duke."
"This sinner kowtows and thanks the Heavens for your kindness!"
Qu Zhisheng knelt on the ground with mixed feelings in his heart. He was disappointed that the Qu Dynasty of Gao Chang, which had been passed down for more than a hundred years, was finally destroyed. He was relieved that he, the ruler of a fallen country, was still alive and could even take a position in the Tang dynasty.
"Ancestors of the Qu Dynasty, Ancestors, Gao Chang's defeat is not my fault." Qu Zhisheng said in his heart, and only then did he feel a little better. feel better. He stood up and nodded slightly to Mo Jiazi beside him.
While he had been escorted to the Great Tang, he had not been humiliated. On the contrary, he had been comforted by the son of the Mo Clan, and his current situation was almost exactly as the son of the Mo Clan had predicted.
Zhisheng 'Of Emperor' of the of 'of''s's's's's's,'s Honor Honor Behalf's Day 'Behalf's Behalf's Behalf behalf behalf's behalf's Emperor''s''s of's His' ''s's.'s s Dynasty's.
Jincheng Jincheng's Jincheng! ...... is............ this is'.... is!.......
All the ministers expressed their goodwill to Qu Zhisheng, and the whole scene was harmonious.
Qu Zhisheng's face was also full of smiles as he responded to them one by one. As for what he was thinking in his heart, no one knew.
However, an unsociable voice suddenly broke the harmony. An imperial censor suddenly stepped forward and said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, this subject wishes to impeach Mo Jiu for using the Western Expedition to extort money from Jincheng Commandery Duke."
In an instant, everyone's eyes were focused on Meton and Qu Zhisheng.
Qu Zhisheng's face was full of horror. He had just escaped from the crisis of life and death and could live a rich and idle life in Chang 'an. But he did not expect that he would be involved in the disputes of the Imperial Court of the Tang dynasty in just a few seconds.
"Your Majesty, this subject and Merton do not have any grudges, nor have we done anything in private, nor have we tried to blackmail him." Qu Zhisheng hurriedly tried to distance himself from the relationship.
Yu Zhining said with a righteous face, "Jincheng Commandery Duke, don't be afraid. This is Chang 'an, the land under the Emperor's rule. Even the most powerful people would not dare to do anything to you."
Qu Zhisheng's face was resolute as he said, "Sir, please don't speak nonsense. Although Marquis Mo's Firearms Division was the first to break into Gaochang City, and we have a grudge of exterminating our country, business is business, and private is private. On the battlefield, death and injury are inevitable. However, in private, this one respects Marquis Mo's character greatly. In Gaochang, and even under his escort, Marquis Mo did not extort or blackmail in the slightest. If this one speaks half a lie, may Heaven Khan behead this one as a warning to others."
Hearing Qu Zhisheng's determination, Yu Zhining nodded regretfully. If Qu Zhisheng was a little muddle-headed and took the opportunity to take revenge on Meton, he would not mind adding fuel to the fire.
Li Shimin frowned, "Minister Yu, since Jincheng Commandery Duke said so, it must be some groundless rumors. Meton is not a person who covets ill-gotten wealth."
Li Shimin's words were definitely not for Meton. If Meton wanted to make money, he could earn more with his ink skills alone. He would not be interested in Qu Zhisheng's or even Gao Chang's wealth.
The other ministers also nodded. If it was any other minister who tried to extort money, they would be suspicious. However, Mo Jiazi's wealth could be said to be innumerable. Why would he take the risk to covet Qu Zhisheng's wealth?
Yu Zhining sneered, "Reporting to Your Majesty, Mo Jiazi indeed does not covet Gao Chang's wealth. However, he could not refuse Gao Chang's secret skill. The Minister was ordered to investigate the prohibition of alcohol, but found that the Mo Family Village was openly violating the prohibition and secretly brewing wine in Deng Province."
"Violating the prohibition of alcohol!" Immediately, all the ministers frowned. The prohibition of alcohol had just come into effect, but Mo Jiazi actually went against it. On the surface, he stopped Xie Qianchou, but secretly began to brew wine.
Meton explained, "The prohibition of alcohol is to prevent the consumption of grain and maintain the stability of grain prices. The raw material of wine is grapes, not grain. Naturally, it is not included in the prohibition of alcohol."
All the ministers thought about it. Mo Jiazi's actions could be justified. Although the wine was suspected of skirting the boundaries, it did not conflict with the prohibition of alcohol.
Only Li Shimin looked at Meton with a deeper meaning. When this kid suggested the prohibition of alcohol, he thought that Mo Jiazi was noble. He did not expect him to have a backup plan. Either way, he would not be at a disadvantage.
Yu Zhining was not surprised by this outcome. Instead, he revealed a hint of pride and said, "However, what really puzzles the Minister is that Mo Jiu's secret skill came from Gao Chang's secret skill of wine. Since this secret skill of wine was not extorted from the Jincheng County Duke, it must be the spoils of war that Mo Jiu pocketed during the Western Expedition."
"Pocketing the spoils of war!" As soon as Yu Zhining's words fell, the entire court was in an uproar. Yu Zhining had spent so much effort to make Qu Zhisheng deny being extorted by Mo Jiazi. He had actually been waiting for Mo Jiazi here. One had to know that the crime of pocketing the spoils of war was much heavier than extorting the ruler of a fallen country.
All the ministers frowned. Mo Jiazi might not care about money, but he had no resistance against secret skills. This secret skill of wine was most likely stolen from Gao Chang by Mo Jiazi.
Qu Zhisheng could not help but feel embarrassed. The entire court was talking about Mo Jiazi pocketing the spoils of war. As the victim, he was in an extremely awkward position.
"That's right. The secret skill of wine was indeed taken from Gao Chang. I also took two secret skills from Gao Chang. One is the secret skill of wine, and the other is the secret skill of weaving." Meton did not hide anything and directly admitted it.
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