sbdcsierra Chapter 364 The Evidence is in the Zhenguogong Mansion
Chapter 364 The Evidence is in the Zhenguogong Mansion
The Minister of Revenue was about to say something else, but when he received Xie Rong's warning look, he immediately stopped talking.
He kept his mouth shut, but the officials who had been silent as a mouse became active in their minds, analyzing the meaning of what the Minister of Revenue had just said.
What the Minister of Revenue just said was not only that the Duke of Zhenguo was collaborating with the enemy and betraying the country, colluding with the State of Chen, but also deliberately starting a war to accumulate military merits in order to consolidate the lofty status of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion in the State of Dai Viet.
He even hinted to the emperor that all the military achievements that His Royal Highness Prince Rui had accumulated in the past were fake, and that it was the Duke of Zhenguo who tampered with them.
The purpose was to allow Prince Rui to have military merits to help him become the crown prince.
Those who thought more deeply understood another meaning behind the words of the Minister of Revenue.
Since the Duke of Zhenguo relied on such means to accumulate military merits and even used them to help King Rui, was the sudden breach of contract and rebellion by the State of Chen also related to the Duke of Zhenguo?
If they are related, then the emperor sent Prince An and Earl Yongning to fight first. If the Duke of Zhenguo fails to achieve his goal, will he really give up?
Prince An had previously suffered a defeat in a border war. Was the Duke of Zhenguo involved in this?
No matter what, with the words of the Minister of Revenue, the charge of treason against the Duke of Zhenguo would be confirmed.
The wars of the past few decades, the lives of hundreds of thousands of soldiers, the millions of broken families, and the pain of separation from life and death will all be blamed on the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion.
The Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion would collapse in an instant and become a target of public condemnation.
Luo Xiyao never knew that people could be so vicious.
I can still vividly remember the scene where my cousin was seriously injured and almost died at the border two years ago. Even now, his whereabouts are still unknown, and these people are slandering my cousin.
Luo Xiyao was so angry that her head was filled with blood and her eyes were bloodshot.
If this wasn't happening in the main hall, in front of all the officials, she would have been unable to resist stepping forward and kicking the Minister of Revenue's disgusting and ugly face.
Luo Xiyao clenched her fists and looked at Xie Rong, who was sitting on the high throne. She raised her voice and said, "Your Majesty, His Royal Highness Prince Rui has been your son since he was young. You know his character very well. He is upright and honest, and he has always disdained to do such fraudulent things."
Shen Qionghua's expression changed slightly, and just as he was about to step forward, a figure stood out from the end of the officials.
Fu Chen ignored the signal from his father, the Minister of War, and knelt on the ground, saying loudly: "Your Majesty, all of this is just the speculation of the Minister of Revenue, and it is not enough to be used as evidence."
"The Duke of Zhen Guo Mansion has existed since the founding of Dai Viet, and has been passed down for a hundred years. All previous Dukes of Zhen Guo have died defending Dai Viet. If we convict the Duke of Zhen Guo based solely on the Minister of Revenue's speculation, wouldn't that be too frivolous?"
"Furthermore, His Royal Highness Prince Rui has served at the border for many years and is a skilled fighter. This is a testament to the bravery of the soldiers. He has even been on the brink of life and death several times, suffering countless injuries, both large and small."
"The Minister of Revenue is so blunt. I wonder what his intentions are. If you weren't acting normally, I'd suspect you were insane."
Fu Chen's words expressed what was in Luo Xiyao's heart.
Luo Xiyao tilted her head slightly, and their eyes met. Fu Chen curled his lips slightly, his eyes full of tenderness and cherishment.
Luo Xiyao felt a pang of pain in her heart and almost shed a tear.
I forced myself to hold it back.
Even if Fu Chen had outstanding abilities, he was still young after all and had only been in the court for a few years. How could the Minister of Revenue tolerate being driven mad by being pointed at and scolded by a young rookie?
If he admitted this, not only would his words not be true, he would also be afraid of losing his official position.
The Minister of Revenue immediately said, "I am very good. How can I allow a child like you to humiliate me in the court and in front of the emperor? Go back quickly!"
How could Fu Chen listen to the Minister of Revenue's words? He didn't even glance at him, but just said, "Minister of Revenue, this is wrong. It is precisely because in front of the emperor, if you find something wrong, you must point it out so that the emperor can make the right judgment after careful consideration."
"Although I hold a lowly position, I am loyal to the emperor. As long as I stand in this court, I have the right to raise objections."
"The Minister of Revenue wants me to shut up. Could it be that this court has become a one-man show for the Minister of Revenue?"
"You are the only one allowed to speculate, and no one else is allowed to raise objections?"
As soon as Fu Chen finished speaking, the Minister of Revenue's face suddenly changed. He turned around and said, "Your Majesty, I have no such intention. I am just eager to defend myself."
Xie Rong cast a gloomy look on the Minister of Revenue and snorted coldly.
He then looked at the guard who was kneeling on the ground, sweating profusely and with a panicked look in his eyes, and said, "You said earlier that you would hand over the evidence once Princess Pingning was summoned to the palace. Now that Princess Pingning is here, where is the evidence?"
"After making such a big fuss, if you can't produce any evidence, humph!"
The overwhelming pressure of the emperor descended upon the guard, who immediately stammered, "Your Majesty, everything I say is true. I would never dare to lie to you. The evidence is in the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion."
"Your Majesty, since the Duke of Zhenguo has correspondence with the State of Chen, he will definitely keep those letters to check and balance each other."
"This servant has observed over the past two days that although the Duke of Zhenguo has left the capital, a large number of his trusted aides are guarding the Duke's study and bedroom in his mansion. This is clearly abnormal."
"So, I guess those letters must be in one of these two places."
"It's a pity that I am powerless and my words carry no weight, so I can't bring out the evidence directly."
Hearing this, Luo Xiyao sneered and said, "You keep saying that my Zhenguogong Mansion is collaborating with the enemy and committing treason. Is this the evidence you are talking about?"
Luo Xiyao looked at Xie Rong and said, "Your Majesty, this person is obviously talking nonsense. If he can even guess at the evidence, what else can be true?"
Xie Rong nodded and looked at the guard. "Since you said the evidence is in the Zhenguo Mansion, why didn't you tell Princess Xuan Pingning when she entered the palace?"
"In reply to the emperor, the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion has always been well-connected. I am afraid that the news will leak out, and I don't know whether Princess Pingning knows about it. I am afraid that if Princess Pingning knows about it, she will destroy the evidence after getting the news. That's why I have to see Princess Pingning before I tell her." said the guard.
"You haven't even seen the evidence, and it's not in your hands. This..." Xie Rong hesitated.
I haven't even seen any evidence, and I'm just guessing. If I wrongly accuse the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion, it will be a bad ending.
Xie Qian'an had been paying attention to the emperor's expression. Seeing that his brows were furrowed, he knew that the emperor wanted to retreat, so he immediately gave the guard a look.
The guard's palms were sweating. Receiving Xie Qian'an's eye signal, he immediately said, "Your Majesty, I can guarantee with my own life that the evidence must be in the Zhenguogong Mansion."
Xie Qi'an coughed lightly, stood up, and said with a bow, "Your Majesty, although the evidence is not in the hands of the guards, from what he just said about how he discovered that the Duke of Zhenguo was collaborating with the enemy and committing treason, it can be considered reasonable and well-founded."
Xie Rong's gaze fell on Xie Qian'an, with a chill in his eyes. "Oh, then according to what you said, what should we do in this situation?"