sbdcsierra Chapter 264: Asking Your Majesty to Grant Marriage
Chapter 264: Asking Your Majesty to Grant Marriage
The emperor glanced at the crowd, his face extremely grim.
The news of Sheng Junyao's return to Beijing had been sent back long ago. He was supposed to arrive in Beijing at the end of last month, but new clues were discovered along the way, which delayed him and brought it to the present.
The matter of Yangguan City is of great importance, and many people are waiting with bated breath. He had given orders early on that Sheng Junyao should meet with the emperor as soon as he arrived in the capital, in order to prevent him from communicating with others and leaking the news in advance.
He just didn't expect to be able to return to Beijing at such a convenient time.
"Third Prince, make arrangements for the envoys to rest at the guesthouse. I will formally host a banquet for them a few days later on the Emperor's birthday," the Emperor instructed the Third Prince.
Today's banquet is merely a welcoming feast for the envoys from various countries. They have come to the capital for the Emperor's birthday celebration in a few days, so the unexpected change and early dispersal of the banquet is not a big deal.
"Yes, Father."
The Third Prince immediately stood up, and after receiving the order, he arranged for people to escort the foreign envoys who had come to attend the banquet to leave together. Helian Jue glanced at Li Duan, who was surrounded by the Imperial Guards, hesitated for a moment, but still said nothing, and left with the Third Prince.
After all the envoys had left, the emperor glanced at Eunuch Feng, who immediately understood and ordered someone to bring Sheng Junyao in.
At this moment, the Crown Prince suddenly spoke up, saying, "Father, there are still some doubts about what just happened. Please grant me permission to have the Court of Judicial Review investigate this case."
The emperor was in a bad mood, his eyes slightly gloomy, but with so many people watching the assassination attempt, even if it was just for show, there had to be a result. "Granted."
The Crown Prince immediately arranged for the people of the Dali Temple to take away Mingruo, who was being held captive by the Imperial Guards, and several other people from the Xianyin Pavilion.
Sheng Junyao hurried over with the eunuch leading the way. When he passed the performance stage, he subconsciously paused, his eyes narrowed, and his fists clenched unconsciously. He quickly glanced at Lu Yangyang, and when he saw Li Duan being protected in Lu Yangyang's arms, his heart suddenly clenched.
He dared not linger, and quickly walked past the two men, reaching the emperor. He knelt on one knee, cupped his hands, and reported: "Your subject, Sheng Junyao, has been ordered to investigate the smallpox case in Yangguan City in the northwest. I have come to report. Long live the Emperor!"
"Get up and tell me, what have you found out?" the emperor asked.
"Your Majesty, regarding the smallpox outbreak at Yangguan City, after extensive investigation by your minister and the imperial envoy sent to Yangguan City, it has been confirmed that it was deliberate. The earliest outbreak of smallpox occurred in Shanglin Village, Shuozhou, 600 li away from Yangguan City. The deceased merchant was a merchant from Shuozhou, which produces wine, with Shanglin Wine from Shanglin Village being particularly famous. That merchant was a wine seller. After someone in Shanglin Village contracted smallpox, the villagers, fearing that the news would affect their business, locked up the family of the infected person. When the merchant went to collect the wine, someone took the opportunity to put the smallpox scabs into his daily clothing while he was resting. After collecting the wine, the merchant left and went straight to Yangguan City to start selling it. However, he fell ill and died at an inn a few days later."
"I personally led a team to follow the clues all the way to that village, and found that the entire Shanglin Village had been burned to the ground by a fire. The local officials explained that someone accidentally started the fire while brewing wine in Shanglin Village, and because it was night and the weather was dry, the fire spread too quickly and there was no time to deal with it. All of the more than two hundred people in the village perished."
The emperor slammed his hand on the table: "What did you say?"
"Every word I have said is true, and I would never dare to deceive Your Majesty," Sheng Junyao continued. "I had the remains of those villagers exhumed and examined by a coroner. We discovered that most of them had died before the fire started. In other words, the entire village of Shanglin, with over two hundred people, was actually murdered, not killed in the fire. I searched the mountains for many days and finally found one survivor, a hunter from the village. Because he didn't live in the village regularly, he was overlooked. After discovering the village had been wiped out, he knew this was no small matter and hid in the mountains. Now this man..." He had already been transferred to the Ministry of Justice for supervision. He confessed that the people who placed the smallpox scabs next to the merchant were his sister and brother-in-law. They were poor and couldn't afford medicine after contracting the disease. The villagers had locked them up, leaving them to die. It was then that someone found them, gave them money, and asked them to do this. To survive, they had no choice but to take the risk. The same person who had asked them to do this secretly released them, without the villagers' knowledge. That person was someone who had infiltrated the caravan and slipped away before the caravan entered Yangguan City.
"Knowing he would be silenced, this person went into hiding. It was in search of him that I was delayed, but thankfully I finally found him."
"Following the clues, the real mastermind behind the smallpox case in Yangguan City is His Highness."
Everyone was shocked when Sheng Junyao said this.
Such intricate and meticulous methods, and ruthless and merciless actions, have nothing to do with the reclusive and secluded Crown Prince!
Because of his disability, the Crown Prince has rarely appeared in public. Apart from the last time he was chosen as a concubine and granted marriage, he has never come out. Even on occasions like today, he still did not appear. How could someone who is like an invisible person be him?
The clues that Sheng Junyao had pieced together were all very clear. The fact that he was able to come here to report to His Majesty meant that he must have solid evidence, otherwise he would never have said it directly!
For a moment, everyone almost forgot what had just happened and began to discuss it amongst themselves. Only the emperor's face grew increasingly ugly, and in anger, he swept the cups and saucers off the table.
"Damn it! Go, immediately send someone to Zong Ke's residence and bring him to the Ministry of Justice. Make sure this matter is thoroughly investigated and resolved for me!"
The emperor was absolutely furious. The northwest was a crucial border region, and if someone made a mistake because of their own selfishness, the world would only think that he, the emperor, was immoral!
He didn't care about the hundreds of lives lost in Shanglin Village. What angered him was that Zong Ke, that good-for-nothing, dared to engage in such underhanded tactics behind his back, and couldn't even clean up the mess. If the Northwest really suffered as a result, and the truth came out later, he, the emperor, would be implicated by that good-for-nothing and have to issue an edict of self-reproach! How could he have given birth to such a useless son!
After a long while, the emperor's anger gradually subsided. He waved his hand and said to Sheng Junyao, "You did an excellent job. You not only turned the tide and saved Yangguan City, and solved the plague, but you also investigated and found the mastermind behind the smallpox case. Your contribution is indispensable!"
"Tell me, what reward do you want?"
At this point, the emperor's expression finally softened, and he began to appreciate Sheng Junyao. Having such a capable and resourceful general was a blessing for the Great Zhao Dynasty.
As soon as the emperor spoke, everyone present began to praise Sheng Junyao.
Sheng Junyao remained expressionless and knelt down again to plead.
"Your Majesty, it is my duty to be loyal to you and serve the people. I dare not ask for any reward. There is only one thing that I have been thinking about for a long time, and I hope Your Majesty will grant it."
"Oh? Tell me."
"Your Majesty, I admire Princess Liduan. Today is Princess Liduan's coming-of-age ceremony. I humbly request to marry Princess Liduan and earnestly request Your Majesty to grant us this marriage."