HCB Chapter 90 What a clever trap!
Chapter 90 What a clever trap!
The next day, at the Golden Palace.
Jun Ce sat on the chair to the right of the dragon throne, listening to the court officials present their memorials and discuss matters.
He wore a long black robe, with a jade belt tightly fastening his lean waist. His fingers rested on the jade pendant at his waist, and his expression was aloof and arrogant, quite different from yesterday.
He quietly played with the jade pendant, his dignified bearing so imposing that no one dared to look him in the eye.
Although he was sitting to the side, his regal aura was still undeniable.
"Do any of you gentlemen have important matters to report?"
Marquis Wu'an stepped forward and said, "I have something to report."
"Your Majesty, I wish to impeach Zhai Sangjie, the Commander of the Imperial Guards, for dereliction of duty and negligence in guarding the weapons, which led to their loss and nearly caused a major disaster!"
Yesterday, his men reported that the weapons in the dilapidated temple had mysteriously disappeared without anyone noticing!
This is strange, but no matter who stole the weapons, it couldn't have been Zhai Sangjie.
In order to successfully impeach him, he has sent a team to Qixia Temple to intercept and kill Zhai Sangjie.
It has been confirmed that he fell off the cliff!
As long as the weapons are not in Zhai Sangjie's hands, this memorial can still be presented today.
Marquis Wu'an lowered his head, a glint of something sinister in his eyes.
He has followed the Crown Prince for so many years but has never been given important responsibilities. If he wants to become rich and powerful overnight, he can only turn to Consort Shu!
How can one gain Consort Shu's trust without expressing loyalty?
He stopped thinking, presented the memorial to the eunuch, and reported it to the emperor.
The court was in an uproar.
A murmur rippled through the crowd below.
"General Zhai was impeached just a few days after receiving his honors. Has Marquis Wu'an lost all his courage?"
"The loss of military equipment is a major case! No matter how meritorious he is, he must be punished."
"This Zhai Sangjie is arrogant and complacent. He has only been back in court for a few days and has already made such a mistake. He is really not up to the task!"
"In my opinion, General Zhai has offended someone."
"Shh, I think that Marquis of Wu'an has connections!"
……
Marquis Wu'an's ears twitched slightly, and a few of these whispers inevitably reached his ears.
He smiled.
He comes from a noble family and is a cousin of the Crown Prince's tutor. Now he has also gotten close to Consort Shu. What is there to fear from a mere Zhai Sangjie?
If this matter is accomplished, it will bring glory and prosperity to future generations!
Jun Ce opened it and saw that every word inside was sharp and hit the nail on the head, and his expression immediately turned somber.
"Is Marquis Wu'an aware that General Zhai was assassinated at Qixia Temple?"
Assassination attempt?!
The court was immediately in an uproar.
Marquis Wu'an felt uneasy. How could the Regent know about this...?
Could it be that Zhai Sangjie is not dead?
He broke out in a cold sweat, and forced himself to say, "I do not know."
"Oh?"
"You don't know?" Jun Ce's icy voice boomed in the hall. "That's interesting."
He rested his right hand on the side of the chair, his long index finger lightly tapping his temple, and lazily raised his chin.
"Bring the people up."
No sooner had the words been spoken than a shadowy figure led a person into the hall.
Marquis Wu'an glanced at the person kneeling on the ground and instantly panicked, his body involuntarily tensing up.
"Who is this?" asked Grand Tutor Qi.
“This man is one of the assassins who ambushed General Zhai,” the figure replied in a deep voice. “He has been identified as the mastermind behind the assassination attempt by Marquis Wu’an.”
The imperial court was once again in an uproar!
"My lord, save me!" the assassin cried out to Marquis Wu'an.
The Regent's punishments were truly terrifying!
He can't die even if he wants to...
"What nonsense are you talking about! I don't know you!" Marquis Wu'an was sweating profusely and hurriedly defended himself.
The figure glanced at him sideways and presented the assassin's confession to the public.
"Your Majesty!"
"This confession also contains details of Marquis Wu'an's plot to steal military equipment and its relocation and concealment, which is sufficient to prove General Zhai's innocence!"
These words immediately caused a huge uproar.
"So this Marquis of Wu'an was a thief crying 'stop thief!'"
"What a brilliant trap!"
"First steal the weapons, then find someone to assassinate General Zhai, so he has no way to prove anything!"
"It is a disgrace that such a despicable person serves in the same court as us!"
"This is so true!"
……
Upon hearing the courtiers' discussions, Marquis Wu'an immediately knelt down, trembling, and cried out, "Your Majesty, the Regent is truly wise!"
His face was upright and dignified.
"This is only the assassin's side of the story!"
"Your sincerity is as clear as day and night; someone must be deliberately framing me!"
A hint of impatience flashed in Jun Ce's indifferent eyes as he raised an eyebrow at Jun Yinghuai.
Jun Yinghuai immediately stepped forward and said, "Yesterday, I seized a batch of military equipment in Xianning Palace, which was the same batch that was lost from the Imperial Guard camp."
Xianning Palace?!
How could he be at Xianning Palace!
Marquis Wu'an's lips turned pale, and fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.
Jun Yinghuai continued, "The Consort Shu has cooperated with me to find evidence that this matter was indeed done by Marquis Wu'an."
He presented a letter.
That letter was evidence of the Marquis of Wu'an's secret writing to Consort Shu, plotting to steal military equipment and frame Zhai Sangjie!
Marquis Wu'an's pupils contracted sharply, his eyes fixed on the letter that had already been presented to Jun Ce.
This letter was in the possession of Consort Shu, but now she has handed it over...
Consort Shu is sacrificing a pawn to save the king!
Marquis Wu'an collapsed instantly, his face contorted in a scene of utter devastation.
Then something occurred to him, and a glimmer of hope ignited within him. Looking around, he saw Grand Tutor Qi and crawled towards him, crying out, "Grand Tutor! Grand Tutor, save me!"
"I'm your cousin! You have to believe me!"
Given our kinship, surely he wouldn't stand by and watch someone die?
Grand Tutor Qi's face darkened. He pulled his robe from the man's hand and said coldly, "When you set up the formation in my Qi family, did you ever think of yourself as my cousin?"
Marquis Wu'an's face suddenly turned pale. He knew?
Jun Yinghuai narrowed his eyes slightly upon hearing the words "set up an array".
"General Zhai has arrived!"
At the announcement of a eunuch, Zhai Sangjie strode in.
When Marquis Wu'an saw him, his eyes widened suddenly, and the muscles on his face twitched slightly.
He didn't die...
"Greetings, Regent!" Zhai Sangjie bowed to Jun Ce and then walked up to the assassin.
“Yesterday I was attacked at Qixia Temple. While fighting with the group of assassins, I accidentally discovered that all of them had the same totem mark on their wrists.”
"Upon closer investigation, it was indeed discovered that they were men of the Marquis of Wu'an!"
After returning home yesterday, he drew this mark and sent people to investigate secretly, and sure enough, they discovered the clue.
This totem is the symbol of the Marquis of Wu'an's secret guards!
He presented the information he had found, and after Jun Ce finished reading it, he instructed the eunuchs to distribute it to the court officials for review.
Everyone was speechless with amazement after reading it.
The figure grabbed the assassin's arm, tore open his sleeve, and showed the totem to everyone.
"There really is a mark!"
"Exactly the same as the one in this picture!"
"So he really is one of Marquis Wu'an's men!"
A chilling glint flashed in Jun Ce's eyes as he spoke in a solemn voice:
"The Marquis of Wu'an stole military equipment, murdered meritorious officials, and even attempted to frame concubines and harm relatives. His crimes are truly heinous!"
"By my decree, he shall be immediately imprisoned and be beheaded at the Meridian Gate tomorrow!"
"Seize and confiscate the entire Marquis of Wu'an's residence!"
Marquis Wu'an felt as if he had fallen into an abyss, and the light in his eyes gradually disappeared.
The shadow escorted him away.
Jun Ce glanced at Zhai Sangjie indifferently, then, remembering Rong'er's concern for his marriage to Gu Xiruo and her intention to help, he asked:
"General Zhai, were you attacked alone yesterday?"
Upon hearing this, Master Gu immediately gripped his cane tightly, looked coldly at Zhai Sangjie, and showed a hint of tension in his expression.