nycdaug Chapter 220: Throwing Grand Tutor Zhou into the Prison
Chapter 220: Throwing Grand Tutor Zhou into the Prison
"boom--"
With a loud bang, the emperor was furious and swept the table full of memorials to the ground.
The heavy memorial fell to the ground with a dull sound, and the entire hall fell into silence in an instant.
"Grand Tutor Zhou! Do you admit your guilt?" The emperor's angry roar exploded like thunder, shaking the hearts of everyone in the hall.
Grand Tutor Zhou's face darkened, and he immediately knelt in the center of the hall, speaking in a steady and respectful voice, "Your Majesty, please calm down. I don't know what crime I have committed."
The Emperor sneered and threw the evidence presented by the Prince of Dongping in front of Grand Tutor Zhou. "Look at this for yourself! You're so bold! You actually dared to sell off the treasures of the national treasury! As Grand Tutor, you even dared to meddle with the national treasury. Will you try to take my throne again in the future?!"
"I dare not." Upon hearing this, Grand Tutor Zhou's face changed slightly and he kowtowed immediately, but his expression remained calm.
He bent down to pick up the letter on the ground and read it carefully page by page, his eyes sharp and his expression focused.
After a moment, he gently put the letter down, raised his head and looked directly at the emperor, his voice loud and firm: "Your Majesty, these letters are all forgeries. I swear on the lives of my nine clansmen that I have never done anything to let your majesty and the court down!"
As soon as this statement came out, the whole court was in an uproar.
The ministers looked at each other in bewilderment, murmuring among themselves. Grand Tutor Zhou was highly respected, and if he had truly sworn by his nine clans, there must be something else going on.
The emperor frowned, his eyes moving back and forth between Grand Tutor Zhou and the letter, his suspicion growing.
He pondered for a moment, then said coldly, "If you say so, then where did these letters come from? Why did the Prince of Dongping accuse you?"
Grand Tutor Zhou straightened his back, his gaze blazing: "Your Majesty, I understand clearly. Although I do not know why the Prince of Dongping has framed me, I implore Your Majesty to thoroughly investigate this matter and clear my name!"
The emperor was silent for a moment, his eyes sweeping across the courtiers in the hall, finally landing on the Prince of Dongping. "Prince of Dongping, how do you explain this?"
The Prince of Dongping stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, the evidence I have presented is all true, not a single word of falsehood."
Grand Tutor Zhou sneered and turned to look at the Prince of Dongping. "Your Highness, since you and I have different opinions, how about asking His Majesty to send someone to investigate thoroughly?"
The Prince of Dongping's expression changed slightly, but he still forced himself to remain calm: "That's exactly what I want! Those things are in the Grand Tutor's Mansion. I just wonder if Grand Tutor Zhou dares to check it out?"
"What is there to fear?" Grand Tutor Zhou kowtowed deeply to the Emperor. "Your Majesty, I implore you to send someone to my residence to investigate."
Seeing this, the emperor frowned even more tightly.
He waved his hand and said in a deep voice, "Come here, pass on my order to investigate this matter immediately! If anyone dares to deceive the emperor, I will not show mercy!"
The atmosphere in the hall was solemn, all the ministers held their breath and concentrated, no one dared to make a sound.
Grand Tutor Zhou and the Prince of Dongping looked at each other, and an unfathomable light flashed in each other's eyes.
The guard took the order and left, leading a team of imperial guards straight to the Grand Tutor's Mansion.
Grand Tutor Zhou's residence was located in the most prosperous area of the capital, with its magnificent red gates and high walls. However, at this moment, the residence was shrouded in a solemn and murderous atmosphere.
The imperial guards broke in and the servants in the mansion were panicked and knelt down to beg for mercy.
The guard leader gave a cold order: "Search! Don't leave any corner unsearched!"
The search lasted a full two hours. Finally, in the underground chambers of the Grand Tutor's residence, the imperial guards discovered a vast collection of rare treasures from the imperial treasury: gold, silver, jewelry, antiques, calligraphy, and paintings, even tributes from the imperial court. Each item bore the palace's seal, providing irrefutable evidence.
The commander of the guards looked solemn and immediately reported the search results to the emperor.
In the hall, the emperor looked at the evidence presented to him, his face ashen.
He slammed the dragon table and shouted angrily: "Master Zhou, what else do you have to say now?!"
Grand Tutor Zhou knelt on the ground, his face as pale as paper, but he still forced himself to remain calm: "Your Majesty, I am innocent! These items must have been framed!"
"frame?"
The emperor sneered and pointed at the evidence on the ground, "Could it be that these seals in the palace are also forged?!"
Grand Tutor Zhou was speechless, beads of sweat oozing from his forehead.
But he was sure that there were absolutely no such things in his home. When were they placed there by someone?
Were they the imperial guards who were searching? Or were they the Prince of Dongping who was identifying him?
The Emperor laughed in anger, "What a shrewd Grand Tutor Zhou! I've treated you well, yet you dare to deceive me like this! Come, throw Grand Tutor Zhou into the Sky Prison and interrogate him strictly!"
The guards stepped forward and took Grand Tutor Zhou away.
His back looked particularly hunched, as if he had aged ten years in an instant.
In the court, all the ministers were silent, and no one dared to make a sound.
The emperor sat on the dragon throne, his chest heaving violently and his face growing paler. Suddenly, he coughed violently, and a mouthful of blood spurted onto the dragon throne.
"Your Majesty!" The ministers exclaimed and stepped forward.
The emperor raised his hand to signal everyone to leave, his voice weak but still majestic: "I am fine... I will withdraw..."
However, before he could finish his words, his vision went dark and he fainted on the dragon throne.
"Send it to the doctor quickly!"
Eunuch Wu screamed, and the entire palace fell into chaos.
The imperial physician rushed to treat the emperor, but his condition worsened, with a high fever and unconsciousness.
Eunuch Wu asked nervously, "Doctor Chen, what happened to the emperor?"
"He's raging with anger." Doctor Chen said solemnly, "Your Majesty was already frightened by the assassination attempt a few days ago and is restless. Now, he's even more furious about Grand Tutor Zhou. His qi and blood are in disarray. I'm afraid..."
He hesitated to speak, but it seemed as if he had said everything he wanted to say.
Eunuch Wu's face also turned pale, his face turned pale in an instant, his body swayed slightly, and he almost fell.
He suppressed the panic in his heart and asked in a low voice: "Is there any way to cure it?"
Doctor Chen pondered for a moment and said slowly, "For now, we can only use decoctions to stabilize the condition, but whether His Majesty can wake up depends on God's will."
After hearing this, Eunuch Wu's face turned even uglier. He turned to look at the unconscious emperor lying on the dragon bed, feeling extremely anxious.
If anything happens to the emperor, there will be chaos in the court. What's more, the northern barbarians are now eyeing the border covetously, and the court is in chaos. Grand Tutor Zhou has been thrown into the sky prison, and the situation is already precarious.
Just then, hurried footsteps were heard outside the hall.
Prince Dongping strode into the hall, his expression solemn: "Eunuch Wu, how is the emperor?"
Eunuch Wu hurried forward and saluted, whispering, "Your Highness, the Emperor is in a coma due to a fit of rage, and the imperial physician is treating him."
The Prince of Dongping frowned, his tone heavy, "Your Majesty is the ruler of a nation, and we absolutely cannot afford to fail. Eunuch Wu, please ensure the imperial physicians provide the best possible treatment. If you require anything, please let me know."
Eunuch Wu nodded in agreement, but a sense of unease remained. Although the Prince of Dongping spoke earnestly, the look in his eyes was unfathomable.
The Prince of Dongping walked to the dragon bed, lowered his head and stared at the emperor's pale face without saying a word.