nycdaug Chapter 203: The King of Zhennan, a well-deserved reputation
Chapter 203: The King of Zhennan, a well-deserved reputation
Then, a guard walked quickly into the hall, holding a brocade box in his hand, and respectfully presented it: "Your Majesty, the things taken from the Zhennan Palace have been brought here."
The emperor nodded slightly and signaled Eunuch Wu to take the brocade box.
Eunuch Wu carefully opened the brocade box and saw a thick booklet inside with the word "Details" written in large letters on the cover.
The emperor took the booklet, flipped through a few pages, and his expression gradually became solemn.
He raised his eyes to look at Yan Feibai and said coldly: "Prince Zhennan, what is this?"
Yan Feibai bowed and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, this is the detailed account I obtained while I was missing, secretly sending people to investigate those hundreds of soldiers. My investigation revealed that the army was often short of food, fodder, and weapons, and that many accounts had been maliciously tampered with. What's particularly strange is that the plan to encircle the enemy was known only to a few of us, yet the enemy seemed to have seen through everything, precisely attacking our elite troops. Fortunately, my soldiers fought desperately, at the cost of half their lives, to rescue me. By then, I was already seriously wounded, and the enemy was in relentless pursuit, forcing me to flee exhaustion. I am able to return alive today, entirely thanks to Your Majesty's blessing. Otherwise, how could I have reported to Your Majesty the truth about how these traitors colluded with the enemy and attempted to embezzle military funds?"
Upon hearing this, the emperor frowned, and a hint of displeasure and disappointment flashed across his eyes.
He glanced at the lieutenants again and asked coldly, "Have you ever seen this book?"
The deputy generals had already turned pale, and upon hearing this, they trembled all over. One of them said in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, we...we have never seen this book before!"
"Never seen it?"
The Emperor sneered, his tone tinged with sarcasm. "Then why are the accounts in this booklet so different from the records of the Ministry of War? Are you guys still trying to deny it?"
Upon hearing this, the deputy general was so frightened that he knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly: "Your Majesty, please understand. Your servants...your servants..."
Before he could finish his words, the emperor waved his hand impatiently and said in a cold voice, "Come here, take these lieutenants away and interrogate them strictly!"
Several guards immediately stepped forward and took the deputy generals away.
The hall suddenly fell into dead silence, and everyone held their breath, not daring to make a sound.
Grand Tutor Zhou looked at Yan Feibai deeply. This Prince of Zhennan came prepared!
The emperor took a deep breath, his gaze fell on Yan Feibai and Qin Yu again, and his tone slowed down a little: "Prince of Zhennan, Qin Aiqing, I will investigate this matter thoroughly. If what you said is true, I will clear your name."
Qin Yu stepped forward, looked at the emperor meaningfully, and said, "Your Majesty, isn't the booklet provided by the Prince of Zhennan conclusive evidence? It not only records the detailed time and quantity, but also the person who took over. I believe it won't take too long to investigate."
The emperor glared and said, "General Qin, I don't need you to teach me how to do things."
Qin Yu said unyieldingly, "Of course, but I hope Your Majesty will not let a few traitors chill the hearts of our loyal ministers and millions of soldiers."
The emperor was filled with indignation. These words were essentially a threat to him. His back teeth creaked as he bit them. "How can I avoid chilling your hearts?"
"Rewards and punishments are clear."
The emperor immediately slammed the table and stood up. Grand Tutor Zhou scolded him, "General Qin, how dare you be so disrespectful to His Majesty?"
Qin Yu glanced at him with disdain and said coldly, "Your Majesty hasn't even spoken yet, and Grand Tutor Zhou is so impatient to step forward. Doesn't he think his words are more effective than His Majesty's orders?"
Grand Tutor Zhou also knelt down and looked at the emperor anxiously, "Your Majesty, I absolutely did not have such an intention."
The emperor was taken aback. After a long while, he finally gritted his teeth and said, "Prince Zhennan, find the corrupt officials in the army. Reward! There will be a great reward."
He reluctantly listed a series of rewards, but Qin Yu was still not satisfied and sneered, "There's nothing practical at all. You might as well give me some real money!"
"Cough cough!"
The emperor almost choked on his own saliva. He... he was so bold that he actually dared to laugh at himself.
Eunuch Wu calmed the emperor down with trepidation and kept comforting him. These two had already held extraordinary status in the army, and now so many deputy generals had been taken down at once, and they still had to rely on them to guard the border!
Moreover... Prince Zhennan is actually Yan Wanwan's adoptive father. Looking at Yan Wanwan's development momentum in recent years, he would never believe that there is no connection between them.
The emperor tried hard to suppress the anger in his heart. Reason told him that no one could replace the two of them now. When he found suitable candidates, he would be the first to chop off these disrespectful people.
"In addition, I will reward the King of Zhennan with ten thousand taels of gold."
Yan Feibai and Qin Yu smiled at each other and said casually, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
The emperor waved his hand tiredly at them, "Everyone, please leave!"
Everyone felt relieved and bowed as they left the hall.
At the entrance of the hall, Yan Feibai walked straight towards the Minister of War.
The Minister of War's heart tightened, but he forced himself to remain calm. He bowed and said, "Prince Zhennan, what can I do for you?"
Yan Feibai's expression was calm, but his eyes were as sharp as a knife. He stared directly at the Minister of War and said slowly, "Minister Li, I have some doubts about today's events. May I ask for your advice?"
Upon hearing this, Li Chengru, the Minister of War, was startled, but he remained respectful. He said in a low voice, "Your Highness, your words are too serious. I will tell you everything I know."
Yan Feibai nodded slightly, his tone calm yet oppressive. "Minister Li, the military's food and weapons have always been directly allocated by the Ministry of War. During my absence, the army was short on supplies and the accounts were in disarray. Why didn't the Ministry of War notice this? Could it be that the Ministry of War knew nothing about this, or... deliberately condoned it?"
Li Chengru's face changed, and he hurriedly defended himself, "Your Highness, please understand. Although the Ministry of War is responsible for deployment, the specific military affairs are the responsibility of the commander-in-chief. After Your Highness's disappearance, military affairs have been in chaos. I have repeatedly urged the army to report the whereabouts of the supplies, but have never received a clear response. This matter... This matter has only just been learned by me, and I have absolutely not condoned it!"
Yan Feibai sneered, his tone tinged with sarcasm. "Oh? Really? Then Minister Li, do you know that during my absence, I sent people to report the unusual situation in the army to the Ministry of War several times? Why has the Ministry of War never responded?"
Li Chengru's forehead was covered with cold sweat. He hurriedly said, "Your Highness, I truly did not know about this matter! Perhaps my subordinates were negligent and failed to report it in time. I will investigate this matter thoroughly and give Your Highness an explanation!"
Yan Feibai smiled faintly, his tone carrying some deep meaning: "That's good. This king also hopes that Minister Li can find out the truth as soon as possible, so that some people won't take advantage of the situation and cause chaos."
Upon hearing this, Li Chengru's face turned pale and he quickly lowered his head and said, "Your Highness is absolutely right. I will definitely keep this in mind."
Yan Feibai said no more and turned to leave.
Li Chengru stood in place, a chill in his heart rising from his spine, and in a moment his back was soaked with cold sweat.
The King of Zhennan lives up to his reputation.