AWB Chapter 572 They don't even listen to the chapter
Chapter 572 They don't even listen to the chapter
Lu Wenji was about to step forward when Liang Shile, who worked at the Dali Temple, said, "Your Excellency's words are indeed inappropriate. Lord Huang accused Lord He of killing his brother and murdering his father, so why didn't Lord He prove his innocence? Every murder case must be investigated, and a verdict can only be reached based on witness testimony and physical evidence. Now, the case of the Li family has not been investigated, so how can General Wang's guilt be confirmed?"
A dangerous glint flashed in He Tianxia's eyes. These newly appointed candidates seemed quite united. Didn't they know that this would only make the emperor more disgusted?
As expected, Zhao Lue's face flashed with displeasure. Wasn't he supposed to be a disciple of the emperor? Was this already forming cliques and engaging in private affairs?
He slowly began to speak, “Well, doesn’t the Li family have physical evidence? They also have witnesses. Let’s bring him to court. General Wang, I believe you are my good general and would never make such a mistake. How about we verify it in court? That way, we can clear your name.”
Zhao Jian sat on the dragon throne, his legs spread apart, his slender hands resting on the golden, shimmering dragon head, his fingers lightly tapping, exuding an air of confidence and satisfaction at controlling the affairs of the world. Though his words were calm, the expression on his face left no room for doubt.
Wang Erniu neither dodged nor avoided him, but stood ramrod straight and looked back at him, saying, "Your Majesty, I am not acknowledging this."
Upon hearing this, the hall fell silent. He Tianxia raised an eyebrow. Oh, Wang Erniu has become so bold.
Zhao Jian felt his authority was being challenged and said unhappily, "Minister Wang, even if you have world-renowned achievements, the Li family has filed a lawsuit against the emperor, and you will still need to testify against them."
Wang Erniu said with a hint of sadness, “Your Majesty, my wife Wenfang has been missing for more than two months. I have searched all over Youzhou but have not found any clues. Now someone is accusing me of murdering my entire family. I have devoted all my efforts to the battle of Youzhou, losing my wife and children. I am now powerless to defend myself. Your Majesty can judge me however you wish, just find my beloved wife for me.”
As Wang Erniu spoke, he suddenly knelt down, his entire body hunched over like an old tree with its cervical spine removed. The entire hall of civil and military officials could see a sense of decadence in him, who was in the prime of his life.
Zhao Jian felt a pang of pity. "You may rise. This matter can be discussed another day. Let's find Lady Chen first. She has also contributed to the relief and poverty alleviation efforts of our Great Song Dynasty. I will find her for you."
Seeing that Zhao Jian was trying to brush it off again, He Tianxia immediately gave a wink. Li Jin knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly, crying, "Your Majesty, please do justice for my father and brothers! They died so tragically, burned beyond recognition. Who could bear to look at them? Please, Your Majesty, do justice! Such a terrible injustice! Does this mean that the whole world knows that there is no justice left in our Great Song Dynasty?"
Zhou Fan, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, I believe that the matter mentioned by Li Jin must also be investigated. These two cases can be combined into one. Minister Wang and Minister He should both be punished equally for the same crime, and should not be allowed to go unpunished. This matter needs to be investigated by the Court of Judicial Review to clear everyone’s name.”
Since the eldest brother had said so, Liang Shile stepped forward and spoke.
"I second that proposal!"
Several officials from the Ministry of Rites also agreed, and stepped forward in unison, "We second that proposal!"
Zhao Jian looked around and found that, apart from a few senior officials, everyone else shared the same opinion.
Seeing that Zhao Jian was about to bluff his way out of this again, Zhao Guangjun took out his jade tablet and stepped forward, saying, "Your Majesty, I have something to report."
A chilling glint of interest flashed in Zhao Jian's eyes. "Tell me."
Yu Long felt uneasy and became anxious when she looked at Wang Erniu.
He Tianxia looked somewhat gloating, while Zhao Lue remained calm, seemingly ignoring him, and appeared quite aloof.
Zhao Guangjun, unusually serious, said, “I was ordered to investigate the Li family fire. I later discovered that the kerosene in Qingshui County was sold by the Jiang family’s shop, and that this kerosene was produced by the military and was not available to ordinary people. I also searched the Jiang family’s shop in Qingshui Town. I found that there was still kerosene in the warehouse, and that the kerosene cans were made of the same material as the cans fragmented in the ruins of the Li family’s house after the fire. This proves that Wang Erniu conspired with the Jiang family to commit this murder and arson.”
As Zhao Guangjun spoke, he presented the physical evidence and witnesses one by one, and also brought Li Qing up. Now that the evidence and witnesses were all there, Wang Erniu's guilt was almost confirmed.
Zhao Jian looked at He Tianxia thoughtfully. He had been hiding his true abilities for so long. He had managed to come up with so many things to trick Wang Erniu. "Minister Wang, do you have anything else to say?"
Zhao Jian slightly bowed and asked Wang Erniu.
Wang Erniu remained calm, saying, "I have nothing to say."
Zhao Jian lowered his eyes, somewhat displeased. Both of them, one a scholar and the other a warrior, were at his disposal. He Tianxia could do shady things, while Wang Erniu could wield the power of weapons. Moreover, Wang Erniu was obedient and easy to use, while He Tianxia was ambitious. The two could check and balance each other. He did not want one to be inferior to the other, or for the other to be gone and there to be no one to check and balance them.
"Alright, General Wang, the great victory in Youzhou this time is thanks to the court. Let's use this merit to offset it. From now on, you can rest at home and we'll decide on this matter after Madam Chen returns."
Zhao Jian once again made a willful decision on his own, completely disregarding the speechless and puzzled expressions of his ministers below.
Upon hearing this, He Tianxia's face twisted in anger, his defenses crumbling once more. He stood in the main hall, the cold wind billowing his robes and sending chills down his spine, but even that was no match for the chilling aura emanating from Zhao Jian. He stared at Zhao Jian, his face clouded with gloom, and said, "Your Majesty, how can Your Majesty ignore such a clear-cut murder case time and time again? This is truly disappointing."
Zhao Jian's face turned cold, and he looked at him expressionlessly.
The atmosphere in the main hall plummeted to freezing point; you could almost hear a pin drop.
"Lord He seems to be having a fit of hysteria and talking nonsense. Why don't you go back to your residence and rest properly?" Zhao Jian barely managed to suppress his anger and maintain the demeanor befitting an emperor, but his knuckles, which were gripping the table, were already white from clenching them.
"Hmph..." He Tianxia bowed arrogantly, then turned and left.
"Dismiss the court!" Zhao Jian slapped the dragon bank, and the ministers bowed and left in a scattered manner.
"This is truly outrageous!" Zhao Jian cursed, barely containing his anger, as he looked at the empty court.
He Tianxia is becoming increasingly unreasonable; it seems he's been holding the position for too long, making him a bit arrogant!
A ruthless glint gradually rose in Zhao Jian's eyes as he pondered which person he should promote to be the commander. Meanwhile, He Tianxia lingered outside the palace after the court session, only slowly approaching Wang Erniu after he appeared.
"General Wang, how have you been lately? Why don't we have a chat?" He Tianxia smiled sincerely, and gestured with his hand to invite him into the sedan chair.
Wang Erniu ignored the man who was walking and laughing, and said, "Sir, just say what you have to say!"
“That works too!” He Tianxia abandoned the sedan chair and walked alongside him. “General, you should know that the lady is in my hands. If you are willing to lend me a hand, I will not only offer the lady to you with both hands, but I can also promise you a position second only to the emperor, and be granted the title of prince. Besides, my way of dealing with people is much better than that of the current emperor. What do you say?”