mtl008 Chapter 924 Entering the Palace to Question Him
Chapter 924 Entering the Palace to Question Him
Deputy General Zhou wanted to see who had such audacity to be so utterly depraved.
Fortunately, he encountered it during his patrol; otherwise, it would have been a horrific disaster for the villagers.
Leader Feng's eyes darted around: "It was Princess Zhenguo who made us do it. Princess Zhenguo said that these villagers shouldn't enjoy the benefits for nothing, and she should take them back."
"Nonsense!" Deputy General Zhou shouted angrily, making Leader Feng shudder.
“Princess Zhenguo personally asked the Emperor to send someone to inspect her governance achievements so that the Emperor could be at ease. How could she possibly do such a thing? This is blatant disobedience to the Emperor and mockery of the imperial family. Unless she doesn’t want to live.”
"Yes, we all believe that Princess Zhenguo would not do such a thing, but they want to blame her. They are wicked and hateful. We don't know what their intentions are," said an older woman.
Feng tried to defend himself, but faced with such a huge absurdity, he couldn't utter a single word.
"Arrest all these people, take them back and interrogate them thoroughly, and find out who exactly initiated this scheme to harm the people and frame the Princess Zhenguo. They've really gone too far," Deputy General Zhou ordered.
"Anyone who dares to disobey will be killed without exception."
Although Feng led a significantly larger force, they dared not entertain any thoughts of resistance in the face of the imperial edict and the Imperial Guards. They all surrendered without resistance.
Leader Feng immediately knelt down and begged for mercy, looking utterly pathetic compared to his initial arrogance.
But Deputy General Zhou had a cold face and didn't give him any leeway.
A group of men escorted the soldiers away, while Deputy General Zhou led the remaining Imperial Guards and villagers to repair the dike.
Those who were injured were also sent to the hospital and their medical expenses were covered.
Their presence here represents the face of the imperial family. In the face of such a situation, they will also help to clean up the mess for Princess Zhenguo and give her face.
A few days later, Feng and his entourage were taken to the capital.
After a round of interrogation, Feng managed to withstand it, but there were too many people being questioned, and they couldn't hold back any longer, eventually revealing the identity of Prince Jin.
It turned out that it was Feng, a confidant of Prince Jin, who took Prince Jin's token and went to Yuquan Prefecture to mobilize troops to enter Shimian Village in Xuan County. They destroyed the dikes, flooded the fields, and maimed and injured the villagers. Fortunately, Deputy General Zhou led the Imperial Guards to stop them in time. Otherwise, all the farmland in Shimian Village would have been flooded, the village would have been washed away, and the villagers would have lost their lives.
These people even wanted to pin this incident on Princess Zhenguo, framing her.
The emperor was furious when he found out and immediately summoned Prince Jin to the palace.
After the messenger left, Prince Jin sat blankly in his armchair, feeling a chill run through him and his hair stand on end.
This matter was clearly kept secret, but Qiao Lian'er requested the Emperor to send people to inspect her administration, and the two groups just happened to run into each other.
Queyuan Prefecture has more than a dozen counties, and each county has hundreds of villages.
It just so happens to be in Shimian Village.
Is this just a coincidence?
Thinking of those legends, Prince Jin shuddered again.
This Qiao Lian'er is truly no ordinary person.
Prince Jin tried to stand up, but his knees buckled and he slumped back into his chair.
Chu Yaohan hurriedly entered Prince Jin's courtyard, his face radiating coldness and his eyes blazing with fury.
"Father, why are you doing this? Do you want to bring about the destruction of the Prince Jin's mansion?"
He truly regretted telling Prince Jin about Princess Yaoguang's idea. Though he spoke without thinking, Prince Jin took it to heart and actually put it into practice.
Prince Jin looked furious.
"Oh dear, I only wanted to disappoint the Emperor and return your sister's fiefdom to her."
"Who would have thought that Qiao Lian'er had made preparations in secret?" Prince Jin's eyes widened, revealing deep fear: "Han'er, tell me, when I made this decision, was Qiao Lian'er hiding by my side and knew about this plan?"
"Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence?"
“Father, Qiao Lian’er is a living, breathing person. Prince Jin has guards everywhere. How could she possibly sneak in without anyone noticing?”
"Instead of making wild guesses, blame yourself for being so foolish and doing such a stupid and absurd thing. Now the Emperor knows everything and has sent someone to summon you. Our Prince Jin's Mansion is in deep trouble. How are we going to handle this?"
Prince Jin was also very flustered. He grabbed Chu Yaohan's sleeve and said hurriedly.
"Han'er, you must think of a solution quickly. I can't delay any longer. When I get to the Emperor, I need to come up with an explanation. Why don't you go and beg Qiao Lian'er to ask the Emperor to make an exception for you? She's the only one who can help the Prince Jin's Mansion right now."
Chu Yaohan sighed heavily.
"I have no face to see Princess Zhenguo."
"Who cares about face when it comes to saving Prince Jin's mansion? If you don't go, the Emperor can punish us however he wants. If Qiao Lian'er says a few nice words to show that she doesn't care, things will be much easier."
"By the way, we are of royal blood, so the Emperor won't kill us all. But the Emperor also needs a way to save face. Let Qiao Lian'er plead for us; it will definitely work."
“Father, what kind of person do you think Qiao Lian’er is? Anyone who offends her must pay the price before she will let them go. It’s not something that can be resolved with just a few words.”
"You begged her, didn't you? Yao Guang begged her, didn't she? And she still wanted Kunyang Prefecture."
"Then, what should we do?" Prince Jin was so anxious he jumped up and down.
"So, you're saying the Prince Jin's mansion is willing to pay 100,000 taels of silver, since she hasn't suffered any loss, right?"
Chu Yaohan felt exhausted: "I'll go see Princess Zhenguo first and see what she'll ask for."
Prince Jin entered the palace in fear and trepidation. Before he could even pay his respects, the emperor's expression darkened, and he smashed the inkstone beside him at him.
It struck Prince Jin squarely on the forehead, causing blood to gush out.
Prince Jin let out a terrible scream and covered his head.
"Brother, stop hitting him! You'll kill him!"
The emperor pointed at him.
"I wish I could beat you to death with my own hands."
"Tell me what kind of thing you've done. It's no exaggeration to say you're a disgrace to the Chu family. You've truly disgraced me."
The emperor was so angry he was panting.
"Your Majesty, I am truly outraged. Qiao Lian'er has taken away Yao Guang's fiefdom. Yao Guang is now refusing to eat or drink, and is so thin that she is almost unrecognizable. If this continues, I'm afraid she won't survive."
"Your Majesty, I only wanted to teach Qiao Lian'er a lesson and punish him slightly. It was those soldiers who didn't know their limits and actually tried to destroy the dike and flood the fields. This was not my intention at all."
Prince Jin decided to adopt a half-acknowledgment, half-disagreement approach, to downplay the serious matter and then let it go.