The next morning, morning.
All the courtiers stood on both sides of the hall in civil and military terms. In normal court meetings, they would almost start quarreling along this line, but today, not only was there no quarrel, there was not even a sound.
In the courtroom, it was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
And in this silence, there was a sudden sound.
It was His Majesty the Emperor who was sitting on the dragon throne and slapped the table with his palm, then pointed at the person below and said angrily: "Drag this lawless and rebellious minister down and chop him down!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Ji Feiwei walked in.
And what they want to capture is none other than the burly and eye-catching Duke of Sheng, Yu Wenyuan, who stands among the ministers!
He had already been sent to Taiyuan. Especially after the battle of Yanmen County, Shanxi and other places became the key targets of Ashina Zari's revenge. He sent troops several times to cause nuisance. Therefore, in the past, After the New Year, the Shanxi Comfort Ambassador quickly set off and returned to Taiyuan to lead his army to resist the southern invasion of the Turks.
But he didn't expect that he would return to the Eastern Capital privately at this time and appear among the ministers attending the morning meeting.
Everyone was shocked, and at this moment, hearing that the emperor was about to kill him, all the ministers were also frightened. Several of them immediately came out, knelt down to Chu Yang, and said repeatedly: "Your Majesty, please forgive me." Save the life of Duke Sheng."
"Yes, Your Majesty, Duke Sheng Guo has made outstanding achievements in resisting the Turks and quelling the rebellion of Longmen. We cannot just kill him."
"Please ask your Majesty for the reason, and it will not be too late to kill him."
Listening to their pleading, Wang Shaoji, who was standing among the ministers, sneered and said, "Everyone, what you said is quite simple. Yu Wenyuan was ordered to guard Taiyuan. Now, there is no imperial edict and no court. What is this? He dared to return to the Eastern Capital without permission even after being ordered to do so. This is leaving his post without permission and bullying the emperor! If the emperor doesn’t kill him as a warning to others, should all the soldiers guarding the borders in the world follow the same example?”
Those ministers wanted to say something else, but they couldn't.
Indeed, as long as Yu Wenyuan stands here, he is leaving his post without permission, which is a capital crime. There is almost no room for change.
At this moment, a man slowly walked out of the queue and stood in the center of the hall.
It was Dong Bizheng, the Duke of Shenwu County.
I saw him saying respectfully: "Your Majesty, Duke Sheng has left his post without permission and criminals have deceived the emperor. He deserves to die. Since everyone on the left and right is going to die, it is better to listen to what he has to say before he dies, so that he can understand his death."
Chu Yang narrowed his phoenix eyes slightly, and then looked at Yu Wenyuan, who had his arms restrained by the two Ji Fei guards, but still held his head high and showed no fear at all. He was silent for a while and said, "Okay. Just listen to you. What to say."
After speaking, he waved his hand gently.
The two guards immediately let go of Yu Wenyuan and retreated to one side. Yu Wenyuan also immediately stood in the center of the hall, kowtowed to Chu Yang and said, "I am guilty of death."
Chu Yang lazily said: "There is no need to talk nonsense like this anymore. In a few words, explain clearly why you want to come back to die. Then, let's hit the road."
Yu Wenyuan still said calmly: "The old minister returned to the court this time for Quanzi."….
Chu Yang raised his eyebrows slightly.
The ministers in the court also had strange expressions on their faces.
The emperor crushed the body of his close supervisor Kou Yunliang half a month ago. Although this was not considered a formal punishment, everyone knew about it, so it was not a secret. This also made the general of the auxiliary country behead him. The truth of the case of killing the supervisor is becoming more and more confusing; now, Sheng Guogong has returned to the court privately because his son has made the case even more complicated.
Chu Yang sneered and said, "It turns out that it's for the general who assists the country."
Hearing the words "General of the auxiliary country", the strange expressions on those faces were even more shocked.
To this day, the emperor still calls Yu Wenye the general of the auxiliary country, which means——
However, before everyone could think about it, Yu Wenyuan's rich voice had already sounded in the hall, and it even felt deafening.
he
Said: "I want to die to prove the innocence of the dog."
Many people have already gasped.
Chu Yang, who was sitting on the dragon chair, sat up straight at first, but after thinking about it, he immediately leaned back. He put one hand on the table and tapped the table with his fingertips a few times, as if weighing it. What are you wearing?
After a while, he narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at Yu Wenyuan, and sneered: "You mean, you want to die in exchange for his life."
"yes."
"According to what you say, regardless of whether he is innocent or not, as long as you are dead, I will let him live. Then where is the dignity of the law? Where is the justice? Is the court a place where one can exchange one's life for one's life?"
Yu Wenyuan immediately said: "Old minister is confused."
"You are indeed confused!"
Chu Yang said: "I have already investigated Yu Wenye's case. If you deserve to die, you will die. If you deserve to be released, you will be released. If you deserve to be rewarded, you will be rewarded. Why do you need to do this?"
Yu Wenyuan said again: "Old minister is confused."
Chu Yang sneered again: "If I don't kill you and let you live, how can you save your son's life?"
Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the court suddenly turned aside.
The faces of the civil and military ministers also showed expressions of surprise. When they looked at Chu Yang, many of them had a light of sudden realization in their eyes.
But no one spoke.
Yu Wenyuan quickly said: "If I am lucky enough to survive, but my crime has been committed, I am willing to demote myself to three levels, stay in Taiyuan, defend the court against the Turks, and die exhausted!"
As soon as these words came out, some people already let out a low exclamation.
He demoted himself to three levels but still stayed in Taiyuan. In other words, from today on, he will no longer lead the imperial troops, but he will continue to resist the Turks' attack. All he can rely on is his own troops, Duke Sheng!
This is no ordinary crime and punishment!
This is a move to completely weaken oneself and show loyalty to the court!
Even Wang Shaoji, who was standing aside waiting to ridicule him at any time, showed a look of surprise. There was no need to say anything else.
In fact, he had already heard the emperor's words. It was impossible for the emperor to kill Sheng Guogong for such a trivial matter as leaving his post without authorization and returning to the court without permission. Wang Shaoji's promotion just now was just to aggravate his crime. , allowing the emperor to increase his punishment.
Unexpectedly, as soon as Yu Wenyuan opened his mouth, he would impose the heaviest punishment on himself. ….
In this way, it would be impossible if Yu Wenye was not released.
But this is the emperor’s ultimate goal!
On the other side, outside the gate of Dali Temple, Shang Ruyi led Tu Sheer and Chang Wan to stand in the wind and snow. Although the wind was biting, she did not feel very cold in her thick fur coat. On the contrary, there was something Such passionate emotions surged in her chest, making her not afraid of the wind and snow in front of her, and she only stared eagerly at the gate of Dali Temple.
Still not coming out?
At this time, there should be a result.
Tushe'er felt really distressed. Although she held an umbrella in her hand, she still couldn't protect herself from the violent wind and snow. She was afraid that Shang Ruyi, who had just recovered from his serious injury, might suffer from the cold again. She said softly: "Miss, we'd better find a shelter from the wind and snow." Let’s go to a place like this. I’m afraid you’ll catch a cold.”
Shang Ruyi shook his head: "I'm fine."
Chang Wan on the other side said worriedly: "Young madam, are you sure that the second young master can come out today?"
Shang Ruyi said: "It should be okay."
Chang Wan said: "Why? I don't understand."
"..."
"Although the Duke is back, his coming back this time is not a crime—"
When she said this, she swallowed the word "sin" abruptly. After all, as a slave, she could not judge her master's behavior. Then she said, "Why do you think the young master can still be released?"
Shang Ruyi glanced at her and said with a faint smile: "Your Majesty has been waiting for these half months just to wait for the Duke to commit a crime."
Both maids showed surprised expressions.
Shang Ruyi said nothing more, but
Smiling, they turned to look at the gate of Dali Temple. At this time, the wind and snow seemed to have become lighter, and the dark clouds above their heads that had been pressing them for most of the month seemed to have become much thinner. There was light, if not nothing, coming through. , even her heart became much brighter.
At this time, she also figured it out.
In fact, since Chu Yang crushed Kou Yunliang to ashes, Yu Wenye had to let him go, but he kept holding him captive because he was forcing Duke Sheng Guo.
And how could Duke Sheng be so shrewd that he couldn't see through the emperor's thoughts.
So, he "got enough".
He returned to the Eastern Capital in vain. The criminal deceived the emperor, so he was punished for his crime and demoted three levels in a row. He still stayed in Taiyuan and used his own troops to resist the Turks. The court benefited and weakened the emperor. This nail in the eye.
It can be said that killing two birds with one stone.
In this way, even if it is recognized that Yu Wenye's expedition to Xingluocang has made great contributions, and he has retained his position as the general of the auxiliary country, and won him the praise of the people, the weakening of the Yuwen family is an established fact, no matter what Nothing can be changed.
Thinking of this, Shang Ruyi suddenly felt a chill rising from his heart.
Chu Yang has always had two faces in her eyes. One is the look that she has never seen before, but has long been formed. The world says that he is a cruel, murderous, and extravagant king. The other is The person holding an umbrella in the misty rain looked at her with a smile before she was banished to immortality.
But she had never thought that Chu Yang was still a master of power.
His intelligence had shocked her countless times, but at this time, she once again felt that his intelligence was far beyond her imagination.
This man is so loved by God.
It's too much...
Just as she was sighing in her heart, the door of Dali Temple suddenly made a long neighing sound, and then the door was opened.
Shang Ruyi hurriedly raised his head.
At this time, the clouds above the head seemed to be dispersed, and a ray of sunlight shone down, shining directly on a tall and strong figure walking out of the door. Although his face was pale and a little haggard, he was tall and strong, like a jade tree facing the wind. As she walked towards her, her bright eyes slowly revealed a joyful and gentle light...
Leng Qingshan
