As soon as the eunuch finished speaking, there was an instant silence in the Tai Chi Hall. Almost everyone subconsciously widened their eyes, with obvious shock on their faces.
After a moment, Liu Dongyang's lips moved.
"Who were you talking about just now? Who requested an audience?"
The eunuch swallowed, finally breathed a sigh of relief, and his words became extremely clear:
"Chai Hongyu...is the female rebel who has been wreaking havoc in the three provinces of Qingning and Ningxia for many years. She is requesting an audience!"
"What?!"
Zheng Zhong opened his mouth with a look of disbelief.
"How is this possible? Are you sure it's her? Has your identity been verified? Is there someone pretending to be..."
However, before he could finish his words, Gu Simiao, who had fully reacted not far away, suddenly snorted coldly.
"What? You are 100% sure that the woman in red fighting alongside Lu Shilang in the retrospective video is Chai Hongyu herself. But if Chai Hongyu appears at this time and can be seen and touched, you have to be suspicious. Already?"
She stared at Zheng Zhong coldly, and a cold murderous intention suddenly flashed across her pretty face.
"Is it possible that in this world only what you want to believe can be true, and what you don't want to believe is false?"
Hearing this, Zheng Zhong couldn't help but shed a few drops of cold sweat on his forehead.
"The general has misunderstood. I had no such intention."
"Then what do you mean?!"
Gu Simiao asked.
"I just find it strange."
Zheng Zhong argued: "If it was really Chai Hongyu, how could she, a rebel general, come to her door on her own initiative? Even if Lu Chen were her..."
Having said this, he suddenly instinctively felt a frightening chill rising from the bottom of his heart. The empress' previous warning in the court instantly rang in his mind. He shuddered subconsciously, and then quickly changed his words:
"In short, it is extremely abnormal for a rebel leader to come to Ziji City and throw himself into a trap. Isn't it natural for me to be suspicious?"
Gu Simiao sneered.
"Then, in your eyes, is it normal for Minister Lu, a loyal minister who has died serving His Majesty several times, to be involved with a traitor?"
The eunuch also said at the right time: "The watchman of the Evil Punishment Department has verified that the spirit of the woman in red is exactly the same as that of the Burning Heaven Saint with the shadow talisman on the wanted order. She is indeed Chai Hongyu herself."
Hearing this, Zheng Zhong subconsciously wanted to defend himself.
However, at this moment——
"Someone's coming."
But it was the empress who spoke.
She glanced at Zheng Zhong expressionlessly and said calmly: "Push this bold maniac who tries to interfere with my judgment out of Xuanji Gate and give him twenty punishments."
The moment the empress finished speaking, Zheng Zhong turned pale and shouted that he was wronged.
Qian Yiqian and others also came forward to plead for mercy.
However, the empress did not buy their fault at all, and directly waved her hand and asked the imperial guards to take Zheng Zhong away.
As Zheng Zhong was taken away, the courtiers who had just stood up and asked the Empress to put the overall situation first and asked the Empress to kill Lu Chen suddenly felt cold in their hearts and did not dare to speak again.
His Majesty is really angry to punish a third-grade official so decisively!
The people of the Falling Land Sect stopped their flags and drums, and the Tai Chi Hall quickly became quiet.
Then the empress ordered Xuan Chai Hongyu to appear in court.
After about a cup of tea, a crisp sound of metal interlacing suddenly sounded outside the Tai Chi Hall.
"Bangdang...bangdang..."
coming!
Everyone's expressions immediately condensed.
Not long after, Xuan Jiwei escorted a pretty-looking woman in red, whose hands and feet were bound by prisoner soul locks, in.
The moment he saw the woman in red, Lu Chen knew that he couldn't keep his back again.
Yes, the woman in red is undoubtedly Chai Hongyu herself.
After Chai Hongyu walked into the Tai Chi Hall, she ignored the different looks in the eyes of the civil and military officials and quickly searched for something among them.
When she saw Lu Chen standing in the front row of civil servants, the deep uneasiness and eagerness on her face disappeared almost instantly, and was replaced by an obvious look of joy. It seemed that Lu Chen was safe and sound now, which meant to her A great thing.
After a moment, the corners of her mouth raised slightly, revealing a reassuring smile.
Seeing the smile on her face, Lu Chen felt inexplicably worried for some reason. What Chai Hongyu said to him when she came here specially to save (backstab) him at the critical moment suddenly appeared in his mind.
The next second, his eyes gradually showed a hint of complexity.
At this moment, the empress suddenly spoke.
"Are you Chai Hongyu?"
Her voice was cold, and at the same time there was a majesty that made people want to kneel down subconsciously.
However, this pressure seemed to have no effect on Chai Hongyu.
She raised her head with a normal expression, and the moment her eyes met the eyes of the empress sitting high on the dragon chair, her red lips parted slightly:
"Exactly."
"Why?"
The empress held the dragon chair tightly, looked at Chai Hongyu, and slowly asked the question that all the courtiers were eager to know——
"You and the imperial court are at odds with each other. Countless imperial officials have died at your hands. Many people in the imperial court hate you to the core. They even continue to increase the amount of reward orders for this. Why would you, a rebel leader, take the initiative to come to Ziji City? , and just surrendered and let Xuanji Guards capture you?"
"because……"
Chai Hongyu turned her head, took a deep look at Lu Chen's back, and then said without hesitation:
"I don't want Governor Lu to be framed by treacherous ministers on unfounded charges. Since the charges of framing Governor Lu are related to me, I must clear Governor Lu's innocence no matter what."
Hearing what Chai Hongyu said, although they had some suspicions in their hearts, everyone's faces could not help but show shock.
Even Yan Song's cloudy old eyes flashed with surprise.
He never expected that the most unlikely thing would actually happen!
You must know that in the laws of Daxia, no matter what the reason, no matter what the difficulties, as long as there is an act of rebellion, it is a death penalty. As the number one general of the rebels, Chai Hongyu has made great achievements in the growth of Yu Jiuyuan over the years. , I don’t know how many imperial officials’ blood has been stained on my hands.
He is definitely a super rebel who cannot be punished for his crime.
As long as such a person is caught by the court, he will definitely not escape death, and his death will be extremely miserable, and he will eventually die.
Chai Hongyu even risked her life in order to prove Lu Chen's innocence? !
Although her actions may not necessarily change Lu Chen's tragic fate of being dismissed from office or even beheaded in public, but no matter what, her determination to be executed early to restore Lu Chen's innocence is unimaginable.
Yan Song really couldn't understand what kind of magical power Lu Chen had that allowed a female rebel who hated the imperial court to do this for him?
Is it really because of Lu Chenjun, as Chen Cang said before?
The empress frowned slightly.
"To restore Lu Qing's innocence?"
"Exactly."
Chai Hongyu said lightly:
"Other than that, I have no other intention. I just ask your Majesty to give me a chance to prove Governor Lu's innocence. After this matter is settled, I will have no complaints whether your Majesty beheads me or executes me late. "
Hearing this and feeling the determination in these words, the empress couldn't help but trembled in her eyes, and then glanced at Lu Chen inexplicably.
The same thought as Yan Song slowly emerged in his mind.
Then she asked slowly: "Why do you, a rebel, do this for a court official? Lu Qing is a great talent. With him, our national destiny in Daxia will surely flourish, and when the world is peaceful, the people will If we can live and work in peace and contentment, how can you, the rebels, have any place to establish themselves?"
After a pause, she continued: "I can't understand why Lu Qing is such a great threat to you and other rebels, and you should regard Lu Qing as a thorn in your side and a thorn in your flesh, why you have made countless contributions to the traitor in Yu Jiuyuan. Instead, you want to clear Lu Qing's grievances."
After saying that, she looked straight into Chai Hongyu's eyes, as if she wanted to see something in her eyes.
However, under her gaze, Chai Hongyu's eyes did not waver at all.
Calm as water.
"Because the countless people in the world who have been living in dire straits for thousands of years need a talented person who cares about the common people, and Governor Lu is the only talented person in my mind."
She spoke calmly, as if she was saying something natural.
"Everything Governor Lu has done for Yuzhou, all the benevolent policies he has implemented, and the changes he has brought to the people of Yuzhou have given me a hope, a hope that has never appeared in the past dynasties, so..."
When she said this, she raised her head slightly, and there was some special power in her voice.
"I must not stand by and watch a rare good official like Governor Lu being framed by treacherous ministers in the court, and then die in depression. No matter what, I must keep this glimmer of hope for the people of the world, even if I have to pay everything for it."
Hearing this, whether it was Liu Dongyang, Fang Ping, Xiao Yun, Gu Simiao and other people who had a close relationship with Lu Chen, they were all shocked, and their faces showed emotion.
This rumored female devil who extremely hates the imperial court, kills people without batting an eyelid, and takes pleasure in killing imperial officials, actually pretends to be the people of the world in her heart...
Lu Chen, who has always advocated putting the people first, is actually a fellow-minded person!
In this way, it makes sense that she risked her life to save Lu Chen!
It's not a relationship between husband and wife, it's just a simple sympathy for each other.
Chai Hongyu was greatly shocked when she saw Lu Chen working hard for the benefit of the people in Yuzhou. The hatred for the court in her heart did not have any effect on Lu Chen. Instead, she forgot her position as a rebel. Not only did she not treat Lu Chen Chen Chen was the killer under such a huge threat, but he tried to protect him at all costs.
This is all because they are pursuing the same way!
After thinking about this, the eyes of several people looking at Chai Hongyu gradually became complicated.
It is a pity for such a strange woman who cares about the people and does not lose her benevolence...
Alas, you are a beautiful woman, how can you be a thief...
After Lu Chen heard these words, a certain kind of throbbing that had been hidden in his heart began to rise rapidly and kept pouring into his mind, giving him an indescribable and unexplainable feeling.
But he knew that he did not reject this feeling.
In the past, he seemed to stick to morality at all costs, and made all kinds of incomprehensible but shocking astonishing actions. But now, there are people who risk everything for him and sacrifice their lives for justice...
He hasn't become an immortal yet, and he can't be hard-hearted yet.
Chai Hongyu's move deeply touched his heart.
To benefit the common people... and to benefit the common people...
What he saw and heard in Yuzhou City, the people who were hungry and cold, but oppressed by the government and King Yu, and killed like ants, the dilapidated farmhouses, the people's expressions of tears of joy when they received the relief food that he personally delivered to their door... ...scenes kept impacting his mind.
Although he remained silent and looked calm without any reaction, he was actually in a state of turmoil inside.
Lu Chen was not the only one who was silent. The courtiers who had previously criticized him verbally and threatened that "if Lu Chen was not killed, the country would be ruined" also fell silent and did not say a word.
After a while, the empress's voice sounded in the Tai Chi Hall again.
"I see, I know it."
As she said that, she turned her head slightly and looked at Lu Chen, who was silent under the jade steps and seemed to be thinking about something important.
"Lu Qing, this is what you said before, that those who are enlightened will get more help, while those who are unjust will have little help, right?"
Hearing the empress asking him, Lu Chen suddenly came back to his senses, then sighed inexplicably and said softly:
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Lu Qing really has good ideas."
The empress praised sincerely.
"Benevolent policies and righteous deeds can even influence your enemies. Lu Qing, you really taught me a good lesson."
Speaking of this, her eyes gradually revealed a look of reverence when she looked at Lu Chen.
"I will definitely keep this principle in mind from now on and use my whole life to implement it to the end. I... will also embark on the path of saving the world that you, Lu Qing, are pursuing!"
Lu Chen: "..."
Just when Lu Chen looked constipated, the other courtiers' expressions suddenly became complicated when they heard the empress's words.
Especially Chen Cang.
Seeing that the empress recognized Lu Chen so much, she had no doubts about the words of the female rebel Chai Hongyu that were obviously beneficial to Lu Chen. Seeing that the matter seemed to be settled, his face suddenly turned pale. Even his breathing became a little heavy.
When he thought about his fate after this matter ended like this, a stern look flashed in his eyes.
Then, just when the empress and Lu Chen were getting along, he suddenly stood up, stared at Chai Hongyu, and asked coldly:
"Chai Hongyu, didn't you say you wanted to prove Mr. Lu's innocence? Are these words your way of proving it?"
As soon as these words came out, the empress frowned instantly.
Then, without waiting for others to speak, Chen Cang said again: "As the saying goes, words are unfounded. Evidence is needed to handle the case. Corresponding evidence is also needed to reverse the case. Otherwise, who knows whether this is what you said to save Lu Chen. lie?"
"Of course not."
Chai Hongyu responded to Chen Cang expressionlessly, then suddenly knelt down on one knee and at the same time cupped her hands towards the empress.
"Your Majesty, I am willing to use the soul-searching technique to prove that Governor Lu and I are innocent and have absolutely no connection!"
(End of chapter)
