The crowd was furious, but Zheng Yuan, who was sitting in the middle, was very calm. He looked around and said coldly.
"Hmph, if I am really on the same side as Su Qian, how can you still question me here now?"
It was these words that calmed down the people who were a little over-emotional just now.
"Zaifu, it is precisely because we trust you that we ask you this. Everyone was just a little excited just now. Tell me, why did you do this?"
The first person to react was Zhao Cheng. He looked at Zheng Yuan and said in a slightly calm tone.
"The reason why Bensuke did this is because before entering the palace, the informants in the palace conveyed a big news."
After hearing this, everyone's eyes flashed, and some people leaned forward unconsciously, wanting to hear what Zheng Yuan said next.
Zheng Yuan looked cold and said directly, "I asked you to check Feng Zheng carefully. However, you all have high self-esteem and think that the game is stable. In fact, you have no idea that Feng Zheng has returned to Beijing long ago." We have already reached an alliance and cooperation with Su Qi'an before."
"No!"
As soon as these words came out, the officials present were somewhat shocked. Feng Zheng was Su Xuanyong's favorite.
This time he left Kyoto and headed to Xizhou. He was supposed to stand for Tang Feng, but later Tang Feng died and he returned to the capital with Su Qi'an inexplicably.
In the view of Kyoto officials, Feng Zhengtie must have been blackmailed by Su Qian, and for the sake of his own life, he could only choose to cooperate temporarily.
As the two returned to Beijing, looking at the relationship attitude between the two, this was even more verified.
With Feng Zhengzhen's vengeful character, he would definitely say all the bad things about Su Qi'an in front of Su Xuanyong after returning to the imperial city.
With such a big shot who had already taken action without them having to take action, why did they need to send people to contact Feng Zheng.
But who would have thought that Zheng Yuan's words would instantly hit their faces until they were so painful.
Although they didn't understand it, they could only accept that this discussion was ultimately a trap set up by Su Xuanyong and Su Qi'an together to deal with them.
Even Su Xuanyong was dispatched, so Feng Zheng's cooperation was not surprising.
What they want to know is what valuable clues Zheng Yuan, the palace spy, got from Feng Zheng.
Seeing the shock of many officials, Zheng Yuan could only curse these people in his heart for being stupid.
Let them contact us, but we won't contact them. Now that something like this has happened, the ship will capsize.
If it weren't for the fact that these ministers were needed to cooperate with him in the court, Zheng Yuan would have wished to replace them long ago.
It's such a waste.
Zheng Yuan sighed for a while and continued.
"The three major crimes you have committed against Su Qi'an did not pose any threat to him. Instead, they became an assist."
"Su Qi'an killed the two prefects of the two prefectures without the laws of the Great Liang Dynasty and should be executed. But what you don't know is that Li Kang, the prefect of Jiaozhou, has tens of thousands of private soldiers. If it weren't for Su Qi'an, he would have rebelled long ago, and Mu Tang of Xizhou Feng is actually Da Rong’s high-level spy hidden in our court.”
"Therefore, the crime involved is not only blameless, but actually meritorious."
Zheng Yuan's remarks completely stunned all the officials.
Even Zhao Cheng and Sima Yue are like this. The former is okay. After all, every local state pastor has this kind of thought in his heart. Li Kang is just bolder than other state pastors and took action. If they explain, they can also explain it. , just a little troublesome.
On the contrary, Tang Feng turned out to be Da Rong's senior spy hiding in Da Liang.
A senior spy actually achieved the position of state shepherd. Telling this was not only a slap in the face of the imperial court, but also a slap in the face of Su Qi'an.
And they just defended a spy? Although they didn't know Tang Feng's true identity, he still fulfilled his duties as an important minister of the imperial court.
There are many things that cannot be eliminated by relying on one's own lack of understanding and clarity.
It's no wonder that Su Qian didn't publicly clarify. They stated the reasons for the three major crimes to him. They just said that they had already submitted the memorial to Your Majesty alone. There was no need to explain to them.
It is true that if a high-level spy who has been hiding in Da Liang for many years is exposed directly, Da Liang will definitely be ridiculed by everyone, and even more looked down upon.
What Su Qi'an did was to safeguard the dignity of Su Xuanyong and Da Liang, but they were so stubborn that they had to completely uncover the matter. Fortunately, at the critical moment, they were interrupted by Zheng Yuan and did not fall into Su Xuanyong's trap. And Su Xuanyong did not insist on pursuing it.
Otherwise, based on this, they would die hundreds or thousands of times and no one would cry out for them.
"Zai...Zaifu, is this true?" It was Sima Yue who spoke.
Zheng Yuan sneered, "If it's not true, do you think Feng Zheng is willing to cooperate with Su Qi'an based on his personality?"
Everyone nodded. Indeed, with Su Qi'an's crazy temper in the hall just now, and because Tang Feng was a spy, it was impossible for Feng Zheng to clear his suspicions with Tang Feng.
Feeling the shock of everyone, Zheng Yuan continued, "As for what you said about sitting in two states and being suspected of separatist rebellion, it seems like a big gimmick, but as long as Luo Qingyuan writes a letter explaining, this so-called suspicion will be removed. It’s clean, so what does the second crime count?”
But this time Zheng Yuan said that among the people who gradually came to their senses, several people had different opinions.
"Zaifu, I don't agree with what you said. Luo Qingyuan's state pastor has not been certified by the court. Why would your majesty trust what he said? Is it just because he is the former Xizhou pastor?"
"The former state pastor, this weight is indeed not very useful, but have you forgotten that in addition to being the Xizhou pastor, this Luo Qingyuan was also one of the prince's disciples when he was in Kyoto."
"This?" Zheng Yuan's explanation made these officials' eyes flicker. Being reminded like this, they had really forgotten Luo Qingyuan's other identity, Prince Ning's prince's division.
Although it didn't last long, being able to become the prince's master meant that he was deeply relied on by Su Xuanyong.
At this time, another official seemed to have thought of something and asked, "Wait a minute, Mr. Zaifu, I agree with what you said, but after all, this Prince's Division happened more than 20 years ago. After so many years, How could your Majesty still rely so much on a man who has retired to seclusion?"
"How is it impossible? Think about the third crime you stated. Su Qi'an secretly appointed Luo Qingyuan as state pastor without the consent of the court. From the discussion just now to the end, haven't you discovered that our Majesty, from From beginning to end, there was no suggestion that Luo Qingyuan’s appointment was inconsistent with the regulations.”
"There is only one explanation for His Majesty to do this."
"That is, Luo Qingyuan has been in seclusion for nearly twenty years and has kept in touch with His Majesty. Your Majesty's regard for him has never changed."
It was Zhao Cheng who spoke this time. He took over what Zheng Yuan said and spoke word for word.
As Zhao Cheng's voice fell, the atmosphere in the room, which was originally silent, became even darker.
Zheng Yuan talked about this and basically explained it clearly to them.
Even if they don't want to admit it, the facts are before them.
They had made countless calculations, but they missed one Luo Qingyuan. In the final analysis, they couldn't be blamed for this.
Who would have thought that a former state pastor who had disappeared for nearly twenty years would still be trusted and relied upon by His Majesty even after such a long time.
This is not the most important thing. The most important thing is that Luo Qingyuan has been staying in Xizhou for the past twenty years and has kept in touch with His Majesty for so many years.
It shows that the area in Xizhou is still Jiaozhou below. His Majesty, who is far away in Kyoto, has actually been paying close attention silently.
Su Qi'an's actions in the past three years are probably all understood by Su Xuanyong. At the same time, it means that Su Qi'an's actions have His Majesty's approval.
It's scary to think about it this way.
Su Xuanyong had ignored government affairs for many years, yet he quietly did these unexpected things behind their backs.
This is just a revelation. Who knows if there may be other undiscovered things behind the scenes.
"Sure enough, God's power is unpredictable." Everyone sighed in their hearts.
Looking at the somewhat depressed faces of everyone, Zheng Yuan comforted him, "Can't you accept this little setback?"
"We lost this game, but we lost because we were not careful and careless."
"Don't forget, if His Majesty really takes action against us, you and I will not be able to sit here and talk safely."
Hearing this, everyone's faces did become a little more colorful. Zheng Yuan was right. Indeed, they just lost this game because of their carelessness.
In the end, they could only follow Su Xuanyong's wishes and let Su Qi'an be promoted, and their final punishment was just a beating from Su Xuanyong.
In the previous hall, Su Xuanyong clearly wanted to catch them all in one fell swoop, but he stopped in the end. The reason was very simple.
They united this time. Almost 80% of the important officials of the imperial court joined forces to deal with Su Qi'an.
If Su Xuanyong really wants to catch them all, the Daliang court will never be so stable, and there will definitely be chaos.
Therefore, this is the only thing they can make Su Xuanyong fear. Of course, this combination cannot be used again and again.
After all, Su Xuanyong is the Emperor of Great Liang. Even a weak and incompetent emperor cannot accept being threatened again and again.
Especially such an impenetrable Emperor of Great Liang, whose power is unpredictable and not just for fun.
After understanding the cause and effect of the incident, the gathered ministers stood up and bowed solemnly to Zheng Yuan, thanking him for his timely appearance and saving their lives.
Although the factions are different, we still have to thank those who deserve thanks.
As the conversation started, the depressing atmosphere in the room gradually dissipated. Zhao Cheng and Sima Yue looked at each other and spoke in unison.
"Zaifu, we lost completely in this criminal prosecution. We can see how much your Majesty relies on Su Qi'an, but at the same time, if this person is not eliminated, it will be very harmful to us. So, next, How to do it?"
Zheng Yuan nodded, pondered for a while, and said with a smile on his face.
"Now that Su Qi'an has been promoted to the first rank and is relied on by His Majesty, his momentum is even greater. Now is not a good time to deal with him. This matter must be slowed down. After a month, someone will naturally take action on our behalf."
Everyone looked confused at first, then seemed to think of something, their eyes flashed, and they clasped their fists and faced Zheng Yuandao.
"As expected of Lord Zaifu, I understand."
