Li Chen looked at Duan Jinjiang, whose clothes and trousers were half wet, with frost visible between his eyebrows and hair. He looked very embarrassed, and said calmly: "There are so many things to do, I have kept Mr. Duan waiting for a long time."
Duan Jinjiang lowered his head, cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness has many things to do every day, I can wait for you."
"Master Duan understands things so well, I am very relieved."
The smile on Li Chen's face gradually faded, he looked at Duan Jinjiang and said, "There is no need to fight between you and me. Are you here for your son Duan Changmian?"
When Duan Jinjiang heard this, he immediately clasped his knees on the ground and said in a trembling voice: "I have no way to teach my son. That traitor bumped into His Highness. It is not an exaggeration to say that he should die. I just ask Your Highness to see that the three generations of the Duan family have only one son to carry on the family line." For my own sake, let’s keep an open mind.”
"It's okay to rush into me. He doesn't know my identity. It's said that those who don't know are not guilty, so I won't punish him for this."
Li Chen's tone was indifferent, and he said: "But he brazenly took his servants and forced his way into the post house. Such perverse behavior was, at a small level, lawless, and at a large level, it was trampling on the majesty of the empire. The son of an important minister of the Qin Dynasty's cabinet forced his way into a foreign country. Posthouse, if this matter spreads, how will the power of Qin Dynasty survive?"
Duan Jinjiang knelt his head heavily on the ground, and said sadly: "The mistake of the traitor is really unforgivable, but please forgive me for the fact that I have served the country for decades, with no merit but some hard work." , to fulfill the veteran’s desire to be a father.”
"If you say this, if I don't let him go, will it hurt the heart of an old minister like you and the heart of a father?" Li Chen said indifferently.
"Old minister, I don't dare."
Duan Jinjiang gritted his teeth and said, "I would like to retire and return to my hometown in order to seek His Highness's forgiveness."
Li Chen raised his eyebrows and looked at Duan Jinjiang, and said calmly: "Resigning from old age and returning to your hometown? The current situation is difficult. Mr. Duan is the humerus of the imperial court. It is inappropriate for you to resign and return to your hometown at this time."
Duan Jinjiang lowered his head and replied: "I have failed to teach my son well. I am ashamed of your Majesty and Your Highness. I would like to ask for Your Highness's grace to allow this veteran to return to his hometown and take care of his old age. I only ask Your Highness to be kind and spare the dog's life. I will have a good life." Teach him so that he will no longer cause trouble."
"I believe this."
Li Chen slowly rubbed the stove in his hand and said calmly: "But today the palace plans to restart the investigation into the tragedy of the Yumenguan Empire. Mr. Duan was the Minister of the Ministry of War at the time and was one of the few core figures left. If Duan is missing, With your help, I'm afraid this case will be more difficult to investigate, so Sir Duan will have to work hard for a while."
Li Chen's words made Duan Jinjiang's heart suddenly lift.
"What does His Highness mean by these words?" Duan Jinjiang said calmly, "It has been more than ten years since the tragic incident. A series of people were involved, and all those who deserved to be killed have been killed. Those who committed the crime must be brought to justice. Why did Your Highness suddenly bring up old matters again?"
There was no emotion or anger on Li Chen's face. He said: "Although my father was furious and killed a group of people in what happened back then, everyone in the government and the public should understand that the so-called criminals who were punished by the law were just trivial matters. People who are insignificant are, to put it bluntly, scapegoats."
"Of those people, the one with the highest position is the former Yumen Pass guard general who just completed the mission of guarding Yumen Pass. After returning to Beijing to report on his duties, he was named the right minister of the Ministry of War. However, neither the rank nor the transfer appointment could be known in advance to make calculations, so Anyone with a discerning eye knows that the real culprit is still hidden in the imperial court."
Li Chen's plain words sounded like thunder in Duan Jinjiang's ears.
