"Your Majesty, how could Zhenhai County be captured by pirates?"
The empress read the urgent report and handed it to Yingfeng to read.
Last time, people in Zhenhai wrote a letter saying that the local officials did not act and even colluded with the pirates to rob the people. The empress sent people to conduct a thorough investigation and came back and said that the pirates had retreated and the local officials had not colluded.
But now the governor of Qianjiang County sent an urgent report, saying that Zhenhai County had been captured by pirates, tens of thousands of people were killed, and the city was looted.
Bang!
The empress smashed the table into pieces with one palm.
"Last time I asked the Minister of Justice to investigate, he dared to deceive the emperor!"
The last imperial envoy dispatched was Wu Wenjing, the Minister of Criminal Affairs. He came back and reported that there was no problem in Zhenhai County.
It was obvious that this guy had been bribed by officials.
Yingfeng asked: "Your Majesty, will you send troops to Zhenhai County immediately?"
The empress looked at the time and said: "It's late at night. We will discuss it at the court meeting tomorrow. Let's put Wu Wenjing, the Minister of Punishment, in prison first!"
Yingfeng immediately sent the shadow guard out of the palace to fetch the person.
....
Qiuxing Hall.
Long Chen stretched and got up from the bed and found that the surroundings were empty.
"It's rare to sleep alone, no wonder the quality of sleep is so good."
Usually at least Zhang Qian is with her, and sometimes four people guard her together. Last night, no one was with her.
Opening the door, I saw Zhang Qian practicing her gun in the yard, and Xiang Ning came over with hot water to help her wash up.
"Sissi worked so hard?"
After Long Chen washed his face, he handed the towel to Xiang Ning.
"Sister Qianxi said that she was unable to help you when you were in danger yesterday, so you have to practice hard and improve your cultivation."
When Jing Tianlie took action yesterday, Zhang Qian realized that she could not help Long Chen at all, and she was useless as a bodyguard.
When she first came here last year, Zhang Qian's cultivation was higher than Long Chen's. Now that Long Chen's cultivation has surpassed her, Zhang Qian feels like she is a burden.
Seeing Long Chen get up, Zhang Qian put away her spear.
"You don't have to fight so hard. You protected me in the past, and I will protect you in the future."
Zhang Qian was wearing thin clothes, sweat soaked through the clothes in front, and the looming feeling was the most tempting.
"Then what's the use of me? I'm just dragging you down!"
"It works. Stay with me at night and apply ointment on me."
Long Chen smiled mischievously.
Zhang Qian blushed and went back to her room to get clothes and take a shower.
Xiang Ning saw Zhang Qian blushing and asked: "Sir, what is applying ointment? Is it a new way to play? I want to play too."
Long Chen looked at Xiang Ning's figure, shook his head and said, "This is the ointment. Only Qian Qian can play with it. You are still young."
Xiang Ning looked down at herself and said, "I can't help it. The adults haven't helped me get into shape for several days."
Long Chen still wanted to tease her, but Qingyue came from next door and shouted: "Sir, the princess asked you to go to the court meeting today."
Long Chen immediately went back to his room, put on his court clothes, and walked out of Qiuxing Hall. Di Luoxi was waiting in the corridor.
At this time, the weather is getting warmer, the winter snow is gradually melting, and yellow-green buds appear on the branches.
"Spring is coming."
Di Luoxi was in a good mood.
"Princess is feeling lusty? I can help you out."
Long Chen said with a smile.
Di Luoxi looked back, and Long Chen was startled by the sudden attack: "Princess, what are you doing? In broad daylight."
Di Luoxi said contemptuously: "What does my princess Sichun have to do with you? Help me solve it, do you have it?"
Long Chen chuckled and said: "There will always be."
They entered the Daming Palace together. Emperor Yuwei and Emperor Xingwan had already arrived, as well as Baili Bing, the Minister of Personnel, Wang He, the Minister of Rites, Xu Zhong, the Minister of Honglu Temple, and Hu Chengfu, the Minister of Punishments.
Other ministers came in one after another. Jing Tianlie walked in wearing court uniform with a solemn expression and stood at the head of the line of military officers.
In the past, when going to court, the ministers would nod and bow to Jingtian Lie, but today's court meeting was different. The minister just smiled at Jingtian Lie, and then stood up with a serious face.
Long Chen stood in his seat. He ignored Jing Tianlie, and Jing Tianlie also ignored Long Chen.
The ministers were all gathered, and the empress came out of the inner court and sat on the phoenix chair.
"Go to court."
The empress' voice was majestic and she glanced around the hall.
Jingtian Lie lowered his head, and the ministers who used to rely on Jingtian Lie also lowered their heads.
"Something's happening."
The empress said again.
Bai Anning, the censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, came out and paid homage: "Your Majesty, I have something to report to you."
The empress nodded slightly, and all the ministers in the court looked at Bai Anning. Everyone knew what to say, and it became audible in the court.
"Say it."
The empress nodded slightly.
"Wei Chen interrogated former Minister of War Bai Qiulian overnight on the case of raising private soldiers and lining his own pockets. The evidence was conclusive, and Bai Qiulian also pleaded guilty and was imprisoned."
"It's just that some of the cases are complicated and involve other people from the DPRK and China. Are they going to be investigated in depth?"
The eyes of the court ministers unconsciously moved to Jing Tianlie.
Bai Qiulian had no troops of his own, so these private soldiers must have been given to Jing Tianlie.
After hearing this, the empress did not express her position, but asked Jing Tianlie: "General, do you think we need to dig deeper?"
Jing Tianlie's heart tightened and he bowed: "This is a matter for the imperial court. It should be decided by the Holy One. I don't dare to say nonsense."
Di Luoxi smiled secretly in her heart: She is finally honest, she was so awesome last time!
The empress turned to the other ministers and asked: "What do you think?"
The ministers in the DPRK bowed their heads and remained silent.
Di Luoxi came out and said: "Dig it out, dig it out completely, and raise private soldiers with the intention of treason. Kill all such rebels!"
The empress thought for a while and said, "That's all. Bai Qiulian is the Minister of the Ministry of War and is involved in the army. If she falsely accuses the General's Palace of treason, the matter will not be investigated clearly."
These words made the ministers of the court fall into silence. They knew that the empress was beating Jing Tianlie.
Jing Tianlie lowered his head and said nothing.
Censor Bai Anning bowed: "I obey the decree."
"In addition, Shen Hong, who testified yesterday, did not survive the punishment during the trial and died in prison. The humble minister is guilty and please be punished by the Holy Spirit."
The empress said coldly: "Shen Hong conspired with the enemy and committed treason. He died unjustly. He cut his body into pieces and fed it to the dogs."
Long Chen knew that Shen Hong had been let go, and the empress ordered the corpse to be cut into pieces and fed to the dogs, but no one could find any evidence.
"The humble minister obeys the decree."
Bai Anning, censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, returned to the train.
"Is there anything else?"
The empress looked at Hu Chengfu, the Minister of Punishment, who immediately lowered his head.
This guy didn't see Wu Wenjing, the minister of justice, when he arrived at the Ministry of Justice in the morning. He asked his family and said that Wu Wenjing had been taken away late at night.
"Hu Shangshu, last time I asked your Ministry of Punishment to verify the harassment by pirates in Zhenhai County. Your Ministry of Punishment replied that nothing happened in Zhenhai County. But last night, the governor of Qianjiang County sent an urgent report saying that Zhenhai County had been captured by pirates.
What’s going on!”
The empress asked sharply.
There was a commotion among the ministers in the DPRK. They also knew that there were pirates harassing them in the east, but they did not expect that they actually captured Zhenhai County.
Hu Chengfu came out and paid homage: "Your Majesty, it is clear that this is the minister Wu Wenjing who deceived the superiors and deceived the subordinates, and the ministers were also deceived by him."
Yingfeng handed over a volume of documents, and the empress took it, threw it to Hu Chengfu, and said coldly: "Wu Wenjing, the Minister of Punishment, confessed that it was you who took money from the wealthy gentry of Zhenhai County and concealed the enemy's situation!"
Hu Chengfu knelt down on the ground and said, "I am unjust!"
