Chapter 233: Your Majesty, This Humble Official Has Been Wronged!
Thinking about how she had been crazy all these years, and it was her daughter who had been taking care of and protecting her, Shen Ruoxi’s tears flowed uncontrollably. “Xingnong, my Xingnong, Mother is sorry! I…”
She choked up and couldn’t speak for a moment.
Because she, her daughter’s mother, had lost her chastity and her memory, how badly her daughter had been bullied!
She had suffered so much scorn and humiliation from the world, but even so, she had in turn protected her, not blaming her, and had tried every means to help her get treatment.
The Jin Kingdom Emperor hurriedly said, “It has nothing to do with you, it’s all my fault! It’s not your fault, don’t cry! If you’re sad, hit me! Vent your anger on me, don’t cry.”
The Jin Kingdom Emperor, who had never comforted anyone and would turn his head and leave when he saw a woman crying, making a scene, and threatening to hang herself, panicked and looked at Xingnong for help.
Xingnong didn’t know how to comfort people either, so she could only say, “Mother, everything is in the past, it will be fine in the future. Don’t cry, your crying makes me feel bad.”
Hearing this, Shen Ruoxi quickly wiped away her tears, “Mother won’t cry!”
From now on, she would compensate her daughter well and protect her daughter well!
~
After Xingnong comforted Shen Ruoxi, seeing that she seemed to have something to say to the Jin Kingdom Emperor, she tactfully offered to go to the workshop to have a look, leaving the space to the two of them.
When Xingnong appeared at the workshop, the old village chief, who was guarding the entrance of the workshop, weaving straw ropes and watching the door, stopped her immediately, “Who are you? Who are you looking for? This is the workshop’s important area, no idlers are allowed to enter.”
These straw ropes were woven from rice straw and were mainly used to make a protective cover for the soy sauce jars to facilitate transportation.
Xingnong squatted down, looked at him at eye level, and looked at the old village chief with a smile, “Village Chief Daddy doesn’t recognize me anymore?”
Old Village Chief: “. . .”
Such a pleasant voice, who else could it be but that Xingnong girl?
He couldn’t help but widen his old eyes, “Are you Xingnong girl?”
Xingnong smiled, “It’s me!”
The old village chief said in surprise, “Xingnong girl, did you fall into the flour jar? Why are you so much whiter?”
Xingnong laughed, “Yes, I rolled around in the flour jar, am I pretty?”
“Pretty! You were already pretty, now you’re even prettier!” The old village chief thought to himself, his Zesen boy wouldn’t be worthy of Xingnong girl even if he passed the imperial examination as the top scorer!
“Village Chief Daddy, I’ll go in and have a look.” After Xingnong said to the village chief’s father, she happily entered the workshop and inspected it, taking the opportunity to let everyone get to know a brand new her, and then successfully amazed everyone in the workshop!
~
Capital City, Imperial Court
Chu Tiankuo began to settle accounts, to deal with certain people.
He held a stack of secret letters and memorials in his hand.
“Father Emperor, during the battle between the two armies, a batch of supplies was delayed, and the army almost had to go to battle on an empty stomach because there was no food to eat. This humble official heard that the supplies were delayed because the transport team happened to encounter an enemy force on the way. The food was first seized by the enemy, but then Assistant General Fang, who was in charge of transporting the food, worried that the army would not have food and could not win the battle. He made a wise judgment, deduced the whereabouts of the enemy force that had robbed the food, successfully recovered the food, preserved the supplies, and repelled the enemy. That’s why it was delayed and arrived three days late. Without food for three days, the soldiers wouldn’t starve to death, but they wouldn’t have the strength to fight the enemy! Fortunately, your son had met a local landlord who donated all the food in his house, so that the army would not starve to death.”
“I originally thought that Assistant General Fang, although he had no merit in transporting the supplies this time, did not commit any major offense worthy of the extermination of nine kinships, after all, the supplies had been recovered. However, this humble official found out that the reason why the supplies were three days late was because Prime Minister Liang colluded with the Zhao Kingdom and deliberately leaked the route of the supplies, so the food arrived three days late!”
Upon hearing this, Prime Minister Liang’s face was full of shock, “What does Your Highness the Crown Prince mean by this? When did this official collude with the enemy?”
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Then he knelt down to the emperor again, “Your Majesty, this humble official has been wronged! This humble official’s loyalty to Your Majesty and to the Chu Kingdom can be attested to by heaven and earth. If there is even a hint of betrayal of the Chu Kingdom, may this humble official die a horrible death!”
The entire court was shocked, looking at Prime Minister Liang in astonishment, only some people looked as if they had known this for a long time.
Of course, some people were secretly delighted, after all, Prime Minister Liang had been an official for many years, second only to the emperor, and he had offended many officials.
Seeing him about to be in big trouble, how could they not be happy?
Chu Tiankuo looked down at him and sneered, “Then Prime Minister, just wait for your horrible death!”
Prime Minister Liang: “. . .”
After Chu Tiankuo finished speaking, he said to the emperor, “Father Emperor, I have evidence of Prime Minister Liang’s treason! Prime Minister Liang used the oil-saving lamps sold to the Zhao Kingdom through the Song Family Porcelain Kiln to transmit the food transportation route to the Zhao Kingdom. Not only the food transportation route, but also colluding with the enemy, luring our army into the Snow Mountain, attempting to wipe out this humble official and our 50,000 troops in one fell swoop!”
Prime Minister Liang was shocked that Chu Tiankuo knew about the oil-saving lamps, but years of courtly storms had long taught him to remain calm in the face of danger. He immediately said, “Your Majesty, this humble official has been wronged! This humble official has absolutely not done what His Highness the Crown Prince said! This humble official has nothing to do with the Song Family Porcelain Kiln, let alone committed treason! What crime can be fabricated without evidence?”
His transactions with the Song Family Porcelain Kiln had never been documented, they were all communicated verbally. The people of the Song Family Porcelain Kiln would not speak out, after all, this was a crime punishable by the extermination of nine kinships, they would never betray him.
Chu Tiankuo must have no evidence.
Chu Tiankuo said calmly, “The mistress of the Song Family Porcelain Kiln is Prime Minister’s biological daughter, there’s no mistake about that, right? Although she’s an illegitimate daughter and not many people know about it, can you say there’s no connection?”
Prime Minister Liang: “. . .”
The emperor then spoke, “Crown Prince, Prime Minister Liang is the Prime Minister of the country, he has devoted himself to the court for many years and has made great contributions! What you say must have solid evidence, otherwise slandering a court official, even if you are the Crown Prince, I will not spare you lightly!”
Chu Tianyu couldn’t help but say at this time, “Eldest Imperial Brother, what evidence do you have?”
It’s impossible for their people to leave any evidence.
Chu Tiankuo said calmly, “When your son was attacking the Zhao Kingdom, my men discovered a caravan from the Song Family Porcelain Kiln secretly meeting with a deputy general from the Zhao Kingdom. Then my men secretly followed them and found that the Song Family Porcelain Kiln’s caravan had given a box of oil-saving lamps to that deputy general from the Zhao Kingdom.”
“My men felt something was strange, so they waited in secret for a while. After the people from the Song Family Porcelain Kiln’s caravan left, that deputy general from the Zhao Kingdom ordered people to break all those oil-saving lamps, and then they found that each oil-saving lamp had words engraved inside! That deputy general pieced together the words on the fragments of the oil-saving lamps, and after reading them, he ordered his subordinates to take them away and destroy them. Those soldiers took the fragments to a mass grave and buried them separately. It was my men who pretended to be ghosts and scared away the Zhao soldiers and brought those fragments back. Father Emperor, the fragments of those oil-saving lamps are outside, Father Emperor can see them with his own eyes. Your son has also captured that deputy general from the Zhao Kingdom, Father Emperor can interrogate him. He has already confessed everything clearly. And also the matter of the Changping Army back then.”
Prime Minister Liang’s face turned pale.
