Soul echo

Chapter 739 The goal is clear
"Xuan, Zhang Xiyu has an audience—!"

Zhang Xiyu stood in front of the imperial study room with his head down, feeling uneasy.

Hearing the eunuch call out his name, he quickly raised his head for a glance, then lowered his head hastily.

He straightened his clothes, cleared his throat, and walked into the imperial study.

Walking to the previous position, Zhang Xiyu jumped forward and knelt down, "Criminal Zhang Xiyu, I have seen Your Majesty!"

As usual, there is no need to kneel down to meet the emperor in the imperial study, but just like Zhang Xiyu claimed, he is now a 'criminal minister'.

Hearing this name, the emperor snorted coldly: "Zhang Xiyu, you are so brave! I didn't convict you, but you dare to call yourself a 'criminal minister'? Are you trying to show that I am a fatuous and tyrannical emperor? !"

Zhang Xiyu panicked immediately, knocking his head down again and again, "I dare not, I dare not! It's all my fault. How dare you try to figure out His Majesty's holy will? I deserve death..."

The emperor slammed the table, stood up and pointed angrily at Zhang Xiyu who was kneeling on the ground and kowtowed, "If you knew, why did you still disobey my orders? Ah! Do you know that you almost ruined my century-old plan!"

"It's all my fault... I deserve death..."

Zhang Xiyu repeated these two sentences over and over in his mouth, knocking his head louder and louder.

The emperor looked at him coldly, clenched his fists tightly, and for a moment, he really wanted Zhang Xiyu to be crushed to death just like this.

However, he couldn't do that, because no matter how Zhang Xiyu was on his side, the mistakes he committed couldn't be punished by death.

The emperor sat back and said coldly: "Get up, stop knocking!"

Hearing this, Zhang Xiyu kowtowed his head for the last time, stared blankly at the floor where a pool of blood had formed, took two deep breaths to calm down his nervous mood, then got up from the ground, and stood silently in front of the emperor .

Seeing his bleeding appearance, the emperor frowned slightly, and summoned an eunuch to wash and bandage Zhang Xiyu's wound.

The eunuch has undergone professional training, and his bandaging skills are good, and his speed is also very fast. In just a moment, he helped Zhang Xiyu treat the wound.

During this period, Zhang Xiyu kept his head down, not daring to look at the emperor's face. His gaze fell three feet ahead of his toes, neither on the desk nor on his toes.

"Zhang Xiyu, look up!"

Hearing this voice, Zhang Xiyu slowly raised his head and looked at the emperor.

The emperor didn't have any expression on his face, but he didn't show any anger or prestige. Just looking at that face, Zhang Xiyu felt his heart twitch.

"Why didn't you follow my advice?" the emperor questioned.

This was not the first time the emperor had questioned Zhang Xiyu, but before that he had let other people pass the word on his behalf, and when Zhang Xiyu was in Jingzhou, what he said to Zhang Xiyu were more aggressive than questioning.

Now, Zhang Xiyu is finally going to face this problem directly.

Hearing this question, Zhang Xiyu's facial muscles twitched slightly. Although he had been mentally prepared for a long time, when he really had to face it, he felt that he was still not ready.

Even if you are not ready, you have to face it!
"I just want to solve your majesty's worries and problems, and I have no other intentions!" Zhang Xiyu cupped his hands and bowed deeply, showing sincerity.

As a result, Yushufang fell silent. Zhang Xiyu stared directly at the floor tiles, sweat dripping from his forehead.

His Majesty hasn't responded for so long, could it be... his answer is wrong?
"Zhang Xiyu..."

The emperor thought he should be angry, but after hearing Zhang Xiyu's answer, he found that he didn't even bother to be angry.

Although Zhang Xiyu is loyal, he has nothing but loyalty.

What he received was the education of the old era, which told him to be loyal to the emperor, however, it also taught him to form cliques and form cliques for personal gain.

Thinking back carefully, Zhang Xiyu's work ability is not bad, the reason why he is defined as a 'mediocre' by himself, isn't it because he likes to make money?
Zhang Xiyu was loyal to the emperor, but he was not loyal to the people or the country. He was loyal to the emperor because he wanted to climb up and grab more power.

"—You resign!"

Zhang Xiyu raised his head in astonishment, and looked at the emperor sitting behind the desk with his back pressed against the back of the chair.

At this moment, he seemed to be looking at a distant god. There was no emotion in the eyes of the god. Whether it was anger, pity or hatred, nothing existed, just indifference, only indifference.

"His Majesty……"

Zhang Xiyu's throat rolled, his head was full of panic, he never thought that the emperor would let him resign from office.

In previous eras, Zhang Xiyu might have been a good official, and he might even have become his right-hand man, but in this magnificent era, Zhang Xiyu could no longer keep up with the trend of the times, and was destined to be left behind.

After thinking about this matter clearly, the emperor immediately made a decision to remove Zhang Xiyu from his team.

Not only Zhang Xiyu, but officials like Zhang Xiyu all need to do this!

The existence of these people will pollute his team and drag his team back to the same level as those noble families - it is obvious that his team already has thoughts and ideologies that surpass those noble families by an era. When the fool is dragged back, with his current strength, how can he fight against the aristocratic family?

In the old era when productivity was underdeveloped, aristocratic families emerged as the times require. Their strength represents the strength of the country. But in the new era, they are cancerous tumors that hinder the operation and development of the country. Their existence will waste a lot of national resources. The wasted resources can cultivate many talents, but they can only cultivate many idiots in the aristocratic families. When their influence expands further, it will hinder the progress and development of the country.

This country belongs to him and will belong to his descendants in the future. He will not allow that kind of thing to happen!

At this moment, the talisman placed on the table suddenly vibrated and made a sound, breaking the silence in the imperial study room, and the eyes of the emperor and Zhang Xiyu were attracted to it.

Reaching out to pick up the talisman, the emperor chose to connect.

[I found a suspect, I need your cooperation. 】

Zhong Ye's words made the emperor raise his eyebrows slightly, "Cooperate? Are you looking for Zhang Xiyu?"

[No, it's a servant beside him. 】

Zhang Xiyu's face froze. Although he didn't know what Zhong Ye and the emperor were talking about, it was obviously not a good thing to mention him at this time.

Zhong Ye paused for a moment, as if he had noticed something, and asked: 【Now Zhang Xiyu is in front of you? 】

"Yes." The emperor glanced at Zhang Xiyu, making his muscles tense.

[Then ask him directly, who is the servant next to him on the first day of the fair? Dai Lila met them by chance that day, and happened to hear them discussing policies—— Zhang Xiyu was on the fifth or sixth day when he took over as the prefect of Jingzhou Tian began to deal with several families in Jingzhou that I did not identify as enemies. That is to say, he may have been influenced before the fifth day when he took over as prefect of Jingzhou. 】

[The suspect who can talk about politics with Zhang Xiyu, is someone close to him, and knew him before the fifth day, we can only think of Zhang Xiyu's servant at the moment. Ask him, his servant is now where? 】

"Ah!"

The emperor laughed, and looked at the pale Zhang Xiyu, "Zhang Xiyu, did you hear what Zhong Ye said? If you did, then answer truthfully, where is that servant of yours now!"

"He He……"

Zhang Xiyu took a few deep breaths, as if he had seized his last hope.

——Although he didn't know what Zhong Ye and the emperor were talking about, but he also heard the word 'influence', so if he pushed all the blame, would he be able to keep his official position?
"He is now in the minister's mansion!"

When Zhang Xiyu uttered these words righteously and sternly, the emperor knew what he was thinking in his heart, and became more and more disappointed with him.

Shaking his head slightly, the emperor tapped the table with his index finger, "Did you hear that? Send someone to investigate."

"Yes! Your Majesty!"

In the shadow of the imperial study room, several voices responded at the same time.

Hearing those voices, Zhang Xiyu suddenly froze and froze in place.

He felt something cold brush against his body, making his skin crawl.

"It probably won't take long." The emperor looked at Zhang Xiyu with a half-smile, "Then let's wait and see what happens."

Being stared at by the emperor, Zhang Xiyu only felt terrified.

Within a few minutes, a thin man wrapped in black cloth came in and knelt down on one knee.

"Your Majesty, the target has been identified, and it is indeed related to the abyss. Just when we were about to capture him, he was transformed into a demon."

Hearing this, Zhang Xiyu broke into a cold sweat.

There was an abyss believer who stayed by his side for so long?

"Your Majesty, I am innocent!" Zhang Xiyu knelt down.

However, the emperor didn't even look at him, the smile on his face faded, and he tapped his fingers on the table lightly, lost in thought.

After a while, I got an idea.

"Go and tell all the court officials and noble families about this matter." The emperor took a deep breath, raised his bright eyes, and slowly raised the corners of his mouth, "I want them to investigate the abyss believers around them!"

(End of this chapter)