Looking at the mountains and rivers

"How can there be such a thing!" Emperor Yong'an was startled, and quickly said in a deep voice, "Yang Cong, don't talk nonsense!"

Yang Cong walked forward on his knees and bowed his head again: "My brother is willing to guarantee with his life, this matter is absolutely true!"

Some of the ministers sneered and said: "Although Mr. Cong is willing to guarantee his life, this matter is still a bit strange. It is only said that King Xianmu has passed away for more than four years. Why did he only tell this matter today? Maybe there is something else. Be careful."

Yang Cong had tears in his eyes, clenched his fists tightly, and seemed to be choked with sobs: "If I had known that my father was killed by someone, how could I have endured until today. In fact, I have been deceived by Yang Jue all these years, and now I just learned If he knew the truth, he hurried to Jian'an and asked the emperor to make the decision."

Seeing that he was going to continue talking, the elders of the family had already looked at each other in dismay, and Lu Taibao coughed again and again, and gestured to Emperor Yong'an with his eyes.

Emperor Yong'an was silent, slowly stood up from the dragon seat, lowered his eyes and said: "Yang Cong, you should know that whether this matter is true or not, it is related to the dignity of the royal family, and it should have been handed over to Zongzheng Temple for investigation. But you broke into the court and said such a thing in front of civil and military officials, I have to doubt your intentions." He waved his hands to the left and right, "Take him down for a rest , and then King Yong will lead the interrogation at Tongzongzheng Temple."

Yang Cong's eyes widened in shock, before he could speak, he saw the man who was sneering among the courtiers come forward, leaned over and said, "Your Majesty, Mr. Cong slandered His Royal Highness Mu Wang in the early court today, if you don't do it on the spot Cross-examine clearly, I'm afraid it will hurt His Royal Highness Mu Wang's reputation if it spreads." He said, sighing quietly, "Mu Wang's mansion has suffered a lot of disasters recently, and the ministers are really worried for His Highness Mu. How about the crime of deceiving the king and killing the father? It is better to let Mr. Cong finish the sentence in front of you, if it is indeed a false accusation, it will not save the dignity of the royal family, and it will not wrong King Mu."

As soon as he finished speaking, the other person stepped forward and said: "Brother Yushan is very true. People in the court are talking a lot nowadays. Those who know it will naturally understand the emperor's painstaking efforts. If they don't know, they may think that the emperor is trying to protect King Mu. This is a bully." The crime of murdering one’s father is not a trivial matter. If you continue to spread false rumors and spread this matter to the ears of ignorant people, how many troubles will arise, it is better to ask clearly in the court today.”

This person is not alarmist. In these years of peace and prosperity, people are willing to go to teahouses to listen to operas or books in libraries when they have nothing to do.There is no shortage of stories about current affairs in the opera commentary, all of which portray the superiors as stupid and stupid, which makes Emperor Yong'an quite annoyed when he thinks about it.He sat back on the dragon chair angrily, and shouted: "Yang Cong, I remember that Uncle Xian Huang fell off the carriage and became ill after that, why did you say that Yang Jue murdered him?" He said coldly, "If you tell a lie today, I will kill you immediately!"

Yang Cong bowed his head slightly: "My brother understands. Although the time has passed, the law of heaven is clear. These days, I finally found out the truth. It was not accidental that my father fell from the carriage, but someone drove it. Snakeweed was planted in the fodder of the horses, which caused the horses to go crazy halfway and caused a catastrophe.”

"What evidence do you have!"

"I have someone to prove it." Yang Cong said in a deep voice, "It's just that these people are low-status, so it's inconvenient to see them."

"Who is it?"

"It's a bandit in the Jinzhou forest."

Upon hearing this, all the ministers and workers couldn't help being shocked again, someone asked: "Why does this matter have anything to do with bandits?"

"These bandits are the ones who quietly followed the father's convoy and waited for an opportunity to poison the horse grass." Yang Cong said, "A while ago, Anping County, Jinzhou suppressed the bandits and recruited a few bandit leaders. When they confessed their crimes, That's why he confessed."

Emperor Yong'an patted the case: "Who is suppressing the bandits in Anping County?"

Someone walked out slowly, leaned over and said, "Reporting to the emperor is a humble job."

Emperor Yong'an took a closer look, and found that it was Wen Zhi, the head of Yushitai. He was from a low background. He was sent to Yong'an County to serve as the county magistrate for half a year, and then he was transferred back to the capital because of his meritorious service in suppressing bandits. Asked: "Wen Qing, is this really the case?"

Wen Zhi respectfully said: "Among the crimes confessed by the bandit chiefs in Zhao'an in Anping County, one of the crimes was entrusted by others to murder King Xianmu. I heard that they received one hundred thousand silver for this transaction."

Emperor Yong'an was startled, and asked again: "Have they ever confessed that they were employed by whom?"

"Returning to the emperor, these bandits are said to be hired by a customer named He Yan."

Immediately, someone said: "He Yan, isn't he the long history of Prince Mu's mansion?"

Then, Wen Zhi said unhurriedly: "Afterwards, when the humble official led people to search the bandit stronghold, they confiscated several boxes of silver taels that had not yet been spent. Both the silver and the boxes had the mark of Prince Mu's Mansion. These evidences are now in Anping Sealed up in the county treasury."

"Your Majesty!" Yang Cong kowtowed again and again, "Now that the evidence is convincing, my father was indeed victimized by others, and I ask the Emperor to make the decision."

Emperor Yong'an was obviously very surprised, he was frowned and said nothing, when Lu Taibao stood up and said: "Young Master Cong, it is too far-fetched to just rely on the words of a few bandits, let alone the employer that the bandits confessed to It’s not King Mu, aren’t you spouting blood?”

Yang Cong looked up at him, and sneered in a low voice: "Who doesn't know that He Yan is a dog raised by my third brother, and before the father was killed, he was planning to pass the throne to my elder brother Yang Dai. Yang Jue made a move at this time, It is clear that he was unwilling to let the throne of King Mu fall into the hands of others, so he killed his father because of this, so he is no different from a beast." After he finished speaking, he continued, "Yang Jue has stolen the throne for the past two years, and he is afraid of murdering his father. When things came to light, they actually attacked our brothers. First, they used lynching to flog the eldest brother Yang Dai in prison, and then poisoned the fourth brother Yang Yan, causing him to vomit blood and faint on the day of engagement, all adults must have heard about it.”

This matter surprised Emperor Yong'an even more, he was stunned: "There is such a thing?"

Li Yushan frowned at the side: "This matter still needs to be investigated. Besides, whether Mr. Dai has been lynched, you can call the jailer of Zongzheng Temple to find out. Is this fourth son, how he was poisoned, I am afraid I have to ask But he himself," he said, with a troubled look on his face, "but I heard that the fourth son was taken away from the palace by General Wei a few days ago, and his whereabouts are still unknown. What should we do?"

Yang Cong lowered his head and said, "My fourth younger brother is now in Prince Mu's residence. If the emperor doesn't believe it, just send someone to look at him. I'm afraid he will be tortured by Yang Jue for another two days, and his whereabouts will really be unknown."

The Taiwei Xie Ao, who was standing at the bottom of the jade steps with an indifferent expression, raised his eyelids at this moment, he turned his face slightly, and said to the emperor: "Earlier in the battle with Yanyu, Donghu troops suffered heavy losses, Tuobaxin was already dissatisfied, At this moment, we should only appease him and not provoke him, if something goes wrong with his grandson, I'm afraid it will give him a reason to cause trouble."

After hearing these words, Emperor Yong'an was even more annoyed, and said angrily: "Chuan Mu Wang Yang Jue came to see you!"

Lu Taibao couldn't help but took another step forward: "Your Majesty, we'd better consider this matter..."

"Your Majesty," a voice suddenly sounded, but it was Han Ping who had stood aside for a long time. He lowered his head slightly, "I don't know if I should say something or not."

"At this point, what else is there to hide!" Emperor Yong'an said impatiently.

Han calmed down for a moment, and said: "Last year, I was ordered to go to Yanyu as an envoy. When Yanyu Khan saw me, he asked if His Royal Highness King Mu was well." Tail... didn't even ask about the emperor."

When Emperor Yong'an heard this, his color almost changed.

"Please think about it, Your Majesty. Who benefited the most from King Mu's accident four years ago?" Han Ping looked at the emperor and said slowly, "Naturally it was Yan Yu. At that time, Yan Yu sent troops to occupy the Northwest Protectorate. , the two countries were about to discuss, but King Xianmu was seriously injured and unable to discuss matters. As a result, our dynasty was at a disadvantage in front of the people of Yanyu. Such a shame."

"Master Han said that if the battle a few months ago hadn't raised our country's prestige and made the people of Yanyu retreat in fear, I'm afraid the days of being a minister and paying tribute have not come to an end." Another minister walked out of the crowd and was about to It was Dr. Taichang Liu Shitong. He had a low official position, but he was neither humble nor overbearing. He talked eloquently, "The person who murdered King Mu behind the scenes cannot guarantee that Yan Yu's benefits will be confiscated."

"Speaking of the benefits of Yanyu, I think of something else. General Wei, who defeated the enemy army of Yanyu not long ago, was sent to prison by King Mu just after his triumphant return, and he was about to be beheaded," another green-robed official said. "It's really strange why His Royal Highness King Mu is only doing things for these fast Yanyu people."

As soon as these words came out, even Lu Taibao fell silent, after all, no one dared to engage in such a serious crime as having an affair with Yan Yu.The situation in this hall changed in an instant, and it seemed that the dark tide was raging.

But Li Yushan took another step forward: "Your Majesty, it is not a joke to talk about foreign affairs here. If there is no evidence, you adults can't make a conclusion based on guesswork!"

Emperor Yong'an was already furious, and waved his sleeves and said: "Order Yulin Wei, go to Mu Wang's mansion immediately to search, if you find a letter colluding with Yan Yu, immediately capture Mu Wang. In addition, arrest Shi Heyan, the head of the palace, and be sure to torture him. Buying murder to kill King Xianmu." His face darkened, "This case is of great importance, so it will be handed over to Zongzheng Temple, Dali Temple, and the Ministry of Criminal Justice for joint trial. Retire!"

Outside the gate of Tai'an Palace, a luxurious chariot with twelve drivers was parked. The guards outside the gate of the palace were all bending over the ground, waiting respectfully for the people in the chariot to enter the palace. With a sigh: "Let's go."

The servant driving the carriage immediately responded, and was about to ride away, but someone stumbled and ran out from the palace gate, grabbed the reins, and said anxiously to the inside of the carriage: "His Royal Highness, why don't you enter the palace gate?"

There was silence in the car, no one answered.

Lu Taibao was even more panicked, and said anxiously: "Such a big incident happened in the court today, and now it has become uncontrollable. Only His Royal Highness King Yong can speak in front of the emperor, and King Mu's wealth and life depend entirely on it." Lord Yong!"

King Yong's old voice came from inside the car: "This is the end of the matter, it is useless for me to go," the voice paused, "Lu Taibao, I would like to advise you, don't meddle in this matter, come back quickly." go home."

Lu Taibao was startled, lifted his robe, knelt down in front of the car, and begged: "My lord, you watched and grew up King Mu, and you have always been the most favored by the lord among your nephews. It took all his strength to help him to the position of King Mu. After seeing the first day of next year, he will take over the heavy responsibility of your lord, at this time, your lord can't just stand by and watch!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the bright yellow curtain of the car was lifted suddenly, and King Yong in the car had gray eyebrows drooping down, eyes half-opened and half-closed, no joy or anger could be seen on his face.His turbid eyes swept across Lu Taibao's face, and then he said: "It can be seen that Lu Taibao is not feeling well, and he must be regretting that he has cultivated a waste. But this king does not feel sad, but feels lucky." He paused, and then slowly said, "This king is only glad that the position of Zongzheng has not been handed over to him. If not, everyone in the world will know that the patriarch of the Yang family is actually a patricide!" !"

Lu Taibao had already heard the hatred gradually revealed in his words, he lowered his head in a little panic and said: "This matter... this matter has not yet been settled. It’s easy to manage, maybe there is still room for change.”

"Lu Wenju!" King Yong stared at him, called him by his name, and his face showed anger, "Why are you so confused, today's matter, the Gao family, the Li family, and the Kuang family are completely out of it, have you ever thought about why? ?”

Lu Taibao was stunned, and hurriedly said: "I'm afraid these aristocratic families have heard the words of bullying the king and killing their fathers, and they have developed suspicions against King Mu in their hearts."

King Yong shook his head and sneered: "What I said is not pleasant, even if Yang Jue really killed his father, that's fine. Nowadays, there are very few people available among the nephews and nephews, so I might be willing to protect him in front of the emperor. His voice suddenly sank, "But now, his charges are not limited to patricide."

Of course Lu Taibao knew that this old prince had gone through three dynasties, and he was the most sophisticated, so he could only kneel on the ground patiently and listen to his lessons.

King Yong said slowly: "Today, the few people in the court hall are all low-ranking people. In the past, in the hall, have you ever seen these people speak out rashly and talk eloquently?"

Lu Taibao thought about it carefully, and became suspicious: "Yes, in the past, they were all silent, how could they have such courage. Now that I think about it, they must have been instructed by others."

King Yong looked at him seriously, and lowered his voice: "There is also Han Ping, the commander of Lantai. If I remember correctly, he was Yang Jue's mentor. But it was him who pointed out in front of the palace today, Yan Yu benefited from the death of King Xian Mu. With just one sentence, Yang Jue has no chance of surviving. Everyone knows that colluding with Yan Yu is a taboo. This Han Ping is in the heart of the emperor!" After he finished speaking, he let out a long sigh, "Now you should understand why those aristocratic families stayed out of the matter. Yang Jue was driven to death. They are all smart people, and they are afraid of getting involved. Now others are eager to get rid of the relationship. Lu Taibao, you are not self-sufficient, thinking of turning this matter around. I am afraid that you will be caught by those smart tongues in a short time The little censors refer to the last book, saying that you also colluded with Yan Yu, how should you deal with it then?"

When Lu Taibao heard this, cold sweat dripped down his back, he hurriedly bowed his head: "Thank you King Yong for your reminder, I understand." He stood up slowly, and when he approached King Yong's carriage, he couldn't help lowering his voice and said, " This second child of Prince Mu's Mansion has such abilities, could it be that we were mistaken in the past?"

King Yong lowered his eyelids again, shook his head and said with a smile: "I know Yang Cong. With his temperament, he would never dare to go to the front of the hall and do such things in such a grand manner. There must be a reason."

Lu Taibao asked persistently, "What's the reason?"

King Yong kept silent. He raised his face and looked at the sky. His old face showed a little helplessness. After a while, he said to himself: "I should have expected this when I heard that the child was poisoned. It's never easy."

Lu Taibao didn't really hear this sentence, so he couldn't help but want to go closer and ask again, but he didn't know that the curtain of the car fell, and he was separated from the outside, and then the servant started the chariot and galloped away.Before leaving, Lu Taibao seemed to hear King Yong murmured in the car: "Lao Qi, I never expected that you will have a son who is so like you."