Taiji Hall
When the Crown Prince spoke up now, he was clearly taking the side of the Duke of Yong.
But when Chancellor Li also said that the search should not happen, everyone was confused.
Everyone in court knew that the Duke of Yong and Chancellor Li had been enemies for many years.
Chancellor Li disliked the duke because he was rough and uncultured.
The duke disliked Chancellor Li because he was too bookish.
The two had looked down on each other for decades.
“Chancellor Li, do you have something to say?” the Emperor asked from his throne. He ignored his “foolish” son.
“Your Majesty, I agree with the Crown Prince. It is not appropriate to search the Duke’s residence based only on this man’s words.”
Chancellor Li carefully chose every word.
“Your Majesty, I also believe that Chen Yuanqing’s story is full of holes.”
The one who spoke this time was the Marquis of Changle, Zhao Gao, who was also the Dowager Lady’s nephew.
“Your Majesty, this Chen Yuanqing doesn’t look like a good person. He didn’t even care when his own father fainted. How much can we trust someone like him?”
The speaker was General Xu Liang.
“Your Majesty, I also think it is wrong to search the Duke’s residence.”
“Your Majesty, I…”
Once these important officials stepped forward to defend the Duke of Yong, the others no longer felt afraid to do the same.
The Emperor’s face darkened with anger.
“What if everything Chen Yuanqing said is true?” he demanded.
He slammed his hand onto the table.
“If Lin Zhengbei really has joined forces with Great Jin and plans to overthrow Great Yong…”
“I did not! I deny it!” Lin Zhengbei shouted.
“Hmph. Without real evidence, of course you would deny it.”
The Emperor sneered.
“My empire will not allow anyone to threaten it. Lin Zhengbei, if you want to prove your innocence, then your residence must be searched.”
The entire court fell silent.
At last, everyone understood.
So…
Today, Chen Yuanqing was only a chess piece the Emperor had thrown onto the board.
The real player controlling the game…
was the Emperor himself.
The Emperor feared the Duke of Yong’s great influence in the northern border.
He had deliberately found an excuse to destroy the entire Duke’s household.
What a vicious plan.
He had turned the duke’s own son-in-law into a knife and used him to cut down his father-in-law’s family.
It was not only killing people—it was destroying their hearts.
“General Shi,” the Emperor ordered, “take your men immediately. Search the Duke of Yong’s residence. Arrest everyone connected to this matter.”
Then he added,
“Not even a single mouse is allowed to escape.”
“I obey Your Majesty.”
Just as Shi Yue was about to leave, Lin Zhengbei stopped him.
“General Shi, wait.”
“Lin Zhengbei! Are you trying to rebel?”
Seeing Lin Zhengbei stop the search, the Emperor slammed the table again.
He was clearly furious.
“Your Majesty, it is not that I refuse to let you search my home.”
Lin Zhengbei’s eyes were red with anger.
“I only want to ask one question. If General Shi finds none of the things this beast accused me of hiding, then what will Your Majesty do?”
His words could almost be considered disrespectful to the throne.
There was a saying:
“If the ruler wants his subject dead, the subject must die.”
Yet Lin Zhengbei openly challenged the Emperor in front of the entire court.
It showed just how angry he really was.
However, none of the officials thought he had gone too far.
Anyone whose entire family was about to be destroyed would lose their temper.
Besides, Lin Zhengbei had never been known for being calm.
“Hmph, Lin Zhengbei! You dare speak to me like this? It only proves Chen Yuanqing was right. You have long planned to rebel!”
The Emperor spoke through clenched teeth.
He knew better than anyone whether those “pieces of evidence” existed.
This time, he had already decided to destroy the Duke of Yong’s family.
He did not mind saying even harsher words.
In fact, he hoped to make this hot-headed warrior lose control.
If Lin Zhengbei did something extreme, the Emperor would have an even better excuse to kill him.
But to his surprise…
Lin Zhengbei suddenly calmed down and spoke reasonably.
“I was not disrespecting Your Majesty.”
He sighed.
“I simply cannot accept that Chen Yuanqing keeps biting at me like a mad dog.”
The Emperor clenched his fists.
He could not help feeling that Lin Zhengbei was calling him a mad dog.
But he had no proof.
“I only asked General Shi to wait because I want to ask Your Majesty one thing.”
“If nothing is found in my residence, then what crime will this beast face for making a false accusation?”
The Emperor felt even more annoyed.
He also suspected that when Lin Zhengbei called Chen Yuanqing a “beast,” he was secretly insulting him as well.
“If nothing is found, then Father will naturally punish Chen Yuanqing for making a false accusation.”
The Crown Prince spoke again.
The Emperor shot him a fierce glare.
Even though he was angry, he knew the Crown Prince was right.
He could not throw the entire Duke’s family into prison based only on a few unsupported claims.
Still, the Emperor was not worried.
Lin Zhengbei had never expected him to act so suddenly.
Besides, Lin Xiner had returned to the Duke’s residence yesterday to confirm everything.
Everything should be foolproof.
So what did he have to worry about?
“Your Majesty, if General Shi finds no evidence, then I have one request.”
Lin Zhengbei looked toward the pale-faced Duke of Chen.
The imperial physician had just revived him with acupuncture.
Ignoring the doctor’s advice to return home and rest, he insisted on staying.
In the end, Lin Zhengbei still softened his heart.
He did not involve the Duke of Chen’s family.
“I ask that Chen Yuanqing, this beast, be severely interrogated until he reveals the person behind all this.”
His voice rang through the hall.
Many officials shivered inside.
This man truly feared nothing.
The “person behind all this”…
Wasn’t he clearly referring to the man sitting on the Dragon Throne?
To be fair, although Lin Zhengbei held great power, he spent most of his time guarding the northern border.
He was not a threat to the other officials.
He was capable of protecting the frontier, and most of them did not want anything to happen to him.
Deep down, they all prayed…
They prayed that the false evidence planted in the Duke’s residence had already been discovered and removed.
Otherwise, the Duke’s family would not survive this disaster.
As for the possibility that the evidence had never existed…
No one believed that.
Since the Emperor had planned such a large scheme, the evidence must have been prepared long ago.
Otherwise, he would not have acted so quickly on the very first court session after the New Year.
He feared that if he waited any longer, unexpected problems might arise.
As for the Emperor…
He understood that Lin Zhengbei’s words about the “mastermind” were aimed at him.
But now that they had completely turned against each other, he no longer had the patience to argue.
Victory seemed close.
“If Chen Yuanqing is proven to have made a false accusation, I will naturally punish him.”
“And what about me, Your Majesty?” Lin Zhengbei asked.
“If Chen Yuanqing’s accusation is proven false, will my name also be cleared?”
“Naturally.”
The Emperor looked at the “simple-minded” warrior with contempt.
Clear your name?
Keep dreaming.