Chapter 62: Planting Evidence Before the Royal Court

Listening to His Majesty’s voice getting higher and higher, the ministers were terrified, it was rare to see His Majesty getting so angry, and even rarer to see His Majesty reprimanding Lord Chen so harshly. Chen Pingping was unchanged, opened his mouth and defended himself, “When I returned to the capital, because someone in the court intended to rob the Northern Qi secret spy Siri, this Siri is related to the assassination case of Fan’s son a few days ago, this is a matter of great importance, after I got the report from the court I made a detour and escorted that spy back, so I was delayed for some hours.”

“Well, so, that’s just it.” The emperor gently hmmm, actually will this matter high up, but gently fall.

The ministers were originally shocked, thinking that his majesty seems to even not like Lord Chen, and then found that so sent down, only to understand that the original late return matter, after all, unseemly, his majesty is through this matter will be this account clear off. But the crowd immediately thought of what Chen Pingping said Secretary Li Li matter, the ministers also heard for the first time that someone intends to rob the prisoner, can not help but be shocked, and secretly pay could be really have the big players in the dynasty and collusion with the Northern Qi, trying to confuse the government.

“The matter of the Secretary of the Revenue is put down for the time being, first of all, this case of the Prime Minister’s son will be investigated to find out the truth.” The emperor looked at Chen Pingping coldly.

Chen Pingping owed her body in the wheelchair and glanced at Lin Ruofu before smiling and saying, “These two cases, in fact, …… it is one.”

“How do you mean?” Not only the emperor, even the rest of those few ministers also came to be interested, but Lin Ruofu seemed to think of something, his face became very ugly.

“The Chancellor’s heart is worried about the death of his son, there are some things that I should not have said, but as a minister, I dare not hide them in front of your majesty, so I ask your majesty to forgive me for the sin of speaking out of turn.”

The emperor frowned and said, “Tell me.”

Chen Pingping clenched her withered hand full of veins into a fist, plugged her lips and coughed a few times, seemingly coughing up all the stifled phlegm in her chest, before she said faintly, “The second son of the Chancellor, Lin Gong, was with Wu Bo’an when he was killed.”

“Who is this Wu Bo’an?” The emperor frowned, “Speak more clearly.”

Wu Boan has quite a bit of fame in the officialdom of Kyoto, at this time most of the ministers in the room know, just in the past always thought that this schemer was swinging between the crown prince and the second prince, where did he think that he would actually stay with the prime minister’s son, at this time and then cast a glance at the chancellor’s lordship, but not inevitably more than a few points of worry. After all, we are all civil officials as one, if the mad dog Chen Pingping bites out anything, everyone has no face.

Lin Ruofu at this time is sitting peacefully on top of the round stool, his eyes are red and swollen, but he can’t see any worry.

“I tracked down the assassination of Fan’s son a few days ago, and Si Li Li confessed that the person who contacted the Northern Qi side was precisely Wu Bo’an, and the person who privately released the Western barbarian archers into Kyoto was the city patrol division senator Fang Daren, and the head of the cavalry who intended to rob the prisoners outside Cangzhou City was Fang Daren’s distant cousin Wuzhou senator Fang Huo’s men …… Now it seems that the planner of this incident is Wu Boan, Fang Huo and Fang Daren are both executors, responsible for receiving the assassins of Northern Qi and killing and exterminating them. As for the matter of those archer’s bodies being snatched and cremated first, nothing has been found out yet.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“I have no other intention, I’m just curious as to why Second Prince Lin stayed in the manor at the foot of Mount Mustard with the mastermind of the assassination of Fan’s son a few days ago before his death.”

This statement, the group of ministers outcry, the Ministry of Rites Minister Guo Youzhi was the first to come out to defend the chancellor: “Not to mention that the Si Li Li is not tortured nevertheless, indiscriminately climbed to the bite, even if Wu Bo’an is related to the previous case …… ” he turned to the emperor to plead guilty: “I was in a hurry, your majesty is not to blame, really because that Wu Boan is twenty years ago scholar, in the capital is quite talented, a wide range of friends, Lin two duchess with him in a place is really unusual, how can this thing and randomly vilify the dead? Lord Chancellor’s pain of losing his son has not yet gone, Lord Chen is such nonsense, it is …… unbearable! Unbearable!”

Lin Ruofu stood up at this time, bowed to His Majesty, and said sorrowfully, “My dog’s son was unworthy, acted rashly, and suffered an untimely death, but if I say that he had such an unsubmissive heart, the old minister will never believe it.” He also said: “that Wu Bo’an minister also seen, is indeed a talented person, but also had traveled with him around the Kyoto attractions, if there is a story with Wu Bo’an, it is related to the murder, that is not the minister can not get rid of this suspicion?”

“Not bad.” A minister also shook his head and said: “I have also met with that Wu Bo’an, looking at his face, it seems to be quite positive, if this person is really a wolf hearted person, what has this got to do with Lin Er Gongzi? Lord Chen should be careful what he says.”

Lin Ruofu’s face appeared agitated and said, “If the minister has anything to do with this matter, heaven hates it, heaven hates it!” Seeing Lord Chancellor say such heavy words, several ministers knelt down with him.

Seeing the ministers kneeling, the emperor propped up his jaw on the chair and glanced at Chen Pingping, but his eyes were full of laughter. In an instant, the emperor’s face as frost, please all the ministers to rise, and said: “Chen Pingping has already begged for punishment first, not yet finished, allow him to speak on first.”

It was always like this in the courtroom, Chen Pingping was the only one in the court, and the civil official system always liked to embrace the group. Chen Pingping lightly glanced at Lin Ruofu and said, “Lord Chancellor rest his anger, this official just feels puzzled. The Supervisory Yuan secretly searched Kyoto for a day and a night and failed to find Wu Bo’an, but your son was able to wine and dine with this schemer under the grape arbor, so naturally I want to ask for an explanation.”

“Whether or not Wu Bo’an was the mastermind behind the previous case is still unknown at this time, perhaps at that time he had an appointment with Second Duke Lin to go to Mustard Mountain to enjoy the scenery. Chen Pingping, this matter will be discussed later.” The Emperor suddenly gave a cold opening, stopping Chen Pingping’s statement.

Seeing that His Majesty was on his side, the ministers breathed a sigh of relief, but Lin Ruofu’s heart was struck by the words “discuss it later”, a chill surged up, knowing that His Majesty was warning himself not to make use of the issue.

This is a kind of exchange, a kind of exchange without the use of words, but both sides know in their hearts. Lin Ruofu believed in the judgment of Yuan Hongdao in the mansion that Gong’er’s death should have nothing to do with the Fan family, so he was silent and accepted this fact. After all, if the Supervisory Yuan really followed the matter of Wu Bo’an’s collusion with Northern Qi and pursued it, the matter involves conspiracy, I am afraid that I will not be able to do my job as the prime minister.

“You said earlier that these two cases were originally one, what exactly was that statement.”

Chen Pingping expressionless look at these ministers, the minister fear his eyes cold venom, some uncomfortable cough a few times. He said softly, “After the Ministry of Justice and the courtyard examined the wounds of the deceased and the scene at that time, it was determined that the perpetrator was the Four Gu Swords lineage of Dongyi City, so I assert that the two cases were originally one.”

Hearing the three words Four Gu Swords, even the ministers who were not versed in martial arts were somewhat moved. No wonder when the attack on the Cangshan Manor was recounted earlier, they heard that the murderer was just one, and had silently killed more than ten experts, and all of them with a single fatal blow. Only Lin Ruofu’s face remained unchanged, as if he had already known about this matter.

“Hm?” The emperor frowned, although the names of the four great masters were not yet on the mind of him, the Nine to Five, these transcendent martial arts powerhouses were always a difficult existence for the majesty of the imperial court to endure.

“Because among the assassins killed by Fan’s son’s counterattack the other day, there were two female assassins, according to the courtyard’s archives, these two female assassins should be under the Four Gu Sword Sect of the Dongyi City, I just don’t know if they are that person’s disciples or grandchildren. A month ago there was a report from the courtyard that the Four Gu Swords were not within Dongyi City, and according to the opinion of the minister, that sword idiot should have come to Qing Kingdom.”

The emperor slowly closed his eyes and asked in a cold voice, “Why didn’t he go to kill the Fan family’s children, but found Wu …… Boan?”

“The world knows that Si Shuo Jian is a bit of a sword maniac, the disciples of the door to assassinate others were counterattacked and died, I’m afraid that he will still praise the other side of the means, much less regarded as an enemy, and this person is the most averse to intrigue and trickery, strictly forbidding the disciples of the door to be involved in the family and country of the fight. If it is not Wu Boan promised what benefits, said the two female assassins, these two female assassins will not die. I’m only afraid that in his mind, only that Wu Bo’an is the real enemy.”

As far as Chen Pingping was concerned, she really did not change her color when she lied.

After a long time, this room in the palace resounded with the majestic voice of the Emperor of Qing: “Kyoto Prefect Mei Zhili on the fold to ask for a crime, the penalty of salary demotion to use for a year, the Supervisory Yuan stationed in the city inspector division to correct the investigation, exempt Jiao Ziheng city inspector division, the Ministry of Justice to continue to investigate the supplementary two life vein, to be rolled up after the end of the imperial decree ordering the East Barbarians to hand over the culprits, according to the deal with it.”

After saying this bracket, he went up to Lin Ruofu and comforted him with a few words, then left the room.

After the ministers retreated, a palace maid had already come forward to push Chen Pingping’s wheelchair into the inner palace. The ministers were not surprised by this incident, they had never imagined that they would one day be able to gain such favor from Chen Pingping, that was why they clung to each other in matters big and small, fighting against the power of the Supervisory Yuan, which was also equivalent to fighting against the emperor’s personal power. This was the traditional concept of the civil officials since the founding of Qing, and it seemed to have been ingrained into their heads and could never be shaken off.

The ministers even thought with malice in their hearts that Mad Dog Chen Pingping might have allowed His Majesty to trust her so unreservedly precisely because she was paralyzed and had no heir.

In the quiet deep palace, there was not a single eunuch or palace maid, only the Emperor and Chen Pingping sat opposite each other.

The emperor picked up the teacup, took a sip, seemed to feel that the temperature of the tea was not quite right, and with a frown, he actually shattered the cup in front of Chen Pingping’s wheelchair. “Splat!” The porcelain cup turned into broken jade splashing in all directions, and the tea wetted Chen Pingping’s pant leg, but his legs and feet were so inconvenient that he was actually unable to dodge it. Unlike earlier, the emperor’s voice at this time appeared to be particularly cold ling and oppressive: “Four Gu Swords? This answer is ridiculous, right?”

Chen Pingping just as if he did not see this scene in front of him, full of smiles, very respectfully replied, “I do not dare to hide from the emperor, that wound is poignant, quite bewildering, the Ministry of Justice and the courtyard unanimous view so.”

The emperor curled his lips, smiled and looked at him twice, suddenly a trace of color flashed in his eyes, and asked drily, “Is it the old five in the capital?”

Chen Pingping slowly raised his head and opened his lips before saying after a long time, “Not bad, the five oldest are in Kyoto now.”

The emperor seemed a bit tired, rubbed his brow and said faintly, “Just how many other things are you hiding from me?” Then sighed, “It’s just that, but since you dare to hide it even from me, then you must hide it from the world and not let those people know about the existence of the Old Five.”