bookrebus Chapter 79 Killing someone with a borrowed knife
Chapter 79 Killing someone with a borrowed knife
Gu Liang, standing among the officials, had a flicker in his eyes.
Although he didn't know what she wanted to do, Gu Yu definitely deserved to die.
He glanced at him, a disdainful smirk playing on his lips. "I never imagined that a mere Vice Minister of War could embezzle soldiers' pay."
"This is truly remarkable."
The court was silent; no one dared to offend the King of Liang.
Gu Yuan stepped forward from the crowd, looked up at the emperor, and slowly said, "Father, should we investigate the Ministry of War again to see if there are any more people embezzling military funds?"
"I have already investigated; there is no need to investigate further."
The emperor took a deep breath, his voice strained, "You still want me to bestow General Lu's daughter upon you in marriage?"
"What a toad wanting to eat swan flesh!"
"You have utterly disappointed me!"
No one in the imperial court dared to plead for him.
In a short while, Marquis Guangde stepped out from the crowd, raised the memorial in his hand, and stared at Gu Yu with wide eyes.
"Your Majesty, I must denounce Prince Xuan for favoring his concubine over his wife, which led to the death of my daughter, Pei Yuan!"
"This is the evidence that I had people verify overnight. I only ask that Your Majesty give my daughter justice."
The court was in an uproar.
"Wasn't Princess Xuan supposed to have died of illness?"
"Yes, it has always been said that he died of illness."
Marquis Guangde, his face contorted with rage, gritted his teeth and said, "There is a concubine in Prince Xuan's residence named Yue'er."
"This concubine is extremely extravagant, using the finest things every day, and even misappropriating my daughter's dowry!"
“My daughter had no intention of advising me, but she was poisoned and killed by my concubine.”
“My daughter was born with a weak constitution, so she had a reason to poison him and claim that he died of illness.”
"Prince Xuan knew the truth, yet he still indulged his concubines!"
"Your Majesty, I beg you to give my daughter justice!"
The commotion in the court returned.
Gu Yu's heart skipped a beat.
How did he find out about this? He kept it so well hidden.
The emperor rose angrily, veins bulging on his forehead, and threw the memorial in his hand at Prince Xuan's face again.
"You traitor!"
"Is what Marquis Guangde saying true?"
Gu Yu was stunned by the blow; his teeth were chattering, and he managed to squeeze out a sentence through trembling teeth.
"Father, Your Majesty, Pei Yuan died of illness, not at the hands of one of my concubines. I am truly innocent!"
"You won't admit it, huh?" the emperor roared. "Guards, arrest all the concubines in Prince Xuan's mansion and throw them in jail. I refuse to believe she won't confess."
Gu Yu kowtowed repeatedly, his mind buzzing, "Father, it's true, Yuan'er's death has nothing to do with Yue'er."
Seeing this, Marquis Zhenyuan stepped forward, lifted his official robe, and knelt down.
“Your Majesty, Nianqiu is indeed not suitable for the Xuan Prince’s residence.”
The emperor, seated on his high throne, glanced at Marquis Zhenyuan, then looked down at Gu Yu kneeling below. "I ask you, did you kill the eldest daughter of the Pei family?"
"Say!"
A furious shout startled all the officials in the court.
Gu Yu trembled, and when he looked up, he met the emperor's cold, knife-like gaze.
He trembled even more violently, his back soaked with cold sweat, and he spoke hesitantly, "Yes."
The emperor grinned coldly, "A mere concubine dares to treat the principal wife like this? If you hadn't indulged her, why would she have done this?"
"Are you trying to disrupt the order of the court?"
He sat back down in his chair, his eyes narrowed as he stared intently at Gu Yu.
“Prince Xuan Gu Yu embezzled military funds, favored his concubines over his wife, and indulged his concubines in causing the death of the former Princess Xuan. He was arrogant, extravagant, and dissolute, and his behavior was immoral.”
"Effective immediately, he is removed from his post as Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, demoted to a commoner, and exiled to Lingnan. Without imperial decree, he shall never return to Yanjing."
"The matter of a betrothal was never mentioned."
As the indifferent voice fell, Gu Yu lay prostrate on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly, as if trying to break his head and salvage the situation.
"Father, Father, I was wrong, I was really wrong."
"Father, Father, I was really wrong. Please have mercy on me."
"Father, have mercy!"
Several soldiers walked in from outside, dragged Gu Yu, who was covered in blood from the ground, and pulled him out of the hall.
The atmosphere inside the imperial court was extremely oppressive.
Gu Yuan stood in the crowd.
He slightly lowered his brow, his distinct knuckles tapping incessantly on the right side of his thigh.
He was close to Gu Yu, so keeping silent was in his best interest; speaking up would only bring trouble upon himself.
However, apart from him and Gu Yu, no one else knew about the embezzlement of military funds.
After Gu Yu was taken away, the emperor's gaze returned to Minister Lin of the Ministry of War.
"The Minister of War, although he has made meritorious contributions in reporting the crime, has been punished for lax governance and will have his salary reduced by half a year."
Minister of War Lin immediately stepped forward and said, "Thank you for your mercy, Your Majesty."
The emperor, looking impatient, said, "Dismiss the court."
He glanced at Gu Liang again and said in a deep voice, "Ji You, Zi Lan, come with me to the Imperial Study."
Gu Liang maintained a calm and composed demeanor.
In the imperial study room.
The emperor sat in his chair and slammed the memorial in his hand onto the table.
Gu Yuan's eyes darkened, and she looked at the emperor with a smile, "Father, please don't be angry."
He looked at Gu Yuan, "Zilan, what do you think should be done about your third brother's situation?"
“Father has already issued the decree, so of course this matter is being handled in accordance with Father’s orders,” Gu Yuan said.
The emperor was silent for a moment, then said, "You think this is all?"
Gu Yuan nodded, "Whatever Father Emperor says, your son will naturally obey Father Emperor's decree."
His gaze fell on Gu Liang, who was sitting lazily in a chair.
"Ji You, don't you have any opinion on Zhi Fu's matter?"
Gu Liang smiled and said, "Since Father has already issued the decree, I naturally cannot argue with it."
"However, I still feel it was a bit too lenient."
"The matter of embezzling military pay is very serious. How many soldiers are starving, and how many have died on the battlefield? I'm afraid Father hasn't counted them all."
"Indeed, Father has never been to the battlefield, so naturally he doesn't know the hardships there." His tone was blatantly hostile.
The emperor squinted as he sized up Gu Liang.
He knew his son's temperament, but he wasn't a person without principles.
"So, in your opinion?"
Gu Liang picked up a piece of candied fruit from the table and took a bite. Why did she always like to eat such sweet and cloying things?
He chewed for a moment, then smiled with his eyes lowered. "Of course, execute him directly to comfort the souls of the fallen warriors and set an example."
"As for the concubines in the mansion, they should be torn apart by five horses."
"It would be best to cut off the hands and feet, gouge out the eyes, and skin the body, then hang the corpse on the city wall as a warning to others."
"Only in this way can we see the true nature of our government."
The breath caught in their throats for a moment.
The emperor seemed to be deep in thought for a moment.
"Very well," the emperor said. "What Ji You said makes sense. Let's do as Ji You suggested."
Gu Liang's lips curled slightly, "I have important matters to attend to at my residence, so I will take my leave."
After saying that, Gu Liang left the Imperial Study without hesitation.