Qian Baokun’s verbal barrage was formidable, leaving those he named red-faced and humiliated.
The officials he called out were gasping with anger, ready to retort, when an unaligned veteran general slammed the table with a resounding “bang” and stood up.
“Enough!”
General Yin Bao glared at the crowd in the hall, his voice commanding:
“Lord Cao isn’t being alarmist, and Minister Qian speaks the truth.”
“For the past three months, Luoyan Pass has faced frequent raids from Beiling. The northwest is rife with skirmishes. Though they’re small-scale provocations, Beiling has coveted Great Wei for years. Once their new emperor consolidates power, with the ambition of their state preceptor Xiahou Qing, they will surely march south. The court cannot afford chaos at this time.”
“Moreover, if the He family was guilty of treason, and Grand Preceptor Liang insists the southern rumors are fabricated and that Xiao Yan killed southern officials with ulterior motives, why not investigate thoroughly, Your Majesty? Once the truth is clear, no one will dare question it.”
“Or is Your Majesty afraid of something?”
General Yin Bao, a decorated veteran of the battlefield, had been personally ennobled as a Pillar of the State by Emperor Taizu. Now elderly and long retired from warfare, he stayed out of court politics and never meddled in the struggles between Emperor An and his ministers. Yet his past exploits and the iron-clad imperial decree granted by Emperor Taizu gave him an untouchable status.
When he spoke, his aged yet fierce tiger-like eyes carried immense authority, his single sentence outweighing ten thousand from the noble families.
His cold gaze fixed on Emperor An, his question—“Is Your Majesty afraid of something?”—cut like a blade, as if trying to peel back the emperor’s facade to see his true thoughts.
Emperor An was cornered. The hall, previously filled with arguments, fell silent as everyone looked up, awaiting his decision.
Clenching his fists tightly, Emperor An had never felt so humiliated. Leaning on Eunuch Feng’s arm, he spoke after a long pause:
“General Yin jests. Of course, I’m not afraid.”
Suppressing the throbbing pain in his head, he forced out his usual air of authority.
“During the flood relief twenty years ago, the rebel Crown Prince and the He family failed, leading to unrest in the south. The late emperor, fearing instability, ordered Lu Chongyuan to take over. I was not favored by the late emperor then and served only as a deputy, responsible for transporting and distributing relief funds and grain. I never heard of anything regarding Rongjiang, nor do I know the cause of He Wenzhuo’s death.”
“But regardless, since rumors of a massacre have surfaced, they must be investigated.”
“Since Xiao Yan is a He and is implicated in the southern matters, he is to be stripped of his position as head of the Privy Council and imprisoned for further investigation. As for Duke Zeng, hand over the witnesses and evidence to the Ministry of Justice. Let He Cheng and the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review investigate together. Once the truth of the twenty-year-old case is clarified, we will decide his fate.”
General Yin only wanted the emperor to speak. Seeing him yield, he didn’t press further.
The noble families’ officials, though uneasy, knew the priority was to take down Xiao Yan. Once he was stripped of his position and locked in prison, his life or death would no longer be in his hands.
Qian Baokun, alarmed, protested, “Your Majesty, I believe Xiao Yan should not be imprisoned…”
“Then what would you have me do? He deceived the emperor; his crime deserves death. I’m not holding him accountable yet, only waiting for the Jiangnan matters to be clarified before deciding. Minister Qian, are you still dissatisfied?”
“I…”
Qian Baokun wanted to speak, but Emperor An’s cold gaze, brimming with unmasked killing intent, silenced him. Madam Qian gripped his arm tightly, while her other hand restrained Qian Qiyue from speaking. Qian Baokun had no standing to protest further and knew he couldn’t sway the emperor now.
He looked to Cao Dejiang, hoping he would speak up, but Cao, unlike his earlier boldness, seemed to acquiesce to the emperor’s words, remaining silent.
Seeing no further objections, Emperor An said gravely, “The He family and the twenty-year-old flood relief case will be investigated. Yu Yanfeng, take Xiao Yan away.”
Yu Yanfeng, standing before the hall, was already rattled by tonight’s events. When the emperor ordered him to apprehend Xiao Yan, he hesitated.
“Yu Yanfeng?!”
Biting his lip, Yu Yanfeng stepped forward to Xiao Yan’s side, whispering, “Supervisor Xiao, forgive me…”
Xiao Yan had helped him escape trouble tonight, but Yu Yanfeng’s position depended on Emperor An. Defying the emperor’s orders would bring dire consequences. Besides, with Liu Tong’en watching closely and countless palace guards available, even if he didn’t act, the emperor could order someone else to seize Xiao Yan.
At least if he acted, he wouldn’t harm him intentionally.
Xiao Yan saw the apology in Yu Yanfeng’s eyes as he turned away from the emperor. Dodging Yu’s outstretched hand, Xiao Yan chuckled lightly, “Deputy Commander Yu, hold off for now. This Supervisor isn’t going to prison.”
“Xiao Yan, you dare defy an imperial edict?!” Eunuch Feng shouted sharply.
Xiao Yan smiled, “Eunuch Feng, don’t pin every crime on this Supervisor’s head. I’ve served His Majesty for years and know his methods too well. I simply don’t want to end up like Lu Chongyuan, locked in prison only to have word spread soon after that the He family’s son ‘died of guilt.’”
“Xiao Yan!” Emperor An roared in fury.
Xiao Yan ignored him, glancing at the court officials. “The court is full of scheming hearts, many hoping for my death. If I enter that prison today, I’ll likely be a corpse by tomorrow. Just like the He family, loyal to a fault, yet branded with treason and exterminated without a chance to defend themselves.”
“With such a precedent, I dare not gamble my life on His Majesty’s or certain people’s consciences.”
Gone was Xiao Yan’s usual humility and deference before the emperor. Stripped of all pretense, his dark eyes, shrouded in a chilling mist, gleamed with sharp intensity.
Like a sword unsheathed or a bowstring drawn taut, his unveiled edge was too piercing to meet directly.
“Since Your Majesty intends to investigate the events of twenty years ago, let’s do it now. I, too, want to know where the so-called infamy of the He family came from, how my father He Wenzhuo died during the relief efforts, and whether it was the He family’s treason or someone’s intolerance of their existence.”
Xiao Yan’s gaze was icy as he continued:
“If Your Majesty claims to have a clear conscience, then let Duke Zeng bring the witnesses into the palace. Let’s investigate the southern matters right now, in front of all the court officials, to determine whether they’re rumors or the truth!”
Emperor An’s face darkened to an extreme, and Liang Guangyi and the others hadn’t expected Xiao Yan to tear off all pretense at this point.
He was openly forcing the emperor’s hand, but unlike Liang Guangyi earlier.
Liang Guangyi could pressure Emperor An with the emperor’s reputation, court stability, and the Liang family’s non-threatening position. But Xiao Yan? He was using the He family and past events that could shake the throne itself to corner the emperor.
Wasn’t he afraid Emperor An would act directly against him?
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T/N: There is no other ML like Xiao Yan!
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You can read ahead to chapterr 470 (100+ extra chapters) here
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