noffsinger Chapter 129 The scapegoat
Chapter 129 The scapegoat
When He Jinyu showed the token to Zheng Luoqi, Zhang Zhiyan also saw it.
When Zhang Zhiyan saw the token, his face turned ashen. It was indeed the Zhang family's token. If he hadn't come with Lord Zheng this time, or if Lord Zheng hadn't noticed anything amiss, the blame for the assassination of the heir would have truly fallen on the Zhang family.
Assassinating the crown prince is no small crime, and with the emperor so wary of the prime minister's faction, he dared not even imagine what would become of the Zhang family.
"Thank you for your help, sir!" Zhang Zhiyan quickly bowed to Zheng Luoqi in gratitude.
Zheng Luoqi waved her hand to indicate that it was alright and gestured for him to get up.
At this moment, Quan Yuyuan asked, "Why are they trying to frame the Zhang family? Who is it?"
"It looks like it's the Guo family," Zheng Luoqi replied expressionlessly.
Zheng Luoqi looked down at the two tokens in her hand and sneered inwardly. She had both witnesses and physical evidence. Now she was going to see how she escaped.
He turned and whispered to He Jinyu, instructing him to force the two assassins who had been spared to confess and identify the Guo family.
He Jinyu accepted the order and took his leave.
"This is outrageous! How dare they use my life as a bargaining chip to frame others! I'll go back and write a letter to my father right now, asking him to seek justice for me." Quan Yuyuan said, cursing as he walked away.
Zheng Luoqi watched Quan Yuyuan's retreating figure and thought helplessly: His letter probably won't even leave the capital. Hasn't he ever suspected that the Prince of Huainan hasn't written to him since he got into trouble?
That must mean the emperor didn't tell the Prince of Huainan about it and suppressed the news of the prince's accident.
Given Xue Huaiyu's character, he was probably afraid that the Prince of Huainan would find out about this incident. Moreover, he hadn't found the murderer yet, so he couldn't explain it to the Prince of Huainan. Naturally, he would keep it a secret for now and inform the Prince of Huainan once the murderer was found.
..............
The next morning court session
"Your Majesty, I impeach Minister of War Guo Lingyue for deliberately framing my Zhang family for assassinating His Highness the Crown Prince!" Zhang Yuanqing stepped forward and angrily accused him.
Xue Huaiyu watched with amusement, his eyes fixed on Zhang Yuanqing's accusations against Guo Lingyue, a faint smile playing on his lips.
Immediately afterwards, Zhang Yuanqing handed the emperor a memorial, some evidence, and the confessions of the two assassins. Xue Huaiyu picked them up and glanced at them symbolically.
"You're spouting nonsense!" Guo Lingyue glared angrily at Zhang Yuanqing, his eyes flashing with fury.
"Your Majesty, I am innocent! I have never attempted to assassinate His Highness the Crown Prince! Please investigate!" Guo Lingyue hurriedly knelt down, his forehead touching the ground, and pleaded with the emperor in fear.
Seeing that the situation was not good, Grand Commandant Wen quickly stepped forward to help explain: "Your Majesty, there are still many doubts in this matter. We cannot draw a conclusion based solely on Vice Minister Zhang's one-sided account!"
"Grand Commandant, what you're saying isn't right! There are witnesses and physical evidence; how can it be just Zhang Shilang's one-sided story?" Zheng Yuxiang retorted disdainfully to Grand Commandant Wen. Zheng Yuxiang's voice carried a hint of contempt and dissatisfaction, scoffing at Grand Commandant Wen's viewpoint.
"With both witnesses and physical evidence, this is still just one side of the story. I wonder how the Grand Commandant used to judge cases," Zheng Luoqi added.
“Your Majesty, I was present on the day of the assassination attempt. Not only me, but also Zhang Zhiyan, the young master of the Zhang family, was present. If the assassin was indeed sent by the Zhang family, why would they have killed the young master?” Zheng Luoqi continued to add.
Xue Huaiyu's expression was very serious, and his gaze shifted among the group of people, as if he were weighing the pros and cons.
"Ridiculous! My Guo family has no grudge against His Highness the Crown Prince. Why would we assassinate him? It's obvious that someone is framing my Guo family. I beg Your Majesty to investigate!" Guo Lingyue retorted angrily, his forehead pressed to the ground.
“You have no grudge against His Highness the Crown Prince, but your Guo family was very aggressive towards our Zhang family at the Spring Festival banquet. My grandson saved your daughter, and instead of thanking him, you slandered my grandson as a villain and even wanted him to marry your daughter. Absolutely not!” Zhang Yuanqing glared fiercely at Guo Lingyue.
"Because my grandson refuses to marry your daughter, you have harbored such malicious intentions and want to harm my Zhang family. You are truly treacherous!"
"Your Majesty, I beg you to give my Zhang family justice!" After saying this, Zhang Yuanqing also knelt down heavily.
"You...you..." Guo Lingyue pointed at Zhang Yuanqing, about to start cursing, but was interrupted by Xue Huaiyu.
"Alright, men, take Minister of War Guo Lingyue to the prison and await his fate!" Xue Huaiyu ordered expressionlessly.
Assassinating the crown prince was no small matter. The mastermind behind the assassination attempt at the Xiaochun Banquet had not yet been caught. Now, there was a scapegoat to give the Prince of Huainan an explanation.
Furthermore, with the important position of Minister of War providing a convenient reason to replace him, why wouldn't Xue Huaiyu be happy to do so?
The Minister of War is accused of assassination and framing others. Even if he didn't do it, the imperial faction and the prime minister's faction will firmly believe he is guilty.
The Guo family went from being a powerful and wealthy family to a family of disgraced officials overnight. When Guo Yashi received this news, she was stunned and trembled, her eyes empty and lifeless. She couldn't believe it; it was as if her whole world had collapsed.
Guo Yashi's only thought now is to see the woman who gave her the advice in the first place, and she wants to question her about why she did this.
However, when she arrived at the woman's residence, she found the gates tightly shut and two guards standing at the entrance. They told Guo Yashi, "Miss, our mistress said she doesn't see anyone. Please leave!"
Guo Yashi's eyes widened, her face filled with disbelief and anger. She shouted at the two guards, "Do you know who I am? I am the eldest daughter of the Guo family, the daughter of the Minister of War. I have important business with your young lady. Get out of my way!"
The two guards stared at Guo Yashi expressionlessly, unmoved. One of them coldly replied, "Miss, you are no longer the daughter of the Minister of War, and we are merely following orders. Please do not make things difficult for us."
Upon hearing this, Guo Yashi's heart sank completely, and a deep sense of despair welled up within her. She thought of those who used to fawn over her and flatter her, but now they all avoided her like the plague, and even a lowly guard dared to disrespect her.
Guo Yashi turned and left the mansion, but after a few steps she stopped, turned back to look at the tightly closed gate, tears blurring her vision. She suddenly realized that all of this was because she had been too foolish, too easily believing what others said, which had led to this situation.
Guo Yashi deeply regretted making that decision. If she hadn't listened to others' slander, the Guo family might not have ended up like this. Unfortunately, it's too late now...