All Hail Cousin Brother

392 The Marquis of Changxing Enters the Capital

After King You’s death, the commoners could vaguely feel a hidden surge, so they couldn’t help but feel terrified.

This kind of fear erupted after Ye Hanyuan knocked on the drum and reported the Marquis of Changxing’s ten crimes. In just a month, anger rose everywhere in the country, and there were small-scale unrests in many areas.

The news was quickly sent to the palace and presented to the emperor.

Only then did the emperor clearly realize the serious consequences of King You’s death for the Great Zhou. He suddenly recalled that there was an ancestor in the previous dynasty who had established the emperor’s grandson and wantonly killed meritorious officials.

The Imperial Grandson persuaded the Primordial Ancestor, “Don’t kill anymore!”

When the Primordial Ancestor heard this, he said, “You’re benevolent by nature. In the future, when you ascend the throne, you’ll definitely become a benevolent emperor. I’m purging those officials who took credit from you in case these people use their positions to bully you in the future.”

The emperor’s grandson was silent for a long time. “Grandfather, once you kill these meritorious and brave generals, I won’t be able to use them. Then, what will happen to me in the future when the vassal lords rebel? You’ve cleaned up the royal court for me, but the court will be filled with their juniors and henchmen. In the future, when I ascend the throne, how can I face them? How can they be loyal to me?”

When the Primordial Ancestor heard this, he regretted it greatly.

Unexpectedly, the imperial grandson was right.

After the death of the Primordial Ancestor, the emperor’s grandson ascended the throne. He originally had the heart to govern the country, but he did not have any loyal court officials. He originally had literary and military strategies, but he was useless. The only person he could trust was a eunuch.

In the end, the vassal lords rebelled in the name of “Emperor Qing’s Rule.”

Youzhou was located in a special place. Not only was it a barrier against the invasion of the Di people, but it was also a barrier to defend against the capital and intimidate the vassal lords.

The Di people were fiercer than a tiger. Who could guard this huge Youzhou for him?

If the vassal lords rebelled one day, who could help him calm the chaos? Who could guard this country for him?

The emperor racked his brains. In the huge royal court, he actually had no one he could use and no one he could trust!

At this moment, the emperor could more and more sense the benefits of King You guarding Youzhou. The anger in his heart grew day by day.

Finally, in mid-June, the Marquis of Changxing, his subordinates, the officials of Youzhou, the local nobles, and more than 120 people were escorted into the capital.

The 3,000 elite soldiers of the Divine Arms Battalion escorted the prison carriages into the capital majestically. The commoners who were congested on both sides of the street were furious. Rocks, rotten eggs, rotten grass, leaves, and so on kept smashing into the prison carriage—

“These animals are worse than dogs. King You’s Hall is the guardian of the Great Zhou Dynasty. You killed King You’s family. You’re simply heartless. Die…”

“Pfft, there are gods everywhere. You people have done all kinds of evil. This is retribution, right…”

“Bastard, go to hell and pay with your life for King You…”

“Go to hell…”

“Go to hell…”

“Die…”

The commoners pushed the soldiers on both sides of the street, screaming and cursing.

Zhou Linghuai sat on the second floor of an inn and quietly watched the long prison carriages drive through the streets.

A man in black appeared silently. “Young Master, everything has been arranged. In a few days, the news of the large-scale rebellion in Shandong will spread to the capital.”

The corners of Zhou Linghuai’s mouth twitched slightly. “The previous dynasty’s strength was weak, and the area around Shandong became the backyard of the Dongyi. Dongyi plundered the area, causing Shandong to become a ‘land of the desolate people’. After the Great Zhou Dynasty was established, Emperor Gaozu led an expedition to the east and encouraged Shandong to explore the wasteland. A large number of refugees who had been displaced by the war rushed to Shandong. As a result, Shandong was mixed with all kinds of people. The various clans lived together. Not only were there bandits and thieves, but there were also many rebel forces hidden. Small riots were frequent, and the previous emperors of the Great Zhou Dynasty were troubled by this.”

The man in black cupped his hands and said nothing.

Zhou Linghuai frowned slightly. For some reason, a sense of ruthlessness rose in his heart. “Let Ye Hanyuan see his true colors. How good would it be to stab the dog emperor to death in the Golden Hall? The ten sins of the Marquis of Changxing will be exposed to the world. Father, you don’t have to bear the name of colluding with the enemy to betray the country as a rebel. The people of the world will be resentful and riots will happen everywhere. At that time, the Youzhou army will rebel and kill the Marquis of Changxing and all the generals under him. All the officials, nobles, and vassal lords of Youzhou can’t help but take action. The Great Zhou Dynasty’s world will come to an end, and I won’t have anything to do with it.”

Sensing his master’s violent emotions, the man in black lowered his head. A living person actually did not seem to have a presence.

This was Young Master’s original plan.

Zhou Linghuai suddenly closed his eyes. He thought of the little girl looking at him with sparkling eyes. There seemed to be a starlight in her eyes, like a galaxy that shone in his heart.

From then on, there was a dazzling galaxy in his heart.

What he looked forward to the most was this pair of bright and clear eyes, not the scene of him using any means to bury the entire world for his own selfish desires.

Instead, he wanted to cut off all the filth for her.

Zhou Linghuai opened his eyes and gently rubbed the cooling beads on his wrist. The delicate wooden feeling made his impetuous and ruthless emotions gradually calm down. “Heh, how troublesome.” He sighed slightly with a helpless expression. “Forget it. I’ll just take it that the previous generation owes her.”

Anyway, he would take revenge and protect her for the rest of her life.

He would let her do as she pleased for the rest of her life!

While Zhou Linghuai was having a headache, the Marquis of Changxing and the others were sent to jail. The emperor ordered the Ministry of Justice, the Court of Justice, and the Imperial Court to conduct a three-division review and a cabinet review.

Everyone in the court panicked again.

The three divisions would interrogate them for at least a month, and at most two to three months.

The Marquis of Changxing’s crime of murdering the royal family was very serious. The officials who participated in the trial were all carrying out their tasks. Naturally, they did not dare to be negligent.

If they didn’t interrogate them, they wouldn’t know what they would do. In the first trial, it was found that they would mistreat the commoners, ask for seal money, forcefully occupy farmland, and so on. All kinds of trivial matters would also be involved.

The crimes were written page after page, implicating one official after another.

It was simply shocking.

The emperor was furious. “Investigate. Investigate hard. Find as much as you can. If you dare to miss out on anything, I’ll cut off your heads.”

The Three Laws Department was so frightened that they peed their pants. They quickly looked for the Cabinet Grand Secretary, Xia Yansheng, and the Marquis of Zhen.

Xia Yansheng sighed slightly. “If the emperor wants it investigated, so be it. Investigate as much as you can.”

The emperor had not been involved in politics for a long time. King You’s death made him feel threatened. He was worried that if he did not kill everyone in the court, how could he show the dignity of the royal family?

Xia Yansheng agreed with a deeper meaning.

When the people from the Three Laws Department heard this, they understood. They would investigate what they could. They had to bypass the Marquis of Ningyuan (Marquis of Weining), who had just been demoted. After all, the emperor’s attitude towards the Marquis of Ningyuan was unclear.

The Marquis of Zhen’s attitude was the same as Xia Yansheng’s. “Do as you should.”