Jiuxi

Chapter 868: Don’t Let Any One Go

"The second thing is that the Crown Prince is still young, and the people in the capital are in a state of panic recently. In order to prevent the isolation of China and the outside world from causing a greater disturbance, I would like to boldly suggest that the two prime ministers, Duke Rong, Yao Xiantai and other important officials stay in the palace during this period of time."

Lu Chen said calmly: "Your Highness, please make the decision."

Queen Ning nodded slightly, then looked at Xue Nanting, Xiao Wangzhi and others, and asked, "What do you think, gentlemen?"

Xiao Wangzhi naturally had no objection.

Xue Nanting was filled with mixed emotions. He really didn't expect that Lu Chen's first suggestion was not to retaliate against those who framed him, but to maintain the safety and dignity of the Tian family as much as possible.

These two proposals were thorough, appropriate and aboveboard. On the one hand, they ensured that Queen Ning and the Crown Prince were fully protected. On the other hand, both Yuan Yuji and Shen Yulai were loyal to the royal family, so Lu Chen did not take this opportunity to interfere in the palace.

In comparison, Li Shizhi not only secretly cultivated assassins like Jin Qiaolan many years in advance, but was also able to command hundreds of guards in public. This was such a heinous and evil ambition that he did not care about the moral principles between the monarch and his subjects at all.

Although when Li Daoyan showed up, those guards who had taken action had been captured by Shen Yulai and the imperial guards who arrived in time, and had already been imprisoned at this moment, this did not mean that the civil and military officials in the palace would forget that absurd and horrible scene.

Seeing Lu Chen being so meticulous and open-minded at this moment, all the civil and military officials in the court felt sympathetic, and no one questioned whether Queen Ning's trust in Lu Chen was inappropriate.

Xue Nanting glanced at Lu Chen, who looked calm, and said with conviction: "Eunuch Guo is loyal to his country, which is admirable."

Lu Chen bowed and said, "Prime Minister Xue, thank you for your compliment."

In fact, his thoughts were slightly different from those of the officials.

Looking at the entire court, the only person he really cares about or is wary of is Li Daoyan. This can be seen from the fact that the old prime minister stripped Empress Dowager Xu of her power with just a few words.

If Li Daoyan took advantage of the situation to impose some restrictions on him, even if Lu Chen would feel uncomfortable, it would be difficult for him to openly oppose it and thus damage his image.

Li Daoyan did nothing, as if he only came to the palace to identify Li Shizhi in order to avoid the annihilation of the Jinlin Li family. However, Lu Chen knew very well that the old man saw things more clearly than any other court officials, and he could no longer force Lu Chen to give in.

Perhaps this is a bit helpless, but it is the most rational decision at the moment.

For Lu Chen, even without mentioning Queen Ning's trust and reliance, he now has 3,000 cavalrymen from the Rui Shi Battalion stationed outside the palace, more than 20,000 elite border troops controlling the east gate of the capital, and Chen Lanyu will not stand on the opposite side. In this way, he can completely control the situation. What is the need for him to forcibly control the palace at this sensitive moment?
He asked Yuan Yuji to take charge of the defense of the harem and let Shen Yu continue to be in charge of the imperial guards. He just didn't want to ruin the good situation. At least he wanted to reassure Queen Ning and the civil and military officials in the court.

In the peaceful atmosphere, Right Prime Minister Xu Zuo said in a clear voice: "What the Duke said is very appropriate, but I think you seem to have missed one person."

Queen Ning immediately became curious.

Lu Chen said calmly: "Prime Minister Xu, please speak clearly."

Xu Zuo smiled very rarely and said, "You missed yourself, Duke. At this critical moment, it is natural for important officials to stay in the palace. How can we miss a stable leader like the Duke?"

Queen Ning came to her senses and smiled softly, "That's right."

Lu Chen was slightly startled, then said calmly: "Your Highness, please allow me to report. I should be loyal and do my best. However, although the real culprit of the regicide has been found, this matter is not done by Li Shi alone. He must have many accomplices. Just now, Lord Shen also said that although there was no unrest in the palace today, the imperial guards and the Beijing camp in the capital were not at all restless. This is enough to show that Li Shi was deliberately scheming and had many connections. I must find out all those who have evil intentions as soon as possible and restore peace and prosperity to Daqi."

His tone was calm, but to some people it was like a bolt from the blue.

Only Li Shizhi, who was controlled by the guards in the corner, had a blank expression on his face, like a dead person.

"The Duke's words have reminded me."

Queen Ning thought for a moment, then asked, "Does the Duke have any requests? Why not tell me?"

Lu Chen was a little surprised. He had never noticed anything extraordinary about this queen before. When he first attended the family dinner in the palace, he only thought that she was quite talented. He never expected that her reactions were so quick now.

Empress Dowager Xu was several decades older than her, and her behavior in the past few days was simply not worth mentioning.

He calmed himself down and said, "I do have two things I would like to ask for your approval."

"But it doesn't matter."

"Su Yunqing, the director of the Textile Bureau, was loyal to the country, but because I was implicated, he was framed by those traitors and was stripped of his post and imprisoned. I beg Your Highness to allow him to return to his post. In this way, the Textile Bureau may be able to help me quell the chaos more quickly."

Queen Ning hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, "I have heard the late emperor praise this Su Tiju before. Now that he has the Duke's guarantee, I think he must be a loyal minister of the Great Qi. Come here."

An eunuch said respectfully, "The servant is here."

Empress Ning said, "You must take this imperial decree with you and go to the Textile Bureau immediately. Instruct Su Yunqing to resume his post and lead all the staff of the Textile Bureau to assist Duke Qin in investigating the case of treason."

"The slaves obey the order."

The eunuch immediately took the order and left.

Lu Chen continued, "Your Highness, regarding the second matter, I cannot trust some officials in the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple for the time being, so I want to use my own way to investigate the case of treason."

Empress Ning's heart moved, and she asked tentatively, "Does the Duke want to use the soldiers of the Sharp Soldier Battalion?"

Lu Chen said respectfully, "Your Highness, I see."

This time Queen Ning did not approve it immediately.

The strength of the 3,000 cavalrymen of the Rui Shi Battalion is obvious, and their loyalty to Lu Chen is even more obvious, otherwise they would not have made the decision to enter the city and approach the palace. Even though they never threatened the safety of the palace from beginning to end, in the minds of these border cavalrymen, there is no need to worry about which is more important, the imperial court or Lu Chen.

Now that Lu Chen wants to use these 3,000 people to replace the functions of the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple, it will inevitably cause panic in the capital.

However, considering Lu Chen's consideration for the overall situation, Queen Ning finally made up her mind and said slowly: "I agree. But the Duke must do his best to restrain his soldiers and must not disturb the people in the city, otherwise I will not be able to show mercy outside the law."

Lu Chen bowed his head and said, "I guarantee that this situation will not happen. If anyone disregards military discipline, I am willing to accept the punishment."

Queen Ning said gently, "I believe that the Duke will not let us down." Li Bingxue supported her father while looking at her husband with interest.

She could feel Lu Chen's peaceful mood at the moment, because Queen Ning did seem to be much stronger than the late emperor. At least she understood the principle of trusting people when employing them, and she could see the current situation clearly.

Lu Chen struck while the iron was hot and said sincerely: "I dare to ask Your Highness to allow me to transfer 100 soldiers from the elite battalion here."

As soon as these words were spoken, the civil and military officials who had been listening quietly suddenly became agitated.

Queen Ning was slightly surprised, but not displeased.

If Lu Chen had made this request at the beginning, she would definitely feel offended, as well as extremely uneasy and alert. But now that she controls the power of the harem through Yuan Yuji, and Shen Yu controls the most elite 10,000 imperial guards, the palace is still very safe, and a hundred border troops entering the palace will not cause any trouble.

More importantly, what does Lu Chen want to do with these one hundred border troops?

It was obviously not for Li Shi alone.

Thinking of what Lu Chen said before, Queen Ning suddenly understood and asked, "Does the Duke know who is Li Shizhi's accomplice?"

Lu Chen replied, "Before entering the palace today, I already had some evidence and confirmed that three people were his accomplices, and there were more than ten people I was not sure about. I don't want to give them a chance to collude, nor do I want to cause another wave because of hesitation. Therefore, in addition to Li Shizhi and those three people who need to be detained, I want to isolate and investigate the other suspects first. If Your Highness thinks this is inappropriate, I can temporarily not touch anyone other than Li Shizhi until I get all the evidence."

In fact, Empress Ning preferred the latter method, but after a brief thought, she said calmly: "Since I have given this matter full authority to the Duke, I should support your reasonable request and allow you to transfer 100 soldiers into the palace."

"Thank you for your trust, Your Highness!"

Lu Chen bowed his hands.

Some important officials moved their lips nervously, but the two prime ministers did not speak. Xiao Wangzhi and Li Tianrun just stood by and watched. Who among them would dare to come out and confess at this time?

About an incense stick of time later, Ye Jitang, the commander of the Rui Shi Camp, led a hundred elite soldiers to the outside of the Duancheng Hall, but did not enter the hall without permission.

Queen Ning looked at the elite soldiers of the border army in the distance, feeling quite emotional, and then asked Lu Chen, "Duke, who are Li Shizhi's accomplices?"

Lu Chen took a few steps forward, glanced over with a cold gaze, and read out each word.

"The Minister of Rites, Hu Jingwen."

"Minister of Revenue Jing Qingshan."

"Minister of Justice Yang Jing."

"Hanlin scholar Chen Chun."

"Bu Mingxuan, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works."

"Qu Kang, the Right Minister of the Ministry of Public Administration."

……

In the extremely solemn hall, Lu Chen read out fifteen names in one breath, all of whom were high-ranking officials of the fourth rank and above.

Every official whose name he called out could not hide their panic, some even turned pale and trembled all over, as if Lu Chen's voice was the moan of an evil ghost demanding his life.

The "plop" sound continued.

More than ten people knelt down in panic. The Minister of Rites Hu Jingwen said in a trembling voice: "Your Highness, I have nothing to do with Li Shizhi. Duke Qin is taking this opportunity to attack dissidents. Please understand clearly, Your Highness!"

The Minister of Justice Yang Jing cried out in grief: "Your Highness, I am innocent, I am innocent!"

The rest could not bear it even more, they banged their heads on the ground and burst into tears.

In the corner, Li Shizhi, with his hands tied behind his back, watched the scene indifferently, with contempt in his eyes.

For some reason, looking at this group of begging court officials, Empress Ning suddenly felt a sense of pleasure. At the same time, she also remembered that when Li Shizhi had repeatedly petitioned Empress Dowager Xu to kill Lu Chen, these fifteen people had never stood idly by. They were always the first group of officials to stand up and agree with Li Shizhi, and their attitudes were extremely firm, without any hesitation.

How could they have done this if they hadn't connected in advance?
Queen Ning did not explain the matter and continued to ask, "Duke, who are the three people you just mentioned?"

Lu Chen looked at the group of people coldly and said in a cold voice: "Hu Jingwen, Jing Qingshan, Yang Jing, the others are highly suspected, but further investigation is needed."

"it is good."

Empress Ning nodded, ignoring the group's pleas, and said calmly: "Including Li Shizhi, the evidence of all the collusion must be conclusive and detailed. I have granted the Duke the power to make arbitrary decisions on the spot. All the evidence must be complete and proper, without any omissions. I will announce the crimes of these traitors to the world, confiscate their property and exterminate their clans, to comfort the spirit of the late emperor in heaven!"

"The minister obeys the order!"

Lu Chen responded loudly, then turned to look at Ye Jitang who was standing solemnly beside the palace gate, and said solemnly: "Detain Li Shizhi, Hu Jingwen, Jing Qingshan, and Yang Jing, and isolate the rest for investigation!"

"The last general takes command!"

Ye Jitong bowed and then led fifteen elite soldiers into the hall.

They bowed respectfully to Queen Ning and Crown Prince Li Daoming, and then dispersed.

Ye Jitang personally took Li Shizhi away from the imperial guards, and the rest of the soldiers each carried a minister and dragged them out of the court under the stern gaze of the civil and military officials.

Lu Chen looked at their departing backs, the murderous intent in his eyes seemed to be real and could no longer be concealed.

(End of this chapter)