Be a small county magistrate in ancient times

The two ministers arrived at the palace gate almost simultaneously.

Led by the eunuch, we arrived at a heavily guarded side hall.

"Lord Ma, please go first," Si Yuandao said in a humble manner.

Ma Xuan nodded slightly and went inside first.

The palace was heavily guarded, with palace maids and eunuchs standing on either side of the emperor. Si Yuandao subtly observed the people in the room, feeling something was amiss. Apart from Eunuch Qian, all the palace maids and eunuchs were unfamiliar faces.

The two ministers knelt down and bowed to the emperor, saying, "Your humble servants pay their respects to Your Majesty."

"Enough with the idle talk, bring Liu Dexiang." Only after the emperor finished speaking did he allow the two kneeling men to stand up.

When Liu Dexiang was brought in, he was filled with panic and fear. He knelt on the ground with his forehead pressed against the floor tiles and his body was trembling uncontrollably.

He had suffered a lot along the way, and now he had lost all the air of a prefect.

The emperor spoke, "Let's begin."

Si Yuandao swallowed hard, turned his gaze to Ma Xuan, and his eyes conveyed a very clear meaning: you should speak first.

Ma Xuan asked loudly, "Who is kneeling?"

Liu Dexiang trembled even more violently, making strange sounds, but he couldn't utter a single complete sentence.

"Who is kneeling!" Ma Xuan spoke again, his tone even more stern.

"I...I am a sinful subject...Liu Dexiang." Liu Dexiang stammered as he spoke those few words.

"Who instructed you to gather intelligence on the military?" Ma Xuan asked.

Liu Dexiang shook his head.

Ma Xuan shouted sternly, "Speak!"

Liu Dexiang shook his head and said, "No...no..." He managed to utter two words before suddenly collapsing to the ground and convulsing.

The imperial guards escorting him remained vigilant. Only after he stopped moving did one of them crouch down to check on him. "Your Majesty, this man has fainted," the guard reported, his voice strained with fear. After all, he was the man they had brought, and he had only asked a couple of questions before fainting. They were worried that the emperor would blame them.

The emperor was indeed furious, "Why did you faint!"

Si Yuandao advised, "Your Majesty, please calm down. We should find a doctor to examine you. If we are going to investigate, the person must be awake."

The emperor's gaze fell on Si Yuandao, and finally on the unconscious Liu Dexiang. "Take him away and find a way to wake him up."

"Yes!" Two guards from the side hall carried the man away. The emperor stood up from his chair, and Si Yuandao and Ma Xuan both followed him carefully.

There are many ways to make someone sober. Bringing in a doctor is done with the intention of treating him, but right now this person is a prisoner, and the emperor may not even want him to live, so there is really no need to go to the trouble of treating him.

I thought the person would wake up soon.

So when the guards rushed in, the emperor never expected that the kneeling man would report: "Your Majesty, Liu Dexiang is dead."

The emperor took a deep breath.

Sweat beaded on Si Yuandao's forehead.

Ma Xuan also looked towards Si Yuandao at this moment.

The emperor asked, "How did he die?"

"After my men handed Liu Dexiang over to the executioner, the executioner told us to leave the room. When we opened the door again, Liu Dexiang and the executioner were... dead." The more the guard spoke, the more uncertain he became.

"Oh." The emperor's face was expressionless. "They're all dead."

The emperor sneered, "To kill someone right under my nose means they don't take me seriously at all."

"Escort the two officials out of the palace, seal the palace gates, and conduct a headcount in all palaces and offices. Anyone found deserting their post within the palace is to be arrested!"

Si Yuandao hadn't expected that the people who escorted him from the palace would follow him all the way to his home. It was called an escort, but in reality, it was imprisonment. He was eager to know Ma Xuan's condition. If both sides were the same, then he could still complain. But if he was the only one being guarded, then it was clear that his job as Minister was over.

He was anxious, but he couldn't send anyone out to gather information. (End of Chapter)