Thief Emperor

Chapter 1048 Submission
Another month passed in the blink of an eye, and it was now the twelfth month of the ninth year of Zhangwu.

A full month has passed since the assassination attempt. In that month, the Nine Departments and relevant government offices have thoroughly investigated everyone in the capital who could be connected to the case.

It can't be said that there were no gains at all, but the gains were not many, far from enough to trigger a major case.

The only survivor among the three assassins confessed to having five accomplices. The Ninth Division and the Ministry of Justice arrested three suspected individuals, but before they could be apprehended, these three had already committed suicide by poison.

The other two remain missing.

As for the "insiders" of the assassins in the imperial court, after a month, the Ministry of Justice and the Jingzhao Prefecture had not found anything, but the Nine Departments had captured several important figures.

Among them were officials from Luoyang County and Jingzhao Prefecture, but their ranks were not very high, only the seventh or eighth grade.

For officials of higher rank, there were no leads.

Of course, such a major case can't be resolved in a month or two; it might take a year or two, or even longer, to be concluded. A month...

This is just the beginning.

The Nine Divisions also need time to figure things out little by little and finally find out all the last few people.

At this moment, still in the Ganlu Hall, His Majesty the Emperor was reviewing the interim results submitted by the Nine Departments. After carefully reading through them, he stroked his chin and muttered something.

"Prince Chen?"

"Yes."

Liu Bo lowered his head slightly and said, "This person is one of the close relatives of Wu Zhou. In terms of lineage, he should be the cousin of the Prince of Chenliu. He was enfeoffed in Chenzhou and was very powerful in Chenzhou in his early years."

"I specifically checked the military records. When the Jiangdong army attacked Chenzhou, the governor of Chenzhou, Liu Zhiyuan, surrendered the city and offered the Prince of Chen's residence to Your Majesty."

Liu Bo glanced at Li Yun and continued, "At that time, everyone in the Chen Prince's mansion was executed for their crimes."

"The whereabouts of Prince Chen are unknown."

His Majesty the Emperor rubbed his temples, recalling the story of Chenzhou.

Back in Chenzhou, Emperor Li enjoyed himself for a while because the campaign against the Central Plains went very smoothly.

At that time, Liu Zhiyuan gave him about ten beauties.

At the time, Li Yun didn't take it to heart, nor did he care where he was staying. Now, looking back, it seems that he was indeed staying in the Prince Chen's mansion.

During his time enjoying himself in Chenzhou, Li Yun couldn't even remember whether he had slept with any of the princesses from the Chen Prince's mansion.

However, the Chen Prince's Mansion was not wiped out. Seeing that things were not going well, some of the key people had already left Chenzhou in advance. Otherwise, the one who controlled Chenzhou at that time might not have been the governor Liu Zhiyuan.

"I remembered."

His Majesty the Emperor said with a smile, "It was in Chenzhou that a lot of mischief led to the birth of my Third Son."

Liu Bo lowered his head and said, "Prince Chen has been quiet for several years, and it seems that he has been active in recent years, but he has always been very secretive. Even the Nine Departments did not notice. The two people who were arrested this time have confessed to this Prince Chen, Wu Heng."

"I have already mobilized the people of Henan Province to begin investigating this Prince Chen and the whereabouts of his forces. However, their activities are too secretive, and it will probably take a long time."

Only then can we get a rough idea.

Emperor Li waved his hand and said with a smile, "There's no need to rush this matter. We can take it slowly. To put it bluntly, it's just a group of people who have lost their country and are secretly plotting to do some bad things."

"Now that we know there is such a person, things will be much easier. We can take it one step at a time and do things one step at a time."

Liu Bo lowered his head and replied, "Yes."

Li Yun looked at Liu Bo and asked, "The Crown Prince should already know about this, right?"

"Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone to the Prince of Chenliu's mansion to cause trouble yesterday."

Yesterday, His Highness the Crown Prince personally visited the Prince of Chenliu's residence and met with Prince Wu Yuanyou. He then unleashed a torrent of anger, nearly scaring the Prince half to death. It is said that the entire family knelt before the Crown Prince, kowtowing repeatedly.

The Prince of Chenliu himself was also beaten by the Crown Prince.

Liu Bo nodded and said, "His Majesty instructed that the Nine Departments fully cooperate with the Crown Prince. Once this matter is investigated, Your Highness will know. However, regarding Your Highness's visit to the Prince of Chenliu's residence..."

"I was not involved."

The emperor shook his head slightly and sighed, "He's still being a bit too reckless."

“The Wu family may not necessarily be related to Wu Yuanyou. Treating guests of the court in this way is undignified.”

After thinking for a moment, Liu Bo still spoke up for His Highness the Crown Prince: "Your Highness's original intention was probably to go to the Prince of Chenliu's residence to investigate the clues and see how much the Prince of Chenliu actually knew about this Prince Chen. It's just that the Prince of Chenliu... is too timid, which is why he is so afraid."

The Duke of Ying glanced at Li Yun's expression and then continued, "I heard that after what happened yesterday, the Prince of Chenliu was so frightened that he fell ill and can hardly get out of bed now."

Emperor Li frowned, but didn't say much. He simply said, "If something like this happens again, you should advise him. After all, he is the crown prince."

"Be mindful of your identity."

Liu Bo responded with a "Yes".

His Majesty the Emperor looked up at the time and said, "Alright, that's enough for today. You can continue investigating this matter. Since there is such a Prince Chen, I estimate that there are quite a few people in the court and the public, both openly and secretly, who are willing to help him. Just follow this lead and investigate. If you find any major evidence..."

His Majesty the Emperor said calmly, "Then let's investigate this major case and kill a whole bunch of them."

Liu Bo nodded in agreement and then left Ganlu Hall.

After he left, Emperor Li sat alone for a while, pondered for a moment, and then called in the eunuch Gu Chang, asking, "Has Su Zhan entered the palace yet?"

A month ago, Li Yun ordered the front line to have Su Zhan bring the Khitan Khan's envoy back to Luoyang. Thanks to the rapid transmission of information from the Nine Departments and the fact that Su Zhan led the Khitan envoy on a long journey, they arrived in Luoyang yesterday.

Gu Chang bowed deeply to the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, General Su, along with the Khitan envoy, is already waiting outside the palace."

The emperor grunted in agreement and said, "Let them in."

Gu Chang readily agreed and soon led Su Zhan and Yelü Hong, who were waiting in the side hall, inside.

After the two entered the Ganlu Hall, Su Zhan naturally knelt on the ground with utmost respect and kowtowed in greeting.

The Khitan envoy, Yelü Hong, first looked up at Li Yun's appearance, then knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "Yelü Hong of the Khitan tribe pays respects to the Great Emperor."

Upon hearing the title "Great Emperor," Li Yun was speechless for a moment, then laughed and said, "You have a nice way of speaking."

"Get up."

After he stood up, Li Yun looked him over and asked, "Where did you learn Mandarin?"

Yelü Hong bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty the Emperor."

“I stayed in Youzhou for ten years and got to know many Han Chinese people there. They taught me.”

Upon hearing this, Li Yun narrowed his eyes.

Clearly, during the ten years that the Khitans occupied Youyan, they did not indulge in pleasure or plunder the local people, at least not the Khitan nobles.

I am learning.

This is a very bad situation for Li Yun, as it means that these Khitan tribes are likely still on an upward trajectory and have not been completely crushed by the powerful military force from the new dynasty in recent years.

This situation could very well be a threat to the new dynasty.

Thinking of this, Emperor Li looked up at the Khitan Khan's younger brother and asked, "Where are you from? From beyond the Great Wall or from Youzhou?"

"Return to His Majesty the Great Emperor."

Yelü Hong lowered his head and said, "I came from Youzhou, and it is precisely because of matters in Youzhou that I have come to pay my respects to His Majesty the Emperor."

Li Yun looked at him calmly.

"Speak."

Yelü Hong knelt on the ground once again, bowed deeply to Li Yun, and said, "Your Majesty, the Khitan tribe has tried to make peace with you several times. We are willing to surrender to Your Majesty the Great Emperor."

Li Yun smiled enigmatically: "So you want to surrender and then have me release your Youzhou troops to return to the border, promising never to invade again?"

Yelü Hong knelt down and said, "It used to be like this."

“But my brother recently changed his mind.”

He looked at Li Yun, took a deep breath, and continued, "Twenty thousand Khitans from Youzhou are willing to submit to His Majesty the Emperor and become His Majesty the Emperor's subjects."

"We only beg Your Majesty to spare their lives. From now on, they will live within the pass and belong to Your Majesty."

The emperor looked at him, a half-smile playing on his lips: "So decisive?"

Yelü Hong lowered his head and said, "As long as Your Majesty issues a decree to the world, the Khitans within the pass will surrender immediately without delay."

"His Majesty the Emperor has always kept his promises."

"We trust His Majesty's credibility."

Upon hearing this, Li Yun narrowed his eyes.

"anything else?"

"Furthermore, Your Majesty, please bestow upon my brother the title of Khitan Khan."

At this point, Yelü Hong paused, then continued, "Our Khitan tribe shall henceforth become Your Majesty's vassal."

"In this way, the war in the Northeast can also cease. I have heard that war has also broken out in the Northwest of the Celestial Empire. If both sides cease hostilities and make peace, it will be convenient for Your Majesty..."

He looked up at Li Yun and continued, "Use troops in the Northwest."

Upon hearing this, the emperor looked at him silently, then smiled.

"The Khitan Khan is indeed sharp of hearing and sight."

(End of this chapter)