Water Margin begins as a captain in Yanggu County

Chapter 370 This is the Emperor's destiny, it really isn't mine!
"Who is kneeling there?"

Wang Fu, who was kneeling prostrate on the ground, naturally did not answer. It was Liu Zhengyan who answered: "Your Majesty, it is indeed Wang Fu, the Right Vice Minister of the Imperial Court!"

Su Wu's horse slowly approached, and he reined it in slightly: "Oh? It's Minister Wang? How can you do this? Quickly, help Minister Wang to his feet!"

Liu Zhengyan nodded, turned around, and scolded, "My king is kind-hearted and told you to get up. Why don't you get up now?"

Wang Fu hurriedly got up, his eyes unconsciously scanning left and right. He saw countless eyes around him, and he really couldn't lift his head.

But then the Prince of Yan on horseback spoke up: "Is this Prime Minister Wang? There must be some mistake."

"Your Majesty, there's no mistake!" Liu Zhengyan was absolutely certain. He turned around and saw that Wang Fu had his head down, so he scolded him again: "Raise your head and let my king take a look!"

Wang Fu looked up again, his expression unreadable, only his eyes revealing a complex sense of panic.

Why can't we see any expression? Because both cheeks are red, purple, and swollen; there's no way to make any expression out of them.

As Su Wu once said, "This must not be Prime Minister Wang, right? There must be a mistake!"

Liu Zhengyan looked at Wang Fu with embarrassment. He had used too much force. Wang Fu had been swollen earlier, but perhaps it hadn't fully manifested yet. Now that it had, the swelling looked like a pig's head.

Embarrassed, Liu Zhengyan could only say again, "Your Majesty, this fellow is indeed Wang Fu, without a doubt. It's just that I... well, in a fit of anger, I struck him a few times, and his face is unrecognizable..."

Su Wu immediately straightened his face and said, "You are becoming more and more outrageous. How can you beat a high-ranking official in the court? And you even hit his face! How can Prime Minister Wang face people in the future? This is outrageous!"

Liu Zhengyan nodded, "Yes, yes, yes, I was a bit too heavy-handed!"

"You can't do that again next time!" Su Wu said sternly.

"I will remember this!" Liu Zhengyan bowed and left.

"Alright, let's go. Find a horse for Minister Wang and take it to the government office as well!" Su Wu's horse started moving again, and he went forward.

Naturally, soldiers on both sides greeted him, and Su Wu had to exchange greetings with them.

There was also someone who spoke most to the crowd: "No matter what happened today, it has nothing to do with the soldiers. The soldiers are just following orders, and it's not easy for them. Each of them will be rewarded with three strings of cash!"

Someone shouted, "The King is mighty!"

Then people started shouting everywhere.

Looking at the soldiers on both sides of the street, they too began to shout.

Then there was Mei Zhan, who stepped forward from the roadside and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, this humble general is Mei Zhan. Does Your Majesty still remember this humble general?"

Su Wu looked up and his face lit up with delight: "So it was General Mei! I was wondering who was being so kind to me, but it turned out to be General Mei. Very good, very good! Let's get on our horses and head to the government office together!"

Mei Zhan was overjoyed: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"I should be thanking you. I also trouble General Mei to inform all the military officers in charge of the troops in the city and have them come to the government office!"

Su Wu said with a smile.

Mei Zhan simply bowed and replied, "Yes, yes, yes..."

With that, Mei Zhan leaped away, found a horse to ride, sent someone to inform the other generals, and then rode off to follow Su Wu.
Su Wu also asked, "Where are Minister Zhang and Chief Steward Wang?"

Mei Zhan replied, "Alas... they've all been imprisoned by that Minister Wang, who keeps accusing them of being his cronies and followers, truly framing loyal officials!"

Where was Prime Minister Wang? Prime Minister Wang was actually on horseback not far to the side, his head down, silent, and no one knew what he was thinking.

Mei Zhanzi really didn't care about anything, and his words were very straightforward.

Su Wu sighed: "Let's go, let's go to the government office first. I will personally go to the government office prison to ask you two to come out!"

"Your Majesty has always been so righteous!" Mei Zhan said, having nothing better to say.

"They suffer because of me, so I should suffer as well!" Su Wu said.

"Your Majesty's righteousness is beyond compare!" Mei Zhan kept praising him.

Su Wu smiled, looked at Mei Zhan, and asked, "General Mei, are you still in Yingzhou?"

Mei Zhan smiled sheepishly: "In the several campaigns to the north and south, I have only followed behind Your Majesty, picking up some rewards and earning some money from Your Majesty's gifts. I have never really made any great contributions. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."

"In the past, I have been too controlling of everything, which has prevented our allies from making any progress. But let's not talk about that now. General Mei has made a great contribution today, a contribution of loyalty and righteousness to the country. As a result, the Tianwu Army seems to be missing a commander. Once we enter the capital, General Mei can go to the Tianwu Army to serve as its commander!"

The Tianwu and Pengri armies were theoretically the most elite of the imperial guards in the capital region, almost equivalent to the emperor's personal guards, and were arguably the two most elite units in the entire Song Dynasty imperial guard system.

Of course, nowadays it exists in name only, but the status and official rank are still there.

"Thank you for your kind invitation, Your Majesty!" Mei Zhan was overjoyed. He had suddenly become a high-ranking official in Tokyo. How could he not be happy?
They continued on this route towards the government office.

Inside the government prison, Zhang Xiaochun and Wang Bing were imprisoned side by side.

Zhang Xiaochun was still sighing: "I wonder where the world is headed? It is said that in the end, evil will not be able to cover up good, justice will reside in the hearts of the people, and loyalty and righteousness will prevail over wickedness. I only hope that the virtuous and righteous people of the world can resolve this matter properly..."

He said this because he was very worried. He was now imprisoned and would inevitably be framed by treacherous officials in the future, and Xu Zhen would have to bear some kind of crime of treason.

He wasn't afraid of those things; what he was most worried about was that no loyal and righteous person would come forward to set things right.

But then Wang Bing said, "My lord, I'm afraid this matter has spiraled out of control!"

“Nonsense, I would never dare to think that way. What do you mean by ‘out of control’? There will be a resolution, there will definitely be a resolution!” Zhang Xiaochun’s words were slightly agitated.

Wang Bing shook his head: "My lord, there is a difference between civil and military officials. If it comes to arguing, how can a military man win against a scholar-official? If he cannot win the argument, the military man will be dissatisfied. In the past, those who were wronged and suffered injustice were weak and helpless. But now, with all the arrogant soldiers and fierce generals gathered together, how can things not get out of control..."

Compared to Zhang Xiaochun, Wang Bing was the one who truly understood the essence of things.

"Your words are biased. If you say that, wouldn't you be saying that all the scholars in the world are of one mind? Absolutely not. I am not of one mind with those treacherous officials. I aspire to be a sage and a virtuous person!"

Zhang Xiaochun disagreed with Wang Bing's statement.

“Alas… how many people like you are there in the world?” Wang Bing was actually discouraged.

"The world is vast, and loyalty and righteousness are as numerous as hairs on a cow!" Zhang Xiaochun did not consider himself alone.

"In that case, sir, name a few? If you can name three or five with names and surnames, then this matter may still be resolved."

Wang Bing's discouragement was actually quite complex.

"What you're saying... how can the world be like this... that..." Zhang Xiaochun was speechless for a moment. The person with a name and surname was actually referring to the imperial court. But if he had to name someone in the imperial court who truly matched what Zhang Xiaochun was talking about, he couldn't say for a moment. So he cursed, "Treachery and wickedness are in power! Treachery and wickedness are in power!"

After finishing his rant, Zhang Xiaochun suddenly remembered something and said, "Oh, Censor-in-Chief Qin Hui, right, right, he used to be the head of the Imperial Academy. The students he taught at the Imperial Academy were all quite good, and he was an upright person. Now that he is the head of the censors, he must be quite right!"

Wang Bing immediately replied, "The head of the censors has the final say on all matters of the world. Since ancient times, censors have been like Bao Zheng, serving as a mirror for the emperor. If the head of the censors were truly willing to remonstrate to the death, how could we have the situation we have today? How could we allow treacherous officials to hold power in the court? Furthermore, can you truly tell me what earth-shattering things this person has done?"

Zhang Xiaochun also fell silent. For a moment, his mind was in turmoil, but he couldn't think of a single name. However, he did think of another person: Li Gang, the former censor. It seemed that this person was now in Yanyun...

Besides, everyone knows that this person is on very good terms with the Prince of Yan, so he doesn't have much influence in this matter.

"My lord...this world is strange indeed!" The soldier Wang Bing complained in frustration, lamenting that as a mere military lady, his words carried little weight. If he were a civil official, Wang Bing felt he would surely be the first person in the court to remonstrate with the emperor to the death!
"Sigh..." Zhang Xiaochun also sighed.

Just then, they heard a jumble of footsteps ahead, and the clanking of chains from door to door.

It seems like many people are heading to prison.

Zhang Xiaochun got up to look and saw the jailer and guards walking quickly ahead, followed by a group of armored soldiers!

Zhang Xiaochun sighed and said, "I'm afraid I'm going to die..."

He also understood the ins and outs of prison life, both overt and covert...

Wang Bing raised his head: "Never mind, never mind..."

Wang Bing didn't say much, but he knew that there was no point in being afraid of death. Soldiers who went into battle had died countless times, but he never expected to die so humiliatingly and miserably...

"Heaven and earth bear witness, heaven and earth bear witness!" Zhang Xiaochun sighed to the heavens, his words echoing. He accepted death, but his heart was filled with resentment.

Just as the two were about to face their deaths, they heard a voice calling out from ahead: "Where are Minister Zhang and General Wang?"

Hey!
Such a familiar voice.

The jailer replied, "Your Majesty, it's the innermost cell at the front!"

"Hurry up, hurry up!" the king urged.

Zhang Xiaochun and Wang Bing exchanged a glance. Wang Bing was overjoyed: "The Prince of Yan has entered the city!" Zhang Xiaochun was also initially pleased, but his joy vanished in an instant, and he frowned deeply: "What should we do now!"

"Huh?" Wang Bing didn't understand.

"Oh no!" Zhang Xiaochun slapped his thigh and said, "I shouldn't have acted so impulsively. I should have found another place to return to Yanyun... Alas... I'm afraid the soldiers have misled the Prince of Yan!"

Just then, the jailer and the soldier arrived, and the Prince of Yan also stepped out from the crowd and stood right in front of them: "Quickly, quickly, open the prison door and release the two of you!"

The jailer was busy at work, but he was also a little nervous. His hand was trembling as he held the key, and it took him several tries to get it into the lock.

Wang Bing had already bowed deeply and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty!"

Before Wang Bing could come out, Su Wu went into the prison cell, helped Wang Bing up, and said, "I am deeply grateful for your kindness!"

Wang Bing, however, shed tears: "You have treated me with great kindness, and I have no way to repay you. I cannot help Your Majesty in any way, and I certainly cannot collude with treacherous officials and national traitors!"

Soldiers speak in a truly different way.

Su Wu uttered a single sentence: "General, please!"

The king bowed deeply and said, "I dare not trouble Your Majesty; please go first, Your Majesty!"

Su Wu didn't dwell on it. He nodded, left the prison first, and then went to another cell to ask for help!
Zhang Xiaochun didn't need Su Wu to invite him; he stepped forward himself. He was actually anxious. He bowed and said, "Prince Yan, this time we will surely be captured. Do you have a plan to avert disaster?"

Su Wu helped him up and said, "Minister Zhang, there's no need to worry. Wang Fu has been captured. Once he's taken to Dongjing, the truth will come out, and the world will have a better understanding of the situation!"

"Sigh..." Zhang Xiaochun was still worried and asked, "What did that fellow say?"

“He said…” Su Wu was about to answer, but suddenly stopped and said, “He’s in the government office. Why don’t you come with me, Master Zhang, to ask him?”

"Alright, alright, go quickly!" Zhang Xiaochun was only thinking about how to salvage the situation and whether he could quell the storm.

"Please!" Su Wu said, inviting him to enter.

Zhang Xiaochun bowed first, showing no politeness whatsoever. He was extremely anxious and started walking quickly, eager to hear what Wang Fu had to say as soon as possible, because Wang Fu's opinion was the key to this matter.

Unable to wait any longer, the group quickly set off.

The main hall of the government office was packed with people, including not only Su Wu's men but also many officials from Datong...

Wang Fu stood in the middle, under the scrutiny of many eyes. He stood with his head down, lost in thought...

Su Wu sat in the center at the front. Before he could speak, Zhang Xiaochun, anxious, walked a few steps to Wang Fu and asked, "Prime Minister Wang, things have come to this point, why must we do this?"

Wang Fu looked up, glanced at Su Wu, then lowered his head and replied, "This is the Emperor's order. It is the Emperor who has planned this. I am merely following orders!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xiaochun became extremely anxious and immediately rebuked, "Nonsense! Nonsense! It was you who misled the Emperor, it was you who stirred up trouble, it was you who framed loyal officials!"

Wang Fu looked up again and glanced around. The fierce-looking soldiers seemed to want to devour him alive on the spot.

Wang Fu said with a bitter face, "Minister Zhang, it really is the Emperor, the Emperor! I, Wang Fu... alas... I, Wang Fu, am merely a person who has been promoted eight ranks above others, a mere official who rose to power in one step. How could I possibly have such power? In the court, I don't even have anyone who truly serves me. How could I possibly act in this way? If you say I have misled the Emperor, I am but a lone tree unable to support him. How could I possibly persuade the officials in the court and the Emperor? It was not my intention, but the Emperor's intention..."

"The Emperor... the Emperor!" Zhang Xiaochun was truly stunned. He couldn't believe it, and emotionally, he couldn't believe it.

Since ancient times, if the emperor has committed a crime, it has been because his subjects have been negligent.

Why would any subject try to smear the emperor?

Enraged, Zhang Xiaochun could only curse: "You ungrateful wretch, you disloyal and unjust scoundrel, you...you are so audacious! The Emperor...it must be you, it must be you who plotted behind this, framing loyal officials!"

"It really wasn't me, it really wasn't me!" Wang Fu waved his hands repeatedly, his eyes darting left and right, afraid that if he said the wrong thing, he would be implicated, and then these soldiers would not let it go.

How could Su Wu possibly let this go?

I fear I will perish here today!
Besides, Wang Fu didn't think he had lied about anything; he was the emperor, after all!
Zhang Xiaochun was so angry that he paced back and forth several times before stopping and saying, "Wang Fu, do you know how serious the consequences will be if your words get out?"

In Zhang Xiaochun's view at this time, upholding the emperor's face and dignity was simply the duty of a subject.
Even if he were truly the emperor, Wang Fu should take full responsibility for this matter in order to resolve it.

If you refuse to take responsibility and insist on claiming to be the emperor...

What does that mean?
Zhang Xiaochun looked around and saw a field full of soldiers. Wouldn't that terrify everyone?
If they're so frightened, won't they really be driven to desperation? Then things could really spiral out of control...

In other words, if it were Wang Fu, many soldiers would still have a way to survive, and the Prince of Yan would also have hope.

If it were the emperor, the soldiers would surely feel that there was no way out, no room for maneuver...

The emperor must be deceived so that he can change his mind later. Wouldn't that make everyone happy?
Unexpectedly, Wang Fu still looked wronged and said, "Lord Zhang, just ask me, if it weren't for the Emperor, how could I have accomplished this with so many people in the court, such as Minister Cheng, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Privy Councilor Liu, and Censor-in-Chief Qin Hui? I am not like Cai Jing of the past, with disciples and former officials all over the country. I only have this official position because of the Emperor's efforts!"

Wang Fu tried his best to argue, but at this moment, preserving his life was the most important thing!

Zhang Xiaochun stared intently into Wang Fu's eyes, unable to comprehend Wang Fu's thought process. How could he say such a thing at this moment?

If you won't admit it yourself, why not push it onto someone else?

Even if... you say that there was something wrong with my past memorial to the throne that caused a misunderstanding?
Even if... you say you don't know?
Zhang Xiaochun looked around and saw that there were at least a hundred soldiers and officers present, a truly impressive sight...

There were also many officials from Datong, and many others who had followed him from Taiyuan...

Everyone's face was solemn, and many of the soldiers even had sharp eyes...

They also looked at Su Wu, who had a stern face and didn't say a word.

Zhang Xiaochun glanced at Wang Bing, who also looked at him, shook his head, and sighed softly…

Suddenly, Zhang Xiaochun took a few steps and walked up to Wang Bing.

Wang Bing thought Zhang Xiaochun had come to talk to him, and was caught off guard...

Suddenly, Zhang Xiaochun pulled out the waist knife that the jailer had just returned to Wang Bing from beside him.

Zhang Xiaochun then turned around and shouted, "Wang Fu, you shameless scoundrel! You've framed all the loyal and virtuous people, and you still try to deny it all. I'll kill you today!"

Wang Bing was stunned. Zhang Xiangong, Zhang Xiaochun, a genuine Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination), a truly learned and insightful person, could actually draw his sword and kill someone.
Wang Bing was unaware that these people could stand with him on the walls of Taiyuan, holding out for eight months under the fierce siege and attack of the Jurchen elite army!
No sooner said than done, my husband Zhang Xiaochun actually dared to draw his sword and kill someone himself!
only……

In this situation, how could Zhang Xiaochun possibly kill Wang Fu on the spot?

Just then, Zhang Xiaochun's knife struck with a clang, and Liu Zhengyan, who was nearby, with an even faster knife, deflected Zhang Xiaochun's deadly blade in one blow.

Zhang Xiaochun asked, "Why is this? Why are you stopping me from killing the traitor?"

Zhang Xiaochun truly intended to kill Wang Fu, hoping to end the matter here and pin everything on Wang Fu.

In this way, the emperor is given a way out.

In this way, everyone can have some room to maneuver.

Liu Zhengyan only replied, "Lord Zhang, we soldiers still demand justice for the world. This fellow cannot die here; he should die in Tokyo!"

Zhang Xiaochun quickly turned to look at Su Wu.

Su Wu remained silent, but Wu Yong spoke up: "Indeed, Minister Zhang is a man of great wisdom. He can discern the truth from falsehood in Wang Fu's words today. We have no other desires but to go to Dongjing and seek the Emperor's judgment. These people will also be judged by the Emperor!"

Zhang Xiaochun was extremely anxious. How could he not understand? This journey might lead to a better outcome, but it was also highly likely that it would not...

It's out of control!
But Zhang Xiaochun was unable to resolve the matter at hand at this moment, and he was naturally very anxious.

They also looked to Wang Bing, hoping he could say something, after all, Wang Bing and Su Wu had a life-or-death friendship.

But Wang Bing looked at him again, shaking his head and sighing...

"Let's go together! I'll go with you all!" Zhang Xiaochun said hastily, still trying to find a way...

We still need to think of a solution!
Wu Yong went to see Su Wu!

Su Wu nodded slightly: "Very well, let Minister Zhang go with us. Any officials or military officers here who wish to go are welcome to come along!"

We're not afraid of having many people go; the more people who experience it firsthand and see it with their own eyes, the better!

"Alright, alright, let's go together!" Zhang Xiaochun nodded repeatedly. As long as they went together, they could persuade both sides, and there would always be a way...

Su Wu had already stood up: "Tomorrow, we'll set off early tomorrow morning. Instruct... Yan Yun and Jingdong to prepare and transport grain!"

The soldiers, all bowing and clasping their hands in greeting, replied, "Understood!"

(Hey guys, muah!)
(End of this chapter)