Chapter 415 What a mean Duke (asking for monthly votes at the beginning of the month)
"My lord, I have taken root in the imperial city."
Listening to the call of the coachman, Cao Mao, who was leaning in the carriage and taking a nap, opened his eyelids.
After all, he is getting older, and even though he has always shown a energetic attitude to the outside world, his dwindling energy can never be compared with that of young people.
Going to court in the middle of winter is undoubtedly a hard job for him.
Cao Mao was dressed up today. Not only was he wearing a military attaché robe, he was also wearing a golden belt given by the late emperor around his waist. It was inlaid with eleven jade stones, which showed his extraordinary status.
He moved his body, refused the coachman's help, and got out of the car on his own on the small stool.
The boots were stepping on the shallow snow, and the cold wind penetrated into the body from the bones.
Cao Mao straightened his belt, opened an umbrella, and walked toward the doorway.
Even the Duke of Guo, who is in charge of one side, still looks small compared to the towering doorway and the majestic city gate.
When he arrived outside the Meridian Gate, the court officials were already gathered in twos and threes waiting.
Everyone was holding paper umbrellas to protect him from the snow. When they saw Cao Mao arriving, the discussion stopped and they all looked at him with complicated eyes.
"Cao Guogong."
"Gong Cao Guo is here."
Someone said hello.
Cao Mao nodded and scanned the crowd.
Prime Minister Li Yanfu stood in a sheltered place with his sleeves rolled up and his eyes closed as if he was taking a nap to catch up on his sleep. He looked like he would not get involved in any fight today - Li Dang's intention to live a good year in peace was almost written on his face. .
Privy Councilor Xue Shence had an expressionless face and stood like a javelin. The two were both generals, so they nodded to each other as if they had met each other.
"Mr. Yuan, you're fine." Cao Mao walked towards Yuan Li, who was standing next to a white marble pillar holding an umbrella, and greeted him calmly.
Yuan Li smiled and nodded: "The Duke's complexion is rosy and his body is not as good as before."
Cao Maopi smiled but said:
"I'm not dead yet. At least a few rumors will not disturb my mood. But if Mr. Yuan has any objections to me, I can tell him directly to my face."
Yuan Li's face showed surprise: "Why did Cao Guogong say this?"
Cao Mao's eyelids were furrowed and he wanted to speak, but suddenly a whirlwind came over and Yuan Li turned sideways to make way for him.
Cao Mao glanced at him, turned around and stood side by side with the Qingliu party leader, and then said:
"In the past few days, the censor under the Metropolitan Procuratorate has repeatedly impeached me. You must not be unaware of it."
Yuan Li sighed softly, showing his helplessness:
"Mr. Cao Guo has misunderstood. The Metropolitan Procuratorate is no better than a military camp, and this capital city is not the northern city. How can I, a censor-general, have the Duke say the right thing in the north? Haha, it would be great if the censors under me were as obedient as the Duke's soldiers. ”
"..." Cao Mao's nose is not a nose, and his eyes are not eyes. He always felt that Yuan Qingyi's words were sarcastic.
But there is no evidence!
In particular, the sentence "Beijing City does not exclude Beicheng" brought back some bad memories for him.
"Hmph, officials shouldn't talk nonsense." After a moment of silence, Cao Mao said something negative.
Yuan Li said seriously: "The same thing can be said when Cao Guogong is in the palace later."
The conversation didn't add up, and both of them lost interest in talking.
In the silence, the dull sound of bells came from the patches of snow.
The ministers entered the palace.
……
Cao Mao followed the crowd and walked up the white jade steps from the square to the Golden Palace.
It's still not too warm in the hall, but it's much better than the cold wind blowing outside.
The umbrellas in the hands of the ministers were also placed at the door.
While waiting for the arrival of the empress, Cao Mao was surprised to find that there were many more new faces in the court, and many of the officials he was familiar with in the past had quietly disappeared.
It had only been a year, and although he had heard about the turmoil in the court many times, Cao Mao was still moved by the fact that he could really see things changing and people changing at this moment.
"Your Majesty has arrived!"
A figure wearing a dragon robe stepped onto the dragon chair from behind.
"I will see you, Your Majesty!"
"All the ministers are equal." Xu Zhenguan wore a dragon robe and a crown on his head. The bead curtain hanging in front of his forehead covered most of his face.
The fairy-like beauty has the majesty of the clouds and mountains.
She looked down at the ministers in the palace and said calmly:
"It's snowing suddenly today, and I didn't want to make all the ministers work so hard, but... Recently I heard that there is a lot of public grievances in the capital. The people spread word of mouth that the court was unfair in handling cases, and many imperial censors have been impeached... so , I will tell you the whole story at the meeting today, Mr. Cao Guo, what do you think?”
When Cao Mao was called, he didn't panic at all. He stepped out of the team, cupped his hands and said:
"I have a clear conscience and am just about to clarify this matter."
"Okay," the empress nodded, turned her bright eyes to Yan Guan's side, and said:
"Censor Chen Hong, since you are the first to impeach the Duke, you should make your speech in front of everyone, so that all the Dukes in the palace can listen to it."
"Yes!"
Chen Yushi stepped out of the queue, as if he was well prepared. He took out a thick envelope from his sleeve, held it in both hands without opening it, and recited the contents of the impeachment.
The words were fierce and directed at Cao Mao.
The content starts from common people's rumors, went to Dali Temple to accept the case, visited many censors of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and retrieved the official documents submitted to the capital by rejecting Beicheng in the past. It was analyzed piece by piece, word for word.
He impeached Duke An Guo, Cao Mao, for indulging his heirs, causing trouble and oppressing the military. After the incident, how did Duke An Guo cover up and fabricate the contents to mislead the court.
It was even more surprising to hear the different expressions of the officials in the hall, especially in Chen Hong's memorial, which mentioned many crimes that had not been reported in the outside world.
"That's nonsense!"
Cao Mao suppressed his anger and immediately made a loud statement:
"Your Majesty, most of what Chen Yushi said is false and exaggerated. I have also investigated the recent public discussions. Not to mention that there are many falsehoods and the intention of slandering the old minister is not concealed. It is just that the rumors spread quickly and appeared unexpectedly. , there is something weird about everything.
I believe that this rumor is maliciously promoted by someone, perhaps by someone who rebels against the party in the capital. The purpose is nothing more than to tarnish the reputation of the court and ministers, and alienate the kindness of the monarch and his ministers. I hope that your majesty will discern right from wrong and clear my name! ”
Rebellious?
The ministers grinned slightly when they heard these words, thinking to themselves, Mr. Cao Guo, you have really been away for too long and are out of touch with the current situation in Beijing.
The rebels in the capital have all been treated as grandsons by people named Zhao. Now that a three-year-old child is looking for someone to take the blame, they all know not to blame the rebels.
Chen Yushi was even more excited than him and said loudly:
"Your Majesty! There is nothing unfounded in the world! Nowadays, everyone in the capital, in the streets and in the courts, is talking about Cao Mao's scandal. The public opinion is overwhelming and cannot be ignored!"
Cao Mao's nose was almost crooked with anger, and he thought to himself why the public opinion outside was so "raging", you guys know the psychology better than anyone else.
On the dragon chair, the empress calmly said:
"The rumors are true or false, and there is no basis for what you say. Lu Zhi, Shaoqing of Dali Temple, please tell me about that case."
In the palace, Lu Zhi, who was hiding in the crowd, walked out. With his rank, he could not go to court unless there was a large court meeting.
I felt uncomfortable all over, but I still said loudly:
"Reporting to Your Majesty, I have personally examined the Beidi Blood Knife case in the past two days. After verification from various parties, I confirmed that there was indeed something fishy in the previous conclusion. The person who defiled the wife of the eighteenth wife is suspected to be the son of Cao Guogong..."
"You are spitting blood!" Cao Mao became anxious. He did not know Lu Zhi, so he pointed at him and cursed: "How dare you slander me?"
"Mr. Cao Guo! Let's listen to Lu Shaoqing state the case." Empress Gao Yuan's cold voice came from behind the bead curtain.
Yuan Li also finished his attack at the right time and said quietly:
"Mr. Cao Guo, this is the Jinluan Palace, not the military barracks in Jubeicheng. It is still inappropriate to yell like this, even if Your Majesty is kind and doesn't mind."
Cao Mao choked and had to shut up.
Lu Zhi had a stubborn temper and did not give him any face. He immediately stated the findings of his investigation on the spot, one by one.
As Lang Shiba said in prison, there were many people who knew about this matter, and Cao Mao did not handle it properly back then.
It's just because no one in the entire court is willing to offend Cao Guogong for an inexplicable general.
That's why I turned a blind eye and acquiesced to the official document sent by Beicheng.
Now, under Yuan Li's control, the relevant evidence chain can be easily found. With Lu Zhi's statement, the atmosphere in the palace has become depressed and dull.
Even the court officials are all experienced politicians, but when they heard about the things Cao Mao and his son did, they didn't say it on their faces, but they felt shameless in their hearts.
Cao Mao's face became increasingly ugly, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. He finally realized something was wrong.
According to his original expectation, if the empress wanted to hit him with this matter, she would definitely give him a step. Cao Mao was even ready to admit some relatively minor culpability in the impeachment charges.
In this way, it was equivalent to expressing a gesture of surrender, and the empress could accept it if she punished him once for the crime.
But from the moment she went to court, the empress did not give him any steps. Instead, she seemed to want to convict him.
"Your Majesty!"
Finally, when Lu Zhi finished his statement, Cao Mao took a deep breath and suppressed his excitement.
He forced himself to calm down, looked at the dragon throne with his hands, and said loudly:
"Your Majesty, I don't know how Lu Shaoqing conducted his so-called investigation, and where did the so-called evidence come from.
I only know that Nalang rioted in the military camp in the past year, assassinated his superiors, wounded and killed several of his colleagues, and then faced military arrest, violently resisted the law, and killed many people...
There is irrefutable evidence for all of this! How could there be any comradeship in the eyes of such sinners? Where is the slightest bit of military regulations?
Even if he steps back 10,000 steps, he might have been excusable when he killed someone, but military law is ruthless! This person violated military law and should be beheaded according to law and punished according to the law! How can such dishonest, unjust, and evil men be trusted with their claims of injustice?
Or are Lu Shaoqing and Chen Yushi asking for orders for these criminal generals in the army? Overturn the verdict?
Haha, if this news spreads to the army, how will the soldiers react? If they learn that you sympathize with a madman who kills his comrades indiscriminately, wouldn't it further shake the court's prestige? ”
Cao Mao is alert!
After realizing that the atmosphere was not right, he immediately overturned his original plan of compromise, and did not refute the evidence provided by Lu Zhi - those things were difficult to refute without examination.
Therefore, he wisely chose to turn the gun and state Lang Shiba's charges.
And tied the case to military morale.
However, before Cao Mao could continue to speak, Xue Shence, who had always been silent in the crowd, suddenly stepped out.
The "Military God" of Dayu said calmly: "Your Majesty, I have a report on military affairs. I would like to ask your Majesty to announce that Tang Ping, the military attaché of the Shenji Camp outside the palace, and Tang Zhao, the northwest frontier army commander, can enter the palace."
Cao Mao was stunned.
The empress nodded lightly: "Xuan."
Immediately, a eunuch went out to deliver a message. After a while, a hole opened in the palace door, letting in the pale skylight and scattered snow.
The siblings Tang Zhao and Tang Ping respectfully entered the Jinluan Hall. They looked extremely reserved and bowed to meet the empress.
The young father-in-law took out a thick "book" from his arms and said:
"Your Majesty, in the past few days, folk rumors about Lang Shiba have been spreading wildly among the troops in the Beijing camp. The officers and soldiers in the army expressed deep sympathy for the North Blood Sword's suffering, and were greatly indignant when they learned that he was imprisoned.
Therefore, the generals of the army jointly submitted a letter, imploring the general to submit the "Book of Ten Thousand Arms" to His Majesty, begging Your Majesty to show mercy and retry the case, so as to comfort the tens of thousands of soldiers in the Beijing camp who are unhappy! "While talking, the two siblings each grabbed the thick, folded silk cloth and unfolded it toward both sides.
"Crash-"
Then, a "petition" several feet long, made of white silk cloth, filled with ink names and mixed with red handprints, appeared in front of everyone.
There was a brief silence, and the entire Jinluan Palace was in an uproar.
Li Yanfu, who was completely hands-off, raised his eyelids and glanced at the empress sitting on the dragon throne with a complicated expression. He sighed softly, closed his eyes again, and sighed in his heart: What a good trick.
On the surface, this drama was to provide an excuse for a retrial of the case, but its real purpose was to silence some people who questioned the court's extrajudicial favor for criminal generals.
After all, legal principles are nothing more than human feelings.
Only with a joint petition from the military could the empress' reputation be preserved, or even boosted, be able to carry out this killer move against Cao Guogong.
In other words, this drama is not for the princes in the court to watch, but for the soldiers and civilians of the world.
This move was not only a logical move against Cao Mao, but also an opportunity to capture the loyalty of the soldiers to the empress.
"You... you..." Cao Maoru was struck by lightning. Although he had monopolized power in the north, was used to being domineering, and acted out of line, it did not mean that he was stupid.
At this time, how could he not realize that this was simply a game?
Does the empress want to use herself to exchange for the reputation of a good emperor in the eyes of a soldier?
"Mr. Cao Guo," the empress stood up from the dragon chair and cast her cold gaze on him, which instantly cooled the latter's anger:
"Now there are petitions not only among the people, but also among the army. Although I trust you, in order to set the record straight, the case will be handed over to the three departments for trial immediately. Are you willing?"
Cao Mao was silent for a moment, grinned, and showed a self-deprecating smile:
"My lord, I am willing!"
Xu Zhenguan nodded with satisfaction and looked down at the ministers:
"That being the case, let's end the meeting here today."
The eunuch next to him raised his neck and shouted:
"Retreat!"
……
……
The court meeting ended in a strange atmosphere, and all the officials left one after another. Cao Mao walked at the front without looking back.
He did not waste time arguing with Yuan Li and others, but hurriedly ran towards the imperial city.
After exiting the imperial city gate, he immediately opened the curtain, got into the carriage, and growled under the surprised gaze of the coachman:
"Go home immediately! Immediately! Immediately!"
The carriage drove quickly, facing the heavy snow, leaving two clear ruts outside the majestic imperial city.
Not long after, the master and servant returned to the Duke's mansion. Cao Mao couldn't wait to get out of the car, so he hurried into the house with a sullen face.
"My lord? What are you..." The stewards in the palace couldn't help but be shocked when they saw his expression.
"Call the enemy to come see me!"
Cao Guogong, who had gray hair on his temples and deep wrinkles on his face, said expressionlessly.
Putting these words aside, he threw off his sleeves and went straight to the back hall, driving away the concubines who came to greet him.
Cao Mao entered the room, took off his hat angrily, and threw it on the table. He didn't care about the stains left on the expensive knitted carpet by his snow-covered boots.
"Father, are you looking for me?" Cao Kedi opened the door and asked carefully.
Cao Mao's face was as dark as water, staring at this name, his eyes as deep as wolves:
"Your Majesty is afraid that he is going to be serious. Go out immediately, take my belt, and invite the noble clans in the city to come to your house."
He wants to fight back!
In the capital, he had no troops, but he could still call on the noble clans who were allied with him to take action.
Mediate in the temple.
"What?" Cao Kedi's face changed drastically, showing fear, "What should we do?"
Cao Mao glanced at him dissatisfied:
"Why are you panicking? Humph, if Your Majesty was really determined, he would have sent officers to arrest my father by now. But she didn't do that. Instead, she just used the reason to reverse the case. This shows that the worst has not happened yet. situation.
Your Majesty is not crazy. She does not dare to take the risk of losing Jubei City and kill me, but I cannot let them lead the way. You go immediately and don't talk nonsense. ”
The words just fell.
Suddenly, the father and son in the room only heard noises coming from outside, accompanied by roars of shock and anger:
"What are you going to do?"
"This is the Duke's Mansion!"
The father and son looked at each other and had a bad feeling.
……
at the same time.
Outside the main gate of the Duke's Mansion, a large number of official servants wearing brocade robes and sabers hung from their waists swarmed in on horseback. They did not try to block the entire house, but a large cloud of black clouds attacked the gate of the Duke's Mansion.
The leader was the "little door-breaking expert" Hou Renmeng. This large number of officials almost mobilized the entire Lihuatang.
Behind the team, on a carriage in a spacious street.
Zhao Duan did not get out of the car in a hurry, but quietly watched as his men began to break down the door, and then as expected, they clashed with the guards of the Duke's Mansion.
"How many soldiers and horses can a mere Duke of Guo have? As long as Duke Cao and Cao Kedi don't take action, they won't need so many people at all."
The little secretary Qian Kerou was by the side, her round buttocks only touching half of the seat, and she couldn't help but say something while watching the scene outside.
"What do you know? This is called psychological warfare."
Zhao Duan looked lazy. He had been here for a long time. He had been waiting nearby until Cao Guogong came back from the court, and then he summoned men to break the door:
"If you want to capture him at the minimum cost, this may be the best way. Well, where's the wine? Give me a sip."
The little secretary said "oh", and obediently took out the wine naan, pulled out the cork with a "bo" sound, and handed it to the mouth of the lazy Zhao.
The wine is warm, slides down the throat, and tastes average.
"Yellow wine is better when it is heated. The warm one is much worse, and the cold one is not as good as horse urine." Zhao Duan commented with emotion.
After stuffing the wine naan back to the female secretary, he stretched his arms, stretched his waist, lifted his legs and stepped out of the carriage:
"Let's go, it's time to meet the Duke."
The little secretary followed behind him quickly, shook off his hands and opened a large fur cloak, and put it on Zhao Duan.
The long cloak drags the ground, leaving clear traces on the white snow.
Zhao Duan stepped over the threshold and walked straight in. All the obstacles along the way were cleared. When he stepped into the atrium, he finally saw the two sides confronting each other.
Hou Renmeng and others in Jinyi held steel knives in their hands and lined up in a large arc, like a pack of wolves surrounding them.
The people surrounded, except for a few elite guards, were the butler who was wailing on the ground with his swollen face in his arms.
And Cao Mao, Duke of Anguo, whose face looked like a volcano about to erupt.
Cao Kedi stood one step behind him with no fear on his face.
"Tsk, tsk, why are you doing this? Lao Hou, what did I tell you? You have to be polite when handling cases. You guys, if you don't keep an eye on me for a moment, just mess around with me, what's that like!"
Zhao Duan walked over with an unhappy tone.
"Crash-"
The Jinyi captains who blocked Cao Guogong and others like iron barrels separated like a tide in tacit understanding, making way for them.
Zhao Duan, wearing a fox fur cloak, official hat and official robes, strolled leisurely, followed by the round-faced secretary.
Scanning the whole place, he frowned and waved his hands:
"Put your knives away, how rude is that! Go back and see how I deal with you!"
"Swish, brush, brush—"
All the soldiers sheathed their swords at the same time, their movements uniform, and an indescribable momentum filled the air.
"Father, this person is Zhao Duan." Cao Kedi reminded softly.
Cao Mao was still wearing the esteemed Grand Duke's robe when he went to court, and the golden belt around his waist was shining brightly.
However, at this moment, the commander-in-chief with military power stood in the snow, his body trembling slightly.
Cao Mao stared at Zhao Duan and squeezed out the words: "Are you going to rebel?"
Zhao Duan smiled and looked at the northern tiger calmly:
"Cao Guogong is joking, this is the emperor's feet, and we are the emperor's bodyguards. How can we have anything to do with the rebellion?"
Cao Mao's chest heaved violently, and his eyes stared at him deeply:
"With open fire, you forced your way into the palace of the current lord of the country. Mr. Zhao, do you think that I don't dare to kill you?"
The moment these words fell, without any warning, Cao Mao suddenly stretched out his hand and pulled out the sword he had casually held when he ran out of the house.
"Qiang!"
The sword was unsheathed, and in full view of everyone, the old man raised his hand and threw it out.
At this distance, the sword was almost like a powerful crossbow, and the wind roared towards Zhao Duan's mouth.
Zhao Duan narrowed his eyes, stretched out his right hand like lightning, and suddenly pinched the tip of the sword with his thumb and index finger.
His right hand was covered with a faint glow, and his fingers rubbed against the tip of the sword, making an ear-piercing scream of "squeak".
The kinetic energy contained in this sword was transmitted along his arms, shoulders, spine, lower body... all the way to his feet, creating a circle of snow around the black boots.
Zhao Duan held the tip of the sword with one hand, the smile still on his face.
He slowly held up the sword that was parked in mid-air with both hands horizontally, lowered his head, and ran his fingers over the bright sword blade with admiration, which almost reflected his face, and praised:
"What a sword!"
Zhao Duan raised his head and inserted the long sword into the bluestone floor tiles under his feet. With a pop, the masonry floor was cut open like tofu, and the sword sank an inch into the snow.
The hilt of the sword shook slightly.
He stared at Cao Mao, and the smile on his face slowly faded: "What a mean prince."
……
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(End of chapter)