diskusbooks Chapter 966 Sowing discord
Chapter 966 Sowing discord
Cui Ling and Li Chong were the first to arrive, while Minister Fan arrived a little later.
He had a calm expression when he first entered, but when he saw that Zhang Ping'an and Green Bean Eyes looked unfriendly, his heart skipped a beat. He then secretly glanced at Zhou Pu out of the corner of his eye and saw that Zhou Pu also had a gloomy expression. Combining the two, and thinking about the job that Green Bean Eyes had agreed to before, he had a plan in mind.
I can roughly guess what this whole thing is about.
At this moment, Minister Fan's mind raced, trying to figure out how to defend himself. Relying on Zhou Pu's previous favor, he felt he had a 50-60% chance of getting away safely.
However, he also knew that Li Chong and Zhang Ping'an were in cahoots and had a very good personal relationship. He didn't know what they had said to Zhou Pu. The other side had a large number of people and was coming on strong, so he had to deal with them carefully.
As expected, Zhou Pu immediately rebuked in a cold voice: "Minister Fan, how dare you collude with the Fourth Prince to sell such harmful substances as Hibiscus Cream in the capital and even present it to the inner court? What are your intentions?"
Remembering that Minister Fan had personally offered him an even stronger hibiscus incense to inhale, Zhou Pu felt even more deceived and furious. He slammed his fist on the table, and Minister Fan immediately knelt down, crying out, "Your Majesty, I am innocent!"
"You still dare to claim innocence? The evidence is irrefutable. Take a look for yourself. You're about to die and you're still trying to argue in front of me. Do you really think I'm a foolish and tyrannical ruler who can fool you?!" Zhou Pu didn't buy it. After speaking, he ordered the eunuch beside him to bring the things over for Minister Fan to see.
Minister Fan was a seasoned official and knew that he could not admit it under any circumstances. He continued to protest his innocence, but he was carefully examining the contents of the tray out of the corner of his eye.
This discovery secretly startled him. How could His Majesty have found out about something that happened so long ago? It shouldn't be possible!
It turns out that when the late Emperor Zhou Ziming had just passed away, the Jinwu Khanate had already discovered Fan Shangshu's massive embezzlement. They bribed him with a large sum of money and promised him great benefits. Through a combination of kindness and threats, Fan Shangshu reluctantly agreed to help them secretly.
It wasn't that he really wanted to betray his country and collude with the enemy. After all, he had already become the Minister of Revenue, an important position with real power, and he was only one step away from being second only to the emperor. He had no reason to do so.
It was simply the most appropriate choice made during the transition between the old and new regimes. If he hadn't agreed, he might not only have lost his position as Minister of Revenue, but his opponents might have also used this opportunity to punish him and cause him to fall from grace.
At first, he was not without fear, but as time went on, so many things happened in the court that everyone was too busy to take care of themselves. Because he was doing things discreetly, his courage gradually grew, and he thought he could manage to balance all these things on his own.
Anyway, the things he did for the Golden Crow Khanate were all trivial matters that did not involve the safety of the country. Besides, the Fourth Prince was involved, and he was still a member of the Zhou family, yet he was helping outsiders.
Having figured all this out, Minister Fan immediately shifted the blame onto the Fourth Prince: "Your Majesty, my loyalty to you is as clear as day and night. I am truly innocent! I was completely unaware of these matters. I was misled by others. It was only after the common people tried the Hibiscus Cream and praised it as a divine medicine that I dared to present it to Your Majesty. As for the Fourth Prince, I was only considering that I had a niece in my clan who was betrothed to him as a concubine, and that the Fourth Prince was, after all, a prince and a legitimate member of the imperial family. There were some things I dared not disobey. How could I have imagined that the Fourth Prince would secretly ally with the people of the Northern Golden Crow Khanate and commit treason!"
At this point, Minister Fan was already in tears, his performance filled with genuine emotion.
However, no one present was moved.
Li Chong and Cui Ling then understood the whole story and were greatly shocked. They never expected that the fourth prince, having failed to win the throne, would collude with foreign enemies.
This is no longer a simple mistake that can be overlooked.
Zhou Pu wasn't initially this angry, but seeing Minister Fan still trying to bluff his way out at the last minute, his anger surged: "Hmph! As expected of someone who ranked second in the imperial examination, your character is first-rate. Even now, you're still trying to argue. I was originally going to consider the century-old foundation of your Fan family and your unwavering loyalty to the court since the founding of the dynasty, and give you a lenient sentence this time, exiling you three thousand miles away. But you're so stubborn, so don't blame me for being ruthless!"
After saying this, he instructed Cui Ling: "Take the man down! This case must be handled by you, Minister Cui. You may report to the Emperor at any time if there is any progress!"
Cui Ling accepted the order, but hesitated before tentatively asking, "What about the Fourth Prince..."
Zhou Pu replied in a flat voice: "Rose members are subject to the same laws as commoners!"
Upon hearing this, Cui Ling knew where the bottom line was in this case, and once again bowed and accepted the order.
Minister Fan was stunned upon hearing this. He immediately kowtowed and begged for mercy, still crying out that he was innocent. "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please let me explain! This matter is really not what you think. My loyalty to Your Majesty is as clear as the sun and moon. If I have uttered a single falsehood, may I be struck by lightning!"
At this point, there was no acting involved anymore; they were genuinely panicked.
Zhou Pu sat at the head of the table, completely unmoved, his face cold and stern, already showing signs of impatience. He didn't want to listen, as if his previous favor towards Minister Fan had never existed, appearing utterly ruthless.
This was completely different from what Minister Fan had expected. Before he could continue shouting, Zhou Pu had already signaled to the eunuchs on his left and right to gag the man and drag him away.
After dragging the man out of the imperial study, Zhou Pu glanced at the people below before slowly saying, "I will not be lenient with those who betray the court and whose words and deeds do not match. The power of granting and taking away lives rests with me. I hope you all remember this well. You are all my right-hand men, and I truly do not wish for any of you to go astray!"
The man with the beady eyes glanced at Zhang Ping'an without making a sound, and saw Zhang Ping'an secretly shake his head.
Li Chong saw all of this and began to make his own plans.
The group of people bowed together, repeatedly saying they dared not accept such a gift!
After finishing his work, Zhou Pu felt a bit tired. He waved for the others to leave and then went to the inner palace to rest.
After Cui Ling came out, he went to the Dali Temple instead of going with the others.
After Li Chong and the others had walked a distance, they stood beside Zhang Ping'an and Green Bean Eyes and whispered their indignation, "Brother Zhang, Brother Ge, this matter was clearly investigated by the two of you, and you must have put in a lot of effort. How come this guy surnamed Cui got to reap the rewards in the end? He is clearly a military officer, but now he is taking on more and more power. It is really inappropriate!"
Although Zhang Ping'an knew that these words had an element of sowing discord, he had to admit that, objectively speaking, this matter was indeed uncomfortable.