roccoschili Chapter 226 Denseness
Chapter 226 Denseness
"I think it's because they've been living too comfortably for the past few years." Zong Yanli stood up and said, "Let Meng Qi and his men make amends for their crimes and settle this matter."
"Don't hurt anyone's life." Zong Yanli walked to the table next to him and said in a calm tone.
"Yes." Long Feiguang immediately lowered his eyes and agreed.
Zong Yanli was also busy. He took up his pen and filed a complaint against the Hezhang County prefect in Beijing. He didn't know how much money the Hezhang County prefect had made from doing this. That was one thing, but the final whereabouts of the weapons and armor he dug out also needed to be investigated.
Zong Yanli is not a person who investigates crimes. In this case, the most she can do is to have people give the person a beating to vent their anger and surround him first to prevent him from escaping.
I originally thought it was just a small matter, but I didn't expect that such a small matter would eventually involve so many big things.
It was half a month later when the memorial was delivered to the capital and Wei Songhe received the imperial edict.
The magistrate of Hezhang County was imprisoned, and many secrets were pried out of his mouth.
"Hello, brother." When Gao Feilin brought Wei Songhe into the tent, Zong Yanli had just changed into clean clothes and was quite surprised to see Wei Songhe.
"The court actually asked you to come here?" Zong Yanli knew that the higher-ups would definitely send someone over, but he didn't expect that the person would be Wei Songhe.
"Since you want to help my brother, I will do my best to do so." What Wei Songhe meant was that he had fought for this matter. On the one hand, Wei Songhe was only one step away from becoming the Shangshu, and on the other hand, he came here for Zong Yanli, and family members were always easier to talk to.
"Let's talk about business first." Zong Yanli nodded and asked someone to invite Long Feiguang, Meng Qi and others over.
Then several people arrived one after another and launched an investigation based on the recent events.
Wei Songhe is able to hold his current position, although it is because of the great prestige that Zong Yan family has accumulated outside, but his personal ability is also impressive.
After Zong Yanli handed over all the specific information about Hezhang County to Wei Songhe, he let Meng Qi and Sang Caijie obey his orders, and let Wei Songhe go ahead and investigate the case boldly.
Wei Songhe thanked him hurriedly. With Zong Yanli's support behind him, he had nothing to fear. He bid farewell to Zong Yanli and headed towards Hezhang County.
In the following few days, Zong Yanli handled military affairs in the army as usual, or went to the parade ground to train troops. When he was in a good mood, he took the soldiers out for training. His every day was tight and fulfilling. As Huo Wenqi, Bai Xiuyun and others returned to the camp one after another after the New Year holiday.
The army was becoming more and more lively, and Zong Yanli began to think about holding a military competition.
On the one hand, he wanted to see if there were any outstanding soldiers after such a long battle; on the other hand, he wanted to motivate the soldiers. Although there was no war for the time being, they could not slack off.
"Sir, are you in good spirits today?" Zong Yanli took some time to meet Gongsun Pu. He saw Gongsun Pu basking in the sun outside the camp, wrapped in a fur coat with a cup of hot tea at hand and a chess board on the table. He was playing chess with himself in a leisurely manner.
"Why is the general here?" Gongsun Pu wanted to get up.
"No need to be polite." Zong Yanli raised his hand and pressed it down, then walked over to sit opposite Gongsun Pu. He lowered his head to watch the chess game, and after watching it for two moves, he made a decisive move and said with a smile, "I have nothing to do today, so I wanted to come and see you, sir."
Gongsun Pu smiled when he heard this, raised his hand and poured a cup of tea for Zong Yanli, and then the two of them played chess in a casual manner.
Gongsun Pu asked about the recent events in Hezhang County. Zong Yanli had no intention of hiding anything and answered everything. He also mentioned the 'bone collector' and sighed that people's hearts are fickle. With the frequent occurrence of wars, many people have no reverence for the dead.
"The general is good at leading troops but does not know how to govern a country." Gongsun Pu looked at Zong Yanli, and it was unclear whether the look in his eyes showed regret or relief.
"Governing a country is so difficult. I don't think I have the ability to be a king." Zong Yanli laughed dumbly. All she saw was the war situation. She knew military formations and tactics with ease. Even if she had some understanding of the situation in the world, if you were really on the throne, you would truly understand the hardships involved.
"I should eat the emperor's food, be loyal to the emperor, and share the emperor's worries. This is what I should do." Zong Yanli raised his lips and smiled, and the look in his eyes never wavered at all.
Even though Zong Yanli has now reached such a high position, holding military power and having thousands of brave generals and soldiers under her command, she has always remained true to her original intention and has not had the slightest desire for gain.
When Daqian was founded, the emperor was still young. Perhaps in the eyes of many people this was a godsend opportunity. She could seize power and control the government as regent, and take control of the world.
"I have the intention to support you, and I hope that you will grow up to be a wise ruler who can rule the world."
"There is also the determination of the deposed emperor to say 'the fake emperor is causing chaos in the country, and the emperor is guarding the country'."
Gongsun Pu savored Zong Yanli's words carefully and couldn't help but open his eyes wide, moved.
He knew that he did not have much time left. Born in the royal court, he was already precocious and knew well the darkness that came with imperial power. Now, seeing the Zongyan clan growing stronger, and knowing well the principle that being too successful would frighten the ruler, he could not help but want to give them some advice.
However, she didn't expect that Zong Yanli saw it so clearly and deeply. What she meant was that if she served a wise monarch, she would naturally want to be a loyal commander. If the monarch was incompetent and brought chaos to the country, she would wield her sword to pacify the world.
Be loyal to your king, and be more loyal to yourself.
She knew exactly what she wanted, and no one had ever been able to influence her. Although she reached the highest position, she never betrayed her original intention.
Gongsun Pu looked at her profile for a long time without saying a word, the look in his eyes was one of admiration, respect, and even reverence.
"Sir, you win this game." After one move was made, Zong Yanli looked at Gongsun Pu and said with a smile.
"Finally I won a game." Gongsun Pu smiled and looked at the chessboard on the table and said, "My recent hard work has paid off."
"Hahaha!" Zong Yanli stood up and said with a smile: "It's windy outside, sir, please go into the tent and have a rest."
Gongsun Pu stood up, raised his hand and bowed, saying, "Farewell, General."
Zong Yanli nodded and turned to leave. As soon as Zong Yanli left, Xiao Tianhe came over with the medicine soup. Gongsun Pu could already smell the medicine from a long distance away. Feeling helpless at the moment, he quickly turned around and followed Zong Yanli's departing back, with a look on his face that said he should have kept the general for a little longer.
Xiao Tianhe seemed to have seen through Gongsun Pu's thoughts, and he sneered and said, "You can hide from the monk but not the temple. If you drink one less bowl today, you will have to drink two more bowls tomorrow!"
Gongsun Pu: “…”
He has a really miserable life.
Wei Songhe was investigating the case in a hurry. He thought it would be a case that would be concluded quickly, but he did not expect that the more he investigated, the more things became clear, and the people involved were implicated one after another.
It was only five days, and Wei Songhe, who came to investigate the case, was assassinated!
"What!?" Zong Yanli had been preparing for the military competition these days, and was shocked to hear that Wei Songhe had been assassinated. He put the matter aside and hurried to Hezhang County.
"Who is so bold! How dare you touch this general's brother-in-law!" Zong Yanli was so furious when he saw Wei Songhe lying on the sickbed injured after being assassinated.
Although she did not have deep feelings for her brother-in-law, since he was her sister's husband, he was a member of the Zong Yan family!
How can we allow outsiders to bully us?
"Check it for me." Zong Yanli got angry for once. Looking at Wei Songhe lying half-dead on the bed with a frown on his face, he could almost imagine how sad his sister would be if she saw her husband in this state. As his brother, he felt even more guilty.
"Who is the assassin?" Zong Yanli first asked about Wei Songhe's injuries, and then summoned Sang Caijie for questioning.
"He seems to be a death warrior, and his actions are ruthless. If we hadn't noticed it, Lord Wei would have been..." Sang Caijie was also frightened. Who could have thought that someone would dare to touch such a scoundrel? If Wei Songhe hadn't never slacked off in his martial arts training, white flags would have been hung in the hall today.
"Did you catch anyone alive?" Zong Yanli lowered his eyes and asked in a cold voice.
Sang Caijie shook his head and said, "We have sent people to check the bodies. General Meng and his men have been chasing the escaped assassins and have not returned yet."
Zong Yanli frowned, and then asked Sang Caijie to watch the coroner examine the body and report back if there were any clues. At the same time, he called the doctor to inquire about Wei Songhe's injuries.
When Wei Songhe woke up, it was already the next day. Monk and the others had finally returned. They thought that their pursuit was in vain, but unexpectedly, they actually found a clue. Monk and the others returned in the heavy rain and were shivering from the sudden cold rain.
Although he was injured, his eyes were full of excitement.
"General! We chased the assassins all the way to Xinyao and found their traces in a hidden courtyard." Meng Qi rushed forward, holding a token in both hands and handed it to Zong Yanli, saying: "I found a secret room in the courtyard, and everything in the secret room has been destroyed and moved."
"Although we were a step late, there is always room for error." Monkie grinned and said, "Wen Qi found this thing in a pile of rubble, but it was already broken into pieces and he didn't have time to pick it up."
Zong Yanli reached out to take it, and indeed he could see cracks on it. It looked like it was about to be smashed, but he hadn't had time to do so yet.
This token...
She touched the material of the token, carefully looked at the worn-out words, and her expression changed several times as she said, "This is a secret order from the royal family's secret guards. When the prince comes of age, the late emperor will allow a secret guard to protect him."
"It's really interesting." Zong Yanli weighed the token in his hand, sneered and said, "Since the death of the previous emperor, this item is probably only in the hands of one person."
"General, are you talking about... King Ping!?" Monk and the others were shocked when they heard Zong Yanli's words, and said with wide eyes.
"But King Ping is not..." Everyone found it unbelievable. In everyone's eyes, King Ping's existence was so transparent and pitiful. He had nothing. Even his title was just the word "Ping". Whether it was when the previous emperor was alive or after the new emperor ascended the throne, King Ping never had any intention of showing up.
Even Zong Yanli felt surprised. In his previous life, King Ping was like this in his current life, doing nothing and making no achievements. She would never associate any suspicion with King Ping.
But at this moment, looking at the secret order in her hand, Zong Yanli actually laughed. Could it be that she could be wrong?
Meng Qi and Sang Caijie looked at each other, then turned to Zong Yanli and asked, "Should we continue investigating?"
After Zong Yanli put away the token, he waved his hand and said, "No hurry."
Zong Yanli asked a few people to stay put and went to see Wei Songhe who had just woken up. Wei Songhe, who had been stabbed several times, was lying on the bed with a pale face. When he saw Zong Yanli enter, he struggled to get up.
"No need to be polite, just lie down." Zong Yanli held him down, glanced at his appearance of surviving a small loss, and said, "Luckily you are awake. Although you have avoided vital parts, the wound is very deep. You will have to stay here for many days."
"I just got the news that the people who attacked you were from King Ping's men." Zong Yanli didn't even give Wei Songhe time to catch his breath, he immediately dropped a bombshell.
"This was actually the work of King Ping?" Wei Songhe's eyes widened with surprise.
He made many guesses but he didn't think it was King Ping. He even considered whether it was done by the deposed crown prince and King Xuan's old subordinates. This shows how deeply King Ping's disguise was deeply rooted in people's hearts.
Zong Yanli handed the token to Wei Songhe for him to look at, and told him about what Monk and others had discovered.
Wei Songhe had personally handled the cases of the deposed Crown Prince and King Xuan, so he was very familiar with this token.
Gao Jiayue was not a person who would leave trouble behind. She naturally knew long ago that the late emperor had left secret guards for the crown prince and King Xuan, and had secretly dealt with those assassins long before the new emperor ascended the throne. Wei Songhe must have known about this, and now that he saw this thing again, how could he not be familiar with it?
"What does King Ping mean by this?" Wei Songhe couldn't help but clench his hands, and he frowned in pain from his injury.
"I want to know too." Zong Yanli narrowed his eyes, unsure of King Ping's position for a moment.
For Gao Jiayue and her, there was no conflict at all with King Ping, but...
Zong Yanli was a person who protected her shortcomings. She reached out and tapped the table lightly and said, "You don't need to worry about this matter anymore. Since he dared to kill you like this, I must give you an explanation."
Zong Yanli stood up and said with a bit of coldness in his eyes, "If they have any ulterior motives, I don't mind sending them back to their brothers' reunion."
Wei Songhe opened his mouth and then closed it silently. It was the first time he felt that he was cherished and protected. He couldn't help but feel extremely moved. It was as if he had finally become part of this family. It really was worth his hard work in practicing martial arts!
That's all because of the big knife "Zong Yanli" hanging over your head!
Who would have known that he originally practiced martial arts diligently just to be able to withstand more beatings when he and his brother-in-law "spar" in the future...
Now, not only has he been saved from death, but he has also been treated so kindly by his brother-in-law. How wonderful!!!
Zong Yanli had no idea what Wei Songhe was thinking. After settling him down, he turned around and took his men back to the camp, preparing to arrange military affairs and temporarily hand them over to Long Feiguang.
The spring rain was pouring down, and new buds could be seen on the branches. Zong Yanli originally thought that she would need to wait two more days, but she did not expect that King Ping would come so soon.
It was dripping outside the window. Zong Yanli was reading a book by lamplight in the inn. Suddenly, he heard the sound of hurried horse hooves on the street. A group of people stopped in front of the inn in the rain.