Font Size:
The Prime Minister walked up to Official Wang with the letters related to him. “Take a good look for yourself. How dare you accuse us of spouting nonsense?”
“Is this your handwriting?” The Prime Minister looked at Official Wang with a cold smile.
Before Official Wang could look at the letters, the ministers nearby had already taken them to read. After reading the contents, their expressions changed, and they looked at Official Wang with anger. “What a two-faced person.”
“I have not done anything to betray Xuan Empire. These are all their slanders. It’s Su Jiu who is slandering me.” These things were all brought by Su Jiu, and he had a grudge against Su Yu, who was his brother. There was no problem with him saying such things.
The minister from Qi Empire spoke up, “After we found the letters, we did not open them. We only opened the box to confirm that the contents were what we were looking for before bringing them back.”
“The first person to see the contents of the letters was only the Emperor of Xuan Empire. You saying that Su Jiu slandered you is simply absurd.”
Qi Ming looked at the speaker and spoke displeasedly, “Is it necessary for you to meddle in other people’s affairs?”
The other person smiled and said, “Your Highness, that’s not the case. Since I went with Su Jiu to retrieve the items, I naturally have to speak the truth, regardless of whether the other party is from Xuan Empire or Qi Empire. If I went, I have to ensure fairness and justice.”
Qi Ming looked at the person but did not continue speaking.
He calmly looked at the abbot. It was quite impressive that he had kept the letters instead of burning them as instructed. It was truly a pleasant surprise.
The abbot had noticed Qi Ming’s gaze, but he pretended not to have seen it. Otherwise, he would only bring trouble upon himself. In any case, he was not going to live much longer. If Qi Ming had any intention of saving him, he could have helped Qi Ming conceal the truth. However, Qi Ming had always been trying to shift the blame, so why should he help cover it up?
At this point, the abbot had nothing to lose.
“There are some things here that King Zhenbei needs to see,” Xuan Feiran said coldly, looking at King Zhenbei.
King frowned and glanced at the abbot. Their correspondence was also among the items.
He looked at Qi Ming with displeasure. What kind of people had he employed? Now, they were all in trouble together.
“I have no idea what Your Majesty is talking about,” King Zhenbei flatly denied.
“It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand now. You will understand later,” Xuan Feiran waved his hand, and Lai Fu handed the letters to King Zhenbei.
King Zhenbei did not reach out to take them. “Your Highness, are you too afraid to even look at them?”
He took the letters from Lai Fu and read them. After reading, his expression turned extremely grim. He found not only the letters but also the account books detailing the financial transactions between the two, with profits amounting to millions.
Looking at King Zhenbei with a meaningful smile, Su Yu spoke with deep implications, “Do you have anything else to say now, King Zhenbei? We have evidence of your correspondence and the account books.”
“I Fear nothing, this is unjust accusation. I do not know this person at all,” King Zhenbei decided firmly not to admit anything.
Once he admitted, not only would he lose his military power, but he might also not be able to save his own life.
Su Yu looked at King Zhenbei in surprise. “I’ve always heard that King Zhenbei is a brave and daring figure on the battlefield, but now it seems otherwise.”
“But do you think that I only have this much evidence if I were to take action?” Su Yu suddenly spoke.
He knew that tonight, whether it was the Vassal Kings or the Empires of Qi and Ling, they would all speak up. To ensure that they had nothing to say, he had specially prepared gifts for these people. Among them, the gift for King Zhenbei was the most significant.
“King Zhenbei, you colluded with bandits to smuggle private salt along the coastal areas, with profits exceeding two million. Don’t say you are innocent. I have obtained the account books. In addition, you have been secretly mining iron ore to arm your own army, while embezzling military funds amounting to seventy thousand taels of silver. You claimed twenty-five taels for armor when it was actually twenty, and twelve taels for warhorses when it was actually ten,” Su Yu threw a bombshell.
Nan Qiao’s eyes lit up, and she looked at Su Yu with excitement. “Brother Yu, is this true?”
Su Yu nodded with a smile. “Yes, it’s all true.”
“Isn’t this person too audacious? How could he dare to do such things?”
“If His Majesty were to truly settle the score, wiping out nine generations wouldn’t be excessive, would it?” Xuan Empire had very strict control over private salt. King Zhenbei’s profiteering from private salt had reached two million taels, which was enough for Xuan Feiran to bring charges against him.
It’s quite interesting.
As he stroked his chin and looked at King Zhenbei, whose expression had completely changed due to Su Yu’s words, Nan Qiao said with a sly smile, “King Zhenbei, since brother Yu dared to speak out, it means that it’s true. There really is such a thing. Do you have anything to say now?”
“Or do you still believe that you are innocent? You have never done such a thing?” Nan Qiao looked at King Zhenbei with a sly smile.
“Shut up. You have no right to speak here.” At this point, King Zhenbei already had enough trouble, and Nan Qiao’s interference only added to it. No wonder King Zhenbei was angry.
However, Nan Qiao was not someone to be trifled with. If someone scolded him, he wouldn’t just keep quiet.
“Brother Yu?” Nan Qiao turned to Su Yu and asked.
“Yes.”
Nan Qiao’s obedient demeanor suddenly changed. She walked up to King Zhenbei and, when no one expected, punched him in the chest.
“Tsk tsk, at least two ribs are broken,” Bai Qi remarked from the side.
“King Zhenbei, let me remind you that Nan Qiao is the young prince of Nanjiang nd the future king of Nanjiang. You are just a vassal King of Xuan Empire. Nan Qiao’s status is equal to yours, or even higher. If you dare to scold him, it’s your own fault if he hits you,” Luo Hou was just short of telling King Zhenbei that even if Nan Qiao hit him, it would be his own fault.
Nan Qiao looked arrogantly at King Zhenbei. “Since I was appointed as the young prince of Nanjiang and the future king of Nanjiang, no one has dared to speak to me like this in my presence. King Zhenbei, you really have some nerve.”
Xuan Feiran watched the scene with amusement. They had always had a good relationship with Nanjiang, and now with the relationship between Su Yu and Nan Qiao, they might develop into allied Empires in the future.
After this incident, he could discuss with Su Yu and ask for his opinion. Nanjiang needed it, they could also share some of the high-yield grain seeds.
King Zhenbei covered his chest with his hand, looking at Nan Qiao, who was standing next to Su Yu like a child who had done something wrong. It was hard to believe that the person who had just attacked him was the same person standing next to Su Yu.