Cypress Boat Floating

Chapter 182 Betrayer

Collusion and betrayal, anything associated with these two words throughout history, whether right or wrong, is a matter worthy of attention, let alone a famous general, a general who has been stationed at the border for many years and is highly expected by everyone.

Ye Honghai rebelled and attempted to collude with Nar, which caused an uproar in the court today.

Lu Zhixing looked coldly at the group of civil officials below, who were almost talking nonsense. They urged the emperor to conduct a thorough investigation, to suppress General Ye, to temporarily withhold his military power, and to wait until the matter was clarified.

Besides, let’s talk about it, let’s not talk about whether the military power will be returned or not after the matter is really investigated clearly. I am afraid that during the time when General Ye returned to Beijing, countless people have been thinking about arranging their own people to sit in that position and hold on to the military power that belongs to him.

The emperor sitting on the throne had a calm expression, but the sinisterness beneath the calm was so thick that it seemed to dye the whole world black. In his eyes, the people in the hall were like clowns, fighting for things that did not belong to them all day long.

It was a very serious matter that a general stationed at the border had colluded with the enemy and committed treason. However, the emperor at this moment was still thinking about their friendship in their youth, and was unwilling to believe that Ye Honghai would do such a thing. But after sitting in a high position for too long, he was more suspicious than trusting.

Everyone was arguing so loudly that the emperor's head started buzzing. He wanted to leave, but he couldn't.

The disappointment of being betrayed, the merciless criticism from the people below, and the cold words all made the emperor more and more upset at this moment.

It’s a bitter summer, the emperor thought.

It's summer after all.

bang.

Before the imperial guard could react, the sword was thrown to the ground with a loud noise.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sword, only to notice that the emperor had not yet retracted his hand, and quickly knelt down.

"Why are you stopping? The emperor did not look very good. No one dared to speak and the palace was extremely silent.

"A few princes, come with me, and the rest of you can withdraw from the court." Waving his sleeves, the emperor walked away on his own, without caring at all about the feelings of others in the hall.

Lu Zhixing was the first to react. After the emperor left, he stood up and followed behind the emperor.

Lu Ci Qiu followed him nervously. He knew nothing yet. There had been no news in the past few days. How come there was suddenly news today that General Ye Honghai had committed treason?

"Don't be nervous, it's okay." Perhaps noticing Lu Ci Qiu's nervousness, Lu Zhixing slowed down and patted him on the back gently to comfort him.

"Second brother, General Ye..." His dry lips and throat were so dry that they stuck together, and even speaking seemed a little difficult.

"I believe General Ye, there must be something fishy about this matter." Lu Zhixing's frown never relaxed.

Just yesterday he received a letter from General Ye Honghai saying that something unusual was happening in the desert. Today, news suddenly broke that the general had committed treason. There must be something fishy going on.

Lu Zhixing believed in Ye Honghai's character very much. He suspected that this matter was a conspiracy from the desert. But it didn't matter whether he believed it or not. What was important was that his father must believe it. He couldn't let his father easily strip the general of his military power. Beiguan could not be without Ye Honghai.

"You know nothing. Don't say anything later. Just be prudent and protect yourself, okay?" Seeing that they were almost reaching Chengming Palace, Lu Zhixing couldn't help but give Lu Ci Qiu a few more words.

He used to be under General Ye's command, so he would definitely be questioned by his father, but Lu Ci Qiu knew nothing. At a time like this, he could not casually express his opinions. His father was angry at the moment, and if Lu Ci Qiu was not careful and said something wrong, he would probably displease his father.

"I know." Lu Ci Qiu nodded. He was also very worried.

The brothers followed the prince to Chengming Palace without saying a word.

Inside Chengming Palace, the emperor was sitting with his eyes closed to rest. When the eunuch Su beside him saw them coming in, he quickly put his finger to his mouth, signaling them to be quiet. So they could only retreat obediently and wait outside the screen, waiting for the emperor to rest before calling them.

After about half a minute, the emperor's slightly hoarse voice came from inside: "Are all the people here?"

"Your Majesty, the princes are waiting outside."

"come in."

The people who received the order then walked in according to their age. Lu Ci Qiu was the youngest among them, so he naturally walked at the end. This just met Lu Zhixing's requirements, which was to ask him to hide as much as possible, not to speak, and not to attract attention.

"Greetings, father." After entering the hall, several people stood in unison and saluted the emperor.

"Get up." The emperor waved his hand and looked at his sons. Seeing that one by one they had grown up, got married, and became fathers, he couldn't help feeling a little emotional.

"What do you think about Ye Honghai's matter?" Those wise eyes swept across the crowd.

"Father, I don't think General Ye is the kind of person who would collaborate with the enemy and commit treason. But for the sake of General Ye's innocence, I think this matter should be thoroughly investigated and General Ye's reputation should not be tarnished." Unexpectedly, the prince would speak for General Ye Honghai, but as Lu Ci Qiu listened, he felt something was not right. Didn't this mean that he also agreed with what the civil officials said about transferring General Ye back for investigation?

The emperor looked at Lu Zhixing and said, "Second brother, what do you think? You used to work under Ye Honghai. Do you think he would do such a thing?"

"Father." Lu Zhixing took a step to the right and knelt in the middle with a serious expression. Ye Honghai was his mentor. He could not let this man of steel be accused of treason. "I suspect this is a conspiracy by Da Mo. Da Mo said that he would live in harmony with Da An, but Nar's heart is not pure. He cannot defeat the army of Beiguan and General Ye, so he will naturally try his best to get rid of General Ye."

Lu Zhixing knew that what he said was actually a naked expression of taking sides, and saying it this way might displease his father, but he had this identity, and if he didn't say it, it would only make his father think he was even more hypocritical.

In this case, he might as well be himself and speak out his inner thoughts boldly. Instead of letting his father be suspicious, it is better to use this method to create a possibility for General Ye Honghai.

The prince snorted coldly. He couldn't stand Lu Zhixing. Whenever he caught Lu Zhixing saying something, he would never let it go easily. "It's true that Damo Wolf is ambitious, but if you want to say that Nar just succumbed to General Ye, that's too decisive. Is there no one in my great Da'an who can fight Nar except General Ye Honghai?"

Lu Zhixing glanced at him. Among all the people present, the only one who had fought against Nar was him and the emperor who was in a high position. How strong was Nar? Could it be that the emperor didn't know?

Otherwise, why would the emperor send Ye Honghai to garrison at the North Gate all year round? His purpose is nothing more than to deter Nar.

As expected, the emperor ignored the prince's words and asked Lu Zhixing directly, "Nar is cunning. Since you think it's a conspiracy by the desert, do you have any evidence?"

Lu Zhixing shook his head: "This matter came suddenly, and I didn't know about it beforehand, and I don't have any evidence. If the emperor allows, you can send me to Beiguan in the name of the court to appease them and investigate this matter at the same time."

The emperor was thinking, and no one else dared to speak, but the crown prince, who had a grudge against Lu Zhixing, had to interject: "My second brother has a close relationship with General Ye, so it might not be a good idea for my second brother to go."

"What does the prince think we should do?" Lu Zhixing glanced at him coldly.

"Father, I think that General Ye's treason is extremely serious. Moreover, given General Ye's status, it would be bad for anyone to go to Beiguan to investigate. Why not find an excuse to let General Ye return to Beijing to report, and let him stay in Beijing to recuperate for a while. During this time, General Ye will be under surveillance, which can ensure that he cannot collude with others, and we can investigate the truth more smoothly. If General Ye is really innocent, then naturally let him go back to Beiguan. If General Ye really did such a treasonous thing, he can also be dealt with nearby."

The prince spoke with certainty, and his words showed that he wanted to keep Ye Honghai in the capital.

The military power in Ye Honghai's hands was too eye-catching, and everyone wanted to own that army.