novelhk Chapter 250 This matter is settled.
Chapter 250 This matter is settled.
Li Qingqing estimated the distance; it would take at least two minutes for her to run from her current location to the corner of the courtyard wall.
Once you reach the corner of the wall, you can't immediately climb over it. You need to first check if there are any people behind the wall before you can take the opportunity to enter.
Therefore, if she didn't want to alert the enemy, she had to wait for the right opportunity.
Inside the brightly lit room, Zhang Haoyi had no idea that Li Qingqing would come to threaten him tonight.
While waiting for Imperial Censor Ruan, he discussed his plans with Vice Envoy Yao.
He felt that only by destroying all evidence that was detrimental to him could he leave Li Feng and Li Qing with no evidence to prove their innocence and completely bring them down.
Only then can they, despite their thousand grievances, have no choice but to suffer in silence and give up the struggle.
Thus, the two men were officially convicted of "false accusation," their charges were legitimate, and everyone was convinced of their innocence. He remained the upright, incorruptible, and discerning official he always was.
Therefore, it was absolutely necessary to send Imperial Censor Ruan to retrieve the old logbooks.
But Vice Envoy Yao thought he was slow and overly cautious in handling cases, and scoffed at him for being "nagging and having the narrow-minded views of a civil servant!"
This is simply unreasonable!
What does Vice Envoy Yao, this reckless and impulsive man with no strategy, know?
The process of handling a case is crucial; only when the process is legal can the conclusion be irrefutable!
Zhang Haoyi immediately looked at Vice Envoy Yao with a serious expression and reprimanded him:
"Lord Yao, what we need is an ironclad case that can withstand scrutiny. If the Emperor takes pity on their achievements after they return to the capital and orders the case to be reopened, how will we deal with that?"
"Furthermore, Prime Minister Qin repeatedly instructed us not to leave any hidden dangers. Look at that Lord Wei, if the matter from back then hadn't been left unresolved, he wouldn't be in this predicament today!"
We must heed the lessons of the past and be wary of what has happened before!
Vice Envoy Yao couldn't stand Zhang Haoyi's lecturing manner.
He wasn't one of Qin Xiang's men.
He is the deputy commander of the Tianwu Camp, personally under the emperor's command, and also a confidant of the crown prince. His future is limitless!
How dare a mere fourth-rank civil official come and lecture him?
Vice Envoy Yao remained unmoved, his face cold and stern, sitting upright in his chair, and gave a cold snort.
"Since you're worried about the Emperor's mercy, then arrest him immediately and kill him on the spot! Even if the case is overturned, can a dead person come back to life?"
You could easily report that the two of them were executed for attempting to defect!
Before Zhang Haoyi could respond, Vice Envoy Yao said coldly:
"They captured so many prisoners, yet they neither killed them nor spared them, providing them with good food and drink every day. They must be preparing for a rebellion!"
We can then fabricate a prisoner riot, using the excuse that we have no choice but to kill the two of them!
As for those prisoners, kill them all after the deed is done! So, what do you think an overturned verdict will uncover?
Upon hearing this, Zhang Haoyi immediately objected.
“Lord Yao, if they were ordinary soldiers, we would kill them without a second thought. But now that His Majesty is aware of their military achievements, we have no right to make a decision on our own. We must escort the two of them to the capital!”
Zhang Haoyi didn't show it on his face, but he was furious inside.
He secretly grumbled to himself.
If the two men were escorted back to the capital and handed over to their mentor for trial, it would not only clear their names of indiscriminate killing of meritorious officials, but also protect their mentor's wealth.
Furthermore, he would leave the credit for defeating his opponent to his mentor, and he would surely gain his mentor's special attention in the future, leading to a successful official career!
The benefits of this move are far beyond what this reckless man could have imagined.
We absolutely cannot let Vice Envoy Yao ruin our plans!
Thinking of this, Zhang Haoyi immediately said seriously, "I warn you, you must not act rashly!"
Besides, those were 20,000 prisoners, not 200!
Killing so many prisoners is truly an affront to Heaven and Earth! It will solidify our image as cruel and unjust, and history will forever condemn us with infamy!
Vice Envoy Yao snorted lightly, his face showing disdain.
"So what if it's 20,000? I ordered someone to put poison in their food. Who could detect it? People don't live more than a hundred years. What do the rights and wrongs recorded in history have to do with me?"
Besides, it's just killing a few enemy prisoners! How can it be compared to the Crown Prince's grand undertaking!
To tell you the truth, I'm carrying the Crown Prince's orders this time. We must seize this opportunity to kill Li Feng and eliminate Prince Qing's allies!
When Zhang Haoyi saw that Vice Envoy Yao was refuting him and even threatening him with the Crown Prince, his face darkened.
"Lord Yao, one must act with virtue and reason, and everything must be in accordance with common sense! By doing this, I also let everyone see that we are acting in accordance with the law, so that we will not leave any room for criticism in the future!"
"You've acted so rashly! If this gets out and Prime Minister Qin blames us, neither of us can bear the consequences!"
Zhang Haoyi sneered inwardly, "Who doesn't have a powerful master?"
Since you're using the Crown Prince to threaten me, then I'll bring up Prime Minister Qin!
A grandson can never be more important than his maternal grandfather, can he?
Moreover, my mentor is a veteran of two dynasties, a master strategist, and a role model for me to learn from.
On the other hand, the Crown Prince is hot-tempered, stubborn, self-willed, indulges in pleasure, and harms his brothers... It's hard to say whose future will be bright!
Thinking of this, Zhang Haoyi immediately warned:
"Lord Yao, you must not act rashly! Otherwise, I will definitely report this to Prime Minister Qin! Don't blame me for making things difficult for you then!"
Alright, that's settled then. Tomorrow morning, you will immediately take men and detain them! Remember, make sure they return to the capital alive!
"Guards, escort Lord Yao to rest!"
Without further ado, Zhang Haoyi immediately rushed to Deputy Envoy Yao's aid.
Vice Envoy Yao was so angry that his chest heaved violently. His face was ashen, and he stared at Zhang Haoyi without saying a word.
He then abruptly stood up, flicked his sleeves, and strode away.
As he stepped out of the gate and turned to the side of the wall, he saw the patrol squad leader leading a small group of soldiers in a hurry in one direction.
"What happened?" Vice Envoy Yao approached.
Seeing that Vice Envoy Yao's expression was unfriendly and he seemed unapproachable, the squad leader felt uneasy and immediately reported:
"Wu Fu was on duty here. He has just disappeared. We have not found him anywhere in the vicinity."
"Useless trash, hurry up and find him! Wu Fu has deserted his post; once found, behead him immediately and display his head to the public!"
Vice Envoy Yao coldly uttered a sentence and immediately led a few people toward the prisoner-of-war camp.
He was seething with anger and needed to vent it.
After Vice Envoy Yao left, a soldier nearby immediately asked in a low voice, "Captain, why didn't you say there was an assassin?"
The squad leader slapped him hard on the back of the head. "Are you stupid? Lord Yao is in a bad mood. If we can't find the assassin, we'll all be punished!"
After the squad leader finished speaking, he impatiently urged, "Alright, alright, everyone get back to your positions. Be alert! When Wu Fu returns tomorrow, report to me immediately!"
Just then, another soldier ran up.
"Captain, those lieutenants have brought a lot of soldiers to see Lord Zhang. Please take your men and go there to maintain order."
The squad leader frowned and muttered, "What are they doing making such a fuss so late at night? Can't they talk about it tomorrow? How many of them came?"
"There are several hundred people..."
Squad Leader: ...
"Men, come with me and maintain order!"
Li Qingqing, inside the space, saw the squad leader shouting loudly, leading the nearby soldiers toward the gate of the residence.
The surroundings were deserted.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Li Qingqing immediately stepped out of the space and ran towards the courtyard wall.