readytorunbook Chapter 401 Confronting Luo Hanfeng
Chapter 401 Confronting Luo Hanfeng
"Your Majesty, the Grand General of the State is requesting an audience outside the palace."
Just then, a eunuch from the emperor's side came in to announce the news.
"Hmm?" The emperor looked at the eunuch beside him with a puzzled expression and asked, "Coming at this hour?"
He narrowed his eyes. "Could it be that news from the palace has been leaked?"
The eunuch was so frightened that he knelt on the ground with a thud. "Your Majesty, please be wise! How dare we commit such a heinous crime that would punish nine generations of our families!"
Luo Hanfeng leaned against the bed and said weakly, "Father, in my drowsy state, I seemed to hear Prince Jin's voice."
"I've heard that Prince Jin and the fifth young lady of the Xie family have a very good relationship..."
Having said all that, there was no need for Luo Hanfeng to say it explicitly. As if he had suddenly realized something, he quickly said, "Please forgive me, Father Emperor. I did not mean to doubt the Prince."
The Chu Emperor gave him a cold look.
He didn't seem to take Luo Hanfeng's words to heart, but simply said in a low voice, "If it's information that Zhiheng revealed, I won't blame him."
If Junlan Jin coveted the throne, he wouldn't even need to do these unnecessary things; the emperor would naturally bestow the title of crown prince upon him.
Luo Hanfeng lowered his eyes, his eyelashes concealing the darkness within.
That's it again.
When it came to Jun Lanjin, the emperor always favored him.
Even the Crown Prince's status is not as high as Jun Lanjin's.
Comparing people to each other is really infuriating.
Luo Hanfeng scoffed coldly.
What do you mean by the protagonist in this storybook? Where in his life does he have even the slightest resemblance to a protagonist?
"Let them in."
The Chu Emperor waved his hand.
Soon, Xie Ansheng led Xie Yu and his three sons into the palace.
Upon entering the palace, Xie Ansheng held the tiger tally above his head with both hands, knelt on the ground facing the direction of the Chu Emperor, and loudly proclaimed, "Your humble servant pays respects to Your Majesty, long live Your Majesty!"
"Your Majesty, the Tiger Tally has been found. Please retrieve it."
The emperor's eyes lit up when he saw the tiger tally.
He gave a look to the eunuch beside him, who immediately stepped forward and took the tiger tally from Xie Ansheng's hand.
The Chu Emperor's expression finally showed satisfaction.
He took the tiger tally and examined it for a few seconds. After confirming that it was genuine, he looked at Xie Ansheng with a smile: "The tiger tally has been found?"
Xie Ansheng knelt on the ground, his expression meticulous, and said, "Your Majesty, the Tiger Tally has been found."
"But I have something I wish to report to Your Majesty."
"Oh?" Emperor Chu raised an eyebrow and looked at Xie Ansheng.
Xie Ansheng raised his head, his eyes glaring sharply at Luo Hanfeng lying on the bed, and said, "This humble subject wishes to accuse the Seventh Prince that the person who broke into my Xie residence that day and attempted to steal the Tiger Tally was none other than the Seventh Prince!"
The expression on the Chu Emperor's face changed slightly.
He glanced at Luo Hanfeng lying on the bed, his expression gradually turning serious: "Do you have any evidence for this, my dear minister?"
Xie Ansheng said, "The Seventh Prince, who oversees the Xie residence together with His Highness the Crown Prince, naturally knows the best way to enter and leave the Xie residence. If the Seventh Prince wants to enter and leave the Xie residence, it will be a piece of cake."
"That day, the Seventh Prince sneaked into the mansion to steal the Tiger Tally, but he was discovered by Xie Yuze. After being discovered, the Seventh Prince killed him without hesitation."
"If His Highness Prince Jin hadn't arrived in time the next day, my son Xie Yuze would probably be meeting the King of Hell long ago."
Xie Ansheng spoke, his eyes filled with tears, accusing Luo Hanfeng.
Luo Hanfeng lay on the bed, and upon hearing these words, looked at Xie Ansheng expressionlessly.
"General Zhenguo's words are baseless. May I ask, does the General have any evidence?"
Xie Ansheng said coldly, "My son saw your true face with his own eyes. Isn't that enough evidence?"
Luo Hanfeng chuckled softly as if he had heard a huge joke, and said, "The General Who Protects the Nation is truly humorous. Could it be that he has failed to kill me and is now trying to find his own family to provide false testimony?"
"You think you can get my father to punish me this way?"
Xie An angrily said, "You are making baseless accusations! Why would my son wrong you?"
Luo Hanfeng coughed as he sat up, then knelt at the emperor's feet, dressed in a white undergarment, looking utterly pitiful and weak:
“Father, I do not know why the General of the State would slander me, nor do I know what grudge I have against the General of the State’s mansion that would lead me to steal the Tiger Tally.”
"If I stole the tiger tally, then where did the tiger tally in the hands of the General Who Protects the Nation come from?"
"Father."
Luo Hanfeng raised his head and looked at the Chu Emperor, his eyes filled with tears: "On that day of the battle, Xie Tongchen and the Seventh Prince of the Southern Kingdom first joined forces to burn the grain and fodder in the army, trying to starve the soldiers to death in this way. However, they did not expect that a junior general would break the plan with a foreign sweet potato."
"After that, I led men into the city and stole the grain and fodder from it."
“All the soldiers in the army can testify to this matter.”
As Luo Hanfeng spoke, he covered his chest and coughed lightly, "But unexpectedly, I stumbled upon Xie Tongchen and the Fifth Prince of the Southern Kingdom plotting together. Seeing that the matter had been exposed, Xie Tongchen had been looking for an opportunity to take action against me."
"Finally, during the siege, Xie Tongchen still had the strength to kill me. If I hadn't run away quickly, I'm afraid I wouldn't even have been able to come to see my father."
Upon hearing this, the Chu Emperor's expression grew even colder.
He looked down at Xie Tongchen and asked in a cold voice, "Xie Tongchen, is this true?"
Xie Tongchen's expression remained relatively calm.
He said, "The Seventh Prince is making baseless accusations, Your Majesty."
"The roster has been handed over to Your Majesty. There are spies in the camp and in the court. The burning of the grain was not my fault, but it was my fault."
"I allowed the grain supplies to be burned. Although the traitors were caught afterward, the soldiers went hungry."
"As for the Seventh Prince, he did indeed go to the city to steal grain, but..."
Xie Tongchen looked at Luo Hanfeng with icy eyes and said coldly, "But the Seventh Prince has never mobilized any troops. I wonder where the Seventh Prince got his troops to steal the grain?"
"The Seventh Prince did not consult with me beforehand; he went alone. I do not know how he managed to bring out the provisions, nor why he was nowhere to be seen during the siege."
Xie Tongchen's voice was cold.
That's a reasonable and well-founded argument.
Emperor Chu then remembered the roster from last time.
Luo Hanfeng was unaware that they possessed a roster.
He felt a moment of panic, but quickly calmed down.
Luo Hanfeng turned to look at Emperor Chu: "Father, I am just a prince who came from the cold palace. I was lucky enough to gain your favor. In this military camp, I have no power of my own and cannot win the trust of the soldiers."
"General Xie has no regard for me. The entire army belongs to General Xie, so it is General Xie who decides right and wrong."
"I never expected that General Xie would try to frame me. I beg Your Majesty to do justice for me."