Daming: After self-explosive time travel, Lao Zhu's mentality collapsed

Streets and alleys, teahouses and taverns, and any crowded places became places for Chu Ze to collect intelligence.

Sometimes he disguised himself as a wandering knight, sometimes as a wealthy businessman, skillfully obtaining all kinds of information.

"Have you heard? There seems to be unrest in the court recently."

"That's right. I heard that several high-ranking officials were arrested."

"Shh, keep your voice down. Don't talk about such things casually."

Chu Ze pricked up his ears, carefully catching every word of the people.

Although most of them are hearsay, there are also some valuable clues.

In a remote tavern, Chu Ze met a drunk old man.

The old man claimed to be the steward of a minister's house. After drinking, he spoke the truth and revealed a lot of shocking inside information.

"Those adults, on the surface, appear to be righteous, but in secret, they do all kinds of dirty things."

The old man was drunk but spoke eloquently.

"Do you know? My master is in collusion with Xixia. He even secretly met with the Xixia envoy a few days ago!"

Chu Ze was shocked and asked for details. But the old man stood up shakily, muttered something like "I've said too much", and staggered away.

Chu Ze did not chase after him, as he knew that this would only arouse suspicion. But these words undoubtedly gave him an important breakthrough.

After several days of investigation, Chu Ze gradually outlined a huge rebellion network. Not only were important officials in the court involved, but even royal family members were involved.

This discovery terrified Chu Ze. He realized that the enemy he was facing was more terrifying than he had imagined.

If one is not careful, not only will he be ruined, but he may even endanger the fate of the entire Song Dynasty.

"No, we can't go on like this."

Chu Ze secretly made up his mind. He knew he had to take action as soon as possible, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous.

After returning to the military camp, Chu Ze immediately summoned his confidants to discuss countermeasures. After repeated considerations, he decided to take the initiative and confront the emperor in court.

"Decree that tomorrow morning the court will discuss the affairs of Xixia."

Chu Ze ordered, a sharp light flashing in his eyes.

The next morning, all the civil and military officials gathered in the Jinluan Palace. The atmosphere was extremely solemn, and everyone sensed an unusual atmosphere.

Chu Ze strode into the hall with his head held high, scanning the courtiers with a sharp gaze. He could sense the undercurrents surging, as many people were secretly looking at him, with fear or hostility in their eyes.

"My dear ministers, I have called you all here today to discuss the affairs of Xixia."

Chu Ze went straight to the point.

"Some time ago, Xixia suddenly sent troops to invade our border, but fortunately they were repelled by our army. But this is by no means accidental, there must be a conspiracy behind it."

As soon as these words came out, there was a burst of whispers in the hall. Many ministers' faces changed slightly and they exchanged glances secretly.

"General Chu is wrong."

A loud voice suddenly sounded. Chu Ze turned around and saw that the person who spoke was the Minister of War Li Ruoshui.

"Western Xia has been at war with our dynasty for many years, so it's not surprising that they suddenly invaded. General Chu's remarks may be groundless speculation."

Li Ruoshui said slowly, with a hint of sarcasm in his tone.

Chu Ze sneered and was not in a hurry to refute. He had long expected that someone would jump out and sing a different tune, and Li Ruoshui was one of the traitors he suspected.

"Lord Li, what you said is wrong." Chu Ze said in a deep voice.

"The timing of Xixia's invasion this time was clever and the tactics were sophisticated. It is definitely not comparable to ordinary border conflicts. If there was no internal support, how could they know our military deployment so well?"

As soon as these words came out, there was an uproar in the hall. Many ministers' faces changed drastically, and some even couldn't help but exclaimed.

Li Ruoshui remained calm, he sneered:

"General Chu, do you have any evidence for what you said? Are you slandering me?"

A cold light flashed in Chu Ze's eyes, and just as he was about to speak, he saw a minister stand up.

"General Chu is right. I also think this matter is strange. I am afraid there is indeed a traitor at work."

Chu Ze looked carefully and found that the person who spoke was Zhang Huaiyi, the Minister of Rites, who had always been at odds with him. This unexpected supporter made Chu Ze happy. It seemed that his speculation was correct and the court was not monolithic.

However, Li Ruoshui was obviously unwilling to give up. He snorted coldly and said sarcastically:
"Mr. Zhang, you are wrong. General Chu has just defeated Xixia and made great contributions. Are you so eager to give him the title of a hero?"

"If it is true as General Chu said, there is a traitor in the court. Then who is most likely to be the traitor? Isn't it General Chu who commands a large army and has made great contributions?"

As soon as these words came out, it was like a thunderclap. Everyone looked at Li Ruoshui in disbelief. They didn't expect that he would dare to accuse Chu Ze in public.

Chu Ze stared at Li Ruoshui with eyes as bright as lightning. He was furious, but he suppressed the urge to attack.

"What do you mean by this, Lord Li? Are you accusing me of treason?"

"Master Li is playing with fire."

Chu Ze spoke slowly, his voice low and threatening. He knew that at this moment, any slight mistake could cause the situation to get out of control.

"I have fought for my country and devoted myself to it. Now I am risking my life to expose the treacherous officials in the court. Lord Li is trying to confuse right and wrong. Is he guilty?"

Li Ruoshui's expression changed, but he quickly regained his composure. He sneered and retorted:

"General Chu, why are you so excited? If you are innocent, you can just produce evidence. Otherwise, who knows if you are here to frame a loyal and honest person to divert attention?"

A cold light flashed in Chu Ze's eyes, and he knew the time had come.

"Since Lord Li wants evidence, I will do as you wish."

As he spoke, Chu Ze took out a stack of documents from his bosom and threw them on the ground. The documents were scattered, and they turned out to be some secret letters and account books.

"Please look, everyone. These are all evidence of Li Ruoshui's dealings with Xixia. There are many leaks of military intelligence and even records of accepting bribes."

There was an uproar in the hall. Many ministers came forward to check, their faces becoming extremely ugly.

Li Ruoshui's face turned pale instantly. He didn't expect that Chu Ze actually had such solid evidence.

But he quickly forced himself to remain calm and shouted, "Ridiculous! These are obviously forged! Chu Ze, stop slandering me!"

Chu Ze sneered and said slowly, "Forgery? Then does Lord Li dare to verify his identity on the spot?"

"The seals on these documents are all your personal seals, and the handwriting is your own. Don't you even recognize your own handwriting?"

Li Ruoshui was speechless, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He knew that he was in a desperate situation.

At this time, another minister stood up. That person was Zhao Kuangyin, the Minister of Revenue who was on good terms with Li Ruoshui.

"General Chu's move is too arbitrary. Where did this evidence come from? How can you prove that it's not a frame-up?"

Chu Ze had expected that someone would come out to defend Li Ruoshui, so he said calmly, "Lord Zhao is wrong. These evidences are not just my own."

"Indeed, after many investigations, there are even testimonies from Xixia surrendered generals. Does Lord Zhao think that even the generals of the enemy country will join hands with me to frame Lord Li?" (End of this chapter)