Tang Dynasty: The seventh rank of official residence, and you will be given the Ten Thousand People

Chapter 266 Wu Zetian’s Thoughts

"Yes, these eighty prisoners are the death row prisoners sentenced by His Majesty."

"Even if you win the battle on the front line, you can't blatantly resist the order, right?"

Xia Quan, the head of the Criminal Department, echoed.

The culprit is young, if they can use this incident to involve Fan Xin, then their goal will be achieved.

really.

As soon as these words came out, the faces of the people watching changed slightly, and they became worried for Fan Xin.

Although they couldn't stand the arrogance and domineering behavior of officials from the Ministry of Justice, what the other party said was true.

Cao Bingbing and his two generals led their generals to openly violate the curfew and kill Jinwu Guards, and have been sentenced to death by the emperor.

Fan Xin took the prisoner away at this time. It was a small thing to resist the order. If he angered the emperor, wouldn't it create a gap?

"General Manager, this matter is too important. Why don't you, General, stay here while you go to the palace to ask His Majesty for a favor?"

After following Fan Xin for many years, Zhang Huan really couldn't bear to see him offend the emperor because of this matter.

Even Cao Wei and Jiang Ji looked guilty.

"General Manager, the dog is not worth your disobedience to the imperial edict, so let's let the executioner execute him."

"At a young age, you are already ranked as a first-class hussars general. Your future prospects are bound to be limitless. There is no need to offend the emperor for two worthless things."

Faced with everyone's persuasion, Fan Xin snorted impatiently.

"Stop talking nonsense, I won't let my subordinates take the blame for others in vain!"

After saying that, he said coldly to Yuan Shu.

"Your Majesty is a saint and a benevolent man. As their superior, I have the right to protect the innocence of my subordinates."

"If you insist on blocking it, I can only suspect that your intention in Xiangzhuang's sword dance is for Pei Gong!"

"let's go!"

After saying this, Fan Xin strode away with a group of prisoners without even looking at Yuan Shu.

Along the way, the guards guarding the execution ground removed their weapons and cleared the way.

He didn't dare to step forward to stop him, for fear of angering this highly decorated general manager.

Looking at Fan Xin's back, Yuan Shu's face turned pale and his eyes were full of resentment.

Too embarrassing!

He actually didn't even pay attention to him, the dignified prime minister. If this spread, how could he be seen by others?

"Prime Minister Yuan, what should we do now? Cao Bingbing and Cao Bingbing are the people that His Majesty wanted to kill. They were taken away like this. I'm afraid we can't communicate with each other?"

Manager Xia said with a worried look.

Turning his head and glancing at him, Yuan Shu had already slapped him in the face.

"You ask the truth, who are you going to ask the truth about? Get out of here!"

……

The next day, the main hall of Shangyang Palace.

Under the leadership of Prince Li Xian, the ministers entered the main hall of Shangyang Palace one after another.

When they saw Fan Xin standing in the main hall with his hands behind his back, their expressions changed, and then they frowned.

Isn't Fan Xin escorting the captives back to the court? Why did he come back early?

"Haha, it turns out that the chief manager is back. Why didn't you tell me in advance and send someone to greet you?"

Li Xian said with a smile.

Although he wanted to kill Fan Xin with his own hands because of the previous grudge.

But as a prince, you still need to exchange pleasantries.

Fan Xin had just returned to the divine capital and did not want to antagonize the prince.

So I bowed my hand politely.

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has made serious remarks. How dare He De, the subordinate officer, trouble the East Palace to pick him up?"

Li Xian smiled and nodded.

"It's good to come back. The Great Zhou Dynasty is in a period of rising national power. The Queen Mother needs your help and support. Let's go to the front and work."

On the way forward, Fan Xin looked at the ministers in court, thoughtfully.

After not going to court for several months, he found that at least 60% of the officials above the fifth rank had new faces.

I thought that while I was away in Luoyang, there was a big change of blood in the court.

"It seems that Li and Wu's two parties are pointing the finger at themselves..."

Fan Xin thought secretly.

At this time, the big bell of Shangyang Palace rang slowly. Amidst the roar of hundreds of officials, Wu Zetian climbed up the steps and sat on the dragon chair.

"My dear friends, please be safe."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

After the ministers straightened up, Fan Xin was about to report the case, but unexpectedly, an official in red robe walked out.

"Your Majesty, I want to impeach Fan Xin for disobeying the decree and defying the king's law!"

"This man has openly hijacked the law field based on his great military exploits, and has put the laws of Zhou Dynasty to nothing, and has put His Majesty's power of heaven to nothing."

"I beg your Majesty to sanction him!"

The speaker was none other than Ma Rulong, the Minister of Punishment who was suffering from impeachment.

Since the two had a falling out, he is now obsessed with overthrowing Fan Xin and submitting a petition to the princeling.

Wu Zetian looked at Fan Xin and said with a smile.

"Fan Aiqing, is there anything involved in Ma Shangshu's impeachment of you for hijacking the execution ground?"

"Your Majesty, this is indeed the case. After I heard that my general was framed, I went to stop the execution to prevent damage to your dragon power."

"I didn't expect that it would lead to impeachment from the Ministry of Justice."

As soon as these words came out, Ma Rulong almost became angry to death, pointing at Fan Xin and shaking his beard.

"What a good person, Fan Xin, who actually turned right and wrong in broad daylight. It was clearly you who hijacked the law field. When did you endanger His Majesty's power?"

"Yes, Fan Xin, with so many pairs of eyes watching, you can't deny it, right?" Wu Chengsi said with a sneer.

Wu Zetian coughed, signaled the ministers to shut up, and spoke in person.

"No matter how you look at it, this matter has nothing to do with my majesty. Tell me your reasons."

Fan Xin bowed, raised his head and looked around.

"There are still many doubts about this case. Once it is confirmed in the future that the murderers are not Cao Bingbing and Cao Bingbing, wouldn't it mean that Your Majesty will be infamous as a coward?"

"After all, just twenty years have passed since Wang Wanchun's case."

"If it happens again, wouldn't it mean that His Majesty loses his prestige?"

Upon hearing the words "Wang Wanchun", Wu Zetian and many senior ministers changed their expressions.

Wu Zetian died shortly after giving birth to her eldest daughter.

Later investigation found that someone had used witchcraft.

Emperor Gaozong was furious and ordered Wang Wanchun, the minister of Taichang Temple, and others to be executed.

It was later learned that the culprit was Empress Wang, so Gaozong was discussed for a long time.

Now that the past events are being brought up again, it seems that Fan Xin is indeed doing it for the emperor's good.

But the people present were all experienced officials, how could they be fooled so easily?

Yuan Shu came out and said in a deep voice.

"The Duke of Yan was surprised by what he said. Wang Wanchun's case was rushed and the evidence was insufficient. However, this case is an ironclad case. How can it be compared?"

"A solid case?"

Fan Xin sneered: "What an ironclad case, it's just a frame-up that's not worth scrutinizing."

"The surviving soldier said he heard the murderer call me Captain Fan."

"But I was dismissed from the post of Governor of Youzhou by His Majesty a few months ago."

"My generals are all old people, don't they even know this bit of common sense?"

"And the current Governor of Youzhou is my son, His Royal Highness Prince Jin."

"How can a baby who is less than one year old instruct his family to commit murder and rob prison?"

"The most important thing is that the rebels were captured by this officer personally. If you want to rescue them, you only need to ask for a pardon from His Majesty.

“Excuse me, is this the ironclad evidence you call it?

Facing Fan Xin's questioning, all the ministers looked at each other and were speechless.

In fact, there is indeed something worthy of scrutiny in this huge case.

But because only Fan Xin's family members were present at the crime scene, they naturally believed that the case was committed by Cao Bingbing and his two men.

As for Ma Rulong and other people who knew the truth, they also had a headache for a while. After all, they never dreamed that Fan Xin would come back at this critical moment.

He didn't even expect that he would take the risk of disobeying the order and take Cao Bingbing away.

Ma Rulong and Yuan Shu had looked at each other. The former coughed and stroked his beard.

"The case was rushed at that time, and it was inevitable that people from the Criminal Department would have some minor loopholes in their investigation."

"But it is an indisputable fact that your home will be blocked in Lijingmen Prison."

"I would like to ask Mr. Yan, do you still need to care about trivial things like this when someone is dirty and gets it on the spot?"

Looking at the righteous Minister of Justice, Fan Xin smiled lightly.

"You are the minister in charge of the criminal laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Don't you even understand the principle of acting in accordance with the law and punishing according to the law?"

After saying that, he turned around and cupped his hands towards Wu Zetian.

"Your Majesty, I believe that there are still doubts in this case and the case should not be closed hastily. Please take it back to the Three Laws Division for a retrial!"

As soon as these words were spoken, many ministers Li Wu showed sneer expressions.

This Fan Xin was too self-righteous. The execution of Cao Bingbing and Cao Bingbing was the emperor's personal order.

Asking her to retract her words in public would be a slap in her face.

However, what is surprising is that Wu Zetian did not get angry and spoke after thinking for a while.

"Now it seems that there is indeed something wrong with this case. Then according to Aiqing's words, the execution will be suspended and sent back to the Third Law Division for retrial!"

Ma Rulong's expression changed and he hurriedly stepped forward to stop him.

"Your Majesty, this case has been closed by the imperial court. How can we arbitrarily send it back for retrial?"

"Hmph, you'd better deal with my mother's bribery first and retreat from the court!"

Wu Zetian glared at Ma Rulong, flicked his sleeves and left Shangyang Palace.

The ministers shook their heads helplessly and walked out of the hall in twos and threes.

When passing by Fan Xin, Li Xian stopped and said with a smile.

"Since you are back, I have time to go to the East Palace to sit down. I have some important matters in the court that I want to ask you for advice."

"Your Highness is too modest. I will definitely pay you a visit someday."

"Okay, I'll take a step ahead." Li Xian nodded and strode away.

Watching Li Xian's back disappear, Fan Xin shook his head and prepared to go home.

At this time, Manager Geng came out from the corner and said with a smile.

"My lord, the Za family is here to give you a present."

"Mr. Geng is too polite. How dare I accept your great gift?"

After helping the old eunuch up, Fan Xin asked doubtfully: "Why didn't you see Miss Shangguan?"

He remembered that he had not seen this woman for a long time.

Manager Geng smiled slightly.

"Miss Shangguan is not feeling well. She took leave of absence from the palace a few months ago. It is estimated that she will be back in a few months."

"Not feeling well?" Fan Xin was startled and started to worry.

Manager Geng nodded.

"My lord, Your Majesty is waiting for you at the Jixian Palace. Go quickly. Don't keep her waiting too long."

"Jixian Palace?"

Fan Xin secretly wondered that Jixian Palace was the place where the emperor recuperated.

The emperor would only go there when he was sick. Now that he is allowed to go there, could it be that...

With a thought in his mind, Fan Xin and Manager Geng walked side by side towards the Jixian Palace.

Today, Wu Zetian is a little different from usual. She is wearing a black five-clawed golden dragon suit, standing with her hands behind her back, looking up at the sky.

From a distance, it looks like an old black dragon.

"Your Majesty, Duke Yan is here." Manager Geng came closer and whispered.

"Let him come up."

"Yes."

Manager Geng bowed, walked to Fan Xin and nodded to him.

Fan Xin took a deep breath and climbed the steps to the gathering platform.

"Please see the letter of the minister..."

"There are no outsiders here, no need to salute."

Seeing Fan Xin, Wu Zetian seemed to be in a much better mood, with a smile on her lips.

"I heard from Fengge that after you captured the Turkic Khan, you killed more than 80,000 rebels. Is this true?"

"Your Majesty, this is indeed the case."

Fan Xin told the story of the Zhaozhou tragedy.

Even the true number of those killed was told to the emperor.

Hearing how cruel the Turks were, Wu Zetian snorted coldly.

“These Turks deserve to die, even the old, weak, women and children will not be spared.”

"You are doing the right thing. Only by killing these nomads will they become afraid."

"What do you think is the best way to deal with Mo Chui?"

Fan Xin thought for a while and said: "After this battle, the Turks' vitality was severely damaged. In the next ten years, they will no longer be able to invade the borders of the Zhou Dynasty."

"I think that imprisoning Mo Chui in Luoyang forever and re-establishing a puppet khan in Mobei is the best way at present."

"Yes, I, Da Zhou, have consumed a lot of energy in this battle, so I can only do this for now."

At the end of the speech, Wu Zetian's tone was filled with sadness.

Fan Xin hesitated and asked.

"Your Majesty, how is your dragon body doing lately?"

Wu Zetian turned her face to look at him and sighed.

"My body has become more and more haggard recently, and I often wake up from pain in my sleep."

"The imperial doctor said that he has reached the age of old age, and if he continues to work hard, his condition will be aggravated."

"What do you think of Prince Li Xian?"

Although Fan Xin was mentally prepared, when the day actually arrived, he still felt a thump in his heart.

He didn't know much about Li Xian, except that he was a soft-hearted person.

When such a person becomes an emperor, he will generally not settle his debts with Wu Zetian, which is considered a proper arrangement.

After weighing it in his mind, Fan Xin said sincerely.

"Your Majesty, the prince has a soft character and is a loyal king. If he ascends the throne, you can rest assured and enjoy your life."

Wu Zetian smiled meaningfully.

"Now many ministers in the court come to your house every day, with the intention of supporting Prince Jin as the crown prince."

"I thought you, like that girl from Taiping, supported your son taking the position of crown prince."

Anyone else would have been paralyzed with fear after hearing these heart-wrenching words, but Fan Xin was so magnanimous that he didn't take it seriously at all.

Hearing this, he said.

"The King of Jin is too young to be in charge of the country. When I return, I will dismiss those ministers who are keen on power."

"At the same time, he will resign his position as general manager to the imperial court and return military power to various ministries."

Looking at Fan Xin who looked frank, Wu Zetian said with a complicated expression.

"How many people wish they could hold power in their hands for the rest of their lives, but you give up so easily, aren't you afraid of regrets?"

Fan Xin smiled slightly, walked to the steps and looked at the palaces at his feet.

"To be honest with you, Your Majesty, I have never wanted to become a powerful minister, and I have no interest in getting involved in the throne, if you and Taiping were not in Luoyang."

"I'm not even interested in taking another look at Shangyang Palace."

"The world is keen on power, but in my heart it is not as good as even one of your hairs."

At this point, Fan Xin turned back and looked at Wu Zetian.

"I have thought about it. When you no longer want to be the emperor, I will take you to Xiaolianzi Village in Youzhou."

"I farm the land, do the laundry and cook in Taiping, and a few little guys will accompany you to raise chickens and walk the dogs."

"There's no need to soak in the stinking pool of God's capital."

(End of this chapter)