vrcanaries Chapter 410 Confrontation
Chapter 410 Confrontation
Jiang Yuanfeng's expression froze, and he frowned, staring intently at Huang Zhiwang. "Sir Huang, you were the Junior Minister of the Dali Temple, yet you can't even remember the cases from all those years, and you need me to remind you. As the Minister of Personnel, I'd also like to ask, is there really no one left in the Dali Temple who can do the job?"
A cool breeze suddenly blew through the alley, causing Huang Zhiwang's face to tremble slightly.
Dozens of eyes darted back and forth between the two men in their verbal battle, and it was hard to tell who was the winner.
The sun tore through the clouds, and a somewhat dry light poured out from inside.
Huang Zhiwang looked at him for a moment, then bowed and smiled, "I am a dull-witted humble servant, and my memory is a little worse than yours. But, sir, the prince is still waiting at the Dali Temple. Would you please come with me?"
Seeing that Huang Zhiwang refused to let him go and seemed determined to take him to the yamen, Jiang Yuanfeng's eyes flashed with impatience.
"Sir, please?" Huang Zhiwang looked servile and it seemed that he was showing off his power.
Jiang Yuanfeng was feeling annoyed, but since things had come to this point, he couldn't make a scene in public.
There was no other way but to go and take a look.
He gave Shadow a look, indicating that he should go back home for the time being. Then he snorted coldly and led Huang Zhiwang and his party to the Dali Temple.
Jiang Xing didn't care how Jiang Yuanfeng came. As long as he came, half of his goal was achieved.
He sat in the Dali Temple drinking tea, with a small plate of exquisite plum cakes beside him. From afar, he watched Jiang Yuanfeng, who was wearing a tan brocade robe with bat patterns and wide sleeves, cross the threshold, followed by a row of Dali Temple runners.
"Oh, Lord Jiang is wearing new clothes today. It seems he didn't go to court?"
Jiang Xing spoke in a light and teasing tone, like an ordinary joking greeting between old friends.
Jiang Yuanfeng bowed, a smile that he always loved to show in front of others appeared on his face. "Your Highness, I have been ill for the past few days, so I asked for leave from His Majesty."
Jiang Xing slowly sipped his tea, took a bite of a snack, and stood up. "Lord Jiang, your health is so poor, is it because of all the beautiful concubines in your harem? In my opinion, just a few of them will be enough. Look at you, your body is getting weaker and weaker. What if you get sick from overwork? Daliang can't do without you!"
This was the first time he and Jiang Yuanfeng had met openly and tacitly, but he discovered that this man seemed to be thinner than before.
He patted the cake crumbs on his hands and nodded his chin arrogantly at Huang Zhiwang: "Since Lord Jiang is here, shall we begin today's case?"
Jiang Yuanfeng glanced at Jiang Xing in surprise.
There seems to be no sign of Lu Xuan in the yamen. What does this person want to do today?
But after all, there was a distinction between the superior and the inferior, so Jiang Yuanfeng still followed him into the lobby of the Dali Temple.
"Your Highness, Mr. Huang, I originally went to the Meridian Gate today to join in the fun and see what happened to Ji Xiangli, the man who plotted to murder loyal officials. Unexpectedly, once the fun was over, you brought me here, claiming there was a case at Xuanyuan Temple. I really don't understand why I was implicated in this case today. I would appreciate your guidance, Your Highness."
Jiang Xing hummed, his eyes sweeping over the stack of plain white documents on the table in front of Huang Zhiwang, and pursed his lips: "Master Huang, please show Master Jiang the petition and the documents."
After hearing this, a clerk beside Huang Zhiwang quickly bowed and handed the stack of documents to Jiang Yuanfeng.
Jiang Yuanfeng took it calmly, shook the paper with both hands, and began to read it line by line.
After he finished reading it, he was horrified, as if a thousand waves were stirred up in his heart.
The facts written in this petition are exactly the same as what actually happened that year!
Xu Bai is already dead, and those disciples of Xuanyuan Temple were secretly dealt with by him long ago.
What on earth could have gone wrong that made the person who wrote the petition seem like he was there all along?!
Where did the news come from?
Baopuzi!
Where on earth did that old man do something that he didn't notice?
Jiang Yuanfeng suppressed the boiling rage in his heart, his face trembling as he chuckled dryly, "Who wrote this petition, Your Highness? They've made it sound so outlandish. Fifteen years ago, I was already the Minister of Personnel. I didn't even know that Taoist priest. Why would I risk my own future to kill him? What good would killing him do me?"
Jiang Xing smiled lightly, glanced at him, and said noncommittally: "That's something you'll have to ask Lord Jiang. What's the reason you have to kill him?"
"Your Highness," Jiang Yuanfeng said with a hint of displeasure, "It's rather biased to conclude that I'm involved in a case from fifteen years ago based solely on a fabricated statement."
Jiang Xing nodded with a half-smile, "Yes, this document was written by me. The truth behind it was revealed in a letter left by the Taoist priest when I went to the temple with the princess yesterday to pray for blessings. Furthermore, the Taoist priest's letter also pointed out witnesses and evidence, and everything is exactly as he said."
Jiang Yuanfeng's expression was almost unbearable, and his voice trembled with emotion as if he had been wronged. "Your Highness, please bring a witness! I will confront him! This kind of slander against an official appointed by the court is a complete disregard for the law!"
"A witness?" Jiang Xing smiled at his expression and said casually, "Half a year ago, your Excellency sent your subordinate, Yingzi, to Xuanyuan Temple to kill Taoist Master Xubai. His body was abandoned in the swamp behind the temple. I wonder if this incident would satisfy your Excellency?"
There is a stone vat in front of the Dali Temple. Due to its age, the vat is covered with a layer of green moss.
The tank was filled with water, reflecting the red sun in the sky. A few red carps were swimming freely in it, and when the breeze blew, shimmering light appeared.
"What nonsense!" Jiang Yuanfeng shouted angrily in the hall. "Your Highness is so precious, yet you fabricate facts to slander me. I want to ask, how have I offended Your Highness?"
"Why are you in such a hurry, sir?" Jiang Xing chuckled. "You want evidence?"
He nodded, with a hint of regret in his tone, "I'll give it to you."
"Your personal guards are called Yingzi and Wubai, aren't they? Yingzi is good at using a long sword, while Wubai is good at using a knife. After Yingzi killed Xubai, he created the illusion that the Ji family had killed him. However, on the night of the murder, I happened to send my subordinates to Xuanyuan Temple for something, so they saw it. If you insist on denying it,
He turned to look at Huang Zhiwang and said, "Then please ask Master Huang to send someone to the Jiang residence and the mountain behind Xuanyuan Temple to find Xu Bai's body, and then bring the shadow here for a confrontation. We should then examine the wound to see if it was caused by the shadow's sword, wouldn't that be enough?"
"Your Highness is fabricating all these stories to slander me!" Jiang Yuanfeng was very angry.
He didn't expect that Jiang Xing would directly tell him these shameful things without him being prepared.
The key point is that he doesn't know yet how far this person will go if he lets him continue talking.
And does this person already know the secret?
Suddenly, his pupils fixed and he looked up at Jiang Xing in a daze.
No, they must know what's going on behind the scenes!
Otherwise, he wouldn't have alerted the enemy and wouldn't have confronted him face to face with such certainty.
So fast!
They have already started to take action!
"Master Jiang, whether it's slander or not, Master Huang will send someone to investigate. Even if Master Jiang cleaned up the matter with Taoist Baopuzi, it's still a life in Master Xubai's case. The emperor is guilty of the same crime as the common people. Today, Master, why don't you think about it in the Dali Temple prison?"
"I demand that this case be brought to the attention of the Emperor, who will personally judge it!" Jiang Yuanfeng shouted angrily, his lips turning black and his face flushing crimson. "I am a second-rank official appointed by the Emperor. You have no right to dispose of me!"
His eyes bulged as if they were about to pop out. He endured the pain in his heart and confronted Jiang Xing in anger.
In the past fifteen years, he has rarely been so impatient.
But it’s different now. Time waits for no one. If we don’t act now, it will be too late!
Jiang Xing lowered his head and smiled, revealing a row of neat, white teeth. They were as bright as stars, wicked and arrogant.
"Your Excellency's suggestion is a good one. If you hand it over to the Emperor, I won't have to personally inform the Censorate and the Ministry of Justice." He looked him up and down, his eyes full of meaning. "Whenever you decide to confess, the three judicial officials will be there to accompany you."
His voice was soft and gentle, but looking closely at his expression, it was as if he had been poisoned with a deadly poison, with a hint of viciousness.
Seeing that Jiang Xing agreed to his request, Jiang Yuanfeng restrained his previous exaggerated expression of anger.
Because he didn't know what kind of information they had, his goal was to silence Jiang Xing. Even if he had to be thrown into prison and suffer some physical pain temporarily, it didn't matter.
As long as the emperor is there, everything is just a formality.