https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-565-The-Liang-Emperor-s-Unpredictable-Moves/13464811/
Chapter 564: Clear Rewards and Punishments
Chapter 564: Clear Rewards and Punishments
The Miao King’s smile turned into a grimace.
Fine, fine, fine. Losing the Imperial Tutor Medallion was bad enough, but now he’s lost the Imperial Astronomical Bureau as well.
Gongsun Yanming’s standing in the imperial city rested on the Imperial Tutor Medallion and the Imperial Astronomical Bureau. Losing either would have been a significant blow, but both?
Oh, what a pleasant surprise, my dear in-law!
The Duke Jiang was quite pleased with the Liang Emperor’s handling of the situation, and it even elevated his opinion of the emperor.
Meng Qianqian couldn’t help but laugh.
It would have been better to have him imprisoned on charges of plotting against the emperor, at least then there would have been a chance for a retrial. But the emperor’s decision left no room for appeal.
News of this would spread, and Gongsun Yanming would lose both face and respect. How could he ever hold his head high among his peers again?
The only regret was that he didn’t get to spend a night in jail.
The Liang Emperor stared at him intently. "Gongsun Yanming, do you still insist you are innocent?"
Gongsun Yanming clenched his fists and replied solemnly, "Your Majesty, I am indeed innocent!"
The emperor nodded. "Very well. If that is the case, I will give you ten days to find evidence to prove your innocence. If you fail to do so by the end of the ten days, you will be charged with high treason!"
If the previous events had shocked Gongsun Yanming, the emperor’s words now almost made him lose his composure.
They were the ones who accused him. Shouldn’t they be the ones to provide evidence?
"Your Majesty, they accused me of being the murderer. They should be the ones to provide evidence!"
"They have." The emperor pointed to the corpse on the ground and the parasitic insect in Meng Qianqian’s hand. "If you claim it is false evidence, then it is up to you to prove it."
Gongsun Yanming was speechless.
Lu Yuan smiled. "Director Gongsun, ten days."
Gongsun Yanming didn’t know how he managed to leave the imperial study. Even Prince Ming could sense the barely contained fury beneath his calm facade.
To see the second most powerful man in the empire, the Imperial Tutor, humiliated was truly unbelievable.
"Father Emperor."
Prince Ming walked up to the Liang Emperor. "You were truly wise and mighty today!"
The emperor coldly asked, "Was I foolish before?"
Prince Ming blinked. "Well, not exactly."
Meng Qianqian sighed in relief.
Today was indeed a rollercoaster.
She thought her identity had been exposed and that she would be charged with treason. But the emperor seemed to have forgotten his past grievances with the Miao King.
Gongsun Yanming, with his silver tongue, had expected them to go through great lengths to gather more evidence, putting them in a very difficult position.
Who would have thought the emperor would shift the burden of proof onto Gongsun Yanming?
Lu Yuan, who oversaw the Imperial Guard’s criminal investigations, should have been the one to gather evidence against Gongsun Yanming if they followed the rules.
But the emperor seemed to have forgotten the rules.
Lu Yuan cleared his throat and gave his wife a look—shouldn’t they let the emperor remain a bit more forgetful for a couple more days?
Meng Qianqian was speechless.
After leaving the palace, Gongsun Yanming’s face was cold as he boarded the carriage back to the Thousand Mechanisms Pavilion.
Inside the carriage sat a man wearing a conical hat and a bronze mask.
It was the same man who had encountered Liu Qingyun and the Miao King.
He had been kicked by the Miao King and had only just recovered enough to move around.
He observed Gongsun Yanming’s fury and smiled. "I warned you that using the parasitic insect was a risky move. You were too hasty."
Gongsun Yanming closed his eyes.
The man said, "I’m very curious about who these people are, who can repeatedly gain the upper hand against Pavilion Master Gongsun and even force you into such a mess."
Gongsun Yanming ignored his taunt and coldly replied, "His Majesty has given me ten days to find evidence proving that the Heart-Devouring Parasite is not related to me."
The man, puzzled, asked, "Find evidence? Shouldn’t they be the ones to provide evidence?"
Has the Liang Emperor gone senile? What kind of operation is this?!
The man continued, "Even without the control of the Heart-Devouring Parasite, he shouldn’t act like this. Did you tell His Majesty that the Crown Prince’s father-in-law is the Miao King?"
Gongsun Yanming frowned, "I did, but His Majesty didn’t seem to care. He neither got angry nor punished the Crown Prince for deceiving him."
This was the most perplexing part.
Based on Gongsun Yanming’s understanding of the Liang Emperor, he would never tolerate being deceived, not even by his own descendants.
Add to that the Miao King, his archenemy, and it was almost as if the Liang Emperor had hit all his sore spots.
The man asked skeptically, "Could it be that they’ve also put a parasite on your His Majesty?"
That was the most reasonable explanation.
Gongsun Yanming carefully recalled everything that happened in the imperial study and felt that the Liang Emperor’s behavior today was indeed unusual.
Could it be that the Miao King really did put a parasite on him?
No, the Liang Emperor wouldn’t fall for the same trick twice.
The man asked, "What will happen if you can’t find the evidence?"
Gongsun Yanming said, word by word, "We will both die."
The man sneered, "His Majesty will kill you, not me. What does it have to do with me?"
Gongsun Yanming glanced at him, "Do you really think the Miao King and the Princess didn’t recognize you?"
The man’s smile froze.
Gongsun Yanming calmly said, "If I die, you won’t have a good end either."
The man’s eyes flashed with a cold look, "It’s your fault things went wrong. I warned you not to act rashly. You knew the risks but still went ahead. Now that the Heart-Devouring Parasite has been exposed, I haven’t blamed you for losing one of my parasite masters, and you still want to drag me down with you? Gongsun Yanming, do you really think I’m made of paper?"
Gongsun Yanming gave him a calm, composed look.
It was this seemingly casual, even non-threatening gaze that made the man fall silent.
Gongsun Yanming calmly shifted his gaze, his fist clenching tighter and tighter.
The Liang Emperor had given him only ten days.
Was this truly an opportunity to prove his innocence?
Or was the Liang Emperor waiting for him to make more mistakes?
The effects of the Heart-Devouring Parasite wouldn’t disappear immediately unless something unknown had happened to the Liang Emperor.
What could it be?
Gongsun Yanming closed his eyes, racking his brain but unable to figure out the key.
After years of careful planning, this was the first time he felt everything slipping out of his control.
And it didn’t feel good at all.
—
The Liang Emperor was a fair ruler. He punished those who deserved it and rewarded those who deserved it.
Duke Jiang had protected the emperor, so the Liang Emperor rewarded him with a thousand pieces of silver and a hundred bolts of silk.
Duke Jiang didn’t care much for these rewards. Just as he was about to inwardly scold the Liang Emperor for being stingy, he heard the emperor order someone to give him a token.
He took it in his hand and nearly jumped in surprise, "A Golden Token of Pardon?!"
The Liang Emperor said, "It can only be used once and to save one person."
Duke Jiang knew this. Of course, a Golden Token of Pardon could only save one person.
This was the first Golden Token of Pardon ever granted by the Liang Dynasty, and its significance was immense.
Duke Jiang instantly felt that his life had reached its peak.
With this founding Golden Token of Pardon, he was no longer just a lowly official. He was a tough, capable man who had earned his own merits!
Duke Jiang clutched the Golden Token of Pardon and laughed like a foolish bride.
—
The second update is here. Do you still have any monthly votes? It’s the last few days. Please vote for Fang Fang, okay? (End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
