Free Web NovelChapter 398: Chapter 398: The Letter’s Handwriting
The moment he finished speaking, the great hall fell deathly silent.
When the officials recovered from their shock and realized what he was saying, they all gasped.
—Xu Fengchi had actually impeached Xu Jie! And with such an accusation!
Xu Jie, still kneeling on the floor, had yet to rise. The accusation struck him like a dagger, and a cold sweat broke out across his body.
He whipped his head around, his voice sharp and severe. "Lord Xu! There is no enmity between us. Why must you falsely accuse me!?"
Xu Fengchi, however, didn’t even spare him a glance. His back was ramrod straight, like a drawn sword, and a chilling, oppressive aura emanated from him.
Xiao Chengxuan was also stunned, his gaze darting rapidly between the two men.
In the space of a single breath, countless thoughts flashed through his mind.
’Has Xu Fengchi gone mad?’
’As an official of the Imperial Supervision Office, he has the right to impeach, but who would have thought he’d go after Xu Jie!?’
’More importantly, this also involves Huo Yucheng!’
’Father has been investigating Huo Yucheng’s case recently. If this...’
Just as he feared, Emperor Muwu’s expression turned frigid upon hearing the accusation.
His gaze was grave. "You wish to impeach Xu Jie. Do you have evidence?"
Xu Fengchi knelt and presented the memorial in his hands.
"I would not dare to speak so rashly without evidence! I have already investigated and confirmed that on the night before General Huo arrived at Tongtian Pass, he received a letter. It was that very letter that convinced him to advance on Tongtian Pass immediately. In the end, he suffered a crushing defeat, and tens of thousands of his soldiers were buried in the wilderness!"
Emperor Muwu’s jaw tightened.
Eunuch Li immediately descended, took the memorial from Xu Fengchi, and hurried back to present it to Emperor Muwu.
Emperor Muwu opened the memorial and read it carefully, line by line.
Xu Jie was completely stunned.
He had been caught completely off guard.
After the incident with the Sui Nan granary, he had rushed to the Capital City without a moment’s rest. He hadn’t dared to sleep for a single night, kneeling on the main road from midnight until morning, and then kneeling here in this very hall.
He had thought the matter was resolved and that he could return to Sui Nan to resume his post as governor. Who could have known that Xu Fengchi would suddenly impeach him!
The more Emperor Muwu read, the darker his expression grew. Finally, he flew into a rage and threw the memorial directly in Xu Jie’s face!
"How audacious!"
Xu Jie didn’t dare to dodge and took the full force of the blow. A sharp pain shot through his temple.
But he had no time to worry about that now.
"I have been wronged, Your Majesty!" Xu Jie kowtowed in terror. "This letter... I have never heard of such a thing! I implore Your Majesty to see the truth!"
His heart hammered in his chest, his face flushed red. He suddenly spun around and pointed furiously at Xu Fengchi.
"Xu Fengchi! What is your real motive!?"
Xu Fengchi eyed him coldly, his gaze full of scorn. "It seems Lord Xu is unwilling to confess?"
"I did not do it, so why should I confess!?" Xu Jie looked as though his eyes would pop from their sockets, as if he were suffering the greatest injustice in the world.
Jiang Zhao Yuan suddenly spoke up. "This matter concerns a senior court official. We should investigate thoroughly before proceeding. Otherwise, if this is all a misunderstanding, it cannot be resolved with a simple apology."
Xu Fengchi sneered inwardly.
’I chose this day to act for a reason. Naturally, I possess ironclad proof.’
"The Grand Secretary is correct. In truth, I was suspicious for a long time myself but refused to believe it. After all, Lord Xu Jie and General Huo Yucheng are from the same hometown, and General Huo had even helped him generously when he was a man of no station. With such a profound debt of gratitude, who could commit such a betrayal?"
Xu Fengchi narrowed his eyes, his voice turning colder still.
"That is why I dared not make this public, instead investigating and re-investigating to verify the facts. When I confirmed the evidence was as solid as a mountain, I too was utterly heartbroken and shocked!"
As he spoke, he produced two envelopes from his sleeve—one thick, and one thin.
He opened the first envelope. A thin, yellowed sheet of paper fluttered out, displayed for all to see.
"Your Majesty, this envelope contains the secret letter General Huo Yucheng received that year. The writing on it is sparse, and there is no signature. It only urged him to retake Tongtian Pass as quickly as possible, assuring him that supplies and reinforcements were on their way and he could act without worry."
Every eye in the hall was fixed upon it.
Huo Yucheng’s rash advance back then had indeed taken them all by surprise.
He was leading an army on a distant campaign, where provisions were of the utmost importance. How could he have initiated a battle without full preparations?
So... it was all because of this one thin letter?
The moment Xu Jie saw the letter, he couldn’t help but shudder.
But in the next moment, he retorted, "It’s just a letter. Anyone could have written it! How can Lord Xu be so sure it was from my hand?!"
Xiao Chengxuan was close enough to see. After studying the letter for a few moments, he spoke hesitantly, "That... doesn’t actually look like Lord Xu’s handwriting."
Several officials nearby also stared intently at it, then exchanged uncertain glances.
"It doesn’t look much like it to me, either..."
"That’s right. Lord Xu Jie writes in a fine standard script, but the handwriting on this letter is wild and sloppy. It really doesn’t look like his work."
"This must be a mistake, right?"
As the officials murmured amongst themselves, Xu Fengchi remained unmoved.
He opened the second envelope. Inside were several folded sheets of gold-dusted paper. As he moved, a fine, glittering powder fell silently. If one were to sniff carefully, one could even smell a faint, cloyingly sweet fragrance.
The color drained from Xu Jie’s face in an instant.
Xu Fengchi unfolded them and held them in his other hand.
"And in this envelope are love poems Lord Xu Jie wrote to a courtesan he favors. The language is earnest and rather... spirited."
Those last eight words were like a vicious slap across Xu Jie’s face.
It might be in a scholar’s nature to be amorous, and visiting courtesans was a common affair. But to have such titillating poems revealed in public was an immense humiliation.
Especially for a man of Xu Jie’s distinguished status, it meant a complete loss of face!
He likely wouldn’t even have the courage to face his colleagues after this!
The officials were clearly stunned by this move from Xu Fengchi.
They had thought he might present a handwriting analysis, or perhaps use some other method, but they never imagined Xu Fengchi could get his hands on something so private!
Xu Fengchi held up the letters, one in each hand.
"As to whether the handwriting on these two letters is from the same person, I trust you have all seen it with your own eyes. Even a skilled forger would be unable to produce such a perfect copy, would they?"
The hall fell silent, everyone’s heart reeling from the shock.
It was true. The handwriting on the two letters was undeniably from the same person!
Xu Fengchi stared intently at Xu Jie. "Lord Xu Jie, you have always been on good terms with General Huo Yucheng. This letter has no signature, yet the General believed it without question, which shows that the writer was someone close to him! Lord Xu Jie, you and General Huo exchanged a great many letters in years past, did you not?"
It was as if the blood in Xu Jie’s veins had frozen solid, and his mind was about to explode.
A terror unlike any he had ever known washed over him, completely enveloping him.
"N-no..."
He gritted his teeth.
"Who knows where you scrounged up these forgeries? Do you think you can convict me based on a few letters that aren’t even signed!?"
Xu Fengchi suddenly smiled.
For some reason, that smile made Xu Jie’s heart sink.
Xu Fengchi said slowly,
"Who said... this is all I have?"
