Free Web NovelChapter 1105: Chapter 941: Impossible
Gu Chengyu was shocked upon hearing this, "What? Impossible."
He sat up from the blanket, his face slightly darkened, and his eyes emitted sharp rays.
Mr. Hao Ran Righteousness said that the only thing he regretted in his life was using his position as a teacher to coerce me into marrying Yao Mengxian.
How could a person as open and upright as him commit such a despicable act?
Even regarding my marriage to Yao Mengxian, the teacher felt deeply apologetic. How could such a person align with treacherous ministers like Xia Qing?
Gu Chengyu absolutely refused to believe it; he didn’t believe it!
Xue Miao was extremely surprised, unable to comprehend why Gu Chengyu was suddenly so agitated.
He had distanced himself from power for many years, living a plain and secluded life in River Village, so how could he know about the movements of the court?
How was he to know that Gu Chengyu was one of Liang Zhirui’s disciples?
Even Ming Mo and Ming Yan were greatly astonished. They exchanged glances and saw disbelief in each other’s eyes.
Chief Minister Xia and Mr. Liang had always been at odds, so how could they possibly collude together?
Gu Chengyu’s face was sullen, and he said coldly, "Speak! Clarify the events of that year."
Xue Miao noticed Gu Chengyu’s unpleasant expression, a stark contrast to his previous nonchalant attitude, as if he was suppressing the emotions stirring within.
Knowing that Gu Chengyu’s words were not open to refusal, Xue Miao no longer hesitated.
"In the nineteenth year of Emperor Huiming’s reign, Xia Qing was still the Minister of the Ministry of Justice. One day at court, he suddenly impeached his cousin, accusing him of collaborating with the enemy and selling out the country, colluding with foreign countries. Many officials came forward to testify, including Minister of Rites He Yaoshen, former Minister of Revenue Liang Zhirui, among others. I heard that Liang Zhirui has since retired, but he was appointed as the Chief Minister of the Cabinet before his retirement."
Gu Chengyu pressed his lips tightly together, and his hands behind his back trembled slightly. He didn’t interrupt Xue Miao’s speech, wanting to hear what more Xue Miao had to say.
"Hmph! Serves him right for retiring so early, Liang Zhirui must have been bitten by Xia Qing like dog eats dog, ultimately losing out and being stripped of his position."
Xue Miao snorted coldly, ridiculing with his words.
"Presumptuous!" Ming Mo sternly reprimanded, pointing at Xue Miao.
Liang Zhirui was a revered teacher, and this old man cannot be allowed to smear him like that.
Gu Chengyu’s face already showed considerable anger, and he suppressed the fiery rage in his heart, "Insulting a court official, even if you had nine heads, it wouldn’t be enough to save you from execution. Mind your words."
Since Xue Miao wasn’t aware that Liang Zhirui was his teacher, it was best not to reveal it first. Otherwise, the old man wouldn’t want to open his mouth again.
After all, with the belief that he was facing his enemy’s disciple, how could Xue Miao be willing to speak of past events?
And he refused to believe the teacher was such a person; only by understanding the events of the year and investigating further could he clear the teacher’s name.
"Yes!" Though Xue Miao was not convinced, he was unwilling to entangle himself with Gu Chengyu over this.
After all, Gu Chengyu was a court official. Hearing him insult those officials as dogs and not sitting well with him could be understandable.
"On the day Xia Qing presented the evidence and testimonies, the Emperor was enraged, immediately ordering my cousin to be taken to Dali Temple. The ensuing events were no longer suspenseful. A large number of treasonous letters were found at the Xue Mansion, each with my cousin’s private seal. He placed hidden guards in other homes, bribed eunuchs by the Emperor’s side, accepted bribes, indulged relatives in land grabbing, seized good farmland; arrogant young clan members bullied people, abducted women, lent money at exorbitant interest, forcing people into prostitution; even sending beauties and treasures to win people over. Various charges piled up, and my cousin became a heinous traitor."
Xue Miao became angrier as he spoke; some charges were purely fictional.
As for placing hidden guards in other officials’ homes and bribing eunuchs by the Emperor’s side, these were acts that high-ranking officials would surely engage in.
To understand the trends in each home, to grasp the Emperor’s thoughts, what official didn’t want to do this?
Xue Haozhen, as the Grand Secretary, wielded great power, and such practices were quite commonplace.
Gu Chengyu naturally understood these principles, it was common practice for officials at court; he also had placed secret agents in other officials’ residences.
"Perhaps your cousin was indeed a treacherous scoundrel as Chief Minister Xia impeached him to be?"
Gu Chengyu was displeased with Xue Miao’s previous defamation of his teacher, thus speaking in sarcasm.
Although he held some curiosity and admiration for Xue Haozhen, he couldn’t tolerate Xue Miao’s insults to his teacher. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
Political games in the court had winners and losers. If you lost, it only meant you were less skilled, even if you were secretly plotted against; what did it matter?
Even though Gu Chengyu hoped his teacher was a righteous person, if the teacher had indeed done wrong, he would find it impossible to fully side with the Xue Family.
The Xue Family’s predicament was truly regrettable, but it was all in the past.
Even if the teacher erred, could Gu Chengyu truly overturn the matter and make the teacher accountable for his mistakes?
No! He didn’t know! Perhaps he wouldn’t! Call him selfish, call his morals distorted!
That was a teacher who treated him as a son; who could bear sending a genuinely caring teacher to a dead end?
"No, I understand my cousin; he could never do such a thing. Even if other charges were true, the charge of colluding with foreign countries is absolutely impossible. I’ve always handled matters for my cousin, he trusted me immensely, and many secret matters were entrusted to me. The Dayan Dynasty indeed had someone colluding with foreign nations, but it was not my cousin. Before this, he was gathering evidence, and he had mentioned to me that he would soon present the evidence to the Emperor’s Imperial Desk. My cousin particularly despised those who collaborated with foreign nations and betrayed the country."
Xue Miao’s face carried a sorrowful expression, "The founding Emperor Jia Ren had discovered my cousin in times of need, and my cousin once swore that he would risk his life for his confidant, and he would devote himself entirely to the Dayan Dynasty. Before Emperor Jia Ren passed away, my cousin promised at his royal bedside that he would never betray Mrs. Zhao."
"Who would have imagined that just over ten years after Emperor Jia Ren’s death, my cousin would be defamed and fall into such a plight."
Xue Miao sighed deeply and wiped his tears with his sleeve.
"You seem to know very clearly the situation when the late Emperor passed; were you present at that time?"
Gu Chengyu spoke with a hostile tone; did Xue Haozhen return to talk about these matters with his cousin?
"I happened to be present at that time when the late Emperor passed away, my cousin was avoiding the summer heat in the suburbs of the capital. My cousin always had a weak constitution and couldn’t ride a horse, so I took him to the Imperial Palace on horseback. The bumpy journey made my cousin even more uncomfortable, and I had to help him along the way. During the chaos in the palace caused by the late Emperor’s death, I happened to follow them inside."
Under normal circumstances, this would never have been possible. Officials summoned to the palace were not allowed to bring followers.
However, at the time of the late Emperor’s death, the current Emperor’s sixth brother, Prince Qin, was rebelling and attempting to seize the throne.
Prince Qin had already brought soldiers into the palace, causing chaos. With the current Emperor clashing directly with Prince Qin, who could bother with such trivial matters?
"You mentioned that Xue Haozhen had already found evidence. Where is that evidence, and who was the person colluding with foreign nations?"
