Chapter 154 A Dead End

Chapter 154 A Dead End

When Xie Yan arrived at the tent in Prince Jing's mansion, all his men had been knocked unconscious on the ground.

Shen Nanzi and Cheng'er were nowhere to be found, and Xie Yan felt a sense of panic.

He was deceived by her; he held back his strength when he attacked her, and she collapsed effortlessly.

As soon as he left, she had Qinghe and the others knock out his men and then left with Cheng'er.

*

Meanwhile, inside the palace.

The Fifth Prince, Xie Heng, disguised as the Regent, sat on a brocade stool next to the dragon throne.

Inside the Chongde Hall, almost all the important officials who remained in Luoyang were still there, standing in two rows as before.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Xie Heng spoke with a stern gaze, "I have been ordered by my father, the Emperor, to be here in my capacity as regent to jointly examine a major case with you all."

The officials below were all puzzled, wondering what the Fifth Prince wanted to do.

"His Majesty is on an autumn hunt; this matter must be quite troublesome."

"Has it been affected by a disaster?"

"Or is there war breaking out on the border?"

Officials below were talking in hushed tones, all with expressions of concern for the country and its people.

Seeing this, Xie Heng said, "Bring Grand Commandant Shen here!"

His voice was authoritative, with the air of an emperor.

Soon, the sound of shackles being dragged on the ground could be heard outside Chongde Hall.

The officials all looked toward the entrance of Chongde Hall.

The once imposing Shen Minghan was now being escorted towards the palace by four Imperial Guards.

His hands and feet were bound by iron chains, his hair was somewhat disheveled, his face was pale, and his steps were unsteady.

Anyone who has been in prison knows that this person has been severely interrogated.

Perhaps because they hadn't slept or had been subjected to torture, there was a hint of disorientation in their eyes.

A sense of panic rose in everyone's hearts. Was this still the arrogant Grand Commandant Shen?

Shen Minghan was escorted to the imperial steps, a few strands of hair falling out and obscuring his view.

Upon closer inspection, many hairs have turned white, which is particularly noticeable when mixed in with the black hair.

Xie Heng questioned sternly, "Grand Commandant Shen, entrusted by the Emperor, I am here today to investigate your suspicions of corruption involving a large amount of ill-gotten gains."

At this point, the officials began to understand that Grand Commandant Shen was suspected of corruption.

Shen Minghan is one of the Three Dukes of Yunhan, above the Nine Ministers, wielding immense power, but also a position easily corrupted.

This conviction is likely not just a matter of a few thousand or tens of thousands of taels of silver.

Xie Heng stared at Shen Minghan, his voice not loud, yet carrying the overwhelming pressure of an imperial family, his gaze calm and unwavering.

"Grand Commandant Shen, someone has reported that there are irregularities in the outflow of money from your Grand Commandant's residence. His Majesty has ordered me to thoroughly investigate this matter."

Grand Commandant Shen seemed unwilling to say anything, but simply stood ramrod straight below the palace.

"I have collected the banknote exchange stubs from the money exchange, and tracing their origins, they all came from your Grand Commandant's residence."

"Tell me the truth: what expenses did you use this enormous sum of money for?"

Shen Minghan raised his eyes, "If you want to find fault, you can always find a reason. I have never exchanged banknotes at the bank."

"How dare you!" Xie Heng slammed his hand on the armrest of the dragon throne in anger. "Now that the evidence is irrefutable, do you still want to deny it?"

Shen Minghan: "As I have said, that ticket stub did not come from the Grand Commandant's mansion. Fifth Prince, that ticket stub changed hands countless times, and in the end it was attributed to me. I am not convinced."

"Not convinced?" Xie Heng glanced at the stack of silver notes on the imperial desk, picked one up and showed it to the officials below, as well as to Shen Minghan.

"Here are nearly 100,000 taels of silver notes, all of which were seized from your Grand Commandant's residence. Grand Commandant Shen, what is your explanation?"

All the officials were shocked. One hundred thousand taels of silver, which is close to one hundred million coins!

This is a massive act of corruption!

Grand Commandant Shen is really daring!

Shen Minghan's gaze sharpened slightly, and his fingers beneath the chains curled up slightly.

This silver coin was a note he hadn't used yet, hidden inside a growing bamboo grove, which was somehow found by Lie Feng.

Shen Minghan couldn't help but recall that Lie Feng was born and raised in the Shen family and was all too familiar with their habits.

This banknote was issued by Shen Nanzi, which he could have explained.

However, he has now figured it out...

Although it appears that the Fifth Prince is in charge of the trial, it is actually the Emperor's will.

To the outside world, his position as Grand Commandant was that of one of the Three Dukes, and he was the emperor's right-hand man.

From his time as a Gentleman Attendant at the Palace Gate, he was a close advisor to the Emperor. After more than ten years of working together, they had become of one mind.

If the emperor were to handle this personally, it would chill the hearts of all the officials.

The officials can now understand that the emperor was unwilling to directly judge him and let the fifth prince decide, even though he was extremely guilty, because he ultimately considered their past relationship.

The emperor's majestic image remained unchanged, but he was now imbued with even more benevolence.

Since it was the Emperor who wanted to convict him, based on his understanding of the Emperor, there must already be evidence of his guilt.

Even if the evidence may not be true, as long as the emperor determines it to be true, then it is true.

Many people hoped that the position of Grand Commandant would be removed from office as soon as possible. Even if someone sensed something was wrong, they would not oppose the Emperor.

The matter has been decided.

His crime was already determined when the Fifth Prince received the mission.

Even if Lie Feng can't find the 100,000 taels of silver notes, the Emperor will find a way to have another 100,000 taels found.

Shen Minghan has served the emperor for many years, and now he is nearing the end of his life. He is probably paving the way for the future emperor and clearing away obstacles.

Shen Minghan also guessed that the sixth prince would definitely not be the heir to the throne.

This was a deadly trap set by the emperor; he had no way out but to wait for his death.

Seeing that Shen Minghan remained silent for a long time, Xie Heng interrogated him, "Does Grand Commandant Shen have anything else to say?"

The hall was completely silent. The floor of Chongde Hall was cool and damp, like the surface of a frozen lake.

Even after more than a decade of dominating this place, he still couldn't quell the master's desire to kill him.

Shen Minghan's voice was calm and his face was ashen. "Your subject confesses his guilt."

Those three short words sent a chill down the spines of everyone in the hall.

Even Xie Heng, who was standing next to the dragon throne, was slightly surprised. He hadn't expected Shen Minghan to confess so quickly.

The accounts and files piled up on the emperor's desk were still wet with ink.

These were all the charges he used to convict Shen Minghan, but now they seem to be useless!

Throughout the entire process, only a few words were spoken before Shen Minghan gave in.

Xie Heng was both delighted and somewhat doubtful as he looked at Lie Feng among the following military generals.

"Have any other personnel from Grand Commandant Shen's residence been apprehended?"

Shen Minghan's eyes finally couldn't stop trembling.

Lie Feng stepped out of the ranks, his face stern, and cupped his hands in greeting. “Reporting to Your Highness the Fifth Prince, as of now, the whereabouts of Grand Commandant Shen’s wife, as well as her two sons and one daughter, are unknown.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Minghan felt a noticeable relief in his chest, and his breathing became easier.

The Fifth Prince was somewhat angry, his eyes filled with a sinister glint. "Investigate! Investigate every household thoroughly! They must be brought to justice!"

Lie Feng bowed again, saying, "I have never given up, and I will certainly not fail in my mission."

Hearing the familiar voice beside him, Shen Minghan's lips curled into a mocking smile.

Speaking in a voice just loud enough for Lie Feng to hear, "Shen Nanzi is blind; she's raised something worse than a dog!"

Lie Feng's body stiffened slightly, and his cheeks hardened.

The Fifth Prince glared angrily at Shen Minghan. "Take this man to the Imperial Prison first, and we'll decide his fate later."

＊

Meanwhile, Shen Nanzi rode a black horse, approaching Luoyang City step by step.

Brother, wait for me!