knife

Chapter 100 Procedural Justice: I'm an Expert
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Xiao Dongwei was very imposing, shouting as he carried the things up, which made Linghu Zhishu sneer inwardly.

Lift it up?
Is there really that much evidence?

That's really funny!
If these things need to be brought up, then what kind of secrets could they possibly be?

These lowly soldiers don't even know how to frame someone.

However, when the item was placed in front of Linghu Zhishu, it immediately silenced him, and he glared fiercely at Xiao Dongwei.

You're so drunk you're numb!

Inside a small box lay several letters.

After opening only the top letter, Linghu Zhishu confirmed that all the items were genuine.

He recognized the seal at the end of the letter.

Because he also had them in his study.

After reading what was inside, Linghu Zhishu took a deep breath and calmed his anger.

Yan Sheng, that scoundrel, deserved to have his head chopped off by Xiao Changche.

Last year, he spoke with absolute certainty about helping his uncle achieve great things, offering manpower and troops as needed, and vowing to follow him to the death. However, as early as three years ago, he had already begun to collude with the Tiele.

Judging from the dates of these letters, their relationship suddenly heated up starting last year.

You two-timing bastard!
No, he wasn't two-timing at all; he was fooling his uncle!
At this moment, Linghu Zhishu felt a strong urge to whip the corpse.

After finally calming himself down, he glared at Xiao Dongwei and said coldly, "No matter how you discovered that Yan Sheng was colluding with the enemy and betraying the country, it is an abuse of power to use troops internally without reporting to the commander-in-chief."

"Who said we didn't report it? We just haven't had time yet!" Xiao Dongwei retorted. "Yan is about to rebel! It's a matter of utmost urgency, how can we afford to be negligent in the slightest? If this guy gets there first, won't the situation descend into chaos? The best strategy is to catch him off guard and take him down in one fell swoop!"

“What’s too late? The General of Chariots and Cavalry commands ten thousand warhorses; a single messenger is all it takes!” Linghu Zhishu pressed aggressively.

Xiao Dongwei was somewhat in the wrong, but he was unwilling to lose face: "This is Cheqi's decision, you can go ask Cheqi!"

“There’s no need to ask about the carriage; I can answer that!” A voice came from the doorway. The two turned around at the same time, and Zhang Ruo stood there with a cold expression.

"Scholar Zhang!" Linghu Zhishu exclaimed in surprise, "Why are you here?"

"Scholar Zhang, you've arrived!" Xiao Dongwei breathed a sigh of relief. "Come and tell Secretary Linghu about this matter!"

Zhang Ruo stepped into the room and looked at Linghu Zhishu, saying, "General of Chariots and Cavalry did indeed deliberately move troops without reporting to the commander-in-chief."

"Isn't Xiao Changche too arrogant and domineering? Does he even respect the Commander-in-Chief? Or does he really think he can act with impunity just because he has a few thousand soldiers?" Linghu Zhishu said coldly.

“Before taking action, Xiao Cheqi couldn’t determine whether the Commander-in-Chief was involved!” Zhang Ruo’s words made Linghu Zhishu jump up.

"What do you mean? Are you saying that the Commander-in-Chief and Yan are colluding with the Northern Yuan?"

"All Xiao, the Charioteer, knows is that Yan is a guest of honor of the Grand Marshal, and the two families have frequent exchanges and many secret discussions!" Zhang Ruo said, "Without confirming the Grand Marshal's innocence, the Charioteer must naturally act cautiously. Moreover, Secretary Linghu, you should be familiar with the laws of our Great Qin. A third-rank Charioteer has the power to establish his own office. In the headquarters outside the pass, besides the Grand Marshal, the General of Chariots and Cavalry, the General of the Guards, the General of the Vanguard, and others all have the right to directly submit memorials to the court. Under such circumstances, Xiao, the Charioteer, naturally has the right to make decisions. Grand Marshal Linghu has been wielding power for the past few years, suppressing his colleagues. Has he forgotten all of this?"

Linghu Zhishu was speechless.

Discussing procedural matters and official rules would easily fool Xiao Dongwei, a rogue soldier, but these tricks wouldn't work against Zhang Ruo. When it comes to familiarity with court laws and regulations, Zhang Ruo is likely far superior. Getting entangled with Zhang Ruo on this point would only lead to humiliation.

Over the years, Commander Linghu, the "King of the Northeast," has made countless instances of violating procedures and acting arbitrarily. Xiao Dongwei was unaware of this, but the man before him was well aware of it.

When Zhang Ruo still held great power, he worked very hard to investigate Commander Linghu, and he certainly had plenty of dirt on him.

By tearing off all pretenses and exposing all these issues, Xiao Dongwei will inevitably become a laughingstock.

"So now, has Xiao Cheqi confirmed the General's innocence?"

"After carefully examining the correspondence between Yan the traitor and the commander-in-chief, it can be confirmed that the commander-in-chief was indeed deceived by this scoundrel!" Zhang Ru nodded.

"Alright, when does Xiao Cheqi plan to report this matter to the Commander-in-Chief? The Commander-in-Chief is very eager to know the whole story!" Linghu Zhishu said. "The lessons of the past are the guide for the future. Only by learning from these lessons can we prevent similar incidents from happening again."

Xiao Dongwei chuckled to himself. "You bastard!"
With just a few words, he actually tried to trick my general into going to Zhenwu City. Once he goes, will he ever come back?
Of course, you can't go.
When to go depends on the situation!

As long as Linghu Ye remains in charge outside the pass, Xiao Changche will never set foot in Zhenwu City again without absolute certainty.

“With Baoping Prefecture newly pacified, matters are numerous and complex. Commander Xiao is truly overwhelmed with affairs. Baoping Prefecture is one of the most important regions outside the pass. If we dare not quickly quell the influence of the Yan bandits, the region outside the pass might descend into chaos. As for reporting to the Commander-in-Chief, a messenger will suffice; why must Commander Xiao go in person?” Zhang Ruo said calmly. “Once everything is settled, Commander-in-Chief will naturally go to Zhenwu City to report to the Commander-in-Chief in person.”

“Military and civil affairs outside the pass are handled by the Protectorate General and the Grand Marshal, as clearly stated by the imperial decree. Doesn’t General Xiao have the authority to handle matters in Baoping Prefecture?” Linghu Zhishu asked.

“That’s right!” Zhang Ru nodded and said, “However, the General of Chariots and Cavalry is currently dealing with the chaos, so we must act expediently! Once the chaos is over, stability is restored, and military control ends, all civil affairs will naturally be transferred to the Protectorate General’s Office!”

Linghu Zhishu gritted his teeth and said, "I wonder how long this chaos will last?"

Xiao Dongwei finally couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Zhang Ruo turned her head and glared at him fiercely, causing Xiao Dongwei's laughter to come to an abrupt halt. The sudden stop caused him to cough incessantly.

"This is something that someone like me, who is not knowledgeable in military affairs, cannot figure out. It must be decided by the General of Chariots and Cavalry. However, as far as I know, the Yan family has been entrenched in Baoping Prefecture for hundreds of years. They are deeply rooted and powerful. I'm afraid this period of chaos is not going to be short!"

Linghu Zhishu looked coldly at Zhang Ruo, while Zhang Ruo stared back at him calmly.

"I want to see Xiao Cheqi!"

"The carriage crew is busy!" Xiao Dongwei chimed in, "If Secretary Linghu insists on seeing me, then we can only wait!"

"Alright, arrange a place for me to stay. I'll wait to see Cheqi!" Linghu Zhishu turned and walked towards the door.

Behind him, Xiao Dongwei's burst of laughter nearly made Linghu Zhishu lose his composure and rush back.

Watching Linghu Zhishu leave, Zhang Ruo turned around and stared at Xiao Dongwei, who shrank back and couldn't help but defend himself, saying, "I drink because I want to earn more money and food for us."

"What about the money and provisions?" Zhang Ruo asked sarcastically.

"Who would have thought that girl could drink so much?" Xiao Dongwei said, his face full of shame.

"And you're supposed to be a fourth-rank deputy general of the Great Qin!" Zhang Ru shook his head repeatedly. "A bunch of bandits set up such an obvious trap, and you walked right into it without even realizing it. If I'm not mistaken, this warehouse must contain some of the most valuable things, right?"

"Scholar, could you please not tell the General about this? It's incredibly embarrassing!"

"Do you think this matter can be kept from Xiao Cheqi?" Zhang Ruo stared at him coldly.

Xiao Dongwei lowered his head dejectedly; he knew he couldn't escape this beating.

If he knew that Xiao Changche and Li Dachui had once bet that he wouldn't violate military regulations by drinking alcohol, and that if he lost, he would have to change into women's clothing and dance, he would probably be trembling with fear and unable to sleep at night.

"Where exactly is your General of Chariots and Cavalry? Such a big matter, it's been several days, and you haven't shown up at all?" Zhang Ruo asked.

Xiao Dongwei shook his head vigorously: "I really don't know where the General of Chariots and Cavalry went!"

He knew what Xiao Changche had gone to do, but he didn't really know where Xiao Changche was now, so it wasn't exactly a lie.

“You’d better find your general as soon as possible and tell him to return quickly. You don’t really think Linghu Ye will just swallow his anger after sending Linghu Zhishu to question him, do you?” Zhang Ruo said, “This matter has probably crossed Linghu Ye’s bottom line, and he will definitely not let it go.”

"Does he really dare to wage war against us?"

“Why not?” Zhang Ruo said, “Even Yan Sheng didn’t expect you to fight him, did he? Killing you and then finding evidence of your treasonous acts is not that difficult.”

Xiao Dongwei's expression gradually turned serious.

“If we can’t find your vehicle, we can talk to Li Dachui, but Li Dachui hasn’t shown up either. Are those two doing something together?” A thought flashed through Zhang Ruo’s mind, as if he had grasped something, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

"I don't know!" Xiao Dongwei shook his head repeatedly, the speed almost making him dizzy. "What are the chariot riders going to do? How would I know? And I know even less about that bandit leader, Li Dachui."

The more this reckless man acted, the more certain Zhang Ruo became that these two generals must be working together on something else.

So what exactly is it that requires using the attack on Yan Sheng as a cover?
It seems that attacking Baopingzhou was a byproduct of this whole affair; what those two were doing was what they truly wanted to do.

Xiao Dongwei definitely knew, but this guy was very honest and wouldn't tell me the truth. Asking him would be pointless.

(End of this chapter)