Catching Monsters

Chapter 302: Court Quarrel
Feng Yu, inside the imperial study, slightly opened his mouth, wanting to say a few more good words for Jiang Yun.

But looking at the scene before me, it wasn't very convenient to speak.

Li Wangxin nodded heavily: "Yes!"

After saying that, he quickly turned around. Seeing this, Feng Yu reminded him, "Commander Li, don't be violent, and don't be too rude. This matter is not yet settled."

Although Jiang Yun had just entered the third-grade Celestial Master realm.

But he is also a powerful expert at the third rank.

There was a reason for this. He was also worried that if Li Wangxin acted recklessly and Jiang Yun took action, there would be no room for maneuver.

Li Wangxin turned and glanced at him: "Do you need to tell me this?"

Nonsense, Li Wangxin is known for protecting his own. Even though he made a mess of things, all he could think about was how to save Jiang Yun.

After Li Wangxin left, Feng Yu coughed, cleared his throat, and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, Jiang Yun has already reached the third rank and is a top-notch member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. He is young and his future achievements are limitless."

"It will also be of great use to His Majesty."

"Moreover, there was a reason for this. This demonic dragon Ao Qing first attacked and killed many people in the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, and then seriously injured Jiang Yun's sister, who is still unconscious. Jiang Yun killed it for a reason."

Hearing Feng Yu's advice, Xiao Yuzheng slowly closed his eyes and said in a deep voice, "Summon all the officials early tomorrow morning to discuss how to handle this matter."

"Yes."

"I am tired and need to rest."

……

Outside the Sanqing Temple, Yang Liunian, having received his orders, personally led more than ten Imperial Guards to the scene.

After pushing open the door, Yang Liunian walked slowly inside with his hands behind his back. Soon, Jiang Yun, who had heard the news, rushed over, and Xu Suwen, realizing that something was wrong, followed.

"Lord Commander." Jiang Yun quickly bowed respectfully, then returned Yang Liunian's token to him.

Yang Liunian calmly put away the token, coughed lightly, and stared at Jiang Yun, saying, "Brother Jiang, this matter has gotten a little out of hand. I am on Commander Li's orders to take you back to the Imperial Prison for safekeeping."

At this point, Yang Liunian also learned from his subordinates how Jiang Yun had killed the demonic dragon.

He was also well aware that Jiang Yun's current strength was probably far superior to his own.

"We've known each other for so long, so don't make things difficult for me, brother," Yang Liunian said awkwardly. "I'm just following orders."

Upon hearing this, Xu Suwen hurriedly said, "Lord Yang, that demonic dragon first attacked our Duke Zhenguo's mansion, and then..."

Yang Liunian raised his hand, interrupting Xu Suwen, and said in a deep voice, "This matter has not yet been settled. According to Lord Li Wangxin, His Majesty has sent people from the palace to inform the officials that a court meeting will be held early tomorrow morning to discuss the matter of Jiang Yun killing Ao Qing."

"A conclusion will probably only be reached at that time."

At this point, Yang Liunian whispered in Xu Suwen's ear, "Your Zhenguo Duke's Mansion has considerable influence and knows many people in the capital. Lord Li Wangxin asked me to pass on a message: find more people to help you..."

"Yes." Xu Suwen nodded slightly upon hearing this.

After saying that, Yang Liunian personally took the shackles and locked Jiang Yun up.

Jiang Yun did not resist. Firstly, Yang Liunian treated him quite well and even risked giving him all the tokens to command his Jinyiwei guards.

Secondly, once there is resistance, there will be no room for maneuver.

There are countless experts in the capital. If I wanted to escape, not to mention anything else, just the fact that Feng Yu would make a move would leave me with no chance of escape.

Moreover, what would happen to Jiang Qiaoqiao if he escaped?

As Xu Suwen watched Jiang Yun being led away, she said in a deep voice, "Jiang Yun, don't worry, I will definitely find a way."

Seeing Jiang Yun being taken away by a large number of Imperial Guards, Xu Suwen went back and asked Ao Yu to take good care of Jiang Qiaoqiao before rushing to a shop on the next street.

Previously, there were concerns that Ao Qing might attack again.

Tao Yuelan, accompanied by many maids and servants, dared not return to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion and could only hide here for the time being.

This is one of the properties of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, specializing in the sale of high-end teas.

Xu Suwen pushed open the door and saw Tao Yuelan drinking a calming medicinal soup under the care of some servants.

"Suwen has arrived." Upon seeing this, Tao Yuelan quickly stood up and asked, "How is the situation?"

“That demonic dragon has already been killed by Jiang Yun.” Xu Suwen held Tao Yuelan’s hand. “But Jiang Yun also got into trouble.”

Upon hearing this, Tao Yuelan frowned deeply and asked in a low voice, "What happened?"

"This demonic dragon is a special envoy sent by the Eastern Demon Kingdom..."

Soon after learning what had happened from Xu Suwen, Tao Yuelan slammed her hand on the table in anger, took a deep breath, and said, "Our Zhenguo Duke's Mansion has been loyal and righteous for generations. Now, a demon has broken into the Zhenguo Duke's Mansion and killed people. Jiang Yun killed this demon. What crime has he committed!"

"Let's go." Supported by her maid, Tao Yuelan walked out. "Isn't His Majesty going to discuss this matter at the morning court? I'm going to find Duke Anguo and Marquis Anjing. I want to see if there's any justice left in the world!"

……

At dawn, many civil and military officials stood before the imperial city with grim faces. Given the major events that had occurred in the capital the previous night, they had naturally sent their servants to inquire about the matter.

They knew in their hearts that this matter would likely be discussed at the morning court session. Many civil and military officials couldn't help but whisper among themselves about it.

As everyone knows, the person who died last night was the dragon son of the Demon Emperor of the Eastern Demon Kingdom.

If this matter is not handled properly, what if the Eastern Demon Kingdom attacks...?

Soon, the imperial city gates slowly opened, and civil and military officials entered one after another, arriving at the main hall of the imperial palace and taking their places according to their positions.

No matter how lively the conversation was outside, everyone fell silent once they entered the main hall.

Many of them have their own opinions on this matter and are prepared to speak to His Majesty about it later.

Some people weren't really involved, but wanted to see how His Majesty would react and then follow his lead.

In short, the civil and military officials in the imperial court had different thoughts.

Soon, Feng Yu announced, "His Majesty has arrived!"

All the civil and military officials knelt down.

"Rise." Xiao Yuzheng walked quickly and uttered these two words concisely before sitting down in front of the dragon throne.

He took a deep breath, looked at the many ministers before him, and slowly said, "You all should be aware of what happened yesterday, right? I don't need to repeat it again, do I?"

"I don't know."

Below, some officials were still pretending to be ignorant. Xiao Yuzheng snorted coldly and glanced at Feng Yu beside him.

Feng Yu stepped forward and said loudly, "Gentlemen, this morning's court session will not discuss any other matters, but only one thing: how to deal with Jiang Yun."

"Last night, Jiang Yun, a centurion of the Eastern Garrison of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, attacked Ao Qing, an envoy from the Eastern Demon Kingdom, and killed him in the street."

“This Ao Qing is one of the dragon sons of His Majesty the Demon Emperor of the Eastern Demon Kingdom.”

After saying this, Feng Yu took a step back.

Soon, Miao Yuanxing, the Minister of Rites, stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, our Zhou Kingdom is a land of propriety. We govern the country and bring peace to the people with propriety. Even when two countries are at war, we do not kill envoys. Moreover, the Eastern Demon Kingdom has had no conflicts with our Zhou Kingdom in recent years."

"If we do not appease the anger of the Eastern Demon Kingdom, I fear that trouble will arise again in the eastern border of our country."

"Although the Hu people have been defeated, the banditry in the southwest is still a problem. Our country also needs to recuperate for a period of time and must not have another major war."

"In my opinion, Jiang Yun should be executed as a warning to others, to quell the anger of the demon kingdom, and only then can the Zhou kingdom be kept safe."

As the Minister of Rites, Miao Yuanxing was considered one of the representatives of civil officials, and his views actually represented the thoughts of most civil officials.

After all, Jiang Yun was just a nobody, a mere centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. From a strategic perspective, if the life of a centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard could quell the anger of the Eastern Demon Kingdom, it would be a very worthwhile deal.

Just as the other civil officials were about to say, "I reconsider," Li Wangxin, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, stepped forward.

Li Wangxin said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, I do not see it that way."

"According to my investigation, this demonic dragon first stormed into the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion and wreaked havoc."

"As a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, it is Jiang Yun's mission to slay demons and monsters."

Firstly, the Embroidered Uniform Guard was under the command of Li Wangxin, and Jiang Yun was both a centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and mobilized a large number of Embroidered Uniform Guards to attack and kill the demon dragon.

If Jiang Yun is truly convicted, Li Wangxin, at the very least, will receive a reprimand from His Majesty for failing to properly discipline his son.

Secondly, Li Wangxin was extremely protective of his own men. If something happened to his men in the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and he didn't protect them, what would his other subordinates think?
So no matter what, Li Wangxin's attitude must be made clear: he will definitely protect Jiang Yun at all costs.

Xiao Yuzheng did not respond to their words, but sat on the dragon throne and waited quietly.

Sure enough, soon after, the newly appointed Minister of Revenue, Zheng Chengze, also spoke up: "Commander Li is mistaken. The right or wrong of this matter is no longer important. We should look at this matter from the overall perspective."

"What if the demon kingdom launches a full-scale invasion? Can your Embroidered Uniform Guard withstand it?"

"I think Minister Miao's suggestion is quite good."

“What’s wrong with it?” Marquis Anjing stepped forward from the crowd. Marquis Anjing was none other than Qin Ziliang, who had previously led the troops to suppress the Chi Army and purge the court of corrupt officials.

Qin Ziliang was a veteran of the Zhenchi Army and had followed Xu Dingwu for many years. Last night, Madam Tao came to visit in the middle of the night and tearfully complained that the Duke's mansion had been attacked by a demon.

After Jiang Yun finally killed the demon, he was imprisoned.

Qin Ziliang, being a soldier by birth and straightforward by nature, said in a deep voice, "Minister Miao, Minister Zheng, if your residences were attacked and killed by monsters, could you just brush it off with the excuse of prioritizing the greater good?"

Zheng Chengze said in a deep voice, "Marquis Anjing, don't confuse this matter; these are two separate issues!"

Duke Anguo stepped forward from the crowd and said, "Marquis Anjing is right. The Duke of Zhenguo's mansion was attacked by a demon, and Jiang Yun killed the demon. What wrong has he done?"

The court was soon engulfed in a clamor, with the civil officials almost unanimously agreeing to execute Jiang Yun to quell the anger of the demon kingdom.

Most of the military officers were indignant and insisted that Jiang Yun was innocent.

The two sides argued fiercely. If the civil officials hadn't been outmatched, they probably would have already resorted to violence against these military officers and nobles.

Finally, Miao Yuanxing knelt on the ground and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, if we do not severely punish Jiang Yun and quell the anger of the demon kingdom, our Zhou Kingdom's situation will become increasingly difficult. You must think it over!"

(End of this chapter)