After failing the imperial examination, he began to wield immense power after entering the palace!

Followed by.

Two people followed behind Li Fan were Zhang Xuan and Zhang Miaozhen.

How come Zhang Xuan didn't die?

Cao Mo's face turned pale and then red, as if things were slipping out of his control.

Consort Xie spoke lightly: "General Zhang, in front of His Majesty, please tell us about the situation in Liaodong."

Zhang Xuan knelt down on the ground with a thud.

He kowtowed heavily, and when he raised his head again, his eyes were already red.

"Your Majesty! This humble general has never colluded with the Tartars, nor has he ever leaked a single piece of military intelligence!"

"All of that was because of that scoundrel Liu Zhengsheng! He forced me to confess to crimes he didn't even know!"

"He threatened me with my wife and daughters, saying that if I didn't confess, he would kill them..."

Cao Mo's expression changed drastically.

He suddenly pointed at Zhang Xuan and shouted sharply:

"Nonsense!"

"Zhang Xuan! You are falsely accusing a court official! According to the law, your entire family should be executed!"

"Your Majesty, this man is clearly desperate, resorting to impersonation of loyal officials after his scheme has been exposed. Please, Your Majesty, see the truth!"

Seizing this opportunity, Li Fan said:

"Prefect Cao, three days ago, when I went out of the palace to interrogate General Zhang, I encountered a group of assassins who went to kill General Zhang's wife and daughters."

"What a coincidence! Just now, on our way to pick up General Zhang for the palace, we encountered another group of assassins."

"After interrogation, it was found that both groups of people came from the same assassin organization, the White Tiger Hall."

"Isn't this murder to silence a witness?"

These words were as sharp as if carved by a knife and axe, each word striking the hall.

Cao Mo subconsciously looked at Li Fan.

This little eunuch, who had just been so obedient and submissive outside, suddenly became so sharp, his words like knives, piercing straight to the heart of the matter.

Damn!

He was fooled by that bastard!

Cao Mo suppressed his shock and anger, and snorted coldly:

"These assassins could be a frame-up; perhaps someone deliberately planted them to smear me!"

Li Fan didn't give him a chance to catch his breath and interrupted him directly:

"Then let me ask Prefect Cao, what was Wu Zheng, the legal officer of your prefectural office, doing at the Ministry of Justice prison three days ago?"

Cao Mo's pupils contracted.

Li Fan's voice suddenly rose in pitch, echoing in the empty Taiji Hall:

"He not only beat General Zhang, but also forced him to confess!"

"What qualifications does a mere legal officer from the Jingzhao Prefecture have to enter the Ministry of Justice's prison? What qualifications does he have to try cases from the Ministry of Justice?"

"I strongly suspect that Wu Zheng was instructed by Prefect Cao to maliciously force General Zhang to confess!"

"Your Majesty! A mere prefect has the audacity to send assassins to silence witnesses in the street—what blatant disregard for the law!"

"Cao Mo, he's trying to seize power and usurp the court's authority!"

Cao Mo's expression changed drastically, veins bulged on his forehead, and he shouted angrily:

"You, a mere eunuch, dare to make baseless accusations?"

Li Fan ignored him and continued to speak loudly:

"Your Majesty, this servant wishes to accuse Cao Mo, the Prefect of Jingzhao, of accepting bribes from Liu Zhengsheng and sending men to assassinate Zhang Xuan's entire family!"

"Those assassins are all outside the palace; we can interrogate them at any time!"

"This person's crimes are heinous; Your Majesty, please investigate thoroughly!"

After saying that, he kowtowed heavily, making a muffled sound.

The hall was deathly silent.

Leng Shuangqiu felt a slight tremor in her heart when she saw Li Fan's righteous and stern demeanor.

She had just been worried that the young man would be nervous about attending court for the first time, after all, he was facing a group of high-ranking officials of the fourth rank or above, each of whom was a shrewd and capable person.

Unexpectedly, instead of backing down, he took the initiative, repeatedly accusing Cao Mo of "murdering to silence him" and "absolutely ruling the court," putting Cao Mo in a very difficult position.

The way it climbs and bites is simply fluid and graceful!

"Whoosh!"

A glint flashed in Consort Xie's beautiful eyes.

I never taught him a single word, yet he managed to weave a flawless, interconnected, and watertight charge.

wonderful.

She fixed her gaze on Li Fan, as if examining a piece of jade that was becoming increasingly pleasing to the eye.

As for Empress Yang, her narrow phoenix eyes narrowed slightly as she gave Li Fan, who was kneeling on the ground, a cold glint flashing in her eyes.

Zhang Xuan seized the opportunity, his voice hoarse and filled with grief and indignation:

"Your Majesty! This humble general must accuse Liu Zhengsheng of colluding with the Tartars, betraying the country for personal gain, and intending to cede Liaodong territory, thus throwing our Great Chu into chaos!"

"My subordinates personally witnessed Liu Zhengsheng secretly sending envoys to meet with the Tartar leader when he was in Liaodong..."

The hall erupted in chaos.

The phrase "colluding with the Tartars" is a hundred times more serious than anything else, such as embezzlement, bribery, or murder.

This is treason!

No emperor could allow it to exist!

Cao Mo's face turned ashen. He turned and pointed at Zhang Xuan, cursing loudly:

"You heartless wretch! Minister Liu has treated you well, yet you dare to slander him like this..."

"Bang!!"

A loud bang.

A heavy thud came from the direction of the dragon throne.

The Chu Emperor finally opened his eyes.

"Have you argued enough?"

Inside the hall, it became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Cao Mo swallowed back the words that were about to come out, gritted his teeth, and knelt down:

"Your Majesty, both I and Minister Liu are innocent..."

The Chu Emperor ignored him and asked in a cold voice:

"Wu Zheng, have you been to the Ministry of Justice prison three days ago?"

Cao Mo was taken aback, sweat began to bead on his forehead, and he forced himself to say:

"It's in, but that's..."

The Chu Emperor interrupted him, his voice growing even colder.

"Were Zhang Xuan and his wife and daughter assassinated?"

Cao Mo's lips twitched slightly, but he still nodded:

"We encountered it."

The Chu Emperor slammed his hand on the armrest of his dragon throne, the sound suddenly rising in pitch and exploding in the empty hall:

"Where is this?"

"This is my capital! The heart of the Great Chu Dynasty!"

"Two murders occurred within three days!"

"Cao Mo, how can I believe you are innocent?"

Cao Mo's face was as white as paper, and he could only try his best to explain.

"His Majesty……"

The Chu emperor did not give him a chance to speak and issued an edict directly.

"Cao Mo is temporarily relieved of his post as Prefect of Jingzhao and suspended from duty pending investigation."

"By imperial decree, immediately dispatch men to Liaodong to escort Liu Zhengsheng back to the capital for a thorough investigation!"

Zhang Xuan was startled.

He knelt on the ground, his eyes welling up with tears.

This imperial decree meant that his ironclad case was about to be overturned, and that there was finally hope for his innocence.

That little eunuch wasn't lying to me.

Zhang Miaozhen's tense shoulders finally relaxed.

She stole a glance at Li Fan kneeling in front of her, her eyes filled with deep gratitude.

Grandpa Gao was right; everything was exactly as he had expected.

Cao Mo panicked, and his voice changed tone:

"Your Majesty! Changing generals on the eve of battle is a grave taboo!"

"With 100,000 troops currently at the front lines in Liaodong, if Minister Liu were to be escorted back to the capital, the morale of the army would surely be thrown into chaos!"

The Chu Emperor looked at him coldly:

"With so many generals in Liaodong, is it really true that if Liu Zhengsheng is replaced, there will be no one else who can shoulder the responsibility?"

"My mind is made up; there is no need for further words."

Cao Mo opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but when he met the Chu Emperor's cold eyes, he didn't dare to speak again.

Emperor Chu turned around and looked at Consort Xie, his tone softening somewhat:

"Your Highness, what's the name of this young eunuch who's investigating the case?"

Consort Xie bowed slightly, her voice clear and respectful:

"Your Majesty, his name is Gao Jin."

The Chu Emperor looked down at Li Fan, who was kneeling in the hall, with an indifferent gaze.

"Gao Jin, listen to my decree. I hereby bestow upon you a token and appoint you as Imperial Envoy to thoroughly investigate this case."

"I'm transferring 500 Imperial Guards; they're at your disposal."

"Anyone who dares to obstruct us will be killed without mercy!"