I only wished to take up my fiefdom, but my elder brother forced me to rebel.

"waste!"

Lu Cheng blurted out a curse.

The city guard captain raised his head, his face showing displeasure.

"Your Highness, the people from Fuyuan Escort Agency have just been taken to the Ministry of Justice."

"How can the mastermind be identified in such a short time without even using torture instruments?"

Lu Cheng realized he had lost his composure and immediately changed his tune.

"My concern is that military equipment may fall into the hands of civilians."

"This case concerns the safety of the imperial court, so it must be investigated and resolved as soon as possible."

Lu Yuan glanced at him.

"Second Brother is even more anxious than the Ministry of Justice."

"Anyone who didn't know would think you already knew where this batch of weapons was hidden."

Lu Cheng's expression froze for a moment.

"Ninth Brother, don't make false accusations."

"This court is merely acting in accordance with the law."

"Then let's wait until the Ministry of Justice finishes its investigation before we talk about it."

Lu Yuan walked to Zhao Guoqiang's side and reached out to help him up.

"Minister Zhao, please get up."

Zhao Guoqiang, however, did not move.

He raised his hands and bowed towards Lu Cangqiong.

"Your Majesty, I have served as Minister of Rites for more than ten years and have never taken a single tael of silver from the court."

"Although Zhao Shangqing is of the same clan as me, I recommend Fuyuan Escort Agency because they have traveled extensively and are very familiar with the post stations along the way!"

"If I truly intended to transport weapons privately, why would I entrust them to the escort agency I recommended?"

"This is a frame-up."

Lu Cheng gave Wei Zhengyuan a wink.

After being reprimanded by Lu Cangqiong, Wei Zhengyuan originally did not want to stand up for himself again.

However, an imperial censor walked out from behind him.

"Your Majesty, the Zhao Kingdom has close ties with the Fuyuan Escort Agency!"

"The current 600 suits of armor and 30 crossbows are all goods supplied by the Ministry of Rites!"

"Even if he wasn't directly involved, he is still guilty of negligence!"

Another censor also spoke immediately.

"I second that proposal!"

"The Ministry of Rites is responsible for receiving the diplomatic missions and for safeguarding the gifts received in return!"

"The fact that someone replaced four cartloads of goods with military equipment right under the nose of the Ministry of Rites indicates that the ministry has been infiltrated."

"As a minister, Zhao Guoqiang cannot shirk his responsibility!"

A vice minister from the Ministry of Rites also came out.

"Your Majesty, I once advised Minister Zhao not to entrust matters of state to his own clan!"

However, Minister Zhao did not adopt his suggestion.

Zhao Guoqiang turned his head and looked at him.

"Lord Chen, your name was clearly on the official documents when Fuyuan Escort Agency accepted the assignment!"

"You also received gifts from the Zhao family!"

Minister Chen's expression changed, and he quickly took a step back.

"Lord Zhao, please don't make baseless accusations."

"I was merely following orders."

"As for these gifts, they are tea and snacks given during festivals and holidays."

With the Vice Minister of Rites taking the lead, more officials stepped forward.

Some say Zhao Guoqiang is a nepotist, others say the Ministry of Rites' accounts are chaotic, and still others have unearthed two boxes of tribute that were lost three years ago.

These matters had nothing to do with the arms case, but they were all pinned on Zhao Guoqiang.

The Minister of Rites is a second-rank official.

With Zhao Guoqiang's death, a vacancy will be created in the Ministry of Rites.

The Vice Minister wanted to be promoted to Minister, and the Gentleman of the Palace wanted to be promoted to Vice Minister.

Officials from various departments all wanted to put their people in there.

Zhao Guoqiang looked at the man who usually called him brother, and his lips grew paler and paler.

"you……"

"He was drinking in this very mansion yesterday!"

"Today I'll accuse you of forming a clique and plotting a rebellion..."

Vice Minister Chen did not look him in the eye.

"This humble official is loyal only to His Majesty and the court!"

Zhao Guoqiang pointed at him, and then his body suddenly fell backward.

"Lord Zhao!"

Several nearby officials immediately caught the person.

Lu Yuan took two steps, came to Zhao Guoqiang's side, and touched Zhao Guoqiang's neck.

"Summon the imperial physician immediately!"

Zhou Fu immediately sent the eunuch to the Imperial Hospital.

Lu Yuan loosened Zhao Guoqiang's collar and then had his body laid flat.

"Don't surround them."

"Open the window so he can breathe freely."

Two officials held down Zhao Guoqiang's twitching arms.

One of the censors wanted to submit another memorial.

"Your Majesty, Zhao Guoqiang has suddenly fallen ill; perhaps it's out of fear of punishment..."

"Shut up!"

Lu Cangqiong grabbed the memorial from the imperial desk and threw it directly at the imperial censor.

"He's already fallen, and you're still trying to pin the blame on him?"

"Are you an imperial censor, or a hungry dog ​​that pounces on a vacancy to snatch an official's hat?"

The imperial censor knelt back in his original spot.

The other officials also put away their memorials.

Several imperial physicians quickly arrived inside the hall.

They checked Zhao Guoqiang's eyes and pulse, and then placed a pill under his tongue.

"Your Majesty, Minister Zhao suffered a sudden attack of anger, which triggered a relapse of his old illness."

"He needs to be sent to the Imperial Hospital for treatment immediately."

Lu Yuan stood up and ordered, "Use a sedan chair to carry them over."

"Use all available medicines first; we must save the person."

Several eunuchs carried Zhao Guoqiang away.

The Vice Minister Chen stood there, his expectant expression still lingering.

Lu Yuan turned around and looked at him.

"Minister Zhao is not dead yet."

"Is Lord Chen already impatient to have his official hat measured?"

Vice Minister Chen immediately bowed.

"I had absolutely no such intention."

"It's best if not."

Lu Yuan looked at the city guard captain.

"After Fuyuan Escort Agency received the goods, they were guarded all the way."

"If the weapons were placed there by the Zhao family, why was the Ministry of Rites' seal placed on the outside of the box?"

"Did they deliberately leave themselves evidence?"

The Minister of War nodded.

"Your Highness is right."

"There's a huge amount of weaponry; all four carriages have been reinforced with additional compartments!"

"This was a modification made by the carpenter beforehand, not a decision made on the spur of the moment."

Guo Kai, the Minister of Justice, also stepped forward.

"I will inspect the carriages, seals, cargo manifests, and all those involved."

"Whether Fuyuan Escort Agency was framed or not, a simple investigation will tell!"

Lu Cangqiong pointed at Guo Kai.

"By imperial decree, after the court session, you will be in charge of handling this case!"

"The Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Rites will jointly verify the evidence!"

"Anyone who dares to secretly destroy evidence shall be punished for treason."

After receiving the order, Guo Kai returned to his unit.

Lu Cangqiong looked at Lu Yuan again and smiled.

"The Crown Prince presented a special method yesterday that could give the wounded soldiers in the army a better chance of survival."

"I am very pleased and will reward you with a thousand taels of gold."

"From today onwards, all duties of the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Works, and the Imperial Household Department will be managed by the Crown Prince."

"No department may shirk responsibility!"

Lu Yuan stepped forward to receive the imperial decree.

"Your subject thanks Your Majesty for the reward."

Lu Cheng stood to the side, his teeth almost grinding to powder.

The incident involving Fuyuan Escort Agency did not bring down Lu Yuan; instead, it gave him three more powers.

Lu Cangqiong had lost patience to continue the morning court session.

"Dismiss the court."

"The Crown Prince should stay."

Just as the officials were about to leave the hall, a eunuch hurried in.

"Your Majesty, I hereby report."

"The Celestial Master requests an audience outside the hall."

"He said the matter of demons and evil spirits is urgent and requests Your Majesty to summon him immediately!"

The disappointment in Lu Cheng's eyes vanished instantly.

finally come.

He turned and stared at Lu Yuan.

The knife from Fuyuan Escort Agency failed to strike you.

I'd like to see how you manage to escape this calamity from the Celestial Master!

Lu Cangqiong glanced at the officials who had not yet left.

"Since everyone is here, let the Celestial Master in."

A moment later, Celestial Master Qin Xuanzhen entered the hall, holding a whisk.

He came before the emperor and bowed. Without waiting for Lu Cangqiong to ask, he took out a piece of Zhenlong wooden tablet covered with scorch marks.

"His Majesty."

"This humble Taoist observed the celestial phenomena last night and inspected the palace gates this morning."

"A demonic aura permeated the palace."

"The fate of the Great Yong Kingdom has been corrupted by demons!"