Chapter 506: The letter reaches Shangjun, intending to rebel, the second emperor's family exterminates thirteen families
The sun has not yet risen and the sky is dark.
It is darkest just before dawn.
Wei Zhang did not sleep all night. One hour before going to court, he asked the old housekeeper in the mansion to call his wife Liu.
The old butler poured the tea, bowed, performed a deep greeting, and went out to look for someone.
Steam was rising from the tea soup on the table, and a white mist was spreading.
While waiting, Wei Zhang placed his index and middle fingers on the teacup, and the wall of the cup was burning hot.
At this moment, the old butler gently pushed the door open, walked in with a cold breeze, and bowed again.
"Master, the lady is missing."
One person leaves when leaving, and one person returns when leaving.
There was a bright red palm print on the old butler's left cheek. This invitation was obviously not something that could be simply summed up as "not appearing".
Wei Zhang had thirty-seven concubines, and he himself could not even remember how many mistresses he had outside.
Just as Liu Shi did not know how many Kunlun slaves, Yanzhao warriors, and beautiful male prostitutes he had kept.
This situation is not uncommon, and it happens to many aristocratic families.
The choice of the first wife has nothing to do with feelings, only strength is considered, and marriage is a transaction.
The transaction was completed and the two companies advanced and retreated together.
You look for Daji and Baosi, and I look for Pan An and Song Yu.
You gave your beautiful concubine to your friend, and I gave my servants to my female friends.
Life is short, enjoy it while you can.
Wei Zhang angrily smashed the tea bowl, causing the broken porcelain to shatter and frightening the servants in the hall so much that their heartbeats slowed down.
He walked out of the gate quickly, drew the Qin sword from the guard's waist, and rushed out with it raised, full of murderous intent.
The old butler followed closely behind, not daring to stop him, even though he had followed Wei Zhang since he was ten years old and had saved Wei Zhang's life three times.
When they arrived outside Liu's bedroom, a burly maid came forward to greet them.
She is the housekeeper of the inner house, interacting with the inner household and not asking about external affairs. Her status is higher than the old housekeeper who is in charge of the outer house.
She was brought by Liu from the Liu family, and the slap mark on the old housekeeper's face was caused by her.
"Master, Madam..."
Before he could finish his words, Qin Jian flashed by. The housekeeper's eyes widened, and he fell to the ground, covering his neck. There was a bright red mark between his fingers.
Wei Zhang walked through the rising dust, his trouser legs covered in dust.
The old butler paused for a moment, and Wei Zhang took four steps in that short while.
Pursing his dry and chapped lips, the old butler no longer hesitated and followed the master into the lady's bedroom, which he was never allowed to enter.
While passing through the dust area, he stepped on the housekeeper's fleshy face.
Wei Zhang lifted the quilt and saw Liu entangled with a handsome young man, moving up and down, moving forward and backward.
The picture is not pretty. From the outside, Liu is old enough to be the mother of a handsome young man, with a calf reclaiming wasteland.
Liu didn't cultivate his internal strength, nor did he have a medical descendant to look after him. He also didn't exercise self-discipline, so how could he save time?
Wei Zhang grabbed the handsome young man's hair and cut his neck with a sword, and blood spurted onto Liu's face.
Liu kicked the handsome young man away.
The young man fell to the ground with a thud, almost hitting the old butler who followed in.
"What is it?"
There was blood on Liu's face. She stared at her husband's old face with a serious look.
He didn't even look at the handsome young man on the ground.
Wei Zhang threw his sword to the ground, his eyes full of bloodshot.
"Today at midnight, someone from the palace came and asked me to attend the court meeting. I asked someone to inquire about your family, and someone also went."
Liu was shocked and angry. She grabbed Wei Zhang's chest and her half-black and half-white hair swung wildly.
"Such a big deal! Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
Wei Zhang laughed miserably, put his hands on Liu's face and wiped away the blood that was flowing everywhere.
"What's the point of telling you earlier? The city defense troops are all out, Meng Yi is leading the patrol personally, arresting anyone they see, and killing anyone who resists. There is the sound of horse hooves outside the city gate. If I'm right, a hundred thousand troops have surrounded the city, and no one can escape alive."
Liu screamed, her hands became limp, and she collapsed.
Wei Zhang held his wife in his arms. This was the most intimate contact they had had in the past three years.
Liu trembled and repeated in a whisper.
"How dare he...how dare he...how dare he..."
"I can turn a blind eye to other things. But when it comes to rebellion, I would rather kill the wrong person than let him go. Who would have thought that he could really kill the prince? If the letters of my Wei family have not been found, I will ensure that your Liu family will continue to be passed down."
Liu's teeth were chattering as she forced herself to sit up from Wei Zhang's arms.
"If the Liu family's letters are not found, I will ensure that your Wei family's incense will not be extinguished."
Wei Zhang nodded.
"good."
Turn around decisively.
"I went."
I have to make a promise, say goodbye, and go to court to die.
The old butler drove the carriage and left the Wei Mansion.
In the carriage, Wei Zhang lightly lifted a corner of the curtain, and five city defense soldiers patrolled by with stern faces.
The curtains were not lowered and the carriage was silent all the way.
Every street was lined with armed city defense troops, with a squad every fifty steps and a deputation every hundred steps.
They wore non-reflective black armor and held gleaming spears in their hands.
Carriages drove out from various mansions, moving forward under the scrutiny of the city defense troops, with screams ringing out from time to time in the quiet night.
After a moment of restlessness, it is a quieter night.
Apart from the rustling of the wheels on the road, there was only the clatter of horse hooves on the ground.
In front of the Xianyang Palace, Langzhong Ling Zhang Han and Nei Shi Meng Yi were stationed on both sides of the city gate.
All officials entering the palace had to get off the car here, be searched by two persons, and then enter alone after their identities were verified.
Some elderly people who were very old and had difficulty walking were brought to the Xianyang Palace in carriages driven by palace drivers.
Led by the palace attendants, the rest of the group walked to the Xianyang Palace.
Wei Zhang followed behind the official, walking in silence, without saying a word to his colleagues in front or behind him .
They were like ants, forming a line and marching towards the Xianyang Palace.
The night was pitch black.
The torches flickered.
Their movements were stiff, their heads were lowered and they remained silent, and it seemed as if they could hear their own heartbeats in their ears.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang bang bang!
Faster and faster! Louder and louder!
The road from the palace gate to the Xianyang Palace is very long, and it normally takes half an hour to walk there.
Wei Zhang felt that this road was too short and the journey was too fast.
He stood in front of the Xianyang Palace. The official who led the way crossed his arm to signal him to come in, but he was still a little slow to react.
We're here already? How long has it been?
He followed everyone in, in a trance, like a walking corpse.
In the past, his good friends would have teased him, but today no one teased him.
Those who teased him were just like walking corpses.
Being surrounded by people from all sides and front as he walked into the Xianyang Palace, Wei Zhang was in a daze for a moment before he remembered that he should find his seat and looked around.
This sight almost made me faint.
He saw a person sitting on the high throne that should have been empty.
He was wearing a black crown and a Tongtian crown on his head. He was holding the armrests and leaning against the back of the chair.
The second emperor, who was always late for court meetings, arrived early this time.
The distance was too far, and the pearl jade curtain hanging from the Tongtian Crown blocked Wei Zhang's view of the Second Emperor's eyes. However, he felt that the gaze through the gap in the curtain was icy and cold, and it was falling on him!
The reason why he did not faint was because he saw that there was nothing on the table in front of the second emperor.
He shivered, feeling extremely cold. The extra fur coat he had put on before going out was of no use at all.
He quickly lowered his eyes and found a seat in the hall.
He wanted to run over, but he didn't dare to.
No one ran because if he ran he would be too conspicuous to be noticed by His Majesty.
He tried his best to maintain a natural pace, observing his colleagues around him, imitating their pace, and walking naturally at the same speed as his colleagues, little knowing that he was actually as stiff as a corpse.
But Wei Zhang was unaware of anything and didn't think there was anything wrong, because most people were like this.
Everyone thought that His Majesty was looking at them, and everyone wanted to run to their seats, sit down, and pretend to be dead.
No one dared to run, for fear that if no one ran, one person would run and attract His Majesty's attention.
As a result, the Qin court, which gathered talents from all over the world, was filled with zombies.
The Xianyang Palace is very hot.
The nine earth dragons buried under the Danchi are releasing heat.
The three-legged cauldrons placed at the four corners of the hall were filled with burning honeycomb coal.
The ministers had experienced being left out in the cold last time, so most of them wore thick warm clothes this time. They were sweating profusely and sweat was coming out of their foreheads, but few dared to move.
State Commandant Lian Po took off his fiery red fox fur coat and undressed himself, revealing his two strong arms.
The nearby Left Prime Minister Zhou Qingchen and Right Prime Minister Feng Quji glanced at him with envy, and then did nothing.
The Internal Secretary Fu Zikang took off his clothes, while the Chief Justice Zhang Tu wiped his sweat and did not dare to move.
Prime Minister Jiang Shang took off his clothes. Imperial Censor Cai Ze grabbed his collar, then let go and closed his eyes to rest.
Most of the others had not moved at all since they sat down, as if they would die if they moved.
The sound of beads of sweat dripping from their foreheads and hitting the table would make their heartbeats speed up by half a beat.
Langzhong Ling Zhang Han and Nei Shi Meng Yi entered the palace, took off their armor at the palace gate, put on court clothes, and sat down at the table.
"Everyone is here, let's hold the court meeting."
There was a sudden voice in Xianyang Palace, and most of the officials shuddered.
Ying Chengjiao, who was sitting in a high seat, had a clear view of everything. He sat up straight and tapped the table twice with his fingers turned upside down.
"Move them all up here."
The eunuch accompanying the emperor responded quietly and went about his business.
After a while, two tall and strong eunuchs came in carrying a shoulder pole.
He took out all the papers in the basket and placed them on the desk in front of Ying Chengjiao according to categories.
"Look up."
When the Second Emperor issued an order, all civil and military officials raised their heads.
When they saw the piece of paper that was one foot high and almost covered the figures of the second emperor, many people's pupils shrank suddenly.
The last glimmer of hope is gone.
Ying Chengjiao picked up the stack of papers on top, flipped through them, divided them into four parts and handed them to the eunuch beside him.
"Pass it on, and I want you all to read it."
"only."
The paper was moved from the high platform to the bottom of the court.
From the hands of the second emperor to the hands of the ministers.
It was passed around one by one. If one did not read carefully, the eunuchs waiting nearby would help him turn back to the previous paper and read it again.
Although there were four identical copies, it still took quite a while for each person to look at them so carefully.
A quarter of an hour had passed when Wei Zhang got the book. Halfway through, his hands began to tremble and he could no longer hold the paper.
Like many of his colleagues who had read the book before him, he needed the help of a eunuch to finish reading it.
After everyone had looked at it, the four eunuchs returned it.
Ying Chengjiao took the paper.
"You have seen it all. Suning, Li Jun, Taizhe... these thirteen people instigated the prince to rebel, bought grain at a high price to disrupt our Great Qin, and tried to provoke a civil uprising. The letter is here as physical evidence. They fought with the city defense army with weapons on the way to the court meeting and tried to rush out of the city overnight, which is human evidence. With both physical and human evidence, what punishment should the thieves who intended to rebel and usurp the throne receive?"
There was a moment of silence.
The ministers looked around, looking for the thirteen colleagues mentioned by the second emperor, but they didn't see any.
"The three tribes of Dangyi!"
Left Prime Minister Zhou Qingchen stood up and bowed, his voice loud and clear.
Ying Chengjiao nodded.
"Do you have any objections?"
No one said anything. Treason was an inexcusable crime that would undermine the emperor's rule.
Anyone who dares to give advice will be put to death, without exception.
"Since you have no objection, let's do it this way. Meng Yi, Zhang Tu, after the court is dismissed, you two will work together to do it."
In a word, the thirteenth generation family was destroyed.
The emperor's pearl curtain jingles.
The ministers' hearts were pounding.
They watched as the Second Emperor dropped the letters written by thirteen people to the Crown Prince, and then picked up a few pages from the thick stack of letters.
His face was pale and his breathing was rapid. I didn't know if it was the letter he sent to Shangjun.
That thick thing was not a letter, but a death warrant.
"Wei Zhang, your handwriting is very good."
Wei Zhang's heart stopped suddenly, the world was spinning, his vision went dark, and he passed out.
When he woke up again, his hair was dripping with water and in front of him was a black bird with its wings spread and its neck stretched out .
He bit the tip of his tongue, and the severe pain woke his dizzy brain.
"His Majesty."
His voice was hoarse, and he seemed to have aged ten years after the dizziness he had just experienced.
"I see that the bottom of your eyes are dark, which means you didn't sleep well. And your forehead is dark, which means you are about to face a disaster."
The ministers were silent, feeling grief and indignation as if they were all mice being played by the cat.
Wei Zhang laughed bitterly. Knowing that his death was approaching, he said the two words he wanted to say most to the Second Emperor who was right next to him.
"A tyrant!"
The left prime minister jumped up and down and cursed.
"How dare you, old thief! How dare you insult His Majesty! Beat him to death! Beat him to death!"
The right prime minister shook his finger and scolded angrily.
"You are rebelling! You have no king and no father! You are rebelling against Tiangang! You are not a son of man! The punishment that the Left Prime Minister said is too light, you should be beheaded!"
Ying Chengjiao waved his hand, and the prime ministers, both old and young, who were spitting, shut up.
He weighed the thin piece of letter in his hand and lifted the beaded curtain with a look of curiosity.
"What have I done to deserve Duke Wei to call me a tyrant?"
The icy cold water soaked his clothes. Wei Zhang, who shivered constantly when it was extremely hot, did not tremble at all when it was extremely cold.
He stood up tall, chest straight, and in the last moments of his life he remembered the pride of his ancestors.
Old Qin people, die standing!
"You tyrant! If you want to kill me, just do it! No need to say more!"
Ying Chengjiao chuckled.
"That's not the case. I can bear to be called a tyrant. Beating to death or beheading is too cruel. The crime committed by Duke Wei does not deserve such a severe punishment."
Wei Zhang sneered.
"My tyrant, are you thinking that beating or beheading me is too easy for me, and you should exterminate my entire clan? Come on!"
Ying Chengjiao frowned and took a half step back.
"What kind of madness has Duke Wei contracted? It's fine if you want to die, but why do you want to take your three clans with you? The extermination of three clans is the punishment for treason. Did you also commit treason? Are you in cahoots with those thirteen people?"
Wei Zhang's hair and beard were all standing up.
"The item is in your hand, isn't it? Why are you being so hypocritical? You make me want to vomit! You killed your brother and nephew. Your bad deeds will be recorded in history books!"
Ying Chengjiao shook the letter, stuffed it into Wei Zhang's hand, turned around and walked back to the throne.
"Wei Zhang, you have offended me several times. Considering your advanced age, I will give you a lighter punishment and fine you 20,000 shi of grain. Are you willing?"
Wei Zhang lowered his head and flipped through the letter he had written himself and sent to Shangjun to contact the prince to rebel.
I looked up blankly, not knowing what to do.
