The Second Trump Card

Originally, Sun Shaozong thought the scene in front of Wenying Hall was to test his unparalleled strength, so he used euphemistic language to conceal the clumsy performance of the three eunuchs.

But who would have thought that the scheme was so deep?!

Sun Shaozong glanced speechlessly at Earl Yongyi, then stole a glance at the Emperor's expression.

He had roughly guessed the true identity of this Earl Yongyi, but he didn't know whether the 'dismissal and investigation' just now was something the Emperor had already approved, or if Earl Yongyi was just speaking for himself.

If it was the latter, perhaps there might still be some room for maneuver.

If it was the former, then there was no point in saying anything, it would be better to obediently confess his guilt and accept the punishment, and then go home to enjoy the leisurely life of having a wife, children, and a warm bed—anyway, with his good brother covering him, life wouldn't be too difficult.

"Hehe."

At this moment, Emperor Guangde chuckled lightly twice, and still asked faintly, "Sun Shaozong, do you have anything to say in response to what Earl Yongyi said just now?"

Tsk~

Emperor Guangde's tone and expression really didn't reveal anything.

Let's try it out first!

Sun Shaozong took a deep breath and bowed, "Your Majesty, this humble general only wants to ask Earl Yongyi, does your esteemed surname happen to be 'Niu'?"

Apart from the direct grandson of Duke Zhen Guo, Niu Jizong, who currently holds the title of First Class Earl, probably no one else would care so much about Ambassador Niu's death.

Earl Yongyi's face darkened a few shades upon hearing this, and without waiting for the Emperor to instruct him, he said fiercely, "So what if it is, so what if it isn't? You failed to protect him, causing the special envoy to be assassinated and the court to be disgraced, shouldn't you be punished?!"

Sun Shaozong ignored him, squeezed out a look of sorrow, and knelt down, "Since it is Master Niu in person, this humble general has nothing to say."

He had been in the officialdom for a few years at least [although only in a branch bureau], and knew that if he directly shirked responsibility at this time, it would only leave a worse impression on his superiors, so he didn't say anything explicitly, but indirectly expressed his grievances.

Niu Jizong wasn't stupid either, and as soon as he heard this, he knew that Sun Shaozong was implying that he was suppressing him. He was about to expose his 'despicable thoughts' when Emperor Guangde curiously exclaimed, "Why do you have nothing to say when Master Niu is here?"

With just this one 'exclamation', Sun Shaozong felt his spirits lift!

Because the Emperor obviously didn't intend to play a duet with Niu Jizong, otherwise there would be no need to continue asking.

"Your Majesty."

Sun Shaozong prostrated on the ground, without raising his head, and said, "Master Niu has lost a close relative, which is already a tragedy in the world, so how can this humble general dare to speak of Ambassador Niu's faults in front of him? Therefore, this humble general has nothing to say."

This repeated 'nothing to say' actually placed the responsibility on Niu Yongxin's head, and was probably three times more profound than saying anything.

Niu Jizong became even more furious upon hearing this, and disregarding that he was in the presence of the Emperor, he jumped up and cursed, "What a shameless villain! My brother died for the country, and you dare to slander him in front of this Duke! It is truly unforgivable, truly unforgivable!"

As he said that, he also knelt down on the ground with a thud, and wailed, "Your Majesty, my Niu family is full of loyal and righteous people, and our heart of serving the country can be seen by the sun and moon. This subject absolutely cannot tolerate the reputation that my ancestors and uncles exchanged for with their lives being ruined by the mouth of a villain! This subject requests that Sun Shaozong be executed immediately to set an example!"

Damn~

This was clearly trying to silence him!

And he even deliberately dragged out the old Duke Zhen Guo as a bargaining chip.

Sun Shaozong didn't think he could withstand the head of the Four Princes and Eight Dukes, so he hurriedly opened his mouth to argue, "Since Master Niu keeps saying that this humble general is a villain, then this humble general can only..."

"Shut up!"

Niu Jizong had already guessed at this time that his unreliable brother must have done something out of line in Qian Xiang Country, and Sun Shaozong had seized on it.

Therefore, how could he allow Sun Shaozong to speak his mind freely?

He first interrupted Sun Shaozong with a furious shout, then said sternly, "Such petty sophistry will only defile Your Majesty's ears! I implore Your Majesty to issue an edict to execute this scoundrel, to restore the Duke Zhen Guo's reputation and to give justice to my late brother!"

What the heck!

He wouldn't even allow a defense, and his words implied a coercion of Emperor Guangde!

What chilled Sun Shaozong the most was that Emperor Guangde, under his aggressive pressure, actually showed a hint of wavering!

"Your Majesty!"

Seeing that if he delayed any longer, he might really be pushed out to be beheaded, Sun Shaozong hurriedly took out a small booklet from his bosom and said urgently, "If it were only my word, it might not amount to much! But here I have the written statements of seventy-three people from the embassy, including five people such as Ambassador Niu's personal servant and maid, which is enough to prove that Ambassador Niu embezzled the embassy's money and food during his tenure, and..."

Niu Jizong rebuked again, "Bold Sun Shaozong, you are forging confessions!"

But with his life at stake, Sun Shaozong had no time to pay attention to him.

He raised the booklet above his head with both hands and said loudly, "And sold all the places for odd-job workers and servants in the embassy at marked prices. The traitor who poisoned this humble officer was also recruited by Ambassador Niu himself—there are account books as proof, please, Your Majesty, take a look!"

This was another trump card that Sun Shaozong had prepared, besides 'using foreign influence to elevate himself'!

He had spent a lot of effort on these testimonies and account books—if it weren't for the fact that Sun Shaozong had established supreme authority within the embassy because of the investigation, he might not have been able to get them so thoroughly.

And when Niu Jizong heard this, his heart had already turned cold.

He stammered, wanting to stop Sun Shaozong from presenting the booklet, but the palace eunuch Dai Quan had already trotted forward to take it and deftly delivered it to Emperor Guangde.

Niu Jizong moved his feet, but in the end, he didn't dare to stop him, dejectedly lowered his head, but unwillingly glared at Sun Shaozong out of the corner of his eye.

Emperor Guangde took the booklet and flipped through it casually. Although the writing on it was a bit rough, the items were clearly organized, no less than what an experienced old official would write. He couldn't help but think highly of Sun Shaozong and made a decision on the assassination case.

Pa~

He heavily closed the booklet and sneered, "Good, a family of loyal martyrs, a heart of sincerity that can be seen by the sun and moon, a death for the country!"

This series of three 'goods' was colder than the last!

Niu Jizong only felt his face turn ashen, and he dared not act presumptuously again. He hurriedly kowtowed three times and said in a trembling voice, "I am terrified, I have failed to teach my brother well, I..."

"Enough!"

Emperor Guangde impatiently threw the booklet in front of him and said, "For the sake of the old Duke Zhen Guo, you hand over the embezzled military pay to the national treasury, and I will pretend that these messy things never happened—step down!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your great kindness, thank you, Your Majesty, for your great kindness!"

Niu Jizong hurriedly picked up the booklet and left in a humble and flustered manner.

After he disappeared outside the door, Emperor Guangde's face showed a bit of a smile. He reached out and helped Sun Shaozong up, and said kindly, "Get up, since you have merit and no fault, then I will naturally reward you greatly! Tell me, what do you want?"

In fact, this was just a rhetorical question.

Generally speaking, when the ministers heard this, they were all deeply grateful and obediently expressed that everything would be done according to His Majesty's instructions, and the ministers would have nothing to say—in this way, the Emperor could take out the rewards that he had prepared long ago, and then the monarch and his ministers would be in harmony and enjoy themselves.

But Sun Shaozong didn't follow the routine this time. As soon as he heard this, he immediately prostrated himself on the ground and said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, this... this humble minister wants to be transferred to a civil post!"