In Love With My Fierce Farming Wife!
Chapter 1039 - 1038: News Leaks!

Chapter 1039: Chapter 1038: News Leaks!

The late Emperor reigned for over thirty years, a rare long-lived monarch in the history of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Though during his reign, bandits roamed freely and border conflicts were frequent, he managed to spare the commoners of Great Zhou much of the suffering that came with imperial successions.

Now, with news that the late Emperor did not die of illness but was murdered, the entire nation is shocked! There are widespread calls for severe punishment of the murderer.

And at this moment, Qin Yi sitting on the Golden Luanda Throne, was in a towering rage!

Bang!

With a muffled thud, Memorials to the Emperor scattered from the dragon desk, inkstones and brushes scattering in every direction, splattering the ground.

"Investigate! I want a thorough investigation, who leaked the information, after finding out, they must be punished without mercy!"

With the Emperor’s wrath upon them, who would dare to approach and face the storm? The courtiers all bowed their heads, avoiding becoming the target of his fury.

Qin Yi roared at the courtiers for a long time, but seeing that no one answered, he glanced around until his gaze landed on Ye Han, who stood in the forefront.

"King Ye, when I left, you were the one who stayed by the late Emperor’s side. Now that such idle talks have arisen, what do you think?"

All the courtiers focused their gaze on Ye Han, speculating amongst themselves whether His Majesty intended to use King Ye as a scapegoat.

Ever since ancient times, for one man’s success, thousands perish; all the more for the making of an Emperor!

That King Ye became one of the few vassal kings in the history of the Great Zhou was in part due to his many years of loyal service at Qin Yi’s side. But this also incited endless envy from many others.

Now, seeing His Majesty single out King Ye, the courtiers pretended to tremble in fear on the surface, yet secretly, they all pricked up their ears, eager to eavesdrop on the conversation between the two.

Ye Han stepped forward, clasped his hands in a salute, "Your Majesty, this servant truly does not know who is responsible for the leak. Please allow me the opportunity to redeem myself by thoroughly investigating the matter."

"Redeem yourself? Hmph! There’s no need for that."

Qin Yi snorted heavily, saying no more, but his expression was far from pleasant.

The First Prime Minister slightly raised his eyebrow, stepping forward from his place, bowing deeply to the ground, "May I report to Your Majesty! This servant has important information to present."

"Speak!"

Qin Yi waved an arm dismissively, giving him a cold look, "If you are trying to intercede for King Ye, you might as well save it!"

Lord Xue, the Left Deputy, and Ye Han, who also served as the First Prime Minister, often disagreed on court affairs, a fact well known for quite some time. Seeing the First Prime Minister step forward at this moment, Qin Yi let out a cold and contemptuous remark, clearly indicating his displeasure.

Lord Xue chuckled awkwardly, knowing all too well that he had made himself a target by speaking up, yet he bowed again.

"Your Majesty, King Ye, as one of the few vassal kings of Our Great Zhou, serving also as the Left Deputy, is a pillar and chief minister of the kingdom. Not only did he fail to alleviate Your Majesty’s worries proactively, but he also deliberately delayed military reports, resulting in the loss of many of Our Great Zhou’s pillars... "

"Get to the point!"

Qin Yi tapped the dragon desk impatiently.

The Left Deputy gave a light cough, succumbing to his old habit of showing off, "After Your Majesty departed, King Ye was left to accompany the late Emperor. If anyone was the most likely candidate to have harmed the late Emperor back then, it would be none other than King Ye! And now, King Ye has even stooped to betraying his duty by leaking the whereabouts of such an important witness. His intentions are utterly condemnable! Your Majesty, this servant boldly suggests a thorough investigation of this case. We cannot allow such brazen villains to go unpunished, to the joy of enemies and the sorrow of kin. We owe the late Emperor justice!"

With just a few sentences, he implicated Ye Han in the case!

The entire civil and military assembly of the court changed their expression, and Qin Yi’s face turned utterly dark! Only Ye Han remained with his icy demeanor, his eyebrows not even twitching once.

Qin Yi coughed twice, "Ye Han, how do you explain this matter?"

All eyes of the civil and military officials of the grand hall were focused on Ye Han, who knelt on the ground with his back straight, lifted his head to glance at Qin Yi, then bowed down again.

"Your humble official, has nothing to say!"

"So you admit your guilt?"

Instead of anger, a smile flashed across Qin Yi’s face as he suddenly leaned back in the dragon throne.

"It was indeed a momentary oversight on my part that caused the whereabouts of this most crucial witness to be leaked. For this negligence of my duties, I have nothing to say! However..."

Ye Han spoke in an even tone and then turned the inflection of his voice, "But the other crimes Lord Left Deputy accused me of, I dare not admit, cannot admit, and will not admit!"

"You, you, you..."

The Left Deputy, fuming, his mustache bristling and eyes bulging: "King Ye truly has grand audacity! With a simple denial, you wish to gloss over all the matters. Since you are so capable, why not utter a few more words so that the brothers who died innocently can also come back to life!" His sarcastic tone made Qin Yi’s already dark expression even more unsightly.

"Enough, there’s no need to argue further."

He admonished with a shout, turning his head towards Grand Scholar Xue Qian of the Civil and Military Court, his expression softening slightly: "Marquis Yingwu, you were as close as brothers with the late Emperor, and later, during Qin Zitong’s rebellion, you escorted the late Emperor as he fled Shengjing. Subsequently, you supported my accession to the throne. It can be said that during the period when the late Emperor was ill, you also attended to him, and you must be aware of what transpired back then. Now, I entrust this matter to you, you must investigate carefully what actually happened that year and restore justice to history!"

Grand Scholar Xue Qian stepped out from the ranks and bowed deeply: "Your Majesty, rest assured! Your humble official will do his utmost to investigate this matter and will not let any enemies lurking in the shadows escape!"

"Very well!"

Qin Yi nodded in satisfaction, "Additionally, bring that witness to my presence as soon as possible, as I have important matters to ask him in detail."

"Your humble official will diligently follow Your Majesty’s orders." The Grand Scholar accepted the command with thanks.

"Mmm, let’s leave it at that!"

Qin Yi’s piercing eyes swept over the crowd before rising: "Present your reports if there are matters, otherwise you are dismissed from court."

No one dared to present their reports after His Majesty’s recent outburst of thunderous rage. Everyone knelt and sent off His Majesty in reverent farewell.

Qin Yi strode away.

As he was about to leave the Jinluan Bao Hall, he glanced sideways, fixing Ye Han with his gaze.

Ye Han still knelt on the ground, his head bowed deep, not a word spoken, not once pleading for mercy.

Qin Yi sighed inwardly, regretting that in order to uncover the truth, he had implicated Brother Ye!

Once this matter was resolved, he would definitely summon Brother Ye to the palace for a good, hearty drink of three hundred cups!

The news that His Majesty had expressed great anger during the morning court session and sternly rebuked King Ye while showing marked favor to Marquis Yingwu quickly spread throughout Shengjing.

Court affairs change in the blink of an eye, and His Majesty’s attitude also sets the tone for the officials below. With Marquis Yingwu coming into favor overnight, a large group of courtiers quickly gathered around him, offering their congratulations.

On the other hand, Ye Han who had been rebuked by His Majesty, was left alone on the grand hall floor, as if forgotten by everyone.

After all the courtiers had left, Ye Han slowly got up from the floor of the grand hall, step by step he made his way out of the Imperial Palace.