eurekapd Chapter 150 Encountering an Unexpected Incident
Chapter 150 Encountering an Unexpected Incident
After this little incident, everyone returned to the carriage and continued their journey. Xiao Nanyao and Xiao Nanyi sat inside, still excitedly discussing the fun things that had happened at the celebration; the slight fright from earlier seemed to have been completely forgotten.
However, just as they were traveling through a mountain forest, Xiao Jingchuan's trusted bodyguard rode up at full speed, hurriedly stopped beside Xiao Jingchuan's carriage, dismounted, knelt on one knee, and whispered, "Your Majesty, we have discovered some anomalies along the way. Upon investigation, we have found that some court officials are colluding with mountain bandits, plotting a rebellion during Your Majesty's journey. They have now set up an ambush in the valley ahead."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingchuan's face instantly darkened, his eyes revealing a cold and resolute expression. He frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and then whispered to his guards, "Continue to keep a close watch. Don't alert them. I want to see which treacherous minister is so audacious."
Subsequently, Xiao Jingchuan calmly redeployed the guard team. On the surface, the team continued to move forward in an orderly manner, but in secret, preparations were made to deal with any ambush. As soon as the team entered the valley, a group of bandits suddenly emerged from all sides, wielding sharp weapons, and surrounded them menacingly.
Xiao Jingchuan remained calm and composed. He gently lowered the carriage curtain and softly reassured Gu Liuli and the children inside, "Don't be afraid, I'm here." Then, holding his sword, he strode out of the carriage, his piercing gaze sweeping coldly over the surrounding bandits.
"How dare you block my carriage!" Xiao Jingchuan's deep and authoritative voice echoed through the valley.
At this moment, a fat official emerged from behind the bandits. This man was none other than Zhao Hong, the Minister of Personnel in the imperial court.
He usually maintained a dignified and respectable demeanor in court, but now his face was contorted with rage as he said viciously, "Xiao Jingchuan, today is your death day! Once you are dead, this court will be ours!"
Xiao Jingchuan looked at Zhao Hong with disdain in his eyes and sneered, "You? You dare to covet this empire? Do you think I'm unprepared?" With that, he waved his hand, and the guards instantly dispersed, surrounding the bandits. These guards were all elite warriors with superb martial arts skills, and they quickly engaged in fierce combat with the bandits.
Xiao Jingchuan personally took action, his swordsmanship fierce, each strike carrying a deadly aura. Under his leadership, the guards gradually gained the upper hand. Seeing the situation was dire, Zhao Hong tried to escape, but was grabbed by Xiao Jingchuan's bodyguards and brought before him.
"Zhao Hong, do you know your crime?" Xiao Jingchuan looked down at him, his eyes filled with anger.
Zhao Hong turned deathly pale with fright and collapsed to the ground, stammering, "Your Majesty, spare me! Your Majesty, spare me! They forced me to do this, I was just confused for a moment..."
Xiao Jingchuan snorted coldly: "Now that the evidence is conclusive, don't try to deny it! What use is there in keeping a treacherous minister like you alive?" After saying that, he ordered Zhao Hong and all the bandits to be arrested and await their fate.
The sudden turn of events was quickly quelled, and Xiao Jingchuan reorganized the group, continuing their journey to Xijing Kingdom. Although Xiao Nanyao and Xiao Nanyi were frightened by the scene, they were filled with admiration for their father's bravery.
"Father, you are so amazing!" Little Nan Yi said to Xiao Jing Chuan with admiration in his eyes.
Xiao Jingchuan smiled and patted his head: "You must remember that as members of the royal family, you must protect this country and its people and not allow treacherous people to destroy it."
As the procession reached a county town, a sudden commotion arose. A ragged scholar was being dragged by several constables, struggling fiercely and shouting, "Injustice! Your Honor, I've been framed!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingchuan signaled the group to stop. He stepped down from the carriage, frowned, and asked, "What happened? Why are you making such a commotion here?"
Seeing that someone was paying attention, a glimmer of hope ignited in the scholar's eyes. He struggled to break free from the constables and rushed to Xiao Jingchuan, kneeling down with a thud: "Your Honor, I am Li Yichen, a humble scholar who has studied diligently to pass the imperial examinations and serve the country. But the magistrate of this county has falsely accused me of stealing government silver and tortured me into confessing. I beg Your Honor to do me justice!" With that, tears streamed down Li Yichen's face as he kowtowed repeatedly.
Xiao Jingchuan's expression was cold and stern. He turned to the guards leading the group and said, "Go and bring this magistrate to me." The guards obeyed and soon brought the magistrate. Upon seeing Xiao Jingchuan's imposing manner, the magistrate turned pale with fright, his legs went weak, and he knelt on the ground with a thud.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me! Your Majesty, please forgive me!" The magistrate's voice trembled as he repeatedly begged for mercy.
Xiao Jingchuan looked at him coldly: "Why did you falsely accuse this scholar of stealing government silver? Tell the truth, or don't blame me for being impolite."
The magistrate trembled with fear. After hesitating for a moment, he had no choice but to tell the truth. It turned out that the magistrate had embezzled the disaster relief funds allocated by the imperial court, and in order to cover up his crime, he had found Li Yichen as a scapegoat.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingchuan glared angrily: "As an official appointed by the court, instead of thinking about how to benefit the people, he embezzled disaster relief funds and framed innocent people. His crimes are heinous! Guards, arrest this magistrate. We will deal with him after I return to the capital."
However, when Xiao Jingchuan ordered a reinvestigation of the case, it encountered numerous setbacks. First, the county magistrate had fabricated a great deal of evidence to solidify Li Yichen's guilt; this evidence seemed intricately linked and difficult to refute immediately. The guards in charge of the investigation thoroughly examined the county government's files, only to find that all clues pointed to Li Yichen, bringing the investigation to a standstill.
Just when everyone was at a loss, an elderly man claiming to be an eyewitness stepped forward and identified Li Yichen as the thief of the government silver. Xiao Jingchuan was suspicious. He carefully observed the old man and found that the old man's words were evasive and his expression was flustered, as if he was hiding something.
Xiao Jingchuan remained calm and secretly sent people to investigate the old man's background. Sure enough, after some investigation, they discovered that the old man had been bribed by the county magistrate to give false testimony.
But the matter was not resolved there. After learning about the incident, the forces behind the magistrate began to secretly obstruct the investigation.
They bribed some local officials to interfere with the investigators and even attempted to destroy some crucial evidence. Upon learning this, Xiao Jingchuan was furious. He intensified his investigation, dispatching more personnel to ensure the truth was uncovered.
During the investigation, Xiao Jingchuan also discovered that this case was not an isolated incident, but involved a huge corruption gang.
This gang, centered around the county magistrate, colluded with local wealthy merchants and gentry to exploit the people and engage in bribery and corruption for a long time. Li Yichen was merely a scapegoat they randomly selected to cover up their crimes.