webnovelfull Chapter 550: Qin State Court Storm
Chapter 550: Qin State Court Storm
After returning to the military camp and seeing Yan Fuyao, Shen Changgong said to Gongsun Wan'er,
"The plan has begun. Let's have Xianyang start writing letters to sow discord. Furthermore, Bai Wuan might fabricate a lie, saying Shen Changgong bribed him but he refused to prove his innocence, in order to gain their trust."
Gongsun Wan'er nodded immediately, sat down and began to write a letter.
Yan Fuyao looked at him and said,
"It seems you failed this time?"
Shen Changgong said as he warmed himself by the fire.
"The attempt to persuade him to surrender failed, but the plan was a success. It's not so easy to persuade a man like him to surrender.
Isn't it usually the case that you defeat the enemy first, capture them, and then try to persuade them to surrender?
Bai Wuan is also a famous general who has never suffered a defeat. He is very proud and arrogant. His family is all in Xianyang. How could he possibly surrender?
"Well, but it was done pretty well this time. I said I wanted to go and see it myself, but you didn't let me go."
"If I go, he won't dare to make a move. If you go, he might fight to the death.
We went to the Wei Kingdom fortress for fun last time, but this time it’s too dangerous. You can’t let anything happen to you.”
"Okay, when do we set off north?"
"Stay for two days before leaving. It's bitterly cold here, and the soldiers have had a hard time. The emperor has finally arrived, so please pay them more attention and let them feel more grateful."
"Okay, I'll listen to you."
"My rocking baby is always obedient. Come on, give him a kiss."
"Ouch, go away, there are kids!"
Yan Fuyao pushed Shen Changgong away with disgust, glared at him, and then glanced at Xiao Qiao who had just picked up a carving knife.
Shen Changgong laughed and didn't hit her head.
Two days later, Yan Fuyao, Shen Changgong and others left the border and headed north.
They had to go to Xingqing Prefecture first, and then head east to Shengjing.
Just as they were about to set off, a storm arose in the Qin court.
……
Qin State, Xianyang Palace.
In the huge court, the Emperor Qin sat on the dragon throne, looking at the civil and military officials below, with a cold face, and said,
"My dear ministers, I have two secret reports here. I am very confused and would like to ask you to help me resolve my worries."
"This first secret report was written by the Northern Army's commander, Bai Wuan, and details the entire process of his meeting with Yan State's Lanling Prince, Shen Changgong."
When these words were spoken, all the ministers were shocked.
"What? Bai Wuan went to meet Shen Changgong?"
"Shen Changgong is our Great Qin's mortal enemy. He is invincible and conquered the entire Yan Kingdom. We are now forming a five-nation alliance to fight him!"
"We have shown unparalleled determination to fight against the State of Yan. How could he meet Shen Changgong at this time?"
"What on earth is he going to do? Is he going to rebel?"
……
The Emperor of Qin waved his hands impatiently.
"Silence, silence! Wait until I have finished speaking before you express your humble opinions!"
The ministers fell silent instantly.
The Emperor Qin said,
"Marshal Bai said that Shen Changgong sent someone to invite him to a meeting at the Han River Pavilion on the border between the two countries.
During this period, Shen Changgong tried to persuade him to surrender, but was sternly rejected by him.
He also said that Shen Changgong wanted to bribe court officials to falsely accuse him, saying that he had defected to the State of Yan and betrayed the State of Qin.
He also said that the person who falsely accused him even knew that he had proven his innocence to me.
Seeing that everyone was about to express their opinions again, Emperor Qin waved his hand, indicating that he would finish speaking at once.
"Another secret report contained a detailed record of the discussion between Bai Wuan and Shen Changgong.
Shen Changgong initiated a campaign to persuade Bai Wuan to surrender and demonstrated the powerful military strength of Yan State.
Bai Wuan disagreed at first, but during the conversation with Shen Changgong, he gradually found that he shared the same ideals as Shen Changgong and was persuaded by him.
The two conspired that when the five-nation coalition forces launched a northern expedition, Bai Wuan would defect and attack Xianyang together with the Yan army.
At the same time, they were worried that the guards they had brought with them might have hidden agents who would inevitably report the incident to the court. Therefore, they decided to have Bai Wuan take the lead in submitting a letter to testify against himself, in order to confuse the public, reverse the facts, and put the blame on the official who filed the complaint down.
The Emperor Qin looked at his ministers and asked coldly,
"What do you think of these two completely different secret reports?"
The ministers were shocked and began to discuss in low voices.
The Prime Minister asked,
"Your Majesty, may I ask who wrote the second secret report? Which minister submitted it?"
The Emperor Qin said coldly,
"What? Is the Prime Minister planning to find this person and kill him to silence him?"
"I dare not, I dare not!"
The Prime Minister knelt down and said,
"I simply feel that this person is so secretive and doesn't dare to reveal his real name, so I'm afraid this is more of a false accusation."
"He wrote his name and handed it to me personally. I didn't let him tell anyone else about this because I was worried that people like you would frame loyal people!
The secret report states that Shen Changgong and Bai Wuan are planning to turn the tables and then use me to get rid of the loyal officials who filed the complaint!
"Don't worry about who submitted it. Just tell me who I should trust in this matter!"
At this time, the Imperial Censor stood up and said,
"Your Majesty, regardless of who is real and who is fake, the fact that Bai Wuan went to see Shen Changgong is unusual.
Shen Changgong is our great enemy, and Bai Wuan is our commander-in-chief, in charge of an army of 500,000.
Why did he risk being assassinated to meet Shen Changgong alone?
What can he talk about with Shen Changgong?
His letter said that Shen Changgong wanted to surrender him.
This makes sense. What else can Shen Changgong do when he meets him except to persuade him to surrender?
But he knew that Shen Changgong had bad intentions, so he still went to see Shen Changgong?
Why is that?
This is something worth our deep consideration!"
The Imperial Censor's words were euphemistic, but everyone could hear that he was saying that Bai Wuan had ulterior motives.
But others couldn't say anything, because the Chief Censor was supposed to supervise all officials, and it was his duty to raise reasonable suspicions.
At this time, another official stood up and said,
"Your Majesty, I believe that what the Imperial Censor said is correct. If there were no huge temptation of profit, why would Bai Wuan take the risk to meet Shen Changgong alone?
Shen Changgong himself is a man of great martial arts skills. As a prince and living with the emperor, he must be surrounded by many masters of the palace.
On Bai Wuan's side, there are only some generals and soldiers. If a conflict really breaks out, can he defeat the enemy?
Bai Wuan's move to meet with Shen Changgong is questionable."
After thinking for a while, the Emperor Qin said,
"Bai Wuan said that when the envoys from Yan State went to deliver the letter, they marched in with great fanfare. Many soldiers saw them. If you didn't dare to accept the invitation, you would be called a coward by the soldiers.
That will shake the morale of the army.
That's why he was willing to take the risk and remain unmoved by Shen Changgong's inducements, setting an example for the entire army!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Imperial Censor jumped up and said,
"Excuses, he's just making excuses. If he's killed by Shen Changgong, wouldn't that further shake the morale of the army?
I believe Bai Wuan is collaborating with the enemy!"