radicalducati Page 20
Page 20
Yang Yan spotted Wei Changxuan and the women beside him at a glance on the street.
He spurred his horse and rode quickly to Wei Changxuan's side, reining in his horse.
With a somewhat anxious look on his face, he said breathlessly,
"Your godfather wants you to go to the Haoqi Tower to find him immediately!"
"Brother Yang, what's happened? Why is Uncle in such a hurry to see me?"
Wei Changxuan had a vague sense of unease. He knew that his uncle, Wei Yuan, rarely interfered in his affairs.
Unless it was an extremely important and urgent matter, such a large mobilization would not have been undertaken, and Yang Yan, a fourth-rank official, would have been specially dispatched to deliver the message in person.
"Something really serious has happened!"
Yang Yan's expression was solemn. He paused for a moment, then continued,
Last night, a number of people went missing at the Jiaofangsi (a government-run entertainment district).
The sons of the Earl of Pingyuan, the son of the Minister of War, the son of Vice Minister Zhou of the Ministry of Revenue, and a host of other sons of officials in the capital have all mysteriously disappeared!
The entire officialdom in the capital is now buzzing with rumors that you've wiped them all out!
Upon hearing this astonishing news, Wei Changxuan frowned.
"You're saying I slaughtered a group of officials' sons?!"
Are these people out of their minds?
They really think I'd dare do that!
Hearing Wei Changxuan's words, Yang Yan also breathed a sigh of relief.
He knew Wei Changxuan wouldn't do something so crazy!
But Wei Changxuan's next words sent a chill down his spine once again.
"That makes sense, those people are really good at judging people!"
If you provoke me, I might actually do something like that!
"Huh? Not Xuan-di? You really did this?"
Qun Yangyan's face was filled with deep shock.
That's the capital of the Great Feng Dynasty, a small portion of the top second-generation members of a political party!
If they were all killed, the entire capital city would surely experience an earthquake!
"Brother Yang, you're joking! How could I do such a cruel and inhumane thing!"
This is clearly a setup to frame me!
Yang Yan looked straight at Wei Changxuan and said with a serious expression.
"Brother Xuan, I bet you really are capable of doing something like this!"
Wei Changxuan: "…………"
"But if it really wasn't you who did it, then who could it be?"
Such a large-scale massacre of a group of officials' sons—aren't they afraid of their fathers' furious retaliation?
And does he have a grudge against you, Brother Xuan? Is he deliberately framing you?
Yang Yan was also puzzled, stroking his chin as he thought about it more and more.
"No matter who it is, and regardless of whether I have any grudge against them or not."
But since they've crossed me, I'd like to see just who this mastermind really is!
At this moment, a chilling murderous intent flashed in Wei Changxuan's eyes.
He possessed the Star Devouring Technique and was accompanied by Janet and a group of highly skilled bodyguards.
Moreover, he has his uncle Wei Yuan, who appears to have lost all his martial arts skills but is actually a second-rank super martial artist, as a solid backer.
If we give him more time to grow and earn more shock points to improve his strength, he can achieve great things.
Even if Emperor Yuanjing himself framed him,
He also has the confidence to challenge the royal family and is absolutely not afraid of turning against them!
.......
Chapter 25 Reactions from All Sides!
Inside the Imperial Palace in the capital city,
The atmosphere in front of a magnificent hall was so heavy it seemed like water could be squeezed out of it.
The biting wind howled past, but it couldn't dispel the anxiety and urgency on the faces of the officials in the capital.
Their offspring disappeared without a trace the night before last, as if a stone had vanished into the sea.
These officials, who were usually dignified and solemn or calm and capable in the imperial court,
At this moment, however, he had completely lost his usual composure, his mind and eyes filled with worry for the child's safety.
"Lord Pingyuan, Minister Zhang, what will His Majesty's response be?"
Why haven't we arrived yet? What are we going to do?!
Vice Minister Zhou of the Ministry of Revenue frowned deeply, his voice filled with anxiety and helplessness.
His only son was pampered and spoiled from a young age.
Now, after such a long time without any news...
The more Vice Minister Zhou thought about it, the more uneasy he felt, his heart pounding with fear that something bad had happened to his son.
“Minister Zhou, don’t worry. Our sons have also gone missing, but what’s the use of just worrying? It will only make us lose our composure.”
Minister of War Zhang Feng offered words of comfort, though his face also showed some worry.
However, the composure he had cultivated over many years of navigating the officialdom allowed him to barely maintain a semblance of calm amidst the chaos.
Just as everyone was anxiously waiting and filled with agonizing anticipation, the doors of the main hall slowly swayed, and a thin, eunuch walked out with small, hesitant steps.
His voice was shrill, sounding particularly harsh in the cold wind:
"His Majesty has said that he will not see any of you court officials today. Please leave!"
This simple sentence stirred up a huge wave of emotions in everyone's hearts.
The courtiers present looked at each other, their faces showing disbelief.
The mysterious disappearance of so many sons of officials is no small matter.
This concerns the bloodlines of numerous high-ranking officials in the court, and His Majesty intends to turn a blind eye to it?!
For a moment, a murmur arose in everyone's minds.
Could it be that Wei Yuan's power in the court has already become so immense?
His influence was so great that even His Majesty had to take his side and protect his nephew, Wei Changxuan.
"Your Majesty, what exactly does His Majesty mean by this?"
The Earl of Pingyuan frowned slightly, a hint of doubt and contemplation flashing in his eyes.
Others may not know the true state of His Majesty, but he knows it very well.
Based on his understanding of His Majesty, he had long wanted to eliminate the Wei family uncles and nephews, and it was impossible for him to ignore this opportunity.
There must be some other reason behind this!
Upon hearing the Earl of Pingyuan's question, the surrounding officials all turned their gazes to the chief eunuch.
Her eyes were full of expectation and doubt, longing for a clearer answer from him.
The head eunuch remained calm and spoke again, unhurriedly:
"His Majesty has said that you may handle your own family matters! Please return now!"
Upon hearing this, the Earl of Pingyuan did not respond immediately, but lowered his head slightly and fell into deep thought.
After a moment, he seemed to suddenly understand something, his eyes gradually brightened, and a meaningful smile appeared on his face.
"In that case, I'll have to trouble you, Father-in-law!"
The Earl of Pingyuan bowed respectfully to the chief eunuch, then turned and led the group out of the main hall.
The group walked out along the blue stone path of the palace, their footsteps sounding particularly heavy.
Finally, an official couldn't help but break the silence: "My lord, are we just going back like this? What will happen to our descendants?"
The Earl of Pingyuan stopped, his gaze slowly sweeping over the crowd, and said earnestly:
"Don't you all understand?"
His Majesty has instructed us to resolve our family matters ourselves, meaning that whatever happens afterward...
His Majesty will not favor us, nor will he favor Wei Yuan!
Everyone, do you all understand?
Everyone was taken aback at first, then suddenly realized what was going on.
"So, His Majesty is tacitly allowing us to seek justice ourselves!"
An official said excitedly,
"Excellent! That Wei Changxuan is merely an eighth-rank martial artist."
Even if he has Wei Yuan backing him up, can he really hide in the night watchman's office forever?
Moreover, Wei Yuan isn't the only one who can control the entire night watchman's office!
At this moment, a ruthless glint flashed in Zhang Feng's eyes, and he said through gritted teeth:
Regardless of whether Wei Changxuan was responsible for this incident or not
But I'm certain that he's definitely involved!
If we can capture him then, we might be able to use that as a breakthrough.
They forced him to identify Wei Yuan as the mastermind behind the incident.