NovelBonte Chapter 2538 Wu Song fights and kills Ximen Qing, Li 2 refuses Xiao's alliance with Liu Yang
Chapter 2538 Wu Song fights and kills Ximen Qing, Li 2 refuses Xiao's alliance with Liu Yang
Chapter 2538 Wu Song fights and kills Ximen Qing, Li Er refuses Xiao's alliance with Liu Yang
As dawn broke, the warmth within the Bronze Sparrow Terrace's sleeping quarters had not yet dissipated, mingled with the lingering, enchanting atmosphere of the previous night.
On the couch, Zhao Jinluo and Zhao Fujin, sisters from the Zhao Song imperial family, were still fast asleep on the edge of their dreams.
As a rooster crowed and they heard rustling sounds, Ruan Xingzhu and Gan Baobao, both widows with some experience, immediately woke up.
They knew that Wang Yu had gotten up.
Without any hesitation, the two beauties immediately rubbed their sleepy eyes vigorously with their palms. The cool fingertips touching the warm eyelids brought a brief moment of awakening.
They quickly threw off the covers and sat up, their movements swift but not flustered.
Her long, jet-black hair cascaded down her shoulders and back like a waterfall, revealing glimpses of her graceful curves beneath her thin nightgown.
When they were first brought to the Bronze Sparrow Terrace, some of them were probably quite stubborn.
However, those who were sent to the Bronze Sparrow Terrace were either the emperor's canaries or were bestowed upon meritorious officials by the emperor. Regardless of the reason, they would be trained in advance by old nannies in the palace.
No matter how stubborn a person's personality is, the old nannies in the palace will always find a way to make them docile.
Attended by several beautiful concubines, Wang Yu, having finished washing and grooming, casually draped a white robe over his shoulders and went to the study in the outer hall.
Inside the Bronze Sparrow Terrace, which was not the palace, Wang Yu was dressed very casually.
Inside the study in the outer hall, the gilded beast-shaped incense burner was now filled with the elegant scent of pear blossoms, dispelling the lingering stench of the night.
Zhao Gao, like a shadowy figure who had been waiting there, stood respectfully with two eunuchs at his sides. On the large sandalwood imperial desk, a stack of letters and reports were neatly arranged, the inkstone was slightly moist, and the vermilion brush was placed to the side.
Every morning, Zhao Gao would prepare important reports collected by the Luo Wang (Net of Heaven) and hand them over to Wang Yu for review.
Wang Yu strolled to the desk, lifted his robe and sat down, casually flipping through a letter.
The report described the huge mess that Ximen Qing and Wu Dalang had made, and how the Han general Wu Song had first killed Pan Jinlian and then publicly killed Ximen Qing at the Lion Tower, thus incurring punishment.
"Neither humble nor arrogant, and enforcing the law accordingly, this person is indeed capable!" Wang Yu glanced at him casually, then stopped looking at the officials behind him and muttered his own comment.
Although Wu Song was not of high rank, merely a low-ranking general, he could still be considered one of Wang Yu's former subordinate generals, having followed Wang Yu for a long time and holding a minor title.
For a minor county magistrate to withstand pressure and insist on acting in accordance with the law is a rare quality among local officials.
However, although the county magistrate had already determined the nature of the crime, he was still unable to make a decision on how to punish the perpetrator and could only report the matter up the chain of command in accordance with the law.
After all, Wu Song still held a noble title, and his sentence could not be judged solely based on his rank.
"Wu Erlang's personality is still a bit too reckless!" Wang Yu sighed.
This matter began because Ximen Qing poisoned his elder brother Wu Dalang for the sake of a woman. If he had handed the matter over to the government, the government would have upheld the law impartially.
However, even if his unauthorized enforcement of the law had a justification, it still violated the law. Therefore, the official who punished him for this was justified. Even with a justification, no one can be above the law. If everyone enforced the law privately, wouldn't the Han Dynasty descend into chaos?
Having made up his mind, Wang Yu reached for the vermilion brush and spread out a blank sheet of special imperial edict paper.
"The magistrate of Yanggu County, in accordance with the law, adjudicated the case without fear of the powerful and conscientiously performed his duties. The Ministry of Personnel shall record this merit and award him ten bolts of silk as a commendation."
"Wu Song killed two people to avenge his brother. Although there are extenuating circumstances, he did violate the law. Considering his past merits and the reasons for his actions, the imperial decree states: He may be spared the death penalty, but he will not be spared punishment."
"He shall be stripped of his post as Commandant of the Imperial Guard, demoted from the inherited rank of Commandant of Light Chariots to Commandant of Cavalry, fined one year's salary, and sent to the front lines of the Zhongxing Pass to serve as a penance for his crime through meritorious service."
"His brother Wu Dalang died an innocent and violent death. The local government is ordered to provide generous compensation and to thoroughly investigate whether any clerks colluded with Ximen Qing and punish them accordingly."
"Furthermore, the cause and handling of this case shall be clearly proclaimed to all prefectures and counties, and to inform the military and civilians: the law of the state is clear, and private punishment is not allowed; although there may be grievances, they can be appealed to the public authorities, and all those who violate this shall be investigated without leniency."
"The Ximen family?" After handing the imperial edict he had casually written to the eunuch beside him, Wang Yu thought of Ximen Qing, another key figure in this case, and his expression turned cold.
After Ximen Qing was born, he was given the identity of a member of the Ximen family, a royal merchant family, but only a member of a collateral branch.
Even if Wu Song's rank wasn't high, he still held a noble title and was one of the older generation of generals. Even if Ximen Qing was blinded by lust and provoked Pan Jinlian, that was one thing.
However, poisoning Wu Er's elder brother, Wu Dalang, is a completely different matter.
Given the current situation of the Ximen family, even the direct descendants might not have the guts to do it, let alone a distant descendant like him.
It should be noted that the Ximen family was forced to give up a lot of industries and interests this year, ceding them to the imperial court, especially industries such as salt and iron, which are vital to the country's survival, all of which were taken away.
In addition, the Xu family, under Wang Yu's suggestion, suppressed the Ximen family, so even the direct descendants of the Ximen family had to keep a low profile during this period.
As for Ximen Qing, to put it bluntly, as a collateral descendant of the Ximen family, he can only fool those who don't know anything about the business. Any member of the main branch of the Ximen family with any status would not take his identity seriously at all.
For large families like theirs that have developed for hundreds of years, there are countless branches and offshoots. Apart from a few branches, the others may only share the same surname and a common ancestor.
Therefore, regardless of whether there were any issues behind Ximen Qing's affair with Pan Jinlian, there is a high probability that there were problems behind his poisoning of Wu Dalang.
But Wang Yu didn't care. If there was a real problem, he would investigate. It wouldn't stop him from using this incident to incite some of his subordinates to form a group and further suppress the Ximen family, who were imperial merchants.
The Ximen family can be spared, and Wang Yu is even less obligated to eliminate them. However, the existence of behemoths like the Imperial Merchants, which can influence or even directly endanger the national economy, is absolutely unacceptable.
Even if we don't kill them, we should gradually suppress them to a certain extent.
After giving instructions to Wu Erlang and the Ximen family, Wang Yu then picked up the remaining reports and messages from the throne.
The remaining reports, besides those concerning the Han Dynasty, also included many matters concerning the Wei Dynasty.
That year, the Great Wei was one of the places where the situation changed the most. This was also because the Great Wei was right next to the Great Han, so news came much faster than in the former Wu, Chu and Xia regions.