Duke Wen was a cunning old fox who had been in officialdom for a long time. With just a few words, he brought up the hundreds of thousands of troops led by Dongfang Heng, cleverly avoiding his own mistakes.
The emperor's sharp gaze suddenly shot towards Dongfang Heng: "Prince An, why did the army at the Subei border suddenly return to the capital?"
Qin Junhao knew that Dongfang Heng had secretly mobilized the army at the Subei border, Dongfang Zhan knew, and the emperor naturally received the news as well. He became suspicious of Dongfang Heng but could not ask him openly. The Duke of Wen's excuse provided him with a suitable reason to inquire.
"Your Majesty, of those tens of thousands of people, only ten thousand are soldiers; the rest are civilians!" Dongfang Heng said calmly, his expression indifferent.
"Ordinary people?" The emperor was taken aback, his gaze sharpening. "What's going on?"
Dongfang Zhan's sharp gaze suddenly sharpened. Ten thousand soldiers, the rest were civilians? Something was wrong.
Dongfang Heng's deep gaze swept seemingly casually over Dongfang Zhan before landing on the Emperor:
"His Majesty's birthday is approaching. Your Majesty, I have ordered soldiers to travel from the Subei border to the capital. At each village we pass through, we will pick up a few villagers to represent the people of the entire village and come to the capital to celebrate His Majesty's birthday. The journey from Subei to the capital is thousands of miles and involves countless villages. Once we arrive in the capital, the number of people will range from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands. This is the birthday gift I have prepared for His Majesty—a true celebration of the people!"
The emperor, who sits on the throne and possesses the whole world, has all the most precious gold, silver and jewels, as well as fine silks and satins in the national treasury. He has no interest in them at all!
To leave a deep impression on the emperor, one must be original and send something unique. The people's homage to the emperor demonstrates the emperor's favor and is novel and unique. The emperor will like it: "Why didn't you say so sooner?"
"Your Majesty, I wanted to give you a surprise, but I didn't expect Your Majesty to find out beforehand!" Dongfang Heng raised the corners of his mouth, forming an apologetic smile.
Surprise? It was indeed a mix of surprise and delight! The emperor almost mistook Dongfang Heng for a traitor.
Seeing the emperor looking at Dongfang Heng with approval and gradually believing his words, Duke Wen's gaze darkened. He absolutely could not let Dongfang Heng escape suspicion, otherwise, he would definitely be severely punished: "I have heard that those rows of soldiers are all neat and orderly. The common people would not be wearing armor, nor would they walk in such a neat and orderly manner?"
"I mobilized 10,000 soldiers from Subei. They are responsible for protecting the safety of the people. Naturally, they should stand in front, behind, left, and right to protect the people in the middle. Perhaps because the soldiers are tall and strong, they block the people from view. From a distance, they are not clearly visible. People see soldiers everywhere, even the grass and trees!"
Dongfang Heng looked at Duke Wen, his dark eyes were extremely deep, like a boundless, bone-chilling night, instantly surrounding him, absorbing everything, erasing everything!
Duke Wen felt a loud bang, and his aged body staggered back a few steps uncontrollably. He was terrified. Prince An, what a powerful aura! Just one look from him was enough to shock him so much that he almost lost his mind. Dongfang Heng seemed to be even more powerful than the War King back then.
"It is understandable that Duke Wen, for the sake of the country and its people, suspects the disloyalty of court officials. However, I am a prince of the royal family. Has Duke Wen reported his suspicions to the Emperor?" Dongfang Heng is the God of War of the Azure Flame, commanding hundreds of thousands of troops and having made outstanding military achievements. Suspecting him is a serious matter and should not be acted upon rashly. Reporting to the Emperor is the most appropriate course of action.
Duke Wen was startled and lowered his head, remaining silent.
Dongfang Hengyu glanced at Dongfang Hong and Dongfang Zhan, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Since we haven't reported this to the Emperor, have we mentioned it to His Highness the Crown Prince or Prince Zhan?"
Dongfang Heng became suspicious of him and subtly searched for his mastermind!
Duke Wen was shocked. He hadn't discovered that Dongfang Heng had secretly mobilized the army; someone else had told him. If he revealed that person's name, it would be tantamount to admitting that person was his mastermind. If he kept quiet, he would certainly be severely punished.
what to do?
He quietly raised his head and glanced quickly, it was unclear whether he was looking at Dongfang Zhan or Dongfang Hong.
Dongfang Zhan and Dongfang Hong seemed oblivious to his gaze, staring intently ahead.
A hint of sadness flashed in Duke Wen's weary eyes.
Dongfang Heng sneered. Dongfang Zhan was prepared to sacrifice Duke Wen to save himself.
"Duke Wen, accusations without evidence are called slander. Do you know what your crime is?" Dongfang Heng's voice suddenly rose, his gaze fixed on Duke Wen, his sharp words penetrating Dongfang Zhan's ears.
Dongfang Zhan clenched his large, pale hands tightly, a hint of coldness creeping into his gentle eyes. Dongfang Heng's secret mobilization of the Subei army was not for rebellion, but to set a trap and lure out the mastermind behind his framing!
Although Duke Wen said nothing, Dongfang Heng, with his intelligence, must have already guessed that he was the mastermind behind Duke Wen. He had fallen for Duke Wen's trick and exposed his identity, so he would no longer have the advantage of secretly being his enemy.
Duke Wen's face was deathly pale, his tall body trembling slightly as he slowly knelt down, his expression utterly desolate: "This old minister failed in his duty and wronged Prince An. I beg Your Majesty to punish me!"
Dongfang Heng was most familiar with the hundreds of thousands of troops from Subei who had come to the capital. He called them an army, and once they entered the capital, they were an army; he called them civilians, and once they entered the capital, they were civilians. No matter how much the Duke of Wen tried to refute him, he could not win against Dongfang Heng. Now, he could only resign himself to fate.
No one spoke in the Imperial Study anymore; the atmosphere instantly became silent, eerily quiet, yet oppressive, making it hard to breathe. Fine beads of cold sweat appeared on Duke Wen's forehead.
As princes of the royal family, the Crown Prince and Prince Zhan could question Dongfang Heng's mobilization of troops. With just one word from them, they could save Duke Wen. However, this would expose their factionalism and their use of ministers as pawns against Dongfang Heng.
The emperor detested infighting among his own people. Protecting the Duke of Wen only made the emperor resentful and dissatisfied with them, which was a losing proposition.
"Duke Wen, Su Lie, falsely accused Prince An, a crime that cannot be forgiven. However, he has worked hard for the country for twenty years and has made many contributions. He is hereby demoted to the fourth-rank prefect of Lingzhou and fined three years' salary!" Although Duke Wen falsely accused Dongfang Heng, he was also wholeheartedly devoted to the country. The emperor likes such a loyal minister and does not want to punish him too severely!
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Duke Wen kowtowed to express his gratitude. His heart, which had been hanging in suspense, was instantly relieved. He secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The Emperor had only demoted him, not reduced him to a commoner. This was out of consideration for their past relationship and a special favor. As long as he was diligent in his duties and served the people, there was still hope that he could be reinstated.
"Prince An, are you satisfied with my punishment of Duke Wen?" Dongfang Heng is a pillar of the nation, an outstanding young man, and the emperor's nephew. The emperor trusts him greatly and hopes that he can recognize his punishment.
Looking at the plaque inscribed with "Upright and Honorable" hanging high on the wall behind the emperor, Dongfang Heng said calmly, "Your Majesty is wise!"
"Your Majesty, these are the memorials you need to review today!" Eunuch Zhao entered the Imperial Study with a whisk in his hand, followed by two junior eunuchs, each carrying a brocade tray with a pile of memorials on it!
"Your subject takes his leave!"
"Your humble servant takes his leave!"
With the matter resolved, the emperor was about to review the memorials, so Dongfang Heng, Dongfang Zhan, Dongfang Hong, and the Duke of Wen tactfully took their leave.
After leaving the Imperial Study, Dongfang Hong gave Duke Wen a meaningful look, his eyes filled with a hint of anger. He turned around and strode towards the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace without looking back.
Dongfang Heng remained silent and went straight out of the palace back to the Holy King's residence.
Dongfang Zhan paused by the pavilion. As Duke Wen stepped forward and brushed past him, he whispered, "Your Highness Zhan, this old minister..."
"Go to Lingzhou to take up your post first, and I will find a way to transfer you back to the capital." Dongfang Zhan's lips moved, but his voice was so soft that it was almost inaudible.
"Yes!" Duke Wen nodded, walked past Dongfang Zhan, and strode forward.
To outsiders, they may have just passed each other by, but little did they know that they had already said everything they needed to say.
Dongfang Zhan looked up and saw Dongfang Heng walking slowly to the palace gate under the azure sky and golden sunlight. His white robes fluttered in the wind, reflecting the ancient and solemn palace gate, making him look noble and elegant, which was breathtaking!
Dongfang Heng is the God of War of Azure Flame, so he is certainly no less capable than him in scheming and plotting. He underestimated Dongfang Heng's abilities and misjudged Dongfang Heng's personality, which is why Dongfang Heng turned the tables on him.