Happy Spring Every Year

Chapter 239 Traitor

Shen Zhengsheng and Lu Yongzhu were escorted into the palace, and Wen Chengye personally searched them.

Inside the imperial study, the atmosphere was so solemn that it seemed as if water could be squeezed out of it.

Shen Zhengsheng and Lu Yongzhu knelt in the hall and respectfully saluted Emperor Sheng. When they raised their heads again, both of them had ugly expressions.

You know, both of them are famous generals in the Great Sheng Dynasty. They have fought bloody battles for their country for so many years and are full of blood and pride.

But today, he was escorted into the palace like a serious criminal and was arbitrarily searched by Wen Chengye. What a humiliation it was.

Emperor Sheng was still sitting firmly behind the desk, his face as cold as ice, and he did not let the two men stand up.

Between the two of them, Shen Zhengsheng was the backbone, so at this moment Lu Yongzhu remained silent, but Shen Zhengsheng took a deep breath and spoke respectfully:

"Your Majesty, it has been said since ancient times that 'thunder, lightning, rain and dew are all the emperor's grace'. As subjects, we should obey your instructions and accept them with confidence."

"But at this moment, I am in a state of panic, as if I were on the edge of an abyss."

"I only beg Your Majesty to have mercy on me. Even if it means you can sentence me to death, I hope Your Majesty will clearly state my crimes so that I can die a worthy death. In the afterlife, I can still feel Your Majesty's grace and remember Your Majesty's majesty."

After saying this, Shen Zhengsheng bowed to the ground, followed closely by Lu Yongzhu.

Emperor Sheng lowered his eyes to look at the two of them, his face gloomy, and said in a cold voice: "Generals, do you really not know?"

Seeing Shen Zhengsheng and Lu Yongzhu shaking their heads at the same time, Emperor Sheng suddenly waved his sleeves and swept away all the letters on the table.

Hua Hua LaLa——

"Look, what this is."

Everyone in the hall was shocked.

Shen Zhengsheng and Lu Yongzhu immediately reached out for the letters in front of them. After reading one of the letters in their hands, their expressions changed completely.

"Your Majesty, where did this... this letter come from? It reads like..."

Shen Zhengsheng looked up in disbelief, but saw that Emperor Sheng was looking at Zhao Huailang beside him.

He then turned his head and saw Zhao Huailang step forward and said in a calm voice: "General Shen, isn't this what's in your study?"

Shen Zhengsheng was stunned when he heard this, and his handsome face was full of confusion.

But soon, he seemed to understand that this was the "culprit" who had sent troops to surround the Shen Mansion and brought him to the palace. His face turned pale and he said quickly:

"Your Majesty, I don't recognize this thing at all!"

"Whoever received this letter must be a traitor to the country. I have spent half my life in the military, devoted to Your Majesty, and returned home with only a broken arm. How could I possibly do such a treasonous act?"

"I hope Your Majesty will see clearly and restore my innocence!"

After the initial confusion dissipated, the fear and anger of being wronged surged up.

Shen Zhengsheng's voice was excited, and his only remaining hand was clenched into a fist, but in front of Emperor Sheng, he could only suppress his unwillingness and resentment in his heart, and his face was flushed at this moment.

Lu Yongzhu also looked incredulous.

He quickly knelt upright and said in a loud voice, "Your Majesty, I have witnessed with my own eyes that General Shen has led the troops in every battle, never fearing swords or spears, only to spread Your Majesty's reputation far and wide."

"Your Highness just said that these letters belonged to General Shen's study. If that is the case, I would like to ask how these letters came into Your Highness's hands."

Zhao Huailang had anticipated the reactions of Shen Lu and the others long before he launched the attack, so he remained calm and spoke truthfully:

"To be honest with you two generals, this letter was personally handed to me by General Shen's adopted daughter, Gu Xizhi."

"By the way, Miss Gu... can be considered General Lu's daughter-in-law, right?"

When they suddenly heard Gu Xizhi's name, Shen Zhengsheng and Lu Yongzhu raised their heads in surprise.

But after a moment, Shen Zhengsheng said seriously: "If that's the case, the prince might have been deceived by Gu Xizhi."

"She is extremely cunning. If it weren't for Lu Yunzheng's breaking off the engagement, I'm afraid I would still be deceived by her."

"At this time last year, Gu Xizhi and I had already broken off relations. These letters were fabricated by Gu Xizhi as a deliberate revenge against me—"

"General Shen."

Zhao Huailang interrupted in a deep voice, looking at Jia Shaobo who was already trembling and sweating profusely, and said bluntly:

"Master Jia has verified that these letters... are authentic."

"How can this be!?"

Shen Zhengsheng suddenly raised his voice and looked at Jia Shaobo with sharp eyes for confirmation.

Jia Shaobo clutched his sleeves, so scared that tears were about to come out.

Oh my God, he was given a greedy cat and he managed to create such a shocking scene!

"Yes...it's true."

Jia Shaobo responded with a stutter.

But at this time, Lu Yongzhu couldn't help but frowned and murmured:

"Is the letter Gu Xizhi gave me real? How...how is this possible? Unless..."

At this point, Lu Yongzhu seemed to have thought of something, his eyes suddenly widened, and he asked quickly:

"Master Jia, have you noticed how old these letters are? When were they written?"

Upon hearing this, Jia Shaobo immediately showed shame on his face and shook his head, "General Lu, I am not very knowledgeable and skilled in this field. It is difficult for me to determine when this letter was written."

After hearing this, Lu Yongzhu's eyes lit up and he hurriedly said respectfully to Emperor Sheng:

"Your Majesty, the battle in which General Shen lost his arm was due to the Right Deputy General Gu Changshen's greed for merit and his reckless advance, leading his troops deep into the enemy territory alone. He himself was killed in that battle."

"At that time, General Shen's life was hanging by a thread, and I had no time to care about anything else. After the general was out of danger, I immediately began to thoroughly investigate this matter."

"However, when I sent people to Gu's house, Gu Changshen's wife and daughter had already packed up the relics. I investigated and found nothing suspicious."

"Not long after, Gu Changshen's wife died of grief, leaving their young daughter alone and helpless."

"Your Majesty, General Shen's adopted daughter, Gu Xizhi, is the daughter of Right Vice General Gu Changshen!"

"If this letter is genuine, and it was written by Gu Xizhi, I cannot help but suspect that the true traitor is Gu Changshen, the former Right Deputy General!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Shen Zhengsheng's face showed a dazed look.

He subconsciously touched his broken arm, then suddenly raised his head and said, "Your Majesty, this matter is of great importance. Right now, the prince and I are at a stalemate, each holding our own opinion."

"Your Majesty, I beg your Majesty to grant me permission to summon Gu Xizhi before you and inquire about the truth."

"Only in this way can we clarify what happened and clear this humble minister's name, thus proving my loyalty to His Majesty."

After hearing this, Zhao Huailang became more calm.

The situation had developed as he had expected, and he was planning to have Gu Xizhi testify before the emperor, so he sent Lu Yao to pick her up.

After several contacts, based on Gu Xizhi's performance in front of him, he knew that even if she came before the emperor, Gu Xizhi could handle some things and leave the rest to him.

Thinking of this, Zhao Huailang was about to speak and agree, but at this moment, Wen Chengye's report came from outside the hall:

"Your Majesty, Princess Rui has sent someone to urgently look for Prince Rui."

There was silence in the hall for a moment.

Zhao Huailang frowned suddenly.

Zhen? What's wrong with her?

Didn’t I tell her to stay in the house with Mu’er today and not go anywhere?

Such a critical moment...

Zhao Huailang's mind flashed with Zhen's gentle face. He hesitated for a moment, fearing that Emperor Sheng would be dissatisfied with Zhen because of this, so he finally said:

"Father, perhaps this matter involves Mu'er..."

When Emperor Sheng heard this, he looked at Zhao Huailang deeply, then waved his hand and tilted his head and said:

"Fushun, go check, why hasn't Xiuzhi arrived yet?"

Eunuch Fushun responded and left the imperial study right after Zhao Huailang.