nucmednet Chapter 303 Morning Court (2) (Questioning the Three Kings)
Chapter 303 Morning Court (2) (Questioning the Three Kings)
"Explain yourself! Is it that without immediately selecting officials, local areas cannot function?"
Qin Wu questioned again.
He wanted to see what this man could say.
"Your Highness, please calm down. That's not what I meant. I was just thinking about replenishing the officials as soon as possible so that the policies of the court could be better implemented in various places."
The official immediately offered an explanation.
However, Qin Wu did not believe a single word of his explanation.
In fact, the reason he did this was simply to test Qin Wu.
What he didn't know was that his test would cost him his life.
"So that means it won't have a big impact? Does that mean I can assume that you're trying to use this to control the region?"
"If I remember correctly, you should be a member of a clan."
"Guards! This man harbors treacherous intentions. Drag him away and feed him to the dogs. Send men to ransack his house. I also want to see if this official is truly as loyal as he claims."
Qin Wu gave the order directly.
Immediately, imperial guards stepped forward, covered his mouth, and dragged him away.
The Imperial Guards are now used to this kind of thing, so they do it very skillfully.
The ministers were speechless.
"Brother, isn't it inappropriate for you to kill someone right here in the council hall?"
King Zhou frowned as he looked at the people being dragged out and stepped forward to speak.
He had long cooperated with the clans for the sake of the throne. Now that a clan official had been killed in the court, if he did not stand up, the clans might become disaffected.
Moreover, his subsequent plans would require the clan's help; otherwise, it would be impossible for his army to enter the capital undetected.
"Does Your Majesty mean that I must choose the right place to kill someone?"
"We've been brothers for decades, don't you know me? When have I ever needed to choose a place to kill someone?"
Qin Wu sneered, looking at King Zhou as if he were a clown.
He really overestimated this imperial brother, which is why he couldn't help but jump out.
It seems that the older one gets, the less useful one becomes.
"Brother, have you forgotten my temper while I've been away all these years?"
After a cold laugh, Qin Wu continued.
“Ninth Prince, that’s Lord Chen, a high-ranking official of the third rank in the court. You shouldn’t be able to deal with him so casually, no matter where you are.”
King Zhou was somewhat angry.
He never expected that after so many years, his ninth brother's temper would not have mellowed.
His bloodthirstiness is growing stronger.
They didn't even give him face, and humiliated him in front of the entire court.
“Ninth Prince, you are only temporarily in charge of state affairs. Aren’t you afraid that if you come out to serve as a minister in the court, Father will punish you after he comes out of the pass? Aren’t you afraid that the court will be unstable?”
The King of Zhou questioned him with some anger.
In his view, Qin Wu was merely a regent and could never truly ascend the throne.
It's impossible to have no concerns at all.
At the very least, they couldn't possibly disregard their father's feelings and dignity.
"Ask me for punishment? Who in Eastern Qin has the power to punish me? As for the instability in the court, is my brother planning a rebellion?"
Qin Wu's inexplicable remark.
But everyone present was terrified.
Rebellion is no joke, especially when the Divine Martial King is in charge.
This prince, who had previously killed several princes who kept private armies, was indeed going to rebel as King Shenwu had said.
Just think about those princes whose bloodlines were wiped out, and you'll know the consequences.
"What do you mean by this, Ninth Prince? When did I ever intend to rebel? Don't slander me. I can't bear the crime of rebellion."
King Zhou immediately retorted, but the fleeting panic in his eyes was noticed by Qin Wu.
"Is that so? Then can King Zhou explain why your army of 800,000 appeared in a valley only five days' journey from the capital?"
Qin Wu asked casually, his tone very relaxed, as if he were talking about something insignificant.
But these words once again shocked everyone in the room.
Unauthorized troop movements are a serious crime, and now they've even moved a large army to a place only five days' journey from the capital.
What the Zhou king wanted to do was self-evident.
King Zhou was also terrified at this moment, he did not expect that he had done it so secretly.
To avoid being discovered, he deliberately captured hundreds of thousands of civilians and took them to the military camp to prevent the Imperial Shadow Guard and Black Dragon Guard from finding out anything. Not only that, the army also traveled by hiding during the day and moving at night.
Moreover, clans helped clean up the mess along the way.
How did the Divine Warrior King discover it?
He still didn't believe he would be exposed.
"What, does King Zhou think it's impossible for me to discover this?"
"Does King Zhou know that I want to know anything about Eastern Qin? What can be kept from me?"
"Do you believe the clan has the ability to help you cover this up?"
"Aren't you underestimating me too much?"
As soon as Qin Wu finished speaking, he appeared in front of King Zhou and slapped him across the face.
It sent King Zhou flying several meters away.
The next moment, he returned to his seat and sat down, giving the Tang King and the Han King another cold look.
"What are the thoughts of the Tang King and the Han King? Tell me."
Qin Wu said coldly.
Upon hearing Qin Wu's words, both the King of Tang and the King of Han were greatly alarmed.
They didn't expect Qin Wu to suddenly ask them that.
Just now, when Qin Wu questioned King Zhou, they were worried that their secret would be discovered.
Now it seems very likely that it has been discovered.
"What? You have nothing to explain to me? Then I won't be polite."
Seeing that the two remained silent, Qin Wu spoke up again.
However, his words caused the backs of the Tang King and the Han King to be soaked with cold sweat.
They knew all too well that their ninth brother was the type to become ruthless and disregard even family when he went berserk.
"Ninth Brother, aren't you going too far? We haven't done anything rebellious."
The Tang king forced himself to speak.
He will never admit it unless Qin Wu produces evidence.
Once he admits it, he will definitely not have a good ending.
"Really? One is an army of 700,000, and the other is an army of 650,000. Both are led by your capable generals."
"Now that you have troops at your disposal, do you think you're all grown up?"
After Qin Wu finished speaking, three intelligence reports appeared in his hand, which he then presented directly to the King of Tang and the King of Han.
Explain!
Qin Wu said coldly.
The three Zhou kings looked at the intelligence report before them, their hands trembling slightly as they stepped forward to pick it up.
After picking it up, they dared not open it, fearing that what would be revealed was intelligence about their unauthorized troop deployment.
Furthermore, Qin Wu had thoroughly investigated the troop strength they had mobilized, making them even more hesitant to look at the intelligence reports in their hands.
"Why don't you dare to look?"
Qin Wu leaned back in his chair, exuding a languid air.
However, this puts immense pressure on those below.
The ministers didn't dare to speak and all lowered their heads.
There was no way around it; that's how the battle for the throne works. If it were just the three Princes of Zhou, they might each stand behind the prince they support.
But the person sitting up there is a madman, a complete madman, and they don't want to die.