Chapter 315: You Wangzhi

Dugu Zhao suddenly came back to his senses, his chest heaving violently, gasping for breath as if his throat had been strangled.

He suddenly threw away his trembling hand, pointed at You Wangzhi's nose, his voice hoarse from anger: "You are threatening this old man?!"

Dugu Zhao never expected that this Junior Marshal would make such a move...

He had never been so uncomposed in his forty-plus years of life!

You Wangzhi curled his lips into a cold smile, his bloodshot eyes locking onto Dugu Zhao again, his voice quenched with ice: "Dugu Old Pillar of State, are you unwilling, or are you afraid!"

The blood stains on his plain clothes were even more glaring in the morning light, every word resounding: "Or is it because you have a guilty conscience!"

"Your Majesty, Grand Chancellor, all the officials in the court are watching you!"

As he spoke, he clasped his hands and swept from top to bottom.

Grief and indignation surged in his eyes, yet hidden was a sharpness that could not be mistaken.

This question was like a giant rock thrown into stagnant water, and the gazes of the officials in the hall fell on Dugu Zhao in unison, carrying inquiry and scrutiny.

Dugu Zhao was blocked by this barrage of questions, his throat choked, his face turning white and then blue.

"Enough!"

A thunderous roar suddenly exploded, Zhao Qian stepped out abruptly, his gaze as sharp as a hawk, sweeping over You Wangzhi kneeling on the ground, his tone full of disdain: "You Wangzhi, know your place, the Duke of Wei is a pillar of Great Zhou, a meritorious old minister, and you are just a Junior Marshal of the Summer Office!"

After speaking, he snorted heavily, full of contempt.

Zhao Qian really couldn't stand it anymore.

What is You Wangzhi?

Daring to be aggressive toward Old Dugu?

"What?"

Seeing this, Yuwen Heng walked out full of displeasure, looking at Zhao Qian with a bit of coldness: "Is the Old Pillar of State Zhao looking down on the Summer Office?"

"Or looking down on this King, the Grand Marshal?"

This could not only grasp the handle, trample on the two Old Pillars of State, but also act as a superior to stand up for his subordinates...

Such a perfect opportunity to stand on the moral high ground, point fingers, and strike hard, how could Yuwen Heng let it go?

Following the Grand Marshal's appearance, the officials of the Summer Office all looked at Zhao Qian angrily.

"This old man absolutely does not have this meaning!" Seeing this, Zhao Qian took a deep breath and hurriedly defended.

Between the lines, there was a trace of imperceptible tension.

He had been anxious to stand up for Old Dugu just now and lost his

Given Zhao Qian's power and status, while he might not fear him, if he truly provoked the dissatisfaction of the entire Summer Office, it would be a thorny piece of trouble...

"Is that so?" Yuwen Heng asked with a smile that wasn't quite a smile, his tone playful.

"Old Pillar of State Zhao, three feet above our heads, there are gods..."

You Wangzhi stared fixedly at Zhao Qian, raised his hand, pointed upward, and said sternly: "Regardless of whether this subordinate is a Junior Marshal or merely a commoner, I have the right to appeal my grievances!"

He paused, shifted his tone, turned toward Dugu Zhao, and said with awe-inspiring presence: "So, old Pillar of State Dugu, do you dare to swear an oath?"

"Can you deny this motive?"

You Wangzhi's rhetoric was filled with traps between every line.

He cleverly equated the resentment born from failed solicitation with the motive for causing the death of Dingxiang Marquis Chang De, generalizing from the particular and confusing the audience...

Yet, every word he spoke happened to be the truth, making it impossible to refute.

Because the solicitation was a tangible reality!

"......"

Faced with You Wangzhi's step-by-step pressure, Dugu Zhao fell into silence, offering no stance whatsoever.

The silence in the hall was broken by a suppressed commotion.

At first, it was only a few hushed whispers, like vines sprouting in the dark, but they quickly spread:

"The old Pillar of State's appearance... I'm afraid it might really be true, right?"

"Old Pillar of State Dugu didn't even dare to take the challenge, let alone swear an oath..."

"I'm afraid what the Junior Marshal said is all true!"

"Shh, keep it down! Didn't you see the faces of the two old Pillars of State turn black?"

The discussion grew louder, and the sight of the ministers whispering to one another became increasingly obvious.

Some steady, seasoned officials frowned, clearly weighing the pros and cons.

Those on good terms with the Pillar of State Mansion wore anxious expressions, yet were forced into silence by the tense, sword-drawn atmosphere.

Many young officials had inquisitive lights in their eyes, looking at the old Pillar of State with a bit more scrutiny.

Dugu Zhao listened to the buzzing discussion in his ears, feeling those gazes piercing his body like needles.

He opened his mouth, wanting to shout a command, wanting to defend himself, but found his throat as if blocked, unable to spit out even half a word.

In the eyes of others, this silence had long since become ironclad proof of a "guilty conscience."

Having dominated the world for decades, when had he ever been this wretched?

You Wangzhi suddenly knelt heavily onto the gold bricks; the dull thud of his knees hitting the ground drowned out the discussion in the hall.

He suddenly pulled an object from his bosom; the scarlet silk cloth was dizzyingly piercing in the morning light—it was actually a blood letter!

"Your Majesty!" You Wangzhi held the blood letter high with both hands, his knuckles turning white from the force. His voice was as hoarse as if ground by sandpaper, carrying a blood-weeping grief and indignation: "On this are my grievances, as well as the crimes of the Duke of Wei in colluding with the enemy, betraying the country, harming loyal ministers, and framing the virtuous!"

He shook his arms to unfold the blood letter; the dark red handwriting wound like a snake, shocking to the eye: "I beg Your Majesty to inspect this and purge the treacherous sycophants!"

"And restore a bright and clear world to Great Zhou!"

Immediately, he thrust the blood letter forward; the scarlet silk cloth traced a mournful arc through the air.

The hall fell into instant deathly silence; even the sound of breathing seemed to have vanished.

The ministers stared fixedly at that blood letter, their faces filled with shock and disbelief.

"He is trying to drag me down to die with him!"

"Has You Wangzhi gone mad?!"

The veins on Dugu Zhao's forehead throbbed violently, each one distinct, as if they were about to break free from the constraints of his skin.

He stared fixedly at that blood letter, his eyeballs bulging, covered in fine red bloodshot lines, as if they were about to roll out of their sockets at any moment.

What kind of petition for justice and imperial appeal was this?

This damn thing was an attempt to drag him down to perish together!

The blood letter was out, so why was Yuwen Hu still as steady as Mount Tai, with no intention of getting involved... Yuwen Yan witnessed this scene, his brows furrowed tightly. He turned to look at Yuwen Hu on the throne, who had remained seated motionless from beginning to end, his fingertips rhythmically tapping the armrest, as if the raging storm in the hall had nothing to do with him.

There wasn't even a ripple on his face; he showed neither shock nor doubt, and hadn't even lifted his eyelids once.

After much deliberation, Yuwen Yan chose to speak, saying in a deep voice: "Minister You, the Duke of Wei is a pillar of the state. If I were to lightly believe you based solely on a blood letter and one-sided words without any evidence, what would the people of the world think?"

"How would they discuss it?"

The little Emperor on the dragon throne spoke with such high-sounding words.

In reality, he didn't want to help the two old Pillars of State, nor was he blind to You Wangzhi's grievances...

Rather, he didn't want to break the power, break the existing structure of the court, and even less did he want Yuwen Hu's family to dominate alone!

If he let You Wangzhi continue, the prestige of the old Pillar of State Dugu would inevitably suffer a huge blow.

"Hah!"

Dugu Zhao let out a cold snort, thinking to himself: "You Wangzhi underestimated this little Emperor's desire for balance..."

He saw through the little Emperor's calculations at a glance...

How many people died didn't matter, and how many grievances there were didn't matter; balance was what mattered most!

You Wangzhi's hands holding the blood letter trembled violently; the scarlet silk cloth was almost slipping from his palms.

"Your Majesty, are you so unwilling to even look at my blood letter that you are directly siding with the Duke of Wei?" He suddenly raised his voice, carrying a blood-weeping interrogation.

In his words, there was a sense that there is no greater sorrow than a dead heart.

"Audacious!"

A sharp reprimand rang out suddenly; the personal eunuch beside Yuwen Yan took a sudden step forward, his thin, high-pitched voice full of anger. "You Wangzhi, how dare you speak to His Majesty like this!"

"This is a crime of great disrespect!"

Although the eunuch was small in stature, he stood with his neck stiffened at this moment.

In just a few words, he had pinned several heavy labels on him.

You Wangzhi slowly straightened his body, his arm holding the blood letter suddenly dropping; the scarlet silk cloth hung limply from his wrist like a dead snake.

Those eyes that had previously been burning with rage now held only dead, ashen embers; even the bloodshot lines seemed to have faded in color.

"Taizu, now there is nowhere to appeal for justice!"

"Your old minister has come to see you!"

A mournful laugh rolled out from his throat, carrying endless sorrow and despair, echoing in the empty hall, making one's scalp tingle.

You Wangzhi's laughter stopped abruptly; only his heavy, ragged breathing remained in the hall.

A flash of determination suddenly appeared in those dead eyes, staring fixedly at the coiled dragon gold pillar not far away.

"The Junior Marshal... what is he doing?!"

Yin Shou and the other ministers looked at each other in dismay, their voices trembling.

"No!"

Dugu Zhao heard this and suddenly realized something, blurting out: "He is going to..."

Before he could finish his sentence, he saw You Wangzhi sprinting toward the gold pillar.

His speed was so fast that even the guards nearby who wanted to stop him couldn't react in time.

"Bang—"

A dull, thunderous sound exploded in the hall; You Wangzhi's forehead slammed hard against the cold, hard gold pillar.

In an instant, fresh blood gushed out, sliding down his cheeks and dripping onto his plain clothes, merging with the previous bloodstains—a shocking sight.

"Protect the Emperor!"

The eunuch shrieked at the top of his lungs.

"Junior Marshal!"

"Junior Marshal!"

"Junior Marshal!"

The ministers reacted, exclaiming in succession.

"You Wangzhi slammed into the pillar?!"

"He doesn't even want his life anymore?!"

Yuwen Yan witnessed this scene, shrinking back into the dragon throne, stunned, exclaiming in his heart.

Everything was completely beyond his expectations!

Who could have imagined that this Junior Marshal could be so crazy?

"The old Pillar of State Dugu and His Majesty actually forced a dignified Junior Marshal to commit suicide by slamming into a pillar just to get a chance to clear his name?"

"If one day the person in such a situation is no longer the Junior Marshal, but me..."

The ministers in the hall, after witnessing this scene, also began to ask themselves silently over and over again in their hearts.

They felt incomparably chilled.

After all, even the Junior Marshal was reduced to this, and the vast majority of them didn't even have a rank as high as the Junior Marshal's.

If disaster were to befall them...

A subordinate official of the Summer Office tremblingly reached out to check You Wangzhi's breath. Seeing there was still a faint flow of air, he breathed a sigh of relief, but was immediately struck with a tight heart by the blood covering his face: "The Junior Marshal still has a breath left!"

"The Junior Marshal is not dead yet!"

"Quick! Quick, summon the imperial physician!" Yuwen Yan heard this, suddenly snapped back to reality, and roared as he turned to look outside the hall, his voice filled with sobbing and urgency.

The little Emperor was truly panicked.

Even if he were stupid, he knew that if he really let You Wangzhi die, history books would write about him as an emperor...

Immediately, the imperial physician entered the hall and carried away the Junior Marshal, who was covered in blood but still clinging to life, for treatment.

The Grand Imperial Rectifier of the Heavenly Office, Shang Ting, suddenly stepped out and bowed heavily toward the dragon throne: "I, Shang Ting, implore Your Majesty to thoroughly investigate the truth!"

"I, Pei Xun, implore Your Majesty to thoroughly investigate the truth!" Immediately following, the Heavenly Office Nayán Pei Xun stepped out, his voice clanging.

These two petitions were like sparks thrown into boiling oil, instantly igniting the pent-up emotions of the ministers.

"I, Wei Jianshen..."

"I, Liu Zhaoming..."

"I, Houmochen Yi..."

"I, Yu Jie..."

"I, Wang Zheng..."

"I, Doulu Chang..."

"I, Kou Rongding..."

"I, Heruo Bi..."

Petition after petition rang out, gradually merging from a few scattered individuals into a massive, surging wave.

They knelt on the ground in unison, their backs straight, shouting in unison: "We implore Your Majesty to thoroughly investigate this case!"

"Yuwen Hu's people really know how to seize the opportunity to kick someone when they are down!" Dugu Zhao's heart tightened, and he gritted his teeth.

"This..." Yuwen Yan saw this and was at a loss, not knowing what to do for a moment.

Yuwen Hu, who had remained silent, finally raised his hand slowly, signaling the ministers to be quiet, and said: "Who do you think is appropriate to preside over this case?"

"I recommend the Mingjing Si Mirror Master Chen!" The Censor-in-Chief Zhangsun Lan stood out and said solemnly and loudly.

"Mirror Master Chen has always been selfless and enforces the law impartially!" Yin Shou agreed deeply and echoed, "I also recommend Mirror Master Chen!"

"I second that!"

"I also recommend..."

Zhangsun Lan's recommendation was like a stone stirring up a thousand waves.

The entire court was filled with voices recommending Chen Yan.

Yuwen Hu's fingertips paused slightly, then he nodded faintly, making the decision for the little Emperor: "Since Mirror Master Chen is the popular choice, let it be transferred to the Mingjing Si for trial!"