Chapter 1235: I Have Come to Protect You

Yu Qian's heart was undoubtedly shaken at this moment.

Because ever since he was thrown into the Heavenly Prison, he had held a mindset of certain death.

The Noble could not tolerate him...

Liu Zheng could not tolerate him either!

But now...

Hearing Liu Zheng's words, his eyes could not help but narrow slightly.

He admitted it.

He was starting to not understand this Chief Councilor!

Many in the world said he was a Contemporary Sage, but even more said he was a Human Butcher who was self-willed and launched wars at any time!

But now...

Yu Qian looked at him sitting on the pile of straw with a calm smile on his face.

He could not understand it...

"Lord Liu..."

But regardless, he had shown at least a minimum level of respect toward him.

Saving him...

There were still some ripples in Yu Qian's heart.

At this moment, he also recalled everything Liu Zheng had done.

In fact, all of Liu Zheng's ideas were good; it was just that he was too impatient. He had already begun to lay out and implement things that would take three generations, or even five generations, to complete.

Perhaps what Liu Zheng sought was to leave a name for eternity.

That was not wrong, but it was too eager for quick success and instant benefits, which was a burden to the people.

In the long river of history, it was not as if there had been no such monarchs. The Emperor Yang of Longyan was once an emperor who craved to be remembered in history; during his reign, he built the Changcheng, attacked Goryeo, and conquered the southern barbarians.

If one were to pick any one of these things, they would be achievements, but added together, it was tyranny.

The people could not bear the burden and rose up in rebellion one after another, which was how the remnants of the prosperous Tang were able to seize the opportunity and take the world.

However, upon second thought, the current Longyan Dynasty was not quite the same as the Longyan of Emperor Yang's time.

At that time, Emperor Yang's many grand projects caused heaven's wrath and people's resentment, but looking at the present, even with the outbreak of war, no one was complaining about Liu Zheng!

Thinking of this, he realized that the reason no one complained when Liu Zheng fought wars was because he used the money and grain of Liangzhou.

To a certain extent, using the strength of one province to supply the entire country to launch a war was a miracle in itself.

Furthermore, Liu Zheng had never done a losing business; whether it was launching wars or developing bitter, cold lands, after paying a not-insignificant price, he could always get back several times the return.

"Lord Yu Qian, enjoy your time in prison well. Your leisure time won't last long. Before long, I will have to launch a great war and labor the people and drain the treasury again. When that time comes, you will have to be my chief steward in the rear."

Liu Zheng laughed heartily.

After saying this, Liu Zheng stood up, patted Yu Qian on the shoulder, and turned to leave.

Leaving only a bewildered Yu Qian in place.

"Lord Liu..."

This Liu Zheng was truly incomprehensible.

He had slandered Liu Zheng time and time again, yet not only did he not kick him while he was down, he even wanted to save him and entrust him with important tasks?

Moreover, when he spoke to him in prison, he was very polite, using the honorific "you," and although he held a high position, he had none of the arrogance of a superior.

Yu Qian also sighed that if Liu Zheng were of royal blood, he would surely be a majestic ruler, an emperor for the ages whose achievements far surpassed the First Emperor of Qin and Emperor Wu of Han.

Perhaps he should no longer look at Liu Zheng with that kind of gaze. Although he was a bit eager for quick success, at least for now, the operation of Longyan was normal, and the national strength was also rising steadily.

Perhaps he really should change his way of thinking—not to oppose Liu Zheng, but to help Liu Zheng build an even more powerful Longyan!

After leaving the Heavenly Prison, Liu Zheng went straight to the Imperial Palace council.

At this time, the Cabinet members were discussing post-war matters and how to deal with Yu Qian, arguing endlessly.

Liu Zheng's sudden appearance caught everyone

off guard.

After all, now that this person with the highest power had returned, their actions would be constrained.

"What are you discussing? I'll join in too."

Liu Zheng walked in with a cheerful smile.

"Lord Liu!"

"Chief Councilor!"

Everyone greeted him and bowed one after another.

Although the royal style was no longer in vogue in Longyan, the basic etiquette and rituals remained.

They were still very respectful toward the Chief Councilor.

Liu Zheng waved his hand, not minding it.

"My Lord, it's nothing, just some post-war reconstruction matters, and another thing is a sixth-rank petty official who commanded beyond his authority and even killed a Feudatory King. We are discussing whether to behead him or execute him by slow slicing. These are all small matters; there is no need for the Chief Councilor to worry about them."

A Councilor laughed.

He deliberately downplayed the matter.

"Post-war reconstruction is a small matter, but killing Yu Qian is a big one. I heard that it was thanks to Yu Qian that Jinghua City was defended. You are killing a meritorious official."

Liu Zheng sat in the Chief Councilor's seat, looked around, and laughed.

"The Chief Councilor is right. If it weren't for his merit in defending the city, he would have been executed by slow slicing and his nine generations wiped out long ago. It is true that he performed meritorious service, but the crimes he committed are even greater. Merit cannot offset faults, especially such great faults. Therefore, he must be killed, but we will let him go with dignity."

Prince of Qin, Xie Zhao, said indifferently.

He was now clearly the leading figure among both the new and old Nobles of Longyan, so naturally, he had to do his utmost to maintain the dignity of the Nobles.

In a nation with a constitutional monarchy, the dignity of the Noble became their fig leaf.

"Hahahaha! The words of the Prince of Qin are somewhat biased... As far as I know, the Feudatory King killed by Yu Qian was someone who wanted to rebel! They even brought Siege Engines; how do you explain that?"

Liu Zheng asked with a smile.

"This..."

Xie Zhao's expression changed slightly: "But the other party hadn't actually started the siege yet! They were worried the Mongol Army would take Jinghua, so bringing Siege Engines to counterattack is within reason... Chief Councilor, if they didn't act, it isn't rebellion; without facts, it isn't a crime! You said this yourself!"

Liu Zheng smiled faintly.

He had not expected Xie Zhao to start using the laws he himself had established to refute him.

But given the situation at the time, how could they have allowed them to act?

Once they acted, it would have been all over!

But what they were saying was not actually without reason...

The Mongol Army was at the gates at the time, and the situation was critical.

It took time for them to arrive, and bringing Siege Engines was not enough to convict them.

Therefore, this matter was destined to be a dispute.

"How does Lord Zhu see it?"

Liu Zheng looked at Zhu Zhen and chuckled: "This Yu Qian is your protégé; won't you come out to protect him?"

Hearing these words from Liu Zheng, Zhu Zhen's expression immediately turned serious.

"Chief Councilor, these words cannot be spoken lightly. A protégé is a protégé, and a colleague is a colleague; I, Zhu Zhen, will never form cliques for personal gain! This Yu Qian killing a Feudatory King without authorization is indeed a Great Evil!"

"That's right..."

"My Lord, if this crime is not punished, the Heavenly Principle will not tolerate it!"

It seemed the entire assembly held this opinion.

Liu Zheng smiled slightly, immediately understanding their psychology.

To put it plainly.

This was the emergence of a new interest group, a privileged group, after the assembly was created.

This privileged class began to break down the barriers between the former Nobles and the Scholar-officials.

The difference in the system caused a transformation of the privileged class.

This was, of course, an unavoidable matter.

And at this moment, Yu Qian had become an abrupt existence.

Born of a humble family, a Junior Official.

Unable to reach the high-level interest circles, he had nonetheless moved to kill a Feudatory King...

【Note: This line is a continuation of 89】

"You all keep saying that Yu Qian deserves to die, but I truly don't understand what crime he actually committed?" Liu Zheng asked with a chuckle.

"My Lord, he commanded beyond his rank and killed a Feudatory King without authorization; is this not a crime punishable by the execution of one's nine clans?"

Zhu Zhen asked while cupping his hands.

"Lord Zhu, you also know that the situation in Jinghua was critical at the time, the enemy army was at the gates, and everyone was fleeing in terror. If Yu Qian hadn't stood up, were we supposed to let those cowards who fear death hand Jinghua over to the enemy?"

Liu Zheng said coldly.

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's expression changed.

Because they were the very ones among those fleeing in terror! Recently, pop-ups have been severe; you can click to download to avoid pop-ups.