jdhmnovel Chapter 460 Shouting
Chapter 460 Shouting
Cui Yu'an walked up to Wang Fu, his eyes icy: "Wang Fu, you colluded with rebels and betrayed the court. Today you have finally been captured. What else do you have to say?"
Wang Fu lay on the ground, panting heavily, but still defiant: "I am a man of His Highness Prince Rongyang. You dare to arrest me? Once His Highness Prince Rongyang ascends the throne, he will surely exterminate your entire family!"
"You keep talking even when you are about to die!"
Cui Yu'an snorted coldly, "Take him back and hand him over to His Highness for punishment!"
The soldiers escorted Wang Fu and followed Cui Yu'an back to Chuzhou City.
At this time in Chuzhou City, the investigation was nearing its end. All the informants recorded in the ledgers had been captured, and no one had escaped.
After returning to the government office, Cui Yu'an brought Wang Fu before Shen Yanzhou.
Shen Yanzhou sat in the hall, his gaze cold as he looked at Wang Fu: "Wang Fu, you colluded with the Prince of Rongyang, lurking in Chuzhou for many years, plotting a surprise attack that killed countless civilians and soldiers. Do you know your crime?"
Wang Fu raised his head, looked at Shen Yanzhou, and sneered, "What crime have I committed? Prince Rongyang is the one destined by Heaven. You people are just going against the will of Heaven, and you will be overthrown by Prince Rongyang sooner or later!"
"presumptuous!"
Shen Yanchu roared, "Father is the current emperor, deeply loved by the people. Prince Rongyang is plotting a rebellion, and everyone has the right to kill him!"
"How dare you spread such heresies! It seems you won't confess unless you're taught a lesson!"
As Shen Yanchu was about to order the torture, Shi Wanxia suddenly spoke up: "Your Highness, wait. Wang Fu is the leader of Rongyang Prince's secret agents and knows many secrets."
“If we use torture, he’ll probably grit his teeth and refuse to confess. Perhaps we should try a different approach to get him to talk.”
Shen Yanzhou looked at Shi Wanxia: "What brilliant plan do you have, Wanxia?"
Shi Wanxia walked up to Wang Fu, squatted down, and said softly, "Wang Fu, you still have a wife and two children at home, right?"
"They are still in Chuzhou City. If you are willing to confess and reveal the plot of Prince Rongyang and the whereabouts of his accomplices, His Highness may spare the lives of your family."
"If you refuse to confess, not only will you be executed, but your family will also be implicated. Treason is a capital offense punishable by the extermination of nine generations of your family."
When Wang Fu heard the word "family," his body visibly trembled, and a hint of hesitation flashed in his eyes.
He did care about his family, otherwise he wouldn't have been blackmailed by the Prince of Rongyang with his family and become a covert agent.
Shi Wanxia noticed Wang Fu's hesitation and continued, "Think about it, the Prince of Rongyang is just using you. Once he succeeds in his rebellion, you will be useless to him. At that time, he will still kill you and your family to prevent future troubles."
“But His Highness is different. As long as you are willing to confess, His Highness will keep his promise and spare your family’s lives.”
Wang Fu remained silent for a long time before finally raising his head, his eyes filled with despair: "I...I confess."
"The Prince of Rongyang plans to ambush His Majesty on the way to the Mid-Autumn Festival dog... when His Majesty is performing the sacrificial rites, launch a palace coup, and seize the throne."
"He also planted a large number of spies in Suzhou, Hangzhou and other places in Jiangnan, preparing to launch a rebellion at the same time during the palace coup and control the provinces in Jiangnan."
Furthermore, he colluded with the Xiongnu in the north, agreeing that during a palace coup, the Xiongnu would send troops to attack the border, thus tying down the court's military strength.
Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed drastically. They had never imagined that the Prince of Rongyang's conspiracy was so vast, involving not only rebellion but also collusion with foreign enemies—a truly heinous crime.
"Hun?"
Shen Yanzhou clenched his fists. "He dared to collude with foreign enemies and betray his country! What else? Tell me everything!"
"besides……"
Wang Fu continued, "The Prince of Rongyang has a will left by the late emperor. He said that the will states that the late emperor bequeathed the throne to him."
"He planned to produce the imperial edict during the palace coup to mislead the people."
"Moreover, he also hid a large number of weapons and provisions in his old mansion in the capital, in preparation for use during a palace coup."
"The will?"
Shen Yanchu sneered, "It must be a forgery! The late emperor clearly passed the throne to my father back then, how could he possibly pass it to him!"
Shen Yanzhou calmly said, "Regardless of whether the edict is real or fake, we must return to the capital as soon as possible, report this matter to the Emperor, and make preparations."
"Wang Fu, are you telling the truth? Are you hiding anything?"
"No,"
Wang Fu shook his head, "This humble subject has already told you everything he knows. I only beg Your Highness to spare my family's lives."
Shen Yanzhou looked at Cui Zhihao: "Huai'an, immediately send someone to prepare Wang Fu's confession and send it to the capital by fast horse."
"At the same time, have someone bring Wang Fu's family to the government office for protection, and make further arrangements after things have calmed down."
"Your subordinate obeys!" Cui Zhihao accepted the order and left.
Shen Yanzhou stood up and glanced at everyone: "It is a great blessing that we captured Wang Fu today and uncovered the conspiracy of the Prince of Rongyang."
"But we cannot let our guard down. The Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, and His Majesty will be holding a Mid-Autumn Festival ceremony soon. We must return to the capital as soon as possible to assist Father in dealing with the crisis."
"Chuzhou City is entrusted to Master Li and Lord Cui. They must defend Chuzhou and prevent the rebels from attacking again."
Li Changyu and Cui Zhihao simultaneously cupped their hands in obeisance: "Your humble servants obey!"
"This humble subject obeys!"
Shi Wanxia looked at Shen Yanzhou and said softly, "Your Highness, the journey back to the capital is long, and we may encounter an ambush by Prince Rongyang. You must be extra careful."
Shen Yanzhou nodded, his eyes full of tenderness: "Sister Wanxia, don't worry, I will protect myself and come back to pick you up as soon as possible."
"I'm entrusting the city of Chuzhou to your care."
Shi Wanxia nodded, but felt a little reluctant to part.
She knew that this return to Beijing would inevitably bring an even bigger storm.
All she could do was stay in Chuzhou and assist Li Changyu and Cui Zhihao in defending this city that had been through a bloody battle.
The following morning, Shen Yanzhou, Shen Yanchu, and Lin Yiyu led a group of Beijing garrison soldiers on their journey back to the capital.
The people of Chuzhou spontaneously lined both sides of the street to see them off. Some held freshly prepared dry food, while others handed them water bottles, their eyes filled with gratitude and reluctance to part.
Shen Yanzhou reined in his horse, turned to look at the people, and said loudly, "Fellow villagers of Chuzhou, when I return to the capital this time, I will definitely investigate the crimes of Prince Rongyang and seek justice for the fallen heroes!"
"Once things have calmed down, I will definitely return and rebuild Chuzhou with everyone!"
Upon hearing this, the people knelt down and shouted, "Long live His Highness the Crown Prince! Chuzhou will surely win!"
Shen Yanzhou was deeply moved. He turned his horse around, cracked his whip, and galloped off toward the capital.
The sunlight shone on him, as if gilding him with a layer of gold.
Behind him, the city of Chuzhou, after a bloody battle, was slowly awakening as the sun rose.
Although a partial victory has been achieved in this contest with the Prince of Rongyang, the real decisive battle has only just begun.