High Martial Arts Three Kingdoms: The Incompetent Strategist

Tang Ke felt inexplicably irritated. Zhang Rang's downfall would not benefit him at all; on the contrary, it was very likely that his strength would be weakened if his scheme succeeded.

But it seems that all parties are trying their best to make this happen.

Jian Shuo opened the letter, quickly scanned it, and couldn't hide his joy before handing it back to Yuan Shao.

Yuan Shao already knew the contents of the letter, so he read it aloud in front of everyone. After reading it, he made a point of showing everyone Zhang Rang's seal at the end of the letter before carefully putting it away.

Zhang Rang's face grew increasingly pale, and he trembled violently. Finally, he couldn't help but cry out, "This letter wasn't written by me! Someone is trying to frame me! Your Excellency, you know me... I..."

His voice choked with emotion, and he was unable to continue speaking for a moment.

“Zhang Changshi, there’s no need to worry. We know your loyalty. There must be some misunderstanding here. We’ll report to His Majesty, and he will make a clear judgment.”

He Jin delivered his prepared speech, and with a glance, Yuan Shao understood immediately and ordered the imperial guards to withdraw from Zhang Rang's residence.

Everything proceeded according to Tang Ke's plan. The letter was forged to begin with, and continuing the search would yield no further results. Now, they didn't know how Emperor Ling of Han would deal with them, so it wasn't worth offending him outright.

Feng Xu, however, fearing that he might not be able to bring down Zhang Rang in one fell swoop, continued to urge Jian Shuo to search carefully, trying to find some other clues about Zhang Rang's rebellion and to make the matter a fact.

In comparison, Zhang Rang was naturally grateful to He Jin for his actions.

The search lasted for three hours before it ended. Apart from the secret letter, the rest of the evidence was all trivial, at most proving that Zhang Rang abused his power for personal gain, embezzled and accepted bribes, which were the crimes he had been impeached for countless times.

Meeting the next day.

Tang Ke followed closely behind He Jin, stepping into the Jiade Hall. Inside, the assembled officials stood solemnly, while Emperor Ling of Han sat on his dragon throne, his expression grave.

Yuan Shao took a deep breath nervously, slowly stepped forward, and presented the letter on the imperial desk. Emperor Ling of Han solemnly accepted the letter, slowly unfolded it, his gaze sweeping over the lines, his face gradually turning ashen.

"Zhang Rang, what else do you have to say?" Emperor Ling of Han roared, his voice echoing in the empty hall.

Feng Xu had already prepared a complete report on the investigation and submitted it to the emperor. Emperor Ling of Han was somewhat prepared, but when the real evidence was presented, he still couldn't help but fly into a rage.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Rang was struck dumb, trembling all over and turning deathly pale. He knew that if the letter was proven to be genuine, he would face utter destruction.

Faced with Emperor Ling's questioning, he forced himself to remain calm and argued, "Your Majesty is wise, this letter is a complete forgery, and I have never colluded with the assassin."

Upon seeing this, Feng Xu sneered repeatedly and shook his head, saying, "Lord Zhang, you are mistaken. The handwriting and wording of this letter are exactly the same as yours. If it wasn't written by you, who else could forge it so realistically?"

Immediately, discussions arose in the hall. The officials were either astonished, puzzled, or secretly pleased, and the atmosphere became extremely tense.

"Innocence! Your Majesty, this is a trap. I have enjoyed Your Majesty's favor for many years, what good would rebellion do? This must be someone jealous of Your Majesty's affection for me, deliberately framing me... "

Zhang Rang's tearful lament sent chills down Tang Ke's spine.

Emperor Ling of Han was furious upon seeing this. He stepped down from the dragon throne in a few strides, threw the letter hard at Zhang Rang's face, and cursed, "You've already used this kind of rhetoric before Feng Xu. He hasn't even cleared his name yet, and you've already gotten yourself involved. In my opinion, neither of you are good people. Let's just kill you all."

These words not only frightened Zhang Rang so much that he knelt down, but even Feng Xu restrained his arrogance and knelt down tremblingly as well.

"Guards, seize Zhang Rang and interrogate him thoroughly!"

At Emperor Ling's command, the palace guards swiftly stepped forward and bound Zhang Rang tightly. Even as he was being escorted, Zhang Rang struggled desperately, crying out, "Your Majesty, I'm innocent! I'm innocent!"

At this moment, Emperor Ling of Han was furious and could not listen to his explanation. He waved to the guards to take Zhang Rang away, then turned to Yuan Shao and said, "Yuan Shao, you have been very capable recently. Investigate this case carefully and find out the truth. I will reward you handsomely."

"Your subject obeys the decree!" Yuan Shao tried to remain calm, but his voice trembled with joy.

Tang Ke, however, felt no joy whatsoever. Given the overwhelming evidence pointing to Zhang Rang, Emperor Ling's insistence on a thorough investigation demonstrated his complete disbelief that Zhang Rang harbored any treasonous intentions.

In other words, He Jin and his group's victory over the Ten Attendants was only temporary, and their attempt to overthrow Zhang Rang was merely the first step in a long and arduous journey.

As expected, once Zhang Rang was taken away, Emperor Ling of Han immediately turned his gun on the others.

"Jian Shuo, Zhang Rang was originally sent to supervise your investigation, so how come the case has ended up on his own? Is someone interfering?"

“He Jin, you recommended the Commandant of the Capital Region, so you should pay close attention to the cases he handles. How can you let him and Jian Shuo cause trouble together?”

Emperor Ling's voice echoed in the palace for a long time, and anyone could see that he was very dissatisfied with Zhang Rang's imprisonment.

As Tang Ke left the palace, he suddenly felt uneasy. He began to reflect on his plan: even if he ultimately succeeded in bringing down Zhang Rang, were his methods not entirely honorable? Did they violate his own moral principles?

The ensuing wait felt like an eternity to all parties involved, the atmosphere so oppressive it was almost suffocating.

Since Zhang Rang was imprisoned, an eerie silence has enveloped the entire city of Luoyang. The court officials naturally remained tight-lipped, and no one dared to make any rash judgments before the case was definitively settled, lest they be punished later.

The people were whispering amongst themselves, wondering what crime this top eunuch, who had stood firm for sixteen years since the emperor's ascension to the throne, had been suddenly removed from office. Rumors were flying, with the most prevalent claim being that Eunuch Zhang was suspected of treason and attempting to overthrow the court.

For a time, people in and out of the government were filled with anxiety, fearing that the storm would affect them.

Tang Ke, who was deeply involved in the planning of this case, was also in turmoil. He didn't know much about Zhang Rang, but he understood that a eunuch who could serve the emperor for many years was no ordinary person.

What's even more frustrating is that as soon as Zhang Rang was imprisoned, the system would remind him from time to time that his plan might have succeeded and his strength might have dropped to the fourth or fifth rank!

Zhang Rang was imprisoned on the third day.

dusk.

The setting sun, like blood, bathed the entire city of Luoyang.

Zhang Rang's case greatly reduced the suspicion on the other people who were originally involved in the assassination, and they have all been allowed to return home freely. Although there are still imperial guards watching over them, the security is not as tight as before.

Tang Ke was practicing his marksmanship in the courtyard, trying to dispel his anxiety, when a young eunuch rushed over and nervously summoned him to court immediately.