High Martial Arts Three Kingdoms: The Incompetent Strategist

"Eunuch Feng is currently in favor of the emperor. If you want to deal with him, it won't be so easy."

“My lord, think about it. How could a steward like me have the audacity to forge a letter from my master to collude with a traitor and rebel? Of course, I must be acting under someone’s orders. And what if that person is Eunuch Feng?”

Tang Ke chuckled and said, "You mean Feng Xu instructed you, a steward of the Zhang family, to collude with outsiders to rebel? Who would believe that? Don't forget, Ma Yuanyi in prison isn't dead yet!"

Hou Fu's eyes narrowed to almost a slit as he coldly said, "When they said my master was plotting a rebellion, who believed it? Since they could send my master to jail based on a forged letter and a traitor's confession, they can certainly send him to jail as well."

Tang Ke looked at the stubborn old man thoughtfully. Zhang Rang was quite capable; he could persuade someone to die for him with just a letter, and he was still thinking of him before he died.

"This is my statement, which has been signed and sealed. Please take a look, sir."

Tang Ke took the thick stack of notes that he handed over, which detailed his plot to rebel, his collusion with Feng Xu and Ma Yuanyi, and his framing of Zhang Rang.

"Sir, you can come to the Zhang residence to pick up the person first thing tomorrow morning."

"No, I will conduct the interrogation tonight." Tang Ke put away the letter and changed his mind.

Since we need to deal with Feng Xu, we can't wait for Jian Shuo to join us in the trial.

Tonight in Luoyang, it's destined to be a sleepless night...

The next day.

Inside the main hall, incense smoke swirled.

Emperor Ling of Han listened absentmindedly to the memorials presented by his ministers and yawned several times in succession.

A eunuch standing nearby noticed this detail and whispered, "Your Majesty, would you like to adjourn the court session early and rest?"

Emperor Ling of Han nodded: "Very well, go back and get some sleep."

Since Zhang Rang was imprisoned, Zhao Zhong and his gang have become much more restrained. His entertainment activities have been greatly affected, and he is extremely bored every day.

Just as the eunuch was about to announce the end of the court session, hurried footsteps came from outside the door.

All the ministers turned their gazes toward the outside of the main hall.

Tang Ke thus entered the hall in full view of everyone.

Tang Ke felt uncomfortable under their gazes. He took a deep breath, calmed himself down, and slowly knelt down, saying, "Your Majesty, I have important matters to report."

Emperor Ling of Han finally perked up a bit, leaned forward slightly, and asked eagerly, "Is there any progress in the case?"

Tang Ke nodded: "Your Majesty, I discovered some suspicious points in the case yesterday. After an overnight interrogation, the case has finally made significant progress."

"What's the progress? Get up and answer me."

He Jin and Feng Xu both turned their attention to this, their expressions complex.

"Eunuch Zhang may have been wronged!"

Upon hearing this, not only did Emperor Ling of Han suddenly stand up, but the courtiers were also filled with astonishment and uncertainty. As the case had developed to this point, even the slightest movement could trigger a chain reaction, let alone Tang Ke's words, which almost overturned the previous verdict.

"Silence!" Emperor Ling of Han roared, silencing everyone. "Commander of the Imperial Guards, you continue."

"Yes, last night when I searched the Zhang residence, I found the steward acting suspiciously. After a thorough interrogation, he confessed to conspiring against Zhang Changshi and framing him. He has already signed and affixed his seal."

These words caused an uproar in the court. The officials looked at each other, their eyes filled with shock and unease.

Feng Xu's face turned ashen, and he roared, "Tang Ke, how dare you! His Majesty appointed Jian Shuo to jointly try the case with you. How dare you try it on your own and even tamper with the facts of the case?"

Tang Ke coldly replied, "His Majesty appointed the Commandant of the Capital Region to jointly handle the case with Jian Shuo, not me."

"You!" Feng Xu angrily pointed at his nose, swallowing back the curse that was about to come out of his mouth.

"So the matter of treason has nothing to do with the Attendant-in-Ordinary. I can rest assured now." Emperor Ling of Han could not hide his joy.

"Your Majesty, it has nothing to do with Zhang Changshi, but it is not unrelated to Changshi." Tang Ke tried his best to keep his voice steady and calm, as if he had no emotion at all.

Emperor Ling of Han was taken aback and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"In Hou Fu's confession, it was mentioned that he was instructed by a court attendant."

"Tang Ke, don't make false accusations!" Feng Xu roared furiously, almost touching Tang Ke's face.

Tang Ke wiped the spittle off his face and said with a faint smile, "Eunuch Feng, this is not what I said, but what Hou Fu confessed."

Emperor Ling of Han frowned and ordered, "Bring up the confession."

Tang Ke respectfully handed the confession to the eunuch beside him and then stepped back to He Jin's side.

While Emperor Ling of Han was reading the confession, He Jin stomped hard on Tang Ke's foot, looking quite displeased.

While observing Emperor Ling's expression, Tang Ke gave him an "OK" sign.

These little tricks naturally did not escape Feng Xu's eyes. He snorted heavily. If looks could kill, Tang Ke would probably have been torn to pieces by now.

After reading the letter, Emperor Ling of Han said with relief, "So it was Hou Fu who stole Zhang Changshi's seal and forged the letter by imitating his handwriting. I wondered how anyone could be so stupid as to bury a token of treason in their own courtyard. What do you all think?"

He said this with an unusually relaxed expression, without any intention of seeking everyone's opinion. Obviously, it didn't matter whether Hou Fu was an imposter or not; he just needed a reason to exonerate Zhang Rang.

Everyone understood perfectly, and naturally, they all exclaimed, "Your Majesty is wise!" Feng Xu hesitated, but ultimately swallowed his words.

Emperor Ling nodded in satisfaction and closed the confession: "Hou Fu also mentioned that he was ordered by a high-ranking official. Has this matter been investigated?"

“Your Majesty, this is pure slander. Tang Ke’s actions are blatant acts of personal revenge.”

Feng Xu was furious, cursing Jian Shuo in his heart for being incompetent. He hadn't obtained any information from Tang Ke's investigation, and all he got were reports about Jian Shuo's embezzlement and bribery.

"Let him speak." Emperor Ling of Han interrupted Feng Xu with displeasure. Tang Ke had solved Zhang Rang's problem for him, which made him feel very good about his judgment of people.

Feng Xu had no choice but to suppress his anger and step aside, unable to express his suffering.

Others were waiting to see the spectacle of the investiture ceremony, some were cursing Zhang Rang in their hearts after impeaching him, and others were pondering how to curry favor with the emperor's new favorite after the court session.

"Your Majesty, although Hou Fu confessed to being instructed by the appointed Attendant, after my interrogation of him and Ma Yuanyi overnight, no evidence was found."

Just when everyone thought Tang Ke was about to take the opportunity to list the crimes of Feng Xu, Tang Ke's answer surprised everyone present.

Feng Xu was even more surprised and uncertain. As a believer of the Way of Peace, he did not have a high status in the sect and did not know whether Hou Fu was a member of the Way of Peace. As for Ma Yuanyi, he certainly knew his identity.

Is this guy so cunning that he interrogated these two all night and really couldn't get anything out of them? Or was he intentionally letting them off the hook?