Dapeng's Time Travel Life

Inside the Prince's residence, the lights remained on all night. Zhang Peng and his advisors sat around a table, the flickering candlelight illuminating their solemn faces. Spread out on the table were not only documents on the border wars and secret correspondence with the tribes, but also sheets of paper filled with analyses of the power dynamics within the court. Time was of the essence; every minute and every second concerned Zhang Peng's fate, and even more so, the clear direction of the court.

"Your Highness, according to reliable sources, Lord Wang and his associates are contacting several censors, preparing to impeach you again at tomorrow's morning court session, with charges that are likely to be even more outrageous." A staff member said with a furrowed brow and a tone full of anxiety.

Zhang Peng's expression was solemn. He tapped his fingers lightly on the table and pondered for a moment before saying, "The more eager they are to kill me, the more it shows their guilty conscience. We must present the evidence to the Emperor before tomorrow's morning court session to gain the upper hand."

"But how can we successfully present the evidence to the Emperor? Lord Wang and his associates have many eyes and ears in the palace. If we are not careful, the evidence will be intercepted," another advisor expressed his concern.

At this moment, Xia Lijuan suddenly spoke up: "Your Highness, I have a plan. Tomorrow morning at court, I will disguise myself as a palace maid, sneak into the palace, and find an opportunity to hand over the evidence to the emperor's most trusted personal eunuch. He will surely find a way to present it to the emperor."

Zhang Peng looked at Xia Lijuan, his eyes filled with worry: "This is too dangerous. What if we get discovered..."

Xia Lijuan firmly grasped Zhang Peng's hand: "Your Highness, I am not afraid. I am willing to try to clear your name."

Zhang Peng pondered for a long time before finally nodding: "Alright, but you must be careful and never expose yourself. If there is any danger, abandon the situation immediately."

After reaching an agreement, everyone went their separate ways. Xia Lijuan carefully disguised herself, changed into a palace maid's uniform, hid the evidence in her bosom, and, taking advantage of the darkness, mingled into the procession of palace maids entering the palace.

Meanwhile, Zhang Peng arrived at the court early, appearing calm but inwardly uneasy. He observed the actions of the surrounding ministers; Lord Wang and others were gathered together, talking in hushed tones, occasionally casting cold glances his way.

The morning court session began, and the Emperor sat solemnly on his dragon throne. Minister Wang stepped forward first and announced loudly, "Your Majesty, I have important matters to report. Through my extensive investigation, I have discovered that Zhang Peng not only amassed a large army and colluded with foreign enemies, but also embezzled military funds for personal gain. His crimes are heinous, and I implore Your Majesty to punish him severely!"

These words caused an uproar in the court. Other ministers who echoed Minister Wang stepped forward to condemn Zhang Peng's "crimes," and the court was filled with denunciations of Zhang Peng.

Zhang Peng remained calm and knelt down, kowtowing: "Your Majesty, I am innocent! These are all false accusations by Lord Wang and others. I have evidence to prove my innocence."

The Emperor frowned slightly: "Where is the evidence?"

Just then, a eunuch's voice came from outside the hall: "Your Majesty, a palace maid requests an audience, saying she has important evidence to present to Your Majesty."

The Emperor paused slightly, then gestured for the palace maid to enter the hall. Xia Lijuan lowered her head, walked steadily into the hall, knelt down to pay her respects, and presented the evidence she was carrying. The eunuch took the evidence and presented it to the Emperor.

The Emperor carefully examined the evidence, his expression gradually softening. The evidence detailed the hardships of the border war, Zhang Peng's decision-making process, the necessity of cooperating with the tribes, and detailed accounts of military pay, every single item clearly documented.

Upon seeing this, Lord Wang felt a pang of anxiety and quickly said, "Your Majesty, this evidence is likely forged by Zhang Peng and should not be trusted."

Zhang Peng sneered: "Lord Wang, you keep accusing me of fabricating evidence, but do you have any proof? On the contrary, you colluded with treacherous officials in the court, intending to frame loyal ministers and disrupt the court. What is your crime?"

As he spoke, Zhang Peng gave his advisor a wink, and the advisor immediately stepped forward and presented evidence of Wang and his associates' alleged collusion, corruption, and bribery. It turned out that while Zhang Peng was gathering evidence to clear his own name, he had also been secretly investigating the crimes of Wang and his group.

After reading the evidence, the Emperor was furious: "Minister Wang, what else do you have to say?"

Lord Wang turned pale and knelt down with a thud: "Your Majesty, I deserve to die. Please forgive me."

The Emperor glared at him angrily: "Dismiss Lord Wang and the others from their posts, investigate them, and imprison them. I will deal with them after I have investigated the truth."

Following the Emperor's order, Lord Wang and the others were escorted out of the court by the guards. A huge weight was lifted from Zhang Peng's heart. He knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "Your Majesty is wise. I am willing to serve the court with my life."

This court turmoil ended in Zhang Peng's victory. This victory brought a fresh atmosphere to the court, and Zhang Peng gained more respect and support. However, Zhang Peng knew that the struggles in the court were endless, and many more challenges awaited him in the future. But at this moment, he only wanted to return to the Prince's residence, reunite with Xia Lijuan, and enjoy this hard-won peace.