The Later Three Kingdoms: Slaying Deng Ai, and Reviving the Han Dynasty

The night was as dark as ink, and the dawn seemed to have sunk to the end of time, showing no sign of breaking. Inside the Qiao Prefecture.

Qiao Zhou and his son Qiao Xi got up almost at the same time. After washing up and changing their clothes, they ate breakfast together.

By this time, the carriage and horses were ready. Qiao Zhou gripped the hilt of his sword at his waist, left the room, came to the carriage, and stepped onto the carriage using a small stool.

As Qiao Xi helped his elderly father into the carriage, he said to the guards beside the carriage, "Things are not peaceful right now, so you need to be more vigilant than usual."

"Yes," the guards replied solemnly, bowing deeply.

Qiao Zhou nodded slightly. Although it has now been confirmed that Liu Chen was the one who killed He Sui, it is still necessary to be wary of Jiang Wei.

Qiao Xi followed the carriage out of the mansion and stood at the gate to watch it head towards the palace.

Countless courtiers, like Qiao Zhou, gathered in front of the palace gates, their carriages seemingly flowing like rivers from all directions.

The officials were inspected at the gate. Qiao Zhou and other courtiers dismounted from their carriages, drew their swords, and entered the palace, waiting outside the main hall according to their assigned ranks.

Censors and attendants were present to correct people's appearance and maintain order.

Because the imperial palace of the Liu Han dynasty was cramped, the procedures for attending court were simplified considerably, but the process was still complicated.

Soon after, the Imperial Guards and Tiger Warriors, clad in fine armor and wielding long halberds, lined up on both sides of the steps.

With bells and drums resounding, the emperor rode out of the inner palace in his imperial carriage, which was surrounded by imperial guards.

When the emperor ascended the throne, his close ministers, such as the Attendant-in-Ordinary and the Minister of Personnel, lined up beside him, while the Imperial Envoy holding the Imperial Seal stood to one side.

The usher led the assembled officials into the hall. General Jiang Wei, in first place, led the officials up the western steps into the hall.

Those of higher status wore socks, while those of lower status went barefoot.

After entering the palace, the officials paid their respects to the emperor and then knelt down.

The court session then proceeded to its formal proceedings. The session was primarily for discussion, and given the small size of the Liu Han territory and the limited number of matters to be addressed, coupled with the emperor's advanced age and declining health, the session was not expected to be long.

The prime minister was responsible for specific government affairs.

The prime minister was referred to as "the one who records the affairs of the Secretariat, or the one who leads the affairs of the Secretariat, or the one who manages the affairs of the Secretariat".

After listening for a while, the emperor felt dizzy and gestured to Huang Hao with his eyes.

They had been ruler and minister for decades. The court officials were very clear about the emperor's nature.

Imperial Censor Jiang Yu looked at his deputy, Imperial Censor Liu Yang.

Liu Yang stood up and knelt before the throne, reporting: "Your subject respectfully reports: The King of Beidi has secretly harbored wicked and vicious men, who sent thugs to murder He Sui, a good citizen of Luocheng, and abduct his wife, Lady Lü, to be his concubine, and further plundered her fields, houses, and wealth..."

After Liu Yang finished speaking, the entire hall fell silent; you could hear a pin drop.

Liu Shan didn't feel dizzy or lightheaded; instead, he was dumbfounded.

Huang Hao's eyes widened slightly. Good heavens, the Northern King has pulled off a big stunt.

He had many followers and connections with both the government and the public. They knew that Liu Chen was happily plundering and extorting money, increasing his wealth, and gradually becoming extremely rich.

But none of that matters. The laws of the court are lax now; powerful clans, princes, and even the crown prince do this. Murder and the abduction of other men's wives are no big deal either.

But it has to be done discreetly and skillfully. Some things are fine if they stay out of the light, but they die once they're exposed.

The Prince of Beidi, Liu Chen, killed her husband and abducted her wife, which was actually revealed in public by the Imperial Censor.

Moreover, He Sui's death shocked the court and the public, leading to a fierce power struggle between Qiao Zhou and Jiang Wei.

Only Qiao Zhou and a few others knew about Liu Chen's involvement. Even General Jiang Wei was unaware of it.

Jiang Wei and his faction were also greatly shocked.

After calming down, Jiang Wei shook his head and smiled bitterly. Both the Imperial Censor Liu Yang and the Grand Censor Jiang Yu were Qiao Zhou's men. Now that Liu Yang had said so, it probably couldn't be true. He had originally thought that the person who killed He Sui was a righteous man with the same ideals as him, and that He Sui was killed for political purposes.

Unexpectedly, it was the assassins raised by the Northern King who made the move, and their purpose was to obtain the beautiful woman and the land.

However... a glint flashed in Jiang Wei's eyes. Regardless of the motive or who was behind it, killing He Sui was a service to the state. He had done a great favor.

Liu Chen, the Prince of Beidi. Jiang Wei pictured Liu Chen's spirited face in his mind, and for the first time, he felt that this greedy and stingy prince was actually quite kind and approachable.

After a moment of silence, whispers gradually filled the hall.

This is truly an appalling thing.

"Silence!!!!!" Zhang Tong, the supervisor in the hall, stood up, gripping his sword, and shouted.

"Where is the Imperial Censor?" Imperial Censor Jiang Yu shouted.

The censors immediately stood up, looked around at the court officials, and began to examine the errors. The court officials were once again solemn.

But while the censors could silence their mouths, they could not silence their hearts.

The emperor would never kill his own son, but if the allegations are true, the Prince of Beidi might be deposed. He might also have his salary reduced, or...

In short, no one will die, but it will disgust the Northern King.

Many eyes were on Qiao Zhou. He Sui was Qiao Zhou's prized student, and Qiao Zhou had to take revenge for He Sui's murder. Qiao Zhou was definitely the one who initiated this.

Despite the stares of the crowd, Qiao Zhou remained calm and composed, as if the matter had nothing to do with him.

After staring in disbelief, Liu Shan took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, and said, "Issue the Court of Justice, the Censorate, and the Imperial Clan Court to investigate this matter."

Miscellaneous treatment refers to joint interrogation and investigation.

But this is complicated; feudal lords cannot be investigated or interrogated casually.

The three officials—the Minister of Justice, the Grand Censor, and the Minister of the Imperial Clan—stood up, accepted the order, and left.

Liu Shan turned and left, dismissing the court.

Huang Hao immediately chased after him and went to the toilet with Liu Chan.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger. Although the Prince of Beidi is not cautious, he is not a tyrannical ruler. This matter could not have been done by the Prince of Beidi." After offering his advice, Huang Hao added, "Even if it was done by the Prince of Beidi, he must have been misled by his subjects. Your Majesty should summon the Prince of Beidi to court to explain."

Liu Shan was furious and no one's words could sway him. But Huang Hao's words calmed him down, and his eyes lit up as he said, "Yes. Although the King of Beidi is greedy, he wouldn't go so far as to kill and abduct wives."

He immediately stood up and returned to the main hall through the side door. The court session should have ended by then.

However, Liu Shan stopped him and sent people to recall the Imperial Clan Minister, the Grand Censor, and the Minister of Justice, instead ordering Liu Chen, the Prince of Beidi, to come to court to defend himself.

In a fit of anger, Liu Shan stormed off, but Huang Hao chased after him only to return. All of this was witnessed by the civil and military officials; some sighed inwardly, some wore solemn expressions, and some sneered incessantly.

The emperor was a foolish ruler.

Eunuchs manipulated power.

The court is rife with treacherous officials.

The feudal lords were so cruel and inhumane.

We're better off without Liu Han.

Many people thought to themselves.

The story of "the Northern King killing his husband and abducting his wife" spread like wildfire.

"No way?" Li Qiu, a member of the Imperial Guard, was on duty in the palace. Upon hearing the news, his expression was one of surprise and uncertainty. He wanted to believe that Liu Chen wouldn't do such a thing, but since his fall from his horse, Liu Chen's behavior had indeed shown signs of becoming a tyrannical ruler. What if he was lustful at first sight, or greedy for money...?

Li Qiu then turned to his companion and said something before rushing to the inner palace to see Consort Li.

The Imperial Guard's headquarters, the Tiger Cavalry Battalion.

Mi Zhao is riding and shooting.

Five archery targets were set up in the spacious field. Mi Zhao, fully armed, rode his steed past the targets and shot five arrows, all of which hit the bullseye.

"You're a master archer!" Mi Zhao's subordinates cheered.

Mi Zhao smiled, reined in his horse, and was about to say a few words when a tiger-riding officer hurried over and told him what had happened.

The Tiger Riders erupted in uproar.

"I don't believe it. Although the King of the North has changed drastically, he couldn't have become unrecognizable. The King of the North is an upright man."

"That's right. How could the King of the North possibly kill a husband and abduct a wife?"

Many of the Tiger Cavalry knew Liu Chen, but none of them believed that Liu Chen was such a person.

Mi Zhao, deep in thought, his eyes flashing with a sharp light: "So it was the king who killed He Sui."

He recalled his conversation with Liu Chen about how money could influence even ghosts and gods.

Although he did not agree to resign his post and become an official under the Northern King, he knew that this Northern King was not a simple man.

And He Sui is such a crucial person.

He was 90% certain that Liu Chen was the one who killed the man.

Because Qiao Zhou and He Sui were enemies of the state.