xymnovel Chapter 98: Relatives Interrogating Relatives
Chapter 98: Relatives Interrogating Relatives
Guo Zhonggong was a young man in his early thirties, dressed in an official robe, but he still couldn't hide the air of a scion of a prominent family.
However, at this moment in Xingqing Palace, facing Empress Dowager Guo and Emperor Li Ang, he naturally dared not show the slightest arrogance.
"Guo Zhonggong, Imperial Son-in-Law and Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, pays his respects to the Empress Dowager, His Majesty, and Princess Qiyang."
Led in by Liang Chengmin, Guo Zhonggong's face showed obvious fear, and his voice trembled as he bowed.
Seeing this, Empress Dowager Guo did not make him get up, but instead twirled the Buddhist beads in her hand, snorted, and scolded him.
Do you know you're wrong?
Upon hearing this, Guo Zhonggong immediately kowtowed, his attitude and tone becoming increasingly respectful, but he secretly changed his form of address.
"Aunt, I know I was wrong, and I will never do it again."
Empress Dowager Guo then looked at Li Ang.
Seeing this, Li Ang said, "Grandmother, we must first find out whether it is a crime or a punishment. Everyone here today is family, so let's get him up first."
As he spoke, he glanced at Guo Zhonggong on the ground, and a strange feeling inexplicably arose in his heart.
It must be said that ancient marriage alliances were truly complex.
According to Empress Dowager Guo, Guo Zhonggong should be considered Li Ang's cousin.
But then, he married Li Ang's sister, Princess Jintang.
In terms of Princess Jintang, Guo Zhonggong could be considered her brother-in-law.
Such kinship relationships are really messy, so Li Ang simply stopped using the term "family member".
As soon as she finished speaking, Empress Dowager Guo glanced coldly at Guo Zhonggong on the ground and continued in a cold voice.
"Since His Majesty has spoken, rise and truthfully recount all that you have done!"
"Yes..." Guo Zhonggong wiped the sweat from his forehead and began to recount the events in a trembling voice: "Your Majesty, this matter begins with the day my cousin-in-law, no, the military governor of Zhongwu Army, Du Cong, returned to the capital and summoned me to the princess's residence..."
Guo Zhonggong's account is almost identical to that of Princess Qiyang.
They all shifted all the blame onto Du Cong, saying that Du Cong instructed him to contact the censors to embarrass Liu Hongyi and others outside the Waiting-for-Lunch Courtyard, and then use the opportunity to impeach them in the palace.
After he finished speaking, Li Ang subconsciously frowned slightly and couldn't help but ask, "You said that Du Cong instructed you to do all these things, but did he ever say why he did them?"
Guo Zhonggong replied, “Your Majesty, he said that Liu Hongyi and others were originally the emperor’s servants, but now they want to usurp the throne in the outer court and be ranked alongside the prime ministers. This is not in accordance with the system. Moreover, the eunuchs originally commanded the Shence Army and had considerable power. If they interfere in the outer court again, I am afraid that there will be no one who can restrain them in the future.”
"They also said that this so-called Shence Reform must be a conspiracy between Liu Hongyi and others and the outer court to deceive His Majesty, abuse power, and that we, as His Majesty's relatives, cannot do anything because His Majesty has been deceived. Therefore, they want to cause some trouble to stop this matter."
"You mean, his purpose in doing all this was to obstruct the Shence reforms?"
Li Ang's tone was slightly cold, and his attitude became more scrutinizing.
Upon hearing this, Guo Zhonggong instinctively shrank back and quickly said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I was confused for a moment. I thought that Du Cong was, after all, an important minister of the court and a relative of mine, so he would definitely not do anything detrimental to the court. That's why I listened to him. Please forgive me this time, Your Majesty."
As he spoke, he knelt down and kowtowed deeply.
It should be noted that in the Tang Dynasty, when the relationship between the emperor and his ministers was still largely one of theoretical discussions, Guo Zhonggong was considered Li Ang's elder. Such a gesture of respect was quite significant and was enough to demonstrate Li Ang's fear and regret at that moment.
At this moment, Empress Dowager Guo sighed and spoke up.
"Logically speaking, this is a matter of state, and I shouldn't interfere. However, since they are family members, I have no choice but to let things get out of hand."
"Second Brother, while it's not impossible for you to punish him severely, you should still consider Jintang's feelings. How about you give him a lighter punishment for my sake?"
After all, they were her own nephews and nieces, so even if Empress Dowager Guo was very angry, she would definitely protect them.
Faced with the plea of his grandmother, Li Ang hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"Your Majesty, if what he just said is true, then he was only helping out. Although he made a mistake, he doesn't deserve to be severely punished. However, now that the matter has been investigated to this extent, it may not be appropriate to only listen to his side of the story."
"How about I have someone call Du Cong over to question him as well, to see if there's anything hidden? As for how to punish him, we can make a decision after everything is cleared up."
Upon hearing this, Princess Qiyang subconsciously clenched the handkerchief in her hand, but Empress Dowager Guo showed no change in expression and quickly nodded, saying.
"Very well, since Du Cong has acted on his own initiative, it is indeed time to call him over and ask him. I just sent someone to summon him. Judging by the time, he should be arriving soon. Liang Chengmin, go out and check. If he has arrived, let him in."
"Yes……"
After responding, Liang Chengmin hurriedly left again.
On the other side, Li Ang watched his figure disappear through the palace gate, but his brows furrowed involuntarily again.
Not long after, Liang Chengmin returned again. This time, he was followed by a tall, thin, and handsome middle-aged man around forty years old. This man was none other than Du Cong, the consort of Princess Qiyang and the military governor of Zhongwu Army.
"Greetings to the Empress Dowager, greetings to Your Majesty."
Compared to Guo Zhonggong's fear, Du Cong displayed more of the composure of a senior official, remaining calm even when facing both Empress Dowager Guo and Emperor Li Ang.
However, seeing his posture, Empress Dowager Guo frowned, quickened the pace of her prayer beads, and said.
"Second Master, this is a matter of court, so I won't interfere. You can ask him yourself."
Li Ang bowed slightly and replied, "Yes," before turning to Du Cong and saying...
"I summoned you here today because of what happened outside the Waiting-for-Leaks Courtyard. Minister Guo, in front of Minister Du, repeat what you just said..."
So, Guo Zhonggong braced himself and repeated what he had just said.
Then, Li Ang asked, "Minister Du, is what he said true?"
Du Cong's expression turned somewhat unpleasant from the moment Guo Zhonggong spoke.
At this moment, facing Li Ang's question, he frowned even more, but after hesitating for a moment, he still nodded and said.
"Your Majesty, it is true. The censors who made things difficult for Liu Hongyi and others outside the Waiting Hall, as well as the impeachment in the palace, were indeed ordered by me."
Li Ang's eyes flashed, and he continued, "Besides these censors, what about the others who impeached alongside you in court?"
Having come this far, Du Cong made no attempt to hide anything and quickly admitted it.
"Your Majesty, I met Niu Sengru on my way to court and explained the situation to him. As for the others, they acted out of public interest and had nothing to do with me."
Before Li Ang could react to his words, Empress Dowager Guo's expression changed. She slammed her prayer beads heavily on the table and rebuked him sternly.
"This is utter nonsense!"