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Chapter 115: Chapter 115 Zhan Feng Gets Beaten, Forced to Answer!
Emperor Xuanwu issued an order, and Zhan Feng was escorted to Taiji Palace.
Zhan Feng walked past Zhan Lan, his gloomy eyes fixating on Zhan Lan, always feeling that this matter was related to her.
Yet Zhan Lan merely watched the abject Zhan Feng with an unchanged expression.
Upon entering Taiji Palace and seeing Emperor Xuanwu, Zhan Feng’s legs gave way, and he immediately knelt down.
On the way here, he had realized that his deeds might have been exposed.
Still, Zhan Feng was hoping for Si Jun to save him, believing that he would surely come.
And certainly, someone would destroy the evidence.
It was impossible for any leverage to fall into Zhan Beicang’s hands.
After entering Taiji Palace, Zhan Feng glanced only briefly before noticing his grandfather and uncle among the court officials, which slightly reassured him.
With them present, they would surely protect him, since he was one of the few males in the Zhan Family besides Zhan Hui and Zhan Heng.
If his grandfather did not protect him, his grandmother, who so dearly loved him, would surely be furious.
Moreover, his uncle had always been good to him on regular days, so there should be no problem.
"Your Majesty!" Zhan Feng spoke, his voice trembling, now understanding what it meant to face the Majesty of the Emperor.
Emperor Xuanwu looked at him with icy eyes, his voice filled with chill, "How audacious, Zhan Family’s young master!"
Zhan Feng heard Emperor Xuanwu’s reprimanding voice resounding throughout Taiji Palace.
His body trembled with fright, he sneaked a glance at the furious Emperor Xuanwu.
Stuttering, he said: "Your Majesty, I do not know what I did wrong? Please enlighten me!"
Emperor Xuanwu couldn’t even be bothered to speak to Zhan Feng, merely raised his hand, and Eunuch Li immediately declared, "Zhan Feng colluded with pirates to steal army provisions and also colluded with the Western Rong, confess everything quickly!"
Zhan Feng was nearly scared to death, what does colluding with the Western Rong mean!
Both of these accusations could lead to decapitation!
No, maybe even the execution of his entire family!
Glancing sidelong at the relatively calm Zhan Beicang and Zhan Xinzhang, his heart suddenly wasn’t as fearful as before.
The grandfather and uncle must have come to plead for him.
Plus, he had undertaken these actions for Si Jun, surely they could be mitigated.
He steadied his mind and looked up to answer, "Your Majesty, I am unaware of these matters! I am wrongfully accused!"
Emperor Xuanwu’s expression immediately darkened, "Heading towards death and yet not repentant!"
Emperor Xuanwu slammed the scrolls in his hand, "General Zhan Beicang has brought back the confessions of Shui Zhongyue, and you dare to brazenly deceive your sovereign!"
"Somebody, take him away and give him thirty heavy lashings!" Emperor Xuanwu exclaimed, flinging his sleeve.
"Ah, your Majesty, I’ll speak, I’ll speak!" Zhan Feng instantly turned red and looked desperately towards Zhan Beicang and Zhan Xinzhang.
However, those two did not even glance at him, just slightly lowered their eyes, silent.
Zhan Feng was forcibly dragged outside Taiji Hall, there first came the muffled grunts of Zhan Feng, followed by his screams.
Zhan Lan stood quietly at the doorway, watching Zhan Feng being lashed repeatedly, until his skin split open.
The glaringly bulging veins in Zhan Feng as he looked up met Zhan Lan’s eyes, in which he thought he saw a trace of hatred and indifference.
Perhaps it was just his eyes playing tricks.
Zhan Lan shifted her gaze away, indifferently looking towards the outside of the palace.
She had seen too much of such worldly coldness in her previous life. The Imperial Army officers, seeking to show their performance in front of Emperor Xuanwu, were almost breaking their sticks.
The impact of these thirty lashes was more severe than thirty military canes.
Zhan Feng’s legs, would hardly function properly in the future.
Yet, this punishment alone, of course, was not satisfying for her.
In her previous life, how Zhan Feng colluded with the Western Rong, how Zhan Xincheng to protect his son, went to the extent of falsely implicating Zhan Beicang and the entire Zhan Family Army.
These events, those tragic scenes, unfolded before her eyes one after another.
Zhan Feng, dragged by two Imperial Army soldiers into Taiji Palace, left a trail of blood on the ground.
As soon as Zhan Feng entered the hall, he was hoisted by two Imperial Army soldiers and made to kneel on the ground.
His legs shook, barely managing to kneel erect, he firmly believed that the only evidence the Emperor had was Shui Zhongyue’s confessions, as long as he firmly denied participation.
No one could do anything to him!
Zhan Feng immediately cried out, "Your Majesty, I don’t know why that pirate would falsely accuse me..."
After listening to Zhan Feng’s words, in a fit of rage, Emperor Xuanwu threw the letters exchanged between him and the pirates in front of him.
Zhan Feng just caught a glimpse and was scared silly.
Those were indeed his correspondences with Shui Zhongyue, but hadn’t Shui Zhongyue said that he had destroyed them all?
How could they still exist!
Moreover, did the Emperor already hold the communications between him and the Western Rong?
Impossible!
He was very cautious, that time he met privately with Tuoba Hong, he personally saw Tuoba Hong burn the two letters they had exchanged before.
There couldn’t be any written evidence!
Zhan Feng immediately sidestepped the main issue, "I’m wrong, I embezzled military provisions because I wanted to quickly force the Zhan Family Army to end the battle, but I never collaborated with the Western Rong!"
Zhan Feng knew the difference between robbing military provisions and colluding with the enemy.
He calculated that even if he were imprisoned for a few years, considering the military merits of the Zhan Family, the issue of robbing military provisions could be resolved.
Emperor Xuanwu sneered, and Eunuch Li immediately picked up the confession from the ground and brought it back in front of Emperor Xuanwu.
Emperor Xuanwu tapped his finger on the table, his voice icy, "If you do not confess, should I seal the entire General Mansion and investigate everyone thoroughly?"
As soon as Emperor Xuanwu’s words fell, four veteran generals immediately bowed and said, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"
"Your Majesty, I have the letters of communication between Zhan Feng and the Western Rong here, involving a Prince with his own handwritten signature!" Zhan Xinzhang, neither humble nor arrogant, carefully took out two letters from his bosom.
Today, even if the Emperor wanted his head, he was prepared to save the entire Zhan Family!
Zhan Lan’s gaze darkened, the letters for Si Jun and Zhan Feng’s conspiracy that she had prepared were actually in her grandfather’s hands.
Zhan Lan’s heart surged with excitement, it seemed, today, grandfather was prepared to sacrifice himself for the sake of the Zhan Family.
Emperor Xuanwu’s gaze landed on Zhan Xinzhang, in his hands were the handwritten letters of a Prince colluding with the Western Rong.
Which Prince was it, Prince Yu, Prince Xian, Prince Qi?
The Zhan Family was trying to shift the blame onto one of his sons!
Emperor Xuanwu couldn’t help but become anxious, were the letters in Zhan Xinzhang’s hands real?
Or was it just to shift the conflict?
