bestfiction Chapter 60 The Emperor Exposes Dequan! Dequan is Exposed!
Chapter 60 The Emperor Exposes Dequan! Dequan is Exposed!
As Dequan dragged his exhausted body back to his humble abode, just as he was about to push open the door, a soft and crisp knocking sound came from inside: "Knock knock!" Although the sound was not loud, it was exceptionally clear in the quiet night.
De Quan's heart tightened, a sense of foreboding washing over him. He composed himself and asked softly, "Who is it?" A familiar voice came from outside the door: "Eunuch De, it's me, Eunuch Fu. The Emperor summons you to the Imperial Study." Eunuch Fu's tone was as calm as a still lake, making it impossible to discern any clues from it.
Upon hearing that it was the Emperor who had summoned him, Dequan's heart skipped a beat. His face immediately plastered with a fawning smile as he hurried to the door, opened it, and bowed and scraped before Eunuch Fu, saying, "Oh, it's Eunuch Fu! May I ask what brings His Majesty to summon me? I hope you can reveal a few details so I can prepare." However, Eunuch Fu merely smiled slightly, a smile so enigmatic that Dequan could not fathom its meaning.
Eunuch Fu said unhurriedly, "Eunuch De, you've been serving the Emperor for a long time. How dare we servants presume to know what the Emperor is thinking? You'd better hurry over there, lest you keep the Emperor waiting. Otherwise, if he blames us, we'll both be in deep trouble!" After saying that, Eunuch Fu turned and left without waiting for De Quan's reply, leaving De Quan standing there watching his departing figure.
After Eunuch Fu had walked away, Dequan's fawning smile vanished instantly, replaced by a sinister and ferocious expression. His triangular eyes flashed with a murderous light as he muttered under his breath, "Damn Eunuch Fu! He always takes the Emperor's favor for granted and doesn't respect me. Hmph, when Prince Duan ascends the throne, I'll see how I tear you to pieces to vent my hatred!"
Despite his burning resentment, Dequan knew this was not the time to lash out. He took a deep breath, straightened his robes and hat, and hurried towards the imperial study. His heart pounded as he walked, his mind racing with speculation about the Emperor's purpose in summoning him.
Finally arriving at the entrance of the Imperial Study, Dequan composed himself, knelt down on both knees, and respectfully kowtowed, saying, "This servant greets Your Majesty, long live the Emperor!" At this moment, Dequan was filled with trepidation, and even a fine layer of sweat appeared on his forehead.
The emperor, sitting in his chair in the imperial study, held the memorial and looked at it as if he hadn't heard it.
Seeing that the emperor was ignoring him, Dequan was a little puzzled, so he spoke again: "This servant greets Your Majesty!"
The Emperor slowly put down the memorial, shifted his gaze from it, and looked coldly at Dequan kneeling on the ground. He said, "Dequan, do you know your crime?" His voice was deep, yet it seemed to carry an invisible pressure, making Dequan feel that he could hardly breathe.
Dequan's heart skipped a beat, his scalp tingled, and he hurriedly kowtowed, his forehead hitting the ground with a loud thud. He said, "Your Majesty, this servant does not know what crime I have committed. I beg Your Majesty to enlighten me!" He was extremely flustered, and countless thoughts flashed through his mind. He wondered if his collusion with Prince Duan had been exposed.
The Emperor snorted coldly, stood up, and paced back and forth in the study, each step seeming to pound on Dequan's heart. After a long while, the Emperor stopped and pointed to a memorial on the table, saying, "Someone has impeached you, saying that you accepted bribes and formed cliques for personal gain. Is this true?"
Upon hearing this, Dequan inwardly groaned, but still forced himself to remain calm. He raised his head and said with a wronged expression, "Your Majesty, someone must be maliciously slandering me behind my back! I am only loyal to Your Majesty and would never dare to do such a treasonous thing!"
The Emperor's gaze was piercing as he stared intently at Dequan, seemingly trying to see through his heart. He said, "Hmph, you are so loyal? Then why have I heard that you have been in close contact with Prince Duan lately?"
Dequan's heart skipped a beat, knowing that the matter could no longer be concealed. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, and he said tremblingly, "Your Majesty, this servant only had a few chance encounters with Prince Duan, and there was nothing improper between us! Prince Duan is Your Majesty's close relative, and this servant thought that by getting closer to him, I could share Your Majesty's burdens!"
Looking at Dequan's appearance, the Emperor grew even angrier and shouted, "How dare you, Dequan! Even now, you still dare to argue! Do you think I don't know what you're up to? You see that Prince Duan's power is growing, so you want to curry favor with him and secure your own future!"
Dequan kowtowed heavily again with a thud, crying out, "Your Majesty, spare my life! This servant knows his mistake. This servant should not have taken chances and done such a foolish thing."
"Your Majesty, please spare me this time, for the sake of my many years of service!" At this moment, Dequan had lost his previous ruthlessness and ferocity, leaving only fear and despair.
The Emperor turned his back, remaining silent, seemingly pondering how to deal with Dequan. The study was deathly quiet, save for Dequan's suppressed sobs echoing in the air.
"Ha! Dequan, Dequan, considering your years of devoted service to the late Emperor, I will spare your dog's life today."
However, you must honestly tell us everything you know, especially how many troops the Prince of Duan has, and what kind of unspeakable conspiracies they have planned. If you dare to conceal even a single word...” At this point, Xiao Han’s tone became increasingly sinister and terrifying, sending chills down one’s spine.
De was deathly pale, trembling uncontrollably, with large beads of sweat rolling down his forehead.
He replied tremblingly, “Your Majesty, please calm your anger! This servant dares not conceal anything. To be honest, this servant only knows that Prince Duan and the Prime Minister have secretly colluded, spending a million taels of gold to hire a group of top assassins from the notorious Blood Fiend Palace, attempting to assassinate His Highness the Crown Prince to eliminate any future troubles. As for the exact number of troops under Prince Duan's command, this servant truly does not know! In addition, this servant has also heard that there is a rich iron mine about ten miles outside the city, which has now fallen into Prince Duan's control. Apart from this, this servant truly knows nothing else!”
Upon hearing Dequan's words, the Emperor's face instantly darkened, and his once deep and sharp eyes now seemed to conceal a thunderous force, faintly gleaming with a terrifying light.
He stared intently at Dequan, his gaze like a cold, sharp blade, shooting straight at him.
His eyes were filled not only with boundless majesty but also with burning fury, as if sternly warning Dequan: if this matter were to leak out even slightly, and the outside world were to learn even a whisper of it, then what awaited him was an inhumane hanging! At that time, he might not even be able to preserve his whole body!
Gu Liuli was sitting alone in the dimly lit room, the candlelight flickering and the light and shadows swaying eerily on the walls.
Suddenly, a crisp "ding!" sounded particularly abrupt in the quiet night.
"System triggered mission - please help the emperor subdue the iron ore! Completion of the mission will reward you with the Xuanyuan Sword and sword techniques!" The mechanical electronic voice echoed in Gu Liuli's ears.