Chapter 69

Chapter 69: It Wasn’t a Crime Worth Beheading and Seizing the Family, Right?

The next day, at morning court, Emperor Chong Sheng pointed out five people the moment it began.

They were the Regular Second Rank Fuguo Grand General, Shang Tian Hao; the Sub-Second Rank Minister of Revenue, Ye Zhuo Yun; the Senior Third Rank Huai Hua Grand General, Pei Ling Yuan; the Junior Third Rank Censor-in-Chief, Chen Bao Jing; and the Senior Fourth Rank Ministry of Works Vice Minister, Zhou Qing.

One by one, the five stepped forward. Aside from Shang Tian Hao and Ye Zhuo Yun, who did not change expression, the other three exchanged a glance and immediately felt alarm bells blare in their heads.

What right did they have to stand out together with the Fuguo Grand General and the Minister of Revenue? There was only one possibility.

Their little brats had caused trouble again.

But what kind of monstrous disaster could make His Majesty, first thing in the morning, say nothing at all and drag out five fathers to scold them?

Zhou Qing was so frightened his legs shook beneath his robe. If he had known his son could stir up this kind of trouble, he would rather have kept him away from those little disasters.

Now it was over. Even Zhou Qing was getting dragged in.

Zhou Qing thought of every possibility. A docked salary? A demotion? Being dismissed outright?

No… it wouldn’t be a crime worth beheading and seizing the family, right?

At that thought, sweat burst across Zhou Qing’s forehead.

Then Zhou Qing heard Emperor Chong Sheng suddenly laugh from above, and Zhou Qing froze.

Huh? Wasn’t His Majesty going to punish them? How could His Majesty still be laughing?

Emperor Chong Sheng said, “Two days ago, I learned that there was a band of outrageously arrogant Mountain Bandit outside the capital city. They abducted innocent people and did every evil. Even a servant from the Grand Defender General Residence was robbed and killed on the road by that gang.”

Emperor Chong Sheng went on, “I originally thought that for Mountain Bandit that fierce, I would need to send people even more ferocious to wipe them out, but I never expected…”

Emperor Chong Sheng laughed again. “I never expected that five troublemaking wastrels, with just a few bodyguards, would slaughter those Mountain Bandit until not even armor scraps remained!”

W-what?

For a moment, Zhou Qing did not understand the meaning of those words.

Five wastrels? That meant Zhou Qing’s son along with those sons from the Shang Family and Ye Family?

And they killed Mountain Bandit?

That useless, timid little son of Zhou Qing’s, Zhou Yu Zheng, who could do neither literature nor martial arts, could kill Mountain Bandit?

This… this…

Was Zhou Qing dreaming? Or was His Majesty mistaken?

Emperor Chong Sheng asked with interest, “What, it looks like the Ministers still don’t know about this?”

Emperor Chong Sheng waved to Eunuch Su.

Eunuch Su immediately described what happened the day before in vivid detail.

After Zhou Qing listened, Zhou Qing went blank.

More than two hundred Mountain Bandit. Zhou Qing’s son charged forward with bodyguards, basically rushing to die, and in the end the bandits were wiped out?

Even more ridiculous, they had even rescued Princess Qing Ning?

No… that couldn’t be…

Zhou Qing swallowed hard and secretly pinched his own thigh.

Ow, that hurt.

It was real!

The cold sweat on Zhou Qing’s forehead instantly turned into wild joy.

Pei Ling Yuan could not hold back and actually laughed out loud in court.

Damn it!

Who dared call his son a fool again?

Like father, like son. Pei Ling Yuan was a general, so what if his son looked thin and pretty? Look, look – didn’t this prove it?

Pei Yu An was Pei Ling Yuan’s own blood.

Chen Bao Jing wiped his forehead hard, his chubby face flushed red.

Fine. Their old Chen Family had produced a warrior too…

When Chen Bao Jing returned home, Chen Bao Jing could tell the family matriarch and finally fulfill the old man’s wish.

Ye Zhuo Yun had learned about this yesterday, so compared to the others, Ye Zhuo Yun looked a little more composed.

But only a little.

Ye Zhuo Yun’s usually shrewd eyes narrowed into slits, and Ye Zhuo Yun could not press down the smile at the corners of his mouth.

Ye Zhuo Yun felt some regret that his only son could not become a civil official like him, but a military officer was not bad either.

Still, he needed to pick a daughter-in-law early. If anything happened, the Ye Family would at least have a descendant.

While Ye Zhuo Yun was thinking, his satisfied gaze swept across Shang Tian Hao beside him, who was frowning and serious.

Ye Zhuo Yun immediately straightened his back.

Grand General Shang really was Grand General Shang. Even at a time like this, Shang Tian Hao could still keep a cold face. Truly admirable.

Emperor Chong Sheng said, “The five of them were hot-blooded young gentlemen. Later, after inspection by the Da Li Court, it turned out those Mountain Bandit had drunk fake wine and were poisoned, so they had no strength to resist.”

Emperor Chong Sheng continued, “Even so, you five taught your sons well. They had courage and strategy, and they rescued my Princess Qing Ning. Naturally, they must be rewarded!”

With a grand wave of his hand, eunuchs immediately stepped up to the five men with silk-covered trays.

As soon as court ended, four fathers – all grinning like fools – gathered together while everyone congratulated them.

One of them said, “Who would have thought? Princess Qing Ning, a woman, actually dared to use herself as a hostage when facing Mountain Bandit!”

Another said, “But our boys weren’t bad either. More than two hundred Mountain Bandit – they charged in and wiped them out. They had backbone! They had guts!”

Pei Ling Yuan raised his voice on purpose, as if worried the people passing by might not hear. Pei Ling Yuan still felt it was not enough.

His son had finally done something big. His Majesty had praised them in front of the entire court. How could Pei Ling Yuan not spread it properly?

Pei Ling Yuan slapped his thigh and declared, “I say, gentlemen, this can’t just pass quietly. What wastrels? What useless slackers? We have to let the entire capital city see. Where else will you find wastrels with courage and brains, with blood in their veins, with loyalty and righteousness?”