Chapter 191 : Chapter 191
Chapter 191 Cheng Yu: We Must Bring Down a Heavy Fist and Reform Them Properly!
Either they publicly betrayed the Jinyiwei’s duties, allowed Duke Dingguo to break someone out of prison and leave, and would inevitably be punished for it.
Or they ignored everything else, stopped him, and formed a death feud with Ning Dingyuan.
No matter what, there would be no good outcome!
What should they do?
At this moment, the two Zhang Brothers clenched their teeth tightly, caught in an unbearable dilemma.
As the Deputy Commander whose position in the Jinyiwei was second only to Commander Lu Zhi, Zhang De held extremely high status.
His instinctive choice was to stop Ning Dingyuan.
At the very least, he could not allow him to take Ning Cen away. Otherwise, the Lu Family would certainly seize upon this weakness, and His Majesty would be furious as well!
But before Zhang De could act, Zhang Fen, standing beside him, saw what his elder brother was thinking and immediately shook his head repeatedly.
He anxiously transmitted his voice.
“Elder Brother, do not be hasty. Right now, it may look as though we should choose the lesser of two evils, but this is also an opportunity for us brothers.”
“Duke Dingguo has clearly become furious with Cheng Yu. It would be unwise for us to offend him. If we can use the Jianghu’s hostility toward Cheng Yu to force Duke Dingguo into joining the Moderate Faction, would that not complete our original plan?”
Zhang De’s heart stirred.
If they could use this chance to make Ning Dingyuan join Elder Grand Secretary Qi’s camp, then with a major figure of the Moderate Faction stepping forward, the Great Qian Emperor and the Lu Family would surely be restrained.
The only threat that would remain was merely that Cheng Yu would temporarily gain the initiative and be the first to cause trouble for the two of them.
But he was only a Commandant.
He had a bit of strength, but no backing. He could not stir up any great waves.
This choice was worth it!
Zhang De made his decision in an instant.
The majesty around him erupted, but it pressed down on the Jinyiwei blocking the path instead.
“This is Lord Ning, Duke Dingguo! Are you blind, stopping him like this?”
“Duke Dingguo?!”
After hearing the lofty Deputy Commander speak, only then did the Jinyiwei realize that the prisoner being taken away was the young lord of Duke Dingguo’s family.
Most of them immediately put away their sabers and cleared the way.
However, a few of them frowned and did not move aside. So what if he was Duke Dingguo? Did that mean he could break someone out of the Imperial Prison?
“Ants who do not know what is good for them!”
Ning Dingyuan snorted coldly. His Internal Energy suddenly crushed down toward those men, slamming them to the ground and making them spit blood.
Then he turned back to look at Cheng Yu with incomparable gloom. Extreme fury flashed through his eyes.
“You just wait. In a moment, I will make you regret ever coming into this world...”
“Ah! Don’t kill me!”
Ning Dingyuan was in the middle of making his threat when it seemed to agitate Ning Cen, causing him to scream strangely again.
The ferocious momentum from earlier instantly vanished.
“Cen’er...”
Ning Dingyuan looked at his son in such a state. His face twisted with rage, yet there was nothing he could do.
He could only grit his teeth and leave the Imperial Prison.
He would first return and find a way to cure his son. As for revenge, that could come afterward!
Inside the Imperial Prison, only the Jinyiwei and the trembling prisoners remained.
Everyone turned to look at Zhang De and Zhang Fen at the same time.
These two had seemed to commit an act of betrayal just now!
The brothers glanced at the men Ning Dingyuan had injured. They had nothing suitable to say, so they simply walked away.
“Move aside!”
When the other Jinyiwei saw this, they clenched their teeth. They were furious, but they did not dare speak.
Yet at that moment, Cheng Yu’s quiet voice rang out. “I am afraid you two must explain something. Are you still the Emperor’s personal troops, the Jinyiwei of Great Qian?”
“Or in your eyes, is a wicked criminal who breaks someone out of prison more important than His Majesty?”
[The host does not tolerate treacherous men, firmly demands accountability, and upholds the Jinyiwei’s loyalty. Reward: Archery Dao Insight!]
Hearing Cheng Yu mention His Majesty with every other sentence, the expressions of the two Zhang Brothers changed drastically, and their footsteps stopped.
If Cheng Yu had flown into a rage and cursed them, they could have used the difference in official rank to suppress him in return with the crime of disrespect and recover their momentum.
But Cheng Yu did not mention himself at all. Every word out of his mouth was about the Great Qian Emperor.
That made things extremely troublesome for the two Zhang Brothers.
How were they supposed to answer?
Deliberately letting a prisoner in the Imperial Prison go was a violation of His Majesty’s decree, an outright act of deceiving the ruler and betraying him!
They could not possibly twist black into white in front of so many people, could they?
Doubt and confusion also flashed through the eyes of the other Jinyiwei in the Imperial Prison. Why had these two lords allowed Duke Dingguo to leave?
Had they truly betrayed His Majesty?
Seeing that the situation was becoming increasingly unfavorable, Zhang Fen hurriedly shouted, “What nonsense are you spouting? My elder brother and I naturally have our own considerations!”
Then he looked at Cheng Yu. “Whoever dares wag his tongue again will answer for it!”
This threat did indeed frighten some of the Jinyiwei, but it was useless against Cheng Yu.
His expression remained solemn. “I will certainly report this matter to Commander Lu and have him ask His Majesty to decide. You two can explain yourselves then!”
Explain themselves to His Majesty?
Zhang De’s and Zhang Fen’s expressions grew even uglier. Like hell they could explain anything!
Xiao Wuji could tolerate other ministers being arrogant and overbearing. For the sake of the bigger picture, he could even allow the Moderate Faction to exist.
But the Jinyiwei were his blade.
If they lost their loyalty, then they would have nothing left and no value whatsoever!
“Say whatever you want!”
The two brothers exchanged a glance. They did not argue further, and they left the Imperial Prison with cold expressions.
At present, there was only one plan.
They had to act according to the plan, persuade Duke Dingguo to join the Moderate Faction, and contact Elder Grand Secretary Qi and the others to preserve the overall situation!
Cheng Yu watched the two Zhang Brothers leave, coldness appearing in his eyes.
Vermin like this, who had no bottom line within the Jinyiwei ranks, were even more hateful than enemies.
They had to be dealt with as soon as possible.
The Jinyiwei’s environment had to be made clean again!
Cheng Yu then walked over to the Jinyiwei who had been injured by Ning Dingyuan and helped them up one by one.
He handed them medicine for their injuries.
Looking at their shocked and grateful gazes, he revealed a calm smile.
These men were all promising talents within the Jinyiwei ranks.
More than that, they were living evidence of Duke Dingguo openly breaking someone out of the Imperial Prison and grievously injuring Jinyiwei personnel, thereby committing such a grave crime.
For these crimes, his household should be raided and his family exterminated!
At the thought of his old line of work, Cheng Yu immediately felt his hands itching unbearably.
There were far too many ignorant people in the Great Qian Capital. Every cat and dog dared to ride on the Jinyiwei’s heads.
This was truly improper!
He had to bring down a heavy fist and reform them properly!
...
Duke Dingguo’s Estate.
“Don’t kill me! Don’t kill me! I really know I was wrong!”
Whenever a figure passed before Ning Cen’s eyes, he would instinctively burst into tears and howl.
Back in the Imperial Prison not long ago, Cheng Yu had lit a strange incense, and Song Nian had covered Ning Cen’s eyes with a rag.
Every time the rag was removed, Ning Cen regained his sight.
And at the same time, all manner of torture awaited him.
He opened his eyes, then came torture!
His eyes were covered, and he had a moment of quiet. Then he opened his eyes again, and once more, it was torture!
In the brief span of a few incense sticks, Ning Cen had experienced countless cycles of despair as though he were in hell!
Now, the moment he saw a person’s figure, he would think of that agony and despair!
“Doctor Li, why exactly has my son become like this?”
Ning Dingyuan and his wife looked at the doctor in despair.
Their perfectly fine son—how had he turned into this?