Chapter 48: Rebel! Loyal Subject!

At this moment, Emperor Wu flew into a towering rage, questioning the assembled ministers with a heart full of sorrow.

Situ Tianliang was already sweating profusely, his voice trembling as he stammered, "Th-this Pei County is merely a county town; how could it possibly have a population of one hundred and forty thousand?"

"It is because of Us! When We recovered Pei County, the people north of the river, yearning for their former homeland, moved in successively from the Western Qin region. Yet who would have expected that Yuan Bailong would persistently conceal this population, thereby ruining a major affair!" Amidst his pride, Emperor Wu could not conceal his fury. Finally, he slammed his hand down on the dragon throne and rebuked sternly, "That Yuan Bailong even invented various pretexts to levy all sorts of taxes comparable to the formal taxes of the imperial court—were all of you perhaps unaware of this as well?!"

Situ Tianliang's legs went soft, and he collapsed to the floor, trembling as he said, "Your subject... your subject truly knew nothing of this..."

Sima Yannian and the others were already dumbfounded and at a complete loss.

A population of one hundred and forty thousand, yet for all these years, only seventy thousand had been reported to the imperial court—seventy thousand concealed?!

Inventing pretexts to levy taxes and bleeding the common people dry could at best be considered a minor matter; they might have found a way to gloss it over for Yuan Bailong. But combined with the concealment of seventy thousand people, that was quite a sensational offense...

How on earth did this expect them to explain things for Yuan Bailong?

There was simply no way to explain it!

"Right now, I want you, Situ Tianliang, to use your pig brain and think! Why are bandits running rampant around the Pei County area? Why do these outlaws grow stronger day by day, continually plundering the people of Pei County?"

"Yuan Bailong personally reported seventy thousand people to the imperial court every year. What about the taxes of the other seventy thousand? Could it be that he embezzled them all? Human trafficking north of the river has been repeatedly banned without success—were those victims taken out of Pei County?"

"Furthermore, Yuan Bailong publicly humiliated and threatened Liang Xiao, to the extent that he was convicted and beheaded by Liang Xiao. This matter has drawn the attention of the masses, and the bailiffs I dispatched are living witnesses on the scene! Situ Tianliang, explain this clearly to me! What on earth kind of creature is this Yuan Bailong?!"

The more Emperor Wu spoke, the angrier he grew, and he forcefully hurled the booklet down from the dais.

Sima Yannian looked at the booklet landing before him. As his gaze fell upon the handwriting, his pupils suddenly constricted!

It truly was Yuan Bailong's handwriting...

Such a monumental matter, yet Yuan Bailong had never informed him!

The aristocratic ministers finally fell into a terrified silence, fearing the emperor's wrath might fall upon them.

Based on their experience, a Pei County of seventy thousand people, counting unregistered households, would at most have a real population of one hundred thousand.

One hundred and forty thousand was simply too preposterous...

Coupled with the rampant banditry around Pei County, the charge of collusion between officials and bandits against Yuan Bailong was inescapable!

Situ Tianliang had completely lost his wits and cast a pleading glance toward his son-in-law, Sima Lingyun.

At this moment, Sima Lingyun also wore a troubled expression. Daring not to meet his father-in-law's gaze, he simply turned his head away.

The rest of the aristocratic ministers directly ignored the increasingly desperate Situ Tianliang.

They had already figured out Emperor Wu's attitude.

Pushing Situ Tianliang out as a scapegoat to give Emperor Wu an account was the way to save their own skins...

"That Yuan Bailong committed insubordination, publicly threatened the life of a magistrate, and his crimes are unforgivable! Concealing the population of Pei County, swallowing tax revenues, and fabricating political achievements—these are heinous crimes indeed! After the court session is dismissed, I will personally investigate this matter and send men to Pei County to ascertain the situation. You lords need not trouble yourselves!"

"Situ Tianliang sought revenge out of personal grievance, framed loyal and capable officials, and furthermore sheltered the traitor Yuan Bailong. Capital punishment may be averted, but life imprisonment is hard to remit! Considering your meritorious service in guarding the borders, you are stripped of your post as the General Subduing Bandits, demoted to a regional general, and subjected to a thorough investigation. Without My permission, you shall not be promoted from this day forth!"

Emperor Wu's verdict fell like a bolt from the blue, turning Situ Tianliang's face ashen.

Sima Yannian and his son exchanged glances, maintaining a taciturn silence.

This was already Emperor Wu showing leniency for the sake of the Sima family.

Otherwise, once the truth behind the Yuan Bailong affair came to light, Situ Tianliang would undoubtedly die, and Sima Lingyun would at the very least be demoted by three ranks!

Watching the speechless aristocratic ministers, Emperor Wu felt a surge of gratification. His brow unfurled as he continued his announcement.

"Liang Xiao, the magistrate of Pei County, is originally the descendant of the Marquis of Loyal Martial. Although previously implicated in the defeat of his father and elder brother and stripped of his official rank by the court, he still does not forget to remain loyal to the sovereign and serve the country, ridding the people of evils without fear of slander. My heart is deeply gratified! Since the population of Pei County has already exceeded one hundred and forty thousand, showing the initial scale of a commandery city, and since this place is also the hometown of the High Emperor, with border residents continuously migrating here, it cannot be handled hastily!"

"I intend to issue an imperial decree conferring upon Liang Xiao the title of General Subduing Bandits, granting him the authority to lead troops independently to suppress bandits and ensure the stability of the region north of the river! Pei County shall be upgraded from a county to a commandery, named 'Pei Commandery'. At the same time, Liang Xiao is promoted to the Administrator of Pei Commandery, holding supreme authority over all military and political affairs, and is tasked with expanding and fortifying the city walls. The south of the river shall support Pei Commandery with one hundred thousand shi of grain to pacify the hearts of the people! From this day forth, unless instructed by Me, court officials are strictly forbidden from meddling in the affairs of Liang Xiao and Pei Commandery!"

"The people of Pei County are facing imminent peril; in extraordinary times, extraordinary measures must be taken! What do my lords think?"

Faced with Emperor Wu's rare and chilling gaze, the civil and military officials trembled in fear, responding with one voice.

"Your Majesty is wise! Yuan Bailong deserves to die ten thousand deaths!"

After all, even the Sima family, who hated Liang Xiao the most, did not dare to provoke Emperor Wu's wrath at this moment!

If they did not cut ties with Yuan Bailong now, they would sooner or later bring disaster upon themselves!

Situ Tianliang was still collapsed on the floor; no one was willing to be the next unfortunate soul...

"Since my lords have no objections, Lord Wang, you shall carry the imperial decree and travel to Pei County to comfort and encourage the loyal minister Liang Xiao!" Emperor Wu looked toward Wang Teng.

Wang Teng was startled, then immediately knelt to pledge his loyalty: "This servant will certainly live up to the trust!"

The court assembly broke up in discord, concluding with Emperor Wu's towering rage.

Inside the Imperial Study, Emperor Wu was drafting the imperial decree.

Beside him, Liang Qingshuang finally breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, saying, "Your Majesty's wise judgment is sufficient to comfort the Mansion of the Marquis of Loyal Martial and also pacify the soldiers of our nation..."

Emperor Wu merely smiled with a nod, looking at Wang Teng below the dais with an expression of absolute confidence.

"Lord Wang, I am deliberately dispatching you to Pei Commandery. In this way, we can prevent him from colluding with powerful aristocratic families in the future."

Wang Teng nodded repeatedly: "Your Majesty's painstaking efforts are engraved in the depths of this servant's heart, and I shall discharge my duties with utmost diligence!"

Liang Qingshuang was dumbfounded. As she gazed at this pair of sovereign and subject, her heart was filled with disappointment.

Undoubtedly, Liang Xiao was also within the scope of her imperial father's calculations for checks and balances!

The powerful aristocratic families were not limited to the Sima family alone; there were other clans that originally bore no grudge against Liang Xiao.

Wang Teng's trip was destined to cement Liang Xiao's reputation as part of the eunuch faction. From then on, Liang Xiao would never again have the opportunity to win the support of other aristocratic families; his only path to self-preservation would be to remain forever loyal to imperial authority alongside Wang Teng...

Could this really be for the best?

Inside the luxurious mansion of the Sima family, Situ Luoyue, the Old Madam Situ, and Situ Yinghao—the mother and her three children—were in high spirits, craning their necks in eager anticipation, waiting only for Liang Xiao to be utterly ruined, plunged into damnation beyond redemption, and reviled by the entire world.

A moment later, Sima Lingyun supported Situ Tianliang as they returned home.

"Brother Lingyun! Father! Is Liang Xiao dead yet?"

Situ Luoyue's eyes curved into crescents of joy as she hurried forward, only to find her father looking utterly dejected and his limbs weak.

Sima Lingyun shook his head with a bitter expression.

"That Liang Xiao actually seized Yuan Bailong's vulnerable spot and turned the tables, cementing several treasonous charges against Yuan Bailong. Father-in-law stepped forward to champion Yuan Bailong, but instead became implicated and was demoted to a regional general..."

"What?!" The three members of the Situ family found it hard to believe.

"H-how could it turn out like this?? Brother Lingyun, d-did you all not help?" Situ Luoyue asked in a panic.

Sima Lingyun hardened his scalp and said, "This was already Emperor Wu showing leniency for the sake of our families. If we had intervened, Emperor Wu's temper would have flared, and I'm afraid Father-in-law would hardly have escaped with his life..."

Seeing the mother and children stunned into silence, Sima Lingyun pulled Situ Luoyue into a tight embrace to comfort her.

"Don't worry! As you all know, the region north of the river is a perilous dragon's pool and tiger's den. As long as Liang Xiao remains there, he is bound to die! My father has already made arrangements. The bandits of the Black Cloud Stronghold alone are more than enough to send Liang Xiao to his grave..."

Situ Luoyue clenched her delicate fists, tears streaming down her face: "That jinx Liang Xiao—even after breaking off our engagement, he still drags my father down with him!!"

Situ Tianliang had long since lost all hope for the future, and his voice trembled as he said, "My post as the General Subduing Bandits was stripped away, only to be bestowed upon Liang Xiao—what an utter and supreme humiliation!!"

"How can the heavens be so blind?!" Old Madam Situ was overcome with fury and anxiety, losing consciousness on the spot.

"Mother!!"

That afternoon, in Pei County, the biting winter wind raged.

The main force of the Black Cloud Stronghold had already arrived twenty li north of Pei County.

Liang Xiao assembled three thousand and one hundred men, deploying them around the northern city area of Pei County.

Learning that the bandits were approaching, everyone was terribly nervous, with some even chattering their teeth.

Liang Xiao was in the midst of briefing Zhu Zifang alongside various team leaders and commanders on emergency protocols when a soldier from the northern sector rushed over anxiously to report.

"Lord Magistrate, the Black Cloud Stronghold has sent men outside the city demanding that Pei County dispatch someone to negotiate!"