NOVEL WEB When everyone stopped arguing sensibly, the emperor looked away to Wu Jiming.
“Jiming, who was the general for the border?” asked him.
“Father. That was General Li who had been locked up by Jitian.” replied Wu Jiming respectfully. General Li, as he heard his name, walked out quickly and saluted to the emperor.
“Father! General Li is super at marital arts and familiar with enemies on the border. I think reinstating him and sending him back to the border would be a wise move!” Wu Jiming advised.
The emperor looked gentler. General Li, while he was guarding the border, made no mistakes or contributions. As a steady man, he could be a good candidate!
As he thought, he felt more satisfied with Wu Jiming. He said, “Jiming made some sense. General Li, you made efforts in the war. You’ll have a hundred taels of gold, half a kilo of pearls and the post of Valiant General. Hope you won’t let us down!”
“Thank you, Your Majesty! I’ll perform my duty to the last minute and even sacrifice for our people!” replied General Li as he heard his awards. His greedy eyes shone greatly.
Then, the emperor gave a disgusted glance at Wu Jitian, who was still kneeling on the ground and added, “And you, Wu Jitian! You committed a great crime. Write a letter of apology immediately and have it sent to people on the border so that you’ll be giving an explanation! So much for today. I’m tired. You may all leave!”
“Please wait! Your Majesty. I have something to say!” said Dong Ling suddenly!
Well, she really couldn’t stand it anymore! Obviously, General Li didn’t do anything or help with anything! But he was awarded instead of getting punished! What the hell?
He must have colluded with the crown prince to frame Wu Jitian up. Together with slanderous gossip by officials, the emperor was totally fooled!
Since no one tried to defend Wu Jitian, she would do it! Even if she might be killed, she must reason it out!
“Who are you? How dare you yell in the palace? Are you seeking your doom?” yelled the eunuch to stop her.
Seriously? What an audacious girl she was! How dared she interrupt His Majesty! “She must be seeking her doom!” thought him.
Wu Jiming looked at her. He knew Dong Ling. She was the girl engaged to him! But now she and Wu Jitian were kneeling shoulder to shoulder. Damn it! It really annoyed him!
“Your Majesty. I’m Dong Ling, a daughter from the Dong family. I heard something about Prince Jitian and I’d like to tell you.” explained Dong Ling with a faint smile.
She gave a cunning smile. And after she finished, she even dared to look up directly at the emperor.
What she said panicked Wu Jitian! He glared at Dong Ling and whispered to her, “What the hell are you going to say? How dare you gossip about princes in front of my father? Aren’t you risking yourself?”
Dong Ling didn’t reply. If she were scared of death, she wouldn’t have come back to the capital with him.
“Your Majesty. Do you know some bandits have turned up on the border in addition to the Huns? There were many of them who had great martial arts and vicious means! Compared to the Huns, such bandits were even ten times powerful! They were good at using hidden weapons and poisons. They robbed people on the border and poisoned them. They had done everything evil! And people were suffering! But guess what General Li did. He totally ignored those people who complained about the bandits!”
“Really? Why did I not know this?” asked the emperor. Funny! He had never heard of it. He turned around to Wu Jiming and asked in a rage.
Wu Jiming hurried to explain, “No. Father! It’s not…”
“Continue.” ordered the emperor sharply before Wu Jitian finished.
So, Dong Ling continued, “In the end, Prince Jitian had no choice, but to lock General Li up and broke into the bandit’s camp in the middle of night with only a dozen guards and killed them surprisingly! Moreover, he tricked the Huns into the bandits’ trap and made them fight against each other. Not only the bandits were annihilated, but also the Huns were defeated! All people on the border were grateful to Prince Jitian and called him God of War!”
She added, “Your Majesty. How could such a brave God of War make such a stupid mistake on the battlefield? Obviously, someone has framed him up!”
Dong Ling cast a glance at General Li with a meaningful smile and the latter trembled harder!
The emperor looked down his officials and was lost in thought. It went without saying that he was thinking about something seriously.
“Jitian lost his mother at a young age and he was kind of naughty. But since he was little, he has had a gift for military strategies and martial arts. Was he slandered?” thought he.
At this moment, General Li and Wu Jiming, who framed Wu Jitian up, held their breath! It wasn’t a perfect timing to figure out how Dong Ling got to know the truth. They just wondered why she told the truth without thinking about the consequences! They weren’t her enemy, were they?
If she did this for Wu Jitian… Humph… They would kill her after they left the morning court!
The Crown Prince Wu Jiming gave a rather secret glance at the officials. Soon, one official, dressed up as a minister, walked out and saluted to the emperor.
He said, “Your Majesty. Miss Dong is a mere girl. How could she know something we don’t even know? And I heard she had totally changed. Maybe she was just talking nonsense just because she was mentally ill?”
“Yeah. I think so, too.” said another official.
Well, in this way, Dong Ling was nothing, but a psychopath who talked nonsense! How funny!
Dong Ling sneered, looked around to the minister and asked in a clear voice, “Sir, you’re a well-educated minister. But why are you so fatuous and why do you dare to affirm without any evident? I wonder if you heard of ‘A little leak will sink a great ship.’”
She added, “Now, our nation is in the prime of its development. What we fear most is that our nation will be ruined just because such careless mistakes were hidden from His Majesty!”
Dong Ling explained in a skillful way when she seemed to care for the nation instead of Prince Jitian. Even the minister failed to talk back! He knelt immediately and explained, “Your Majesty! I don’t mean to hide it from you!”
“All right. Back off!” ordered the emperor when he waved impatiently.
Seeing his supporter get demolished so easily, the Crown Prince Jiming hated Dong Ling secretly. He visited the Dong family several times. In his eyes, Dong Ling used to be a beautiful, but stupid girl. All she used to do was crying just like a doormat!
But why was she so dominating now?
“Dong Ling. You’re a girl, but you’re so brave and wise! I wonder who taught you. Your dad or someone else?” asked the emperor. Well, Dong Ling had really interested him.
“Your Majesty. No one has taught me.” replied Dong Ling respectfully.
“Oh, really?” asked the emperor again. He turned to Wu Jitian. Dong Ling came with him and he must know something.
Wu Jitian frowned! He didn’t know what Dong Ling really meant. Since she showed off in front of the emperor, there would be unnecessary trouble! Didn’t she know?
In order not to show off again, he replied, “Father, I’ve got no idea.”
To be honest, he was also puzzled about Dong Ling’s braveness. And he was still trying to get to know her more.