The mind-reading coroner drove the court crazy

Chapter 365: The crime of offending the emperor and deceiving the emperor

The Protector of the Kingdom?

This is not just a title, but real power. When necessary, he can command the three armies. His power is second only to that of the emperor.

Would the emperor really give such a general position to someone he once feared?

There is no way to know this, but since the emperor has said it, he must have made a decision in his mind.

Compared to the shock of others, Lu Qingchen was the calmest of all. He was not surprised by the sudden power. His cold eyes seemed to be looking at something that happened to a stranger and had nothing to do with him.

Emperor Meiji looked at him with a smile and continued, "In addition to this, I will also reward the Marquis of Xuanping with ten thousand taels of gold, a palace for the Protectorate, and a pair of jade ruyi..."

After a cup of tea, Emperor Meiji finally finished describing the rewards. However, he still felt it was insufficient. He turned his head slightly to the eunuch beside him and instructed, "Eunuch Wu, go and get me the books from my private treasury."

However, all he got in response was a long silence. He turned around unhappily, but there was no sign of Eunuch Wu. At this moment, he suddenly remembered that he had already demoted Eunuch Wu to the cold palace.

The eunuch saw the emperor's gaze and realized that he was calling him. He responded hastily and left the hall in a hurry.

Lu Qingchen glanced at the receding figure. Eunuch Wu was not with the emperor. What happened in the palace?

Emperor Meiji calmed down and resumed his affable demeanor. "Marquis Xuanping, are you not going to thank me?"

Lu Qingchen took a half step forward and bowed, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace. However, I feel unworthy of receiving this title. I am not worthy of being a National Protector General, let alone your Majesty's regard for me. I beg Your Majesty to take back this reward."

The ministers all showed surprise. This kind of reward was the first since the founding of the country. Even when the Jiang family donated all their property, they could not get such an honor. He actually refused it without hesitation. Is this still the dandy young marquis they are familiar with?

Emperor Meiji stared at him with deep eyes, "Oh~ How can Marquis Xuanping feel unworthy of this?"

"I made His Majesty believe that I was murdered, and also caused misunderstandings throughout the court and the country. I do not deserve His Majesty's reward." Lu Qingchen's words were as perfunctory as they could be, and there was no comparison between them and the defense map he brought back.

"What if I must reward you?"

Emperor Meiji's voice was cold and icy, and the overwhelming pressure poured down, making everyone present dare not speak.

Lu Qingchen tightened his lips, looked at him fearlessly, and said word by word: "I am willing to give up the title of Marquis Xuanping and retire to the countryside."

? ?

The ministers were dumbfounded. What was going on? Did they miss some important plot?

Why did it suddenly come to the point of giving up the title?

And His Majesty is determined to force these enviable rewards on Marquis Xuanping?

Seeing that Emperor Meiji's face was becoming increasingly tense, the ministers stopped thinking about it and hurried forward to persuade him.

"Young Marquis, how can you refuse the emperor's reward? Don't be ungrateful."

"Yes! Young Marquis, just accept my advice and thank the Lord for his grace."

Is it possible that this young marquis is angry because he just misunderstood him as a traitor?

However, the ministers tried their best to persuade him to change his mind, but failed. He was as stubborn as a donkey and did not even offer any reason.

The atmosphere became increasingly tense, and the ministers were sweating profusely as they were caught between the emperor and his subjects.

There seemed to be a hundred thousand questions in my mind, wondering what on earth they were so stubborn about.

"Your Majesty, the booklet is here."

The eunuch walked over quickly, panting, but the next moment he was frightened by the cold air in the hall. He didn't know whether to move or stop.

Emperor Meiji spoke up, "Marquis Xuanping, are you still going to continue to disobey my order?"

Lu Qingchen pursed his lips stubbornly, and finally knelt on the ground under the gaze of Emperor Meiji. "If Your Majesty must give a reward, please give it to my humble wife, Qin, to thank her for guarding my home and never abandoning me even after hearing the news of my death."

He knew that the emperor was very suspicious and would definitely send secret guards to track down each of them. He had to put on a complete show to gain people's trust.

It was impossible to expect him to say that his merits and demerits offset each other, and his reward should not be reduced at all. However, forget about being the General of National Defense. Once he agreed, the task of taking the defense map to attack the enemy country in the future would definitely fall on him.

When marching and fighting, one is not afraid of the enemy's strength, but only afraid of being stabbed in the back by teammates in the rear. Obviously, Emperor Meiji was not the teammate he could trust with his back.

The most important point is that Emperor Meiji might take this opportunity to take back the Xuanping Marquisate because of the vague rumor that the real wealth of the Jiang family is hidden in the mansion, and whoever gets it can become rich enough to rival a country.

There was a cold glint in Emperor Meiji's eyes. What an ungrateful person! He was as disgusting as his mother's family.

"My dear ministers, what do you think?"

The ministers looked at each other in confusion. Reward Qin Miaoxi?

Putting aside the shameful identity of this marquis' wife, the things she did after returning home probably don't live up to Marquis Xuanping's so-called loyalty.

First, Huang Bang proposed to her in a high-profile manner, and then rumors spread about her and the Second Prince. The rumors were not necessarily groundless. Qin was quite capable of making these two outstanding people bow down to her.

But when they looked up, they saw the emperor winking at them and quietly shaking his head at Lu Qingchen.

After a brief silence, everyone immediately started to think about it. It seemed that the emperor also realized that the reward he had just given to Marquis Xuanping was too heavy.

But it is better to reward a woman than a playboy. The court is not a place for nonsense, and the emperor cannot ignore the country and act recklessly. So what if he goes against his conscience?

"Your Majesty, why don't we just follow what Marquis Xuanping said? Qin has handled numerous cases for the Dali Temple over the years and can be a role model for the rest of the capital."

"I second the proposal."

"I second the proposal."

Emperor Meiji: "..."

Did he mean it?

He asked them to deny the words of Marquis Xuanping. Does this person have no eyes or no brains?

It’s a pity that he raised a bunch of good-for-nothings.

Lu Qingchen thanked him loudly at this moment, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your help!"

Emperor Meiji: "..."

After a long silence, Emperor Meiji's weak voice came from the podium.

"Go down!"

"Yes."

He did not mention a word about the reward, as if there was someone else who had just argued and almost disobeyed the emperor.

Several ministers did not dare to stay any longer and took their leave one after another.

"Young Marquis, please stay!"

After leaving the palace, several adults caught up with Lu Qingchen, but when they got close to him, they didn't know what to say. In the end, they just left with a word "congratulations" and left embarrassedly.

Lu Qingchen sneered disdainfully. These people probably didn't know that they had already been noted by Emperor Meiji. They couldn't even understand the emperor's intentions, so how could they be his confidants? They were probably a big threat to him.

Within an hour, the news that Marquis Xuanping had displeased the emperor, committed the crime of deceiving the monarch, and contradicted the emperor in public had spread throughout the court like thunder.

Everyone was secretly shocked: Marquis Xuanping was indeed a reckless person, and this time the Marquis's family might end up being overthrown.

But unexpectedly, in the evening of the same day, an imperial edict arrived at the Marquis Xuanping's Mansion.