General vs. General

Just as Emperor Luo lightly dismissed the matter of the impeachment, and before Luo Zhao could fully let out the breath she was holding...

The tense string in her mind, which had barely begun to slacken, was suddenly plucked again without warning, releasing an even more lethal tremor!

"Your subject, Deputy General of the Golden Feather Guard, Zhao Wuji, has a matter to report!"

A resonant voice, like a sudden clap of thunder, violently shattered the subtle and brief peace within the imperial court.

Swish!

Almost everyone's gaze instantly shifted away from the disheartened Second Prince, focusing on a figure standing at the front of the military officials' ranks, a man with a burly physique like an iron tower.

The imperial court, whose ripples had just barely settled, was instantly enveloped once again by an invisible tension. Ominous premonitions rose in the hearts of many.

Emperor Luo's gaze fell upon Zhao Wuji, his expression retaining its unfathomable calmness. "What is the matter?"

Zhao Wuji's voice boomed like a great bell, carrying the sternness of strict official business.

"Reporting to Your Majesty! Your subject wishes to impeach the Deputy General of the Golden Feather Guard, Chen Busha!"

Chen Busha! As soon as this name was uttered, many people's hearts skipped a beat.

"As a Deputy General of the Golden Feather Guard, Chen Busha shoulders the heavy responsibility of guarding the imperial palace and defending the Divine Capital!"

Zhao Wuji's voice suddenly rose in pitch, carrying a suppressed fury and heartache.

"However, just a week ago, without receiving any transfer orders, imperial decrees, or military commands, this man actually took thirty thousand elite soldiers under his command, left his defense zone without authorization, and disappeared without a trace!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire court was shocked!

Deploying troops without authorization?! And the elites of the Emperor's personal army, the Golden Feather Guard, at that!

In any dynasty, this was an unforgivable major crime equivalent to treason!

Countless horrified gazes shot toward Luo Zhao like sharp arrows.

Everyone in the hall knew who Chen Busha had gone to find!

Although Zhao Wuji appeared to be impeaching Chen Busha, the edge of his sword was actually pointed straight at Her Highness the Eldest Princess!

Luo Zhao's body could not help but tremble slightly when she heard the words, "took thirty thousand elite soldiers under his command, left his defense zone without authorization, and disappeared without a trace!"

Her back beneath her black ceremonial robes instantly stiffened, as if invisible ice water had been poured over her head. A chill rushed straight from the soles of her feet to the top of her skull!

Chen Busha... deployed troops without authorization?!

How could this be possible?!

Her mind was filled with a roaring sound.

Yesterday, just yesterday, she had confirmed it with Shangguan Yunying.

After Chen Busha led the troops back to the Golden Feather Guard's headquarters, there had been no abnormal news whatsoever!

How could the world have been turned upside down overnight?!

Subconsciously, Luo Zhao almost uncontrollably looked toward Shangguan Yunying beside her, wanting to seek confirmation or a hint.

However, she forcefully restrained this impulse, only sweeping a very quick glance from the corner of her eye.

She saw that Shangguan Yunying was similarly deathly pale, her pupils dilated with unbelievable shock and bewilderment. Obviously, she was also completely unprepared for this news!

Shangguan Yunying even opened her mouth slightly, wanting to say something, but under the strict rules of the imperial court, she forcefully held it back. Only her eyes, glaring at Zhao Wuji, were filled with suspicion and anger.

Luo Zhao's heart sank into a bottomless abyss.

She felt an unprecedented wave of isolation and passivity.

Chen Busha and the thirty thousand Golden Feather Guards were not only her martial guarantee, but also the manifestation of her influence within the Divine Capital's military. They could even be considered the strongest trump card in her hand!

Now, had the rug actually been silently pulled out from under her?

Zhao Wuji continued, his voice sonorous, like the tolling of a death knell.

"After your subject discovered this matter, I was extremely furious. I immediately reported it to General Xue Tian and, after receiving permission, sent men to investigate."

"Yesterday, Chen Busha and the thirty thousand Golden Feather Guards under his command were all captured!"

"To avoid a great disaster, your subject has already followed military law to strip Chen Busha of his post and detain him. The thirty thousand soldiers are temporarily being kept under centralized guard in the western suburbs."

"Your subject implores Your Majesty to severely punish Chen Busha to uphold military law! And to thoroughly investigate whether there is someone else behind this matter instigating it!"

The last sentence, "whether there is someone else behind this matter instigating it," was like a poisonous snake flicking its tongue, cold and lethal, once again drawing everyone's gaze toward the silently standing Luo Zhao.

Although no one dared to discuss it loudly, the suppressed exclamations, the sharp intakes of breath, and the horrified glances exchanged all showed how massive the impact of this news was.

Deploying thirty thousand troops without authorization! And being intercepted and detained on the spot!

This was simply irrefutable evidence! Chen Busha was finished! Could the Eldest Princess, who was so closely connected to him... absolve herself of involvement?

What a ruthless chain of stratagems! What an accurate finishing blow!

The Second Prince had led the vanguard to confuse the public eye and sling mud, and Zhao Wuji followed closely behind, tossing out this fatal, solid evidence!

Luo Zhao only felt a buzzing in her ears. Zhao Wuji's righteous voice, the varying gazes of the hundred officials, and the silent, imposing pressure of her imperial father on the dragon throne all mixed into an enormous pressure that threatened to swallow her whole.

In a split second, countless thoughts swarmed into her mind, only to be mercilessly shattered by reality one by one.

She realized that she had actually fallen into an almost unsolvable dead end!

Just as her mind was severely shaken, wandering at a loss, and almost unable to control her facial expressions...

A command, like lightning piercing through the fog, struck her chaotic mind.

Do not move, do not speak.

It was Gu Chengyin!

This command was like a basin of ice water poured over her head, causing Luo Zhao's rationality, which was almost crushed by the pressure, to suddenly jolt and sober up significantly!

Do not move, do not speak?

She could not panic! She absolutely could not throw herself into disarray!

Zhao Wuji throwing out this news was exactly to catch her off guard, force her to lose her composure, force her to defend herself, and force her to sink into the quagmire of self-justification or even mutual recrimination!

At a time like this, she had to keep her composure all the more!

What was her strategy in dealing with the Second Prince just now?

It was to ignore him and only report her own matters.

Perhaps she could continue to use it? At the very least, she could not be led by the nose!

Under the immense pressure, this command bizarrely became Luo Zhao's reassurance.

She realized with unparalleled humiliation that she seemingly had to rely on Gu Chengyin once again to steady her footing.

Forcefully suppressing her churning vitality and chaotic thoughts, she imperceptibly took a deep breath.

The shock and paleness on her face were swiftly smoothed over by her powerful willpower.

She straightened her back once more and slightly lowered her eyelids, her gaze falling on the smooth, golden brick floor in front of her, as if she were a bystander watching a matter that had nothing to do with her.

Luo Zhao reduced her presence to the absolute minimum, like the bizarre point of tranquility in the eye of a storm.

On the dragon throne, Emperor Luo did not seem surprised by this sudden second wave of ripples.

He quietly listened to Zhao Wuji's impassioned statement, his gaze sweeping across the varying expressions of the hundred officials, before finally landing on Luo Zhao, who was standing as still as a clay idol or wooden carving, and pausing for a moment.

Only then did he slowly speak, yet he asked a crucial question. "Oh? Such a thing actually happened?"

"For what purpose did Chen Busha deploy troops without authorization?"

This question seemed ordinary, but was in fact venomous.

It directly pointed out the core purpose of the incident.

Zhao Wuji had long been prepared. Upon hearing this, he immediately cupped his fists, his gaze like lightning, pointing straight at Luo Zhao.

"Replying to Your Majesty! According to the confessions of some detained soldiers, as well as your subject's investigations along the way, the purpose of Chen Busha's unauthorized deployment of troops was..."

"To head to Luoshui Commandery."

"To respectfully welcome Her Highness back to the capital!"