Chapter 229 - 151: Heartache Just Thinking About It

Emperor Jing felt a pang in his heart and immediately waved his hand: "Quickly, quickly, bring it here!"

The eunuchs hurriedly handed over the two reports. Emperor Jing almost snatched them up, swiftly unfolding one to read.

As his gaze swept across the report, his expression first showed delight, then gradually turned ashen, his brows furrowing as if he could squeeze out water.

"Outrageous!"

Emperor Jing slapped the armrest of the throne fiercely, his voice filled with suppressed anger.

Upon seeing this, the courtiers all lowered their heads, not daring to meet the emperor’s gaze.

Cao Ge stood in the ranks, feeling a vague unease, his eyes flickering.

Emperor Jing, breathing heavily, coldly swept his gaze over the courtiers, his voice like ice.

"The Generals Su Qi of Jingzhou and Song Yuanqing of Xuzhou accuses Marshal Cao Xiong of the Beiguan Garrison of falsifying military reports, leading to the court dispatching troops and wasting countless provisions! Do you know that there was no battle at Beiguan at all?"

With these words, the court erupted in chaos.

Minister of War Cao Ge’s face changed dramatically, and he hurriedly stepped forward to kneel and loudly defended.

"Your Majesty! My younger brother, Cao Xiong, is loyal to the nation and would never falsify military reports! The situation at Beiguan changes in an instant, the Turkic army appears and disappears without a trace, Cao Xiong may have merely misjudged the enemy’s movements, he would never deliberately deceive the court!"

Emperor Jing looked coldly at Cao Ge, his voice tinged with sarcasm.

"Misjudged? Su Qi and Song Yuanqing arrived with their troops at Beiguan to find that Zhao Zun had already led the Vanguard Camp to push back the Turkic army from Yong’an City, and there was no battle at all in Ling’an City! Is that also a misjudgment?"

The crime of falsifying military reports is not trivial! Cold sweat immediately formed on Cao Ge’s forehead, but he still persisted in pleading for his brother.

"Your Majesty, frontier warfare is complex, and the enemy’s movements are unpredictable. As the marshal of Beiguan, Cao Xiong bears heavy responsibilities and must respond prudently to any trouble. Even though there was no battle this time, Cao Xiong acted with Da Jing’s safety in mind!"

Emperor Jing was silent for a moment, his gaze lingering on Cao Ge as if weighing the pros and cons.

With twenty thousand Turkic soldiers at the border, and the alliance of Ala and Meng Country looming, the defensive forces at the frontier were insufficient, and it was reasonable for Cao Xiong to request reinforcements from the court.

No matter the reason for the enemy’s retreat from the three nations, the immediate crisis had been averted, and Da Jing was now stable.

Compared to the safety of Da Jing, what do some provisions count? These two generals were quite something, making a fuss over something as trivial as provisions to impeach Cao Xiong?

Thinking this, Emperor Jing finally spoke slowly: "What Mr. Cao said bears some truth. Matters concerning the frontier are indeed unpredictable."

Cao Ge’s heart relaxed, and he quickly bowed his head: "Your Majesty is wise!"

Emperor Jing paused, then suddenly adopted a harsh tone.

"However, Generals Su Qi and Song Yuanqing brought troops thousands of miles to provide reinforcement, wasting the court’s provisions, yet returned without merit. Their accusations against a court official in their reports were an exaggeration!"

Those responsible for falsifying military reports were not pursued, while those truthfully reporting faced Emperor Jing’s reproach, leaving the civil and military officials looking at each other in confusion.

Champion Hous Su Ce stood in the ranks, his expression changing, and hurriedly stepped forward to kneel.

Su Ce cupped his hands: "Your Majesty, I believe Su Qi did not intend to accuse Marshal Cao, but this troop dispatch was indeed costly. Without identifying the cause, should similar situations arise again, the court would find it difficult to respond."

Prime Minister Wei also concurred: "Your Majesty, I too believe that Generals Su and Song were only concerned for the court, without ulterior motives."

Emperor Jing snorted coldly, waved his hand impatiently.

"Enough! As long as there is no warfare at the frontier, my heart is at peace. As for the expenditure on provisions, it’s just a minor matter; you all need not linger on it further."

The civil and military officials quietly exchanged glances, fully understanding the emperor’s message that he did not intend to pursue Cao Xiong’s falsification of military reports.

Every official there was sharp-witted. If the emperor did not hold them accountable, they naturally would agree that less fuss is better.

They all bowed their heads and responded: "We obey Your Majesty’s decree."

Cao Ge, seeing this, felt secretly pleased and quickly bowed: "Your Majesty is wise!"

Emperor Jing’s gaze once again swept over the courtiers, and he waved his hand, his voice carrying a hint of fatigue.

"That will be all for today, court is dismissed."

The courtiers all bowed in salute and slowly exited the hall.

Prime Minister Wei was the last to leave, just about to step out of the hall when Emperor Jing’s voice came from behind.

"Prime Minister, wait a moment."

Prime Minister Wei halted his steps, turned back, and respectfully cupped his hands: "Your Majesty, what else do you command?"

Emperor Jing smiled slightly, looking at him with deep eyes: "I’ve heard that your son, Wei Chengchao, has opened two shops in the Capital City, and the business is quite prosperous. He must have earned quite a bit of silver, right?"