The Shen Ce Camp had long been impatient with this group of people who were utterly useless but constantly causing trouble.
Previously, they had tolerated them out of deference to them being from Great Qin.
Now that Si Fengwu had personally given the order, who could still bear it?
Everyone happily trotted over, dragging away the men in front of Si Fengwu, forcing them to the ground in a line, and beginning the caning.
Those men never imagined that Si Fengwu would act so decisively, showing no regard for Prime Minister Yan's face.
Prime Minister Yan came from a civilian background, and the group he sent to Great Gan was composed of pretentious scholars who could not withstand the rods of the Shen Ce Camp soldiers.
As soon as the blows began, screams erupted everywhere.
At first, some of them were stubborn, "We are disciples of Prime Minister Yan, close officials to the Emperor of Great Qin. Is Your Highness not afraid of being pointed at by everyone, and unable to explain yourself to the Emperor?"
These words implied they genuinely believed Prime Minister Yan, the Emperor's father-in-law, held significant sway over Si Fengming.
Si Fengwu was too lazy to argue with them, lowering his gaze as if the wailing and curses before him were none of his concern.
Soon, those men couldn't endure the Shen Ce Camp soldiers' rods and began to beg for mercy, "Your Highness, spare your wrath. This subordinate knows his mistake, but this subordinate was merely acting under orders!"
"Yes, Your Highness, Prime Minister Yan's orders. We are insignificant and truly dared not refuse!"
...
The underlying meaning was clear: if Si Fengwu had the ability, he should confront Prime Minister Yan directly. What sort of capability was it to bully a bunch of insignificant subordinates?
Lu Qingwan, upon entering Weiyang Palace, heard these words.
Raising an eyebrow, she strode forward, her voice laced with amusement, "Well said, that you dared not disobey Prime Minister Yan's orders. So, you disobeyed the Emperor's orders and defied His Highness?"
All their pronouncements ultimately served to spare them physical pain and save face, making them appear less pathetic.
As soon as Lu Qingwan spoke, the elegantly dressed youth leading them immediately retorted indignantly, "Consort, please do not speak without basis. What we have done may not be understood by His Highness, but to say we defied His Highness is perhaps too much of an exaggeration?"
After speaking, he saw Lu Qingwan calmly watching him without refuting, and he mistakenly thought he had regained the advantage.
Therefore, he pressed on, imperiously stating, "Moreover, the Imperial Study is a restricted area. It is likely inappropriate for a mere woman like the Consort to enter and exit freely, is it not?"
Hiss!
The Shen Ce Camp soldiers, who had been obediently carrying out their orders and enjoying their moment of triumph, collectively gasped.
A soldier standing behind the man couldn't help himself and delivered a sharp blow to the youth's backside.
To dare speak of the Consort's lack of qualification to enter the Imperial Study in front of the Prince, this person was surely tired of living.
The caning had stopped while he was speaking, and this sudden blow caught him off guard, causing him to cry out in pain.
Lu Qingwan pursed her lips and tilted her head to look at Si Fengwu, "A bunch of ignorant fools who mistake a chicken feather for a command arrow. Why bother with them?
Just hand them over to the Dali Temple to deal with, why waste your energy?"
Si Fengwu gently took her hand and led her to his side, "Alright, I'll listen to you. No more wasting energy on them.
However, handing them over to Dali Temple is out of the question. They have no relatives or connections in Great Gan, and no matter how they are dealt with, it's just one life.
It's better to send them back to Great Qin. People who don't even know who their master is, their clans do not deserve the preferential treatment of the scholar-official class, don't you think?"
"Your Highness, absolutely not!"
As Si Fengwu spoke, the others could no longer remain silent.
Even though they were still being held down by the Shen Ce Camp soldiers and being caned, they struggled to rise, "A person's actions are their own responsibility. We will bear the consequences of our mistakes. We beg Your Highness not to implicate our clans!"
Yan Lihang held the position of Prime Minister, and the people he sent to Great Gan to cause trouble were mostly from prominent families, with very few from humble backgrounds.
It would be one thing for Si Fengwu to send them back, but if he deprived their clans of the right to be recommended for official positions, they would become sinners in their own clans.
Their fawning over Prime Minister Yan was to secure a foothold for themselves and their families in the court of Great Qin. In this way, wouldn't they be trying to steal a chicken only to lose the rice?
The group could no longer afford to care about saving face, only begging Si Fengwu to show leniency and spare their families.
They no longer cared if they themselves would never have the opportunity to enter officialdom again.
Lu Qingwan scoffed upon hearing this, "A person's actions are their own responsibility?
Noble words. If His Highness and I had not returned, would the gold and silver treasures you plundered in Great Gan by leveraging your Great Qin identity have been for your sole use?
Would the benefits you gained from currying favor with Prime Minister Yan have been kept entirely to yourself?"
The men looked pale as they stared at Si Fengwu and Lu Qingwan, stammering for a long time, unable to utter a single word.
They did indeed come from prominent families, but their respective families had been in decline in recent years. Otherwise, they wouldn't have accepted Prime Minister Yan's assignment and traveled thousands of miles to Great Gan.
The reason they accepted Prime Minister Yan's assignment was simply to use their Great Qin identity to plunder wealth in Great Gan, and then to be promoted by Prime Minister Yan upon their return. It was a win-win situation, so why not?
Belonging to prominent families, they and their families had always been mutually dependent.
The wealth they obtained and the promotions from Prime Minister Yan naturally could not be for just one person.
They understood this very well, and Lu Qingwan also understood it. Therefore, they realized that no matter how they pleaded, Si Fengwu and Lu Qingwan would not let them off this time.
The group lay on the ground like discarded fish, as if they had lost their parents.
Lu Qingwan waved her hand, "Drag them away and interrogate them one by one. Afterward, send them back to Great Qin and convey my and His Highness's intentions to the Emperor, let him handle it as he sees fit."
Li Jin responded decisively and signaled the Shen Ce Camp soldiers to drag the men away.
The Imperial Study quickly fell silent. Lu Qingwan playfully swung one of Si Fengwu's fingers, "I'm done with my side. The confessions are all here, for you to see."
Tang Xiao, who had entered with her, quickly presented Ye Jinchi's confession.
Si Fengwu read while saying, "Those few people you saw were all scapegoats pushed out by Yan Lihang to distract you and me.
His true intention was to sow discord between me and my elder brother.
Since this move failed, he will undoubtedly have new tricks up his sleeve. We can only wait and see. He can't cause any major trouble."
Si Fengwu truly didn't pay much attention to Yan Lihang's petty schemes.
However, while looking at Ye Jinchi's confession, a doubt arose in his mind, "Ye Jinchi spread rumors that Father King and Mother Consort were returning, and Yan Lihang couldn't sit still.
Does this indicate that Yan Lihang also played a special, unknown role in the incident involving Father King and Mother Consort back then?"
When everyone believed that Crown Prince Cheng An and his consort had died in the palace coup, Yan Lihang diligently assisted Si Fengming and restrained officials, appearing to be a good prime minister for the country and its people.
But as soon as the rumor of Crown Prince Cheng An and his consort being alive and returning soon emerged, he committed this series of foolish acts. It looked like a guilty conscience.