Chapter 470: Keeping Private Soldiers

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

His Majesty allowed him to act conveniently this time. He would act first and report later.

“Search immediately! If we delay any longer, who knows if that thief will blend into the crowd?”

The others did not know why they were here, so Han Qing could only stop there. “If you don’t do this job well, think carefully.”

“Alright, I have an idea!”

The sky turned dark, but a huge fire suddenly lit up in a manor in the suburbs of the capital. Han Qing, who was waiting for this moment, ordered, “Brothers, put out the fire!”

They could not barge into the Empress’s manor directly, so they “coincidentally” passed by and helped when they saw injustice, right?

The fire was not big, so the imperial guards could completely put out the fire as they continued to search for the assassin’s whereabouts. They had already left people outside the village. If the assassin wanted to escape, they would kill him on the spot. There was no room for discussion.

In this chaos, the fire slowly spread along the eaves to an inconspicuous warehouse. The servants in the manor could no longer care about arguing with the uninvited guests. They hurriedly picked up buckets and basins, scooped water, and went to put out the fire.

However, something strange happened. The fire that should have eased became even more intense. Han Qing seized the opportunity and shouted, “It’s more important to save lives! Break through the door!

The servants in the manor were speechless. Save who? I already said that it was a warehouse!

“Officials, there’s really no one inside. Look, the door is still locked! Let’s get more water and put out the fire as soon as possible!

Han Qing dug his ears and kicked him. “Hurry, hurry, hurry. If we delay any longer, they’ll lose our lives!”

The servants almost jumped up-there was no one in the warehouse! What was wrong with the imperial guards? Didn’t they understand human language?

At this moment, the heavy warehouse door suddenly rumbled. Han Qing did not expect his kick to be so powerful and almost did not dodge in time.

Fortunately, the door fell inwards. No one from the imperial guards was injured, but the contents of the warehouse were obvious.

Everyone, led by Han Qing, looked at the ironware and silver taels in the storeroom in shock. When they turned around, their tone was already unfriendly. “Hiding weapons is a serious crime.”

At this point, he couldn’t care less!

The people in the manor no longer hid their strength. They drew their weapons and fought with the imperial guards.

“We can’t let them leave alive!”

Han Qing spat on the ground. “Those who resist will be killed without mercy!” That night was destined to be sleepless. The small flames that were originally caused by the dry weather could not be stopped. The raging flames could even be seen clearly in the Imperial Capital.

The person in charge of the city defense was a newcomer. He was just worrying about not having any political achievements. After his sharp eyes saw the signal fireworks in the fire, he slapped the table and shouted, “Quick! It’s the government’s signal. Go and support them!

The next morning, the manor had already been sealed. The Emperor was so angry that his hands trembled. He threw the memorandum in Prime Minister Yan’s face. “Good, very good.”

“A warehouse full of weapons and keeping private soldiers. What is Prime Minister Yan trying to do?”

He was just adding some chips to his grandson, but how could Prime Minister Yan say that?

“It’s my fault for acting inappropriately. Please punish me, Your Majesty. However, the number of people hiding in the manor only exceeded the rules by a few hundred. It did not mean anything. Even if he was punished, at most, his salary would be suspended and he would be grounded. It would not hurt him at all.

His unafraid look made the Emperor’s heart twitch, but he also understood why Prime Minister Yan was so confident.

“Your Majesty, Prime Minister Yan has been diligent and loyal for many years. He has worked hard for the entire Great Xia.”

“That’s right, Your Majesty. If not for Prime Minister Yan, how could we recover our livelihood so quickly when the Southern Barbarians attacked Great Xia back then?!”

“Your Majesty, please punish him lightly on account of Prime Minister Yan’s past contributions!”

“Your Majesty, to put it bluntly, he only has an extra hundred guards. If Prime Minister Yan really has the intention to rebel, he won’t be able to do anything with so few people!”

After all, the Yan Family was an important family. Be it helping him clear the Emperor’s side back then or working together to build Great Xia later, the Yan Family had contributed greatly on the surface. If they were severely punished for such a small matter, it would be difficult for him, the Emperor, to stop everyone.

However, he was very unhappy.

That’s right. When they had just finished fighting the Southern Barbarians, Great Xia was in a mess. The Southern Barbarians and Xiongnu were the same. They burned, killed and plundered. At that time, Great Xia was indeed riddled with holes. It was the Yan Family who paid and worked. However, they had long received compensation over the years…

However, if he said these words, it would not only make him look petty as the Emperor, but it would also inevitably give the Yan Family a reason to criticize him for being ungrateful.

It was annoying. It was especially annoying.

The Emperor felt a throbbing pain in his temples. He could not help but feel_why was the Yan Family so useless?

Since they were going to cause trouble, couldn’t they just make things bigger? What was the use of a thousand people? He could not even say that they were rebelling.

It was also at this moment that Han Qing, who was halfway through his report, scratched his head and said, “However, Your Majesty, there’s something that I don’t understand.”

The Emperor waved his hand. “Speak.”

Han Qing said, “As the official said just now, there are thousands of private soldiers found in the manor.”

The people who belonged to the Yan Family rolled their eyes in disdain, but he continued.

“However, the weapons we found from the Yan Family are enough to equip at least 5,000 people. Even if they need to prepare the wear and tear needs in advance… is there a need for so many?”

“Moreover, this amount is only a portion. I discovered it when I was putting out the fire to save people. I haven’t…”

He was interrupted by Prime Minister Yan, who couldn’t take it anymore. “Nonsense!”

“There are clearly only more than a thousand weapons in the warehouse.

Where did you fabricate so many out of thin air? Do you really think I’m easy to bully? Do you think His Majesty is someone who can be fooled by you at will?”

He knew what was going on, so he shouted confidently.

However, Han Qing said unhurriedly, “But the things were found in the Yan Family’s manor.”

“It’s broad daylight and everyone’s watching. Not to mention that this is the truth, even if I want to frame you, how can I sneak in so many heavy and big weapons? Should I wrap them in my arms or swallow them into my stomach?” Prime Minister Yan came to court early and really did not know what happened next. The others did the same, and Rong Yan, who was the only one who knew what was going on, lowered his head and smiled.

Xiaoxiao, you’re really…

Of course, only Xiaoxiao could do such a thing without anyone noticing.

If 1,000 people were not enough to constitute a serious crime, what about 3,000 people, 5,000 people, 10,000 people, or even more?

The Emperor also sat up straight and looked at Han Qing solemnly. “Really?” Han Qing nodded and said seriously and innocently, “I was just worried that the fire would be too big and hurt the innocent, so I kicked open the warehouse in a hurry. I was stunned when I saw the weapons in the warehouse. I wasn’t paying attention and the fire spread. Later on, I could only chase after the flames most of the time. Who knew that I would find another warehouse of weapons…”

He said, “To put it bluntly, that manor is quite big and there are quite a lot of storerooms..”