The Crown Prince had already approached and saluted: "Father Emperor, this horse wasnât fed, so it wonât work."
"Why wasnât it fed?" Emperor Xuanjingâs face was full of confusion.
"Perhaps the guards were negligent or... careless." The Crown Princeâs gaze casually swept over the ministers nearby.
Shen Wanxingâs heart suddenly trembled.
"Nonsense." Emperor Xuanjing frowned, "Are all the people we hire dead?"
Everyone quickly lowered their heads.
"Father Emperor." The Crown Prince suddenly knelt to the ground, "Horses refuse to run when they donât eat grass, let alone humans?"
Shen Wanxingâs unease expanded again, yet he felt it was impossible. He wasnât trying to take down Gu Qingheng this time, only to cause him a little trouble.
The soldiersâ pay was collected by the Ministry of Revenue and then sent out on time.
The soldiers, given their pay monthly, can gather the strength to fight.
But this time, the pay was sent out according to the previous schedule, yet delayed by about a month. If the soldiers became discontented, how could Gu Qingheng continue to fight? If someone impersonated Gu Qingheng and claimed he deliberately withheld the pay, then...
But how did the news reach the Crown Prince so quickly? He had people monitoring things closely, and messages from the south hadnât returned yet.
"What exactly is going on?" Emperor Xuanjingâs face turned grim, "Stop playing riddles with me, explain in detail!"
"King Yun led troops into fierce battle in the south, but now his life or death is unknown. General Gu was given the urgent command to confront Nanzhao, but someone delayed the soldiersâ pay, not sending it for ages." The Crown Prince sighed, "Father Emperor, itâs still the end of the year. Soldiers being unable to reunite with their families at the frontier is one thing, but not receiving even their basic monthly wages, isnât that too disheartening?"
"Shen Wanxing, is this true?" Emperor Xuanjing directly named him.
Shen Wanxing shivered and quickly ran over, kneeling down: "Reporting to the Emperor, your servant had dispatched the pay according to regulations. Perhaps it was delayed on the road? This is all documented."
Emperor Xuanjingâs expression relaxed a bit, given the thousands of miles from Beijing to the southern frontier, a delay of a few days was normal.
"Lord Shen, was it this Tian Zhi who escorted the pay this time?" Qi Jingyi entered from the side, with a private soldier carrying a person bound hand and foot, it was Tian Zhi.
Upon seeing Shen Wanxing, Tian Zhi couldnât help but call out "Master Shen, save me."
Shen Wanxingâs face twisted unpleasantly.
Qi Jingyi ignored Shen Wanxing and knelt down: "Greetings to Father Emperor."
"What is your situation?" Emperor Xuanjing frowned at Qi Jingyi.
"Reporting to Father Emperor, this person is Tian Zhi. Originally, he should not have been assigned to escort the pay, yet somehow the responsibility fell to him." Qi Jingyi sneered, "The soldiersâ pay usually sets out at the beginning of the month, so even if General Tian hadnât reached Dian City, it shouldnât be far. Yet, your son found General Tian in a gambling den in Haijin City, where he had just lost ten thousand taels." He said, handing over the IOU, "Your son has also brought back the casino owner, temporarily held in the military officeâs jail."