"Impossible! His Majesty was clearly at Mount Wutai for his vow, how could he have gone to Lianglang Mountain!"
Pan Renmei, unwilling to accept it, looked at Zhao Pu, seeking an answer from him.
If Zhao Pu was not present, his refusal to dispatch troops could be understood.
But if Zhao Pu was also there and watched the Emperor being surrounded by the Liao army without sending reinforcements, he could easily be accused of rebellion.
Zhao Pu nodded at him helplessly, "His Majesty did go to Mount Wutai. This imperial edict was issued just before he departed."
Pan Renmei froze for a moment. After a while, he seemed to recall something and quickly exclaimed,
"Chancellor Zhao, I had no idea His Majesty had gone to Lianglang Mountain!"
"Don't worry, I will issue an order now to mobilize troops to Lianglang Mountain to rescue His Majesty!"
"What nonsense! We ordered you to mobilize troops merely to test you. Do you really think Yang Jiye would be defeated at Lianglang Mountain without your reinforcements?" Xie Bi'an did not want to listen to his idle talk anymore. He grabbed the back collar of his uniform and prepared to drag him out.
It would be more intimidating to carry out the Lingchi punishment in public!
"Wait!" Hearing this, and recalling Xie Bi'an's mention of family and national grudges, Pan Renmei instantly understood the point.
"It's not that I am unwilling to send troops to save Yang Jiye!"
"The Liao army is stationed in Youzhou, and someone reported to me that the Yang family are defectors with intentions to surrender to Liao, which is why I held back."
"Even when I led the army to retreat here at Jinshatan, it was Wang Shen who forced me to give the order!"
"Chancellor Zhao, everything I say is true!"
With that, he looked eagerly at Zhao Pu, not even bothering about his own gunshot and sword wounds.
If he couldn't clarify this matter, his entire family would not survive. These minor injuries were nothing!
"General Xie, please wait a moment!" Zhao Pu quickly stepped forward to stop Xie Bi'an upon hearing this.
"Hmm?" Seeing him block his path, Xie Bi'an glared at him with displeasure.
"It's alright, let him speak," Fan Wujiu said indifferently while filing his fingernails.
Xie Bi'an casually threw Pan Renmei to the ground and said coldly, "Speak. Who reported it!"
"It was the supervisor, Wang Shen!" Pan Renmei quickly uttered a name.
"Guards! Summon Wang Shen!" Zhao Pu turned to the stunned soldiers at the door and ordered.
"Yes!"
Seeing a glimmer of hope for their commander to be exonerated, the soldiers ran outside.
Wang Shen, styled Mi Quan, was from Xunyi, Kaifeng. His father, Wang Po, had served as the Grand Councilor of Later Zhou and was renowned for his strategy of defending the border.
Although he was from a prestigious family and had military achievements, he was extremely arrogant and conceited.
Not long after, the soldiers brought Wang Shen over.
He still didn't know what had happened. He entered the hall with his head held high. Upon seeing Pan Renmei's miserable state, he instinctively walked over to inquire.
"Why is Grand Tutor Pan so badly injured? Could it be that the Liao army sent assassins?"
"Why wasn't this supervisor informed of such a major event?"
After saying these two sentences, Wang Shen felt that the atmosphere was not quite right. He looked at everyone in the hall and found them staring at him with strange expressions.
"Huh? Chancellor Zhao, why are you in Huazhou? When did you—"
Zhao Pu interrupted him and sternly rebuked, "Silence! I ask you, was the retreat from Jinshatan, which led to Yang Jiye being besieged as an isolated force, your idea?"
Wang Shen quickly explained, "Chancellor Zhao, what are you saying? This supervisor also received news from scouts that the Liao army intended to attack Huazhou, which is why I had to order a retreat."
"Could it be that Yang Jiye, a defected general, is more important than this northern border town?"
"Slap!"
Zhao Pu slammed his hand on the table and pointed at Wang Shen's nose, scolding, "Presumptuous! Yang Jiye was willing to let his son go to the meeting on behalf of His Majesty, which is enough to prove his loyalty!"
"You claim the Liao army intended to attack Huazhou City, but it has been so many days, why is there no news?"
"Uh, perhaps the Liao army changed their minds~" Seeing his anger, Wang Shen lowered his voice, feeling a bit intimidated.
During the Song Dynasty, civil officials were highly regarded, and military officials were looked down upon. This trend had already begun to emerge.
The law did not punish officials of the scholar-official class; this was a rule set by Zhao Kuangyin.
It could be said that the Song Dynasty was the most ideal state for scholars, but precisely because of this, the military became increasingly constrained.
In the end, even a seventh-rank county official dared to curse a third-rank general to his face.
"Uh~ Chancellor Zhao, can someone bandage me first? I feel like I can still be saved~"
Pan Renmei couldn't help but interject, his voice sounding very weak.
The wound on his ear was not serious; there were no major blood vessels there. He would simply become one-eared.
However, the gunshot wound on his leg was bleeding continuously. His once ruddy cheeks had now turned pale.
Zhao Pu looked at Xie Bi'an. Seeing him nod, he instructed the soldiers outside to find a physician.
This scene greatly confused Wang Shen. The Prime Minister himself had to consult a soldier? This was utterly absurd!
However, before he could ask, Zhao Pu came before him and sneered,
"A fine excuse, 'the Liao army changed their minds'!"
"Based on this alone, I have reason to suspect you of colluding with the enemy!"
"Guards, seize him, strip him of his official uniform, and interrogate him!"
Given Wang Shen's position as supervisor, the reason for arresting him was somewhat flimsy.
However, having lived to Zhao Pu's age and served as a veteran of two reigns, he was an astute and experienced individual.
Earlier, at Mount Wutai, he had already recognized the importance of the Yang family members in Li Shimin's eyes.
Therefore, someone had to take the blame for Yang Jiye being trapped at Lianglang Mountain!
Since Pan Renmei claimed that it was all Wang Shen's idea, they would arrest him first.
Whether it was true or false, the death of a supervisor was better than the death of the Emperor's father-in-law.
Seeing the soldiers approaching him, Wang Shen became anxious, "Chancellor Zhao, I am the supervisor. Even if I have committed a crime, His Majesty must issue a decree personally! On what grounds do you arrest me!"
"What are you waiting for? Seize him and take him away!" Zhao Pu completely ignored him and urged the two soldiers.
"Zhao Pu! Who gave you the audacity to arrest someone in the army without a decree!"
Wang Shen attempted a final struggle.
But in the next second, Fan Wujiu flashed before him, "You should ask, who gave you the audacity to put the Yang family in mortal danger!"
With that, he suddenly struck Wang Shen on the back of the neck with a palm-chop.
Wang Shen's vision went black, and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
After he was taken away by the soldiers, Zhao Pu awkwardly walked over and said with a fawning smile to Xie Bi'an and Fan Wujiu,
"Generals, you see, Grand Duke Pan was also misled. Even if he has committed a crime, it is not punishable by death. Why don't we mobilize the troops to Lianglang Mountain to rescue His Majesty?"
Xie Bi'an rolled his eyes, "Don't think I don't see your intentions. Since there is another story behind this, let's wait until His Majesty returns."
"However, you'd better ensure Pan Renmei is kept under watch. If he escapes, I will have to offer my head to His Majesty as an apology!"
Hearing this, Zhao Pu finally felt at ease. As long as Pan Renmei did not die under his watch, Consort Pan would have no reason to make things difficult for him upon their return to the court.
He nodded and smiled, "General Xie is right. Please rest assured, I will have everyone watch him closely!"
"The matter of rescuing His Majesty cannot be delayed. Perhaps I should order the entire army to assemble now?"
Fan Wujiu smiled, a smile of disdain.
"Waiting for your rescue? By then, it will be too late! With such a small enemy force, we won't even be able to catch a fart!"
Zhao Pu was stunned on the spot, "You... you're not going to Lianglang Mountain?"
"Go to your grandmother! That small force isn't even enough for His Majesty to deal with himself!"
"Quick, have someone bring food and drinks. We've traveled so far, and I haven't had a decent meal. Finally, I can rest properly~"
After urging for food, Xie Bi'an walked to a chair, sat down, took out a cigarette from his pocket, threw one to Fan Wujiu, and then lit one for himself.
Watching them smoke, Zhao Pu finally believed Li Shimin's claim of being a celestial being.
Look at them, even their subordinates could puff smoke.
If not a celestial being, then what else could they be?
Since he was a celestial being, it was not impossible for him to destroy twenty thousand Liao troops with a flip of his hand.
With this thought, he fawned, "Hehehe, Generals, please wait a moment. I will have someone prepare wine and dishes~"