"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"
As soon as he entered the Fuming Hall, Tong Guan immediately began to wail and crawl towards Zhao Ji, prostrating himself on the ground.
"You dog!"
The moment Zhao Ji saw Tong Guan, his anger completely erupted. He almost jumped up from his dragon throne and rushed to Tong Guan, kicking him directly in the head.
Tong Guan had no intention of resisting. Following the direction of Zhao Ji's kick, his head slammed heavily onto the square bricks of the floor.
Zhao Ji was already furious. Even though he, the emperor, only enjoyed literature and art, he was still a grown man. With this kick, coupled with Tong Guan's deliberate submission.
In just one blow, Tong Guan's head began to bleed profusely.
Although the wound on his head made Tong Guan feel dizzy, he was secretly laughing in his heart.
The Emperor had not handed him over to the ministers for disposal, nor had he immediately executed him. Instead, he had chosen to take action himself, which gave him an opportunity.
"How much trust did I place in you? You, a eunuch, I gave you the esteemed title of Grand Commandant, the position of Commissioner of Military Affairs, and I even gave you hundreds of thousands of troops. Is this how you repay me?"
"I gave you the chance to become a king, yet you fled without a fight! Was your liver eaten by dogs?"
Zhao Ji became more and more angry as he spoke. In the end, he snatched a golden melon hammer from a nearby guard and swung it at Tong Guan's back.
Although Tong Guan was stoutly built, he was a eunuch after all, and had lived a life of luxury for many years. His body could not withstand such a beating.
After only two blows, he spat blood and collapsed on the ground.
"Your Majesty! He is, after all, a Commissioner of Military Affairs of the realm. Must you personally beat a Chancellor of the court to death?"
Seeing Tong Guan start to bleed, Zhang Bangchang quickly stepped forward, embracing Zhao Ji's waist with both hands.
"This wolf-hearted wretch, should I not kill him to prevent further ruin to the nation?"
Zhao Ji spoke as he tried to push Zhang Bangchang away.
"Your Majesty! While he deserves death, he is, after all, a Commissioner of Military Affairs of the realm. The Commissioners have their own way of dying. If you beat him to death like this, how will the esteemed officials of the court conduct themselves in the future!"
Zhang Bangchang spoke while firmly blocking Zhao Ji's path.
"Father Emperor! Chancellor Zhang speaks truly. Although Tong Guan deserves to die, if Father Emperor beats him to death, how will the esteemed officials of the court conduct themselves!"
After Zhang Bangchang finished speaking, Zhao Huan also knelt before Tong Guan.
"Huff—"
After a few deep breaths, Zhao Ji finally calmed down.
"Clang—"
As the golden melon hammer fell from Zhao Ji's hand, Zhang Bangchang finally breathed a sigh of relief.
If the Emperor had really beaten Tong Guan to death in front of him, he, as Prime Minister, would have been drowned in the spittle of scholars from all over the world.
Tong Guan could die, but the precedent of the Emperor beating a Chancellor to death in court must never be set. Otherwise, what guarantee would there be for the personal safety of officials in the future?
"Your Majesty, this servant is wronged!"
Even though he was severely injured at this moment, Tong Guan quickly shouted again at the top of his lungs.
"You are wronged? Where are my people in Hebei? Where are my two hundred thousand soldiers?"
The more Tong Guan spoke, the more angry Zhao Ji became. As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Ji couldn't help but kick him again.
"Your Majesty, the reason I went to Hedong was to mobilize the elite forces of the Western Army and attempt to recapture Yanjing. The sudden southward advance of the Jin army and the tragic defeat in Hebei are indeed my responsibility, but Tan Zhen has always been at odds with this servant, and this is not a recent matter!"
"Although the remaining armies in Hebei are numerous, the Yisheng Army, trained by Tan Zhen himself, numbers one hundred thousand. Their equipment is far superior to that of other armies, and they only obey Tan Zhen's orders. If I don't go to Hedong to mobilize troops, what else can I do?"
As Tong Guan said this, he finally raised his blood-stained face.
After hearing Tong Guan's words, Zhao Ji, who was originally trembling with anger, suddenly fell silent.
At this point, even Zhang Bangchang couldn't help but want to applaud him. Indeed, these eunuchs understood Zhao Ji the best!
This was a capital offense!
Desertion in the face of the enemy as the commander-in-chief!
The deaths of two hundred thousand soldiers were so easily attributed to Tan Zhen and the Emperor by him.
Crucially, the Emperor himself tacitly agreed!
That was why Tan Zhen was sent as Tong Guan's subordinate in the first place, wasn't it?
"Your Majesty, this servant also knows that I should have died in Hedong. However, Taiyuan can be lost, and Hebei can be lost. If this humble servant were to die in Hedong with these one hundred thousand troops, what would happen to Bianliang? What would happen to Your Majesty? I have brought the people back for you. I will now return to Hedong to die, to be loyal to Your Majesty!"
As Tong Guan spoke, tears mingled with the blood on his face, dripping onto the blue bricks of the hall.
Seeing that Zhao Ji did not react, Tong Guan struggled to his feet again and walked unsteadily, step by step, towards the hall's exit.
However, after taking three steps, he fell to the ground again. Even so, Tong Guan still tried his best to crawl towards the exit.
"Someone, take him to see the imperial physician!"
After a long silence, Zhao Ji finally spoke.
"Your Majesty, this servant is not worthy of such kindness. Please allow me to die in Hedong. Even if I can only kill one Jin soldier, it would be my repayment for Your Majesty's recognition of my talents!"
Looking at the long blood trail behind Tong Guan, Zhang Bangchang's admiration for Tong Guan reached its peak.
It was no wonder such eunuchs could rise to prominence. Let alone the Emperor, even he, an outsider, knowing full well this was a ruse, felt a strange ache in his nose.
"If you die like this, who will avenge the two hundred thousand soldiers? Go, have the imperial physician tend to your wounds!"
Finally, Zhao Ji spoke again.
Hearing these words, Tong Guan's heart relaxed, and he fainted completely...
He had truly passed this trial.
Although there would still be criticism from the ministers later, with the Emperor's understanding, even if he was no longer the Commissioner of Military Affairs, what of it?
At this moment, he was severely injured. If he were sent north of the city, he wouldn't even be able to pass the Emperor's hurdle.
As for punishments like exile to the south, do you seriously think this would be exile?
Sending him south now was like sending him south to seek refuge!
Seeing Tong Guan collapse, Zhang Bangchang quickly stepped forward to check his breathing:
"Your Majesty, he has fainted!"
"What are you waiting for? Hurry and summon the imperial physician!"