Chapter 35: Address to the Crown Prince
Let’s not talk about the movements of the second prince for the moment, and turn our attention to the Crown Prince’s residence in the East Palace!
The prince sat firmly in his palace, his brows furrowed and his face solemn, revealing the deep worries and thoughts in his heart.
The treatment was like a sharp sword hanging over the head, which made people feel uneasy.
It can cure all diseases in the world. It is so miraculous that it fell into the hands of the second brother. Such a threat is no small matter!
With such ability, the second brother will undoubtedly be able to attract many people to yearn for him, and his power and influence will definitely increase greatly.
Coupled with the subtle changes in his relationship with Fan Xian, especially his successful treatment of Wan'er, Fan Xian undoubtedly felt grateful and even more loyal to her.
This is undoubtedly adding insult to injury for the prince's position, which is already in jeopardy because of his second brother, and makes the prince's status even more precarious.
"What should be done? Should news of this be made public?"
The prince weighed and weighed things over and over in his mind, with a myriad of thoughts.
I know that my second brother is very meticulous, and since he has publicly displayed this talisman, he must have a comprehensive strategy to deal with various variables.
If you act rashly, you may fall into their trap and fall into a carefully laid trap.
However, sitting idly by is not a good idea either.
In the eyes of the prince, this ability is like a bait full of temptations and dangers. He knows the dangers, but he can't resist its temptations, and he is struggling internally.
The second brother's plan is really cruel and hard to guard against!
Everyone had their own secrets this night, and time passed quietly to the next morning.
Li Chengze got up early, washed himself carefully, dressed in solemn court clothes, and embarked on the road to the palace.
His appearance caused quite a stir inside and outside the court. All civil and military officials paid their attention and had their own thoughts in their hearts.
He was awarded the title of prince at the age of thirteen, and he could participate in government affairs at the age of fifteen. Li Chengze was already a well-known figure in the court.
However, half a month ago, the memory of him and His Royal Highness being imprisoned was still fresh in his mind.
Nowadays, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is still in the East Palace, thinking about his past mistakes, but Li Chengze can appear in the morning court. This contrast can't help but make people suspicious, and there is an undercurrent surging in the court hall.
The officials of the prince's faction looked displeased, obviously dissatisfied with Li Chengze's return; on the other hand, the ministers under the Second Highness were all happy, as if they had seen new hope.
During the march, Li Chengze nodded and greeted several officials who took the initiative to greet him. His graceful demeanor was hard to ignore.
Finally, he came to Lin Ruofu, the leader of the ministers. Seeing this, Mr. Lin quickly stood up.
He took the initiative to send greetings to Li Chengze: "Your Highness, it's been a long time since we've seen you. It's really gratifying to see you in high spirits!"
Li Chengze responded with a warm smile and said:
"Prime Minister Lin is also radiant and admirable." Although Lin Ruofu has never been involved in party strife, his gratitude to Li Chengze is real.
After all, Li Chengze cured his beloved daughter Lin Wan'er's illness last night. How could this kindness be easily forgotten?
What's more, Lin Ruofu's son-in-law Fan Xian has a close relationship with Li Chengze, which makes the relationship between the two families even closer.
This scene was seen in the eyes and minds of all the officials present.
They began to realize that the good relationship between Li Chengze and Lin Ruofu might bring new changes to the court.
For a time, various speculations and discussions spread quietly inside and outside the court.
In this way, after about half an hour, with the sound of singing, everyone took their seats, and Emperor Qing walked into the hall with great strides!
“Li Chengze, weren’t you detained by me?
Why did you suddenly go to court?"
Sitting on the throne, Emperor Qing looked at Li Chengze and asked first!
As Emperor Qing finished speaking, everyone in the hall turned their heads and looked at Li Chengze!
His Second Highness Is this a blatant rebellion?
“Your Majesty, I am here today for nothing important but to watch a show!”
"Oh" Emperor Qing frowned slightly and said, "What kind of show are you watching?"
at this time!
"Your Majesty, I have something to report!
"What's the matter?" Emperor Qing gave Fan Xian a salty look!
"I have the courage to submit a speech of impeachment against His Highness the Crown Prince! "
Fan Xian's words were loud and resounding, like dropping a bomb that shocked both the government and the public. The entire court was instantly in an uproar. It was like a thunderbolt in the clear sky, shaking everyone's minds.
"Impeach the Crown Prince? But hasn't the Crown Prince been punished by being grounded for more than half a month?
What inappropriate behavior did he do?"
Emperor Qing frowned slightly and looked at Fan Xian sharply, with a hint of confusion in his questioning.
"Your Majesty is aware that two months ago, the minister returned from Northern Qi and reported that His Highness and the eldest son were suspected of smuggling. Although no conclusive evidence was obtained at that time, it still attracted attention."
Fan Xian replied calmly, with a hint of firmness in his tone.
"I do have an impression. At that time, I blamed you because of your unfounded words." Emperor Qing nodded slightly, indicating that he remembered this.
"However, Wei Chen later discovered that His Highness the Crown Prince also knew about this matter."
Fan Xian changed the topic and continued to delve deeper.
"Subsequently, Wei Chen traced clues to Shijia Town, intending to expose the illegal behavior of His Highness the Second.
But what is shocking is that Shijia Town was reduced to ashes overnight, and thousands of lives were lost. It seemed that the Second Highness was trying to silence him to cover up his crimes. "
"However, Wei Chen had doubts in his mind, so he put forward another hypothesis - did someone deliberately massacre Shijia Town in an attempt to put the blame on His Highness?"
Fan Xian's voice was low and powerful, and every word struck the heartstrings of everyone present.
"Based on this speculation, Wei Chen ordered the Inspection and Supervisory Board to go all out. After more than a month of arduous verification, the clouds were finally cleared and the truth was revealed to the world."
When he said this, there was a trace of imperceptible fatigue and relief in his tone,
"All relevant testimonies and evidences have been compiled in the memorial, and I beg your Majesty to judge."
After saying this, Fan Xian respectfully presented the memorial he had prepared, and the entire court was once again enveloped in a solemn atmosphere.
Everyone's eyes were focused on the memorial in the hands of Emperor Qing, looking forward to the truth that was about to be revealed.
Emperor Qing took Fan Xian's memorial and read it carefully, his eyes gradually becoming deeper.
He was secretly horrified, never expecting that the prince would do such a cruel thing as massacre Shijia Town in order to frame Li Chengze.
Although he knew that the prince was humble on the surface but was actually very scheming, the viciousness of his actions still exceeded his expectations.
The way of an emperor is certainly full of power and tactics, but if you indulge in conspiracy blindly, wouldn't it be against the right path?
What's more, this plan not only failed to succeed, but was exposed in full, which really brought shame on itself.
While Emperor Qing was deep in thought, Li Chengze appeared at the right moment, with a look of grievance on his face, and knelt down on the ground. He tearfully complained about the prince's repeated frame-ups, and begged your majesty to make the decision for him.
Li Chengze's move was undoubtedly to push the prince when he fell into the water, showing his ability to add insult to injury.
"Your Majesty, as the crown prince, the prince should lead by example and govern the country with kindness.
However, his behavior is so ruthless. If he is not punished severely, how can he convince the public?
How can we shoulder the important responsibility of the future world? "Li Chengze's words were full of dissatisfaction with the prince and desire for justice.
(End of chapter)