socalfunplaces Page 525
Page 525
At this moment, the smiling Minister of the Court of Judicial Review said, seemingly casually, "The night watchman holds a high position and wields great power. Sometimes, it is unavoidable to act expediently in times of emergency. After all, the world is not simply black and white. Moreover, Wei Yuan is a pillar of the state. How could he be involved in this?"
"I heard that Lord Wei is investigating the Yunzhou arms case. Arms are a major matter. How could they have flowed into Yunzhou? This is utterly ridiculous and baseless."
Xu Qi'an, who was following behind Wei Yuan, couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. Good heavens, they had stumbled upon a shady deal between the big shots.
The meaning of the two sentences, "The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review is a member of the Qi faction," is quite clear.
If you, Wei Yuan, let the Yunzhou arms case go, then the joint trial by the three judicial departments will result in a lighter sentence for you, the night watchman. Putting everything else aside, Wei Yuan will definitely be fine.
This is a blatant exchange of interests; it all depends on whether Wei Yuan is willing to accept it.
Xu Qi'an, a nobody, felt his heart pound. The illegal sale of military equipment had caused widespread banditry in the country, and if not handled properly, it could lead to major unrest. Yet these big shots treated it as a transaction so easily.
In the eyes of these powerful figures, the power they wield, which concerns the stability of the nation and the lives of ordinary people, is nothing more than a set of bargaining chips with price tags.
"Sigh..." Wei Yuan sighed, then left with a cold face.
The smile on the Minister of Justice's face vanished instantly, as if a switch had been flipped, and his thin, old face immediately turned gloomy.
The Imperial City, Lin'an Prefecture.
Princess Lin'an rested her chin on her hands, looking at the desk in front of her, which was covered with Li Chang'an's calligraphy, paintings, and storybooks, as well as the novels that Li Chang'an had written for her.
She hadn't been to Li Chang'an's residence for over a month. Although she really wanted to go, she restrained herself.
“If I don’t go to him, he never comes to me!”
"A single glance from the crowd reveals the beauty of the world as mere dust... it's all a lie."
"I think about him all day long. He's either at the brothel or entertaining his concubines. He hasn't even noticed that I haven't been there in a long time!"
For some time now, Lin'an suddenly began to feel insecure, always feeling that she was throwing herself at Li Chang'an, but Li Chang'an didn't seem to miss her much.
Perhaps it was after her proposed marriage was rejected by her father, or perhaps it was after she heard that Huaiqing and Li Chang'an had a close relationship.
The news that Huaiqing had designs on Li Chang'an was slowly spreading throughout the capital. With Huaiqing's influence, he was quietly amplifying the impact of this matter.
Lin'an had reason to suspect that Huaiqing and Li Chang'an might have the same relationship as himself and Li Chang'an!
That despicable Huaiqing, how dare he steal my beloved!
Lin'an was self-aware; she didn't like reading, nor was she good at playing musical instruments, chess, calligraphy, or painting. What she loved most was playing.
When I was little, I could play with the Crown Prince, but now he always has a frown on his face and always says he has important things to do.
She felt like a canary, kept in a glamorous cage, her life monotonous and dull, passing each day carefree.
Life has been completely different ever since Li Chang'an appeared; he's practically a perfect person!
Before Li Chang'an, men outside the royal family always treated Lin'an with trepidation, or perhaps they had something to ask for.
Li Chang'an was completely different; his aura was even stronger than that of the female tyrant Huaiqing, and Lin'an had unknowingly fallen deeply into his clutches.
But now, Lin'an always unconsciously compares itself to Huaiqing.
Although she always competed with Huaiqing for things, this time was different; she suddenly felt less confident.
Because that cold and aloof Sister Huaiqing, that Princess Huaiqing who seemed to be able to overpower men, had never been so proactive before.
The Crown Prince and his mother both seemed very happy to see Huaiqing get married.
His mother even said, openly and secretly, that there were plenty of good men in the Great Feng Dynasty, and that Li Chang'an was not the only one.
Unknowingly, the night was already deep.
Biao Biao was still lost in thought under the candlelight when a breeze blew past the doorway, and a familiar figure appeared there.
Lin'an stood up excitedly, her peach blossom eyes brimming with tears, and her two small hands clenched tightly.
"Li Chang'an! You big bad guy, you still know how to come looking for me! Humph!"
Biao Biao quickly concealed her excitement, put her hands on her hips, pouted, and raised her snow-white chin high, looking like she couldn't be coaxed.
But she seemed to have forgotten that Li Chang'an was a master, and her Lin'an Prefecture was heavily guarded. Li Chang'an could come and go as he pleased.
Just then, Biao Biao felt a lightness in her body and realized that Li Chang'an had come up behind her and picked her up from behind. In the blink of an eye, the two of them had flown out of the room.
"Your Highness, it's been a long time."
The two stopped by the lotus pond in the courtyard. Li Chang'an did not answer, but instead put his arm around Biao Biao's slender waist from behind.
Li Chang'an blew a breath onto Lin'an's earlobe, causing Lin'an's delicate body to tremble, but she unconsciously raised her chin slightly.
"You and Huaiqing..."
Before Lin'an could finish speaking, Li Chang'an sighed softly. "There are too many troubles and disputes in the capital. I must leave."
Upon hearing Li Chang'an's words, Biao Biao immediately stopped talking and then turned around in astonishment.
"you are leaving?"
Lin'an was somewhat at a loss. You've kissed me, you've touched me, and now you're leaving?
Biao Biao then realized that Li Chang'an was completely different from everyone else. He could leave or stay as he pleased, and no one could stop him or control him.
"Can you not leave?"
Chapter 319 The Princess's Visit: A Lamb Enters the Tiger's Den!
Night falls and the crescent moon hangs high in the sky.
Looking into Biao Biao's clear yet anxious eyes, Li Chang'an couldn't help but sigh. Biao Biao was still so naive; such simple acting had fooled her.
Li Chang'an avoided Biao Biao's gaze, staring intently into the distance, remaining silent for a long time.
Princess Lin'an pouted, wondering if she was making trouble for no reason. She couldn't help but twist her waist against Li Chang'an's.
"Please don't leave, I'll suffocate if you leave."
Biao Biao's gentle cheeks were like a piece of beautiful jade, and her peach blossom eyes were misty with tears. She was clearly a classical beauty who could be eaten alive.
Li Chang'an suddenly grasped her hand and said, "If Your Highness visits me often, I'll have more fun on my days, and perhaps I won't leave."
Biao Biao narrowed her eyes slightly and said in a coquettish voice, "Are you teasing me again?"
"Not entirely. I'll be leaving the capital for a while, but I'll be back soon," Li Chang'an said truthfully.
He was going to Yunzhou to help Li Miaozhen, and Wei Yuan had specifically sought him out, hoping he could go to Yunzhou to help the night watchmen.
Wei Yuan was not very confident about the chaotic situation in Yunzhou.
"Soon... how long is that!" Lin'an's voice trembled with tension.
At this point, she had completely forgotten about Huaiqing and was preoccupied with how to spend her days while Li Chang'an was not in the capital.
Li Chang'an lifted Biao Biao's delicate chin and said with a smile, "Three to five months, she'll be back soon."
Lin'an said dejectedly, "March to May!"
"Lin'an, you think it's too short? Then I'll come back in three years. By then, the three years the Grand Preceptor mentioned will have passed, and I'll marry you directly."
Hearing Li Chang'an speak so bluntly, Lin'an's face immediately turned red. "There are plenty of people who want to marry you... Huaiqing has his eye on you too!"
Lin'an finally spoke her mind, her tone filled with resentment.
"So what? I'll just marry them!" Li Chang'an said indifferently.
Biao Biao stared wide-eyed, her face filled with shock. She had never heard of such a thing before.
A prince consort is not even allowed to take a concubine, let alone marry two princesses; it's simply a fantasy.
"Li Chang'an, it's windy here, aren't you afraid of biting your tongue?"
Li Chang'an shook his head. "I didn't feel the wind, but my tongue is a little cold and needs to be warmed up."
Biao Biao didn't understand, her face showing confusion, her mouth slightly open, before it was shut up.
The two women will have to face the issues between Huaiqing and Lin'an sooner or later, so it's good to bring them up now so that Biao Biao can be mentally prepared.
As for Huaiqing, with her incredibly clever and shrewd mind, she's probably already thinking about this matter.
Jiaofang Division.
Fu Xiang held a brush and wrote down all the recent events in a secret letter.
Her fake master, the nine-tailed fox princess, dared not stay in the capital for long, so writing a letter was the safest option.
Dear Master:
The Sangbo case has come to an end. The Minister of Rites is completely finished. The case has been taken over by the Ministry of Justice, so it won't be dug too deep. I'm safe here.
When I was planning this, I was worried that the Director of the Imperial Observatory and the Head of the Human Sect would intervene, but just as you predicted, they did not intervene at all and chose to stand by and watch.
It seems your initial assessment was correct. As long as they don't blatantly appear in the capital to provoke us, they won't interfere.
Emperor Yuanjing's performance was also in line with your expectations. He was not actually enthusiastic about this matter and only sent a night watchman named Tongluo to investigate the Sangbo case.
That variable was Li Chang'an, who had been in the capital for nearly a year. He was also the master of the investigating gong, and he was indeed very capable.
His disciple discovered demonic energy at the Jiaofangsi (a government-run entertainment district), so I had no choice but to push Hui Ji out to take the blame. Although Li Chang'an subdued the assassin possessed by the severed hand, we successfully diverted the trouble to the Qi faction.
This was also the condition for the Wang faction to cooperate with us, and we have kept our word.
After you left in a hurry, the severed hand had already parasitized a suitable host, and your plan was perfectly executed.
After this incident, I can confirm that the Witch God Cult is indeed colluding with the Qi Party, and their ambitions are considerable. I will continue to monitor the situation.