socalfunplaces Page 184
Page 184
Li Chang'an couldn't help but sigh, "Lai Mingcheng really isn't afraid of death. I don't want someone like him to die."
In the original drama, Lai Mingcheng impeached Fan Xian, Li Chengze, the Supervisory Council, and finally Emperor Qing because of the Baoyue Tower incident.
Ultimately, Emperor Qing had Lai Mingcheng beaten to death in court.
Of course, the main reason is that Lai Mingcheng and Fan Xian, the loyal minister whom Emperor Qing had personally appointed, had developed a personal relationship.
However, since Lai Mingcheng personally investigated Li Chengze this time, if he were to impeach the Censorate and His Majesty, he would likely still meet a tragic end.
Li Chang'an could imagine that Lai Mingcheng would say that Emperor Qing had allowed the second prince to fight for the throne, which led to the smuggling of the imperial treasury.
They might even add, "Your Majesty is the ringleader in the major smuggling case of the Imperial Treasury!"
Although what Lai Mingcheng said was true, he was still walking on the edge of Emperor Qing's tolerance.
"Teng Zijing, among the officials that Lai Mingcheng has recommended over the years, have any been involved in smuggling or corruption?"
Teng Zijing replied, "Yes, there are two who happen to be under the Second Prince's command, and they should already be under investigation."
Li Chang'an said to Jing Ni, "Take the token and go to Lin Ruofu. Prepare a memorial impeaching Lai Mingcheng, the more serious the better."
"If the deadbeat continues to be so stubborn, we'll impeach him at a crucial moment!"
Li Chang'an destroyed Li Chengze in order to save him from his tragic fate as a whetstone.
Li Chang'an impeached Lai Mingcheng in order to save him from the tragic fate of being beaten to death.
"Gentlemen, although I scheme against others all day long, it is all for their own good. It is not easy for me."
Jing Ni, Wang Qinian, and the others exclaimed in unison, "Your Highness is merciful!"
Chapter 132 Slapping the Crown Prince in Court! I Have No Interest in the Crown Prince's Position! (23)
Several days later, on the eve of the court assembly.
In the corridor, the Crown Prince encountered Fan Xian, who was attending court for the first time.
"Good morning, Your Highness!"
The Crown Prince was somewhat uneasy at this court meeting because the men he had sent to massacre the town of Shijia had never returned.
Although they were all his loyal followers, the fact that they disappeared without a trace, whether alive or dead, was always heartbreaking.
Because of his foresight, Li Chang'an knew that the Crown Prince would do such a thing, so he had already arranged for local strategists to lie in ambush and wait.
Those assassins were quite dedicated; even after several of them were captured, they refused to speak.
"Fan Xian, you've been impeached by the Censorate, why don't you write a self-defense statement?"
Fan Xian shrugged and said, "The Inspectorate hasn't been urging us either!"
In the original drama, Fan Xian's attempt to use entrapment against Eunuch Dai led to a barrage of impeachments from the Censorate.
When faced with impeachment, Fan Xian refused to submit a self-defense memorial as was customary, which aroused the indignation of the Censorate.
Later, Fan Xian sent the Censorate a message with the words "Barking Wildly" and submitted a memorial on "treacherous officials in power," which angered the Censorate.
These actions were all intended to provoke the Inspectorate, so that they would thoroughly investigate him and Eunuch Dai.
In this way, it's as if he orchestrated a sting operation, using the Inspectorate to uncover corruption within the Bureau of Inspection.
However, Fan Xian's entrapment attempt was not entirely successful, as Li Chengze tore up the three thousand taels of silver notes in public.
Moreover, everyone in the Censorate was so busy and confused, focusing on the major smuggling case of the Imperial Treasury, that no one paid attention to whether Fan Xian had submitted a self-defense memorial.
The Crown Prince warned, "Lai Mingcheng is really going all out today. Although the main target is Second Brother, you need to be careful that Lai Mingcheng doesn't use you as a scapegoat."
Fan Xian pointed to the memorial on his sleeve and said, "I'm here today for Li Chengze too."
"I didn't bring the banknotes with me that day, and I had informed Dean Chen beforehand."
Even if Lai Mingcheng is capable of impeaching others, he has no reason to impeach me!
The Crown Prince shook his head. "The censors are all highly skilled at impeaching people. They can always find tricky reasons that you wouldn't expect. You must be very careful in dealing with them."
Fan Xian bowed to the Crown Prince, "Thank you for the reminder, Your Highness!"
"By the way, Your Highness, could you please find someone who knows the proper etiquette for attending court and teach me how to do it?"
Then, the Crown Prince summoned Xin Qiwu from the Court of State Ceremonial, saying, "Xin Qiwu is in charge of court etiquette and has the responsibility of supervising the demeanor of all officials. You are the most suitable person to teach him!"
Xin Qiwu led Fan Xian to the main hall where the court was held. Fan Xian couldn't help but remark that this was not the main hall and the place was a bit small.
Actually, Emperor Qing felt that people standing too far away in the main hall couldn't hear what was being said, so he moved the court to a smaller palace.
Below the emperor's throne, to the left stood the crown prince, who was already in place; over there was the place for the princes to stand.
There were two seats on the right. Privy Councilor Qin Ye was fast asleep in his seat, and the other seat was for Prime Minister Lin Ruofu.
Fan Xian encountered Lai Mingcheng, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate. As expected, the other party glared at him fiercely, as if he was about to pull out a memorial to impeach him.
The ministers all stood in their positions, but Fan Xian was still standing in the very center, looking around curiously. After all, it was his first time attending court, and he was just curious!
On the corridor outside the imperial court, Li Chengze finally stopped Li Chang'an.
"Uncle Yongwang, I never imagined that I would fall into your hands."
Li Chengze looked extremely haggard, and his voice trembled slightly.
The little alpaca must have been terrified these past few days.
Li Chang'an said nonchalantly, "You falling into my hands is the happiest thing for you, it's the best ending for you."
Li Chang'an's attack came without any warning, leaving him feeling very surprised.
Even now, he still finds it unbelievable that the person who was meant to bring him to complete defeat was Uncle Yong.
Li Chengze took a few deep breaths and said, "Uncle Yong, what exactly do you want to do? Are you determined to make me suffer a complete defeat?"
Li Chang'an stared at Li Chengze and said, "You're no good as a whetstone; you'll get played to death."
"The old man never intended to pass the throne to you, so don't let him play you for a fool again."
Li Chang'an was a Grandmaster. He casually used the Heavenly Dao Method to release a wisp of true energy shield, which restricted the conversation between the two to a very small area.
Li Chengze certainly knew what a whetstone meant.
Over the years, he gradually came to understand that he was the prince's whetstone.
However, the allure of the throne was too great for him to resist.
"Uncle Yong, once you embark on this path, there is no turning back. If I retreat, I will surely die!"
Li Chang'an waved his hand and said, "Don't worry, you won't die with me here."
Li Chengze, still unconvinced, said, "Are you so sure that I have absolutely no chance of winning?"
Li Chang'an's answer was unequivocal: "Absolutely impossible!"
The second prince was so angry that he blew his hair out. "Uncle Yong, you're just His Majesty's brother. You want to marry a princess from an enemy country? There's no chance for you!"
Li Chang'an patted Li Chengze on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry, I am a diamond whetstone, I will definitely be able to shatter that knife!"
Li Chang'an was very fortunate. Even though he had tried to harm Li Chengze, Li Chengze's emotional value only dropped sharply, and he didn't develop any hatred towards him.
For this reason alone, the nephew should lend a hand.
Your rebellion is best left to me, your uncle; you can't handle it.
Your original princess, Ye Ling'er, is very capable in combat. I'm afraid you can't beat her, so I'll step in for you.
Li Chang'an and Li Chengze walked into the main hall side by side, and the hall fell silent instantly.
It's really weird that these two are walking together.
Everyone knows that the uproar in the capital against the Second Prince was initiated by Li Chang'an.
But now, the two of them are talking as if nothing is wrong.
However, those with a keen eye could see that Li Chengze's face was pale and his hands, tucked into his sleeves, were trembling.
Because he knew that he couldn't possibly escape the deadly trap that Li Chang'an had set for him.
But just a few days ago, he discovered that all his struggles were in vain.
Finding Li Yunrui was of no use, and he suddenly felt a sense of relief.
He suddenly felt relieved, finally he didn't have to fight anymore!
The feeling was strange; he knew he shouldn't have these thoughts, but he just couldn't suppress them anymore.
Anyway, there's no hope. The fact that the major government departments can investigate me already shows that it has the Emperor's tacit approval.
Faced with overwhelming evidence, it's a good outcome that he survived.
Therefore, Li Chengze now feels a sense of relief, as if his heart has turned to ashes.
After a brief silence, various hushed discussions quietly arose in the hall.
With Li Chang'an's cultivation level, he could hear all these discussions clearly.
"I heard that His Highness Prince Yong has recently shown his sharp edge, but I don't think so. He still has that gentle and refined scholar's demeanor."
"Yes, his eyes weren't on the throne, and he was very friendly with the Second Prince. He didn't look like the fierce and menacing figure from the legends."
"After all, it's a court assembly, so we still have to follow the rules. Even the most flamboyant person has to rein it in a bit."