Demoness, where are you Fleeing to? -
Chapter 728 - 603: Li Qianzhi’s Foolhardy Actions (Seeking Guaranteed Monthly Votes)_1
Chapter 728: Chapter 603: Li Qianzhi’s Foolhardy Actions (Seeking Guaranteed Monthly Votes)_1
This First Hope Dachao assembly lasted almost an hour just for the debate over the Golden Knife Case.
By the time all the court officials ceased their arguments and called a temporary truce, the sun was already high in the sky.
Li Xuan thought that the situation could calm down a bit. But then, another young minister in a green robe stepped forward, and his words were utterly shocking.
"Your Majesty! I dare to question Your Majesty at the risk of my life. I heard that before Your Majesty ascended the throne, you practiced the Suo Yuan Secret Method to break through to the heavenly level, which made you incapable of having descendents. Is this true?"
Li Xuan was immediately taken aback and looked closely at the speaker, wondering who on earth this reckless person was.
He discovered that the man was wearing a green robe with a mandarin duck badge. In this Taihe Gate assembly, the only ones who could attend with the title of a 7th-rank official were Kedao Officials.
Li Xuan also immediately glanced at Prince Xiang. But he saw that Yu Zhanshan, Prince Xiang, was also stunned.
At this moment, the entire court was in an uproar, and all the court officials were overwhelmingly shocked.
They were shocked by the audacity of this Kedao Official and also by the fact that the Emperor practiced the ’Suo Yuan Secret Method’.
The Jingtai Emperor’s face turned bright red, his fists tightly clenched, and his eyes cold enough to kill.
The Minister of Rites, Hu Ying, also stepped out of line with a cold and murderous look on his face: "Where is the General of Han? Arrest this lawless rascal for me! You, a mere Jishizhong from the Ministry of War, dared to disrespect the Emperor and disrupt the court order? Right Shilang from the Ministry of Rites, you also go out and whip him thirty times!"
Immediately, a few strong and tall Lishi stepped forward and dragged this man out.
The man struggled desperately: "I’m asking for the sake of the country! Your Majesty, Your Majesty! Without a Crown Prince, the world is not at peace, and the people are restless! The floods this year, and the disaster caused by the White Lotus, are warnings from the heavens——"
At this point, a quick-thinking Lishi directly stuffed a sock into the man’s mouth and forcibly dragged him away.
As the man was dragged away, the entire hall fell silent.
And just a moment later, hundreds of court officials simultaneously stepped forward and knelt down in the court.
"Your Majesty, we beseech you to appoint a Crown Prince as soon as possible. Prince Xiang, with his benevolent virtues, can inherit the great power. He will surely stabilize the country and appease the hearts of the people inside and outside the court!"
At this time, almost everyone was looking sideways at Yu Zhanshan, Prince Xiang.
Yu Zhanshan’s face turned pale. He took off the beam crown from his head and knelt down: "I’m not virtuous or capable enough to be the Crown Prince. Your Majesty, I wish to resign from the position of Dazongzheng and return to my fief."
At this time, even more officials stepped out and knelt down.
"Your Majesty, I also request that Prince Xiang be made the Imperial Uncle."
"Your Majesty! For the sake of the country, please appoint Prince Xiang as the Crown Prince."
"——Among all the royal families present, no one is as wise and magnanimous as Prince Xiang."
Li Xuan saw that the Jingtai Emperor’s expression had calmed down. His face showed neither approval nor disapproval. He remained silent.
At this time, Gao Gu, Xiao Ci, Shang Hong and others across from Li Xuan were also pale.
The Minister of Rites, Wang Wen, hesitated for a moment, then stood up.
"Your Majesty, I think the issue of appointing the Crown Prince can be postponed. However, please appoint Prince Xiang as the regent prince to distinguish him from other princes!"
With Wang Wen’s voice falling, many court officials’ faces lit up, and more people stepped out.
In just an instant, nearly one-third of the thousands of court officials present were kneeling on the ground.
This commotion soon spread outside the hall. Those officials below the 6th rank who were not qualified to attend the court assembly also knelt down in the corridors.
Li Xuan sighed softly, tucking the token in his sleeve.
He had another important matter to discuss on this visit to the court, but it seemed like he wouldn’t be able to do so given the current situation.
He stepped forward and bowed to the Jingtai Emperor on the throne: "Your Majesty, I recently discovered that there might be a connection between the Golden Knife Case and Prince Xiang. Therefore, I would suggest that the court should not discuss the issue of appointing a crown prince until the case is clear."
At this moment, Li Xuan sensed Prince Xiang looking at him, the wise prince’s eyes cold as a blade.
The Minister of Revenue, Xiao Ci, immediately brightened his eyes and asked: "Lord Guanjun, do you mean that this case may involve Prince Xiang framing someone? Do you have evidence?"
"I did not say he was framing anyone." Li Xuan shook his head: "I just said that Prince Xiang is suspected of being involved in the case. In any case, until I find out the truth, the court should postpone the discussion of appointing a Crown Prince."
The Jingtai Emperor on the throne couldn’t help but take a long breath, feeling a sense of gratitude for Li Xuan.
He didn’t know whether Li Xuan deliberately said this, but Li Xuan’s words significantly eased the situation he was facing.
The Jingtai Emperor wasn’t incapable of handling this mob of ministers forcing his hand, but it would inevitably require a show of force, leaving endless trouble behind.
Then the Jingtai Emperor remembered Yu Hongchang, who was in closed-door cultivation, and felt relieved thinking that Li Xuan should indeed help to resolve this matter.
This little brat, daring to act so recklessly——
※※※※
After court was adjourned, the Minister of Personnel, Wang Wen, came forward with a fierce attitude.
"You, the Marquis of Guanjun, have no solid evidence concerning the Golden Knife Case, how dare you make groundless accusations against Prince Xiang?"
Li Xuan had anticipated this, he responded with a smile, "Lord Tianshi, how do you know that I do not have evidence? If I were to reveal it now, wouldn’t it just give Prince Xiang time to destroy it?"
The Minister of Personnel, Wang Wen, asked with growing suspicion after hearing this, "Is Prince Xiang truly involved in the Golden Knife Case?"
Li Xuan was neither affirming nor denying, avoiding giving a straight answer, "As I said before, whether Prince Xiang is involved or not, I’m still investigating. Now it is not appropriate to discuss the heir."
He then changed the topic with a meaningful question, "But wouldn’t your actions today be quite displeasing to His Majesty?"
"Am I unaware?"
Wang Wen’s face darkened slightly, "But the Crown Prince has been unconscious for nearly a year, and before His Majesty ascended to the throne, he indeed practiced the Suo Yuan Secret Method. If we don’t prepare for this situation now, should we just sit back and watch if the Grand Emperor decides to reclaim the throne someday? I am doing this for the sake of the nation and to protect His Majesty’s reputation. I am not afraid to risk my life for this."
Upon saying this, he let out a sigh, "I am also aware of the Emperor’s longing for his children, especially the Crown Prince. Therefore, I only propose that Prince Xiang be the regent.
In this way, if the Emperor has descendents in the future, or if the Crown Prince wakes up, both the Emperor and Prince Xiang will have leeway, which is beneficial to the country."
Seeing Wang Wen’s stern face and the aura of righteousness about him, Li Xuan had nothing to say.
All he could do was make a fist salute: "I would ask Lord Tianshi to be patient. Let me finish investigating the Golden Knife Case."
Wang Wen furrowed his eyebrows and then huffed coldly, "But what if there is no conclusion to the Golden Knife Case? Do I just wait forever? I can wait for you for two months, but if after two months, the Marquis of Guanjun cannot produce evidence of Prince Xiang’s involvement, then the matter of the regent is necessary."
He suspected that Li Xuan had not investigated the case at all and that all of today’s statements were merely delaying tactics.
Therefore, after saying his piece, Wang Wen walked away briskly, heading towards the Wu Gate.
Li Xuan did not find it surprising, he knew that if he couldn’t present valid proof, the Golden Knife Case could only suppress the ministers for just two to three months.
※※※※
At the same time, Prince Xiang, Yu Zhanshi, had already left the Wu Gate.
His face was ashen; his aura was chilling, warning others to stay away.
The officials around him empathized, as anyone who was implicated in the ’Golden Knife Case’ would be in a foul mood.
Many of the ministers who had participated in recommending Prince Xiang as Crown Prince were preoccupied.
Prince Xiang’s virtues and loyalty were widely praised in the court, while Marquis Guanjun Li Xuan’s loyalty and righteousness were equally admirable, making him an unblemished protector of Neo-Confucianism.
They couldn’t decide who to trust between the two.
Many others were anxious. They had merely gone along with the crowd, kowtowing in hope of gaining favor by supporting the cause.
But they had undoubtedly offended the Emperor and Prince Yi, Yu Jianshen. To make matters worse, the Marquis Guanjun stood up today, worrying them more. The rise of the Marquis Guanjun in the court was as fast as the rising sun. Not only holding important positions, he was widely respected by both civil and military ministers. He has significant influence within the Liudao Division.
It is said that he could mobilize about ten individuals at the heavenly level and was one of the strongest influencers in the present time.
If the Marquis Guanjun indeed intended to obstruct this matter, there might be little hope for Prince Xiang to ascend the throne. This would be a disastrous situation for them.
Yu Qiyong, the son of Prince Xiang, who was walking next to him, also noticed the expressions of the surrounding ministers.
He passed over a message with a cold face, "I knew that guy would turn on Father sooner or later. When you helped him execute Ban Ruyi in the past, Father, you should have kept some precautions."
Prince Xiang glanced sidelong at him wordlessly, thinking that it was easier said than done. How could he have had any precautions in the circumstances at that time?
Besides, he benefited greatly from that situation.
He was able to execute one of the empress dowager’s most trusted aides, which made Li Xuan relinquish his attempts to press him to return to his fief.
You must understand that the situation then was different from the current situation. He hadn’t established a significant influence in the court at that time. If he returned to his fiefdom, he would have to let go of all the power in his grasp.
Unlike the current situation where it is widely accepted that he will inherit the throne. Even if he were sent back to his fief in Xiangyang, he could still make a comeback.
At this moment, a familiar voice resonated by their side, "It seems His Highness, Prince Xiang, is not in a good mood?"
Prince Xiang turned to see that it was his trusted ally, ’Right Canyi of the Tongzheng Division’, Xu Yuanxian.
He couldn’t help but give a bitter smile, "Given the situation today, how could I be happy?"
"The Marquis of Guanjun’s opposition is indeed a cause for concern."
Xu Yuanxian furrowed his brows, then calmly continued, "But why don’t you look on the bright side? We still gained something today. Now, your ascension to the throne has been recognized by the court.
If Li Xuan cannot come up with solid evidence within a few months, then the position of regent is almost certainly yours. Knowing the Emperor’s nature, he will certainly yield to the ministers. If anything happens to the Emperor in the future, you just need someone to call out to the ministers. They will certainly respond and support your ascension to the throne..."
"That’s all I can hope for now," Prince Xiang gave a bitter smile and looked back with a stern gaze, "However, this Marquis of Guanjun makes it hard for me to sleep at night. If this Golden Knife Case continues to drag on, it will be greatly against my interest."
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