Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 4761 Verbal Confrontation

The prime minister of the empire was as slippery and irresponsible as a "corrupt official". Li Shenfu was so angry that his eyebrows trembled and he wished he could hit Li Ji hard with his walking stick.

"This matter has a huge impact. Once Your Majesty decides to conduct a thorough investigation, countless families will be involved. By then, the royal family and nobles in Chang'an will blame each other, frame each other, and frame each other. It will be a mess, and you, as the prime minister, cannot escape the blame!"

"I don't agree with what the prince said," Li Ji drank a sip of tea and asked curiously, "Shouldn't the person who planned this behind the scenes be to blame?"

Li Shenfu was speechless.

Li Ji fluttered his teacup, smiling and speaking sharply, "Instigating, bewitching, and planning those royal nobles to attack Jingzhao Prefecture is obviously a huge conspiracy, and there is suspicion of treason... I heard that many of these people had been to your house before attacking Jingzhao Prefecture. What do you think about this?"

The other party asked him "what do you think" right away, and now he returned the question in full.

Li Shenfu said solemnly: "What does this have to do with me? Although I am old, I have always been kind to the younger generation. The boys are willing to come to my house to play, but they may not tell me what they do outside."

"So the prince should support a thorough investigation. Once the investigation is clear, the prince's suspicion will be cleared. Otherwise, everyone will think that you, the prince, were secretly planning and instigating this matter, which will damage your reputation."

"But if this happens, the royal family will be damaged, the nobles will be in turmoil, and it will definitely shake the foundation of the country. How can we just sit there and do nothing? If we suffer injustice because of this, we will accept it!"

"The prince is indeed the pillar of the country. I cannot compare to him in terms of mental cultivation. He is able to put the country and the people in his heart and worry about the country and the people. You should be my prime minister."

Li Shenfu was dissatisfied: "If you suspect that I planned this, please speak up. If you have any evidence, just show it. Why are you being so sarcastic?"

Li Ji did not answer, but glanced at the door and said: "The eunuch is here, please go and see the emperor quickly."

A eunuch stood at the door and did not dare to come in. Now the Chengtian Gate Tower was Li Ji's commander's tent, and any eunuch who dared to enter would be killed without mercy.

Li Shenfu stood up and walked out with a sullen face.

Li Ji looked at his back and asked loudly, "What do you think of this tea, Prince? Do you want to send someone to deliver some to your residence?"

"If you are generous, you may give me 18,000 kilograms. If I can't drink it, I can give it to others."

“That much will have to be paid for.”

"No money!"

……

"This old minister is here to see your majesty!"

"Uncle, please don't be polite. Please take a seat. Someone, serve tea."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Li Shenfu smiled kindly and sat down opposite Li Chengqian.

Li Yuanjia on the other side stood up and saluted: "Greetings, Uncle King."

"It's Yuanjia. These days, many of the royal family members have been in the city to make trouble. You, the chief minister of the royal family, have had a hard time."

Li Yuanjia's face was calm. "It's not hard work. I just do my duty and be loyal to the king. I dare not slack off. Besides, the country has its own laws and the family has its own rules. It's okay for the royal family to make mistakes. There are laws and rules to follow. Rewards and punishments are the same for everyone. There are punishments for different crimes. No one dares to disobey."

Li Shenfu narrowed his eyes and raised his gray eyebrows slightly. "Emperor Gaozu's descendants are indeed outstanding. Yuanjia is young but he is steady and capable, which makes the other descendants of the royal family look even more useless. However, no matter how useless he is, he is still a child of the Li family. Even if he makes a mistake, he should be dealt with tactfully. Whether it is national law or family rules, the original intention of establishing them is not to punish anyone, but to play a restraining role and regulate everyone's code of conduct. The most important thing is to punish past mistakes and give them a chance to correct their mistakes and do good."

Li Yuanjia laughed, "Uncle, you are too kind. How dare I say you are 'capable'? I was forced to take on this position of Imperial Clan Minister because I was forced to do so. I have been walking on thin ice these years, always afraid that I would make irreparable mistakes due to my lack of ability. Only a man of high moral character like you can teach the children of the Imperial Clan. I, a mediocre person, would never dare to mislead the children. Therefore, I can only act according to the rules. I don't seek merit, but I only seek to avoid mistakes."

Li Chengqian sat there listening to the verbal exchange between the two, unmoved, and drank his tea leisurely.

Li Shenfu gave Li Yuanjia some advice and found that this nephew, relying on his status as the Minister of the Imperial Clan, did not have much respect for his uncle and did not take his words seriously, being completely "unteachable". However, he had already made his meaning clear to the emperor through these few words, so he ignored Li Yuanjia and looked at the emperor.

Li Chengqian then put down his teacup and said slowly, "I understand what my uncle meant, and I agree with it. But this incident has a bad influence and serious consequences. The prestige of the court has been destroyed. If we cannot punish them severely to serve as a warning to others, how can we expect others to follow suit in the future? Moreover, the prince of the Dongping County Prince's Mansion died in the chaos. He is the direct bloodline of Emperor Taizu. How can I, the nominal patriarch, turn a blind eye and make light of the incident?"

"Your Majesty, please leave the matter to me. I will persuade him to give up the pursuit. Li Jingshu gathered the sons of the royal family and nobles to attack Jingzhao Prefecture, which is a serious crime. Since he is dead, it is difficult to investigate. Why bother to implicate so many royal family and nobles and make a mess? If he dares to disobey the overall situation, I will slap him!"

Li Chengqian smiled indifferently. You slap a prince in the face whenever you say so, and he's so obedient that he dares not resist. Are you trying to show off your prestige within the royal family in front of me?
"But this matter is related to Fang Jun. The Fang family and the Prince of Dongping's Mansion have always had a grudge. Now Li Jingshu died in Fang Jun's encirclement. Fang Jun is afraid that someone will wrongly accuse him of revenge and assassination of the royal family, so he insists on a thorough investigation to clear his name. This request is reasonable and I can't refuse it... How about you go and talk to Fang Jun? As long as he doesn't pursue the matter, I will let this lawless and violent gang off the hook."

Li Shenfu thought to himself, you want me to talk to Fang Jun?
Is that guy someone who can have a good conversation?

指不定哪句话没说好就能将我这个老头子摁着揍一顿，那厮可不是个尊老爱幼的……

Li Yuanjia laughed and said, "It's not just Fang Jun who wants to be cleared of all charges. In fact, you, uncle, are also suspected of being the mastermind behind this. After all, many of those royal family members and noble children who were causing trouble came out of your Prince's Mansion before they attacked the Jingzhao government office. They left the mansion and caused trouble right after they left. You, uncle, are highly suspected... If you, uncle, just want to calm the situation, people who know you will say that you love the younger generation and are highly respected, but people who don't know you will probably say that you are guilty and afraid that something will be found out."

"Nonsense! Why should I get involved with them at my age? If anyone dares to say that I ordered him to do so, I will break his legs! Since there are villains who want to throw dirty water on me, I beg Your Majesty to order a thorough investigation by the Zongzheng Temple. I will assist you. If anyone dares not to cooperate, I will kill him!"

Li Shenfu puffed his beard and glared, looking like he had been wronged. He took the initiative to demand a thorough investigation, but he did not mention the "Three Judicial Departments". Instead, he suggested that the Zongzheng Temple be in charge of the thorough investigation.

He could rely on his seniority and merits to have great influence in the royal family, but the officials of the "Three Law Departments" might not know who he was...

Li Chengqian said, "Uncle is right. I also think it should be so. What do you think, King Han?"

Li Yuanjia shook his head. "Jingzhao Prefecture is the government office, not the private residence of the royal family. The Jingzhao Prefecture government office was attacked, and some even snatched the account books and set them on fire. This is no longer a problem within the royal family. Tomorrow morning, the memorials of the censors will surely snowflakes into the Taiji Palace. Only a joint investigation by the three judicial departments can calm the public anger."

Li Chengqian was embarrassed: "What King Han said makes sense... I get a headache just thinking about the excited expressions of the censors. These people are not afraid of being demoted, punished, or even dying. I can't afford to offend them. Alas, I, the emperor, may seem to be the supreme ruler of the world, but in fact, I have little deterrent power outside the palace."

Li Shenfu was helpless. Seeing that His Majesty was determined to investigate the matter thoroughly and make the situation worse and involve more people, he had to try his best to win over: "This old minister is just saying something ridiculous. Your Majesty has only been on the throne for a short time, and many people still have complaints about this. If you can show some leniency and make decisions in Chongqing, people will definitely feel Your Majesty's benevolence and forgiveness, and I think you will be able to win over people's hearts. Otherwise, if the killing is too excessive, people who don't know the truth may misunderstand Your Majesty as violent, vicious, cruel and cold..."

Li Chengqian laughed angrily and nodded, "Okay, okay, you really do love my great uncle. Since you care about me so much, then my great uncle will participate in this thorough investigation as a representative of the royal family. Find out the murderer who caused the death and bring him to justice. Punish those dandy boys who attacked the Jingzhao government office, ignored the national law, and despised the imperial power according to the law. No one should be let off."

"..."

Li Shenfu's face darkened, and he regretted it too late.

Those troublemakers attacked Jingzhao Prefecture with his instigation and acquiescence, but he had to appear in front of them as the chief judge. How would they view him? The reason why he had such a huge influence in the royal family was due to his seniority, merits, and fair and generous style of doing things. Once these things were shaken, who would care about this old man?
But the emperor's order could not be disobeyed, so he could only swallow his anger and agree: "As long as this old minister's body allows, I will definitely do my best."

I have already made up my mind to stay in bed and pretend to be sick until the thorough investigation begins. When this matter is over, when will I be able to recover...

The matter had been settled. Li Shenfu took his leave and returned home to prepare for illness. Li Yuanjia returned to the Jingzhao government office and read out the imperial decree: "All persons are to be detained in the Jingzhao prison. No release, no redemption, no visitation. The decision will be made after tomorrow's morning court session."

Immediately, the group of playboys who had just realized the consequences were thrown into prison crying for their parents. The soldiers of the Right Jinwu Guard continued to surround the Jingzhao Mansion, blocking the visitors from various families and not allowing them to visit.

Many people standing outside the gate of Jingzhao Prefecture were very worried. Someone suggested: "This matter was caused by the Prince of Xiangyi. He can't just sit there and do nothing now, right? Let's go to the Prince of Xiangyi's mansion and ask for an explanation."

"That's right. If it weren't for him instigating it, how could it have come to this? He has to find a way to get the person out. If he is interrogated by the three judges, it will be very bad."

"Let's go together, let's go together!"

Who doesn't have some private and dirty deeds? These dudes wouldn't be able to hold out for even a stick of incense under Sanmu. If the bamboo tube spilled beans and the family's privacy was exposed, it would be a big trouble...