Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 4967 Liu Li: Your Majesty, I don’t want to be a lone minister!
Liu Li naturally didn't want to do such a despicable thing, so when Fang Jun signaled him with his eyes, he pretended not to know and ignored it.

But when His Majesty looked over, he knew he couldn't refuse...

Liu Li glared at Fang Jun angrily, coughed dryly, and said, "The prince has committed a heinous crime, which is unforgivable, but if he can turn back and recognize his mistakes, with your majesty's kindness and generosity, I think you will definitely give the prince a decent treatment."

There are many ways to die, including a cup of poisoned wine, a three-foot white silk, slow slicing, burning with fire, and being torn apart by five horses. Since death is inevitable, why not take the initiative to choose a more comfortable and quicker way to die?

Liu Li wanted to struggle, hoping that Li Shenfu would confess his guilt on his own initiative, so that he would not have to make such despicable threats.

However, Li Shenfu was determined to die and remained unmoved.

Liu Li was helpless, he sighed, and continued: "If the prince is stubborn and refuses to repent, then he can only be tried by the three judicial officials. If he goes to the yamen, the dignity of you and your son will be damaged under the three trees. Why bother?"

Li Shenfu finally opened his eyes and looked towards Liu Li.

His eyes were cold but full of resentment. He opened his mouth and said word by word: "You are a famous official in the world. You claim to be of high moral integrity. How could you be so despicable?"

He understood what Liu Li meant. His Majesty wanted you to bow your head and confess your guilt. If you refused, he would put your son under three wooden poles and use severe torture to force you to confess your guilt...

Liu Li was full of helplessness. Was this what I wanted to do?

I am also forced to have no choice!

All he could say was, "Rebellious ministers and traitors are to be killed by everyone. How can we say that we are not being rude to traitors like you? The prince insisted on his own way, which not only did not help, but also caused your son to suffer physical pain. Why bother?"

Li Shenfu sneered: "Well, you kings and ministers claim to be generous and benevolent, and all the people are upright. You keep talking about benevolence, righteousness, and morality, and flaunt the laws and regulations of the country. In fact, you are nothing but despicable and shameless people. Such faces will one day be known to the world and despised by the world!"

Liu Li was also annoyed. Why couldn't he just talk to me nicely? Instead, he forced me to do such a despicable thing to the end, right?

He said with a cold face: "You traitors, you disregard etiquette and family affection, and abandon the status of monarch and minister for your own selfish desires, and do not hesitate to cause turmoil in the country. How can you have the face to blame others? Your Majesty gives you a decent look because of the blood relationship. If you don't accept the toast, then face the severe punishment! I will also risk it today. Let the world slander me for slaughtering the royal family. I will bear all the infamy. I will bring you and your son to justice and make it known to the world. Then, I will remove the spirits of King Zheng Xiao and King Huai'an from the ancestral temple and abandon them in the wilderness!"

Since I have to stand up and be the bad guy, I might as well do it to the end.

Not only did he threaten Li Wenliang, he also threatened to deprive Li Shenfu's father and brother of their titles. Once the spirit tablets were removed from the ancestral temple and abandoned in the wilderness, it would mean that the tombs of these two people would also be razed to the ground.

Li Shenfu was stunned for a while, and then suddenly jumped up without any warning. Although he was in his seventies and weak, he burst out with amazing potential. He broke free from the grip of the two guards and pounced on Liu Li.

The two guards were so frightened that they quickly rushed forward, one grabbed Li Shenfu's belt, and the other grabbed one of his legs, causing Li Shenfu to lose balance and fall to the ground. However, even though he fell, he stretched out his hands and grabbed Liu Li's leg, who was stunned and had no time to dodge, and bit it.

I have committed treason and there is no reason for me to escape. I am going to die, and there is nothing to say.

But this Liu Li, who claimed to be a Confucian scholar, was actually vicious in heart. He first used torture on Li Wenliang to threaten him to bow his head and confess his guilt, and then threatened to deprive his father and brother of their titles, remove their spirit tablets from the ancestral temple, and abandon them in the wilderness. Why was he so cruel?

Li Shenfu looked like a madman, wishing he could drink his blood, eat his flesh, and pull out his tendons and break his bones!
This time, he bit Liu Li's leg, and really fulfilled his wish. He bit hard and refused to let go. Liu Li was so shocked and angry that he tried to pry Li Shenfu's hand away, but he couldn't. It was only when the two guards worked together that they pulled Li Shenfu out of his hand.

But although Li Shenfu was old, his teeth were still in good condition, and his bite force was amazing. He bit off the piece of meat in one go...

"what……!"

Liu Li screamed, but soon realized that he was in the Wude Hall, surrounded by his colleagues and the emperor was sitting on the throne. Screaming too miserably would damage his image, so he quickly closed his mouth, staggered two steps, and covered the wound. Blood gushed out instantly and he was sweating profusely due to the pain.

"Pooh!"

Li Shenfu spat out the piece of meat in his mouth, opened his bloody mouth and laughed "ho ho", his face was hideous, like a man-eating devil.

He turned his head to look at Li Chengqian who was sitting on the throne, and shouted at the top of his lungs: "I will take full responsibility for what I have done. You can cut me into pieces as you wish! But my father and brother have made great contributions to the country, how can they be implicated? If you don't even have such a broad mind, Li Chengqian, why are you still an emperor?"

On the throne, Li Chengqian's face was gloomy. He first asked the eunuch to summon the imperial physician, and then looked at Li Shenfu. After a while, he slowly nodded and said, "If you plead guilty, I will not implicate your father and brother."

Li Shenfu said hurriedly: "My offspring's death is not a pity. I only ask Your Majesty to leave me a bloodline, demote him to a commoner, and expel him from the family tree, so that my bloodline will not be cut off!"

Li Chengqian hesitated for a moment and asked, "If you succeed, have you ever thought about leaving a bloodline for me?"

Li Shenfu was stunned.

If he breaks into the Wude Hall tonight and forces the crown prince to abdicate, will he leave the crown prince and Li Chengqian's son behind?

The answer is of course no. If you don't remove the roots of the problem, you will inevitably end up nurturing a tiger that will cause trouble.

He wanted to lie, but he knew no one would believe him.

Li Chengqian said: "Tell me who is secretly in collusion with you. I promise that all boys under the age of five in the Prince's Mansion of Xiangyi County will be demoted to commoners and expelled from the family tree."

Of course, one must cut the grass at its roots, but up to now, the forces within the royal family that oppose him have been completely wiped out, and the throne is as stable as Mount Tai. Leaving a few ignorant children behind will not affect the throne.

Moreover, the present is different from the past. During the "Xuanwu Gate Incident", the late emperor was in a weak position, and both the government and the people were supporters of the hidden prince. He must be decisive in killing and leaving no future troubles. If he kills all the people in the Xiangyi County Prince's Mansion now, he will be criticized by the world anyway.

What he cared about was not only eliminating the opposition within the royal family, but also his own reputation and prestige.

For the sake of fame and prestige, one would even risk his life, so why would he damage the prestige he had worked so hard to gain for a few children?
Li Shenfu's eyes widened: "Are you serious?"

Li Chengqian: "Don't joke!"

Compared with the few remnants, the person who is hiding and secretly colluding with Li Shenfu to seize the artifact is more important. He believes that there must be a single line of connection between this person and Li Shenfu. If Li Shenfu is determined to conceal it, I am afraid that no one will know this person's identity from now on.

How could he sleep peacefully when such a person who was qualified to covet the throne was lurking beside him, like a poisonous snake hiding in the grass by the roadside, ready to suddenly pounce and make a fatal blow at any time?

Li Shenfu did not hesitate: "King Qi, Li You!"

Including Liu Li, who was being treated by the imperial physician, the powerful officials in the palace wished they could plug their ears and hear nothing...

Fang Jun said: "Your Majesty, please understand that Li Shenfu is a traitor with ulterior motives. He knows that he will die. He may deliberately frame the King of Qi to achieve your majesty's goal of killing his brothers... This matter is serious. We cannot listen to his one-sided words. We need to investigate carefully before making a decision."

Who knows if Li Shenfu has evil intentions and is deliberately talking nonsense?

To take a step back, even if it is true that Prince Qi Li You is secretly connected with Li Shenfu, we must be cautious in how to deal with him.

If Li Chengqian took action against Li You on the spot in a rage, he would be in a very passive position.

Regardless of whether Li You coveted the throne or participated in the rebellion, it was a stain on the royal family that could not be erased...

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "Don't worry, Commander. I won't just believe everything I hear. I will definitely check it out carefully."

Having said that, looking at his gloomy expression, it is unknown what he is thinking in his heart.

Even if he is not the King of Qi, he must be one of the other princes. Otherwise, how can he be qualified to ascend the throne and how can he pacify the world?
Li Shenfu hurriedly said: "Every word I say is true. I dare not lie even a word!"

Li Chengqian waved his hands impatiently: "Alright, as long as this matter is investigated, I will never break my promise to you. Li Junxian, find an empty palace and detain this thief. No one is allowed to visit him without my order."

"Here."

Li Junxian took the order and directed two guards to take Li Shenfu out of the hall and detain him at a chosen place.

Your Majesty.

Li Chengqian looked around, first lingering on Fang Jun's face for a moment, then hesitating, looking at Liu Li who was being treated by the imperial physician, and slowly said: "This time the traitor's rebellion almost shook the country, and the palace and the outside world were connected. The crime is unforgivable! However, since it involves the royal family, it is not appropriate for the three judicial departments to intervene, otherwise it will cause a sensation and cause controversy among the court and the public, which will damage the majesty of the royal family. You will be fully responsible for this case and investigate it thoroughly. No matter who is involved in the case, no matter their identity, you must let them go!"

"This……"

Liu Li was stunned for a moment. Could it be that because he had just "spoken up for justice" and "shared the emperor's worries", the emperor considered him to be a truly loyal minister and gave him such a difficult task?
I feel so bitter in my heart that I cannot express it in words. If I had known this would happen, I would never have said it just now!
Apart from anything else, this case will definitely involve a prince. If there is no person of such status to inherit the throne, even if Li Shenfu's mutiny is successful, it will be in vain. Could it be that he ascended the throne himself?

Even if Li Chengqian and his descendants died, it would not be his, Li Shenfu's turn to take the throne!
He was already about to bear the despicable reputation of "using his son to threaten his father", now was he going to bear the infamy of "harming Taizong's descendants"?

The outside world would not care who secretly colluded with Li Shenfu to steal the artifact. They would only see a prince being involved in a treason case without warning and eventually being sentenced to death...

"I...accept the decree."

But Your Majesty, although I am a loyal minister, I do not want to be a lone minister!