Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5003 Li Yun: I can’t even plead guilty?
Dou Huairang was filled with resentment and was extremely aggrieved. He said angrily, "That King Jiang was sitting next to me. I never provoked him, but soon after the exam started, he threw a ball of paper at me and then took the initiative to falsely accuse me of cheating to the invigilator. I only said one word to him, and he rushed over and beat me! The invigilator dragged us out of the exam room, and Fang Jun and Xu Jingzong happened to arrive. Then Xu Jingzong expelled us without saying a word. What's worse, he disqualified me from taking the exam for three years and beat me with twenty military sticks, but King Jiang was unscathed... The traitor's evil intentions are obvious!"

In his view, this was a trap. Prince Jiang was provocative and causing trouble, and Fang Jun instructed Xu Jingzong to treat him differently and punish him severely. The motive for all this was that the Dou family asked His Majesty to marry Princess Jinyang, but the traitor Fang Jun treated Princess Jinyang as his own and would not allow anyone else to touch her.

Qiu Shenji's death is still an unsolved case, but who in the court doesn't know that it was Fang Jun who murdered him? Qiu Xinggong was determined to take revenge, but ended up with his family broken up. His father and brother not only did not learn a lesson, but were blinded by greed and repeatedly asked His Majesty for marriage despite Qiu's opposition...

After venting his anger for a while, Dou Huairang was left with endless fear. He lay on the bed, grabbing his father and brother's arms and sleeves, and burst into tears: "This time it is Fang Jun's warning. If I give up on marrying Princess Jinyang, it will be fine. But if I insist on doing it, I will end up like Qiu Shenji next time! Father, brother, he can even order King Jiang around, which shows how powerful he is. We can't beat him!"

I was really terrified. Fang Jun was ruthless and powerful. If I ignored his warning, I would have to be more careful when walking on the street in the future...

Dou Huaizhen was also a little frightened and said hesitantly: "How about...let's just forget about it?"

The Dou family naturally knew about the rumors about Fang Jun and Princess Jinyang, but they had not seen anything really going on between the two over the years, and His Majesty would never allow Princess Jinyang to marry Fang Jun. In addition, the Dou family was now in decline, so they thought of trying to climb up the high branch of Princess Jinyang and find a backer for their family to rise to the top.

However, if Fang Jun, who has great power and influence, regards him as an enemy because of this, it would be counterproductive.

The doctor came in and examined Dou Huairang's injuries. He said that they were just superficial injuries and that he would recover in a few days after applying golden wound medicine...

After the doctor finished treating the wound and left, Dou Dexuan sat on the chair and thought for a long time. He thought that the emperor had already approved the marriage, so he was unwilling to give up. After a while, he said to Dou Huaizheng: "Go to Wannian County Office immediately and find out whether King Jiang was originally assigned to the same examination room as Erlang, or if there was some trickery. After you find out, don't make it public. We will make plans later."

Dou Huaizheng agreed, turned around and walked out.

If King Jiang had done something to sit next to Erlang, then this was a premeditated plan and not a coincidence. King Jiang's framing of Erlang was intentional, and the consequences were extremely serious...

In the hall, Dou Huairang took off his clothes and applied medicine on his buttocks. He looked very decadent and dazed, but he was still begging: "Father, forget about the marriage proposal. The rise of the family is important, but the life of the child is more important! If Fang Er is angered, not only will the rise of the family be hopeless, but the child may also suffer a disaster..."

Dou Dexuan was very annoyed and shouted, "You are a man of seven feet tall, a descendant of the Dou family, but you have no manners at all. You are simply bringing shame to our ancestors! You don't need to say anything more about this matter. Your father will take care of it!"

Dou Huairang felt like crying but had no tears.

It is difficult for others to understand the intimidation that Fang Jun exerted on his peers. When he was young, he "used force to subdue others". He would beat anyone who wanted to fight him, even the prince. However, he was born with supernatural power and rarely met an opponent. Who dared to provoke him? When he got older, he stopped using force and began to "use force to suppress others". He was vindictive and petty, and anyone who offended him would have a bad end.

In the eyes of the elders, he is "the child of other people's family" and they often use the achievements of other people to educate their own children. Over time, Fang Jun has become a "rooftop figure" in the eyes of his peers, and they naturally fear him.

My father only thought about the many benefits of marrying Princess Jinyang, and didn't care about the risks he would have to bear. It was really frightening and unsettling...

*****
The entire Chang'an city was under martial law because of the imperial examination, especially the county government offices of Wannian and Chang'an counties, which served as examination venues. Civilians and merchants were strictly prohibited from walking around nearby. Teams of Jinwu guards were wearing helmets and armor and were on high alert. They designated a restricted area near the county government offices of the two counties. If anyone accidentally entered, they would be warned and persuaded to leave at the very least, or arrested on the spot at the worst.

Li Chengqian sat in Taiji Palace and listened to all kinds of news in the city at all times.

After all, it was the first fully prepared, nationwide imperial examination since he ascended the throne, so it was of great importance.

The fight that occurred in the Wannian County Examination Hall soon spread to the Wude Hall...

Li Chengqian was furious at first, but then he realized that it might not be that simple. He said to Li Junxian who was standing in the hall, "Send someone to summon King Jiang. I want to see him!"

Li Junxian did not dare to delay and hurried out of the hall. He whispered a few words to his trusted subordinates and returned to the hall again.

Li Chengqian sat behind the imperial desk, drinking tea and thinking about King Jiang's affairs. After a while, he ordered Li Junxian: "Send someone to Wannian County to check whether King Jiang happened to sit next to Dou Huairang, or whether he was seated next to him through some manipulation."

Li Junxian was startled and quickly agreed. He went outside the palace and asked his subordinates to investigate immediately...

Soon, someone brought Prince Jiang Li Yun into the Taiji Palace.

"Your Majesty, I am your humble servant."

Li Yun entered the Wude Hall and knelt obediently in front of the imperial desk without saying a word.

Seeing this, Li Chengqian frowned slightly and looked up at Li Junxian.

Li Junxian said: "The person I sent to find King Jiang to summon him just left Chengtian Gate and saw King Jiang had arrived."

Li Chengqian sneered.

This is because he knew he couldn't escape punishment after committing a crime, so he took the initiative to come to Taiji Palace to apologize...

"You and I are nominally king and subject, but in reality we are brothers. Normally, we never pay attention to these empty formalities. Why are you going against your usual custom and paying homage to me with such great ceremony today? I am somewhat overwhelmed."

"I made a mistake in the heat of the moment. Your Majesty, please punish me."

As if he didn't hear the sarcasm in Li Chengqian's words, Li Yun lowered his eyebrows and eyes, admitting his mistake in a very good manner.

"What mistake did you make?"

"In the examination room, he fought with others, disrupted the order of the examination room, and affected His Majesty's talent selection ceremony."

"Since you know that this is a talent selection ceremony, a matter of great national importance, why did you knowingly commit a crime?"

"Dou Huairang falsely accused me, and I couldn't help it."

"Haha... If that's the case, then shouldn't Dou Huairang be sentenced to death for falsely accusing the prince and disrupting the imperial examination?"

"...It's not a crime punishable by death. I have already given him a beating and he has been disqualified from taking the imperial examinations for three years. That's all I need to do."

"boom!"

Li Chengqian was so angry that he slammed the table and shouted angrily: "That's it? You said that you would stop here if you disturbed the national affairs? Xu Jingzong deprived you two of your examination qualifications because he was in charge of the examination and could only do so much, but you two are not guilty of such a crime!"

"I know I was wrong."

Li Yun trembled.

Li Chengqian frowned and looked at Li Yun. Although this guy seemed to be cowering like a quail, he actually did not show much fear and was obviously fearless...

"Get out, stand outside the palace and reflect on your mistakes. I will investigate the reason and then punish you!"

"...here."

Standing under the rain corridor outside the palace, the rain was dripping, and Li Yun felt scared. He thought that the punishment would end here, but he didn't expect that His Majesty would investigate it strictly. If he found out that he did it intentionally, it would be very bad...

Not long after, Li Yun saw an official dressed in the uniform of the "Hundred Cavalry Division" walking quickly. He glanced at him, bowed, and then said to the eunuch at the door: "I have been ordered to investigate and will report back."

The eunuch entered the store, and Li Junxian walked out quickly. The "Hundred Cavalry Division" official came closer, and the two whispered. Then Li Yun found that Li Junxian seemed to glance at him subconsciously...

Something is not right.

Sure enough, Li Junxian went inside to report, and soon a eunuch came out and asked him to come in.

Li Yun was terrified. He entered the hall and knelt on the ground cautiously...

Li Chengqian had a blank expression on his face: "Your examination room was not originally the same as Dou Huairang's, let alone adjacent to it. Why did you bribe the officials of Wannian County to change your seat to next to Dou Huairang?"

Li Yun swallowed his saliva. He really didn't expect His Majesty to investigate this. What's more, Dou Huairang's accusation against him was obviously deceiving the emperor. The consequences were really serious, but he didn't dare to say his true intention...

He could only bite the bullet and say, "I know my crime. I have always had a rift with Dou Huairang. When I heard that he wanted to pass the imperial examination to get promoted, I was dissatisfied and wanted to sabotage his examination. That's why I resorted to this bad idea. Please punish me, Your Majesty."

Li Chengqian said angrily: "Tell me who is the mastermind, and I will pardon you. Otherwise, I will punish you severely!"

Li Yun knelt on the ground, dejected, "It is true that I acted recklessly out of personal grudge, and no one else was instigating me."

He can neither deny nor confess everything, so he can only plead guilty. This matter is not a big deal, but it is not a small one either. At most, he will be beaten and confined in the mansion for ten days or half a month. It can't be as serious as depriving him of his title, right?

Anyway, the mastermind behind this must not be revealed, otherwise the consequences will be more serious than the punishment from His Majesty...

Li Chengqian was so angry that he laughed: "You still dare to be stubborn, do you really think I can't do anything to you? Come on, take this bastard out and punish him with twenty military sticks!"

"Here!"

Two eunuchs stepped forward, helped Li Yun up, and pushed him out of the hall.

Li Yun allowed himself to be treated as he pleased, neither crying out for injustice nor resisting, as if he had accepted his fate.

Immediately, Li Yun's heart-wrenching screams rang out...

Li Chengqian's face was as gloomy as water, and he said to Li Junxian: "There must be something hidden in this matter, it is definitely not as simple as King Jiang said."

Li Junxian looked at his nose with his eyes and his heart with his nose, and made no comment.

An eunuch quickly stepped inside and reported, "Your Majesty, Dou Dexuan, a man from Julu County, begs to see you."

Li Chengqian sighed: "The victim is here... summon him."

"Here."