My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 103: The anger of the censors, reporting to the crown prince

The first snow of the 16th year of Zhenguan came later than usual.

When the first snowflake fell over the city of Chang'an, a grand and magnificent snow scene slowly unfolded.

Snowflakes fluttered like catkins blown by the wind and lightly fell to the earth.

At first there were only a few flakes here and there, like accidentally scattered silver flakes, and gradually, the snowflakes became denser and denser, like countless white butterflies dancing in the air.

"Snowing."

Li Chengqian stood at the entrance of the main hall, looking at the snowflakes flying in the sky under the setting sun, and murmured.

"Your Highness, be careful not to catch a cold."

The eunuch Wen Zhong said with concern.

Li Chengqian smiled. With his body, even if he took off all his clothes in the cold winter, his whole body would still be hot, so there was no need to worry about catching a cold.

"What are the results of the investigation?"

The Eastern Palace is sealed off, and an internal investigation is launched with Lieutenants Yu Bing and Bai Wu as clues.

All persons involved in this matter will be subject to rigorous investigation.

The person in charge of the investigation was Di Zhixun and his son, Di Renjie.

"Your Majesty, Di Zhixun has spent two hours to find out the general situation."

"The people behind the scenes are Cui family of Qinghe, Xie family of Chenjun, and Zheng family of Xingyang."

"A Right General of the Right Military Prefecture is the mastermind of this plan. He arranged Yu Bing and Bai Wucheng to conduct an inspection together, creating an opportunity while His Highness is away."

"There are people waiting outside the Yanxi Gate, but when we went to arrest them, we found nothing. We don't know who they are."

Li Chengqian nodded: "Do you have any evidence?"

The eunuch Wen Zhong shook his head and said, "There is no evidence, only their confessions. The people of the noble family are very cautious and did not come in person, but just conveyed the message."

Li Chengqian also understood that it was not possible to convict the aristocratic family based on these alone.

If there is insufficient evidence and the major families are being held accountable by force, all the officials will stop it.

The aristocratic families have complicated connections and a dense network of personal relationships, so it is easy for them to become too involved and cause instability in the court. At least Erfeng would not want to see this happen.

Seeing that the prince had no intention of continuing to ask, the eunuch Wen Zhong hesitated for a moment and then said, "The Right General and the two lieutenants are unwilling to betray Your Highness. Their families have done favors for their fathers or ancestors, and they are willing to risk their lives to serve them in return for the favor."

Li Chengqian said: "So, you want to plead for them?"

"They are unable to do so because they want to repay a favor. Is that understandable?"

Wen Zhong quickly said, "I dare not."

Li Chengqian said slowly: "They are guards of the Eastern Palace, loyal to me, and should be eating the emperor's salary and sharing the emperor's worries, instead of causing trouble for me."

"I won't kill them. All those involved in this case will be thrown into the ice making yard. We just don't have enough manpower."

The ice-making yard is completely closed and the people inside can only work like prisoners.

People outside are not allowed to have contact with them. Apart from delivering daily meals and ice cubes, there can be no other interactions with them.

"Yes, Your Highness."
-
Yankangfang, Prince Wei's Palace.

Li Tai was very angry. Not only did he not gain any benefit from this winter hunting, but he also had to face the suspicious eyes of his father.

What does the theft of the prince's ice-making method have to do with me? It wasn't me who sent anyone to do it. It was Qinghe Cui who did it.

So Li Tai's response was very frank, which also reduced Erfeng's suspicion of him.

When Chai Lingwu saw that the King of Wei was in a bad mood, he knew that he must have suffered a loss in the winter hunt.

So I brought some newly written poems over.

"King Wei, take a look. These are all new works sent up from below."

Chai Lingwu thought that in terms of poetry, the King of Wei was better than the Crown Prince, but he was at a disadvantage in hunting.

Li Tai was somewhat expectant. He wanted to see if there was anyone as outstanding as the crown prince.

However, after watching it, I felt even worse.

"All this bullshit has been delivered."

After hearing the comments from King Wei, Chai Lingwu was also helpless. In fact, he felt that although these poems were not the best, they were still acceptable.

"Of course he is not as good as the King of Wei."

"The King of Wei should not be too angry about the Crown Prince. Although the Crown Prince is brave and martial, his literary talent is mediocre. How can he compare with the King of Wei?"

Chai Lingwu's flattery hit the horse's leg.

Li Tai gritted his teeth: "Prince Dong hunted a wild boar."

Chai Lingwu suddenly realized that there was no need to be so angry.

"He also wrote a poem." Li Tai continued.

Chai Lingwu's heart skipped a beat, and he subconsciously asked, "The prince is very accomplished in poetry?"

Li Tai glanced at Chai Lingwu and said in a low voice: "All the saints and sages in ancient times have faded into obscurity, only our prosperous Tang Dynasty is unparalleled in the world."

Hearing this, Chai Lingwu understood why the King of Wei was so angry.

This kind of quatrain is even more pleasing to His Majesty. Even he feels it is magnificent and heroic just by listening to these few words.

"Could it be that the prince had planned this in advance?"

Chai Lingwu didn't think that this was something the prince could write himself.

After all, I've never heard of the prince writing poetry in all these years.

Li Tai felt a tightness in his chest. He had thought about this, but felt it was impossible.

"Who in the East Palace do you think would write such a quatrain for the Crown Prince?"

Chai Lingwu thought about it carefully and realized that there really wasn't one.

So the prince is either keeping quiet or making a splash?
His martial arts are hidden, and his literary talent is also hidden. Prince, the heir apparent, who are you guarding against by hiding like this?

"Have you arranged Su Dingfang's affairs?"

"The impeachment memorial has been sent to the palace by the censor."

"How about ice making?"

"There's no news from Cui's side yet, so they should have succeeded."

Chai Lingwu said somewhat uncertainly.

Li Tai was very unhappy: "What do you mean by should? If you succeed, you succeed. Send someone to ask."

"Yes."

There was no need to send anyone. Just as Chai Lingwu was about to send someone, Cui's people came over to deliver the message.

It failed, everyone was caught, and the theft was not accomplished.

Li Tai was so angry that he started cursing, saying that these noble families were all trash, trash.
-
Taiji Palace, Ganlu Palace.

Li Shimin is writing.

He really liked the prince's quatrain, so he thought about writing it down.

In calligraphy, Li Shimin was very fond of running script, which he vigorously promoted and developed.

"Your Majesty's calligraphy is more and more like the two Wangs, and has inherited the charm of Wang Xizhi. It is fluent, mature, and natural."

"It's just a pity that I feel that this sentence, written in running script, although it has the scene of the prosperous Tang Dynasty, lacks some majestic momentum."

Zhang Ananda glanced at the dozen or so pages of running script written beside him and spoke softly.

Li Shimin nodded: "I think so too. No matter how I write it, it always feels a little off."

"You have reminded me that perhaps a different way of writing would be more appropriate."

After saying this, Zhang Ananda stepped forward to help His Majesty take away the copybook that had just been used, replaced it with a new one, and then quietly ground ink on the side.

Li Shimin pondered for a long time, then picked up his pen and rewrote it in one go.

This time the cursive script is used.

Seeing that His Majesty had finished writing, Zhang Ananda examined it carefully and praised: "Your Majesty's cursive writing is very suitable, and it is more in line with the majestic momentum of this quatrain, with ups and downs, entanglements, and it must have a clue to the world and the emperor's demeanor."

Li Shimin was very satisfied after hearing this. He carefully looked at the calligraphy he had just written and said, "That's right. Cursive script is indeed more suitable." "Take it and frame it, and hang it in my study."

Zhang Ananda bowed and said, "Yes, Your Majesty."

At this time, a eunuch came to report outside the door.

It is said that there was a case about which the Imperial Censor submitted a memorial.

Since it was sent directly, it was obviously a more urgent case, so Li Shimin had it presented to him.

After reading it, Li Shimin frowned slightly.

It was a case in which the Censor-in-Chief impeached Su Dingfang for corruption and bribery.

At this critical juncture, this move suddenly came out, which was obviously aimed at the Military Academy which would start classes tomorrow.

Li Shimin showed it to Zhang Ananda as well, and asked, "Ananda, do you think this is true?"

This is a conspiracy to plot against the prince.

Li Shimin felt that it was King Wei's trick.

But if it's true, that's another matter.

"I think this matter can be handed over to the Dali Temple for a decision." Zhang Ananda expressed his suggestion.

Li Shimin said: "If this is true, wouldn't it ruin the reputation of the Military Academy?"

"Su Dingfang has done such bad things before."

Li Shimin actually had a deep impression of Su Dingfang. After all, he could not stop thinking about the Weishui Alliance, and he was naturally familiar with the person who captured Jie Li Khan alive.

But allowing soldiers to plunder would be a violation of the laws of the Tang Dynasty.

Given a criminal record, there is no guarantee that the allegations of corruption and bribery are true and well-documented, rather than slander by others.

Zhang Ananda thought for a moment and said, "Su Dingfang was recommended by the crown prince to the Military Academy to train his confidants."

"If Your Majesty dismisses Su Dingfang directly, the Crown Prince will certainly be dissatisfied."

"If we hand it over to the Dali Temple first, if there is solid evidence, the Crown Prince can be prepared and there will be no misunderstanding with Your Majesty."

Li Shimin thought about it and felt that this made sense.

He didn't want to have a conflict with the prince now, so he had to side with the prince on these matters.

"Then let this case be referred to the Dali Temple for review."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Sun Fujia was old and no longer useful, and he did not want to confront Su Tan. Since Su Tan became the Junior Minister of the Dali Temple, many of his words were more effective than those of the Minister of the Temple.

The reason why the censor wanted to bypass the Dali Temple and submit the memorial directly was because he knew that the Dali Temple was almost becoming a one-man show for the prince.

I didn't expect that after coming to Your Majesty's place, I would end up back at the Dali Temple.
-
Dali Temple.

The first person to receive the case was Sun Fujia.

After carefully reading the file, Sun Fujia put it away, handed it to his subordinate and said, "Let Su Shaoqing take charge of this case."

The subordinate was puzzled and said hesitantly, "Temple Minister, there are rumors in the temple recently that the Dali Temple is now headed by the Shaoqing."

"Your Majesty handed the file to the Minister of the Temple this time, perhaps intending to remind the Minister of the Temple."

Sun Fujia laughed and said, "Do you want me to go against the prince?"

"Su Dingfang was recommended by the crown prince to join the Military Academy. The impeachment petition against him did not go to the Dali Temple, but to Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty won't deal with it, and he hasn't given me any other instructions, so why should I get involved in this mess?"

"Tell me, why did Your Majesty hand the case file over to the Dali Temple for disposal?"

The subordinate shook his head and said, "I don't know."

Sun Fujia said nothing more, just waved his hand and asked him to take the file out and hand it to Su Shaoqing.
-
East Palace.

The curfew does not apply to the imperial city.

The Dali Temple is located to the west of the Imperial City, at Shunyi Gate.

After Su Tan got the file, he rushed to report to the prince.

After reading the file, Li Chengqian asked, "What do you think, father-in-law?"

Su Tan said: "I have checked the evidence in the file, and there is something strange about it."

"General Su is an upright person. He would never commit such corruption or bribery. It seems that someone is framing him and they don't want him to enter the Military Academy."

Li Chengqian nodded.

In fact, you can tell whether a person is a corrupt person by looking at his lifestyle.

The salary of the General of the Jinwu Guard was not low, and Su Dingfang was not a person who enjoyed luxury. Such a thing happened at this critical juncture.

It was obviously a retaliation directed at myself.

After thinking for a while, Li Chengqian said, "Arrest the censor who submitted the impeachment memorial for slander, interrogate him overnight, and make a final decision."

Su Tan didn't expect the prince to be so cruel.

This is the rhythm of torture.

Although hesitant, he still said, "Yes, Your Highness."

Li Chengqian explained: "This censor is a member of the Wei Wang Party. Since he dares to jump out and be cannon fodder, he must be prepared to be cannon fodder."

"How dare he directly file an impeachment petition without complete evidence? There is no one behind this, would he dare to do that?"

"If that's the case, then Su Dingfang must be innocent. If there is solid evidence, why not report it directly to the Dali Temple instead of going through all the trouble of petitioning His Majesty."

"What they wanted was to delay and slander Su Dingfang. Even if Su Dingfang was cleared of all charges later, he would have missed the best opportunity to enter the Military Academy again."

"As for me, as long as Su Dingfang is innocent, even if he went too far, it's fine if His Majesty investigates the matter later."

Li Chengqian didn't like to explain, but Su Tan was his father-in-law, and the Dali Temple was indeed a very critical place.

If Su Tan is not firm enough, things could easily go wrong.

After listening to this, Su Tan immediately understood and felt a little ashamed for his hesitation.

Go and do the work immediately.

The Dali Temple did not have the power to arrest criminals, but the Jinwu Guards did.

Coincidentally, the place where this censor lived was under the jurisdiction of Su Dingfang.

So Su Tan drafted an official document and handed it directly to Su Dingfang, asking him to arrest the person.

When Su Dingfang heard that someone was slandering him, he did not hesitate at all. He directly took the official document approved by the Dali Temple and took people to the censor's house.

The censor was stunned. He had just submitted the impeachment in the afternoon, and Su Dingfang came to arrest him in the evening.

"Do you still have the laws of the Tang Dynasty in your eyes?"

The censor roared and questioned.

Su Dingfang sneered, "If someone slanders others, he will be punished according to the law. I'm sure Censor Zhang is not unaware of what is going on."

Censor Zhang fell silent.

He didn't expect the prince to react so quickly.

In fact, it is rare to find a hard-headed person like him. After only seven or eight lashes, Censor Zhang signed the confession.

When the news came out the next day, there was an uproar in the government and the public.

The censors in the Censorate were especially excited.

"The Dali Temple handled the case so quickly? The case file was sent less than two hours ago, and they found out that it was Censor Zhang who slandered?"

"The Jinwu Guards also arrested people overnight, interrogated and convicted them late at night. This must have been torture, it's simply lawless."

"We must report this to the Saint and punish Su Tan of the Dali Temple for the crime of disrupting the law."

The Censorate was a branch of the Suzhengyuan, which implemented vertical management and was directly responsible to the emperor. Even the prime minister could not restrict the power of the Censorate.

The Censor-in-Chief had the power to submit memorials directly to the emperor.

(End of this chapter)