From Joy of Life, the Tian Gang is reversed

Chapter 52 I am the prince, and I will be the emperor in the future
The weather in Kyoto is like a child's face, changing at any time.

It had only been sunny for two days, and the snow on the ground hadn't melted half yet, and dark clouds had covered the sky again.

A cold wind blew from the north, raising smoke and dust throughout Kyoto.

Imperial Palace, Chengtian Hall, Grand Court Meeting
The atmosphere in the court these days is just like the weather outside, with an alarmingly low air pressure.

In the main hall, Li Chengqian sat in the first seat on the left, still wearing the same green robe. His left hand, as crystal-clear as jade, was placed in front of his eyes, sometimes clenched into a fist, sometimes stretched into a palm, with a glint of curiosity in his eyes, as if the hand was no longer his, but a wonderful treasure he had just obtained.

Opposite him stood the second prince Li Chengze, with a gloomy expression on his face.

It was obvious that he was very angry, so angry that he had several pimples on his face, and the blisters at the corners of his mouth did not go away even after he applied powder.

In the center of the hall, a minor official in a green robe fell to the ground, burying his head deeply between his arms, his body trembling slightly.

"An imperial official was murdered, and his entire family was wiped out overnight. We've been investigating for three days, but we haven't found any clues. Now, you're telling me this is related to the Crown Prince. Wang Daoan, do you know what you're talking about?"

It is not surprising that an imperial official was killed.

The world is not very stable nowadays. There is also the troublemaker Si Gu Jian from Dongyi who relies on his status as a grandmaster to carry out terrorist activities. He kills people from time to time to show his presence, so the killing of officials in Daqing is not an isolated case.

But this time, things were different. Dai Zhongming died on the Liujing River, and the entire pleasure boat was burned, along with the guests and geishas on board...

There are more than twenty people in total.

More than 20 people were killed at one time. The murderer then burned the boat and cremated the bodies. This happened in Kyoto. This would be a major case no matter what era it was in. Not only that, the entire family of Dai Zhongming, who died on the pleasure boat, was also killed on the same night, and more than 30 people died.

Even though Dai Zhongming's rank was not high, he was just a seventh-rank official in the Ministry of Justice, but both the number of deaths and the murder methods were enough to be called a major case that would have exposed the world.

The worst thing is that the modus operandi does not match that of Dongyi City!

It is impossible for the Dali Temple to move to Dongyi City, and even it cannot convince itself.

Three days passed, and everyone in the Dali Temple had turned gray with worry, but they could not find any clues. That would have been fine, as he was mentally prepared to be held accountable at today's court meeting. He had even written his resignation and prepared his excuses. But as luck would have it, a small green-robed official from the Censorate named Wang Daoan, who had gotten himself involved in some kind of dirty business, actually jumped out to impeach the crown prince, saying that he had heard rumors that the matter was related to the crown prince.

This, this, isn't this bullshit?
As soon as Wang Daoan came out, the entire court was in an uproar.

Even His Majesty, who usually does not show his emotions on his face, looked a little unhappy.

Looking left and right, he found that the prince was not present at all, so he immediately sent someone to summon the prince and asked him to defend himself in court.

Then, the prince came and sat in the court, admiring his left hand, not knowing what he was thinking.

Seeing the prince's nonchalant look, Emperor Qing was furious. He cast his gaze on Wang Daoan and asked in a low voice.

Wang Daoan lowered his head even lower, but he still mustered up the courage to make his voice sound more normal.

"I know that Dai Zhongming is a good friend of mine. Since his family was murdered, I have made inquiries and heard that this matter is related to the Eastern Palace. It is a matter of great importance. I believe that there is no smoke without fire, so I dare not conceal it."

"Cheng Qian, what do you think?"

Li Chengqian's gaze was still on his left hand. He clenched it a few times before turning his gaze away and looking at Emperor Qing with a smile in his eyes. "Let's check. Although I don't know who Dai Zhongming is, since we've come to this point today, let's investigate."

"Huh?" Everyone present was a little surprised by Li Chengqian's reaction.

Generally speaking, ordinary officials who were impeached by the censor were required to submit a petition to defend themselves.

If you refuse, then prove your innocence.

If you admit it, please resign.

This is basically the process.

But this time the one who was impeached was the crown prince, a crown prince who did not care about state affairs. Everyone took it for granted that the crown prince would deny it, because everyone present knew that this matter had nothing to do with the crown prince. This Wang Daoan must have been contaminated by something dirty last night to impeach Li Chengqian, a crown prince who did not care about state affairs, had no wings, and was disabled, in court at this critical juncture. Even the second prince, who wanted to dethrone Li Chengqian from the throne, would not do such a thing or for such a reason, and would not even think about it.

Wang Daoan not only dared to think, but also dared to do it. Isn't this a sign that he is possessed by something dirty?
But Li Chengqian neither admitted nor denied it, just one word: check.

He said this word easily, but it caused all the relevant government offices to be troubled.

Check the prince?
How to check?
A sudden silence fell on the scene. Li Chengqian lowered his left hand and raised his head again, saying, "Father, I think what the censor said just now makes a lot of sense. Regardless of the rank of the deceased official, he was an official appointed by the imperial court. In this capital, under the feet of the emperor, an official appointed by the imperial court was killed and his entire family was wiped out. This kind of thing should not happen and cannot happen. Therefore, we must investigate. Not only must we investigate, but we must also punish severely and swiftly. Otherwise, where will the dignity and face of Daqing be?"

Emperor Qing raised his brows, and his ministers had different thoughts.

After pondering for a moment, Emperor Qing nodded and said, "That makes sense, Zhao Zhen."

"I'm here." The Dali Temple Minister looked bitter and walked out of the crowd.

"How is the investigation going on? It's been three days, and there's still no news."

"Your Majesty, your Majesty is incompetent."

What can he say, what can he do.

He knew how complicated the case was, and he also knew that there were many rumors out there.

But can we check it now that we know it?
I can’t find it!
I dare not check!

Who would dare to investigate without clear clues and evidence?
Not everyone is as fierce as Wang Daoan.

He doesn't dare to put the blame on Dongyi at will, so what do you want him to do?
"Incompetent? Humph, Cheng Qian is right. This case should be dealt with severely and swiftly. It's been three days. I'll give you another seven days. If you can't find the truth within seven days, you'll have to quit your job as the Dali Temple Minister."

"My lord, I obey your order."

Zhao Zhen, the Minister of Dali Temple, had a bitter look on his face, but he could not find a reason to refuse. After all, this was his job. He was incompetent and lacked the ability to find the murderer. Since he lacked the ability, he should not just sit there and do nothing. This was reasonable.

"Wait." Just as Zhao Zhen was about to leave, Li Chengqian suddenly spoke.

"Greetings, Your Highness. I wonder what your orders are."

"I see. Just now, this censor reported me, saying that this matter is related to me. I don't know where he heard it from, but since it is related to me, it is natural to investigate. You should come to my East Palace to investigate first."

"Ah?" Zhao Zhen was a little surprised. He had no intention of investigating the Eastern Palace, so why did the prince come up to him?

He then said, "Your Highness, I believe that Wang Daoan is just reporting on hearsay. He has no real evidence and is just making random inferences. This matter has nothing to do with the Eastern Palace."

But I heard Li Chengqian talking to himself.

"No, no, no, no, you're wrong. Regardless of whether there really is a connection or not, since he brought it up here, we must investigate. If you don't investigate, how can you know there is no connection and prove my innocence? I'm the crown prince, and I'm going to be the emperor in the future. How can I have any stains? We must investigate."

I am the crown prince and will be the emperor in the future.

As soon as these words were spoken, the hall suddenly became quiet again.

What he said was correct, and the logic was clear, forming a complete logical chain.

Emperor Qing's eyelids twitched, and he resisted the urge to slap Li Chengqian to death, and said nothing.

Because he found that even he himself could not deny this statement in public, and could not even question it a little, otherwise...

Otherwise, the court will be in chaos for a while.

Chen Pingping, Lin Ruofu and other important officials were also silent, lowering their heads involuntarily so that no one could see their expressions.

Zhao Zhen lowered his head and didn't dare to say a word.

"From now on, the Eastern Palace is open to the Dali Temple. I'm telling you, you must investigate thoroughly. Investigate thoroughly everyone in the Eastern Palace, including my tutors, attendants, subordinates, and the guards, especially the Black Cavalry who guard the Eastern Palace. They are the greatest force I have and the most likely to have committed the crime. Investigate and question every one of them. Ask them where they were at the time of the crime, what they were doing, who they were with, and any witnesses. Every single person's whereabouts must be made clear. Only in this way can I, the crown prince, be cleared of all charges. Humph, how can I, a man who aspires to be emperor,..."

"Shut up!" Emperor Qing, sitting on the dragon throne, finally couldn't help himself and stopped Li Chengqian from verbally arguing with him for the throne. "Zhao Zhen, you heard everything clearly. Just investigate according to what the crown prince said!"

Then, Emperor Qing cast his gaze on Wang Daoan, who was still kneeling on the ground. "Wang Daoan, what do you think of my arrangement?"

(End of this chapter)