Help! The cunning and treacherous minister and I were reborn together!

As early winter approached and the weather turned chilly, both Consort Wei and the Crown Prince fell ill. Because of Xing'er's matter, Li Kai did not want to go to Consort Yuan's palace. After wandering around for a while, he finally went to Consort Liang's palace.

Consort Liang was flattered and quickly served tea and snacks, massaging the emperor's shoulders and neck to relieve his fatigue.

The two were no longer young. They chatted about the Prince of Jin's studies and then rested.

Life became stagnant, and Li Kai increasingly felt that he was getting old, even losing the motivation to attend court.

With each new emperor comes a new court. Eunuch Fu, fearing the loss of his favor with the new emperor, diligently sought out beautiful palace maids to serve His Majesty. However, Li Kai always felt powerless to keep up, and only after disciplining two maids who desperately tried to curry favor was the matter finally settled.

Xu Dahai never expected his godson to be so bold as to try to place a woman next to the Emperor, so he taught the man a lesson and realized that he should also seek a way out!

The crown prince is young. If we can use him to command the princes, everyone will be happy. But that infant is weak and sickly. It's hard to say whether he will even survive, let alone help him ascend the throne.

Prince Jin is older, and Consort Liang's maternal family consists of a group of pedantic scholars; it's unlikely they'll obey. Besides them, only Prince Yong and the eldest grandson of the emperor remain as candidates.

Do not!

Even the eldest grandson of the emperor is out of the question!

The Empress's elder brother commands 300,000 border troops, and His Majesty allows him to wear a sword and carry shoes in the palace. If they dare to control the Empress and the eldest grandson of the Emperor, the other side will dare to chop them down with a single blow.

Then it can only be His Highness Prince Yong!

We need to find an opportunity to get rid of the Prince of Jin, the Crown Prince, and the eldest grandson of the Emperor.

To Xu Dahai's surprise, this opportunity came soon, and of course, it was all thanks to Xiao Zong.

Perhaps His Majesty has realized that he is getting old and the Crown Prince is too weak. Recently, he has been bestowing great honors upon the Prince of Jin, seemingly considering changing the heir apparent.

The officials, those with quick wits, all took sides, and some even went so far as to directly petition His Majesty to establish the Prince of Jin as the Crown Prince.

Prince Jin knelt down in terror, distancing himself from the man, pledging his loyalty, protesting his innocence, and insisting that the matter had nothing to do with him. Li Kai, seeing his humility, greatly admired him and became even more determined to change the heir apparent.

That day, Li Kai held a banquet for his officials in the main hall, and casually inquired about their opinions of the Prince of Jin. Many officials praised the Prince of Jin highly, but Grand Tutor Mu snorted coldly and abruptly stood up.

"I disagree!"

Li Kai frowned. "What do you mean, my dear minister?"

"Your Majesty has been testing us time and again, isn't it just because you want to change the crown prince to Prince Jin? In terms of talent, he is no match for Prince Wu; in terms of virtue, he is a hundred times inferior to the former crown prince! In history, crown princes who are fond of male homosexuality are bound to bring about the downfall of their kingdoms. Does Your Majesty want the Great Qi to perish after only three generations?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire hall fell silent.

Was the Prince of Jin fond of men?

I've never heard of that before!

Imperial Censor Qin stepped forward, trembling with fear, and said, "Grand Tutor, you cannot speak so carelessly!"

Even they, as censors, failed to discover that the Grand Tutor knew such a secret. If it is true, the entire Censorate will be held accountable!

Grand Tutor Mu glared at him coldly, "The whole capital is buzzing about it, but you in the Censorate are all blind and deaf, spending your days collecting your salaries and indulging in pleasure!"

One sentence angered the entire Censorate, and the censors stood up to refute it.

Seeing that the Grand Tutor was so certain, Feng Quan felt that the rumors were probably true, so he pulled his mentor back to his seat and told him not to act impulsively.

The main hall was in complete chaos. Officials who were usually impeccably dressed rolled up their sleeves and started shouting, just like street urchins cursing.

Xiao Zong, holding his wine glass, chuckled lightly, "Truly an insult to refinement!"

Feng Quan glanced at him. "Lord Xiao is so calm, as if he had foreseen the future. Could this be your doing?"

Xiao Zong met his gaze. "Lord Feng, you can't falsely accuse an innocent person without any evidence! My wife is pregnant, and I rush home to take care of her every day after work. I don't have time to meddle in other people's private affairs!"

Feng Quan's eyes were unfathomable as he gritted his teeth and said, "That would be best!"

The Prince of Jin clenched his fists and jumped to his feet. "Grand Tutor, do you have any evidence for your statement?"

Grand Tutor Mu glanced at him sideways. "A few days ago, Your Highness abducted a man with a slender waist and narrow hips into your residence, intending to commit illicit acts. Fortunately, that man knew some martial arts and injured your men, escaping from the residence. Your Highness, where do you think that man is now?"

The Prince of Jin was shocked and exclaimed, "Could it be..."

Grand Tutor Mu stroked his beard, smiling smugly. "That's right, it's right here in my residence."

The noisy scene quieted down for a moment, then erupted again.

"Alright, shut up, all of you!" Li Kai slammed his fist on the table in anger. "We'll discuss the matter of changing the heir later. Dismissed!"

As the officials gradually left the hall, Xu Dahai narrowed his eyes, scanning the many backs of the officials, wondering who had helped him.

Li Kai pinched the bridge of his nose. "Prince Jin, stay!"

The Prince of Jin knelt tremblingly in the center of the hall. After everyone had left, he crawled on his knees to His Majesty's side, and tears streamed down his face.

"Father..."

Snapped--

A very loud slap.

"Useless thing!"

"Father, I was wrong! I will definitely repent and correct my mistakes. I beg you to give me another chance!"

"Get rid of all that filthy stuff in your residence. From now on, follow your tutors and learn how to handle government affairs properly. If you commit any more debauchery, don't blame me for not showing any mercy as your father!"

"Thank you, Father. I will certainly follow your teachings and not let you down!"

Li Kai sighed, "Go see your mother. It happened so suddenly, she must be terribly worried."

Li Xin kowtowed, respectfully answered "Yes," and then walked out the door.

Xu Dahai's eyes flickered. It seemed that His Majesty was still reluctant to part with Prince Jin. He had to add fuel to the fire.

"Xu Dahai, tell me, have I been too lenient with Xin'er?"

Xu Dahai flattered, "His Highness Prince Jin is His Majesty's own son. What father in the world doesn't love his son? It's a matter of course. Who would dare to say anything against it? Besides, His Highness Prince Jin hasn't committed any serious offense. This servant thinks that the Grand Tutor is making a mountain out of a molehill!"

Li Kai glanced sideways, "How dare you! Grand Tutor, a high-ranking official of the state, is not someone you can question!"

"This slave deserves death!"

Xu Dahai knelt down on both knees and begged for forgiveness in a trembling voice.

"Alright, get up. Look at you, so easily frightened."

"Your master has always known that I am a coward!"

Li Kai smiled, then his expression suddenly turned serious. "I have a feeling that something is amiss with this matter. Send an imperial edict to the Leopard Guard, instructing Xiao Zong to investigate and see who is behind this!"

"Yes!"

Xu Dahai sat in the sedan chair, his head throbbing.

Commander Xiao is highly capable; he can solve such a small case in just three to five days.

Although the life or death of the person behind the scenes is none of his business, he's happy to have someone solve his problems, and he can't let that person get caught.

correct!

His Highness Prince Jin also visited to propose marriage to Miss Chu, and it's said that Xiao Zong and Prince Jin had a falling out over this. Perhaps Commander Xiao is secretly hoping Prince Jin will suffer, and therefore won't be so eager to investigate!