Marrying the Crown Prince

He had come all this way to report on his work. "Your Highness, the prisoner has confessed. Here is his confession."

Li Ziyan glanced through the documents briefly, then his gaze settled on the amount of money confiscated from the mansion. "I always thought that only when the emperor was far away could a local tyrant emerge. I never imagined that such a person could exist right under the emperor's nose."

His Highness the Crown Prince raised his eyes and revealed a sinister smile to the Prefect of the Capital.

The Prefect of Jingzhao trembled, his legs went weak, and he knelt on the ground, tears streaming down his face. "Your Highness, it is my fault for being useless and failing to manage my subordinates. Please punish me."

Li Ziyan seemed startled, his face slightly blank, and he asked in confusion, "Lord Cheng, what is this? Please get up quickly."

After saying that, he gave Chang Yi a wink, and Chang Yi helped the Prefect of Jingzhao up and pressed him back into his chair.

The Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture: "..."

The eunuch beside His Highness the Crown Prince looks so skinny, how come he's so strong? Wait, I haven't even finished acting yet, how come he lifted me up like a little chick?

“Lord Cheng, the affairs of the Kyoto government are very complicated. It is already hard work for you to manage them so well. As for failing to detect in time that your subordinates were deceiving their superiors and doing such heinous and immoral things, your father and I can understand.”

"With Your Highness's words, this old minister has lived a fulfilling life and can die without regrets."

As he spoke, the Prefect of Jingzhao tried to kneel down again, but Li Ziyan held his hand.

He was equally moved, saying, "With you in Dachen, the people will surely prosper and the country will be wealthy."

The Prefect of Jingzhao tugged at me, "I kneel, I kneel—but I can't kneel down!"

What's going on with the Eastern Palace?

It's one thing for the head eunuch to be strong, but how come His Highness the Crown Prince is also so strong?

"Your Highness, what virtue or ability do I possess to bear such a heavy responsibility?" Unable to kneel down, the Prefect of the Capital could only laugh it off.

"Eh?" Li Ziyan looked disapproving. "You are worthy of this title, sir. You are a third-rank official in the capital appointed by the Emperor himself. You can directly submit memorials to the Imperial Study. In terms of closeness and distance, which other official can hold such a position in the Emperor's heart as you?"

The Prefect of Jingzhao was now truly on the verge of kneeling—"Your Highness, this flattery is surely an invitation for me to face any hardship! You yourself said I'm just a minor official of the third rank. In this vast capital, a single falling tile could easily hit three or five third-rank ministers. What use is my third rank!"

It has many uses, such as now—

After laying so much groundwork, Li Ziyan continued, revealing his ultimate goal: "A mere county magistrate, who has amassed wealth through murder, abducted women, and committed countless evil deeds, is someone no one in the world would believe has no powerful backers!"

"It just so happens that Your Excellency possesses extraordinary abilities and happens to be passing by this place. I will entrust this matter to Your Excellency and hope that Your Excellency will live up to this trust and do your utmost to restore justice to the people."

"Chen, minister..."

The Prefect of Jingzhao still wanted to shirk responsibility. After all, anyone with eyes could see that a county magistrate who dared to be so arrogant must have a powerful backer who was not to be underestimated and was not someone a mere third-rank official in the capital could afford to offend.

“Lord Cheng,” Li Ziyan raised an eyebrow, his voice low and tinged with an almost imperceptible coldness, “if I am not mistaken, the twenty-four prefectures surrounding the capital are all within your jurisdiction.”

The incident happened within your jurisdiction. If you don't take responsibility, who will?

Furthermore, while there were indeed countless third-rank officials in the capital, very few could directly submit their credentials to the emperor for an audience.

So, if we don't entrust this matter to you, who will?

The warning in Li Ziyan's tone was too obvious, and the Prefect of Jingzhao knew that he could no longer shirk his responsibility. He had no choice but to stand up and bow, saying, "Your Highness, I will certainly live up to your expectations and give the people justice."

"In addition, I have something else to report to Your Highness." The Prefect of Jingzhao hesitated, waiting for Li Ziyan to continue.

This old thing!

Li Ziyan was inwardly grumbling: He had just forced him to take on this difficult task, and now he had something to ask of him. What a shrewd deal.

However, what our Crown Prince thinks is one thing, but what he says is another.

He spoke earnestly, saying, "Lord Cheng, please speak frankly."

"Your Highness, when we searched the mansion of that vile and despicable man today, we found that there were many young women in the backyard who had been forcibly taken as concubines by the father and son."

"I believe that these young women's marriages were not what they wanted, yet they are now willing to stand up and testify against the corrupt officials."

"Therefore, Your Highness, I implore you to be lenient with these young ladies from the back courtyard."

At this point, the Prefect of Jingzhao knelt on the ground again, his back straight, his eyes shining with determination as he stared intently at Li Ziyan, his voice steady and powerful.

Li Ziyan's eyes flickered slightly, and he personally helped the man up. "Lord Cheng's dedication to the people is a blessing for our dynasty and for the people as well."

"I grant your permission."

At this moment, Zhou Zhou, who had overheard the entire process, spoke up, "Your Highness, Your Excellency, what will happen to these ladies afterward?"

The Crown Princess suddenly asked a question, and the Prefect of the Capital Prefecture hesitated for a moment before replying, "According to the law, she should be made a government prostitute. However, since this is a lenient sentence, how about sending her to a nunnery to live out the rest of her life in peace?"

Upon hearing his words, Zhou Zhou frowned. "Lord Cheng, this trip is not advisable. Since ancient times, only those who commit crimes have been sent to nunneries to shave their heads and practice Buddhism."

“Those girls have done nothing wrong, they are already pitiful, why make things difficult for them?”

Few people in positions of power can think about issues from this perspective, so Zhou Zhou's words aroused the curiosity of the Prefect of the Capital. He raised his eyes to re-examine the Crown Princess who had been sitting beside the Crown Prince, listening to them discuss state affairs.

Zhou Zhou was not afraid of others' inquiries and stated his thoughts directly, "If Lord Cheng does not mind, after this matter is over, could you hand the young lady over to me to handle?"

"This……"

The Prefect of Jingzhao looked troubled and glanced at Li Ziyan.

How could His Highness the Crown Prince, with his keen intellect, not understand his meaning?

"Alright, they're just a few criminal slaves," Li Ziyan snorted, then said to the Prefect of Jingzhao, "Just send them over when the time comes."

"Yes."

All matters were finally concluded, and both ministers, having been assigned numerous tasks, rose to take their leave.

Ye Zejin and the other person turned and left. Li Ziyan stared at the back of the Prefect of Jingzhao with a deep look in his eyes and complained to Zhou Zhou, "What a cunning old fox."

Zhou Zhou smiled faintly, "Your Highness speaks of such disdain, but in your heart, you must greatly admire this Lord Cheng, right?"