The prince is fierce: Who dares to steal my woman?

Upon hearing this, Liu Kun's face turned ashen, his eyes practically spitting fire. He roared, "Guards! Take this Cui Zhu to the Ministry of Justice prison immediately and interrogate him thoroughly! If it is truly proven that he is a traitor to Liu Zhan, no matter who pleads for him, he will be executed without mercy!"

Before he finished speaking, two squads of armored guards, armed with spears, rushed in from outside the hall and surrounded the unsuspecting Cui Zhu. Cui Zhu's face turned deathly pale instantly, his eyes filled with terror and despair. He tried to struggle, but was firmly held up by two strong guards, his feet almost off the ground.

It turns out that for Liu Kun, what he cared about most was the loyalty of his subjects; as for the law of the land, he considered it utterly meaningless. Moreover, Cui Zhu, a member of the Crown Prince's faction, standing up to impeach Xiao Jinyan at this time actually deepened Liu Kun's trust in Xiao Jinyan.

At this critical moment, Xiao Jinyan shouted, his voice echoing throughout the hall: "Wait!"

Keeping Cui Zhu, a member of the princeling faction, alive will still be useful in the future. If it can be protected, Xiao Jinyan should do his best to protect him.

The sudden shout made everyone pause. The soldiers gripped their spears tightly, but dared not take another step forward.

"Minister Xiao, what else do you have to say?"

Xiao Jinyan took a deep breath and said solemnly, "Your Majesty, I dare to ask you this: Although Liu Zhan has been brought to justice, he was, after all, the Crown Prince. During his more than ten years as Crown Prince, his cronies have spread throughout the court and are deeply entrenched. Even if Your Majesty is willing to purge them, can you ensure that they are all eliminated?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Kun's expression changed slightly. He remained silent for a moment, and although his tone was firm, it was not without hesitation: "Although we cannot kill them all, as the ruler of the world, how can I tolerate such traitors going unpunished? I must take action and eliminate them one by one!"

Xiao Jin said righteously, "Your Majesty, I dare to offer this advice. Regarding Liu Zhan's remaining followers, I believe that we should first adopt a magnanimous approach and try to win them over. As for those who are stubborn and determined to oppose the court, we should then take swift and decisive action to set things right."

Upon hearing this, the court fell silent; even the air seemed to freeze.

To be honest, if Cui Zhu hadn't impeached Xiao Jinyan, Xiao Jinyan really wouldn't have said those words. Liu Kun is a very suspicious person, especially when it involves the remnants of the Crown Prince's faction and the struggle for imperial power. The issue becomes very sensitive, and even Wei Wuji doesn't dare to say such things easily.

Just now, Cui Zhu impeached Xiao Jinyan, and Xiao Jinyan then revealed that Cui Zhu was hiding the fact that he was a member of the Crown Prince's faction, thus stating his own position. Now that he has said these words, the situation has become completely different.

Liu Kun frowned, clearly hesitant about Xiao Jinyan's suggestion. He knew that this was not just about how to deal with Cui Zhu, but also a matter of great importance concerning the stability of his throne.

Seeing this, Xiao Jinyan spoke again, his tone even more earnest: "Your Majesty, I speak not out of personal motives, but for Your Majesty's sake, for the sake of the Song Dynasty's stability and prosperity. I hope Your Majesty will see through this and adopt my plan, so as to demonstrate Your Majesty's benevolence and virtue and to solidify the foundation of our Song Dynasty."

After speaking, Xiao Jin turned his gaze to Cui Zhu, who was trembling beside him, and said with an unquestionable authority, "Cui Zhu, are you willing to wholeheartedly pledge allegiance to the current emperor, abandon all selfish thoughts, and remain steadfast in your loyalty?"

After he finished speaking, he winked slightly, the implication of which was self-evident.

Cui Zhu understood immediately, and knelt down instantly, his forehead hitting the cold ground heavily. He cried out, "Your Majesty, I was foolish and ignorant, and committed a grave mistake. I have now repented and reformed. From now on, I will be loyal to Your Majesty without reservation, and will go through fire and water without hesitation to repay the court's kindness with my life."

Upon hearing this, Liu Kun's gaze lingered on Cui Zhu for a moment, as if he were weighing something.

After a moment, he spoke slowly, his voice carrying an undeniable authority: "Cui Zhu, you were disloyal to me in the past, but considering your past merits, I will not pursue the matter for now. Effective immediately, you are demoted to Imperial Censor and your salary is reduced for three years as punishment. I hope you will sincerely repent and serve the Emperor faithfully from now on. If you commit another offense, I will not let you off lightly!"

Upon hearing this, Cui Zhu felt a great weight lifted from his shoulders and immediately knelt down, kowtowing repeatedly: "Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty. I will certainly repent and be loyal to you to repay Your Majesty's grace of sparing my life."

Upon seeing this, Liu Kun nodded slightly, then turned his gaze to Xiao Jinyan, his tone filled with admiration: "Minister Xiao is loyal to the emperor and loves the country with a sincere heart. He is truly a pillar of the nation and a model for all officials. I am very pleased, very pleased."

"Thank you for your kind words, Your Majesty. I am truly humbled and honored."

Xiao Jinyan smiled slightly, thinking to herself that in later generations there was a board game called "Werewolf" that was all the rage. The board game that she and Cui Zhu were playing today was a familiar strategy for playing Werewolf, called "Wolf Steps on Wolf".

To be precise, it's about the two wolves stepping on each other to create the illusion that they are adversaries, ensuring that one of the deep-water wolves is not pushed out.

Today's situation was a bit unusual. When Cui Zhu jumped out, he didn't know that Xiao Jinyan was his "wolf teammate," and almost bit him as if he were human. Xiao Jinyan, however, knew Cui Zhu's true identity, so he improvised and played the wolf-on-wolf card.

In this way, although Cui Zhu was exposed, Xiao Jinyan could hide even more deeply. Furthermore, Xiao Jinyan's eloquent speech saved Cui Zhu's life, making it a win-win situation.

Seeing that Liu Kun intended to let Xiao Jinyan go, Wei Wuji's resentment flared instantly. He stepped forward, his robes billowing in the wind, and said sternly, "Your Majesty, Xiao Jinyan is incredibly audacious, daring to kill a court general and showing utter contempt for imperial authority. Does Your Majesty intend to let such an act go unpunished?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Kun frowned slightly, as if he was weighing something.

After a moment of silence, he spoke slowly, his voice steady and powerful: "The Duke of Qin is absolutely right. Minister Xiao's actions have indeed violated the law and must be investigated. However, considering his past merits and his unwavering loyalty to me, I will punish him leniently with a one-year salary deduction as a warning. I hope he will take this as a lesson and act more cautiously in the future."

Upon hearing this, Wei Wuji's expression changed drastically, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head, a chill penetrating to his very core. A year's salary as punishment? That was nothing to the wealthy and powerful Xiao Jinyan! It was merely a way for both of them to save face...

Then, he raised his voice incredulously, his tone filled with indignation: "Your Majesty! How can you be so lenient towards evil, merely punishing Xiao Jinyan, a traitor who defies imperial orders, with a salary reduction? Isn't this disheartening to the entire court and bringing shame to the law!"

Liu Kun gently shook his head, a hint of helplessness and deep meaning in his eyes: "Duke Qin, please calm down. Although Xiao Jinyan's killing of Jing Chen was an extreme act, unbecoming of a subject, as far as I know, Jing Chen also had his own faults. He was insubordinate, verbally offended Xiao Jinyan first, and even made indecent advances towards Xiao Jinyan's concubine, which led to this disaster. Although Xiao Jinyan's actions were wrong, there were also extenuating circumstances. As the ruler of the world, I should distinguish right from wrong and make a fair judgment. I cannot punish him harshly indiscriminately and lose the hearts of the people."