Chapter 389 Assassin
As expected, today's morning court was bloody.

As soon as the court session began, Grand Tutor Chen Xiuyuan was the first to step forward and make his speech.

"Your Majesty, an assassin appeared in the palace yesterday and came straight towards Your Majesty. The Dali Temple tried the captured assassin overnight last night, and he has already confessed the mastermind behind the incident."

Chen Xiuyuan was the confidant of the late emperor Zhao Che. After Zhao Che's death, this man pretended to be sick and remained silent. Today, he suddenly made a report in the court, and it was about such a major event as the assassination of the new emperor, which immediately caused an uproar in the court.

"Oh!" The new emperor on the dragon throne looked surprised when he heard this: "The mastermind behind this was found out so quickly."

"Who is it?" Zhao Pan asked Chen Xiuyuan.

Old Chen Xiuyuan, with his eyes shining with brilliance, glanced secretly at Lu Ji, who was sitting below the new emperor and attending court.

"Your Majesty, since this matter is under the jurisdiction of the Dali Temple, please ask the Dali Temple Minister to explain it in detail."

As he said this, Chen Xiuyuan stepped aside and signaled with his eyes for Wang Ren, the Minister of Dali Temple, to speak.

Wang Ren stepped out and first glanced at Lu Ji who was sitting on the Danbi. The man was solemn and serious, without any sign of panic. Wang Ren became a little hesitant.

Seeing this, the new emperor Zhao Pan said at the right time: "My dear Lord Wang, just report back to me about whatever you have learned from the interrogation."

Wang Ren then knelt down and replied, "After interrogation all night yesterday, the assassin finally confessed. Yes, yes."

When it came to the key point, he began to hesitate and once again secretly turned to the Regent Lu Ji above him. Seeing that the other party was calm and composed, he could not help but tremble slightly.

All the civil and military officials focused their attention on Wang Ren, who was kneeling in the center of the Golden Palace.

"Who is it?" Zhao Pan couldn't help showing an anxious look on his face: "My dear Wang, please tell me."

Wang Ren raised his hand to feel the sweat on his forehead: "Yes, it's the Regent."

As soon as these words came out, the whole hall was in an uproar.

"Mr. Wang, you are talking nonsense." Huo Lang, the commander of the patrol department, ignored etiquette and strode out of the line, accusing Wang Ren and scolding him, "You old man, you are just talking nonsense. The prince is your majesty's uncle, how could he assassinate your majesty?"

"Tell me, who instructed you to slander the prince?"

As he spoke, Huo Lang was about to step forward and use force on Wang Ren, but was fortunately stopped by a court official. Then, another important cabinet official, Zhang Shouzheng, stepped forward and said to the sage, "Since your majesty ascended the throne, the prince has been wholeheartedly assisting you. He has devoted all his energy to the affairs of the court. As the old saying goes, a tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind. The prince is so capable that he will surely attract the jealousy of others. I think that this case of assassination in the harem may be a frame-up. Your majesty, please investigate thoroughly."

"Master Zhang is deliberately biased and trying to confuse the public." Grand Tutor Chen Xiuyuan stepped out again and spoke sharply: "The assassin has already confessed, how can it be false? Since ancient times, there have been many examples of ministers who were blinded by greed and eventually killed the king."

He bowed deeply to Zhao Pan and said, "Your Majesty, the century-old foundation of the Great Zhou Dynasty must not be destroyed in the hands of traitors. I advise Your Majesty not to be soft-hearted. I beg you to eliminate the traitors and protect the Great Zhou Dynasty for thousands of years."

"Master Chen, please get up first."

Zhao Pan gestured to Chen Xiuyuan to stand up, then turned to look at Lu Ji beside him, with a look of deep sorrow on his face.

At this moment, the court was in a state of near-tens of tensions, with all the eyes of the civil and military officials focused on Zhao Pan and Lu Ji.

Waiting for the final decision.

But from the beginning to the end, Lu Ji had a deep look, as if he was in a trance, as if this dispute had nothing to do with him. One was a man who had experienced many hardships and defeated several former great families. Even the sinister and treacherous emperor was defeated by him. The man could be said to have struggled in the vortex of power. The other was a young man who had just come of age and had not yet lost his spirit.

Zhao Pan was determined to win at first, but seeing Lu Ji was so calm, he began to feel a little scared.

"uncle--"

He called out Lu Ji without confidence.

After a long while, there was no response from Lu Ji.

During this waiting time, it seemed like a lifetime to Zhao Pan.

Finally, Lu Ji spoke. He turned his head and said calmly, "Your Majesty, what do you think about this?"

"Me?" Zhao Pan was stunned: "I, of course I believe my uncle."

He spoke stutteringly, and in front of Lu Ji, the momentum he had just built up immediately disappeared like a deflated ball, leaving only a pitiful and lingering breath.

Lu Ji was amused, but it was actually a laugh that was chillingly cold.

"It's good that Your Majesty can trust me." Finally, he said this lightly.

Upon seeing this, all the civil and military officials could not help but whisper to each other. The royalists were determined to overthrow Lu Ji. If the emperor was not firm in his stance, they would inevitably be put into an irretrievable situation.

"Your Majesty." Chen Xiuyuan took the lead and said, "The evidence of regicide is irrefutable. If you are merciful at this moment, the Zhao family will surely fall into the hands of others. Your Majesty, please think twice."

"Your Majesty, what the Grand Tutor said is very true." The head of the Zhao family, Prince Xian, stepped out and said, "Your Majesty, I ask you to investigate this matter thoroughly. It is a matter of great importance and must be investigated thoroughly."

Without waiting for Zhao Pan's response, Lu Ji smiled faintly. He raised his eyes and looked down at the Xian Prince, saying in a light tone, "The Xian Prince has been in seclusion for many years, but now he has come out for the sake of the Zhao family." The man smiled coldly, "This is quite a grand ceremony."

The entire court was on the verge of a fight, but the people involved in this matter looked nonchalant and unconcerned, which made the royalists a little unsure.

"Your Majesty." Chen Xiuyuan stepped out again and said, "Since the Dali Temple has already found out the result, I think the right thing to do is to arrest the suspect first and then conduct a trial slowly."

As soon as Chen Xiuyuan finished speaking, the Jinyiwei beside Zhao Pan subconsciously put his hand on the hilt of the sword.

"I want to see who dares to harm the prince!" Upon seeing this, Lu Ji's faction, led by Huo Lang, immediately strode out. These military officers were all murderous and stood in the center of the Golden Palace, scaring the civil officials so much that they changed color.

Zhao Pan could no longer hold on and stood up from the dragon chair in a panic: "My lords, please don't be impulsive. Please don't be impulsive."

Seeing that the two sides were deadlocked, Lu Ji slowly spoke: "This case is of great importance. We cannot make a conclusion based on the one-sided statement of the Dali Temple alone. Let's investigate it slowly."

"His Majesty."

Zhao Pan was startled by Lu Ji's sudden call. Lu Ji said calmly, "This matter concerns my innocence. Your Majesty, please order someone to investigate it thoroughly."

After saying this, the man did not wait for the new emperor to react, and said to the ministers: "Dismiss the court."

Before the ministers could react, he had already put down the Danbi and strode out of the Golden Palace.