Chapter 132: Slap the Crown Prince! I have no interest in the position of Crown Prince! (23)

A few days later, on the eve of the court meeting.

In the corridor, the prince met Fan Xian who was attending court for the first time.

"Morning, Your Highness!"

The prince was somewhat nervous during this court meeting because the people he sent to massacre Shijia Town never returned.

Although they were all his death warriors, it was always distressing to see them disappear without a trace.

Because he had foresight, Li Changan knew that the prince would do such a thing, so he had already ambushed local experts and waited for him.

Those assassins were quite dedicated and refused to speak even after being captured.

"Fan Xian, you have been reported by the Inspectorate, why don't you write a self-defense statement?"

Fan Xian shrugged and said, "The Inspectorate didn't urge us!"

In the original drama, Fan Xian's trapping of Eunuch Dai led to crazy impeachment from the Inspectorate.

When facing impeachment, Fan Xian refused to submit a self-defense statement as per convention, which aroused the indignation of the people in the Inspectorate.

Later, Fan Xian sent a "barking" message to the Inspectorate and submitted a memorial about "treacherous ministers in power", which made the Inspectorate furious.

All these actions were intended to provoke the Inspectorate and have him and Eunuch Dai investigated thoroughly.

In this way, it is equivalent to a sting operation for him, using the Inspectorate to uncover the corruption in the Procuratorate.

But now Fan Xian's sting operation was not completely successful, and the three thousand taels of silver note were torn up in public by Li Chengze.

Moreover, everyone in the Inspectorate was so busy that they were all paying attention to the major smuggling case in the inner treasury, and no one paid attention to whether Fan Xian submitted a self-defense statement.

The prince reminded, "Lai Mingcheng is really trying hard today. Although the main dish is my second brother, you should be careful that Lai Mingcheng will use you as a scapegoat."

Fan Xian pointed at the memorial on his sleeve and said, "I'm here today for Li Chengze as well."

"I didn't take the banknotes that day, and I reported it to Dean Chen in advance.

No matter how capable Lai Mingcheng is, he has no reason to complain about me!"

The prince shook his head. "The censors are very skilled in reporting people. They can always find tricky excuses that you would never expect. You must be careful in dealing with them."

Fan Xian bowed to the prince, "Thank you for your reminder, Your Highness!"

"By the way, Your Highness, please help me find someone who knows the etiquette of attending court and teach me how to attend court."

Afterwards, the prince summoned Xin Qiwu from the Honglu Temple, "Xin Qiwu is in charge of court etiquette and is also responsible for supervising the dignity of all officials. It would be most appropriate for him to teach you!"

Xin Qiwu brought Fan Xian to the main hall for court sessions. Fan Xian couldn't help but sigh that this was not the main hall and the place was a bit small.

In fact, Emperor Qing felt that people in the main hall were standing far away and he couldn't hear clearly what was said, so he changed the court session to a smaller palace.

Below the emperor's throne, on the left stood the crown prince who had already arrived, and over there was where the princes stood.

There were two seats on the right. The Chief Privy Councilor Qin Ye was sleeping soundly on his seat, and the other seat was for the Prime Minister Lin Ruofu.

Fan Xian met Lai Mingcheng, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Inspectorate, who glared at him fiercely, as if he was about to submit a memorial to the emperor to make a report.

The ministers all stood in their positions, only Fan Xian was still standing in the middle looking around. After all, it was his first time attending court, and he was curious!
In the corridor outside the court, Li Chengze finally stopped Li Changan.

"Uncle Prince Yong, I never thought that I would fall into your hands."

Li Chengze looked very haggard, and his voice was trembling slightly.

The little alpaca must have been terrified these days.

Li Changan said indifferently, "It is the happiest thing for you to fall into my hands. It is the best ending for you."

This time, Li Changan's attack came without any warning, which made him feel it was very sudden.

Until now, he still found it completely unbelievable that the person who wanted to make him fail completely was his uncle Prince Yong.

Li Chengze took a few deep breaths and said, "Uncle Yong, what exactly do you want to do? Do you really want me to fail miserably?"

Li Changan stared at Li Chengze and said, "You can't be used as a grindstone, you will be played to death."

"The old man never thought of passing the throne to you. Don't let him play tricks on you again."

Li Changan was a grandmaster. He casually used the Tianyi Dao method to release a trace of true energy shield, which limited the conversation between the two to a very small range.

Speaking of whetstone, Li Chengze certainly knew what it meant.

Over the years, he gradually realized that he was the prince's whetstone.

However, the temptation of being the emperor was too great, making it difficult for him to let go.

"Uncle Prince Yong, there is no turning back once you set foot on this road. If I retreat, I will die!"

Li Changan waved his hand and said, "Don't worry, you won't die as long as I'm here."

Li Chengze still refused to accept the result and said, "Are you so sure that I have no chance of winning?"

Li Changan's answer was firm, "There is absolutely no such possibility!"

The second prince was so angry that he blew his hair, "Uncle Yong, you are just the emperor's younger brother, and you want to marry the princess of the enemy country, it's even more impossible for you!"

Li Changan patted Li Chengze on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry, I am a diamond whetstone, I will definitely break that knife into pieces!"

Li Changan was very fortunate. Even though he had done something shady to Li Chengze, Li Chengze's emotional value only dropped sharply, and he did not develop any hatred towards him.

For this reason alone, the nephew should be given a helping hand.

Your rebellion should be undertaken by this uncle of yours, you cannot control it.

Your original princess, Ye Ling'er, was a very good fighter. This uncle of yours is afraid that you can't beat her, so let me help you.

Li Changan and Li Chengze walked into the hall side by side, and the hall suddenly fell silent.

It's really weird to see these two people walking together.

Everyone knows that the turmoil in Kyoto City against the Second Prince was initiated by Li Changan.

But now, the two of them were talking as if nothing had happened.

However, anyone with better eyesight could see that Li Chengze's face was pale and his hands in his sleeves were shaking.

Because he knew that he had no way of breaking the fatal trap set by Li Changan for him.

But just a few days ago, he realized that all his struggles were in vain.

There was no way he could find Li Yunrui, and he suddenly felt a vague sense of relief.

He suddenly felt that he finally didn’t have to fight anymore, how relaxing!

This feeling was very strange. He knew he shouldn't have such thoughts, but he couldn't suppress it anymore.

There's no hope anyway. The fact that several major government offices can investigate me means they have the tacit approval of His Majesty.

In the face of all the hard evidence, it was a good outcome for him to be alive.

Therefore, Li Chengze now feels relieved as if his heart has died out.

After a brief silence, various whispers could be heard in the hall.

With Li Changan's cultivation level, he could of course hear all these discussions clearly.

"I heard that His Royal Highness Prince Yong has been showing off his talents recently, but it seems that it is not obvious now. He still looks like a gentle and elegant scholar."

"Yes, he didn't look at the throne, and he was very kind to the Second Prince. He didn't look as fierce and evil as the legend said."

"After all, this is a court meeting, so we still have to follow the rules. Even the most flamboyant ones have to restrain themselves a bit."

"Yes, the most important thing in a court meeting is dignity, it's not a private royal family banquet."

……

The two men walked to the bottom of the throne and saw the prince laughing. He suddenly jumped down two steps and gave up his seat.

"Uncle Yong, stand here."

The words were not spoken loudly, but they attracted almost everyone's attention!

The Crown Prince wants to give up his position to Prince Yong!
The hall, which was buzzing just now, suddenly became quiet!
Lin Ruofu looked at the two of them expressionlessly. Qin Ye, who was snoring, actually half-opened his eyes and looked at the uncle and nephew under the throne. In the past six months, rumors about Li Changan were overwhelming.

In particular, Li Changan's actions at the city gate and the family banquet in the palace had long been known to everyone in the officialdom.

Everyone knows that Li Changan does not take the prince seriously and even shows his intention to seize the throne.

Now it is a court meeting, which is the seat of highest power in the Daqing Dynasty. Can anyone just sit in the position of the crown prince?
In the past, when attending court, they stood in the order of Crown Prince, Prince Yong, and Second Prince.

Today, the order should be the Crown Prince, Prince Yong, the First Prince, and the Second Prince.

The crown prince is the heir to the throne and his position is higher than other princes and emperors.

The prince looks smiling, but he is actually harboring evil intentions.

If Li Changan dared to take the position of the crown prince, it would absolutely be an act of usurpation.

If Li Changan didn't dare to stand up, then the prince would have made a comeback for the fact that Li Changan had recently ignored the prince.

No matter how unscrupulous you, Prince Yong, are, you are just talking big. If you were really asked to take the position of Crown Prince, you wouldn't dare to do it.

Therefore, the prince wanted to curb Li Changan's recent arrogance.

Many ministers knew clearly in their hearts that the Second Prince's situation seemed hopeless, and now the Crown Prince and Prince Yong were at loggerheads with each other.

Li Changan has indeed been acting as he pleases recently, but that's because as a grandmaster he doesn't want to be restricted and is too lazy to give face to others.

But this does not mean that Li Changan is making himself uncomfortable in order to be in the spotlight.

It doesn't mean that if someone else has dug a pit, you will jump into it with your eyes open.

The imperial society is most rule-conscious, and court meetings are the places where the rules are most strictly enforced.

Xin Qiwu from the Honglu Temple was still reminding officials everywhere to pay attention to their appearance and words and behavior.

Li Changan's face was as gloomy as water, and he pointed to the seat vacated by the prince.

"Where is this place you asked me to stand?"

The prince had a false smile on his face, "Of course it's where the prince is standing..."

Li Chengqian hadn't finished speaking when his eyes suddenly blurred and his face felt like it was on fire!
By the time he reacted, he had already been slapped away by Li Changan!

Immediately afterwards, Li Changan’s angry voice suddenly rang out in the quiet court!
"You bastard who doesn't know the rules!"

"This is the imperial court. The position of the crown prince was appointed by His Majesty! How can you give it to someone privately?"

"Today is a court meeting. How can we be seated according to seniority like at a family banquet? As a member of the royal family, you have to have a country before you have a family. Do you understand?"

"Li Chengqian, you have been learning rules since you were young, but you speak and act so inappropriately. Today, I will teach you a lesson on behalf of my brother!"

The sudden change made all the ministers in the court freeze in shock, unable to utter a word!
Chen Pingping, who had just walked in, raised the corners of his mouth slightly, as if he had seen something happy.

Lin Ruofu's pupils dilated, and Qin Ye was so shocked that he sat up straight.

What is going on? How did the times become like this!
Someone dared to slap the crown prince in public before the court meeting!

Fan Xian was stunned, his heart pounding. He clearly felt that Prince Yong had gone on a killing spree ever since the start of the No. 1 Poetry Contest in the World!

It's a completely fearless feeling!

Li Chengqian covered his gradually swollen cheek with his hand and looked at Li Changan in disbelief!
Uncle Prince Yong, you don’t play by the rules!
Who would dare to hit the crown prince directly? Compared to him, the second prince is so gentle and considerate!

Li Chengze's mouth twitched in shock, and his numb eyes suddenly regained a glimmer of light.

Li Chengqian, ah, Li Chengqian, I’m afraid your days ahead will be difficult!
In the past, I couldn't stand your hypocritical performances. At most, you would puff your beard and shake your hair, but Uncle Yongwang would take action!

The eldest prince was quick-witted and rushed forward immediately to hug Li Changan's raised foot.

"Uncle Prince Yong, calm down. The Crown Prince gave up his position because he respected you. He forgot the rules for a moment."

If Li Chengru had not reacted quickly enough, Li Changan's kick would have hit the prince in the butt.

While Li Chengru was stopping Li Changan, the ministers in the palace finally reacted, and the most intense reaction came from the prince's party.

"Your Highness Prince Yong, how dare you beat the Crown Prince in public!"

"How dare you, Prince Yong! The Crown Prince is the heir to the throne, how dare you insult him like this!"

"Prince Yong is so rebellious! Your Majesty has never hit the Crown Prince!"

More than a dozen middle-level bureaucrats stood up and began to accuse Li Changan of being disrespectful.

Li Changan was pulled by Li Chengru, and then he turned around and stood still, as if nothing had happened.

Of course he would not jump into the trap dug by Li Chengqian, but he could not help but respond to Li Chengqian's provocation.

Hypocritical and dirty little actor, who are you acting for? You are really asking for a beating!
If we don't teach this kid a lesson, these disgusting tricks will keep popping up in the future.

As a grandmaster, he has no intention of playing games with the prince.

At this moment, a bell rang outside the hall.

The ministers who were yelling at Li Changan immediately shut up.

All the officials began to tidy up their appearance, and the prince immediately stood up and returned to his seat.

Fan Xian, who had just greeted Fan Jian, craned his neck to look outside the door.

"How many times should I knock?"

Xin Qiwu was horrified and hurried over to pull Fan Xian to his seat.

The ministers were all well aware of Fan Xian's identity. He was the emperor's illegitimate son, so it was no wonder that he did not follow the rules.

Emperor Qing, dressed in a black robe, walked into the hall and went towards the throne with an air of majesty without even getting angry.

When he passed by Li Chengqian, he saw the red handprint on the prince's face and stopped.

"Prince, what's wrong with your face?"

Grand Master Emperor Qing, who was just a dozen feet away, had already heard the protests of the ministers in the palace.

Li Chengqian said tremblingly, "Just now, I wanted Uncle Yong to stand in the front, but he ended up beating me..."

"Humph!"

Emperor Qing suddenly snorted angrily, then took two quick steps and sat on the throne.

"Well done!"

Emperor Qing's angry voice echoed in the hall.

His Majesty actually said that Li Changan fought well, and those officials who were on the prince's side immediately felt unfair.

Even Lai Mingcheng is eager to try and beat the prince in the court, so we cannot encourage and condone it.

However, Emperor Qing then said in a resounding voice, "The position of the Crown Prince cannot be easily changed!"

"Li Chengqian gave in privately and was punished by your uncle. He deserved it!"

Several ministers who were originally ready to die for their remonstrance suddenly felt relieved.

This sentence seems to be criticizing Li Chengqian, but in fact it is a warning to Li Changan!

These words reassured the hearts of the prince's followers and also supported the prince.

Li Changan knew that Emperor Qing had already begun to criticize him.

Among the parties fighting for the throne, if one of them is too strong, Emperor Qing will have to step in to balance it.

This method is not new!
"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"

"I have no interest in the position of Crown Prince, but he insisted on giving it to me."

"I have never seen such a strange request before. I am helpless and can only punish you slightly!"

Emperor Qing sneered, "I know!"

"What you are interested in is my throne!"

(End of this chapter)