Chapter 39: The courtiers who change their attitude according to the situation, the prince wants to make a final effort

Li Chengqian knelt on the ground with his forehead pressed against the cold ground, not daring to raise his head even a little.

He tried his best to suppress his emotions and not let any of them show.

"As you command," he agreed in a low voice, with some trembling and sadness in his voice.

Emperor Qing waved his hand nonchalantly, as if the decision just now was just a light brush away of dust.

"Okay, now that this matter has been settled, let's continue the court meeting."

There was no trace of emotion in his tone, as if deposing the crown prince was just a trivial matter to him.

At this moment, the prince was no longer the prince, but Li Chengqian.

He stood up slowly, his face expressionless, but his eyes were full of emptiness and confusion.

He stood silently beside Li Chengze like a walking corpse.

Morning continues.

But the atmosphere today is unusually heavy.

The incident of deposing the crown prince that had just happened was like a huge rock pressing on everyone's heart, making the entire court shrouded in depression.

Although Emperor Qing raised several topics, no one's attention was paid to them, so the morning court proceeded much faster than usual.

Down towards the back.

Li Chengyun did not have any communication with Li Chengqian, nor did he talk to anyone else.

He walked straight out of the palace and got on Jian Jiuhuang's carriage.

"Old Huang, today's business is over, let's go to Zuixianju to relax."

There was a hint of relief after exhaustion in Li Chengyun's voice.

"Okay!" Upon hearing this, Old Huang showed a happy smile on his face.

He drove the carriage towards Zuixianju at a very fast speed.

When the old horse pulled the carriage to stop in front of Zuixianju.

The madam came out to greet him like a spring breeze.

She quickly ordered her servants to invite Miss Si Lili, and at the same time, with a smile as beautiful as a flower, she led Li Chengyun and Jian Jiuhuang into the pavilion full of flowers.

Li Chengyun was quite impressed by the madam's thoughtfulness and cleverness, and nodded secretly in his heart.

This old brothel owner is indeed well versed in the ways of the world, and she deserves the reward for spending money many times and indirectly protecting Zuixianju.

Li Chengyun was led to the elegant room on the third floor.

He sat quietly, waiting for Si Lili to arrive.

Just as he was feeling longing for the beauty, there was suddenly a commotion in Zuixianju.

The madam ran up from downstairs in a panic, reporting breathlessly:
"Your Highness, many high officials from the imperial court have come outside, and they all want to see you!"

Li Chengyun frowned slightly, feeling somewhat puzzled.

He walked to the window and looked out, only to see that the area outside Zuixianju was filled with luxurious carriages, all with prominent family logos hung on them.

He looked carefully and found that some of them were the cars of important officials in the court, and he immediately understood.

These court officials must have learned that he had a master-level expert by his side, and wanted to take this opportunity to make friends with him and cling to his power.

He glanced at the various gifts held in the hands of the servants beside the carriage, and couldn't help feeling helpless.

However, Li Chengyun did not show any intention of rejection.

If someone gives you a gift, why should you refuse it?
As a prince, he is naturally qualified to accept these gifts. Who can blame him for this?

He nodded slightly and followed the madam downstairs.

At a glance, I saw many familiar faces that I had seen in the morning court.

Most of them were officials from the former prince's faction.

Li Chengyun knew very well the purpose of these people's visit. He did not refuse them. Instead, he accepted all of them. If they dared to give him something, he would accept it.

However, these officials' goals were obviously more than that, and many of them even expressed their willingness to join him outright.

Although Li Chengyun has no power at present, he has a grandmaster by his side. This grandmaster is powerful enough to rival 100,000 elite soldiers.

His future is naturally bright.

Li Chengyun did not give much thought to these people's surrender, but chose to accept them.

As for whether it will be useful in the future, we will have to wait and see.

at the same time.

Li Chengze also returned to his palace.

He closed the door and stopped trying to hide his smile.

His smile grew brighter, his voice louder, and he felt that he, the grindstone, had finally sharpened the knife.

My father's decision was truly cold as ice. It was so resolute that it left almost no chance for my third brother to survive.

However, despite his emotion, Li Chengze did not show any mercy. With a sinister light flashing in his eyes, he ordered:
"Quickly mobilize the experts under my command to closely monitor Li Chengqian. Once he leaves Kyoto for his fiefdom, we will look for a good opportunity along the way to completely eliminate him!"

Li Chengze's order spread quickly, and the killers gathered secretly, preparing to ambush Li Chengqian.

the other side.

At this time, Li Chengqian also learned from his weak intelligence network that those officials went to Li Chengyun to curry favor and surrender.

He was extremely angry, his heart seemed to be burning with fire, he smashed all the furnishings in the study one by one, and cursed loudly.

"Li Chengyun! Li Chengze! You despicable villains, how dare you snatch my power when I am down and out!"

"Coveting the supreme throne! What a calculated plan!"

When the palace maids and eunuchs outside the palace heard his angry curses, they covered their ears, fearing that they would hear something they shouldn't and be killed.

at this time.

Another eunuch came to convey Emperor Qing's official order.

Emperor Qing asked Li Chengqian to leave the capital and go to his fiefdom after five days, and he was not allowed to return to the capital ever since.

This news was like adding insult to injury, bringing Li Chengqian's anger and despair to a peak.

He knew that the current situation was extremely unfavorable to him.

If he cannot find a way out of the impasse, once he goes to the fiefdom, his life will be like a candle in the wind and may be extinguished at any time.

There was a sharp glint in his eyes.

At this critical moment of life and death, all other disturbances and entanglements seem insignificant.

He must eliminate Li Chengyun, the biggest worry in his heart, before leaving Beijing.

Otherwise, everything will be irreversible.

In addition, he was always alert to Li Chengze's movements.

Li Chengyun might still show some consideration.

And Li Chengze, his second brother who he knew was as paranoid and crazy as the eldest princess, would never let go of this great opportunity.

After making up your mind.

Li Chengqian summoned his trusted guards and whispered:
"Tonight, I'm going to meet those people and tell them that I have something important to discuss."

The guards obeyed the order respectfully and retreated quietly.

Night falls.

Li Chengqian, accompanied by a team of guards, quietly left the palace and came to a quiet restaurant in the city.

He gave the agreed code word and someone led him to a secret room in the backyard.

Inside the room, a man covered in black had been waiting for a long time.

Seeing him step into the room, the man in black asked:

"I wonder what important matter your Royal Highness the Crown Prince of Nanqing has for your late-night visit?"

Li Chengqian sighed softly and said self-deprecatingly:
"Your Highness? I am just a deposed person now."

The man in black chuckled when he heard this: "It seems that Your Highness still harbors resentment in his heart."

"Are you willing to cooperate with the strategy I mentioned to you earlier?"

Li Chengqian didn't want to deal with him too much.

"Is what your Highness said true? Are you really willing to help us kill the Sixth Prince?"

"Of course it's true! If it weren't for him, how could I have ended up like this? Don't you also want to get rid of him as soon as possible?"

The man in black looked stern and said seriously:
"Your Highness is right. We naturally hope to get rid of Li Chengyun! But he is now a ninth-rank master, and there is a great master guarding him. How can we succeed so easily?"

Li Chengqian sneered, a hint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes:
"This is exactly why I want to cooperate with you! I have my own way to lure Li Chengyun out and let him temporarily escape from the protection of the great master! When the time comes, you will need to take action and capture him in one fell swoop!"

"Then, Your Highness, what are your requirements for this cooperation?" the man in black asked respectfully.

Li Chengqian's eyes were deep and his voice was resolute:

"I have only one request. No matter what method you use or what price you pay, Li Chengyun must die in front of me!"

The man in black nodded slightly, with a hint of approval in his eyes:
"That's exactly what I want! Then, happy cooperation."

He stretched out a hand, wanting to shake hands with Li Chengqian to form an alliance.

However, Li Chengqian waved his hand away and said coldly:

"It's just about profit, how can we talk about happiness? After this matter is over, we have nothing to do with each other anymore!"

(End of this chapter)