522: Chapter 522 Give a Reason

The officials in the imperial court looked at each other in dismay; no one had expected such an answer.

"Governor of Qizhou?!" Crown Prince Li Chenghao's facial muscles twitched, and he clenched his fists, saying, "Why… why did he hand these account books over to Chancellor Yang!? Why didn't he send them to the capital himself!?"

Prime Minister Yang Gengzhong's next words left Crown Prince Li Chenghao and the court officials dumbfounded: "Governor of Qizhou also accepted bribes himself and felt too ashamed to face Your Majesty, so he sent a blood-written letter. As for him… he has already committed suicide by taking poison!"

The entire court was in an uproar!

It was actually a "blood-written petition of death"!?

Prime Minister Yang Gengzhong proclaimed aloud, "Your Majesty! These accounts record every single instance of Prince of Donghai and hundreds of officials engaging in corruption, lawlessness, and treason for personal gain!"

"If Your Majesty does not restore justice to the people of the Eastern Territory, where is the dignity of the Son of Heaven!? Where is the law of the Great Gan!? What remains of the foundation of the nation!?"

"This old subject implores Your Majesty to hand these account books over to the Ministry of Justice for a thorough investigation!!"

Crown Prince Li Chenghao's face alternated between red and white, and he felt stars dancing before his eyes.

He had been physically weak lately due to frequent visits to the Peacock Palace.

Stimulated by this, his vision went black, and he actually fainted right on the dragon throne!?

"Your Majesty!—"

The eunuchs and guards fell into chaos, and the morning court session turned into a disaster scene.

It was not until the afternoon that Crown Prince Li Chenghao woke up in his bedchamber.

"Minister Liu Zongfu… quickly summon Minister Liu Zongfu…"

Minister Liu Zongfu arrived at the palace quickly, as he had been waiting outside for a long time.

"Your Majesty, you must take care of your health!" Minister Liu Zongfu said with a look of concern.

"Minister, is there any way to prove that those account books are fake?" Crown Prince Li Chenghao asked straightforwardly, not wanting to hide anything.

Minister Liu Zongfu frowned and said, "Your Majesty, these accounts are not difficult to verify. Furthermore, Chancellor Yang produced the account books in front of all the civil and military officials, along with Governor of Qizhou's blood-written petition of death…"

"Are you asking me to slap my own face?!" Crown Prince Li Chenghao said indignantly, "I just conferred the title of Marquis of Loyalty and Righteousness upon Governor of Qizhou, and this is how he treats me!?"

"Your Majesty, the best course of action now… is to go all the way and deal with the corrupt officials in the Eastern Territory one by one according to those accounts!"

"There are plenty of officials. If one batch dies, replacing them with a new batch loyal to Your Majesty wouldn't that be better?" Minister Liu Zongfu's eyes turned cold as he said, "If Your Majesty trusts me, I am willing to be the sharp sword in your hand and tour the Eastern Territory!"

Crown Prince Li Chenghao suddenly realized, slapping the edge of the bed, "That's right! As long as I slaughter the corrupt officials, the people will support me! Yes, I can use this opportunity to win the hearts of the people!"

"Your Majesty is wise!"

In the capital, inside a private manor.

After leaving the palace, Minister Liu Zongfu quietly entered the courtyard.

At this moment, a young man was sitting with Prime Minister Yang Gengzhong and others, drinking tea and chatting happily.

"Minister Liu Zongfu pays his respects to Prince of Zhenbei!"

The distinguished guest in the courtyard was none other than Lin Xiao, who had arrived in the capital.

Lin Xiao looked at his father-in-law by convenience and felt a bit strange inside.

Liu Hanyi was also serving nearby, but the woman did not know that she was Minister Liu Zongfu's daughter.

Because Shu Yelan had never told her the truth, Lin Xiao did not want to make the decision on his own.

"Minister Liu, no need for formalities. Has the Emperor agreed?"

Minister Liu Zongfu nodded: "Crown Prince Li Chenghao is eager for quick success and instant benefits; his mind is currently occupied with distancing himself from the officials of the Eastern Territory. He has already permitted me to act as the imperial envoy, departing for the Eastern Territory tomorrow to hold the officials of various prefectures in the Eastern Territory accountable."

"Heh… this kid hasn't made any progress since he went from Crown Prince to Emperor."

Prime Minister Yang Gengzhong stroked his beard and said, "The biggest 'corrupt official' in the Eastern Territory is none other than the new Prince Zhaokang of the East Sea, whom he just decreed to be placed in power."

"If one were to conduct a grand investigation into corruption and bribery, how could Prince Zhaokang of the East Sea stand idly by?"

"At that time, Prince Zhaos Mansion and the officials will naturally have a falling out with the imperial court. It is pathetic that he cannot even figure this out…"

"It's not necessarily that he can't think of it, it's just that for Crown Prince Li Chenghao, he has no choice but to take a gamble."

In Lin Xiao's view, this Crown Prince Li Chenghao was just a mediocre person wrapped up in the desire for power.

If he hadn't been born into the imperial family, he wouldn't be so unbearable.

"Minister Liu, on this trip to the Eastern Territory, I will send people to protect you; you just need to do your job without hesitation."

Lin Xiao said, "Since you are a talent recommended by Chancellor Yang, I assume you will not disappoint me."

"Thank you for your high regard, Your Highness. Minister Liu Zongfu will go through fire and water, and will not refuse!"

Baili Zhuifeng, who was on the side, laughed: "Minister Liu, rest assured. With my Yanyu Second Floor protecting you, within the Eastern Territory, unless the Sweeping Monk takes action himself, no one will be able to kill you."

Minister Liu Zongfu looked at him, his smile complex: "It is truly a pity that Building Master Baili sacrificed the identity of Governor of Qizhou for this grand plan."

"Haha, no problem! When the Prince takes the throne, I will change my name to 'Zhou Yu' and return to Jiangdong!"

Lin Xiao nearly spat out his tea!

Damn! If the map didn't match, he would have thought he had accidentally traveled to the Three Kingdoms period.

"By the way, Your Highness, there is one more thing I must report to you."

Minister Liu Zongfu said solemnly, "Consort De in the harem, who is the mother of the former First Prince, has been acting suspiciously ever since she left the Cold Palace."

"I have sent people to monitor it. In that Peacock Palace, strange palace maids come and go regularly, and they also purchase some special spices, which can be used to make hallucinogenic drugs."

"I am not sure what exactly Consort De is plotting, but I felt I should inform the Prince."

Lin Xiao nodded with appreciation. No wonder he could be noticed by Shu Yelan when he was young, and could be regarded as a favorite student by Prime Minister Yang Gengzhong.

"The strange palace maid that Minister Liu mentioned, perhaps I also know…"

Lin Xiao snapped his fingers.

Wangliang, who had been in the shadows, brought out a palace maid who was tied up and gagged from the room.

Prime Minister Yang Gengzhong and Minister Liu Zongfu were both startled. They hadn't expected that there was someone tied up in the room!

"This woman is named AXiang, and she is the boss behind the largest gambling house in the East Sea City, usually appearing in the guise of a maidservant."

"She was originally a palace maid in the Great Peacock Kingdom royal palace, a loyal servant who followed Consort De from the foreign land to the Great Gan."

Speaking of this, the palace maid named AXiang widened her eyes, full of terror and confusion.

Lin Xiao seemed to remember something and turned back, saying, "Oh, right, I haven't interrogated you yet. You must be very curious about how I know your real name, right?"

Before AXiang could respond, Lin Xiao smiled again: "Not only do I know your name, but I also know that both you and Consort De are remnants of the Moon Worship Cult."

AXiang trembled all over, as if she had seen some ghost or god.

Prime Minister Yang Gengzhong and the others were also greatly shocked. Consort De in the harem was from the Moon Worship Cult!?

How did the Prince, who had come to the capital for the first time, know this news!?

Could it be that even in the harem, the Prince of Zhenbei had already secretly planted eyes and ears?

The look in their eyes when they looked at Lin Xiao became even more respectful and fearful. They felt that this young Prince of Zhenbei was truly unfathomable!

Prime Minister Yang Gengzhong and his disciple thought even more: Could it be that the Empress had seen long ago that this husband of hers had schemes as deep as the sea, and therefore never dared to mention ascending the throne again?

Lin Xiao naturally did not know that he had caused so much speculation just by teasing AXiang.

After the others left, Lin Xiao let Wangliang tear off the gag from AXiang's mouth.

"I know that you are certainly not afraid of death. Therefore, I will not force you to tell me how many secrets of the Moon Worship Cult and Consort De there are."

AXiang looked arrogant, with an expression that said she didn't care whether she was killed or carved up.

But Lin Xiao's next sentence caused her psychological defense to collapse completely!

"Tonight, I will kill Consort De. If you want to save her, give me a reason not to kill Consort De."