155: Beheading the second rank official in the street! The prince's affair is exposed! (

Chapter 154: Beheading a Second-Rank Official in the Street! The Crown Prince's Illicit Affair Comes to Light! (33)

Among Li Chang'an's entourage, besides the Shadow Guard and two elite cavalry units, there were also two prison carts.

The Northern Barbarian Khan, Ashina Shabi, and the Western Hu Chanyu, Su Bi Da, each occupied one prison cart.

The young Emperor of Western Qin, having contributed by ceding territory, rode in a carriage throughout the journey.

Facing the kneeling multitude of officials, Li Chang'an did not bid them to rise.

"Where is the official from the Ministry of Rites?"

Li Chang'an's voice betrayed no emotion but carried immense pressure.

A sixth-rank official from the Ministry of Rites crawled out from the crowd, his voice trembling slightly.

"Your Highness, Prince Qin, this humble official is here."

Li Chang'an asked, "You have come to welcome this Prince. Is the ceremonial guard arranged by you, and do you see any issues with it?"

As Li Chang'an finished speaking, over a dozen Shadow Guard had already dismounted, glaring menacingly at the sixth-rank official.

This official from the Ministry of Rites held a low position, but he had heard of Li Chang'an beheading Gong Dian and Qin Yi.

He was very clear in his heart whether the ceremonial guard was appropriate or not.

He was now acutely aware that if he bore this responsibility, he would likely lose his life.

"Reporting to Your Highness, Prince Qin, there were four extra palace lanterns, twelve extra banners, and the music played was the same as that used to welcome His Majesty in previous years."

As this person spoke so clearly, the Crown Prince's Face instantly changed color.

It was originally a trap set for Li Chang'an, welcoming Li Chang'an with the Emperor's ceremony. If Li Chang'an hadn't noticed, a large number of censors would immediately impeach him.

Seeing this minor official's intelligence, Li Chang'an did not make things difficult for him. "Is there anything else you wish to say?"

Which Beijing official wasn't clever? This official from the Ministry of Rites immediately laid out the facts.

"The welcoming ceremonial guard was approved by Assistant Minister Xin!"

As these words were uttered, Xin Qiwu immediately scrambled out from the crowd.

The fourth-rank Court of State Ceremonial Minor Minister had been promoted to the third-rank Assistant Minister of Rites. Xin Qiwu's official career was truly flourishing.

Before he could speak, Li Chang'an said indifferently, "Oh, isn't this Xin Qiwu, a subordinate of the Crown Prince?"

Xin Qiwu knelt on the ground, his back already drenched in sweat.

Setting a trap for the Prince of Qin, presumptuously using the Emperor's welcoming ceremony—if he took responsibility for this, he would be executed!

"Reporting to Your Highness, Prince Qin, it must be that the clerk handling matters below made a mistake..."

He had just opened his mouth when Li Chang'an no longer had the patience to listen to him.

"Li Chengru, this Prince's position as Grand Commander during wartime has not yet been relinquished.

If someone is found to be plotting rebellion, can they not be executed on the spot?"

Li Chengru had also served as Grand Commander, which was why he dared to compete with Fan Xian for the city gate when returning to the capital last year.

"If there are rebels, execute them on the spot!"

Hearing Li Chengru's words, Xin Qiwu's tone immediately changed.

"Your Highness, Prince Qin, this official reports that the Minister of Rites, Guo Zheng, is guilty of treason and plotting rebellion, a crime punishable by death!"

Xin Qiwu's expression was extremely exaggerated, and he spoke these words with profound grief and righteous indignation!

"Today's welcoming ceremonial guard for Your Highness was entirely arranged by Guo Zheng. He is the Minister, and how could we dare to shirk responsibility for matters he arranged!"

Guo Zheng was that Minister of Rites who liked to have portraits of himself drawn while working.

He was also a distant relative of Guo Youzhi and the corrupt official who caused Fan Wujiu to fail the imperial examination.

Upon hearing Xin Qiwu's words, Guo Zheng immediately cried out in injustice, "Your Highness, Prince Qin, this matter was Xin Qiwu's own initiative!

This humble official is well-versed in ceremonial regulations; how could he intentionally overstep!"

Guo Zheng occasionally stole glances at the Crown Prince, but the Crown Prince merely swallowed hard, not daring to utter a single word.

After all, he had been slapped by Li Chang'an in court, and speaking rashly again might lead to losing all Face.

No sooner had Guo Zheng finished speaking than Xin Qiwu gritted his teeth and decided to go all out.

He pulled out several receipts from his bosom. "Your Highness, Prince Qin, the arrangements for banners, palace lanterns, and music all require the Minister's official seal for final approval!"

"Welcoming Your Highness back to the capital is the biggest event for the Ministry of Rites this year, and this humble official handled it with extreme caution."

Xin Qiwu was clearly well-prepared, having learned from the precedent of Gong Dian's execution.

Regardless of whether you were aware or not, the Minister's official seal was stamped, so denial was useless.

The Crown Prince's attempt to trap Li Chang'an was a mere word, but these officials who handled matters were truly cunning.

Wang Qinian handed the receipts to Li Chang'an, who merely glanced at them.

"Minister of Rites Guo Zheng, for presumptuously using the Emperor's ceremonial regulations, is deemed to be plotting rebellion and shall be executed on the spot!"

Wang Qinian had recently become addicted to being an executioner; he now sneered and drew his blade.

At this moment, the First Prince hurriedly advised, "Uncle, Prince Qin, Guo Zheng is a second-rank high official. Perhaps he should be imprisoned and an imperial decree obtained before his execution!"

Li Chang'an was expressionless. "Second-rank? It is precisely a second-rank official who shall be executed!"

Guo Zheng, seeing Wang Qinian approaching, immediately panicked. "Crown Prince! Your Highness, Crown Prince!"

"Please say something!"

"This was all arranged by you!"

Li Chang'an tutted, "You shameless dog officials, each and every one of you is trying to sow discord between us, uncle and nephew."

"Who in the world doesn't know that I and Cheng Qian share a relationship of uncle's kindness and nephew's filial piety?"

"First, Qin Yi assassinated this Prince, claiming the Crown Prince instigated it."

"Now Guo Zheng oversteps his authority and plots rebellion, yet he tries to implicate the Crown Prince. This is lawless! Execute him!"

Guo Zheng's legs turned to jelly, and he immediately wet himself, then let out a tragic cry as Wang Qinian chopped off his head.

The head of a dignified second-rank high official rolled before everyone's eyes, and the kneeling ministers did not dare to breathe.

Li Chang'an wanted to avoid future trouble, so he had to kill a chicken to scare the monkeys, letting those who wished to curry favor with the Crown Prince and disgust him see their fate first.

By executing Guo Zheng now, ordinary officials in the Kyoto Prefecture would not dare to provoke Li Chang'an in the future.

Li Chang'an walked over to Li Chengqian. "Cheng Qian, Xin Qiwu is your subordinate. I will give you Face; you deal with him yourself."

The Crown Prince looked up, revealing a smile uglier than a cry.

"Thank you..."

Before he could finish, Li Chang'an interrupted directly, "So, your venereal disease is completely cured, huh? You've been quite active lately!"

The Crown Prince's nerves instantly tensed, but Li Chang'an did not continue the topic.

"Hurry up and enjoy it; you won't be Crown Prince for much longer."

Afterward, Li Chang'an said to Ye Wan and Shang Shanhu, "You two shall set up camp near Dragon Guard Manor. You are not permitted to enter the Kyoto Prefecture without orders."

The two acknowledged the order and departed. Li Chang'an then led the Shadow Guard and the prison carts, passing through the kneeling crowd.

Upon entering the Kyoto Prefecture, Li Chang'an received a warm welcome.

In the procession, the young Emperor of Western Qin even lifted the curtain of his carriage, watching the bustling crowds.

However, Ashina Shabi and Su Bi Da, the former overlords of the snowy plains and grasslands, were now surrounded by the common people's rotten eggs and vegetable leaves.

The people of Qing Kingdom were overjoyed, with everyone pouring out into the streets to celebrate the enthusiastic ceremony of presenting captives.

Over the years, the Qing Kingdom had experienced many such ceremonies, but none had been as spectacular as this one!

"In less than a year, His Highness, Prince Qin, eliminated three countries!"

"Great Qing Kingdom will unify the world; only Northern Qi and Eastern Yi City remain!"

"The Khan of the snowy plains, the Chanyu of the grasslands—this is the first time they have been captured!"

"His Highness, Prince Qin, is skilled in both civil and military arts; he truly lives up to everyone's expectations!"

...Arriving at the palace gates, Emperor Qing, the veteran performing artist, tearfully welcomed Li Chang'an.

It was as if he knew nothing of what had happened outside the city, everything so genuine and heartfelt.

"Chang'an! You've finally returned; I've missed you so much!"

"You've conquered three nations in a year; you are the Great Qing's foremost meritorious official!"

Such acting, from the bottom of his heart, Li Chengqian could never learn in a lifetime.

"Your Majesty! This younger brother also thinks of Your Majesty day and night, wishing he had wings to fly back!"

Emperor Qing continued to lament for a long time, showering Li Chang'an with praise for his achievements.

He had to praise him; unifying the world was his goal and guideline, his political correctness.

Finally, he turned to the Imperial Guard Commander, the First Prince, and said, "Li Chengru!

Execute Ashina Shabi and Su Bi Da by slow slicing, to comfort the countless deceased people of the Central Plains!"

"The young Emperor of Western Qin assisted me in my great victory over Northern Qi; he shall be enfeoffed as the Marquis of Guiqing, receive double his salary, and reside permanently in the Kyoto Prefecture!"

The young Emperor of Western Qin joyfully accepted the decree and expressed his gratitude, becoming the biggest winner of the day.

Following this was a lively triumphal banquet, where Emperor Qing and the Prince of Qin were truly like a benevolent elder brother and a filial younger brother.

The Kyoto Prefecture celebrated for three full days before gradually calming down.

Li Chang'an's prestige, naturally, was soaring, and a large number of court officials, both openly and secretly, came to form connections.

However, Li Chang'an currently had no time to entertain them, leaving Wang Qinian and Xing Yusen to handle everything.

But there was one exception, and that was Mei Zhili, the Prefect of the Kyoto Prefecture.

"This humble official, Mei Zhili, respectfully greets Your Highness, Prince Qin!"

Mei Zhili bowed reverently, awaiting Li Chang'an's command.

Li Chang'an had taken on the position of Prefect of the Kyoto Prefecture, but of course, he would not go to the Kyoto Prefecture office to work.

However, the Kyoto Prefecture had to report all daily matters, big and small, to him, which was equivalent to Mei Zhili suddenly having an extra father.

Mei Zhili, with his head bowed, suddenly heard a woman's voice, "You brainless one, rise."

Mei Zhili looked up to see a woman with a graceful figure and a beautiful, picturesque Face sitting in Li Chang'an's arms.

Upon hearing that voice, Mei Zhili was instantly terrified, sweating profusely!

Two years ago, when Fan Xian entered the capital and was framed, it was this woman who reminded him, allowing him to regain imperial favor.

Mei Zhili was sweating profusely because he realized he had already boarded the Prince of Qin's ship long ago!

Li Chang'an said, "Minister Mei, return. Watch over the Kyoto Prefecture well for this Prince, and make sure no mistakes occur."

Mei Zhili kowtowed like pounding garlic; he was only a third-rank official, and his head was not as hard as a second-rank Minister's.

After Mei Zhili left, Li Chang'an gently waved his right hand, and the room door closed by itself.

Then, he caressed Jing Ni's flushed and delicate cheek, and pointed to a nearby table.

"Xiaoni, go lie down."

...A few days later, Emperor Qing heard a piece of news in the Imperial Study.

The Empress had beaten a palace maid to death, and for this, Emperor Qing specifically sought Eunuch Hou to understand the situation.

Eunuch Hou reported, "Your Majesty, that palace maid stole a jade pendant from the Empress."

Emperor Qing frowned, "For a jade pendant, how could someone be beaten to death?"

Eunuch Hou had indeed investigated seriously. "Because that jade pendant was worn by the Empress since childhood, she particularly cherished it."

"Among the palace maids and eunuchs in the imperial harem, some are bold enough to steal the Empress's most beloved item."

Although Emperor Qing felt something was amiss, he did not ask further. "You may leave."

Ever since the case of the palace maid throwing herself in front of a carriage when Fan Xian entered the capital the year before last, Emperor Qing had begun to suspect that Eunuch Hou was The Eldest Princess's person.

However, there was always a strange tacit understanding between Emperor Qing and Li Yunrui.

For many matters, Emperor Qing still hoped Li Yunrui would know, and perhaps Li Yunrui would help him handle them.

Moreover, Eunuch Hou was extremely useful, and his ability to read expressions was first-rate, so Emperor Qing was too lazy to dismiss him.

Anyway, for the most confidential matters, there was Hong Sixiang.

Not long after, Hong Sixiang came before Emperor Qing. "Your Majesty, this old servant has investigated that palace maid."

"That palace maid indeed took the Empress's jade pendant, but on the day she died, she had also visited Guangxin Palace."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Qing instantly grew suspicious. "Guangxin Palace?"

If it was related to Guangxin Palace, then Eunuch Hou's words could not be entirely trusted.

Why exactly was the palace maid beaten to death?

Was there a possibility that the jade pendant was merely a pretext, and the Empress had beaten the palace maid to death for another reason?

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince visits Guangxin Palace monthly to learn political strategy from The Eldest Princess."

"On the day the palace maid went to Guangxin Palace, she was delivering embroidered cloth gifted by the Empress to the Princess and concubines."

"Coincidentally, the Crown Prince was also in Guangxin Palace that day..."

Upon hearing this, the sensitive and suspicious Emperor Qing developed a very bad premonition.

"Is the Crown Prince's venereal disease completely cured?"

Hong Sixiang, being who he was, knew all the major and minor affairs of the inner palace as soon as he needed to.

"They say it's completely cured, but to maintain the efficacy, he's still taking medicine."

"However, recently, due to the rise of the Prince of Qin and immense pressure, he has not frequently visited palace maids."

His venereal disease is cured, and he doesn't visit palace maids much, so where did you, Li Chengqian, vent your frustrations?

The greater the pressure, the greater the need for release. Eunuchs might not understand this, but Emperor Qing certainly did.

The Crown Prince only visited Guangxin Palace once a month, and Emperor Qing would have to wait another month to eavesdrop.

"Si Xiang, go investigate: how is the Crown Prince's illness truly progressing?"

Hong Sixiang accepted the order and left. The next day, he reported back to Emperor Qing that the imperial physician who specialized in treating the Crown Prince had suddenly died.

If the imperial physician hadn't died, it would have been one thing, but with his death, Emperor Qing's suspicion deepened.

"The medicine! The medicine the Crown Prince is taking! Si Xiang, go investigate!"

Just as Hong Sixiang was about to leave, Emperor Qing suddenly called him back.

"Be careful in all matters. You went to investigate the imperial physician, and the imperial physician died."

"If you go to investigate the medicine again, who knows what else might happen."

"Let's wait for now."

For the next month, Emperor Qing was always restless, and his enthusiasm for court affairs decreased by half.

Until a month later, on the day the Crown Prince was to visit Guangxin Palace again.

It was a night of thunderstorms, and Emperor Qing silently arrived at Guangxin Palace on the other side of the imperial palace.

He only stood under the eaves for a short while before he understood everything.

Things had already developed in the worst direction he had anticipated.

The woman he had always forcibly refrained from touching had seduced his own son!

Incest was not the most detestable thing; what was detestable was that Li Chengqian had touched his forbidden plaything!

However, even at this point, Emperor Qing maintained his calm and rationality.

He once again summoned Hong Sixiang to investigate the Crown Prince's medicine.

The matter had already occurred, but he knew that nothing in the palace was simple.

Late the next night, Hong Sixiang finally arrived.

"Your Majesty, that pill was regularly sent into the palace by a distant relative, one pill every ten days, and the Crown Prince has been taking it."

"However, when this old servant investigated that relative, he fell from his horse and died..."

"This old servant felt this matter was not simple, and without time to report, immediately traced the source of the medicine."

"It was a pharmacy called Hall of Returning Spring, but then that pharmacy caught fire..."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Qing could no longer sit still. If there was no trickery in this matter, then there was a ghost!

Hong Sixiang pulled a pill from his sleeve. "Your Majesty, this is the medicine the Crown Prince is taking."

Emperor Qing placed the red pill to his nose and sniffed, his Face instantly turning ashen!

The Crown Prince was disappointing, but someone was also secretly causing trouble!