157: The prince set himself on fire! The princess remained calm! (

Chapter 156: The Crown Prince Self-Immolates! The Eldest Princess Remains Emotionally Stable! (23)

Inside the Supervisory Council.

It had been less than two days since the Black Knights escorted Fei Jie away.

And only a day since Shadow was dispatched by Chen Pingping to handle some matters.

Currently, Chen Pingping was unaware that his right-hand men had fallen into Li Chang'an's hands.

He was now gleefully discussing matters in the palace with Murong Yan, the head of the Second Bureau.

If Fei Jie and Shadow were Chen Pingping's sharp blades, then Murong Yan was Chen Pingping's staunch ally.

The Second Bureau of the Supervisory Council was responsible for processing, collecting, and analyzing intelligence, then providing it to Emperor Qing or other decision-makers.

To put it bluntly, Murong Yan decided which of the Supervisory Council's vast intelligence reports Emperor Qing would see.

Therefore, the position of the head of the Second Bureau was crucial.

"Director Chen, the palace maid in the Empress's palace was beaten to death, and she just happened to have visited Guangxin Palace. Isn't this a bit too coincidental?"

Chen Pingping said, "It is a bit coincidental, but this coincidence doesn't point to any specific fact. This coincidence just happened to ignite His Majesty's suspicion."

"His Majesty is no longer the fierce general who charged the Northern Wei camp with five hundred iron cavalry back then..."

"He is too suspicious, too arrogant, so arrogant that he only believes facts he discovers himself."

"Our killing of the imperial physician, the noble consort, and burning down the Hall of Returning Spring will only make His Majesty more curious."

Murong Yan said with some concern, "However, there is still some time before you plan to deal with the Crown Prince."

Chen Pingping mused, "The fire has already started. I presume His Majesty has already purged the Eastern Palace and Guangxin Palace."

"I've considered this for a long time. The things we are doing, the arrangements are very strict, and it's absolutely impossible for anyone else to know."

"The affair between the Crown Prince and The Eldest Princess has been exposed, but no matter what, it can't be traced back to us."

"Since that's the case, it means things are still under our control."

Murong Yan then produced a stack of memorials. "Director Chen, these are the evidences of Li Chang'an's rebellion."

"His Majesty originally intended to make a move against Li Chang'an soon. I wonder if there will be any changes."

Chen Pingping tucked the memorials into his sleeve and said with a somewhat gloomy expression, "Better safe than sorry."

Murong Yan asked again, "If Li Chang'an is dealt with, will there be any unrest from the Western Qin?"

"Moreover, Li Chang'an unilaterally brought two tens of thousands of elite cavalry near the capital, which are all major variables."

Chen Pingping said, "According to His Majesty's wishes, this time we will first deal with Li Chang'an's special courtesy and the Kyoto Prefecture Magistrate."

"You don't understand our Emperor. When he was young, he was exceptionally sharp.

He only bullied others; no one ever bullied him."

"The current Li Chang'an is too arrogant and overbearing, even more assertive than His Majesty was when he was the Crown Prince. His Majesty simply cannot tolerate it."

"What he tolerates least is someone or something that escapes his control, and the current Prince Qin is just like that."

"As for Li Chang'an's two tens of thousands of elite cavalry, the Kyoto Imperial Guards and the Garrison Division have a total of eight tens of thousands of troops, which is sufficient to handle any possible changes."

Chen Pingping looked out the window, a triumphant smile on his face.

"It's been twenty years since the bloody night in Kyoto, and Kyoto is about to be enveloped in war clouds once more."

"But this time it's the imperial family killing each other. How wonderful."

Eastern Palace.

The Crown Prince, who had been living in fear, finally awaited his fate.

A large number of Inner Court guards and eunuchs surrounded the Eastern Palace, allowing entry but no exit.

Leading them was the kindly-faced Eunuch Hou.

Behind Eunuch Hou, several Inner Court guards, holding steel sabers, stared coldly at him.

Eunuch Hou knew that the true leaders were these Inner Court guards; he was merely a messenger.

"Your Highness, the Empress's palace has lost something. His Majesty has asked me to also check the Eastern Palace."

"The palace maids and eunuchs here are to be taken to the Court of Imperial Sacrifices for interrogation."

After he finished speaking, he didn't wait for the Crown Prince to reply at all.

The Inner Court guards had already stormed into the Eastern Palace, taking control of all the palace maids and eunuchs. More than forty people knelt neatly at the entrance of the Eastern Palace.

The guards tied up all these people, even gagging their mouths to prevent them from speaking.

The Crown Prince's body trembled, vaguely guessing what was about to happen.

Sure enough, the guards raised their sabers and brought them down, and more than forty heads rolled to the ground.

Blood instantly covered the floor of the Eastern Palace, and the smell of blood filled the palace.

At this moment, Emperor Qing, his face grim, slowly walked in.

"After dawn, nothing will have happened here."

Eunuch Hou repeatedly assented, and quickly led the guards to begin their work.

The meaning was clear: clean up the scene before dawn, sweep and clear everything, and replace the staff with a new batch of palace maids and eunuchs.

The bodies of these dead people were to be completely incinerated and disposed of.

The Crown Prince plopped to his knees, terrified, for he had done something Emperor Qing could not forgive.

Emperor Qing looked at his cowering son, the anger in his heart almost impossible to suppress.

That woman, who had followed him since childhood, no different from his own sister, had done so much for him, exerted so much effort.

He knew in his heart that he owed her, and so he had indulged her repeatedly.

"Disgusting!"

Hearing the two words Emperor Qing squeezed through his teeth, the Crown Prince nearly collapsed!

He slumped before the Emperor, beginning to wail, tears and snot smearing his entire face.

Emperor Qing took several deep breaths, suppressing the urge to kill this son.

This was, after all, a Crown Prince he had cultivated for many years; if he had to die, he should die with dignity.

Because he knew that in this matter, if Li Yunrui was unwilling, the Crown Prince could not have succeeded.

The crux of the matter still lay with Li Yunrui!

Emperor Qing did not issue an edict to bestow death upon Li Chengqian, but instead slowly walked out of the Eastern Palace.

The gate of the Eastern Palace was shut and locked by Inner Court guards, leaving behind the terrified Crown Prince.

Faintly, Eunuch Hou's voice came from outside, "Everyone, stand back! Whoever speaks to the Crown Prince will have their head taken!"

The Crown Prince was also a ruthless person, but the current situation was different.

He knew the entanglement between his imperial father and Li Yunrui; he knew his imperial father had absolutely moved to kill!

Outside were layers of Inner Court guards; there was no possibility of him escaping.

"I don't want to die... If I don't want to die... I must find a way to inform Grandmother!"

At this moment, only Grandmother could save him from the enraged Emperor Qing.

But now he couldn't leave the palace, so there was only one way.

Set the palace on fire! Alarm the entire Inner Court!

Guangxin Palace.

"Hehehe..."

"Brother Emperor, you've finally come!"

In the empty Guangxin Palace, such a peal of silver-bell-like laughter suddenly appeared, making it seem exceptionally eerie.

Emperor Qing looked at Li Yunrui coldly, asking word by word, "Why?"

Li Yunrui furrowed her beautiful brows, her jade-like fingers gently tapping the low couch, her watery eyes flickering with confusion and innocence.

"Brother Emperor, are you asking why your younger sister is in her thirties and still unmarried?

Or are you asking why your younger sister, at fifteen, shamelessly seduced the top scholar?

Or are you asking why... your younger sister keeps so many male favorites?"

Then, Li Yunrui burst into another fit of wild laughter.

"Or are you asking why I had to do so many dirty deeds for you!

Isn't it all for you? My dearest brother!

You want to be remembered in history, so those dirty things must be borne by others."

Looking at the wildly sneering Li Yunrui, Emperor Qing slowly said, "You've gone mad."

"I'm not mad!" Li Yunrui shrieked in anger!

"I've been mad for the past ten-plus years! But today, I'm not mad!"

Emperor Qing sighed, "You are, after all, my own sister, the person Mother Empress loved most.

If it hadn't come to this, I would have ensured your eternal wealth and prosperity no matter what.

You disrupted the court, kept private armies, used the Ming Family, formed the Junshan Society—which of these isn't a grave crime of deceiving the Emperor?

I don't think these things are a big deal... You are, after all, my own sister.

If I don't punish you, you are innocent!"

At this point, Emperor Qing gradually couldn't suppress his anger, "But!"

"He is the Crown Prince! He is the next emperor I meticulously cultivated!

I am about to conquer a vast empire, and this child is to guard it for me for ten thousand years!"

Li Yunrui sneered, "I can't help it... This Princess just likes to play until you're heartbroken, until you're despairing..."

"Only today did I realize your despair and pain are greater than I imagined, and I am very satisfied."

Emperor Qing looked at her blankly, slowly saying, "He likes you?"

"Is that not allowed?" The Eldest Princess's beautiful, flushed cheeks appeared especially alluring.

"Are there any men in this world who don't like this Princess...?"

Emperor Qing angrily cursed, "Shameless!"

Then, he reached out his right hand and tightly gripped The Eldest Princess's throat!

"You... can't kill me..." Li Yunrui struggled to say.

"There will always be someone in court to counterbalance Li Chang'an. You hate the Crown Prince so much, you wish you could kill him, don't you?"

"If you depose the Crown Prince, Li Chang'an will become all-powerful... Brother Emperor, you still need me."

Hearing Li Chang'an's name, Emperor Qing's grip involuntarily loosened a lot.

A cold smile crossed Li Yunrui's lips. "Li Chang'an, this man who is gradually bullying you."

"This only man who doesn't like me, you must resent him terribly, right?"

"I don't know why, he's clearly so lecherous, yet he precisely doesn't like the most beautiful woman in the world."

Emperor Qing's eyes gradually became fierce, yet he did not stop Li Yunrui from continuing.

"He is younger than you, more talented than you. He grew up under your protection, but he gradually surpassed you!"

"He is even more assertive than you were when you were the Crown Prince. He has already escaped your control and is gradually going to replace you. You're anxious!"

"Brother Emperor, you absolutely cannot allow anyone to escape your control. I understand you best!"

"You can cultivate the Third Prince, or even younger princes, but you need me to help you counterbalance Li Chang'an."

Emperor Qing fell into deep thought. He had already arranged for the Supervisory Council and Chen Pingping to investigate Li Chang'an.

If it were anyone else, Chen Pingping, with his full effort, could certainly bring them down completely.

But this time, Emperor Qing was not confident.

Li Chang'an was too mysterious, and Emperor Qing vaguely felt that dealing with him wouldn't be so easy.

"Brother Emperor, let go. Your sister will still help you..."

"Brother, trust me.

Look at me now, I'm very stable emotionally, not mad at all."

Just at this moment, urgent shouts suddenly came from outside.

"Fire!"

"The Eastern Palace is on fire!"

Towering flames rose from the Eastern Palace buildings, and an intense heat accompanied the flames, quickly spreading all around.

The Eastern Palace was on fire!

Li Chengqian had, in fact, been confined, and he couldn't notify the Empress Dowager through normal channels.

So, he could only set the Eastern Palace on fire, causing chaos in the palace; the Empress Dowager would certainly inquire.

A large quantity of paper for painting was stored in the Eastern Palace. The Crown Prince used these papers to draw countless faceless maidens.

Also, the various paints the Crown Prince used for painting, some of which were Western oil-based paints, were all flammable materials.

So, lighting the paints and paper, and igniting the curtains, the fire started!

Such a big incident would definitely alarm the Empress Dowager.

Before long, the fire had grown.

However, the speed at which the paints caught fire far exceeded the Crown Prince's imagination.

The moment the flames met the paints, they quickly turned into roaring tongues of fire!

The fire suddenly erupted, igniting several nearby boxes of paint!

"Fire! Help put out the fire!"

The Crown Prince had barely shouted twice before he was swiftly engulfed by the flames!

What was originally a small fire intended to attract attention turned into a massive blaze that swallowed the Eastern Palace.

The paints were specifically prepared by Li Chang'an for Li Chengqian.

Didn't the Crown Prince like playing at assassinations? Let him enjoy the thrill of being assassinated.

Under the influence of medication, the Empress Dowager slept extremely well, completely unaware that her grandson had been burned to a crisp.

Because it couldn't be guaranteed that Li Chengqian would definitely use paint to start the fire, Li Chang'an still arranged a double insurance, absolutely not allowing the Empress Dowager to hinder Emperor Qing's wrath.

In Guangxin Palace, men were silent, women were in tears.

Before long, Hong Sixiang came to report, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince self-immolated and died."

At least on the surface, dying by self-immolation due to fear and anxiety, that was the fact.

"Hehehe!"

"Brother Emperor, you scared the Crown Prince into a rat!"

"You incited your sons to fight, letting Li Chang'an temper the Crown Prince, and now you've miscalculated, haven't you!"

Emperor Qing, overcome with anger, abandoned Li Yunrui and turned to leave, while Li Yunrui continued her hysterical rant.

"The Crown Prince was scared to death by you, and Li Chang'an has also escaped your control!"

"Brother Emperor, you are such a failure... What will you do without me...?"

Emperor Qing glanced at Li Chengqian's charred corpse, then returned to the Imperial Study without a word.

The Crown Prince was doomed to die!

Even if he didn't commit suicide, Emperor Qing would help him die with dignity.

The palace publicly announced that the Crown Prince had died suddenly, but many people saw the fire that night.

Various rumors about the Crown Prince were rampant, but none hit the mark.

Because this time, Emperor Qing's killing was quite clean.

Three days later, Emperor Qing summoned several important ministers to the Imperial Study.

Li Chang'an, the Eldest Prince, Qin Ye, Lin Ruofu, Chen Pingping, Fan Jian, and other Ministers of the Six Ministries, the Qing of the Court of Judicial Review, and the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate.

Of course, Chen Pingping's successor, the Commissioner of the Supervisory Council and concurrently the Head of the Department One, the now influential Young Master Fan, also came.

"Gentlemen, today's matter was proposed by the Supervisory Council."

"Because it is of great importance and involves a wide range of people, I have invited you all here."

"Director Chen, you speak."

Chen Pingping pushed his wheelchair and took out a stack of memorials from his sleeve.

"The Supervisory Council has discovered that Prince Qin, Li Chang'an, has committed acts of usurpation and rebellion! The evidence is conclusive!"

Emperor Qing's placid face immediately showed an expression of disbelief.

"Prince Qin wants to rebel?"

"Does he have a reason to rebel?"

"He is the Great Qing's greatest meritorious minister. Does Director Chen have solid proof?"

The ministers in the Imperial Study all understood.

Prince Qin's power was too great; the Emperor could no longer sit idly by.