Chapter 12: The Two Kings Make Trouble in the Capital (Part 2)

  "Your Majesty, please calm down, I dare not deceive you with empty words. Today, I was not on duty and was resting at home when my cousin Zhang Che sent someone to inform me that there was an urgent matter. As I have a good relationship with my cousin, I rushed to the palace gate without delay. Upon arrival, my cousin told me that the King of Lu is afraid that something might go wrong, so he went ahead to intercept and asked me to quickly report the matter to Your Majesty for your wise decision."

  As soon as this was said, Gaozong suddenly became enraged and Zhang Deke immediately panicked, repeatedly begging for mercy and disjointedly recounting the general course of events.

  "What's this about a cousin? What kind of person is your cousin, and how could he know about this matter? Speak!" Li Zhi listened to these words that were spoken with such conviction, seeming to have some truth to them, and believed it somewhat. However, still having some doubts, he abruptly shouted and pressed on with his questioning.

  "Ah, Your Majesty's wise judgment, my servant's brother is the manager of the book room in the Wangfu Palace. Five years ago, he and I were both cleansed together, but I was assigned to the palace while my brother followed the Wangfu Palace and gained the favor of the Wangfu Palace. What he says is important and doesn't seem false, so I didn't dare to neglect it. That's why I rushed here and disturbed Your Majesty's rest. I deserve to die ten thousand times, I deserve to die ten thousand times."

  Zhang De Kai was able to mix in with the eunuchs serving the emperor because he was skilled at observing facial expressions and guessing people's thoughts. When he heard the emperor change his tone, he immediately felt a bit more at ease, calmed down, and explained things in detail.

  "Hmm!"

  Although Li Zhi had a flawed personality, he was not foolish. As soon as he heard the words of the little eunuch, he knew that there were false words in front of him and guessed that this little eunuch was probably one of the informants of Emperor Gaozong. It was infuriating for Li Zhi to have his own son's eyes and ears arranged under his own eyelids. He glared at Zhang Deke with anger, hummed coldly, but did not pursue the matter further. This was because Li Zhi was very clear that all the princes of the imperial family were like this. When he was still a prince, although he had no intention of competing for the throne, he also didn't forget to get along well with the attendants around Emperor Taizong Li Shimin. Moreover, such a big event had occurred in the imperial prison, and Li Zhi really had no heart to investigate Zhang Deke's small matter of being an informant for Emperor Gaozong at this time. After hesitating for a moment, he asked tentatively: "Does your cousin have anything else to say? Has this matter been spread to..."

  "Regarding Your Majesty's words, my brother also said that the King of Lu has a new lead on the case of treason against Duke Shang, which may prove that there is another miscarriage of justice. However, this matter is too important, and the King of Lu does not dare to make a decision on his own, nor does he dare to spread it among the common people. Once this matter is blocked, we will come to the palace with the King of Zhou to report back to you, and everything will be subject to Your Majesty's wise judgment."

  "Hmm, is this really happening?" Li Zhi nodded thoughtfully, then turned his head to glance in the direction of Yi De Hall, his eyes complex and his face changing colors constantly. He stood still for a moment before gritting his teeth and squeezing out a sentence with great difficulty: "Summon the attendants, prepare the imperial carriage at Tai Ji Hall!"

  The emperor's procession is no small matter, and as soon as Li Zheng's order was given, the Wude Hall immediately fell into chaos. Countless palace maids and eunuchs were busy setting up, and the four sides were in a flurry of activity...

  It has finally begun! In the carriage moving forward with a rumbling sound, Li Xian's small hands were tightly clenched into fists, and his still childish face was flushed with excitement, his breathing also becoming slightly heavier. Taking advantage of this moment when no one was around, Li Xian silently expressed his emotions, and just like that, the butterfly's wings began to flutter. As for what kind of result he would get in the end, Li Xian couldn't make an accurate judgment at present, mainly because there were too many variables inside.

  Variables, uncontrollable variables! Even if everything has gone smoothly so far, Li Xian still doesn't have a 100% guarantee of winning in his heart. This is because many things are not under Li Xian's control - the imperial prison is a symbol of imperial power, and with this commotion, plus Li Xian and his brother deliberately spreading the news throughout the court, it's impossible to resolve the matter peacefully. This is taking advantage of the situation, capturing Shangguan Fu, and making it possible to reverse the case for Shangguan Yi. This is the trump card. With these two moves, plus the cooperation of the officials and Gaozong's approval, it should be possible to temporarily suppress Wu Zetian's ambition, or even take advantage of the situation to give the Empress's party a heavy blow. However, the problem lies precisely here - first, over the years, the officials have been intimidated by Wu Zetian, and it's hard to say whether they dare to stand up for Li Xian at this time. Second, whether Li Xian's people can inform Gaozong of the situation without alarming Wu Zetian is still unknown. Third, whether Gaozong approves of Li Xian's actions is a mystery. Fourth, whether Gaozong can make a decision before being influenced by Wu Zetian is also unknown. Apart from these four points, what worries Li Xian most is that it's hard to predict how Wu Zetian will react to this matter. With these five variables in play, Li Xian doesn't dare to be too optimistic. Everything can only be revealed after entering the palace and paying respects!

  "Your Highness, Your Highness."

  Just as Li Xian was lost in thought, a soft voice came from outside the carriage curtain, and he was suddenly awakened. He subconsciously lifted one corner of the curtain to take a look, only to find that the horse-drawn carriage had already stopped at the small square in front of the Chengtian Gate. Faintly, he could still hear the sound of murmured conversations, indicating that there were many officials present on the square. Li Xian did not dare to be slow and quickly got up, followed by Gao Mo and others who escorted him down from the carriage. As soon as he entered his line of sight, he saw that Li Xian had just stepped down from the front carriage, and hastily walked over to stand quietly half a step behind him.

  "We pay our respects to King Lu, we pay our respects to King Zhou."

  The Da Li Temple was adjacent to the Imperial City, located just outside the West Huamen Gate, and was only a short distance from the Chengtianmen Gate. However, due to the snowy road conditions and the deliberate slowing down of the two princes, in order to give time for the officials who had rushed to hear the news, this journey took nearly half an hour. By the time the two princes got off their carriages, more than 40 officials had gathered in front of the Chengtianmen Gate. Among the five chief ministers of the current dynasty, except for Xu Jingzong who was on duty in the palace, Xu Yuanshi, Li Anqi, Hao Chujun, and Dai Zhide had all arrived. Other high-ranking officials such as Lu Chengqing, Minister of Justice, and Yue Yanwei, Minister of Personnel, also rushed to the scene one after another. The crowd was engaged in lively discussions when suddenly the two princes' carriages arrived, and everyone surged forward to greet them and ask for their well-being.

  "Gentlemen, no need to be too polite. I, Xiao Wang, arrived late and kept you all waiting for a long time, which is my fault. Li Xian participated in the imperial court case just to establish a virtuous image among the officials. At this moment, seeing that all the high-ranking officials had arrived, he became excited and his face turned red, but fortunately, he was still sober and didn't make any improper gestures. He simply bowed to the crowd of ministers and humbly apologized."

  "Your Highness, please clearly state the outcome of the imprisonment case. This matter is of great importance and cannot be taken lightly." The crowd had just finished paying their respects when Right Minister Dai Zhide hastily asked a question, his tone urgent and his rebuke barely concealed. Dai Zhide, also known as Xingzhi and Bizhu, was from AnYang in Xiangzhou province. He had previously served as the magistrate of Jiangzhou, governor of Pianzhou, and Minister of Revenue. Last year, he replaced Li Yifu as Right Minister after the latter's dismissal. As a person, Dai Zhide was straightforward and handled matters with precision, never showing favoritism or personal bias. Even if it meant rebuking the Emperor himself, he would do so without hesitation. Today happened to be his day off, and he had been at home playing with his grandchildren when he suddenly heard about the disturbance at the Lu Wang's palace. Shocked and alarmed, he rushed to the Cheng Tian Gate, where he waited for a long time but didn't see Li Xian or his brother. He was getting anxious, and now that he saw Li Xian, he couldn't care less about formalities anymore.

  "Although I, Xiao Wang, have been somewhat reckless, I truly had no choice but to act as I did. The situation arose suddenly, and by the time I learned of the treacherous plot to take the life of His Excellency, Upper Official, it was already too late. Alone and unable to simply sit back and watch His Excellency be wrongly accused and killed, I was forced to take matters into my own hands. In doing so, I have indeed violated certain regulations, but once this matter is resolved, I will certainly submit a memorial to request punishment. For now, the urgent task at hand is to seek an audience with the Emperor in order to clarify right from wrong and rescue His Excellency's entire family from the brink of disaster. I implore you, Minister Dai, and all of you esteemed gentlemen, to lend me your assistance!" Li Xian had already decided to use the Imperial Prison case as a means to rise through the ranks at court, so he wouldn't bother to dwell on Minister Dai's unfavorable attitude towards him. He first paid his respects with a bow, then launched into a passionate and stirring speech, doing his utmost to whip up enthusiasm.

  "Is there any evidence, Your Highness?" Although Dai Zhide had roughly understood the situation from the Wangfu guards who came to report earlier, he was not clear about the root of Li Xian's reckless behavior, and would not be moved by Li Xian's provocative words. He slightly furrowed his brow and solemnly asked a question in return.

  "It's good that you know, Little Wang has already taken down the cheap slave who framed Officer Dài, and has found evidence to prove that the accusation against Officer Dài is false. It can be proven that Officer Dài was not involved in any treasonous plot. I have come to see the Emperor to seek justice for Officer Dài!" Li Xián now had a trump card in his hand, and with confidence in his heart, he smiled calmly at Dài Zhì Dé's questioning, and replied firmly.

  "Ah..."

  "How can this be?"

  "Can this be? Absurd! Preposterous!"

  ……

  Li Xian's words were truly astonishing, and all the courtiers were shocked. After a long silence, they all burst into an uproar, with some doubting, some ecstatic, and others shaking their heads in dismay. Although no one explicitly expressed their stance at the time, it was clear from their tone that they would stand by Li Xian's side when meeting the emperor. Li Xian's face turned bright red with excitement, exuding an air of confidence and triumph.

  "The Crown Prince has arrived!"

  Just as Li Xian was feeling pleased with himself, a shrill voice suddenly rang out, instantly ruining his good mood. He turned to one side and saw that a golden carriage had slowly come to a stop beside the officials.

  The prince is a half-noble, and with his arrival, the crowd dare not be slow, hastily arranging themselves in order of rank to greet him. Li Xian brothers also cannot be an exception, but at the moment of arrangement, the two brothers quickly exchanged a glance, seeing some dissatisfaction and hesitation in each other's eyes...