Chapter 228 Suing the Fifth Prince

Emperor Qianyuan felt powerless. The loss of power and the gradual loss of control over the government made him feel old again.

Lu Chenyang ignored the silence that filled the hall. He looked up at Emperor Qianyuan, bowed, and spoke respectfully, "Your Majesty, the Prince of Zhenguo fought in the Battle of Sofa when he was young, and he also made great contributions to the country. The Fifth Prince said that Prince Yan kicked him into the water, but there is actually another hidden reason. But Prince Yan kept it to himself to save the reputation of the royal family."

Emperor Qianyuan just watched Lu Chenyang perform quietly, and he had to cooperate with this play.

So he said woodenly: "Is this really true? What's the hidden story? Who is the victim?"

At this moment, he is no longer important. He is just doing what an emperor should do.

The prince couldn't help but look at Yan Xing, feeling secretly relieved. It was worth it that Yan Xing was so devoted to Lu Chenyang. He still had Yan Xing in his heart.

Lu Chenyang said respectfully, "It was a woman. She and her husband had a daughter, and the three of them lived a happy life in the countryside. But one day, the Fifth Prince took his men out hunting in the suburbs and accidentally ran into the daughter. He wanted to force her to be his concubine. The girl refused, which angered the Fifth Prince, who took her away. The woman's husband stepped forward to stop them, but was beaten to death by the Fifth Prince's guards."

The ministers were discussing the matter, all expressing their dissatisfaction with the Fifth Prince.

Lu Chenyang continued, "The woman went to the city to file a complaint. She knew Prince Yan was an upright man, so she told him about the incident. When Prince Yan went to verify the facts with the Fifth Prince, he had an argument with him. Prince Yan hated evil, so in a rage he kicked the Fifth Prince into the water." He paused, then added in a sad tone, "The Fifth Prince's actions were lawless. He destroyed a family with a single thought. His crime is truly unforgivable! Your Majesty, please give justice to that girl and her father who died trying to save her!"

After he finished speaking, he knelt down, clasped his hands together, and looked straight at Emperor Qianyuan.

This was the first time Lu Chenyang knelt before Emperor Qianyuan since he came to Beijing. He never mentioned overturning Yan Xing's case, but only asked Emperor Qianyuan to deal with the fifth prince.

A minister also came out and said, "Your Majesty, this is a matter of great importance. You cannot just listen to the one-sided words of a common woman."

Lu Chenyang nodded: "Indeed, Your Majesty, I am willing to confront the Fifth Prince face to face."

The prince then said, "Father, this is a matter of the royal family's dignity, so we should ask Fifth Brother to come and confront him."

Emperor Qianyuan nodded and said, "Come here, go and invite the Fifth Prince."

The Fifth Prince was a well-known playboy in the capital, but he did not hold any official position and was not even qualified to attend court.

The Fifth Prince was still enjoying himself in his own mansion. When he heard someone from the palace ask him to come in, he was stunned. What did this have to do with him? Ever since Lu Chenyang came to the capital, he had been staying in his mansion obediently and had not gone out. He hadn't done anything wrong, so why did they come looking for him?

The eunuch looked at the fifth prince with eyes full of sympathy and pity.

The servant beside the fifth prince asked flatteringly, "Eunuch, what does His Majesty want our Highness to do?" As he spoke, he stuffed a purse into the eunuch's hand.

The eunuch immediately raised his hand to block it, saying with a forced smile, "This is your Majesty's business. I am just a servant. How can I presume to discuss your Majesty's affairs?"

They refused to reveal even a single piece of information. The Fifth Prince felt heavy in his heart. It seemed like it was a big deal.

The eunuch urged, "Fifth Prince, please hurry up! His Majesty and the entire court are waiting."

The Fifth Prince's legs went weak. The entire court? Was it such a big deal?

The fifth prince hurried into the palace, "Your Highness, I pay my respects to you, Father."

Emperor Qianyuan had just taken a sip of tea to cool down when he saw him and threw the cup away: "You bastard, what good deeds have you done? Tell the truth!"

Emperor Qianyuan knew the character of his son, and he also knew the character of Yan Xing. What Lu Chenyang said was probably true.

Considering the Fifth Prince's incompetence, why would Yan Xing kick him for no reason? The most likely reason was that he deserved a beating.

The fifth prince thought to himself that he had done so many bad things, and he didn't know which one his father was talking about.

He looked confused.

Lu Chenyang stepped forward and said, "It seems that Your Highness the Fifth Prince can't remember. Then I will remind You Highness." He looked at the Fifth Prince with a cold gaze, "Six years ago, in the suburbs of Beijing, Your Highness the Fifth Prince forced a girl to death and killed her father. Does Your Highness the Fifth Prince still remember?"

The Fifth Prince was stunned for a moment, then remembered the incident. He didn't remember the girl, but rather that Yan Xing had kicked him into the water because of it, causing him to catch a cold and stay ill for half a month. Yan Xing had kicked him with such force that the old wound still remained.

Thinking of Yan Xing, the Fifth Prince's eyes flashed with resentment. Yan Xing, for a lowly person, had actually injured him so severely. This was simply outrageous!

The Fifth Prince, of course, could not admit it. He quickly knelt and cried out, "Father, this is absolutely not true. I have been wronged. It was that vile woman...that woman who deliberately seduced me. I saw she was quite pretty and wanted to show her mercy. As for her father, he had an old illness, and I even gave her money to treat him. I have been wronged. I beg Father, please help me."

Lu Chenyang looked at the Fifth Prince with deep disgust. He was truly capable of conflating right and wrong. The Fifth Prince had indeed given silver. After beating the man to death, he threw down twenty taels of silver as alms.

Yes, twenty taels of silver. A prince gave twenty taels of silver and thought they should be grateful.

When Lu Chenyang thought about this, his heart still trembled with discomfort.

Lu Chenyang's face was expressionless. He said, "It seems that the Fifth Prince denies it. It doesn't matter. I have witnesses." He looked at Emperor Qianyuan and said, "Your Majesty, please allow my witnesses to come to the palace."

Emperor Qianyuan nodded: "Approved."

Witnesses were brought in soon. Two of them were the woman’s neighbors, and one was actually the guard brought by the fifth prince that day.

They told what happened that day.

The neighbor said, "I remember it was just after the beginning of spring when a group of people entered the village. Many of us went to see them, and they kept saying that a distinguished person had arrived. Sister Rong had just returned from delivering food to her parents when she happened to see the distinguished person riding into the village, blocking the road. The distinguished person saw Sister Rong and had someone take her away. I was the one who saw it and quickly went to the fields to tell Sister Rong's parents."

"Later... Sister Rong's father rushed back and saw Sister Rong being...treated like that. Sister Rong's father rushed forward and was beaten by the guards brought by the nobleman. But Sister Rong later... After the nobleman left, Sister Rong's father died of his injuries a few days later. After Sister Rong's father passed away, Sister Rong hanged herself in the house." The neighbor whispered.

Lu Chenyang asked, "Is the nobleman you mentioned in the palace?"

The neighbor glanced at the Fifth Prince, lowered his head and said, "It's...it's him..."

"You bitch!" the Fifth Prince shouted angrily, "How dare you slander me! Father, don't believe him, he's been bribed!"

Lu Chenyang sneered: "Fifth Prince, have your guards also been bribed?"

The Fifth Prince's expression froze as he looked at the guard. The guard didn't dare meet his gaze, lowering his head, but still said, "Your Majesty, what Lord Lu said is true. It was also one of my subordinates who injured someone that day. It was... it was the Fifth Prince who issued the order... regardless of life or death."

"You...you actually dared to betray your master! You traitor!" the fifth prince said angrily.

Lu Chenyang pulled out another object, the Fifth Prince's purse. "This was left behind by Sister Rong during her struggle that day. It's one of His Highness's personal belongings. Your Majesty, after I learned of this, I knew it was a serious matter, concerning the reputation of the royal family, so I specifically sent for an investigation. I discovered that His Highness has done more than just this. He has abducted women, allowed slaves to injure people, and acted tyrannically. The people are already complaining. I beg Your Majesty to give the people justice!"

Lu Chenyang took out another memorial and said, "This is the evidence I have collected. Your Majesty, please review it."

The eunuch walked down from the hall and respectfully took the things from Lu Chenyang's hand.

Lu Chenyang said, "Your Majesty, every single one of the things in this memorial is what I have gathered about the evil deeds of the Fifth Prince. I have investigated and all of them are true. Your Majesty, the Fifth Prince is a prince, supported by the people of the world, yet he harms the people. His crimes are unforgivable! Princes who break the law are subject to the same punishment as common people. This should not be just a slogan. Your Majesty, please deal with him according to the law."