Chapter 285 Xie Shang Reprimands Minister Li

Xie Shang brought this up at this time with his own purpose. Minister Li was the Minister of War, and he had not made any major mistakes since taking office. His only shortcoming was that he had raised a good-for-nothing son.

If it weren't for Minister Li suppressing his son, the entire Li family would probably have been investigated.

Xie Shang brought it up in front of Minister Li, which was considered a favor to Minister Li. It was better for Minister Li to take care of his son himself than for the Emperor to issue an imperial edict to confiscate the Li family's property.

At this moment, Minister Li couldn't help but take the Crown Prince in front of him seriously. He felt even more fear and awe, fearing that this Crown Prince wanted to make a name for himself and achieve great things.

Upon hearing this, Minister Li was terrified. "I will certainly discipline him strictly," he said. He vowed to thoroughly interrogate his son upon returning home to see if he had committed any further offenses.

Minister Li had been very careful and hadn't dared to give his son any important positions, but the Crown Prince still remembered it. It was probably caused by the old grudge between his son and Jiang Jinyan.

The Jiang family's power is at its zenith. Although Jiang Jinyan is only a vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue, he is also the Marquis of Wu'an, appointed by the emperor. It is said that the Marquis of Wu'an has been running around for the Crown Prince recently and is very capable. Obviously, Jiang Jinyan has become a key minister of the Crown Prince. Just look at her family to know how favored the Crown Princess is. This is no exaggeration.

The more Minister Li thought about it, the more he felt he needed to return to his residence quickly and have someone fetch Li Cheng to go home.

At this time, Li Cheng was slacking off in the military camp, and even though Minister Li sent his trusted confidants to look for him, they couldn't find him.

With the blazing sun overhead and the summer heat intense, Li Cheng had no interest in training the soldiers, especially since it wasn't within his duties; he didn't need to participate.

So he sent his men to a brothel to find a pretty girl and secretly bring her into the army camp.

Just as Li Cheng and the girl were fooling around in the military camp, Minister Li arrived in person with a rattan cane.

Seeing this, the soldiers wanted to remind Li Cheng, but the old fox was still the wisest. Minister Li naturally knew what his son's subordinates were thinking. Since the Crown Prince had spoken, Minister Li would not allow them to go and report any further.

He knew his son's character very well; he just couldn't get past women and couldn't control his lust. But if things continued like this, his son would die from a woman sooner or later.

Because of the revelations about Li Cheng's poor morals, the noble ladies of Shengjing City were unwilling to marry into the Li family as young mistresses. Which respectable family would want to send their daughter to be tormented by Li Cheng?

This time, the Crown Prince personally gave him a heads-up. If he doesn't do something to let the Crown Prince know, his Li family will be in big trouble.

Then, Li Cheng, naked from the waist down, was being whipped hard by his father with a rattan cane. Li Cheng's pig-like screams could be heard, "Father, I was wrong, I will never dare to do it again."

It only made people think that Minister Li had beaten his son until his skin was torn and bleeding, and then they heard him angrily say, "From today onwards, you will train with the soldiers."

The news that Li Cheng had been dealt with by Minister Li spread throughout the entire military camp.

Immediately, Minister Li closed the door again, and the father and son hid in the room for a secret talk. Outside, Li's trusted confidants guarded the door to ensure that not even a fly could get in to eavesdrop on their conversation.

Li Cheng's buttocks were already covered in bruises, and he was in so much pain that tears streamed down his face. "Dad, I'm your own son! How could you hit me so hard? You really made your son train with the soldiers?!"

Minister Li was also heartbroken. It hurt his father to hit his son, so he had no choice but to hit him. He said coldly, "You will be taking the martial arts exam in a month. How will you get to the competition if you don't train? Cheng'er, I'm worried that your body has been ruined by women. You are not allowed to touch any more women."

"What martial arts examination?" Li Cheng

"Don't ask about that. Whether the Li family survives or not depends on whether you can pass the test in front of His Highness the Crown Prince." Despite the beating, Minister Li was definitely thinking about his son.

To prevent his son from getting into trouble, Minister Li recounted the whole story and warned him, "Don't tell anyone about this, or I'll lose my position."

Upon hearing that his official position was in jeopardy, Li Cheng finally panicked. "What happened to His Highness the Crown Prince? I haven't offended him. I've kept my distance from even the Jiang family. I've always followed my father's instructions."

"Dad, your son hasn't caused any more trouble. You can believe me. Last time Su Xuan came looking for him, he ignored him." Li Cheng blurted out that Su Xuan had come looking for him.

Upon hearing this, Minister Li became wary and asked, "Explain yourself clearly. What does Su Xuan want with you?"

So Li Cheng then recounted the incident of Su Xuan inciting students to cause trouble that day, saying, "I was just guessing, but he might be targeting Jiang Huai and Jiang Fenghua."

Minister Li slapped Li Cheng again, saying, "Who told you to address the Crown Princess by her given name?"

"There are no outsiders here, Father. How have you become so timid? You are the Minister of War, a second-rank official. Even if she becomes the Crown Princess, she may not become the Empress. Who can predict the future?" Li Cheng said dismissively.

“At least she’s the Crown Princess now.” Minister Li felt even more flustered after hearing Li Cheng’s explanation. Even the Crown Prince’s sudden announcement of holding a martial arts examination was not without reason.

That day, Su Xuan manipulated the students behind the scenes to frame Jiang Huai, a schoolteacher, simply because his daughter is now the Crown Princess.

All of this revolves around one central point: who will become the Crown Princess?

If the Su family tries to bring down the Jiang family, isn't that the same as bringing down the Crown Princess?

The Su family's daughter was also in the Crown Prince's harem, but unfortunately, she seemed to have disappeared from the Eastern Palace.

The power struggles within the imperial harem were comparable to a battlefield, filled with bloodshed and carnage.

However, Su Xuan did not get what she wanted. The Jiang family was not to be trifled with, and Su Dehai was even detained in Shengjing. What does this mean? It means that this Crown Princess was not a pushover. It can be said that she was very resourceful in order to win the Crown Prince's favor, and thus the Jiang family was able to turn their fortunes around.

The Li family only needs to remember one thing: the one currently favored in the Eastern Palace is still the Crown Princess Jiang Fenghua. That's enough.

Minister Li naturally wouldn't analyze these matters for Li Cheng, lest he know too much and cause trouble.

Before leaving, Minister Li went to see the military generals and instructed them to make Li Cheng an ordinary soldier.

Minister Li cannot command affairs in the military camp, but since he can get his son a job to coast along with his title of Minister of War, it would be just a matter of a word for him to make him a lowly soldier.

-

Soon, the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of War posted the proclamation that the court would hold a military examination. In order to announce it to the whole country, they not only posted it on the bulletin board at the entrance of various government offices, but also had soldiers deliver the proclamation to all prefectures, counties and towns, so that all the people of the Great Zhou Dynasty could see the news.

For a time, the people were discussing it extensively, with opinions ranging from praise to criticism.