"You audacious Geng Yuan and Yue Mei, how dare you deceive me? It was clearly Prince Lin and Feng Xu who humiliated Prince Xian, yet you dare to mislead me into misunderstanding Princess Long Xuan. I will have your entire family executed."
At this moment, Emperor Li Hongwen was also filled with remorse. "Blood Purple Star" had saved him and his third son, Li Mufeng, time and time again. This time, she had even offended the Feng family to protect his eldest son, Li Mutian. But what had he done to cause Feng'er to divorce that girl? And all of this was caused by these two servants giving false testimony. Li Hongwen's anger was beyond imagination.
"Your Majesty, spare me! I was forced into this. Prince Lin had my brother arrested, and I had no choice but to lie! Waaah..."
Yue Mei choked back tears, her eyes filled with deep self-reproach.
"It was King Lin, King Lin who captured my mother. I had no choice but to speak against my conscience! I am sorry to Princess Longxuan, and I am willing to atone with my death!"
Geng Yuan felt even more guilty. Thinking that the divorce between the Longxuan King and the Longxuan Queen was due to his false testimony, he blamed himself and drew his sword to slit his own neck.
"clang."
With a crisp sound, Prince Longxuan, Li Mufeng, arrived just in time, stopping his suicidal intentions.
"Why did Prince Longxuan save me? I'm so sorry to you and the Queen. She saved me and Yuemei, and even helped Prince Xian teach Feng Xu a lesson for bullying him, but I..."
As Geng Yuan finished speaking, he slapped himself twice, filled with regret.
"Geng Yuan, how dare you frame me?"
Upon seeing this, King Lin grabbed him by the collar, but Li Mufeng kicked him away.
"Li Muchen, you still show no remorse! When are you going to stop this nonsense? Prince Xian is our elder brother! How could you humiliate him like this? Are you even human?"
"ah……"
Caught off guard, Li Muchen was kicked away by Li Mufeng, letting out a scream. Fortunately, his attendant, Lone Wolf, caught him, preventing him from falling too embarrassingly.
"Li Mufeng, how dare you hit me, do you believe I will..."
"Enough, you beast, you have disappointed me greatly."
Emperor Li Hongwen's eyes flashed with anger as he roared in a deep voice,
"Guards, drag Prince Lin out and give him thirty lashes. Confine him to the Prince Lin's residence and place him under house arrest for three months."
"Father, Father, spare me! I will never dare to do it again. Please forgive me."
Prince Lin, Li Muchen, struggled and shouted, but Emperor Li Hongwen remained unmoved. It was Empress Dowager Feng Xiuzhen who stepped forward.
“Your Majesty, you must not do this. Tomorrow is the day when Master Xuanqing will hold a rain-seeking ceremony at the altar. If you punish Prince Lin, you may end up losing more than you gain. After all, Master Xuanqing came for Prince Lin, and Baojun County is waiting for Master Xuanqing to bring rain. If you anger Master Xuanqing, it will be a loss that does not outweigh the gain.”
"I beg Your Majesty to consider the bigger picture and forgive Prince Lin."
Grand Tutor Fengyi also spoke.
"I second that proposal!"
Feng Ling, the Vice Minister of War, followed closely behind.
"Your Majesty's words also make sense!"
Even Prime Minister Han Bingmo spoke up, and all the court officials bowed and echoed his call.
"We second that proposal!"
Besides currying favor with the powerful, there was also the fact that this was a public matter. The need for rain in Baojun County was indeed urgent, so it's no wonder that the officials were so unanimous in their opinions.
Seeing this, Li Muchen was smug.
“That’s right, Father. When I asked Master Xuanqing, he did say that I must be there in person that day, otherwise he would never let it rain.”
"Second Brother, do you mean you have more influence than Father? Only when you're present will this 'Master Xuanqing' be willing to send rain; Father's pleading won't work?"
Li Mufeng's words were full of sarcasm and barbs, but Li Muchen remained completely oblivious.
"Father's influence is great, but I've taken a liking to Daoist Xuanqing. Third brother, do you have any objections?"
Li Muchen's words were utterly provocative. Li Mufeng clenched his fists, about to say something more, when he heard Li Hongwen's deep voice.
"Enough. In that case, let's postpone the punishment of King Rin until after the rain!"
"Your Majesty is wise!"
The crowd cheered, but Li Mufeng was not entirely satisfied.
"Father, my woman has been wronged, and my elder brother, a member of the royal family, has been forced to eat excrement and drink urine. This is a slap in the face to Father, and it is not only my elder brother who has been humiliated, but also Father, and I, and even the entire 'Purple Cloud Kingdom,' who will probably be unable to hold their heads up."
If the wicked are not severely punished, not only will the people of the entire "Purple Cloud Kingdom" look down on their father, but also the emperor.
Even other countries will laugh at my "Purple Cloud Kingdom." Where is the dignity of my royal family? What face does the "Purple Cloud Kingdom" have left?
Li Mufeng's impassioned words drew nods of agreement from many ministers.
“What King Longxuan said is very true. This matter cannot be concluded so easily.”
“If we let this go so easily, my ‘Purple Cloud Kingdom’ will surely become a laughing stock in other countries.”
...
"Your Majesty, please grant justice to my virtuous prince, sob sob..."
"I beg Your Majesty to severely punish the wicked and seek justice for my virtuous prince."
...
Yuemei and Geng Yuan shouted in unison. Emperor Li Hongwen glanced at Li Mufeng, who nodded, appearing to be in agreement with the will of the people.
"I have heard what you all have to say, and I think it is indeed true. Prince Longxuan, according to your opinion, how should the judgment be made?"
Unable to understand his son's meaning, Li Hongwen asked in return.
“Those who insult or frame the royal family should, in principle, have their entire family executed.”
As soon as Li Mufeng finished speaking, everyone in the Feng family stared wide-eyed.
Some of the Feng clan's military officers even gripped their sword hilts, ready to rebel at the Feng family's command.
However, Li Mufeng suddenly changed the subject.
"After all, the Empress Dowager is also a member of the royal family, and the two families are related by blood. In addition, the Feng family has made great contributions to my father, so they should be treated leniently."
Upon hearing Li Mufeng's words, the military officers released their grip, while the Feng clan members glanced at Li Mufeng with disdain.
"I thought this bastard's son was ruthless, but he's just a coward. He's scared."
Even Emperor Li Hongwen sighed, but also breathed a sigh of relief.
"Fortunately, Feng'er is still self-aware. The Feng family is not easy to deal with, so we can't be too hasty."
However, the next second, Li Mufeng's words surprised everyone.
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