Chapter 764 Emperor Xiaozhao personally examines his children
"What are Third Brother and Fifth Brother talking about? Let me hear it too."
The King of Qi and the King of Chu were arguing fiercely when they suddenly heard Li Sanqi's words and immediately turned to look at her.
King Qi chuckled, "Seventh Sister is here too? Today is quite lively."
He hadn't forgotten how Li Sanqi, that two-faced woman, had coaxed him into standing up against the Crown Prince, only to abandon him afterwards and join the King of Chu's camp.
The King of Chu was quite calm when he saw Li Sanqi.
Previously, the Yongchang Marquis's mansion had instigated him to rebel, which he refused. He then turned around and told Li Sanqi about it.
He used to think that becoming the crown prince and the emperor would be a good thing, but the thought of following in the footsteps of the deposed crown prince made him back down.
It's better to live a miserable life than to die a good death.
Therefore, he wanted to use Li Sanqi to convey his feelings to their father, the emperor.
Anyway, he had conveyed his feelings, but as for whether Li Sanqi had told his father, he didn't know.
But so much time has passed since then, and he's fine. He must be alright now.
Thinking this to himself, the King of Chu greeted Li Sanqi with a mix of guilt and composure, saying, "Seventh Sister has arrived?"
After greeting them, he glanced at Li Jingyue beside Li Sanqi and nodded to her: "Liyang is here too?"
"Fifth Brother." Li Jingyue greeted the King of Chu with a smile, then turned to greet the King of Qi, "Third Brother."
King Qi snorted coldly in response.
Just then, Liu Xin strode out of the imperial study, bowed to the group, and said, "His Majesty summons Your Highnesses to the palace."
The King of Chu and the King of Qi quickly entered the imperial study.
Li Sanqi nodded to Liu Xin and politely said, "Thank you for your trouble, Eunuch Liu," before following his two elder brothers inside.
Li Jingyue nodded to Liu Xin and followed behind Li Sanqi.
Upon entering, the atmosphere in the hall was eerie and oppressive.
Emperor Xiaozhao sat behind his desk, his eyes deep and unfathomable.
The three chief officials and their three deputies from the Court of Judicial Review, the Ministry of Justice, and the Censorate, along with the prefect of Jingzhou, stood trembling to the side. Some were wiping sweat, some were shaking, and the bolder ones were secretly spying on the four princes and princesses who had just entered.
"Your subjects pay their respects to Your Majesty." The four of them knelt down and kowtowed in unison.
After the King of Chu finished his salutation, he instinctively tried to stand up. But once he had one leg up, he realized that Emperor Xiaozhao hadn't told them to rise. Turning his head, he saw that the other three were still kneeling obediently.
He quickly and sheepishly knelt back down.
"Do you know why I summoned you to the palace?" Emperor Xiaozhao coldly looked at the four of them.
King Qi steadied himself and calmly replied, "It is said to be related to the case of deposing the crown prince."
Emperor Xiaozhao chuckled, "You certainly have excellent connections."
King Qi choked for a moment, then quickly explained, "Your Majesty, I was in my mother's palace just now when I heard that several officials from the Court of Judicial Review, the Ministry of Justice, and the Censorate came to the palace to see Your Majesty this morning."
"It seems that the only case that can attract the attention of the three judicial departments at the same time is the case of the deposed crown prince."
Emperor Xiaozhao looked at Prince Qi with a cold gaze, "You are quite clever."
"Father Emperor's praise is appreciated." A smile unconsciously appeared on the corner of King Qi's mouth.
However, before he could rejoice for long, Emperor Xiaozhao asked coldly, "Since you know it's about the case of deposing the crown prince, then guess why I summoned you?"
King Qi was startled, but remained outwardly calm and replied, "Your subject does not know."
Just then, the King of Chu, kneeling beside him, curled his lip in disdain.
He knew that his third brother had tampered with the case of the deposed crown prince, so how could his father not know?
King Qi caught a glimpse of King Chu's expression out of the corner of his eye, and his heart pounded with even more panic.
How could he forget the profound words that the King of Chu said at the door just now?
Could it be that Father Emperor also knows something?
No! Even if Father Emperor finds out, it doesn't matter. It was indeed the Chu Prince's Mansion and the Yongchang Marquis's Mansion that did it. He and Mother Consort just added fuel to the fire.
The death of the deposed crown prince had nothing to do with them.
King Qi was trying to comfort himself when he heard Emperor Xiaozhao ask King Chu, "And you? Do you know why I summoned you to the palace?"
The King of Chu was just laughing at the King of Qi when the fire quickly spread to him.
He shuddered, gritted his teeth, and looked up at Emperor Xiaozhao. “Father, I have not been virtuous in choosing a wife, nor have I managed my household properly. As a result, Princess Wen of Chu has developed inappropriate thoughts.”
"Although I am unaware of the details, I suspect that the death of my elder brother, the deposed crown prince, may be related to my wife and her family, the Yongchang Marquis's Mansion."
"Your subject dares not cover it up, much less ask for your father's forgiveness. Please punish me, Your Majesty!"
Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at the King of Chu.
The King of Qi looked at the King of Chu as if he were a fool.
Is he selling out his wife, her family, and even his maternal grandfather's family's Yongchang Marquis Mansion?
Is this something a normal person would do?
Not only did they not plead for mercy, but how could they betray their allies, their wives, and their backers?
Based on what he just said, if the Yongchang Marquis's mansion hears even a single word of it, the King of Chu will lose his backing!
Seeing that the King of Chu had brought about his own demise and cut off his own path forward, the King of Qi was overjoyed, unable to suppress the smile on his face.
Although Li Sanqi was somewhat surprised, he thought about it and it wasn't so strange after all.
For a Chu king who had already given up on life, simply surviving was his greatest pursuit.
Thinking back to the time more than two months ago when the King of Chu came to her in a panic, saying that the Yongchang Marquis's mansion had instigated him to force the emperor to abdicate, Li Sanqi couldn't help but twitch the corners of her mouth.
Her fifth brother seemed to be terrified by the matter of the deposed crown prince and didn't want to take any risks.
Ever since Li Jingyue knelt down to pay her respects, she has kept her head down, and no one knows what she is thinking.
The officials from the Three Departments standing nearby were all shocked upon hearing the King of Chu's words.
Several of them even exchanged meaningful glances.
Emperor Xiaozhao ignored the reactions of the crowd, only half-closing his eyes and looking sharply at the King of Chu.
Just when everyone thought Emperor Xiaozhao was going to say something, he turned his gaze to Li Sanqi.
What about you? Is there anything you'd like to say?
Li Sanqi paused for a moment, then straightened his back and said, "When the Three Departments were investigating the cause of the Crown Prince's death, one of my maids confessed, and I was naturally implicated as well."
"The officials from the Three Departments, along with those from the Jingzhou government, entered the palace to meet the Emperor. It seems that the cause of the Crown Prince's death has been determined."
"My father summoned me to the palace, either to punish me or to clear my name."
"No matter what, I, as someone involved in the case, have no reason not to be present."
The officials from the three departments all looked at Li Sanqi with admiration.
Compared to the feigning ignorance of the King of Qi and the straightforwardness of the King of Chu, Li Sanqi's humble yet assertive attitude and well-organized words clearly won him more favor.
Emperor Xiaozhao couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth slightly.
However, the upward curve of his lips was ambiguous, making it difficult to tell whether it was happiness or mockery.
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