Chapter 148 (Demoted to Commoner)
Qi Chengming quickly finished reading and felt confident.
When he went to the main hall again, his steps were no longer hurried.
On the contrary, Prefect Lu, who was waiting there, didn't even sit down and paced back and forth anxiously.
Upon hearing someone enter, Prefect Lu turned around, revealing a chubby face flushed with excitement. He knew that his appearance was easily disliked, so he always remembered to wipe his face with a handkerchief to cover it up.
At this moment, Lu Yu couldn't care less about anything else and excitedly shouted, "Your Highness!! A classmate sent me a letter... The Third Prince has been caught!"
Lu Yu never expected that the conflict that was supposed to erupt years later would come so soon.
Moreover, the struggle for the throne has changed significantly since my previous life. The eldest and third princes have both fallen, while the sixth prince, who was born of the legitimate wife, remains unscathed… That legitimate son poses little threat. Upon closer examination, the second prince is only one unassuming seventh prince away from becoming crown prince!
Unfortunately, the Seventh Prince is still young... unlike in his previous life when he could fight the Second Prince so fiercely...
No matter how you look at it, I feel that His Highness the Second Prince has a very bright future!
Lu Yu was so excited that he couldn't control his emotions.
Xiao Dezi, who came to pour tea, looked up in surprise. He first scanned his surroundings alertly, then silently went to the door to stand guard. Only then did he begin to chuckle to himself.
He pricked up his ears, gleefully preparing to hear what the Third Prince had done wrong.
Qi Chengming was also very interested and sat down to let him talk in detail: "Prefect, please don't be in a hurry. Have some water first."
His maternal grandfather's letter used only the most concise words to inform him of the Third Prince's fate. As for what exactly happened, Qi Chengming was eager to find out.
"This time, people from the Court of Judicial Review and the Ministry of Justice went to Jizhou together." Lu Yu took a perfunctory sip of tea and couldn't wait to begin his story.
He knew that his purpose in coming here was to satisfy the new emperor's gossipy nature, so the letter from the bigwigs of the Jiangnan faction was quite thick, full of details, enough for Lu Yu to elaborate on.
This case was originally assigned to the Dali Temple.
However, during the investigation, it was discovered that... even the Dali Temple itself was not clean. Several officials were secretly plotting to distance the Third Prince from the matter, almost framing the Dali Temple Minister.
Fortunately, the servant of the Minister of Justice hadn't slept well that night and got up to listen in, thus averting a dangerous situation.
After that, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review hurriedly wrote a letter inviting his colleagues from the Ministry of Justice, ostensibly to supervise each other, but in reality, to clear his name of suspicion.
Upon hearing this, Qi Chengming thought that the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review must have had some interesting experiences along the way.
After dodging numerous open and covert attacks, he finally managed to clarify the case in Jizhou, summarized dozens of extremely serious cases and sent the witnesses back to the capital, arrested the several fugitive criminals, and finally concluded the interrogation in the Dali Temple prison.
Although they insisted that they were the ones who committed the crime and that it had nothing to do with the Third Prince, the witnesses and evidence told a different story. After a tiring joint trial with the Ministry of Justice, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review presented all these testimonies to Emperor Hongren.
...
At that time, Emperor Hongren in the capital was already mentally prepared, but when he saw the blood-stained testimonies, the emaciated people kneeling and crying, and the numerous accusations that could not be written on a few sheets of paper, and the repeated denunciations against the noble prince...
The old emperor continued to wail and cry uncontrollably.
"What sins have I committed to give birth to such a thing as you!" Emperor Hongren cursed with utter disgust, his heart filled with despair.
Normally, despite his disdain for the third prince, he always held a sliver of hope.
This child has been outstanding since childhood, and he had high hopes for him.
It doesn't matter if one bullies the people, abuses their power, or flaunts their status. As long as one can govern the country well, even if the outward appearance is not bad, one is still a decent successor, no matter how bad the inner workings are.
Emperor Hongren knew he wasn't exactly a wise and sagacious emperor, so he tried his best to maintain a stable reign and, even after his death, could be remembered as a benevolent ruler. With no clear successor, having someone to choose from was already a good thing.
But the third prince... is truly foolish!
It's understandable that he has his own agenda, and his clandestine dealings with foreign officials are also understandable. His biggest mistake was disregarding the bigger picture and attempting to embezzle grain and silver from Ji Province at this critical juncture on the front lines. This demonstrates a lack of foresight.
He chose to exploit the people with ruthless methods, and then failed to handle the aftermath properly, unable to clear his name. Emperor Hongren coldly observed countless opportunities along the way, finding it laughable; now, he's even lost the most basic semblance of dignity. This is a sign of incompetence.
In that case... what good would it do if the third prince were to be skilled in martial arts and excel in his studies?!
They're not even as good as the boss!
Emperor Hongren regretted his actions and felt that he had been too harsh in punishing and disliking his eldest son.
"You beast!!" Thinking of this, Emperor Hongren angrily pointed at the Third Prince kneeling to the side, blurted out, picked up the scalding hot teapot in his hand and threw it at him.
"...!!" The Third Prince was terrified, no longer caring about his dignity, and scrambled to his feet, raising his sleeves to dodge. Shards of glass and scalding water splashed onto his hem and sleeves, burning him. The Third Prince endured the pain, daring not to cry out, only screaming, his face deathly pale:
"Father, please calm your anger! Your son knows his mistake, please calm your anger!"
Seeing that he still dared to hide, Emperor Hongren's anger rose even higher. He cursed as he picked up his teacup and chased after him.
"..." At that time, the Minister of Justice and the other officials of the Ministry of Justice were all embarrassed and kept their heads down, not daring to look at the Emperor's family affairs.
Qi Chengming listened intently in the main hall.
He stared intently at Prefect Lu and said politely, "Prefect, please continue."
Clearly, those present at the time were quite bold in spreading the details.
Hearing the Third Prince's pathetic misfortune and being publicly called a "beast" by Emperor Hongren, it's clear the Third Prince's fate is sealed. Qi Chengming may even have to be wary of the First Prince's resurgence; the Third Prince is truly dead.
and……
Qi Chengming silently thought to himself, 'The original owner of this body can finally breathe a sigh of relief.'
The original owner of this body, who was bullied by the Third Prince since childhood, has now finally gotten her revenge.
Xiao Dezi stood at the door, not daring to make a sound, but he nodded repeatedly, letting out a sigh of relief. He even wanted to share this good news with Granny Liu, but unfortunately, he couldn't say it.
After Lu Yuzai carefully described the process, and observing the new emperor's relaxed expression, he readily recounted the fate of the third prince:
"Several key figures in the Jizhou case were sentenced to have their homes confiscated and beheaded. The remaining accomplices and officials of all ranks involved in the Jizhou case were also imprisoned and convicted. No matter what method is used, they are required to return the embezzled money and grain within half a month."
"The Third Prince was demoted to a commoner and imprisoned in the Imperial Clan Court; Consort Rong was demoted to Consort Rong and confined to her palace, forbidden from leaving..."
Qi Chengming listened quietly, when one name caught his attention.
The third prince's cousin, Yu Zong, was also implicated. Because he was only guilty of a lesser offense, he was sentenced to exile with his entire family, temporarily sparing their lives. It is said that Emperor Hongren, considering his father's advanced age and years of diligent loyalty, showed leniency and only punished Yu Zong's branch of the family in the capital…
Upon hearing this, Qi Chengming thought of Shen Shuzhi.
If he knew this news, he would probably breathe a sigh of relief. At least his mentor was saved.
Although Qi Chengming felt that for the former Minister of Rites, who was old and had lost his only son and his entire family... it was hard to say whether the Emperor's act of graciously sparing him was a favor.
However, Qi Chengming finally breathed a sigh of relief.
So far, with the enemy in the open and us in the shadows, he has already brought down two princes. Although the eldest prince is at risk of making a comeback, he has done nothing but rely on his familiarity with the original plot to smoothly get to where he is now.
This is already an excellent development.
"Your Excellency, please stay at the prefectural residence today, it's my treat!" Qi Chengming waved his hand generously. He wouldn't throw a grand banquet to celebrate, but having the kitchen prepare a small feast for himself and Prefect Lu would be fine.
Hearing this good news... makes the end of this year much easier!
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