On the morning of the second day, the atmosphere in the Golden Palace was so solemn that it seemed as if water could drip out.
Li Chengfeng sat upright on the dragon throne, his eyes cold as he looked down at the sea of heads surrounding His Highness.
"Bring them up!" He gave an order, and the guards brought up Li Chenghao, who was tied up, and a group of the prince's followers.
Li Chenghao's hair was disheveled, and his once gorgeous clothes were now covered in dust and blood. He no longer had the dignity of a prince, but looked more like a stray dog.
Apparently he was "well entertained" last night.
His eyes were empty, and he seemed to have not yet recovered from the incident of last night.
"Your Majesty! The Crown Prince is young and ignorant, and must have been bewitched by a treacherous person! Please, Your Majesty, spare his life for the sake of our brotherly love!"
An old minister stepped out tremblingly and pleaded with tears in his eyes.
"Yes, Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is your brother after all. Please think twice!"
"Your Majesty! The Prince of Pingxi has always been loyal and dedicated. He has defended the border for many years and has made great contributions. There must be a misunderstanding!"
The other ministers also knelt down and begged for mercy. For a moment, their foreheads were pressed tightly against the cold ground and sweat was pouring down.
Li Chengfeng looked at this group of people coldly. They were so arrogant and domineering yesterday, but now they are like eggplants hit by frost. It is really ridiculous.
"Bewitched by a treacherous person?"
Those four words again made Li Chengfeng burst out laughing. "Liu Zhenshan exploits the common people, seizes fertile land, and kills and robs people! Are these also the work of a traitor?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the hall suddenly fell silent.
"Young and ignorant? Loyal and devoted? What a treacherous man who bewitched him! What a hardworking and meritorious man!"
"Then let me ask you, how do you explain Liu Zhenshan's illegal collection of taxes, expansion of the army, and seizure of fertile farmland? If I don't kill him, how can I explain this to the people of Xijing?"
"This Great Gan Dynasty...our ancestors! How can I explain this to them?"
“This…this…”
The ministers were suddenly speechless, looking at each other with pale faces.
Of course they knew what Liu Zhenshan had done, but since they had accepted money from Liu Zhenshan, they naturally had to speak for him.
A minister close to Liu Zhenshan stood up and said, "Your Majesty, the Marquis of Pingxi is a pillar of the country and has made great contributions to our dynasty. How could he do such a treasonous act? There must be a misunderstanding!"
Li Chengfeng stood up suddenly, with a surge of anger in his heart rushing to his head.
These treacherous ministers still have no intention of changing their evil deeds even now!
He threw a thick stack of files at the prince, causing the entire hall to buzz.
"Open your dog eyes and take a look! All that's recorded here is evidence of the crimes of Liu Zhenshan and his cronies! I wish I could chop them into pieces!"
Files were scattered all over the floor, densely packed with records of the crimes of Liu Zhenshan and his cronies: seizing people's land, forcing women into prostitution, taking human lives... Every one of them was shocking.
The ministers were so frightened that they trembled all over and kowtowed to the ground, not daring to plead for Li Chenghao and Liu Zhenshan anymore.
They didn't expect that the emperor actually had so much evidence. It seemed that he was serious this time.
"Your Majesty, calm down! We acknowledge our guilt!"
"Your Majesty, spare my life!"
Li Chengfeng looked at these so-called "ministers" without any pity in his heart.
He said coldly, "Are you aware of your guilt? Do you know that your sin is enough to bring punishment upon your entire clan?"
He walked down the stairs step by step, and each step seemed to step on the hearts of these ministers, making them feel suffocated by fear. He walked up to the crying minister and looked down at him condescendingly.
"Sir Zhang, I remember you once reported that the treasury was empty and military spending needed to be cut. Now it seems that you are trying to weaken my power so that Liu Zhenshan and the Crown Prince can take advantage of it, right?"
The minister's face was pale and his lips were trembling, but he couldn't utter a word.
Li Chengfeng sneered and walked to another minister.
"Wang Dezhong... Lord Wang."
"Do you know that your family owns thousands of acres of fertile land, several mansions, and countless gold, silver, and jewels?"
Wang Dezhong was shaking like a sieve and couldn't think of a word to refute.
The bribes he had embezzled from various levels of government over the past decade, plus the amount given by King Pingxi, had already reached an astronomical figure!
Li Chengfeng's tone suddenly turned cold: "You are just a lowly sixth-rank official, how did you get so much money? Did it fall from the sky?"
Wang Dezhong was so scared that he collapsed to the ground. A foul smell came from his crotch and he was so scared that he wet his pants.
"And you, Lord Sun,"
Li Chengfeng suddenly turned around and locked his eyes on the next person.
"You keep reporting to me, saying I'm indulging in pleasure and neglecting state affairs, intending to ruin my reputation and undermine my rule. You know exactly who you're cheering for!"
"Do you think I know nothing? Do you think these things can be hidden from my eyes?"
His voice was not loud, but it carried a powerful pressure that made everyone breathless.
"And you," Li Chengfeng's gaze swept over the trembling ministers kneeling on the ground, "You are important officials of the court, but instead of serving the country and the people, you form cliques for personal gain, embezzle and pervert the law! Today, I will purge you, these parasites, one by one!"
"Come here! Capture all these people and kill them!"
At Li Chengfeng's command, the guards immediately rushed forward and arrested all the prince's followers and the ministers who pleaded for Liu Zhenshan.
The word "behead" was so resounding that all the ministers were so frightened by his iron-blooded approach that they were speechless.
Li Chengfeng glanced at the remaining court officials.
Fear spread in the court like a plague. Sweat soaked their official uniforms. In the silent hall, one could even hear the faint sound of sweat dripping onto the ground.
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