The moment Hu Tianyong's shrewd eyes saw his grandson, he immediately turned to look at Lan Shanyang.
Unexpectedly, Lan Shanyang was also staring at him with a deep expression.
Hu Tianyong immediately lowered his gaze, his worldly-wise face showing no sign of panic.
According to Hu Tianyong's plan, today's original intention was for Lan Xiuyuan to use the events in Jiangnan as a pretext to bring up the Crown Prince's breach of the dike. Then, he would lead the officials he had contacted to deliver a heavy blow to the Crown Prince. Even if Lan Linxue wasn't killed outright, she would at least be expelled from the royal family; that was Hu Tianyong's plan at least.
However, he never expected that before their plan could be implemented, Lan Shanyang's thunderous rage would already strike.
When everyone saw these people being brought in, they immediately began to whisper among themselves, but their eyes were filled with terror as they looked at Lan Shanyang.
Xu Ming, in particular.
He was supposed to be one of those kicking someone when they're down today, but before he could even lift his own stone, the other man's own father had already found someone to take the fall for his son, which made him wonder what to do next.
Lan Linxue also felt that her father was really good at preparing unexpected surprises for her.
To prevent Hu Tianyong and his ilk from harming him, the old man had actually prepared a backup plan in advance. He was indeed his own son and his own father.
Lan Linxue turned to look at Lan Shanyang with some surprise and delight.
Lan Shanyang glared at him fiercely.
Lan Linxue smiled slightly and decided that she would definitely take good care of him in the future, at least she wouldn't let him make her so angry that she wanted to hang herself again.
Lan Shanyang ignored his son's ulterior motives, leaning back on the dragon throne without even raising his hand, and lazily looked at the people below, saying, "These people are probably familiar to everyone! They are the foundation of your families' prosperity. But I've heard that these people have all run into some trouble recently. Take Hu Feifan, for example, he's surprisingly connected to the Third Prince's severed hand!"
I was truly shocked to hear this. Whether it's true or not, it has deeply moved me! Everyone has children, and every family has its own troubles! Take our Prime Minister Hu, for example. He was able to bear the burden of the empire for me, but he might not be able to protect his own descendants for generations to come. When children grow up, they are no longer under their father's or mother's control. They feel that their wings have grown strong enough to fly, so they act without considering the consequences.
But in the end, no matter how wrong a child is, they are still the apple of their parents' eye, aren't they, Prime Minister Hu?
"Yes! What His Majesty says is only human nature. Children are young and impetuous, and it's inevitable that they will make mistakes! To know one's mistakes and be able to correct them is the greatest virtue!"
Lan Shanyang nodded. "What the Prime Minister says makes sense! Heavenly principles and human sentiments are the norms of morality! If someone were to violate these norms and deliberately rip out your heart, that would be truly intolerable! Your sons are troublesome, and so is mine. Let's be tolerant of each other! As for the others, I'll leave the choice to you. If you perform your duties well, I'll consider the norms of morality. But if you rip out my heart, I'll consider the fundamental principles of morality. You can weigh the pros and cons yourself."
After speaking, Lan Shanyang glanced at the crowd below without any hint of threat.
Everyone fell silent. Their young master's life was in the Emperor's hands, so who would dare to speak rashly?
Lan Xiuyuan's face was very unpleasant. It was as if a ball of anger was burning in his heart. His father's blatant favoritism had made his years of forbearance uncontrollable.
Lan Linxue committed such a heinous crime, yet before the Emperor could even ask her any questions, he had already taken hostages. How could such methods not chill the hearts of others?
Lan Jiayuan's face was cold and he didn't say a word. His arm, missing a hand, looked particularly strange.
Lan Qingtian glanced down as if he hadn't seen anything. He knew that as long as his elder brother was there, these people wouldn't be able to use all their tricks.
Chen Kuangzheng looked at the Emperor and couldn't help but sigh and shake his head. The Emperor's methods were truly unpredictable; no one could have imagined them! It seemed that today's thunderstorm might take a different turn.
Only Lan Linxue had an amused expression on her face, looking at this person and then at that person, as if she was afraid that things weren't big enough, watching the show.
Lan Shanyang glanced down at the crowd. "Is none of you busy today? If not, I need to go back and review the memorials!"
Lan Xiuyuan finally couldn't hold back any longer. He stepped out of the crowd, knelt down, and reported, "Your Majesty, I have something to report!"
Lan Shanyang glanced at Lan Xiuyuan, "Oh? Okay! Go ahead and say it!"
"Your Majesty, I have been ordered to investigate the murder of Shi Mengjian, the Salt Commissioner of Jiangnan, and the plot of the Third Prince, Lan Jiayuan, to assassinate the Crown Prince. I have now completed my investigation!"
"Tell me the results!"
Lan Shanyang looked at Lan Xiuyuan, her expression unchanged.
Lan Xiuyuan's memorial had been submitted eight hundred years ago, and Shi Mengjian's case was concluded in a muddled manner.
According to the information he obtained, this matter seemed to be inextricably linked to Lan Linxue, but Lan Xiuyuan's conclusions pointed to Lan Jiayuan. In the end, the memorial he submitted cleared all of these people of any connection, saying only that they were assassinated, possibly due to personal grudges!
fart!
Only a fool would believe such a thing.
It seems that Hu Tianyong and Xu Ming eventually reached some kind of agreement; otherwise, Lan Xiuyuan wouldn't have insisted that it was a misunderstanding when investigating Lan Jiayuan's alleged rebellion against the Crown Prince.
Their goal was simply to kill Lan Linxue first; as for what happened after that, that was up to each of them.
Lan Linxue's account of Shi Mengjian's affairs was even more vague, clearly indicating that she wasn't telling the truth.
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