Feng Ke worked on making this medicine until midnight.

Tiannan presented it and said respectfully, "Master."

The pile of documents on the desk have been processed and Tiannan looks towards the window.

He had followed Lian Shenwei for five years. Every time his master finished his official business, he would stand there. Facing the window was a red plum tree with fine stamens.

Outside the moonlight was cool, the red plum blossoms were blooming, the petals were covered with snow, and the fragrance was floating in the air, but they were not as graceful as the young man standing by the window.

Lian Shenwei reached out to brush away the scattered snow on the branches, and his knuckles were slightly red from the frost.

"This plum blossom has bloomed six times in my house, but each time it blooms later and later, and it's become sparser. If my sister were here, she would surely take good care of it."

"Give me the medicine."

Lian Shenwei had been taking medicine all these years, but there was not much smell of medicine in the Regent's mansion, and there were no rumors that the Regent was in poor health. This was because the medicine boiled by Feng Ke was finished in the form of pills.

The taste of the medicine is very slight and not too bitter.

Lian Shenwei picked it up, sniffed it, and raised his eyebrows: "The taste of this medicine is quite different from before."

"Yes," Tiannan repeated Feng Ke's words in detail, "Mr. Feng said that a new flavor, Frost and Fallen Flowers, was added to the soup. It was given to you by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince when you left the East Palace today."

"Mr. Feng asked you to try it first. He said the effect should be better than before. However, because it is a new drug, you may feel a suffocating pain in your heart in the near future. Be careful not to have big emotional fluctuations."

"knew."

Lian Shenwei took it and waited for a while. Seeing no special reaction from his body, he stopped paying attention to it.

His mind was still dizzy, probably because he had caught a cold in the imperial prison. Feng Ke could see it, but he did not give him any medicine.

Of course, he couldn't take any medicine either. He couldn't use many common oral herbs. He could only wait for the cold to get better on its own.

Lian Shenwei: "The evidence of Luan Qingan's collusion with the enemy has been destroyed, right?"

Tiannan nodded: "Everything you collected has been destroyed, but there is no guarantee that there are still some in the Northern Barbarians' royal court."

He looked at his master's elegant and calm profile, and recalled what those pedantic scholars had said in the capital. He could not help but get angry and said, "Master, why do you want to destroy it? That Luan Qingan is a cowardly person who is greedy and afraid of death, and he is being described as a loyal subject for no reason."

Lian Shenwei glanced at him and warmed his hands on the stove.

"He is Li Ningfeng's uncle. Li Ningfeng is now fighting the Northern Barbarians at the border. Even though there has been a temporary truce, if the news of his uncle's collusion with the Northern Barbarians gets out, it will disrupt the morale of the border troops and there will be chaos again."

"In this matter, the best outcome is for him to die in the name of integrity and loyalty."

Tiannan: "If that's the case, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the young marquis may not hate you."

The candle flickered and the dim light cast a flickering light on the side of the Regent's face, and his pale hands were warmed by the charcoal fire.

Lian Shenwei straightened up.

"It's good that he hates me. The more he hates me, the better."

The voice was so soft, like a sigh, that Tiannan could not hear it clearly. When he wanted to ask again, Lian Shenwei had already changed the subject: "There is no news about Mingdeng. You should let him keep a close eye on Li Ningfeng in the dark. On the way back to Beijing, it is inevitable that someone will not be able to resist and take action."

“Tiannan understands!”

Lian Shenwei picked up a document that he had handled before. It was full of information about the Nan'an fraud case. He looked at it for a moment and said, "Nan'an is the hometown of Right Prime Minister Wei, right?"

Tiannan: “Yes.”

"very nice."

Lian Shenwei smiled gently: "Tiannan, please go to the Dali Temple for me."

The next day in court.

In the Great Sheng Dynasty, black was the most respected color. Looking around the court, only the Regent who sat on the chair at the front wore a black robe with a dragon pattern on the bottom, and gold thread flowed underneath, making him look extremely noble.

The court officials present were extremely annoyed at the beginning, but now they are used to it.

Scholars do not have to kneel when meeting officials, but they must kneel before meeting the emperor. However, when their regent prince was selected as the top scholar by His Majesty and met the emperor, the emperor personally issued an edict to exempt him from the kneeling ceremony.

Even the emperor had never accepted his kneeling salute, and no one in the entire Great Sheng Dynasty dared to do so.

After the ceremony, the Nan'an fraud case was brought to light.

"Such a large-scale fraud case is the first of its kind in the history of our Great Sheng Dynasty. If we don't punish them severely, such heinous incidents will definitely occur again in the future!"

"The imperial examination system concerns the next batch of officials in our dynasty and the innocent people under their jurisdiction. If an official becomes an official by cheating, then he has no moral integrity. How can he govern the people and work for Your Majesty?!"

Another person stepped out.

"Your Majesty, please severely punish the Governor of Nan'an, the Nan'an Governor, the Nan'an Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, and the extremely evil Nan'an Education Commissioner. Send special personnel to investigate the remaining provinces and counties, and even the candidates for the last provincial examination in Nan'an three years ago!"

"Master Chen, what you said is inappropriate! The last imperial examination involved many candidates from Nan'an, and now there are new nobles in the court. If you say "thorough investigation", aren't you going to turn Dasheng upside down?"

"Even if we have to turn the whole thing upside down, we have to investigate! The Dasheng officialdom will never tolerate people who cheat and lie!"

Those who spoke were the officials from the third row onwards; the officials in the front did not speak. Of course, the words spoken by the officials in the back largely represented their different attitudes.

His Majesty did not utter a word, and the noisy voices below gradually died down, leaving only the words "Please decide, Your Majesty."

Emperor Jingcheng: "What does the Regent Prince think?"

Everyone in the court had different expressions.

Lian Shenwei looked at the old man standing behind Ying Jingjue in the second row on the right, and raised his lips slightly: "Master Wei, I remember that you are from Nan'an. I wonder if there are any old acquaintances of yours among those involved in this incident in Nan'an?"

Wei Li had been the right prime minister for many years and was also the prince's tutor. He was highly respected in the court and many young officials in the court were his students.

It can be said that his peaches and plums are all over the world.

Wei Li's heart skipped a beat. He took a step forward and said in a deep voice, "Prince Regent, please be careful with your words. Although I am from Nan'an, I will never do anything that goes against my conscience!"

As soon as he finished speaking, most of the court officials came out to prove his innocence. They knelt on the ground in a crowd.

I will not do anything that goes against my conscience.

Lian Shenwei pondered these words carefully, and the smile on his lips became more gentle, "Oh? Really?"

As soon as the words fell, the Dali Temple Minister stood up, lowered his head and said: "Your Majesty, Prince Regent, I have something to report."

Emperor Jingcheng: "Speak."

Dali Temple Minister: "I and Lord Siyu were in charge of the trial of Nan'an, and the result has just come out." He straightened his face and said, "Some people couldn't bear the punishment and confessed. They said that the reason they were so bold was because Nan'an had the support of a big shot in the court."

Lian Shenwei said calmly, "Tell me, who is it?"

The Dali Temple Minister took a deep breath and said in a sonorous and powerful voice: "It is our Right Prime Minister, Lord Wei Liwei!"

All the ministers were outraged.

No one expected things to turn out this way.

Wei Li's face flushed with anger: "You are lying! Who confessed?!"

The Dali Temple Minister kowtowed and said: "I am also surprised. The person who confessed died last night. This person died just after he revealed the mastermind. It seems like he was assassinated!"

"Then there is no conclusive evidence," Ying Jingjue sneered, defending his mentor very much, with a hint of sharpness in his eyes.

He cupped his hands and said, "Father, this matter is full of doubts. Lord Wei is honest and upright, and it is impossible for him to be related to the Nan'an fraud case. Please judge for yourself, Father!"

"Fourth brother, you can't say that. There must be some credibility in what the Dali Temple judges do, right?" The third prince was happy to see it happen. The Right Prime Minister has always been a staunch supporter of the Crown Prince. If Wei Li is removed from office, it will only benefit him.

However, Wei Li had served in two dynasties, and he knew how stubborn this old man was. The fraud case was probably a frame-up. The third prince narrowed his eyes and looked at the regent king on the chair.

It must be him.

Have you decided to take action against the prince?

Or is there something he doesn't know...

Emperor Jingcheng was not as angry as his ministers had imagined. The chief eunuch, Eunuch Li, was close by and took a sneak peek, and saw it clearly.

In addition to the sick look on the emperor's face, when Wei Li was pushed out, there were some complicated emotions on his face that the emperor could not understand.

Emperor Jingcheng: "Prince Regent, what do you think?"

"Since Lord Wei said that he has never done anything against his conscience..."

Lian Shenwei stood up from his chair and bowed to Emperor Jingcheng from a distance, "I can take over the case. Before we find out the truth, Lord Wei should stay in his own house."

Emperor Jingcheng: "This matter..."

"His Majesty."

Lian Shenwei's smile was still on his lips, but his eyes were calm. He passed through the imperial crown and vaguely met Emperor Jingcheng's eyes for a moment.

Emperor Jingcheng paused.

After a few seconds, he waved his hand tiredly: "I'll leave this matter to you."

Ying Jingjue suddenly raised his head: "Father!"

"His Majesty!"

"Your Majesty, you can't do that!"

"Please allow me to take over as well!"

"Your Majesty, please think twice!"

Emperor Jingcheng stood up, ignoring the courtiers kneeling on the ground, and said, "I am tired, let's leave the court."

"Teacher, please stay!"

Before leaving the palace, Lian Shenwei was stopped.

The young Chu Jun, who had hurried over, was calm, but at this moment he showed some emotion.

Ying Jingjue relaxed his tone and said, "Teacher, I think there may be some misunderstanding regarding Lord Wei. Isn't it a bit too much to put the whole family under house arrest?"

Lian Shenwei: "For an official who has committed a serious crime, the current punishment is just house arrest, which is already very good."

"Committed a serious crime?" Ying Jingjue said, "Lord Wei is only suspected, but not convicted."

Lian Shenwei looked at him with a half-smile but said nothing.

Ying Jingjue felt a sinking feeling in his heart.

If Lian Shenwei's target was Wei Li, then it didn't matter whether Lord Wei made any mistakes or not.

What matters is what the person who takes over thinks.

When did Wei Li become enemies with Lian Shenwei?

Tiannan, who was waiting outside the palace gate not far away, came over quickly and said, "Master, it's time to go back, otherwise the weather will change soon."

Lian Shenwei: "Your Highness, I will leave first."

Ying Jingjue gritted his teeth and turned his head away.

The young man had a slender figure, like a bamboo orchid. He had seen Lian Shenwei's back countless times as he left the East Palace after teaching him.

He used to admire and yearn for that kind of character, but now looking at the back, he was left with only disappointment and hatred.

Wei Li was his supporter in the court. Although he had little real power, he had many students all over the world and had a very high reputation. To him, Wei Li was not only a mentor, but also a great help.

Lian Shenwei had never had any grudge against Wei Li, but now he suddenly attacked Wei Li. Ying Jing could not think of any other reason except that he was targeting him as the crown prince.

He closed his eyes and slowly clenched his fists, once again experiencing the feeling of being powerless and powerless. He had endured Luan Qingan's affairs, but was he going to endure it a second time?

However, he had too little power in the court, and because of his young age, he had to deal with his ambitious eldest and third brothers. If he was not careful, he would make mistakes.

How could he compete with his teacher, the Regent of Dasheng?

If he ever becomes the emperor, the first thing he will do is to kill all the treacherous people in the court!

The young prince said humbly, "Teacher, Lord Wei is the elder who taught me. He is old. If he has really committed a crime, please allow him to return to his hometown to recuperate."

Lian Shenwei did not stop walking, as if he did not hear anything.

Ying Jingjue's voice suddenly rose and trembled: "Teacher!"

The carriage slowly left the place, and the guards outside the palace wall wished they could lower their heads into their chests.

A light drizzle began to fall from the overcast sky. Xiao Zhizi hurried over, holding an umbrella and crying, "Your Highness, please return to the palace as soon as possible. It's freezing cold out here. What if you get frozen?"

Ying Jing decided: "Prepare the car and go to the Marquis of Loyalty's Mansion."

Xiao Zhizi: “What?”

"I said prepare the car!"

Based on his understanding of Lian Shenwei, if he is determined to attack someone, he will definitely do it as soon as possible and kill him with one blow. As expected, tonight will not be peaceful.

The Mansion of the Marquis of Loyalty is full of loyal and brave people. The old marquis was injured in the battlefield three years ago and has difficulty walking. He has been living in the mansion and has not left the house for three years. He is in charge of one of the three imperial guards.

Ying Jingjue only hoped that he could seek help from Marquis Zhongyi in time.

Eunuch Li, who was serving beside Emperor Jingcheng, trotted over and said, "Greetings to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"Your Highness, His Majesty asks you to go to Yangxin Palace."

Ying Jingjue was stunned: "At this time?"

Eunuch Li: "Your Majesty's order, I dare not spread it without permission."

Spring thunder rumbled in the sky, with a loud bang that was deafening.

The Chief Justice of the Dali Temple had no idea how the Prince Regent investigated the case. The mild-mannered young man had just gone around in prison and had more than a dozen signed pieces of evidence in his hands.

That night.

The Black Armor Guards surrounded the Wei Mansion and the water could not escape.

The rain splashed on their cold armor as the murderous black-armored guards rushed into the mansion holding torches. Some of them stood on both sides while the other part went in to capture people.

Soon, panicked screams and cries were heard from the mansion.

The Black Armor Guards were extremely efficient in their work, and before long, the mansion became quiet. All the people from the Wei Mansion were forced to kneel in the courtyard.

Wei Li's hair was a mixture of gray and white. He glared and stiffened his neck as he cursed: "Traitor! Traitor ruins the country! Lian Shenwei!"

His son cried and pleaded, "Father, Father, please stop scolding me, I beg you!"

"Coward!" Wei Li looked at his only son, who had not even reached adulthood, with hatred.

Fearful and suppressing his sobs, Lian Shenwei held up an umbrella and slowly stepped across the bluestone slabs. He walked in front of Wei Li and smiled slightly, "How can Lord Wei be so cruel?"

Wei Li sneered and spat at him.

Lian Shenwei turned his head away and didn't bother, "Master Wei is probably too old to forget what happened nine years ago."

"You are a forgetful person, but I will remember it forever. I guess you still need me to remind you."

His tone became more gentle: "During the reign of the late emperor, in the 41st year of Yongjia, Jinling City, Fudu Mountain Villa."

"Does Lord Wei still have any impression of you?"

The restraint and courtesy in his every move seemed to be engraved in his bones. Even at this moment, when he addressed the old man, he used respectful titles and even bent his waist slightly so as not to look down at the old man.

Wei Li's pupils shrank, and his eyes gradually widened, almost popping out of their sockets. "You, you..."

There was a loud thunderclap, and the purple lightning was like a spider web, carving a terrifying crack in the night sky, and suddenly illuminating the young man's cold jade-like profile.

The rain wet the ends of Lian Shenwei's hair. He smiled faintly, but there was no smile in his eyes, which were as dark as the night.

"Master Wei has remembered."