In the Qi Prince's residence, Chu Tianling sat in his study, venting his anger. He slammed his fist heavily on the table, yelling, "You damned fifth prince, how dare you play tricks on me! I won't let you get away with this..."
His men kept their heads down, not daring to utter a sound. Chu Tianling looked at them, gritting his teeth, "You bunch of useless trash! What use are you? Has Mu Linfeng returned yet...?"
A guard stepped forward tremblingly to report, "Your Highness, it seems Commander Mu hasn't returned yet..."
"Useless, a bunch of useless people..."
A while later, Mu Linfeng, covered in blood, knelt on the ground. He was the same man in black robes who had just escaped with great difficulty. "Your subordinate is incompetent. I failed to kill Zi Yan. The Imperial Guards and the Prince of Yan's Black Wing Guards were guarding the area, and Yu Fengyang was also lurking in the shadows with the Xuanjia Army. It was truly impossible for me to break through... Please punish me, Your Highness."
After all, this was a highly skilled individual he had painstakingly recruited, so Chu Tianling didn't dare to scold him too much. "Alright, get up. It's not your fault. Hmph, Seventh Brother actually dared to use the Xuanjia Army... Yu Fengyang... the Yu family... they're all ungrateful bastards..."
If tonight doesn't work, we'll have to think of other ways...
The next morning at court, in the Taiji Hall, Emperor Wenxuan, dressed in his dragon robe, looked rather grim, staring at his sons with an inscrutable expression. He already knew about the assassination attempt on the Crown Prince the previous night.
Right Chancellor Liu Jinhan bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I heard that the Crown Prince was assassinated last night, and several princes were also involved. This old minister believes that the murderer should be handed over to the Ministry of Justice for trial, and the mastermind behind it should be brought to justice."
Bai Linan is at odds with the Right Chancellor, so naturally he won't support him. The Ministry of Justice is under his control; who knows what tricks he might pull?
So he quickly stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, this old minister feels this is inappropriate. His Highness Prince Yan saved your life yesterday; it would be more appropriate to hand the murderer over to His Highness Prince Yan."
The Minister of War stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that the Prince of Yan should be punished first. His Highness is currently in charge of the capital's defenses, yet he neglected his duties, leading to this incident. This is the first offense. I have also heard that the Prince of Yan's residence mobilized the Xuanjia Army without authorization yesterday. This is the second offense. I urge Your Majesty to investigate this matter thoroughly."
Emperor Wenxuan narrowed his eyes. "Seventh Prince, what do you say?"
Knowing these old scoundrels would make a big fuss about it, Chu Tianze naturally wouldn't leave any ammunition for them to use. So, he submitted a memorial last night explaining the situation. Chu Tianze sneered, "Minister Lü's information network is quite impressive. Does Minister Lü know why I mobilized the Xuanjia Army last night...?"
The Minister of War sneered, "Regardless of the reason, Prince Yan, it was wrong of you to mobilize the Xuanjia Army to guard the Prince Yan's residence without authorization... I beg Your Majesty to punish you severely."
"Last night's plan was meticulous. The only surviving murderer had many experts who wanted to silence him. That's why I mobilized the Xuanjia Army and informed my father in advance. Minister Lü, since you knew about this, where were you when the Prince of Yan's mansion was covered in corpses last night? Could it be that you were also an accomplice?"
"Nonsense! Your Majesty, I only learned of the Xuanjia Army this morning. I was unaware that the Prince of Yan had informed Your Majesty beforehand. It was my oversight. However, since His Highness the Prince of Yan has neglected his duties, I believe that his authority over defense should be revoked, and He Yan, the Commander-in-Chief of the Capital Guard, should also be severely punished."
Watching the back-and-forth below, Emperor Wenxuan's expression was cold. "Then, Minister Lü, who do you think is best suited to handle the defense of the capital? How about I entrust it to you?"
The Minister of War immediately knelt down and bowed, saying, "Your humble servant dares not..."
Emperor Wenxuan roared, "If you dare not, then shut up! The Crown Prince has already submitted a memorial to me, praising the Prince of Yan and He Yan for their excellent protection; they should be rewarded."
Seeing that the matter concerning the Prince of Yan had been resolved, the Right Chancellor stepped forward and asked, "Your Majesty, who should be entrusted with the trial of the murderer?"
I'm never at ease keeping her in the Prince of Yan's residence. What if the Prince of Yan uses some underhanded means, and Zi Yan implicates the Prince of Xiang?
Seeing this, Bai Linan naturally wouldn't let him have his way. Since he hadn't taken sides yet and was only loyal to His Majesty, he might as well help his son-in-law.
"Your Majesty, this old minister believes that the mastermind behind this is no ordinary person. Last night, they even dared to enter the Prince of Yan's residence to kill someone. Such arrogance is unacceptable. It would be safer for the person to remain at the Prince of Yan's residence. If they were left at the Ministry of Justice, they would likely be silenced before any interrogation could be conducted. I wonder what the Right Chancellor's intentions are in insisting on sending the person to the Ministry of Justice."
Liu Jinhan snorted, "The Left Prime Minister is joking. Your Majesty, this old minister only feels that when it comes to interrogation, the Ministry of Justice naturally has more methods than the Prince of Yan. The person behind this is cunning, and I'm afraid His Highness the Prince of Yan won't be able to get anything out of him. As for safety, since the person has been sent to the Ministry of Justice, Your Majesty can also send troops to guard it."
Seeing that his two sons, the Prince of Xiang and the Prince of Qi, remained silent, Emperor Wenxuan raised an eyebrow. "Fifth Prince, Sixth Prince, what do you two think? You were both present yesterday."
The Prince of Xiang naturally wouldn't show anything that would arouse suspicion; Chu Tianling would take the lead in this matter. "Your Majesty," Chu Tianling said, "I believe both the Left and Right Chancellors have valid points. I leave the decision entirely to Your Majesty."
Chu Tianling remained calm and said in a deep voice, "Father, yesterday the assassin came straight at me. Fortunately, I know some martial arts and prevented the assassin from succeeding. I also want to find out who is behind this. Since the opinions of the Left Prime Minister and the Right Prime Minister are deadlocked, I think it would be more fair to hand the person over to the Prefect of the Capital."
Both Lao Qi and the Ministry of Justice were against him, and although the Prefect of Jingzhao was not one of his men, neither of them would help him. It would be easier for him to silence them. His words were also flawless, and no one could refute them.
The Minister of War quickly chimed in, "Your Majesty, I believe Prince Qi is right. After all, all the princes are involved in this matter. The Prefect of Jingzhao is a just man, and I trust he will handle it impartially."
Watching this old scoundrel jump around, Chu Tianze sneered. He knew this matter wouldn't end easily. Most of the people in the court were loyal to the Prince of Xiang and the Prince of Qi; they wouldn't just stand by and watch him interrogate Zi Yan.
Emperor Wenxuan curled the corners of his lips. "Oh? What do you think, Minister Liu and Minister Bai?"
Regardless, it's better for the person to be under the control of the Prefect of Jingzhao than the Prince of Yan. Further objection would only arouse suspicion, so he quickly replied, "Your Majesty, this old minister thinks this suggestion is excellent."
Bai Linan didn't care; this matter had nothing to do with him anyway, as long as the person wasn't in the Ministry of Justice. "Your Majesty, this old minister agrees, but I believe His Highness Prince Yan should still send troops to guard the area, lest the murderer be silenced."
Emperor Wenxuan nodded. Zhang Yu, the Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture, was his man, and the final outcome would certainly be fair. "Minister Bai is right, Seventh Prince. The safety of Jingzhao Prefecture is entrusted to you. Before this matter is resolved, I do not wish to see anyone die."
Seeing that Zi Yan's fate was decided, Chu Tianling finally breathed a sigh of relief. Whether he silenced her or made Zi Yan change her story and turn against Lao Wu, he now had time to make his moves.
Chu Tianze was already prepared and naturally wasn't disappointed. "Yes, Father, I obey your decree."
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