Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw that it was a member of the Xiliang delegation who spoke…
The reason they were here was that the new Tang Dynasty had just stabilized, but the Western Liang was eyeing the Central Plains and coveting its legitimacy. They had no choice but to send the crown prince as a hostage to the Western Liang for a marriage alliance in order to stop the war and avoid conflict!
Due to a combination of factors, Li Zhu, the unfavored eldest prince, was finally made crown prince!
Under normal circumstances, the newly established Tang Dynasty should have been a time for recuperation and stabilization of people's livelihoods. Moreover, the new emperor had just ascended the throne, and the princes had not yet been trained, so it was not a good time to establish an heir!
One can imagine how awkward this situation must have been for Crown Prince Li Zhu…
"Li Zhu, this eunuch was someone close to the Emperor. You killed him without even knowing the facts. Do you still have any respect for the Emperor?"
Li Ke also realized that he had been at a disadvantage in the previous exchange, so his tone was somewhat exasperated. Being humiliated by someone he looked down on was something he could not accept!
"Second brother, watch your tone. I am now the Crown Prince Regent. If you speak to me like that, I have the right to kill you!"
"Furthermore, my father achieved this through twenty years of conquest. In my heart, he is a supreme god, not the 'backbone' you use to threaten me. Your actions are the greatest disrespect to my father. If I were you, I would go before him to apologize, instead of questioning me, the regent. Since my father has given me the authority of an emperor, you should obey the divine will and follow his decrees. Any further disrespect towards me would be a denial of my father, and I will show you the consequences!"
Anyone can use someone else's name to extort money. You can use the emperor as your backer, but I can't? We're all sons, and he now has the advantage of his status. If he doesn't make good use of it, he won't deserve the identity of a time traveler!
"you…"
Li Ke was speechless for a moment after being confronted, and his face turned extremely ugly. His attempt to trample Li Zhu underfoot had completely failed, and now it was his own face that was being thrown to the ground and trampled on!
"Your Highness, the new Tang Dynasty has just been established, and the national treasury is empty. I wonder if Your Highness has any way to replenish the national treasury as soon as possible?"
"Your Highness, winter is approaching, and the people in the city are neither clothed nor fed. I wonder if Your Highness has a way to resolve this crisis and protect the people of this land?"
"Your Highness, due to years of war, the people have stopped producing, the land has been abandoned, and with the arrival of insect plagues, there has been no harvest. If we do not find a way to help the people, I am afraid that there will be a large number of refugees, which will have an unimaginable impact on the stability of the New Tang Dynasty. I beg Your Highness to put the people's lives first and find a way to solve the food problem as soon as possible!"
"Your Highness, the new Tang Dynasty is currently facing a shortage of talent, and there are no capable people to govern the country. We urge Your Highness to resolve this issue as soon as possible to reassure the people!"
"Your Highness, the borders of the New Tang Dynasty are in crisis everywhere, but the supply of food and provisions is often in short supply. If this is not resolved soon, there may be a war!"
"Your Highness..."
Seeing these civil and military officials step forward, Li Zhu felt an urge to draw his sword and chop them all down. However, having learned from the previous experience with the eunuch, Li Zhu restrained himself and suppressed the body's original emotions...
"That's enough..."
Li Zhu roared, completely interrupting these people. Those who dared to speak up were all of high status, but these people were deliberately trying to embarrass him. They were either the Second Prince's men or the Third Prince's men. He had just been very rude to the Second Prince, which made them very unhappy, so they stood up to vent their anger for their master!
The crowd looked at the furious Li Zhu with disdain, a slight smirk playing on their lips, their eyes revealing contempt. They were all thinking, "You think you're so great? You want to bully your master just because of your status? Well, let's see what it means to back down when things get tough. Impotent rage won't solve anything!"
In their original plan, making Li Zhu the crown prince was just a formality. As long as he obediently went to Xiliang as a hostage, they would not make things difficult for him. After all, no one would care about someone who was destined to die in Xiliang. However, Li Zhu insisted on standing up and confronting the second and third princes, which offended the entire court!
Now that the new Tang court has been established, everyone standing here has a connection with the royal family. However, this connection naturally does not include Li Zhu's. His mother was a concubine, the first woman to follow the emperor, and the only commoner without any background!
This is why he was treated as a pawn to be sacrificed, because only by sacrificing him, the prince, would the consequences be minimized!
Once you understand the ins and outs, it's not hard to understand why these people would stand up and make things difficult for him. After all, he poses no threat to them, and they don't even take the Crown Prince, the regent, seriously!
Li Zhu stared at the ministers in their court robes. All the civil and military officials were looking at him sideways, completely disregarding him. They had an attitude of "we won't listen until you solve the problem," like a dead pig that doesn't fear boiling water!
"Your Highness, these are all important officials of our New Tang Dynasty. It is extremely disrespectful of you to interrupt them like this."
The Third Prince seized the opportunity and wanted to trample Li Zhu underfoot!
His words immediately filled all the court officials with righteous indignation. They glared angrily at Li Zhu, as if to say, "If you don't give us an explanation, this matter won't be over today!"
Meanwhile, news from the court reached the Imperial Study. At that moment, the emperor of the new Tang Dynasty was sitting on the dragon throne. Due to years of war, the emperor carried an undisguised murderous aura. It is said that the success of a general is built on the bones of ten thousand soldiers, let alone an emperor who established the country through military force. He must have killed countless people to reach this position!
Upon hearing the report, the emperor slowly raised his head, his expression unreadable, but the oppressive force in his eyes made the person delivering the report tremble, burying their head deep in their chest, not daring to breathe!
"It seems he's not satisfied with my arrangements. But killing one eunuch won't quell his anger. Bring the one in jail over there and deal with him!"
Upon hearing the emperor's words, the expressions of those around him changed, but no one dared to voice any objections. The people below hurriedly went to carry out the emperor's orders!
Faced with the Third Prince's difficult behavior, Li Zhu immediately said coldly...
"Respect? I am the Crown Prince Regent, and it should be you who respect me. I can punish you for the crime of disrespect, and I can confiscate the property and exterminate the entire clan of any one of you. I believe that with your wealth, you can easily solve the problems of refugees and military provisions. Do you agree with what I said?"
Li Zhu spoke his final words to all the court officials, his eyes filled with an undisguised murderous intent!
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