"General Wang, this is the Imperial Guard camp, the Emperor's direct bodyguard. Even the Crown Prince cannot enter the camp without permission before ascending the throne..."
Without any hesitation, Ma Zi directly pinned a huge accusation on him, placing himself on the high ground of the law!
"Hmph! The Imperial Guards, as the Emperor's direct guard, actually sent people to break into the Eastern Palace at night. As the master of the Eastern Palace, I came to demand an explanation, but I was stopped at the gate. Who gave you the audacity to disregard the law and imperial authority like this?"
Li Zhu's words were like a bolt from the blue, leaving Ma Zi completely stunned...
He's just a thug; when has he ever seen anything like this?
"I...this...that..."
Ma Zi stammered for a long time, unable to utter a single complete sentence. He was clearly stunned and couldn't even speak a coherent word...
"Brother Ma, no matter who they are, breaking into a military camp at night is a capital offense. Let's kill them first..."
Xiao Liuzi was in so much pain that he lost his mind. All he wanted now was revenge, and he didn't care about the consequences at all!
Ma Zi was a relatively rational person and did not listen to Xiao Liu Zi's instigation; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable!
"Shut up, this is the current Crown Prince..."
Ma Zi scolded him with exasperation, but Xiao Liu Zi ignored him completely and shouted loudly...
"So what if he's the Crown Prince? He has barbarian blood; he has no chance of inheriting the throne. Kill him, then go to the Second Prince to curry favor. Not only will you not die, you might even get a promotion..."
"Shut up…"
Ma Zi went up and slapped him across the face. How could he say such things to someone's face? Even if Li Zhu really couldn't inherit the throne, he was still a prince, and even that status was not something they could afford to offend!
"Brother Ma, you actually hit me? Isn't he just a useless prince? What's so scary about him? We have powerful backers..."
Snap!
Before Xiao Liu could finish speaking, Ma Zi slapped him across the face, interrupting him...
Ma Zi thought that Xiao Liu was a menace, daring to say anything out loud, and that this was no way to court death...
He also noticed the three women behind Li Zhu, none of whom seemed like the courtesans on the boat. Now, he had offended not only the Crown Prince and the Wang family, but even the Prime Minister. Just thinking about it made his head spin...
Ma Zi's behavior didn't anger Li Zhu; instead, it made him laugh. As long as Xie Yuanlong had a problem, today's matter would be easy to handle. Moreover, he only needed to follow the clues to eliminate those founding heroes who had impure motives one by one...
We must not give these people the opportunity to continue to rely on their seniority and undermine the stability of the entire New Tang Dynasty!
"Are you out of your mind? Get lost..."
"I'm so angry!" the pockmarked man cursed.
"Brother Pockmarked..."
"If you don't get your wounds bandaged by the army medic soon, you'll be close to death..."
Li Zhu looked at Xiao Liuzi and said calmly, feeling a pang of pity as the other's wrist was still bleeding profusely...
Li Zhu was certainly not being kind. He believed that Xiao Liuzi would not go to the military doctor's place given his personality. He thought that following him might bring a pleasant surprise!
Xiao Liu also felt waves of dizziness. Knowing that Li Zhu was telling the truth, he didn't hesitate and quickly ran back to the military camp to bandage his wounds...
"Your name is Ma Zi, right?"
Li Zhu looked at the pockmarked man and asked!
"That's right!"
Ma Zi didn't know what Li Zhu meant, so he could only reply truthfully!
"Your people just said I have barbarian blood. Where did they hear that rumor?"
Li Zhu frowned as he looked at him. He was still very concerned about such rumors because they had a huge impact on him. A street speech had made him a hero among the people of Luoyang, and now people were spreading rumors that he was a foreigner. Such rumors were terrifying and directly shook the foundation of everything he had...
Even if the people of Luoyang had a good impression of him, they could not accept a foreigner as their emperor!
"Your Highness, these kinds of rumors are everywhere these days; you can hear them just by going out for a walk..."
Ma Zi hurriedly replied, already sensing Li Zhu's murderous intent. If he couldn't answer the question in time, he might be beheaded in the next moment!
Upon hearing Ma Zi's answer, Li Zhu was immediately stunned. For rumors to spread throughout the streets and alleys overnight, someone must be stirring things up behind the scenes. There is only one person in the entire capital with such power: the one in the Golden Palace. Clearly, his adoptive father was afraid that he would gain power...
"but…"
Ma Zi looked at Li Zhu with a hesitant expression, making Li Zhu want to slap him!
"But what?"
Li Zhu asked patiently!
"However, the rumors don't stop there; there are also some rumors that speak well of the Crown Prince..."
"Speaking well of me?"
Li Zhu looked at Ma Zi with confusion, because he knew that he had not arranged for anyone to do these things, so there must be someone else who did them!
He now has enemies all over the world. If it's not him, then who is it?
"Yes, many people say the Crown Prince is a hero, daring to directly execute a despicable scoundrel in the court. That member of the Wang family abused his birth mother and beat his wife and daughters; such an unfilial person should be executed. Many people are applauding the Crown Prince..."
Hearing Ma Zi's explanation, Li Zhu frowned even more deeply, because he had no idea where this sudden power came from, and it was hard to tell whether it was friend or foe. Sometimes, the person who helps you isn't necessarily a friend; they could be an enemy waiting for you to lower your guard before launching a vicious attack...
Li Zhu couldn't understand who would help him; he even suspected that both pieces of information were leaked by his own father, the emperor…
After all, he still needs to take action to rectify the court; he can't just be killed with a slap!
Whoever did this, he needed to have the Marquis investigate thoroughly, otherwise he wouldn't feel at ease!
"Pockmarked guy, I want to go in, are you going to stop me?"
Li Zhu slung the knife over his shoulder, glared at Ma Zi with a menacing look, and awaited his answer!
"Your Highness...I..."
Ma Zi hesitated. If he didn't stop Xie Yuanlong, he would be in trouble later; if he did stop him, the Crown Prince would cause him trouble now. He was caught in a dilemma...
"That little sixth boy didn't go to the army doctor; instead, he went to the main tent..."
Li Zhu pointed at Xiao Liu's back and said, "Ma Zi's eyes are still flickering, and he is struggling inside. He obviously doesn't dare to challenge Xie Yuanlong's prestige!"
"Take me in, and I guarantee Xie Yuanlong won't live past today. If you don't take me in, I guarantee you won't live past tonight..."
Li Zhu said calmly, which made Ma Zi tremble. Everyone knew that the Crown Prince was known for his bloodthirstiness. He had already killed several ministers in the court, including a Pillar of State. Why would he hesitate to kill him?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
