Seeing that the Emperor had asked about this matter, Li Hui seemed somewhat relieved and then spoke up.
"Your Majesty, I am incompetent and have failed to integrate the troops. I beg you to punish me."
The Emperor sighed and said, "Integrating troops from all over the country is no easy task. I know you don't have the ability to do so, so I don't expect you to bring back many troops to save the capital."
The Emperor's words made Li Hui feel ashamed. It seemed that the Emperor had lost faith in him, which was not a good thing.
"When Qing'er was implicated in the accusation of treason, was it you who instigated it? Tell me the truth," the emperor asked.
Upon hearing this, Li Hui was terrified and immediately kowtowed.
"Your subject would not dare. Your subject loves and cherishes Qing'er dearly, how could you possibly harm him?"
When I first learned that Qing'er had been found to be a traitor, I simply didn't believe it. I even went to my father, the Emperor, to plead for Qing'er's life.
"Of course I know all this. At the time, I thought you were a kind and benevolent elder brother, but so much time has passed, and some rumors have emerged in the court. I believe you have heard about them long ago."
If it weren't for Qing'er's intervention, the Great Northern Dynasty would have been in grave danger. I am sorry to Qing'er for causing him such great injustice.
Therefore, I wanted to thoroughly investigate this matter. Unexpectedly, Liao, the Vice Minister who initially handled the case, committed suicide out of fear of punishment.
There are many suspicious points here. I have ordered the Court of Judicial Review to investigate this case thoroughly and find the mastermind behind it. I hope this matter has nothing to do with you.”
At this moment, Li Hui was still kneeling on the ground, cold sweat pouring down his face. If it was found out that he was the one who did it, his dream of becoming the crown prince would be ruined, and he might even face imprisonment.
Li Hui didn't know how he left. After calming down for a while, he began to think about the problem.
I had instructed Vice Minister Liao to handle this matter, and Vice Minister Liao had prepared for a long time, making meticulous arrangements and plans, and finally achieved his goal.
In Li Hui and Liao Shilang's view, the matter was handled flawlessly, but three years later, they learned that the young prince had not died.
The person who committed suicide out of fear of punishment was not the young prince, but someone else entirely.
When Liao, the Vice Minister, learned that the Emperor was going to thoroughly investigate the matter, he was terrified. He knew that if the truth was found, his entire family would be executed, and even his nine generations of relatives would be exterminated.
He wanted to consult with the eldest prince, Li Hui, but Li Hui had not yet returned from the capital, leaving him at a loss.
This crime is too great for me to bear. In order to save my family's lives and prevent my entire clan from being implicated, I have no choice but to die.
Before Liao Shilang could be found at the Dali Temple, he hanged himself.
The Court of Judicial Review did not stop investigating the case because of Liao Shilang's death. Liao Shilang was very secretive in doing this, and not many people knew the inside story.
After the fall of the capital, almost all the officials serving in the court fled. Even after the capital was recovered, although some people returned, the entire staff of the court underwent a major reshuffle.
As a result, most of the original participants could not be found, and the case reached a stalemate.
Li Hui breathed a sigh of relief. This outcome was a good thing for him. If the case had not been resolved for a long time, it would have ended up being left unresolved.
Gradually, people will forget about this matter and remember that he is still the eldest prince.
In order to win the world, he had to get rid of Li Guang no matter what.
In the Emperor's eyes, Li Guang was far superior to himself. The Emperor couldn't possibly be without his own thoughts, as evidenced by the audience with the Emperor just now.
If Li Guang becomes the crown prince, my life will be completely over.
It is now extremely difficult to eliminate Li Guang, who not only has his own army but also civil and military officials, making him very powerful.
Since returning to the capital, the court officials have become much more distant from me. They seem to be intentionally keeping their distance, and now it is very difficult for me to get them to do anything for me.
The emperor's health is currently quite good, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, he should be able to reign for another ten years without any problems. Therefore, the emperor will not be appointing a crown prince in the near future.
I still have a chance. As long as I get rid of Li Guang, the Great Northern Dynasty will be mine.
Since then, Li Hui has indeed changed a lot, but people naturally know that Li Hui's change is only temporary.
Perhaps after a while, Li Hui will reveal his true colors; no one can stop him from doing what he wants.
After resting for a period of time in Shuixian Village, Li Guang prepared to lead his troops to the border to help Marshal Han eliminate the allied forces of the three kingdoms at the border.
Now, Li Guang has a large army and ample supplies. He is preparing to lead 50,000 well-trained soldiers to the border.
The day before departure, Zhao Xian came to the military camp, found Li Guang, and gave him something. Li Guang took it and saw that it was a belt.
In ancient times, people wore belts. Ordinary people used silk or cloth to make belts, while some poor people would simply find a hemp rope or straw rope and tie it around their waist as a belt.
Some well-off people used animal leather to make belts, and some even used gold and jade. These were, of course, the very wealthy.
The belt that Zhao Xian gave to Li Guang was clearly made of leather, and the belt buckle was relatively large, so it was obviously a decorative belt.
Li Guang was tall and handsome, and the belt around his waist made him look majestic and imposing.
"Thank you, Brother Zhao. This belt is so powerful, it feels different from anything else. I really like it."
As Li Guang spoke, he fastened his belt and twirled around to show everyone.
This belt seemed tailor-made for soldiers, drawing admiration and praise from everyone present.
Seeing this, Zhao Xian couldn't help but laugh and said:
"Li Guang, on the surface, is a belt, but in reality it is a precious sword, called a belt sword."
The belt sword can be worn as a belt around the waist. When needed, the sword inside can be drawn for self-defense.
Everyone was stunned; they hadn't expected that a sword was hidden in the belt.
How could he pull out this precious sword? Li Guang took off his belt and examined it in his hand.
Everyone stared wide-eyed, eager to see what kind of precious sword it was.
Seeing this, Zhao Xian told Li Guang how to take the sword out of his belt.
The belt has a buckle at the top; pressing the buckle allows you to draw the sword.
Following Zhao Xian's instructions, Li Guang easily drew the sword. As soon as the sword was drawn, it exuded a chilling aura.
This sword is rather small, only a little over two feet long. Its hilt is different from other swords, and its blade is softer and can be bent. It is also lighter than ordinary swords.
"This is a belt sword. Don't underestimate it. It can cut through gold and jade and slice through iron like mud. Ordinary weapons will be cut in half when they come into contact with it."
In fact, this belt is also a scabbard. When worn around the waist, it functions as a belt; in an emergency, the sword inside can be drawn for self-defense.
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