Chapter 4923 Hesitation

Chapter 4923 Hesitation
Xiangyi County Prince's Mansion.

Li Shenfu, who was lying on the bed enjoying a massage from two pretty maids after dinner and bathing, was startled by Li Demao who broke into the bedroom. The two disheveled maids hid to the side with frightened faces, twisting their snow-white and slender waists slowly, their eyes as bright as water were shy and timid, and they wanted to say something but couldn't...

Li Shenfu shouted angrily, "Are there any rules? Do you think you can barge in here without permission?"

Although it was not uncommon for a large family to secretly touch one's father's concubine, it would be really embarrassing to rush into my father's bedroom so openly and bump into some intimate scenes...

Li Demao had no intention of looking at the two pretty maids. He said in panic, "Father, Li Sizhong is here and said that Duke Xun was arrested by the Censorate."

Li Shenfu shuddered all over and asked in a cold voice, "What happened?"

Is Your Majesty planning to take the initiative, regardless of your reputation as a "royal clan massacrer"?
"Take him to the study, I will interrogate him!"

"Here."

Li Demao turned around and went out. Li Shenfu called the maid over to help him put on his clothes, put on his headgear, and went to the study with his hands behind his back.

In the study, as soon as Li Sizhong saw him, he took two steps forward, knelt down, bowed his head, and cried loudly: "Father is in trouble, I beg uncle to save him!"

Although he didn't know why the Censorate and the Jinwu Guards arrested his father, he knew exactly what his father had done in private. He simply used the cheapest and inferior blue bricks to transport to Zhaoling in exchange for the highest price. This was a capital crime punishable by the extermination of the entire family...

Li Shenfu frowned, ignored Li Sizhong who was kneeling on the ground, and went to sit in the main seat. Then he asked, "How can you cry so much? Stand up and tell us what happened in detail."

"Here."

Li Sizhong quickly stood up, wiped his tears, and told the story.

Li Shenfu asked in a deep voice: "Cheng Wuting didn't say why he arrested Duke Xun?"

"No, but they were very tough and even knocked my father to the ground and tied him up with ropes."

Li Shenfu's eyes flickered. Although Li Xiaoxie's title was Duke, he was the heir of the lineage of King Xun. He was in a separate line during the ancestor worship and had a high status. However, Cheng Wuting was not afraid at all. He knocked him down, tied him up and arrested him on the spot. It was obvious that the matter was extremely serious.

Could it be that Your Majesty launched the move ahead of time?
While he was pondering, the steward from the outer room quickly walked in and reported: "The Prince of Changle's Mansion and the Prince of Jiaoxi's Mansion have sent people to ask to see the master of the family."

Li Shenfu's heart was shaken, and a bad feeling filled his body: "Let them in!"

"Here!"

Soon, Li Ju, the son of Li Youliang, the Prince of Changle, and Li Jing, the son of Li Xi, the Prince of Jiaoxi, entered the room together. Like Li Sizhong, they knelt on the ground as soon as they entered, and said in unison: "My father has been arrested by the Censorate. I beg the prince to rescue him!"

Li Shenfu asked and found that he was no different from Li Xiaoxie...

He frowned and thought for a moment, then asked, "I am just an old man half buried in the ground. Why don't you go to the Palace of Prince Han or the Palace of Prince Hejian for such an important matter? No one is willing to listen to me now, an old man like me. You should ask the Prince of Han and the Prince of Hejian for the reason and think of a solution."

Although he is of high generation and rich experience, he is indeed not as powerful as the Minister of Imperial Clan Affairs Li Yuanjia and the Minister of Personnel Li Daozon. Moreover, these two people have always been respectful and loyal to Your Majesty. If the children of the royal family commit crimes, these two people should intercede for them.

Li Jing said with a sad face, "My father and uncle were both arrested. I went to the palace of the Prince of Han and the palace of the Duke of Liang, but they were not at home. I was at a loss and could only come here to beg my uncle for help."

He is the son of Li Xiaoyi, the Prince of Jiaoxi, and his uncle is Li Xiaotong, the Prince of Zibo. They are all descendants of Li Shentong, the Prince of Jing, and are from the same lineage as Li Shenfu...

"What the hell is going on with these guys?!"

Li Shenfu was very anxious and irritable. Even if His Majesty took the initiative to attack, there must be an excuse for arresting so many members of the royal family, right?
"Master, the Prince of Hejian sent someone here."

"Let him come!"

Li Shenfu was cheered up.

Soon, Li Xiaogong's eldest grandson Li Shangqiu walked in quickly. After greeting, he glanced at the other people in the study and said bluntly, "Grandfather asked me to come and inform the prince that the Imperial Censorate has uncovered a major corruption case involving Zhaoling building materials and is arresting those involved. The people of Chang'an are in a panic, but it's nothing serious. Please don't worry, Prince."

Everyone in the study room looked terribly pale.

It was said that "Please don't worry, Prince", but the real meaning was to comfort Li Shenfu and not to act rashly. After all, if Li Shenfu or his descendants were involved, they might take risks and not care about anything...

Li Shenfu was so angry that his beard stood up. He glared at Li Ju, Li Jing, and Li Sizhong, slammed the table and cursed: "Are you beasts? How dare you tamper with Zhaoling? Are you so short of money that you are willing to dig up your own ancestral graves?"

Li Sizhong grinned and muttered softly: "My ancestor is Emperor Taizu, Prince Xun, not Emperor Taizong..."

"boom!"

"Ouch!"

It was Li Shenfu who grabbed the teacup on the coffee table beside him and threw it at Li Sizhong's forehead. The teacup immediately shattered and blood flowed out.

Li Shenfu was almost pissed off: "What kind of rebellious person can say such stupid words? Get out of here!"

Li Sizhong realized that he had said the wrong thing. He let the blood flow down to cover his eyes. He didn't even dare to wipe it off. He knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly: "Uncle, please calm down. I said something that didn't belong to me. Please forgive me for saving him for the sake of my father's service to you!"

Li Shenfu was furious: "He dared to tamper with the building materials of Zhaoling. Didn't he ever think that something might happen one day? Didn't he know that this is a heinous crime? Since he dares to do anything, don't ask me for help!"

Li Sizhong made a bitter face and pleaded, "Father had no choice but to do this. Last time, Fang Er blackmailed us and lost most of our family property. There are hundreds of people in this mansion, and the daily expenses are huge. If we don't find a way to increase our income, I'm afraid we won't be able to afford the New Year gifts to you... Although father has caused a big disaster, it is understandable!"

Li Shenfu: "..."

Can this be blamed on him?
Well, this incident was indeed caused by him...

wrong!

Although he was old, he reacted quickly. He glared and shouted angrily, "Bullshit! It's only been a few days since Fang Er blackmailed you. But you and your son have been tampering with the building materials of Zhaoling for more than a year or two. You even dared to drag me into this. How despicable!"

But even if we curse, we can't just sit there and do nothing.

These people are all his team. If something goes wrong, not only will his power be damaged, but his reputation will also be hit. If even the children who follow you loyally cannot be saved, who will follow you?

"You guys go back first, don't worry, wait until I figure out what happened, and then make plans."

What he was most worried about now was whether His Majesty would change his ways and no longer wait for him to take action first because of his reputation. If he became furious because of the incident at Zhaoling and chose to take the initiative, he would not be ready yet...

*****
The Wannian County Government Office was very busy in the heavy snow, with officials and royal family members coming in and out, and teams of soldiers patrolling in the streets outside. It was like the center of the entire Chang'an city tonight.

Li Junxian arrived with a group of interrogation experts from the "Hundred Cavalry Division" in the heavy snow and conveyed the emperor's oral order: "I have been ordered to come here to assist the Censorate in handling the case."

It is both assistance and more of supervision.

Liu Xiangdao was in the middle of doing things when someone interfered with him. He did not feel dissatisfied at all and said happily: "General, you are here at the right time. Let's help with the interrogation!"

As the interrogation progressed, more and more people were drawn into this "Imperial Mausoleum Case", including royal family members, officials, noble families, and merchants. Although most of them were only implicated in it and did not directly participate in tampering with the building materials of the imperial mausoleum - this kind of thing is not something that anyone can do if they want to, the Censorate still felt tremendous pressure.

One only needs to look at the gloomy and dark faces of the newly arrived Prince of Han Li Yuanjia and Prince of Hejian Li Xiaogong to know how horrifying this major case has become.

If there was any mistake during the interrogation, Liu Xiangdao would be pounced on and bitten by these people until he was torn into pieces...

Now with the intervention of the "Hundred Cavalry Division" and the attraction of main firepower, he was naturally much more relaxed.

Fang Jun stood up, put on his mink hat, and tucked his helmet under his armpit: "The Imperial Censor and General Li can stay here. I will take people to various places in the city."

Liu Xiangdao said hurriedly: "The snow outside is getting heavier, why does the commander have to inspect in person? You can ask your officers to pay more attention, and you can stay here to stabilize the morale of the troops."

With Fang Jun as the great god in charge, everyone would be afraid and not dare to act recklessly. But if Fang Jun left, the clan members might rush in with their family soldiers and servants to try to rescue people...

Fang Jun seemed not to understand and said with a smile: "With General Li here, the Imperial Censor can rest assured. It is snowing heavily tonight and the city is in chaos. If the soldiers are not careful, it will cause a disaster. I have to go and take care of it myself."

After saying this, he ignored Liu Xiangdao's attempts to keep him and walked out of the county government office with Cheng Wuting and Sun Renshi.

There was heavy snow on the streets, and a thick layer of snow had accumulated on the ground. The soldiers on guard and patrol all straightened their heads and saluted.

Fang Jun pushed down the brim of his hat and instructed, "This snow won't stop for a while, so pay attention to the shift changes of the brothers on duty. Don't let them get frozen."

Cheng and Sun quickly agreed.

"In addition, we need to send more soldiers to patrol the area between Xing'an Gate and Yanxi Gate, keep an eye on the situation in the Eastern Palace, and notify the camp in Longshouyuan to secretly transport the siege equipment to the outside of Xing'an Gate. Be careful to keep it hidden, and be prepared to attack Zhide Gate when necessary."

Cheng and Sun felt a tightness in their hearts and agreed in unison.

The long street running from Xing'an Gate to Yanxi Gate is just outside the east wall of the Eastern Palace, and Zhide Gate is the north gate of the Eastern Palace. With this arrangement, will something happen to the Eastern Palace?

(End of this chapter)