Under One Person: Starting from the Inheritance of Gods

Chapter 394 Crown Prince: Arrogant!!!
"Yes, Your Highness!"

Upon hearing the Crown Prince speak again, Mei Zhili sat down tremblingly.

He was still at a loss, and although he was about to pick up the gavel and strike it down, he put it back down tremblingly when he thought of the Crown Prince sitting next to him.

They were afraid of disturbing the Crown Prince.

When the time comes, we'll find a crime to punish him, and even if he's in the right, he won't be able to explain himself!

Later, Mei Zhili looked at the petition again, feeling extremely uneasy, and for a moment he didn't know how to proceed.

The Crown Prince's power and prestige are evident from this!
Upon seeing this, Fan Xian's expression darkened.

According to what his father, Fan Jian, had said before, Princess Li Yunrui was a member of the Crown Prince's faction, and his marriage to Lin Wan'er was tantamount to him having already clashed with the Crown Prince in order to compete for control of the Imperial Treasury.

The Crown Prince's visit today is likely not for good reason!
Moreover, judging from Mei Zhili's timid appearance, he will most likely go along with the Crown Prince's wishes, at which point there will be no justice to speak of.

The word "official" has two mouths; it can say black or white. How to determine guilt is entirely up to the Crown Prince.
Before the Crown Prince could intervene, Fan Xian wanted to quickly bring the case to a conclusion, so he said, "Your Highness, the case is over!"

"The trial is over?" The Crown Prince asked, somewhat surprised.

Fan Xian said frankly, "I am cleared of suspicion in the case decided by Lord Mei!"

The Crown Prince immediately turned to look at Mei Zhili, somewhat speechless. He hadn't even arrived yet, and Mei Zhili's performance was already over. Wasn't that a bit too fast?
Didn't he come all this way for nothing?

Mei Zhili, fearing that the Crown Prince would find fault with him, hurriedly said, "There are witnesses!"

The crown prince raised an eyebrow: "Who is the witness?"

Mei Zhili whispered, "The immortal poet of Zuixianju, a grandmaster!"

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince's expression immediately changed.

He had only heard that Fan Xian and the Grandmaster had met through poetry yesterday, but he didn't expect that Fan Xian would bring up the Grandmaster directly in order to prove himself.

When it comes to grandmasters, things get complicated.

With a slightly mocking smile, Fan Xian said, "Your Highness, if you don't believe me, I'll take you to Zuixianju right now and ask my friend!"

Fan Xian is essentially using someone else's name to intimidate others. It's true that you have power and influence, but I'm not without backing either!

In a typical ancient society, the emperor's power would indeed be supreme, but that's not the case here!

The Crown Prince was unsure about the relationship between Fan Xian and the Grandmaster. If they were indeed on good terms and talented individuals appreciated each other, then if he insisted on convicting Fan Xian, he would indirectly offend the Grandmaster.

Offending a Grandmaster for the sake of the son of a Minister of Rites is clearly not worth it!
The Crown Prince glanced sideways, then gave an awkward laugh and said, "Grandmasters are detached from worldly affairs. If they are willing to testify for Fan Xian, then of course we can believe them."

"However, it would be inappropriate to trouble a Grandmaster with such a small case. Fan Xian, do you have any other witnesses?"

Mei Zhili hurriedly replied, "The maids and servants of Zuixianju can also be summoned to testify."

"Maids and servants?"

The crown prince's expression changed abruptly, and he suddenly shouted, "Master Mei!"

"Your subject... Your subject... Your subject is here!"

Mei Zhili stood up shakily, staggered to the Crown Prince, and knelt down before him.

Although the Crown Prince was sitting on an ordinary bench, he acted as if he were sitting on the throne, and asked in a cold voice, "Whose face is lost when the palace compilers are beaten?"

Then, the Crown Prince slammed his fist on the table and shouted angrily, "What we've lost is the face of the royal family!"

"How can those of lowly status, who haven't even been summoned to court, be expected to distinguish truth from falsehood?"

The crown prince's eyes flashed with a cold light as he aggressively asked Mei Zhili, "If you ask me, this matter needs to be thoroughly investigated. What do you think?"

Mei Zhili, like a yes-man, hurriedly replied, "Your Highness is absolutely right, absolutely right!"

Upon seeing this, the Crown Prince gestured for Mei Zhili to sit back down.

Although he said that Mei Zhili was the Prefect of Kyoto and that he should make the decisions, in reality, Mei Zhili had to consult the Crown Prince's opinion before he could make any judgment, just like a puppet on a string.

This is the feudal dynasty, this is imperial power. Even without evidence, they can directly show favoritism. How difficult it is to achieve fairness!
Mei Zhili hurriedly stood up, sat back in his seat as prefect, slammed his gavel, and shouted, "Guards! Summon the people from Zuixianju for questioning!"

The constables on both sides, upon hearing the prefect's call, dared not delay and immediately went to summon the messenger.

However, as they approached the door, they were stopped by the Second Prince's men.

"I think there's no need to pass on the message!"

Everyone turned around and saw the Second Prince, Li Chengze, appear at the entrance of the main hall of the Kyoto government office. He then walked in and patted Fan Xian on the shoulder as he passed by, showing his closeness.

After all, Fan Xian not only represents the power of the Imperial Treasury, but there is also a high possibility that a Grandmaster is standing behind him!
In addition, Fan Xian's poem about climbing to a high place last night was enough to make the Second Prince take notice and try to win him over.

Upon seeing this, Mei Zhili quickly stepped down from his position as prefect and knelt down to pay his respects along with the others.

"See Your Highness!"

"Everyone, get up! The prince is here, there's no reason for you to kneel before me!"

Li Chengze walked through the crowd to the Crown Prince, his posture impeccable, without a single flaw, and respectfully knelt on the ground to pay his respects to the Crown Prince.

"Meet His Highness the Crown Prince!"

After Li Chengze knelt down to pay his respects, the Crown Prince stood up and pretended to be a brother, helping Li Chengze up and saying, "Second brother, how many times have I told you, there's no need for this between brothers!"

The second prince argued vehemently, "You are the crown prince; propriety cannot be disregarded!"

The crown prince chuckled and asked, "What are you doing here?"

The second prince said sarcastically, "I've witnessed the Crown Prince's power. With the Crown Prince sitting here, even the Prefect of the Capital has to obey his orders. I truly admire him!"

The Crown Prince sat back down on the stool and defended himself, saying, "I was merely observing Lord Mei's trial!"

"is it?"

The Second Prince turned to Mei Zhili and asked, "The case was already settled, so why are you suddenly summoning other witnesses?"

Mei Zhili looked at the Crown Prince, at a loss for what to do.

He's caught between the Crown Prince and the Second Prince, and he doesn't dare offend either of them!
The crown prince waved his hand, signaling, "Speak boldly!"

Mei Zhili had no choice but to take the blame himself, saying, "Your Highness, I felt that there were some unclear points in the case, so I wanted to summon witnesses to corroborate the facts and provide evidence for the case."

The Second Prince glanced at Mei Zhili, and said with an attitude of disdain, "Lord Mei, please do as you please. I am just an observer."

As he spoke, he sat down next to Mei Zhili.

He and the Crown Prince stood on the right and left, like two generals, "protecting" Mei Zhili. Mei Zhili was surrounded by the two princes in the middle, and sweat was pouring down his forehead.

What merit or ability does he have to be embraced by the two princes in the middle?
Only His Majesty the present can be so gracious!
However, faced with the coercive gazes of the Second Prince and the Crown Prince, Mei Zhili finally sat down stiffly.

This has created a situation where "a basin is sandwiched between two mountains".

Mei Zhili: Someone please save me! I feel so helpless and scared!
The constables eventually went to Zuixianju to summon the remaining witnesses.

As is common knowledge and experienced people know, brothels rest during the day and receive customers at night.

While the girls were sound asleep, a group of yamen runners brought in men, saying they were taking them to the capital's yamen for trial. The courtesans and their madams protested, crying and making a scene, even when they were being unreasonable.

Meng Fan was enjoying the "caresses" of Si Lili, Ye Ling'er, and Sang Wen on the third floor when his amazing hearing made him a little annoyed.

The Drunken Immortal Abode is now practically Meng Fan's private room, like his own backyard. Anyone who dares to come to the Drunken Immortal Abode to demand someone must really think that he, the "Grandmaster," is easy to talk to.

Meng Fan's gaze immediately darkened.

Just as the constables were about to step out of the gate of Zuixianju, an invisible pressure descended upon them.

Just as the head constable was about to speak, a figure suddenly appeared on the rosewood chair in the center of the hall. Meng Fei was leaning against the armrest, toying with a white jade wine cup in his hand.

"Who allowed you to come in?" Meng Fei didn't even lift his eyelids, but his voice was as cold as ice.

The head constable stepped forward with a stiff upper lip: "By order of the Prefect, we summon all the people from Zuixianju..."

"Snapped!"

The white jade wine cup suddenly shattered at the feet of the yamen runners, startling them so much that they all retreated.

Meng Fei finally raised his eyes, his gaze sharp as lightning: "Go back and tell your master that not a single person from Zuixianju is to be touched."

"This...this is His Highness the Crown Prince's intention..." The yamen runners tremblingly invoked the Crown Prince's name, after all, they were also helpless.

"Prince?"

Meng Fei suddenly laughed, his laughter filled with undisguised sarcasm, "Even if his father came, he would have to present his visiting card first."

With that, he waved his hand lightly, and a gust of wind blew several constables out of the door. Meng Fan was not so petty as to want to take the constables seriously.

The gate slammed shut, leaving several constables sprawled out, looking at each other in bewilderment.

"Boss... this?" The young constable turned pale with fright.

The head constable wiped away his cold sweat: "Go back and report the truth. We can't afford to offend this man. Just pretend we were never here."

The atmosphere inside the Kyoto Prefectural Government Office grew increasingly heavy.

Mei Zhili felt like he was sitting on pins and needles, constantly stealing glances at the expressions of the two princes. Crown Prince Li Chengqian tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, the rhythm becoming faster and faster.

"Report——"

A constable rushed in and knelt down: "Your Honor, the people from Zuixianju...Zuixianju can't bring them..."

"What's going on?" The crown prince suddenly stood up.

The bailiff didn't dare to raise his head: "That...that person said..."

"What are you saying!" The Second Prince, Li Chengze, suddenly became interested.

"Tell me, even if His Majesty himself were to arrive, he would have to present a formal letter of invitation first." The bailiff's voice trailed off.

Immediately, the entire hall erupted in uproar!
The Crown Prince's face turned ashen instantly, but Fan Xian secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Mei Zhili slumped into his chair, inwardly groaning, "How am I supposed to try this case?"
On one side is the Crown Prince, and on the other is a Grandmaster. He, a mere prefect of the capital, is caught in the middle, which is more difficult than dancing on a knife's edge!
"Crazy!!!"

The Crown Prince slammed his hand on the table, stood up, and laughed angrily, "Such arrogance! I'll see what you're made of today..."

"His Royal Highness!"

The second prince suddenly interrupted, saying meaningfully, "Grandmasters are detached from worldly affairs; even Father Emperor shows them deference. For such a trivial matter..."

The Crown Prince turned his head sharply, his eyes flashing with cold light. The Second Prince met his gaze with neither servility nor arrogance, and the atmosphere in the hall suddenly became tense.

Fan Xian watched coldly from the sidelines, sighing inwardly, "The struggles in the imperial court are indeed far more dangerous than battles in the martial world. And my fellow townsman was able to make two princes hesitate to act against him. This is true power!"

The Crown Prince stared at the Second Prince, then suddenly laughed and said, "As the Crown Prince, I am here to uphold the dignity of the royal family. Even if someone is a Grandmaster, does that give them the right to insult my royal family and my Qing Kingdom?"

The crown prince spoke with great righteousness and indignation, as if he were in a position of great righteousness.

The second prince sneered and reminded him, "Your Highness, don't forget that Father Emperor sent someone to invite that Grandmaster before, but he still didn't give us face and slaughtered three hundred riders. In the end, the matter was dropped."

"I am afraid that if the Crown Prince goes so rashly, he will displease that person. It is a small matter if the Crown Prince's reputation is damaged, but if that Grandmaster does not know his own strength and the Crown Prince is injured, loses an arm, or has a limp, that would truly be a loss of face for our Qing Kingdom."

"Moreover, if His Highness the Crown Prince dies at his hands..."

The second prince smiled, but to the crown prince, he looked like a cold, venomous snake.

At the same time, the crown prince couldn't help but feel a lingering fear.

Of course, the Second Prince wasn't really offering a friendly reminder. In his view, even if that Grandmaster truly disregarded imperial authority, he wouldn't actually kill the Crown Prince out of consideration for the face and strength of the Qing Kingdom. At most, he would teach him a lesson, which wouldn't be a big deal.

In the Emperor's heart, the Crown Prince was still number one.

But if word gets out that what happened today, and I, as a prince, allow the Crown Prince to cause trouble for the Grandmaster without offering any advice or dissuasion, then my father will surely give me a scolding.

Injure one thousand enemies, and self-inflict eight hundred.

This deal isn't worth it!

The Second Prince knew very well that he was the whetstone chosen by Emperor Qing.

Either don't do something at all, or do it thoroughly!
To bring down the crown prince, only a fatal blow will suffice.

Finally, the Second Prince said, "Since there are no witnesses, I think it's better to uphold the original verdict. Someone else injured Guo Baokun; he really misunderstood Fan Xian."

The Crown Prince composed himself, turned around and smiled, "Second Brother, why are you in such a hurry? This matter hasn't been explained yet!"

"Since the person from Zuixianju can't come, I've found one. Let's call him up!"

As soon as the Crown Prince finished speaking, two armored soldiers escorted Teng Zijing into the main hall.

When Fan Xian saw Teng Zijing, he couldn't help but show surprise, his pupils shrinking sharply as he thought, "Am I going to mess this up?"

"And who is this?" the Second Prince asked.

The Crown Prince stood up and said, "Guo Baokun recounted the events of last night's case. The perpetrator repeatedly inquired about the whereabouts of Teng Zijing's family. As far as I know, Teng Zijing was a member of the Surveillance Bureau. After the assassination attempt in Danzhou, Fan Xian claimed to have personally killed him."

"Then I'd like to ask, who would care about the whereabouts of Teng Zijing's family, who is already dead?"

“It’s even more interesting to investigate further. Teng Zijing’s family moved outside the city and changed their residence. I had to send people to find them, and that’s how we got him arrested.”

The Crown Prince looked at the Second Prince with a half-smile: "Second Brother, guess who he is?"

"He is Teng Zijing, who should have died long ago!"

"Is it interesting?"

The Crown Prince's words were originally intended to implicate Fan Xian, but unexpectedly, the Second Prince also rose from his seat, walked to Teng Zijing, and confidently stated, "In this way, the truth comes to light; the perpetrator last night was indeed this person!"

The Second Prince wanted to protect Fan Xian, and coincidentally, a scapegoat appeared.
Does it matter whether Teng Zijing lives or dies?

He's just an assassin from the Overwatch Council!

(End of this chapter)