I just reached the maximum level, and you want me to be a puppet emperor?

Chapter 208 Your Majesty, you are finally back! (Please subscribe and vote)

In the eyes of Princess Zhennan and Ji Lingyu, staying in the imperial capital is better than anywhere else. The environment here is familiar, and they can serve the emperor anytime and anywhere. As long as they serve Li Chen well, he will definitely take care of Xu Zifeng.

It would be great for Xu Zifeng to be a general in the Tiance Dynasty. Why did he want to go back and become a rebel?

So the two of them refused to leave the imperial capital and even persuaded Xu Zifeng to stay.

This put Xu Zifeng in a difficult position. On one side was his biological father, and on the other was his biological mother. He didn't know what to do.

His current identity is still a hostage. A so-called hostage means that he cannot leave the imperial capital without the emperor's permission.

If he went south, he could escape, but his mother and aunt would not be able to escape.

What's more, it may not be possible to return to the South quickly with my mother and aunt.

Xu Zifeng was now in a complete dilemma. As a man of luck, he couldn't find a suitable solution for a while.

But the son of luck is lucky, and someone suddenly comes to visit him at this time.

The person who came was none other than Liu Hao who lived nearby.

Liu Hao is also a disciple of a great nobleman. He has made many military achievements this time and his position is constantly rising.

Even if the Liu family has not returned to its peak state, if this momentum continues, Liu Hao's status will not be low in the future.

When Liu Hao just returned home this time, he thought that his father and family members were going to hold a grand banquet to celebrate for him and mark his great achievements in the family tree.

As a result, he was kicked out by his father before he even had time to eat, and was told to go out and work again.

This is also the reason why Liu Hao came to Xu Zifeng's residence.

They don't have a good relationship, but they are colleagues and can talk to each other.

When Liu Hao came to visit, Xu Zifeng naturally greeted him personally and asked, "Brother Liu, what do you want to see me about?"

Liu Hao smiled and said: "Brother Xu, don't you know that the Tiance Dynasty has already gone to war with the Sassanid Dynasty? The war in the west has begun. This is another opportunity for us to make a contribution!"

This is the reason why Liu Hao's father kicked him out to work.

For military generals, the best way to get promoted is to gain military merits. There are obviously a lot of military merits in the western part of the Tian Ce Dynasty, so Liu Hao will definitely go to gain them.

The reason why I look for Xu Zifeng instead of Li Ling is because Xu Zifeng doesn't want to steal military merits.

In the last Northern Expedition, Xu Zifeng was the vanguard general, but he disappeared as soon as he went up. Liu Hao, the deputy vanguard general, was very happy and directly took on the position of vanguard general, constantly attacking cities and capturing strongholds.

If other court officials had to do two jobs at the same time, they would definitely be angry, but the military generals were different. They wished they could do more work. If possible, they even wanted to help Guo Poyun command the three armies!
Liu Hao felt that going to the battlefield with Xu Zifeng would be a sure win.

This is not to find him to play duo again.

Anyway, you can continue to play missing, and I will focus on gaining military merit, so neither of us should care about each other.

The reason why Liu Hao didn't look for Li Ling was because he could see that Li Ling had been trying to steal military merits.

When Xu Zifeng heard what Liu Hao said, he tactfully refused.

He had no idea about helping the Tiance Dynasty fight the war. He was only thinking about how to bring his mother and aunt back to the south to reunite with his father.

While Liu Hao expressed his regret, he also asked him to think about it, as they would set off in a few days.

He didn't have a good relationship with Xu Zifeng, so he just said a word and then left the Zhennan Palace.

Xu Zifeng felt that the western battlefield of the Tiance Dynasty definitely had nothing to do with him.

But the problem is that his mother and his aunt don't think so.

Princess Zhennan and Ji Lingyu saw that Xu Zifeng wanted to return to the south. In order to allow Xu Zifeng to live better in the imperial capital, they decided to find Li Chen tonight and ask Li Chen to give Xu Zifeng a position in the Western Expedition Army.

I'm afraid that within a few days, Xu Zifeng will receive another order from Li Chen.

He never dreamed that it was his own mother and aunt who were stabbing him in the back.

In fact, Li Chen really thinks Xu Zifeng is useful. This guy can always give him some unexpected surprises.

When Princess Zhennan and Ji Lingyu come to ask, Li Chen will definitely give Xu Zifeng a chance.

You know, not everyone can refuse the opportunity given by the emperor.

What's more, this emperor is Li Chen. When Li Chen said he would give you a chance, there was no room for negotiation. You had to go even if you didn't want to.

Even someone as powerful as the Snow Leopard God has no right to make his own choices in front of Li Chen.

Li Chen is not discussing with anyone, he is just telling you what to do.

But that was Li Chen a few days later. Now Li Chen and his aunt Li Xueying have just returned to the palace.

Li Xueying misses this place so much. It has been many years since she last came back.

No matter where I see it, I feel very familiar with it.

This is probably the same as Li Si Ning. As long as Li Chen is around, they will definitely feel friendly. Li Chen is not the emperor, and they probably also think that the palace is not that good.

As soon as she arrived at the door, Li Xueying was ready to tell stories from the past.

At this time, Eunuch Cui came running over in a hurry, his face full of fear and he was very nervous.

Li Chen has lived in the palace for so many years, but this is the first time he has seen the eunuch chief, Eunuch Cui, so flustered.

Li Chen frowned and asked, "Did something happen in the palace?"

Eunuch Cui said anxiously, "Your Majesty, you are finally back. Prince Jing'an has been kneeling at the door of the imperial study for three days and three nights without eating or drinking. Anyway, you should go and take a look."

This made Li Chen even more confused. What happened to Prince Jing'an?
Li Xueying next to her was also confused, because Prince Jing'an was one of her brothers.

She continued to ask Eunuch Cui: "Why did Prince Jing'an kneel at the door of the imperial study?"

It was at this time that Eunuch Cui saw Li Xueying.

As an old eunuch in the palace, he had naturally met this princess before, so he replied, "Replying to the Princess, Prince Jing'an's son Li Yang has colluded with the remnants of the previous dynasty to murder the Crown Prince, and has been discovered by the Minister of Justice."

If Eunuch Cui can say this, then there must be solid evidence.

Otherwise, Pang Jin wouldn't dare to mention it.

Murdering the prince is a serious crime, and anyone else will be executed along with their entire clan.

But Li Yang is a member of the royal family, the son of Prince Jing'an, and it is also a matter among the royal family. Naturally, it is waiting for Emperor Li Chen to deal with it.

Even though Prince Jing'an is Li Chen's uncle, if Li Chen wants to deal with him, he can really do it.

Speaking of this, Li Chen also remembered that Pang Jin had said at the time that members of the royal family were involved.

But I didn't expect that this royal family member was actually the Prince of Jing'an.

Li Chen and Li Yang have met before.

"Where is Li Yang now?" Li Chen's tone of voice changed.

The people around him also began to get scared. Even Aunt Li Xueying felt that Li Chen was now showing the majesty of an emperor.

"He has already fled the imperial capital, and the Ministry of Justice is now tracking him down." Eunuch Cui answered honestly.

This is probably the reason why Prince Jing'an has been kneeling in front of the imperial study.

Li Xueying didn't expect to encounter such a thing just after she returned.

At this point, Li Chen went to the imperial study in person to take a look, and Li Xueying followed behind him.

The two of them walked through the palace corridor, and the palace lanterns on both sides of the corridor reflected their furrowed brows.

When they arrived at the door of the imperial study, the scene before them made their hearts tighten.

Prince Jing'an, the once majestic and powerful old man of the royal family, is now like a candle in the wind, kneeling on the ground, hunched over and looking haggard.

His eyes were sunken, revealing endless fatigue and despair, as if he had aged dozens of years overnight.

A complex emotion surged in Li Chen's heart.

He still remembered that some time ago, Prince Jing'an had invited him to a birthday banquet.

At the birthday banquet, Prince Jing'an was radiant and laughed heartily. He invited him to drink wine together. How strong Prince Jing'an was at that time.

But now, she is kneeling here, begging for the emperor's forgiveness for the heinous crime committed by her son.

It can be seen that Prince Jing'an's clothes are somewhat wrinkled, and the cloth at his knees is worn to a shine. It is obvious that he has been kneeling here for a long time.

His hair was messy and his face was covered with dust and tears, and he looked very pitiful.

Li Xueying stood beside Li Chen, her eyes revealing concern and reluctance. Prince Jing'an was her biological brother and Li Chen's uncle.

She looked at Prince Jing'an's trembling body and wanted to go forward to support him several times, but she held back.

She knew very well that this was the imperial palace and everything had to obey the emperor's will. She could not cross this line.

When Prince Jing'an saw Li Chen appear, a glimmer of hope flashed in his eyes.

He kowtowed tremblingly and said in a hoarse voice: "Your Majesty, I, your humble servant, pay my respects to you."

His tone was very weak, and it felt like he might die at any moment.

Li Chen felt mixed emotions when he looked at Prince Jing'an.

He knew that Prince Jing'an was afraid and at the same time was performing a self-torture trick.

But no matter what, Prince Jing'an was his uncle after all, and he couldn't let him kneel and die here.

So, he said in a deep voice: "Get up first and eat something."

Li Chen waved his hand, and Eunuch Cui immediately went to prepare some food.

In fact, all these foods are nearby, but Prince Jing'an doesn't eat them.

After saying that, Li Chen walked directly into the imperial study. He had been away from the imperial capital for many days and still had many things to deal with. He had no time to waste time here. Li Xueying took the opportunity to help Prince Jing'an up.

Prince Jing'an stood up slowly, his movements were difficult and slow, as if every step was carrying a heavy burden.

"Xueying, your return here should be a happy thing, but I am ashamed to let you see this scene."

Prince Jing'an hadn't seen Li Xueying for many years, but he didn't expect to meet her again in this way.

"It's okay. I believe His Majesty will handle it as appropriate."

Li Xueying comforted Prince Jing'an. When she came, she knew about the murder of the crown prince and the death of the late emperor, but she did not expect that Prince Jing'an would be involved.

As soon as Prince Jing'an got up, he prepared to go to the imperial study.

But Li Xueying asked him to eat something first. In his current state, if he went in and stuttered, it might make things even more annoying.

Prince Jing'an nodded, and while eating, he asked about things in the north, and Li Xueying answered truthfully.

"Sister, thank you for your hard work over the years, but I still have a favor to ask of you."

"Don't worry, if it really wasn't you who did it, I will say a few good words to His Majesty."

Li Xueying knew what Prince Jing'an wanted to express, so she just said it directly.

If it was only Prince Li Yang of Jing'an who did the deed, then Li Xueying would also plead for mercy out of brotherhood.

But if Prince Jing'an himself was involved, no matter how brave Li Xueying was, she would not dare to plead for mercy.

Because Li Chen is the emperor and holds the highest status in the royal family, Li Xueying doesn't dare to put on airs as an aunt.

At this time, a eunuch had already gone to summon the Minister of Justice Pang Jin.

Li Chen only knew something roughly, and would find out the specific situation after Pang came in.

Not long after, Pang Jin hurried over and also saw Prince Jing'an.

At this moment, Prince Jing'an put down the food and went in with Pang Jin.

It was the same as usual. As soon as Prince Jing'an came in, he knelt down without any explanation.

After Pang Jin saluted, at Li Chen's signal, he began to report the case in detail.

According to Pang Jin, some remnants of the previous dynasty confessed that Prince Jing'an Li Yang had an affair with a princess of the previous dynasty.

Then he used his position in the prince's faction and transferred the prince's guards in the name of the prince, and the prince was attacked and killed tragically.

Pang Jin also handed out some lists, which included not only officials from various ministries, but also some officials from the Ministry of Justice. These were all people who helped the remnants of the previous dynasty.

When the prince died, the autopsy found no traces, which meant someone in the Ministry of Justice helped.

To see how serious Li Yang's crime was, let's put it this way, without his help, the prince would not have died at all, or at least he would not have died in such an unclear way.

Prince Jing'an, who was kneeling beside him, came down, and even Li Xueying, who was beside him, frowned.

This crime is really serious. Not only did he collude with the remnants of the previous dynasty, but he also killed the prince.

It is really possible to put these serious crimes on Li Yang's head.

Prince Jing'an didn't know why his useless son was able to get in touch with the princess, who was a remnant of the previous dynasty.

Pang Jin said it very clearly without any mistakes.

Without direct evidence, he didn't dare to speak carelessly about the Prince of Jing'an.

"Is Prince Jing'an involved?" Li Chen asked in a deep voice.

It is hard to say whether others were frightened by this sentence, but Prince Jing'an was very frightened and was trembling.

"Your Majesty, there is no evidence yet that Prince Jing'an was involved." This was all Pang Jin could answer.

At this time, Prince Jing'an cried, "Your Majesty, I really did not participate in this matter. If I did, how could I face my ancestors?"

Originally, Prince Jing'an was planning to plead for his son, but now, he feels that his life is in danger.

Unless Prince Jing'an wanted to be the emperor, it would be totally unjustifiable for him to attack the crown prince.

After thinking for a moment, Li Chen felt that he still had to punish him. If he didn't, any prince's son would dare to rebel, and the family would be safe anyway.

"You are a bad parent. You will be sent to the prison of the Ministry of Justice for a year to reflect on your actions. When you are released, you will be confined to your home for ten years and all your privileges will be taken away. If it were not for Li Ling's great contributions in the northern battlefield, I would not let you go so easily. Get out of here."

As for the Jing'an Palace, anyone related to Li Yang was executed immediately.

Since they even dared to touch the prince, Li Chen would definitely teach them a bloody lesson.

The punishment for Prince Jing'an was neither light nor very severe, but it just sounded very scary.

In fact, he was only detained for a year for reflection. After all, he was a elder of the royal family.

Depriving him of his privileges means that his descendants will not be able to inherit the throne.

Li Chen did not punish Li Ling. As long as Li Ling still had her status, it was equivalent to leaving a way out for Prince Jing'an.

In Prince Jing'an's opinion, Li Chen was clear about rewards and punishments. If something happened to Li Ling, the entire Prince Jing'an's Mansion would be doomed.

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty."

Prince Jing'an had no room for bargaining and could only leave with Pang Jin in person.

When he left, he kept calling Pang Jin "Master Pang", which made Pang Jin so confused that he didn't know what to say.

After they all left, Li Xueying rubbed Li Chen's shoulders to help him calm down.

"Your uncle is stupid and has no ability or courage. I believe he will not do anything that is detrimental to the royal family. It's just that Li Yang does not know the rules."

After all, she had promised to say a few good words for Prince Jing'an, and she did say it.

Just now when Li Chen was pronouncing the verdict, Li Xueying definitely couldn't say anything. How could she dare to confront Li Chen directly? That would be just seeking excitement.

Only at this time, when everyone else had stepped back, did she utter these words indirectly.

Li Chen wasn't actually angry, he was just maintaining the dignity of the royal family.

Li Chen was very puzzled. Was Li Yang crazy? Did he really want to be the emperor? Or was he caught by the remnants of the previous dynasty?
But no matter what, the princess of the previous dynasty was not caught and Li Yang even ran away.

This is the next task for the Ministry of Justice.

What is Li Chen's job? Of course, it is the two mountains of memorials in front of him.

I haven't been here for a few days, and here are so many again.

Isn't this going to kill me?
I guess the court tomorrow will be very lively.

In Li Chen's opinion, it is easier to fight Tuoba Zhen.

At the Jing'an Palace, Li Ling returned victoriously, only to find that the house had changed.

As for the people in the mansion, my father was imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice, my eldest brother fled the imperial capital, and some of my blood relatives have been dragged out and beheaded.

She also didn't expect that she had just returned from a victory and before she had time to celebrate, her brother stabbed her in the back.

In the past, Li Ling felt that her eldest brother was just a useless prince. She felt a little helpless and thought that it would be better if her eldest brother was a little out of character.

But now, she would rather her elder brother be a waste than to see him do such a heinous thing.

"What does my brother think, because the princess, a remnant of the previous dynasty, actually killed the prince?" Li Ling had mixed feelings in the empty Jing'an Palace.

In the past, King Jing'an was very powerful and this place was crowded with people. But now no one dares to come.

Afraid of being implicated in the death of the prince.

It is said that during the three days and three nights that Prince Jing'an knelt at the door of the imperial study, only the commander-in-chief of the imperial guards, Li Sixing, who was also a member of the royal family, came to see him. No one else dared to see him, including Prime Minister Zhao Wenyuan. Even such a high-ranking official as Zhao Wenyuan did not dare to get involved in this matter.

Li Ling felt that it was a blessing that he went to the north to fight and made many military achievements, otherwise he would have been in jail anyway.

Chen Xuannan next to him also felt that Li Ling had really escaped a disaster. If Li Ling had not had this experience, she would have been 100% guilty.

"I think we should do more military merits and try to get the prince out sooner."

This is what Chen Xuannan meant when he said this. In fact, he meant, I think you should quickly make some more military achievements. Otherwise, when your brother is caught and the emperor punishes him a second time, you might be implicated as well.

Chen Xuannan is a man who values ​​friendship and loyalty. Since Li Ling saved his life when he was on the verge of death, Chen Xuannan will try his best to repay her.

When he first arrived, Chen Xuannan went to the Ministry of War and met Liu Hao.

After Liu Hao left, he made inquiries from various sources and learned some information about the Western and Southern War Zones of the Tiance Dynasty.

We don’t need help from others to fight the King of Zhennan, but we can fight the Sassanid Empire.

Chen Xuannan told Li Ling about this matter and asked her to get ready quickly. Liu Hao and his men had just returned and were about to head to the western battlefield.

You know, Liu Hao's injury hasn't fully healed yet, but he's already eager to participate in the Western Expedition.

After hearing Chen Xuannan's analysis, Li Ling cheered up and prepared to ask for a meeting with Li Chen.

But this frightened Chen Xuannan so much that he quickly stopped her and said, "Are you crazy? It's good enough that Li Chen doesn't deal with you at this time. How dare you show up in front of him?"

Li Ling frowned and said, "If we don't look for Li Chen, who should we look for?"

Chen Xuannan suggested: "You have performed well in this Northern Expedition and have been praised by General Guo many times. Moreover, General Guo and the prince are old friends. If you ask him for help, he may help you."

Li Ling nodded and walked towards Guo Poyun's residence.

He knew that there was no time to lose and if he didn't go now, he might not have another chance.

But at this time, Guo Poyun was not in his mansion, but in the prison of the Ministry of Justice.

(End of this chapter)