The struggle for the throne among nine princes—I really don't want to be the crown prince.

Chapter 371 You're right, I have the fist.

Normally, even if Erqui had ten times the courage, he would never dare to provoke the Hanlin Academy.

Why? Isn't it obvious?

Anyone you pick out from there could become his boss someday.

Who wants to make trouble for no reason?

But this time, Erqui didn't care about anything else!

Lord Longkodo gave the order personally, and the Crown Prince is also keeping an eye on it.

If he backs down at this critical juncture, wouldn't that be blatant disobedience?
Do you still want to work in the Infantry Commander's Office?

He gritted his teeth, steeled his resolve, and said in a deep voice, "We are acting in accordance with the law and the Crown Prince's orders!"

"If you retreat now, the consequences will be severe."

"Charge! We're arresting people according to the law, what's there to be afraid of!"

After saying that, he shouted at the top of his lungs, "The Infantry Commander's Office is handling a case! Arresting a murderer, bystanders get out of the way!"

The guards from the Hanlin Academy at the gate dared not move upon seeing this scene.

They're just gatekeepers at best, how dare they get involved in this kind of thing? Don't they have a death wish?

Moreover, their salaries weren't paid by the Hanlin Academy, so they all wisely kept their distance.

As he stepped into the gates of the Hanlin Academy, Erqui felt a strange sense of pride rise within him.

He is probably the first person in the last ten years to lead troops into the Hanlin Academy.
Tsk tsk, if this gets out, I'll have something to brag about for a while!
But before he could even gloat, he had taken two steps when he heard a sharp shout: "Who are you? How dare you trespass into the Hanlin Academy!"

"Aren't you afraid of the Emperor's wrath?"

Along with the shout, a man in his thirties, dressed in a fourth-rank red robe, stared at them with a cold face.

Within the Hanlin Academy, only the head scholar was allowed to wear this red official robe.

Although this official position was not very high, his status was noble.

Many people who have accumulated enough seniority here will eventually become a vice minister in a certain department, or even enter the Southern Study.

Erqui was no fool. This man hadn't appeared earlier or later; he had just walked in when he showed up to stop him. It was clear that he had been waiting for him on purpose.

However, since he had already taken the plunge, he had prepared his explanation.

He immediately cupped his hands in greeting and replied, "My lord, we are arresting the murderer Lü Baizhou and six others in accordance with the criminal law of our dynasty!"

"Please forgive any offense caused."

"However, I believe that we have acted in accordance with the law and His Majesty will not blame us."

"Sir, you are preventing us from arresting the person. Are you trying to protect a murderer?"

Upon hearing Erqui's question, the red-robed official frowned and his face turned green.

As the prestigious and respected head of the Hanlin Academy, he originally thought that he could command respect simply by showing up.

To my utter surprise, this rough and tough military officer from the Infantry Commander's Office was surprisingly eloquent and cunning!
They immediately accused him of "protecting criminals".

He was trembling with anger, but he couldn't forcefully stop them. He wasn't stupid; how could he not know that harboring a criminal was the same crime?

"When did I say I was protecting criminals? I'm just asking you why you trespassed into the Hanlin Academy?"

The words still sounded like a question, but the tone had clearly weakened.

Erqui laughed: "We have determined that the culprit is in the Hanlin Academy."

"We just informed the Dean, but we haven't received a response yet."

"To prevent the criminals from harming anyone again and endangering your safety, we have no choice but to come in ourselves."

"Please lead us to arrest the person, sir, so that we don't have to search the place ourselves; it would be an unsightly scene."

Looking at the defiant Erqui, the red-robed official's expression changed several times, his face turning cold as he said, "Although Lü Baizhou and the others injured people, they did it for the sake of the court and the emperor!"

Whether they are criminals or not is up to the Emperor to decide!

"You need His Majesty's decree to arrest someone!"

Erqui thought to himself: You're right, everything you say is correct, okay?
The problem is, that's what I told our commander-in-chief, but he couldn't get the imperial edict!

Remembering what Longkodo had told him, he decided to invoke the law.

Raising his voice and speaking with conviction, he said, "Sir, I'm just a rough man and I don't quite understand the profound principles you're talking about."

"We've always believed in one principle: a life for a life, a debt for a debt, and that's clearly stated in the law."

"Since they have killed people, our Infantry Commander's Office must arrest them!"

"As for the final verdict, that's the business of the officials in the Ministry of Justice, not my concern."

After speaking, he deliberately leaned forward, lowering his voice so that everyone around him could hear him:
"Furthermore, according to the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty, anyone who obstructs the arrest of another person is guilty of the same crime as the person who committed the crime."

"With your esteemed status, sir, you surely wouldn't want to be invited back to the yamen for tea, would you?"

"That would sound terrible if word got out!"

There was a clear threat in his words.

The official in red robes—Xu Chunping, the Grand Academician of the Hanlin Academy—was so angry that his face turned ashen.

He was a distinguished and learned scholar, and in many people's eyes, a potential candidate for Grand Secretary of the Southern Study.
So many people would be eager to curry favor with them, when have they ever suffered such humiliation?

He gritted his teeth and said, "The Infantry Commander's Office is acting recklessly in the Hanlin Academy. I will definitely report this to the court and submit a memorial to the Ministry of Rites!"

Erqui was not to be outdone: "I will also report truthfully that you, sir, have prevented us from apprehending the murderer."

As he spoke, he shouted to his men who were observing, "Search! If you find any criminals, arrest them immediately!"

"According to the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty, anyone who harbors a murderer is guilty of the same crime! Arrest them all! Take them to prison!"

His shout was deafening, but it had only one purpose.

He wanted everyone in the Hanlin Academy to hear: Don't stop them, or you'll be their accomplice!
The soldiers rushed into the courtyard in a swarm, and chaos erupted all around.

The Hanlin Academy was in an uproar:

"What are you doing?"

"This is the Hanlin Academy!" "Get out! What kind of behavior is this!"

Seeing the usually quiet Hanlin Academy in complete chaos, Xu Chunping turned pale.

He stared intently at Erqui: "Lord Erqui, the Hanlin Academy will never forget this matter."

Erqui replied with a grin, "Lord Xu, this is not my fault!"

"I politely asked you to hand over the person, but not only did you refuse, you also obstructed the investigation!"

“If this were a matter of official business, I would have arrested him long ago according to the law.”

"But not only did I not make a move, I also gave you a chance! I gave you a way out!"

"You not only show no gratitude and don't remember any of my good deeds, but you're also turning around and blaming me!"

"You're distorting the truth and failing to distinguish right from wrong. Isn't that a bit unfair of you?"

His unyielding attitude made Xu Chunping's threats seem weak and ineffective.

Just then, a commotion arose ahead.

Suddenly someone shouted angrily, "Brother Baizhou and the others are not criminals! They are officials from the Hanlin Academy!"

"They acted out of righteous indignation, upholding justice and punishing the wicked!"

"Whether someone is guilty or not is up to the Emperor to decide!"

"We will never allow you to arrest people!"

Many people echoed this sentiment:
"Yes! We won't agree!"

"If you're going to arrest us, arrest us all!"

"With us here, don't even think about arresting people arbitrarily!"

"Get out! This is the Hanlin Academy, not a place for you to run wild!"

Hearing the noisy shouts, Erqui's face darkened.

He never expected that these bookworms would actually dare to challenge him.

He looked at Xu Chunping: "Lord Xu, you are the head of the Hanlin Academy, aren't you going to do anything about it?"

Xu Chunping stood by with a cold face, saying, "I am in charge of managing the affairs of the Hanlin Academy, but I cannot interfere with matters like speaking out for justice."

He paused, then added meaningfully, "I'd also like to remind you, sir, that these are all past winners of the top three awards."

"They are the future pillars of the nation, nurtured by the imperial court!"

"If anything goes wrong, you won't be able to explain it to the court, and you probably won't be able to bear the consequences!"

Erqui heard the threat in Xu Chunping's voice, ignored him, and walked straight into the crowd.

In the middle of the crowd, a dozen or so young scholars were confronting the soldiers.

Standing at the very front was a handsome, sixth-rank editor in his early twenties.

He was emotional, and his words were firm and resolute: "The sages taught us that when we see injustice on the road, we should speak out for justice!"

"What Brother Baizhou and the others have done is precisely the practice of the way of the sages!"

"They are not only innocent, but also meritorious!"

"If you're going to arrest them, arrest us too!"

"Otherwise, we will absolutely not allow you to run amok in the Hanlin Academy!"

The sixth-rank editor's call was met with overwhelming support, and more and more people stood around Lü Baizhou, who was surrounded, as if they were bound together by life and death.

“My lord, that’s Lü Baizhou,” the subordinate whispered to Erqui. “The one who led the blockade is Zhang Tinglu, the second son of Grand Secretary Zhang Ying.”

Hearing this, Erqui felt a pang of anxiety.

The Hanlin Academy is indeed full of hidden talents; this second young master of the Zhang family is truly courageous!
Seeing the situation getting increasingly chaotic, he knew he had to act decisively and couldn't delay any longer.

Thinking of Longkodo's instructions, he gritted his teeth:

"The laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty stipulate that murderers shall be executed, and those who harbor criminals shall be punished equally!"

"I'm giving you one last chance: Get out of the way!"

"Or we can take you all with us!"

But these young scholars were not afraid at all; on the contrary, they became even more agitated:

"I wish I could work alongside Brother Baizhou! It is our honor to share joys and sorrows today!"

"Just arrest them, stop talking nonsense!"

"We will never retreat a single step!"

Erqui looked at Xu Chunping: "Lord Xu, once my order is given, there is no going back."

"Could you try to persuade them?"

Xu Chunping ignored him, turning his head away and not wanting to pay any attention to him.

Erqui snorted coldly: "Move! Arrest the murderers Lü Baizhou and his gang. Anyone who obstructs will be punished!"

The soldiers swarmed forward.

Regardless of their future reactions, today, Erqui has caught the man.

He had finished his own task; as for the rest, let Lord Longkodo continue to worry about it.

Zhang Tinglu and the others were shocked and furious that they didn't expect them to actually make a move. Some of them struggled to rush forward to argue, but were quickly knocked down.

Zhang Tinglu was tied up very tightly.

Seeing their colleague arrested, someone shouted in grief and indignation:

"The Infantry Commander's Office has arbitrarily broken into the Hanlin Academy to arrest people; this is outrageous!"

"We want to appeal to the emperor! We want to petition the palace!"

　The second update of the day is here! Please support me, everyone! I'll be asking for votes at the end of the month!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)