Sheng Tang: What is Liu Jianjun going to do today?

Chapter 85 Current Standoff (Part 1)

The next day.

early morning.

Inside the Hanyuan Hall, all the officials stood solemnly.

Li Xian stood at the head of the prince's procession.

In fact, he was the only prince present at the morning court session today.

With the new emperor's ascension to the throne, in order to stabilize the regime, the princes were ordered to "postpone their journey to the capital," and even the mourning for Emperor Gaozong was conducted in their respective residences.

However, Li Xian, a prince who was already in Chang'an, was clearly not included in this category.

Liu Rengui was at the head of the court officials, so Li Xian could easily spot him.

Following Liu Jianjun's instructions, he gave Liu Rengui a perfectly timed look.

Their eyes met briefly.

Liu Rengui did not respond, but simply lowered his head and remained silent.

The court assembly proceeded as scheduled, and most of the matters discussed were trivial or had already been decided by Empress Wu, leaving Li Xian to go through the motions.

The figure behind the beaded curtain was silent, yet constantly exuded a suffocating pressure that enveloped the entire hall.

Finally, after discussing a few trivial matters, Li Xian cleared his throat, raised his voice slightly, and said with a deliberately solemn tone, "I have one more matter to discuss."

The hall immediately became even quieter.

Although Li Xian kept his head slightly bowed, he still noticed that Li Xian's gaze was on him.

Then, Li Xian spoke, his tone solemn and sincere: "Prince Pei, Li Xian, is my elder brother. He was once the crown prince, and his virtuous name was known throughout the land."

"Although he was wronged before, I know his nature well and he is by no means a rebellious person!"
"When the late Emperor was alive, he often thought of his elder brother's talent and virtue. Now that the treacherous officials have been eliminated, it is the right time to clear his name! My mind is made up. Today, in this great hall, I will exonerate Prince Pei, Li Xian, and restore his reputation!"

As expected, Li Xian summoned him to clear his name.

Although he had expected it, Li Xian still felt a surge of warmth in his chest when he heard Li Xian raise the issue in such a sincere tone in court.

At the same time, I felt both amused and exasperated.

Sure enough, in the eyes of smart people like Liu Jianjun, both he and Li Xian were too "stupid".

They tried their best to do good, but in the end, they only managed to make things worse.

Almost as soon as Li Xian finished speaking, a slight commotion arose in the hall. Many ministers looked surprised and whispered among themselves.

Clearly, they hadn't expected that the new emperor's first audience with the princes after his ascension to the throne would involve such a bombshell announcement.

Although the late emperor briefly brought up the treason case, he was seriously ill at the time, and given the long passage of time, it was extremely difficult to gather evidence. In the end, the late emperor simply overruled the objections and left the matter unresolved, and restored King Yi Hyun-bae's status.

Now that the new emperor has ascended the throne, is the first thing he should do to exonerate those who were accused of treason?
Li Xian ignored the whispers among the court officials, because he knew it was time for him to put on a show.

However, just as Li Xian was following the script, showing an expression of ecstatic joy and preparing to "accept it gladly,"

"Your Majesty! I think this is absolutely unacceptable!"

An aged yet extremely forceful voice, like the clash of metal, suddenly rang out, interrupting the subtle discussions that had just begun in the court and also cutting off Li Xian's impending "thank you for your grace." Everyone turned to look, and saw Liu Rengui, the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, stepping forward with his tablet in hand, his expression extremely solemn, even carrying an undisguised stance of opposition.

Li Xian's gentle smile froze instantly, and he looked at Liu Rengui in astonishment: "Minister Liu? You..."

He never expected that the first person to stand up and vehemently oppose him would be Liu Rengui, the old minister he relied on the most and considered one of the few in the court who could support him!
Li Xian even noticed that behind the beaded curtain, Empress Wu's figure seemed to move slightly, but no sound came out; only the invisible pressure seemed to solidify even more.

Liu Rengui ignored Li Xian and stared directly at Li Xian, his voice loud and clear: "Your Majesty! The case of Prince Pei was decided by the late Emperor! The case files are recorded in the archives. How can it be easily overturned just because Your Majesty is so close to your brother? This is not only about the name of Prince Pei, but also about the wisdom of the late Emperor and the majesty of the court's laws!"

Li Xian's face turned grim, and he said urgently, "Minister Liu! I know my brother is innocent! There are indeed suspicious points in this case, and the late emperor also..."

"His Majesty!"

Liu Rengui interrupted Li Xian without any politeness, his tone even more intense: "Even if there is something suspicious, it should be investigated carefully over a long period of time. How can a hasty conclusion be drawn in the grand court based solely on Your Majesty's benevolent thoughts?"
"Where does this place the late emperor? Where does it place the law of the land?"

"Your Majesty, please take back your order!"

These words were extremely harsh, almost pointing directly at Li Xian and criticizing him for being emotional, rash, and muddle-headed, even invoking the late emperor and the law to intimidate him.

Li Xian watched with a pounding heart.

Last night, Liu Jianjun only guessed that Liu Rengui would object, but he did not expect the old man to object so fiercely and so without leaving any room for negotiation!
This is utterly humiliating Li Xian, going far beyond the scope of "singing a different tune" and more like the work of a political enemy who is determined to fight to the death!
Li Xian's face flushed red and then turned pale, clearly furious. He pointed at Liu Rengui, his finger trembling slightly: "Minister Liu! You... how could you..."

"His Majesty."

Just then, from behind the beaded curtain, came Empress Wu's calm yet authoritative voice: "What Minister Liu said is not without reason."

With just one sentence, the restless hall fell silent instantly.

Empress Wu's voice continued slowly, revealing neither joy nor anger: "It is good for a new emperor to value loyalty and righteousness, but he should also consider the overall situation and strictly abide by the law. The case of Prince Pei has far-reaching implications. The late emperor's judgment is not something to be taken lightly. Minister Liu is experienced in governing the country, and what he says is the right thing to do."

With a few casual words, she not only completely rejected Li Xian's proposal, but also elevated Liu Rengui to the level of a wise and experienced strategist, thus completely blocking Li Xian's way out.

Li Xian was deeply shocked.

Liu Jianjun's prediction came true again; his mother indeed sided with Liu Rengui without the slightest hesitation.

Li Xian also realized that it was time for him to take the stage.

Li Xian suddenly stepped forward, his excitement and fear turning into shock, anger and resentment. He first glanced at Li Xian on the dragon throne in disbelief, as if heartbroken that he had failed to persevere, then turned sharply to Liu Rengui, his eyes blazing with fury and his voice trembling with rage.

"Minister Liu! Why...why did you do this to me?!"

Li Xian firmly remembered Liu Jianjun's words that he had an irreconcilable hatred for Liu Rengui. His voice was hoarse and his eyes were red. The grievances he had suppressed for years and the "anger" of his failed attempt at the moment were intertwined and seemed extremely real.

In the imperial court, all the ministers held their breath.

They never expected that Liu Rengui, a staunch supporter of the Li Tang dynasty, would actually confront Li Xian, the "former crown prince," in court.

"because……"

Liu Rengui met Li Xian's gaze without flinching.

……

　Well, why did I stop here...? Because I wanted to say something~
　　Um, we've also created a book club group. It's in the description. The administrator is a cute girl, so feel free to join and tease her.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)