The Demon Prince

The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review took the account book and felt that it was a bit heavy.

The account book itself wasn't actually that heavy, but all the officials in the court were watching it closely!

The Seventh Prince, who is in power, Zhang Erhe, who holds immense influence in the court, and Xiao Xingyue, who is coming on strong.

The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review lowered his head and turned to the first page:

"Please allow me to summon the relevant witnesses, Your Highness."

Li Xuansi nodded helplessly:

"allow."

Next, after being summoned by witnesses and subjected to various examinations, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review finally spoke again:

"According to preliminary investigation, Zhang Sanjin is suspected of manipulating Cuju (ancient Chinese football) matches and setting up private gambling games. Officials from the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Rites were also involved in sharing the profits."

The Great Xia men's football team suffered numerous defeats against foreign nations in recent years, which is also related to this case. The amount of money involved is enormous; we request Your Highness to order an investigation.

Li Xuansi sat upright and glanced at Zhang Erhe. Zhang Erhe did not plead for mercy; his aged face remained expressionless, seemingly calm and undisturbed.

Having weathered decades of ups and downs in the imperial court, this prime minister had long since learned to hide all his emotions beneath his skin.

Li Xuansi withdrew his gaze:

"Since the account books are genuine, they shall be dealt with according to the laws of Great Xia."

The officials involved have been temporarily suspended from their duties and their cases will be jointly handled by the Court of Judicial Review and the Censorate. Zhang San is now imprisoned and awaiting further judgment.

Two imperial guards approached Zhang Sanjin, causing some confusion among the officials on the Prime Minister's side. Some looked worried, while others wanted to step forward to plead for him, but were pulled back by their colleagues. Pleading for him now would only confirm that they were covering up for him.

Li Taiping witnessed this scene, his eyes burning with intensity.

She had actually heard Xiao Xingyue mention the general arrangements beforehand, and she knew that the officials from the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works had already submitted their pledges of allegiance.

But when she actually stood in the court and watched the Fourth Princess and her officials step forward one after another, she was still quite shocked.

Xiao Xingyue's control is becoming increasingly terrifying.

Li Taiping stared at Xiao Xingyue, and their gazes met briefly.

Xiao Xingyue was nonchalant, even innocent? His demeanor clearly implied that this matter had little to do with him and was entirely due to the support of the princesses' families.

Princess Li Yunxi, standing on the other side, witnessed this scene, which made her gentle expression more serious.

The Minister of Personnel, and several officials from the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works—these people originally belonged to the Fourth and Fifth Sisters, but now they all stood behind Xiao Xingyue.

What does this mean? Has Xiao Xingyue already consolidated his sisters' power?

Or is there another possibility that makes her even more uneasy? For example, is Li Taiping the one who truly consolidates these forces?

Xiao Xingyue was controlled by Li Taiping, who was responsible for charging into battle, while Li Taiping remained behind the scenes, responsible for consolidating power.

As Zhang San was about to be dragged away, a disciple of the Prime Minister approached Zhang Erhe and whispered:

"Prime Minister, there is no need to worry. The Prince said he was awaiting judgment. The trial of the case will take time."

"Once the court situation stabilizes, with a little maneuvering, the young master will be fine."

Others also offered words of comfort:

"We still have people at the Dali Temple, and we can bribe officials in the prison. Young master, you are only staying for a few days and will not suffer."

Zhang Erhe did not respond, and Zhang Sanjin did not struggle; he simply faced his father.

Zhang Erhe still stood at the very front of the officials, with a dozen steps between father and son.

Zhang San knelt down on both knees, and with a thud, his forehead struck the golden bricks of the main hall:

"Take care, Father."

Zhang Erhe's hand, which was hanging by his side, twitched, but ultimately did not lift.

"Go." Only two words.

Zhang San got up and followed the Imperial Guards out of the hall. After crossing the hall gate, he quickly disappeared from everyone's sight.

Several elderly officials felt a pang of regret. Although Zhang Sanjin's actions were absurd and his deeds did not deserve sympathy, his kneeling before leaving could ultimately be considered a sign of filial piety.

"What a pity."

An old minister whispered:

"The Prime Minister only has this one son."

The person next to him shook his head:

"Once you're in the Dali Temple, it's uncertain whether you'll ever get out. Even if you do, there probably won't be another Young Master Zhang San Jin."

There was much discussion in the court; no one had expected it to end this way.

The Prime Minister's residence prepared a dragon robe, and the Prince of Zhenguo's residence also prepared one. Both sides originally wanted to accuse the other of treason, but when the two dragon robes were placed in the court at the same time, neither of them was able to speak out.

This offensive thus became extremely strange.

The matter of the dragon robe was temporarily shelved, but the football case was brought to light, and Zhang San was imprisoned on the spot.

Judging from the results alone, Xiao Xingyue clearly had the upper hand, but after the court officials left the main hall, they couldn't help but have doubts.

Zhang Sanjin is merely the son of the prime minister, holding no important official position and not truly wielding any power. Sending him to the Dali Temple certainly embarrassed the prime minister, but it did not shake Zhang Erhe's foundation in the court.

The commotion today was huge, but in reality, all that was done was arrest Zhang Sanjin. It was all bark and no bite.

Side hall of the imperial city.

After the court session ended, Zhang Erhe did not leave the palace immediately. Li Xuansi dismissed the guards, leaving him alone.

"Prime Minister, Zhang San's imprisonment is an order personally given by me."

Zhang Erhe said calmly:

"This old minister will not resent Your Highness for this. The court has reached this point, and Your Highness has no choice but to issue the order."

Li Xuansi shook his head:

"That's not what I meant to say."

His regent princely authority was toned down, and his demeanor lacked the coldness he displayed in court.

"Xiao Xingyue targeted Zhang Sanjin to sow discord between us, believing that I would worry that Zhang Sanjin would leak secrets and thus send someone to silence him."

But I will not fall for that trick…

Li Xuansi looked at the old man who had assisted him for many years:

"I trust the Prime Minister, and I also trust the child Sanjin. I would not harm a junior out of fear of the secret being leaked."

Li Xuansi spoke in a calm tone:

"Your Majesty, please rest assured, Zhang San will not be tortured in prison. Once things have calmed down, I will find a way to save his life."

Zhang Erhe nodded:

"This old minister thanks Your Highness on behalf of my son."

Li Xuansi shook his head and smiled:

There is no need for thanks between us.

At this moment, he was still known as the Seven Wise King in Kyoto, a man of respect for the virtuous and kind.

He did not become suspicious of his subordinate's son because of his imprisonment, nor did he worry that Zhang Sanjin would reveal the secret. He even took the initiative to expose the divisive tactics that Xiao Xingyue might use.

That night.

The lights in the Dali Temple prison cells were not turned off.

Zhang San lay on the wooden board, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

Every now and then, the sound of prisoners coughing could be heard in the distance.

Zhang San closed his eyes, and the two memorial tablets reappeared in his mind.

Suddenly, he sat up abruptly because he heard footsteps coming from the end of the corridor.

Without stopping, the newcomer stepped into the area illuminated by the oil lamp. Dressed in black, masked, and carrying a knife, he was an assassin.