The Demon Prince

"Li Xuansi, do you know your crime?"

Upon hearing this, Li Xuansi unconsciously tensed up for a moment.

Li Chengqian, sitting on the dragon throne, looked sickly, his face gaunt, but when he asked questions, the imposing aura he once possessed when he seized the throne with eight hundred personal guards once again enveloped the entire hall!

That kind of boldness was unmatched in the court, but today is different...

Li Xuansi suppressed his inner turmoil. He had already issued the order: 20,000 elite troops were approaching the imperial city, the Sixteen Guards of the Southern Palace would also be mobilized, and the Northern Palace Imperial Guards under Wei Changgeng's command would also open the palace gates.

Once Lu Ya arrives with the experts from the Imperial Observatory, this grand hall will become Li Chengqian's tomb!

What he needs to do now is stall, just like Xiao Xingyue stalled Li Chengqian to wake up.

Li Xuansi rose from his princely throne, clad in a dark blue python robe, his aura of a peak Grandmaster concealed within his meridians, ready to break free of restraint at any moment.

He was confident that no one could defeat him in a one-on-one fight, even though there were many experts in the hall.

But as long as these people don't act at the same time, they can't stop him.

Li Xuansi bowed with his hands clasped in greeting.

"What crime has my brother committed?"

He remained calm and composed, and instead asked Li Chengqian:

"While the Emperor was in a coma, the court was leaderless."

Foreign delegations were eyeing the scene with covetous intent, the Imperial Observatory discovered unusual celestial phenomena, officials in the court had their own agendas, and rumors were rampant among the people.

Your younger brother, following ancestral rules, serves as regent, handling state affairs day and night.

"In recent days, grain prices in the capital have remained stable, and the Six Ministries and Nine Temples have continued to operate..."

Li Xuansi looked up at the dragon throne:

"Your Majesty, I dare not claim any merit, but Your Majesty, having just awakened, asks me if I know my crime. May I ask Your Majesty, what exactly did I do wrong?"

With each word he spoke, court officials would secretly ponder.

These words sound reasonable. With the emperor in a coma and the prince acting as regent, Li Xuansi did, to some extent, maintain the superficial order of the court.

Most people in the hall chose to keep quiet. On one side was the emperor who had just woken up, and on the other side was the regent prince who controlled a large amount of power. They dared not say anything out of turn, and it was not their place to interrupt.

However, several officials who had completely pledged allegiance to Li Xuansi could not wait any longer:

"Your Majesty, the Seventh Prince has been diligent in state affairs during his regency, as all officials have witnessed. We humbly request Your Majesty to investigate further."

Another censor stepped out of the queue:

"The Seventh Prince has been working tirelessly for several days to stabilize the court. I can testify that Your Highness has no intention of disloyalty."

Some officials also knelt down:

"Your Majesty, the Seventh Prince's loyalty is beyond question. If he is punished for his regency, it would likely discourage his relatives and ministers."

People behind him echoed his sentiments.

Li Xuansi did not stop them; these people stepping forward would buy him some time.

He secretly calculated the distance. The messenger should have already left the palace. By the time the Sixteen Guards of the Southern Palace received the message and assembled their troops, if Wei Changgeng could open the palace gates, the time would be even shorter…

It's almost over, everything is almost over. If it weren't for the need to be on the safe side, he would have almost lost the patience to keep up the act.

"I have something to report."

An old voice suddenly rang out, and Li Xuansi frowned upon hearing it.

Zhang Erhe stepped out from the front of the civil officials, carrying several heavy account books, followed by two other officials from the Prime Minister's office, each carrying a wooden box.

Li Xuansi felt agitated. At this time, it was one thing for minor officials to be impatient and lack understanding, but why did a shrewd and calculating prime minister like him have to add unnecessary complications?

The prime minister only needs to remain silent and wait for the troops outside to break in.

"What matter, Prime Minister, can be discussed later."

Li Xuansi tried to interrupt, but Zhang Erhe did not step back. Instead, he walked to the center of the hall and knelt down on both knees.

"This matter concerns the fate of the nation and its people; I dare not delay."

Li Chengqian looked at him and said, "Granted."

Zhang Erhe put down the first account book:

"Your subject Zhang Erhe hereby accuses the Seventh Prince Li Xuansi of forming cliques for personal gain, plotting against loyal officials, privately raising troops, colluding with foreign powers, and intending to rebel!"

The entire hall erupted into chaos! What's going on? Aren't you all in cahoots?

Li Xuansi suddenly turned around: "Zhang Erhe!"

His angry shout carried the true energy of a grandmaster, causing several civil officials to stagger backward! The candlelight in the hall flickered, and the memorials on the table were overturned by the shockwave!

Zhang Erhe remained kneeling in place, and Li Yunxi also lost her usual gentle and calm demeanor, standing frozen in place. The other princesses also looked at Zhang Erhe.

No one expected that the prime minister would turn against him at this time.

These days, Zhang Erhe and Li Xuansi are inseparable. The two of them handle state affairs together and win over the officials. Today, the Prime Minister accused Li Xuansi of treason in front of all the civil and military officials.

Zhang Erhe opened the wooden box, inside which were a secret letter, a seal, and dozens of silver notes:

"In the sixth year of Yongqing, King Xiao Junlin of Zhen was ordered to lead a northern expedition. The Seven Wise Kings secretly leaked the marching route of the Xiao family army, leading foreign troops into the canyon outside Jubei City!"

Nine people participated in delivering the message, three of whom are still alive…

Zhang Erhe took out the first confession:

"Although the King of Zhen broke through the siege, he was poisoned by a strange poison. The poison came from the Baiyue Kingdom and the Liujiang region, and it should be the same as the poison that the Emperor was poisoned with when he fell into a coma recently!"

Although the toxicity has been neutralized, residual toxicity remains... This is also what happened later...

Li Xuansi's face darkened completely.

Zhang Erhe opened another register:

In the eighth year of Yongqing, Princess Zhang Feifei of Zhen Kingdom entered the palace!

After leaving the palace, she was poisoned, and her health deteriorated day by day!

Zhang Erhe's voice began to tremble:

"The three doctors who treated her died in accidents one after another. One of their family members was secretly sent to Jiangnan by the Seventh Prince. I have already sent people to bring them back to the capital. Witnesses are still outside the palace!"

When he read out Zhang Feifei's name, his back finally bent a little.

He was hunched over, his voice like a rushing river:

"It was not an accident that eight young generals of the Xiao family died in battle."

Military rations were switched, military reports were intercepted, and reinforcements arrived late. The official in charge of this matter at the time accepted 30,000 taels of silver from the Seventh Prince's residence!

Zhang Erhe pushed an account book forward:

"There were four people who handled those 30,000 taels of silver, and their signatures and seals are still there."

The 13,721 soldiers who died in the North were also involved in this incident.

Qin Zhenyue drew his spear, his tiger-like eyes blazing with fury: "Continue!"

Li Chengqian also gave the order.

Zhang Erhe then picked up two more secret letters:

"In the tenth year of Yongqing, Imperial Censor He Rushan was killed on his way back to the capital... In the eleventh year of Yongqing, Imperial Guard Pei Cheng died at home..."

Both men had investigated the Seven Sages' Mansion, and the person who carried out the attack came from the Imperial Observatory. The relevant confessions were also in the box.

The Seven Wise Kings secretly bribed a total of forty-seven court officials, officials from the Three Departments, Six Ministries, Nine Courts, and the Imperial Guards...

Wei Changgeng, Right Valiant Guard General of the Northern Army!

The gold and silver received, official positions held, and land properties of the aforementioned individuals are all recorded in the accounts.

The official who had just been pleading for Li Xuansi collapsed to the ground:

"Fake. These account books are all fake. I have never received any silver from the Seventh Prince."

Someone hurriedly crawled forward:

"The Prime Minister is purging dissidents. His son just died, and he's gone mad. Your Majesty cannot trust him!"

More and more officials are turning pale!

Some people held onto the pillars, some fainted on the spot, and others desperately moved to the side, wishing they could stay at least ten feet away from Li Xuansi!

Zhang Erhe picked up the last account book:

"Li Xuansi also secretly colluded with the White Lion Kingdom, the Moon Worship Kingdom, and the Yamato Kingdom, promising to cede cities to them..."

He held up the ledger with both hands:

"All the matters I have reported are supported by witnesses and physical evidence. If even a single word is false, I am willing to be executed by a thousand cuts."

The arguing in the main hall completely stopped!

Li Xuansi's composure had long since vanished.

These things are all truly confidential; some of them are unknown even to Zhang Shuangwu. How could Zhang Erhe have found out? And when did he begin investigating?

These ledgers were clearly not prepared on short notice, and they were obviously divided into two sets, seemingly made by two different people!

Zhang Erhe has been plotting this for many years! And who is the other person...?

That old bastard Zhang Erhe was never truly loyal to him.

Witnessing the dramatic changes in the court, Li Taiping quietly approached Xiao Xingyue, her breathing rapid. But after glancing at Xiao Xingyue, she became even more shocked:

Aren't you surprised?

Xiao Xingyue looked at the account books scattered on the floor:

Should I be shocked?

Li Taiping then remembered that from the moment Zhang Erhe stepped forward, Xiao Xingyue had not shown the slightest surprise!

She then looked at the account books that Zhang Erhe had taken out. Some of the account books were clearly the same style that Zhao Yuanbao occasionally carried around!

Xiao Xingyue witnessed everything, his gaze deep, recalling a sentence on the sacrificial altar.

At that time, Consort Shu, Jiang Shuying, questioned Zhang Erhe: "Zhang Erhe, even you want to kill Xiao Xingyue?"

Even you? Is it surprising that Zhang Erhe wants to kill him?

From that day on, many overlooked details became connected.

Zhang San, now the number one playboy in the capital, never directly participated in the bullying of Xiao Xingyue and Zhao Yuanbao when others bullied him and Zhao Yuanbao, according to Xiao Xingyue's vague memory. On several occasions, he even deliberately left with others. Despite being so arrogant, he did not directly bully Xiao Xingyue and Zhao Yuanbao at the time.

Is someone behind this?

After he overpowered Gu Linyuan in the imperial court and began to show his talent, Zhang Erhe never personally targeted him!

Those who are most active and energetic are always the people under the Prime Minister's faction!

Moreover, Zhang Sanjin is also a problematic person. As the only son of the Zhang family, he lives a muddled and aimless life. Many people can see that what he craves most is a word of approval from his father.

Zhang Erhe wielded immense power in the court. If he truly wanted to cultivate his son, Zhang Sanjin would turn out like that.

Zhang Erhe has clearly been suppressing his own son! He deliberately lets him act recklessly and hides him under the guise of a playboy!

Just as Li Chengqian had used the same method to protect Xiao Xingyue before.

Why did Zhang Erhe act this way? Was he worried that his son's intelligence and competence would attract the covetous eyes of others, such as Li Xuansi?

If his son is capable, Li Xuansi can support him...

Moreover, after the day of the sacrificial ceremony at the altar, Jiang Shuying told him about an old story.

Zhang Erhe is his maternal uncle. His mother, Zhang Feifei, was born into the Zhang family. She and Zhang Shuangwu are both Zhang Erhe's younger sisters.

Zhang Feifei's death was suspicious, and it was after that that the Xiao family and the Zhang family broke off all contact!

Later, Zhang Erhe had already wielded immense power in the court. If a new emperor were to take over, how much power would he still have?

Is it worth risking the entire Zhang family to gamble with Li Xuansi?

These doubts and speculations are just that—speculations—but until five days ago!

Five days ago, when news of Zhang Sanjin's assassination spread throughout the capital, someone secretly entered the Prince Zhenguo's mansion. That person's name was...

Zhang San lifted his veil, revealing his face, which should have died in the Dali Temple prison, to the morning light.

He stood outside the palace gates of the imperial city, surrounded by deafening sounds of fighting.

A group of elite troops of unknown origin crashed into the Northern Army's defenses. The commander of the Northern Army, wielding a long sword, led the Northern Army to guard the palace gates. The Sixteen Guards of the Southern Court, who had been urgently dispatched, had already defected and were cooperating with the Northern Army to encircle and kill the rebels.

Dozens of corpses lay on the ground, and blood flowed into the ditch through the cracks in the bricks.

Looking at everything before him, Zhang Sanjin recalled the words his father had spoken that day.

"Go and pay your respects to your mother and the others."

And that day, the two memorial tablets in that corner.

One of them is him, the young master Zhang Sanjin, who is destined to die once.

There are two names engraved side by side.

Xiao Junlin, Zhang Feifei!