Zhu Tian: Starting from the World of Zongwu

At least, he secretly recognized the prince.

At this time, the prince was humiliated and the emperor was embarrassed. As the left prime minister, the head of the civil officials, why don't you come out and say a few words?

Chapter 789 Zhao Pan: Today’s court meeting is so chaotic!

Sure enough, under Zhao Pan's gaze, Li Yan stepped out.

"Chen Shiyan's outspokenness and irresponsible remarks not only insulted the officials of the Imperial City Bureau, but also offended His Majesty. He deserves to be executed!

However, I believe that Envoy Chen is not guilty of treason, and that the extermination of nine clans is indeed a bit excessive. Therefore, I suggest that Your Majesty revoke the order and instead exterminate three clans!"

Zhao Pan was delighted and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. As expected, at the critical moment, my prime minister was still reliable!

But before he could change his mind, Li Yan spoke again, "Your Majesty, although Chen Shiyan deserves death, he would rather face the fate of having his entire clan exterminated than not expose the Crown Prince's crimes. This old minister believes that the Crown Prince's story is very true!"

Therefore, I implore Your Majesty to issue an order to thoroughly investigate the various crimes that Chen Shiyan has impeached the Crown Prince for.

If he is not guilty, restore the prince's innocence.

If guilty..."

Zhao Pan's face turned cold, "What if I'm guilty?"

Li Yan stood up straight, his aura of righteousness enveloping him. He said in a deep voice, "If the crime is true, Your Majesty should depose the Crown Prince and appoint a new heir apparent!

You are a person of corrupt morals and heinous crimes, and you are not worthy of being the crown prince of Daosong!"

As a Confucian cultivator in the Mahayana period, the face of the Confucian-Taoist lineage, and the head of the civil officials of the Song Dynasty, Li Yan's words caused an uproar in the court. Even Emperor Zhao Pan subconsciously clenched his hands behind his back.

Zhao Pan was in disbelief. In the past, even if Li Yan did not explicitly support the prince, he had remained neutral. Why did he suddenly change his attitude today and say that he wanted to depose the prince?

Could it be that Song Xuan’s infiltration in the court was so powerful that he even won over the Prime Minister appointed by me personally?

In the court, many officials looked at each other in confusion.

This was a grand court meeting, so it would have been fine if the Left Prime Minister, the head of the civil officials, had not spoken. But since he did speak, although he did not say it explicitly, he had actually already defined the prince's position!

Some things, whether investigated or not, everyone knows the answer. Li Yan has been basically clear about the prince's character over the years.

If he wanted to be a powerful official, it would be the best thing for a foolish and incompetent prince to take the throne, as it would be very easy to control him.

But if Dao Song wants to become powerful, and even have the ability to unify the Wanling Continent, then the next emperor must not be Zhao Gou.

With this person's narrow-mindedness, after he comes to power, he will engage in nothing but internal strife. If the internal friction of the dynasty reaches a certain extent, Dao Song will be destroyed by Mo Yuan sooner or later!

Before, Li Yan did not take sides because he knew that the Second Prince had no chance of winning, and even if he came out to support him, there would be no possibility at all.

But now, Song Xuan is standing behind the Second Prince, and the attitude of the entire Imperial City Bureau is also ambiguous. Although they have not clearly taken sides, in fact, tacitly allowing Song Xuan to mobilize troops is already taking sides to a certain extent!

After seeing through this, at today's court meeting, Li Yan took the opportunity to speak for Zhao Pan and directly attacked the prince.

The Crown Prince has the Emperor and a nine-level sect behind him, but the Second Prince has the Imperial City Bureau behind him. If he, the head of the civil officials, is added to the mix, he will be able to compete with the Crown Prince's forces.

Today, even if we cannot depose Zhao Gou from the position of crown prince, we must completely destroy his reputation and make him infamous.

Zhao Pan took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. Everything that happened today had made him feel the crisis, and the feeling that the court was out of control was becoming more and more obvious.

It turned out that the court situation that he thought was stable over the past thousands of years had never been stable at all.

He even misjudged the prime minister he personally promoted. So how many of the so-called loyal ministers in the court actually had ulterior motives?

"My dear ministers, do you have any other opinions on what Prime Minister Li said?"

Zhao Pan's eyes wandered over the ministers, but unfortunately, the group of flatterers in the past were particularly silent today.

He also knew that when it came to the matter of the crown prince, everyone wanted to stay out of it and no one wanted to get involved in trouble, but even so, Zhao Pan was still extremely disappointed.

At the critical moment, no one in the court, civil or military, could be relied upon!

And just at this moment, the old Duke, who had been daydreaming, slowly stepped out in front of everyone.

"His Majesty!"

Duke Chengguo coughed and said in a deep voice, "This old minister believes that the Crown Prince's affairs concern the foundation of the country and should not be investigated lightly!"

Zhao Pan was delighted when he heard this.

Loyal minister, loyal minister!

At critical moments, only these experienced and steady nobles can be relied upon!

It's ridiculous that Song Xuan is brave but not wise. He let his troops surround the Duke's Mansion last night. Now, he is starting to suffer the backlash, right?

Duke Chengguo represents the entire noble class. If he expresses support for the prince, then the prince will be able to get away with today's incident safely.

After passing this stage, I will deal with Song Xuan, Li Yan, and those fence-sitters one by one!

Zhao Pan's face was kind, and he said, "So, what does the old Duke mean?"

"What I mean is..."

Duke Cheng turned and pointed at the deputy commander, Taoist Shou Yin, and said, "The Crown Prince is the head of state, and we cannot investigate him lightly. But since Prime Minister Li has expressed his intention to investigate, I think we should investigate."

How about letting the Imperial City Bureau investigate? With their methods and capabilities, if they can't find anything, they can still prove the Crown Prince's innocence. When he ascends the throne in the future, we can wholeheartedly assist him!"

The smile on Zhao Pan's face froze.

Today's grand court meeting is so chaotic.

First, the imperial envoy impeached Victoria Song, and then the spearhead turned to impeaching him as the emperor.

The content of the impeachment involved the dethronement and enthronement of the crown prince. Li Yan, the head of the civil officials, stood up, and Duke Chengguo, the head of the nobles, also stood up.

Who else?

Zhao Pan stared at everyone in the court with an angry look on his face. Who else is there? Come forward!

I want to take a good look and see which traitors are trying to interfere with my decision to appoint a crown prince!

Zhao Pan's gaze wandered around, and finally, it fell on Song Xuan again.

He knew that all the troubles today were caused by this old monster Song!

Song Xuan smiled slightly.

You want to see, right? Well, then I’ll let you take a good look at who else there are!

Lord Song's eyes turned slightly and glanced at Marquis Zhenyuan.

The Marquis of Zhenyuan immediately understood and stepped forward to say, "This old minister seconded the motion. A strict investigation should be conducted on the Crown Prince!"

As he stepped out, he saw dozens of nobles in the court, either marquises or earls, all standing out at this moment.

"My lord, second the motion!"

"I also second the proposal!"

"I second your motion! Zhao Gou, I will never coexist with you!"

This sentence was said by the Duke of Dongchang, whose daughter had died. He didn't care whether others believed it or not, because he was certain that Crown Prince Zhao Gou was responsible for his daughter's death!

And at this time, the right prime minister Yang Ye also stepped out.

"I second this motion!"

Chapter 790: We had no choice before, but now we want to be good people

As the head of the military officers, generally speaking, Yang Ye rarely expressed his opinions on matters in the court unless they involved military affairs.

But today, when it comes to the issue of the crown prince, he made a rare statement.

His departure meant that both the civil and military prime ministers had completely sided with the second prince!

In addition, the noble class also clearly stated their position, and Zhao Pan was horrified to find that he had completely lost control of the entire court.

For Zhao Pan, it is not that the crown prince cannot be replaced. The reason why Zhao Gou was made the crown prince was because of the ninth-level sect behind him.

With the support of a ninth-level sect, Zhao Gou found it easier to control the court situation after ascending the throne and was less likely to be sidelined by powerful officials.

But now, in Zhao Gou's view, this is no longer a question of whether to change the crown prince or not.

I can change the crown prince, but that has to be when I am willing, not when you, a bunch of traitors, force me to depose or enthrone the crown prince!

This is forcing the emperor to abdicate, this is challenging his authority as the emperor!

This is something Zhao Pan cannot tolerate no matter what!

"Very good! It's been many years since I've seen you all so unanimous!"

Zhao Pan's voice was cold. He actually wanted to say some harsh words, but if he did so, it would completely push himself and the court officials to opposite sides, which was not in his interest.

Glancing at Crown Prince Zhao Gou, whose face was pale and whose body was trembling due to the impeachment of the civil and military officials in the court, Zhao Pan cursed him in his heart as a waste.

"Since all of you, my dear ministers, feel the need to investigate, then let's do it!"

Taking a deep breath, he issued an order, "From now on, the Crown Prince is confined to the Eastern Palace and cannot leave without permission.

The Ministry of Justice, the Supreme Court, the Censorate, and the three courts are to hold a joint trial and thoroughly investigate the various crimes that Chen Shiyan has impeached against the Crown Prince!

I have only one request. You may investigate, but you must seek truth from facts. If I find out who dares to frame someone and force them to confess, don't blame me for not respecting the relationship between the monarch and his subjects!"

With a cold snort, he flung his dragon robe and said, "Dismiss the court!"

After saying this, he walked away without looking back.

"Withdraw from the court..."

With the old eunuch's nod of approval, this unique court meeting came to an end.

Song Xuan watched the emperor's back as he left, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes.

He knew very well that Emperor Zhao Pan would find a way to deal with him after he returned. Instead of waiting to be dealt with by others first, Lord Song said, why don’t I deal with you first!

The reason why he came to court today was not only to disgust the prince, but more importantly, he wanted to observe what kind of person Emperor Zhao Pan was through his performance in the court.

Now, he basically understood that this old guy was not someone who would give in easily.

If he is not completely defeated and frightened, Zhao Pan will probably protect the prince even if he is found guilty of a bunch of crimes.

Even if he couldn't protect him, for the sake of royal dignity and face, Zhao Pan would not choose to make the second prince Zhao Zhe the crown prince!

.....

After walking out of the hall, Duke Chengguo came to Song Xuan first, waved his hand, and set up a soundproof ban.

"Master Song, you have a great plan! We've only been in the capital for a short time, and both Prime Ministers are on your side!"

Song Xuan nodded and smiled: "It was just luck, just luck!"

Duke Chengguo smiled and said, "Today, we have completely offended His Majesty. We have no choice but to push the Second Prince up."

"Offend us if you want. You can't come out and attack us just because we side with the Second Prince and the ancestors of the Zhao family, right?"

"That's not the case!"

Duke Chengguo smiled and said, "The imperial court has its own rules. As ministers, we have the right to make suggestions in court. Moreover, the Crown Prince is the foundation of the country, and matters of great importance are at stake. If he behaves in a manner unbecoming and is unworthy of his position, shouldn't we impeach him?"

But you, Lord Song, need to be more cautious next time.

Your Majesty has not been forced into such a situation for many years. When I return, I will definitely use some means to drive you out of the Imperial City Bureau, or preferably out of the imperial capital.

Once you leave the imperial capital, he has plenty of ways to deal with you!"

Song Xuan's eyes closed slightly, "Could it be that he wants to ask the Zhao family's ancestors to deal with me?"

Duke Chengguo shook his head, "Those ancestors of the Zhao family are not so easy to invite. I estimate that after forcing you out of the imperial capital, Zhao Pan may use the power of the ninth-level sect behind the queen to deal with you!

The strength of the ninth-level sect, Daluo Sect, should not be underestimated. There are no less than three known Mahayana monsters among them, and the ancestor of Daluo Sect has already reached the peak of Mahayana cultivation.

Before ascending, the Daluo Sect's ancestors are likely to kill people to establish their authority, and you, Lord Song, are probably a good choice in their eyes!"

Song Xuan bowed and said, "I understand. Thank you for letting me know!"

...

After returning to the residence, the second prince came to visit soon.

As soon as he entered the door, Zhao Zhe looked at Song Xuan with excitement and admiration.

"Senior, I am so happy today. Didn't you see Zhao Gou's expression? He looked like his mother had died, with a droopy face and a look of panic.

I have lived for so long, and this is the first time I know that this lawless and unscrupulous Crown Prince can actually be afraid and know fear!

The two prime ministers, the civil and military ministers, the nobles, and the Imperial City Administration all opposed his side. Standing behind him, I could clearly feel his body trembling.