Pei Yan watched the brocade box in Li Zhi's hand being opened, and the jewelry was taken out one by one. A sneer suddenly appeared on his pale face and he said: "What do you want to prove, Your Highness? How come these jewelry appear in my possessions?" Your Majesty, you should know very well!"
"Of course I know. If King Pei hadn't told me that there was a traitor hidden in Changmingfang, and if these jewelry hadn't been made public, I would still have regarded you, Pei Yan, as a completely loyal minister of the Tang Dynasty!" Li Hong said coldly. Looking at Pei Yan, he glanced at a secret letter in Li Zhi's hand and said.
"You... what did you say?" Pei Yan was completely confused!
Doesn't His Highness the Crown Prince want to take this opportunity to use himself to remove the threat to his position as Crown Prince from Pei King Li Xian? Why is he now confusing right and wrong and helping Pei Wang Li Xian clear his name!
"I mean, if King Pei Li Xian hadn't told me that there were a large number of Tibetan and Turkic remnants in Changmingfang who were preparing to rebel, I wouldn't have known that you were colluding with Bai Sunizhi. When I and King Pei Li Xian arrived at Changmingfang, you were Already leaving, Bai Suni knew that he could not escape his guilt, so he chose to commit suicide. He thought that this would become an unsolved case, but he didn't expect that you still kept these jewelry. I want to know the ins and outs of these jewelry. It should be clear."
"you… ."
"What else do you have to explain? One fire, two fires, Feiyi's child is the seat of the palace, who gave you the secret letter Pei Yan?" Li Zhi put down the secret letter in his hand and looked at Pei Yan and asked.
Li Hong's words just now completely dismissed Li Xian, and also made him feel relieved. As long as Li Hong was not targeting Li Xian, but Pei Yan, then he would have nothing. It’s something to be scrupulous about.
What's more, Pei Yan has always treated the Queen as a follower, but today in the court, the Queen was extremely calm. She must have reached some kind of deal with Li Hong, so she allowed Li Hong to do what Pei Yan did in the court.
"Your Majesty, all of this is a trap, all of this is caused by His Highness the Crown Prince... Queen, I was wronged, all of this is caused by His Highness the Crown Prince trying to frame me..." Pei Yan panicked, and suddenly he figured everything out. , Everything that happened in the court today was actually aimed at him.
"Master Pei, when it comes to frame-ups, you should be the first to frame His Highness the Crown Prince, right? His Royal Highness has a kind heart. As the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty, he is dedicated to the welfare of the people of the Tang Dynasty. He built a giant ship in Quanzhou in less than half a year. , you have already made Quanzhou fishermen applaud, and you have done this for the people and the country, but you have slandered His Highness as being greedy for money. For this alone, you are already guilty of a serious crime!" Di Renjie, as the Minister of Dali Temple, is naturally responsible for this! He spoke, not to mention, the Queen's attitude last night said everything.
"I report to Your Majesty that I believe that Pei Yan is greedy for money and money, and secretly colludes with the Tibetan and Turkic remnants to plot rebellion. Your Majesty, please immediately remove Pei Yan from the post of Secretary of the Order and hand it over to Dali Temple, Yushitai, and the Ministry of Punishment for review!" Yushitai Doctor Li Qiao also took a step forward and said.
"Your Majesty, I believe that Pei Yan is greedy for money and colludes with Tibetan and Turks in an attempt to rebel. He should be immediately dismissed from his post and imprisoned in Dali Temple, pending trial." Li Yiyan, the Minister of Punishment and the Minister of Zhongshu, bowed and said.
"I reported to my father, I think that in addition to Pei Yan, we should thoroughly investigate other people who have had close contact with Pei Yan within this year. If you think about these jewels, Pei Yan will definitely give some of them as gifts and rewards to others. Li Hong said seriously.
The three ministries of Dali Temple, Yushitai and the Ministry of Justice jointly sent an invitation to Li Zhi, coupled with the determination of the Crown Prince to wipe out all his influence. Pei Yan looked at the expressionless ministers in the court and suddenly realized that he was like a fool. He was lured into taking the bait from the very beginning, especially when Fang Xianzhong took retreat in order to apologize for the Ministry of Industry's shortfall in silver. He relaxed his vigilance in a very short period of time.
In addition, Fang Xianzhong had a broken mentality and knew that he could not escape the death penalty. He used the prince to misappropriate five million taels of silver as an excuse to force himself into the trap, so that he could follow the prince's steps step by step. The plan has come to this point.
He was sure that all this had been planned by the prince for a long time. Not even Pei Wang Li Xian knew about his affair with the British Duke Li Jingye, how could it be discovered!
The gray-faced Pei Yan's eyes lost their brightness. It seemed that everything was irreversible. The queen's silence had already made her attitude clear.
Looking at the Queen's calm face, Pei Yan wanted to ask for mercy, but he thought of his own selfish motives when His Majesty and His Highness were fighting in Liaodong. When His Majesty and His Highness were trapped in Liujing, he chose to avoid seeing the Queen, and even wanted to see the Queen before the Queen. Zhao Futuying entered the palace and added fuel to the flames, so that King Pei and the Queen could have a conflict while His Majesty and the Crown Prince were away.
Thinking of this, his face became depressed, but he still couldn't figure out in his heart, when did the prince start planning for him? Why did the prince give up the pursuit of King Pei
Pei Yan, who was imprisoned by Dali Temple, looked at the court for the last time with a series of doubts, and then walked out with heavy steps.
King Pei, who was originally used as a shield by him, was unexpectedly dismantled by Prince Li Hong. This made him immediately isolated and helpless in the court, and it was also because of King Pei that they diverted more attention. Come to yourself.
The position of Youpushe was naturally taken by Pei Xingjian under Li Hong's recommendation. After all, Pei Xingjian was a student of Su Dingfang, Duke of Xing State. He was both civil and military, and with his political achievements in Tubo over the years, he was completely able to convince the public to serve as minister. He was appointed as the right servant of the province.
"Father, Pei Yan of Zhongshu Province has been dismissed from his post and imprisoned. In view of the importance of Zhongshu Province, my ministers recommended Shangguan Yi to the post of Zhongshu Ling." Li Hong followed the stick and got an advantage and started to act like a good boy. .
When Li Zhi and Wu Mei were still worrying about what to do with the position of Zhongshu Ling in Zhongshu Province, the unfilial son had already put forward his own opinions.
And as Li Hong's voice fell to the ground, the ministers in the court fell silent for an instant, and the entire court became silent, and you could hear a pin drop.
At this moment, none of the ministers dared to express their opinions. After all, everyone could see that the prince was forcing the palace. Even if he was not forcing the palace, he was blatantly arranging his own power in the court.
As soon as Zhongshu Ling was dismissed, His Highness the Crown Prince proposed the name of his successor. This obviously did not give His Majesty any room to consider other people and forcefully demanded that His Majesty agree to his suggestion.
What's more, what shocked all the courtiers was that, in front of His Majesty and the Queen, His Royal Highness so blatantly arranged for his cronies to enter the court. Was this to force His Majesty to abdicate? Or is it because of the rumors circulating among the people, the court and other places that he and King Pei are fighting for the crown prince position, so His Highness has to use this method to stabilize his crown prince position!
Li Zhi looked calm, Wu Mei raised her eyelids and glanced at Li Hong, Li Zhi asked lightly: "The position of Zhongshu Ling in the Zhongshu Province is indeed of great importance, related to the stability of the Tang Dynasty, but... Shangguan Yi is said to have taken leave of absence. Will he be physically able to do this job in half a year?"
"Replying to my father, I think there is no problem. Shangguan Yi recovered yesterday and is full of life. He doesn't look like a chronically ill person." Li Hong changed different gestures back and forth with one hand, while Wu Mei kept moving. Shake your head, shake your head, shake your head again.
Both the courtiers and Li Zhi were stunned! Is this... okay
Shangguan Yi, who had been on leave for half a year, would not recover sooner or later, so why should he recover at this time? Is this an unexpected coincidence? Or is it a premeditated strategy for the emperor and his ministers
Li Zhi looked at Li Hong's natural and confident expression, and wished he could say in front of all the ministers: "Come on, come on, the throne is given to you, you can do it."
But obviously he also understood that this should be an exchange for Li Hong, a compensation that relieved him and the queen from worrying about the struggle between Li Hong and Li Xian.
Today, Pei Yan was removed and Li Xian was saved, so that the struggle between the princes that was supposed to happen disappeared invisible. And because of his concession to Li Xian, Li Hong, who had never been willing to suffer, began to Find supplementary benefits for yourself from here.
According to Li Zhi and Wu Mei's wishes, Li Hong let Li Xian keep everything but cut off his wings. So, as the father and mother of the two princes, should Li Zhi and Wu Mei compensate some for the prince
After Li Zhi figured out this link, he began to bargain with Li Hong in front of the courtiers, and the bargaining chip in his hand was Fang Xianzhong, who was still waiting for punishment.
"Fang Xianzhong did meritorious deeds in exposing Pei Yan, but although he was inappropriate in taking charge of the Ministry of Industry, his merits outweighed his faults. I think..."
"Father, although Xian Zhong, the Minister of the Ministry of Industry, was exposed with merit, his crime of bribery was also true. I think he should be fined for one year, demoted three levels in a row, and assigned to a local post." Li Hong said to Bai Bai.
Looking at his father's appearance, he ignored his suggestion about the nomination of Zhongshu Ling, and instead picked up Fang Xianzhong to talk to him, obviously wanting to bargain with him.
"Fang Xianzhong has both merits and demerits, not to mention he is the prospective father-in-law of Pei King Li Xian. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince handles this matter so impartially, I am afraid that the world will think that the royal family is more important than legal principles." Di Renjie glanced at Li Hong and said with a wry smile.
"Di Renjie, you are the minister of Dali Temple, and it is your duty to enforce the law impartially. Now that you have openly excused Fang Xianzhong, in the future, should everyone else who violates the laws of the Tang Dynasty be given a lighter sentence?" Li Hong glanced sideways. Looking at this absolute court veteran, he asked calmly.
"Your Highness, I think that although what Lord Di said is not too fair, the matter of Fang Xianzhong involves King Pei and the royal family. I also agree with Lord Di's opinion. It can show the kindness and love of the royal family in a timely manner and reflect the heart of your highness. Kindness and virtue." Li Qiao also stood up and said with a smile.
Li Hong looked at Di Renjie, then at his father Long, then at Li Qiao, and then at his mother. Obviously, if he wanted Shangguan Yi to be appointed Zhongshu Ling, then Fang Xianzhong would be appointed Minister of Industry. , but I can’t move! We have to keep him as Minister of the Ministry of Works!
(End of chapter)